Working on the Farm Bill Earlier Than Usual - 2010

EXCERPT:

Todd Kurtz reported earlier this week at WDAY Online (Fargo, ND) that, “Congressman Collin Peterson told a crowd of more than 40 farmers that he’ll start working on the next farm bill earlier than usual.”

“Peterson says there is two main reasons to start early. First because he wants another bi-partisan bill and says its long task to get everyone on the same page. Second he thinks the mother of all reconciliations is inevitable, putting the farm bill on the table for cuts.” (Note that this link includes a video replay highlighting Chairman Peterson’s comments).

Meanwhile, Tom Cherveny reported in today’s West Central Tribune (Willmar, Minn.) that, “[Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack] spoke Tuesday at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall at the third annual Home Grown Economy conference hosted by U.S. Collin Peterson, D-Minn.

“The local foods movement has the attention and the support of the federal government today, according to Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

“It’s simple, according to Peterson: There is a market for local foods, and agriculture stands to gain jobs and income by serving it.

“At the same time, he emphasized that there ‘is room for everybody in agriculture.’ The expansion of a local foods economy can occur alongside of — and not at the expense of — commodity-based agriculture.”

Anthony Kiekow reported earlier this week at KSAX Online (Minn.) that, “U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack attended a ‘Homegrown Economy’ event at Southwest Minnesota Sate University in Marshall Monday.

“At the event the powerful political pair conversed with local farmers about selling locally grown food to Minnesotans.

“‘Whenever something is grown in the same area it’s bought it’s always fresher. That’s just common sense,’ Peterson said.” (Note that this link includes a video replay highlighting Chairman Peterson and Sec. Vilsack in Marshall).

And Deb Gau reported yesterday at The Marshall Independent Online (Minn.) that, “They may need some initial help to develop a connection with consumers, but small farms can make a difference in the rural economy, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Monday.

“‘The reality is we need all kinds of farms in this country,’ Vilsack said, from small organic farms to large commercial farms.

“The main challenge will be helping small farmers open connections for local customers, Vilsack and U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson said. Vilsack and Peterson arrived in Marshall Monday for the Home Grown Economy conference held at Southwest Minnesota State University.”

FULL ARTICLE:

http://www.farmpolicy.com/?p=1921

Commitment to LOCAL ORGANIC - true-life story, from Trenton, Missouri - Providence Farms

From:

http://providencefarmsofmo.blogspot.com/

Here on the farm, we have to keep those precious little seedlings warm all the time. Even at night! That job falls on my husband, Gerry. The 4 boys are quite busy every day trying to keep up with the demand of wood. It seems those 300 gallon barrel stoves have an incredible appetite at night. Especially when it is below zero. These are the times that my girls and I are quite happy to be females! In our family, outside chores in the winter fall on the men to accomplish. The women folk stay inside where it is warm and make sure the men have hot meals to come in the house to eat.

We have taken some pictures so you can see our largest tunnel 28x200 without the plastic on and some of the other greenhouses that are being heated right now. We have alot of greens growing in them along with radishes, swiss chard and onions. Peppers, tomatoes, lots of herbs, leeks and salad mixes.

Gerry took some pictures of the cows so everyone can see the cows from which they get their milk and dairy products from. Daisy is the brown Jersey and Anna Belle is out in the pasture too. Little Maggie is one of our Holstien-Jersey heiffers that loves the attention of the little girls who still bottle feed her twice a day. There's never a dull moment at our farm. The men are busy trying to assemble a new 32x95 greenhouse in the MUD! The weather just doesn't want to cooperate with our schedule these days!

We're in the process of getting a website and working on Twitter and Facebook so be patient.

Providence Farms - Trenton, MO - on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000823204223

AS SEEN ON FACEBOOK... Farm to Table (BLOG) Recruiting Writers, Nationwide

Farm to Table Article Topics

RE:

Farm to Table: The Emerging American Meal

If you are interested in any of these areas of food ... please consider writing for us, either as an editor, a regular staff writer or a freelance journalist. At the moment, there is no pay associated, but you'll get your name out there, and once we get sponsorship, there will be the possibility for compensation.

The area descriptions are:

arm/sust. ag issues
nutrition (e.g. real butter vs. margarine)
food safety issues (e.g. GMOs or BPA in canned food)
food politics and policy
recipes and real food preparation (e.g. how to make sauerkraut or butter)
nation-wide realfood restaurant and food biz reviews, etc.

