Update on Thicke's campaign for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture

by: desmoinesdem

Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 09:13:47 AM PST

The incumbent Republican, Bill Northey, will be heavily favored in this race and will raise more money than Thicke. However, Thicke has outstanding qualifications, and his vision for agriculture deserves our wholehearted support. We don't often hear Iowa candidates speak out against excessive concentration of agricultural markets or advocate stronger regulations for confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). I recommend reading the four-part interview Blog for Iowa did with Thicke last year (part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4). Francis and Susan Thicke operate a successful organic dairy farm and won the 2009 Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture.

Those who share Thicke's views about farm policy may want to consider donating to his campaign via ActBlue. Incidentally, his name is pronounced "Tic-kee."

Organic farmer plans to run for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture (updated)

by: desmoinesdem

Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 13:33:54 PM PDT

Francis Thicke, an organic dairy farmer near Fairfield with a Pd.D. in agronomy and soil fertility, announced yesterday that he has formed an Exploratory Committee to consider running for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. I've posted the press release from Thicke after the jump. One of his top priorities would be expanding local food networks:

"Growing more of our food in Iowa represents a multi-billion dollar economic development opportunity."  This potential economic activity could "create thousands of new jobs and help revitalize rural communities in Iowa, as well as provide Iowans with fresh, nutritious food," said Thicke.

Thicke would be an outstanding asset to Iowa as Secretary of Agriculture. A working farmer and expert on many agricultural policy issues, he currently serves on Iowa's USDA State Technical Committee and has an impressive list of publications. In the past he has served on the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission, the Iowa Food Policy Council, and the Iowa Organic Standards Board.

He has also won awards including "the Activist Award from the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Outstanding Pasture Management award from the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Friend of the Earth award from the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition in Washington, D.C."

Here's an interview Thicke gave in 2003 about his organic dairy operation. He also wrote this piece on the benefits of pasture-based dairies for CounterPunch in 2004. I found a YouTube video of Thicke speaking about livestock farming in Pella last year.

Thicke's relationship with the Culver administration is strained, to put it mildly. He did not go quietly when Culver declined to reappoint him to the Environmental Protection Commission. In addition, Thicke is a strong advocate for "local control" of confined-animal feeding operations (CAFOs), which Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge opposes and Culver has not pursued as governor.

If Thicke runs for Secretary of Agriculture, his campaign is likely to become a focal point for environmentalists who aren't satisfied with our current Democratic leadership in Iowa.

UPDATE: Denise O'Brien, founder of the Women Food and Agriculture Network and Democratic candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in 2006, responded to my request for a comment on Thicke's candidacy:

I have pledged my support to Francis. He has an excellent background to be a strong leader of our state agriculture department. His depth of knowledge of agriculture and natural resource management gives him credibility when it comes to truly understanding the relationship of agriculture to the rest of the world. It is my intention to work hard to get Francis elected.

Help Food Democracy Now! advocate for the change we need

by: desmoinesdem

Sun Feb 22, 2009 at 07:19:50 AM PST

Food Democracy Now! is a grassroots movement initiated by farmers, writers, chefs, eaters and policy advocates who recognize the profound sense of urgency in creating a new food system that is capable of meeting the changing needs of American society as it relates to food, health, animal welfare and the environment.

As such, we are dedicated to advancing the dialogue on food, family farm, environmental and sustainability issues at the legislative and policy level. We understand the dynamic interplay between today's industrialized agricultural system and its impacts on human health and well-being, health care costs, rural communities and the environment. We advocate for policies that encourage sustainable, humane, organic and natural food systems.

We seek to transform today's system by advancing best practices in food production, animal husbandry, conservation of natural resources, renewable energy and soil preservation. Through these efforts we hope to stimulate local food systems, promote rural economic development, encourage a new generation of farmers and respond to the growing public demand for wholesome, fairly-produced food. We will also support candidates who advance this vision and who embrace common sense policies that respect our nation's air, water, soil, livestock, food workers, consumers and family farmers.

Click here and scroll down the page for background on the people who founded Food Democracy Now! Click here to view the list of the petition's 90 original signers.

Next week Food Democracy Now! plans to deliver the petition to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, so they are pushing to reach a goal of 100,000 signatures.

If you haven't done so already, go sign the petition, then ask a few of your friends to sign too.

