Secretary Schafer Will Address USMEF Board of Directors Meeting

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer will be the keynote speaker at the general session of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Board of Directors meeting in Las Vegas on Wednesday, May 21.

Secretary Schafer, a former governor of North Dakota, was sworn in as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on January 28, 2008. He is expected to speak about beef access developments, the status of the Doha Round trade talks and the future of U.S. agriculture.

As governor of North Dakota, Schafer worked to expand that state’s agricultural exports to China. He led efforts to upgrade North Dakota’s communications infrastructure and make high-speed voice and data networks available to farmers, ranchers and rural businesses.

The USMEF Board of Directors Meeting & Product Showcase runs from May 21-23, 2008, at the JW Marriott in Las Vegas. A brochure and hotel registration information are online at www.USMEF.org.

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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.

Editor’s note: Media personnel who are interested in attending should contact Jim Herlihy at 303-226-7312 or jherlihy@usmef.org.