Register Now for the 2008 Annual Meeting!
NAMA’s 2008 Annual Meeting is in two months, September 25 – 27, 2008. It’s time for NAMA members and invited guests to register to attend. Please make your hotel reservations directly with the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe by calling 800.233.1234 and referencing the North American Millers’ Association before August 20.

Email your NAMA registration form to Jenni Weems at jweems@namamillers.org or fax it to 202.488.7416 by August 18. Detailed information about the meeting program is on NAMA’s web site.

Confirmed speakers:

• Dan Mitchell, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute - McCain and Obama Economic Platforms
• Jim Bower, President, Bower Trading - Globalization of Agriculture
• Jason Clay, Vice President, World Wildlife Fund – Sustainability
• Mike Masters, Managing Member, Masters Capital Management - Futures Markets
• David Houle, Futurist and Strategist, David Houle & Associates - Future Energy Trends

NAMA welcomes ARAMARK
NAMA welcomes ARAMARK Facility Services to the association as an Associate Member. Bob Scott, Director of Business Development, will represent the company in association activities. Bob’s contact information is:

Bob Scott, Director of Business Development
ARAMARK Facility Services
1101 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
T: 610.366.1870
scott-bob@aramark.com
www.aramark.com

ARAMARK provides production facility management solutions including production equipment maintenance, plant sanitation, preventive maintenance and "Green Strategies.”

NAMA requests funding for durum wheat quality program In a letter sent to Senator Herb Kohl (WI-D), NAMA asked for his support in providing funding for the Durum Wheat Quality Program (DWQP). Senator Kohl is the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Subcommittee. The DWQP is a temporary, 4-year cost share program between USDA and durum growers to offset the cost of fungicide application for scab until genetic resistance is found. Durum breeding for scab resistance has made some positive strides during the last ten years; however, achieving more complete resistance is not in the immediate future. The only alternative available to durum producers is fungicide application. The DWQP would help increase the domestic production of durum wheat by giving durum growers the ability to combat crop disease and would help ensure a consistent and safe supply of high quality durum to America’s millers throughout the United States.

NAMA worked with the Grain Foods Foundation to promote the poster presentation of Mario Ferruzzi, Purdue University, at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting. This ad appeared in the Food Expo Daily and was distributed by NAMA members exhibiting in the show.

Mandatory testing for StarLink has ended
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has ended mandatory testing for StarLink in both domestic and international food aid procurements. While testing of products for domestic use ended some time ago, testing of products in U.S. food aid programs, school lunch and other child related programs continued until the scientific review panel of the Food and Nutrition Service could make an independent evaluation. FNS has concluded its evaluation and is in agreement with the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency decisions, testing is no longer needed for these programs.

NAMA weighs in on food aid procurement process
NAMA, and other ag trade associations, met with Dr. Mark E. Keenum, Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS), USDA, to discuss proposed changes to how food aid is procured. FAS is under pressure from the Office of General Counsel (OGC) to make the changes. OGC maintains that the changes are necessary to comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulations.

There has been some speculation that the movement to substitute cash for food aid is part of the impetus behind this effort to change a procurement system – a system the ag community maintains has been working well for 50 years and is in no need of change. The group warned any changes could not only raise costs to suppliers, but also feed fewer people.

Industry representatives are drafting recommendations that should satisfy FAR requirements and meet national food aid objectives.

Substituting cash for food aid may have unintended consequences
International Trade Consultant Paul Green was interviewed by Marketplace Radio, an affiliate of NPR (National Public Radio). He asked Green about the recent attempts to substitute direct cash food purchases in the countries in need versus buying U.S. commodities for food aid and why NAMA is against those reforms.

Green told Sam Eaton, Sr. Reporter, Sustainability Desk, Marketplace Radio that the plan to substitute cash for food would backfire. Green said, “The real fear here is that we might see an unexpected and unintended outcome of far less resources rather than far more.”

231 MT of methyl bromide recommended for 2010
Every year the working group of the UN’s Montreal Protocol recommends the amount of methyl bromide to be permitted for use in future years through the Critical Use Exemption process. With the ultimate goal of totally eliminating the use of methyl bromide, the group decreases the amount approved for use every year. The 2010 recommended amount of 231 MT for post harvest structural uses is 44 percent less than has been approved for 2009, and 17 percent less than the U.S. Government had requested in our behalf. NAMA’s CUE is the largest in the post harvest structural use category.

Final approval of these recommendations for 2010 will be made in November in Doha, Qatar. Meanwhile, this month NAMA submitted its CUE request for 2011.

Grain chain responds to Sosland editorial
President Betsy Faga, American Bakers Association President Robb MacKie and National Association of Wheat Growers CEO Daren Coppock responded to an editorial by Mort Sosland, Editor-in-Chief of Sosland Publishing, titled “Seeking revival of comity in intra-industry talking.” In the editorial Sosland characterizes the grain-based food industry as confrontational and calls for the industry to come together.

In their response, the three trade associations asserted wheat growers, millers, and bakers are already working together to the benefit of the grain chain. Examples provided include:

• The inclusion in the 2008 Farm Bill of a pilot grain promotion program that will introduce nutritious grain-based foods to children in the most need in the U.S.
• The continued funding of wheat research by the USDA Agriculture Research Service

The presidents assured Mr. Sosland that the Wheat Summit meetings are not the cause of any contention between members of the grain chain, but have enhanced communication. They also stressed the value of including only principals in the meetings to ensure an atmosphere for open and frank discussion.

Read the editorial
Read the response

What's Driving Food Prices? – a report by Purdue University
The Farm Foundation released a report titled, “What's Driving Food Prices?” Written by Purdue University economists, the study identifies three broad sets of forces driving food price increases: global changes in production and consumption of key commodities, the depreciation of the U.S. dollar, and growth in the production of biofuels.

The full report, an executive summary and a recording of a two-hour forum is posted on the Farm Foundation web site.

ISU to hold bioeconomy conference and climate workshop
Iowa State University is holding a Bioeconomy Conference and post-conference workshop on Corn and Climate September 7-10, 2008. Both the conference and workshop may be of interest to some NAMA millers. The conference addresses head-on the food vs fuel controversy. The workshop (planned long before the floods!) brings key regional and national NOAA scientists and administrators together with Midwest agricultural stakeholders to address climate science issues of importance to Iowa and the region.

The conference and workshop are co-organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Iowa State University Bioeconomy Institute, and Iowa State North Central Bioeconomy Consortium. Detailed information about the program and speakers is available on the university’s web site. For more information, contact Gene Takle, Workshop Chair, 515.294.9871 or gstakle@iastate.edu. Gene spoke at the 49th Annual Corn Dry Milling Conference this year.

Conference organizers advise registering early. Online registration.

Conference calendar
2008 Annual Meeting, Lake Tahoe, NV
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe
September 25-27, 2008

2009 Division Meetings, Ft. Myers, FL
Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa
March 21-24, 2009

2009 Annual Meeting, Washington, DC
Sofitel Lafayette Square Hotel
October 19-21, 2009

2010 Division Meetings, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
W Fort Lauderdale
March 20-23, 2010

2010 Annual Meeting, Del Mar, CA
L'Auberge Del Mar Resort
October 14-16, 2010

Since the Last Newsletter
Since the last newsletter has been changed to "Meeting Roundup." It will be sent to NAMA members every month following the distribution of the newsletter.

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