USDA Economists Group Features GFSF in "The Free Rider"
See MEMBER ACTIVITY below, excerpts from:  THE FREE RIDER
THE USDA ECONOMISTS GROUP
WASHINGTON, DC
http://www.usdaeconomists.org
VOL. 21, NO. 3 AUGUST 2015
FROM THE PRESIDENT – STEVE NEFF
Over the summer, the USDA Economists Group co-sponsored with C-FARE a seminar, “Climate Change, Choices, Agriculture and the Adaptation Imperative,” by Dr. Bruce McCarl of Texas A&M University. A recording of the seminar can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azDpCLyghfo&feature=youtu.be
Speaking of seminars, the next one coming up will be “U.S. Agricultural Productivity Growth: the Past, Challenges, and the Future” by Sun Ling Wang of ERS on September 2 in Room 107-A of the Whitten Building.
We also co-sponsored a summer intern breakfast with C-FARE, which was very well received. ERS Administrator Mary Bohman, OCE Director for Sustainable Development Elise Golan, and Steve Neff (FAS) talked about the work of economists in their agencies. The interns are perhaps more interested than you imagine. If you would like your agency to be featured next summer, please email me or Caron Gala (C-FARE) at cgala@cfare.org .

RECENT SEMINAR
“Climate Change, Choices, Agriculture and the Adaptation Imperative,” by Dr. Bruce McCarl of Texas A&M University was on June 3.
The connection between climate change and agriculture is multifaceted. A major assertion in the 2014 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the 2014 National Climate Assessment by the U.S. Global Change Research Program reports is that climate change is already affecting agricultural productivity and adaptation is occurring in response. Evidence suggests that these effects are spatially heterogeneous and are likely to intensify in the next century. In a recent theme presented by the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s Choices Magazine addresses some of the controversies, imperatives and unmet expectations that have arisen in the last decade related to agricultural and climate change in addition to the challenges that lie ahead.
During the live June 3 webinar, Dr. McCarl, of Texas A&M’s Department of Agricultural Economics, provided insights into the economics of agricultural adaptation to changes in climate. Adaptation is defined as the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects. Dr. McCarl reviewed the methods and motivations for agricultural adaptation efforts, as well as potential strategies and roles of public versus private entities. Adaptations can involve actions that alter management, infrastructure, technology, information, education, institutions, norms, behavior, emergency response, and public assistance.
UPCOMING SEMINAR
“U.S. Agricultural Productivity Growth: the Past, Challenges, and the Future,” by Sun Ling Wang of ERS. Wednesday, September 2 at 12:00 noon in Room 107A, Whitten Building.
MEMBER ACTIVITY
Please see “Estimated Fresh Produce Shrink and Food Loss in U.S. Supermarkets,” by Jean C. Buzby, Jeanine T. Bentley, Beth Padera, Cara Ammon, and Jennifer Campuzano, Agriculture 5(3) (2015): 626-648 for topics of a larger, underlying ERS report that is in progress. The authors plan an article, which expands upon the new loss estimates for fresh meat, poultry, and seafood. Please contact the authors with any questions.
Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues has two themes: “Climate Change and Agriculture: Revisiting the Evidence and Potential Solutions” and “Agricultural Grain Transportation: Are We Underinvesting and Why?”
The Global Food Safety Forum (GFSF) Summit on New Food Safety Technologies in Beijing on June 13-14 had over 500 registrants and our special guest—the GFSF robot on stage. The summit followed the release of the 2015 White Paper on the critical role of new technologies in the safety and quality of the global food supply chain. Workshops featured new GFSF products: an e-course food safety curriculum in collaboration with the University of Maryland/ JIFSAN (Joint Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition) and new food safety liability and recall contamination insurance products hosted by Frank Wang, GIC’s senior advisor on Risk Management, in collaboration with Willis Group Holdings, an insurance agency with offices in China. Speakers and guests had wide coverage from the GFSF Summit’s host, China Central Television (CCTV).
GFSF is a non-profit industry organization with a diverse membership base of leading multinational companies in the global food chain, Chinese companies, US state departments of agriculture, and trade associations. The GIC Group co-founded GFSF in 2010 to promote food safety in Asia. As a private-public platform, GFSF offers its members and government regulatory agencies opportunities for collaboration and information-sharing, technical assistance, new-e-course certified programs, and food safety liability and recall contamination insurance products.