TopofPageMidwest Food Products Association News Bulletin  - July 17, 2017   
In This Issue
The MWFPA News Bulletin is underwritten in part by Bug Blocker Doors & Screens
Bug Blocker
MWFPA Convention Prospectus Now Available - Get Your Booth Today!!
The Exhibitor Prospectus for MWFPA's 113th Annual Convention and Trade Show, being held at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN, is now available! Register for your booth today!

The Convention will take place November 28 - 30, 2017. Don't miss the chance to put your company in front of food processing professionals from across the country and around the world.

The MWFPA Convention and Trade Show is our premier event bringing together leaders in the food processing industry to discuss trends, view new technologies, share expertise, and network with professionals in different companies and disciplines.  This is one event your company won't want to miss. 

Download a copy of the Exhibitor Prospectus and exhibitor registration form now by clicking the image above. Additional information about the convention will be posted to our convention website as it becomes available.  Registration forms can be submitted via email, fax or mail. There is no online registration for exhibitors. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Brian Deschane at: brian.deschane@mwfpa.org or call 608-255-9946. 
 
MWFPA Convention - More Than Just A Trade Show, Reserve You Lodgings & Register NOW!
The MWFPA annual convention is more than just a trade show.  It's an opportunity for food processing professionals to learn and share ideas with industry leaders, network with peers and make contacts.

The Midwest's' premiere food processing trade show event is scheduled for November 28-30 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN.  You can reserve your rooms now by going to:http://www.rochestercvb.org/2017mwfp/.

You can register for the convention by downloading the registration form here.

MWFPA Testifies At Producer Security Hearing
At a recent public hearing, MWFPA submitted comments opposing fee increases for vegetable processors in the state's Vegetable Producer Security Program.

Because fund levels are below amounts dictated by state statute, the WI Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is required to raise assessments on vegetable processors, in some cases dramatically.

The Producer Security Program is to provide some level of assurance that milk, vegetable and grain producers will be paid for their products. If a contractor fails to pay, producers may be able to make a claim against the Producer Security Fund. Fund revenues consist of assessments and license fees paid, in part, by licensed vegetable contractors.   
 
MWFPA stressed that the proposed rule changes are onerous to the vegetable processing industry and requested modifications.  Among other things the rule raises fees on vegetable contractors because of the shortfall in the fund which may cost some contractors up to $50,000 a year.  Read the MWFPA testimony here
 
IL Gov's Budget Vetoes Overridden
Both the IL House and Senate voted to override Gov. Rauner's veto of the FY 2018 budget package previously approved by the General Assembly. 

The new $36.054 billion state budget now enacted into law is fueled by five billion dollars in new tax revenue generated largely by a 32 percent increase in the state's income tax that takes effect on July 1, 2017.

The budget package was opposed by manufacturing and business groups because it
failed to include any real spending reforms, property tax relief, economic development reforms like workers' compensation, or address the massive pension debt totaling $251 billion.

The tax legislation ( SB 9 ) permanently increases the income tax rate for both individuals (3.75 to 4.95 percent) and corporations (5.25 to 7.0 percent) while eliminating the Qualified Production Activities Deduction for manufacturers. SB 9 includes a short-term, five-year extension of the Research & Development tax credit, but it failed to extend the Manufacturers Purchase Credit.
The state budget ( SB 6 ) spends $36.054 billion, representing a decrease of approximately three billion dollars from current spending levels fueled by court orders and consent decrees.
Initially, fifteen House Republican lawmakers joined 57 Democrats to ensure passage of the tax bill in the House, while only one Republican voted in favor of it in the Senate. Following the Governor's veto, only 10 House Republicans supported overriding the Governor while 61 Democrats favored it.

Click below to see how state legislators voted on the override of the Gov's veto.
SB 9 - Tax bill
House Override Vote: 71-42-0
Senate Override Vote: 36-19-0
SB 6 - Budget Bill
House Override Vote: 74-37-0
Senate Override Vote: 39-15-0
SB 42 - Budget Implementation Bill
House Override Vote: 71-41-0
Senate Override Vote: 36-18-0

Top of Page  
WI Budget Process Remains In Stalemate, Transportation Funding The Sticking  Point
The budget process remains at a stalemate in WI, as the State Assembly, Senate and the governor grapple over transportation funding.

