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Alternative Agriculture News, 5/96



                            Alternative Agriculture News
                                      May, 1996

                           Henry A. Wallace Institute for
                               Alternative Agriculture
                              9200 Edmonston Road, #117
                                 Greenbelt, MD 20770
                                   (301) 441-8777
                           E-mail: hawiaa@access.digex.net

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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.  
       Articles in the current issue cover use of an intensive
rotational grazing for dairy cattle feeding, a method for
mechanically killing cover crops to optimize weed suppression, and
how an overwintering cover crop increases inoculum of VAM fungi
in agricultural soil.
       Annual subscriptions to AJAA are $44, institutions; $24,
individuals; and $12, students.  For more information or a single
copy, contact the Wallace Institute, 9200 Edmonston Road, #117,
Greenbelt, MD 20770; (301) 441-8777; e-mail
hawiaa@access.digex.net

                                        * * *

Table of Contents

U.S. Agriculture "Must Be Sustainable," Says Task Force           
           1
Half of Organic Farmers Plan to Increase Acreage                  
           3
North American Now Has 500 CSA Programs                           
           3
Jason Halbert is First Ward Sinclair Intern                       
           3
Farm Bill Includes Advisory Panels, Research Grants               
           4
N.C. Newspaper Wins Pulitzer Prize for Hog Farm Series            
           4
Position                                                          
           5
Resources                                                         
           5
Upcoming Events                                                   
           5

U.S. AGRICULTURE "MUST BE SUSTAINABLE," SAYS PRESIDENT'S TASK
FORCE
       "U.S. agriculture must be sustainable if the national goal
of sustainable development is to be achieved," and should be
supported with research that integrates "agricultural
productivity and profitability with environmental stewardship,"
according to the report of the Sustainable Agriculture Task Force
of the President's Council on Sustainable Development.  Chartered
by the President's Council in 1994, the Task Force was charged
with "articulating the key social, economic, and environmental
challenges to be met in achieving a sustainable U.S.
agriculture."
       In its report released last month, the Task Force defines
four goals for sustainable agriculture, and nine recommendations
on how to achieve those goals.  The four goals are:
       -- Management of agricultural activities to protect air,
soil, and water quality, and to conserve wildlife habitat and
biodiversity, thereby increasing agriculture's long-term
productivity and profitability, as well as enhancing human health
and well-being.
       -- Achievement of viable farmers and farm communities.
       -- Production of a safe, high-quality, and affordable supply
of food and fiber in a manner that protects and conserves natural
resources.
       -- Creation of institutional incentives and funding
arrangements that focus public and private research, education,
and technology development on integrating agricultural
productivity and profitability with environmental stewardship.
       The Task Force's recommendations are "bold first steps in
accomplishing these goals," according to the Task Force Report. 
In the report, each recommendation includes "a discussion of the
concerns that inspired it" and "yardsticks for measuring progress
in meeting a particular goal."  The recommendations are:
       -- Harmonize the pollution prevention and natural resource
conservation policies of various federal, state, and local
agencies to minimize conflicts among the policies that could
undermine environmental protection.
       -- Increase the flexibility for participants in commodity
programs to respond to market signals and adopt environmentally
sound production practices and systems, thereby increasing
profitability and enhancing environmental quality.
       -- Expand agricultural markets to increase demand for
agricultural products, returns for farmers, investments in
environmental protection, and conservation of natural resources.
       -- Move the pricing of public natural resources and their
use toward market pricing. 
       -- Keep prime farmlands in agricultural production by
implementing rational land-use policies such as easement, zoning,
taxation, financial incentives, transportation, and land
development policies that reduce the encroachment of urban sprawl
on prime farmlands.
       -- Help rural communities to capitalize on the economic
benefits of sustainable agriculture by giving priority in rural
business development and marketing programs to investments in
enterprises associated with the products of sustainable
agriculture.
       -- Continue improvements in food safety and quality.
       -- Develop institutional incentives and funding arrangements
to promote research that shows how to integrate agricultural
productivity and profitability with environmental stewardship.
       -- Pursue international harmonization of intellectual
property rights in order to provide incentives for the
development of new agricultural technologies.
       For a copy of the Sustainable Agriculture Task Force Report,
contact Adelia Bakiel at the USDA, (202) 720-2456.

