Home News & Events Alternative Agriculture News -- January '99

EPA Tones Down Pesticide Brochure, Says NY Times
Sustainable Ag, Organic Standards Among USDA Priorities
States Have Not Curbed Factory Farm Pollution -- NRDC
Resources
Poultry Firms Adopt Voluntary Plan to Clean Up Pollution
Chefs Support Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food
Nominations Sought for Calder Conservation Award
Positions
Upcoming Events

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Subscription information for the hard-copy version is available at the Wallace Institute website.

In addition to this monthly newsletter, the Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture publishes the American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of research on alternative agriculture. It is a scientific forum for disseminating technical, economic, and social research findings about the character and requirements of alternative agriculture systems.

The current issue (Volume 13, No. 3) features articles on:

• Alternative practices for managing plant-parasitic nematodes.
• The impact of agricultural management on nitrate concentrations in drainage waters.
• An assessment of legume and non-legume ground covers on coleoptera.
• The agronomic and economic performance of wheat and canola-based double-crop systems.
• Soil improvement following addition of chipped wood.
• An examination of microbiological and biochemical parameters in a long-term fertilization trial.

Subscriptions to AJAA are $44 for libraries; $24 for individuals; and $12 for students. Find more information about AJAA at he Wallace Institute website.

The Environmental Protection Agency, "under pressure from the food industry," has modified a new brochure about pesticides on food, "putting less emphasis on their health risks and barely mentioning organic foods as an alternative to foods grown using toxic chemicals," according to an article in The New York Times (December 30, 1998).

The brochure, which was supposed to be available in supermarkets last August, was controversial in its draft form because industry groups said it endorsed organic food, and environmentalists said it didn't adequately inform consumers about the risks of pesticides.

A final draft of the brochure was made available to The New York Times by Consumers Union, an advocacy group that has criticized the EPA for not being tougher on pesticides in the brochure. EPA officials said the brochure was being printed and should be available in supermarkets this month.

"In August, seven food, farm and pesticide industry groups called on the Clinton Administration to eliminate any references to organic foods and to make other changes," said the article. "The final version does not completely ignore organic food. It advises that 'your grocer may be able to provide you with information about the availability of food grown using fewer or no pesticides.'"

But the earlier version had said, "If you are still concerned, consider buying food that says 'certified organic' -- food certified by a public or private certification agency that has been grown in an area where fewer or no man-made chemical pesticides were used."

The final version of the brochure includes several other key changes, according to the article:

• "The earlier brochure, for example, was entitled 'Pesticides on Food,' but the new version is called 'Pesticides and Food.'"
  
  
• "The new version says that 'while pesticides have important uses, studies show that some pesticides cause health problems at certain levels of exposure.' But it omits the details listed in the earlier version, which said, 'Some pesticides have been shown to cause health problems such as birth defects, nerve damage, cancer and other toxic effects in laboratory animals.'"
  
  
• "A section about washing, peeling and cooking food, which used to be called 'Tips to Reduce Pesticides on Foods,' is now entitled, 'Healthy, Sensible Food Practices.'"

Among Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman's seven key priorities for 1999, announced last month, are "expanding research to improve all of USDA's work, from nutrition to food safety to sustainable agriculture," and "issuing national organic standards that are good for farmers and consumers."

He also reviewed the Department's work in 1998 and included in the USDA's accomplishments "promoting rural development and conservation" and "expanding cutting edge research." Specifically, under the category of "ensuring wise stewardship of the land," USDA accomplishments included:

• USDA "paid farmers $200 million to promote sustainable farming -- and $30 million more to help landowners protect wildlife."
  
  
• USDA "embarked on a natural resources agenda for the 21st century, setting clear priorities for scientists and managers and holding them accountable for sustaining the health of America's forests and grasslands."

A study of 30 states in which large animal feeding operations, or factory farms, are located has concluded that "none of the state programs have been effective so far in curbing factory farm pollution," according to "America's Animal Factories: How States Fail to Prevent Pollution from Livestock Waste," published last month by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

"The nation's federal and state regulatory systems for protecting environmental health have failed to keep pace with the rapid growth of factory farms."

Among the report's findings are:

• States continue to take aggressive steps to attract factory farms and grant these operations government benefits which were originally designed to help family farms survive.
  
