Bernie Sanders at the Iowa Organic Association Conference
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders laid out plans for USDA under his administration, including ideas like reinstating Country-of-Origin-Labeling (COOL) which is necessary for consumers who want to know what country their food is coming from. He also realizes that the current organic label has been corrupted by multinational corporations and vows to strengthen organic standards. He wants to bring young people back to rural America and restore consumer confidence.
It may be surprising to learn that two of Iowa's broadbased farm organizations--Iowa Organic Association and Iowa Farmers Union-- brought Democratic candidates to their annual meetings last week. But Iowa has always had a core of progressive support, from the days of the Granger movement to today. Sanders was invited to both meetings and in this podcast addresses the organic farmers. You can tell he's studied the issues and, indeed, my friends in Iowa report he has met with small groups and learned their issues. This podcast is one of four that will be posted by Farm and Fiddle today, joining podcasts of speeches by Klobuchar, Buttigieg and Booker.