Plant-a-row to feed the hungry

I just had to post a link to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture's blog which provides information on a program being organized by organizations interested in helping feed the hungry in the Triangle.

CHECK IT OUT!

Presidents & Legislative Directors

I came across this quote & I thought I'd share it with you. I encourage you all to take the advice to be an effective leader!

"Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out." - Ronald Reagan

The Flu

Governor Perdue's newsletter contained the following information/tips.

As thousands of students in North Carolina prepare to return to school, many will be armed with notebooks and pencils, but they also should be armed with tips to fight the spread of seasonal and H1N1 flu.

Everyone is advised to get a seasonal Flu Vaccine. H1N1 vaccines are expected by late fall. High risk groups, including school-aged children, are advised to get a double dose H1N1 vaccination.

Prevention is critical. Here are some simple steps:

1. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve.
2. Wash your hands often with soap and water. Alcohol-based hand cleaners also are effective.
3. Avoid close contact with sick people.
4. If you are sick, stay home to limit the chances of infecting others.
   

Meeting with Etheridge

Last night Congressman Etheridge held a meeting of interested parties to talk about agriculture. He gave some insight and updates into what's going on in DC. He also opened up the discussion for questions that anyone may have had concerning agriculture. It was a lively debate and discussion and the Grange is grateful to have had a seat the table!

Membership Cooperatives

Two electric cooperatives in North Carolina have been awarded more than $23 million in federal loans to help repair infrastructure in rural areas. The USDA said Wednesday that Central Electric Membership Corp. in Sanford and Rutherford Electric Membership Corp. in Forest City were awarded the loans. Central will receive $7.5 million and Rutherford will receive $16 million. US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the money is part of more than $1 billion awarded to utilities and cooperatives in 30 states. The money will be used to build and repair more than 11,200 miles of distribution and transmission lines in rural communities. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 8/19/09)

NCDA Food Safety Forum

Yesterday was the 5th Annual Commissioner's Food Safety Forum. Congressman Etheridge, Congressman Coble and Congressman Miller were present to make a few comments. The agenda was as follows:
Stronger Partnerships for Safer Food: Building an Integrated, National Food Safety System: Michael R. Taylor, J.D. Senior Advisor to FDA Commissioner
The Changing Science of Peanut Butter: Dr. Donald Zink, FDA Senior Scientist, CFSAN, leading authority on low moisture foods
Collaboration Between Industry and Federal/State Regulators and Legislative Directions: Dr. Ken Falci, Sr. Director Scientific Regulatory Operations, Kelloggs
North Carolina's Response to the Peanut Butter Incident: Joe Reardon, NCDA&CS Director-Food & Drug Protection Division
Food Safety in North Carolina: Commissioner Steve Troxler
Seafood - Marketing and Food Safety: Dr. David Green & Barry Nash, NCSU Seafood Technology & Marketing
Seeing Things: Perspectives on teh Past, Present and Future of Foodborne Disease: David Bergmire-Sweat, NC Division of Public Health, Foodborne Disease Epidemiologist

USDA Listening Tour

US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Senator Richard Burr and Congressman Larry Kissell were in Hamlet, NC (Richmond County) to talk with interested people in the community. I attended this meeting and it was great to hear what these folks had to say about agriculture, rural America, education and the future of our nation.

Here is a snapshot of what was talked about on Tuesday:

- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) brings in $1.84 for every $1 expended
- Know Your Farmer Know Your Food program - looking at purchasing more local goods and offering more than just farmer's markets to keep wealth in the community in which it was produced
- Farm to School program - asked for $1 billion for breakfast and lunch programs, important to link the producer to the customer, free or reduced breakfast and lunches must be easier to access so that students don't feel stigmatized, grants funded by stimulus money helped remodel kitchens to help accommodate this program
- The budget for forestry should be split into two so that fighting forest fires doesn't take up so much of the budget, should be split into maintenance & fire fighting


- North Carolina is an education leader and many ideas used in the state will be models for federal programs
- Community colleges are a hidden treasure and there must be more focus on this area of education
- Green jobs must be part of the next generation of jobs and community colleges can prepare folks for these jobs
- it's important to reform education delivery because one size fits all doesn't work (hand-held devices which held all textbook information could be in our future)


- Opportunities for Regional Economic Development - USDA is looking at improving rural areas through regional efforts v. individual grants, if a coalition of interested parties envisioned a way in which to fundamentally improve an area they want to know