Web 2011
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12/20/11Apple Pie● The Food Safety Modernization Act calls for the Food and Drug Administration to issue a fresh produce safety rule by January 4, 2012. We are now gearing up to provide a thoughtful industry response to what is likely to be a lengthy and complicated document.● Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Produce Association, has informed us that FDA Deputy Commissioner Mike Taylor plans to be in San Diego on January 25 to brief participants at United’s winter leadership meetings on the proposed produce safety regulation. Debbie Carter, the Northwest Horticultural Council’s technical issues manager, and I plan to be in San Diego in late January for United’s meetings: she is a member of United’s Food Safety & Technology Council, while I serve on its... |
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12/13/11FDA● Last week, I spent time in Wenatchee with Dr. Jim Gorny and Bob Keeney, both from Washington, D.C., and speakers at the annual meeting of the Washington State Horticultural Association. Mr. Keeney directs fruit and vegetable programs at USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, while Dr. Gorny is a key member of the produce food safety team at FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Coincidently, earlier in their careers, but at separate times, both worked on the staff of the United Fresh Produce Association, where I first became friends with each of them. ● The Food and Drug Administration has submitted its proposed rule for the safe production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables to other agencies of the federal government for... |
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11/30/11Uncool● Brianne Miller has jumped to the other side of Capitol Hill and is currently employed by Senator James E. Risch (R/Idaho). The former legislative director for Congressman Doc Hastings (R/Washington), Ms. Miller is now assigned to handle energy and judiciary issues for Senator Risch. ● COOL is an acronym that has been off our policy screen since its adoption as federal policy within the 2008 Farm Bill. “Country of Origin Labeling” at retail was a hot issue in the decade preceding the current Farm Bill’s enactment, both for the fresh produce and beef industries. On one side were domestic fruit and vegetable growers, cattlemen, and consumer groups; on the other side major grocery store chains and food importers. In November a ruling came... |
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11/21/11Casino Jack and the JSC● The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (JSC), co-chaired by Senator Patty Murray (D/Washington) and Representative Jeb Hensarling (R/Texas), has admitted failure this afternoon. ● Late last week, to much fanfare, the leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees announced agreement on a new multi-year Farm Bill package, highly favorable to specialty crops, that was to be inserted in the overall budget package to be approved by the JSC prior to Thanksgiving Day. The future of this stealth Farm Bill now is, to say the least, murky. My bet is that it is dead as a stand-alone proposal. ● Blame for the failure of the JSC is now in full bloom and the blighted flowers are being laid on various political doorsteps. The GOP blames free-spending Democrats,... |
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10/26/11Occupy Washington, D.C.● After arriving in the nation’s capital on Monday, the 17th, for a meeting later in the week of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, I walked past McPherson Square near the White House, where the “Occupy D.C.” protest originated. It was a nice, sunny day and at least a dozen of the protesters took advantage of the weather to engage in yoga exercises. Maybe a hundred in total were camped out in the city square. This provided an interesting contrast to the day before, a Sunday, when I was in Atlanta for the Produce Marketing Association’s convention. That day I was caught up in the crowd leaving the nearby football stadium, where 69,047 had watched the Atlantic Falcons play. ● Dennis Cardoza (D), a five-term member... |
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10/12/11No Such Thing as a Bad Apple● Over the past week, the Northwest Horticultural Council worked at the request of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in arranging a mid-day visit yesterday to the Yakima Valley by the country’s top agricultural trade negotiator. Ambassador Siddiqui was in the state on a quick trip from Washington, D.C., to promote President Obama’s jobs plan and the three Free Trade Agreements (Korea, Panama, and Colombia) being debated this week in the U.S. Senate. A lunch meeting with the ambassador and industry leaders allowed for discussion on other trade issues of special concern to our region’s tree fruit exporters, such as high protective tariffs imposed by India and intractable phytosanitary issues with Japan. These kind of visits by dignitaries could not come... |
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09/28/11Washington City IXThe current multistate outbreak of listeria linked to whole cantaloupes grown on a farm in Colorado will certainly serve to accelerate FDA’s current work on proposed food safety regulations for produce. So far thirteen people are thought to have died as a result of this outbreak, which is being tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). What comes next on immigration in Washington, D.C. is in the court of the chairman of the House’s Judiciary Committee. E-Verify has passed in his committee, but Chairman Lamar Smith (Republican, Texas) has promised to hold at least one additional hearing on labor-intensive agriculture’s needs for a reasonable guest worker system. After this is all settled by the Judiciary Committee, the... |