Vilsack unanimously confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture (updated)

by: desmoinesdem

Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 17:40:52 PM PST

The Sunday Des Moines Register ran an article featuring Drake University Law Professor Neil Hamilton, who predicted that Vilsack will do more to reform the US Department of Agriculture than some of his critics anticipate:

His critics see Vilsack as "coming from only part of agriculture, and I don't think that probably is accurate," Hamilton said in an interview after Vilsack's Senate confirmation hearing last week. Hamilton, who has long been an advocate of locally grown food systems, a priority of Vilsack's critics, attended the hearing and chatted with the former governor afterward.

Hamilton persuaded Vilsack as governor to form a state food policy council to promote local food systems, among other ideas.

At last week's Senate confirmation hearing, Vilsack promised to do more to promote local foods.

Discussing Vilsack's record on agriculture issues, Hamilton told the Des Moines Register that

Vilsack couldn't have been expected to be anything but an advocate of biotechnology or ethanol when he was governor. "It would have been hard to be the governor of Iowa, just as it's hard to be the senator from Illinois, without being a supporter of ethanol," Hamilton said in a reference to Obama, a leading supporter of corn ethanol as an Illinois senator.

"The fact that you can see a role for genetic modification and science in agriculture doesn't necessarily mean you don't also see an opportunity for local food and organic" agriculture, Hamilton continued. [...]

Hamilton said he is "very confident that whether it's a year, two years, or four years, that most of the people" who signed the Food Democracy Now! petition "will be impressed and pleased" with Vilsack.

Hamilton was one of the six potential nominees for secretary of agriculture on the Food Democracy Now! petition. He is also one of the "sustainable dozen" that Food Democracy Now! is recommending for undersecretary posts within the USDA.

Those senior appointments will set the tone for Vilsack's tenure. I have no idea whether any of the "sustainable dozen" have a chance to be hired. Unfortunately, Jill Richardson reported recently that some strong advocates for industrial agriculture are being considered for high-ranking USDA positions.

For now I am willing to give Vilsack the benefit of the doubt. I greatly respect Hamilton, who knows the Iowa governor well.

However, if senior USDA posts go to people with strong ties to agribusiness like Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff or Joy Philippi, former president of the National Pork Producers Council, then it will be time to follow the Russian maxim: "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."

UPDATE: Vilsack will hire John Norris (an early Obama supporter in Iowa) to be his chief of staff at the USDA.

Department of odd omissions

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Jan 12, 2009 at 23:30:21 PM PST

I wasn't surprised in December when the newspaper omitted the same perspective from its piece on reaction to the news that President-elect Barack Obama was picking Vilsack for the job.

But I find this January 12 Des Moines Register article by Chase Davis quite odd.  

Vilsack's Confirmation Hearing Set, But Will it be for Commerce Secretary?

by: Obama Foodorama

Mon Jan 05, 2009 at 23:20:12 PM PST

In other Vilsack news, his confirmation hearing for Ag Secretary was announced today. According to Iowa's The Gazette, the hearing will take place January 14, with Senator Tom Harkin, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee at the helm. But will the hearing be for Secretary of Commerce, or Secretary of Agriculture? Harkin told AP that Vilsack's confirmation would be "easy," but just last week he was blasting Obama for "ignoring" current Ag Committee members.

More reaction to Vilsack's nomination and good ideas on food policy

by: desmoinesdem

Sun Dec 21, 2008 at 03:05:41 AM PST

A few days ago I posted a Vilsack reaction linkfest at the Iowa progressive community blog Bleeding Heartland, but the hits just keep on coming.

Follow me after the jump for more.

After Vilsack: Our Next Steps

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 13:18:52 PM PST

Where do we go from here? Well, I for one am not giving up on advocating for progressive appointments to USDA. After all, there ARE other positions besides Secretary. And Obama prides himself on "working across the aisle" - surely if he's able to work effectively with Republicans, he would find it worthy to work well with us (the people who worked our tushes off campaigning for him!) as well.

Below you'll find descriptions of some of the other positions available as well as the "Sustainable Dozen" put together by Dave Murphy, Paul Willis, and their fellow petitioners (which include superstars like Michael Pollan and Alice Waters). To add your own name to the petition (and please do so if you haven't yet!), go here.

If Vilsack's the New Ag Secretary, We Need Bill Marler to hit hard at Big Ag

by: Obama Foodorama

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 19:16:16 PM PST

2008 is perhaps the worst food safety year of the decade. There's been a food borne disease or contamination recall each week this year, and these have run the gamut from meat to dairy to produce, from seafood to processed foods and pet foods. Some of these recalls have been nationwide, as in the case of Salmonella Saintpaul in peppers and tomatoes last summer; some have been regional, as in the case of the E. coli lettuce outbreak in the midwest this fall; some have been persistent and ongoing, as in the case of ground beef contaminated with listeriosis, E. coli, etc. And some recalls will be with us for months (possibly years) into the future, across the foodchain, as in the case of melamine, for which USDA won't even begin testing until a week from now (if ever). With our current food safety system in wild disarray, citizens can be exposed to harm at every point between plow and plate, whether food is conventionally or organically grown.

