From mike@ncsipm1.cropsci.ncsu.edu Date: Wed, 31 Aug 94 9:42:36 EDT From: Mike Linker To: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu Subject: SSAWG NEWSLETTER SOUTHERN SUSTAINABLE FARMING Newsletter of the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Summer, 1994, issue. For more information contact: Keith Richards, editor, hn3551@handsnet.org (email), 501-521-7922, 1533 S. Duncan, Fayetteville AR 72701 Rural/Ag/Sustainable 8/18/94--Handsnet Forum--HN1348 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SOUTHERN SAWG by Keith Richards On the weekend of May 17-19, 1991 at the Highlander Center in New Market, Tennessee, 25 people representing 17 organizations founded the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SAWG). Their intent was to give Southerners a say in how they wanted to solve agricultural and rural problems in the South, and give farmers the lead role in the process of making Southern agriculture more sustainable. Many groups, especially in the Midwest, had worked together on the 1990 Farm Bill to shape it according to their needs and vision of sustainability. But the South had been under-represented. Keith Jones of Texas, remembers, "A lot of discussion was occurring on sustainable agriculture and being driven by the Midwest because they were more organized. The views of the South weren't being heard. We wanted to have Southerners articulate the South's needs and look for solutions ourselves instead of looking to others." Groups in the South were already working on pieces to the puzzle of sustainability, like rural community revitalization, saving family farms, minority farmer assistance, environmental quality, safe food, farmer-controlled marketing and credit reform. The time was ripe to begin a dialogue between all of the efforts. "It was encouraging and exciting to see groups come together from the whole region", recalls Jackie Langston of North Carolina, "especially since the South had not been in the forefront of sustainable agriculture up to that time". "A real spirit of camaraderie developed when we realized there were lots of folks all across the region who were working on the same issues", says Keith Jones. "We saw we had the critical mass to make a real change on some of these issues." Most important of all, the creation of a working group on sustainable agriculture brought farmers to the table. Benny Bunting of North Carolina says, "I looked at the creation of Southern SAWG as an opportunity for farmers to participate in the dialogue controlling our livelihood. I was pleased that my views as a full time farmer and advocate paralleled with others interested in food safety, water quality, air quality, and environmental issues." "I'd felt kind of isolated in Oklahoma", recalls Teresa Maurer. "I felt a sense of excitement that there would be region-wide activity on getting farmers to participate, especially in policy setting and research initiatives." John Matthews of Arkansas adds, "Sustainable agriculture was in danger of being co-opted by the same people who controlled conventional agriculture land grants, government and agribusiness. You can't go to the same store for solutions that you bought your problems from." The creation of the Southern SAWG was an attempt to change the paradigm, to turn to the great diversity of farmers and their allies for solutions. Original Mission & Goals At the Tennessee meeting a steering committee was formed of Larry Williams (AR), Helen Vinton (LA), Betty Bailey (NC), Kathy Aman (KY) and Keith Jones (TX) to further define the goals, objectives and a mission statement for approval by the full membership. Their original mission statement read: The Southern SAWG is a regional network involved in sustainable agriculture and rural development which: 1. Empowers farmers to develop policy and implement programs resulting in economic and environmental sustainability of our communities, and 2. Increases the capacity of each member group by sharing resources and collaborating on program development. By the end of 1991 an ambitious list of long-term goals were defined: 1. To involve traditional farmers in the sustainable agriculture movement, in the policy-making process, and in setting research and program priorities of public institutions. 2. To expose grassroots farm leaders to a wide variety of options for rural policy, including experience from other countries. 3. To expand our cooperative relationship with the Midwest SAWG in order to monitor both federal policy and new programs in other states, and to participate in a national dialogue on sustainable agriculture provisions of the 1995 farm bill. 4. To enable citizen oversight of land grant university, extension, and economic development agency priorities; and work to ensure farmer and nonprofit representation on boards and committees. 5. To develop a basis for cooperative programming between rural organizations in the region; maximize effectiveness by sharing staff and research resources; and increase the capacity of these organizations to create new public policies. 