The Maine Farm Bureau has joined with another 290 agricultural entities from around the nation in urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to assure that USDA continues its “support for the USDA organic label and the federal marketing, research and data collection programs that support the label.”
While not an organization dedicated to organic agriculture, the Maine Farm Bureau board of directors agreed to sign on to the letter at its June meeting.
“Unlike agricultural organizations that advocate for only one method of farming, Maine Farm Bureau supports all types of agriculture and all of the people involved in our industry, said Maine Farm Bureau Executive Director Dr. Alicyn Smart.
Dr. Smart said those Farm Bureau members who do choose to voluntarily farm using organic methods are generally smaller farms that depend on USDA maintaining the integrity of the organic label. Their economic success depends on consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for organically produced food, and that willingness depends on federal assurances that the food is, in fact, produced using required organic standards.
The letter to Secretary Perdue explained that “Organic regulations are voluntary, or opt-in, in the sense that farmers decide whether they want to participate in the National Organic Program. Similarly, consumers voluntarily decide whether to buy organic food. U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan has used the USDA organic standards as an example of a “better way” to approach federal regulations to foster a stronger U.S. economy using a voluntary approach to regulations.
“The economic success of the organic sector also depends on strong enforcement by USDA and USDA-accredited organic certifier organizations domestically and internationally. It is the job of the certifiers to ensure that all organic operations meet the strict production, processing and handling standards established by USDA through an open and transparent public process. It is the job of USDA to use its accreditation and oversight functions to ensure that certifiers are enforcing the standards in an effective and uniform manner for all organic operations. Consumers depend on the integrity of the USDA organic seal, and expect uniform enforcement of the standards,” the letter added.
Recent reports of very large farms in the Midwest and western sections of the country skirting some organic regulations have worried Maine’s organic farmers that lax enforcement of the rules by USDA and some organic certifiers could harm the organic segment of the industry.
Maine Farm Bureau was the only state Farm Bureau chapter to sign on to the letter, which comes two weeks before Maine Farm Bureau will be the host of a visit to Maine by American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall later in July. During the visit President Duvall will meet with family members of an organic potato operation in Aroostook County as well as with conventional dairy, potato, broccoli, and blueberry producers from Penobscot, Aroostook and Washington Counties.
Aside from production-related issues, there will be discussions over the need for improved broadband Internet services for rural areas in the state. Broadband is a key issue for both the Maine and national Farm Bureau organizations.
Other signatories from Maine on the letter included the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Unity; Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Winslow; the Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association, Washington; Beau Chemin Preservation Farm in Winslow; BrightBerry Farm in Dixmont; and Wood Prairie Family Farm in Bridgewater.
