By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. How exciting – With the Presidential race headed for the finish line, we got to hear President Trump and Vice President Biden debate the issues. What a waste of my time. All they did was talk over each other with interruptions and insults. Biden said Trump has been the […]
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I have escaped the wild and crazy political wars of Washington, DC. I am on my farm in Illinois. My first time back since the virus hit. My voice will sound a little different since I am on the phone. I am so excited to look at our fields
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Did you know that September 17 this week was Constitution Day? Our country has the longest continuous running Constitution in the world – 230 years. We have endured a Civil War, a Great Depression and two World Wars and now a deadly pandemic. In 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King
Constitution Day and More Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. We have not heard much about the threat of African Swine Fever. Even China seems to be recovering from that devastating disease. But now the swine industry in Germany is worried. Poland has been suffering swine fever losses and they are right up against Germany. Germany is one of
Government Gridlock & More Read More »
OFW and The Food Institute will be holding their annual Food Labeling Seminar on October 7, 8, and 9. The virtual training course will cover everything you need to know about food labeling in today’s marketplace. The course will first cover basics of FDA’s and USDA’s food labeling requirements, including recent updates. The seminar will then
By Kristin McGinty The Beginning The National School Lunch Program operates in 100,000 schools and is available to approximately 50 million children. We have all grown up with lunch in school, and perhaps breakfast too. But it was not always this way. School meal programs have been developing in the United States since the 19th
The History and Value of School Lunches Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Taiwan – Let us keep in mind that China claims the island of Taiwan as part of China. But the citizens of Taiwan do not see it that way. Eleven men and women between the ages of 16 and 33 bought a speed boat and departed Hong Kong headed
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I want to open today by talking about corn. There are a lot of crops planted in the Midwest, but none as important to the economy as corn. When I grew up we fed the corn that we produced to our pigs, cows, and chickens. Our yield per acre
By: Julia Johnson “So today, with COVID-19, I want to stress that we are not only facing a global health pandemic but also a global humanitarian catastrophe. Millions of civilians living in conflict-scarred nations, including many women and children, face being pushed to the brink of starvation, with the specter of famine a very real
COVID-19 and the Need for International Food Aid – A Growing Body of Evidence Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. There are a lot of balls in the air. I will try to deal with a few select ones today. I’ll start with aluminum tariffs – President Trump re-imposed a 10% “national security” tariff on imports of aluminum from Canada. Was that justified? I have my doubts. We just
By Julia Johnson The coronavirus has dominated the news cycle over the last five months and has disrupted nearly every industry, particularly agriculture and forestry. Leaders, innovators, and policymakers in these fields are looking for solutions that will mitigate future supply chain disruptions like the ones experienced due to the coronavirus. Therefore, it is not
Policy Solutions to Climate Change through Agriculture and Forestry Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. It was so easy and so fast in the Spring — when Republicans and Democrats came together and authorized big spending to support our people and the economy. We didn’t have the money. They spent $3 trillion anyway. The pandemic still rages, and Congress is in the process of
More Spending – More Aid Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. All reports from the heartland tell us that this year’s crops look good. Corn and soybeans on my farm are as good as I can remember. However, they are not ready to harvest. A hot dry August could do some serious damage. Besides watching the weather, we keep an
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. We have 2 parties – Republicans and Democrats in our Congress. And then we have President Trump. They all want to pass a new relief package to help us through our coronavirus recession. Democrats want to spend $3 trillion while Republicans are talking about $1 trillion. That is a
Virus Relief Package Read More »
FDA has published a letter of enforcement discretion, which it sent to legal counsel for Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., that authorizes a qualified health claim (QHC) for specific cranberry products when consumed in specific amounts by specific people. The substantiation for the diet-disease relationship warranted a “limited and inconsistent” or “limited” scientific evidence qualifier. Based
President Donald Trump held a 30-minute press conference beginning at 5:15 this afternoon. Summary of the President’s remarks and questions: The President said the purpose of today’s press conference was to provide an update on the Administration’s response to the China virus. He said they are working to get the sunbelt outbreak under control. They
7/21/20 OFW Law Daily COVID-19 News Conference Summary Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. We are trying to survive a global pandemic, trade disruptions, and trade conflicts. Farm bankruptcies have been increasing for 5 years in a row. And they are expected to continue to climb in the next 12 months. Thank you to the federal government – farm support payments have jumped
Pandemics Costs Money Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. In recent weeks, the news has focused on the number of cases of Coronavirus and related deaths. We are aware of the large amount of money and support that our federal government has made available, but I’m not sure we have focused enough on the resulting family disruption and
