Tell President-elect Biden that We Need an Organic USDA

Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sits at the nexus of complex and systemic problems that need urgent attention—pesticide-dependent genetically engineered crops, the integrity of certified organic agriculture, and the climate crisis—the choice of the agency’s head is critical to meeting the challenges necessary to sustaining life.

USDA has long been a big promoter of chemical-intensive agriculture. With President-elect Joe Biden committed to priorities of addressing health care, systemic racism, and climate change, the time is now for USDA to change the way it does business. We need an organic advocate in the Secretary of Agriculture, who must be committed to transitioning chemical-intensive agriculture to organic practices—thereby eliminating petroleum-based pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, sequestering atmospheric carbon, protecting farmworker and farmer health, delivering a safe food supply, and ensuring clean air, water, and healthy terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

>>Tell President-elect Biden to appoint an organic leader as USDA Secretary.

The purview of USDA is far-ranging—from SNAP (food stamps) to agricultural support programs to research to inspections and other regulations. And the National Organic Program. Research includes programs promoting pesticides and genetically engineered crops. USDA’s history with President-elect Biden’s priority issues has not been good historically. Promotion of chemical-intensive production hurts health as well as the environment and leads to increased climate change. Chemical-intensive agriculture is systemically racist—disproportionately exposing black, indigenous, and people of color to hazardous chemicals from their production through use and disposal, while food deserts in low income neighborhoods offer low quality processed food contaminated with chemical residues.

We need an organic leader at USDA—a catalyst who will promote healthy organic food for all, as well as agricultural production practices that prevent climate change and environmental degradation.

There are plenty of possibilities from which to choose:

Public officials include organic farmers like Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana), and Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman (D-Vermont).
State Agriculture commissioners Jim Hightower (Texas) and Kate Greenberg (D-Colorado). She worked on organic and regenerative farms and was a leader with the National Young Farmers Association.
Organic and regenerative farmers who have worked at USDA, including Francis Thicke, PhD, who is an organic farmer and former National Organic Standards Board member and USDA National Program Leader for Soil Science, and Shirley Sherrod, who was the Georgia State Director of Rural Development.
Organic and regenerative farmers and ranchers who, because of historic discrimination, have never been offered political appointments, but have proven themselves as leaders, include John Boyd, founder of the National Black Farmers Association, Karen Washington, co-founder of Black Urban Growers, and Winona LaDuke, founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, to name just a few.

>>Tell President-elect Biden to appoint an organic leader as USDA Secretary.

Letter to President-elect Biden's Agriculture Transition Team

I am writing to you because I am concerned that people—like former Senator Heidi Heitkamp—who have been suggested as the Secretary of Agriculture in the Biden administration will take us in the wrong direction and not meet the existential crises of the climate crisis and biodiversity devastation. We have a plethora of dedicated leaders to choose from who have exhibited a deep commitment to advancing organic agriculture—thereby eliminating petroleum-based pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, sequestering atmospheric carbon, protecting farmworker and farmer health, delivering a safe food supply, and ensuring clean air, water, and healthy terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

The purview of USDA is far-ranging—from SNAP (food stamps) to agricultural support programs to research to inspections and other regulations. And the National Organic Program. Research includes programs promoting pesticides and genetically engineered crops. USDA’s history with the Biden priority issues has not been good in the past. Promotion of chemical-intensive production hurts health as well as the environment and leads to increased climate change. Chemical-intensive agriculture is systemically racist—disproportionately exposing black, indigenous, and people of color to hazardous chemicals from their production through use and disposal, while food deserts in low income neighborhoods offer low quality processed food contaminated with chemical residues.

We need an organic leader at USDA—a catalyst who will promote organic food for all, as well as production that prevents climate change and environmental degradation.

There are plenty of possibilities to choose from:

Public officials include organic farmers like Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) and Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman (D-Vermont).
State Agriculture commissioners Jim Hightower (Texas) and Kate Greenberg (D-Colorado). She worked on organic and regenerative farms and was a leader with the National Young Farmers Association.
Organic and regenerative farmers who have worked at USDA, including Francis Thicke, PhD, who was USDA’s National Program Leader for Soil Science, and Shirley Sherrod, who was the Georgia State Director of Rural Development.
Organic and regenerative farmers and ranchers who, because of historic discrimination, have never been offered political appointments, but have proven themselves as leaders, include John Boyd, founder of the National Black Farmers Association, Karen Washington, co-founder of Black Urban Growers, and Winona LaDuke, founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, to name just a few.

Please select an organic leader for Secretary of Agriculture, who must be committed to transitioning from chemical-intensive agriculture to organic practices—thereby eliminating petroleum-based pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, sequestering atmospheric carbon, protecting farmworker and farmer health, delivering a safe food supply, and ensuring clean air, water, and healthy terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Thank you.

Letter to Congress

The purview of USDA is far-ranging—from SNAP (food stamps) to agricultural support programs to research to inspections and other regulations. And the National Organic Program. Research includes programs promoting pesticides and genetically engineered crops. USDA’s history with the Biden priority issues has not been good in the past. Promotion of chemical-intensive production hurts health as well as the environment and leads to increased climate change. Chemical-intensive agriculture is systemically racist—disproportionately exposing black, indigenous, and people of color to hazardous chemicals from their production through use and disposal, while food deserts in low income neighborhoods offer low quality processed food contaminated with chemical residues.

We need an organic leader at USDA—a catalyst who will promote organic food for all, as well as production that prevents climate change and environmental degradation.

There are plenty of possibilities to choose from:

Public officials include organic farmers like Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) and Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman (D-Vermont).
State Agriculture commissioners Jim Hightower (Texas) and Kate Greenberg (D-Colorado). She worked on organic and regenerative farms and was a leader with the National Young Farmers Association.
Organic and regenerative farmers who have worked at USDA, including Francis Thicke, PhD, who was USDA’s National Program Leader for Soil Science, and Shirley Sherrod, who was the Georgia State Director of Rural Development.
Organic and regenerative farmers and ranchers who, because of historic discrimination, have never been offered political appointments, but have proven themselves as leaders, include John Boyd, founder of the National Black Farmers Association, Karen Washington, co-founder of Black Urban Growers, and Winona LaDuke, founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, to name just a few.

Thank you.