| Inside this Issue NAMA Leadership meets with Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner Trilogy Labs joins NAMA Revised flour production numbers show increase in per capita consumption of flour Farm Bill enacted into law More tools available in the fight against head scab Bair looks at “The Changing Face of Agriculture” with IAOM NAMA submits nominations to 2010 Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee Presentations from the 49th Corn Dry Milling Conference WFC scores a home run with their newly released cookbook HBA to present at baking seminar HBA prepares to conduct learning lab at the AAFCS conference Fewer people believe calories from carbohydrates cause weight gain USDA to recognize corporations committed to the “Corporate Challenge” campaign LA PAC Manufacturing, Inc. and Louisiana Bag Company merge NAMA in the news Conference calendar Since the last newsletter |
|
NAMA Leadership meets with
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner
NAMA’s Executive Committee and Board members met with Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner during NAMA’s annual Leadership Meeting in Washington, DC to advocate on behalf of the milling industry. Topics discussed included the Farm Bill, biotechnology, research, and wheat availability.
On biotechnology, the millers described for Mr. Conner the cooperative efforts over the last two years with other links in the wheat chain to consider in more depth the challenges of commercializing biotechnology traits in wheat and define an enabling environment to allow for commercialization.
Regarding research, NAMA expressed thanks for the Department’s support of the US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative, but did protest the Department’s proposal to eliminate funding for vital wheat stem rust research at the USDA lab in St. Paul, MN. 90 percent of the world wheat varieties are highly susceptible to wheat stem rust called Ug99.
In discussing wheat availability, the NAMA leaders were careful to note that NAMA is not opposed to current high grain prices. However, we are concerned that current and forecast production leaves little wiggle room if, for example, there were major weather problems. While 2008 appears to be manageable, meeting the biofuels mandate in 2009 will require millions of new corn acres.
The millers also took the opportunity to thank Mr. Connor for USDA’s support and leadership to successfully resolve the StarLink issue, and continued defense of methyl bromide as a critical tool for mill sanitation.
The millers also met with Administration officials including leaders of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as Congressional staff. Members met independently with their Congressional representatives.
Trilogy Labs joins NAMA
NAMA welcomes Trilogy Analytical Laboratory, Inc. as an Associate Member of NAMA. Kraig Bond, vice president, will represent the company in association activities. His contact information is:
Trilogy Analytical Laboratory, Inc.
111 W. 4th Street
Washington, MO 63090
T: 636-239-1521, F: 636-239-1531
kraig@trilogylab.com
http://www.trilogylab.com
Trilogy Labs is a service laboratory for the grain food and feed industry.
Revised flour production numbers show increase
in per capita consumption of flour
Figures issued in May by the Census Bureau revised flour production in 2006 and 2007 upward. The new numbers translate into per capita consumption in 2006 of 135.6 pounds per person and in 2007 of 137.9 pounds per person, up from the low of 133 pounds per person. NAMA funds the compilation of the statistics by the Census Bureau. View the Census Bureau statistics.
Farm Bill enacted into law
The Food, Conservation and Energy Act, without the trade title language that was mistakenly omitted in the version sent to the President, became law last month after the Congress voted to override President Bush’s veto. Because the bill sent to the President was not the same as the bill passed by Congress, Congress has re-passed the original bill with the trade language included to prevent Constitutional legal challenges to the bill. It sounds confusing because it is, and the mistake is unprecedented in the history of the Republic.
The inclusive bill now goes to the President once again, where another veto is promised. And, just like last time, Congress has the votes to easily override his veto.
The new Farm Bill is a mix of opportunities and missed opportunities for agriculture and the milling industry. Read NAMA's news release distributed by NAMA.
More tools available in the fight against wheat head scab
After years of working to get annual “emergency” approvals for a vital wheat fungicide to fight fusarium (head scab), NAMA, the National Association of Wheat Growers and the Minnesota and North Dakota state wheat associations gained an important victory this spring when EPA granted a so-called Section 3 approval for Folicur. The full label approval by EPA means growers will have access to the compound which they prefer due to its lower cost, but have been precluded from using for legal reasons.
