Sustainable Agriculture Week
Produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
April 27, 1994
Volume 3, Number 8
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HEADLINES
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- ENVIRONMENT, CONSUMER CONCERNS WILL FOSTER MOVE TO IPM
- DUPONT SETTLES MORE BENLATE DF CLAIMS
- CCC SAYS IT WILL LET FARM BILL DECIDE FATE OF CRP LAND
- TRENDS MAGAZINE PREDICTS GROWING INTEREST IN
RMICROFARMSS
- LAND GRANTS NEED TO CHANGE RESEARCH EMPHASIS TO
SUSTAINABLE
- BLUEBERRY HERBICIDE CAUSES HAVOC WITH MAINE RIVERS
- SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES MAY BE KEY TO GROWING ALFALFA IN
SOME SOILS
- POLLUTER PAYS PRINCIPLE DRAWS IRE OF FERTILIZER INDUSTRY
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NEWS SUMMARIES
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ENVIRONMENT, CONSUMER CONCERNS WILL FOSTER MOVE TO IPM
A recent article in the MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE examines the
growing movement toward farming with Integrated Pest
Management (IPM). Consumer concern over food safety and
pesticide use are cited as key reasons for moving to IPM. General
Mills is among the companies that is encouraging its growers to adopt
IPM. RThe worst thing that can happen to a food manufacturer is for
the public to have a fear of whatUs in the market,S said Fred Hegele of
General Mills.
Another reason growers are moving to IPM is a growing resistance to
chemical pesticides and herbicides on the part of plant pests. In one
tomato field in Mexico, CampbellUs soup company reported an almost
total resistance to pesticides that were being used. Using IPM
techniques, a company spokesperson said CampbellUs growers have
increased both yield and quality.
Independent growers, too, are increasingly turning to IPM. In
California, where pesticide applications are required to be reported,
one grower said he has gone from spraying 400 to 500 gallons of
pesticide per acre to 100 to 125 after implementing IPM. In
addition, President Clinton hopes to have 75% of the nationUs
producers utilizing IPM techniques by the year 2000. RI really canUt
see us continuing any other way,S said orange grower Gary Caviglia.
Source: James Walsh, RPath Away From Pesticides Comes Naturally,S
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE, April 19, 1994.
DUPONT SETTLES MORE BENLATE DF CLAIMS
Last week, the DuPont company announced it had settled about half
of the 560 claims against its benomyl product Benlate DF, costing the
company $214 million. The settlement was the latest in a series of
agreements reached after hundreds of lawsuits were filed in the
1980s against the company by growers in the southern U.S. who
allege the product caused crop mutations and sexual dysfunction
among farmers and farmworkers. The new settlement brings the
total amount the company has dished out to about $1 billion.
The company continues to maintain its innocence. RDuPont remains
convinced that Benlate is not responsible for alleged crop damage
and DuPont will continue to prove this in ongoing matters,S said John
Schmutz, special counsel for the company. He cited the high cost of
fighting litigation as the primary motivation behind the companyUs
willingness to settle the matter out of court.
In other chemical company news, a federal jury decided last week
that the St. Louis, Missouri-based Monsanto company should pay a
California company $81.4 million in damages over a Superfund site
clean up dispute. Monsanto had contracted with the International
Technology Corporation in 1988 to clean up a polystyrene disposal
site in LaMarque, Texas. After International Technology built two
incinerators and began the clean up, the company decided it was too
expensive to complete and requested additional funds from
Monsanto, which Monsanto rejected. International Technology
stopped the project and sued. RWere sorry the jury didnUt enforce
the contract,S said Monsanto assistant general counsel Thomas
Bistline. The day of the ruling, Monsanto share prices fell $1.625 on
the New York Stock Exchange while International Technology share
prices rose 75 cents. In a prior case, another Texas jury decided
Monsanto should pay $108 million to the family of a chemical plant
worker who died of leukemia, which was linked to benzene exposure.
That decision was later set aside.
Source: Randall Mikkelsen, RDuPont Settles Chemical-Damage Claims
for $214 Million,S REUTER, April 22, 1994; James P. Miller, RDuPont
Agrees to Pay $214 Million For settlement of Fungicide Lawsuits,S
WALL STREET JOURNAL, April 22, 1994; RJury Says Monsanto To Pay
$81.4 Million In A Superfund Case,S WALL STREET JOURNAL, April
21, 1994.
