Write to Obama re secretary of agriculture candidates
- Details
It's one of the most powerful positions in DC. The Secretary of Agriculture oversees the safety of the U.S. food supply, domestic farming policies, food stamp programs, and the nation's 297,000 square miles of forest.
Obama was initially considering the pro-biotech Iowa governor Tom Vilsack for the position, but then thousands of organic consumers raised their voices in response to an OCA alert that apparently stopped that plan in its tracks.
According to press reports, Obama is now considering Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) to head the USDA. Peterson, like Vilsack, is a strong biotech supporter, head of the House Agriculture Committee, and a man who categorized organic consumers as "dumb" last year.
The Obama Transition Team has set-up an innovative website to facilitate public input for policy initiatives in the new Obama Administration. Please take the time to share your insights and opinions, or paste in the letter below: http://change.gov/page/content/contact/
Send a letter to encourage President-Elect Obama to select a Secretary of Agriculture who looks forward to a sustainable future!
***
Dear President-Elect Obama,
The sustainable agriculture and rural advocacy community supported you in record numbers during the election because of the family farm-friendly policies that you advocated during your campaign.
As our nation's future president, we hope that you will take our concerns under advisement when nominating our next Secretary of Agriculture because of the crucial role this Secretary will play in -
1. Revitalizing our rural economy through investment in sustainable agricultural practices
2. Protecting our nation's and the world's food supply and environment by redirecting government attention and funding away from genetically modified organisms, agricultural chemicals, monoculture and factory farms, towards truly affordable, sustainable models of agriculture.
3. Promoting fair trade and local biodiversity around the world to prevent food shortages and hunger, and create self-sufficiency in every nation.
4. Protecting human health through chemical-free agriculture and abundant, nutritious food, using the knowledge that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
5. Supporting the independent family farmer, not just in words, but in deeds that open new markets for their products
6. Creating a renewable energy future that does not depend on genetically engineered crops.
7. Supporting organic agriculture
With these goals in mind, we are offering a list of leaders who have demonstrated an understanding of the principles that you articulated during your campaign, and we encourage you to consider them for the role of Secretary of Agriculture. A commitment to sustainable agriculture and fair trade will help to restore America’s standing in the world as the guarantor of the dignity of human life.
The Sustainable Choices for the Next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
*Gus Schumacher, Former Under-Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Former Massachusetts Commissioner of Agriculture.
*Chuck Hassebrook, Executive Director, Center for Rural Affairs, Lyons, NE.
*Sarah Vogel, former two-term Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of North Dakota, attorney, Bismarck, ND.
*Fred Kirschenmann, organic farmer, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Ames, IA and President, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Pocantico Hills, NY.
*Mark Ritchie, current Minnesota Secretary of State, former policy analyst in Minnesota's Department of Agriculture under Governor Rudy Perpich, co-founder of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.
*Neil Hamilton, attorney, Dwight D. Opperman Chair of Law and Professor of Law and Director, Agricultural Law Center, Drake University, Des Moines, IA.
*Tom Buis, President of the National Farmers Union since March 1998. Served for nearly five years as senior agriculture policy advisor to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D. and special assistant for agriculture to U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, D-Ind. Buis was a full-time grain and livestock farmer in Putnam and Morgan Counties in West Central Indiana. Member of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) executive committee, representing more than 600 million farm families.
*Jim Riddle, organic farmer, gardener, inspector, educator, policy analyst, and author. Founding chair of the Independent Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA), co-author of the International Organic Inspection Manual. Riddle holds the endowed chair of Agricultural Systems at the University of Minnesota and is chair of the National Organic Standards Board, which advises the USDA on organic agriculture policies and regulations.
Act now!
Send this letter to the Obama Transition Team. Copy this letter and paste it in the form at http://change.gov/page/content/contact/
In the subject line write "Attn: Department of Agriculture Review Team Leader Bart Chilton"