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09/21/11VerifyChairman Lamar Smith (R/Texas) of the House Judiciary Committee insists that a mandatory employer E-Verify program is necessary to better control the number of undocumented workers entering the United States. This week in Washington, D.C., his committee is marking up legislation on such a new federal immigration initiative. We are working primarily through the Agricultural Coalition for Immigration Reform, ACIR, on this white-hot political issue. ACIR is led by Craig Regelbrugge of the American Nursery and Landscape Association, with legal counsel supplied by Monte Lake. (Mr. Lake and I worked closely together on the immigration reform bill enacted in 1986.) The immediate aim of ACIR is to prevent any legislation mandating E-Verify emerging from the committee unless the immigrant... |
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09/13/11UnsustainableIn our work with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, we occasionally help out when FAS arranges official tours to the Pacific Northwest. As an example, tonight we are hosting a dinner at Yakima’s Gilbert Cellars for a group of about thirty agricultural attachés stationed at various embassies in Washington, D.C. These diplomats hail from some 21 countries ranging from the People’s Republic of China to France to South Africa. Helping to lead this week long tour through parts of Washington and Oregon is Bonnie Borris, an assistant deputy administrator at FAS, a graduate of Washington State University, and a long time friend of mine. “Sustainability” is a word I think devoid of much meaning, but one that pops up in all types of deep... |
08/29/11Washington City VIIIWhile I have never met Governor Rick Perry, who is now running for the GOP’s presidential nomination, I once was in the audience when he spoke to a Texas produce industry convention held sometime in the early 1990s. Bill Weeks, the president of the Texas Produce Association at the time, had invited me down to South Padre Island to speak on some issue or another and Rick Perry was the convention’s keynote speaker in his then capacity of Texas Commissioner of Agriculture. I remember Commissioner Perry, understandably given his audience, touting the virtues of Texas fruits and vegetables and the need to support these local crops. He underscored his point by saying that he had even learned to his deep disbelief and concern that some Texas school districts were actually... |
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08/16/11Washington City VII● A primary will be held in Oregon on November 8, followed by a special election next January 31, for the position in the House of Representatives once held by David Wu. The 1st district, which includes Astoria, Cannon Beach, McMinnville, and parts of urban Portland, has been a safe Democratic seat. Mr. Wu resigned from Congress on August 3 when his continued public service became politically untenable due to bad personal behavior.● Every August, Congressional aides escape Washington, D.C., and travel back to their political chief’s district or state to hear the latest advice and concerns from constituents on the ground. Two examples of such annual summer forays are separate visits to our office planned over the next few weeks by Paul Wolfe, an aide to U.S. Senator Maria... |
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08/10/11Washington City VI● Senator Patty Murray (D/Washington) is one of twelve members of Congress to be appointed to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (JSC). She will serve as co-chair of the committee, after her appointment yesterday by Majority Leader Harry Reid. The other co-chair of the JSC is Jeb Hensarling (R/Texas), as named today by Speaker John Boehner. The nation’s political spotlight will be on Senator Murray and Representative Hensarling as the JSC works to achieve bipartisan agreement on specific measures to bring the nation’s fiscal house in some semblance of order. $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction recommendations is expected of the JSC by Thanksgiving Day.● Mark O. Hatfield died on Sunday at age 89. The former U.S senator from Oregon, a Republican, served as... |
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07/26/11Who's Gone● U.S. Representative David Wu (D/Oregon) today announced that he will resign. Sexual misconduct had been alleged against the Portland-area politician, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1999. Aside from the distinction of being the first Chinese-American to serve in the House, I think Mr. Wu’s lasting mark on the institution will be so faint as to be imperceptible.● McDonald’s made a positive announcement today about nutrition. Gaining the immediate approval of First Lady Michelle Obama and our apple growers, this huge fast food chain pledged to do many things to improve its delivery of healthy food. One highlight: “The new Happy Meal" will automatically include both produce (apple slices, a quarter cup or half serving) and a new smaller... |