CCC SAYS IT WILL LET FARM BILL DECIDE FATE OF CRP LAND
After receiving a multitude of opinions on what to do with land
currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) when
contracts begin to expire next year, the Commodity Credit
Corporation (CCC) said in the Federal Register on April 8 that it would
let the 1995 Farm Bill decide the fate of CRP land. The original
request for public comment came last year when the CCC said it was
considering allowing haying or grazing on CRP land under certain
conditions. Thirty-four of the 57 respondents supported the
proposal; however, CCC said Reven among these respondents there
was a wide divergence of views relative to the type of restriction
that would considered appropriate.S The advance notice of proposed
rulemaking will hence be withdrawn, according to CCC, and it will be
up to Congress to figure out what to do with CRP land in the
upcoming debate over the 1995 Farm Bill.
Source: RCRP Questions Passed to Farm Bill Debate,S FEEDSTUFFS,
April 18, 1994.
TRENDS MAGAZINE PREDICTS GROWING INTEREST IN RMICROFARMSS
A recent article in THE TRENDS JOURNAL said RmicrofarmingS will be
the next big fad to face agriculture in the United States. These small
Rboutique farmsS will potentially provide as much as 18% of the
nationUs food needs over the next 20 years, the journal says. RThe
majority of microfarmers will offer such staple items as organic
poultry, fish, meats, produce and dairy products. Others will
cultivate heirloom vegetables, which are grown from seeds that have
been passed down throughout generations.S It goes on to say Rthe
trend will gain a broader following as continuing exposes highlight
unsanitary meat processing, pesticide laden food imports and
increasingly contaminated fish.S
Source: RSmall to Be Beautiful in FarmingUs Future,S GANNETT NEWS
SERVICE, April 21, 1994.
LAND GRANTS NEED TO CHANGE RESEARCH EMPHASIS TO
SUSTAINABLE
Speaking at a recent seminar of the Minnesota Institute of
Sustainable Agriculture (MISA), Dr. Katherine (Kitty) Reichelderfer
Smith of the Henry A. Wallace Institute of Alternative Agriculture
said the research emphasis within the land-grant university system
needs to undergo a change. Current research policy, she said, is not
supportive of sustainable agriculture; it limits the possibility of inter-
disciplinary work; it focuses too much on commodities and
production; and it does not consider the social impacts of agricultural
production.
After examining briefly the history of agricultural research in the
U.S., Reichelderfer Smith attempted to make recommendations about
how the research agenda could change to encompass the growing
interest in and influence of the sustainable agriculture movement.
She recommended a coordinated research policy on sustainable
agriculture at the federal level; increasing the size and influence of
the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program;
earmarking some conventional agriculture research funds for
sustainable agriculture; and opening up the grants and formula funds
procedures to allow sustainable agriculture researchers to compete.
Reichelderfer SmithUs comments were part of an ongoing series of
seminars on sustainable agriculture sponsored by MISA.
Source: Michelle Thom, Meeting Notes, April 12, 1994.
BLUEBERRY HERBICIDE CAUSES HAVOC WITH MAINE RIVERS
A chemical commonly used in blueberry production is appearing in
area rivers in the state of Maine, according to a study by the Maine
Atlantic Sea Run Salmon Commission. The chemical, hexazinone, sold
under the trade name Velpar by DuPont, was found in the
Naraguagus River, its West Branch and the Pleasant River. While
amounts of the chemical found are no cause for alarm, blueberry
growers feel like they are under attack. "We seem to be getting
blamed by anybody with a problem near a blueberry field, said
Edward McLaughlin of the Maine Blueberry Commission. The
Environmental Protection Agency issued a human health advisory for
concentrations of 210 parts per billion (ppb). A spokesperson for the
EPA said the agency is considering raising that threshold to 20 ppb.
The highest level the study found was 1.53 ppb in the Pleasant River.
David Yarborough, a University of Maine blueberry specialist, said
there is no alternative for blueberry growers and Velpar has been
very effective as it interrupts the photosynthesis process of weeds.
Source: "River Herbicide Levels Spark Questions in Maine," JOURNAL
OF COMMERCE, April 15, 1994.
SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES MAY BE KEY TO GROWING ALFALFA IN
SOME SOILS
At a recent Farming Sandy Soils conference, a University of
Minnesota extension specialist said effective management which
provides for the efficient use of nitrogen is the key to farming alfalfa
in sandy soils and preserving the environment. John Moncrief said
careful consideration of soil pH and applications of lime in the
preceding rotation will help alfalfa fix nitrogen better in sandy soils.
Reducing tillage after an alfalfa rotation reduces the release of
nitrogen, which can then be used by the next crop. Finally, warm
temperature alfalfa kills release more nitrogen sooner, which can
then be leached away on soils that do not have a great water
retaining capacity. The conference took place earlier this month in
St. Cloud, MN. Moncrief can be reached at (612)625-2771.
