National Commission on Hunger
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Happy New Year? Farm Bill Blues
By Marshall L. Matz, as published by Agri-Pulse A few weeks ago Vice President Biden presented the George McGovern Award to Bob Dole for his effort in the fight against global hunger. The ceremony was sponsored by the World Food Program and held in the Senate Caucus Room. It was a wonderful and too rare evening
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A SNAP It’s Not
By Marshall L. Matz with Molly O’Connor, as published by Agri-Pulse The food stamp program, currently called SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) has exploded in size and may now be the biggest hurdle to a farm bill. As of August, some 48 million Americans participated in the program at a cost of almost $80 billion a year.
The Vatican Enters a GMO “Palaver,” Supports Use of Biotechnology
By Marshall L. Matz with Peter Matz, as published by Agri-Pulse “Palaver” is a wonderful word used in Africa to mean a patient and thorough exploration of a major problem. It is a process that brings together all stakeholders to respectfully examine all facets of a complex issue. When Ambassador Ken Quinn selected the theme of “The
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Universities Salute World Food Prize Commitment to Sound Science & Biotechnology
As I mentioned last week, a major coalition of farm, food and anti-hunger organizations joined 30 institutions of higher education in praising the World Food Prize Foundation for shining a spotlight on agricultural biotechnology with this year’s World Food Prize theme, “The Next Borlaug Century: Biotechnology, Sustainability and Climate Volatility.” This morning, three Universities followed up
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Major Coalition, including Academia, Commends World Food Prize for Supporting Biotechnology
A very broad coalition of 100 food and agriculture organizations, including 30 research universities and anti-hunger organizations, have sent a letter to World Food Prize Foundation in Iowa commending them for a focus on biotechnology this year. The letter says, in part, “Feeding a world population of nine billion people by 2050 in the face
USDA is Right on Carrageenan
Kudos to Secretary Vilsack and USDA for basing their regulatory decisions on sound science. Another recent example is the Proposed Rule published on May 3rd that would re-list carrageenan as appropriate for use in organic food products. The USDA decision is consistent with a recent decision by FDA affirming the safety of carrageenan for all food products. Moreover,
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School Nutrition Update
By Marshall L. Matz, as published in Agri-Pulse School nutrition is front and center these days. At the USDA Outlook Conference, Secretary Vilsack proudly pointed out the many improvements USDA has made to school nutrition programs as well as other nutrition programs. The National School Lunch Act (the Act), signed into law by President Truman in
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Talking Agriculture to Democrats
By Marshall L. Matz, as published in Agri-Pulse Look at a map of the 2012 election results by county and you quickly see the urban-rural divide in America. The vast swath of the heartland, much of the West and most of the South are red, while the urban areas, the East and West Coasts are blue. The
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PCAST Report
Today, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released its Report to the President on Agricultural Preparedness and the Agriculture Research Enterprise. The report outlines the importance of agricultural research as well as the top seven scientific challenges facing agriculture: The need to manage new pests, pathogens, and invasive plants; increase the
The First Americans Are Last
By Marshall L. Matz, as published in Agri-Pulse The first Americans are still last in America, especially in the Northern Great Plains, where the disparity is the greatest. The unemployment rate on Indian reservations in the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming exceed seventy and eighty percent. Unemployment on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota is at
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Marcia Fudge, Member of House Ag Committee, to Chair Congressional Black Caucus
On November 14th, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) unanimously elected Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH) to serve as Chair during the 113th Congress. Rep. Fudge is the first member of the House Agriculture Committee to serve as CBC chair. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), for whom we are the U.S. representative, is delighted by the election of
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George S. McGovern
There has been an outpouring of emotion and praise mourning the loss of Senator George S. McGovern. While he was a liberal Democrat, he is being recognized as a great humanitarian by both Republicans and Democrats. From President Obama and Vice President Biden, to the Secretary General of the United Nations and Senator Bob Dole,
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