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2012 Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit

Thank you to everyone who helped to make the Legislative Ag Chairs Summit a success.

Presentations and handouts from the Conference are available below:

Friday, January 6

Congressional Briefing at Russell Building

  • USDA Undersecretary Michael Scuse, Farm Services Agency and Foreign Agricultural Service
  • Senate Minority Agriculture Staff
  • House Energy Committee Staff
  • Senate Majority Agriculture Staff

Executive Branch Briefing at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building

  • Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
  • Issi Siddiqui, U.S. Trade Representative Chief Agriculture Negotiator
  • Doug O'Brien, Deputy Undersecretary for Rural Development
  • David White, Chief of Natural Resources Conservation Services
  • Elisabeth Hagen, Undersecretary for Food Safety
  • Larry Elsworth, Agricultural Counselor to the Administrator, U.S. EPA

Saturday, January 7

Plenary I: How state/provincial policy makers can support our producers and communities?

  • Dr. Jude Capper, Washington State University
  • Laura Barringer, Global Harvest Initiative
  • Dr. Bruce Chassey, University of Illinois
  • Chuck Hassebrook, Center for Rural Affairs

Breakouts I

Nutrient Management and Water Quality

  • Rich Budell, Florida Department of Agriculture
  • Marc Ribaudo, USDA, ERS
  • Brent Paterson, Alberta Department of Agriculture

Valuation and Taxation of Farmland

Trade-A Federal-State Partnership

  • Peter Thorton, North Carolina Department of Agriculture
  • Anne Evans, U.S. Dept of Commerce

State/Provincial Meat Inspection Programs

  • Dr. Steve Crawford, NH State Veterinarian
  • Dr. Steve Ingham, Wisconsin
  • Jason Krips, Alberta Dept. of Agriculture
  • Al Almanza, FSIS Administrator

Plenary II: Animal Welfare, State and Provincial Response

Brief State Updates:

  • Missouri (Senator Brian Munzlinger)

  • Iowa (Representative Annette Sweeney)

  • UEP (Randy Green)

Breakouts II

Where is Rural Energy Headed?

  • Robert Lestz, GasFrac
  • Douglas Durante, Clean Fuels Development Coalition

Invasive Species

  • Lori Williams, Department of the Interior
  • Dr. K. George Beck, Colorado State University
  • Commissioner Leonard Blackham

Building Trust in our Food System

  • Charlie Arnot, CMA consulting

Rural Communities: Challenges and Opportunities

  • Jason Henderson, Kansas City Federal Reserve
  • Joe Black, Southern Bancorp Community Partners

Plenary III: Food Safety and Certification Programs for Producers


Photo galleries

Photos from the conference are available through the galleries below. Contact Jonathan Hull if you want full-resolution photos.

Russell Building
Russell Building Briefing Eisenhower Executive Office Building Plenaries and Panels Breakout Sessions

The following resolutions were passed at the 2012 AgChairs Summit:

Resolution on Pesticide Certification Reciprocity

Resolution in Support of the Dairy Industry

Resolution on a Comprehensive Farm Bill

Resolution on Country of Origin

Resolution on Due Process

Resolution on Interference with GPS

Resolution on Invasive Species

Resolution on Regulation of Equine Processing Plants

Resolution on State Inspected Meat

Resolution on the Universal Service Fund