The Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems (CSAS) in the Institute of
Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is an interdisciplinary center formed in 1991 for the
purpose of bringing together people and resources to promote an agriculture
that is efficient, competitive, profitable, environmentally and socially
sustainable for the indefinite future. The newsletters are also available
along with other sustainable ag information on our World Wide Web page:
http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/csas
Note: The electronic version is not sent to individual e-mail addresses. To
be added to the "hard copy" newsletter mailing list beginning with the next
bimonthly issue (not sent to overseas addresses), or for questions or
comments, contact the newsletter editor, Pam Murray, Coordinator, Center for
Sustainable Agricultural Systems, PO Box 830949, University of Nebraska,
Lincoln, NE 68583-0949, 402-472-2056, fax -4104, e-mail: pmurray1@.unl.edu.
Comments about the content or usefulness of this newsletter are always welcome.
* * *
CONTENTS:
NEW ENERGY IN FARMING COMMUNITIES
UNIVERSITY ROLE IN BIOTECHNOLOGY: HOW DO WE ASSESS
THE RISKS AND BENEFITS?
CSAS DIRECTOR RECEIVES HONORARY DEGREE
SOOBY NOW AT OFRF
NCR SARE REVISED WEB SITE
NEW FOOD ETHICS JOURNAL IN 2000
DOE ANNOUNCES NEW WIND ENERGY INITIATIVE
CONFERENCE CELEBRATES SUSTAINABLE AG COMING OF AGE IN 2000
RESOURCES
COMING EVENTS
DID YOU KNOW...
* * *
NEW ENERGY IN FARMING COMMUNITIES
Current crops and cropping systems in Nebraska and throughout the country
reflect the northern European heritage of the majority of our farmers. The
farming industry has evolved during the past two centuries, with major
changes in types of technology, additions of pesticides and fertilizers, and
increases in productivity per unit of labor. Although the systems have
become more refined, we are essentially growing the same crops using an
industrial approach. With current commodity prices, there is little hope for
an improved economic situation in agriculture, and many farmers are
understandably discouraged.
Here's a new source of innovation and encouragement. In an August 12, 1999
Wall Street Journal article titled "Immigrants See Hope in Farming," Scott
Kilman and Joel Millman report that opportunity is being grasped by
immigrants to the U.S. from developing countries. Often coming from areas
where land is scarce and economic systems do not allow or encourage
entrepreneurs, new people are bringing energy and ideas into agriculture.
The authors say that "American agriculture is receiving the biggest infusion
of new blood since the original wave of immigrant farmers from Europe played
out several generations ago."
The innovations span the spectrum from vegetables to fruit crops, fish to
rice, and ethnic specialty crops to dairies. Examples in the article include
a former migrant farm worker from Mexico who now grows 135 acres of apple,
peach, and cherry trees in Washington state. There are more than 1,000
Laotians farming in California, and Cambodians growing vegetables and fish
in Massachusetts. Vietnamese fishermen are growing rice in Texas. Dutch
farmers are starting dairies in Texas, Michigan, and Washington. A recent
article in Nebraska Farmer magazine described a Portuguese dairyman who had
recently moved his herd to Nebraska.
The Wall Street Journal article continues with a description of the
reception of these immigrants into rural communities. Farm equipment and
input dealers welcome the infusion of people and energy into farming. A
service manager at an equipment dealership in Washington state recently took
Spanish classes and wants to hire bilingual employees. University of
Minnesota is teaching Hmong, Somali, and Ethiopian farmers about pest
management, soil fertility, and marketing. The head of the program says,
"The countryside was built on their kind of hard work."
Most immigrant farmers are willing to work hard and expect no handout from
the government, partly because this expectation is not part of their prior
farming culture and also because they are not primarily growing
federally-subsidized commodities. The specialty vegetable and fruit crops,
small animals, fish, mushroom, and other niche products are not part of the
federal program. Many also have difficulty getting loans. Thus, they are
infusing this new energy, work ethic, and enthusiasm through their own
efforts and not through subsidies.
