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The Provender Journal May-June, 2007 Judge Orders Review of Monsanto's GMO Alfalfa Judge Orders Review of Monsanto's GMO Alfalfa —from Center for Food Safety, www.centerforfoodsafety.org A Federal judge has made a final ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2005 approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) “Roundup Ready” alfalfa was illegal. The Judge called on USDA to ban any further planting of the GE seed until it conducts a complete Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the GE crop. In the decision, Judge Charles Breyer in the Federal Northern District of California affirmed his preliminary ruling, which echoed the Center for Food Safety’s arguments in their lawsuit against USDA, that the crop could harm the environment and contaminate natural alfalfa. The ruling also requires Forage Genetics to provide the locations of all existing Roundup Ready alfalfa plots to USDA within 30 days. The Judge ordered USDA to make the location of these plots “publicly available as soon as practicable” so that growers of organic and conventional alfalfa “can test their own crops to determine if there has been contamination.” The decision is consistent with Judge Breyer’s ruling of February 13th, in which the judge found that the USDA failed to address concerns that Roundup Ready alfalfa will contaminate conventional and organic alfalfa. In calling for a permanent injunction, Judge Breyer noted that contamination of natural and organic alfalfa by the GE variety has already occurred, and noted that “Such contamination is irreparable environmental harm. The contamination cannot be undone.” “This ruling is good news for organic farmers and most conventional farmers across the country,” said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of the Center. “This crop represents a very real threat to their crops and their livelihood. This ruling is a turning point in the regulation of biotech crops in this country,” Kimbrell concluded. The permanent injunction ordered by Judge Breyer follows his ruling last month finding that USDA violated national environmental laws by approving GE alfalfa without a full Environmental Impact Statement. Monsanto and Forage Genetics, the developers of the GE alfalfa seed, failed to convince the Judge that their interests outweighed the public interest in food safety, freedom to farm natural crops, and environmental protection. In fact, Judge Breyer specifically noted that Monsanto’s fear of lost sales “does not outweigh the potential irreparable damage to the environment.” The Center for Food Safety initiated the legal action resulting in this ruling in February 2006, representing itself and the following co-plaintiffs in the suit: Western Organization of Resource Councils, National Family Farm Coalition, Sierra Club, Beyond Pesticides, Cornucopia Institute, Dakota Resource Council, Trask Family Seeds, and Geertson Seed Farms. The Provender Alliance 31st Annual Educational Conference will be held October 4 and 5, 2007 at the Red Lion at the Quay in Vancouver, Washington. The conference theme is Growing With Integrity. We are pleased to announce that Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception, will be one of our keynote speakers. We hope to have copies as well as those of his new book available for him to sign and for you to purchase. We are also pleased to announce that Steve Jones, of Washington State University, has also agreed to be one of our keynote speakers. The Red Lion Hotel is situated right on the Columbia River. There is an extensive riverside park less than a block away and another city park just a few blocks to the north. The hotel has been recently remodeled and promises to serve our needs quite well. The format for the 2007 conference will mirror the same schedule as the 2006 conference, with the opening keynote on Thursday morning and the conference ending on Friday night after the dance party. We hope to offer a special event on Wednesday, October 3 as an extra enticement to arrive early and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow conference attendees. Please contact us if you would like to help sponsor such an event. We are also contemplating offering an all-day Produce Intensive on Wednesday. Please let us know what topics you’d like covered in this session. It’s for you. Conference information will be mailed in early August. You will be responsible for your own lodging reservations. We will have a large block of rooms available, many with views of the river. We are of planning workshops and presenters and hope you will be pleased with the offerings. —from Pesticide Action Network Updates, March 29, 2007, www.panna.org Cincinnati-based Chiquita Brands International has been fined $25 million by the U.S. Justice Department for funding right wing death squads and other organizations in Columbia designated by the US as “terrorist organizations.” The Chicago Tribune also reports that Columbian Attorney General Mario Iguaran contacted the US Justice Department asking for documents about Chiquita’s payments to the right wing paramilitary group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, as well as two armed left opposition forces, ELN and FARC. Iguaran is also looking into whether Chiquita was involved in arms trafficking. