Blogs - Vilsack Watch

Tell Congress Not to Force GE Crops on Other Countries

source: http://oaklandinstitute.org/voicesfromafrica/node/22 * Action Alerts Originally posted by The Center for Food Safety An effort to fight global poverty and hunger may become a Trojan horse to force genetically engineered crops on countries and farmers that do not want them. In the Senate, Senators Bob Casey (D-Penn.) and Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) introduced the Global Food Security Act, which increases funding for agricultura… Continue

Added by frank arundel on May 20, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Act Now to Protect U.S. Food Safety...

Act Now to Protect U.S. Food Safety... Please write to President Obama and Secretary Vilsack Today! There have been plenty of headlines and hearings and proposals put forward in the last few years to choke a three-headed chicken. Yet nothing has changed. Instead, stories about our flawed food safety system just keep coming, whether it's massive meat recalls, tainted spinach and peanut butter, MRSA (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and now the swine flu. All of these outbreaks are… Continue

Added by frank arundel on May 18, 2009 at 10:09pm — No Comments

Vilsack pledged to promote Big Biotech abroad

Secretary Vilsack: Support Organics, Not Genetic Engineering While the Obama Administration has certainly made several positive inroads during the first 100 days of office, from appointing organic champion Kathleen Merrigan to Undersecretary of Agriculutre and planting organic gardens at both the White House and USDA headquarters, the Administration has chosen to champion genetically engineered crops at home and abroad. Upon returning from his recent visit to the G8 summit in Italy, Secretary… Continue

Added by frank arundel on May 13, 2009 at 1:09pm — No Comments

Vilsack's approach as ag secretary surprises critics

source: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090501/BUSINESS01/905010384 Vilsack's approach as ag secretary surprises critics By PHILIP BRASHER • pbrasher@dmreg.com • May 1, 2009 Washington, D.C. - The World War II-era poster that faces Tom Vilsack's desk should provide a clue that he may not be the kind of agriculture secretary expected of a former governor of Iowa, the land of big, high-tech grain and… Continue

Added by frank arundel on May 1, 2009 at 9:51am — No Comments

VILSACK'S RECORD AFTER 100 DAYS

source: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090501/BUSINESS01/905010384 You can't miss Iowa at the USDA FURNISHINGS: Vilsack is putting an Iowa stamp on his new office suite. His desk is a replica of the Iowa governor's desk that he bought from a lawyer friend and had restored. Hanging behind the desk is a large photograph of two of Iowa's most famous figures in agriculture: Henry A. Wallace, the last I… Continue

Added by frank arundel on May 1, 2009 at 9:48am — No Comments

Vilsack Pulls From Familiar Circles to Staff USDA

source Updated 5:49 p.m. ET Proving that it pays to work for the winning team, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has drawn heavily from reliable Democratic Party networks to fill out his senior staff. Most of the new hires, many of whom have been on the job for weeks, can be tied to at least one of the following: • Tom Daschle: The former Senate majority leader's legacy will liv… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 26, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Hard choice on biotech corn awaits Vilsack

source Wednesday, March 11, 2009 By Philip Brasher Washington, D.C. - A new gene-altered corn promises to make fuel ethanol greener and cheaper. The corn, developed by Syngenta AG, requires less energy and water to turn into ethanol, and theoretically can produce more ethanol per bushel. But the prospect of this designer corn going on the market as soon as next year is giving the food industry indiges… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 11, 2009 at 11:23pm — No Comments

Will America become what Obama eats?

source It seems that some people are obsessed with our new foodie president's eating habits. By PlentyMag.com Tue, Mar 10 2009 at 12:56 PM EST The biggest celebrity in the world now, next to Brangelina, is President-elect Barack Obama. People aren't just wondering what his environmental policies will emerge to be. More specifically, some are speculating how green Obama's policies will be on food a… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 10, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Democrat hits farm proposal as misguided

source Slashing payments 'stupid' Kara Rowland THE WASHINGTON TIMES Tuesday, March 10, 2009 The top House Democrat on the Agriculture Committee punctured yet another hole in President Obama's $3.6 trillion budget proposal Wednesday, saying the president's plan to save money by reducing farm payments is "more than dead on arrival." Rep. Collin C. Peterson's opposition to the plan is the late… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 9, 2009 at 6:32pm — No Comments

