(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

1

 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

 + + + + +

 FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INDUSTRY

 ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 + + + + +

 WEDNESDAY,

 OCTOBER 26, 2016

 The meeting came to order at 8:00 a.m. in

the Potomac V Conference Room of the Hyatt

Regency Chrystal City, 2799 Jefferson David

Highway, Arlington, Virginia, Beth Knorr, Chair,

Presiding.

COMMITTEE ATTENDEES:

BETH ANN KNORR, Chair, Cuyahoga Valley

 Countryside Conservancy

ROBERT NOLAN, Vice Chair, Deer Run Farms, LLC

MARK ALLISON, The Cheesecake Factory

CHRISTIE BALCH, Crossroads Community Food

 Network

VIRGINIA BARNES, Barnes Farm, LLP

CATHERINE BURNS, Produce Marketing Association

CARLOS CASTANEDA, Castaneda & Sons

HELEN DIETRICH, Ridgeview Orchards

KRISTINE ELLOR, Phillips Mushroom Farms

RICHARD HANAS, A. Duda & Sons, Inc. 

MICHAEL JANIS, San Francisco Wholesale Produce

 Market

HOLLIE MANIER JOHNSON, Bay Baby Produce 

ROLAND McREYNOLDS, Carolina Farm Stewardship

 Association

MARK NICHOLSON, Red Jacket Orchards

DANIEL SUTTON, Pismo Oceano Vegetable Exchange

BRUCE TALBOTT, Talbott's Mountain Gold, LLLP

JORGE VAZQUEZ, Latin Specialties, LLC

LUCY WHITTEMORE, WP Distributor, LLC

THOMAS WILLIAMS, Coborn's

DAVID YANDA, Lakeside Foods, Inc.
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

2

USDA STAFF:

MELISSA BAILEY, Associate Deputy Administrator

TRICIA KOVACS, Policy Advisor

CHARLES PARROTT, Associate Deputy Director

PAM STANZIANI, Designated Federal Official
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

3

 C-O-N-T-E-N-T-S

Introduction

 Beth Knorr, Chair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Call Meeting to Order

 Charles Parrott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Business for the Day

 Beth Knorr, Chair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Break for Food Safety Group Meeting. . . . . . . . 8

Additional Business

 Beth Knorr, Chair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Adjournment

 Beth Knorr, Chair. . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

4

1 P-R-O-C-E-E-D-I-N-G-S

2 (8:02 a.m.)

3 MS. KNORR: Good morning, everybody. 

4 If you want to go ahead and take your seats. I

5 think we're going to get started here in just a

6 minute or two.

7 MR. PARROTT: Okay, good morning

8 everyone. Good morning everyone. Good morning

9 everyone. It's a rowdy bunch.

10 It's day two, so we'll call this

11 meeting to order. And before I turn it over to,

12 back to your Chair, Beth, I'd like to introduce

13 one of my Associate Deputy Administrators. This

14 is Dr. Melissa Bailey. So she's going to be with

15 us today. And then she's also going to join us

16 on the tour of the rooftop garden. So I wanted

17 you all to know Melissa.

18 So with that I'll turn it over to

19 Beth, and we'll do the remaining subcommittee

20 work that we were going to do this morning before

21 we break on our tour.

22 MS. KNORR: Good morning, everybody. 
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

5

1 So a few bits of business. Those committees who

2 met briefly yesterday, if you haven't done so

3 already, please turn in your rosters and your

4 list of your chair persons and vice-chair persons

5 to Pam, so that she can get that documented.

6 Also she's hoping that each of the

7 groups can begin to think about dates in November

8 or early December to setup the first

9 teleconference of the working groups. So that

10 she can begin to do the research and reach out to

11 anybody that you might need for resources, or

12 anything like that. So if you could get with

13 her, and start talking dates that would be great.

14 So this morning we're going to have a

15 few minutes here. I know that the Food Safety

16 Group is going to be convening. And then we're

17 going to be leaving to visit an urban farm on a

18 rooftop.