Obama, thankfully, is now being heavily lobbied to pay attention to food and food safety. Last Thursday, in an open letter to Obama, a collective of high-profile watchdog and environmental groups issued a joint statement urging the President-elect to make food safety a top priority for the USDA, the FDA, and the new Secretary of Agriculture. The groups signing include Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumers Union, Safe Tables Our Priority, Food & Water Watch, the Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention, the Government Accountability Project , and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Separately, on Friday, the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academies of Science, released a report calling for a revamp of the USDA and FDA, stating that both need to updated in order to meet that challenges of emerging food safety issues. A host of media outlets have recently run editorials on the importance of food safety, and last week, New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas D. Kristof also called for a revamp of the very idea of a Secretary of Agriculture, stating that what we really need is a "Secretary of Food." PETA's Bruce Friedrich is appealing for big changes in food safety, too. And close to ninety notable foodists recently sent a letter to Obama calling for an ethical/sustainable Secretary of Agriculture, which speaks directly to the importance of a safe food supply. All of this is building on writer/activist Michael Pollan's open letter to the President-elect, Farmer in Chief, published in NYT in October.

It's encouraging that food safety is now getting more attention in the media (if not from those who currently micromanage it). But the truth is, for all the excellent goals and aspirational ideas being publicly aired and petitioned for, the President-elect is facing unprecedented challenges in every sector of his stewardship. Everyone's desire for immediate and swift change in food safety and agriculture must be tempered by the fact that Obama's got huge problems across the board. Realistically, changes in food safety will come in the way change usually does in government--slowly. Thus it's crucial to appoint visionaries who can work through the long process of change toward a common goal, sustainably and transparently.

Still, there are opportunities for swift and dramatic change, particularly in food safety. If the USDA fulfilled even half of its already existing mandate, we'd have a far cleaner and safer food chain. Elizabeth Johnson's now-vacant post as Under Secretary for Food Safety needs to be filled by an inspired, activist leader, someone with both a long institutional memory, and a firm grasp on how to rapidly change what's so terribly wrong with our system. There's one individual in the food safety world who is the most uniquely qualified candidate to take on such a huge challenge: Attorney Bill Marler, the foremost food poisoning authority in the country (pictured).

A founding partner of Seattle's Marler Clark law firm, Marler is an extremely activist consumer advocate and champion of change in food safety policy and practice, both in the US and abroad. His focus on food safety began in 1993, when he won a landmark settlement against Jack in The Box for E. coli contamination. Since then, Marler's firm has become a powerhouse of food borne illness litigation, garnering close to half a billion dollars in settlements for injured clients.

Marler himself is now the leading US expert in institutional and agricultural structures for food safety, and he regularly works with farmers and major corporations to change/create safety practices (most recently, he persuaded global conglomerate Conagra to dramatically alter their policies). He's repeatedly testified before Congress on food safety, and has been a vociferous and much-published critic of government policies and practices (including the ongoing labeling fights over "organic"). His Marler Blog is the best internet source for food safety information, and as the years have gone by, Marler has devoted more and more of his professional life to non-profit consultations on food safety and security around the world. Under the umbrella of Marler Clark's non-profit organization, Outbreak, Marler consulates with foreign food agencies, producers, and governments on how to better protect the public from poisoned food, and how to create safe food systems. This is crucial for any Under Secretary for Food Safety, because America imports a huge part of our food supply each year. Marler has not only been an activist on getting foreign producers to focus on safety, but he's also intimately acquainted with exactly what goes on in international markets.

Marler's wealth of practical, theoretical, and scientific knowledge about every aspect of food safety from plow to plate--including bioterrorism--makes him an ideal candidate for Under Secretary for Food Safety. Even better, while Marler has long-standing relationships with producers and government policy makers, he is completely free of any kind of connection to lobbying entities. As Under Secretary for Food Safety, Marler's scrupulous ethics will permanently change USDA's notorious history of bowing to the profit motives of large corporations. And to add a happy sidenote to his phenomenal food safety credentials, Marler is also well-schooled in sustainable, ethical, organic practices for food. He grew up in a small rural community in Washington state, and he and his wife are raising their family with locavore values. Marler's philosophical approach to food would dovetail perfectly with even the most radical & sustainability oriented Secretary of Agriculture, but he knows exactly how to deal with Big Ag and corporate intrusions into farming. And if Tom Vilsack is, in fact, Secretary of Agriculture, there's simply no better choice for a food safety mentor than Marler.  If Vilsack's as beloved by Big Ag as he's purported to be, Marler's the man to make sure Big Ag isn't poisoning the world.

