What’s New in Michigan Organic
March 25- April 10, 2007
1. Work on an Organic Farm!
2. Organic Seed Sourcing: Researching Better Growth
3. Green
alert! Aphids already spotted
4. Supermarkets
see green in going green
5. Buying
organic
6. Here's
the real VMD diary, and the real title is "Pissed Off Farmers Fight Back."
7. Yes, You CAN Test Every
Cow For Mad Cow... Maybe
8. Michigan
Farmers Resist NAIS
9. MONSANTO
WANTS TO MAKE RBGH LABELING ILLEGAL
10.
Is organic food the real
deal?
11.
Whole colonies are
vanishing across the country
12.
Companies Offer “Farm
Codes” Saying Where/How Organic Food is Grown.
13.
Farmers discuss impact of
milk bill Some say profits could more than double; others say it's a niche market
14.
E. COLI PROBE FAILS TO
SOLVE OUTBREAK
15.
Antibacterial soap
ingredient triclosan may be harmful to humans
16.
The Big Fix: Secret Letter Exposes Major
Organic Dairy Brands Lobbying
USDA to Eliminate 30% Pasture Feed Requirement
17.
COLLAPSING COLONIES Are GM Crops Killing Bees?
EVENTS
18.
Statewide Hunger Conference-Blueprint To End Hunger in Michigan
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
19.
Permaculture Design
Course 2007 in the Ohio
Valley* July 6-14 & Aug 24 – Sept 1
20.
MOFFA ANNUAL MEETING
Saturday April 14, 2007, 5-7 PM
21.
Food Labeling Workshop The
Henry Center · July 19-20, 2007
· Lansing, Michigan
22.
Slow Food Red Cedar Wednesday, April 18 at Student Organic
Farm, Michigan State University Horticulture Research Farm, College Rd
END
1. Work on an Organic Farm!
Henry's Farm is looking for farm interns for the 2007 season.
Live and work on this beautiful organic vegetable farm in central
Illinois and participate in every aspect of farm life from working in the
fields planting, weeding and harvesting to selling the produce at the Farmers
Market. And you'll get to eat the freshest, healthiest most delicious fruit,
veggies, eggs, goat milk and meat on the planet-even more delicious because you
helped grow it!
After one season on Henry's Farm, you'll know whether or not farming is
really for you and you'll be close to having all the knowledge and experience
you need to start your own farm someday.
Visit http:// <http://www.henrysfarm.com>
www.henrysfarm.com
to learn all the details.
2. Researching Better
Growth
|
by Catherine Erhard |
With a new facility in the works, and new research
underway, they are expanding and improving organic seed production in order to
be a reliable source of quality seeds. They offer great sales and
services to organic farmers, while promoting and assisting organic agriculture.
Blue River Hybrids recognizes that organic farmers have different needs when it
comes to growing with hybrid seed. Some brands of corn would have problems
growing without pesticides and herbicides. By selecting hybrids with
natural insect tolerance and fast growing plants, this helps organic farmers
control pests and weed growth.
New seed products are being researched aggressively under
organic conditions. Innovation is brought to the organic seed industry by
offering Natural II seed coating to optimize performance. This product allows
farmers to obtain a full season of growth. The use of Natural II was
reviewed as part of Blue River's organic certification by OCIA and was found to
be eligible for use on organic seed. Natural II is a seed coating designed
as a pre-plant application to substantially improve the uniformity of growth
and development, which ultimately results in better yields. Blue River
Hybrids is searching for more ways to improve the organic seed industry.
Current products available are field corn seed, alfalfa, soybeans, red clover,
brown mid-rib Sudan grass, and grain sorghum varieties. Of the many
varieties, each is composed of various qualities such as high yielding crops,
good emergence and stand-ability, early maturity, high stress tolerance and
good performance under stress conditions. The researchers are constantly
looking for new genetics, and bringing new products to the organic market for
enhanced seed performance and protection.