Bair looks at “The Changing Face of Agriculture” with IAOM
NAMA vice president Jim Bair was the keynote speaker at the International Milling Education Foundation breakfast during the annual International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida. The event gathers milling and allied trade professionals from around the world for several days of education, networking and fellowship. Educational and technical programs presented at the conferences assist millers in improving yields, productivity, customer satisfaction and safety.
Jim spoke about the “The Changing Face of Agriculture.” In his remarks, he compared the history of the milling industry to the present face of the industry to what he believes will be necessary for the future success of the industry. Jim issued a challenge to the operative millers. He called on them to be innovative and push not only to drive costs down, but to also drive customer satisfaction up. For a copy of Jim’s presentation, contact Terri Long, Director of Communications, at 202.484.2200, ext. 11 or tlong@namamillers.org.
NAMA submits nominations to
2010 Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee
In coordination with the Grain Foods Foundation and the Wheat Foods Council, NAMA submitted three nominations for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee being established by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. The two departments have joint responsibility for publishing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans at least every five years. The purpose of the committee is to examine the latest scientific data and literature on the hazards and benefits of food ingredients to determine whether an update from the 2005 Dietary Guidelines is necessary and, if so, to develop recommendations for these revisions. These guidelines play a prominent role in consumers’ views of nutritional health and help guide manufacturers in new product innovations. NAMA’s nominations are as follows:
William Evans, Professor of Geriatric Medicine, Physiology, and Nutrition
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
Specializes in diabetes, insulin metabolism, the aging population, and exercise physiology.
Glenn Gaesser, Professor, Department of Human Services, Director, Kinesiology Program
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Specializes in exercise, body weight, health, and fitness.
Ronald Kleinman, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Charles Wilder Professor Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Specializes in childhood obesity.
Presentations from the 49th Corn Dry Milling Conference Sustainability of Agriculture The view from here - One farmer looks at 2009 U.S. Food Aid Program, Title II PL480 Biotechnology Update Insect Resistance Traits Germplasm Enhancement of Maize Project Climate Change and Impact on Corn and Grain Quality Impact of Corn - Wheat Cropping on Grain Quality FGIS - Mycotoxin Testing and Impact of Regulations
More than 50 participants attended the annual Corn Dry Milling Conference held in Peoria, Illinois. NAMA and USDA’s National Center for Agricultural Research (NCAUR) jointly sponsor the conference. Conference presentations included:
Maureen Olewnik, American Institute of Baking
John Phipps, Host, U.S. Farm Report
Rick Schwein, Grain Millers, Inc.
Steve Daugherty, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.
Clint Pilcher, Monsanto Company
Mike Blanco, ARS, USDA
Eugene Takle, Iowa State University
Greg Shaner, Purdue University
Timothy Norden, FGIS
For copies of the presentations, go to NAMA’s web site.
WFC scores a home run with their newly released cookbook
A new cookbook, “Food for Thought from Parents to Children,” released by the Wheat Foods Council (WFC) has attracted the attention of The Washington Postand Newsweek.
The cookbook contains 35 recipes to help celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Council. Gale Gand, well known chef and mother of three, created five exclusive recipes for the book with the other thirty being chosen from recipes submitted by parents across the country.
Two articles have been published about the book in the food section of The Washington Post. The cookbook is featured first in the Resources column, which mentions WFC, 35 wheat-based recipes and drives people to the WFC web site. The second article features tips for healthy lunches and includes positive grain messages. It encourages parents to allow their children to help them shop, which is a tip from the WFC cookbook. The article also mentions bread and whole-grain crackers. The Washington Post article generated 2 million consumer impressions.
Newsweek included the cookbook as a Checklist item, which is a list of noteworthy places and things chosen by the editors on a weekly basis. They also list a “call to action” for each item i.e., buy, visit, go, see, etc. The print edition yields more than 10.3 million consumer impressions.
