>From: WEBSTERJ <WEBSTERJ@aol.com>
>Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 11:51:16 EDT
>To: Karenm
>Subject: Re: The Webster Agricultural Letter and Organic Certification
>
>A friend forwarded your 4/22 message to SANET about an article from the 4/3
>issue of The Webster Agricultural Letter. An excerpt from your message:
>
><< The following excerpt really bothers me because the organic and
sustainable
> producers, researchers, and supporters don't seem to have much educational
> impact and perhaps less media savvy and presence. How do we combat
> articles like this one? >>
>
>I'd be curious to learn more about your analysis of my article and your views
>on the overall media situation of organic agriculture. (The article you cite
>was one of four or five we've carried on organic standards over the past
year,
>beginning with one in October 1997 which accurately forecast the debate, and
>perhaps one of more than a dozen on biotechnology in agriculture.)
>
>My "take" on the debate over the USDA proposed rule is that the organic
>industry easily enjoyed the upper hand ... generating very sympathetic, if
not
>quite balanced, New York Times and Washington Post coverage ... while those
>who consider biotechnology and irradiation either beneficial or neutral were
>unable to command much attention beyond publications such as mine (fewer than
>1,000 subscribers).
>
>Since Glickman released the proposal, I probably saw 10-15 statements from
the
>"anti-" biotech/irradiation side for each one from the "pro" side. (I never
>did see one from the pro-sludge industry.) I've also read hundreds of
>inaccurate assertions that the proposed rule would allow products of
>biotechnology and those treated witih irradiation to carry the organic label.
>In fact, he specifically left the proposal open on those issues (and
sludge).
>
>I have found the entire debate amusing, but also disheartening, because it
has
>so consumed the attention of a large number of people that it has served to
>divert attention from the real problems in food and agriculture -- food
safety
>regulation, declining prices and exports, changes in the structure of
farming,
>how the "have nots" will eat in a world in which the "haves" enjoy customized
>food and drink delivered to their tables.
>
>From a broader perspective, I am distressed at how the organic standards
>debate has revealed an appalling degree of ignorance about biotechnology and
>given the "know nothings" a platform from which to disseminate that
ignorance.
>I hope the land grant university system will help educate the public about
its
>importance.
>
>I would be interested in your reaction.
>
>James C. Webster
>
>(PS -- You are correct about the genesis of the newsletter; it combines
>features of two newsletters previously published by Webster Communications
>Corporation, and predecessor publishers, over the years. I will mail you a
>copy of the current issue.
>--JCW)
>Return-Path: <fwoods@SMOKE.REEUSDA.GOV>
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>From: "W. FRED WOODS OF ECS" <fwoods@SMOKE.REEUSDA.GOV>
>Organization: USDA/CSREES
>To: websterj@aol.com
>Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 10:52:29 +500
>Subject: (Fwd) The Webster Agricultural Letter and Organic Certificatio
>Reply-to: fwoods@reeusda.gov
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>------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
>Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 09:39:08 +0600
>To: sanet-mg@shasta.ces.ncsu.edu
>From: Karen Mundy <karenm@vt.edu>
>Subject: The Webster Agricultural Letter and Organic Certification
>
>Dear SANnetters,
>
>The following excerpt really bothers me because the organic and sustainable
>producers, researchers, and supporters don't seem to have much educational
>impact and perhaps less media savvy and presence. How do we combat
>articles like this one?
>
> It sounds as if it were once two separate publication: The Agricultural
>Credit Letter and the Washington Farmletter. It seems to be published
>privately by David Swit, James C Webster, email agletter@aol.com.
>
>The April 3, 1998 edition of The Webster Agricultural Letter has as its
>first article "New Warning Label? Organic Food May Be Dangerous to Your
>Health." It says, "On at least two counts, and likely many more, their
>strident insistence on excluding the products of genetic engineering and
>irradiation risks creating an organic class of foods with greater food
>poisoning risk and less able to promote good health than traditional foods.
>. . . their industry would be saddled with a code denying it some of the
>most promising nutritional and health (and environmental) advances in human
>histroy and refusing techniques to enhance food safety. Unless it adapts,
>the 'organic' niche riskes being frozen in time, not competitive with
>conventional food marketers in the vanguard of exponential gains in food
>science. . . . National Food Processors Association . . . Regina Hildwine
>[says], 'there is no scientifically supportable reason to exclude them
>[irradiation and genetic engineering].
>
>
>
>Karen Mundy
>Rural Economics Analysis Program
>Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics (0401)
>Virginia Tech
>Blacksburg, VA 24061
>(540) 231-9443
>
>
>
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>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Fred Woods
>National Program Leader phone: 202-720-5633
>Public Policy Research & Education
>CSREES-USDA fax: 202-690-2522
>AG BOX 2212 e-mail fwoods@reeusda.gov
>Washington, DC 20250
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
Karen Mundy
Rural Economics Analysis Program
Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics (0401)
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
(540) 231-9443
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