“All women in agriculture need to consider a way to bring the message of food, farm, community and clean environment off the farm and out to members of the public." - Merrill Clark, Roseland Organic Farms, Cassopolis, Michigan

Interview with Merrill Clark

Merrill Clark's farm, Roseland Organic Farms, consists of 1800 acres, almost one-half of which is woods, water, and wetland. The farm, located in Cassopolis, is where Merrill, her husband, and their two grown sons farm as a family. Their major products from the farm are certified organic beef and grains that are headed primarily for farmer's markets, individual sales on the farm, and natural food stores in Indiana and Michigan. The farm's natural resource diversity includes dozens of tree species, wild apples and berries, ponds, wild mushrooms, 450 pasture acres for about 250 animals, and wetlands for a wide variety of birds, amphibians, and animals.

The Clark family's decision to farm grew out of a desire for better food for themselves. After recognizing that they had plenty of space in which to do it, they realized that actually making a living off the farm might just be possible, particularly if they offered to the public foods not really available in typical food chains.

Merrill explains that the "back-to-basics" aspect of organic farming and gardening has always been in her blood, even before the 1985 original certification of Roseland Farms. Growing up in northern Illinois on a 26-acre "farmette" with her parents, brother, and sister, the family farm ended up being a 1950s experiment in organic agriculture. Merrill's family raised apples, strawberries, eggs, vegetables, had a milk cow for butter and cream, and a few beef cattle. When the use of pesticides in agriculture came on strong, Merrill's mother would shake her fist at the applicators if they came too close. Merrill learned to appreciate from her mother how devastating chemicals could be in agriculture, as well as their heavy impact on wildlife, birds, water, and air. The rewards from that small farming experience helped to lure Merrill's own family to a larger family effort for all the same reasons.

Merrill's academic background includes a BS in Journalism and Communication from the University of Illinois in 1959. After obtaining her degree, she taught high school journalism and acted as newspaper advisor in various schools in California, where she and her husband had moved so that he could complete his PhD in biochemistry. Merrill has taught at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac, has taught nature writing at Fernwood Nature Center, was a correspondent to the South Bend Tribune, and currently has an environmental column in the Niles Star. In 1994, Merrill was a founding member of Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance (MOFFA).

Merrill states that she does not feel frustrated as a woman in the field of agriculture. Her frustrations center more on the overall costs of farming -- equipment, fuel, outreach, advertising, insurance, and farm management -- rather than anything "woman-oriented." Merrill enjoys the outreach -- giving speeches and presentations of organic agriculture and "going to bat" for strong and meaningful organic farm and food standards. During her participation as a charter member of the National Organic Standards Board from 1992-1996, she felt most frustrated due to the "fudging" some members of the organic processing community engaged in for the purpose of continuing to allow synthetic ingredients in organic foods. Since women do most of the buying and cooking of food, Merrill feels it is only natural for her to concentrate on consumer issues, clarity of the label, and truthfulness in the process. She explains that most men on the Board were producers or processors, concentrating on "sales and materials" for the most part, and did not necessarily take a lot of time to think about consumer or environmental issues.

Merrill views organic farming as a form of alternative farming, as it is an alternative to the chemical barrage that takes place throughout the growing season on most conventional farms. Through her work with the Michigan Department of Agriculture on organic agriculture advancement, she has found that the reception of organic farming has become more harmonious and accepting as the years go by.

Merrill states, "All women in agriculture need to consider a way to bring the message of food, farm, community, and clean environment off the farm and out to members of the public, even beyond those who buy the food... (including) the health-conscious, environmental groups, physicians, parents, schools, children, etc." To do this, the financial underpinning of outreach programs on organic agriculture and eating is critically essential.