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! reports that this is not the first time that the corporation has been accused of misdeeds: “Chiquita has had a long history of criminal behavior. It was the subject of an extraordinary exposé in its hometown paper, The Cincinnati Enquirer, in 1998. The paper found that Chiquita exposed entire communities to dangerous U.S.-banned pesticides, forced the eviction of an entire Honduran village at gunpoint and its subsequent bulldozing, suppressed unions, unwittingly allowed the use of Chiquita transport ships to move cocaine internationally, and paid a fortune to US politicians to influence trade policy.” Resistance to Cloned Food Grows —from Union of Concerned Scientists Food & Environment Electronic Digest, March 2007, www.ucsusa.org The newly introduced bills requiring cloned food to be labeled reflect the growing consumer and corporate opposition to cloned food products that has been mounting around the country. Grocery retailers Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats have announced that they will not carry products from clones or their offspring. The nation’s top dairy company, Dean Foods, also will not sell milk from cloned cows. Ben & Jerry’s staged an event on Capitol Hill at which protesters dressed as cows handed out educational information to express the company’s opposition to cloning. In polls, consumer opposition to cloning remains high. Read more about Whole Foods from the Associated Press at www.mohavedailynews.com and about Dean foods from United Press International at www.sciencedaily.com. GMO Alfalfa Will Devastate Organic Dairy —from Organic Valley Co-operative, www.organicvalley.coop Organic Valley farmers are joining the Center for Food Safety in a fight against the sale of Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) alfalfa seed. Products certified under the USDA Organic seal cannot be genetically modified, and GM alfalfa drift threatens the integrity of certified-organic alfalfa crops, says the organic farmer-owned cooperative. “Consumers respect and trust what the USDA organic seal represents, which includes no GMOs,” said Organic Valley CEO George Siemon. “If the seal no longer represents a GMO-free product, the integrity of the seal will be greatly compromised and consumers may no longer choose organic products. The organic dairy industry is now at approximately $1.4 billion in sales. GM alfalfa drift would severely impact the market for our farmers’ products.” The Center for Food Safety recently won a lawsuit filed in northern California finding the USDA illegally approved GM alfalfa without conducting the required Environmental Impact Statement. A judge in the Federal Northern District ordered a preliminary injunction, stopping the sale of GM alfalfa seed. Monsanto and Forage Genetics, developers of the seed, are arguing against a permanent injunction, which is now being sought by the Center for Food Safety. In the Declaration in Support of a Permanent Injunction Against the Sales of GMO Alfalfa, Siemon is explicit about the problem. The 869 dairy and beef farmers of Organic Valley “feed their animals an all-organic diet that is on average 60 percent alfalfa. Each cow eats approximately 32.5 pounds of certified organic alfalfa a day.” Siemon goes on to say “contamination of organic alfalfa stands or seed stock will devastate the organic farmers who market milk.” “Alfalfa is a perennial with a three-mile pollination radius, so farm buffers won’t work,” explains Fred Kirschenmann, Iowa Leopold Center Distinguished Fellow and a farmer in North Dakota. “It is impossible to contain.” Organic feed is already expensive and in short supply, and if organic alfalfa becomes contaminated by GM alfalfa, it would greatly compound the feed shortage, according to Siemon. Organic dairy farmers in the United States need approximately 450,000 tons of certified organic alfalfa annually to feed their organic cows. “If farmers can’t source adequate organic feed, they will not be able to produce organic milk,” Siemon said. In addition, if GM Alfalfa is allowed, organic farmers will be forced to test at great expense. Each test can range from $179- $259. The concern over GM crops and food is fueled by U.S. organic consumers who have expressed skepticism over genetically modified crops, which are banned in Europe. This concern is reflected in a 2006 Hartman Group study, “Organic 2006: Consumer Attitudes & Behavior,” which showed one of the primary reasons organic consumers buy organic food is to avoid genetically modified products. Seven Organizations You Should Know About —Reprinted with permission from Touch The Soil, March/April 2007, Issue No. 13, www.touchthesoil.com Find Your Farmer and Buy Locally Farmers Markets Locate a CSA Agri-tourism, Agri-tainment Working on an Organic Farm Activism Food Policy Councils —from The Organic & Non-GMO Report, Issue 3, Volume 7, March 2007, www.nongmoreport.com An important trend, sure to continue gaining even more momentum in 2007, is organic food. The Organic Food Handbook: A Consumer’s Guide to Buying and