What’s New in Michigan Organic Farming? August 21-27

Compiled by Vicki Morrone, MSU

1. Workshop Opportunity-How to Create Successful Markets: Starting Markets in Your Neighborhoods

2. “Mean or Green”-Current antics by Wal-Mart as they break into the organic food market

3. University of Wisconsin-Madison receives state funding for research on eco-friendly plastics

4. New MSU Program Offers Organic Farming Experiences

5. Grant opportunity of organic gardens in schools by FFA

6. National Farmers Union Giving Voice to Rural Americans:-Ways to have your voice heard about the upcoming 2007 Farm Bill

7. U.S. Ag Official To Speak In Lansing-Sept 21-22 at Summit

8. Opportunities in Organic Dairy Production-Sept 13 Organic Valley Meeting in Clare, MI

9. Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative Stands 800 Farmers Strong

10. Trouble Brews For French Grower Using Vegetable Oil Fuel

11. Dr. Cornelia Flora Butler, Director, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Iowa State University
“Socio-technical Regime and the Changing Agricultural Landscape, Tuesday, October 3, 2006, Gold A Room MSU Union, 3:45-5:00 pm

12. CSA Conference 2006 Nov 10-12 at Kettunen Center-Tipton, MI- With a preworkshop to starting your own CSA

13. Mark your Calendar! the 18th Annual Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference, LaCrosse, WI, February 22-24, 2007

14.

1. How to Create Successful     Markets: Starting Markets in Your Neighborhoods -     September 28th-30th
    PPS's bi-annual training course
New York, NY
    Cities and towns across the US     are rediscovering the benefits of public markets. Learn how to start a     market in your neighborhood or town. Look at case studies and explore the     market planning process, including goal setting, concept development,     economic feasibility, management, site selection and design. Class     participants have included mayors, community development officials,     neighborhood organizers and market sponsors. For registration and more     information visit the training course website.

http://www.pps.org/info/placemakingtools/events/

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NATION article | posted August 24, 2006 (September 11, 2006 issue)

2. Mean or Green?

Liza Featherstone

A laughing baby is covered in baby food. He's making a gushy mess, as babies do, but having a grand time. A magic word reassures us--before we've had a chance to worry--that the food itself is wholesome. That word, of course, is "organic." More surprising, to many viewers of this advertisement, will be the origin of this virtuous feast: Wal-Mart. This summer, the mega-retailer launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign with an irresistible promise: "Introducing Organics at the Wal-Mart price." The commercial, which cannily plays to mothers' worries about how pesticides and additives may affect their children's health, has run on network and cable TV; a print version will appear in Parenting, Real Simple, Self and Cooking Light. Already one of the nation's leading organics vendors, Wal-Mart announced this past spring its intention to enter the market far more aggressively, to double its inventory and eventually offer organics at only 10 percent above the price of conventional food.

Food bearing the government's organic label can be, for low- and middle-income shoppers, prohibitively expensive. That's why, to many observers, an "organic Wal-Mart" represents the democratization of healthier--and better-tasting--food. Bob Scowcroft of the Organic Farming Research Foundation argues, too, that environmentalists should cheer Wal-Mart's move, which will "turn hundreds of thousands of acres" now being farmed conventionally to organic. "Think of the tonnage of toxins and carcinogens which will disappear from the earth," he says. Scowcroft also points to research by the Swiss government showing that organic farming can reduce global warming--actually drawing nitrogen and carbon from the atmosphere. Like the retailer's push for fuel-efficient trucking, Wal-Mart's entry into the organic sector could turn out to be another example of how one decision by this company--however market-driven--might do tremendous good, simply because of its scale.

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3. UWM receives state funding for research on eco-friendly plastics
8/7/2006

MILWAUKEE - The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has awarded a $50,000 grant to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) to advance research on sustainable and biodegradable plastics made from agricultural and forestry products produced in Wisconsin.

Rod Nilsestuen, Secretary of the DATCP, will formally announce the award on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at UWM. The ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. in room E250 of UWM's Engineering and Mathematical Sciences building, 3200 N. Cramer St.

The research project, headed by Sarah Gong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UWM, is expected to strengthen the state's strong plastics industry and encourage technology transfer by involving several state businesses. Gong is collaborating with Lih-Sheng Turng, co-director of the Polymer Engineering Center at UW-Madison.

The grant money is part of a $1 million fund available through the Governor's Consortium on Bio-based Industry that offers businesses and educational institutions access to start-up activities that will grow bio-based industries in the state.

