Schlect: On the red carpet with President Xi
President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, speaking at a welcoming dinner at The Westin, in downtown
Schlect: A cold Arctic blast
● USDA announced last Friday its deregulation of a Canadian firm's--Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Inc.--two varieties (Granny Smith and Golden) of
Schlect: State of the Union
● The Foreign Agricultural Service has long been viewed as an elite arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, staffed
Schlect: On the docks
● This fall's disruptions of ocean shipping--that have lacerated our tree fruit exports--beg for some type of long-term remedy. Unionized
Good Point: That unwashed grape
FSMA is another example of how a good idea (here, improved food safety for consumers) is forged into a federal law with little understanding by legislators of the complexities of the actual situation.
Schlect: Immigration
● Now that President Obama has issued his executive order related to immigration, advocates for agricultural employers who have been
Schlect: Cow paths and ports
● A virtual shutdown of West Coast ports has severely damaged export efforts of our tree-fruit industry. Efforts by many
Schlect: Elections aftermath
● Greg Walden (R/Oregon) should be happy today. The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee sheparded his flock of candidates
Schlect: Cherry Street
● The Produce Marketing Association has hired a new team, Cornerstone Government Affairs, to represent it in Washington, D.C. Hunt Shipman
Schlect: Focus on United
● The New York Times Magazine issue of October 12 contains a feature article on the school lunch lobbying wars in Washington,