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Alternative Agriculture News, 9/96



                            Alternative Agriculture News
                                   September, 1996

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

                                        * * *

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 (Volume 11, No. 1) cover low-
input, on-farm composting; a case study on evaluating the
sustainability of alternative farming systems; soil and water
conservation and improved crop management effects on watershed
productivity in India; a review of the literature on economic
methods for comparing alternative crop production systems;
expansion of the organic food market in Denmark; a South Dakota
case study comparing organic and sustainable fed cattle
production; and effects of free-range chickens and geese on
insect pests and weeds in an agroecosystem.  Subscriptions to
AJAA are $24 a year for individuals; $12 for students; and $44
for libraries.  Contact the Wallace Institute, 9200 Edmonston
Road, #117, Greenbelt, MD 20770; (301) 441-8777; e-mail
hawiaa@access.digex.net


Alternative Agriculture News: Table of Contents

Clinton and Dole On Agriculture: In Their Own Words               
    1
EPA Awards Grants to Reduce Pesticide Use                         
    3
BGH Sales "Go Sour," Says Wall St. Journal                        
    3
Positions                                                         
    4
Final Appropriations Restore ATTRA Funding                        
    4
Oberly Award, Steward of Land Award Seek Nominations              
    4
Exported Pesticides Are Killing Birds, Says Audubon               
    5
Resources                                                         
    5
Upcoming Events                                                   
    5

CLINTON AND DOLE ON AGRICULTURE: IN THEIR OWN WORDS
       Where do the two major Presidential candidates -- Democrat
President Bill Clinton and Republican Senator Bob Dole -- stand
on agriculture?  What agricultural policies do they support? 
What actions have they taken?  Do they consider sustainable
agriculture to be a viable and important approach to farming?  Do
they mention sustainable agriculture in their position papers? 
Upon request, each Presidential campaign sent an agricultural
background paper to Alternative Agriculture News.  Here are
excerpts from those papers.
       -- "President Clinton: Preparing Rural America for the 21st
Century"
       "President Clinton is improving life in rural America by:
       "Implementing common-sense regulatory reform....The USDA has
revised compliance rules and wetlands reform, promoting
incentive-based -- not punishment-based -- regulation, and
providing farmers with more flexibility;
       "Signing into law historic pesticide reform legislation that
ensures the safety of our families' food.  The Food Quality
Protection Act enhances confidence of American consumers, while
acting in the best interests of our farmers and the environment;
       "Winning passage of a Farm Bill that reflects the strong
commitment to the environment that the Clinton Administration and
American farmers share.  This law includes an unprecedented $2.2
billion for conservation, helping farmers and ranchers preserve
soil, water, and other critical resources they depend on for
their livelihood....
       "The President will continue working to improve the overall
economic position of family farmers and empower our nation's
rural communities to build a better future by:
       "Ensuring fair competition for small producers.  President
Clinton established an advisory committee to investigate the
effects of concentration in the meat packing industry on producer
prices.  The Administration has already begun to implement the
Committee's recommendations and to fight anti-competitive
practices in purchasing."
       -- "Bob Dole for President: Leadership for Rural America"
       "Since 1962, he has been a crucial player in the creation,
reform and passage of nine different Farm Bills, which have
provided stability and direction for the agriculture industry. 
He has stood beside farmers and rural businessmen and women
through good years and bad, and has authored many of the current
farm program provisions....
       "This year, Senator Dole led the successful Senate effort to
pass the Freedom to Farm Act, which encourages the growth of
agriculture through a policy that is simpler, more flexible, and
market-based.  Under this landmark legislation, farmers will
finally be able to plant for the market, not for the
government....The [farm] bill maintains the Freedom to Farm, and
also reauthorizes the Conservation Reserve Program....
       "Bob Dole secured the passage of the 1985 Farm Bill which is
credited with solving the farm crisis of the 1980s.  To avoid
future farm crises, Bob Dole included provisions to help rid the
market place of surplus stocks and restore U.S. agriculture to
world price competitiveness.  These measures included the Export
Enhancement Program, decreased commodity loan rates, and
voluntary acreage idling measures, such as the Conservation
Reserve Program....
       "He will continue to promote sound agricultural legislation
that will move American agriculture successfully into the 21st
century....Bob Dole will continue to stand by America's farmers
and small businessmen and women, who have made American
agriculture the pride of the nation."