Bill Marler as Under Secretary for Food Safety is where the fork hits the field, so to speak, and his appointment would ensure that major changes can--and will--occur in food safety using the existing legal framework, without waiting years for new policies to be legislated.

Ag Secretary Announced: Tom Vilsack

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 15:46:00 PM PST

Iowans who I've spoken to tell me about their disappointment in Vilsack's vote (as a state senator) to take away local control on hog factory farms in Iowa. During his time as governor "Vilsack oversaw the largest proliferation of hog confinements in the states history." These new hog CAFOs put tens of thousands of independent family hog farmers out of business in the state. The end result of this was a "decimation of rural Iowa" and serious degradation of the state's drinking water.

Iowans also remember the rides on Monsanto's corporate jet that Vilsack - the Biotech "Governor of the Year" - enjoyed during his time in office. He repayed Monsanto by working with the Republican floor manager in the House, promising to do everything he could to get a seed bill to pass. This bill took away county power to regulate GMOs within county borders.

Says one Iowan:

While Tom Vilsack is not the worst pick, he certainly does not have a history of serious reform that was promised by Barack Obama during his campaign for change.

For some quick info on him, I recommend reading A Different View of Vilsack and see a statement by Organic Consumers director Ronnie Cummins on Vilsack and an Organic Consumers alert opposing Vilsack for Ag Secretary (below).

Denise O'Brien on prospects for a "secretary of food"

by: desmoinesdem

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 07:25:56 AM PST

Although she fell short in the election, the sustainable food movement continues to grow, with unprecedented online and real-world activism about whom the president should appoint for secretary of agriculture and what policies that person should implement. Some people think it's time the U.S. had a "secretary of food" focused on a broader range of interests than the agribusiness sector.

Kerry Trueman asked O'Brien about these efforts and posted her answer at Open Left. Excerpt:

As a farmer of thirty plus years, I am intrigued by all of the emails, blogs and websites devoted to the selection of the United States Secretary of Agriculture. My mind swirls with all sorts of fantasies of what a progressive "Secretary of Food" could do for our country. But alas, today as I check out the latest candidates, I am brought back to the unfortunate reality of our current situation - the United States, just like our little state of Iowa, is owned solely by big agribusiness interests with the American Farm Bureau Federation leading the corporate interest pack. It has often baffled me how an insurance company has been able to "speak for the farmers" when they are certainly not a farm organization. [...]

Sure, it would be swell to have a person at the head of the Department of Agriculture who understands what the food movement is about, but seriously, that would be an incredible leap for corporate interests. Food justice is just not a concept that sector can even begin to grasp.

I have had firsthand experience taking on corporate ag and although I was not successful in my bid for the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, my friends all tell me I scared the sh... out of them! What this indicates is that we all must continue to work for food democracy. In my humble opinion, food democracy is about economic democracy. That is where we need to be heading.

Food Democracy is the "right of all people to an adequate, safe, nutritious, sustainable, food supply." The Food Democracy blog is here. The Food Democracy Now petition to Barack Obama is here.  

Secretary of Agriculture: Not Vilsack

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Nov 24, 2008 at 09:14:57 AM PST

(UPDATE: Rumor has it that it's not Peterson either. Some are even guessing it might be Republican Jim Leach.)

Another significant bit of Obama news is his decision to appoint Larry Summers to head the National Economic Council. Would it be too much to ask that a Democrat didn't totally sell out to Big Ag and free trade??? I realize Obama is from University of Chicago, same as all of the nasty pro-free trade economists, but why does he have to be such a sheep about it?

The Future of Food in an Obama Administration

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 13:13:57 PM PST

What do they believe the role of the government is? Do they think corporations have a right to pollute the air, land, and water for their own profit? Do they believe all people have a right to healthy food? How much information do they believe people are entitled to about their food? Is it important for the animals we eat to live and die well? And - in my mind, the most important of all - what do they know (and care) about soil????

This diary is cross-posted over at DailyKos

Obama's Ag Secretary: Who Will It Be?

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Nov 13, 2008 at 10:01:56 AM PST