New advisory committee to boost southeastern agriculture competitiveness

May 31, 2024

By Farms.com

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have appointed members to the newly established Seasonal and Perishable Agricultural Products Advisory Committee.

This committee aims to offer advice and recommendations to bolster the competitiveness of producers of seasonal and perishable agricultural products in the Southeastern United States.

Prompted by congressional requests following a Section 301 petition, the committee will focus on understanding and addressing market dynamics impacting producers in the region.

Committee members will bring expertise in various aspects of seasonal and perishable agriculture, contributing to efforts to support Southeastern producers.

The Administration's commitment to supporting specialty crop growers includes initiatives such as the USDA's Specialty Crops Competitiveness Initiative. This initiative aims to equip producers with tools and resources to enhance competitiveness in both domestic and international markets.

USTR and USDA will collaborate with the committee and congressional stakeholders to explore potential administrative actions and legislative measures that can benefit Southeastern producers.

Video: Porcine Gut Models in Nutrition Research - Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen, postdoc researcher at Aarhus University, discusses how porcine intestinal cell lines and organoids can help study the impact of nutrition on gut health. He explains how in vivo piglet trials identify diet-driven shifts in microbiota and metabolites, while in vitro models allow researchers to test specific metabolites, barrier function, immune markers, and future organ-on-chip systems before moving back to animal studies. Listen now on all major platforms!

"In vitro models can reduce early animal use by helping researchers screen nutritional candidates before moving back to in vivo trials."

Meet the guest: Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen / li-hsuan-chen-9a95a7279 is a postdoc researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark. Research focuses on porcine gut health, host-microbe interactions, cell lines, and organoids, with PhD work at Aarhus University studying how dietary protein and amino acid levels shape gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and intestinal epithelial responses. Learn more from Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.