US Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced on October 30, 2009 that $19 million in grants have been awarded “to universities across the country to solve critical organic agriculture issues through the integration of research, education and extension projects.”
In the USDA news release Merrigan makes the following statement:
Merrigan made the announcement in Portland, Maine at Borealis Breads. The owner of Borealis Breads, Jim Amaral, has benefited “from the USDA funded research by using the locally produced organic bread wheat that meets the higher quality standards necessary for bread production.”
The USDA news release notes that since the late 1990’s, organic production in the US has more than doubled. Still the consumer market is outperforming production in that demand in the form of sales has quintupled to a value of $24.6 billion in 2008. According to the USDA, 28 percent of consumers buy organic products weekly.
Organic products are also uniquely situated to highlight the message of the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” Initiative, which aims, among other things, to create more local awareness of production and consumption of farm products.
To read the USDA news release and to see a list of recipients, click here.
In the USDA news release Merrigan makes the following statement:
"Organic agriculture is one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture
and USDA and Congress, through the 2008 Farm Bill, are committed to helping this
industry succeed by addressing critical organic agriculture issues through the
integration of research, education and extension projects . . . These grants are
an important part of USDA's new 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative,
which will help develop local and regional food systems and spur economic
opportunity by assisting organic producers with new production and marketing
practices to meet rising consumer demand."
Merrigan made the announcement in Portland, Maine at Borealis Breads. The owner of Borealis Breads, Jim Amaral, has benefited “from the USDA funded research by using the locally produced organic bread wheat that meets the higher quality standards necessary for bread production.”
The USDA news release notes that since the late 1990’s, organic production in the US has more than doubled. Still the consumer market is outperforming production in that demand in the form of sales has quintupled to a value of $24.6 billion in 2008. According to the USDA, 28 percent of consumers buy organic products weekly.
Organic products are also uniquely situated to highlight the message of the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” Initiative, which aims, among other things, to create more local awareness of production and consumption of farm products.
To read the USDA news release and to see a list of recipients, click here.
Posted: 11/02/09