Source: "Management of Alfalfa on Sandy Soils Helps Environment,"
MINNESOTA EXTENSION SERVICE NEWS/INFORMATION, April 15,
1994.
POLLUTER PAYS PRINCIPLE DRAWS IRE OF FERTILIZER INDUSTRY
A proposed bill that would tax agricultural chemicals has incensed
The Fertilizer Institute (TFI). Representative Gerry Studds (D-MA)
has authored a bill that will assess three different taxes: 1.95 cents
per every thousand gallons of commercial water use; a tax on
permitted discharges in water bodies as reported on the Toxic
Release Inventory; and a tax on fertilizer, pesticides and animal feed.
The fertilizer tax is expected to raise $1 billion a year, Studds said.
TFI said the assumption that farm chemicals are responsible for
pollution and that taxation will solve the problem is unrealistic.
"Raising taxes and expanding the size of government is the wrong
way," said TFI President Gary Myers. He said the law would not tax
the actual polluter -- the urban water authorities who fail to comply
with the Clean Water Act -- and it "penalizes environmental
stewardship." Farmers and agribusiness have been making progress
in the attempt to preserve the environment, he said. "Soil erosion
has been dramatically decreased; efficiency of fertilizer use has
increased ... Taxing those ... stewards reduces their financial ability
to continue this progress," he said. On an annual basis, the tax would
cost Minnesota farmers $15 million; Wisconsin farmers $5.2 million;
North Dakota farmers $11.6 million; Iowa farmers $19.9 million; and
California farmers $12.8 million.
Source: Gordon Carlson, "Fertilizer Group Attacks Bill Calling for
Polluters to Pay," FEEDSTUFFS, April 11, 1994.
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RESOURCES
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The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Sustainable
Agriculture Society and the Center for Rural Affairs are working
together on a sustainable agriculture mentor program. The purpose
of the program is to help beginning farmers or those in transition to
sustainable practices link up with successful sustainable farmers.
For a brochure on the program, contact Tim Powell, Northeast
Research & Extension Center, Box 111, Concord, NE 68728, Tel: (402)
584-2261 or Lowell Schroeder, Rt. 1, Box 55, Stanton, NE 68779, Tel:
(402) 439-5398.
The Bio-Dynamic Association has a database of over 400 community-
supported agriculture farms around the U.S. In addition to other
print resources, the organization is also working to establish a toll-
free number for consumers seeking information on CSAs. For more
information, contact the Bio-Dynamic Association, P.O. Box 550,
Kimberton, PA 19442, Tel: (215) 935-7797.
The current issue of CHOICES, a publication of the American
Agricultural Economics Association, addresses the issue of water and
agriculture. Articles cover the Central Valley, the aftermath of last
year's flood and the impacts of reduced pesticide use on fruits and
vegetables. Subscriptions begin at $19.95/year. For more
information, contact AAEA, 1110 Buckeye Avenue, Ames, IA 50010,
Tel: (515) 294-8700, Fax: (515) 294-1234.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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May
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
Biological Control of Arthropod Pests and Weeds, May 3-27, 1994,
Ascot, U.K. FFI, contact: Stephanie Williamson, International
Institute of Biological Control, Silwood Park, Ascot, Berkshire Sl5 7TA,
U.K., Fax: (44) 0344 875007, email: s.williamson@cgnet.com.
Toward Earth Community: Ecology, Native Wisdom and Spirituality,
May 22-27, 1994, Killarney, Ireland. FFI, contact: International
Transpersonal Association, 20 Sunnyside, Suite A257, Mill Valley, CA
94941.
Legumes in Cropping Systems of the Tropics and Subtropics, May 30-
June 24, 1994, Stuttgart, Germany. FFI, contact: Course Coordinator,
Centre for Agriculture in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of
Hohenheim, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany, Tel: (49) 0711 459-3742,
Fax: (49) 0711 459-3315.
Prairie Festival 1994: The Pattern Which Connects, May 27-29,
1994, Salina, KS. FFI, contact: The Land Institute, 2440 East Water
Well Road, Salina, KS 67401.
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Produced by: Michelle Thom, Institute for Agriculture and Trade
Policy, 1313 5th Street SE Suite 303, Minneapolis, MN 55414, Tel:
(612) 379-5980 Fax: (612) 379-5982 EMail: mthom@igc.org or
mmthom@alex.stkate.edu. In addition to this news bulletin, the
Institute publishes a variety of news bulletins on agriculture, the
environment and international trade. All bulletins may be
reproduced and distributed freely without prior permission as long
as proper attribution is included. A copy of any publication in which
an IATP bulletin is cited would be appreciated.