News Update
September 18, 2012
Bill Marler to Represent Former USDA Employees in BPI Litigation Over LFTB
Food safety lawyer Bill Marler, whose law firm publishes the newsletter Food Safety News, will defend two former USDA employees that Beef Products Inc. (BPI) is suing along with ABC News over statements made about its lean, finely textured beef product.
At the bottom of a news item in Food Safety News Monday titled, "BPI and Pink Slime: An Updated Timeline," the newsletter added this disclosure:
"Editor's note: Bill Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark LLP, underwriter of Food Safety News has been asked to represent defendants Gerald Zirnstein and Carl Custer."
Zirnstein and Custer are both former USDA employees who appeared on ABC broadcasts and were quoted in ABC's online reports. Zirnstein reportedly coined the phrase "pink slime" in an internal USDA email several years ago.
In the lawsuit, BPI alleges that both men "knowingly or recklessly made multiple false and disparaging statements regarding BPI and LFTB."
The lawsuit also names ABC Anchor Diane Sawyer, Senior National Correspondent Jim Avila and Correspondent David Kerley as defendants, as well as former BPI employee Kit Foshee.
Regarding Zirnstein and Custer, the lawsuit also asserts the following:
"The ABC defendants promoted Zirnstein and Custer as 'whistleblowers.' They used this characterization to create the impression that they were now sharing factual information regarding wrongful conduct by BPI and the USDA with consumers. Zirnstein and Custer were not whistleblowers. At no time did they bring any alleged misconduct or illegal behavior to the attention of the USDA or any other government authority. And Zirnstein and Custer did not witness any illegal or improper conduct while at the USDA in connection with BPI and LFTB."
For more information and the full release, click here.
House Abandons Rural America
The National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement following U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor's announcement of the remaining votes in the House, which does not include the 2012 Farm Bill:
"The 2008 Farm Bill expires on Sept. 30. Congress is well aware of its expiration, and sadly leadership has succumbed to political pressure and will leave with unfinished business. Aside from politics, there is no reason that the House doesn't bring the farm bill to a floor vote. Leadership has chosen to cancel all votes in October.
"The farm bill is a critical piece of legislation to all Americans. It affects 16 million jobs and is the single largest investment in rural America. It is disappointing that leadership has chosen to leave us hanging because of political games.
"Not passing a farm bill now will make it more difficult to get something done in the lame duck session. Farmers need certainty, and without a farm bill in place, we lose that certainty. The agriculture sector is willing to do its fair share, however we need certainty in order to make business and planting decisions for the coming year.
"Other unfinished business includes reforms to the U.S. postal service and issues related to the sequestration process or 'fiscal cliff,' which will result in severe cuts to many non-defense programs."
Editor's Note: Here are links to two interesting takes on the farm bill standoff that @AJeditor tweeted this morning:
- Peterson: Farm bill unlikely soon | West Central Tribune | Willmar, Minnesota http://shar.es/ux25Z
- Review & Outlook: Farm Bill Foolishness - http://WSJ.com http://on.wsj.com/Qh4Li1 via @WSJ
Beef 101 Educational Series Reveals Realities of Death Tax
Representatives from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) gave an overview to congressional staff members on the devastating effects of the estate tax on cattlemen and cattlewomen as part of NCBA's "Beef 101" educational series.
"Tackling the death tax is the top priority for NCBA," said Kent Bacus, NCBA associate director of legislative affairs. "The tax directly affects family-owned small businesses, such as farms and ranches, because of the burden it places on families hoping to pass their business on to the next generation."
"Beef 101" is an educational series for members of Congress and their staff. The program was developed to bridge the knowledge gap between elected officials and the beef industry. The session featured a presentation by Bacus, who stressed to attendees that there must be permanency in the tax code. For now, estates worth more than $5 million per individual and $10 million per couple are taxed at a rate of 35%.
