Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Meeting with China’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian

Jan 19, 2024

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack offered the following statement following his meeting today with People’s Republic of China Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian:

“Today I hosted a meeting with my counterpart from the People’s Republic of China, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian. In addition to addressing outstanding market access issues and other U.S. agricultural stakeholder concerns, we discussed approaches to tackling climate and food security challenges. I emphasized the importance of an enabling environment for innovative technologies and practices to ensure productive and sustainable agriculture systems and to facilitate trade.

“I look forward to further exchanges and cooperation as we continue to forge a relationship that expands and improves market access opportunities for U.S. farmers and ranchers in China, an important agricultural export market.”

Today marked the first meeting since 2015 of the Joint Committee on Cooperation in Agriculture, which was established in 2003 as a forum for coordinating bilateral exchanges and cooperation in agriculture between the United States and China.

Source : usda.gov

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.