Class 43 started day three with a visit to the Pentagon, hosted by a contingent from the Department of National Security Studies and the Agribusiness Industry Studies at the Eisenhower School of the National Defense University. We were presented with a new Department of Defense (DOD) program that is a proactive, joint effort with foreign countries that trains them for emergency responses/natural disasters. The presenters emphasized the importance of agriculture, cost minimization and improving the capacity of the partner countries self-response for these types of events. A great example was the complexity of the DOD’s response to Japan’s disaster, involving nuclear experts, troops on the ground and supply logistics. We were also given a brief but impactful tour of the Pentagon, highlighted by a visit to the 9-11 Memorial that’s located where the plane hit the Pentagon. Our host, Colonel Lee Smith, described the view from the room’s windows as the plane skimmed a hotel roof and then hit the spot where we were standing, providing an eerie reminder of that historic morning.
EPA Visit
Following the Pentagon visit, we went to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) where we met with Sarah Bittleman, Senior Agricultural Counselor to the Administrator, as well as EPA staff and management from EPA’s pesticides, air and water programs. Ms. Bittleman, who served as a senior advisor to USDA Secretary Vilsack prior to joining EPA, stressed that while the Class was in DC to learn more about government agencies and institutions, the very people from those agencies also needed to hear from and learn from the Class about agriculture. We discussed how important it is for agriculture to explain what it does to the general public, and shared that the class project that we are going to complete later this year is a career fair that will introduce youth to different aspects of the agricultural industry.
USDA Visit
After visiting with various representatives from the EPA, Class 43 fellows headed to the United States Department of Food and Agriculture (USDA). We met with eight representatives, many of whom are California natives. We were given a brief introduction to the programs, policies and departments that the USDA handles. Each speaker addressed a different “hot topic” in agriculture including, local and regional foods, labor, the farm bill, and organic agriculture. While speaking on their specialty, many of the speakers also shared with us leadership roles they play in their departments, as well as leadership it took for them to get to their current roles, including many skills that we have been working on through Ag Leadership. The presentations and speakers were organized by Franz Hochstrasser who has been working with the foundation to coordinate the visit at USDA and was a participant in the DC exchange. It was really encouraging to hear representatives from USDA talk about how California Agriculture is at the forefront of UDSA issues.
Kennedy Center PerformanceAfter a day of expanding our intellectual understanding of various issues that impact agriculture, we went to a jazz performance at the Kennedy Center that exposed us to a new artistic experience. The performance fuzzed Indian classical music and Greek cultural songs with traditional jazz sounds, was incredibly enjoyable, and helped us appreciate diversity through a different lens than what we usually use during our seminars.
Presiding Fellows: Sona Chilingaryan, Stephanie Etcheverria, William Lewis
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