6. To cooperate in creating and expanding regional marketing opportunities for farm products produced using sustainable methods. 7. To develop and share practical methods for increasing reliance on renewable on-farm resources while increasing rural employment opportunities in the Southern region. Since the working group model was originally designed to be fluid, structure was kept to a minimum. Through the first three years, the group usually focused on work to be done, creating ad hoc or simple structures to accommodate each issue. The steering committee evolved to include one member from each state, elected by the Southern SAWG organizations in that state. Other committees formed around specific projects taken on, including fund-raising, SARE, policy, marketing, land grant accountability, communications, annual conference, and newsletter. In late 1991, Michael Sligh was hired as a half-time coordinator for the group. The Southern SAWG now includes 47 organizations in 13 states broadly representative of the range and diversity of farmers and citizen interests in the region. Annual conferences, with educational workshops and working sessions, have been held for the past three years in Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas. Committee meetings have been held in six other Southern states. A communications system is constantly being expanded to link all member organizations and key individuals through E-mail, faxing, postal mail and phone. Accomplishments So Far The members of the Southern SAWG have made significant accomplishments in their brief three years of working together. 1. The Southern SAWG has helped place more farmers and supporters of sustainable agriculture on the Administrative Council and committees of the Southern SARE/ACE Program. 2. The Community Farm Alliance (on behalf of the SSAWG) was chosen to lead a federally funded strategic planning project to determine funding priorities for the Southern SARE Program. See the article on State of the South. 3. Through the Farmer First Project, the SSAWG funded interviews and local organizing to increase farmer involvement in sustainable agriculture in several Southern states. 4. Marketing surveys were conducted to assess the marketing opportunities and obstacles for organic products in the South. A marketing conference and subsequent marketing workshops have been held to provide training in cooperative marketing, direct marketing, and the concept of community supported agriculture. Also a marketing resource directory has been compiled for the South. 5. The Southern SAWG began identifying farmers who had successes in farming more sustainably, and created forums for them to tell their stories through conference workshops and in print. 6. Local and state farmer focus group meetings have been held to assess research needs and develop initiatives for stimulating sustainable practices. This process has helped create a new commitment by several land grant universities in the South to sustainable agriculture research and farmer involvement in determining research and education priorities. 7. The Southern SAWG helped initiate and increase participation in the National Dialogue on Sustainable Agriculture leading to the 1995 Farm Bill. See the accompanying story, Grassroots Campaign Builds Towards 1995 Farm Bill. No matter how much is accomplished there is always more to do. More legislation needs to be passed. More research and education needs to be redirected. More markets need to be identified and explored. More knowledge needs to be transferred from farmers to farmers. More groups and interested individuals need to be involved. If you want to work for sustainable agriculture, join one of the Southern SAWG organizations in your area: Acadiana Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (LA) Agricultural Resources Center (NC) Agricultural Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) Agro-Organico (PR) Alabama Organic Fruit and Vegetable Growers American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (NC) Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation Arkansas-Oklahoma Sustainable Agriculture Network Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Community Farm Alliance (KY) Farm Plan Advocates (NC & SC) Florida Certified Organic Meats Florida Organic Growers Association GAIA Agriculture Consulting (AR) Georgia Organic Growers Association Help Our Polluted Environment (LA) Indian Springs Farmers Cooperative (MS) Janus Farms Institute (NC) Kentucky Organic Farmers Association Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture Land Loss Prevention Project (NC) Louisiana Citizens Recycling Environmental Advisory Council Louisiana Environmental Action Network Louisiana Inter-Church Farm Crisis Coalition Mid-South Organic Cotton Growers Association Mississippi Action for Community