19 And Trisha Kovacs from the Secretary's

20 Office of Local and Regional Food, the Know Your

21 Farmer, Know Your Food group's policy advisor,

22 she's going to be joining us on that tour as
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

6

1 well. To give us a little bit of an overview of

2 the work that she is doing, and her office is

3 doing. So take advantage of that and ask lots of

4 questions about that.

5 We're going to have about 40 minutes

6 with the Food Safety Group. The Food Safety

7 Group, you're going to have about 40 minutes to

8 talk, and identify your priorities, and that kind

9 of thing. Same thing, make sure that you get the

10 information, your rosters to, Pam.

11 Am I -- oh, the meeting dates. Pam

12 has shared with me that the tentative April

13 meeting dates have already been set for April 4th

14 to 6th. So be certain to mark that on your

15 calendar. It will be here again. And I'm sure

16 that closer to the date she'll be sending out,

17 you know, information on making reservations et

18 cetera, et cetera.

19 Anything else this morning?

20 FEMALE PARTICIPANT: No, so.

21 MS. KNORR: Okay, so if you want to go

22 ahead Food Safety Group and convene. And we need
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

7

1 to be in the lobby at 9:00 o'clock. But we'll

2 come together again to I guess to adjourn, to

3 officially adjourn the meeting before we leave

4 for the tour, so.

5 MR. YANDA: Beth, what time do we

6 expect to be back here, 11:30?

7 MS. STANZIANI: Approximately 11:30,

8 yes. I would say anywhere from 11:30 to 12:00. 

9 I'm, it's D.C.

10 And just for those who are not meeting

11 for the Food Safety Group, if you wouldn't mind

12 making sure that I have your focus areas. 

13 Meaning not just the group, but what you're

14 looking for, looking at in particular to focus in

15 on within that subject area. That would be

16 great.

17 MS. KNORR: Yes, and if anybody has

18 any questions or comments for the good of the

19 cause, I think now would be a good time to ask

20 them. Otherwise we can go ahead and break out

21 into the Food Safety Group.

22 Anything?
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

8

1 (No audible response)

2 MS. KNORR: No? Okay, well let's come

3 back here. It is about ten after 8:00, so let's

4 convene back here at 8:40. Okay? Thanks.

5 (Whereupon, the above-entitled matter

6 went off the record at 8:09 a.m. and resumed at

7 8:46 a.m.)

8 MS. KNORR: A couple of things before

9 we make our way to the lobby and so on. If you

10 could take a few minutes to look at the roster,

11 and make sure that the information that you have,

12 that's listed there for you is correct. And that

13 Pam has the correct email and phone number for

14 you. That would be very helpful for coordinating

15 the meetings in between now and April.

16 Also if you haven't done so already,

17 you know, start thinking about when you want to

18 meet again as a working group. Pam is really

19 hoping sometime between November and early

20 December that you all can convene with your

21 working groups again.

22 (Off the record comments)
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

9

1 MS. KNORR: Yes, the roster should be

2 in your folder on the right side I believe.

3 MALE PARTICIPANT: Just the roster,

4 not contact information.

5 FEMALE PARTICIPANT: No contact

6 information.

7 MS. KNORR: Check out the listing

8 there though, that your, you know, associated

9 with, the right business.

10 FEMALE PARTICIPANT: Oh, yes.

11 MS. KNORR: And just update her on

12 your contact info. You're right there isn't any

13 contact info on there.

14 (Off the record comments)

15 MS. KNORR: All right. I think that's

16 really all the official business that we have

17 before we take off for our field trip. There is

18 information on the rooftop farm that we're going

19 to be visiting in your folder as well. So if you

20 want to take a look at that, you're obviously

21 welcome to do so.

22 But before we leave for our outing, I
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

10

1 will accept a motion to officially adjourn our

2 meeting.

