Those of you who are regular listeners to my radio broadcasts know that last week I was in Washington, D.C. While in the nation’s capitol, I talked with lawmakers, lobbyists, bureaucrats, political appointees, civil servants, diplomats, cab drivers, and farmers.

I visited the USDA, the USTR, Capitol Hill, and the White House. During the next few weeks, I will share with you some of my impressions, observations, and strange encounters. Let me start, however, with the strangest as well as the most confusing and frustrating experience in Washington: a visit to Michelle Obama’s garden.

The group that made the trek to the White House to see the first garden planted there since the days of Eleanor Roosevelt was made up of professional farm broadcasters from all over the nation. We came to see the garden because the First Lady had said, “The purpose of the garden is to get people to think in a new way about food.”

As communicators in the food and fiber industry, we were excited that people at the highest level of government were talking about food production in a positive way. In addition to seeing the garden, we had arranged to talk with Sam Kass, the assistant chef at the White House and the man who is in charge of the garden. After being screened and scanned by White House security, we began walking toward the south lawn where the garden is located. It was then that we were told to put away our cameras, our recording devices, our cell phones, our pens and paper. No photos were to be allowed, and all comments were off the record. Incredulous, we asked why.

What was so secret about the garden? What aspect of national security would be compromised by us taking pictures of lettuce plants? No, was the only response we got from the hack in the communications office who shadowed our group. We explained we were agricultural journalists; we were here to tell a positive story about food. No, was the only answer we got. As the discussion became more and more heated, it became obvious they were not going to let us take photos or talk on the record. So, we put away our gear and stood cowed on the south lawn as Sam talked about the garden.

I would like to tell you what he told us but, remember, it was off the record. So let me say he had a very interesting story that was a great message of where food comes from and the reality of growing good. We then walked through the garden, around the planters of herbs, and over to the bee hive, the first one ever located on the White House grounds.

Then it was time to say good-bye to Sam, and we were unceremoniously hustled off the grounds. And, that was it: no photos, no story, no explanation as to why the garden was off limits to the farm media. As we discussed the situation back at the hotel, the consensus was that it is a control issue.

The Obama White House wants to control the message. The garden is not a true example of showing people how food is grown, but is a platform for a carefully crafted message about nutrition, diet and exercise. While not an organic message (since the garden is not an organic garden), it is also not a message that has room in it for production agriculture.

Ironically, earlier in the day, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack had lectured us about “expanding the conversation.” He meant talking about more than just farm programs and policies.
Yet, when we attempted to do that at the garden, we were shut down.

There is growing uneasiness in agriculture about this new way of thinking about food being promulgated by the Obama administration.

The kind of treatment the farm press received at the White House is not going to help instill confidence in the President’s farm agenda.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Gary Truitt may write to him in care of this publication.