Posts Tagged ‘Kathleen Merrigan’

• USDA Releases New Guidelines for Organic Milk

  Date: 02.16.2010 | Category: News Feed | Response: 0

  Organic dairy standards have gotten a makeover from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The new guidelines, which will require that dairy producers meet more stringent criteria in order for their milk to be certified organic, will go into effect on June 17, 2010.

  The amendments to the National Organic Program state that animals must be pastured for at least four months of the year to be approved as organic milk producers. During the four-month grazing season, 30 percent of their diet must come from pasture grass.

  Dairy farms in temperate climates will be expected to pasture their cows for more than the four months specified in the guidelines. USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan stated the standards were the minimum requirement for organic farmers, “You can meet this threshold whether you’re in Vermont or Arizona.”

  Environmental considerations were also addressed in the new guidelines. The USDA states “Producers must have a pasture management plan and manage pasture as a crop to meet the feed requirements for the grazing animals and to protect soil and water quality.”

  The changes are an attempt to standardize the organic certification process to protect the consumer. According to the Los Angeles Times: “The new rules seek to close loopholes that had allowed some of the country’s largest feedlots to sell their milk as organic, even though their herds rarely grazed in fields.”

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• Major Chain Moves to Sell Only Wild Salmon

  Date: 02.02.2010 | Category: News Feed | Response: 2

  Target will no longer sell farm-raised salmon in any of its stores nationwide. Instead of sourcing from salmon farms, Target will stock only Alaskan, wild-caught salmon in its fresh, frozen and smoked seafood sections. The company cited environmental reasons behind the decision, which was announced last week.

  Target consulted conservationists with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch to determine how to make their seafood offerings more environmentally conscious. Farmed salmon, Target argues, can increase pollution, chemicals and parasites and hurt native salmon in surrounding areas.

  Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, said “Target’s decision to source sustainable wild-caught salmon, instead of farmed, will have a real impact in the marketplace — and ultimately, on the health of our oceans.” Seafood Watch rates wild-caught salmon a “Best Choice.”

  The changes will extend to Target’s own brands, Archer Farms and Market Pantry, which will now sell only wild salmon. Target expects to have phased all farmed salmon products out of its stores by the end of 2010. Greg Duppler, senior vice president of marketing for Target noted, “Our guests now have an array of sustainable seafood choices at great prices.”

  Whole Foods isn’t joining Target in the farmed salmon ban. Last week Whole Foods launched a new label to alert shoppers that their seafood—including farmed salmon—meets the company’s “responsibly farmed” criteria.

  Whole Foods believes “Farming seafood can provide a consistent, high-quality, year-round supply of healthy and delicious protein. And when it’s done right, aquaculture can be environmentally friendly and can be a crucial way to supplement wild-caught fish supplies.”

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• Winter at the White House Garden

  Date: 12.22.2009 | Category: News Feed | Response: 0

  Nineteen inches of snow and the White House Kitchen Garden is still growing. Fresh off the success of the fall harvest, Michelle Obama’s garden was prepped for the winter growing season with hoop houses just days before this weekend’s record snowfall.

  A hoop house is constructed using metal bars and then stretching fabric or plastic tightly around the outside of the structure, creating a temporary energy-efficient greenhouse. The sun warms the hoop house, and the structure protects and insulates crops from snow and frost. Hoop houses also improve soil and water quality.

  Volunteers and USDA staff planted spinach, lettuce, carrots, mustard greens, chard and cabbage, as well as a crop of rye, which is used by farmers to balance soil and prevent erosion of topsoil during the winter. Assistant Chef and Food Initiative Coordinator Sam Kass announced the White House Winter Garden on a video posted to the White House blog.

  On hand to help with the construction of hoop houses was USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, who announced a new USDA program that will help farmers finance hoop house construction to extend their growing season. Merrigan notes the value of producing year-round, explaining it’s “important because that helps build local and regional food systems–something USDA wants to help you with.”

  Financial assistance will be provided to fund hoop house construction on farms of various sizes in 38 states. The three-year project is part of the USDA’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative.

  The timing for erecting the hoop houses at the White House Garden couldn’t have been better, considering the massive snowstorm that hit Washington last weekend. According to blogger Eddie Gehman Kohan, of the ObamaFoodOrama blog, the hoop houses were cleared of snow after the storm and the vegetables remain protected.

  Kass has already been showing off the benefits of growing through the winter. D.C. elementary students toured the White House Garden with Kass as part of the Operation Frontline program, which focuses on nutrition and healthy eating habits for children. Kass captivated the students with the garden’s cold weather spinach, which tastes sweet, and taught them about preparing healthy meals.

  More National News

  Dec. 18:  A new study shows local food businesses play a critical role in economic development. Business Week

  Dec. 20: In Wisconsin, a man argues for his right to sell raw milk.  Chicago Tribune

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• Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

  Date: 10.21.2009 | Category: News Feed | Response: 0

  The sustainable food movement is getting some much-needed federal help. On September 14th, the USDA launched the new program “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” in an effort to “create new economic opportunities by better connecting consumers with local producers.”

  U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack introduced the initiative via YouTube video. Vilsack explains that by doing business with local farmers, American families will be able to eat healthier foods and stimulate the economy at the local level.

  The USDA is expected to provide approximately $65 million in funding for the program.

  The “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” website provides information on federal loans, grants and support available for farmers. The website will allow individuals to share experiences and ideas and will also help facilitate discussion of the local food movement through social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter.

  To kick-off the new program, Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan held a live discussion of the sustainable food movement and the “Know Your Farmer Know Your Food” initiative on Facebook on October 1.

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