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The Provender Journal January-February 2010 ODA Approved To Offer Organic Certification ODA Approved To Offer Organic Certification —from Oregon Department of Agriculture, www.oregon.gov/ODA/ The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is now able to offer organic certification. The US Department of Agriculture has announced that ODA has become an accredited certifying agent for the (NOP). ODA inspectors can begin inspecting organic production and handling operations to certify they meet USDA standards. Oregon becomes the 16th state to offer certification under NOP, joining its neighbors Washington and Idaho. ODA is ready to begin performing audits for the organic program. Those interested in getting certified can apply anytime before the deadline of April 1, 2010 to be on the inspection schedule through the coming year. Producers and handlers will need to apply to ODA every year for certification. Six ODA employees are trained and qualified to conduct organic audits. These individuals will add organic certification to the many other tasks they perform for Oregon agriculture. Inspectors will be located in all ODA district offices across the state to offer regional expertise and close proximity. ODA has a rich history of providing certification. Over the years, billions of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables have been certified through inspection at the shipping point. From fresh potatoes to hazelnuts to a variety of berries, ODA inspectors certify that products meet the grade or contract requirements as agreed upon by the grower and the processor. Longstanding ODA certification efforts include nursery and Christmas tree inspection, and weights and measures inspection. In 2002, CID began offering a Good Agricultural Practices/Good Handling Practices (GAP/GHP) certification program for fresh fruits and vegetables that ensures steps to reduce microbial contamination. Oregon was the first state to implement such a program. ODA has long provided certification that potatoes are free of A2 late blight- the disease that brought on the Irish potato famine. Other “in the field” services offered by ODA include identity preserved certification that assures the product is what the grower or handler says it is. Adding organic certification to the mix provides growers and handlers with something like a one-stop shop, with the ODA inspector doing the stopping at the farm or handling facility. ODA is already getting phone calls from interested customers. The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) certified many of them. However, WSDA is phasing out its organic certification services in Oregon, which creates an opportunity for ODA to fill the void. ODA has looked at WSDA’s program as a model and a source for good training. Part of Oregon’s allocation of federal Specialty Crop Grant funds last year was used to set up ODA’s organic certification program. The agency will focus on crops in the first year and will not conduct organic livestock certification, such as organic dairies, or certify organic wild crops, such as wild mushrooms. Organic production still represents a small percentage of overall agricultural production in Oregon, but it continues to grow. According to the latest US Census of Agriculture- that is done every five years- organic production sales in Oregon increased nearly 900 percent, from about $9.9 million in 2002 to $88 million in 2007. More than 92,000 acres are now planted for organic production. With demand and supply of organic agriculture both expected to increase in the future, ODA is gearing up to help out where it can with certification. Add organic certification to the growing list of services sought by the industry and provided by ODA to enhance the marketability of Oregon agricultural products. —from Center for Food Safety, www.centerforfoodsafety.org Beginning in 2006, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) took legal action against the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) illegal approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa. The federal courts agreed and banned GE alfalfa until the USDA fully analyzed the impacts of the plant on the environment, farmers, and the public in an environmental impacts statement (EIS). USDA released its draft EIS on December 14, 2009. A 60-day comment period is now open until February 16, 2010. CFS has begun analyzing the EIS and it is clear that the USDA has not taken the concerns of non-GE alfalfa farmers, or organic dairy farmers seriously, for example, having dismissed the fact that contamination will threaten export markets and domestic organic markets. You can review the EIS at www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology as well as supplemental documents. We are spearheading a campaign to make sure all affected parties know and are involved in the public process and have the opportunity to comment. This is the first time the USDA has prepared an EIS for any GE crop and therefore will have broad implications for all transgenic crops, and its failure to address