Henry A. Wallace Institute for
Alternative Agriculture
9200 Edmonston Road, #117
Greenbelt, MD 20770
(301) 441-8777
E-mail: hawiaa@access.digex.net
World Wide Web: http://www.hawiaa.org
* * *
If You Are Interested in Sustainable Agriculture...
In addition to this monthly newsletter, the Henry A. Wallace
Institute for Alternative Agriculture publishes the American Journal of
Alternative Agriculture, a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of research
on alternative agriculture. It is a scientific forum for disseminating
technical, economic, and social research findings about the character and
requirements of alternative agriculture systems.
The start-up of a successful alternative dairy farm in Wisconsin
is profiled in an article in the newest issue of AJAA (Volume 13, No. 2,
1998). Other articles cover feedlot manure nutrient loadings on South
Dakota farmland, organic vegetable production in the United States,
natural terrace formation through vegetative barriers on hillside farms
in Honduras, erosion effects on soil moisture and corn yield on two soils
in Tanzania, and a behavioral approach to alternative agriculture
research. Subscriptions to AJAA are $44 for libraries; $24 for
individuals; and $12 for students; contact the Wallace Institute, 9200
Edmonston Road, #117, Greenbelt, MD 20770; (301) 441-8777; e-mail
hawiaa@access.digex.net
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Sustainable Ag Groups Work to Improve New Initiative, p. 1
Poultry Producers Try to Develop Voluntary Cleanup Plan, p. 2
Two Publications Hail Composting's Benefits, p. 2
Resources, p. 3
EPA Issues New Guidelines for Testing Pesticides, p. 4
Manure Mangement Could Reduce On-Farm Pollution, p. 4
Two Awards Programs Seek Nominations, p. 4
Merrigan Named Vice Chair of Organic Standards Board, p. 4
Upcoming Events, p. 5
SUSTAINABLE AG GROUPS WORK TO IMPROVE NEW INITIATIVE
Sustainable agriculture organizations, including the Wallace
Institute, are trying to direct the spending of the new Initiative for
Future Agriculture and Food Systems toward sustainable agriculture and
small farm issues. Congress has not yet approved an appropriation for
the Initiative, but is expected to do so this month. USDA, however, has
already started "moving quickly on its implementation," according to Ferd
Hoefner of the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. The Initiative,
created by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), is a new five-year, $600 million
competitive grants program. "The potential is that most of it gets
earmarked for genome mapping and biotechnology," said Hoefner. "But we
will try to get the program to spend money on other initiatives as
well." The Intitiative may also fund precision farming and food safety
technology.
The Wallace Institute, Sustainable Agriculture Coalition,
National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, and others have made the
following recommendations to the USDA for the Initiative:
Set aside no less than 50 percent of Initiative funding for
projects that help solve the most critical environmental and farm income
problems simultaneously.
Give high priority to the Initiative's special emphasis on the
competitiveness of small and medium-sized farms.
Include farmers in a very substantial way in the evaluation
panels selected to review and rank proposals.
Give significant attention to agroecological projects, as well as
research and education on marketing alternatives and locally owned
value-adding enterprise development.
Implement the bulk of the Initiative through a nationally
coordinated, but regionally administered structure.
Achieve substantial progress on the research recommendations of
the Secretary's National Commission on Small Farms.
POULTRY PRODUCERS TRY TO DEVELOP VOLUNTARY CLEANUP PLAN
Poultry producers across the country are trying to develop a
voluntary plan to manage the waste from their operations in an attempt to
avoid either federal or state-by-state regulations, according to The New
York Times (August 25, 1998). The EPA and USDA are working on a broad
strategy for reducing runoff from livestock and poultry operations; a
draft version of the report is due to be released in the next few weeks,
with a final report in November. Some states, including Maryland, have
been addressing problems associated with nutrient runoff from chicken
manure with their own regulations.
Groups such as the National Broiler Council, National Turkey
Federation, and the United States Poultry and Egg Association have been
discussing for several months how to change their waste runoff management
to better protect water and soil quality. But participants at a meeting
last week could not agree on a plan. "They are still grappling with
questions about who will pay for research into new technologies and
educational programs, as well as new nutrient management plans geared
more for controlling phosphorous runoff, as opposed to current plans that
focus on nitrogen," according to the article. "There are questions about
alternative uses for chicken manure, such as burning it for energy
instead of simply spreading it on farms as fertilizer."
