Published on February 17, 2010

United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addresses the winter conference of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont in Burlington Saturday. At the table are Representative Will Stevens (left), Congressman Peter Welch, and senators Pat Leahy and Bernie Sanders.    Photos by Bethany M. Dunbar

BURLINGTON — “Like it or not, for better or worse, the organic market has become mainstream.”

This uncomfortable success was dramatically apparent at the winter conference of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) on Saturday.  On hand were all three members of Vermont’s congressional delegation and Tom Vilsack, the secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  It seems possible this was the first time the Secret Service was ever brought in for a meeting of organic farmers.

The dignitaries were introduced by Representative Will Stevens of Shoreham, who made the comment that opens this article.

One of the problems with the popularity of organic food is that anyone selling food would like to claim it is organic.  Mr. Vilsack promised to devote

Senators Bernie Sanders and Pat Leahy confer just before Secretary Vilsack’s speech.

resources of the USDA to making sure the rules are clear and enforced.

Senator Pat Leahy wrote the standards for organics, and he said he wrote them based on what people in the room had told him.  He noted that more comments have been submitted on federal organic rules than any other federal rules.  He said it goes to show how well-informed and passionate organic farmers are about what they do.

“You have come a very, very, long way,” said Senator Bernie Sanders.  He said the people in the Ira Allen Chapel that day had created a cultural revolution.  “I can remember when organic was a fringe term....

“From one end of the country to the other, the cry is getting louder that people want good quality, locally produced food,” he said.  “They don’t want to support corporations that rip off farmers.  The momentum is with us.”

Vermont’s one congressman, Peter Welch, noted that this was the first visit by a secretary of agriculture to Vermont in 20 years.

“I realize that I’m in front of folks that are on the cutting edge of American agriculture,” Mr. Vilsack said.  He said Vermont is well represented by its delegation, and they told him that when he came to Vermont, “You’re going to be visiting with a lot of passionate people.”

“They represent that passion,” said the secretary about the delegation.

Mr. Vilsack said organic agriculture is an ever-increasing percentage of food sales.  Organic food is grown on 4.1 million acres in the country on 14,540 farms, with $3-billion in sales.

In Vermont, there are 800 organic farms, and New York has 500.  He cited statistics showing the average sales and costs of production are both higher on organic farms.

“We expect to see continued growth,” he said.  “In the past, frankly, USDA has not played a strong enough role in enforcement.”

Arcana organic perennials had a colorful display.

He said USDA will spend $2.1-million on regulatory review and get into soil sampling for pesticides and market surveillance.

“We’re serious about expanding markets,” he added.

A rule about organics that says animals must have access to pasture is being changed to provide greater assurance to consumers that animals are not stuck inside a barn all day.  The rule will say that animals must have 120 days a year on pasture and 30 percent of their diets must be from the pasture, and the farm must have a pasture management plan.

He mentioned that the USDA is working on food safety laws and working with the Department of Justice on issues of competition.

The USDA will put $280-million into regional initiatives, and promotion funds will double from $5-million to $10-million.

“Research is also critical,” he said.  The USDA is going to increase spending on research by 56 percent, on top of the $20-million increase that was

Left to right are Santini Leporati, Jen Goodale, and Walt Goodale of Weybridge, who had organic plugs (small plants) on display.

included in the last farm bill.

“I am here today for a very personal reason,” Mr. Vilsack said.  He said he grew up in a city and never imagined that he would be the secretary of agriculture.  But when he was young he moved to Iowa and started practicing law.  He began to realize what a hard life farmers have.  He did their accounting and discovered what a difficult time they had economically.

One day a big hog farmer came in, close to tears, and said his farm was going to be foreclosed on and he was looking for some help.  After talking with him for a few minutes, Mr. Vilsack told the man he sensed there was more to his story.

“I’m a father of seven sons,” the man said.  He said the first six sons went off and became doctors and engineers and lawyers, but the last son wanted to be a farmer.  In order to make that happen, the father borrowed money and bought some more land, and then there was a downturn in prices and things got very tight financially.  The son felt responsible and took his own life.

Mr. Vilsack said he has never forgotten that moment, and decided right then he would do everything he could to make sure that anyone who wants to farm the land can do it.

This display showed heritage varieties of wheat.

“Sometimes we succeed, and often times we fail,” he said.

There was just time for a few questions, which were posed by Mr. Stevens.  The most loaded was about genetically modified organisms (GMO).  Clashes, and sometimes court battles, have come between conventional and organic farmers who live side by side when pollen from copyrighted seed produced by large corporations floated into organic crops.

“Who do you think should bear primary responsibility?  And is there a way to shift the burden of responsibility from the victims to the perpetrators?” asked Mr. Stevens.

“The USDA has to do a better job than it has done in trying to figure out how organic producers coexist,” Mr. Vilsack said in response.  He said he would like to see some research that might show how to prevent the problem in the first place, and insurance might come into play as a remedy.

There are 2.2 million farmers in America today, he said.  “We’ve lost a million farmers.”  He said he will try to do what he can as secretary to keep the rest.

Mr. Stevens said he would toss the secretary a softball as his last question.  How would he remember this day and his visit to Vermont?

“If I forget about it I can go into Senator Leahy’s office and see the five million photographs,” he said.

Mr. Vilsack met with dairy farmers earlier in the day in Burlington and announced a $10-million USDA loan for the proposed wood pellet plant in Island Pond.  Later in the day he spoke at a meeting of dairy farmers who are members of the St. Albans Cooperative Creamery.