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8. Ag Management Emergency Ag Relief Act Re ag labor and workers Vera Bitsch, Agriculture, Food and Resource Economics The Senate Appropriations Committee approved legislation sponsored by Senators Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Larry Craig (R-Idaho) that would provide relief to the agricultural employers and farmworkers on May 15. The legislation was attached to the Iraq supplemental spending bill. Different from the stalled AgJOBS legislation EARA, this is emergency legislation with a five year sunset and does not provide a path to citizenship or a green card. However, it would grant temporary immigration status to farm wokers who continue to work in agriculture at least 100 days per year. It would also modify the H-2A guest worker program. The bill is supported by many agricultural employer organizations (e.g., American Farm Bureau), agricultural labor advocates and farm worker organizations (e.g., United Farm Workers). More information is available at http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.PressRe leases&ContentRecord_id=ee2d9ac8-ebdb-0a1c-48c1-484dfc65e9d9 **************** 9. 'Ridge' apple farms may become wind farms by Ken Kolker, Chronicle News Service http://www.mlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/05/ridge_apple_farms_may _become_w.html Monday May 12, 2008, 9:29 PM Chronicle News Service/Rex Larsen Standing in alfalfa, Harland Reister takes in the view of some of his 140 acres of farmland in Chester Township and talks about the wind testing tower planned for his property. The rumors have blown in the wind for several years - that green power companies were eyeing rich farmland known as the Ridge in Kent and Ottawa counties for major wind farms. A pair of companies quietly have competed against each other to buy up leases for wind turbines that would tower above apple trees and pastures in places like Sparta and Chester townships. They could be high enough to be seen from downtown Grand Rapids. Chronicle News Service/Ken KolkerWind turbines in Mendota, Ill., about 100 miles southwest of Chicago. Some farmers in Kent and Ottawa counties hope to become part of a national phenomenon. A U.S. Energy Department report released Monday said that wind can produce a fifth of the nation's electricity needs within about two decades -- about the same amount produced now by nuclear power. The report talks of the possibility of 75,000 new wind turbines by 2030 and an expanded transmission system to move the power to other parts of the country. A Spanish company soon will install a nearly 200-foot-high tower on an alfalfa farm in Chester Township to test whether the wind is strong enough to produce a steady flow of electricity. "It's as far out there as we can get it so it won't ruin our sunset," said Janice Reister, pointing to the rolling field behind her family's home on 8th Avenue where the test tower will be built in what could become the "Chester Heights Wind Project." Iberdrola Renewables of Spain refuses to discuss details of its pursuit on the Ridge, citing competitive pressure. "We're looking in the area, trying to put up a couple of test towers for wind data," said Dan Litchfield, who is working on the project for Iberdrola, the world's leader in renewable energy development. "That's all I can say about our project at this time." However, company officials told Chester Township leaders they hope to build 30 to 35 towers in the area, township Clerk Jan Redding said. The township, which approved a wind farm ordinance several years ago, gave the company permission in April to build its first test tower on the Reister farm at 8th and Gooding Street. A map displayed by Iberdrola showed it had leased "quite a few parcels" in the southeast corner of the township and was trying to obtain leases on more land, Redding said. In Sparta Township, Iberdrola's Litchfield is expected to appear Tuesday before the Planning Commission on a request to build a test tower on a farm on Phelps Avenue NW between 14 and 15 Mile roads. "He wants to get started right away," Township Clerk Bonnie Robinson said. "He's been pressuring us to get this going and have a public hearing." She expects the full township board to approve the test tower next month. "I think it would be a great thing," she said. At the same time, Traverse City-based Heritage Sustainable Energy says it has signed leases with farmers covering 4,000 acres around the ridge. Heritage officials said it could take two to four years to start harvesting local wind. They envision 15 to 30 wind turbines on the ridge. "It seems that the land owners are open to investigating the idea with us," said Heritage project coordinator Rick Wilson. Heritage, which is building its first wind farm in Missaukee County near McBain, says the wind appears favorable on the highest points of the ridge, though tests are needed to confirm that and to determine the best sites for turbines. The Ridge also would work because of existing high-voltage transmission lines, which would carry the wind-produced electricity, he said. Wilson said it also helps that "the city of Grand Rapids is really trying to orient themselves into being a green city." The wind farm would "be a pretty prominent element on the landscape," he said. "You'd probably be able to see it from downtown Grand Rapids." Michigan is the 14th windiest state in the continental U.S. and is second to Minnesota in wind potential among the Great Lakes states, but it's near the bottom nationally in turning it into electricity. The Ridge is one of several areas Heritage is considering for wind farms. The company has signed leases for about 50,000 around the state, including the Thumb, Wilson said. The state's first commercial-scale wind farm opened this year in the Thumb -- 32 turbines developed by John Deere Wind Energy on 3,200 acres of farmland between Elkton and Pigeon in Huron County. The turbines produce enough energy to power 15,000 homes. On the Ridge, Wilson would expect turbines anywhere from 400 feet to 475 feet tall to the tip of the blades -- more than 100 feet taller than the biggest building in Grand Rapids. He's not sure how much electricity each tower would produce. The turbines in the Thumb each produce 1.65-megawatts, but wind farms are moving toward bigger towers capable of producing 2.5 to 3 megawatts, Wilson said. He expects to seek zoning approval in a year from local townships. "Obviously, zoning is a big part of it," he said. "We're going to need some permits. We probably have to have language in zoning ordinances for wind-energy