Summit Asks: What’s Next for Animal Agriculture Legislation and Regulation?
Officials from the State Department, Lobbyists and Hill Staffers to present at Alliance Stakeholders Summit
May 1, 2014 –The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced today that its upcoming 13th annual Stakeholders Summit will include several sessions featuring influential government officials, lobbyists and the staff for prominent Congressmen and Senators —including Chairwoman Stabenow—who will discuss “what’s next” for animal agriculture. The Summit, themed “Cracking the Millennial Code,” will address the crucial role millennials play both within the agriculture industry and as the largest and most influential demographic of consumers.
On May 8th, three hill staffers—millennials themselves—will open our Summit by joining prominent D.C. lobbyist and industry expert Chandler Keys on a panel to discuss how to form meaningful relationships with your elected officials, and, sometimes most importantly, their staff. Joe Williamson (Legislative Director to Congressman Cory Gardner (R-CO)), Alexandra Igleheart (Legislative Assistant to Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-TX)) and Chris Adamo (Staff Director to Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)) will also address what questions legislators have about animal agriculture and how these questions may influence legislation in this and upcoming sessions.
“Most millennials today recognize that it’s not always about what you know, but rather about networking and relationship building,” said Alliance President and CEO Kay Johnson Smith. “I hope that these ambitious staffers will inspire our audience to form and/or strengthen relationships with their elected officials before those relationships are needed and help bring legislators inside our world of agriculture.”
On May 9th, Dr. Marcella Szymanski, the Deputy Division Chief within the Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Textile Trade Policy Division at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, will answer the question: “Can agriculture save the planet before it destroys it?” Dr. Szymanski will look at agriculture from a global perspective, focusing not only on the trade of goods, but also on the import and export of agriculture’s carbon footprint, water usage and overall environmental impact.
While these presentations will address different topics, both Thursday’s panel and Friday’s presentation will address the future of agriculture—from a legislative and regulatory perspective, both here on U.S. soil and around the world.
“This year our entire Stakeholders Summit is dedicated to talking about the future of agriculture—and who will play a more crucial role in that future than millennials?” asked Johnson Smith. “As always, the challenges facing agriculture are as varied as the perspectives on how to solve them—but in this changing landscape agriculture needs to listen first, act second. That’s what we hope to provide our attendees, the opportunity to listen.”
To learn more about this session, and to complete your Stakeholders Summit registration, be sure to visit the Alliance website.
Details:
Registration for the one-and-a-half day event is $425 for Alliance members and $475 for non-members; $375 for those in government or academia. Media and students interested in registering should contact Emily Meredith.
Registration materials and a full event schedule can be found on the Summit website.
As always, the Alliance’s Stakeholders Summit will be social! Be sure to follow the hashtag #AAA14 for updates about the event. For general questions about the Summit please contact summit@animalagalliance.org.
Get involved:
Show your support for the Alliance’s communications and educational efforts by becoming an official Summit sponsor today! For a complete listing of the 2013 Summit sponsors or to watch video recordings from the 2013 Summit please visit the Alliance website. Current 2014 sponsors include: Conference Direct, Farm Credit, Watt Global Media, Cooper Farms, Alltech, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, Agri-Beef, Kemin Industries, Elanco Animal Health, the National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, National Milk Producers Federation, North Carolina Farm Bureau, DairyMax,
GNP Company, American Veal Association, and Meatingplace. To see additional Summit partners, please visit our website.
About the Alliance:
The Animal Agriculture Alliance is an industry-united, nonprofit organization that helps bridge the communication gap between farm and fork. We connect key food industry stakeholders to arm them with responses to emerging issues. We engage food chain influencers and promote consumer choice by helping them better understand modern animal agriculture. We protect by exposing those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation. Find the Alliance on Facebook and Twitter.
Category: Press Releases
Tag: Legislation, Regulation, Stakeholders Summit,