Eating Organic Food by Ken Roseboro (Basic Health Publications, U.S. $9.95/Canada $11.95) examines the growth of the organic food movement and explains why and how to shop for and eat organic. Organic is the fastest growing segment of the United States food industry with consumer demand increasing by nearly 20 percent each year. It is now served in restaurants and fast food chains, and it is sold at national parks and major league baseball stadiums. Its benefits are taught to many students, and a number of colleges and universities serve organic food. People are choosing organic because they want safer and healthier alternatives to “conventional” food that uses toxic pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and genetic engineering. The Organic Food Handbook is a concise guide to:
Renowned food industry author Ken Roseboro explains how certification ensures that organic food is produced at the highest standards and describes how to understand the organic label. He points out that as good as organic food is, local organic is even better. He introduces some of the people who are dedicated to providing the highest quality organic food. And, pointing to the latest research studies, he shows how organic food is a healthier, safer choice than conventional food. To order The Organic Food Handbook, call 800.854.0586 or visit www.non-gmoreport.com. —from Pesticide Action Network Updates, April 12, 2007, www.panna.org Want a garden without having to pick up a shovel? Donna Smith and Robyn Streeter, two enterprising Oregon horticulturists, have domesticated the concept of Community Supported Agriculture. Their small company creates small, personalized vegetable gardens in other peoples’ backyards — complete with natural fertilizers, organic seeds, and bio-intensive, pesticide-free beds. They have found that a 400-squarefoot plot can feed a family of four. With the “kitchen garden” making a comeback, Smith and Streeter are now getting queries from Eugene to Europe. Visit www.yourbackyardfarmer.com. Beverage Container Waste Costs Increase —Reprinted with permission from In Business, March/April 2007, www.inbusiness.org American consumers spent more than $270 billion on beverages consumed in 2005 (excluding milk) — 29 percent more than they spent in 2002 — even though consumption remained unchanged at 121.5 gallons per capita. According to Water, Water Everywhere by the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), sales of plastic water bottles one liter and less increased more than 100 percent from 2002 to 2005, and there was a 900 percent increase in 10-12 ounce plastic water bottles — from 1.9 billion to 18.9 billion units. “Beverage producers are pushing the small, single-serve containers consumed on the go, and more and more are ending up in landfills or as litter,” says Pat Franklin, CRI executive director. In 2005, manufacturing 144 billion new beverage containers from raw materials — to replace those wasted — consumed the energy equivalent of 53.5 million barrels of crude oil and produced approximately 4.8 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Notes Franklin: “Consumers are spending more on packaged beverages and getting less for their money, so it would seem that adding a small, fully refundable deposit of a nickel or a dime to bottled water and other noncarbonated drinks would not pose a hardship” — a nickel or a dime is a good incentive to recycle. Whole Foods Offers Producer Loans —from ATTRA–National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, Weekly Harvest Newsletter, February 28, 2007, http://ncat.attra.org David Rukin, of Buzzn Bee, has been chosen as the first recipient of Whole Foods Market’s Local Producer Loans. The south Florida beekeeper will use the low-interest loan to buy equipment and increase his product line. The loan is part of Whole Foods Market’s new initiative to provide $10 million in loans each year to support local agriculture and small producers. At rates of five to nine percent, the interest rates currently offered through Whole Foods are lower than those they would generally receive from a bank. The program has other attributes geared to small producers: loan application paperwork is minimized, administrative fees range from $0 to $65; there are no penalties for early payment; and loan life may be from a few months to ten years. “Whole Foods Market’s intention is to support local agriculture all over the United States,” said John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market. “We are going to ‘walk our talk’ with financial support for farmers and other producers in close proximity to our stores. We believe this financial assistance of $10 million a year can make a very significant difference in helping local agriculture grow and flourish across the United States.” Interested producers can learn more about the program at the Whole Foods Market web site, www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/locallygrown/lplp.html. —from Organic Consumers Association, www.organicconsumers.org and the Cornucopia Institute, www.cornucopia.org In response to two outbreaks of Salmonella in 2001 and 2004 traced to raw almonds grown in California, the Almond Board of California and