Education Mississippi Association of Cooperatives National Contract Poultry Growers Association North Carolina Coalition of Farm and Rural Families North Carolina Council of Churches Seeds of Hope Program North Carolina Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Organic FarmersU Associations Caucus Ozark Organic Growers Association (AR, MO & OK) Ozark Small Farm Viability Project (AR, MO & OK) Rodale Institute Mid-South Farmers Network Rural Advancement Foundation International USA South Carolina Christian Action Farm and Environmental Coalition Southern ECHO (MS) Southern Mutual Help Association (LA) Sunbelt Organic Growers (FL) Tennessee Land Stewardship Association Tennessee Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Texas Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Training and Development Resources (NC) Virginia Association for Biological Farming Virginia Sustainable Agriculture Working Group United Methodist Hinton Rural Life Center (NC) For more information, contact your state Southern SAWG steering committee member. 8 STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL VALUE-ADDED MARKETING Adapted from a presentation by Woody Plaut at the SSAWG Farmers First Conference in Raleigh, NC, January 1993. 1. Know your motivation: * Make sure your venture is a reflection of your life. * Establish and write down your philosophy and rationale for what you are doing, because ultimately the hard decisions are answered at that level. 2. Research and sourcing: * Thoroughly research costs and regulations that apply to your enterprise before you invest. * Source everything from ingredients, to tape, to shipping labels and packaging. * Research state and local health department rules and follow them. Remember, the inspectors are trying to help you run a better business. * FDA guidelines for food processing and labeling are in title code books 20 and 21. 3. Learn the market and define your niche: * Attend trade shows. * Talk with people in the industry. * Read the trade magazines. * Network with your state agricultural marketing division. 4. Start small: * When its your money you watch it closer. * In the beginning, learn all aspects of your business rather than hiring services out of house. 5. Keep flexible: * Never stop studying the market,it always changes. * Don't be afraid to redefine yourself with the changing market demands. However, don't compromise your philosophy or you'll find yourself rudderless on the turbulent sea of the business world. 6. Pricing: * Figure true unit costs. * Keep records on the real costs of doing business, including your time. * Investigate the price of similar products. Can you sell your product at a competitive price? 7. New product development: * Keep testing new products, labels, packaging, et cetera and always take notes. * Keep track of new products introduced by the competition. * Keep an active updated file system of information about areas of interest, materials and sources. * Do regular variety testing. 8. Marketing: * Sampling sells. Feeding people sells your product. * Participate in your state agricultural marketing program, especially when you can get feedback from the public. ATTRA HAS THE ANSWERS ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas) has the answers to your questions on sustainable agriculture. Their staff of 24 (including 15 with technical expertise) collects and disseminates information to help farmers, extension agents, agricultural support groups, researchers and educators. ATTRA has over 45 Information Packages (IPs) already assembled on many subjects, such as Farm-Scale Composting, Sustainable Fertility Management, Cover Crops and Green Manures, Sustainable Poultry Production, Organic Vegetable Production, Crawfish Aquaculture, and Marketing Natural or Organic Meat, Poultry and Eggs. These IPs contain five to 20 pages of a topic review written by one of the technical specialists, supplemented by reprints from journals, books and newsletters. If you have a specific question not covered by an IP, a specialist will be assigned to personally pull together resources to help you find an answer. Just be aware that this is not an instant service. Because of high demand, the process may take three to four weeks. Four-page summaries introducing the basics of sustainable agriculture methods and philosophies are available in quantity for conferences, field days or group meetings. Resource lists of sustainable agriculture organizations, publications, apprenticeships, university programs, videos, slides and tapes are also available. Best of all, this service is free to users, since ATTRA is funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Call 800-346-9140. FOLIOVIEWS DISKETTES Six sustainable agriculture publications are now available on FolioViews computer diskettes, including: 1. SARE/ACE Research Reports (including all four regions) 2. Sustainable Agriculture Directory of Expertise 3. Showcase of