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Alternative Agriculture News, 7/96





                            Alternative Agriculture News
                                     July, 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 killng cover crops to optimize weed suppression, and
how an overwintering cover crop increases inoculumn 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

Report Addresses Problems of Agricultural Concentration                       1
House Reduces/Levels Funds for Most Sustainable Ag Programs                   3
Organic Sales Increase by 21 Percent                                          3
Positions                                                                     3
EPA Wants States to Manage Some Pesticides                                    4
Development of CA Farmland Causes "Groundswell of Alarm"                      4
Resources                                                                     4
Upcoming Events                                                               5


COMMITTEE REPORT ADDRESSES "PROBLEMS" OF AGRICULTURAL
CONCENTRATION
       The report of the USDA Advisory Committee on Agricultural
Concentration, released last month, addresses the "problems and
concerns" caused by concentration and vertical integration in
agriculture, including "distorted price discovery, unequal access
to vital market information, environmental degradation, and
perhaps most disturbing, dysfunctional interactions between
producers, handlers, packing plants, and retailers and
distributors."
       USDA Secretary Dan Glickman announced the formation of the
committee in February and asked it to report on its findings,
determinations, and recommendations for addressing concentration
and any of the adverse impacts of concentration. 
       "We find these issues complex and highly charged," the
committee wrote in its report, Concentration in Agriculture. 
"The issues elicit strong views and concerns about the balance of
economic power, the use of government power, and personal
freedom."
       Among the issues cited in the report are the environmental
concerns and social costs connected with concentration,
particularly in vertically integrated operations.  "The
increasing size of livestock operations and processing plants has
led to growing public concerns about environmental effects
associated with these large scale facilities," the report said. 
"While pollution and odor have always been problems with
livestock farming, the corporate face exacerbates the neighbors'
problems.  First, with the large size of these operations and
lagoon storage, the smell is greater, both from storage and
disposal.  Second, owners do not always live on the farm and
share the problems as do traditional farmers.  Water problems are
similarly exacerbated by vertical integration."
       The report recommends that "major policy efforts should be
directed to creating an atmosphere of open disclosure of basic
operating facts, including many aspects of price discovery,
earnings levels of packers and feeders, environmental management
concerns, and contract terms between integrators and producers."
       A Minority Views report, signed by six of the committee's 20
members, makes several recommendations about environmental and
vertical integration:
       -- Strengthen rules for animal feedlots to make them
consistent and effective in addressing all aspects of pollution
(as recommended in the report), including odor, water, and air
pollution, and to prevent bidding wars between states willing to
sacrifice their environmental quality.
       -- Review all contracts and arrangements between large
feedlots and packers for restraint-of-trade violations, including
exclusive dealings and price discrimination.
       -- Vigorously enforce the Clean Water Act to assure
compliance by feedlots at the same level as other industries with
similar environmental impact.
       -- Prohibit packer ownership, operation, management, or
financing of any livestock (including swine but excluding
poultry) production or feeding operations.
       Commenting on the report, Secretary Glickman said that he
and President Clinton "believe that there must be a fair and
equitable balance of power in the marketplace; that free and open
competition must be preserved and enhanced; that more openness
and transparency will help the market work better.  We are
committed to promoting a system of American agriculture in which
unfair trade practices are not tolerated, and in which family
farmers and ranchers can continue to make a good living on the
land."
       For a copy of the report, call the USDA Office of
Communications at (202) 720-2798.

HOUSE REDUCES OR LEVELS FUNDS FOR MOST SUSTAINABLE AG PROGRAMS
       The appropriations for most sustainable agriculture programs
were either reduced or kept at their previous levels when the
U.S. House of Representatives last month approved the USDA
appropriations bill for the 1997 Fiscal Year.  Senate action is
expected in the near future.
       Here is a summary of how sustainable agriculture programs
fared, compared to final appropriations for FY96:
       SARE: An $8 million appropriation, a reduction from last
year's appropriation of $8.1 million, was approved for the
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.
       SATDTP: A $3.3 million appropriation, a decrease from last
year's figure of $3.4 million, was approved for the Sustainable
Agriculture Technology Development and Transfer Program.
       ATTRA: Funding for the Appropriate Technology Transfer for
Rural Areas was deleted.  The final appropriation last year was
$1 million.
       OFPA: A $500,000 appropriation was approved for the Organic
Foods Production Act, a reduction from last year's appropriation
of $600,000.
       WRP: No dollar amount was specified for the Wetlands Reserve
Program, but the approved language limits enrollment to 130,000
acres, 30,000 more than last year's level.
       EQIP: The new Environmental Quality Incentives Program will
be funded at the full $200 million mandated in the farm bill.
       Fund for Rural America: The new Fund received the $100
million level mandated in the farm bill.

