Table of Contents
Clinton Administration Offers Pesticide Reform Bill 1
Maine, Vermont Require BGH Labeling 2
SARE Annual Report Features 16 Research Projects 3
Tracy Irwin Hewitt Joins Wallace Institute 4
Farmers Increasingly Ask ATTRA For Sustainable Ag Info 5
Catalog Success Illustrates Acceptance of IPM 6
Upcoming Events 7
Resources 8
1. CLINTON ADMINISTRATION OFFERS PESTICIDE REFORM, FOOD SAFETY BILL
The Clinton Administration, represented by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
and Food and Drug Administration, late last month proposed
legislation to reform the nation's pesticide and food safety laws
by amending the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide
Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The
legislation incorporates a number of the recommendations made by
a 1993 National Academy of Sciences report by "calling for a
specific finding that tolerances are safe for infants and
children, and adding other safety factors for setting tolerances
and documenting more scientific studies to assess children's
dietary exposure," according to the Administration. "The
legislation also includes incentives for the development of new
alternative pest management materials, focuses federal programs
on the research into those alternatives, and rationalizes the
registration process so that farmers have access to new tools
which pose fewer risks to human health and the environment."
But the Administration eliminated a proposed timetable,
included in a draft version of the bill, for farmers to shift to
alternative forms of pest control that rely less on chemicals.
The current proposed bill endorses integrated pest management but
does not say how quickly farmers should adopt the approach.
The bill would set deadlines for removing dangerous
pesticides from the market; restrict the ability of industry to
justify use of a pesticide based on its economic advantage; and
give the FDA the authority to seize or recall food that contains
pesticide levels in excess of those set by the regulations. The
proposed legislation would abolish the Delaney Clause, which
prohibits the presence in processed foods of any traces of
pesticide residues or other additives shown to be carcinogenic,
and require the EPA to establish a more uniform, health-based
standard for all pesticides used on food. That approach would
require EPA to take into account only the risks a pesticide poses
to human health when establishing tolerances for it, and require
pesticide registrants to prove that allowable pesticide residues
on food pose a "reasonable certainty of no harm" to consumers.
According to Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy, "With the
introduction of this legislative proposal, the Administration is
fulfilling its commitment to offer comprehensive reforms to the
nation's pesticide laws that further protect the environment and
human health while ensuring that farmers will have the pest
control tools necessary to produce an abundant and affordable
food supply."
The Administration proposal is seen as a compromise between
the two other pesticide reform bills already introduced, the
Kennedy-Waxman Bill (S.331, H.R.4091) and the Lehman-Bliley Bill
(H.R.1627) (see Alternative Agriculture News, September, 1993).
The Waxman bill, introduced in March, is an updated version of an
earlier pesticide reform bill (H.R.872) introduced last year.
The Kennedy-Waxman proposal is supported by many
environmentalists and pesticide reform organizations; the Lehman-
Bliley proposal is generally referred to as the bill favored by
industry. However, the prospects of the Clinton Administration's
bill in Congress are "uncertain because neither industry nor
environmental groups support the Administration's approach,"
according to The New York Times. That view was also taken by
Greenwire, a daily environmental news service, which said, "All
sides -- enviros, farmers, and chem industry officials --
criticize parts of the plan, creating doubts that the bill will
be passed this year."
2. MAINE, VERMONT REQUIRE BGH INFORMATION AND LABELING
The Governors of Maine and Vermont last month signed laws
requiring the labeling of dairy products to distinguish which
ones come from cows treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH) or
recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) -- and which ones do not.
Vermont Governor Howard Dean signed into law a bill requiring
food companies to put an identification label on any dairy
product made with milk that comes from cows treated with the
genetically engineered growth hormone. Maine Governor John
McKernan Jr. signed into law a measure directing farmers who use
BGH to register that information with the dairies they supply,
and establishing an official label to be placed on dairy products
that are produced from cows not treated with BGH. Similar
labeling proposals are being considered in California,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and
Wisconsin. The Monsanto Company, which manufactures the
genetically engineered hormone, has not yet decided whether to
file legal challenges to the laws, according to The New York
Times.
3. SARE ANNUAL REPORT FEATURES 16 RESEARCH PROJECTS
"SARE 1994 Project Highlights," the eight-page annual report
of the SARE program, features descriptions of 12 research
projects, and four projects that "seek answers to questions that
go beyond bushels and bottom lines" by exploring how farmers and
rural citizens live. Among the 12 research projects described
are those which study pre-sidedress nitrate tests to reduce
nitrogen rates, ways to make rotational grazing more profitable
for dairy farmers, an undercutter that kills cover crops without
herbicides, organic pest-control for sweetpotato whiteflies, and
the use of fodder radish to control cyst nematodes in sugarbeets.
