Publication archives

Sep 4, 2019

FAQ on tariffs

by
Karen Hansen-Kuhn
What is a tariff? A tariff is a tax on goods imported into a country. Like other federal taxes, it is collected by the importing government and goes into the general revenue account at the U.S. Treasury.
Sep 4, 2019

Trade Policy FAQ: Key Trade Terms and Current Issues

by
Sharon Anglin Treat
What is “fast track”?
Sep 4, 2019

Trade basics: New series of FAQs on trade policies

by
Karen Hansen-Kuhn
Trade has been in the news a lot lately, whether because of the latest threats of tariffs or the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or other smaller, bilateral deals. All too often, trade among nations and trade agreements are written about as if expanding trade or locking in trade deals were ends in themselves.
Container ship on the Mississippi
Sep 2, 2019

Mexico’s move toward food self-sufficiency confronts GMOs

by
Karen Hansen-Kuhn
Amidst various news cycles of absurd demands and hateful reactions in the U.S., I was recently struck by some hopeful news of civility and constructive engagement from Mexico.
maize
Aug 29, 2019

Future of U.S. federal nanotechnology: ‘safe by design’ product commercialization

by
Dr. Steve Suppan
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) held a stakeholders’ workshop on August 1-2 about its future, which must be reauthorized by Congress every four years. The NNI is an interagency and interdisciplinary hub for a dozen U.S.
Nano tech scientist
Aug 28, 2019

Getting smarter, not ‘tougher,’ about trade policy

by
Dr. Steve Suppan
A mid-August New York Times article framed the debate about trade policy in the Democratic Party’s presidential primary race as one of being ‘tougher than Trump.’ To develop trade policy that chases that meme will play into th
Shipping containers
Aug 28, 2019

Big Ag Is Sabotaging Progress on Climate Change

CLIMATE EXPERTS HAVE sounded yet another dire alarm, this time aimed straight at our stomachs. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report, on “Climate Change and Land,” warns that meeting the challenges of our climate crisis requires urgent changes in our food systems.
Aug 13, 2019

Families First Head Start Program Community Action Council

by
Katie Costello
Erin McKee VanSlooten
Download a PDF of the case study. Families First Head Start Program is comprised of 3 centers: The Place and The Empowerment Center in Rochester with food prepared in the kitchen at the Place, and the Brookside Education Center in Albert Lea, with food prepared on-site.
little kid cutting strawberries