Date:

June 14, 2006

For More Information Contact:

Bud Dasenbrock, MCIF Programmer, 466-2465

Carmelee Tuma, 471-1969

The Mayor’s Committee for International Friendship announced today that a multi-national group will visit Lincoln on June 15 and 16, to study biotechnology and food safety. Participants include three individuals from Croatia, Denmark, and Lithuania. These individuals were invited to the U.S. under the auspices of the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program.

Included in their schedule are meetings with Mayor Coleen Seng; Dr. Michael Fromm with the UNL Beadle Center for Biotechnology regarding research and development in agricultural biotechnology; Dr. Wes Peterson, UNL Department of Agricultural Economics, to discuss Nebraska agriculture and trade issues; Art Hovey, Farm Journalist at the Lincoln Journal Star newspaper; and Rob Robertson of the Nebraska Farm Bureau regarding agriculture and food safety.

The group also will visit Meyer Foods of Lincoln; the Mueller Farm near Lincoln, to observe and discuss agriculture conservation, crop and livestock production; and Common Good Farm near Raymond to learn about sustainable agriculture practices and organic farming.

The group’s participants are:

• Ms. Mirela Pejakovic of Croatia, Journalist/Editor, Radio 101, Zagreb.
• Mr. Morten Damkjaer Nielsen of Denmark, Deputy Division Director, Division for Sustainability and Environment with the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries.
• Ms. Rasa Mikulskiene of Lithuania, Deputy Director, State Public Health Center under the Ministry of Health of Lithuania.

The Mayor’s Committee for International Friendship is a volunteer organization which hosts visitors from around the world. The committee sets up visits with professional counterparts and plans cultural exchanges and learning experiences to promote international understanding among the visitors and citizens in the Lincoln area. Participants are established or potential foreign leaders in government, politics, media, education, science, labor relations and other key fields. They are selected by American Embassies overseas to visit the United States to experience this country firsthand.