First let me say thank you for your presence, particularly on short notice. The committee is always faced with the dilemma of wanting to get started with its public meetings, but the first meetings at least leave you, the invitees, with very short notice. I thank you for that.
This is a very important matter.
I had the privilege of attending the swine cluster board meeting less than a month ago. I had a chance to meet Claude and to partake in their discussions.
I like the comments you have made, that you have found the cluster type of format to be new, to be sure, but that there are many advantages, in that it seems to be integrating many different aspects of the science and innovation strength across the country so that there is less stove-piping and more collaborative efforts.
I wanted to ask this particularly. Perhaps, Claude, you might be able to elaborate on this. In terms of improvements for the future, you might be able to elaborate on a few of the things that you really like with regard to how things are operating now, and perhaps you also might be able to elaborate on some of the potential changes you would recommend as we are looking forward into Growing Forward 2.