AIRPORTS- Can Fly into New Orleans or Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge - Taxi from airport to Hilton about $25, we should provide $50 reimbursement to anyone flying in., If they choose to fly into New Orleans, shuttle service from New Orleans airport is $100+ each way. Rental cars are reasonable, valet parking at the hotel is $16 a day in our contract.
POTENTIAL SITE VISITS
- Possible Tour A – Leave at 8:00 am Friday, drive 1 hour to Angola Prison. Right on State border with Mississippi, surrounded by Mississippi river. 18,000 acres, where prisoners produce most of food, also have many vocational type programs, horses, dogs, motor and equipment repair, welding, wood working etc. Tour would be about half in bus – getting out when you wanted to see the cattle, horse operations, driving around row cropping, produce areas, visiting one of the cell blocks and the faith based initiatives. Lunch at 11:30 cooked by inmates, museum visit. Possible opportunity to view inmates crafts and purchase ( I bought a leather purse). Return to Hotel about 3:00
- Possible Tour B – Leave at 8:15 am Friday. Drive 45 minutes. Visit catfish processing plant and crayfish harvesting in Atchafalaya Basin, the largest wetland and swamp in the United States. Lunch at Crayfish, USA of product from facilities visited. Return to Hotel by 1:00 pm
- Possible Tour C – Leave around 1:30, drive about 30 minutes. Visit gator boat builder and alligator farm. Perhaps see alligator processing. Return to hotel by 5:00 pm
- Possible Tour D- Haven’t set time – Drive 80 minutes to Luling, LA to tour Monsanto chemical production facility. Have lunch dependent on timing.
- Possible Tour E - Haven’t set time – Drive 80 minutes to Ama Lousiana, to view either ADM or Bunge grain export elevators on the Mississippi. Have lunch dependent on timing.
- State House – can arrange for tour of present state house pretty much on demand
- Old State House – walking distance from hotel. Hosts receptions and tours, but rental fee is $2500 to $4000.
Other updates
Focus Group – approached 5 consumer research firms in new Orleans/baton rouge area, got bids from 4, and accepted one from Percy and Company who seemed to best understand what we were looking for.
Suggest we begin summit Saturday am with the focus group and follow speaker(s) on talking to consumers, dealing with activists
Canadian Ag Minister interested in participating, will invite him and Vilsack.