  
• Several states have either no permitting system in place at all or have systems that, in fact or in practice, rely on voluntary compliance.
  
  
• Fast-track permits are given to factory farms.

The report makes several policy recommendations, including establishing a moratorium on Clean Water Act permits for new and expanding factory farms until all existing facilities have permits in place and standards are upgraded; banning open-air manure lagoons; and preventing manure from running off the land.

The report includes a chapter reviewing the pollution problems and regulatory climate for factory farms in these 30 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

"America's Animal Factories" is available on the Internet at http://www.nrdc.org and http://www.cwn.org. For a hard copy of the report, contact Carol James at (202) 289-2390 or e-mail, cjames@nrdc.org

• "Vegetable Farmers and Their Weed-Control Machines," a 75-minute video, is $12 plus $3.50 shipping from Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, N.Y. 14853-5701: (607) 255-7654.
  
  
• Proceedings from a workshop on climate change and carbon sequestration are available from Emery Roe, Center for Sustainable Resource Development, University of California at Berkeley, (510) 642-1599; e-mail emrnpa@nature.berkeley.edu.
  
  
• "Wetlands and Agriculture: Private Interests and Public Benefits" is available from the USDA's Economic Research Service, 1-800-999-6779; on the Internet, http://econ.ag.gov; or contact Ralph Heimlich, USDA/ERS, (202) 694-5477; e-mail heimlich@econ.ag.gov
  
  
• "Working Trees for Livestock" is available from Nancy Hammond, USDA, National Agroforestry Center, East Campus, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583; (402) 437-5178 ext. 11; e-mail nhammond/rmrs_lincoln@fs.fed.us
  
  
• "Reaping Havoc: The True Cost of Using Methyl Bromide on Florida's Tomatoes" is available for $10 plus shipping from Friends of the Earth, 1025 Vermont Ave., NW, #300, Washington, D.C. 20005; (202) 783-7400 ext. 239.

National poultry industry representatives last month agreed to a voluntary plan to clean up pollution from chicken farms, which have contaminated waterways, according to The Washington Post (December 10, 1998).

Under the plan adopted by the companies in the Poultry Dialogue, poultry processing companies would ask their growers to follow plans for the proper handling of manure, which contains phosphorus and nitrogen. They would be encouraged to erect manure storage sheds and spread only as much manure as crops require. Companies would also continue research into limiting nutrients in the manure while seeking alternative uses for manure such as burning or composting.

According to W. Michael McCabe, the EPA's Regional Administrator for the mid-Atlantic region, "We have ongoing concerns about how the program is going to be paid for and what the impacts on the growers will be. I'm encouraged, but we need to see the details."

Other EPA officials "had pressed for language committing the companies to pay a certain share of the costs, but the chairman [of the Poultry Dialogue] resisted," according to the article.

In late November, the National Pork Producers Council and the EPA agreed to a voluntary inspection program for pork producers to correct Clean Water Act violations. Under the plan, certified independent inspectors will examine pork-producing operations and assess Clean Water Act violations. Producers who promptly disclose and correct any discovered violations from these audits will receive a smaller civil penalty than they might otherwise be liable for under the law.

The 1,000-member Chefs Collaborative 2000, an organization of professional chefs founded in 1993 to support organic farming and sustainable agriculture, is joining the fight for labeling of genetically engineered food, according to The New York Times (December 9, 1998).

Earlier in 1998, a coalition of consumer groups, chefs, and scientists filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration, demanding labeling and safety testing. Now the chefs' coalition is involved, with their first move being a campaign to collect 10,000 signatures to petition the Food and Drug Administration.

"Many chefs instinctively mistrust the genetic engineering of food," wrote author Marian Burros. "Other chefs...worry about unintended consequences" that cannot be anticipated now.

"Many Europeans are furious about the technology, but most Americans have only the vaguest idea of what it is. Both industry and government continue to assure consumers that genetic engineering...is not only safe but will also increase the food supply and reduce the need for pesticides," according to the article.

Nominations are now being sought for the Alexander Calder Conservation Award, which honors an individual who has achieved significant results in the protection of terrestrial or wetland habitat, and demonstrated the positive value of cooperative partnerships between business and conservation. Nominations must be postmarked by March 2. For more information, contact the Calder Award, The Conservation Fund, 1800 North Kent St., #1120, Arlington, VA 22209.

