Thursday, January 18, 2007, 4:46 PM
by Peter Shinn
Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman and Nebraska Ag Director Greg Ibach held
a joint news conference Thursday to announce the next in a series of
trade missions to Cuba and publicize the upcoming 19th annual Governor's
Ag Conference.
Governor Heineman will lead the trade mission to Cuba, slated for March
25th through the 28th. An as yet undetermined number of Nebraska
businesses and agricultural exporters will accompany Heineman on the
trip, aimed at generating the $30 million in business Nebraska and Cuba
agreed to do during the last visit to Cuba by Lieutenant Governor Rick
Sheehy in April of last year.
While the Bush administration has discouraged travel to and trade with
Cuba, Heineman said that hasn't stopped him from developing what he
called a "special relationship" with the island nation just 90 miles
south of Miami. "I try to do what's right for Nebraska," Heineman told
Brownfield. "I try to do what's legal within what Congress and the
President have authorized us to do."
Indeed, Heineman suggested if Nebraska didn't trade with Cuba, other
states were in line to do so. "For me it's a very simple decision," said
Heineman. "We have the opportunity to have Nebraska ag products exported
to Cuba," he added. "If we don't do it, another state's going to do it,
and as long as I'm the governor of this state, I'm willing to go
anywhere, anytime to help our farmers and ranchers."
On the subject of the annual Governor's Ag Conference slated for
February 28th through March 1st in Kearney, Heineman and Ibach both said
the focus would be squarely on renewable fuels. Ibach said there would
be a special emphasis placed on the relationship between the grain,
livestock and renewable fuels industries.
"I think this addressed a very timely topic at the Governor's Ag
Conference," Ibach said. "I think there's great opportunities for
producers to hear subject matter that's at the very top of their mind
right now."
Heineman said the juxtaposition of the rapidly expanding ethanol
industry and Congressional action on the 2007 farm bill make this year's
conference unique. "It'll be a special Ag Conference because we're going
to focus on the most critical issues facing agriculture right now,
particularly as we think about biofuels, livestock production, the next
farm bill," Heineman said. "And we've got a series of very good speakers."
Headlining this year's Nebraska Governor's Ag Conference is new USDA
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services Mark Keenum.
Keenum replaced J.B. Penn, who went to work for John Deere last September.
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