Title: Merrill and John Clark Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1985-2010

Creators:

• Clark, Merrill Ann, 1938-
• Clark, John Bell, 1937-2006

Call Number: Mss 1223

Quantity: 0.2 cubic feet (1 archives box)
Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers, 1985-2010, of Merrill and John Clark, who operated Roseland Farms, an organic livestock farm in Cassopolis, Michigan. Merrill Clark served a four-year term on the inaugural National Organic Standards Board (NOSB, 1992-1996), and chaired its Livestock Committee. The papers offer partial documentation of Clark's tenure on the NOSB, and John and Merrill Clark's subsequent concerns about the standards established by the NOSB.

Note:

Forms part of the Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Collection.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss01223

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Merrill Ann Clark was born in March 1938, grew up on an Illinois farm, and earned a degree in journalism from the University of Illinois. John Bell Clark was born on November 19, 1937, and grew up on a family farm in Illinois. He graduated with degrees in math and chemistry from the University of Illinois. Merrill Ann Hahn and John Bell Clark were married in 1959. The Clarks moved to Berkeley, where John earned a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of California-Berkeley and then went on for postdoctoral work in biophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He taught biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame and worked as a research scientist in the private sector. Early on, the Clarks operated a business called Vesperglas, natural leaves embedded in fiberglass and fashioned into various household products.

In 1978, the Clarks established Roseland Farms, an 1800-acre organic livestock farm in Cass County, Michigan. No fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides are used on the farm, and the animals are fed only organic feed grown on the farm.

Merrill Clark taught at the college level, worked with various environmental organizations in Michigan, and served as the Natural Resources chair of the state League of Women Voters. She also led a study on agricultural pesticides and sustainable agriculture initiatives and served on the Michigan Organic Advisory Committee of the Michigan Department of Agriculture. In 1991, she was named a charter member of the National Organic Standards Board and served a four-year term (1992-1996). She also chaired the NOSB Livestock Committee. The Clarks were active in organic agriculture organizations such as Organic Growers of Michigan (OGM) and its successor organization, the Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance (MOFFA).

John Bell Clark died on May 1, 2006.

Roseland Farms is currently operated by John and Merrill Clark's sons and their families. For further information, see the farm website.

The papers include writings by both Merrill and John Clark about their farming practices and environmental concerns, materials from the NOSB Livestock Committee which Merrill Clark chaired, public comments to the NOSB, and news clippings. There are no general NOSB meeting materials. There is also one folder documenting Merrill Clark's service on an External Advisory Board for the Center for Integrated Plant Systems (CIPS) at Michigan State University, and a publication Clark wrote on alternative agriculture, published by the League of Women Voters in Niles, Michigan.

Organic farming--MichiganNational Organic Standards Board (U.S.) Manuscript collection.National Organic Standards Board (U.S.)

Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance Records (Mss 1210)
Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service Conference Recordings and Materials (Audio 1747A/137)
Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Publications (M2018-050)

Acquisition Information

Presented by Merry Clark, Cassopolis, Michigan, September 26, 2021. Accession Number: M2022-029

Processing Information

Processed by Julia Wong, June 2022.

Mss 1223 Box   1   Folder   1	Roseland Farms, 1985-2010
Box   1   Folder   2-3	National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), 1991-2004, undated
Box   1   Folder   4-5	Livestock Committee, 1992?
Box   1   Folder   6	Center for Integrated Plant Systems (CIPS) External Advisory Board, 1999
Box   1   Folder   7	League of Women Voters (LWV), 1990-1991, 2004