Henry A. Wallace Institute for
Alternative Agriculture
9200 Edmonston Road, #117
Greenbelt, MD 20770
(301) 441-8777
Table of Contents
National Poll Finds Support for Pesticide Reduction 1
Organic Sales Increasing, In Stores and By Mail 2
Kenneth J. Taylor, Wallace Board Member, Dies at Age 57 2
Positions 3
Conservation Reserve Program Wins "Broad Praise" 3
University of Missouri Sociologist is Visiting Scholar 4
IPM in Apple Orchards, Savings from Cover Crops in AJAA 4
Resources 4
Upcoming Events 5
NATIONAL POLL FINDS "BROAD-BASED SUPPORT" FOR PESTICIDE REDUCTION
Almost two-thirds (64%) of all voters questioned by a new
poll agreed that "the government should use existing financial
subsidies to reward those farmers who take steps to keep chemical
pesticides from polluting food and water, because these chemicals
can be harmful to people, especially children," according to
Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. "Support for pesticide
reduction is broad-based, even among people who describe their
area as a rural or farming community (57%) and among those who
live in the Agricultural Midwest (59%)," according to the
company's poll of 1,201 registered voters who said they voted in
November. "Three in five Republican candidate voters (58%)
support the argument for pesticide reduction." Just 24% agreed
that "the government should not use existing financial subsidies
to reward those farmers who take steps to keep chemical
pesticides from polluting food and water, because without these
pesticides, crop production could go down, less food would be
produced, and consumers could end up paying higher prices."
In addition, the poll found that "voters demonstrate that
they do not want to roll back environmental protections." The
voters polled are "more than twice as likely to say the current
laws and regulations for protecting the environment don't go far
enough (41%) as they are to think those laws go too far (18%)."
People who say they voted for a Republican congressional
candidate believe current environmental protection laws don't go
far enough, rather than go too far, by 34% to 25%; 50% of those
who say they voted for a Democratic candidate believe those laws
don't go far enough; 20% overall felt they strike the right
balance.
ORGANIC SALES INCREASING, IN STORES AND BY MAIL ORDER
With growth exceeding 20 percent for five years in a row,
and annual sales topping $2 billion, "organics has become one of
the fastest-growing segments of the natural products industry,"
according to Natural Foods Merchandiser (January, 1995). "This
phenomenal development has compelled an ever-increasing number of
manufacturers to 'go organic' by using high-quality organic
ingredients in their products." From the growers' perspective,
in terms of tonnage, the best-selling organic products are wheat
and soybeans, which are used in hundreds of products ranging from
cereal, bread, cookies, baking mixes, meat substitutes, salad
dressings, and frozen dinners. According to Marketing
Intelligence, a new product-reporting service, at least 264 new
organic products were introduced in 1994, an increase from 205
products in 1993; 191 of those products were foods. "Hot" new
organic products mentioned by the magazine include ice cream bars
made from organic milk, all-organic instant soups-in-a-cup,
salsas and dips, low-fat baked organic corn chips, and a new
cereal bar.
Direct mail selling of organic foods is also increasing,
with sales increasing sharply during the holiday season,
according to Organic Food Business News (December, 1994).
"Pushing the consumer organic food buying by direct mail has been
the ease of ordering to toll-free numbers, credit card orders,
and the computer on-line buying services that are now
available....The demand for organics is also fueled by consumers
who can't find the product in their own store." Among the mail-
order products which have sold well are fresh produce, dried
beans, soups and soup mixes, chickens, eggs, shiitake mushrooms,
granolas, nut butters, and bread. Several mail-order companies
sell both to wholesalers and to individual customers who order on
a regular basis; in some cases, those regular customers number in
the thousands.
KENNETH J. TAYLOR, WALLACE BOARD MEMBER, DIES AT AGE 57
Kenneth J. Taylor, Executive Director and founder of the
Minnesota Food Association and a member of the Wallace Institute
Board of Directors, died last month at his St. Paul home, nine
months after learning he had inoperable brain cancer. He had
been elected to the Wallace Board in March 1994. In 1983, he
founded the Minnesota Food Association, a nonprofit organization
with 500 members which promotes wise food policies, including
sustainable agriculture, and urban-rural awareness of food
issues. He also helped to create the Institute for Sustainable
Agriculture at the University of Minnesota in 1987, and fought to
save the St. Paul Farmers Market in the early 1980s.
"Although Ken was associated with the Institute in a formal
sense for only a short period of time, he was well known and
widely respected by our board members and 'extended family' of
sustainable agriculture supporters," said Garth Youngberg,
Executive Director of the Wallace Institute. "We will miss his
grace and humor, and his extraordinary efforts on behalf of
sustainable agriculture."
