This petition for the President-elect is going around

Agriculture heavies such as former Massachusetts Secretary of Agriculture Gus Schumacher, and former North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture Sarah Vogel, along with restaurateur Alice Waters, nutritionist Marion Nestle, and author Michael Pollan are all urging President-elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of Agriculture who cares about sustainability, animal welfare, the environment, and local food systems.

On this Food Democracy Now website, signers write: "We believe that our nation is at a critical juncture in regard to agriculture and its impact on the environment and that our next Secretary of Agriculture must have a broad vision for our collective future that is greater than what past appointments have called for.

"Presently, farmers face serious challenges in terms of the high costs of energy, inputs and land, as well as continually having to fight an economic system and legislative policies that undermine their ability to compete in the open market. The current system unnaturally favors economies of scale, consolidation and market concentration and the allocation of massive subsidies for commodities, all of which benefit the interests of corporate agribusiness over the livelihoods of farm families...we believe our next Secretary of Agriculture must have a vision that calls for: recreating regional food systems, supporting the growth of humane, natural and organic farms, and protecting the environment, biodiversity and the health of our children while implementing policies that place conservation, soil health, animal welfare and worker's rights as well as sustainable renewable energy near the top of their agenda."

Though I'm sure the other former state agriculture secretaries are competent, I nominate Gus Schumacher for the job. He brought the farmers' markets to the state, instituted WIC coupons at the markets for mothers and children, encouraged farmers to sell directly to chefs, and made it easier for families with small businesses such as Christmas trees, flowers, and laying chickens to get tax benefits so they could keep farming the land.

Schumacher spent every weekend crossing the state, visiting farmers. At one point, in another economic downturn, the state took away his car and travel expenses. He got into his own car and paid for it himself.

One day, he called me and said he wanted to show me something at the New England Produce Center in Chelsea.

"Sure, Gus," I said. "What time?"

"Let's get an early start," he said. "There's lots to see. Meet me at 6 a.m."

If you ever want to see a small army of vendors moving thousands of pounds of produce into one terminal and then out to thousands more restaurants and vendors, go to Chelsea at dawn. Take your hard hat.