Today, I want to talk to you about the deficit – not the dollar deficit. That’s for another day. I want to talk about the deficit of action, the deficit of responsibility. The U.S. Congress and the President have failed the people. The end of this fiscal year is fast approaching and the Congress (once […]
John Block: Getting Nothing Done Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. Several weeks [ago], the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its first major proposal in 20 years to amend the Nutrition Facts panel. The anticipated price tag – a whopping 2 billion dollars. There are two major changes –
John Block Reports: FDA’s New Nutrition Label—Proposal to Demonize Sugar Read More »
It’s not new news to report that genetically engineered (GE) products are under assault. We are in free trade talks with Europe. The EU public is adamantly opposed to GE food. There are bills in 23 of our state legislatures to label foods that contain GE products. The naysayers have a loud voice. However, you
By John R. Block, as published in the Des Moines Register As complex as the world trading system has become, it still fundamentally relies on something as simple as trust — that nations and people will be as good as their word. Most basically, it requires that those who enter into mutually agreed upon contracts will
John Block: U.S. Corn and China’s Bad Faith Collide Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. While often the subject of criticism for delay or inaction on important regulatory matters, FDA has been busy, busy, busy as we start 2014. With Barack Obama no longer running for President and a dysfunctional Congress unable to influence
John Block Reports: FDA 2014 – Busy Busy Busy Read More »
Happy New Year. I threw away my 2013 calendar and hung up the new one. There is a lot to get done in the new year. But, today I want to talk about one specific project. We need to modernize our water transportation system. Our locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi are old and
John Block: Our Water Transportation Read More »
The obvious issues in the farm bill are nutrition programs, crop insurance, and farm safety net supports. However, there are some important sections in the bill that could be almost as important that don’t get much attention. The first one deals with trade. Trade accounts for 25 percent of U.S. farm receipts. When we plant
John Block: What’s In The Farm Bill? Read More »
We should get a farm bill in January. It appears that we now have a budget. That helps because now the Ag Department will know how much money the Department has to spend. Let’s keep the pressure on to get it done. The subject that I want to focus on today has not had enough
John Block: Free Trade With Europe Read More »
We all know that Republicans and Democrats are at each others’ throats and we can’t seem to get anything done. It also appears that President Obama has not demonstrated the kind of leadership to move things along. No one wants to take responsibility. Sometimes, “the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.”
John Block: Cabinet Meetings Read More »
I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving this year. The celebration of Thanksgiving dates back to our ancestors who settled this country. They didn’t have any of the comforts that we take for granted today. They were just thankful to have a roof over their head and food to eat. Even today, there are people
John Block: Bounty of Food Read More »
We don’t have a budget yet. We don’t have a farm bill. House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) hopes to have a draft bill by week’s end. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Senate Ag Committee Chair, acknowledges there are a lot of differences to be worked out, but she has hope. They are both hoping. The
John Block: Farm Bill Conflict Read More »
I was on the farm earlier in the week and I am now in Kansas City at the National Association of Farm Broadcasters convention. Harvesting our crop at the farm this fall has been so smooth. However, spring planting season was so difficult. It seemed to rain all the time. Most of our crop ground
John Block: Down on the Farm Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. August in Washington, D.C. – 100 degrees, 100 percent humidity…and I’m still grateful to be here. Have you seen the headlines lately? Syria: “100,000 dead; 2.5 million displaced; chemical weapons used against their own population.” Egypt: “Military takeover; Civil
John Block Reports: How Lucky We Are Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. In a remarkable 9-0 decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Vernon Bowman, an Indiana soybean farmer, violated Monsanto’s patents by planting “bin-run” commodity beans purchased from a grain elevator. Because 94% of soy beans planted in Indiana
John Block Reports: Bowman v. Monsanto—The Decision Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. Just last week, marking the second anniversary of Congress’s passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act, FDA proposed comprehensive regulations for the growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce. FDA acknowledged this is the first effort by the agency
John Block Reports: FDA – Coming to a Farm Near You Read More »
Modern farming methods offer the best hope to feed the world’s billions By John R. Block I grew up on a farm in Knox County, Ill., and I still farm the family land. We grow corn, soybeans and wheat, and we raise hogs. A generation ago, we lost yield every year to corn borers, root
A Reality Check for Organic Food Dreamers Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. On Election Day, California voters will decide on another food labeling ballot initiative, one that is being watched intently by the food industry. If it passes, the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, popularly known as Prop
John Block Reports: California’s Preposterous Prop 37 Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. We just returned from summer vacation to the Baltic, including St. Petersburg, Russia. Mother Russia hasn’t really changed all that much since the Soviet days. There are beautiful palaces, exquisite waterways, and art treasures galore. There are security cameras
John Block Reports: A Visit to St. Petersburg / Back in the USSR Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. Reaching new lows in broadcast television journalism, ABC News several weeks ago ran an investigative report unfairly and inaccurately disparaging a safe and wholesome lean beef product by repeatedly referring to it as “pink slime.” They sent out their
John Block Reports: Tabloid Journalism – ABC News Slimes Lean Beef Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. Remember, I’m Jack’s moderate Democrat colleague. We support the same priorities – a healthy and prosperous agricultural sector. With the Presidential election beginning to heat up, I thought I would lay out the case for why President Barack Obama
John Block Reports: The Case for Obama Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. The bad news just keeps rolling in. The unemployment rate rests at 9% with over 400,000 new applicants each week. Worse yet, many folks are simply leaving the work force and not trying at all. Our GNP has flat-lined
John Block Reports: Pain and Productivity Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. Over the past 35 years, I have acted as food safety counsel to a wide array of agriculture interests in the United States including producers, processors, distributors and retailers. The concepts of food poisoning and food borne illness were
John Block Reports: Holiday in Europe – Food Safety Gets Personal Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. Recently, Congress enacted new laws to bolster food safety and to require calorie labeling for restaurant foods. Both of these laws had broad industry and consumer support. Now, Congress is debating FDA’s budget for 2012 and some in the
John Block Reports: Don’t Cut the FDA Budget Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. Last week the President signed the Food Safety Modernization Act. It was passed by a united lame-duck Congress in the waning days of 2010. The new food safety law enhances FDA’s authority to make an already safe food supply
John Block Reports: Food Safety Legislation Enhances Already Safe Food Supply Read More »
OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank sits in with former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports. The election is now over. Yes, Republicans have made significant gains, reclaiming the House and gaining a virtual tie in the Senate. Nancy Pelosi is out and John Boehner is in. Harry Reid’s already weakened authority has been further diminished and
John Block Reports: Time for Leadership Read More »