The authors point out that many immigrants are pursuing their own agrarian
roots. There is a growing market for unique products, organic foods, and
ethnic specialties, and these can often be grown on small land areas with
major investments of time and labor by the farmer and family. Often they
bring with them a serious land ethic, one which also came with the Europeans
who invested in land because it would "always be there," unlike other types
of investment. What better way to establish a conservation and stewardship
ethic in the rural areas of this country?
Is there a message for Nebraskans? Given the progression toward ever larger
investments in land and machinery and reliance on a few key commodities, it
may be increasingly difficult for many farmers to make a profit no matter
how hard they work. Crops our ancestors brought from Europe are not the only
options. While immigrants can learn a language and a new culture from those
already in our rural areas, we can learn from them about new crops,
intensive systems, and innovative ways to make a living and establish a
quality of life through agriculture.
Submitted by Charles Francis
UNIVERSITY ROLE IN BIOTECHNOLOGY: HOW DO WE ASSESS THE RISKS AND BENEFITS?
Fifth in a Series. There is growing debate about the emerging role of
universities in research and applications of biotechnology. Current interest
and investment in production and use of genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) have sparked a revolution in university research laboratories and
fields. Perhaps no single set of new techniques and potential technologies
has caused such a substantial short-term shift in focus of people and
resources in universities. We hope that encouraging debate within the
university community and among our clients will help inform people of the
issues and aid in charting a rational strategy for the future.
What are the specific risks?
Potential risks from the use of transgenic organisms (often called GMOs)
were elaborated at the June meeting of the National Agricultural
Biotechnology Council (see CSAS newsletter, July-August 1999). Gene escape,
especially through the transfer of pollen from modified plants and
pollination of wild relatives of crops, is being widely debated by
geneticists and ecologists. Most support the conclusion that the risk of
escape and establishment of these new genes is low, but not impossible. Some
conclude that even a small level of risk is unacceptable, and that a
precautionary approach, including much more testing, would be a prudent
path. To the issue of wide crosses or transfer of genes among drastically
different species, many plant breeders argue that this is a logical
extension of conventional breeding techniques used for decades in the search
for genes that control specific traits, for example, stress tolerance,
insect resistance, or grain quality. Others such as Wes Jackson,
cytogeneticist and futurist, draw the tolerance line at moving genes within
major families, like the grasses. Outside these limits, such as moving a
flounder gene to a tomato for cold tolerance, he suggests that we are
creating genetic combinations with which humans and other animals have no
evolutionary selection experience, thus introducing unacceptable risk.
More immediately tangible than these potential risks to the ecosystem are
the possible risks to humans who consume the food from transgenic plants.
This is the expressed concern from people in EU countries and others around
the world in opposition to GMO-based foods, and the reason that major food
processors and supermarket chains in Europe have recently decided to only
use and market non-GMO grains for the near future. We have been assured by
the companies that market seed that the products—plant-based foods or
livestock fed on GMO grains—are no different than those that come from
conventional crops. A majority of people in the U.S. seem to accept these
claims or are indifferent toward such concerns. Perhaps this reflects
greater trust in the commercial sector, general acceptance of new
technologies, or apathy on the part of consumers who are interested only in
getting food that is convenient and cheap. In contrast, people in Europe
have a much higher level of respect for food, expect to pay more for
quality, and see food as more integral to their culture. They may also have
a higher level of scepticism about the assurances of large corporations
that conduct their own safety testing and have greater allegiance to their
stockholders than to clients who consume the products. Concern about food
safety may be associated with the impersonal relationship of consumers with
this unknown source of food, and with the entire concept of a global food
system dominated by a few multinational corporations and lacking in any
local responsibility or control.
