On February 24th, the Iowa-based organization, Food Democracy Now!, met with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in his USDA offices, and presented him with a petition signed by more than 87,000 citizens, calling for substantive, long-lasting change in the USDA’s approach to our nation’s food systems.

The presentation of the petition, which can be viewed here, represents a great success in the grassroots efforts of thousands across the country to bring the voice of the sustainable agriculture community to power. It is widely reported that Secretary Vilsack was very receptive to both the meaning and message of the petition. It is a hopeful indication of his, and President Obama’s, sincere commitment to real change in the area of food and farm policy.