See also:

http://www.zacharyadamcohen.com/farmtotable/media/the-sustainable-food-movement-needs-to-stories/

Excerpt:

The Sustainable Food Movement Needs To Tell Stories

by ZACHARY ADAM COHEN on FEBRUARY 12, 2010

Posted in: MEDIA

Well I think there is a light at the end of this national food nightmare that we are currently experiencing. I see a very bright future for America and, as those of us in the movement know, it all starts each and every day, with the food we eat. For me, this is the departure point for the stories we need to tell. We need to connect that daily, rather quotidian act of eating, into a series of sacred moments where the people, places and stories of the sustainable food movement are elevated into something almost religious.We need to tell more stories. And we need to do a better job of telling the stories that we currently have. As our culture and society continues to undergo a great value reset, brought on by a mixture of the end of the Bush administrations’ problematic legacy, the election of Barack Obama, and the Great Recession, American’s are looking to be comforted. We all want to be reassured that things are going to be OK, that there is hope and light at the end of this tunnel.

So Where Are The Stories To Be Found?

They are all around us, but we’ve got to do the digging. Liza de Guia is carving out a wonderful career for herself chronicling all manner of sustainable food stories, just in New York City alone. Liza is one of our most gifted storytellers, and I, for one, would love Liza to help the rest of us find the ability to discover, research and tell those stories...

Read the full article at: http://www.zacharyadamcohen.com/farmtotable/media/the-sustainable-food-movement-needs-to-stories/

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Re-posts brought to you by the Kansas City Food Circle:

Zachary Adam Cohen
February 15 at 5:12pm

Hey all, well Farm to Table 2.0 gets going in a big way. Now with Khaled Allen at the helm, though Zach is still helping out a bit. We've got 3 great posts to tell you about in case you missed them. The first is by Khaled and is an essay on the significance of Jamie Oliver, Britain's Naked Chef, winning the TED prize. Here is the linkhttp://www.zacharyadamcohen.com/farmtotable/people-power/ted-winner-jamie-oliver-calls-for-us-to-lead-the-way-in-local-food/

Secondly, I returned to blogging at Farm to Table with a post on the need for more evolved story telling from the sustainable food community. We are nothing without our stories and we need to take hold of the narrative of local foods.http://www.zacharyadamcohen.com/farmtotable/media/the-sustainable-food-movement-needs-to-stories/

And last but not least, Leda Meredith chimes in with a wonderful look at Food Preservation and its importance to the local foods movement. A brief overview with some handy tips on how to get started.http://www.zacharyadamcohen.com/farmtotable/local-foods/why-food-preservation-is-an-important-part-of-eating-local-and-two-ways-to-get-started/

In short, a great roundup of content. In particular, Khaled's essay is pretty tremendous. It's clear that taking hold of the reins of Farm to Table is giving Khaled an appropriate confidence boost. I think we'll see him emerge as a great young leader in the sustainable food community. I could not be more thrilled that Khaled is stepping up to the plate, we should all support him in this. And soon the blog will be migrating to a new site so no one will have to worry about it being associated with little old me. In the meantime, we want to harness the terrific traffic of Farm to Table and push out a lot of really great content. To that end....

We are still looking for great talent to write, not FOR us, but WITH us. We have big plans for Farm to Table but definitely need your help. If you already have a blog, great! we'd love to cross post your content. If you haven't started one yet, come join us and we'll take care of the nasty tidbits like uploading and editing and you can just sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

For some guidelines and article suggestions, check out this brand new page we've launched.

http://www.zacharyadamcohen.com/farmtotable/write-for-us/

Regards,

ZAC

"High Praise" for the Final Rule on USDA's Access to Pasture Requirement for Organic Livestock

National Organic Coalition

www.NationalOrganicCoalition.org

National Organic Coalition

Gives Thumbs Up

to USDA 'Access to Pasture' Rule

For Immediate Release Date:

February 12, 2010

Contact:
Liana Hoodes,

914-443-5759;

Liana (@) NationalOrganicCoalition.org

Ed Maltby, 413-427-7323;

emaltby (@) comcast.net

The National Organic Coalition (NOC) today announced its "high praise" for the final rule on the access to pasture requirement for organic livestock published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA's February 12th action announcing the final rule comes nearly four years after a USDA National Organic Program (NOP) pasture symposium served as the catalyst that would eventually bring the rule to fruition following years of debate, discussion and research.