EPA AWARDS GRANTS TO REDUCE PESTICIDE USE
       As part of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program,
the EPA has awarded $740,000 in grants aimed at reducing
pesticide use and risk.  The first set of grants awarded $240,000
to eight of the program's partners, which are organizations that
use pesticides or represent pesticide users.  The second set of
grants awarded $500,000 to 14 organizations under the EPA
Regional Pollution Prevention Initiative Grants.
       The partnership grants were awarded to the Cranberry
Institute, East Wareham, MA; Golf Course Superintendents
Association, Lawrence, KS; Hood River Grower-Shipper Association,
Odell, OR; Mint Industry Research Council, Stevenson, WA; Monroe
County Community School Corporation, Bloomington, IN; National
Potato Council, Englewood, CO; Tennessee Valley Authority,
Chattanooga, TN; and Texas Pest Management Association, Austin,
TX.
       The regional pollution prevention initiative grants were
awarded to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA;
University of Maryland, College Park, MD (two grants); University
of Georgia, Athens, GA; Purdue University, Lafayette, IN;
Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, University of
Wisconsin, Madison, WI; Texas A&M University, College Station,
TX; University of Missouri, Columbia, MO; Colorado State
University, Fort Collins, CO; California Beet Growers
Association, Stockton, CA; University of Hawaii, Hilo, HI;
Community Environmental Council, Santa Barbara, CA; Washington
State University, Pullman, WA; and Pacific Coast Cranberry
Research Foundation, Ilwaco, WA.
       The Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program is a
voluntary public-private partnership dedicated to reducing
pesticide use and risk in both agricultural and non-agricultural
settings.  For more information, contact its hotline at 1-800-
972-7717.

BGH SALES "GO SOUR," SAYS WALL STREET JOURNAL
       Two years after its controversial introduction, bovine
growth hormone (BGH), or bovine somatotropin (BST), "has yet to
firmly establish its place in America's barns," according to The
Wall Street Journal (August 16, 1996).  A USDA survey shows that
only 10% of the nation's 9.4 million dairy cows in early 1996
were receiving BST, "considerably fewer than the number thought
to be using BST in early 1995."  Though "the product sparked loud
consumer complaints over possible health hazards," the article
says, "economics and bad timing -- not consumer opposition --
have been the main factors limiting the product's appeal."  Use
of BGH added to farmers' high feed costs and interfered with
their traditional breeding routines, according to the newspaper. 
The cost of feeding livestock increased this summer as corn
supplies fell to their lowest levels in nearly 50 years, the
article said. 

POSITIONS
       The Land Institute seeks a Director of Education, starting
January 1, 1997; send resume and references to Ken Warren,
Managing Director, The Land Institute, 2440 E. Water Well Road,
Salina, KS 67401; (913) 823-5376.
       W.K. Kellogg Foundation seeks candidates for Group XVI of
the Kellogg National Leadership Program, to serve as fellows in a
three-year, nondegree program; for an application, contact the
Kellogg Foundation, 1-800-474-1800; applications are due December
2.
       The Land Institute seeks research interns for 1997;
applications, due by October 1, are available from the Institute,
2440 E. Water Well Road, Salina, KS 67401; (913) 823-5376.

FINAL APPROPRIATIONS CONFERENCE RESTORES ATTRA FUNDING
       The final appropriations levels approved by a U.S. House-
Senate conference for the 1997 Fiscal Year restored funding for
the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), but
cut funding for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and
Education (SARE) program and the Sustainable Agriculture
Technology Development and Transfer Program (SATDTP).  Here is a
summary of what the conference approved for sustainable
agriculture programs: 
       SARE: An $8 million appropriation was approved; FY96 funding
was $8.1 million. SATDTP: A $3.3 million appropriation was
approved; FY96 funding was $3.4 million.  ATTRA: A $1.3 million
appropriation was approved; the House had deleted the funding;
FY96 funding was $1 million.  OFPA: A $500,000 appropriation was
approved for the Organic Foods Production Act; FY96 funding was
$600,000.  WRP: Final language for the Wetlands Reserve Program
limits enrollment to 130,000 acres, 30,000 more than last year;
it also allows additional acreage to be enrolled with nonfederal
money.  EQIP: $200 million was approved for the new Environmental
Quality Incentives Program, as mandated in the farm bill.  Fund
for Rural America: A $100 million appropriation was approved for
the new fund, as mandated in the farm bill.

OBERLY AWARD, STEWARD OF LAND AWARD SEEK NOMINATIONS
       The Oberly Award and the Steward of the Land Award are
seeking nominations for their awards programs.  The Oberly Award
is given in odd-numbered years for the best English language
bibliography in the field of agriculture or related science. 
Nominations may be made in the form of the bibliography and a
letter, which should point out the reason the bibliography should
be considered.  Send nominations by December 1 to JoAnn DeVries,
Oberly Jury Chair, University of Minnesota, St. Paul Campus
Central Library, 1984 Buford Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108.  American
Farmland Trust seeks nominations for its first annual Steward of
the Land Award to recognize efforts by an individual farmer or
farm family in land stewardship, agricultural conservation
policy, or the use of sustainable farming practices.  For a
brochure and nomination form, contact AFT, 1920 N St., #400,
Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 659-5170, ext. 7130.

EXPORTED PESTICIDES ARE KILLING MIGRATORY BIRDS, SAYS AUDUBON
MAGAZINE
       Exported pesticides banned in the United States are killing
migratory birds, according to an article in Audubon (September-
October, 1996).  In Argentina's farmland, thousands of Swainson's
hawks have died in recent years "from exposure to acutely toxic
chemicals that the local farmers use to kill grasshoppers, which
are the birds' prey," according to the magazine.  Evidence points
to "a notorious bird killer called monocrotophos as the primary
chemical of concern."  That pesticide was withdrawn from the U.S.
market in 1988, but is sold internationally.  "The problem lies
with an international marketing system that supplies [farmers]
with inappropriate chemicals and doesn't give them the kind of
information they need to make the right choices," according to
the magazine.

