Henry A. Wallace Institute for
Alternative Agriculture
9200 Edmonston Road, #117
Greenbelt, MD 2770
301/ 441-8777
Table of Contents
Sustainable Ag "Ought to Be Encouraged," Says Glickman 1
Senator Lugar Launches Farm Bill Hearings 2
Stolen Pesticides Are "Environmental Time Bombs" 2
National Rural Conference to be Held April 25 3
Kathleen Merrigan Named to National Organic Standards Board 3
Positions 3
GOP Risk Bill Would Allow Increased Pesticide Residues 3
Farmers Join Forces to Cut Costs, Share Knowledge 4
Selling BST is "No Easy Task" for Monsanto 4
Resources 4
Upcoming Events 5
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE "OUGHT TO BE ENCOURAGED," SAYS GLICKMAN
Sustainable agriculture is "effective" and "ought to be
encouraged," newly confirmed Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman
said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Agriculture
Committee last month. In the latter half of the hearing, the
former Democratic U.S. Representative from Kansas was questioned
about his views on sustainable agriculture by Senate Agriculture
Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN), who said, "The concept
of sustainable agriculture has been widely discussed, but often
means different things to environmentalists and to farmers. What
is your definition of sustainable agriculture, and how can
government properly promote sustainability?"
"Sustainable agriculture is a strategy that tries to achieve
cleaner water, reduced erosion, [and] improved habitat at the
lowest cost to society," Glickman replied. "Certainly
technologically, [it is] probably less exotic than what a lot of
producers in agriculture are doing.
"I think sustainable agriculture production is effective,
and I think it ought to be encouraged. Commodity programs can
affect sustainability positively through compliance requirements,
and negatively by discouraging green rotations and encouraging
chemical-intensive practices which, you know, the sustainability
movement has tried to get away from. Cost-effective strategy
would continue to build on the progress of the last two farm
bills by increasing flexibility and encouraging farmers to adopt
greener practices, but still maintaining some sort of overall
base.
"I do not think there is any miracle to sustainable
agriculture, but I think that it has produced results in certain
parts of the country. We ought to continue to be encouraging it,
and flexibility will encourage it."
The Clinton Administration, Glickman said, will be
developing "more formal principles" and analyzing policy options
on the farm bill within the next month, and will present the
Senate Agriculture Committee with guidelines which will be "more
than themes, but less than a bill."
SENATOR LUGAR LAUNCHES FARM BILL HEARINGS
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Lugar last month
launched the first hearings on the 1995 Farm Bill, with four
sessions covering "Farm Programs: Are Americans Getting What They
Pay For?", "Conservation, Wetlands, and Federal Farm Policy,"
"Taxpayers' Stake in Federal Farm Policy," and "Agricultural
Credit in the New Century." A fifth hearing on "Market Effects
of Federal Farm Policy" was held early this month.
At a hearing on conservation programs, Senators advocated
increasing the flexibility of conservation programs and "finding
ways to achieve conservation goals while saving money," according
to the Daily Executive Report. Senator Lugar cautioned that "we
will have less money for the future" to administer conservation
programs.
Paul Johnson, chief of the Natural Resources Conservation
Service and former Wallace Institute Board member, said the
committee "holds the key" to conservation on private lands. More
progress has been made on such conservation measures in the past
10 years, he said, than in the 40 years before the enactment of
the 1985 Farm Bill. He said USDA is considering changing the
criteria for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollment to
take into account the program's benefits to wildlife, and said he
hoped that USDA could target additional acres for protection
under the CRP.
STOLEN PESTICIDES ARE "ENVIRONMENTAL TIME BOMBS," SAYS NEWSPAPER
The theft of huge quantitites of agricultural pesticides --
$2 million worth a year -- has become a big underground business,
a big problem, and "an environmental time bomb" across
California, according to an article in the San Francisco Examiner
(March 12, 1995). "Besides the cost to agribusiness and
consumers, these thefts pose significant potential for grievous
human and environmental damage, authorities say."
According to Ron Qualls, Monterey County sheriff's main
investigator for all chemical thefts, the thefts are often easy
to carry out because pesticides are usually located in remote
areas with little more than fencing, barbed wire, and padlocks
for security.
