USDA Seeks Way to Compensate Farmers for GM Contamination  By
Marion Nestle  An intriguing item in the latest issue of Food
Chemical News suggests Tom Vilsack is working to revitalize the
rural economy   I am a long-time reader of Food Chemical News, a
weekly newsletter covering a huge range of food issues that is
invaluable for someone like me who lives outside the Beltway and
does not have access to the ins and outs of Washington, D.C.,
politics.  An item in the August 30 issue caught my attention:
USDA secretary Tom Vilsack's instructions to his department's
new Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century
Agriculture (AC21).      2. What would be necessary to implement
such mechanisms?   "This is a very specific charge," Vilsack
stressed. He also told the AC21 not to worry if their proposed
solutions would require an act of Congress or new regulations.
"Don't worry about the mechanism. We'll figure out how to make
it happen."  Why is Vilsack doing this?  "What motivates me is
an opportunity to rev