Sustainable Agriculture Information and Education Materials 4. Agronomy Handbook (containing both conventional and sustainable information) 5. Cover Crops Handbook 6. Proceedings from the Participatory On-Farm Research and Education for Sustainability conference sponsored by the University of Illinois. Each program is indexed for search capability. No special software is needed outside of a PC-type computer with a 3.5-inch floppy drive. For each diskette program, send two high-density 3.5-inch diskettes or $10 to: Dr. Phil Rasmussen, Agricultural Systems Technology, Utah State University, UMC-2300, Logan, UT 84322-2300. Phone 801-797-2230 for further information. EXTENSION AGENTS TO BE TRAINED IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE by Jim Lukens A program to help Extension agents become more knowledgeable about and responsive to the needs of sustainable agriculture is being launched this summer. Funded under Chapter Three of the USDAUs Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program, this effort needs farmer and Southern SAWG member involvement to be successful. Each land grant university will receive $10,000 to develop a strategic plan for Extension training in sustainable agriculture. Many land grants will be reaching out to sustainable agriculture farmers and organizations for help in developing and promoting this plan. This is your opportunity to work with the land grants in your state. About $500,000 will go towards funding regional training projects across the South and funding a region-wide sustainable agriculture coordinator. Projects to train Extension, SCS and/or ASCS personnel about sustainable agriculture in 1994 will be selected by the SARE/ACE Administrative Council in June. It is important that farmers, with their wealth of knowledge, are involved as participants in these projects. A region-wide sustainable agriculture coordinator will also be chosen in June by the SARE/ACE Administrative Council to develop and coordinate the whole Southern training program. Farmers and sustainable agriculture supporters should be ready to help this coordinator suggest priorities to guide future training projects. Extension directors in the Southern states have pledged to help make this program work. Those of us who care about making agriculture more sustainable need to help them keep that promise. For more information about the sustainable agriculture Extension training program, contact: your state Extension Service; your state Southern SAWG Steering Committee member; or Paula Ford, Program Manager, Southern Region SARE/ACE Program, 1109 Experiment Street, Griffin, GA 30223-1797, phone 404-412-4788 or fax 404-412-4789. GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN BUILDS TOWARDS 1995 FARM BILL by Julie Burns, Keith Richards & Michael Sligh Now is the time for Southerners to speak out about their needs for sound rural development, survival of family farms, redirection of research and extension programs, protection of the environment and access to healthy food. With the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1995Qcommonly called the RFarm BillSQonly one year away, a window of opportunity is open to steer national policy towards the ideals of sustainable agriculture. Building on coalitions established and strategies employed during the last two farm bills, a National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture is already underway. Over the past 18 months, Sustainable Agriculture Working Groups (SAWGUs) across the country held more than 100 grassroots workshops to generate policy ideas for the upcoming Farm Bill. Bringing together consumers, environmentalists, commodity organizations and farm workers, as well as a wide array of agricultural groups, the National Dialogue for Sustainable AgricultureQa prelude to the campaignQidentified the common ground between stakeholders. This process culminated on February 26-27 in Washington, DC where 350 delegates from 42 states targeted a set of 20 priority policy options for inclusion in the 1995 Farm Bill. With 35 delegates from Southern SAWG organizations in attendance,many of the priority issues identified in the Southern region emerged as national priorities. These include: * Reorient USDA programs to support and promote local marketing, cooperatives, and value-added processing in rural communities, * Shift commodity program subsidies into Rgreen paymentsS to reward environmentally sound practices, and raise nonrecourse loan rates, * Strengthen existing programs to help farmers reduce pesticide use and address water quality problems through voluntary incentives, * Preserve and expand minority land ownership by increasing access to USDA programs and decision-making bodies, * Reform dairy policy to discourage over production and increase income to producers, * Reauthorize the SARE program, * Give collective bargaining rights to contract farmers and farmworkers, * Require labeling of products