Harkin - Focus on food assistance needed

During the House farm bill process, I thought House Ag Committee Chairman Colin Peterson was about as "proactive" as they came in Congress relative to outreach to the press. I would put Harkin in that league and perhaps a plus ahead. From the office of Sen. Tom Harkin:



HARKIN: THANKSGIVING WEEK A TIME TO FOCUS ON FOOD ASSISTANCE FOR LOW-INCOME AMERICAN FAMILIES IN NEW FARM BILL

Critical Increases in Nutrition Assistance Languish in Senate as President Visits Food Bank

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the Thanksgiving holiday just days away, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today said that President Bush should follow up on his visit to a Virginia food bank today and intervene to end obstruction of the new farm bill by members of his own party. The new legislation contains billions of dollars in critically-needed new food assistance for low-income families across the nation. Harkin, who is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, expressed hope that the legislation could pass the Senate shortly after the Thanksgiving recess with the Administration’s support.

“President Bush should go beyond this Thanksgiving week food bank visit and apply the tools of his office to ensure the new farm bill passes the Senate without further delays,” said Harkin. “It is time to move beyond politics and strengthen our nation’s food assistance. These programs are the first line of defense against hunger. With the cooperation of the Bush White House and Senate Republicans, we can end the obstruction, pass this bill right after Thanksgiving and make a real difference for Americans on the verge of hunger.”

Since 2000, the number of Americans living on the edge of hunger has risen by over 2 million. The pending farm bill contains over $5 billion in critical investments in federal food assistance programs. This new funding will provide extra money for food banks, increase food assistance to working families with high child care costs, and will increase food assistance for low-income seniors.

Just last week, the Administration released its annual report on hunger and food insecurity, Household Food Security in the United States, 2006. According to the report, the number of Americans living in “food insecure” households in 2006 was 35.5 million, an increase of 400,000 over 2005 and an increase of 2.3 million since 2000.

On Friday, November 16th movement of the farm bill on a critical procedural vote was blocked, largely along party lines. Despite unanimous backing in the Senate Agriculture Committee, and broad bipartisan support on the floor, Senate Republicans are blocking the movement of the bill by insisting on votes on matters unrelated to the farm bill.

Farm bill vs. Afghan broadband

Big Apple of the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group asked this question in relation to the following story: "$1.4 Billion for Afgan broadband but rural US and the farm bill?"

Here is the story from BizJournals.com

A Taunton-based defense contractor reports it has landed a U.S. Army contract that could be worth more than $1 billion. General Dynamics C4 Systems Inc. has received a $78.3 million order from the Army as part of an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract worth up to $1.4 billion for providing broadband network and satellite communications capabilities to soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Delivery of equipment, including networking hubs, network nodes and network management suites, is set to begin in May 2008. General Dynamics C4 Systems Inc. is a division of Virginia-based General Dynamics Corp., which employs 83,000 people and reported a 2006 profit of $2.6 billion on revenue of $24 billion.

TK: Guns are guns and butter is butter and never the twain shall meet... or maybe not. You may hear heightened criticism of the Administration's hundreds of billions (one estimate I read said $1.6 trillion over six years) for the Iraq war/nation building compared with mere billions for farm policy and other social priorities in the U.S.

Turkey tally

Just yesterday I went to an old-fashioned church potluck that made me think I have had Thanksgiving already. Turkey, ham, cranberry salad, green bean caserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, etc. Still, that's no reason not to indulge myself on the actual Turkey Day. Here is what the Farm Bureau estimates the bill will cost this year:
From the FB:

