Momentum grows for an official White House farmer

Think of all the resources absorbed by the lavish, well-manicured lawns and gardens surrounding the White House. The cost of all the water, fertilizer and labor involved must add up fast.

While the lush grass may be pleasing to the eye, a growing number of farmers and environmentalists are calling for President Obama to make a change.

They’re asking Obama to hire a full-time farmer to turn part of the White House lawn into an organic garden.

Author Michael Pollan proposed this while addressing the idea of a new food culture in an Oct. 8, 2008, New York Times piece. He said adding a staff farmer would symbolize a better relationship between Americans and their dinner plates by causing people to think about the sources of their food.

Pollan’s comments have since turned into a growing movement. One Web site had a contest to find the best possible candidate for the post. Another site chronicles two men traveling across the country raising awareness for a White House garden and asking people to sign a petition in support of it. They make for quite a sight heading down the road in a bus with a rooftop garden.

“If we can show the president we can grow some good food anywhere, … then it would just be more of a no brainer to say, ‘Hey, why not try it out again at the White House, too?’” said Daniel Bowman Simon of The White House Organic Farm project.

Proponents point out the White House land has actually produced fruits and vegetables in the past. During World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt grew crops at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and called it a Victory Garden. Her efforts sparked a surge of similar plots across the nation, helping to feed the masses during the war.

Even with all this support for a White House farmer, Obama has neither caved in nor addressed the issue.

A presidential farm would not only feed the First Family, but also the staff and visiting foreign dignitaries.

It’s about time the man who already eats organically and conscientiously makes this symbolic step – helping to reconnect Americans to those amber waves of grain.

Or, taxpayers could continue to fund fields of roses and sprinklers instead. No thanks.