containing rBGH, other genetically engineered foods, and irradiated foods. Farmers, representing less than two percent of the nations population, have very little clout in the federal legislature. This is why coalition building and grass-roots involvement are so important to the national campaign. In 1985, family farm groups banded together with labor organizations to introduce a RSave the Family FarmS omnibus bill that focused on better price policies for farmers. A credit reform bill came out of that campaign, but success was limited because several other interest groups were working on competing legislation. >From this experience, organizations working for sustainable agriculture realized they couldn't change policy alone or with a scattershot approach. For the 1990 Farm Bill, clusters of coalitions comprising farmers, labor, consumers and the environmental community worked together on specific pieces of legislation. This strategy proved effective in getting more legislation introduced and several pieces passed, but the coalitions still lacked the clout to see all the programs funded and implemented. The 1995 National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture includes broader constituent and geographical diversity than ever before. By continuing to build larger coalitions, this process has the ability to influence national agricultural legislation and lead to a unified vision for a national food system. The campaign needs grassroots involvement from everyone in the Southern SAWG network to be successful. The South is critical because House and Senate Agriculture Committees include a total of 25 members from the Southern states, with Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida and North Carolina having the highest representation. Julie Burns, the coordinator hired by the Southern SAWG for this campaign, urges, discuss the issues in organizational meetings, identify volunteers who really care about these issues, and make plans for participation now. There will be a need for rapid communication systems set up using phone trees, faxes and E-mail to keep everyone informed of developments and to target certain legislators at critical moments before votes. As the campaign progresses into 1995, the Southern SAWG will be creating media events in several states. Groups will be needed to lobby; to call, write or meet with legislators in Washington, DC; and to testify before congressional committees. Julie will provide information and training assistance to Southern SAWG organizations for the duration of the campaign. The opportunity for change is greater now than at any time in recent history. There is a general recognition that the farm policies begun in the 60Us and early 70Us emphasizing production and exports have failed. The loss of family farmers has been devastating to rural communities, and indirectly adding to the demise of cities by concentrating more and more people in crowded urban areas. Meanwhile, consumers are demanding safer food and less chemical pesticides in their environment. New faces in Congress; a Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Espy, who has emphasized rural development; and an administration that is more environmentally friendly are all potential allies. But we still have a long way to go to bring everyone together. 1995 will be a crucial year in this continuing process. For more information or assistance, contact: Julie Burns, 4 Lands Road, Asheville, NC 28805, phone 704-299-1922. AUDIOTAPES FROM ECO-FAIR TEXAS AVAILABLE Audiotapes from the 1994 Southern SAWG Annual Conference at Eco-Fair Texas are available through Morris Media Associates. Just a few of the workshops and speakers available on tape include: Farmer Stories: Innovative Marketing for Sustainable Agriculture by Dennis Holbrook and Bob Constien, Farmer Stories: Producing and Selling Organic Cotton by Lorna McMahon and Dave Nix, Farmer Stories: Grass-based Dairying (including information on farmstead cheese) by Tom Trantham and Alyce Birchenough, Farmer Stories: Raising Fruits & Vegetables More Sustainably by Mark Cain and Steve Sprinkel, Farmer Stories: Producing Row Crops More Sustainably by Joe Judice and Jim Whitfield, Community Supported Agriculture (two parts) by Jean Mills, Hugh Lovel and Pam Clay, Soil Fertility: The Secret To Successful Farming by Eliot Coleman, Balancing the Soil by Neil Kinsey, How a Farm Bill Works by Betty Bailey, Keynote Speech by Wendell Berry. Tapes are $8.00 each (tax and shipping included). For a complete listing, or to place an order contact: Morris Media Associates, 4306 Wildridge Circle, Austin, TX 78759, phone 512-343-7900 or fax 512-343-2737. JIM HIGHTOWER, A VOICE FOR THE PEOPLE Jim Hightower recently launched a new Saturday and Sunday call-in Talk Show called Hightower Radio, syndicated from coast to coast by the ABC Radio Network. This show will compliment the two-minute Hightower Radio Commentaries that have aired on radio