3. Green alert! Aphids
already spotted
Soybean Aphid
Update - aphids emerging
Bob ONeill
from Purdue reports aphids emergence on buckthorn in IN (3 sites), OH & MO.
In Michigan,
yesterday I found tiny nymphs SBA at two locations near East Lansing.
Although we
can't positively 100% ID these as soybean aphids yet (there is a sister
species, the buckthorn aphid, that also overwinters on buckthorn), the sites in
IN, OH, MO, and MI all had SBA on them in fall of 2006 - so some or all are
likely SBA
CDD
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Dr. Christina
DiFonzo
Field Crops
Entomology Program
Michigan
State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
4. Supermarkets see green
in going green
Chain grocers boost organic offerings to
meet customer demand
Jennifer Youssef / The
Detroit News
Charles V. Tines / The Detroit News
Supermarkets are stocking their shelves
with more organic products to meet growing demand from customers. Previously,
organic food was sold primarily at specialty stores. See full image
5. Buying organic
Q: What does "organic" mean?
A: The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a program in 2002 that regulates
the way food must be produced to bear the organic label. According to the USDA
standards:
Organic food is produced with an
emphasis on renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water.
Organic food is produced without
conventional pesticides, fertilizers that use synthetic ingredients or sewage
sludge, genetically engineered components or ionizing radiation.
Organic meat, eggs and dairy
items come from animals fed an organic diet and free of antibiotics and growth
hormones.
Organic food producers must be
certified by a U.S.-approved inspector. So must companies that process organic
foods.
Q: What do the labels mean?
A: The USDA regulates the use of the term "organic" on food labels
and packages. It doesn't regulate the terms "natural" and "all
natural," except for meat and poultry, so those are no guarantee that a
product is organically produced. Here are the USDA's organic labels:
100 percent organic: May only
contain organically produced ingredients, with the exception of water and salt.
These products can bear the green-and-white "USDA organic" seal.
Organic: Must be made of at
least 95 percent organically produced ingredients. The remaining 5 percent must
come from a USDA list of items that are not available organically -- cornstarch
and baking soda, for example. These products also can bear the green-and-white
"USDA organic" seal:
Made with organic ingredients:
Must be made of at least 70 percent organically produced ingredients.
Q: Where can I find more information?
A: The USDA National Organic Program: www.ams.usda.gov/NOP
St. Petersburg Times
TROY -- Five years
ago, Trudi Fornasiero of Shelby Township would spend all day scouring
traditional grocery stores for organic products. If she did find them, the
choices were few.
That's not the case anymore, as mainstream grocery stores -- among
them Kroger, Farmer Jack and Meijer in Metro Detroit -- jump on the fast-moving
organic bandwagon, responding to growing consumer demand for all things natural
and chemical-free.
Large grocers are highlighting organic products in their weekly
advertising circulars, giving organics more and better display space, and
adding new products to keep customer interest strong. Three weeks ago, Meijer
Inc. started selling its own brand of USDA-certified organic food, and last
year Wal-Mart stocked all of its superstores with organic products.
"The amount of organic foods sold at Kroger has increased
tenfold in the past five years," communications manager Dale Hollandsworth
said. "It's the fastest-growing area in the store."
Sales of organic food have literally skyrocketed, jumping 15
percent to 20 percent each year since 1997. And "it's showing no signs of
slowing down," said Bill Greer, spokesman of the Food Marketing Institute.
"I think it's here to stay."
The challenge, he says, is for grocers to properly educate
consumers about organic food, understand who their customers are and what they
want and devise a marketing strategy to set themselves apart. Many stores have
begun positioning themselves as health and wellness centers, setting up
informational kiosks about nutrition and having health professionals on staff
to talk to customers about dietary concerns.
Experts also say that because organic food sales are so healthy
and expected to stay strong, there's room for the big grocers to join the game
without squeezing out smaller specialty stores such as Metro Detroit-based Nino
Salvaggio and national chain Whole Foods.
