Governor's Column by Dave Heineman

July 13, 2009 Get to Know the Nebraska Department of Agriculture Dear Fellow Nebraskans: The Nebraska Department of Agriculture is an agency that strikes a balance between the responsibility for regulating the state’s food, farm and ranch sectors with the role of promotion and partnership with private industry. Nebraska is known throughout the world as a dependable supplier of quality agricultural products. The Department of Agriculture works with producer and agricultural organizations to promote Nebraska products. Led by Director Greg Ibach, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture has focused on expanding trade relationships and advocating for the agriculture industry to adopt new advances in production and biotechnology. A farmer near Sumner, Ibach is experienced in production agriculture and knows firsthand the issues facing our producers. Nebraska has the fourth largest agricultural economy in the United States. One of the main responsibilities for the department is to work closely with Nebraska’s farm and commodity groups, researchers and others to open new markets for farm commodities and other value-added products. In recent years, we have signed new export deals for Nebraska grown grains, beans and meat products to Cuba and Taiwan. We marketed some of Nebraska’s high quality products at international food venues and restaurants. The department has also been a resource for European Union policy leaders developing new guidelines for integrating biotechnology into agriculture. The department is responsible for protecting producers and consumers and ensuring the health of livestock. The Bureau of Animal Industry enforces rules and regulations in order to eliminate or control diseases that can impact livestock and poultry. This ranges from avian influenza testing, to licensing auction markets and livestock dealers in order to monitor animals moving within the state. The role the Bureau of Animal Industry plays in responding to livestock health emergencies is especially relevant right now. Officials are working to address the finding of bovine tuberculosis in two cows in the north central part of our state. The team working with federal officials and local ranchers is critical for our state as the beef and cattle sector is such an important part of Nebraska’s agricultural heritage and economy. While some of Nebraska’s most plentiful agricultural products include red meat, great northern beans, corn and popcorn, soybeans, and pork, the department has staff working with dairy products, poultry and eggs, potato producers, and growers of specialty crops. The dairy division conducts inspections on milk from dairy farms and milk haulers, to manufacturing plants, and bottling plants. The Department of Agriculture is also charged with enforcing regulations. One example is enforcing food safety standards for Nebraska restaurants. The department partners with local health departments to inspect dining establishments in Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha, and has more than a dozen specialists who conduct restaurant inspections in the rest of the state. The weights and measures division is responsible for ensuring the integrity of all commercial measurements in the state. Each year, inspectors certify nearly 36,000 scales and measuring devices from supermarket scales to fuel pumps at service stations and meters measuring bulk shipments. They conduct 75,000 random inspections of packaged commodities to verify that packages contain the proper quantity. The goal is to accurately measure price and quantity to ensure consumers can compare prices and are charged the price that corresponds with the amount of product they purchased. While the responsibilities of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture vary widely, the central mission is to encourage and promote the interests of Nebraska agriculture. I appreciate their efforts in promoting Nebraska’s number one industry.