> ... we know the facts already. WF and every other large retailer is
> reaping the work of multitudes of small farmers, handlers, retailers,
> educators and thoughtful consumers over the years. That slow educational
> program on organic farming and products continues daily performed by the same
> people. How can we get a greater return on our educational work for
> consumers and organic farmers is the question?
The question is: Who is WE? Will WE be those organic farmers that tie
their certified organic wagons to Mr. Erorganic's OFMA horse, the inside
OFMA movers and shakers that will inherit the organic world once the
WORD belongs to those that obey the higher call (the will of the people,
straight from congress itself) and certify the USDA way? The lucky
consumers that get their organic products darn near directly (if you
don't count erorganic & OFMA) from those ruddy, earthy organic farmer
folks that's Eric's got on the line? Any of you out there ever check
out the website of Heaven's Gate?
> Buying direct from the organic farmer and the cooperative processor, lowers
> the price and brings the bucks back to the folks' pocket that have done the
> work. The cooperative distribution warehouses and the coop buying clubs and
> retailers could, if they structured for more efficiency in operation,
> diversity of products, quality of produce, become the #1 place to purchase
> organic products.
This post is very interesting and clearly coincides 100% with our posts
titled "Looking for a Better Way" to this and other forums earlier this
year, in which I expressed a desire to connect directly with Consumer,
Worker and Housing Co-ps for the purpose of offering them the produce
grown by the Farmer Co-ops in Mexico CeDeCoR represents. (Note: This
same post brought Eric to our door months ago, and while on the one hand
I'm glad to see he's followed up on that, I'm sorry to say - once again
- my prior experience tells me that things are not as they appear - or
rather, as they are presented by Mr. Kindberg.
>From our experience with Mr. Erorganic, it would not have been quite
that direct. Eric wanted me to form part of a for profit corporation
call Fiesta Organic (we ourselves have had the brand names Fiesta Fresh
Produce, Fiesta Fresh Farms and Fiesta Fresh Organic farms registered
since 1992, and forming another entity with him seemed pointless,
although I hesitated to say as much at the time. I wanted to see were
this was leading).
We see what looks to be a well ordered, progressive and inevitable
project (OFPA - not to be confused - or is it - with OFMA), a project in
which Mr. Erorganic takes pains to show us his considerable expertise
(he's practically a high priest for it, you could say), and paints us
all a glowing picture of the way it can be expected to benefit those
salt of the earth (but not you, sal), the organic farmer (or at least it
sure sounds like it). BUT - there's a catch. Some will benefit at the
expense of others (sorry, sal, but that's how life is in the big city).
However, it turns out that the "Marketing Co-op" discussed here was to
be cooperative in sense that everybody else cooperates to insure that
Mr. Erorganic gets an equal share of everybody else's equal share -
which comes out to 50% for him and 50% for everyone else combined.
Well, allow me to tell you that this is not how it will be done, at
least not for the growers co-ops CeDeCoR represents. Eric wound up with
our concept (from co-op to co-op, admittedly already related to his
concept of a marketing co-op in principle if not in practice), our
logotype, brand name and promotional text and he's welcome to them. (To
me, the fiesta's over). However, the great disparity between what was
said and what was in fact being done was just too great to overlook.
(Nothing he agreed to do was done).
Frankly, I feel no rancor. Neither myself nor CeDeCoR have been
involved in organic and sustainable agriculture since 1968 because it
was easy or because we were looking for quick or lucrative results (and
I'm not moved much by his rhetoric. As for the rest of you, good luck
and god bless, 'cause you may need it).
The REAL questions are: Is obligatory, USDA enforced certification
necessary? (nobody's arguing about the need for a national, consistent,
minimum standard - which is minimum because states can add to it but not
take from it). Will more people be aided than damaged by this measure?
And if NOT, who are those that stand to benefit most, and what part did
(or do) they play in the promotion of OFPA and the changes that it's
existence is creating (changes that obviously will be consolidated and
amplified in the future)? And perhaps the most important questions of
all: What kind of government do we want, what is the proper role of
government relative to the environment, public health and social
justice? (Not to mention the organic movement). And here's another: Am
**I** being unduly unfair (and just downright mean) to Mr. Erorganic?
We shall see (and you can all vote on that). It goes on...
>... Under the National Organic Marketing Feasibility Study information was
> collected and proposals formulated:
>... 2.) for creating a centralized information collection system of available
> products (grade, quality, pack, quantity, date of delivery) and therefore
> centralized offering of products, with decentralized production coordination,
> quality control and consolidation centers.
> 3.) for establishment of an organic farmers marketing association acting as
> a marketing agency in common to answer organic farmers needs, and
> 4.) for placing the greatest emphasis on developing a marketing alliance
> with the existing distribution cooperatives N. America wide.
This last point (Farmers Co-ops selling directly to Consumer, Worker &
Housing Co-ps) wasn't mentioned in the document referred to on ahead.
Could it be that this was added after his vist here? Doesn't matter -
ideas are free.
> Wholesale/retail cooperatives are enthusiastic about buying direct from
> organic farmers. Existing valued added conventional food processing coops
> are very open to collaboration with organic farmers.
Of course they are - but what is really happening? (Please do read on).
