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Sen. Aubertine Discusses Commission On Rural Resources, USDA Letter

by: robert.harding

Fri Feb 27, 2009 at 15:00:00 PM EST

Today, I had an opportunity to conduct a phone interview with Sen. Aubertine to discuss his vision for the commission, whether or not high speed rail fits into the infrastructure equation of the commission's goals and his joint effort with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand to make sure that locally grown foods end up on the lunch trays of local students.

The goals of the commission were outlined in a press release Wednesday, which were the following: Research and draft legislation regarding farm-to-fork programs, green energy, green jobs and green partnerships, re-thinking upstate infrastructure and rural health care. While he reinstated his support for those being the goals of the commission, Aubertine offered his own vision.

"The level of activity (of the commission) may increase a bit in large part because of the economy," Aubertine said. "Though agriculture is an important issue of mine, there are a lot of other issues. Rural health care is a huge issue. This commission could serve as a clearinghouse for a lot of discussions, whether it's agriculture, energy, green jobs. We can use this commission as a point of contact between the legislature and advocates."

Aubertine also stressed the importance of education in the process, listing several upstate New York colleges and universities like the University of Rochester, SUNY Morrisville and others who can help in areas like agriculture, researching green energy and green jobs, among other things.

In talking about infrastructure, I brought up high speed rail to Aubertine. He said that this has "been part of the dialogue with the stimulus package and in this state for a long time." And while he certainly wouldn't brush it off, Aubertine said his focus would be on providing more transportation for the disabled and seniors in rural areas where such transportation now is not readily available.

"The infrastructure now is lacking," he said. "We need more bus routes for seniors and enhance existing bus routes. Buses are a way of lessening the burden of cost and impact on the environment. It is more cheaply, with less cost to the environment. With biofuels, there are a lot of possibilities."

When asked what he thought the commission could do in terms of development, Aubertine argued that the commission could certainly be an important part of revitalizing upstate.

"[The commission] can play a pivotal role as a clearinghouse for advocates and looking at the legislature who may deal with land use development, energy and serve as a touch point for advocates for additional funding," he said.

Aubertine added: "The commission has been successful in the past. There is a real possibility of advancing issues and this commission can be a positive influence."

In addition to the news about the commission this week, Aubertine has joined Sen. Gillibrand in writing a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack asking Vilsack to review an interpretation of processed foods to allow local produce be bought and used by local school districts. In a press release today (which you can read below the fold), Aubertine had this to say about the provision that currently prevents local produce to be used in schools because of its "processed foods" label.

"The program requires these healthy snacks be served outside of the school meal programs, so where is the logic in calling fruits and vegetables 'processed' simply because they come to the school ready to be served and eaten outside of the lunchroom?" Sen. Aubertine added.

Aubertine is certainly making a name for himself and fighting for his rural district in the process. Kudos to him for his efforts and congratulations to Aubertine for being named the latest chair of the Rural Resources Commission.

Letter to Vilsack: Change USDA ruling to make Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program Viable

ALBANY (February 26, 2009)-State Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have joined forces to advocate for programs which make locally grown fruits and vegetables available for children to snack on in New York schools.

"Bringing healthy and fresh fruits and vegetables from New York farms to our children in school is a win-win for everyone," Sen. Aubertine said. "When our children have quality local produce to snack on, it keeps them healthy and opens up a new market for our farmers."

The 2008 Farm Bill through the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program authorizes schools to buy local produce that has not been processed for students to eat outside of school cafeteria programs. For convenience, the program operates best when this local produce has been washed, sliced and bagged, since it is eaten outside of the lunchroom.

However, a USDA interpretation of what it means for local produce to be considered "processed" has closed up this market for local farms. Sen. Aubertine and Sen. Gillibrand have co-authored a letter asking USDA Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack to reverse this interpretation to help the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program succeed in helping local agriculture and making our children healthier.

"New York farmers produce some of the highest quality, fresh produce in the country. I was pleased that the Farm Bill allowed our farmers to sell produce directly to New York Schools," said Sen. Gillibrand. Unfortunately, the USDA has interpreted the bill in a way that limits the types of products that can be sold.  This not only limits our students ability to eat healthy New York produce, but it limits our farmers ability to earn the extra income that comes from providing value-added products such as pre-cut apples or bottled grape juice.  During difficult economic times, we need this new market to create jobs. It is my hope that the USDA will reconsider their interpretation so that our students and our farmers can benefit."

U.S. Sen. Gillibrand is a member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee and previously served on the House Agriculture Committee where she served as a vocal advocate for New York farms. Sen. Aubertine, a retired dairy farmer who still raises cattle and grows crops, is the chair of the state Senate Agriculture Committee and the state's Legislative Commission on Rural Resources.

"This is a great program for our farmers and our schools, but it requires a certain amount of convenience to provide these snacks outside of the lunchroom," Sen. Aubertine said. "Simply slicing and bagging these fruits and vegetables does not mean they have been processed. Nothing has been added or cooked. We're simply talking about slicing and bagging for convenience."

In the Farm Bill's Joint Explanatory Statement, the authors of the bill said the term "unprocessed" should not be taken literally, but rather "logically implemented" to allow the preparation necessary to deliver farm products "to a  school food authority in a usable form."

"The program requires these healthy snacks be served outside of the school meal programs, so where is the logic in calling fruits and vegetables 'processed' simply because they come to the school ready to be served and eaten outside of the lunchroom?" Sen. Aubertine added.

In their letter, the Senators state that Farm to Fork programs create wealth and lead to increased employment through agriculture, "creating a ripple effect that strengthens our struggling rural communities. Additionally, locally grown and distributed food is likely to be fresher and more nutritious, a key to fighting childhood public health problems from obesity to diabetes."

"Senator Aubertine is going to bat for our farmers, our school children and our nation," said Ray Denniston, co-chairman of the NY state Farm to School Regional Coordinating Committee. "Encouraging our children to eat healthy, fresh foods benefits everyone. Our farms gain another market for their products, our children will be fitter and stronger, and our society benefits from reduced medical bills. Senators Aubertine and Gillibrand understand that the solution to our health care crisis will come from our farms and kitchens as well as our hospitals and research labs. The senators' support for Farm to School programs is critically important, and greatly appreciated."

The Senators go on to ask the former Iowa governor to "remain mindful of the vitality and value of New York's farms, the health of our school children, and the positive benefits of promoting local agriculture." They added: One immediate and effective way to do this would be to reverse the USDA's reinterpretation of 'de minimis' handling of agriculture products to allow locally grown precut and bagged produce to be served to our school children."