Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addressed a number of topics at the 2014 National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention, including President Obama’s visit to China last week and his discussions about access for biotechnology traits.
“The president publicly talked about this and suggested it’s in China’s best interest to take a much more open view to science and technology and seed technology than they have,” said Vilsack. “I’m hopeful, but I’ve been hopeful for a long time now.”
The Secretary also gave an update on farm bill implementation. “ARC and PLC, starting on November 17th, folks will be able to make their selection,” he said of the new risk management programs. “They have until March 31st of next year. We’ve established the website so folks can do calculations to determine what’s in the best interest of their operation.”
Vilsack also answered questions about new Senate leadership, immigration, WOTUS, trade negotiations and more. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nafb/nafb-14-vilsack.mp3″ text=”Secretary Vilsack at NAFB 2014″]
2014 NAFB Convention Photos
