La Vida Locavore is the blog for anyone whose crazy life includes planting, growing, weeding, fertilizing, raising, picking, harvesting, processing, cooking, baking, making, serving, buying, selling, distributing, transporting, composting, organizing around, lobbying about, writing about, thinking about, talking about, playing with, and eating food!
Agriculture
Chair: Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
- Max Baucus (D-MT)
- Michael Bennet (D-CO)
- Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
- Bob Casey (D-PA)
- Kent Conrad (D-ND)
- Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
- Tom Harkin (D-IA)
- Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Pat Leahy (D-VT)
- Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
- Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
- Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- John Cornyn (R-TX)
- Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
- Mike Johanns (R-NE)
- Dick Lugar (R-IN)
- Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Pat Roberts (R-KS)
- John R. Thune (R-SD)
Appropriations
Chair: Daniel Inouye (D-HI) Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: Herb Kohl (D-WI)
- Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
- Dick Durbin (D-IL)
- Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
- Tom Harkin (D-IA)
- Tim Johnson (D-SD)
- Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Jack Reed (D-RI)
- Robert Bennett (R-UT)
- Christopher Bond (R-MO)
- Sam Brownback (R-KS)
- Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions
- Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Agriculture
Chair: B Collin Peterson (D-MN)
V. Chair: B Tim Holden (D-PA)
B Joe Baca (D-CA)
- John Boccieri (D-OH)
B* Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
- Bobby Bright (D-AL)
B* Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
- Travis Childers (D-MS)
B Jim Costa (D-CA)
- Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
- Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA)
B Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)
- Debbie Halvorson (D-IL)
B Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD)
- Steve Kagen (D-WI)
- Larry Kissell (D-NC)
B Frank Kratovil (D-MD)
- Betsy Markey (D-CO)
B Jim Marshall (D-GA)
P Eric Massa (D-NY)
B Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
- Walt Minnick (D-ID)
B Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
- Mark Schauer (D-MI)
- Kurt Schrader (D-OR)
B David Scott (D-GA)
B Zachary Space (D-OH)
- Timothy Walz (D-MN)
- Frank Lucas (R-OK)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- K. Michael Conaway (R-TX)
- Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE)
- Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
- Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
- Sam Graves (R-MO)
- Timothy Johnson (R-IL)
- Steve King (R-IA)
- Robert Latta (R-OH)
- Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)
- Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
- Jerry Moran (R-KS)
- Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)
- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Mike Rogers (R-AL)
- Jean Schmidt (R-OH)
- Adrian Smith (R-NE)
- Glenn Thompson (R-PA) *=House Organic Caucus member B=Blue Dog Democrat
Appropriations
Chair: Dave Obey (D-WI) Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: P Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
- Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
* Allen Boyd (D-FL)
- Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
*P Sam Farr (D-CA)
*P Maurice D. Hinchey (D-NY)
P Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
P Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
- Jack Kingston (R-GA)
- Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
- Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
* Tom Latham (R-IA) *=House Organic Caucus member
P=Congressional Progressive Caucus
Education and Labor
P Chair: George Miller (D-CA)
- Jason Altmire (D-PA)
- Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
- Timothy Bishop (D-NY)
P Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
- Joe Courtney (D-CT)
- Susan Davis (D-CA)
P Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
P Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
P Phil Hare (D-IL)
- Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
P Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Rush Holt (D-NJ)
- Dale Kildee (D-MI)
P Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
P Dave Loebsack (D-IA)
- Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
P Donald Payne (D-NJ)
- Jared Polis (D-CO)
- Robert Scott (D-VA)
- Joe Sestak (D-PA)
- Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)
P John Tierney (D-MA)
- Dina Titus (D-NV)
- Paul Tonko (D-NY)
P Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
- David Wu (D-OR)
- Buck McKeon (R-CA)
- Judy Biggert (R-IL)
- Rob Bishop (R-UT)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- Michael Castle (R-DE)
- Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
- Luis F Fortuno (R-PR)
- Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
- Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
- Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA)
- John Kline (R-MN)
- Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
- Tom McClintock (R-CA)
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
- Thomas Petri (R-WI)
- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Todd Russell Platts (R-PA)
- Tom Price (R-GA)
- Mark Souder (R-IN)
- GT Thompson (R-PA)
- Joe Wilson (R-SC) P=Congressional Progressive Caucus
Tomorrow, Kathleen Merrigan (the #2 in charge at the USDA) will be having a live discussion on Facebook and all are invited to participate. The subject is the new Know Your Food, Know Your Farmer campaign. Please see the instructions for how to participate below:
Join Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan for a live Facebook chat to discuss the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative supporting Farm to School programs. RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/event....
