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The Future of Our Food and Farms

Special 
guests

 


Art Brown
Samuel E. Hayes Jr.

Michael T. Scuse
Hagner R. Mister
Rick Foster

Art Brown, Secretary of Agriculture, New Jersey 

Secretary of Agriculture Art Brown -- leading the state's agricultural agenda in New Jersey, the most urban state in the nation - - faces a wide variety of challenges and issues.

Appointed as Secretary of Agriculture in 1982, Brown charted a course for taking Garden State agriculture into the 21st century, a 
course focused on marketing, farmland preservation, biological control, soil and water conservation, and animal and plant disease prevention. 

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture set national marketing standards with its award-winning Jersey Fresh program. Nationally recognized for its efforts in biological control -- using beneficial insects against crop pests -- the department also forged strong goals to preserve the natural resources of the state with a broad soil and water conservation program. 

In a state faced with the loss of farmland due to development, new measures have been established to retain agriculture's thriving, healthy status. Particularly notable are the Garden State Trust Fund, a constitutionally dedicated source of funding for farmland and open space preservation, that will fuel the preservation of 500,000 acres of farmland by 2010, and recent amendments to the state Right to Farm Act, legislation which protects responsible farmers from unnecessary government restrictions and nuisance legal actions. 

Samuel E. Hayes Jr., Secretary of Agriculture, Pennsylvania

Lawmaker and legislative leader:

  • Representative Hayes was a lawmaker and legislative leader in the P A House of Representatives from 1970-1992. 
  • Representative Hayes served as Majority Leader and Whip in the PA House of Representatives.

Education:

  • Secretary Hayes has a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Master of Education Degree from the Pennsylvania State University.

Awards and recognitions include:

  • Alumni Fellow, The Pennsylvania State University
  • Outstanding Alumni Award, The Pennsylvania State University
  • Doctor of Laws, Honorary, Juniata College
  • Man of the Year Award, Pennsylvania Rural Electric Cooperatives
  • Leadership Award, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
  • Honorary County Agent Award, County Agents of Pennsylvania
  • Livestock Hall of Fame, Pennsylvania Livestock Association
  • Guardian of Small Business Award, Pennsylvania Federation of Small Business
  • Pennsylvania 4-H Alumni Award, Pennsylvania 4-H
  • National 4-H Alumni Award, USA 4-H
  • Keystone Farmer Degree, Honorary, Pennsylvania FFA
  • American Farmer Degree, Honorary, National FFA
  • Young Farmer Award, Honorary, Pennsylvania
  • Lawmaker of the Year, Pennsylvania Retailers Association
  • Barn Raiser Award, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
  • Special Leadership Award, Pennsylvania Rural Electric Cooperatives
  • Humanitarian Award, Chapel of Four Chaplains
  • Transportation Advocate of the Year Award, Pennsylvania Highway Information Association
  • Paul Harris Fellow Award, Rotary International

Chairmanships:

  • Chairman, Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Board
  • Chairman, Pennsylvania Farm Show Commission
  • Chairman, Pennsylvania Animal Health Commission
  • Chairman, Hardwoods Development Council
  • Chairman, Agriculture Law Center Board
  • Chairman, Pennsylvania Fair Advisory Board

Memberships:

  • Board of Trustees, Pennsylvania State University
  • Pennsylvania State Board of Education
  • Warriors Mark Grange
  • Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
  • American Legion Veterans of Foreign Wars

Armed services:

  • Secretary Hayes served on active duty with the U. S. Army and is a veteran of the Vietnam War where he received the Bronze Star. 

Michael T. Scuse, Secretary of Agriculture, Delaware

Round Maple Farms, Smyrna, DE 19977

Michael T. Scuse was sworn in as Delaware's Secretary of Agriculture on May 11, 2001.