the environmental and related economic impacts of GE alfalfa will have far-reaching consequences. This is a call to action to all who have concerns about the environmental and economic consequences of uncontrolled nation-wide growth of GE alfalfa, to all who believe in the public’s right to choose to eat non-GE food and the farmer’s right to sow the crop of his or her choice, and to those who care about the impacts of pesticides and invasive weeds on biodiversity and endangered species. Here’s what you can do: MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD IN THIS IMPORTANT PROCESS! *Sign up for the CFS True Food Network and receive alerts on the process – www.truefoodnow.org *Spread the word: Forward this information to colleagues and organizations that might be interested *Donate to CFS to help with this important effort - https:// secure.ga3.org/03/FFF_Kimbrell *Provide Comments on the EIS: At this stage, the most critical thing anyone can do is provide public comments indicating their concerns with GE Roundup Ready Alfalfa. Here are some pointers to preparing your comments: • The EIS dismisses the significance that GE alfalfa will broadly contaminate non-GE alfalfa: Thus, please provide any opinions, studies (published or unpublished), anecdotal stories and testing data about how contamination will occur and /or demonstrating that contamination has in fact occurred. Attaching actual data and actual studies makes your comments much stronger. • The EIS dismisses the significant adverse economic effects that GE contamination will have on non-GE conventional alfalfa seed or hay growers (e.g. export markets), or dairy production that rely on non-GE and organic alfalfa hay for forage: Thus, please provide any studies (published or unpublished), anecdotal stories and economic analysis showing why contamination will harm you or your company. Also, please provide any information indicating that markets you sell to are GE sensitive or reject GE outright. Attaching actual economic data or studies, and proof that sensitive markets will reject contaminated product about markets makes your comments much stronger. Provide your comments to USDA APHIS No Later Than February 16, 2009. To Submit Your Comments to the USDA: www.regulations.gov FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: GM Crops Kill Lady Bugs; Science Suppressed —from Pesticide Action Network Updates, November 12, 2009, www.panna.org A recent article in Nature Biotechnology reveals data, formerly suppressed by the biotechnology industry, that demonstrate a transgenic variety of corn is fatal to ladybugs. In 2001, at the request of seed company Pioneer Hi-Bred International, university scientists conducted research on a new variety of transgenic corn containing the binary toxin Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1. The scientists found that nearly 100% of ladybugs fed on the corn could not survive past the eighth day of their life cycle. Pioneer prohibited the scientists from publicizing their data and, when applying for regulatory approval for a corn variety containing the same toxin, submitted different data that made no mention of potential harm to ladybugs. Scientists are often barred from publicizing data that is unwelcome to biotechnology companies, particularly when the corporations themselves commissioned the research. Based on claims of business confidentiality and strict contracts with researchers, companies are able to keep unwelcome data under wraps and scientists’ hands tied. Companies routinely deny scientists’ research requests and suppress research by threatening legal action, a practice one scientist describes as “chilling.” In February 2009, 26 corn-pest specialists anonymously submitted a statement to U.S. EPA decrying industry’s prohibitive restrictions on independent research. “The risks of genetically modified crops are coming to light in spite of industry’s attempts to strangle the science,” observes Kathryn Gilje, executive director of Pesticide Action Network North America. Ireland recently banned GM crops in favor of developing agriculture that emphasizes proven agroecological solutions. NW Organic Farm Food Safety Summit —by Josh Hinerfeld, CEO, Organically Grown Company, www.organicgrown.com On November 5th, Organically Grown Company co-sponsored the Northwest Organic Farm Food Safety Summit. More than 100 people attended the conference including more than 60 organic growers from Oregon and Washington. Representatives from several grocery retailers and food manufacturers attended as well. Dr. David Gombas, Senior Vice President of Food Safety and Technology at United Fresh described the purpose and implementation timetable of the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI). Upon implementation, PTI will enable any participant in the produce supply chain to pinpoint electronically the farm, lot number and production date of each case of product sold – an outcome that should improve the accuracy and speed of product recalls. Colin Caywood, an associate at Marler Clark, told the audience that his law firm represents victims of food pathogen