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Organic Farmer Elected to US Senate |
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November 10, 2006
International Organic Sector Celebrates Election of Organic Farmer Jon Tester to United States Senate |
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Jon Tester, an organic farmer and leader in the organic movement since 1987, has been elected as a US Senator from the state of Montana. A third generation farmer from Big Sandy, Montana, he has been farming organically for nearly twenty years. |
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In 2005, Tester and his wife Sharla were named outstanding agricultural
leaders by the College of Agriculture at Montana State University.
Their T-Bone Farms is a diversified organic operation
with 1400 acres (567 hectares).
The stated goals of their operation are:
- To produce high quality food;
- To use environmentally sound farming practices ;
- To improve soil health on their farm; and
- To keep the farm in their family.
Their
crops this year included hard red wheat, hard white wheat, kamut,
lentils, and purple barley. Tester is a strong believer in green
manures, a type of cover crop grown to be plowed under and
incorporated into the soil, adding natural sources of nitrogen and
phosphorous, not to mention improving and protecting the soil.
Tester
has been a leader in the organic movement for more than a decade. He
served as the national treasurer for the Organic Crop Improvement
Association International, and helped to develop the Montana Organic
Certification program.
Bob
Quinn, an organic farmer and President of Kamut International, said "We
all started in organic farming nearly 20 years ago in north-central
Montana, and since that time Jon Tester has been a great supporter of
sustainable and Organic Agriculture - not only on his farm, but also
while he was serving at the Montana State Senate. I'm sure he'll be
a strong voice for sustainable and Organic Agriculture in the U.S. Senate
as well, as someone who has learned it by experience." He added "We are
extremely happy as an organic community" that Tester has been elected
to the U.S. Senate. They have been neighbors and friends for 30 years.
According
to Thomas B. Harding, former IFOAM President, colleague of Jon Tester
and Director of Agrisystems International, "Jon Tester, now U.S.
Senator Elect Jon Tester, is an extraordinary man - one who walks his
talk, an excellent organic farmer, dedicated to the family farmer, the
farm community and to Organic Agriculture in general. He sees the big
picture and he will make a very great difference to all of us as he
meets his elected responsibilities in the U.S. Senate. How lucky we
are to have a man like Jon in our community."
IFOAM Executive
Director Angela B. Caudle praised the election of Jon Tester. "IFOAM
looks forward to working with Senator Elect Tester to develop and
promote Organic Agriculture both in the United States and
internationally" she said. "His understanding of soil ecology and the
economics of organic production systems will undoubtedly bring a fresh
perspective to the U.S. Senate and contribute to the establishment of
more sustainable agricultural programs."
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IFOAM is the international umbrella organization of organic agriculture movements worldwide.
IFOAM’s mission is leading, uniting and assisting the organic movement in its full diversity.
Our
goal is the worldwide adoption of ecologically, socially and
economically sound systems that are based on the Principles of Organic
Agriculture. |
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