Other risks that may or may not be important to consumers include the
ownership of genetic material (see CSAS newsletter, May-June 1999), issues
of equity in the availability of food products or the benefits of research,
and the consolidation of land resources and farming activities in a smaller
number of large farms. On the first issue, major purchases of seed companies
by multinational chemical corporations have removed their ownership from
communities, states, or even nations, and patenting of new varieties
restricts their use to those willing to pay royalties for technology. On the
second, Jeffrey Sachs recently said in The Economist (14 August 1999) that
"inequalities of income across the globe are actually exceeded by the
inequalities of scientific output and technological innovation." He further
observed that "global science is directed by the rich countries for the
rich-country markets," and found that technology does not easily cross the
"ecological divide" between temperate and tropical countries. On the last
issue, we know that a growing proportion of food is produced on a smaller
number of farms, a trend that maintains cheap food but causes the decline
and death of many rural communities.
What is the university's role?
As a research and education organization, the university has an obligation
to study and describe objectively how these technologies work and their
potential impacts on production and society. In research on transgenic
plants we can assure less potential bias if the work is financed by sources
other than those that will benefit from the results, thus government or
foundation support is far preferable to that from the seed or chemical
industries. It is essential that the new crop plants are studied as
components of systems, and not in isolated conditions of the laboratory.
Recent research on low concentrations of nitrate together with insecticide
and herbicide residues shows that the "cocktail" of these water contaminants
can cause cancer in test animals at chemical rates below what is considered
safe for the individual compounds, a result also described in the 1962
Rachel Carson book Silent Spring. This underlines the importance of testing
in the context of real-world systems. It is also essential to sort out the
claims of benefits of any new technologies, including GMO crops, and to
determine who will benefit in the long term.
In the past we have often concentrated research on the immediate production
and economic consequences of introducing a single new variety or production
practice, without taking into account the effect on the entire production
system and community. The implicit assumption has been that higher levels of
production meant greater income and thus benefits for the producer as well
as the rest of the industry. Appropriate social science methods exist to
study impacts of technology, and we are obligated to use these before
introducing or promoting new technologies. A comprehensive look at
transgenic crops, how and where they will be grown, and the impact on the
food system can help us determine the distribution of benefits. For example,
multi-generation farm families that have been driven from their livelihood
by consolidation in agriculture would scarcely be seen as beneficiaries of
large-farm specific technologies, even though these same changes could
result in cheaper food for urban dwellers. New crop varieties that compel a
grower to use a predetermined package of chemical inputs are seen as a step
toward control by corporations of an "assembly-line, industrial model" of
agricultural production that removes decision making and independence from
the farmer.
None of these issues has been given high priority in the past by plant
breeders developing new varieties. Increased awareness of the broader
economic and social issues is causing scientists to take a longer look at
the types of technology being developed. We are also starting to assess the
costs and benefits in a more comprehensive and holistic manner. This
emerging focus by universities will help us continue to provide valuable
service to agriculture as well as to society.
Submitted by Charles Francis
CSAS DIRECTOR RECEIVES HONORARY DEGREE
Charles Francis, CSAS Director since 1991, traveled back to the area of his
recently completed sabbatic to receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree
from Helsinki University. Francis was Visiting NOVA Professor in Agroecology
assigned to the Agricultural University of Norway from June 1998-June 1999.
During that time he worked with a regional team to develop a new M.S.
curriculum in Agroecology. This work involved extensive travel in Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and the Baltic countries. The honorary degree was
awarded in recognition of his contributions to agriculture and education in
Finland and the Nordic/Baltic Region.
SOOBY NOW AT OFRF
Jane Sooby, formerly with the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska
Sustainable Agriculture Society, began working for the Organic Farming
Research Foundation (OFRF) in June. In her new position she offers resources
to assist people in planning organic farming research, including contacts
with local extension and/or university cooperators, help with literature
reviews on the background of research questions, assistance in shaping
production questions into research projects, and tips on experimental design
and data collection. She invites farmers, ranchers, and researchers to
contact her for further information on applying for organic farming research
grants at OFRF, PO Box 440, Santa Cruz, CA 95061, 831-426-6606, jane@ofrf.org.