HALF OF ORGANIC FARMERS PLAN TO INCREASE ACREAGE, SURVEY FINDS
       Forty-nine percent of certified organic farmers plan to
increase their organic acreage, according to a new survey by the
Organic Farming Research Foundation of 3,480 organic farmers
across the country.  Of those surveyed, 40% plan to increase the
number of products they grow and market, and 52% expect to expand
the number of marketing outlets used.  
       "The survey results offer startling statistical examples of
how organic farmers are straining to meet the extraordinary
demand for organic products," said the Foundation.  
       The top three research priorities of those surveyed were the
relationship of growing practices to crop quality and nutrition,
crop rotations for fertility and pest management, and consumer
demand for organics.  Other top priority research topics were the
relationship between plant nutrition and pest resistance, cover
cropping, green manures, and animal preventive health.  Nearly
63% of respondents conduct their own on-farm research projects.  
       Sole proprietors or family partnerships comprised 83% of
those surveyed; on average, respondents have been farming a
little more than 16 years, 9 of them organically.  When asked
about on-farm water quality, 56% of respondents said they were
strongly or somewhat concerned about bacterial contamination of
their water; 63% said they were strongly or somewhat concerned
about chemical contamination of their water.
       For a copy of the complete survey results, send $10 to
Grower's Survey 95, OFRF, P.O. Box 440, Santa Cruz, CA 95061; or
call (408) 426-6606.

NORTH AMERICA NOW HAS 500 COMMUNITY-SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE
PROGRAMS
       The number of community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs
in North America has increased to 500, according to an article in
The Furrow (Spring, 1996).  Started in New England 10 years ago,
the CSA movement typically involves one or more farmers and a
group of consumers who pay prior to planting for a weekly share
of the produce they will receive later in the season.  "It's a
good way for part-timers, or even full-time growers, to improve
their marketing," says the magazine.  Many farmers who have CSAs
have expanded their crops from vegetables to include berries,
fruit, cut flowers, honey, meat, and eggs.  "Keeping production
local and organic is important for success with CSA," said Dan
Guenthner, who grows organic vegetables and herbs in Wisconsin. 
"I think the program strengthens the link between farmers and
consumers."  

JASON HALBERT TO BE WALLACE INSTITUTE'S FIRST WARD SINCLAIR
INTERN
       Jason Halbert of West Chester, Pennsylvania, has been named
the first recipient of the Wallace Institute's Ward Sinclair
Memorial Internship.  Beginning in July, Halbert will spend six
months working at the Flickerville Mountain Farm and Ground Hog
Ranch in Dott, Pennsylvania, the farm established and managed by
the late Ward Sinclair and Cass Peterson, and working with the
Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture.  At PASA,
he will investigate farmer/consumer demographics in Pennsylvania
to determine the best potential producer-only markets in
Pennsylvania, and travel throughout the state to encourage local
markets.  He worked at the Flickerville Mountain Farm last year,
and has also worked as a grassroots lobbyist and organizer for a
forest protection organization.
       The Internship is sponsored by the Wallace Institute to
honor the late Ward Sinclair, an organic farmer, a writer, and a
member of the Wallace Institute's Board of Directors.

FARM BILL INCLUDES ADVISORY PANELS, COMPETITIVE RESEARCH GRANTS
       The 1996 farm bill, signed into law by President Clinton
last month, creates two advisory panels and provides funding in
the Fund For Rural America for a competitive grants program in
research, education, and extension.  The farm bill consolidates
USDA's Agricultural Science and Technology Review Board, the
Joint Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences, and the National
Agricultural Research and Extension Users Advisory Board, into a
single National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and
Economics Advisory Board with 30 members. 
       It also establishes the USDA Strategic Planning Task Force,
a 15-member panel to review the capacities of 107 federal
research locations and the facilities at 76 land grant
universities.
       For research activities, the Fund For Rural America
establishes a competitive grants program for colleges and
universities and their foundations, federal research agencies,
national laboratories, and private research organizations with
established and demonstrated capacities to perform research on
technology transfer.  The competitive grant funds will be
available between January 1, 1997, and October 1, 1999.  For more
information contact Steve Teasley at (202) 720-8319, or Maria
Bynum at (202) 720-5192.

N.C. NEWSPAPER WINS PULITZER PRIZE FOR HOG FARM SERIES
       The Raleigh News and Observer last month won journalism's
highest honor -- the Pulitzer Prize for public service -- for its
stories about the corporate hog farm industry in North Carolina,
and its related health and environmental problems.  The newspaper
"was recognized for stories that appeared throughout the year
revealing how agricultural corporations were replacing small
family hog farms with modern complexes, which relied on untested
waste disposal systems that polluted the environment and posed
major health risks," according to The New York Times.  "Citizen
groups and their political allies credit the Raleigh newspaper's
'Boss Hog' series for putting the issue on the political agenda,"
wrote The Charlotte Observer.  "The series also reenergized
efforts for placing a moratorium on new hog farms until tougher
environmental rules are in place, and for giving counties zoning
control over where hog farms can go."

POSITION
       National Family Farm Coalition seeks a Program Director to
facilitate NFFC and member organizations develop state and
federal policy and legislative strategies; send cover letter,
resume, references, and brief writing sample to Katherine Ozer,
Director, NFFC, 110 Maryland Ave., NE, #307, Washington, D.C.
20002; (202) 543-5675.

