Williamston, MI (June 21, 2024) - Organic Seed Alliance was invited to attend the “Investing in America Rural Prosperity Fireside Chat” with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-MI 7th District) in April.
The event took place in Williamston, MI, and focused on the needs of rural small business and family farms in the state, strengthening farming supply chains, and goals for the next Farm Bill. OSA’s Midwest Research and Education Associate, Michael Lordon, was in attendance to learn and ask questions about the USDA’s commitment to advancing fair and competitive markets in agriculture, especially the seed industry.
The Secretary of Agriculture is responsible for oversight of numerous policies and programs covering agricultural production, food safety, nutrition, conservation, and more. Secretary Vilsack held this position as part of the Obama administration, and was appointed again by President Biden in 2021. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin has represented Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019, and is a candidate for the U.S. Senate to succeed Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who is the Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and has announced plans to retire at the end of her current term. Representative Slotkin is the only Michigander on the House Agriculture Committee.
The Secretary and Congresswoman spoke to a crowd of about 100 people that included farmers, university extension agents, government officials, local media, and non-profit organizations. The key points of the Secretary’s presentation can be viewed in this video from the USDA Youtube channel, titled “USDA’s Framework of Opportunity for Farmers, Rural Communities and Families”. There was coverage of the event in various media outlets including WILX, WHMI, Michigan Farm News, and Michigan Business Network.
After their presentations, speakers took several questions from the audience, including from OSA’s Michael Lordon. He took the opportunity to thank the USDA for their 2023 report, More and Better Choices for Farmers [PDF], and for the establishment of the Seed Liaison position within USDA, then asked about the Department’s future commitments to fair and competitive markets, especially in the seed industry where farmers’ choice and their right to save seed is still being threatened.
The Seed Liaison program was designed for farmers’ voices to be more effectively conveyed in the patent process. According to the Secretary, this is in response to some major seed companies that had been taking advantage of the patent program by denying access to farmers and researchers of basic germplasm. He also emphasized that there is work to be done to ensure that the Patent and Trademark Office has the level of expertise necessary to fully understand these complex topics. A primary focus of future work is developing a better understanding among government staff of what farmers do and what farmers need, and as the Department learns more, there will be additional steps.
Along with the issues related to intellectual property restrictions, the Secretary brought up another concerning trend, which is the transfer of responsibility for research from public organizations to the private sector. In the case of seeds, private companies conduct research, but need to generate profit to recoup their investments, so they restrict the knowledge or breeding material from being freely accessed by farmers or public plant breeders. The Secretary spoke about his support for greater investment in public agriculture research, and he is asking Congress to support these increased investments in upcoming legislation. He closed by saying that farmers would likely be better off if we had a better balance between private sector research and publicly financed research that was available to everyone.
A theme of the discussion was that the USDA is working to build a better path forward for farmers that is not, “get big or get out!” The Department is committed to rebuilding a thriving economy of small- and medium-scale farmers, especially those that are willing to adopt climate smart agricultural practices and engage in local/regional food systems. Organic agriculture is a trustworthy system for value-added production that is healthy for soils and protects biodiversity, and the USDA is making unprecedented investments in helping farmers transition to organic production and maintain their certifications. There is an ongoing need for the Department to address discriminatory practices and inequities within its programs.
Organic Seed Alliance is grateful for the invitation to attend this event and ask about our policy priorities. For more information about policies that Organic Seed Alliance advocates for, check out the 2023 Policy Platform for Seed.