Summit Adjunct Workshop to Focus on Strategies for
Protecting Agriculture at State Level

March 5, 2010 - The Animal Agriculture Alliance will hold a special workshop at the conclusion of its ninth annual Stakeholders Summit to explore the effectiveness of state-level agriculture coalitions and present strategic ideas for ensuring consumer confidence. The half-day workshop will be held April 29 at 1 p.m. at the Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, Virginia. The meeting will feature presentations on two states' initiatives that have been employed, as well as recommendations from the intriguing research presented by Dr. Wes Jamison at last year's summit. Predominantly, however, the workshop will allow attendees to discuss the options available when responding to threats to agriculture in their home states.

"State coalitions are forming across the country to protect food producers from growing legislative and legal pressure," Executive Vice President Kay Johnson Smith said. "This workshop will allow participants to examine the challenges and successes that state groups have experienced while working to preserve the livelihood of farmers and ranchers.

Stakeholders are invited to participate in both the Summit and Workshop, but registration can be done independently. The workshop is being offered for an additional fee of $50. Registration materials for both events are available at the Alliance's Web site at www.animalagalliance.org/register. On-site registration will not be available. Members of the media are invited to participate in the Summit, but must contact the Alliance in advance for the comp registration form. There will be no media registration for the Adjunct Workshop. For further information regarding the workshop or the Summit, contact the Animal Agriculture Alliance at (703) 562-5160 or summit@animalagalliance.org.

The Animal Agriculture Alliance, a 501c (3) non-profit organization, is a broad-based coalition of individual farmers, ranchers, producer organizations, suppliers, packer-processors, private industry scientists, veterinarians and retailers. The Alliance's mission is to communicate the important role of animal agriculture to our nation's economy, productivity, vitality and security and that animal well-being is central to producing safe, high-quality, affordable food and other products essential to our daily lives.