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. For more than 2 years the U.S., Canada and Mexico have been negotiating a new North American Free Trade Agreement. Finally, USMCA became effective this week. Even with the new trade deal, President Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian aluminum. I don’t think we need to do
By: Julia Johnson On Wednesday, June 16, the 2020, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) hosted a public meeting to review their draft scientific report. A new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is published every 5-years and developed in three stages: (I) Reviewing the science; (II) developing the guidelines; (III) implementation. The most
2020 Dietary Guidelines Near the End of Stage One Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I have, on more than one occasion, talked about President Trump and EPA in their effort to restrain President Obama’s Waters of the U.S. rule. That rule was written to restrict farmers and ranchers from tiling wetlands and managing our private property. Last Friday, we got a court ruling
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I will cover some issues of the day that may not have gotten much attention. The U.S. and Russia have a long-range nuclear arms agreement that will expire next February. The agreement was negotiated and went into effect 30 years ago. It is time to renegotiate, and China will
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published an announcement of the availability of a Guidance Document, Temporary Policy During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Regarding the Qualified Exemption from the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (May 2020). Comments on the Guidance may be submitted to
It is almost easy to forget, in this strange, tumultuous spring of 2020, that we still have a national presidential election, perhaps one of the most important in our lifetimes, just around the corner, five months from now. As a cascade of crises dominates national attention — the covid-19 pandemic and its economic fallout, nationwide
The 2020 Presidential Transition Has Already Begun, Quietly Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. President Trump held a meeting with farm leaders on Tuesday at the White House. Secretary Sonny Perdue explained how the $16 billion aid package passed by Congress and signed by the President two months ago would be divided up. This bill is the centerpiece of President Trump’s effort to
President Donald Trump held a 45-minute press conference beginning at 12:40 this afternoon. He was joined by Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, former head of GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccine division, named today as the Chief Scientist for Operation Warp Speed, and General Gustave Perna, commanding general of the
5/15/20 OFW Law Daily COVID-19 News Conference Summary Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Being in lock down like most of our citizens and trying to celebrate Mother’s Day made me think. My mother was so dedicated to my 2 sisters, me and of course my dad. Mom & Dad were married in 1934 and in 1935 I was born. We were living
President Donald Trump held a 1-hour press conference beginning at 4:15 this afternoon. He was joined by Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir, M.D., and the Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Brad Smith. Summary of the President’s remarks and questions: The President said the purpose of today’s press conference was
5/11/20 OFW Law Daily COVID-19 News Conference Summary Read More »
On May 12, OFW Principals, John G. Dillard and Mason Weeda will be presenting a webinar in collaboration with The Food Institute on the U.S. regulatory response in connection to the novel coronavirus crisis. The focus will be on the policies and practices implemented by USDA, FDA, OSHA, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of
Parties that litigate a case to the U.S. Supreme Court are few and far between. And while it’s always crushing to lose before the nation’s highest court, most litigants take their lumps and go home. The Argus Leader, a Sioux Falls, South Dakota newspaper, did not get the message. Instead, it filed a motion for
Oh, SNAP! Argus Media Loses Again Read More »
By Julia Johnson The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has released its Request for Applications for the “New Beginning for Tribal Students” program. The program passed as part of the 2018 Farm Bill to support Native American education at land-grant colleges and universities. Congress appropriated $5 million to
New Beginning for Tribal Students Goes Live Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. The food industry is trying to cope with serious supply chain problems. Coronavirus has forced dramatic change in our food production and distribution system. Restaurants and schools are closed. They did provide 40% of our food. That food now needs to go to the grocery stores, but restaurant food
President Donald Trump and the Vice President held a 1-hour press conference beginning at 5:40 this evening. They were joined White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx, and Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir, M.D. Summary of the President’s remarks and questions: The President said the number of new cases continues to decline with
4/27/20 OFW Law Daily COVID-19 News Conference Summary Read More »
President Donald Trump and the Vice President held a less than 25-minute press conference beginning at 5:40 this evening. Neither the President nor the Vice President took any questions. They were joined by FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn. Summary of the President’s remarks: The President said the aggressive strategy is still working. New cases in New
4/24/20 OFW Law Daily COVID-19 News Conference Summary Read More »
President Donald Trump and the Vice President held a 1-hour press conference beginning at 5:48 this evening. They were joined by Acting Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary William N. Bryan, and White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx. Summary of the President’s remarks and questions: The President said that in 23 states new cases
4/23/20 OFW Law Daily COVID-19 News Conference Summary Read More »
