PASS THE FARM BILL

Get involved today and make sure that the new Farm Bill likely to be passed by Congress shows a veto-proof majority. The President has promised to veto the Farm Bill and it is likely that the veto will need to be overridden in Congress. This has the potential of resulting in significant losses for beginning farmers and ranchers, organic production and research, local food systems, hunger and nutrition assistance, conservation and other important programs.

Your voice needs to be heard and we urge you to participate by calling your Congressional Representative and Senators today.

Visit the following links for more information about the Farm Bill

http://www.sustainableagriculturecoalition.org/

http://sustainableagriculture.net/farm_bill.php

Organic & Sustainable News & Events

Announcing: "Just Organic"™

FOG is participating in a pilot project to test social justice standards intended for use domestically. The objective of this project is to run through a social justice certification process in order to get feedback from all the participants. The information gathered during the pilot project will be used to mold the social justice certification program including the standards. You can view the standards at www.rafiusa.org/pubs/SocialJustice_final.pdf

The social justice standards are detailed in the document entitled "Toward Social Justice and Economic Equity in the Food System: A Call for Social Stewardship Standards in Sustainable and Organic Agriculture" found on the RAFI-USA website at http://www.rafiusa.org/programs/JUSTFOODS.html.

The phrase "Just Organic" is registered service and or certification mark registered as a trademark of Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers Inc. for use in certification of socially just agricultural practices. While the standards governing the use of the mark require that the operation certified under the "Just Organic" mark be either certified organic by a USDA accredited organic certifier or an operation who is excluded from the NOP requirement to be certified but otherwise complies with the USDA organic regulations, this certificate is not a certificate of organic certification under the National Organic Program and should not be used as a substitute for verification of the operation's current organic status. For verification of the operation's current organic certification status, please contact the operation or their organic certifier. This certificate only verifies that the operation meets the social justice agriculture standards of the "Just Organic" certification program and that at the time of issuance of this certification the operation was certified organic by a USDA accredited certifier or claimed exemption from the requirement to be certified and compliance with the NOP regulations contained in 7 CFR 205 of the Code of Federal Regulations. For a copy of the "Just Organic" socially just agricultural standards or to obtain more information about the proper use and meaning of this certificate please contact Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers Inc. at www.foginfo.org or call (352)377-6345.

FARMERS MARKETS

(direct from farmers)

Sunshine Growers’ Market Hours

Monday evenings, 3:00pm – 5:00pm /every other Monday.

Location

Southwood Office Complex, grassy area between Building #4025 and #4055 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, Florida.

Directions:  Take Capital Circle SE to Merchants Row Blvd.  From Merchants Row Blvd., take Esplanade Way South about 400 paces and the Market will be on the left.

Cooking Demonstration

During market hours cooking demonstrations feature the fresh local produce from the farmers, from 3:30pm-4:30pm. The Sunshine Growers’ Market is open to the community. Come and enjoy.

The Port St. Joe Salt Aire Market

Location:  downtown Port St. Joe, next to the City Hall

Time:  3:00pm – 7:00pm, this Saturday.

For more information on the Sunshine Growers’ Market contact (850) 412-5260/Florida A&M University StateWide Small Farm Programs, Jennifer.Taylor@famu.edu

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s New Guidelines for Dairy Product Labeling Face Strong Public Opposition

On October 22, 2007 the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), which is responsible for approving all labels for “milk, milk products, and manufactured dairy products,” which are used in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania issued new standards for labeling of such products.  The October 22 memo issued by the PDA which explains the new standards can be found at: 

http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=145988

The new standards apparently would prohibit dairy products sold in Pennsylvania from being labeled with ‘rBST-Free,’ ‘Hormone-Free,’ ‘Antibiotic-Free’ or similar claims. In response to consumer demand, more and more dairies have been abandoning their use of Monsanto Company’s genetically engineered growth hormone and seeking to differentiate their products in the marketplace by labeling them to be free of the controversial synthetic hormone.  According to Monsanto, the hormone, referred to variously as rBGH or rBST, increases milk production by 10%, on average.  Despite Monsanto’s claims that milk and meat from cows treated with rBGH are safe, the United Nations’ main food-safety body, The Codex Alimentarius has twice been unable to endorse the safety of rBGH for human health. Most industrialized nations, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and all 25 members of the European Union have banned its use, according to Dr. Michael Hansen of Consumers Union.

The move by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to prohibit informative labeling on dairy products follows the recent decision by the Federal Trade Commission and the FDA rejecting Monsanto’s complaint and upholding the right of dairies to label their products truthfully.  Many interpreted the rule change proposed by Pennsylvania to be a sign that Monsanto had shifted tactics following the FTC decision to focus instead on getting state governments to ban informative labeling.  The theory appeared to have merit when, in the days following the announcement by Pennsylvania officials, word quickly circulated that similar measures would be considered by agricultural departments in Ohio and possibly other states.  

However, the ink establishing Pennsylvania’s new labeling regulations had barely dried before protests from consumers, dairy farmers and others began to rain down on state officials.  Kevin Golden, of the Center for Food Safety, succinctly summarized what consumers have expressed in nationwide polls when he told the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette that “this violates the fundamental rights of consumers to know what’s in their milk”.  Public outcry over the new labeling standards spilled over to Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell’s office, which responded by initiating a review of the new standards and causing their implementation and enforcement to be delayed.  As of this writing, the standards are apparently still under review by the governor’s office.  

Although the new labeling rules arguably target ‘rBGH-Free’ language primarily, the rules would clearly affect other informative claims, such as those that describe dairy products that have been produced without antibiotics.  Also, implications of the new Pennsylvania rules on the labeling of certified organic products are not yet known.  Many organic dairy products, in addition to identifying the product as organic, also include hormone- and antibiotic-free statements.

Florida Organic Growers enthusiastically supports the suggestion made by Pennsylvania Certified Organic Executive Director Leslie Zuck and quoted in the New York Times that, if artificial hormones are as good as their proponents would have us believe, instead of banning informative labeling, why not embrace it:  “We use rBGH and it’s great stuff!” 

Project: School Garden-An Elementary Primer

FOG’s Neighborhood Nutrition Network (NNN) is pleased to announce the publication of Project: School Garden-An Elementary Primer, written by Colin Colverson and based in part on the experiences of NNN’s long running school garden program in Alachua County. More information can be found here.

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