Times Argus
November 10, 2006

By Louis Porter Vermont Press Bureau

MONTPELIER — Vermont's agriculture chief, who presided over the state's half-a-billion-dollar industry during a particularly turbulent time, is leaving his post, Gov. James Douglas announced late Thursday.

In his four years as a member of the Douglas administration, Secretary of Agriculture, Food & Markets head Steve Kerr took a lead role in politically sensitive fights over the labeling and use of genetically modified seeds, the labeling of Vermont products and the use of hormones in milk production.

He also worked to find financial aid for dairy farmers hurt by dropping milk prices.

Douglas announced the change in a brief statement that offered no explanation for the departure. Kerr could not be reached for comment.

"These have been challenging times for Vermont's farmers, and I appreciate Steve's leadership. I wish him well in his future endeavors," Douglas' statement said.

At a news conference hours earlier, reporters specifically asked Douglas if there would be any shake-ups in his cabinet after his re-election this week.

"At the four-year point it is not unusual" for some changes, he said. But the governor declined to name specific people who might leave and did not indicate Kerr's departure was imminent.

Kerr will leave the agency in mid-December. Deputy Secretary David Lane will become acting secretary.

"I don't see any real changes that will take effect very soon," Lane said outside the office. "I had a good four years working with Steve."

Lane said he was not part of the discussions with the governor about Kerr's departure.

Kerr was at the forefront of many controversial farm policy debates, including a particularly tough fight last legislative session over whether to change liability law over the use of genetically modified seeds, a move Kerr opposed. That issue pitted Kerr against some advocates for organic and nontraditional agriculture, who wanted to put more of the legal burden on seed manufacturers in the event organic farmers' crops were harmed by contamination from GMO seeds. Vermont lawmakers eventually passed a bill that would have shifted liability to seed companies, but it was vetoed by Gov. Douglas.

Kerr also was at the center of a dispute over the registering of farms. That initiative, and the tracking of individual animals, was pushed by federal officials who described it as part of a strategy to deal with bird flu and other animal-borne illnesses.

Kerr advocated a modified program for Vermont. He proposed a registry that would list people who keep livestock, the kind of animals they keep and where they live. He argued that the information would allow agriculture officials to respond quickly to disease outbreaks.

But some Vermont farmers and privacy advocates objected, viewing the registry as an infringement on their privacy and an unnecessary intrusion on the part of government. In August, the Vermont program was shelved. Some opponents saw the proposal's death as a calculated political move made in the waning months of a campaign season.

Lane, the deputy secretary, said he was not sure if he would seek Kerr's job permanently.

"I think that is something that still has to be seen," he said.

Lane has been in charge of the economic development side of the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. Among other things, the section seeks to develop new businesses for Vermont farms and works to keep slaughterhouses open so farmers can sell their animals.

"There have been a lot of changes in animal agriculture in the last three years since the advent of BSE" or mad cow disease, Lane said. "Ag seems to constantly be at the center of a lot of people's attention."

Contact Louis Porter at louis.porter@rutlandherald.com