USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack
 addresses ASA Board of Directors

Senator Pryor, Secretary Vilsack Address ASA Board

The American Soybean Association (ASA) held its spring Board of Directors meetings this week in Washington, D.C., with Executive and Finance committee meetings on Sunday, Public Affairs, Trade Policy & International Affairs, Membership & Corporate Relations and Investment committee meetings on Monday, and a full Board session and policy briefing on Tuesday. Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) was the guest speaker at the ASA Board lunch on Tuesday. ASA Board member Ted Glaub from Jonesboro, Ark., introduced Senator Pryor, who is from Fayetteville, Ark. Pryor spoke about protecting the interests of rural America, ensuring that appropriations for new energy sources are fair to all areas of the country, and about the cooperative environment in which he believes the Senate is currently working.

On Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed the ASA Board. Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa, was introduced by ASA Chairman John Hoffman from Waterloo, Iowa. Vilsack spoke about a variety of challenges USDA is working to address. Listen to the Secretary’s comments. Media on hand for the Secretary’s comments and interviews with ASA leaders were Beth Gaines-Riffel, Grass & Grain Magazine, Stewart Doan, Agri-Pulse, Mary Berger, Washington Trade Daily, Chris Clayton, DTN, Chuck Abbott, Reuters News Service and Mike Hergert, Red River Farm Network. Today, ASA's World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) program is conducting workshops and breakout sessions.

Source: ASA Weekly Leader Letter.