"Like his counterparts, Qualls thinks stolen chemicals are
an environmental time bomb," the article said. "'These things can
become a public health hazard the moment they leave the storage
shed,' he said....Experts believe Monterey County has been lucky:
As yet, there has been no known incident of contamination by a
stolen pesticide. But that seems an inevitability."
Investigators say the pesticide thieves are highly
organized, stealing pesticides throughout the state, and passing
up cheaper pesticides to steal more expensive ones which will
yield higher profits on the black market. "Low risk and high
profits make it attractive," said another law enforcement
officer.
NATIONAL RURAL CONFERENCE TO BE HELD APRIL 25
The Clinton Administration's National Rural Conference,
looking at the future of America's rural communities, will be
held on April 25 in Ames, Iowa. The purpose of the conference is
"to discuss a wide range of issues such as job creation,
education, business development, infrastructure, agriculture,
health care, and the environment," according to White House Press
Secretary Mike McCurry. "It will bring together administration
officials, Members of Congress, and those living and working in
rural America for a discussion on the economic challenges facing
rural Americans."
KATHLEEN MERRIGAN APPOINTED TO NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD
Kathleen Merrigan, Senior Policy Analyst at the Wallace
Institute, has been appointed to a five-year term on the National
Organic Standards Board (NOSB), which will meet in Orlando,
Florida, in late April to consider materials for organic
production. In a March 27 Federal Register notice, the USDA
invited the public to recommend substances for possible inclusion
in the National List section of the National Organic Program.
Recommendations may be submitted to the USDA through May 29.
Copies of the Federal Register notice and additional information
are available from the National Organic Program, Transportation
and Marketing Division, AMS, USDA, Room 2510-S, P.O. Box 96456,
Washington, D.C. 20090-6456; (202) 720-3252.
POSITIONS
Putney School Farm seeks a farm manager/educator to operate
its mixed livestock and dairy farm, to start July 1; send initial
letter of inquiry and a resume, and ask for detailed position
description from Farm Search, The Putney School, Elm Lea Farm,
Putney, VT 05346.
Ohio State University Sustainable Agriculture Program has 10
student internships available for a 10-week student intern
program; contact Dr. Clive A. Edwards, Program Director,
Sustainable Agriculture Program, Ohio State University, 1735 Neil
Ave., Columbus, OH 43210.
GOP RISK BILL WOULD ALLOW INCREASED PESTICIDE RESIDUES, SAYS
ARTICLE
Under the Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Act of 1995,
passed last month by the House of Representatives, "more
hamburgers will be contaminated, more lettuce and tomatoes will
have pesticide residues, and ketchup will contain additives now
banned," according to The Washington Post (March 9, 1995). "One
reason is that more chemicals, including some now banned as
carcinogenic, probably would be approved for agricultural use,"
the article said. "The risk bill would require the EPA to base
the decision to register a chemical on whether the benefits to
the economy of using it outweigh the cost that any potential
hazard imposes on society." Since the benefits of restricting
use of a pesticide are not easily determined, many more
substances would probably be approved, according to Lynn Goldman,
Assistant EPA Administrator. Federal officials also predict the
time needed to issue new food safety rules would be lengthened by
two years, according to the article.
FARMERS JOIN FORCES TO CUT COSTS AND SHARE KNOWLEDGE, REPORTS
FURROW
Groups of farmers are banding together in producer networks,
alliances, clubs, and new kinds of cooperatives to make farmers
"more competitive with bigger, better-financed operators who can
buy and sell on a large scale," according to The Furrow
(March/April, 1995). The groups take different forms: producer
networks, for example, are especially popular in the hog
industry, where members in many cases pool money to buy inputs in
larger quantities, construct new hog buildings, and co-market
loads of uniform hogs, which typically earn a premium price from
packers. Members of a milk and beef producers network in
Minnesota share what they have learned about rotational grazing.
Collective marketing is the strategy used by 100 farmers who are
members of a Wisconsin group which sells certified organic dairy
products, eggs, and fresh produce in national and international
markets. "The future belongs to those, big and small, who
position themselves today to gain long-term access to markets,
information, financing, and technology," an agricultural
economist told the magazine.