07/22/11WalmartFirst Lady Michelle Obama announced on Wednesday a frontal attack on “food deserts.” This is a trendy term within food circles for those areas of the country having limited access to nutritious foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Wal-Mart was one of the big food retailers to prominently endorse the First Lady’s initiative to bring more grocery stores to underserved parts of the country. This is good news for our tree fruit growers and shippers. But what’s in it for Wal-Mart? I think it scores good general publicity points; ingratiates itself politically with the White House; and gains ammunition in its quest to crack open the big urban markets of the Northeast, where local opposition from small local stores and unions to Wal-Mart have hindered its... |
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07/16/11Washington City V● Brian Grunenfelder has been named a deputy assistant USTR for agricultural affairs. He leaves his current trade policy job at USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service effective Monday and then will start work at the Office of the United States Trade Representative in Washington, D.C. I have known and worked with the capable Mr. Grunenfelder, a graduate of Washington State University, over the span of his 27 year career at FAS.● August 1-5, I plan to be in Montreal, Canada, for my first attendance at a meeting that could only have been named by an inspired bureaucrat: The 31st Meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.” The reason for my going is methyl bromide, the chemical fumigant our industry uses for certain export programs, such as... |
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07/08/11Washington City IV● There have been glimmerings of activity this week on the long-stagnate immigration front. The Agricultural Coalition for Immigration Reform (ACIR) held a conference call to discuss an initiative by Representative Dan Lundgren (R/California) that would attempt to provide agricultural employers with a new legal way to acquire needed immigrant labor. The proposed flexible program would be administered by the Department of Agriculture, not Labor. This is being considered against the dark background of the House Judiciary Committee’s present thrust to achieve E-Verify, an immigration enforcement program opposed by most employers. More discussions on Mr. Lundgren’s initiative are set for next week.● Word of the welcomed progress toward resolving the NAFTA cross-border... |
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06/21/11ReportsOne part of my job is to read published reports that might have an influence on our tree fruit industry. Two examples from this month: “Cancer Facts & Figures 2011” by the American Cancer Society and “Pathway to Global Product Safety and Quality” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.● I read the American Cancer Society’s annual report (56 pages) to see if cancer rates were going up and, if so, whether agricultural pesticides were fingered as an important cause. No and no. Although cancer still accounts for nearly one in every four deaths, cancer rates are declining. And what are the prime risks? “Smoking and obesity are the two major risk factors for cancer in the U.S., accounting for about 30% and 15-20%,... |
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06/13/11'Tain't So● The Environmental Working Group, a national nonprofit that detests the use of agricultural chemicals, has once again announced its annual “Dirty Dozen” list for consumers of produce items that it deems most contaminated with pesticide residues. Apples topped EWG’s list, which was duly noted today by The Wall Street Journal in an article under the unhelpful heading “Pesticide Residue Taints Apples.” USApple, the United Fresh Produce Association, the Alliance for Food and Farming, and others are doing their best this week to respond to this invidious media scare campaign.● Governor Chris Gregoire said today that she will not run for a third term of office. Washington state politicians now have an open seat to aim for in next year’s state general... |
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06/10/11The German Problem● With 30 people dead and about 3,000 ill, the German food safety incident is a major event. Beyond those directly affected in morgues and hospitals, there has been severe economic harm absorbed by Europe’s fresh produce industry. While still not fully understood, it appears the cause of the incident was bean sprouts. Unfortunately, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers all were previously tagged with being possible culprits. Their sales cratered.Some subjects that people in the food-safety universe are now mulling over: effective and quick systems to trace fresh food; the ever-changing nature of deadly human pathogens; public announcements by governmental health authorities (do they scare more than they calm in the absence of facts?); crisis management by trade associations; proper... |
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06/01/11CommerceI normally do not spend much work—or leisure—time thinking about the U.S. Department of Commerce. The past several days, have been the exception. While in Denver last week for a Minor Crop Farmer Alliance workshop on pesticides and the Endangered Species Act, I learned about the consultation role NOAA, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, plays in certain chemical registration decisions by the Environmental Protection Agency. NOAA, a part of Commerce, has the role of protector of certain endangered salmon and is not a big fan of agricultural chemicals that might enter fish spawning streams.But what really caught my attention yesterday was the nomination by President Obama of a new secretary of Commerce. You might remember that the current secretary is... |