Among the other projects highlighted are two which examine the
barriers that keep sustainable agriculture from catching on in
the South, and the ways in which wetlands help make agriculture
more sustainable. Like the 1993 annual report last year, the
1994 SARE annual report was printed by New Farm and appears as
the centerfold of the May issue of the magazine, which has a
monthly circulation of approximately 46,000. For a copy of the
annual report, contact the communications official of the nearest
regional SARE office: West -- Kristin Kelleher, Davis, CA, (916)
752-5987; North Central -- Lisa Jasa, Lincoln, NE, (402) 472-
7081; South -- Gwen Roland, Griffin, GA, (404) 412-4788;
Northeast -- Beth Holtzman, Burlington, VT, (802) 656-0554.
4. TRACY IRWIN HEWITT JOINS WALLACE INSTITUTE AS POLICY ANALYST
Tracy Irwin Hewitt, a former analyst with the Sustainable
Production Systems Section of the USDA's Economic Research
Service, has joined the Wallace Institute as a policy analyst.
During her first year at the Institute, she will spend half her
time serving as the Washington, D.C.-area representative of the
Council for Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics (C-FARE),
a non-profit professional organization. For both C-FARE and the
Wallace Institute, she will follow and report on legislative and
administrative policy affecting agricultural research and
education. Among Ms. Hewitt's initial projects with the
Institute's Policy Studies Program will be the synthesis of
information advancing the case for sustainable agriculture as an
approach to feeding the world's growing population. She received
her B.A. in economics and an M.S. in agricultural and resource
economics from Michigan State University. While a graduate
student at MSU, she was a research assistant with the Department
of Crop and Soil Sciences and was part of a farmer-led,
interdisciplinary team researching sustainable farming in
Michigan.
5. FARMERS INCREASINGLY ASK ATTRA FOR SUSTAINABLE AG INFO
Farmers who are increasingly interested in sustainable
agriculture are the primary users of the technical assistance
service set up by Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas
(ATTRA), in Fayetteville, Arkansas. According to figures
compiled by ATTRA for January 1 to March 31, 1994, almost 70% of
ATTRA cases came from farmers. During that same time, the types
of alternative production information requested from ATTRA by
those cases were dominated by general production, 39.1%;
market/finance, 13.5%; soil fertility, 12.9%; pest control and
equipment/building, 8.2% each; 4.6%, general LISA (SARE); 6.9%,
other general; and 6.6%, other production. Categorized by
production enterprise type, 27% of the ATTRA information requests
came from farmers of diversified crops; 23.5%, livestock/fish;
19.1%, fruit crops; 13.7%, vegetable crops; 5.6%, field crops;
and 11.1%, other crops. "The increased interest in sustainable
agriculture is clearly reflected in the number of information
requests ATTRA is receiving," according to Robert J. Gray of
ATTRA, who estimates the service will respond to 14,000 inquiries
this year. "Most of these requests are from individual farmers
who are incorporating sustainable agriculture practices into
their farming operations," Gray said.
6. IPM CATALOG ILLUSTRATES ACCEPTANCE OF ALTERNATIVE PEST CONTROLS
A catalog that specializes in products designed to help
commercial growers raise successful crops without chemicals owes
its continued success to "effective applications of IPM
practices," according to an article in the January/February issue
of IN BUSINESS. Pest Management Supply, Inc., entering its 14th
year in business, has experienced steady sales increases,
averaging about 15 percent per year. "The growth of [the
company's nonchemical products illustrates the commercial
acceptance of the IPM method," according to the magazine. Among
the products the catalog offers are insect traps, field
microscopes, sweep nets, computer software, pest monitoring
devices, biological pest controls, and a weather intelligence
system that forecasts insect and disease activity, giving farmers
an idea of what to expect and how to plan for it. For more
information, contact Pest Management Supply, 311 River Drive,
Hadley, MA 01035; 1-800-272-7672 or (413) 549-7246.
7. UPCOMING EVENTS
June 7-10, "Creating Research, Education and Management
Partnerships Among Natural Resource Professionals" will be held
in Fort Collins, CO; contact International Symposium, Office of
Conference Services, Colorado State University, Fort Collins,
80523; fax -- (303) 491-0667.
