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The MWFPA News Bulletin is underwritten in part by Bug Blocker Doors & Screens
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Trump Appoints New Acting Chief At EPA
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 On July 5, 2018, President Trump announced the appointment of Andrew Wheeler as the new Acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Wheeler had previously been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the EPA Deputy Administrator on April 12, 2018.
Wheeler replaces EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt who resigned July 5 amid ethics investigations.
Republicans say Wheeler is well-qualified to lead the EPA, having worked at the agency early in his career. He also was a top aide at the Senate Environment Committee before becoming a lobbyist nine years ago.
Democrats and environmental groups decried Wheeler as a coal apologist who rejects climate science.
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EPA Taps Former WI Dairy Lobbyist For Top Water Office Post
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Anna Wildeman, a former Wisconsin dairy industry lobbyist, has been appointed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Water to manage that office's work on nutrients.
Wildeman worked for David Ross, the current assistant administrator for the Office of Water, when he was the Director of the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Environmental Protection Unit. Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel choose her to head the unit in 2018 upon Ross's departure.
Before she joined the DOJ in 2016 she served as an environmental attorney for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.lobbied for the Wisconsin Dairy Business Association from 2007 to 2015. She was also a partner in the Midwest law firm of Michael Best.
Ross described nutrient challenges as one of his top priorities as water chief.
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New Farmworker Bill Possible This Week
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U.S. House Republicans could announce a bill this week that would replace the existing H-2A visa program for farmworkers.
The legislation is expected to include provisions of a broader immigration bill that failed in the House last month. The bill would have created a new H-2C farmworker program and required all employers, including farms, to use the E-Verify system to check the legal status of workers.
The new version also is expected to include provisions addressing the H-2B visa program for non-farm workers.
It would require all workers in the country illegally to apply for H-2C visas and return to their home countries. Spouses and children would be ineligible for the visas unless they were also working on farms.
The American Farm Bureau Federation is supporting the effort. However, the California Farm Bureau and the Western Growers Association have declined to support the proposal.
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Chippewa Valley Bean's Brown Highlights Tariff Troubles
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Chippewa Valley Bean President and MWFPA processor member Cindy Brown was recently featured in a Wisconsin State Journal article relating to the imposition of tariffs.
Tariff threats earlier this year against China, Mexico, Canada and European Union elicited quick retaliatory measures that are having an adverse impact on agriculture and the food manufacturing industry. Read the article.
MWFPA and the canned food industry continue to strongly oppose the tariffs.
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WI Supreme Court Ends Agency Deference
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The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently issued a decision (Tetra Tech v. Department of Revenue) that ends the "agency deference" doctrine. Under the decision, courts will continue to give "due weight," or respectful consideration, to agencies' expertise but not yield to them.
In July 2017, the Great Lakes Legal Foundation filed an amicus brief on behalf of MWFPA and 10 business associations urging the Court to reject the current practice of deferring to an agency's interpretation of the law.
Read more from the Great Lakes Legal Foundation here.
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Save The Date: Oct. 11 - MWFPA Sporting Clays Challenge
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 Mark your calendars now for this year's Midwest Food Products Association
Sporting Clays Challenge to be held October 11, 2018 at the Caribou Gun Club, 30649 380th St., in Le Sueur, MN.
Join us for our scholarship fundraiser and networking event
. Look for registration and other materials coming soon to MWFPA's website and Facebook page.
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MWFPA Events You Won't Want To Miss
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October 11, 2018: MWFPA Sporting Clay Challenge. Caribou Gun Club, 30649 380th Street, Le Sueur, MN.
November 27 - 29, 2018: MWFPA 114th Annual Convention and 91st Processing Crops Conference. Kalhari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells, WI.
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Other Educational Opportunities
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September 24-26, 2018:
Women In Agribusiness, Hilton Denver City Center, Denver, CO. For more information and to register, click
here.
September 30 - October 2, 2018:
10th Annual Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit
, Hyatt Regency, Minneapolis, MN. Register by June 30, 2018 to receive an early bird rate of $800!
Click here to register.
October 29-30, 2018: Organic & Non-GMO Forum, Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch, St. Louis, MO. Attend the only event that covers both the practical and business issues surrounding the organic, non-GMO, and conventional supply chain, and addresses the growing opportunities and significant challenges in this sector.
For more information, sponsorship inquiries, media partnerships, or speaking opportunities, please contact Managing Director Joy O'Shaughnessy at [email protected] or (207) 244-9544 x 103. Register and receive further information here.
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Check Out MWFPA's Customized Property & Casualty Insurance For Members Only
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The Midwest Food Products Association is pleased to announce that
its members now have access to an exclusive insurance program that is written specifically for our industry. With assistance from the risk management firm Hays Companies, this program offers a customized Property and Casualty insurance program.
The program offers a complete insurance program for all business types, from processor to manufacturers, logistics to wholesaler and anything in between. No market segment is excluded, and no organization is too large or too small.
Learn more about what the MWFPA Insurance Program can do for you by visiting the program's website:
https://mwfpa.haysprograms.com/.
For more information about the program, contact: Brad Van Swol at:Email:
[email protected]; Phone: (414) 290-3581
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