Ag Secretary Singles Out Dakota Growers Pasta in NAWG Address

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman touched on the main issues of agriculture in the keynote address of the recent Wheat Industry Conference and Expo, the annual meeting of the National Association of Wheat Growers.

Veneman said that the new farm bill “must provide a reasonable safety net for producers without encouraging overproduction, thereby creating lower prices. It must also support our strong commitment to international trade, strengthen conservation programs to encourage good stewardship on working farmland, and establish farm savings accounts to help farmers manage risk. This is particularly important for small acreage farmers who sometimes are left behind.”

To counter possible terrorism against the nation’s food supply, Veneman said that spending will increase by more than $300 million to further strengthen food safety, plant and animal tests and disease protection and research.

“We have fully funded our food safety inspection systems and have more than 7,600 inspectors throughout the country working to ensure a safe food supply. And we are modernizing our labs and making sure that those facilities are safe and secure.”

Veneman touched on international trade, and said that the entry of China and Taiwan into the World Trade Organization will boost food and agriculture sales by as much as $2.5 billion annually. These countries’ entry into the WTO “represents a significant milestone in furthering the cause of open markets, rules-based systems for trade, and opportunities for U.S. farmers and exporters,” she said.

 She also pointed out the success of the Dakota Growers Pasta Company based in Carrington, N.D.  “It is the first fully integrated entirely farmer-owned pasta plant and in just eight short years its success and innovation have made it the third largest pasta manufacturer in North America,” Veneman said.  “(The company) is a real tribute to what the wheat farmers of this country can do when they come together.”

U.S. Trade Representative Addresses Wheat Industry Conference
During his presentation at the Wheat Industry Conference, Ambassador Allen Johnson, Special Negotiator for Agriculture in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), discussed the importance of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) as a comprehensive round of negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) get underway.

Johnson said that the USTR had an aggressive agenda focused on multilateral negotiations through the WTO, hemispheric negotiations through the Free Trade Area of the Americas, and bilateral trade such as the current negotiations with Chile. Another possible area for bilateral discussions is Central America. Johnson pointed out that the investigation for North Dakota Wheat Commission’s 301 case had provided valuable tools for resolving the trade distortions of state trading entities such as the Canadian Wheat Board.

Johnson was clear in pointing out the importance of Congress granting the President TPA. He said that in his relatively short time in office, TPA was an important issue for every country he had met with. Our trading partners want the administration to have the authority to negotiate agreements that will not be subject to congressional amendments when brought forward for ratification, Johnson said.