34. Bob Bergland, Secretary of Agriculture 1977-1981

Sustainable Agriculture Policy with Ron Kroese

Bob Bergland’s vision and leadership led to the government’s first initiative in organic and sustainable agriculture.

This week, our host Ron talks with Bob about his several decades of public service, with the interview focusing primarily on four studies. This was recorded in 2017, one year before Bob passed away.

Robert (Bob) Bergland was born on July 22, 1928, on a farm near Roseau, Minnesota. He lived in the community until he passed away in December 2018 at the age of 90.

In 1963, he went to work for the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, first at the state level in Minnesota, and later in Washington, D.C.

In 1970, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving three terms from 1971 to 1977 as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. In Congress, he served on the House Committee on Agriculture's subcommittees for Conservation and Credit, and Livestock, Grains, Dairy, and Poultry.

In 1977, shortly after beginning a fourth term in the House, he was appointed Secretary of Agriculture by President Jimmy Carter and served in that role from Jan. 23, 1977, to Jan. 20, 1981. During his tenure, he commissioned a major report examining the structure of American agriculture, "A Time to Choose," and the first USDA study on organic farming, "Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming."

At the end of President Carter's administration, he was named vice president and general manager of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

After retiring in 1994, he was elected by the Minnesota State Legislature to a term on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.

The interview was conducted on March 7, 2017.

Links this episode:

National Sustainable Agriculture Oral History Archive (video link)

“A Time to Choose: Summary Report on the Structure of Agriculture”

"Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming"

“The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture” by Wendell Berry

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