Thursday, June 5, 2008
10:00 A.M.
1. Welcome
Barry Seymour, Executive Director, DVRPC2. Introductions
Edward Fox, Director of Smart Growth, Camden County Improvement Authority, and Chairperson, Land Use and Housing Committee, DVRPC3. We Have Always Been Global: Farming and Government in the United States since the Turn of the Last Century.
Paul Burnett, Department of History and Sociology of Science, University of PennsylvaniaGreen beans packed for overnight flights from West Africa to Paris; contract farming with giant corporations; ranches and feedlots employing migrant workers instead of owner-operators. What has happened to the Jeffersonian ideal of smallholder farms as the breadbasket of the nation? Although there is no denying the dramatic changes that have taken place in farming in the United States over the last 100 years, it is helpful to consider the relationship between farming and government during this period and to explore some of the historic rationales for the seemingly irrational world that family farmers inhabit today.
4. Agritourism in New Jersey: Future Opportunities and Challenges
Brian Schilling, Associate Director, Rutgers Food Policy InstituteNew Jersey's State Board of Agriculture endorsed agritourism as a potential economic development strategy in 2004. Funded by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the Rutgers Food Policy Institute conducted a three-stage project to help better understand the nature and importance of agritourism in New Jersey, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing agritourism operators in the state. The project included: (1) an assessment of industry status, opportunities, and challenges; (2) a comprehensive economic impact of assessment; and (3) the development of an online marketing and promotion website. Key findings from each initiative will be presented.
5. How Did We Get Here? A Look at Food Systems and Pennsylvania Agriculture
Cheryl Cook, Deputy Director for Marketing and Development, Pennsylvania Department of AgriculturePennsylvania remains one of the leading agricultural states in the nation, with 59,000 family farms on 7.7 million acres of farmland, producing $4 billion in annual cash receipts from production, agribusiness and food processing. The state is the national leader in food processing with 2,300 food-processing companies, producing the highest value of shipments of canned fruit, vegetable specialty product, chocolate, potato chips, and pretzels. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture creates and implements innovative programs to ensure that the agricultural sector remains a vital part of the state's diverse economy. This presentation will explore some of the department's programs that support local agriculture and studies that assess Pennsylvania's food system.
6. Member Updates
Members are invited to give two-minute updates on current activities or initiatives.
7. Old Business
8. New Business
9. Adjournment
A meeting of the Regional Food System Study Advisory Committee will immediately follow lunch.
AICP Certification Maintenance Credit
The American Planning Association (APA) recently passed a Certification Maintenance (CM) program to guide continuing education for those that have received American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification. DVRPC is now a registered CM provider. Pending approval from the APA, this event may be eligible for CM credit. Please be advised that, to earn credit for this activity, you will need to stay for the scheduled event duration and sign in with your APA member ID number. Please bring your APA member ID number with you on the day of the event. For more information, please contact Margaret Shaw, Planning Division Secretary, DVRPC, at (215) 238-2867 or events@dvrpc.org.