Matching Capacity To Demand It

USDA Announces Agricultural Marketing System Grants to 19 States and Puerto ...

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2011— The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will award 25 grants to 19 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to help create economic opportunities for American producers and businesses. Under the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP), USDA is matching $1.3 million worth of state grants to state departments of agriculture, state agricultural experiment stations, and other appropriate state agencies to assist in exploring new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products and to encourage research and innovation aimed at improving the marketing system.

"FSMIP provides our state partners with matching funds to explore new and innovative approaches to marketing U.S. food and agricultural products," said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. "USDA supports state and local projects ranging from research to retail to ensure that quality American products are marketed efficiently and effectively."

Grants were awarded to support the following projects:

Arkansas - $60,660 to the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, to investigate consumer preference and willingness to pay for environmental benefits associated with rice varieties that emit lower levels of greenhouse gas during production.

California - $35,000 to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, in cooperation with the California Wild Rice Advisory Board and the Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council, to develop a nationwide system for reporting wild rice production, inventories, and usage to help stabilize prices across the U.S. resulting from wide variations in supply.

Connecticut - $39,000 to the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Connecticut District Export Council, Connecticut Specialty Food Association, University of Connecticut, Northeast Utilities, and Connecticut Development Authority, to assist small and medium sized producers and processors of specialty food and wine, produce, shellfish, forest products, and fiber products to become export ready, and to develop a coordinated export market strategy for specialty agricultural products.

Connecticut - $50,320 to the University of Connecticut, in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, Connecticut Farm Bureau Association, Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association, and CitySeed, to improve the interactive features of the buyCTgrown.com website to benefit both producers and consumers and add new capacity to foster sales of local agricultural products to wholesale buyers such as chefs and food service operators.

US Airline Current Fleets And Future? — Civil Aviation Forum ...

US has pretty much stated that they will become an all Airbus fleet, but I do see a need for a possible 20-25 frame order for 787-9s to go along with what I anticipate to be a conversion of A350-800 to A350-900. This would allow US the best possibility to match capacity with demand more efficiently. Some will say fleet commonality, but in this case, I think the benefits of having a mixed longhaul fleet will outweigh the costs of a new fleet type. US has pretty much stated that they will become an all Airbus fleet, but I do see a need for a possible 20-25 frame order for 787-9s to go along with what I anticipate to be a conversion of A350-800 to A350-900. This would allow US the best possibility to match capacity with demand more efficiently. Some will say fleet commonality, but in this case, I think the benefits of having a mixed longhaul fleet will outweigh the costs of a new fleet type.