A seasoned pro

I read on the USDA's Web site that Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has named Keith Williams as press secretary for the agency. As you would expect, Williams is a smooth and polished pro with the press, having previously served as media spokesman at the Senate Agriculture Committee under Saxby Chambliss. I've dealt with Keith any number of times and he always returns calls, which is a rarer attribute than you might think.

Organics at crossroads

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published new data sets on organic farming. The statistics show a million acre increase in organic farmland (all crops) between 2004 and 2005. Still, total organic certified farmland represents just 0.51% of all crop acreage, the USDA says. Meanwhile, the Organic Trade Association has used the occasion to call for more federal assistance in transition of cropland from conventional to organic, greater research funding for organic agriculture, reduced trade barriers for organic goods and enhanced funding for the USDA's National Organic Program. In five years, it will be intriguing to see if the surge in organic acreage now will be sustainable by then for both growers and retailers.

As you like it

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has just published a final rule that establishes new protocols for some fruit and vegetable imports. Some of the commodities effected include South African grapes, Chilean tomatoes, Philippine mangoes and Italian kiwifruit. Most of the items have been previously been allowed, but the rule changes some of the requirements; for example, a "systems" approach rather than methyl bromide fumigation. Here's hoping other countries are working as hard at opening up their markets to U.S. produce as the USDA is grinding to ease import restrictions for exporters to the U.S.