TWO PUBLICATIONS HAIL COMPOSTING'S BENEFITS
Two new publications review the benefits of composting, as an
environmental remediation technology and for manure management. The EPA
has published "An Analysis of Composting As An Environmental Remediation
Technology," which summarizes the available information on the use of
compost for managing hazardous waste streams and indicates possible areas
for future investigations. "Research has indicated that the composting
process and the use of mature compost also provide an inexpensive and
technologically straightforward solution for managing hazardous
industrial waste streams and for remediating soil contaminated with toxic
organic compounds and inorganic compounds," it concludes. Information
about the publication is available on the Internet at
http://www.epa.gov/osw. "Composting for Manure Management," edited by
the staff of BioCycle, describes the methods used to process and market
composted manure, and "how specialized equipment and systems are being
used to turn a disposal problem into a profit center." The report covers
composting methods for poultry, hog, dairy and beef manure; water quality
impacts; overcoming problems, from odors to leachates; and anaerobic
digestion technology for managing manures. The report is $39 from
BioCycle, 419 State Ave., Emmaus, PA 18049; (610) 967-4135.
RESOURCES
20 New Reports by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program,
U.S. Geological Survey, summarize findings about water quality in 20
major river basins: Albemarle-Pamlico Drainage,
Apalachicola-Chattachoochee-Flint Rivers, Central Columbia Plateaus,
Central Nebraska Plateaus, Connecticut-Housatonic and Thames Rivers,
Georgia-Florida Coastal Plain, Hudson River, Lower Susquehana River, Las
Vegas Valley-Carson and Truckee Rivers, Ozark Plateaus, Potomac River,
Red River of the North, Rio Grande Valley, San Joaquin-Tulare Rivers,
South Platte River, Trinity River, Upper Snake River, Western Lake
Michigan Drainage, White River, and Willamette River; they are available
on the Internet at http:water.usgs.gov, then click on NAWQA, or from the
NAWQA program at (703) 648-5716; e-mail nawqa_whq@usgs.gov
"The Organic Pages, 1998 North American Resource Directory" is
$44.95 plus $6 shipping; "Organic Cotton Directory" is $15 plus $3
shipping from Linda Lutz, Organic Trade Association, P.O. Box 1078,
Greenfield, MA 01302; (413) 774-7511.
"Generic Materials List," published by the Organic Materials
Review Institute, is available by subscription or as a product review
from OMRI, Box 11558, Eugene, OR 97440; (541) 343-7600.
"A Guide to USDA and Other Federal Resources for Sustainable
Agriculture and Forestry Enterprises" is free from the Appropriate
Technology Transfer for Rural Areas, P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR
72702, (800) 346-9140; e-mail askattra@ncatark.uark.edu; on the Internet
at http://www.attra.org
"Small Farm Resource Guide" is available from USDA-Cooperative
State Research, Education and Extension Service, Plant and Animal
Systems, Stop 2220, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20250;
(202) 401-4385; e-mail sfp@reeusda.gov; or on the Internet at
http://www.reeusda.gov/smallfarm
"The Monitoring Tool Box" is $35 plus $7 shipping/handling from
Land Stewardship Project, P.O. Box 130, Lewiston, MN 55952; (507) 523-3366.
EPA ISSUES NEW GUIDELINES FOR TESTING PESTICIDES
The EPA has issued an updated set of test guidelines under the
1996 Food Quality Protection Act that apply when industry conducts
laboratory studies to evaluate the safety of new and existing chemicals
and pesticides. The guidelines will provide the EPA with better
information about the health effects of chemicals and pesticides,
particularly their potential reproductive and developmental effects in
infants and children; they will also provide guidance for conducting
laboratory tests to determine the toxic effects of chemicals on the
immune system. The new guidelines are consistent with the testing
programs administered by the EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and
Toxic Substances, and international testing protocols agreed to by the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
MANURE MANAGEMENT COULD REDUCE ON-FARM POLLUTION
Innovative manure management methods could solve on-farm
pollution control problems while helping to save America's family farms,
according to an article in BioCycle (July, 1998) by William Jewell,
professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering,
Cornell University. "We need to eliminate manure and related waste
pollution," he wrote. "We need to try to make it cost-effective on the
family farms....Cost-effective multiple pollution control alternative
technologies to daily manure spreading need to be available, from
complete destruction of the waste to complete recycling." The options
he recommends include daily spreading, year-round; soil activation and
waste destruction; composting (conventional aerobic); biological nutrient
removal; dry waste management system -- anaerobic composting; and
anaerobic digestion with fiber recovery.
