Page 56 - Summer2009

includes conservation practices and green gardening practices. inside of which the National Organic Program
Vilsack has also expressed interest in confronting the obesity epidemic is housed.
in this country, which also implies addressing the quality of food children And the AMS is scheduled to have a new
and adults eat. Less well known has been his push for biotechnology and director as well. In early May, the appointment
the use of genetically engineered crops as a solution to hunger in Africa of Rayne Pegg as AMS director was announced.
and other hungry parts of the world. From California, Pegg has been working for the
9LOVDFN KDV QRZ PDGH VHYHUDO NH\ DSSRLQWPHQWV VLQFH KLV FRQ¿UPD- California Department of Food and Agriculture
tion in January. The number two slot in the agency, the Deputy Secretary, as its Deputy Secretary of Legislation and Policy.
ZLGHO\ YLHZHG DV WKH FKLHI RSHUDWLQJ RI¿FHU DW WKH 86'$ ZDV JLYHQ WR She has also been heavily involved with the
Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, a strong advocate for organics. Merrigan was state’s Farm Bureau chapter. Pegg’s family was
most recently an assistant professor at Tufts University and director of its heavily involved with agricultural cooperatives.
Agriculture, Food, and Environment program inside the Friedman School Cornucopia is told by its California allies that
of Nutrition Science and Policy. Pegg is direct, blunt and bright and sees herself
Merrigan helped write the Organic Foods Production Act as a staffer as a problem solver.
for Senator Patrick Leahy. The 1990 federal law established the nation’s One particularly troublesome issue sur-
organic program. She was later hired by the USDA as a consultant to rounding Pegg was her involvement with the
¿QDOL]H WKH GUDIWLQJ RI WKH RUJDQLF UHJXODWLRQV HDUOLHU WKLV GHFDGH 6KH Leafy Green regulations that were put into place
was on the list of the “Sustainable Dozen,” a group of people viewed by in California following the spinach E. coli out-
sustainable, local, and organic food supporters as potential high-quality break in September, 2006. She was a principal in
USDA leaders. A petition circulated by Food Democracy Now garnered the creation of the regulations. A huge downside
nearly 100,000 signatures for the roster of possible appointees. of the rules has been the destruction of wildlife
Merrigan intimately understands organics and is aware of many of habitat and buffers on farms in an attempt to
the problems facing USDA’s management of organics. She spoke in May sterilize the surrounding environment. The
to the semiannual meeting of the National Organic Standards Board, regulations have also unfairly burdened small
indicating that she was interested in more enforcement activities by the farmers growing a diverse number of fresh food
National Organic Program (NOP). She also emphasized that a full-time crops for local markets with costly food safety
program manager was needed at the NOP, which is currently lacking. Her testing requirements. We have been told that
remarks were warmly received, she took questions for about a half hour she now understands that there are unintended
DQG WKHQ DQQRXQFHG DQ DGGLWLRQDO IRXU KRXU OLVWHQLQJ VHVVLRQ LQ KHU RI¿FH downsides to the new regulations. We will look
later that day for those at the meeting. Merrigan was also quick to point forward to meeting with her personally in order
out that her job at the USDA, with its 100,000 employees, is far broader to share our concerns.
than organics. All in all, an auspicious beginning to a relationship with a
VHQLRU RI¿FLDO DW WKH 'HSDUWPHQW²VRPHWKLQJ ZKROO\ ODFNLQJ GXULQJ WKH FOOD SAFETY
Clinton and G. W. Bush administrations. Food Safety is an issue gathering enormous
Sniping at Merrigan and Vilsack for even expressing interest in organ- attention and will likely lead to legislation re-
ics, has already begun. Within the last two months, at least three powerful forming FDA (and perhaps USDA) responsibili-
republican senators have challenged and questioned agency direction per- ties later this year. The California leafy greens
taining to its traditional support for conventional agriculture, attempting approach is being touted as a potential national
to use organics as a wedge issue to discredit the new administration in the model and could seriously injure organic and
eyes of farmers. local producers of high quality foods. These
Another key appointment at the USDA is Edward Avalos as Undersec- farmers are part of our nation’s food safety solu-
retary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. Avalos, who has yet to be tion—not part of the problem. Stay tuned.
FRQ¿UPHG LV IURP 1HZ 0H[LFR +H JUHZ XS RQ D IDPLO\ IDUP WKDW UDLVHG Many dedicated patrons of local farms have
cotton, wheat and specialty crops. For the past twenty-nine years, he has received ominous e-mails warning that legisla-
worked at the state’s Department of Agriculture. Cornucopia’s sources, tion on food safety, moving through Congress,
who have worked closely with Avalos in New Mexico, speak highly of VSHFL¿FDOO\ +5 FRXOG SXW ORFDO DQG RUJDQLF
him and describe him as someone who is fastidious and will look at all farmers out of business, even ban home gardens.
sides of an issue. While we believe these allegations are untrue,
The Avalos appointment is important because, as undersecretary, careful analysis by The Cornucopia Institute of
he oversees the Agricultural Marketing Service, the arm of the agency pending legislation leaves us with two important
54 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2009