RESOURCES
       "Calves, Heifers, and Dairy Profitability," the proceedings
>from  a national conference held in January, 1996, are $30;
"Implementing Pheromone Technology in the Northeast" is $16;
"Dairy Reference Manual" is $40; all are available from NRAES,
Cooperative Extension, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, N.Y. 14853;
(607) 255-7654; e-mail nraes@cornell.edu
       "Taxing Pesticides to Fund Environmental Protection and
Integrated Pest Management" by the Center for Occupational and
Environmental Health, University of California, Berkeley, is
available from California Policy Seminar, 202 Milvia St., #412,
Berkeley, CA 94704; (510) 642-5514.
       "Forage Information System" is now available on the World
Wide Web at http://www.forages.css.orst.edu; contact Dr. David
Hannaway, coordinator, at Oregon State University, (541) 737-
5863; e-mail david@forages.css.orst.edu
       "Agriculture and the Environment: Building Local
Partnerships," proceedings from a January, 1996, conference, are
$17.50, payable to ISU, from Robin Pruisner, 2104 Agronomy Hall,
Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011; (515) 294-6429.
       The Kenaf Growers Network is a membership organization which
publishes "Kenaf Growers Notebook;" for a copy, e-mail Dr. Carol
Cross at solync@cei.net

UPCOMING EVENTS
       May 24-26, "The Marriage of Ecology and Agriculture: The
Next 20 Years," Prairie Festival 1996, will be held at the Land
Institute, 2440 E. Water Well Rd., Salina, KS 67401; contact the
Institute at (913) 823-5376.
       June 11-14, 6th International Conference on Computers in
Agriculture will be held in Cancun, Mexico; contact Dr. Fedro S.
Zazueta, (904) 392-7260; e-mail fsz@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu
       June 15-20, 2nd International Interdisciplinary Conference
on the Environment will be held in Newport, R.I.; contact Demetri
Kantarelis, IEA, Economics/Foreign Affairs Department, Assumption
College, 500 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01615; (508) 767-7557;
e-mail dkantar@eve.assumption.edu
       June 16-20, "The Changing Global Environment" will be held
at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville; contact John R.
Redick, 1-800-346-3882; e-mail jrr3m@virginia.edu
       June 17-21, Teacher Training for Gardening Classes in
Schools will be held at Newfarms, HC 69, Box 62, Rociada, N.M.
87742; (505) 425-5457.
       June 17-19, 22, 23, (New York/New Jersey off-campus session)
and June 20-22, (Rutgers University on-campus session), "Paved to
Protected: Restoration in the Urban/Rural Context" will be the
topic of the Society for Ecological Restoration's 1996 Annual
Conference; contact the Society, 1207 Seminole Highway, Suite B,
Madison, WI 53711; (608) 262-9547; e-mail ser@vms2.macc.wisc.edu
       June 20-22, "Cultivating Community Success" will be held in
Lincoln, NE; contact Heartland Center for Leadership Development,
941 O St., #920, Lincoln, NE 68508; 1-800-927-1115.
       June 21-22, "AgTech '96," a demonstration of farming
technology, will be held on the Davis campus of the University of
California; contact Nancy Muller, (916) 754-9883.
       June 23-26, 3rd International Conference on Precision
Agriculture will be held in Bloomington/Minneapolis, MN; contact
Gene Anderson, Program Director, Precision Agriculture Center,
College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences,
University of Minnesota, 1-800-367-5363 or (612) 625-7084; e-mail
eanderson@mes.umn.edu
       June 24-August 16, "Sustainable Agriculture: Principles and
Practices," a summer course, will be held at the Student
Experimental Farm, University of California, Davis; contact Mark
Van Horn at the Farm, Department of Agronomy, University of
California, Davis, CA 95616; (916) 752-7645.
       June 28-30, The E.F. Schumacher Society's Decentralist
Conference will be held in Williamstown, MA; contact the Society,
140 Jug End Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230; (413) 528-1737; e-
mail efssociety@aol.com
       June 28-July 2, the 17th Annual Conference of the Hydroponic
Society of America will be held in San Jose, CA; contact HSA,
2819 Crow Canyon Rd., #218, San Ramon, CA 94583; (510) 743-9605;
e-mail hydrosocam@aol.com
       June 29, "Preserving Your Part of the Global Herd," a
workshop on the genetic management of horse and donkey breeds,
will be held in Lexington, KY; contact Carolyn Christman or Don
Bixby, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, P.O. Box 477,
Pittsboro, N.C. 27312; (919) 542-5704.
       July 7-10, "Rocky Mountain Rendezvous," the 51st Annual
Conference of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, will be
held at the Keystone Resort, CO; contact the Society at 1-800-
843-7645.
       July 8-11, "New Crops, New Products, New Opportunities," the
First Australian New Crops Conference, will be held at the
University of Queensland, Australia; contact Sally Brown, New
Crops Conference Secretariat, University of Queensland, Brisbane,
4072 Australia; phone +61-7-3365-6360; e-mail sally@ceu.uq.oz.au

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