Note: OFRF has increased its ceiling for individual grants to $10,000. The
next deadline for submitting proposals for organic farming research and
education projects is January 15, 2000. More information is available at
http://www.ofrf.org/.
NCR SARE REVISED WEB SITE
The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR
SARE) program invites farmers and ranchers, researchers, educators and
others interested in North Central region sustainable agriculture to access
http://www.sare.org/ncrsare for information on research results, competitive
grants, and other resources to support profitable, environmentally sound
farming and ranching systems.
Users can find the latest information about NCR SARE activities and
programs, including competitive grants, educational opportunities,
sustainable agriculture resources, and links to products from the national
SARE office and SARE's Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN).
Features include:
- application forms for competitive grant programs;
- helpful tips and links for grant applicants;
- information sorted by North Central states, including links to funded SARE
projects, state SARE contacts, and lists of and links to state organizations;
- newsletters, fact sheets, and links to other publications and resources from
SARE;
- links to the national SARE program and SAN, which offer a variety of
sustainable
ag information products and a searchable database of SARE projects;
- links to organizations and programs nationwide;
- information on NCR SARE's November 1999 marketing conference;
- coming soon, a calendar of educational events and resources developed in
NCR SARE's Professional Development Program.
Contact Lisa Bauer at 402-472-0265 or lbauer2@unl.edu for more information.
NEW FOOD ETHICS JOURNAL IN 2000
Food Ethics Review is a new international refereed journal for all who are
involved with food at a professional level, including those in agricultural
and food related business and commerce, academia and research, government
and public bodies.
The journal will serve as an essential forum for ideas and discussion on
ethical and moral issues in relation to food, raising the level of debate at
every stage in the food chain from primary production to the consumer. It
will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to the subject of food and publish
original and authoritative research, review articles, viewpoint letters and
commentaries from diverse areas including: agriculture and food production;
biosciences; environmental and public health; food science and technology;
food marketing and retailing; philosophy, politics and economics; the
humanitarian and social sciences.
The Editor is David Early at Harper Adams University, and Associate
Editors are Margaret Britz at University of Melbourne, Australia, and Magni
Martens at The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark.
Food Ethics Review will be published quarterly in 2000, with the first
issue in March. For more information contact Tom Gold-Blyth,
tom.gold-blyth@blacksci.co.uk.
DOE ANNOUNCES NEW WIND ENERGY INITIATIVE
At the annual conference of the wind energy industry in June, DOE Secretary
Richardson announced a new initiative to promote wind energy projects, with
three main goals: supply at least 5% of the nation's electricity needs by
2020; double the number of states having more than 20 megawatts of wind
capacity to 16 by 2005, and triple the number to 24 by 2010; and increase
the federal government's use of wind generated electricity to 5% by 2010.
Nearly $1.2 million in DOE grants will go to states, cities, and wind
technology companies for small wind turbine projects in 10 states across the
country. For details, see http://home.doe.gov/news/releases99/junpr/pr99153.htm.
CONFERENCE CELEBRATES SUSTAINABLE AG COMING OF AGE IN 2000
"Farming and Ranching for Profit, Stewardship, and Community" is the theme
of a major sustainable agriculture conference to be held in Portland, Oregon
on March 7-9, 2000. Nationally-known speakers, producers, researchers,
agricultural extension agents, and others from the western U.S. and around
the nation will share their sustainable agriculture successes, experiences,
and research results.
The event is sponsored by the USDA Western Sustainable Agriculture Research
and Education (SARE) program, with major contributions from several
land-grant universities and the federal sustainable agriculture effort.
The event will showcase techniques, experts and enterprises that demonstrate
why "sustainable agriculture will continue to grow" in the next century and
be adopted by all types of producers and agricultural enterprises—large and
small, corporate and owner-operated.