The cookbook is available for purchase for $3.50 at www.wheatfoods.org. A portion of the proceeds goes to Spoons Across America, a nonprofit that works to influence kids’ eating habits.
HBA to present at baking seminar
The Home Baking Association (HBA) is presenting a two-hour baking seminar for the Nevada Family & Consumer Sciences/Technical Education Conference on July 30. HBA anticipates 15-20 Family & Consumer Sciences Program Directors and Teachers will be in attendance.
HBA prepares to conduct learning lab
at the AAFCS conference
The Home Baking Association (HBA) is exhibiting and offering a learning lab at the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences conference, reaching the participating 1,250 teachers, extension and food, nutrition, culinary and consumer educators. Each contact reaches an average of 250 to thousands of households annually with the benefits of enjoying home baked foods. Food & Consumer Sciences teachers and extension leaders are the premier grass-roots connection for home food, culinary and consumer education. The conference will be held June 19-21 in Milwaukee, WI. All HBA members will automatically be represented in the HBA’s three-day exhibit and learning lab and have been offered the opportunity to provide materials for the conference.
Fewer people believe calories from carbohydrates cause weight gain
The International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC) released its 2008 Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes toward Food, Nutrition & Health. The survey concentrates primarily on consumers’ views of their health, weight, and nutrition as it relates to purchasing habits. One view held by more consumers is that calories from carbohydrates do not cause weight gain. The full version of the survey, including an executive summary, may be found at http://ific.org/research/foodandhealthsurvey.cfm. (Scroll down for link to PDF format.) A brief summary of the survey that focuses specifically on the findings of interest to millers is on NAMA’s web site.
USDA to recognize corporations committed to
the “Corporate Challenge” campaign
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is recognizing corporations who have signed up to participate in the USDA “Corporate Challenge” campaign. The official unveiling and recognition will occur in a ceremony at USDA on June 10. For additional information, go to http://www.mypyramid.gov/ or contact Jackie Haven at 703.305.7600.
Partnering with MyPyramid: Corporate Challenge is a program initiated by USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) that encourages corporations to use MyPyramid messages in promoting healthy food and lifestyle choices. It focuses on helping a family's nutrition gatekeeper make choices that are consistent with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid.
LA PAC Manufacturing, Inc.
and Louisiana Bag Company merge
NAMA associate member LA PAC Manufacturing, Inc. and Louisiana Bag Company, owned by Peter John and David John, have merged into one umbrella organization known as JohnPac. JohnPac specializes in manufacturing customized woven polypropylene small bags, bulk bags, and BOPP bags, as well as providing industrial packaging options. Mary Ellen Henry, CEO, and Taylor Gray, Manager, Small Woven Products, will serve as representatives for JohnPac in association activities. Their contact information is:
JohnPac, Inc.
1860 Hwy 90 West
PO Box 1566
Crowley, LA 70527-1566
T: 337-783-5466, F: 337-783-2247
Toll Free: 866-916-2247
mehenry@johnpac.com
tgray@johnpac.com
www.johnpac.com
NAMA in the news
Millers agree: Testing corn for StarLink not adding to food safety
AgBioWorld
May 2, 2008
Conference calendar
2008 Annual Meeting, Lake Tahoe, NV
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe
Visit the resort's web site at http://laketahoe.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
September 25-27, 2008
2009 Division Meetings, Ft. Myers, FL
Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa
Visit the resort's web site at http://www.sanibel-resort.com
March 21-24, 2009
2009 Annual Meeting, Washington, DC
Sofitel Lafayette Square Hotel
Visit the hotel's web site at http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/fichehotel/gb/sof/3293/fiche_hotel.shtml
October 19-21, 2009
2010 Division Meetings, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
W Fort Lauderdale
Visit the resort's web site at http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1522
March 20-23, 2010
Since the Last Newsletter
Members who would like to review the activities of NAMA staff during the past month go to http://www.namamillers.org/mbr_SLN_05_30_08.cfm.
Back to Top