SELLING BST IS "NO EASY TASK" FOR MONSANTO, SAYS NEW YORK TIMES
Selling bovine somatotropin (BST), despite its approval by
the Food and Drug Administration, "is no easy task," according to
The New York Times (March 12, 1995), which cites the "bitter
opposition" the growth hormone faces from "critics who question
the thoroughness of the agency's review" and say BST is unhealthy
for cows and dairy product consumers. "Surveys show that tens of
thousands of the nation's 120,000 or so commercial dairy farmers
hope Posilac [BST] is not widely adopted....But even Monsanto
concedes that widespread use of Posilac could hasten the
contraction of the dairy industry." The more crucial obstacle,
the article points out, is that BST "works well only when used
carefully."
RESOURCES
Financing Ozarks Rural Growth & Economy (FORGE) is offering
10 loans averaging $10,000 each in the Ozarks region of Arkansas,
Missouri, and Oklahoma, to support ecologically sound farms and
businesses, and to provide capital as a vehicle to independence;
contact FORGE, P.O. Box 1138, Huntsville, AR 72740; (501) 738-
1585.
"A Failure to Protect," an evaluation of pest management
practices and pesticide use at 41 federal facilities, is $23 from
National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, 701 E St.,
SE, Washington, D.C. 20003; (202) 543-5450.
"The State of Our Groundwater: A Report on Documented
Chemical Contamination in Washington" is available from Elizabeth
Loudon, Washington Toxics Coalition, Seattle, (206) 632-1545; or
Craig Cogger, Washington State University Extension, Puyallup,
(206) 840-4512.
"City Slickers: Farm Subsidy Recipients in America's Big
Cities" is $13 from Environmental Working Group, 1718 Connecticut
Ave., NW, #600, Washington, D.C. 20009; (202) 667-6982; e-mail
ewg@igc.apc.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 29, Beginning Organic and Biodynamic Gardening
Workshop will be held at the Michael Fields Agricultural
Institute; contact Gail Kahovic, MFAI, W2493 County Road ES, East
Troy, WI 53120; (414) 642-3303.
May, Southwest Regional Center offers one month of advanced
training and studies for trainers and field promoters of
sustainable agriculture and rural development; contact Rural
Development Service Group, HC 69 Box 62, Rociada, NM 87742; (505)
425-5457/5336.
May 8-10, 25th Annual BioCycle National Composting and
Recycling Conference will be held in Washington, D.C.; contact
BioCycle, Emmaus, PA 18049; (610) 967-4135.
May 8-26, "Agroforestry Systems: Design and Management;" May
15-26, "Vegetable Production & Management for International
Markets;" and May 29-June 9, "Post-Harvest Technology and
International Marketing for Horticultural Crops" will be held at
the University of Florida, Gainesville; contact University of
Florida, International Programs/FANR, Training Unit, P.O. Box
110329, Gainesville, FL 32611-0329; (904) 392-1965; e-mail
ITD@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU
May 11-16, the 8th International Lupin Conference will be
held at the Asilomar Conference Center near Monterey, CA; contact
Conference & Event Services (lupin), University of California,
Davis, CA 95616-8766; (916) 757-3331; e-mail jcbarnes@ucdavis.edu
May 13, "Sustainable Pasture Practices;" May 23-27, "Oxen
Basics;" May 24-June 14, "Artistic Smithing" will be held at
Tillers International, 5239 South 24th St., Kalamazoo, MI 49002;
(616) 344-3233.
May 19-October 23, several wetland management short courses
will be held at different locations throughout New Jersey,
sponsored by Rutgers University; for course topics, dates, and
locations, contact Registration Desk, Office of Continuing
Professional Education, Cook College, P.O. Box 231, New
Brunswick, N.J. 08903-0231; (908) 932-9271.
May 29-June 1, "Sustainable Forests: Global Challenges and
Local Solutions" will be held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada;
contact Dr. Thomas Bouman, Prince Albert Model Forest Assoc.
Inc., Box 2406, Prince Albert, SK, Canada S6V 7G3; (306) 922-
1944.
May 31-June 1, "Taking Nature Into Account," sponsored by
the European Commission and the World Wildlife Fund, will be held
in Brussels, Belgium; contact Jane Dunmore, Milestone House, 39
Main Road, Long Bennington, Near Newark, Nottinghamshire NG23
5DJ, United Kingdom; 44-1400-281018.
June 3 and June 17, tours of Ecology Action's research
garden and mini-classes will be held in Willits, CA; contact EA,
5798 Ridgewood Road, Willits, CA 95490-9730; (707) 459-0150.