Sustainable Agriculture News Bulletin
Volume 2, Number 3
May 21, 1993
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News Summaries
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BROWNER URGES WATERSHED PROTECTION
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Carol Browner
recently told Congress to make watershed protection a priority. In
her testimony before the House subcommittee on water resources
and environment, Browner said that adopting a comprehensive
approach to pollution prevention, controlling runoff, and adequate
funding for state and local wastewater treatment plants needed to be
top priorities for the reauthorization of the Clean Water Act.
"Focusing on the watershed as a whole rather than on specific
sources of pollution... is essential to... restoring and protecting the
nation's aquatic resources," Browner said. The water resources
subcommittee is expected to present a bill to reauthorize the Clean
Water Act later this month.
Source: "Congress Urged to Focus on Watershed Protection," JOURNAL
OF COMMERCE, May 7, 1993.
WORLD AGROCHEMICAL SALES FALLING
Reforms of the EC's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that require
farmers to set aside 15% of their land have caused a drop in
agricultural chemical sales. Market analysts estimate that losses last
year averaged between 10% and 13%. In the U.S., companies like
BASF and Monsanto have been slashing prices on their products.
"The agrochemicals market is clearly stagnating," said Klaus Pohle of
Schering, a German bioscience company. "The CAP reforms have
really changed the conditions of life. The lower subsidies mean
farmers are unwilling to increase purchases of agrochemicals. At the
same time, demands for increasing environmental performance mean
higher R&D costs." Schering and the German chemical giant Hoechst
are reportedly considering a merger that would make them the
second largest chemical company in the world behind Ciba Geigy of
Switzerland.
Source: Paul Abrahams, "EC Reforms Hurt Agrochemicals,"
FINANCIAL TIMES, May 13, 1993.
SOIL INSECTICIDES DON'T WORK ON CORN ROOTWORMS
A recent study by researchers at the University of Minnesota
revealed that soil insecticides don't work against corn rootworms.
Entomologist Ken Ostlie said that farmers could have reduced the
amount of insecticide used to combat the rootworm by 2/3. Ostlie
recommends using integrated pest management, reducing the
amount of insecticides used and periodically examining the fields.
Source: Don Peterson, Midwest Farm Report, UPI, May 14, 1993.
AUSTRALIA LUNCHES "BUG BIBLES" IN FIGHT AGAINST
PESTS
Last week, Australia launched an international effort involving the
use of books to combat pests that commonly plague agricultural
production. Calling them "bug bibles", the books will explain to
farmers in the Asia and Pacific region how to use natural enemies to
control weeds and pests. "Using the natural enemies of introduced
insect and weed pests is one of the safest and cost-effective methods
to establish low-energy, sustainable agriculture," said George
Rothschild of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural
Research. Australia will also be providing Western aid organizations
with the books.
Source: "Australia Sends Out 'Bug Bibles' to Kill Pests," REUTER, May
12, 1993.
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Resources
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VOICES is a bi-monthly publication of Rural Southern Voice for
Peace. Items of interest in the May/June 1993 issue include an
article on free trade by farmer/writer Wendell Berry and another on
the effect of pesticides on farmworkers by Eric Berg of the United
Farm Workers. Subscriptions are $15.00 per year. For more
information, contact Rural Southern Voice for Peace, 1898 Hannah
Branch Road, Burnsville, NC 28714. Tel: (704) 675-5933. Fax: (704)
675-9335.
The Land Institute's Spring 1993 issue of THE LAND REPORT
is now available. The Report is a compilation of the Institute's
activities over the past quarter. For information about the Land
Institute, contact them at 2440 East Water Well Road, Salina, KS
67401.
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Produced by: Michelle Thom, Library and Information Coordinator,
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy , 1313 5th Street SE, Suite
303, Minneapolis, MN 55414. Telephone: (612) 379-5980 Fax:
(612) 379-5982 EMail: mthom@igc.org
In addition to this twice-weekly news summary bulletin, the
Institute offers a variety of other information services on EcoNet for
farmers, educators, researchers and policymakers. These include:
Env.biotech: Weekly news summary bulletins on biotechnology;
Susag.library: Electronic "library" of documents pertaining to
sustainable agriculture; Susag.calendar: Calendar of events relating
to sustainable agriculture; Trade.news: Daily news summary
bulletins on international trade issues; Agri.farmbill: Participatory
conference on farm policy debates, including issues related to the
1995 Farm Bill