According to Bacus, 97% of American farms and ranches are owned and operated by families, and eliminating the death tax is an important step in stimulating the nation's economy. One of these family-owned ranches is Barthle Brothers Ranch, located in San Antonio, Fla., and owned by the Barthle family. Four generations of the Barthle family have called the ranch home. Randy Barthle and his daughter, Sarabeth Barthle-Simmons, attended the "Beef 101" presentation and gave a first-hand account on how the death tax has affected their family's operation. Barthle said that when his grandfather passed away in 1971, the family was hit with a $1 million estate tax, causing the family to have to take out additional loans in order to pay the tax within nine months.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Iowa Learning Farms Webinar Discusses Sustainability
Iowa State University agronomy professor Matt Liebman will discuss agricultural stability during the Iowa Learning Farms' webinar Sept. 19 at 11:30 a.m. The webinar is part of a free series, hosted by ILF, held on the third Wednesday of each month, through Adobe Connect. All that is needed to participate is a computer with Internet access.
Liebman will be sharing his presentation that he initially gave at the 2012 Iowa Water Conference entitled "Keys to Agricultural Sustainability and Resilience: A Scientist's Perspective." Agriculture in the U.S. Corn Belt is under increasing pressure to produce greater quantities of food and fuel while better protecting environmental quality. Key environmental problems in this region include water contamination by nutrients and herbicides emitted from cropland, a lack of non-agricultural habitat to support diverse communities of plants and animals, and high dependence on petrochemical energy. Additionally, projected changes in climate, which include an increasing frequency of floods and droughts, could make soil and water conservation more difficult. Two projects that address these challenges in central Iowa will be discussed: the Marsden Farm rotation experiment, and the Science-based Trials of Row-crops Integrated with Prairies (STRIPs) experiment.
For the full release, click here.
Sullivan Named First Executive Director of IFEEDER
The Institute of Feed Education & Research (IFEEDER) has named Jim Sullivan, as the first executive director of the charitable foundation, which seeks to sustain the future of food and feed production through education and research.
Sullivan is a trained scientist and business leader with more than 30 years of experience in identifying market opportunities and implementing ambitious strategies that meet or exceed corporate objectives. He is a skilled expert in the areas of development, expansion, export market development, acquisition and turnaround of businesses.
Sullivan is the owner of J. E. Sullivan Enterprise LLC, a science-based agriculture and business consulting company he started in 2011. He worked for 25 years — serving 18 of those as president for International Ingredient Corp. He also spent 11 years with Hubbard Milling Co.
"Jim's experience and fit for the job are ideal. He has a broad network in the industry, and has earned the respect of many of our colleagues, which should not only make him a great leader for IFEEDER, but should take our fundraising efforts to levels not experienced before for our foundation," explained IFEEDER Chair Dean Warras.
Sullivan is a former chairman of the American Feed Industry Assn. He received his bachelor of animal science from the University of Kentucky, and his master's and doctorate degrees in animal nutrition from the University of Illinois–Urbana.
Since its founding in 2009, IFEEDER has funded nearly $300,000 in projects, and has raised $1.2 million in donations and pledges. For more information, visit http://www.ifeeder.org/ or contact IFEEDER secretary, Richard Sellers at 703-558-3569.
NCBA Accepting Applications for Public Policy Internship
The NCBA government affairs office in Washington, D.C., is accepting applications for a spring 2013 public policy internship. The deadline to submit an application for this opportunity is Oct. 19, 2012.
"NCBA's public policy internship gives college students a one-of-a-kind view into the policy making process in Washington, D.C., while helping them prepare to transition from college to career," said NCBA Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Kristina Butts. "We are looking for college students with an interest in the beef industry, public policy and communications to help NCBA represent cattlemen and cattlewomen in Washington, D.C. The internship is designed to work closely with the lobbying team on Capitol Hill and assist with NCBA's regulatory efforts."
The full-time internship will begin Jan. 14, 2013, and end May 10, 2013. To apply, interested college juniors, seniors or graduate students should submit the application, a college transcript, two letters of recommendation and a resume to internship@beef.org. More information and the internship application are available on NCBA's website.
"This isn't a 'check-the-box' style of internship. NCBA's public policy interns work alongside NCBA staff on critical issues ranging from the estate tax to food safety, the environment and more." Butts said. "If you or someone you know is interested in this opportunity, we encourage you to apply."
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