stations daily since February 15, 1993. A former Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Hightower is straight-talking, anti-establishment and fun. He talks from the kitchen table on health, the environment, food, work, the economy, the need to put people back in our democracy and the pursuit of happiness. While his shows point out what's not working in America, they also highlight what does work, particularly at the grassroots. It is his belief that the big gap is not between the right and the left, but between the rich and the rest of us. For more information contact: Hightower and Associates, PO Box 13516, Austin, TX 78711, phone 512-477-5588 or fax 512-478-8536. Radio stations can contact Amy Bolton, Saddle-Burr Productions, 410-362-5345 for program information. NORTH AMERICAN LIVESTOCK CENSUS RELEASED Taking Stock: The North American Livestock Census, recently published by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy of Pittsboro, NC, presents an inventory of North American breeds and describes the status of livestock genetic diversity. The book considers the impact of current agricultural trends on genetic resources, the significance of livestock for sustainable agriculture, and presents a powerful case for livestock genetic conservation. Taking Stock is available from the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy for $14.95 plus $2 for shipping. Send check or money order to ALBC, PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312, or call 919-542-5704 with MasterCard or Visa orders. NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS ONLY MONTHS AWAY The process to create national organic food production and processing certification standards, begun with passage of the Organic Foods Production Act in the 1990 Farm Bill, is nearing the end of the initial recommendation stage. The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture in 1992, has been holding public input hearings and developing recommendations for implementation of the Nation Organic Production Program for the past two and a half years. According to Michael Sligh, NOSB chairman, ROur board handed off recommendations to USDA for standards on accreditation, crops (including the farm plan), livestock, imports, processing and handling at our recent week-long meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We will work over the summer on livestock confinement standards, use of USDA shield, import fumigation prohibitions, further labeling requirements, and the proposed national list of prohibited natural and allowed synthetic materials for use in certified organic production, handling and processing.S Based on these recommendations, the USDA will draft regulations and circulate them for public review by early 1995. The regulations will be published in the federal register as they are developed and again when a final version is prepared to give one last opportunity for public comment. Sligh strongly urges farmers, handlers and processors to carefully scrutinize these recommendations before they become regulations both for the impact on their lives and to prepare themselves for compliance. He points out that the USDA is required to conduct a socio-economic impact analysis to determine potential damage prior to implementation. To be added to the NOSB mailing list, contact: Dr. Harold Ricker, National Organic Program, AMS/TMD/USDA, Room 4006-S, PO Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090-6456, phone 202-720-2704 or fax 202-690-0338. To discuss concerns about the program, contact: Michael Sligh, PO Box 727, Mauldin, SC 29662, phone 803-297-8562 or fax 803-297-0216. SOUTHERN SARE/ACE PROGRAM AMASSING RESEARCH by Keith Richards The USDA Sustainable Agriculture and Education (SARE) and EPA Agriculture in Concert with the Environment (ACE) Programs have been funding grants for sustainable agriculture research and education since 1988. These programs are divided into four regions: Northeast, South, North-Central and West. In the South, over $7 million has been granted to 94 projects since this program began. Two examples of projects funded include: 1. On-Farm Demonstration and Research of Low-Input Sustainable Farming. Funded from 1989 to 1992, this program established on-farm research projects across North Carolina on such topics as intercropping legumes in horticultural crops, herbicide reduction in soybeans, and chemical changes in soil in transition from conventional to organic management. For a published report of their findings, send $5.00 for the On-Farm Demonstration Project Report to Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, 115 Main St., Carrboro, NC 27510 or call 919-968-1030 for information. 