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 15, 2007 – Menu items for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the trimmings will cost more this year, but remain affordable, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.View AgBites video of AFBF economist Jim Sartwelle commenting about the cost of Thanksgiving dinner. According to AFBF’s 22nd annual informal survey of the prices of basic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table, the average cost of this year’s dinner for 10 is $42.26, a $4.16 price increase from last year’s average of $38.10. “Americans are blessed to have an abundant variety of home-grown food that is produced with pride by our hardworking farmers and ranchers,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “During the holiday season, especially as we celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family, it’s appropriate to reflect on and give thanks for this bounty.”
The AFBF survey shopping list includes turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and beverages of coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10.
The cost of a 16-pound turkey, at $17.63 or roughly $1.10 per pound, reflects an increase of 12 cents per pound, or a total of $1.93 per turkey compared to 2006. This is the largest contributor to the overall increase in the cost of the 2007 Thanksgiving dinner.“The inventory of birds in cold storage is relatively small this year. This has helped drive up the average retail turkey price,” said Jim Sartwelle, an AFBF economist. “The tremendous increase in energy costs for transportation and processing over the past year also is a key factor behind higher retail prices at the grocery store.”
Other items showing a price increase this year included: a gallon of whole milk, $3.88; a 30-oz. can of pumpkin pie mix, $2.13; three pounds of sweet potatoes, $3.08; two 9-inch pie shells, $2.08; a 12-oz. package of brown-n-serve rolls, $1.89; a half-pint of whipping cream, $1.56; and a 12-oz. package of fresh cranberries, $2.20.
A combined group of miscellaneous items, including coffee and ingredients necessary to prepare the meal (onions, eggs, sugar, flour, evaporated milk and butter) increased in price by 66 cents to $3.29.
“All of the dairy products included in the survey increased significantly in price over the past year due to skyrocketing world demand,” Sartwelle said.Items that decreased slightly in price this year were: a 14-oz. package of cube stuffing, $2.40; and a relish tray of carrots and celery, 66 cents. A pound of green peas remained the same in price at $1.46.
Sartwelle said on average, American consumers have enjoyed stable food costs over the years, particularly when you adjust for inflation. The inflation-adjusted cost of a Thanksgiving dinner has remained around $20 for the past 17 years.
“Consumers can enjoy a wholesome, home-cooked turkey dinner for just over $4 per person – less than a typical fast-food meal. That’s an amazing deal, any way you slice it,” Sartwelle said.
Yearly Averages
1986–$28.74
1987–$24.51
1988–$26.61
1989–$24.70
1990–$28.85
1991–$25.95
1992–$26.39
1993–$27.49
1994–$28.40
1995–$29.64
1996–$31.66
1997–$31.75
1998–$33.09
1999–$33.83
2000–$32.37
2001–$35.04
2002–$34.56
2003–$36.28
2004–$35.68
2005–$36.78
2006–$38.10
2007–$42.26

Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers are asked to look for the best possible prices, without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals, such as spend $50 and receive a free turkey. Shoppers with an eye for bargains in all areas of the country should be able to purchase individual menu items at prices comparable to the Farm Bureau survey averages. Another option for busy families without a lot of time to cook is ready-to-eat Thanksgiving meals for up to 10 people, with all the trimmings, which are available at many supermarkets and take-out restaurants for around $50 to $75.
The AFBF survey was first conducted in 1986. This year’s average cost of $42.26 is equivalent to $20.46 in inflation-adjusted dollars. The real dollar cost of the Thanksgiving dinner has declined 9 percent in the last 20 years, according to Sartwelle. While Farm Bureau does not make any statistical claims about the data, it is a gauge of price trends around the nation.
A total of 151 volunteer shoppers from 31 states participated in this year’s survey. Farm Bureau’s survey menu has remained unchanged since 1986 to allow for consistent price comparisons.

Another produce code

Luis of the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group provides this story from the Nov. 16 edition of www.InsideHealthPolicy.com.From the story cited by Luis:

The organization representing state food and drug regulators is working with the food industry and a consumer group to draft by early next year a model produce code that state and local regulators could adopt. The Association of Food and Drug Officials and the food industry have not yet endorsed mandatory, federal good agricultural practices but concede they will likely be the next step. "There would be value in some mandatory programs," says Craig Henry, chief operating officer and senior vice-president for scientific and regulatory affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers Association. "Whether it is part of the federal food code remains to be seen." The model code will set out basic good agricultural practices. The agricultural standards will likely address worker hygiene, field equipment, fertilizers, land use, water testing, pest control programs, and produce tracking. The groups are building on the 1998 FDA guidance on preventing microbial hazards in fresh fruits and vegetables, another industry source says. After the draft code is released, commodity-specific standards will likely be issued, says David Gombas, senior vice president for food safety and technology at the United Fresh Produce Association. He says there are already GAPs being developed for melons, leafy greens and tomatoes by different states and commodity groups the produce code will draw upon. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, while working on the produce code, is also drawing up a separate petition to FDA, with some industry groups, that asks FDA to regulate farms.

Me and the computer

The computer and I have had issues since the days of 1982, when I worked for Harris Electronic News in Hutchinson, Kansas. Back then, the TRS-80 computers we worked on had huge 8 inch floppy disks, and I managed to destory a floppy disk drive or two and shred a half a dozen disks in my time at HEN.
Today, I'm working at the Johnson County Public Library as the Vance IT staff is working on my recently balky laptop. I'm off this week but can't stay away from the blog, of course. I need to update some great TK headline picks, Packer headlines and Fresh Produce Industry Discussion topics. Despite the fact that Congress is out, there is a ton of stuff going on, particularly in the realm of food safety.

It was good to talk with Donna Garren of the NRA last week. She pointed out that in the absence of federal regulation of produce safety, the implementation of on farm food safety standards by foodservice and retail buyers shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. What's more, she said even if there was strong federal oversight of produce safety, foodservice and retail operators may be interested in providing their own food safety specs to their suppliers. Indeed, she said some buyers have food safety specs for meat products, which are closely regulated (that's subject to interpretation) by the USDA.

Whatever the justification of food safety standards - scientific, legal or commercial - the industry needs to hear from the Food Safety Leadership Council in a big way. If you are grouping together some of the largest buying groups and dictating on-farm standards to a myriad of suppliers, there is a level of accountability that is reciprocal with that power.