3 MR. HANAS: I move, second?

4 MS. KNORR: All right. Did you, if

5 you could state your name for the recorder?

6 (Off the record comments)

7 MS. KNORR: So Rick Hanas first it?

8 MR. McREYNOLDS: I'm sorry, point of

9 order. Did we ever approve minutes from the last

10 meeting?

11 MS. KNORR: No, we did not, but Pam

12 mentioned yesterday that we were going to do that

13 by email.

14 MR. SUTTON: And this doesn't need to

15 be discussed right now, Dan Sutton, but the

16 comment that was made yesterday by the gentleman

17 about this committee supporting USDA's efforts

18 with the EPA, I think needs to be taken up for

19 discussion. Possibly in our next meeting. 

20 Because I think that's a valid point that was

21 brought up yesterday, so.

22 MS. KNORR: Okay. Any other comments
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

11

1 for the good of the cause before we adjourn?

2 MR. BURNS: Can I add one more?

3 MS. KNORR: Yes.

4 MR. BURNS: So for the Food Safety

5 Working Group, I'm going to save myself an email,

6 the recommendations that we made to the Secretary

7 are in your packet. So all seven are in there. 

8 We'll make sure we get an update to see where we

9 are against those, but thank you for that.

10 MS. KNORR: Okay, so we have a motion

11 to adjourn. Do we have a second?

12 MR. ALLISON: Mark Allison.

13 MS. KNORR: Okay. All right, we are

14 officially adjourned. Thank you very much ladies

15 and gentlemen, and see you on the bus.

16 (Whereupon, the above-entitled matter

17 went off the record at 8:50 a.m.)