Confirmed keynote speakers include Virginia producer and author Joel
Salatin, who will talk about how to increase farm and ranch profits through
innovative livestock and ecological practices. Salatin, author of Pastured
Poultry Profits and Salad Bar Beef, will also conduct a workshop. In
addition, Oregonian Karla Chambers, co-owner and marketing director of
Stahlbush Island Farms, will discuss changes in consumer demand for
sustainably grown foods.
A day-long tour will give attendees on-the-ground experience with prospering
Portland-area farms, direct-marketing approaches, eco-labeling successes,
and youth and community efforts that relate to local agriculture. Issues
about farming in the midst of urban sprawl and regulation will also be
illustrated.
The conference will highlight the methods and outcomes of diverse research
and education projects funded by SARE including university-based, on-farm
and producer-directed work. Innovative marketing strategies and examples
will be shared, and the role of non-profit organizations and public policy
in promoting sustainable agriculture will also be discussed. The benefits of
involving farmers and ranchers in agricultural research is another key
element of the program.
Specific program topics include: irrigated and dryland cropping systems;
grazing and livestock operations; innovative marketing strategies, including
eco-labeling and direct-marketing; soil quality; biological pest control;
vegetable, tree fruit, wine grape and other crops; and more. The program
will also offer a number of information-sharing opportunities.
For more information about the conference, or to register, contact Gina
Hashagen, Oregon State University, at hashageg@bcc.orst.edu, 541-737-5477.
Conference information is also online at http://wsare.usu.edu/2000.
RESOURCES
Organic Wheat Production Handbook. The 60-page book is free, but there is
$10 copy/s&h fee. Provides practical information for growing high-quality
organic wheat. Each section addresses specific management issues such as:
planting practices, growth and development, nutrient management, grain
protein content and nitrogen, irrigation management, harvest suggestions.
While written for New Mexico farmers, most of the information is relevant
for organic wheat production throughout the U.S. Send checks payable to:
Kernel of Life, c/o Organic Wheat Production Handbook, 200-B Callecita
Place, Santa Fe, NM 87501.
Legal Guide for Farm Marketers. $20. Explores legal issues regarding direct
marketing farm products, contracts, liability and insurance, processing and
marketing of meat and poultry, labor and employment, community-supported
agriculture, farmers markets, and local food processing rules. Drake
University Agricultural Law Center, 2507 University Ave., Des moines, IA
50311-4505, 515-271-2947.
Sharing the Harvest: A Guide to Community-Supported Agriculture. $24.95 + $3
s&h. This how-to book by Elizabeth Henderson with Robyn VanEn (who died
before it was finished) covers getting started, finances, and legalities of
a CSA. Food growing, handling, and distribution are discussed. Chelsea Green
Publishing Co., PO Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001, 1-800-639-4099,
http://www.chelseagreen.com. You can also order directly from Elizabeth
Henderson, 2218 Welcher Rd, Newark, NY 14513, 315-331-9029.
Sustainable Agriculture Task Force Report. Issued Summer 1999. This is one
of the reports from the President's Council on Sustainable Development.
Copies of PCSD Reports may be obtained by calling 1-800-363-3732, or may be
purchased from the U. S. Government Printing Office by calling 202-512-1800.
Many are also at the PCSD Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/PCSD/.
Greenbook '98: A Diversity of Tools. Free. Summarizes knowledge gained
through innovative or experimental farming projects in Minnesota. Includes
project description, results, management tips, and additional resources
related to more than 40 projects funded by the Energy and Sustainable
Agriculture Program. Projects focus on alternative crops, cropping systems
and soil fertility, fruits and vegetables, livestock, or whole farm systems.
Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Program, Minnesota Department of
Agriculture, 90 West Plato Boulevard, Saint Paul, MN 55107, 651-296-7673,
prescott.bergh@state.mn.us, http://www.mda.state.mn.us.
