Agriculture & Agribusiness

NIAA: What to Expect for Animal Agriculture in a Biden Administration

The National Institute of Animal Agriculture invited Chelsea Good, Vice President of Government & Industry Affairs at Livestock Marketing Association and John Dillard, Principal Attorney in the USDA Practice Group at OFW Law to provide insight on the incoming Biden Administration and what it will mean for the animal agriculture industry. From the Barn to […]

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John Block Reports: Using Farmers to Fight Global Warming

By Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, John R. Block. We have our federal government funding bill passed and signed by President Trump and a generous relief package also.  Now is the time to give up on the election challenges.  However, I would stress that we need to make sure that future elections are fair and honest. 

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John Block Reports: Christmas Time… Definitely – Pandemic Relief… Maybe

By Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, John R. Block. It’s Christmas.  And the New Year is almost upon us.  This year has been one for the books.  The Coronavirus has upset everything.  Millions of jobs have been lost.  Some families can’t pay their rent.  Small businesses are going bankrupt.  New virus cases are surging.  One piece

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John Block Reports: Biden Picks Tom Vilsack to Return to USDA

By Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, John R. Block. After the election we all read about President Trump challenging the results.  However, we also are reading about President-Elect Biden’s possible nominees for his cabinet.  We know they are all important, but for agriculture and rural America, the choice for Secretary of Agriculture has been at the

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John Block Reports: Thanksgiving Dinner in America During COVID-19

Home » Agriculture & Agribusiness » Election and More By Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, John R. Block. We just celebrated another Thanksgiving.  At least, I hope we celebrated it.  I know these are chaotic times.  The worst problem is that the coronavirus has us isolated and shut down.  Also, it may not be on your mind right now but

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crops ruined by water damage

John Block Reports: Climate Change Policy from the US to the EU

By Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, John R. Block. With the Biden Presidency approaching, climate change has been elevated to talk and perhaps even action which will affect agriculture and rural America.  Powerful voices in our ag industry are forming the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance.  The groups involved include the American Farm Bureau Federation, Environmental

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John Block Reports: A Democratic President – What Happens Next?

By Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, John R. Block. The election is behind us.  There was no “blue wave.”  After the Courts review the election process to see if it was fraud free – no corruption — then the winner will be formally declared.  As of now, it looks like Joe Biden will get the job. 

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The Future of SNAP (Food Stamps)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides valuable assistance to millions of Americans who need help because they have lost their jobs, do not earn sufficient money to meet their needs, or have been emergency victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.  A study by USDA’s Economic Research Service found that a hypothetical $1 billion increase in

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John Block Reports: World Food Program Wins the Nobel Peace Prize

By Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, John R. Block. The Presidential election battle rages on.  Biden leads in the polls.  But don’t forget that four years ago Hillary Clinton was leading, and the Trump victory shocked the world.  Think about this – in one respect, whoever wins, rural America and Agriculture will come out on

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2020 Dietary Guidelines Near the End of Stage One

On Wednesday, June 16, 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 recent meeting marks the

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QHC for Cranberry Products and Reduced Risk of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection in Healthy Women

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 on

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Policy Solutions to Climate Change through Agriculture and Forestry

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 surprising that climate

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The History and Value of School Lunches

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 century. As states began

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COVID-19 and the Need for International Food Aid – A Growing Body of Evidence

“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 and dangerous possibility.” David

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John Block Reports: The Case for Obama

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

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John Block Reports: Time for Leadership

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

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