News Update
June 19, 2015
It’s Time to Change the Conversation
“We’re feeding the world” is a mantra often used by those involved in farming and food to build support for modern food production systems. However, the latest research from The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) shows that most consumers don’t seem to care.
“The global population is forecast to reach nine billion by 2050. Feeding the nine billion will require technology and innovation that will help farmers raise more animals for food and grow more crops on the land already in production,” said Charlie Arnot, CEO of CFI. “But the ‘feeding the world’ message won’t generate public support for today’s agriculture technology.”
In fact, the latest CFI research, “Cracking the Code on Food Issues: Insights from Moms, Millennials and Foodies,” shows that only 25% of consumers believe, “The U.S. has a responsibility to provide food for the rest of the world.”
“It’s time to change the conversation,” Arnot said. Read the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
— Adapted from an article by the Center for Food Integrity.
BQA Award Deadline Extended
Applications for the 10th annual checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards continue to be accepted. The 2016 National BQA Awards recognize five winners in the areas of beef, dairy, marketing and education.
Go online to submit an application, which are due via the online submission form by June 25. For more information about your beef checkoff investment, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.
Adapted from a release by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.
Trade Promotion Authority Passes House
The U.S. House of Representatives passed Trade Promotion Authority June 18, with a vote of 218 to 208, as stand-alone legislation. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) strongly support TPA and applaud the House for taking this necessary step to securing future free trade deals that will boost American exports.
“Trade Promotion Authority gives Congress the ability to set definitive goals for the President in negotiations, and then requires any deal be brought back for final approval,” said Philip Ellis, NCBA president. “TPA does not give the President free rein to make trade deals. Without TPA, it would be virtually impossible to negotiate future agreements with other countries, which would hinder our ability to gain greater access into foreign markets.”
“American farmers and ranchers lead the world in food production thanks to ceaseless hard work and innovation. Expanding access to international markets continues this story of growth and prosperity,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman.
“…Congressional support is critical to breaking down trade barriers and completing ambitious new trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership. TPA streamlines negotiations and strengthens our position at the bargaining table.”
For more information, please view the NCBA release and the AFBF release.
Illinois Farmer Testifies on Biotechnology’s Impact on Farms
At a June 18 congressional hearing, John Reifsteck, a grain farmer from Champaign County, Ill., discussed the key role biotechnology plays on farms today and the need for a uniform, process-based national standard for labeling food products made with biotech ingredients.
Reifsteck, the board chairman and president of Growmark, an Illinois-based farmer co-op, shared how biotech crops have helped him continue to farm in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner.
“I know firsthand the value biotech crops provide to my operation. My farming experiences illustrate this,” testified Reifsteck. “In the past, I have abandoned parts of fields riddled with insect damage or overcome by weeds. Harvesting these fields would not just have been an economic loss, but would have presented a real risk of physical harm to me and my employees. These are memories I won’t forget. But they represent past challenges that biotechnology has helped me overcome.”
Reifsteck’s remarks came at a hearing of the House Energy & Environment Health Subcommittee focused on biotechnology’s impact on agriculture, the food supply and the economy. Reifsteck testified on behalf of Growmark, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) and the Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food.
For more information, please view the full release.
Libbin Named Interim Dean of NMSU’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
Longtime New Mexico State University (NMSU) administrator and faculty member James Libbin has been selected as interim dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.
“Dr. Libbin has performed admirably as the associate dean and director of academic programs in the college, and it was clear from the feedback that I received that he has strong support within the college for assuming this interim position,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Daniel Howard. “I look forward to working with Dr. Libbin, and everyone in the college, to further strengthen the college in the year ahead.”
Libbin has served the college as associate dean and director of academic programs since 2008. Prior to that appointment, he was a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business at NMSU since 1979.
Libbin said he feels living in New Mexico and being associated with NMSU and the college is a great privilege. He also pointed to the outstanding leadership of current Dean Lowell Catlett, who is retiring.
For more information please view the full news release online.
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