There's ample evidence that organic products are big sellers and
getting bigger all the time. Organic food sales in the United States climbed
285 percent from 1997 to 2005, to $13.8 billion, according to the Organic Trade
Association.
And more of that food is being sold at mainstream grocery stores.
A survey taken by the Food Marketing Institute last year showed
that 53 percent of shoppers got their organic items from traditional grocery stores
in 2006, up from 43 percent in 2004.
The trend caught the attention of officials at Grand Rapids-based
Meijer. Three weeks ago, the company launched its own brand of organic foods
such as ice cream, pasta and sauces.
"At this point, it's clear to us that our customers want
organic," spokeswoman Stacie Behler said. "We wouldn't invest in our
own brand if we didn't see growth potential."
Sterling Heights resident Sandra Bunn used to go to Trader Joe's
in Royal Oak or Whole Foods Market in Troy to get her organic produce and dairy
products. She was thrilled to discover that Meijer, which is closer to her
home, sold some organic produce and now has its own brand of USDA-certified
organic food.
"Now I don't have to drive all the way out to Oakland
County," said Bunn, a homemaker. "I mean, of course I'll do it if my
children's health is at stake, but it's nice to be able to go just about
anywhere to get organic."
Success at big stores
At Kroger stores, employees can hardly keep organic items on the
shelves before the next truckload comes in. Kroger has been selling organic
food for several years, but not as much -- or at the same rate -- as it is
these days, Hollandsworth said.
He said Kroger will keep offering new organic products if shoppers
ask for them. After all, grocery stores are successful only if they give
customers what they want, he said.
Customer interest and sales of organic products have steadily
grown over the years at Farmer Jack, spokeswoman Angie Bournias said.
"There's been a dramatic increase in the number of (organic) things
available at the stores," she said.
Besides advertising organics in its weekly circulars, Farmer Jack
tries to grab customers' attention by tagging organic items and placing signs
throughout the store.
Plenty of customers
There's enough demand for organic products that smaller stores
don't have to worry about chain grocers luring customers away, industry
professionals said.
Ever since Lucy Kohn came to Michigan from her native Argentina
seven years ago, she has bought only organic foods or foods grown at local
farms. Kohn, 32, usually goes to Whole Foods Market or Nino Salvaggio to buy
her food, but she's noticed that other stores such as Costco -- where she goes
to get nonfood items -- have started selling more organic foods recently.
Still, Kohn prefers going to a specialty store or small grocer
where someone can tell her where her food is coming from.
"I like getting vegetables from Nino Salvaggio because they
work with small farmers and you know they don't use so many chemicals,"
said Kohn, of Rochester Hills.
Now that the mainstream grocers are aggressively going after the
organics market, Troy-based Nino Salvaggio plans to make more noise about the
hundreds of organic items it sells, said Fred Rayle, director of operations.
The grocer even sells 42 kinds of organic wine.
"We've been offering organic foods for a long time,"
Rayle said. "We just haven't gotten behind it and shouted about it."
The company is always putting new organic products in its four
stores, Rayle said. Some newer items are organic sugar, lip balm and egg
whites.
With a 25-year history of selling organic food, Whole Foods
already has a solid reputation in that category, public relations specialist
Kate Klotz said. The company differentiates itself from larger grocers and
other specialty stores by offering a wider variety of organic items, special
programs such as cooking classes and dietary programs for customers with
medical issues.
In fact, Whole Foods Market welcomes the chain grocers' increased
interest in organics, Klotz said, because they are reaching a bigger audience
and creating a bigger market for organics.
"We don't see it as a threat at all," Klotz said.
"It really just helps our business."
You can reach Jennifer Youssef at (313) 222-2319 or [log in to unmask].
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)
http://www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu/
http://www.mottgroup.msu.edu/
[log in to unmask]" align=left hspace=12 v:shapes="_x0000_s1026">