C-FARE Webinar July 26, 2019 — Food Labeling and New Food Technology
The United States Congress passed Public Law 114-216 three years ago requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a national disclosure standard for genetically engineered (GE) foods. It was a compromise between interests pressing for a much stricter labeling law and forces that opposed mandatory labeling laws altogether. The USDA announced the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard on December 20, 2018. In addition to GMO labeling, the USDA announced on March 7th that they had, in partnership with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), established a framework for regulating cell-based meat and poultry. The law preempts states from setting their own standards for mandatory GE labels. During this webinar, experts discussed the impacts of these changes in market information on consumers, the supply chain, and producers.
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Webinar: Pollinator Economics in the United States - Demands, Costs, and Logistics
Register here for our June 26th Webinar at 2 PM ET: Since 2006, winter losses of managed honey bee colonies in the United States have averaged 29 percent, approximately double the 15 percent historical rate. These elevated losses have raised concerns that agricultural and food supply chains will suffer disruptions as pollination services become costlier and less available. Among pollinated crops, almonds and plums have had the largest increases in pollination service fees, rising about 2.5 and 2.4 times, respectively, in real (inflation-adjusted) terms since the early 1990s, with the largest portion of the increase occurring between 2004 and 2006.
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Webinar: Implications of a Changing Farm Workforce for U.S. Agriculture
View recording here of the archived webinar. Summary: Various forces are accelerating an ever-declining farm labor supply and increasing costs, which will have a profound influence over the next decade on U.S. farms that use hired labor. A strong economy and a decline in immigrant labor have both reduced the available pool of farmworkers. Even if an expanded guestworker program is put in place to address labor shortages, this would only solve the supply problem -- wages would likely not decrease. Further, often missing from farm labor discussions is the role of state labor regulations, which lead to non-marginal wage increases in some states. 2/3 of all U.S.-grown produce (fruits and vegetables) is grown in states that will have legislated substantial minimum wage increases. Non-wage labor regulations are also increasing in some key states. This briefing will include (1) a summary of farm labor trends and existing research, (2) guestworker programs overview, including costs and the “prevailing wage”, (3) state labor laws affecting agriculture, and (4) future research and policy implications.
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Webinar: China’s Foreign Agriculture Investments
View recording here for the archived webinar. Summary: According to Over 1,300 Chinese enterprises had overseas investments in agriculture, forestry, fishing, processing, farm machinery, inputs, seeds, and logistics in over 100 countries at the end of 2016. Their broad aims are to achieve profits for Chinese investors while achieving national food security and projecting China’s influence abroad. While the United States is the largest supplier of China’s agricultural imports, it has not been a major target of Chinese agricultural investment. Chinese investors tend to enter less-developed countries where there are few competitors, there is potential to raise productivity using Chinese technology, and potential to diversify suppliers of Chinese imports. A few companies with access to financing from Chinese banks are pursuing mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships with companies in more developed markets. Researchers will discuss how these investments reflect changes in China’s demand for food and its need for upgrades in technology and management.
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