June 19-23, "Ecosystem Health & Medicine: Integrating
Science, Policy and Management" will be held in Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada; contact Office of Continuing Education, 159 Johnston
Hall, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1;
(519) 767-5000.
June 20-22, "Environmental Education 2000: Communications
for the Future" will be held at Tysons Corner, VA; contact
Alliance for Environmental Education, 51 Main St., P.O. Box 368,
The Plains, VA 22171; (703) 253-5812.
June 24-26, "Women, Food and Agriculture" will be held at
Grailville in Loveland, OH; contact Audrey Sorrento, 932
O'Bannonville Road, Loveland, OH 45140; (513) 683-2340.
June 27-August 18, "Introduction to Sustainable Agricultural
Systems," an eight-week course offered by the Student
Experimental Farm, University of California Davis, will be held
in Davis, CA; contact Mark Van Horn, Student Experimental Farm,
Department of Agronomy, University of California, Davis, CA
95616; (916) 752-7645.
July 1-4, "Rural Community Survival," the annual conference
of the National Association for Rural Mental Health, will be held
in Des Moines, IA; contact Michael Rosmann, Prairie Rose Mental
Health Center, 1220 Chatburn Avenue, Harlan, IA 51537; (712) 755-
5056.
July 5-9, the Fifth International Symposium on Earthworm
Ecology will be held in Columbus, OH; contact Dr. Clive Edwards,
Department of Entomology, Ohio State University, 1735 Neil Ave.,
Columbus, OH 43210; (614) 292-3786.
8. RESOURCES
"Future Harvest: Teaching Manual" is a companion to "Future
Harvest," by Jim Bender; contact University of Nebraska Press,
312 N. 14th St., P.O. Box 880484, Lincoln, NE 68588.
"Managing Global Genetic Resources: Agricultural Crop Issues
and Policies" is one volume from a four-volume series from the
Committee on Managing Global Genetic Resources: Agricultural
Imperatives, National Research Council; it is 480 pages, hard
cover, $49.95 plus $4 shipping/handling from National Academy
Press, 2101 Constitution Ave., NW, Lockbox 285, Washington, D.C.
20055; 1-800-624-6242.
Free listings of community supported and biodynamic farms
and gardens are available by calling 1-800-516-7797; other
resources are available from the Bio-Dynamic Farming and
Gardening Association, P.O. Box 550, Kimberton, PA 19442, (610)
935-7797.
"The Caretaker Gazette," which helps landowners and
caretakers find each other, is $18 a year for six issues from The
Caretaker Gazette, 221 Wychwood Road, Westfield, N.J. 07090;
(908) 654-6600.
"A Sustainable Agriculture Resource Guide for Oregon and
Washington," (EM8531), 220 pages, is $9 from Publications Orders,
Agricultural Communications, Oregon State University,
Administrative Services A422, Corvallis, OR 97331-2119.
"The Sustainable Agriculture Directory of Experts" ($14.95),
"The Showcase of Sustainable Agriculture Information and
Educational Materials" ($4.95), and "Managing Cover Crops
Profitably" ($4.95) are available from the Sustainable
Agriculture Network, Sustainable Agriculture Publications, Hills
Building, UVM, Burlington, VT 05405; (802) 656-0554.
"Integrated Pest Management for Strawberries," (#3351) is
$30, payable to UC Regents, from ANR Publications, Dept. NR,
University of California, Oakland, CA 94608-1239; (510) 642-2431;
or Agricultural Information and Publications Office, UC Davis,
(916) 757-8930.
"Protect Your Groundwater: Education for Action," 64 pages,
is $6.95 plus $3.50 shipping/handling from Publications
Department, League of Women Voters, 1730 M St., NW, 10th floor,
Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 429-1965.
"Whole Farm Case Studies of Horticultural Crop Producers in
the Maritime Pacific Northwest" is available from Publications
Orders, Agricultural Communications, Oregon State University,
Administrative Services A422, Corvallis, OR 97331-2119; (503)
737-2513.
"Pesticides and Groundwater: A Guide for the Pesticide User"
is $4, payable to NRAES, from the Northeast Regional Agricultural
Engineering Service, Cooperative Extension, 152 Riley-Robb Hall,
Ithaca, N.Y. 14853-5701; (607) 255-7654.
"Taking Stock: The North American Livestock Census" is
$14.95 plus $2 shipping from American Livestock Breeds
Conservancy, P.O. Box 477, Pittsboro, N.C. 27312; (919) 542-5704.
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