If you can't make it at 3:00 EST or if you aren't active on Facebook, you can submit questions in advance to: usdanewmedia at oc.usda.gov with the subject "Facebook Chat"
A preview of sorts, in case you're interested - I'm currently working on a 3,000-or-so word piece on what's right and what's wrong (imo, of course) with this project. Should be up by Tuesday or Wednesday. Gilbert is the Arizona town I lived in for nine months in 1993-94, so I have a bit to say there on that...
This Thursday, October 1, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan will host a Facebook chat on USDA's local foods initiative.
Here's an update on recently introduced school lunch-related legislation in Congress.
Over at Grist, Sean Sellers thinks The Nationmissed a huge opportunity in their food issue this year. I haven't picked up a copy of The Nation myself since about 2005, when I let my subscription lapse. I believe they lost their "edge" long ago. Anybody think differently?
Columnist and political speechwriter William Safire passed away today from cancer at the age of 79.
The O brings us two good pieces - one on Joel Salatin's recent visit to Oregon (Corvallis, home of Oregon State University); and another on one Lunch Lady's Sea-to-School program in Alaska.
Kathleen Merrigan (Vilsack's #2 in command at the USDA) sent out a memo offering to play "matchmaker" to help those trying to build local and regional food systems better utilize the USDA. In particular, she highlights:
1. The Community Facilities Program
The Community Facilities (CF) Program supports the success of rural communities by providing loans and grants for the construction, acquisition, or renovation of community facilities or the purchase of equipment for community projects.
As examples, she says an NGO (non-governmental organization) could receive USDA grant money to construct a community kitchen to teach healthy cooking classes using produce from farmers, a farmers' market, or cold storage to help a school buy and serve fresh produce directly from farmers.
2. The Business and Industry (B&I) Guarantee Loan Program
The purpose of the B&I Program is to help new and existing businesses in rural areas gain access to affordable capital.
As examples, she says the loans can be used to aggregate local farm products so they achieve enough volume to serve a school system, to build a mobile slaughterhouse, or to add equipment and storage facilities for a local food processor.
3. Value-Added Producer Grant Program
The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program provides grant funding for agricultural producers who add value to their raw products through processing and/or marketing, thereby increasing farm income.
Selling value-added products is a very important tool for farmers to capture more of the retail dollar from the food they grow. I've actually met a few farmers who have received this particular grant. Merrigan's examples are an organic cooperative receiving a grant to conduct a feasibility study and develop a marketing plan to provide locally grown produce to schools, a farmer receiving a grant to direct market pasture-raised lamb to restaurants and stores, or a dairy farm receiving a grant to plan and execute a marketing campaign for their ice cream.
Way to go Kathleen! If this money is out there, it'd be great to see folks taking advantage of it!
From what I've heard, until recently, the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) had less than a dozen people on its staff. In other words, the USDA is enormous, and NOP is tiny (I think it's still tiny, just a bit less tiny than before). NOP falls under AMS - the Agricultural Marketing Service. It's just one of the many areas within the USDA (and, in fact, Kathleen Merrigan - who now holds the #2 spot at USDA - used to be in charge of AMS). Until now, you could very easily work at USDA and have nothing to do with organics, ever.
Merrigan stated that, "here is where I'd like to fulfill a promise I made to many of you...and that is, organic should be integrated across all the agencies, not just the NOP, but each and every agency at USDA should have some engagement with the organic sector." In addition to the integration, Merrigan said, "Organic can no longer be stove-piped at USDA."
Additionally, she spoke about an Organic Production Survey that USDA is conducting - the "first ever wide-scale survey of organic farming in the United States." The survey results will be used to "shape policy and priorities with an eye toward helping small organic producers grow their operations into mid-sized farms and ranches."
Another great bit of news about Merrigan and organics? She wants to strictly uphold and enforce organic standards:
"We spent a lot of time developing standards, and now let's make sure they have the teeth and that they are followed and adhered to," said Merrigan.
What a source of constant amusement. All of these Senators - first Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), then Chuck Grassley (R-IN), and now Mike Johanns (R-NE) - are coming out against Kathleen Merrigan because she likes organics. Until now, I've had a hard time picking out which legislators were good or bad on food and ag policy simply because so few good bills ever come up for a vote. But Merrigan seems to be a touchstone, provoking those who hate organics to come out and say it simply because of her presence at the USDA. You'll note in the statements made by each of these Senators that she hasn't even done anything as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture to piss them off yet.