ORGANIC SALES INCREASE BY 21 PERCENT -- TOTAL MORE THAN $2
BILLION IN 1995
       Organic sales increased 21.7 percent to total $2.8 billion
in 1995, exceeding $2 billion for the second year in a row,
according to Natural Foods Merchandiser (June, 1996).  Sales last
year increased by about $500 million from 1994 sales, marking the
sixth year in a row that organic sales have increased by more
than 20 percent.  The organic market continues to grow because of
several factors, including a widening consumer base, aggressive
expansion by natural products retailers, greater acceptance in
the mainstream sector, and increasing organic farm acreage,
according to the magazine. "Industry members say they are seeing
a growing number of younger, family-oriented consumers seeking
out organic products," the magazine said.  "Customers are
responding to a greater visibility of organic products in their
own right and to more thoughtful media coverage."

POSITIONS
       Public Voice for Food & Health Policy seeks a Communications
Coordinator and a Development Officer/Assistant Director; contact
Public Voice, 1101 14th St., NW, #710, Washington, D.C. 20005;
(202) 371-1840.
       Center for Rural Affairs seeks a Program Director to work
with the Administrative Director; applications must be received
by August 15; contact Search Committee, Center for Rural Affairs,
P.O. Box 402, Walthill, NE 68067-0402.
       Center for Agroecology and the University of California
Extension offer a six-month residential Apprenticeship in
Ecological Horticulture; application deadline is November 1; for
application brochure, contact Apprenticeship Information, Center
for Agroecology, UCSC, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064; (408)
459-4140.

EPA PROPOSES STATE MANAGEMENT OF PESTICIDES TO PROTECT GROUND
WATER
       The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed
that the sale and use of five pesticides be governed by
management plans developed by each state to protect public health
and the environment from possible ground water contamination. 
The five pesticides, all potential human carcinogens, are
alachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, metolachlor, and simazine.  The
state plans would focus on protecting ground water in the most
vulnerable areas.  The sale and use of the pesticides which pose
significant ground water concerns would be allowed only in states
with EPA-approved plans.  After the proposed rule becomes final,
the EPA is proposing to allow 24 months for the states to submit
plans, six months for the EPA to approve them, and a three-month
start-up period.  Public comments on the proposal, which appeared
in the Federal Register last month, may be addressed to Public
Response and Program Resources Branch, Office of Pesticide
Programs, U.S. EPA, 401 M St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460.

DEVELOPMENT OF CALIFORNIA FARMLAND CAUSES "GROUNDSWELL OF
ALARM"
       "Breakneck suburbanization" has come to California's Central
Valley, turning the country's richest farmland into housing
developments, and causing "a new groundswell of alarm," according
to the New York Times (June 20, 1996).  An urban planner predicts
the Central Valley will not be able to continue its current
harvest of $13 billion in produce each year -- or even to feed
itself by 2080.  "In the last hour, one acre of farmland has been
yanked out somewhere in the Central Valley," said David Mas
Masumoto, a peach grower and author of Epitaph for a Peach: Four
Seasons on My Family Farm.  Nationwide, one million acres of
productive farmland give way to development each year, the
article says.  But the California Legislature passed a cropland
protection program to help compensate farmers who prohibit
development on their land, and the new farm bill provides
matching grants for states with such programs.

RESOURCES
       "1996 National Organic Directory" is $34.95 plus $6
shipping/handling (CA residents add $2.75 sales tax) from
Community Alliance with Family Farmers, P.O. Box 464, Davis, CA
95617; 1-800-852-3832 or (916) 756-8518 ext. 17.
       "We All Live Downstream," a 30-minute video about urban and
rural runoff, is $30 from Publications Orders, Agricultural
Communications, Oregon State University, A422 Administrative
Service Building, Corvallis, OR 97331-2119; (503) 737-2513.
       "1996 Center Progress Report" from the Leopold Center for
Sustainable Agriculture, detailing 15 recent research and
education projects, is free from the Center, 209 Curtiss Hall,
Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011; (515) 294-3711; e-mail
leocenter@iastate.edu
       "Vegetable Farmers and Their Weed Control Machines," a
video, is $10/made out to UVM Extension, from the Center for
Sustainable Agriculture, 590 Main St., Burlington, VT 05460.
       "Pesticide Use in California: Strategies for Reducing
Environmental Health Impacts," a report of the Environmental
Health Policy Program, is available from California Policy
Seminar, 2020 Milvia St., #412, Berkeley, CA 94704; (510) 642-
5514.
       "Guide to Great Forestry and Natural Resources Publications"
(NRAES-91, $10) and "Mid-Atlantic Orchard Monitoring Guide"
(NRAES-75, $75) are both available from Northeast Regional
Agricultural Engineering Service, Cooperative Extension, 152
Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, N.Y. 14853; (607) 255-7654; e-mail
nraes@cornell.edu
       "World Resources 1996-97" is available on the World Wide Web
at http://www.wri.org/wri/wr-96-97; to order print version,
contact World Resources Institute, 1709 New York Ave., NW,
Washington, D.C. 20006; (202) 638-6300; e-mail philip@wri.org
       "The Sierra Club Green Guide" is available at bookstores or
for $25 plus $3 postage/handling from Sierra Club Store Orders,
730 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109. 
       "Small and Farmed Wetlands: Oases for Wildlife" is available
>from  National Audubon Society, 666 Pennsylvania Ave., SE,
Washington, D.C. 20003; (202) 547-9009.

