11.  The future of technologies in the dairy industry…Which path shall we take? The choice is ours.

Concerned Dairy Producers and Industry Members –

Dinner Meeting: Tuesday, September 18th beginning @ 4:45 PM

~OR~

Lunch Meeting: Wednesday, September 19th beginning @ 10:00 AM Call 1-800-233-2999 to RSVP no later than September 14th!!!

As you are aware, restrictions on rbST use have escalated over the past several months due to retailer attempts to capture more market share and profits through hormone-free milk labeling.

These restrictions will lead to future losses of technology and innovation in dairy if they go unchecked.

Join us for an opportunity to hear Dr. Terry Etherton, Professor of Animal Nutrition from Penn State University, as he discusses the facts around rBST, how technology fits into a profitable

dairy industry and what the long-term risks are for giving up technologies. This discussion will

be a great opportunity to share ideas and apply them to current issues surrounding freedom to

utilize approved and safe technologies in dairy.

Holiday Inn Lansing – West Conference Center (Directions on Back)

 

In addition to hearing Dr. Etherton, you will have the opportunity to hear from and discuss the issues at hand with dairy producers from Texas, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and New England, as well as other producers from the local area. The following concerns will be discussed:

What are the long term consequences of giving up the use of a tested, FDA approved

technology?

How will this affect future dairy research funding?

Will dairy producers get consistently and fairly compensated for giving up the use of technology?

How long can premiums be maintained?

How will these labeling tactics by marketers affect the consumer confidence in all dairy products?

How have dairy producers in other parts of the country worked to protect their choice to use safe, approved technologies?

Join us and be part of the solution for a future with the preservation of choice to utilize current and future technologies!

Dr. Terry Etherton is internationally recognized for his research in the area of endocrine regulation of animal growth and nutrient metabolism. He is one of the foremost experts in the world on the biology of porcine and bovine somatotropin action in pigs and dairy cattle. In addition, he is a leading authority on the importance of agricultural biotechnologies in the food system. He has published more than 100 peer reviewed

scientific journal articles and presented more than 125 invited seminars. He has receive numerous awards in recognition of his research contributions, and is past-President of the American Society of Animal

Science and the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS)

ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE HOLIDAY INN WEST

7501 West Saginaw Highway

Lansing, MI 48917

517/627-3211 Fax: 517/627-5240

FROM CHICAGO/KALAMAZOO/BATTLE CREEK

Follow I-94 east to I-69 north I-96 west to exit 93B

(Saginaw Highway)

Hotel is one block on the right.

FROM JACKSON

Follow US 27 north to I-496 west to I-96 west to

Exit 93B (Saginaw Highway).

Hotel is one block on the right.

FROM LANSING CAPITOL CITY AIRPORT

From airport entrance, turn right (west) on Grand

river to I-96 east to Exit 93B (Saginaw Highway)

Hotel is one block on the right.

FROM GRAND RAPIDS/MUSKEGON

Follow I-96 east to Exit 93B (Saginaw Highway)

Hotel is one block on the right.

FROM PORT HURON/FLINT

Follow I-69 west to I-96 east/I-69 south to Exit 93B

(Saginaw Highway).

Hotel is one block on the right.

FROM METRO DETROIT AREA

Follow I-96 west to exit 93B (Saginaw Highway)

Hotel is one block on the right.

FROM DETROIT METRO AIRPORT

Follow I-94 west to I-275 north to I-96 west to exit

93B (Saginaw Highway).

Hotel is one block on the right.

FROM ANN ARBOR AREA

Follow US-23 north to I-96 west to exit 93B

(Saginaw Highway).

Hotel is one block on the right.

*Please refer to the phone number listed above for a

* Please respond by September 21 … forward to good people... and forgive cross-postings if you see this on related lists.*

Following the arrival this summer of our new CEO, Tim LaSalle, The Rodale Institute seeks to strengthen its leadership team through the addition of our first communications director. Candidates with strong skills in strategic thinking, persuasive writing, online and new media and publication design and marketing are encouraged to apply, soon.