The USDA's EQIP program, a controversial "conservation" program infamous for giving government money to factory farms, has a great announcement! Following a comment period in which many sustainable food lovers wrote in to request a more organic-friendly EQIP program, they've actually listened and responded to our requests!
Today Kathleen Merrigan announced $50 million in funding for organics. This will NOT make her any more popular with Chuck Grassley or Saxby Chambliss, and I don't mind it a bit! The $50 million in EQIP funds will be used "to help farmers and ranchers throughout the country transition to organic production systems," according to the Organic Farming Research Foundation. They say, "The funds... and will be available to farmers or ranchers working to transition new acreage or livestock to an organic system."
A pet peeve of mine - wasted pizza crusts! As the commenter there says, if you're eating good pizza (as you should!), the crust is a vital part of the whole experience!
GRASSLEY: And I probably shouldn't be raising a question except some things that I've read about where she's coming from, and I don't remember her name, but the woman from Tufts.
[...]
Yes. Whoever - whatever her name is, I've read some things that would make some caution -- cause me to be cautious about her, but I need to get acquainted with her because it's not fair just to read third-party points and know exactly where she's coming from.
Is he criticizing her? Asking her out on a date? Little bit of both?
Somewhere in America tonight, George W. Bush and Dan Quayle are breathing sighs of relief...
There are a few new appointments to the USDA since I last wrote about the topic on this blog, as well as a few previously announced appointees who have now been confirmed.
The most recent news is the choice of Doug O'Brien as Kathleen Merrigan's Chief of Staff. O'Brien is one of the Sustainable Dozen advocated for on the Food Democracy Now petition, so that's two down and ten to go on our list of twelve. Also recently announced are the nominations of Michael Michener as Administrator of USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and Dave White as Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Someone who knows White and has worked with him said to me, "I don't think we could have found a better person to run the agency." Yay!
Last, recently confirmed by the Senate are Kathleen Merrigan as USDA's Deputy Secretary, Jim Miller as Under Secretary of the Farm Service & Foreign Agricultural Service, and Joe Leonard as assistant secretary for civil rights.
Today the Senate Ag Committee met to confirm three nominees to the USDA: Kathleen Merrigan (Deputy USDA Secretary), Jim Miller (Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services), and Joe Leonard (Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights). All three will be confirmed, there is little doubt about that, but the highlight of the hearing for me was when Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) took Merrigan to task for her love of organic agriculture. Just one more reason we need to toss his ass out of the Senate in 2014.
Yesterday brought great news about the upcoming appointment of Kathleen Merrigan as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. Here's a sampling of what the everyone had to say about her:
Cross-posted at Bleeding Heartland. Apologies if this has already been posted here.
In November, Food Democracy Now started a petition drive urging President-elect Barack Obama to appoint a secretary of agriculture with a vision for a more sustainable food system.
Now that Obama has decided on Tom Vilsack for this position, Food Democracy Now has launched a new petition:
Now that the Secretary of Agriculture has been selected, it's more important than ever that we send our message to Washington. Today's farmers need a serious voice for sustainable change at the USDA.
Therefore, Food Democracy Now! has created a list of 12 candidates for the crucial Under Secretary positions that will stand up for family farms, safe food, clear air and water, animal welfare and soil preservation.
We need your help to continue to spread the word to your friends and colleagues to reach our goal of 100,000 signatures in the next two weeks before the Inauguration!
These 12 candidates have spent their lives fighting for family farmers and we're calling them the Sustainable Dozen. Help us send them to Washington.
If you've already signed the petition, please forward this to one other person who cares about these issues to help us reach our goal of 100,000 Americans for a sustainable food system for the 21st century.
Once the Secretary of Agriculture is confirmed, we will deliver this letter with your comments to him and President Obama in Washington DC.
We at Food Democracy Now! are continuing to give voice to these concerns with policy makers at the federal, state and local levels, to gain a seat at the table and keep these issues at the forefront of future policy decisions.
Currently we are MORE THAN 60,000 voices strong. Please help keep this conversation going...Donate today. By donating as little as $5 or $10 you can make a difference in shaping the conversation at the USDA. Through our collective efforts, this letter has successfully reached "the right people" in Washington and we need to continue this vital work to create a future that we can ALL BELIEVE IN.
From all of us at Food Democracy Now! - Have a Happy, Sustainable New Year!
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