>Tufts Prof. Merrigan tapped for No 2 USDA post >Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:28pm EST >
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE51M7QM20090223 >WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama chose Kathleen >Merrigan, an assistant professor at Tufts University who helped >develop U.S. organic food labeling rules, for the Agriculture >Department's No 2 job, the White House said on Monday. > >Merrigan, tapped for deputy secretary of Agriculture, was head of >USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service from 1999-2001 during the >Clinton era and helped develop USDA's rules on what can be sold as >organic food. As a Senate aide, she worked on the 1990 law that >recognized organic farming. > >"Sustainable and organic farmers are excited ... that someone who >has been associated with these issues her whole career is going to >be at that level in the department," said Ferd Hoefner of the >National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. > >Hoefner encouraged the Senate to confirm Merrigan for the post. > >Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was confirmed on Jan 20. The >deputy agriculture secretary usually oversees day-to-day operations >of USDA. > >Merrigan, who went to work at Tufts in Boston after serving at USDA, >has worked at the Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture and >as a consultant for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization from >1994-99. She worked on the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee from >1987-92. She has a doctoral degree in environmental planning from >the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. > >Earlier this month, Vilsack said he submitted several suggestions to >the White House to fill slots at USDA. > >(Reporting by Charles Abbott; Editing by David Gregorio) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's "News From Underground" newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to [email protected] OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the "Unsubscribe or change membership" link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the "Unsubscribe" button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
