USDA is Propping Up Organic Farms

The ag policies of the Obama administration are beginning to pile up. At the 2010 Policy Conference last week, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan reasserted her support for small, organic farmers and for the initiatives that would help them better provide fresh, healthful food for American communities.

In her speech, she addressed the need to diminish food deserts by making fresh food available in underserved neighborhoods (such as through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative) and the importance of creating connections between farmers and consumers–for the benefit of both parties (which the Know Your Farmer, Know your Food campaign aims to do). She also used strong language to describe the gravity of preserving the integrity of the USDA organic label through tougher enforcement. She told her audience that “in the past USDA has not played a strong enough role in enforcement and this administration intends to change that. . . This is the age of enforcement. We will protect farmers who play by the rules and consumers who pay premiums for organic products.”

Furthermore, these heartening words will be backed up with funds. Merrigan said the federal government “increased the budget for the organic program by 75 percent and [has] proposed an additional 45 percent increase in FY 11. That brings the program to about $10.1 million.” This may represent a drop in the bucket when it comes to agriculture policy as a whole (and the billions of dollars in subsidy programs), but the increased attention is encouraging.

Related posts:

1. National Organic Coalition Praises USDA ‘Access to Pasture’ Rule
2. Walmart in Trouble Again Over Organic Marketing Practices
3. USDA Releases Request for Applications for Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Grants

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