The following was copied from the OFMA website:
http://web.iquest.net/ofma/org1.htm
courtesy of the USDA, OSFVP, OFMA and now yours truly.
"A Publication For Studying New Marketing Options
Published by the National Organic Marketing Cooperative Feasibility
Study."
"The National Organic Marketing Cooperative Feasibility Study is funded
by a grant from the USDA Rural Business and Cooperative Development
Service."
"This material is the result of tax-supported research and as such is
not copyrightable. It may be freely reprinted with the customary
crediting of the source."
"Ozark Small Farm Viability Project, Inc., POB 99, Mt. Judea, AR 72655
is the grant recipient and administrator."
"OSFVP has hired two staff to facilitate the Study's process. ... Eric
Ardapple Kindberg, an organic livestock and vegetable farmer in
Arkansas, will coordinate analysis of the membership and consumer
outreach components of the Study, and serve as project administrator."
SO - we see that this publicly funded movement was somehow transformed
into OFMA and is now published on their website, which brings us up to
date again.
> ...But the perennial question is where do we go from here?
> Certified organic farmers in collaboration with cooperative value added
> businesses should be assertively working together to build an organic,
> cooperative distribution and retail marketing systems for North America.
And who will help them? Will you, Mr. Erorganic? "Ahem, now that you
mention it..." Uh oh, the fiesta's over!
> The greatest possible gain for all parties--organic farmers, handlers
> (distribution and value added coops included in this category) and
> customers--is to effectively and efficiently integrate a cooperative
> production and distribution system for organic products. To do so, all the
> parties, with identified stakeholder representatives, have to join together
> within an operative umbrella. These stakeholders, though not within an
> umbrella yet, nationwide, now represent a critical mass to undertake such a
> project.
Does anybody doubt where this is leading?
In fact, there is still a tremendous amount of educating and organizing
to be done and this takes time - more than will permit me to invest much
in continuous and elaborate internet posts. And perhaps it will not
be considered good form by all readers to put the finger on the scab
("el dedo en la llaga", as it's said in Spanish), but what I've said is
consistent with the truth and is relevant to what's happening (or being
attempted) on this forum, and I therefore I feel it my duty to put the
matter literally on (the) line. That having been said, I prefer to
continue doing what we began doing long ago, and things will converge
where they converge, sooner if we don't let up.
Never the less, I sincerely hope the proprietary (yeah, and consistent
too - consistent with what certain private interests want - and
apparently wanted from the beginning) conditions that will be forcibly
imposed by Congress's short sighted implementation of the Organic Foods
Production Act; under which only products certified by USDA authorized
Certifiers will be permitted to use the word organic, leaving farmers
with CSA type operations and those whose sales surpass $5, 000 / year
(far less than what it takes to feed a family, much less farm), unable
to use the only word that up to now enjoys widespread consumer
recognition, in order to present their products in the marketplace.
If this occurs, the results may tear the organic movement apart rather
than strengthen it, and the overemphasis on marketing (while obviously
an important aspect) is unjustified and inconsistent with the principle
motives inspiring sustainable (and that includes organic) agriculture.
NO ONE needs to accept the creation an organic insider, power elite in
order to insure "consistent" standards, and J I Rodale may well be
rolling over in his grave.
"But it's an Act of Congress", some will say (yes it is, and a sadly
flawed one); that "represents the peoples will, who have already
spoken". Horse puckey! Important aspects of it were badly thought out
from the beginning, will create more injustices & inconsistencies than
it will correct, will benefit primarily those least deserving and all of
this can (and will) be demonstrated.
First of all: It appears that little input regarding OFPA was generated
outside of the organic community itself, which was not a prioritary to
the USDA. (Try some word searches for "organic" on the vast majority of
the USDA's principle websites and see what you come up with. Try their
Calendar, Special Events, News and Current Information, the USDA's Small
Business Program and Small Farm Program, Markets and Trade, Agricultural
Systems, World Agricultural Outlook Forum, and so on - Do a USDA site
search - there's practically nothing there. Also, was the NRC involved
in any way? (Chuck)? What about the legality of it? Was the Justice
Department involved? Sure there were a number of industry people
involved and some respected researchers but it still looks like what we
got was a sweetheart law to please o vocal few. The standards part is
fine. But a lot of it won't hold up - it's a subpar bill on a number
accounts, any of which are serious enough to warrant a thorough
reappraisal and renovation. The law can be strengthened and its
pitfalls (and pratfalls) removed. It can now be taken farther than it
was then. So please don't sell out short. (Remember Heaven's Gate)!
More to follow.
I swear to God - I just did a spelling check and for erorganic I was
offered arrogant, and windbag for Kindberg. Now, THAT IS going to far!
--Douglas M. Hinds, Director General Centro para el Desarrollo Comunitario y Rural A.C. (CeDeCoR) (Center for Community and Rural Development) - (non profit) Cd. Guzman, Jalisco 49000 MEXICO U.S. Voice Mailbox: 1 630 300 0550 (e-mail linked) U.S. Fax Mailbox: 1 630 300 0555 (e-mail linked) Tel. & Fax: 011 523 412 6308 (direct) e-mail: cedecor@ipnet.com.mx, dmhinds@acnet.net, dhinds@.ucol.mx
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