MANHATTAN, Kan. (AgPR) April 16, 2024 – American Agri-Women (AAW) is pleased to announce the success of their 2024 Mid-Year Meeting in the beautiful hills of Manhattan, Kansas. Each year in April, American Agri-Women hosts a Mid-Year Meeting for those interested in discussing current agricultural issues and policies and voting to create AAW’s Position Statements for that upcoming year, which is the basis for American Agri-Women Fly-In to Washington, DC in June each year.
Three speakers were welcomed from National Bio & Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF). In the process of being relocated from Plum Island, New York, the facility is now located in Manhattan, Kansas. This state-of-the-art facility is a national asset that will help protect the nation’s agriculture, farmers and citizens against the threat and potential impact of serious animal diseases. NBAF prides itself on being the nation’s most secure BSL-4 (Bio-Safety Level 4). Stephanie Jacques, Public Affairs Specialist at NBAF started the presentation off with the general outline of what NBAF’s mission is, and gave American Agri-Women some history on the ongoing facility construction and science set up.
Next, Dr. Maggie Behnke, NBAF’s Attending Veterinarian discussed the various diseases they work on, the bio-security protocols and why NBAF was placed where it is in the United states. The last speaker was NBAF’s Microbiologist Alina De La Monta-Peynado. Alina gave a virtual tour of the facility, offered her insight on how it is being built for success, and how excited she is to get NBAF into full throttle. These three women did an incredible job answering any questions that arose, covering the history, statistics and overall vision of NBAF.
The next event on the agenda was dinner hosted by a Kansas Agri-Women affiliate herself, Chris Wilson, and husband Ron Wilson. It was an incredible experience at the Lazy T Ranch with a taste of a Kansas meal, beautiful scenery, live music and outstanding hospitality!
The last speaker on the 2024 Mid-Year agenda was Donnell Scott (Kansas Agri-Women), touching upon food labeling in the United States. Her presentation was highly informative with hitting several interesting facts about labeling regulation. She touched on the importance of USDA Regulations, FDA regulations, the differences in labeling on a variety of products, mandatory labeling requirements, allergens, nutrition labeling, the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). It was an exceptionally informative presentation on the hoops that companies have to go through to have their products displayed in grocery stores across the country!
A big thank you to all of our attendees, speakers and to Kansas Agri-Women for hosting!
Interested in joining American Agri-Women for their 2024 Fly-In to Washington, DC? Find more information here – https://americanagriwomen.org/
About American Agri-Women
American Agri-Women (AAW) promotes the welfare of our national security through a safe and reliable food, fiber and mineral supply. Since 1974, AAW members have worked together to educate consumers; advocate for agriculture; and offer networking and professional development opportunities. For more information, or to join, visit AmericanAgriWomen.org. Find AAW on social media at: facebook.com/AgriWomen and twitter.com/Women4Ag.
