TopofPageMidwest Food Products Association News Bulletin  - May 16, 2018   
In This Issue
Thanks To Our 2018 Spring Summit & Scramble Sponsors
GOLD SPONSORS


SILVER SPONSORS
JAX XACT
Crown

SCHOLARSHIP HOLE SPONSORS



HOLE SPONSORS
JAX XACT

Seminis
Lubriplate

Plainfield



Summit
Crown

Great Lakes
Hydrite
Syngenta

Crites Seed, Inc.

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS

Biwer
Great Lakes

Summit
Seminis


Pearl
The MWFPA News Bulletin is underwritten in part by Bug Blocker Doors & Screens
Bug Blocker
MWFPA Spring Summit & Scramble Sold Out - Wait List, Sponsorships Available

Spring Summit & Scramble Full!  
Sponsorships Still Available 
 
MWFPA's Spring Summit and Scramble, set for May 30 - 31, 2018, at the Kalahari Resort and Trapper's Turn Golf Course in Wisconsin Dells, WI is officially full! Please register if you would like a spot on the waiting list. We will let you know if there are any cancellations!  For more information and on-line reservations, visit our event website: www.birdeasepro.com/MWFPA or download the registration form.  
 
Sponsorship are still available.The Spring Summit & Scramble offers many opportunities to promote your company by sponsoring:
  • A hole
  • Wednesday evening reception
  • Cash prizes
  • Lunch
  • Donating items for drawings and goodie bags*
All sponsors will be recognized with signage at the event, on our website, our social networking pages, and in our bi-monthly e-bulletin. The sooner you sponsor the longer your logo is displayed.
 
This year's golf outing will again afford participants the opportunity to help raise money for MWFPA Scholarships.  In 2018 MWFPA awarded 17 $1,000 scholarships to the children of MWFPA member company employees.  
 
This is a Members-Only event. On Wednesday evening, May 30th, a reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. in the Double Cut Grill at the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center.  The shotgun style golf tournament will be played at Trapper's Turn May 31st, starting at 7:30 a.m. followed by lunch, awards and cash prizes.
 
Last year over 200 golfers participated in this event and over $3,000 in cash prizes were awarded.
 
LODGING:
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Kalahari,  (608) 254-5466. When you call be sure to indicate that you are with MWFPA. Reservations are limited, so book early!! 
 
* A MINIMUM of 225 ITEMS MUST BE DONATED.  If your company plans to bring a door prize, please contact brian.deschane@mwfpa.org, or phone 608-255-9946 in advance of the event so your contribution can be included on the appropriate signage.  
 
Top of Page 
MWFPA Finds WI Ranked Third In Nation For Food Mfg.
After shipping $43 billion in food in 2016, Wisconsin is ranked third behind California and Illinois as the United States' top food manufacturer.  
 
For Wisconsin, food manufacturing is the top manufacturing industry in the state, employing 65,000 people in 2016. MWFPA used data from the U.S. Census Bureau's annual survey of manufacturers in arriving at the ranking.  
 
The state's high profile is due in part to Wisconsin's diverse food production. While the state is known for its cheese and dairy products, it also has high production in meats, fruits and vegetables. Read the MWFPA news release here.      
 
USDA Seeks Comments On Proposed GMO Labeling Rule
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released the proposed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, which would establish "a mandatory uniform national standard for disclosure of information to consumers."  
 
The proposal defines "bioengineered food" as food "that contains genetic material that has been modified through in vitro recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) techniques" "for which the modification could not otherwise be obtained through conventional breeding or found in nature."  
 
AMS seeks comments on "how to interpret the statutory definition of 'bioengineering,' and thus the scope of the regulatory definition of 'bioengineered food,'" according to the announcement. "In particular, AMS is interested in any additional studies conducted on this issue, the cost of implementation under each policy, and whether certain policies describing the scope of foods subject to the disclosure standard would lower costs to affected entities."  
 
Comments on the proposed rule must be received by July 3, 2018.
      
Farm Bill Prospects Uncertain
corn growing Debate is set to begin today on the Republican version of the farm bill,  but prospects for passage remain uncertain.   
 
House members are still divided over the measure's sugar support program and work requirements for food stamps. Because of Democrats' opposition, House Republicans will have to pass the farm bill on their own.  House Ag Chairman Mike Conaway told reporters Tuesday night that he's still working on rounding up enough votes for the bill.
 
MWFPA, in conjunction with the American Fruit & Vegetable Processors & Growers Coalition, continues to monitor the legislation supporting a change in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to include canned dried, frozen, or pureed in addition to fresh fruits and vegetables.  
Many Issues Still On The Table As MN Session Enters Final Week
With less than a week remaining before the end of the MN legislature's session, there's still much to do if lawmakers are to successfully conclude some of the major pieces of legislation they've been working on the past few months.
 
The House did pass a tax bill Tuesday to address federal tax conformity by aligning Minnesota's tax code with the new federal code.  The Senate was expected to follow suit today in approving the legislation.  The measure passed the House on a 78-50 vote despite the Democratic governor's promise that he would block that legislation until lawmakers provide emergency funding for public schools.   
 
The supplemental budget bill, which contains the omnibus health and human services, education, environment and agriculture omnibus bills, among others is still in conference committee.   
 
The omnibus involving agriculture, among other things, requires legislative approval of nitrogen fertilizer rules proposed by the Department of Ag. 
 
Although the conference committee has now found common ground in a number of areas, including agriculture, the environment, higher education and transportation, agreement in other major subjects is yet to be finalized.   
 
Lawmakers have less than a week to finish their work, but Dayton and the GOP Legislature remain far apart on nearly every priority for the year.  May 21 is the legislature's adjournment deadline.   
 
Hormel's Asmus Appointed to USDA Advisory Comm.
U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue has appointed Hormel Foods director of food safety validation and lab services, Aaron Asmus, to the USDA's National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF).
 
NACMCF is a discretionary advisory committee that provides impartial scientific advice and peer reviews to food safety agencies on public health issues related to the safety and wholesomeness of domestic, imported and exported foods. Read more
here and here.  
 
MWFPA Events You Won't Want To Miss
May 30 - 31, 2018MWFPA Spring Summit & Scramble. Trappers Turn Golf Course, Wisconsin Dells, WI

October 11, 2018MWFPA Sporting Clay Challenge. Caribou Gun Club, 30649 380th Street, Le Sueur, MN.
 
November 27 - 29, 2018MWFPA 114th Annual Convention and 91st Processing Crops Conference.  Kalhari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells, WI.
 
Top of Page 
Other Educational Opportunities
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, 2018Organic & 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 joshaughnessy@highquestgroup.com or (207) 244-9544 x 103. Register and receive further information here
 
Top of Page 
Check Out MWFPA's Customized Property & Casualty Insurance For Members Only
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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: bvanswol@hayscompanies.com;  Phone: (414) 290-3581 
 
                                                  Like us on Facebook          Follow us on Twitter          View our profile on LinkedIn
Midwest Food Products Assoc. | | brian.elliott@mwfpa.org | http://www.mwfpa.org
4600 American Pkwy.
Suite 210
Madison, WI 53718