Hungarian
Minister of Agriculture József Gráf met with USDA Deputy Secretary
Charles F. Conner in Washington, DC, on November 7, during the first leg
of his four-day official visit to the U.S. During the meeting, the
Minister and the Secretary discussed the status of trans-Atlantic and
bilateral relations, with special regard to the political, economic and
agricultural aspects of the relationship.
The main
goal of the visit is to further develop the sectoral relationship between
the two countries and expand cooperation in the area of scientific
research and science-based development. The ministerial delegation also
met with the leadership of the AFBF, discussing the political and economic
aspects of agriproduction, interest groups, support systems and subsidies
as they relate to WTO negotiations. Ambassador András Simonyi also
participated in the high-level meetings.
Minsiter
Gráf visited the state of Iowa on November 9, hosted by the office of
Senator Charles Grassley. During his visit, the Minister was exposed to a
number of agriculture-related businesses, including the Stine Seed Company
(seed genetics), Hy-Line International (poultry genetics), Insta-Pro
International (soybean extrusion), and John Deere (agricultural industrial
equipment). Minister Gráf also met with Iowa's secretary of agriculture
Patty Judge and local pork producers.
During
the last stop of his visit, Minister Gráf visited the Graham Land and
Cattle Company, a 25,000-head cattle ranch located near the city of
Austin, TX. The Minister also visited the Texas Commissioner of
Agriculture, Ms. Susan Combs, and conducted bilateral talks regarding
expert-level cooperation in the cost-efficient utilization of secondary
energy sources, such as biodiesel and ethanol. He also signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with the Dean of Texas Agricultural Experiment
Station of Texas A&M University.