18

19

20 

21

22
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

12

A

a.m 1:7 4:2 8:6,7 11:17

above-entitled 8:5

11:16

accept 10:1

add 11:2

Additional 3:18

adjourn 7:2,3 10:1 11:1

11:11

adjourned 11:14

Adjournment 3:21

Administrator 2:11

Administrators 4:13

advantage 6:3

advisor 2:12 5:21

ADVISORY 1:3

AGRICULTURE 1:1

ahead 4:4 6:22 7:20

Allison 1:12 11:12,12

ANN 1:10

anybody 5:11 7:17

approve 10:9

Approximately 7:7

April 6:12,13 8:15

area 7:15

areas 7:12

Arlington 1:8

Associate 2:11,13 4:13

associated 9:8

Association 1:14,18

ATTENDEES 1:10

audible 8:1

B

Baby 1:17

back 4:12 7:6 8:3,4

Bailey 2:11 4:14

BALCH 1:12

Barnes 1:13,13

Bay 1:17

believe 9:2

Beth 1:8,10 3:8,14,19

3:22 4:12,19 7:5

bit 6:1

bits 5:1

break 3:16 4:21 7:20

briefly 5:2

brought 10:21

BRUCE 1:20

bunch 4:9

BURNS 1:14 11:2,4

bus 11:15

business 3:13,18 5:1

9:9,16

C

C-O-N-T-E-N-T-S 3:5

calendar 6:15

call 3:10 4:10

CARLOS 1:14

Carolina 1:18

Castaneda 1:14,14

CATHERINE 1:14

cause 7:19 11:1

certain 6:14

cetera 6:18,18

chair 1:8,10,11 3:8,14

3:19,22 4:12 5:4

Charles 2:13 3:11

Check 9:7

Cheesecake 1:12

CHRISTIE 1:12

Chrystal 1:8

City 1:8

closer 6:16

Coborn's 1:21

come 7:2 8:2

comment 10:16

comments 7:18 8:22

9:14 10:6,22

committee 1:3,10 10:17

committees 5:1

Community 1:12

Conference 1:7

Conservancy 1:11

contact 9:4,5,12,13

convene 6:22 8:4,20

convening 5:16

coordinating 8:14

correct 8:12,13

Countryside 1:11

couple 8:8

Crossroads 1:12

Cuyahoga 1:10

D

D.C 7:9

Dan 10:15

DANIEL 1:19

date 6:16

dates 5:7,13 6:11,13

David 1:8,22

day 3:13 4:10

December 5:8 8:20

Deer 1:11

DEPARTMENT 1:1

Deputy 2:11,13 4:13

Designated 2:14

DIETRICH 1:15

Director 2:13

discussed 10:15

discussion 10:19

Distributor 1:21

documented 5:5

doing 6:2,3

Dr 4:14

Duda 1:16

E

early 5:8 8:19

efforts 10:17

ELLOR 1:15

email 8:13 10:13 11:5

EPA 10:18

et 6:17,18

everybody 4:3,22

Exchange 1:19

expect 7:6

F

Factory 1:12

farm 1:13,18 5:17 9:18

Farmer 5:21

Farms 1:11,15

Federal 2:14

FEMALE 6:20 9:5,10

field 9:17

first 5:8 10:7

focus 7:12,14

folder 9:2,19

Food 1:12 3:16 5:15,20

5:21 6:6,6,22 7:11,21

11:4

Foods 1:22

Francisco 1:16

FRUIT 1:3

G

garden 4:16

gentleman 10:16

gentlemen 11:15

give 6:1

Gold 1:20

group 3:16 5:16 6:6,7

6:22 7:11,13,21 8:18

11:5

group's 5:21

groups 5:7,9 8:21

guess 7:2

H

Hanas 1:16 10:3,7

HELEN 1:15

helpful 8:14

Highway 1:8

HOLLIE 1:17

hoping 5:6 8:19

Hyatt 1:7

I

identify 6:8

INDUSTRY 1:3

info 9:12,13

information 6:10,17

8:11 9:4,6,18

introduce 4:12

Introduction 3:7

J

Jacket 1:19

JANIS 1:16

Jefferson 1:8

JOHNSON 1:17

join 4:15

joining 5:22

JORGE 1:20

K

Knorr 1:8,10 3:8,14,19

3:22 4:3,22 6:21 7:17

8:2,8 9:1,7,11,15 10:4

10:7,11,22 11:3,10,13

Kovacs 2:12 5:19

KRISTINE 1:15

L

ladies 11:14

Lakeside 1:22

Latin 1:20

leave 7:3 9:22

leaving 5:17

let's 8:2,3

list 5:4

listed 8:12

listing 9:7

little 6:1

LLC 1:11,20,21

LLLP 1:20

LLP 1:13

lobby 7:1 8:9

Local 5:20

look 8:10 9:20

looking 7:14,14

lots 6:3

LUCY 1:21

M

making 6:17 7:12

MALE 9:3

MANIER 1:17

mark 1:12,19 6:14

11:12

Market 1:17

Marketing 1:14

matter 8:5 11:16

McREYNOLDS 1:18

10:8

Meaning 7:13

meet 8:18

meeting 1:7 3:10,16

4:11 6:11,13 7:3,10

10:2,10,19
(202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com

Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.

