We are just finishing up our second week of Congress’ August recess. The quiet time is nice -- it gives us time to catch-up before Congress comes back in September.

Last Wednesday, we had the opportunity to visit Congressional offices with Dr. Jim Riviere to talk about funding for the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD). Dr. Riviere is a professor at North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine where he also oversees the FARAD program. He would have to make the very difficult decision to shut FARAD down if it does not receive additional funding.

Our meetings went o.k. -- the staffers understood the importance of FARAD to keeping our food safe. We also met with Senator Tim Johnson from South Dakota. Senator Johnson suffered a stroke last year, but he looks and feels great. He is back working in the Senate and running for reelection in South Dakota. The Senator was very interested in FARAD, especially because he represents a cattle-producing state. We look forward to working with his office to get FARAD funded.

We are running short on time -- FARAD will run out of money at the end of September. We are hopeful to receive funding in the Supplemental that Congress will pass in September -- however, given the political climate, we are not certain that this bill will be passed.

Please contact your Members of Congress and ask them to support FARAD funding in the Supplemental, and in the FY09 Agriculture Appropriations bill. FARAD’s existence literally depends on getting this funding.

On another note, we are going into the last few weeks of summer, and I am sure that most of you will have cook-outs with friends and family. Be sure to properly cook your meat and use a thermometer to make sure it is cooked to the correct temperature, and refrigerate and store your leftovers properly. The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service has information on their website about safe food handling.

Enjoy the rest of your summer. We will update you about FARAD funding after Congress returns in September.