UPCOMING EVENTS
       August 9-11, Northeast Organic Farming Association 22nd
Annual Summer Conference will be held in Amherst, MA; contact
Julie Rawson, 411 Sheldon Road, Barre, MA 01005; (508) 355-2853.
       August 10, Summer Harvest Festival will be held at Walnut
Acres, Penns Creek, PA; contact Pennsylvania Association for
Sustainable Agriculture, (814) 349-9856; or Walnut Acres, 1-800-
433-3998.
       August 10-13, First Organic World Exhibition, and August 11-
14, 11th International Conference on Organic Agriculture, will be
held in Copenhagen, Denmark; contact IFOAM '96, Blegdamsvej 4,
DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark; phone +45-3537-2096; e-mail
ifoam96@login.dknet.dk
       August 13-15, "Managing Change: Restoring Community through
Consensus;" August 14, "Forest Stewardship Through Holistic
Resource Management;" August 15, "Community Planning with
Holistic Resource Management;" August 15, "Practicing
Polyculture;" August 16-17, "Share the Wealth: 1996 Holistic
Resource Management Gathering" will be held in Rochester, MN;
contact Center for Holistic Resource Management, 1010 Tijeras NW,
Albuquerque, N.M. 87102; (505) 842-5252.
       August 13-16, "The Delta: Connecting Points of View for
Sustainable Natural Resources" will be held in Memphis, TN;
contact National Association of Conservation Districts, (202)
547-6223.
       August 15-17, "Design for Land Conservation" will be held in
Conway, MA; contact Conway School of Landscape Design, Delabarre
Ave., Conway, MA 01341; (413) 369-4044. 
       August 15-18, "Harvest of Rural Society: Healthy Families
and Communities," the 59th Annual Meeting of the Rural
Sociological Society, will be held in Des Moines, IA; contact Bob
Meier, Iowa State University, (515) 294-8870; e-mail
rmeier@iastate.edu 
       August 19-23, Ecological Summit '96 will be held in
Copenhagen, Denmark; contact Dr. S.N. Neilsen at 45 35 37 08 50
ext. 455; e-mail snors@charon.dfh.dk
       August 25-31, Symposium on Artificial Rearing of Insect
Parasitoids and Predators, the 20th International Congress of
Entomology, will be held in Florence, Italy; contact Pat Greany,
USDA-ARS, 1700 SW 23rd Dr., Gainesville, FL 32608; (904) 374-
5763; e-mail pgreany@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu
       August 26-30, 9th Conference of the International Soil
Conservation Organization will be held in Bonn, Germany; contact
A. Klein, Federal Environmental Agency, FG 11 3.2/Soil Quality,
P.O. Box 330022, D-14191 Berlin, Germany; e-mail
100434.1121@compuserve.com
       August 29, Agronomy Day will be held at the Agronomy-Plant
Pathology South Farm at the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign; contact Sharon Conatser at (217) 333-4424.
       September 18 is the deadline for abstracts for the
International Conference on Agricultural Production and
Nutrition, sponsored by Tufts University School of Nutrition
Science and Policy and the Wallace Institute, to be held in
Boston, MA, March 19-21, 1997; mail three copies of the abstract
to William Lockeretz, School of Nutrition Science Policy, Tufts
University, Medford, MA 02155; inquiries can be made by e-mail at
wlockeretz@infonet.tufts.edu
       September 18-21, "EcoAgroForestry Century Conference," an
information sharing meeting, trade show, and exposition, will be
held in Dermott, AR; contact Dr. Carol Cross, Director, SOLYNC,
P.O. Box 5208, Pine Bluff, AR 71611; 1-800-476-5962; e-mail
solync@cei.net

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