Taylor grew up near Forest City, Iowa, and graduated from
Mankato State University. He ran a YMCA youth program in Austin,
Minnesota, and a Christmas Seals project in Thief River Falls,
Minnesota. He also worked for the planning division of United
Way and for the Community Planning Organization, which grew out
of the United Way, for 12 years. He and his wife, Sandra Menefee
Taylor helped to establish the St. Paul Open School.
According to a column written in the Minneapolis Star
Tribune, "Taylor created a lasting legacy around food....From
farms with sustainable soil and crops."
He is survived by his wife; a daughter, Kendra Hunding; two
sons, Rustin and Kelly; two brothers, Dennis and Charles; a
sister, Barbara Johnson; and four grandchildren.
POSITIONS
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute seeks applicants for
its two-year Student Training Program; for more information,
contact Bruce Blevins, Program Facilitator, MFAI, W2493 County
Road ES, East Troy, WI 53120; (414) 642-3303.
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association seeks
applicants for its Farm Apprentice Placement Program; for
application, write to MOFGA Apprentice Placement Service, P.O.
Box 2176, Augusta, ME 04338; (207) 622-3118.
North Carolina State University, Department of Plant
Pathology, seeks to fill a tenure-track, 12-month Assistant
Professor position in sustainable plant health management; send
by March 15 resume, transcripts, list of publications,
description of research interests and goals, and three letters of
reference to Dr. O.W. Barnett, Head, Department of Plant
Pathology, North Carolina State University, Box 7616, Raleigh,
N.C. 27695-7616.
Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture seeks a forage
specialist and a horticultural specialist; deadline for
applications is February 28; send resume, transcripts, and three
references to Joy Chaplin, Kerr Center, P.O. Box 588, Poteau, OK
74953; (918) 647-9123.
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Research Programme will award fellowships in 1995 to scientists
willing to carry out research abroad on "Safe Exploitation of
Micro-Organisms in Plant/Soil Systems;" application deadline is
March 10; for application forms, contact Donald D. Kaufman, Soil-
Microbial Systems Laboratory, Rodale Institute Research Center,
611 Siegfriedale Road, Kutztown, PA 17331; (610) 683-1405.
CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM WINS "BROAD PRAISE," SAYS NEWSPAPER
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a provision of the
1985 farm bill that pays farmers to take land out of production
and return it to a natural state, has "won broad praise" and
"enjoys wide support, including that of Senator Richard D. Lugar
(R-IN), the new chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee,"
according to a recent article in The New York Times. The
program's original purpose, the article said, was to take highly
erodible land out of production at a time when government grain
stocks were plentiful. "But as farmers planted grass and trees
and allowed natural vegetation to return, [additional]
conservation benefits began to emerge," the article said. "A
large body of literature exploring the efficacy of financial
incentives for conservation and advocating their use has emerged
in the last few years from conservative research groups and
environmental organizations." Although it is not certain if the
CRP will continue to be financed at its present level, "the
Clinton Administration has announced that as 10-year contracts
under which farmers enrolled their property in the CRP begin
expiring next year, some of the program's funds will be withdrawn
from acreage where the conservation benefits are determined to be
marginal and redirected to land where the conservation payoff is
higher," according to the newspaper.
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI SOCIOLOGIST IS WALLACE INSTITUTE VISITING
SCHOLAR
William D. Heffernan, Department Chair and Professor of
Rural Sociology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, is now a
visiting scholar at the Wallace Institute, where he will work
with the Policy Studies Program. His work with the program's
newly launched study of the industrialization of American
agriculture and the implications of current structural trends for
agricultural sustainability expands upon his comprehensive
research on the social causes and consequences of changes in
agriculture. Heffernan, who earned his Ph.D. from the University
of Wisconsin, has written more than 100 papers, articles, and
book chapters on the changing nature of agriculture and the food
system. He has served on numerous national task forces and
committees, including the National Academy of Sciences Committee
on Alternative Agriculture.
IPM IN APPLE ORCHARDS, SAVINGS FROM COVER CROP USE FEATURED IN
JOURNAL
Articles on the use of second-level integrated pest
management in commercial apple orchards, and the energy and
economic savings from the use of legume cover crops in Virginia
corn production are featured in the American Journal of
Alternative Agriculture (Volume 9, No. 4), the Wallace
Institute's quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of research on
alternative agriculture. Other articles examine reduced chemical
input cropping systems in the southeastern United States, and
grain yield response of corn, soybean, and oat grown in a strip
intercropping system. Annual subscriptions to AJAA are $44,
institutions; $24, individuals; and $12, students; contact
Wallace Institute, 9200 Edmonston Road, #117, Greenbelt, MD
20770; (301) 441-8777.