the USDA have developed a new regulation mandating that all almonds undergo a sterilization process that includes chemical and/or high-temperature treatments. Both of these incidents, in fact, were the result of blatant mismanagement on large industrial-scale almond farms. The rule requires pasteurization of almonds, including organic, yet allows those same almonds to continue to be labeled as “raw”. Nutritionists point out that raw, organic almonds are far superior, in terms of nutrition, than pasteurized almonds. One of the FDA-recommended pasteurization methods requires the use of propylene oxide, which is classified as a “possible human carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and is banned in Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. Organic and family-scale almond farmers are protesting the proposed rule, saying it will effectively put them out of business, since the minimum price for the pasteurization equipment is $500,000. The FDA claims pasteurization is necessary. The only exemptions to these new regulations will be organic “raw” almonds, which will not be fumigated, but will undergo the steam - heat treatment, and small - scale growers who can sell truly raw almonds but only direct to the public from farm stands. Almonds that have heat treatment will still be labeled as “raw,” despite having undergone surface sterilization treatments. You are encouraged to contact the USDA and demand that the new rule mandating “pasteurization” of almonds be re-opened for public comment and review. Cornucopia has a comprehensive fact sheet on the almond issue on its web page, and a sample letter for interested individuals to send to the USDA can be found at www.cornucopia.org/ index.php/238. The third annual herb symposium on botanical medicine will take place on Saturday and Sunday, July 21 and 22 at Wise Acres Farm in Pleasant Hill, Oregon, just 14 miles from Eugene. It is sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs, Sharol Tilgner, N.D., and Wise Acres. This symposium is packed full of information provided by extremely qualified herbalists, nutritionists, naturopaths and authors. It takes place on a beautiful 25-acre farm in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and has over 200 species of different medicinal plants. Meals will be catered using as much organic and local food as possible. Class topics include a wide variety including treatment of mental illnesses, herbal infusions, natural skin care, women’s wisdom sharing, herbs for menopause, using herbs for stress, treating inflammatory conditions and much more. Herb and plant walks are offered several times during each day. This is a great event with opportunities to learn a tremendous amount about herbs and herbal applications. For more information, call Wise Acres at 541.736.0164 or send an e-mail to class@herbaltransitions.com for questions. You may also visit their web site, www.herbaltransitions.com. —by Christian Evans. Reprinted from www.newslink.com. March 21, 2007. The honeybee population in the US is currently suffering a devastating collapse. Honeybees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies. Have they all been kidnapped by mad beekeepers, or is something more frightening occurring with the pollinators in our ecosystem? During the final three months of 2006, a distressing number of honeybee colonies began to diminish from the United States, and beekeepers all over the country have reported unprecedented losses. According to scientists, the domesticated honeybee population has declined by about 50% in the last 50 years. Reports of similar losses to the honeybee population have been documented before in beekeeping literature, but are widely believed to have occurred at this scale previously only at a regional level. With outbreaks recorded as far back as 1896, this is regarded as the first national honeybee epidemic in US history. The phenomenon, referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), is not yet well understood. Even the existence of the disorder remains in dispute. Nevertheless, what cannot be denied is that a shortage of honeybees in the continental US has affected cropowners from California to the New England states. When entire bee populations seem to disappear or die out in alarming numbers, the ramifications can be astounding. Bee pollination, which most farmers depend on, is responsible for as much as 30% of the US food supply. A Cornell University study has estimated that honeybees annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States. These include such diverse food sources as almond blossoms, pumpkins, cucumbers, raspberries, avocados, and alfalfa. Unless something is done to protect the honeybee population soon, many fruits and vegetables may disappear from the food chain. Scientists, for now, have primarily attributed the honeybee decline to diseases spread as a result of mites and other parasites as well as the spraying of crops with pesticides. It may also result from the treatment of forests, rangelands and even suburban areas to control a wide variety of pests. In order to deal with this devastation, a newly formed CCD working group has been organized in hope of finding a solution to