12. Study finds organic soil will produce better crops

By: Jeff Ball: Yardener

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070908/OPINION03/709080385/1038/LIFESTYLE01

Recently I attended a seminar, sponsored by Michigan State University, about R current techniques for using compost on organic farms. I learned that the easy  part of becoming an organic grower is to stop using synthetic fertilizers and  pesticides to grow their crops. The very difficult task is to learn how to compensate for that change by building up the quality of the soil so that they can begin to compete with conventional farmers, in terms of revenue and profits. There is now no doubt they can reach and ultimately exceed that goal, but it takes at least five years of hard work to get there.

At the seminar, the data to support this exciting agricultural reality came from Dr. Paul Hepperly, research director of the Rodale Institute in Kutztown Pa., ( www.rodaleinst.org). Dr. Hepperly supervises a research project that began 27 years ago. Since then, the folks at the institute have managed two farm fields situated right next to each other, divided by a buffer zone of native grasses.

Both fields have been producing identical crops each year for all that time. One field has been managed using the latest techniques of conventional farmers. The other field has been managed with the newest organic farming techniques. In the first five years of this project, conventional farming methods out-produced the organic system every year. But in five years the organic system caught up and by the 10th year, the differences between the fields were very impressive.

The critical difference is that after 27 years, the quality of the soil of the conventional system is exactly the same as it was 27 years ago in terms of fertility, water drainage, water retention, soil microbial activity, and structure. The soil in the organic field on the other hand has been improved so much that it not only produces superior crops, it is now almost impervious to the impact of drought -- a farmer's nightmare. The organic soil stores sufficient water to get the crop through very dry periods, while at the same time the crop in the adjoining field suffers stress and much lower productivity. In years with normal rain, the organic field consistently produces more bushels of corn or more bushels of soybeans and has been the winner for more than 15 years without exception.

Over the years, the conventional field has needed more and more fertilizer and pesticides per acre to maintain crop production levels. The organic field, over time, requires almost no fertilizer and no pesticides. The key is that compost is spread on the organic field every four years, and cover crops such as ryegrass or buckwheat are planted in the fall every year. In simple terms, the successful organic field gets a shot of organic material every year and every four years it gets a boost of beneficial soil microbes. While it takes a few years to establish, the organic system is proven to be more productive.

Next week in this column I will translate this information into the techniques I believe yardeners can follow to achieve the same benefits -- healthy landscape plants with little need for fertilizer, water, or pesticides.

Jeff Ball, a Metro Detroit freelance garden writer, has a yard care Web site at www.yardener.com, and his blog is at gardeneryardener.blogspot.com. E-mail him at [log in to unmask].

13. Local Food Events-Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas Tuesday, September 18. 5:30-8 pm.  Tour de Fresh! Shared by: Amanda Maria Edmonds                             Executive Director, Growing Hope                        [log in to unmask] 734.330.7576 Sunday, September 23 Hope's Harvest , 4-7pm Cobblestone Farms, Ann Arbor.  Have you bought your tickets yet? Local food, local chefs, and a party not to be missed! Saturday, October 6 Harvest Party Celebrate with all Growing Hope Affiliated Gardens, to share successes and plant the seeds of opportunity for next year. For more information about events, and how to contribute to planning, contact [log in to unmask] Thursday evenings, October 11- November 8 Community & School Garden Development Institute A series of practical and hands on sessions for groups interested in starting and maintaining organic gardens in community settings. The Institute will cover key aspects of developing and sustaining gardens, emphasizing how your garden team can effectively plan, start & maintain garden. Tuesday, October 30 Farmers' Market Season Closing Pumpkin Fest Celebrate the end of the season with growers and market visitors with an all out pumpkin festival at the Downtown Ypsi Farmers' Market! Saturday, November 3 Statewide Community & School Garden Conference Join community & school gardeners from around the state to share in successes, sharing resources and strategizing for the growth of our garden movement!  More details to come...

 

 

 

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)

For information on organic agriuclture produciton please visit: http://www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu/

P Please consider the environment before printing this email

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