outbreaks. He noted that an individual sickened by a food product may pursue recourse against any handler of the product in the supply chain without regard to fault. This is the concept of “strict liability.” Gombas and Caywood joined Kenneth Kimes, owner of New Natives Farm in Aptos, California; Will Daniels, VP of Quality and Food Safety at Earthbound Farms; David Amorose, Director of Purchasing at Organically Grown Company and Chris Harris, Produce Merchandiser for New Seasons Market for a wide ranging panel discussion and Q&A session covering on-farm food safety management practices. Dr. Karen Killinger, Dr. Richard Dougherty and Andy Bary of Washington State University Extension conducted sessions on pathogens, manure/compost management, water quality practices, and worker health and hygiene. Organically Grown will be co-sponsoring a follow up training session in March 2010 that will address the practical challenges and issues of applying Good Agricultural Practices on the farm. The company also recently signed up to participate on the Advisory Committee of Familyfarmed.org’s “On-farm Food Safety Project.” The purpose of this project is to develop and implement in 2010 a comprehensive online tool that farmers can use to create a food safety plan, to provide training for their employees and to provide record keeping tools to document their food safety program. —from Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering, www.farmertofarmercampaign.com American farmers are feeling the effects of a concentrated seed industry. Seed options are diminishing while prices increase at historic rates. A new report by the Farmer to Farmer Campaign, Out of Hand: Farmers Face the Consequences of a Consolidated Seed Industry, uses industry sources, government data, and personal interviews with farmers and seed industry representatives to document the consequences of concentration in the seed industry. Out of Hand examines events that led to extensive concentration, including weak antitrust law enforcement and Supreme Court decisions that allowed genetically engineered crops and other plant products to be patented. These factors have created unprecedented ownership and control over plant genetic resources in major field crops. The report recommends that the U.S. Department of Justice closely examine anticompetitive conduct in the industry and enforce antitrust law. Other recommendations include revamping patent law as it pertains to crops, and reinvigorating public plant breeding programs to ensure that the needs of farmers and the general public are met and that research is conducted in an open and honest way. The Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering (Farmer to Farmer) is a network of 34 farm organizations from throughout the United States that endorsed the Farmer Declaration on Genetic Engineering released in December 1999. Farmer to Farmer seeks to build a farmer driven campaign focused on concerns around agricultural biotechnology and to provide a national forum for farmer action on these issues. —from Environmental Working Group, www.ewg.org Have you ever wondered whether cleaning supplies used in our homes and schools contain toxic chemicals? Are they safe for your family’s health? At EWG, we did. So, we tested some popular conventional and green cleaning supplies to see what’s in them and whether those ingredients are safe. Check out our report, available on our web site — you’ll learn more about the products we tested, the 457 chemicals they released into the air, and how you can limit your exposures. What’s the problem with cleaning supplies? The shocking truth is that nearly any chemical can legally be used in cleaners, and ingredient lists are not required on labels. Our health, and the health of our children, is at risk when we breathe air clouded with chemicals, including some that can cause asthma and are known or possible carcinogens. Get EWG’s tips for simple but effective things you can do at home and at school. It’s smart to make some basic changes to clear the air. Get EWG’s tips and tools to switch to greener cleaning: • Clean with greener products at home and use safer supplies and practices. • Find tools to help you work effectively with your child’s school, including a fact sheet about certified green cleaners and a sample letter to get the conversation started. • Get answers in our FAQ: We answer common questions about chemicals in cleaning supplies and their possible effects on your health. Read EWG’s full report to learn more about the link between cleaning supplies and your health, to see our product test results, and to find out what you can do to make the air in classrooms and homes a whole lot cleaner. PCC Farmland Trust Announces Preservation —from PCC Farmland Trust, www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/farmtrust PCC Farmland Trust is pleased to announce the preservation of Orting Valley Farms, prime farmland in Pierce County, which was directly in the path of development. The complex and ambitious project was two-and-a-half years in the making. The Trust worked in close collaboration with Pierce County to