Organic Farming Steadily Growing in Iowa & Mid-West
Well,
the timing for this post couldn't be more perfect. I've actually
had this post ready to go for several days now, but had so many other
timely things to get to first, I put it off. Then, last night, I
received the information from Rep. Ed Fallon about the Losure's
free-range hog farm (see below). So, I guess today has turned
into Organic Farming in Iowa day on Blog for Iowa. Note: Be sure
to read the comments under the Ed Fallon post. DFIA member Kevin
Powell also raises free-range swine and has provided us with contact
information.
Organic growing
Pioneer Press, St. Paul
. . .
Driven by consumers, organic farming is the fastest-growing segment of
agriculture in the United States. While it still represents a small
fraction of overall farm production, organic has been growing more than
20 percent annually for a decade.
Wisconsin
is third behind California and Washington in the number of certified
organic farms, but first in the number of organic dairy cows, according
to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The
state is home to La Farge-based Organic Valley, the largest organic
cooperative in the United States, which is where the Pearsons ship
their milk, and to the Spring Valley-based Midwest Organic &
Sustainable Education Service.
Both offer evidence of organic farming's growing presence in the state.
In 1995, Organic Valley had sales of $9 million; this year's sales are projected to be about $180 million.
The nonprofit MOSES programs include an annual conference that has grown from 90 attendees to 1,500 in 15 years.
But
unlike in neighboring Minnesota and Iowa, Wisconsin government and
educational institutions have not done much to promote organic farming.
(more)
Organic Farming Steadily Growing in Iowa & Mid-West
Organic Consumers Association
. . .
Between 1997 and 2001, Iowa farmers more than doubled their organic
farmlandto 80,357 certified acres, growing soybeans on about a third of
it, corn on another third and hay on 17 percent. In 2001, Iowa,
Minnesota and Wisconsin alone accounted for 45 percent of U.S. organic
soybean acreage and more than half of organic corn acreage.
Organic
livestock production has grown rapidly, too. Between 1992 and 2001,
U.S. organic dairy production increased 20-fold, while organic broiler
production increased by 188 times.
At the
same time, consumer demand for organic food products has risen sharply
in the United States, and food manufacturers and retailers are offering
more organic products. Governed by federal standards implemented [more
than] a year ago, the farms use biological pest controls, cultivation
to curtail weeds, and compost and manure to fertilize soils. Private
and governmental agencies certify acreage for organic production only
after it has been free of synthetic chemical use for three years.
Yields
sometimes suffer because of soil infertility and weeds or pests,
especially during the transition period, but organic crops also can
yield better than conventional crops, said Kathleen Delate, an organic
crops specialist and assistant professor of agronomy and horticulture
at Iowa State University in Ames.
(more)
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Tuesday, June 22
Organic Farming Steadily Growing in Iowa & Mid-West
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 22 Jun 2004 06:19 PM CDT
Ed Fallon: Support Our Iowa Farmers [Free-range pigs]
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 22 Jun 2004 05:01 AM CDT
Ed Fallon: Support Our Iowa Farmers
And now for something completely different on Blog for Iowa.... Received this message from State Representative Ed Fallon (D-66) last night regarding some Iowa-raised free-range pigs! Greetings, I don't know how many of you might be interested, but friends of mine, Mary and Dave Losure, play music and raise pork for a living. That's some combo . . . and I've tried both Dave's violin lessons and the pork! They are hoping to find more market opportunities, so if you're interested in some good Iowa grown meat, please give 'em a call. DeCoster and Iowa Select will be unhappy that you did! For details, see the message from Mary and Dave below. Thanks, Ed Hello, We are Mary Schaeffer-Losure and Dave Losure and our friend Ed Fallon thought you might be interested in trying some of our free-range pork and at the same time helping our independent family-run farming operation to stay in business. We focus on raising pigs the old-fashioned way, 100 percent outdoors on pasture, which combined with special genetics helps provide our pigs with that great flavor pork used to have. Ed has some in his freezer now, so you can check with him for confirmation! Our pigs need no antibiotics, growth hormones or animal by-products and are given none. We sell them whole, half or by quarters at 76 cents per pound live weight. We deliver the pigs to Lewright Meats in Eagle Grove, Iowa, and the customer pays them for the processing fees. Processing choices are made by the customer (we can help with decisions). No matter how much you order, you will get some of all parts of the pig, and a quarter pig will usually fit in a refrigerator freezer. Free delivery of the meat is available to Ames and Des Moines. We have pigs scheduled for delivery to Lewright Meats on Tuesday, June 22 [that's today!] and several are still available so this would be a great time to place an order! We also have set delivery dates in August, September and October. Being born outdoors means our pigs are available seasonally beginning in the spring and ending when all are sold usually in the fall. Please let us know right away if you are interested in pork from the June 22 pigs. Orders for the August - October pigs would be welcome too. We would be happy to send you further information about our operation and about the options for processing the pork. Please feel free to ask questions. And, please tell your friends! Thank you! Mary and Dave Rose Grove Pig Preserve Hamilton County, Iowa losuredr@ncn.net 515-325-6349 Monday, June 14
Bush Junta Allows Antibiotics and Pesticides in "Organic" Foods
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 14 Jun 2004 04:58 PM CDT
Bush Junta Allows Antibiotics and Pesticides in "Organic" Foods
AlterNet.org In their latest why-are-you-messing-with-my-life outrage, the Bush junta 'reinterprets' the organic label to include antibiotics and pesticides without consulting the National Organic Standards Board or the public. The Bush administration is giving Americans new reason to watch what they eat -- and it has nothing to do with carbs. Over the course of 10 days in mid-April, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued three "guidances" and one directive -- all legally binding interpretations of law -- that threaten to seriously dilute the meaning of the word "organic" and discredit the department's National Organic Program. The changes -- which would allow the use of antibiotics on organic dairy cows, synthetic pesticides on organic farms, and more -- were made with zero input from the public or the National Organic Standards Board, the advisory group that worked for more than a decade to help craft the first federal organic standards, put in place in October 2002. The USDA insists that the changes are innocuous: "The directives have not changed anything. They are just clarifications of what is in the regulations that were written by the National Organic Standards Board," USDA spokesperson Joan Shaffer told Muckraker. "They just explain what's enforceable. There is no difference [between the clarifications and the original regulations] -- it's just another way of explaining it." But Jim Riddle, vice chair of the NOSB and endowed chair in agricultural systems at the University of Minnesota, argues that what the USDA is trying to pass off as a clarification of regulations is actually a substantial change: "These are the sorts of changes for which the department is supposed to do a formal new rulemaking process, with posting in the federal register, feedback from our advisory board, and a public-comment period. And yet there is no such process denoted anywhere." Organic activists suspect that industry pressure drove the policy shifts. They point out that the USDA leadership has long-standing industry sympathies: Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman served on the board of directors of a biotech company, and both her chief of staff and her director of communications were plucked right out of National Cattlemen's Beef Association. "Even though it evolved as a reaction against large-scale American agribusinesses, the organic food industry has seen tremendous growth, roughly 20 to 24 percent a year for the past 10 years," said Ronnie Cummins, founder and national director of the Organic Consumers Association. "That, not surprisingly, has brought with it investments from big business and demands for conventional farming practices more favorable to mass production." (more) |
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