How do you have a crawfish boil without crawfish? Members of the NAICC almost found out this year when the weather threatened to prevent delivery of the crustaceans to the nation’s Capitol for their annual event.

This year’s NAICC Crawfish Boil on the Hill, the 20^th annual such event, was attended by more than 250 persons, including veteran Congressman Ralph Abraham, R-La., and Rep. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., one of the newest members of the House Agriculture Committee.

Other attendees included representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, staff from numerous House and Senate member offices, and staff members from the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and the House Ways and Means Committee.

Washington office representatives from other associations included USA Rice, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, and American Seed Trade Association. Dr. Rogers Leonard, associate vice president for Plant, Soil and Water Programs at the LSU Ag Center, also joined the festivities.

“The purpose of the Crawfish Boil on the Hill is to honor our friends in Washington and to say thank you for all they do for agriculture and the environment,” said Allison Jones, executive vice president of the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants. “We offer fine southern cooking and networking opportunities, all in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.

“On a side note – due to strong snow storms that week, the crawfish order that we fly up from Louisiana the day prior to the event was canceled,” she said. “We worked with the Longworth (House Office Building) chef, and they were able to get shrimp from their supplier. However at the very last minute, UPS was allowed to deliver our crawfish order in time.”

For more information on the NAICC, visit http://naicc.org/