secure funds through the Washington State Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) and Pierce County’s own Conservation Futures program. The Farmland Trust will co-hold Orting Valley Farms’ organic conservation easement with Pierce County, guaranteeing that the property remains an organic farm in perpetuity. Orting Valley Farms is in the Puyallup River valley, which is a salmon-bearing stream, and has been in agricultural production for nearly a century. Its most recent history was as a dairy for the last 45 years. The legacy of the former owners is to ensure this land will stay farmland forever. Since 1999, the PCC Farmland Trust has saved 549 acres of farmland that are actively producing food for local communities. Ten More Companies Join the Non-GMO Project —from The Organic & Non-GMO Report, Vol. 9, No. 10, November, 2009, www.non-gmoreport.com Ten more companies are having their products verified non-GMO in the Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program. The companies are buttery spread manufacturer, Earth Balance; Endangered Species Chocolate; salad dressing manufacturer, Follow Your Heart; baked goods manufacturer, Mary’s Gone Crackers; Sunset Produce; organic grain suppliers, Grain Place Foods and North Pacific; tofu-maker, Pulmone Wildwood; botanical extract manufacturer Ethical Naturals; and beverage maker O.N.E. Natural Experience. With the ten new additions, the number of companies participating in the Non-GMO Project now totals more than 30 with more than 850 products being verified non-GMO. The number of products enrolled in non-GMO verification has more than doubled in the past three months. Three recent actions spurred increased interest in the Non-GMO Project, says project executive director Megan Westgate. Last June Whole Foods Market announced that it would enroll its private label products in the project. In August, the project was featured in a front-page article in The New York Times. Then in September, Michael Funk, chairman of United Natural Foods, Inc. sent a letter to his company’s suppliers encouraging them to participate in the project. Funk wrote, “It’s important to UNFI that the products we sell are non-GMO. The best guarantee to us is for you to enroll in the Non-GMO Project.” “We’ve seen tremendous growth in both inquiries and enrollment over the last couple of months—the Project is really taking off,” Westgate says. “Every new company that comes on board impacts the supply chain…the collective effect is that non-GMO is becoming a clear focus for everyone in the natural and organic products industry.” For more information, visit www.nongmoproject.org. —from Chiron Communications, www.chiron-communications.com Globally, one in seven of us is urgently hungry or starving, according to the United Nations. Yet obesity afflicts two-thirds of Americans and costs $147 billion in annual medical bills, Time Magazine reports. Industrial agriculture produces cheap food but erodes soil, poisons the environment with chemical inputs, and consumes 19% of U.S. fossil fuels. Peak oil, climate change, and wobbling economies further jeopardize our ability to feed ourselves. “Food and farms are involved in a blitzkrieg of changes,” writes journalist Steven McFadden in The Call of the Land, published by NorLightsPress. The book joins a growing chorus voicing a new vision for food and agriculture. Picking up where Food Inc. leaves off, the volume presents dozens of creative responses to the crisis. Dubbed “An Agrarian Primer for the 21st Century,” the sourcebook documents a range of positive pathways to food security, economic stability, environmental health, and cultural renewal. To McFadden and others, the call of the land now is an SOS. The responses—from individuals, communities, cities, and institutions—are both imaginative and practical. McFadden is co-author of Farms of Tomorrow (1991), America’s first book on Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). The volume helped inspire the movement to grow from two farms in the late 1980s to thousands, with hundreds of thousands of shareholders, in 2009. To order The Call of the Land, visit www.norlightspress.com/our-books-cotl.html. Livestock Producer Loses Organic Certification —from Union of Concerned Scientists Food & Environment Electronic Digest, December 2009, www.ucsusa.org After a four-year investigation and legal battle, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has suspended the organic certification of Promiseland Livestock, LLC, for four years. Promiseland, one of the largest organic cattle producers in the United States, manages 22,000 beef and dairy cattle in Nebraska and Missouri. Investigators accused Promiseland of violating numerous organic regulations, including feeding conventional grain to cattle and reselling conventional grain as organic. The suspension directly resulted from the company’s inability to provide records demonstrating its compliance with organic standards. The ruling signifies a commitment by the USDA to ensure the integrity of the organic label, which is critical to consumer confidence and support for organic products. Schools