Board of Agriculture to meet in Portland with focus on hunger issues, Dec. 16

A major address on hunger delivered by the Oregon Food Bank’s chief executive officer headlines the quarterly meeting of the State Board of Agriculture in Portland December 16-17. As part of a focus on hunger issues, board members will volunteer their services at the Oregon Food Bank for a portion of the meeting. In the afternoon of day one of the two-day meeting, Oregon Food Bank CEO Susannah Morgan will welcome the 10-member board and deliver an inaugural State of Hunger address. In her remarks, Morgan is expected to provide an overview of who suffers from hunger in Oregon and some of the steps being taken to respond to the issue. Following the address, the board will tour the Oregon Food Bank facilities and then spend time repacking produce in the Volunteer Action Center. A joint reception and dinner with the Oregon Food Bank Board of Directors will follow the day’s activities. In the morning of day one, the board will receive an update on the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s budget and key legislative issues. The board will also receive a briefing by ODA on the status of Asian gypsy moth in Portland as well as the Pesticide Analytical and Response Center (PARC). The board will also hear from a panel of experts on trade and logistics that includes representatives of ODA, the Oregon Department of Transportation, Business Oregon, and the Port of Portland. A public comment period is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on day one of the meeting. On day two, members will continue the process of strategic visioning as part of an effort to ensure the board’s role in supporting agriculture aligns with issues facing the industry. The meeting will conclude with reports by board subcommittees on land use, natural resources, government relations, and marketing/food safety. The full board meeting will be preceded on December 15 by subcommittee meetings. The board meeting begins 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, December 16 at the Oregon Food Bank, 7900 NE 33rd Drive, in Portland and will resume 8:30 a.m., Thursday, December 17 at Embassy Suites, Fir Room, 7900 NE 82nd Avenue in Portland. The meeting is open to the public. For more information about the Board of Agriculture and a copy of the meeting agenda, go to <http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/AboutUs/Pages/BoardAgriculture.aspx>.