2002 Unsung Organic Heroes

After the Organic rule was made final in 2002, Organic Valley arranged a reception in Washington DC for Washington-based organic advocates who had made an important contribution to the development and passage of the Organic Foods Production Act. Roger provided George Siemon with historic information on the advocates and their organizations which he had saved, and also made remarks at the Organic Valley reception.

Identifying The Unsung Heros

September 9, 2002 Memorandum To:         George Siemon From:    Roger Blobaum Re: D.C. Organic Supporters Since late 1989, organic supporters in D.C. organized themselves first in a series of working groups and then, beginning with the first rule proposal eight years later, joined the larger effort coordinated by the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. They also participated actively in the monthly brown bag lunches organized by Ferd Hoefner to coordinate work on the 1995 farm bill and in the Campaign’s continuing effort to get funding for sustainable agriculture initiatives and for implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act.

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Remarks at the Organic Valley Reception Washington, D.C. October 2, 2002

I want to thank George Siemon and his colleagues at Organic Valley for arranging this event and for inviting all of us who have worked on organic issues here over the last 13 years or more. I don’t feel we have been any kind of unsung heroes, as George suggests. We got involved, and have kept at it, because we feel organic agriculture is the agricultural alternative this country needs. I had the privilege of being the unofficial secretariat for D.C.-based public interest organizations working on organic issues for eight years beginning in 1989. This included chairing or co-chairing three different organic working groups set up to coordinate our joint efforts. As a result, I have a thick folder of lists and other information from this period.

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