Can Serve rBGH-Free and Organic Milk —from Food & Water Watch, www.foodandwaterwatch.org Great news! We won our campaign to make sure schools can source organic milk or rBGH-free milk! Food & Water Watch has been working over the last year to pressure Congress and the USDA to make it clear that schools can purchase better milk for their students. The USDA got the message and has made it clear schools have the choice. Help spread the word so all schools know they can serve better milk! Thanks to all the folks who contacted members of Congress, participated in the School Milk Days of Action, and contacted local schools, our nation’s schools will not become the dumping ground for milk produced with artificial growth hormones. Here are a few highlights from the School Milk Campaign: • Over 30,000 petition signatures were delivered to Congress • School Milk Campaign activists made over 2,000 calls to Congress • Hundreds of schools across the country were contacted about their milk, directly influencing three schools to go rBGH-free • Our Healthy School Milk or Bust road trip hit seven key states, raising visibility of this issue with the media, consumers and congressional staff Now that it’s clear schools can buy organic milk or milk that’s produced without artificial hormones, we need to make sure schools know they have this choice. Can you tell your friends and family the great news, and ask them to spread the word? We’ve been working to make sure that schools have the opportunity to purchase organic milk and milk that’s free of artificial growth hormones because of the serious health concerns associated with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH). The artificial hormones are injected into cows to make them produce more milk, which can cause health problems for the cows, and may be linked to cancer in humans. We’re proud that schools will now have the clear choice to offer milk that’s produced without artificial growth hormones. Please help us spread the word. Mother Earth News Launches Radio Show —from Ogden Publications, www.ogdenpubs.com How can I make my home more energy efficient and save money? When should I plant my spring garden? Listeners nationwide can now hear the answers to these and other questions about sustainable lifestyles when Mother Earth News Radio launched Nov. 7. Mother Earth News magazine, the nation’s largest and longest-running publication about green lifestyles, joins home improvement radio host Andrea Ridout and energy expert Dan Lepinski to give a voice to its content. The weekly show covers the gamut of sustainable living subjects, including organic gardening, renewable energy, do-it-yourself home projects, green building and remodeling, green transportation and more. Actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr. appeared on Mother Earth News Radio’s inaugural show. Begley discussed his approach to green living and his new book, “Ed Begley Jr.’s Guide to Sustainable Living.” Other segments will cover raising backyard chickens, performing a home energy audit and looking back at Mother Earth News’ 40-year history. Mother Earth News Radio airs each Saturday at 9 a.m. CST nationwide on the IRN/USA Radio Network. On-line listeners can hear archived episodes at www.MotherEarthNewsRadio.com. The Future of US Chemicals Policy —from Environmental Working Group, www.ewg.org October 6 was an historic day. In a first-of-its-kind conference, Environmental Working Group (EWG) brought together more than 150 representatives of government, academia, the environmental community and industry (yes, you read that right). The subject was chemicals policy. And everyone had one thought in mind: The time has come for comprehensive reform of our nation’s outdated system for chemicals regulation. It has failed to ensure that the health of our children — and of all Americans — is no longer threatened by the thousands of chemicals encountered in daily life. As a result, consumers no longer trust that the products they are being sold are safe. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson joined us because she agrees that now is the time for change. Her keynote address signalled that the Administration is ready to take on chemicals policy reform. Parents, children, doctors, legislators and, of course, the chemical industry itself, are all stakeholders when it comes to comprehensive chemical reform. One refrain we heard over and over during the conference, from business leaders and environmental health advocates alike, was this: the time for change is NOW. Though we may not agree on every detail, we do agree that the goal of meaningful reform will not be met unless we all come to the table and hammer out our differences. A special thanks goes to Sen. Frank Lautenberg (NJ), Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA), EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Rep. Henry Waxman (CA), Rep. Bobby Rush (IL), and you. Unless consumers speak up–with your voices and with your dollars–these dialogues, and the reform on the horizon, will not happen.
Provender Alliance
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