Spring 2022 ORGANIC REPORT 14 Three Congressional Champions of Organic Announce Retirement Leadership THE LAST couple of years have been challenging, to say the least. And in Washington, D.C., things have been no different. As many people reevaluate their lives and reflect on what is most important to them, three giants in U.S. Congress who have led support for the organic sector have decided it is finally time to hang up their hats. Collectively they represent 108 years of public service in the U.S House of Representatives and Senate. Two of them—Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR)— were the original authors of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) signed into law in 1990 to create federal standards for the burgeoning organic agriculture movement, now a more than $62 billion a year industry. DeFazio and Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) who also announced he won’t be seeking reelection in 2022, founded and co-chaired the House Organic Caucus, a group of bipartisan lawmakers dedicated to promoting the organic sector that now counts more than 50 representatives in their roster. A LEGACY LIKE NO OTHER Known as the “Grandfather of Organic,” Senator Patrick Leahy was Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture during the development of the 1990 farm bill. He introduced and championed the OFPA, ensuring its inclusion in the farm bill, no easy feat given the staunch opposition from the conventional agriculture community and members of Congress who represented them. After the bill was signed into law, Senator Leahy fought fiercely for its implementation, and to this day has advocated for robust federal funding and support of the organic sector. He has been a true friend of organic farmers in his great state of Vermont and across the nation. PUNCHING ABOVE YOUR WEIGHT If Leahy is known as the Grandfather of Organic, then Congressman Peter DeFazio from Oregon might be dubbed “the Godfather of Organic.” When OFPA passed the Senate, Leahy had to find a champion to carry it across the finish line in the House, an even more insurmountable challenge than the Senate because of fierce opposition from both the leadership and rank and file at the House Agriculture Committee. DeFazio volunteered for the thankless task. Fiery and passionate, he was willing to stick his neck out despite being a junior member of Congress with only one term under his belt and having never served on the Agriculture Committee. Not surprisingly, when the Farm Bill passed out of the House Agriculture Committee, it did not include OFPA. Not one “Congressman DeFazio was willing to introduce and f ight for the Organic Foods Production Act in the House of Representatives when no one else would consider doing so. He has taken the lead for decades on organic policy, always with the goal of advocating for directions that would allow organic farmers, handlers, and processers to prosper. His leadership will be sorely missed by many, but especially by those of us who have had the honor of working with him on organic policy issues over his decades as an important member of the organic community,” says Lynn Coody of Organically Grown Company. “I ’m so grateful for all that Senator Leahy taught me about public service, standing up for what is right, and being gracious in a town not known for that attribute. There’s more to be said, but for now, I will leave it at, thank you, Senator. I admire you so very much!” said Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, Arizona State University.
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