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Report from Uganda

Uganda is in the final stages of debating biosafety legislation that will make it possible for the country to begin...

Mid-Term and More

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Yes, I have something to say about the mid-term elections, and I will...

Election and Hate Crimes

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. There has been a lot going on in the last week. I will...

Debt

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Some good news – President Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping...

Opinion: The EU Gene-Editing Decision: Parliament Should Not Let it Stand

The European Union Court of Justice’s (ECJ) recent decision that new gene-editing techniques must go through the same lengthy approval...

Issues and Opportunities

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. When President Trump announced a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, he...

Gopher Frog

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I want to talk about a frog today, but before the frog hops...

Disqualified from SNAP? SAM I Am!

Owners of retail food stores permanently disqualified from participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are saddled with serious...

NAFTA Deal and More

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Issue number 1 – China is very unhappy that President Trump has imposed...

New Leadership Sets New Direction at CPSC

Earlier this week, the United States Senate confirmed Peter Feldman to be a CPSC commissioner, to fill the seat vacated...

Bob Lighthizer

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Will President Trump’s nominee for Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh be approved? We may...

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Updates Its SNAP Retailer Training Guide

Earlier this year, FNS updated its Training Guide for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailers. This 18 page booklet is...

This And That – September 2018

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Vladimir Putin of Russia wants to raise the age for his citizens to...

Part 110 Lives Another Day

Yesterday FDA withdrew its directive to remove and reserve the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) for Human Food regulations found...

Opinion: Africa Rising

In the two years since the last African agriculture forum in Ethiopia, the momentum has fundamentally changed. The pace of...

Agriculture’s Message

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I wasn’t going to go down this road, but a CNN discussion and...

Uncertainty

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The agriculture industry in the U.S. is dealing with a lot of uncertainty....

Anson M. Keller (1936-2018)

Our dear colleague and friend, Anson M. Keller, passed away on September 2, 2018, at the age of 82. Anson’s...

FDA Announces FY 19 User Fee Rates for Third Party Certification Program

Yesterday, FDA announced in the Federal Register, the Agency’s 2019 user fee rate for recognized accreditation bodies and accredited certification...

Labor Day

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block It’s hard to believe, but summer is all but gone. We are looking...

John R. Block: Reports from Washington – August 23, 2018 “Wild Fires”

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to...

Down on the Farm August 2018

Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association,...

Jack Block: This and That August 2018

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Good news – ethanol exports are up 33% so far this year. By...

Jack Block: Farm Bill

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The current Farm Bill runs out at the end of September. Will we...