 VOLUME 62 NO. 3 — July - August 2003 |
No
less than 28 USDA agencies and the U.S. Agency for International Development
focused the remaining days of June on making USDA’s first-ever Ministerial
Conference and Expo on Agricultural Science and Technology a rousing success.
Called for by Secretary Ann M. Veneman to address the problems
of global hunger and poverty, the conference was held in Sacramento June
23-25, drawing hundreds of foreign visitors and media. Earlier that month,
she celebrated the 57th Annual Secretary’s Honor Awards Ceremony
(see lead story).
July saw the
sixth class of Hispanic-Serving Institution Fellows announced and the
approval of numerous rural development loans and grants to improve the
infrastructure of rural America. Under Secretary for Food Safety Elsa
Murano released a food safety vision document that lays out a strategy
to improve the safety of U.S. meat, poultry, and egg products while protecting
public health. The Natural Resources Conservation Service released the
first annual National Resources Inventory--a document that provides national
level estimates on the status and trends for soil erosion, land use, and
urbanization and development. And Secretary Veneman paid tribute to the
10,000 summer interns working for USDA.
Ministerial
Conference And Expo On Agricultural Science And Technology: As Secretary Veneman explains in this month’s
“Secretary’s Column,” the Sacramento conference was an international invitation
to countries whose citizens suffer from hunger and poverty to form partnerships
to share the opportunities and benefits of modern technologies in agriculture.
Among the 90 speakers who spoke to the more than 400 delegates was Nobel
Peace Laureate Norman Borlaug. His leading research achievement
was to hasten the perfection of dwarf spring wheat, thus ending food shortages
in India and Pakistan. He received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work
in 1970.
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“As
men and women have done throughout history, we must harness the power
of technology using it wisely for the good of all. Many tools are
needed to reduce global inequities, improve food securities, stimulate
development, encourage open economies and free societies, and facilitate
the shared benefits of trade…” Secretary Ann
M. Veneman speaking at USDA’s first-ever Ministerial
Conference and Expo on Agricultural Science and Technology, held in
Sacramento in June. — Photo by Scott Bauer |
Representatives from the following
agencies and offices met for nearly one year in order to make this meeting
a showcase of agricultural research and technology: The Farm Service Agency,
the Foreign Agricultural Service, the Risk Management Agency, the Food
Safety and Inspection Service, the Forest Service, the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, Rural Development, the Food and Nutrition Service,
the Agricultural Marketing Service, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service, the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration,
the Agricultural Research Service, the National Agricultural Library,
the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, the
Economic Research Service, Departmental Administration, the Office of
Procurement and Property Management, the USDA Graduate School, the Office
of the Chief Information Officer, the Office of Communications, the Office
of Budget and Program Analysis, the Office of the Chief Economist, the
Office of the General Counsel, the Office of Inspector General, the Office
of the Secretary, the Office of Homeland Security, the Office of Ethics,
and the Office of the Executive Secretariat. For more information go to
http://www.usda.gov
HIS
Fellows: Fifteen fellows--actually, faculty members
at Hispanic-Serving Institutions in California, Colorado, Illinois, New
Mexico, Texas, and Puerto Rico--are working at USDA headquarters for two
to six weeks this summer. “The Fellows Program builds on President George
W. Bush’s White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic
Americans. It enhances our ability to provide resources and career opportunities
for Hispanic educators to participate in federal education programs that
serve to improve the educational achievement of Hispanic students,” Secretary
Veneman said. In 2002 USDA invested more than $34 million in educational
programs targeting Hispanic students and institutions.
Rural
Development: In separate
actions, Rural Development awarded $21 million to 18 states to foster
business and community development in rural areas through its Intermediary
Re-lending Loan Program; gave $327 million to improve electric services
in six states; provided more than $19 million to fund 10 projects in Florida
that will improve local water systems, build a farm labor housing complex
and a community facility; and gave $14.9 million, the first ever High-Energy
Cost Program grants, to 7 states to improve energy delivery
“Enhancing
Public Health: Strategies for the Future:”
This FSIS vision document outlines accomplishments to date as well as
challenges that must be overcome in order to further reduce the incidence
of foodborne illnesses. Under Secretary for Food Safety Elsa Murano said
public input into the document will be important as FSIS works to implement
several key initiatives to enhance meat and poultry safety and improve
food inspection systems. The complete document can be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/programs/vision071003.htm
First
Annual National Resources Inventory:
The release of the 2001 National Resources Inventory (NRI) marks the transition
from a five-year to an annual survey that estimates the national status
and trends for soil erosion, land use, and urbanization and development.
A major tool for policy makers, results show conservation efforts have
reduced soil erosion by nearly 50 percent between 1982 and 2001. For a
full copy of the report go to
Mourning
Loss Of Firefighters:
Forest Service firefighters Jeff Allen and Shane W. Heath,
who lost their lives fighting a fire on the Salmon-Challis National Forest
in Idaho, were praised by Secretary Veneman who said, “This country owes
a debt of gratitude and much respect to these brave firefighters who gave
their own lives to protect their fellow citizens, communities, and natural
resources.” She ordered USDA’s flags to fly at half-mast in their honor.
Honoring USDA Interns: Secretary Veneman honored USDA’s summer interns at a ceremony in the Jamie Whitten Building in Washington, DC, calling them “the future of this agency.” Veneman noted that nationwide USDA employed about 10,000 interns this summer, “a figure that is double what we had just three years ago.” A full transcript of her remarks and those of the interns can be found at http://www.usda.gov •
--Patricia Klintberg