RESOURCES
       "An Agriculture That Makes Sense: Making Money on Hogs" is
$4 from the Land Stewardship Project, 2200 4th St., White Bear
Lake, MN 55110; (612) 653-0618.
       "Sustainable Agriculture in Print: Current Periodicals,"
updated version, is available from Alternative Farming Systems
Information Center, National Agricultural Library, 10301
Baltimore Blvd., Beltsville, MD 20705-2351; (301) 504-7338.
       "Understanding the Organic Foods Production Act: A Guide to
the Recommendations of the National Organic Standards Board" is
available from the Organic Trade Association, P.O. Box 1078,
Greenfield, MA 01302; (413) 774-7511. 
       "Agricultural Research and Development, Public and Private
Investments Under Alternative Markets and Institutions" (AER-735)
is $12 from the Economic Research Service-NASS, 341 Victory
Drive, Herndon, VA 22070; 1-800-999-6779.

UPCOMING EVENTS
       October 2-3, "Community Food Systems: Sustaining Farms and
People in the Emerging Economy" will be held at the University of
California, Davis; contact Dave Campbell, (916) 752-7541, e-mail
dave.c.campbell@ucdavis.edu; or Gail Feenstra, (916) 752-8408, e-
mail gwfeenstra@ucdavis.edu
       October 5, Tenth Annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival, at the
Full Belly Farm, Guinda, CA, and October 6, Organic Farm Bus
Tour, in the Capay Valley, will be sponsored by the Committee for
Sustainable Agriculture; contact Liz Baum, (916) 756-6967, or Dru
Rivers, (916) 796-3464.
       October 8-10, International Association for Technology
Assessment and Forecasting Institutions will hold its second
international conference in Brussels, Belgium; contact the IATAFI
Secretariat, c/o Statoil, 5020 Bergen, Norway; fax 55 99
2051/2065; e-mail iatafi@iatafi.no
       October 9-11, "National Seminar on Organic Farming and
Sustainable Agriculture" will be held in Bangalore, India;
contact Dr. G.K. Veeresh, Vice Chancellor, University of
Agricultural Science, GKVK Campus, Bangalore-560 065, India;
phone 080-3332442; fax 080-3330277.
       October 11, a regional conference on marketing options and
alternatives for livestock producers, sponsored by Rutgers and
Penn State Cooperative Extensions, will be held in Bethlehem, PA;
contact Everett Chamberlain or Betty Wickkiser, (908) 475-6503.
       October 15-17, a grazier's class will be held at Michigan
State University's Kellogg Biological Station, East Lansing;
contact Teresa Miller, 525 S. Pine St., #207, Lansing, MI 48933;
(517) 346-7427.
       October 16, Fourth Annual Fertilizer Research and Education
Program will be held in Modesto, CA; contact Kertrina Anderson or
Casey Walsh Cady, California Department of Food and Agriculture,
1220 N St., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 653-5340.
       October 16, "Turf & Golf Course Management," in Seal Beach,
CA, and October 17, "Strawberries & Vegetables," in Encinitas,
CA, will be sponsored by the Committee for Sustainable
Agriculture; contact the Committee at (916) 756-6967.
       October 18-21, "Natural Products Expo East" will be held in
Baltimore, MD; contact Holly McGee, Natural Products Expo East,
P.O. Box 671, Boulder, CO 80306-0671; (303) 939-8440 ext. 157.
       October 20-26 and October 27-November 1, "Herbicide Action,"
an "intensive course," will be held at Purdue University, West
Lafayette, IN; contact Kathy Hyman, (317) 494-2758; S.C. Weller,
(317) 494-1333; or 1-800-359-2968, ext. 92H.
       October 25-27, "Bioneers: Practical Solutions for Restoring
the Earth" will be held in San Francisco, CA; contact Collective
Heritage Institute, 369 Montezuma, #334, Santa Fe, NM 87501;
(505) 986-0366.
       October 26, "A Conference on Cancer and Pesticides" will be
held at the Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, MD; contact the
Rachel Carson Council, 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase, MD
20815; (301) 652-1877; e-mail rccouncil@aol.com
       October 31-November 1, "Forest and Woodland Resources for
Sustainable Community Development" will be held in Fayetteville,
AR; contact Donald E. Voth, Professor of Rural Sociology,
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology,
University of Arkansas, A227, Fayetteville, AR 72701; (501) 575-
2409; e-mail dvoth@comp.uark.edu
       November 1-2, "Profit From Diversity," the Small Farm
Seminars and Trade Show, will be held in Columbia, MO; contact
Small Farm Today Magazine, Chuck DeCourley, 1-800-633-2535.

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