With no new budget, the state continues to operate under last fiscal year's budget. The Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) last met on June 15, and has not set another meeting date to take up the final issue sets in the budget - including three big items: K-12 education, taxes and transportation. After several weeks of bottleneck, financing the state's transportation system appears to be the outstanding sticking point.

Throughout the budget process, state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) in general has insisted that the next state budget provide immediate revenue investments and lower borrowing levels to help improve the long-term fiscal outlook for the state's more than $1.0 billion a year transportation fund.
 
Governor Walker, and for the most part, the state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) have been reluctant to go in the direction of the state Assembly.
 
The stalemate over transportation funding has stymied budget negotiations passed the beginning of the new fiscal year that began on July 1, 2017. Unlike several other states that see their state government shut down when lawmakers go past the beginning of a new fiscal year, Wisconsin's state government's functions and core services continue with ongoing funding levels from the previous fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2017.
 
As previously reported in the MWFPA News Bulletin, a protracted standoff could impact transportation projects because road projects in the last budget relied heavily on borrowing - a one-time measure that, unlike regular spending, doesn't carry over into the new budget cycle.
 
Top of Page 
Bioengineered Food Standard Comments Due Today
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) has posted 30 questions for stakeholder input regarding the establishment of a National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard. The USDA will use the input received when drafting a proposed rule. Feedback related to the questions should be submitted to GMOlabeling@ams.usda.gov by the end of today.

MWFPA Events You Won't Want To Miss
October 5, 2017MWFPA Sporting Clay Challenge. Milford Hills Hunt Club, Johnson Creek, WI.

November 28 - 30, 2017MWFPA 113th Annual Convention and 90th Processing Crops Conference.  Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN.

Other Educational Opportunities
July 27, 2017:  Executive Breakfast & Training for Plant Managers and Owners, Holiday Inn & Suites St Paul NE - Lake Elmo,
7:30 - 9:00 am  

Join Navigate Food Safety Solutions
for  "Understanding Managements Role in Food Safety"  designed specifically for plant managers and owners.

Third party auditors often ask how management demonstrates commitment to food safety. This workshop and Q&A will not only help you answer that question but also help you understand where you, as management, fit in your food safety system. That elusive sweet spot between micro-managing and fearing you don't know enough about what's really going on in the plant.

Alex Hanley will provide participants with an overview of the food safety system, clearly address the role of executives and food safety team leaders and share tips on how to tell if your team leads are doing what they need to be doing, and tools to ensure they do it.

July 27, 2017: 3-Hour Food Safety Leader Training   , Holiday Inn & Suites, St Paul, NE - Lake Elmo, 1:00 - 4:00 pm 

Join Navigate Food Safety Solutions
for  "A Practical Approach to Reducing Audit Pain"  designed specifically for food safety leads and other managers.

Have you experienced a painful audit? If your answer is yes, you are not alone. While we all share a common goal - ensuring food is safe - each player comes to an audit from a different perspective and with different goals. This often results in conflict. Most companies don't have a process to make sure audits are respectful, constructive and professional. While we're not saying your next audit will be frictionless, we are saying there are steps you can take to make it better.  

Learn how to reduce the stress on your team and reduce unnecessary expenditures by improving the way you deal with audits, auditors and certification bodies.


October 17-18, 2017:
Dryer Technology - Madison Concourse Hotel, One West Dayton Street,Madison, WI 53703.
Expand your knowledge of industrial dryer fundamentals and learn how to apply proven methods to improve dryer efficiency, reduce operating and energy costs, and improve your operations. This course will focus on the continuous drying of particulate materials from foods to inorganic chemicals.  For further information, click here.

October 19, 2017: Atomization and Spray Technology
: Focus on Spray Drying.  Madison Concourse Hotel, One West Dayton Street
Madison, WI 53703. In this introductory course you will gain a solid understanding of the atomization process and atomizer designs. You will learn the differences in performance of different atomization methods, how to select the proper atomizer for your product requirements, and how to improve the operation of your existing atomizing system. For more information, click here.
 

 
                                                  Like us on Facebook          Follow us on Twitter          View our profile on LinkedIn
Midwest Food Products Assoc. | | brian.elliott@mwfpa.org | http://www.mwfpa.org
4600 American Pkwy.
Suite 210
Madison, WI 53718