13

meetings 8:15

Melissa 2:11 4:14,17

mentioned 10:12

met 5:2

MICHAEL 1:16

mind 7:11

minute 4:6

minutes 5:15 6:5,7 8:10

10:9

morning 4:3,7,8,8,20

4:22 5:14 6:19

motion 10:1 11:10

Mountain 1:20

move 10:3

Mushroom 1:15

N

name 10:5

need 5:11 6:22 10:14

needs 10:18

Network 1:13

NICHOLSON 1:19

NOLAN 1:11

November 5:7 8:19

number 8:13

O

o'clock 7:1

obviously 9:20

Oceano 1:19

OCTOBER 1:6

office 5:20 6:2

official 2:14 9:16

officially 7:3 10:1 11:14

Orchards 1:15,19

order 1:7 3:10 4:11 10:9

outing 9:22

overview 6:1

P

P-R-O-C-E-E-D-I-N-G-S

4:1

packet 11:7

Pam 2:14 5:5 6:10,11

8:13,18 10:11

Parrott 2:13 3:11 4:7

PARTICIPANT 6:20 9:3

9:5,10

particular 7:14

persons 5:4,4

Phillips 1:15

phone 8:13

Pismo 1:19

please 5:3

point 10:8,20

policy 2:12 5:21

Possibly 10:19

Potomac 1:7

Presiding 1:9

priorities 6:8

Produce 1:14,16,17

Q

questions 6:4 7:18

R

reach 5:10

recommendations 11:6

record 8:6,22 9:14 10:6

11:17

recorder 10:5

Red 1:19

Regency 1:8

Regional 5:20

remaining 4:19

research 5:10

reservations 6:17

resources 5:11

response 8:1

resumed 8:6

RICHARD 1:16

Rick 10:7

Ridgeview 1:15

ROBERT 1:11

ROLAND 1:18

rooftop 4:16 5:18 9:18

Room 1:7

roster 8:10 9:1,3

rosters 5:3 6:10

rowdy 4:9

Run 1:11

S

Safety 3:16 5:15 6:6,6

6:22 7:11,21 11:4

San 1:16

save 11:5

seats 4:4

second 10:3 11:11

Secretary 11:6

Secretary's 5:19

sending 6:16

set 6:13

setup 5:8

seven 11:7

shared 6:12

she'll 6:16

side 9:2

Sons 1:14,16

sorry 10:8

Specialties 1:20

STAFF 2:9

STANZIANI 2:14 7:7

start 5:13 8:17

started 4:5

state 10:5

STATES 1:1

Stewardship 1:18

subcommittee 4:19

subject 7:15

supporting 10:17

Sutton 1:19 10:14,15

T

taken 10:18

TALBOTT 1:20

Talbott's 1:20

talk 6:8

talking 5:13

teleconference 5:9

ten 8:3

tentative 6:12

thank 11:9,14

Thanks 8:4

things 8:8

THOMAS 1:21

today 4:15

tour 4:16,21 5:22 7:4

TRICIA 2:12

trip 9:17

Trisha 5:19

turn 4:11,18 5:3

two 4:6,10

U

UNITED 1:1

update 9:11 11:8

urban 5:17

USDA 2:9

USDA's 10:17

V

V 1:7

valid 10:20

Valley 1:10

VAZQUEZ 1:20

Vegetable 1:3,19

Vice 1:11

vice-chair 5:4

Virginia 1:8,13

visit 5:17

visiting 9:19

W

wanted 4:16

way 8:9

WEDNESDAY 1:5

welcome 9:21

went 8:6 11:17

WHITTEMORE 1:21

Wholesale 1:16

WILLIAMS 1:21

work 4:20 6:2

working 5:9 8:18,21

11:5

wouldn't 7:11

WP 1:21

X

Y

YANDA 1:22 7:5

yesterday 5:2 10:12,16

10:21

Z

0

1

11 3:22

11:30 7:6,7,8

12:00 7:8

2

2016 1:6

26 1:6

2799 1:8

3

4

4 3:8,11,14

40 6:5,7

4th 6:13

5

6

6th 6:14

7

8

8 3:16,19

8:00 1:7 8:3

8:02 4:2

8:09 8:6

8:40 8:4

8:46 8:7

8:50 11:17

9

9:00 7:1
NEAL R. GROSS

COURT REPORTERS AND TRANSCRIBERS 

1323 RHODE ISLAND AVE., N.W. 

(202) 234-4433 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20005-3701 www.nealrgross.com 

C E R T I F I C A T E

This is to certify that the foregoing transcript 

In the matter of: 

Before: 

Date: 

Place: 

was duly recorded and accurately transcribed under 

my direction; further, that said transcript is a 

true and accurate record of the proceedings. 

 

 ----------------------- Court Reporter 

14

Fruit & Vegetable Advisory Committee

USDA

10-26-16

Arlington, VA