TWO AWARDS PROGRAMS SEEK NOMINATIONS
Two awards programs -- the Steward of the Land Award, and the
World Food Prize -- are seeking nominations for their 1999 awards. The
Steward of the Land Award, sponsored by American Farmland Trust, offers a
$10,000 award annually to farmers working to promote farmland
conservation. AFT seeks nominees who are actively farming in the United
States, and employ management practices or other farming methods
consistent with good land stewardship on their farms or ranches. For
information, visit the AFT homepage on the Internet at
http://www.farmland.org, or call (800) 886-5170. Applications may be
submitted by mail or fax by 5 p.m., Monday, November 2, to Steward of the
Land Award, AFT, P.O. Box 96982, Washington, D.C. 20077-7048; fax (202)
659-8339.
The World Food Prize seeks nominations for its $250,000 award,
with a deadline of December 31, 1998. The prize recognizes outstanding
individual achievement in improving the quality, quantity, or
availability of food in the world. It emphasizes the importance of a
nutritious and sustainable food supply for all people, and on nurturing
the quality of land, water, forests, and other natural resources. For
applications, contact World Food Prize, Office of the Secretariat, David
G. Acker, College of Agriculture, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
50011-1050; (515) 294-2883; e-mail bjelland@iastate.edu
MERRIGAN NAMED VICE CHAIR OF ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD
Kathleen Merrigan, the Wallace Institute's Senior Analyst, was
elected Vice Chair of the National Organic Standards Board at the Board's
last meeting in July. She was appointed to a five-year term in March,
1995. At the July meeting, the Board discussed the USDA's proposed rule
for national organic standards, and its statutory authority over the
National List of approved synthetic materials. The Board will meet again
in October in Washington, D.C.
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 2-4, "Planting the Future" a conference on native plants
will be held in Rutland, OH; contact United Plant Savers, P.O. Box 420,
East Barre, VT 05649; (802) 479-9825.
October 2-4, "Traditional Nutrition and Restorative Agriculture"
will be held in Charles Town, W.V.; contact Biodynamic Conference, P.O.
Box 3047, Shepherdstown, W.V. 25443; (304) 876-2373.
October 3-7, Water Environment Federation's 71st annual meeting
will be held in Orlando, FL; contact WEF, 601 Wythe St., Alexandria, VA
22314; 1-800-666-0206; e-mail confinfo@wef.org;
October 4-7, "Farming the Agroforest for Specialty Products" will
be held in Minneapolis, MN; contact Scott Josiah, University of
Minnesota, 1530 Cleveland Ave. North, 115 Green Hall, St. Paul, MN 55108;
(612) 624-7418; e-mail CINRAM@forestry.umn.edu
October 7, "Edible Connections: A Food Communications Forum" will
be held in Philadelphia, PA; contact Edible Connections, Pennsylvania
State University, Office of Conferences and Short Courses, 306
Agricultural Administration Building, University Park, PA 16802; (814)
865-8301.
October 14, "Human Nutrition & Livestock in the Developing
World," and October 15-17, "A Cup of Milk...A World of Hope" will both be
held in Little Rock, AR; contact Heifer Project International, P.O. Box
808, Little Rock, AR 72203; (501) 376-6836; e-mail ros@heifer.org
October 16 is World Food Day; contact U.S. National Committee for
World Food Day, 2175 K St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20437; (202) 653-2404.
October 16-18, "Sustainable Wisconsin: How We Can Make It Happen"
will be held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; contact Lynn
Gottleib, CALS Outreach Services, 620 Babcock Dr., Madison, WI 53705;
(608) 263-1672; e-mail heather.whitesell@ocmail.adp.wisc.edu
October 18-23 and October 25-30, "Herbicide Action," an intensive
course, will be held at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; contact
Course Director, S.C. Weller, (765) 494-1333; or Conference Coordinator
Kathy Hyman, (765) 494-2758; on the Internet, http://www.hort.purdue.edu
October 22-26, "Helping Small Towns Succeed" will be held in
Jackson Hole, WY; contact Heartland Center for Leadership Development,
941 O St., #920, Lincoln, NE 68508; 1-800-927-1115 or (402) 474-7667.
October 23-25, Community Food Security Coalition's Second Annual
Meeting will be held in Pittsburgh, PA; contact Andy Fisher, CFS
Coalition, P.O. Box 209, Venice, CA 90294; (310) 822-5410; e-mail
afisher@aol.com
October 28-31, "Sustainable Community Development Strategies"
will be held in Aspen, CO; contact JoAnn Glassier, Rocky Mountain
Institute, Economic Renewal Seminar, 1739 Snowmass Creek Rd., Snowmass,
CO 81654; (970) 927-3807; e-mail joann@rmi.org
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with "unsubscribe sanet-mg".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".