I think I am qualified to say that my friend Senator McGovern would have liked the George McGovern Lecture delivered last week in Rome by former Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan. The lecture named for the former South Dakota senator is an annual event for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.…
Merrigan's Last Act: Enlisting Extension Agents as 'Voices for Food'
Extension agents — usually associated with helping farmers behind the scenes — sometimes do get out front on public policy. And when they do, it’s with such a light touch it’s hardly noticed. But it’s highly effective. A generation ago, South Dakota State University Extension helped lay the groundwork for a new state constitution by…
Merrigan Expresses Worry About FSMA's Impact on Agriculture
Kathleen Merrigan, who recently left her role as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said this week she is concerned about the negative impact the Food Safety Modernization Act could have on small- and medium-sized farms. According to a report by AgriPulse, Merrigan made the remarks at CropLife America’s National…
USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan to Step Down Next Month
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s number two in command, Kathleen Merrigan, a longtime advocate of local and regional food systems, announced yesterday she will be leaving her post.
Deputy Secretary Merrigan, who led the USDA’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative throughout President Obama’s first term, did not say when she would step down…
USDA Makes Grants Available for Farm to School Programs
Farm to school food programs are set to receive a boost this October in the form of $3.5 million in federal grant money.
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan announced Tuesday that the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is now accepting applications for a series of grants – each one to be no more than …
USDA’s Merrigan: No One Gets a Pass on Food Safety
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan touched on the importance of food safety in the growing regional and local food movement during the U.S. Department of Agriculture Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food event at the White House on Monday.
“No one gets a pass on food safety, in my mind, I don’t care if you’re …
USDA Releases First Farm to School Evaluation
Efforts to serve local food in schools are expanding nationwide, but creating a market between small farms and school districts still poses many challenges, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first report on farm-to-school initiatives.
Over the past year, a team of nine government representatives visited 15 school districts operating farm to school programs …
USDA Encourages Americans to Know Their Farmers
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a new video this week in an effort to create economic opportunities in rural communities by promoting local and regional food systems.
The video provides commentary from USDA Under Secretary Kathleen Merrigan encouraging the American public to research where their food comes from.
“Very few people now are
…
White House Farmers Market Opens
At the sound of a herd of cow bells, the farmers market by the White House kicked off yesterday. Surrounded by Washington, DC-area sustainable and local food advocates, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan helped ring in the 2010 season of the FRESHFARM Market.
Merrigan–who recently landed on the 2010 TIME 100 list of the world’s …
USDA Promotes Local Food in Georgia
USDA Leaders Promote Local Food in Georgia This Week–Is Local Food Safer?
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan visited the University of Georgia Monday to discuss the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ initiative.
The stop is part of Merrigan’s ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food,’ college tour, which …
USDA: No One is Exempt From Food Safety
‘No one is exempt from food safety,’ but USDA, FDA show sensitivity to small farmer concerns
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan addressed food safety concerns last week in the first online event for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ initiative to support local food.
The online chat, which …