Western Growers Board of Directors Advocates for Ag in D.C. The Western Growers Board of Directors visited Washington D.C. in May to advocate on behalf of the membership on a wide range of issues, including the Farm Bill, plastic packaging, labor, food safety and sustainability. On the heels of the release of two separate farm bill frameworks by the chairs of the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committees, the board met with representatives and staff from both committees – including House Agriculture Chairman GT Thompson. The board reiterated the priorities outlined by the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance and urged the lawmakers to collaborate on a bipartisan bill that can get signed into law this year. In addition to legislative visits on Capitol Hill, the board also engaged with key agency officials on topics ranging from H-2A rules to FDA reform to biological pesticide registrations, including Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small, acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones, and Senior Advisor for Agriculture to the EPA Administrator Rod Snyder. Finally, one interesting side trip included a working lunch with officials at the Canadian Embassy to discuss plastic packaging and other trade related issues. Economic Minister John Layton delivered opening remarks on the Embassy’s trade, economic and business development programs in the U.S. -Cory Lunde
Food Safety Expert Frank Yiannas Shares Thoughts on New Era Challenges and Data Sharing World renowned food safety expert and former Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA), Frank Yiannas, shared his thoughts on food safety challenges and data sharing in a May 28 post published in Food Safety News. Yiannas wrote, “Solving new era food safety problems is extremely challenging and it will require new ways of thinking and working. It will require us, as a profession, to go beyond the traditional tools we’ve used, such as testing, inspections, and training. It will increasingly require data sharing.” A key point made by Yiannas is that the biggest obstacle isn’t the technology itself but plain, old access to the data. The article illustrates the benefits of data sharing with real-world examples, such as the GreenLink®, Western Growers’ data sharing platform, created to advance data-driven food safety. As noted by Yiannas, this approach is critical because “no single entity can be as smart as all of us working together when we’re sharing data.” Western Growers announced last June the addition of Yiannas as an advisor to GreenLink®. -Michelle Rivera WGCIT Hosts Sakata Seed Global Academy The Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT) in Salinas hosted the Sakata Seed Global Academy on May 16 to discuss and share valuable agtech insights. WGCIT Director Dennis Donohue addressed the 16 leaders in attendance, discussing the fresh produce supply chain and Western Growers’ innovation initiatives designed to support it. Charles McGregor, General Manager of Denver-based GeoVisual Analytics, also talked about running a startup in the Salinas Valley and working with different types of farming operations. Founded in 1913 and headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, Sakata Seed Corporation is a global leader in seed breeding and production. -Michelle Rivera
37 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com July | August 2024
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