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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2018 n GOURMET NEWS N H 1 0 2 Viva Fresh Expo Returns to San Antonio The Viva Fresh Expo, hosted by the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA), will return to the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio from April 5- 7, 2018. In its fourth year, the expo has con- sistently catered to sold out crowds and attracted buyers from major regional and na- tional retailers. The success of this regional event is due largely to the growing importance of Texas, Mexico, and the Rio Grande Valley that con- nects the two as a fast-growing produce pro- duction and transit epicenter. In 2016, TIPA established a Retail & Foodservice Advisory Board made up of 14 retail and foodservice contacts, to assist in guiding the direction of the Viva Fresh Expo. The advisory members have reinforced the significance of this re- gion and cite its importance as a main factor in their attendance and involvement with the expo. "We've seen increased attendance from re- tail and foodservice buyers from companies including H-E-B, Walmart and US Foods, and 100 percent of our surveyed retailers say the expo meets their business needs," re- marked Dante Galeazzi, President and Chief Executive Officer of TIPA. Galeazzi contin- ued, "Since we know this region is a main focus for attendees, we've increased our out- reach to include more regional growers and revamped our exhibitor list so the majority of exhibitors will be from Texas, Mexico, and the southwest United States." In 2016, approximately half of fresh fruit and vegetable imports from Mexico entered the U.S. through Texas land ports. That's $5.4 billion worth of produce, more than 220,000 truckloads. Fruit and vegetable im- ports from Mexico are growing at an as- tounding rate: from 2007-2015 alone, they have more than doubled. "I've been impressed with the Viva Fresh Expo year after year," says Joseph Bunting, Produce Business Director at United Super- markets and advisory board member. "It's a true regional event and showcases Texas and Mexico as a commanding force for high quality, year-round fresh produce. I always look forward to Viva Fresh to strengthen cur- rent relationships, make new connections and stay up on all the regional trends." As part of the Viva Fresh educational sem- inar program, attendees can experience a vir- tual tour of a field, a packing house and quality control measures to learn more about best in class food safety and how leading Mexican suppliers are raising the bar on food safety standards. Other educational sessions will tackle industry challenges such as the multi-generational marketplace and how Amazon impacts the future of retail sales and marketing. Registration is now open for exhibitors and sponsors at www.vivafreshexpo.com. Exhibit space and sponsorship opportunities in years past have sold out, with a long wait- ing list thereafter. Registration for most retail and foodservice buyers is free and a travel stipend is provided. Award-Winning Burrata from Maplebrook Farm Awarded first place in its category at the 2016 American Cheese Society Conference, the award-winning Maplebrook Farm Bur- rata is made with Old World traditional tech- niques and recipe. Maplebrook Farm's burrata is handmade in Bennington, Ver- mont, and replicates Old World techniques by stretching curd into mozzarella and filling it with a luscious creamy center of Strac- ciatella. Maplebrook Farm Burrata is a fantastic and impressive way to change the traditional caprese salad. Cut in half and serve in a deep plate, paired with fresh tomatoes, fragrant basil or peaches and rosemary. Then scoop with crusty bread, ac- companied by a bottle of wine. Substitute mozzarella with burrata in caprese salad to flair up a traditional dish – Burrata acts as a canvas for culinary creativity. Available in several sizes: 2-ounce, 4- ounce, 8-ounce and 12-ounce. Maplebrook Farm has been hand-crafting cheese in Bennington, located in the Berkshires of Vermont, since 2003. The dairy has won multiple awards for its cheeses, both on the re- gional and national levels. For more information, contact Maplebrook Farm at 802.442.9950 or go to www.maplebrookvt.com. OTA Stumps for Farm Bill Priorities Twenty organic farmers – including one major league baseball player – stepped up to the plate for thousands of organic farmers throughout the country when they went to Washington on November 29 and 30 to par- ticipate in the Organic Trade Association's first Farmers Advisory Council fly-in and to talk with lawmakers and policy officials about organic priorities in the 2018 Farm Bill. The event was coordinated by the Organic Trade Association's Farmers Advisory Coun- cil -- the largest coalition in the U.S. of or- ganic farmers and organic farming organizations, representing more than 8,000 certified organic farmers. It brought in farm- ers from states stretching from California to Montana to Georgia. The diverse group in- cluded seasoned organic farmers and farmers just transitioning to organic, large organic grain farmers and the farmer of a five-acre urban organic garden in Atlanta, organic veg- etable and fruit growers, dairy farmers and egg producers, the country's largest organic rice grower, and to round things off, one major league baseball player, Jayson Werth, former Washington Nationals star player and owner of an organic farm in Illinois. "The input of organic farmers in the next Farm Bill is absolutely critical to move or- ganic forward," said Perry Clutts, co-Chair- man of the Farmers Advisory Council and organic dairy farmer and owner of Pleas- antview Farm in central Ohio. Clutts, who in the 1990s converted his great grandfather's conventional grain farm to an organic grass- based dairy farm, noted, "It's not easy for farmers to take time to leave their operations and come to Washington, so we really appre- ciated their commitment to