Prior to his appointment as Secretary of Agriculture, Michael Scuse has served the public in several areas. He served for four years as chair of the Kent County Regional Planning Commission, as Kent County Recorder of Deeds from 1987-1994, and State Committee Chairman of the Farm Service Agency. He is currently the northern zone chairman of Ducks Unlimited.

Secretary Scuse, 46, currently farms 1,700 acres with his brother Dale. They grow corn, soybeans, and wheat. He resides in Smyrna with his wife, Patrice, and their two daughters.

Press reliease:  Michael Scuse is sworn-in as Delaware Secretary of Agriculture

Hagner R. Mister, Secretary, Maryland Department of 
Agriculture

Hagner R. Mister was appointed Secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture on February 1, 2001. He was Deputy Secretary of the Department of Agriculture from December 1998 until his appointment as Secretary. 

Mr. Mister owns and operates a farm in Calvert County, Maryland. A life-long resident of Calvert County, Mr. Mister graduated from Calvert County High School, and attended the University of Maryland. 

For more than 30 years, Mr. Mister worked with farmers in Southern Maryland, primarily in his capacity as District Conservationist for the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources and Conservation Services. Mr. Mister is a member of the Soil Conservation Society of America, and in 1983, received a Commendation Award from that group. Mr. Mister also served as President of the Old Line Chapter of the Soil Conservation Society of America in the State of Maryland. He is a member of the National Association of Conservation Districts.

From 1990 to 1998, Hagner Mister was a member of the Board of County Commissioners for Calvert County, and for five years, served as Board President. For nine years, Mr. Mister was a member of the Calvert County Board of Education, and likewise served as President of that organization. He also served in the Maryland National Guard and the Army Reserves.

Hagner Mister's many community activities include being a member of the Environmental Commission in Calvert County, and the Prince Frederick Lodge, No. 142 A.F. & A.M. He is also a member of the Calvert County Farm Bureau, and the Trinity United Methodist Church. 

Mr. Mister has been a leader in economic development, not only in Calvert County, but throughout the region, having served as Chairman for the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland.

Hagner Mister's duties at the Maryland Department of Agriculture include heading the agency's operations, and interacting with a multitude of institutions, agencies, and organizations, including the Maryland General Assembly and the Governor's Office.

Rick Foster, Vice President, W. K. Kellogg Foundation

Dr. Foster is Vice President for programs at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Mich. His programming duties include guiding Foundation efforts in food systems, rural development and leadership. Dr. Foster also serves on the Executive Team that provides overall direction and leadership for the Foundation. Specific programming initiatives for which he is responsible include: Integrated Farming Systems, Food Systems Professions Education, Managing Information with Rural America, Mid South Delta Initiative, People and Land, and the Kellogg National Leadership Program. 

Dr. Foster joined the Foundation in 1991 as a visiting professional while on sabbatical leave from the University of Nebraska, where he served as a professor of agricultural education. Prior to joining the Foundation as a visiting professional, he worked in international development activities at the School of Agriculture for the Humid Tropics (E.A.R.T.H.) in Costa Rica. Dr. Foster was selected for a staff position as a program director in 1992 and appointed vice president in 1995. 

Previously, Dr. Foster taught at Iowa State University, the University of Idaho, and the University of Nebraska in Lincoln between 1976-1992. He also was a Group VIII Kellogg National Fellow from 1987 to 1990. 

Dr. Foster received his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in agricultural education from Iowa State University in Ames. He has received many awards and honors, including the E.B. Knight Award from the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture for outstanding scholarly publication (1990-91). He was recognized with the Distinguished Teaching Award (1987) and the Outstanding Young Professor (1990) at the University of Nebraska. He was cited as the Outstanding Student Advisor at the University of Idaho (1983). He has received distinguished service recognition from the National FFA organization, the Iowa State University Alumni Association, the National Board on Agriculture and the College of Education.  More info.


Future of Our Food and Farms Summit

For more information, contact:

Meredith Stone
215-568-0830 • Ext.10
fmtrust@libertynet.org

www.foodfarm.org