ORGANIC UPDATE E-NEWSLETTER
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to agricultural education professionals.

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July - August 2007

Welcome to the MOSES Organic Update. This periodic newsletter offers timely news, announcements and information about the dynamic world of organic agriculture to education and agricultural service personnel in the Upper Midwest. Subscribers will receive a short e-mail announcement, providing a direct hot-link to each issue of the web-based newsletter. Contact us with any comments or questions at harriet@mosesorganic.org.

Call for Papers for Midwest Organic Research Symposium

MOSES Seeking Nominations For Organic Farmer of the Year

 "How To Go Organic" Web Site Launched

Pesticides Disrupt Nitrogen Fixing

Environmental Working Group Publishes Data on Pesticides in Fruits and Vegetables

AMS Organic Compliance Review Leads to Agreement with Retailer

USDA Amends Organic Handling Rule

MISA Releases Marketing Local Food Handbook

Organic Seed Production Manuals Available Online

New University of Minnesota soybean varieties provide new options for organic producers

Calendar of Events

 

Call for Papers for Midwest Organic Research Symposium
http://ofrf.org/networks/midwest_organic_rsch_symposium.html
MOSES and the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) are organizing a Midwest Organic Research Symposium to be held in conjunction with the Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference Feb. 21-23, 2008, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Researchers, including on-farm researchers, are invited to submit papers for presentation at the symposium and posters to be displayed at the poster session. Submissions of summaries are due July 20, 2007. Deadline extended to July 27, 2007.

This symposium offers a unique opportunity for students and scientists investigating organic topics to engage with a knowledgeable audience. The symposium will offer small group discussions between organic farmers and researchers, providing both with an opportunity to discuss research at a depth rarely achieved at meetings.

The symposium will begin with a mini-symposium on Day 1 that provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students who are conducting research on organic topics to present their work to an informed audience. Days 2 and 3 will be devoted to presentation and discussion of work on the following topics:
• Weed management in organic row crops.
• Issues in organic vegetable and fruit management.
• Organic dairy production.
• Economic and marketing research in organic agriculture.
• Organic livestock production (other than dairy) and crop-livestock integration in organic systems.
• Insect and disease management strategies on organic farms.

Presentations will be limited to 5 minutes each followed by small group roundtable discussions of the content. Each presenter will be expected  to interact with a small group of audience members in a roundtable discussion following the presentation. This opportunity to engage is just as important as the presentation of research findings.

For more details on submitting papers, go to
http://ofrf.org/networks/midwest_organic_rsch_symposium.html

MOSES Seeking Nominations For Organic Farmer of the Year http://www.mosesorganic.org/foy/index.html
Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) is seeking nominations for its "2008 Organic Farmer of the Year" award. Nominees must be certified organic producers. Other criteria include the farmer's innovations in organic farming/livestock management, including crops and crop rotations, weed, pest and disease management, strategies, development of value added products and marketing; excellence in enhancing farm resources: soil, water, wildlife, and biodiversity; and inspiration and education of organic farmers, consumers and/or others in the organic community. Nominations are due September 1, 2007, and the award will be presented at the Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference in February 2008. For more information, to see past recipients or to get a nomination form, go to the MOSES web at www.mosesorganic.org/foy/index.html or contact the office, 715-772-3153 or info@mosesorganic.org

"How To Go Organic" Web Site Launched
http://www.organicnewsroom.com/2007/05/the_organic_trade_association_1.html
The Organic Trade Association has launched HowToGoOrganic.com. This web site is for producers and processors transitioning to organic. The web site is designed as a clearinghouse of North American resources for farmers and businesses interested in becoming organic or in creating new organic enterprises. The web site’s regional directories showcase transition resources unique to specific regions and states. Resource listings in the North American directory can be searched by topic and subtopic, by type of resource, or by state. The site also features profiles of farmers and businesses that have successfully become certified organic or that are working through the process.

