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GOURMET NEWS JUNE 2017 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 8 President Trump, USDA Secretary Perdue Hold Farmers Roundtable at White House U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Per- due joined President Trump for a "Farm- ers Roundtable" on April 25 at the White House to address issues facing the Amer- ican agriculture community, as the Pres- ident signed an Executive Order establishing an Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity. The roundtable discussion allowed represen- tatives from all corners of American agri- culture to raise concerns and share ideas, just as the task force begins its mission "to promote economic development and revitalization, job growth, infrastructure, innovation, and quality of life issues for rural America," according to the Presi- dent's order. The session capped a busy first day in office for Perdue, who was sworn in by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture before greeting employees at the U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture (USDA) and travel- ing to the White House for the roundtable. "The people who are on the front lines of American agriculture don't have the luxury of waiting to tend to their crops and livestock, so there was no better time to convene this meeting of the T. Gary Rogers Passes Away T. Gary Rogers, Chairman and CEO of Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream for 30 years as well as the Chairman of Safeway Inc., the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Levi Strauss & Co., has died. Rogers lived in Oakland, California, for more than 45 years where he provided leadership and vision to the city and nu- merous community organizations. His passionate devotion to the University of California, Berkeley, and its rowing team, and the Lighthouse Community Charter School will remain part of his legacy to the Bay Area. His philanthropic generos- ity, through the Rogers Family Founda- tion, will continue to focus on his life-long pursuit of creating and sustain- ing excellence. He was born in Stockton, California, in 1942 and spent his youth in Marin County. A distinguished Eagle Scout, he attributed much of his personal character to his experiences as a Boy Scout, as an oarsman on the crew at UC Berkeley, and his family's deeply-held values of integrity and honor. In 1963, he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Univer- sity of California at Berkeley. He was named UC Berkeley All University Athlete that same year and rowed in the 1964 U.S. Olympic Trials. In the summer of 1964, he married Kath- leen "Cab" Tuck, whom he met while working on staff at the UC Berkeley Alumni Associa- tion Tahoe Alumni Cen- ter. Rogers spent the mid- sixties serving a two-year term in the Army as a Lieutenant in the Air De- fense Artillery based on Mount Tamalpais. In 1968, he earned his MBA from Harvard Busi- ness School and was hon- ored as a George F. Baker Scholar. At 34, Rogers and his business partner William F. "Rick" Cronk purchased Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, a small regional ice cream company based in Oakland, Califor- nia. For the next 30 years, Rogers served as Chairman and CEO of Dreyer's, and to- gether with Cronk, built Dreyer's into the best-selling ice cream company in the United States. Rogers often said the building of the Dreyer's corporate culture was "the best thing we ever did at the company." It was a culture based on empowerment; re- specting and trusting in the abilities of each individual. Every person felt a per- sonal responsibility to "make a differ- ence." It made Dreyer's a coveted place to work. In 2002, Dreyer's was sold to Nestle. Rogers also served as Chair- man of Levi Strauss & Co., the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Safeway Inc. He was also a director of Shoren- stein Properties, Stanislaus Food Products and the Univer- sity of California San Francisco Medical Center. He founded and chaired the Oakland Dialogue, a group of East Bay political, edu- cational and business leaders. Gary Rogers was inducted into the Bay Area Business Hall of Fame, was named Harvard Business School Business Leader of the Year and received the Wharton Business School Joseph Whar- ton Award. He has also received the Uni- versity of California Bear of the Year Award. He was the primary benefactor of the University of California Cal Crew For- ever Endowment Fund, the T. Gary Rogers Rowing Center and the California Rowing Club for elite post-graduate oarsmen. He was also a member of the High Performance Olympic Committee of U.S. Rowing. GN minds than on my first day," Perdue said. "President Trump has made it clear that addressing the needs of rural America will be a top priority, and the message that we want to send to the agriculture community is that we are here, we are working hard, and we are on their side." The Farmers Roundtable featured more than a dozen farmers and repre- sentatives of the agriculture commu- nity who discussed with President Trump and Secretary Perdue a variety of topics, including agricultural trade, regulatory reform, rural investment and infrastructure, labor issues, and the Farm Bill. "The Farmers Roundtable pro- vided the chance for the President to hear directly from the people on the front lines of American agriculture about what they are dealing with every day," Perdue said. "By hosting this discussion, the president has demonstrated his awareness of the plight of American farmers, ranchers, foresters, and produc- ers, his intention to seek input, and his determination to help." The executive order signed by Presi- dent Trump on the same day established the Interagency Task Force on Agricul- ture and Rural Prosperity "to ensure the informed exercise of regulatory authority that impacts agriculture and rural com- munities." As Secretary of Agriculture, Perdue will serve as the task force's chairman. "It is in the national interest to pro- mote American agriculture while protecting and supporting the rural communi- ties where food, forestry, fiber, and renewable fuels are grown," the text of the Executive Order reads. "It is fur- ther in the national interest to ensure that regulatory burdens do not unneces- sarily encumber agricultural production, constrain economic growth, hamper job creation, or increase the cost of food for Americans and our customers around the world." The task force will examine and con- sider, among other issues, current barri- ers to economic prosperity in rural America and how innovation and tech- nology may play a role in long-term, sus- tainable rural development. The panel will attempt to strengthen federalism by working with state agencies charged with implementing economic development, agricultural and environmental pro- grams, while also emphasizing regulatory flexibility for farms and small businesses. With a dependence on sound science, task force members will examine crop protection tools used by farmers and also address concerns regarding labor needed for livestock and year-round agricultural jobs. Additionally, the group will focus on tax policies that allow family farms to remain intact, while also protecting against federal takeover of state-adjudi- cated water rights, permitting and licens- ing, and conservation requirements beyond what is provided in law. Finally, members will look to improve food safety and the implementation of food safety laws, but also recognize the unique na- ture of farming and the diverse business structures of farms. "It used to be that people in agricul- ture feared disease and drought as the greatest threats to their livelihoods and their mission of feeding America and the world," Perdue said. "While those haz- ards remain, too often now it is the gov- ernment – through interference and regulation – that poses the most existen- tial threat to American farming. We aim to put a stop to that." The task force will seek input from stakeholders in the agri- cultural community and is required to issue a report with recommendations for legislative or administrative actions within 180 days. GN

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