The full transcript of a debate between Dennis Avery and Joel Salatin aired
July 28, 1999 on WSVA radio in Harrisonburg, VA can be found at the
Sustainable Farming Connection Web site,
http://metalab.unc.edu/farming-connection/.
Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-Up to Market. $42 + $5.50 s&h.
This 280-page book containing 91 illustrations introduces the full range of
processes for moderate-scale vegetable production using ecological practices
that minimize the need for synthetic inputs and maximize stewardship of
resources. Provides practical information on selecting a farm site, planning
and record keeping, marketing options, and systems for starting, planting,
protecting, and harvesting crops. NRAES-104, Coop. Ext., 152 Riley-Robb
Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-5701, 607-255-7654, nraes@cornell.edu,
http://www.nraes.org
A Guide to Successful Direct Marketing. $12. Includes developing a business
plan, advertising, quality control, product display techniques and pricing.
Make checks payable to T.E.E.F. (Texas Extension Education Foundation) and
mail to Tracy Davis, Texas Ag. Extension Service, Texas A&M University, 464
Blocker Bldg., College Station, TX 77843-2124, 409-845-1772, tdavis@tamu.edu.
Fresh Produce Marketing (B-5053). Free. Describes wholesale markets for
producers who cannot sell all products directly and are getting large enough
to sell to restaurants or wholesalers. Covers market research, post-harvest
steps, calculating costs, a developing a marketing plan. Order from Tracy
Davis (see above).
COMING EVENTS
Contact CSAS office for more information.
1999
Nov. 10-11 – Farmer Cooperatives 2000, Kansas City, MO
Nov. 11-13 – Northeast Community Supported Agriculture Conference II,
Tamiment, PA
Nov. 19-20 – Developing Agricultural Marketing Skills for the New
Millennium, Lincoln, NE
Dec. 6-7 – Adding Value Through Environmental Management and Marketing:
Opportunities for Food Producers, Processors and Retailers, Madison, WI,
http://www.iatp.org/labels/envcommodities/
Dec. 9-11 – Acres USA Conference, Minneapolis, MN
2000
Jan. 5-6 – Mid-America Fruit Growers Conference, St. Joseph, MO
Jan. 7-8 – Great Plains Regional Vegetable Conference, St. Joseph, MO
Jan 19-22 – 20th Annual Ecological Farming Conference, Pacific Grove, CA,
http://www.csa-efc.org
Feb. 26 – Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society Annual Meeting, Aurora, NE
Mar. 7-9 – Farming and Ranching for Profit, Stewardship, and Community
Conference, Portland, OR
For additional events, see:
http://www.sare.org/wreg/view_notice_adm.pl
http://www.agnic.org/mtg/
DID YOU KNOW...
In August the Berkeley, California school board adopted a new food
philosophy that includes a contract with a San Francisco-based distributor
to purchase 700 pieces of organic fruit a day to stock the snack program.
There is also a mandate for an organic garden at every school to defray some
of the added expenses of serving pesticide-free foods.
"GMOs have become the albatross around the neck of farmers on issues of
trade, labeling, testing, certification, segregation, market availability
and agribusiness concentration. Until all these issues are answered, it is
best for production agriculture to examine alternatives to planting GMOs,"
said Gary Goldberg, Chief Executive Officer of the American Corn Growers
Association. See the 8/24/99 press release at http://www.acga.org/news/.
Northampton County's farms and open lands contributed over four times as
much money to the county's tax base in 1998 as they used in services,
according to a study released 8/10/99 by the American Farmland Trust. The
study also found that revenues from residential development were not enough
to cover the cost of services demanded by that land use. See the press
release at http://www.farmland.org/news/index.htm.
***********************
Pam Murray, Coordinator
Center for Grassland Studies and
Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems
PO Box 830949
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68583-0949
phone: 402-472-9383
fax: 402-472-4104
e-mail: pmurray1@unl.edu
http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/cgs
http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/csas
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