Existing bio-based plastics are made of renewable resources such as corn, soybeans or other agricultural products. Gong's research will focus on modifying these by incorporating natural fibers to expand their commercial applications. These would provide the same strength and performance as current materials, while adding benefits such as biodegradability and sustainability. Alternatives to petrochemical plastics will minimize dependency on crude oil, gas and coal, and help to control the emissions of global warming agents such as CO_2.

The research will investigate the use of natural fibers such as aspen wood fiber, kenaf and jute fibers, as well as those from recycled newspapers, magazines and shopping bags, in creating new plastic materials, says Gong. The project also aims to expand the applications of these new plastics into areas such as manufacturing of electronics, medical and biomedical devices, and automobiles, and in construction.

Among the 50 states, Wisconsin has the 10th-highest employment (more than 50,000 jobs) in the plastics industry. Businesses that are involved in the study include Molded Rubber and Plastic Corporation, Serigraph Inc., Sonoco Products Corporation and The Madison Group.

The bio-grants are part of a broad, statewide effort by Gov. Jim Doyle to make Wisconsin a renewable energy leader. The complete list of awardees is at: http://bioeconomy.wi.gov/index.asp.

Sarah Gong has expertise in the areas of polymer synthesis, formulation, processing and characterization. After earning her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Gong worked for Henkel Corporation, developing advanced packaging materials for electronics. She joined the UWM faculty in 2005. Besides bio-based plastics, she researches polymer nano-composites, biomedical materials and microcellular plastics.

http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=68594

4. New MSU Program Offers Organic Farming Experience

8/8/06

Contact: [log in to unmask]">Francie Todd

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- A new certificate program in organic farming will be available at Michigan State University beginning in January 2007.

The program, offered through the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Institute of Agricultural Technology and the Department of Horticulture, will include both classroom and experiential learning to prepare graduates for careers in organic farming, urban agriculture, community gardening and other areas of sustainable agriculture.

Increasing interest in organic foods at both the consumer and producer levels led to the development of the program, said Eunice Foster, associate dean for undergraduate and certificate programs in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“With the increased interest in organic foods and public willingness to pay a premium for them, a growing number of farmers are looking into organic production,” Foster said. “As a land-grant institution, MSU should be studying and investigating all aspects of agricultural production that can benefit farmers in Michigan.”

“The requests from students and organic farmers for classes and educational programs about organic farming began more than seven years ago,” said John Biernbaum, MSU professor of horticulture and one of the designers of the certificate program. “In the meantime, we have been learning from organic farmers and gaining knowledge and experience through research and operation of the Student Organic Farm on campus. The faculty, staff and students involved in the Student Organic Farm are ready and looking forward to getting the certificate program started.”

Biernbaum noted that many of the prospective students inquiring about the program do not have a farm background.

“They have limited growing or gardening experience but a commitment to being involved in raising food for people they know,” he said. “We will start at the beginning with the basics and an integrative and creative approach so students experience diversified production and marketing at the small-scale and local level.”

In addition to 40 credit hours of coursework in organic farming and year-round crop production, students will gain practical experience in the management of a 10-acre organic farm and year-round community-supported agriculture program on campus. The production of crops in both heated and passive solar greenhouses is a key feature of the program that enables students to gain farming experience during all of their 12 months on campus. The program includes horticulture courses covering marketing, greenhouse operation, and production of vegetables, fruits, transplants, cut flowers and herbs. After a year on campus, students will also be required to complete a three- to four-month internship or apprenticeship on a working farm or urban garden.

“We intend that students will learn not only how to grow a wide range of crops organically but also how to think critically and creatively about sustainability issues and how to foster community through food systems in general,” said instructor Corie Pierce, co-manager of the Student Organic Farm. “We are excited to provide a dynamic, hands-on learning opportunity for a diverse group of students.”

More information on the organic farming certificate program is available on the MSU Student Organic Farm Web site at www.msuorganicfarm.com or from Corie Pierce at 517-355-5191, ext. 1411, or [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]. Prospective students are encouraged to visit the farm and meet the instructors and students. Enrollment is limited and is in progress.

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Vicki Morrone

Organic Vegetable and Crop Outreach Specialist

Michigan State University

C.S. Mott Sustainable Food Systems

303 Natural Resources Bldg.

East Lansing, MI 48824

517-353-3542

517-282-3557 (cell)

517-353-3834 (fax)