• Organic Farming Research Foundation seeks a Technical Program Coordinator; applications are due February 1; contact OFRF, P.O. Box 440, Santa Cruz, CA 95061; (831) 426-6606.
  
  
• Highlands Bioproduce, a group of sustainable farmers in Virginia and Tennessee, seeks a Manager; contact Dick Austin, (540) 467-2437; or Anthony Flaccavento, Appalachian Sustainable Development, (540) 623-1121.
  
  
• Pickering Creek Environmental Center seeks two Agriculture Education Program Assistants; contact Alan Girard at the Center, 11450 Audubon Lane, Easton, MD 21601; (410) 822-4903.

For additional listings, see the Sustainable Agriculture Network's Calendar of Events.

• February 1-4, New York State Farmers' Direct Marketing Conference will be held in Buffalo; contact Judy and Bob Schultz, (716) 484-7300.
  
  
• February 2 and February 18, "Passing on the Farm" workshops will be held in Brownsville, PA (February 2) and York, PA (February 18); contact Pennsylvania Farm Link, Point Shopping Center, #205, Harrisburg, PA 17111; (717) 558-7726; e-mail pafarmlink@redrose.net
  
  
• February 5, Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society's Annual Winter Conference will be held in Bismarck, N.D.; contact Theresa Podoll, NPSAS, (701) 883-4304; e-mail tpnpsas@hotmail.com
  
  
• February 12-13, "Designing Sustainable Food Systems," the 8th Annual Farming for the Future conference, will be held in State College, PA; contact Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, P.O. Box 419, Millheim, PA 16854; (814) 349-9856.
  
  
• February 13, 17th annual Winter Conference of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont will be held in Randolph, VT; contact NOFA-VT, P.O. Box 697, Richmond, VT 05477; (802) 434-4122.
  
  
• February 16, Minnesota Organic Farming Conference will be held in St. Cloud, MN; contact Prescott Bergh, Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Program, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, (651) 215-0367.
  
  
• February 17, Swine System Options Conference will be held at Iowa State University, Ames, IA; contact Rich Pirog, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, (515) 294-3711; e-mail leocenter@iastate.edu .
  
  
• February 18-20, New Orleans; March 18-20, San Francisco; April 8-10, Indianapolis; and May 6-8, Andover, MA; "Communities Working for Wetlands" will be held; contact Terrene Institute, 4 Herbert St., Alexandria, VA 22305; (703) 548-5473; e-mail terrinst@aol.com
  
  
• February 18-21, Bio Fach 99, the World Organic Trade Fair, will be held in Nuremberg, Germany; contact Kathy Donnelly, Concord Expo Group, (978) 371-2203.
  
  February 20, "Creating Successful Grower Marketing Cooperatives" will be held in Albany, N.Y.; contact Liz Callan, Regional Farm and Food Project, (518) 426-9331; e-mail lizbrian@juno.com.
  
  
• February 22, 30th Annual North American International Erosion Control Association Conference and Trade Exposition will be held in Nashville, TN; contact IECA, 1-800-455-4322; ecinfo@ieca.org.
  
  
• February 22-23, USDA's Agricultural Outlook Forum 1999 will be held in Arlington, VA; contact USDA, (202) 314-3462; on the Internet, http://www.usda.gov/oce/waob/agforum.htm; e-mail agforum@oce.usda.gov.
  
  
• February 22-26, "Feeding and Balancing the Soil," a short course, will be held in Mt. Palomar, CA; contact the Center for Living in Harmony, (760) 749-9634; e-mail info@livinginharmony.org
  
  
• February 23-25, Advanced Organic-Biodynamic Vegetable Production Workshop will be held in St. Croix, MN; contact Gail Kahovic, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, (414) 642-3303.
  
  
• February 26-27, "A Life Cycle Approach to Sustainable Agriculture Indicators," sponsored by National Pollution Prevention Center and the EPA, will be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan; contact Guntra Aistars, (734) 764-1412; e-mail guntra@umich.edu.
  
  
• February 27, "Adding Value: Promoting Health, Generating Wealth," the annual meeting of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, will be held in Aurora, NE; contact Cris Carusi, (402) 471-0817; e-mail crisc@navix.net.

Home News & Events Alternative Agriculture News -- January '99