News Release #313

Released to Media on March 17,1999

New Ulm – Bishop Raymond A. Lucker, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of New Ulm, expressed support, Wednesday, March 16, for Senator Janet Johnson’s bill (S.F. 1257), to amend legislation related to organic agriculture. The proposed bill would add organic farmers to review panels for sustainable agriculture grants and loans; extend the expiration date of the Minnesota organic advisory task force; provide that extension service educational programs must include programs and services for farmers practicing organic agriculture; add a person representing the organic industry to the advisory board for the agricultural utilization research institute; and provide funding for organic agriculture projects and expansion of organic markets.

Bishop Lucker sees the proposed legislation as an example of public policy called for by the Minnesota Catholic bishops in their recent statement, Children, Families and the Common Good: A Catholic Perspective on Public Policy Issues in Minnesota. In that statement, in the section related to agriculture and rural development, the bishops call for policies that: enhance family farm income by targeting supports to small family farms; promote sustainable agriculture practices; protect and preserve agricultural land; and foster the economic viability of small and moderate-sized farms and rural communities.