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05/27/11Washington City III● Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of Arizona to pass a law that would punish employers for knowingly hiring undocumented workers. Under that state’s law, a business license could be revoked, thus giving serious teeth to enforcement. This decision will further fuel the flames of debate over whether our country should move to a national and comprehensive solution to immigration problems or continue to leave these matters to a more fragmented and punitive approach by individual states. Given current political gridlock, odds are in favor of more headaches for labor-intensive agricultural employers.● How growers might convey accurate chemical usage information to help better inform biological opinions issued as a result of the Endangered Species Act was the focus... |
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05/17/11Flawed Politicians● Rifling through cable channels last night I came across the surrealistic sight of CNN host Eliot Spitzer intently discussing the political ramifications of a sexual misconduct criminal charge in New York City against the leader of the International Monetary Fund. Of course Mr. Spitzer now has time, now that he isn’t governor of New York. And he has expertise in terms of the general subject matter. ● One thing about such high-profile scandals, they cut across all political party lines. The IMF leader is a French socialist, Spitzer is a Democrat, former Senator John Ensign of Nevada (who resigned on May 3) is a Republican. And today brings fresh news about former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and his heretofore unknown child: maybe he will now... |
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05/11/11The Big Muddy● President Obama yesterday was in El Paso, Texas, to give a major address on immigration: he called on Congress to pass a comprehensive law on this long-festering and contentious topic. His key sentence for those involved with labor intensive agriculture: “We need to provide farms a legal way to hire the workers they rely on, and a path for those workers to earn legal status.” My own pessimistic measurement of when Congress will enact useful reforms to the nation’s immigration system is calibrated in years rather than months.● I was in New Orleans last week for the United Fresh Produce Association’s annual convention. My reasons for attending included participation in various side meetings on policy issues and for the general opportunity to informally... |
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04/28/11Washington City II● Leon Panetta was announced by President Obama today to be his nominee as the next Secretary of Defense. If confirmed, the present director of the Central Intelligence Agency would replace the retiring Robert M. Gates. In the mid-1980s, I worked on agricultural immigration issues with Mr. Panetta, when he served as a congressman from California. A proposed amendment known as Panetta/Morrison (the Morrison being Sid Morrison of Washington state) was then a key part of the debate that led to passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Mr. Panetta is an outstanding public servant whom I greatly respect.● Coincidently, Robert Gates, the current leader at Defense, is scheduled to be a commencement speaker on May 7 at Washington State University in Pullman.● Federal... |
04/08/11Washington CityThe adverse budget situation facing our country is absorbing the full attention of elected officials and staff on Capitol Hill. Whether a political deal can be reached by tomorrow to prevent a shut-down of essential governmental services is uncertain. In my opinion, even should a shut-down occur, its immediate practical effects on agriculture will be limited. Once a budget deal is struck for the remainder of this fiscal year, which will happen at some point, it will be of great interest to identify exactly which agriculturally oriented federal programs or agencies will suffer reductions or, in the rare case, death. It was announced yesterday that progress has been made on the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. This negotiation has been stalled for years due to ... |
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03/31/11The Politics of Organics● In 1990, Congress passed a law that resulted in the creation of the standard-setting National Organic Standards Board, now located under the wing of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. Fierce policy battles over the rules governing organic foods are often driven by a social view of farming that holds the “spirit” of organics is not met by large, commercial operations. Or, as the Organic Consumers Association says: “Chemical and energy-intensive industrial food and farming poses a mortal threat to the planet.” Neither science nor consistency are the governing considerations of many serving on the NOSB. Since a significant amount of tree fruit is now raised in the Pacific Northwest under the National Organic Program and important production materials... |
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03/23/11In the District● Appointees to senior staff positions, both on the Hill and within the Administration, are often key to policy outcomes. It helps to have a personal relationship with such mandarins. This does not mean they will uncritically accept your views, but it does mean trust already exists and messages will be returned. Two friends emerged this week with significant new jobs: Autumn Veazey, who once worked at the United Fresh Produce Association, has been named by Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, the ranking member of the minority, to the staff of the U.S. Senate’s Agriculture Committee. She will be responsible for specialty crops, food safety, organics, and market orders. Meanwhile, Sharon Bomer Lauritsen, most recently with a biotechnology association, rejoins the Office of the United... |
