A new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) advisory committee that had its first public meeting last week will be good for urban food producers, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a release.
The Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production was established under the 2018 Farm Bill to advise the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture about policy development and outreach for urban, indoor and emerging agricultural production practices. The committee also was established to help identify barriers to urban agriculture.
"I look forward to working with this new urban agriculture federal advisory committee," Vilsack said in a March 8 USDA news release. "The committee's valuable insights and expertise will provide critical guidance to help us better serve urban agricultural producers, strengthen local food systems, and increase equity and access to healthy, local food."
Vilsack, sworn in as Agriculture Secretary under President Joe Biden in February of last year, previously served eight years in the same office during the Obama years. Prior to his appointments, Vilsack was Iowa governor for two terms, and also served in the Iowa State Senate and as the mayor of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
Vilsack's comments came a couple of weeks before the committee's inaugural meeting, via Zoom, Wednesday and Thursday, March 23 and 24, which the public was encouraged to attend. Public comments were limited to 3 minutes and allowed for people who had submitted their comments prior to the March 18 deadline, according to the USDA news release.
Part of the committee's job is to advance USDA’s efforts to create a feedback system in support of urban agriculture. Committee members include agricultural producers, and representatives from education, industry and other fields.
The agenda for last week's two-day meeting included an overview of USDA's Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production office and the committee's roles and responsibilities. Vilsack was expected to appear briefly during the conference.
Others expected to speak during the conference included committee coordinator Tammy Willis; Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Terry Cosby; Production and Conservation Deputy Under Secretary Gloria Montaño Greene: U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan); National Institute of Food and Agriculture Science Liaison Bradley Rein; Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux and Acting Farm Service Agency Urban Agriculture Lead Jenna Segal.