development." So far, residents haven't objected, said Redding, the Chester Township clerk. "I haven't had anybody say, 'Oh, are you kidding me?'" Redding said. "There may be some who object to the towers; we may have to cross that bridge when we come to it." Wind farms would provide income to farmers through leases and could help preserve agriculture, Redding said. Harland Reister, 80, who leases out his 140 acres for farming, said he's looking forward to the test tower, though Iberdrola officials haven't told him when it's going up. Wind power makes sense, he said. "Wind is pretty free, you know, at least it doesn't take any oil or gasoline to make it." **************** 10. Growing Pains By: Amy Whitesall http://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/features/urbag10208.aspx May 15, 2008 Within months of moving from Santa Fe to Grand Rapids, Sally Triant started a community garden at the Waters House Apartments. "One of my requirements to survive is I've got to have the opportunity to dig in the soil," says Triant, a master gardener who has participated in several community gardens. "I love picking my own food to put on my plate. You know where your food comes from, and obviously there are no fossil fuels involved when it travels from your back door to your kitchen." Gardens meet a real need for beauty, hobby, and fresh food in cities. But growing food in the city takes more than soil, water and sunlight. Urban growers need the backing of their cities and communities to make agriculture flourish. "The first and most important thing is really to have people realize you can have food production take place at a reasonable scale in an urban environment," says Tom Cary, formerly the sustainable agriculture and local food systems coordinator for the West Michigan Environmental Action Council. "You're not going to be able to grow acres of wheat in Grand Rapids, but you can produce high value, high quality crops in an urban environment and be profitable. You can grow a reasonable quantity of food in a 20' by 40' or 50' by 50' area that's more than enough to feed yourself and perhaps sell to some local restaurants or to neighbors." Why Gardens Matter Sometimes that means changing minds, sometimes it means changing policy. The City of Grand Rapids' newest zoning ordinance recognizes the potential for urban agriculture. It opens opportunities for community gardens in parks, formalizes the $1 lease for gardens on unused city property, establishes a parking minimum for those sites, and identifies a go-to person at each community garden. It also allows for greenhouses on residential property. Perhaps more importantly, it puts community gardens more formally on the city's radar, "The hurdle at this point is giving the city officials time to understand this issue because I think right now some people are not sure," says Andy Bowman, planning director for the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council. "Some don't necessarily see why this is an important issue that matters to residents." The benefits of gardens of well documented. First and foremost, vegetable gardens produce fresh and organic food. Gardens also provide peple like Sally Triant with recreation and, when her neighbors are digging too, social interaction. And gardens also can help turn underused and unsightly urban properties into more attractive and productive land, accelerating the city's revitalization. Bowman and representatives from the Greater Grand Rapids Food Systems Council worked with the city's planning and parks and recreation departments on the new zoning law. That process was, he says, a great opportunity to make a place for urban agriculture. The next step for the city is a community dialogue about green space and sustainability, says planning director Suzanne Schulz. The Green Grand Rapids process, in part, will take a look at the role gardens and farmers markets play in providing fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables for urban residents. One outcome also could more extensive composting and greenhouses at Butterworth Landfill, an option several city leaders see as an attractive alternative to paying approximately $12 a ton to haul away biodegradable waste, as the city does now. Getting Down to Business, and Pleasure Tom Cary, meanwhile, envisions an agriculture renaissance zone - a policy that promotes rooftop greenhouses, old warehouses converted to indoor hydroponic farms, and other operations - all located near food processing facilities and, eventually, the people who will eat it. "We're not there yet," Cary says. "I think one of the things that the state of Michigan and probably many others are looking at is what kinds of businesses are consistent and ongoing in our state that contribute to a modern and more sustainable economic development strategy. If agriculture is critical to our state economy, then what role do cities play in supporting, integrating and fostering those kinds of activities?" Within a 50-mile radius of Grand Rapids, Cary says, people spend $3-$4 billion a year on food. "Why don't we keep that local?" he say. "Why don't we establish systems that encourage those dollars to stay in our own regional economy? The way we do that is to create more business opportunities around food production and distribution." Greenhouses and hoophouses can triple the growing season for some crops and make it possible to grow cold-weather crops year- round. Fresh spinach in January, anyone? And if you like those fresh vegetables, how about fresh eggs? Detroit, Kalamazoo and Chicago all allow residents to keep a limited number of chickens for egg production. Grand Rapids does not, and even the city's most hopeful urban farming pioneers aren't talking chickens right now. But it could happen. "It's a perception thing," Cary says. "There are some real zoning and planning things that need to happen, but people in general just need to realize that it's a viable way of life." Sally Triant kept chickens in New Mexico and says she'd love to have fresh eggs again, though chickens might be a tougher sell for her landlords, even if they are her in-laws. Still, the garden at Waters House has turned out to be a worthwhile investment for what used to be unused space. The 10 plots are available only to people who live in the apartments, and when Triant's mother-in-law shows an apartment, she regularly points out the garden as an amenity. "We have some first-time gardeners, which is fun," Triant says. "When you rent you rarely have a chance to dig up the earth." If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html