SECRETARY VILSACK OPENS 2009 USDA FARMERS MARKET SEASON
News Date June 08, 2009
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack opened the 14th season of the USDA Farmers Market season on June 5 with a ceremony at USDA Headquarters. The USDA Farmers Market features farmers from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia selling their locally grown produce and other items.
“One of USDA's top priorities is to encourage eating fresh - and locally grown - fruits and vegetables” Vilsack said. “At farmers markets, especially during the summer months, these are abundantly available.” The site of the USDA Farmers Market is adjacent to “The People’s Garden,” on which Vilsack broke ground earlier this year.
“The People’s Garden” is a vegetable garden on USDA property that recently was expanded to include sustainable landscaping for the entire grounds. Starting on May 21 and each week since, USDA has harvested and donated more than thirty 10-gallon bags of romaine, butter, red and green leaf lettuce, mixed greens of arugula, red and green chard as well as spinach, along with boxes of radishes, cilantro and sugar snap peas to the DC Central Kitchen. The DC Central Kitchen offers job training in culinary and food service skills to DC’s homeless, which has received unsold food donations from the USDA Farmer’s Market since 1996.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) posts a comprehensive list of farmers markets on its web site at http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets. The National Directory of Farmers Markets currently lists more than 4,700 farmers markets, up from about 4,400 only three years ago. The number and popularity of farmers markets continue to increase as more and more Americans discover their many benefits. Farmers markets, an important alternative marketing outlet for farmers and food producers, offer consumers greater access to locally grown, farm-fresh produce. Farmers markets also offer consumers the opportunity to interact with local farmers and producers. Additional information about “The People's Garden” is available at www.usda.gov/peoplesgarden. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
HOUSE AND SENATE HOLD CFTC HEARINGS
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management reviewed the implications of the CFTC v. Zelener case, a 2004 federal circuit court decision that impacted the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) ability to protect consumers engaging in contracts in the foreign currency exchange (forex) market.
The Subcommittee heard testimony from witnesses about the changes the 2008 Farm Bill made to clarify the CFTC’s authority to police the forex markets and the potential implications the Zelener decision may still have for consumers. Subcommittee Chairman Leonard Boswell (D-IA) asked the three witnesses to devise a more cohesive plan.
Daniel Roth, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Futures Association, said it is time to restore regulatory protections to all retail customers. “This Subcommittee can play a leading role in protecting customers from the unregulated boiler rooms,” Roth said, “that are currently taking advantage of the Zelener loophole for metals and energy products.”
Stephen Obie, Acting Director of the Division of Enforcement of the United States CFTC, said the Zelener case has created more fraudsters that are out of reach of the CFTC. He suggested that Congress expand the CFTC’s authority over boiler rooms offering metal, energy, and other commodity contracts to retail customers.
Philip Feigin, on behalf of Monex Deposit Company, said that the states should be responsible for regulating protection through the Model State Commodity Code, instead of overtaxing the CFTC.
In the Senate, CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler told the Senate Agriculture Committee that the Obama administration wants to regulate all Over-the-Counter (OTC) derivatives. The administration is asking Congress to take steps to make sure that such products don’t fly under the regulatory radar by strengthening their supervision. Lawmakers who favor OTC derivatives said that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s plan outlined last month does not have strong enough oversight on customized derivatives and swaps designed for specific companies. Lawmakers who oppose the OTC derivatives want customized derivatives subjected to the same regulations as all other derivatives. (Contact: Kasey Miller or David Hickey)