sharing their day- to-day challenges and successes in organic farming with our elected officials and poli- cymakers, and looking at the ways that the next Farm Bill can help benefit organic farm- ers and advance organic." "Organic agriculture needs more funding for research, robust oversight of organic im- ports and crop insurance programs that recog- nize organic prices," said Doug Crabtree, co-Chairman of the advisory council and or- ganic farmer and co-owner of Vilicus Farm in northern Montana. Crabtree, who with his wife Anna owns and operates the diverse organic dryland crop farm that produces 12 to 15 crops a year, said, "The voices and real-life experi- ences of organic farmers carry a great deal of weight, and we were glad to bring those re- spected and trusted voices to Washington." Thirty Congressional Offices Visited The farmers visited the offices of 30-some lawmakers, meeting in person with several lawmakers including Senate Agriculture Com- mittee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas and House Agriculture Committee Ranking Mem- ber Collin Peterson of Minnesota. Moving off Capitol Hill for their second day in Washing- ton, the organic advocates met with officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency, and with other farmer and commodity associations. Tim Raile is a fourth-generation farmer in northwest Kansas and eastern Colorado. Raile and his son are systematically transitioning all of their 8,500 acres to organic, with the plan to have the farm fully organic by 2022. This was Raile's first fly-in, and he said he felt that it was important to represent his home state of Kansas in the effort to "promote organic's presence in the new Farm Bill." "My main messages were that organic is no longer a niche market, but now main- stream and deserves to have a level playing field in the new Farm Bill," said Raile. "Also, that the inclusions that the Organic Trade Association is requesting in the Farm Bill are not just to help organic farmers, but are good for the 82 percent of the households that buy organic and good for the confidence and integrity in the USDA Organic label." Raile, Jayson Werth and other farmers met personally with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Roberts, and Raile said the meeting was significant because of the acknowledg- ment by Roberts to the group's message. It was also the first fly-in for Werth, who owns a 500-acre certified organic corn, soy- bean, and wheat farm in central Illinois, and it may not be his last. Werth told the Organic Trade Association at its 2017 Annual Policy Conference earlier this year that he's excited about working to advance organic agriculture. "As we look toward the future, we know how important it is for this industry to main- tain and grow, and that we attack the chal- lenges that currently face us," Werth said. "I'm excited to be part of the growth in so- lutions that deliver to the organic community and ultimately to the organic consumer." Mac Stone and his family have been farm- ing in the Bluegrass farmland of Kentucky for over six generations. For the last five years, the 550-acre diversified operation has been to- tally organic, growing and raising a wide va- riety of meats, eggs, fruits and vegetables that supports a 400-plus membership CSA and provides fresh organic products to restaurants throughout Kentucky and in Cincinnati. This was not Stone's first fly-in experience on Capitol Hill. He said he keeps doing it be- cause the direct contact makes a difference. "It is still fascinating that you can walk right in and talk to the people who are mak- ing the decisions," said Stone. "It's hearten- ing to see that with all that's going on, the staffs now know as much as they do about organic. When I see staff I've met before, they remember I was there. We're seeing the needle move a little all the time." OTA Farm Bill Priorities The Organic Trade Association established its Farmers Advisory Council in 2013 to cre- ate a stronger voice for organic farmers. The council's member organizations were instru- mental in pushing out a comprehensive farm bill survey conducted by the Organic Trade Association early in the year to their mem- bership communities. The survey received over 500 responses from certified organic producers and handlers across 45 states, and has been critical in shaping the policies of the Organic Trade Association in the lead-up to the 2018 Farm Bill. Based on the survey responses from its members, the Organic Trade Association has identified its three top priorities for the 2018 Farm Bill: that it contain policies to promote a healthy organic marketplace, to ensure that organic farmers continue to be successful and to expand organic production. The Organic Trade Association's Farm Bill platform calls for full support and ade- quate funding for the USDA National Or- ganic Program (NOP) to keep pace with industry growth, set uniform standards, and carry out compliance and enforcement ac- tions in the U.S. and abroad. It advocates or- ganic-focused research, risk management tools, data collection and direct dialog be- tween industry and USDA that are critical to organic farmers' success. It calls for im- proved access to land and capital, invest- ment in distribution systems and infrastructure, and targeted technical assis- tance through the utilization of existing USDA conservation, rural development, and other programs to encourage orderly transi- tion to organic. The member organizations of the Farmers Advisory Council who have endorsed the Organic Trade Association's Farm Bill pri- orities include California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), Georgia Organics, Organic Egg Farmers of America, Montana Organic Association, Oregon Tilth Certified Organic, Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative, Penn- sylvania Certified Organic, and Tilth Al- liance of Washington.

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