Page 54 - Summer2009

Farm and Ranch

CHANGE AT USDA: THE STATE OF THE ORGANIC NATION
By Mark Kastel

The state of the (organic) nation is not good—es- a shift toward more home-cooked meals is a
pecially for dairy farmers. That shouldn’t be too positive trend for the industry.
much of a surprise since the entire economy is
hurting. 2. However, a disturbing trend is a shift away
from name brands to more private-label
LOOKING BACK—2008 organic products. These “anonymous”
I’ve spent the last 20 years as an evange- products are oftentimes divorced from what
list for organic and sustainable farming and consumers think they are supporting when
direct-marketed food. There is no doubt that they buy organic food (for example, food
abandoning agrichemicals has a big payback sourced from factory farms in China).
for consumer health and our environment. But,
in addition, organics has been the best social 3. Meanwhile, as consumers at supermarkets
justice vehicle we’ve seen in the family farm- cut back on organics or “trade down” to pri-
ing movement. The premium price for organic vate labels, many managers of cooperatively
commodities has, historically, been a lifesaver owned natural foods groceries around the
for the now more than 10,000 family farms in country are telling us that their sales, while
Although organics. slowing, are still growing! Many co-ops are

In 2008, like all other conventional prices,
ahead or, if behind last year’s sales volume,
more and the price for organic feed for dairy cows and only in the low single digits. Co-op shoppers,
more other livestock shot up so quickly—without milk and WAPF members, the market’s most so-
consumers are processors and marketers paying farmers more phisticated consumers, are not about to turn
WR PDNH XS WKH JDS²WKDW IRU WKH ¿UVW WLPH LQ
to conventional agribusiness for their food.
making history, conventional dairy farmers were making
connections more than organic (conventional milk prices were WASHINGTON REPORT
with local at unprecedented highs)! Grass-based, raw milk, Change was the message that President
and direct marketers are doing, not surprisingly, Obama ran on last year. It’s something that is
farmers we much better economically. badly needed at the U.S. Department of Agri-
still need to culture. Dubbed the “People’s Department” by

buy a fair THE LAY OF THE LAND—2009 Abraham Lincoln, whose administration created

The entire organic industry is navigating in the agency, it has become a captive of powerful
percentage of XQFKDUWHG ZDWHUV :H DUH H[SHULHQFLQJ WKH ¿UVW corporate agribusiness interests and an enabler of
our (organic) protracted economic recession since organics an industrial-scale farm production model that’s

food supply was commercialized, and the landscape is shift- been squeezing family farmers out of business
ing.
for the last half century. As most readers of this
through journal know, this agenda has resulted in what
normal $FFRUGLQJ WR $& 1LHOVHQ SHUFHQW RI FRQ- nutritionist Bernard Jensen coined an “empty
commercial sumers are eating more meals at home. Be- harvest.” There’s been an attrition of nutrition in
cause organic food is still underrepresented our food commensurate with the loss of ecologi-
channels. in food service (restaurants and institutions), cally sustainable and diverse family farmers.
52 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2009