the dwindling honeybee population. According to the CCD mandate, the group will explore “the cause or causes of honeybee colony collapse and finding appropriate strategies to reduce colony loss in the future.” Comprised of university faculty researchers, state regulatory officials, cooperative extension educators and industry representatives, the working group hopes to develop management strategies and recommendations for this epidemic. Participating organizations include the USDA/ ARS, the Florida Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania State University, and Bee Alert, Inc., a technology transfer company affiliated with the University of Montana. Research involving the value of honeybees to agriculture could be beneficial to both the beekeeper and the grower. The knowledge formed from such research maximizes the likelihood of finding answers that will aid beekeepers in promoting good health for honeybees within the pollination industry. It should also keep the grower well informed about the process of pollination and the relative damage of different pesticides to honeybee populations. A detailed, up-to-date report on Colony Collapse Disorder can be found on the Mid- Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium web site at www.maarec.org. To read more on this subject, please visit www.NewsTarget.com/021724.html. 5th Biennial Organic Seed Growers Conference —from Organic Seed Alliance, www.seedalliance.org Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) is pleased to announce the 5th Organic Seed Growers Conference, to be held February 14-15, 2008 at the Salem Convention Center in Salem, Oregon. The conference, co-hosted by OSA, Oregon State University (OSU) and Washington State University (WSU), is the largest meeting of seed professionals engaged in organic seed production, research, and plant breeding in the US. Please visit the web site, www.seedalliance.org, for the full conference announcement. In preparation for the 2008 Conference, the conference committee seeks input from diverse public and private stakeholders in developing an agenda. Input and proposals for presentations and posters must be submitted by June 1, 2007. Applicants for presentations and posters will be notified by August 1, 2007. They also welcome your ideas for topics and suggestions of speakers. For a list of past speakers and agenda please visit the 2006 Conference Agenda page. Please e-mail your input to Micaela at micaela@seedalliance.org and include the following information: your name and contact information (for follow-up questions), suggested topics, suggested speakers, and any additional input regarding conference format and agenda (note: the date and location are already set). The 2008 conference will also feature a one day preconference Short Course on the Fundamentals of Organic Seed Production to be held on February 13, 2008. Funded by Western SARE, the Short Course will address two major areas: Fundamentals of seed production for organic professionals and farmers interested in learning how to grow specialty seed and Fundamentals of organic production for seed professionals and farmers interested in learning how to grow organically. Irradiation is NOT Pasteurization —from Food & Water Watch, www.fwwatch.org For years, the irradiation industry has had a problem convincing consumers to buy irradiated food. The industry’s solution? Don’t tell them it’s irradiated. Right now, food treated with ionizing radiation must be labeled as “Treated with irradiation” or “Treated by radiation.” The irradiation industry wants to label these foods as “electronically pasteurized” or “cold pasteurized,” which is misleading. In 2002, Congress passed the Farm Bill that contained several provisions designed to weaken the rules for how irradiated food are labeled, allowing the word “pasteurized” to be used. FDA is just now following the instructions from Congress, by proposing a rule that would allow the use of the term “pasteurized” on some types of irradiated food and not require any labeling on others. Tell the FDA not to weaken the rules for labeling irradiated food! Visit www.fwwatch.org and click on Take Action. Demand for Locally Grown Continues to Increase —Reprinted with permission from In Business, March/April 2007, www.inbusiness.org Foods grown on smaller farms close to home is part of a larger trend that food industry analysts say is gaining ground among consumers willing to pay a little more for quality food. As a result, people who grow food on small farms on a more regional scale are finding new eaters. They are also avoiding traditional sales methods and marketing approaches, says a recent report by Kim Severson in the small business section of The New York Times. Instead of trying to break in to large distribution chains and fighting for shelf space, they find that smaller is better. The idea is to appeal to consumers who think that food grown regionally or produced by ecofriendly operations is fresher and tasted better. The increasing number of farmer markets makes a big difference for regional producers with the number doubling to 3,800 since 1994, according to the USDA.
Provender Alliance
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