Stimulus Money Released To Forest Service, Oregon

source BY ETHAN LINDSEY Portland, OR March 9, 2009 12:06 p.m. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday it plans to move away from using forest maintenance money to fight fires -- and the stimulus package will help it do that. Of that, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says $98 million is going to the U.S. Forest Service. Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports. The federal g… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 9, 2009 at 6:25pm — No Comments

Vilsack Talks Budget Almost More Than Stimulus

source 3/9/2009 By Jim Wiesemeyer via a special arrangement with Informa Economics, Inc. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack is apparently hearing from the countryside when it comes to the Obama budget proposal to deny direct payments to farmers with over $500,000 in sales. Vilsack held two briefings this morning to highlight what USDA will be doing to roll out dollars from the Ame… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 9, 2009 at 6:18pm — No Comments

Study shows crops absorb antibiotics from livestock

source Officials worry that antibiotic-laced meats, veggies, and milk can potentially create resistant strains of bacteria in food and the environment. By PlentyMag.com Mon, Mar 09 2009 at 3:04 PM EST Environmentalists and health-conscious consumers are always voicing their worries about antibiotics in meat and milk. But now these folks have even more reason to be concerned: A new st… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 9, 2009 at 6:12pm — No Comments

Vilsack rallies agriculture, ethanol industries

source By Kris Bevill Web exclusive posted March 5, 2009, at 12:08 p.m. CST USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack offered words of support for the ethanol industry and inspirational comments for the agriculture industry during his keynote address held Feb. 26 at the department’s Agricultural Outlook Forum 2009. Vilsack reported that U.S. President Obama has instructed him that the USDA will expand energy opportuniti… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 5, 2009 at 2:40pm — No Comments

Vilsack Outlines Obama's Priorities for USDA

By Pork news staff | Tuesday, March 03, 2009 AddThis According to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, President Barack Obama has three goals for USDA. Among them is to encourage Americans, particularly youth, to eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts and specialty crops. In remarks prepared for USDA's annual Agriculture Outlook Forum last week, Vilsack reported that the president gave him these priorities for the agency: * To make sure that America's children had more nutritious food. * To do everything U… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 5, 2009 at 2:38pm — No Comments

Vilsack pledges guarantees on loans to ethanol producers

source by PHILIP BRASHER & DAN PILLER • business@dmreg.com • March 1, 2009 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Thursday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture would be providing loan guarantees to help struggling ethanol producers. In a speech to the USDA's annual agriculture outlook conference, he said the USDA "has a responsibility for keeping an eye on that industry" to maintain an infrastr… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 2, 2009 at 2:01pm — No Comments

Rep. Moran opposes Obama’s farm policy proposal

source Monday, March 2, 2009 8:12 AM CST WASHINGTON - Rep. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) stated his opposition to proposed changes to farm policy contained in President Obama’s budget proposal — released this week — that makes clear the President’s intention to phase out direct payments to farmers and substantially change the crop insurance program. Moran’s concerns with the a… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 2, 2009 at 1:39pm — No Comments

USDA Chief Vilsack, House Speaker Pelosi to Address NFU Convention ... March 8-10

source Date Posted: February 27, 2009 Washington—National Farmers Union members attending the organization's 2009 national convention will have the opportunity to hear directly from a full-slate of national leaders, including Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Farmers Union is incredibly fortunate to welc… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 2, 2009 at 1:34pm — No Comments

Subsidy debate weighs farmers vs. children-Vilsack

source Mon Mar 2, 2009 4:44pm GMT * Obama proposes to save $9.8 billion over 10 years * Choice between rich farmers and hungry children By Christopher Doering and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers will need to choose between supporting rich farmers or feeding more hungry children amid a slumping economy and surging deficit, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Monday. Vilsack said h… Continue

Added by frank arundel on March 2, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Obama proposes $1 billion/year boost for child nutrition

source WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama proposed a $1 billion a year increase in funding on Thursday for U.S. child nutrition programs including school lunches. The increase would go to "improving program access, enhancing the nutritional quality of school meals, expanding nutrition research and evaluation and improving program oversight," said the White House. Child nutrition programs are due… Continue

Added by frank arundel on February 26, 2009 at 11:44am — No Comments

Comes a time to fight for farmers

source By Neil Young February 26, 2009 WHEN Abraham Lincoln formed the US Department of Agriculture in 1862 he referred to it as the "People's Department" because it served the common interest of so many Americans. America's concerns about food and the economy were addressed and investments in cutting-edge research guaranteed the nation's food security. More than 200 y… Continue

Added by frank arundel on February 26, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

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