Pesticides Disrupt Nitrogen Fixing
http://www.uoregon.edu/newsstory.php?a=6.6.07-Crops-Jen.Fox.html
Many farmers applying pesticides to boost crop yields may instead be contributing to growth problems, scientists report in a new study. According to years of research both in the test tube and, now, with real plants, a team of scientists reports that artificial chemicals in pesticides—through application or exposure to crops through runoff—disrupt natural nitrogen-fixing communications between crops and soil bacteria. The disruption results in lower yields or significantly delayed growth. "Agrichemicals are blocking the host plant's phytochemical recruitment signal," said the study's lead author, Jennifer E. Fox, a postdoctoral researcher in the Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Oregon. "In essence, the agrichemicals are cutting the lines of communication between the host plant and symbiotic bacteria. This is the mechanism by which these chemicals reduce symbiosis and nitrogen fixation."

Environmental Working Group Publishes Data on Pesticides in Fruits and Vegetableshttp://www.foodnews.org/fulldataset.php
WASHINGTON, 11 June - The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has published its 4th edition of the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. EWG's new Guide features the 12 fruits and vegetables with the most and least pesticides so that consumers may intelligently know when to choose the organic alternative over the conventionally-grown option. For a detailed description of the criteria used in developing the rankings as well as a full list of fresh fruits and vegetables that have been tested visit:

AMS Organic Compliance Review Leads to Agreement with Retailer
http://www.ams.usda.gov/news/104-07.htm
The Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has announced that, following completion of an AMS compliance review, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., has agreed to redesign its green shelf tags bearing the title "Wal-Mart Organics" by removing all product information. Instead, Wal-Mart will use the USDA organic seal as shelf information to direct customers to products that have been certified organic. AMS initiated the review of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., after receiving a complaint that alleged Wal-Mart Stores misled customers by labeling an entire section of the store as "Wal-Mart Organics" without ensuring that only certified organic products were stocked in the section. The review concluded Wal-Mart violated neither the Organic Foods Production Act nor the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations because certified organic products were stocked in those sections of the store, but AMS determined the placement of the shelf tags in some stores had the potential to confuse consumers.

USDA Amends Organic Handling Rule
http://www.ams.usda.gov/news/133-07.htm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published an interim final rule that will amend USDA's National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) to include 38 minor ingredients recommended by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) during meetings in May 2002 and March 2007. The interim final rule, which is effective as of June 21, 2007, will also provide a 60-day period for additional comment on the amendments. The 38 minor ingredients contained in the interim final rule are non-organic, agricultural ingredients that may be considered for use in an "organic" processed product.

MISA Releases Marketing Local Food Handbook
http://www.misa.umn.edu/Marketing_Local_Food2
Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture has released Marketing Local Food (PDF/1.8 MB). This handbook is designed to help Minnesota farmers explore the various options for marketing local food. It introduces the basics of different marketing systems, suggests resources and includes profiles of farmers who are selling farm products directly to consumers via farmers' markets, roadside stands, CSAs, on-farm stores; as well as information and profiles about selling indirectly via retail food establishments or food services.

Organic Seed Production Manuals Available Onlinehttp://www.seedalliance.org/index.php?page=SeedProductionManuals
The Organic Seed Alliance has produced three crop-specific seed production manuals to assist seed growers in producing quality seed. Three separate manuals are available online as PDF files, covering organic seed production for radishes, beans, and spinach.

New University of Minnesota soybean varieties provide new options for organic producersOrganic soybean growers will have increased ability to deal with troubling soybean diseases by planting new soybean varieties released by the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. These varieties were developed by conventional breeding techniques and have some disease resistance traits usually only found in soybean varieties not approved for organic production. These three new varieties have demonstrated excellent yield potential in University of Minnesota trials. They were developed by conventional breeding techniques and are classed as non-GMO (genetically modified organism) soybeans since they have not been genetically modified through biotechnology procedures. The newly-released varieties and their specific traits demonstrated in University trials are named MN 1410, MN1011CN and MN0101. Yield information on the new soybean varieties is available at www.maes.umn.edu. All three of these new soybean varieties are distributed through Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA) members. Information on MCIA is available through their website (www.mncia.org) or by calling 800-510-6242.

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