03/16/11ItemsThe White House is in the midst of a ninety-day study of ways to reorganize the federal government’s export and trade apparatus. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and USTR are targets of some who would like all such efforts located under the umbrella of the Commerce Department. You can take it as a given that agricultural interests in our country will fight any such recommendation. When a Commerce bureaucrat stationed overseas has a choice between working on a billion-dollar manufacturing sale or a technical one involving, say, fresh pears, where will that person’s effort be placed?This past week, I hit the trifecta of produce food safety when I met, with varying numbers of other people, on Tuesday with Kristian Moeller of GlobalGAP North America in Wenatchee;... |
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03/03/11We Bring Good Things to Light● The Northwest Horticultural Council wrote USDA Secretary Vilsack on Monday urging him to reject Petition 10-161-01p now before the United States Department of Agriculture for nonregulated status for two genetically engineered (GE) varieties of apples, both developed by Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Inc., of Summerland, British Columbia, Canada. Our position was taken not due to any human food safety issues with the GE non-browning apples, but because of potential consumer marketing problems. The general issue of how to deal with GE food crops is very heated in Washington, D.C. Proponents of the technology often favor unrestricted commercial release once human safety is established. Extreme opponents despise the technology and do not want any GE products released into the ecosphere.... |
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02/24/11Travel to the Capital● I returned home this past Saturday from my fourth trip this year to Washington, D.C. Various national boards, committees, and coalitions affiliated with the produce industry tend to have their meetings at the start of new sessions of Congress. Last week I was fortunate in that I could attend meetings of four different groups in one fell swoop: United Fresh Produce Association’s Government Relations Council; Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s North American Trade Committee; Crop Protection Coalition; and, Minor Crop Farmer Alliance. (Others making the same trek with me outbound last Monday morning from Seattle on an Alaska Boeing 737, were U.S. Representative Jay Inslee, Tony Williams of the lobbying firm Washington2 Advocates, Chris Voigt of the Washington Potato... |
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02/10/11Money* As the 112th Congress settles into a rhythm of business after the hoopla of new member swearing-ins, the scramble for office space, and President Obama’s State of the Union Address, it is clear that the number one legislative issue is money. Or, the lack thereof. Yesterday the House’s Appropriations Committee released a list of 70 spending cuts to the Continuing Resolution (CR) for this fiscal year. Included within the total proposal for $74 billion were such reductions as $246 million for agricultural research and $220 million for the Food and Drug Administration. Some members want more even reductions, others are calling this level of cuts unwise and destructive to the public good. Of great interest in this high-stakes debate will be the President’s own budget... |
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01/26/11State of the Union● President Obama’s State of the Union Address, beyond the general issues of taxes, the budget, medical reform, education, foreign policy, etc., touched on some points I found of special interest to our work at the Northwest Horticultural Council. The president supports (1) a renewed effort at comprehensive immigration reform (my evaluation of chance for success this year: improbable); (2) passage of the Free Trade Agreement with Korea (probable); and (3) agency reform and consolidation (less than probable).● In terms of federal agency reform, President Obama used the example of salmon. If in salt water, recovery is overseen by NOAA, an agency of the Department of Commerce. If in fresh water, recovery is overseen by NMFS, an agency of the Department of Interior. Currently the... |
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01/20/11Who's on First?● This week, the president of the People’s Republic of China, Hu Jintao, is in Washington, D.C. Last night’s state dinner at the White House started with a “D ‘Anjou Pear Salad with Goat Cheese, Fennel, Back Walnuts, and White Balsamic” and ended with “Old Fashioned Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream.” Among the invited guests were the governor of Washington state, Christine Gregoire, the past governor of Washington state and current U.S. secretary of commerce, Gary Locke, and Oregon congressman, David Wu.● The New York Times reports today that Walmart is working with First Lady Michelle Obama to promote healthy foods. There will be a five-year plan “to make thousands of its packaged foods lower in unhealthy salts, fats, and... Posted at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