RESOURCES
"Life in the Soil," a 30-minute video, is $50 to purchase or
$10 to rent from World Sustainable Agriculture Assn., 8554
Melrose Ave., W. Hollywood, CA 90069; (310) 657-7202.
"Suppliers of Beneficial Organisms in North America" is free
from the Department of Pesticide Regulation, Environmental
Monitoring and Pest Management Branch, ATTN: Beneficial Organisms
Booklet, 1020 N St., #161, Sacramento, CA 95814-5624; (916) 324-
4100.
"Biotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture: A Bibliography"
(SRB 94-13) and a list of other information products are
available free by sending a self-addressed label to Alternative
Farming Systems Information Center, National Agricultural
Library, 4th fl., 10301 Baltimore Blvd., Beltsville, MD 20705-
2351; (301) 504-6559; e-mail nalasfic@nalusda.gov
"How to Stabilize Your Farm Work Force (and Increase
Profits, Productivity, and Personal Satisfaction)" is $6 (payable
to "UC Regents") from UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and
Education Program, University of California, Davis, CA 95616;
(916) 752-7556.
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 1 is the deadline for proposals for papers, posters,
and videos/films for "Who Owns America? Land and Resource Tenure
Issues in a Changing Environment," to be held in Madison, WI,
June 21-24; contact Gene Summers, Land Tenure Center, University
of Wisconsin-Madison, 1357 University Ave., Madison, WI 53715;
(608) 262-3658; e-mail summers@soc.ssc.wisc.edu
March 1 is the deadline for prospectus papers for "The
Politics of Sustainable Agriculture," to be held October 7-8 at
the University of Oregon; inquiries and submissions can be
addressed to Stuart Shulman, Department of Political Science,
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1284; (503) 346-4864; e-
mail stu@gladstone.uoregon.edu
March 4-5, the 13th annual conference of the Northeast
Organic Farmers Association of New York will be held at
Tompkins/Cortland Community College, Dryden, N.Y; contact Ammie
Chickering, NOFA-NY, PO Box 21, South Butler, N.Y. 13154-0021;
(315) 365-2299.
March 4-25, workshops at Tillers International will be held:
Sharpening Tools, March 4; Draft Horse Basics, March 18;
Introduction to Blacksmithing, March 25; and Ox Driving, March
25; contact Tillers, 5239 South 24th St., Kalamazoo, MI 49002;
(616) 344-3233.
March 5-8, "Clean Water-Clean Environment for the 21st
Century," sponsored by the USDA Working Group on Water Quality,
will be held in Kansas City, MO; contact Jon Hiler, Membership &
Community Services, (616) 428-6327; e-mail hiler@asae.ore or
hilerj@aol.com
March 6 is the deadline for applications for the Norman A.
and Ruth A. Berg Fellowship program, which will select up to 15
Fellows; contact Berg Fellowship, Soil and Water Conservation
Society, 7515 Northeast Ankeny Road, Ankeny, IA 50021-9764; 1-
800-843-7645.
March 6-7, "Food Policies for the 21st Century: Putting the
Consumer First," the 18th annual National Food Policy Conference,
will be held in Washington, D.C.; contact Public Voice for Food &
Health Policy, 1101 14th St., NW, #710, Washington, D.C. 20005;
(202) 371-1840.
March 9-10, "Agriculture and the Environment: Issues and
Options for the 1995 Farm Bill" will be held in Washington, D.C.;
contact Jeff Zinn or Dave Ervin, Soil and Water Conservation
Society, 7515 Northeast Ankeny Road, Ankeny, IA 50021-9764; (515)
289-2331 or 1-800-843-7645.
March 10-12, Sustainable Biointensive Mini-Farming Workshop
will be held in Willits, CA; contact Ecology Action, 5798
Ridgewood Road, Willits, CA 95490; (707) 459-0150.
March 24-26, Biodynamic Agriculture Winter Study Course will
be held at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, East Troy, WI;
call MFAI, (414) 642-3303.
March 24-29, 60th North American Wildlife and Natural
Resources Conference will be held in Minneapolis, MN; contact
Wildlife Management Institute, 1101 14th St., NW, #801,
Washington, D.C. 20005; (202) 371-1808; fax (202) 408-5059.
March 25, 8th Annual Central Ozarks Grassland Conference,
sponsored by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and
Arkansas Extension Service, will be held in Mountain Home, AR;
contact David Bodenhamer, (501) 425-3527, or J. Sidney Lowrance,
(501) 448-3184.
April 2-6, "Microirrigation for a Changing World: Conserving
Resources/Preserving the Environment," will be held in Orlando,
FL; contact ASAE, 2950 Niles Road, St. Joseph, MI 49085-9659.
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