"This final rule provides the clear and specific language needed to enforce one of the central tenets of organically produced livestock-the requirementthat organic livestock spend a considerable part of their lives in their natural pasture habitat and receive a significant portion of their food needs from fresh, green, growing pasture," said Henry Perkins, organic dairy farmer, Albion, Maine. Perkins serves as president of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA), a NOC member organization.

In a 2006 Consumers Union survey of 1,485 U.S. adults, more than two-thirds of all consumers and 75 percent of women polled said that the national organic standards should require that animals graze outdoors. "Consumers want and expect organic dairy cows to be raised on pasture before organic milk ends up on the grocery store shelf," said Lisa Bunin, Organic Policy Coordinator ofthe Center for Food Safety, a NOC member organization. "Now, we can confidently assure consumers that organic livestock will receive a significant portion of their diet from pasture. The final rule will alsoprovide greater clarity for farmers, certifiers, and USDA regarding the absolute need for pasture for organic livestock."

Access to pasture for organic ruminant animals (i.e. cows, sheep and goats) has been a requirement of the USDA organic regulation from day one. In general, the accredited certifiers that enforce the USDA organic standards have been requiring organic livestock producers to meet this pasture standard since the inception of the program in 2002. However, in the past, USDA has been reluctant to take action to enforce the pasture requirement. This has jeopardized consumer confidence and threatens to undermine the bulk of organic dairy farmers who are committed to providing adequate pasture for their animals. The publication of the final rule will enable the USDA's National Organic Programto enforce consistently and fairly the requirements for access to pasture. The quantifiable data that is required by the rule will leave no doubt as to what is required within a farmer's Organic System Plan (OSP).

Speaking on behalf of the National Organic Coalition, Michael Sligh of the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA said, "NOC members voice their approval of the final rule and the willingness of USDA to move ahead with training certifiers and inspectors to enforce the rule with all due haste. NOC members urge USDA to implement this final rule quickly and fairly to ensure that all livestock farmers are treated equally. We are thankful for USDA's work in putting together a sound, commendable pasture rule clarification that eliminates all the loopholes of the past and puts controversy behind us."

###

The National Organic Coalition (NOC) focuses on protecting the stringency and integrity of the national organic standards and is a national alliance of organizations working to provide a "Washington voice" for farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, consumers and progressive industry members involved in organic agriculture. For more information, visit http://www.nationalorganiccoalition.org

NOC seeks to work cooperatively with, and add value to, existing organic and sustainable agriculture organizations, networks and coalitions to ensure a united voice for organic integrity.

Members include:

To access the Rule: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5082652&acct=noprulemaking

Also see USDA Q&A on this rule: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5082653&acct=noprulemaking

USDA PRESS RELEASE FINAL RULE ON ORGANIC ACCESS TO PASTURE
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal?contentidonly=true&contentid=2010/02/0059.xml

Contact Information

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liana Hoodes
National Organic Action Plan
National Organic Coalition
3540 Route 52
Pine Bush, NY 12566
Phone and Fax: 845-744-2304
www.NationalOrganicCoalition.org

Liana (@) nationalorganiccoalition.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a how-to manual & a memoir based on 25 years of gardening...

Mike & Roxie's Vegetable Paradise

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

6:30pm @ Central Library ~ http://www.KCLibrary.org/central
~
RSVP now! ~ http://www.kclibrary.org/rsvp/7913
~

Longtime Kansas City Star columnist Mike Hendricks and his wife, local blogger Roxie Hammill, discuss their new book Mike and Roxie's Vegetable Paradise on Wednesday, February 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

The book serves as both a how-to manual and a memoir based on the authors' 25 years of gardening in the Kansas City area and offers tips on how readers can save money and take charge of what they eat by growing their own food in their own backyard.

The event is co-sponsored by the KC Center for Urban Agriculture.

Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Free parking is available in the Library District parking garage at 10th & Baltimore.

Mike and Roxie's Vegetable Paradise will be available for sale and the authors will sign copies purchased during the event.