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
<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=trac
k&j=92365295&u=866224>
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
<mip://030ec938/default.html#c4> :-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
<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=trac
k&j=92365295&u=866224> - 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://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=trac
k&j=92365295&u=866225> .
http://www.pps.org/info/placemakingtools/events/
<http://www.pps.org/info/placemakingtools/events/>
*********************************************************
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.
*********************************************************************
3 <http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Content=82>
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 CO2.
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
<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
<http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=68594>
4. New MSU Program Offers Organic Farming Experience
8/8/06
Contact: Francie Todd <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
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
<http://www.msuorganicfarm.com/dnav/218/page.htm> or from Corie Pierce
at 517-355-5191, ext. 1411, or [log in to unmask] <mailto:[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)
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http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html
