EMAIL DETAILS

FYI. Marsh

-----Original Message-----
From: Samuelson, Kristin [mailto:ksamuelson@tribune.com]
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 3:44 PM
To: Marshall Matz; Napoli, Holly
Subject: RE: McGovern-Matz

Hi there, Marshall,

Yes, it ran, but it ran in the Business section. We've started running op-eds there, in addition to Marcia Lythcott's Commentary Page.

I've attached a pdf of the page for you. I think it turned out really nice!

Thanks, and take care,
Kristin

Kristin Samuelson
Chicago Tribune
Phone/Fax: 312-222-2370
Chicagotribune.com/business

-----Original Message-----
From: Marshall Matz [mailto:mmatz@ofwlaw.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2011 8:49 AM
To: Samuelson, Kristin; Napoli, Holly
Subject: McGovern-Matz

Kristin, Holly, I didn't see the Op Ed today. Just checking in to make sure you received the paperwork you needed from me and the Senator. Please let me know if there is anything additional that you need. I assume we are in the queue for this week. Thank you, Marshall

________________________________
From: Samuelson, Kristin [ksamuelson@tribune.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 5:29 PM
To: Marshall Matz; Napoli, Holly
Subject: RE: Submission

Hi there, Marshall,
My editor, Mary Jane Grandinetti, tells me we are running Sen. McGovern's piece this Sunday. I am cc'ing Holly Napoli, who will send you the necessary forms for the piece to run (a contract and other paperwork).

Thank you, Holly, for helping with this!

Thanks, and I'm glad this worked out,
Kristin

Kristin Samuelson
Chicago Tribune
Phone/Fax: 312-222-2370
Chicagotribune.com/business<http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/problemsolver/ct-biz-0424-problem-summers-20110424,0,5953367.column>

From: Marshall Matz [mailto:mmatz@ofwlaw.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2011 4:33 PM
To: Lythcott, Marcia; Samuelson, Kristin
Subject: Submission

Marcia, Kristin, I hope all is well. Senator McGovern and I would like to again ask for your consideration of an Op Ed, attached. Thank you very much. Marshall Matz, George McGovern

Agriculture Diplomacy
By
George McGovern and Marshall Matz

The world's population just passed the 7 billion mark, on the way to 9 billion by 2050. Many might wonder if the dire predictions of English economist Thomas Malthus will finally come true. Will the world's population finally exceed its capacity to feed itself, particularly with the trend toward global warming and the need for renewable energy?

But in a world full of obstacles there is cause for optimism this Thanksgiving season. Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the U.N., describes the path best. He calls it, "Agricultural Diplomacy."

As Chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Mr. Annan is currently spending much of his time focusing attention on the relationship between hunger, agriculture and economic development. There is a growing sense of cooperation around the world centered on agriculture, and sharing best practices and technology.

Brazil, a powerhouse on agriculture, is trying to assist Africa. China is funding graduate students in agriculture from all over the world. Israel has made the development of agro-technology for arid and desert climates a priority and become the global leader in this key area. The United States Agency for International Development is making agriculture a major priority dramatically increasing the funding for agriculture development. The African Union is urging its members to devote at least 10 percent of their national budgets to agriculture.

The private sector is also responding to market forces and the global need. Farm implements and machinery are being created for smallholder farmers who only have a few acres. Seeds and fertilizers are being distributed in small bags through agro-dealers, who also teach farmers how to properly use the products. Micro-financing is being developed for farmers who do not own title to their land.

The Gates Foundation, with backing from Warren Buffett, has made agriculture one of its two major priorities, along with health care. The World Bank is focusing on agriculture and school feeding.

It is a full court press to meet the challenge ahead. In the process, agriculture research and the development of new technology have become a world-wide focus and engine for change beyond just our fields and orchards.
Israel is important because they have focused their research on desert farming in stressed conditions. Their drip irrigation system has received international attention. These systems, run by computers powered with solar energy, are now delivering the nutrients needed along with the drops of water. Further, most of the water being used for irrigation, some 75 percent, has already been used and then recycled after human use. According to Doron Lev a mango farmer in Northern Israel by the Golan Heights, "We provide the exact amount of water and nutrients that the plant needs and not a drop more." Such water-focused technology can be useful across the globe. The number one demand on the water supply is agriculture, with over 70 percent of the world's available water being used to grow our food. Every drop counts.

Israel's technology for desert farming extends beyond water and irrigation to animal agriculture, biotechnology and post-harvest strategies to preserve the food that has been grown. Much of this technology has application beyond Israel's border, and is now being shared with its neighbors. Yes, there is daily cooperation between Israel, Jordan and the "West Bank" on agriculture. The high-tech greenhouses and fields you see in Israel can also be found in Jordan. Farm trucks on both sides of the border have Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli license plates, and they follow road signs with directions in Hebrew, Arabic and English. It is agricultural diplomacy at work.

(Insert Photo)

We can continue to prove Malthus wrong, but only if: 1. the world is willing to accept the use of sound science, including biotechnology, to boost production; and 2. the goal of eliminating hunger trumps political conflicts.

Under the leadership of President Obama, the world's strongest economies, the G-20, have embraced a program called "Feed the Future" which is dedicated to ending hunger and boosting the economic development of the world's poorest countries. It is absolutely essential that this program gets the funding it needs to succeed for both moral and practical reasons. But if Feed the Future can also provide a vehicle for commerce and cooperation between countries where mutual trust is limited or does not exist, then maybe, just maybe, the program can help turn a few swords into plowshares.

___________________________________________________
George McGovern (D-SD) was the Democratic Nominee for President in 1972.
Marshall Matz, formerly Counsel to the US Senate, Committee on Agriculture is the Founding Chairman of the Board of the World Food Program-USA. He practices law in Washington, D.C.
Marshall Matz, mmatz@ofwlaw.com
202.789.1212 office
202.321.4103 cell
703.893.1720 home


From: Lythcott, Marcia [mailto:MLythcott@tribune.com]
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2008 5:38 PM
To: Marshall Matz; Samuelson, Kristin
Subject: Marshall, thanks for the submission.

Could you and Sen. McGovern both fill out only the freelance special contributor agreement and fax it (312-222-2598) or scan it to Kristin Samuelson at ksamuelson@tribune.com<mailto:ksamuelson@tribune.com> by Thursday. Please include both pages of the contract.
I plan to run the piece Sunday, Jan.4, 2009.
Thanks,
Marcia

________________________________


Kristin Samuelson
Editorial Coordinator
Chicago Tribune
435 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
312.222.3429
Fax: 312.222.2598
ksamuelson@tribune.com<mailto:ksamuelson@tribune.com