2. Organic Soil Amendments of Agricultural By-Products for Vegetable Production Systems in the Mississippi Delta Region. Farmers with the Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation are evaluating local waste products such as cotton gin trash and poultry litter as soil amendments for vegetable crops. Other cooperators on this project include the University of Arkansas and Mississippi State University's Cooperative Extension, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Virginia Tech University, and the Rodale Institute. For more information, contact project coordinator Tina Gray Teague, College of Agriculture, PO Box 1080, Jonesboro, AR 72467, phone 501-972-2043. All projects are required to disseminate information about their findings, according to Paula Ford, the Southern Region SARE/ACE program manager. Contact project coordinators for research results or possible site visits. For a complete list of funded projects and individual descriptions, contact: Paula Ford, Southern SARE/ACE Program, 1109 Experiment Street, Griffin, Georgia 30223-1797, phone 404-412-4788 or fax 404-412-4789. STATE OF THE SOUTH IDENTIFIES BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABILITY The biggest barriers to more sustainable agricultural systems in the South lie beyond the farm, according to a preliminary report from the State of the South project. Sponsored by the Southern SAWG and funded by the Southern SARE program, the RState of the SouthS project has been gathering input through focus groups, surveys, database analyses, and opportunity workshops for a portrait of sustainable agriculture in the South since 1992. The final report, due out in September, will identify key constraints to increased sustainability of Southern agricultural systems, and suggest opportunities for research and education projects to remove those constraints. RA major accomplishment of the project so far, according to project director Jim Worstell, has been motivating farmers, researchers, extension and agency staff to work together to conceptualize the best opportunities for sustainable agriculture research and education in their region. Nearly 1000 people, including over 700 farmers, participated in focus groups and workshops in 11 Southern states. Worstell says, every focus group in the study concluded that marketing systems, research/education paradigms and policy systems override constraints at the farm level. The focus groups also concluded that the best opportunities for overcoming constraints will require organized, local farmer groups focused on those above-farm issues. Six region-wide constraints to increased sustainability emerged through the focus group process, according to Worstell. They include: 1. Profitable and environmentally sound production practices especially in the areas of pest and habitat management, and soil fertility and biology. 2. Sustainable marketing alternatives focusing on value-added enterprises. 3. Information, communication and feedback systems between producers and researchers stressing whole farm systems and farmer to farmer exchange. 4. Research to define policies which will increase sustainability at all levels of the agricultural system concentrating on marketing policies, environmentally sound commodity programs, and changing research/education paradigms. 5. Interaction and communication between farmers, environmentalists and consumers. 6. Water qualityQespecially focusing on animal waste management. Preliminary information and analyses are available by contacting: Jim Worstell, RState of the South,S 148 Lost Fork, Richmond, KY 40475, phone 606-623-7250 or fax 606-624-5733. SWEET HOME ALABAMA: A LABOR OF LOVE FOUNDED ON CHEESE by Keith Richards ELBERTA, Alabama. Down along the Gulf coast of Baldwin County, Bermuda grass pastures form a checkered pattern in the thick pine, oak, magnolia and bayberry woods. Although farming has been part of the landscape for over a century, this is an area associated with shrimping more than milking, and cheese-making is absolutely unheard of. Or was unheard of until Alyce Birchenough and Doug Wolbert bought 40 acres here nine years ago. Heading out of Elberta towards the Florida state line, never more than 10 or 12 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, colorful handmade signs point the way down a dirt road to Sweet Home Farm, RHome of AlabamaUs Original Farmstead Cheese.S There at the end of the lane, Alyce and Doug have created a farm enterprise that centers around making cheese and selling it to the increasing number of people who come to this corner of the world. East of the central yard on Sweet Home Farm sit a cattle loafing shed, milking parlor, cheese-making room and cheese storage cooler. This is the heart of their operation, where Alyce and Doug transform the milk into more than 15 varieties of cheese. Inside you can feel the three strands of their guiding philosophy: self-sufficiency, valuing quality over quantity, and shaping work around what they love. Doug built the buildings and installed the equipment himself, mostly from materials he salvaged or recycled, so the place has a hybrid feeling of functionality combined with whimsy. The last rays of sunlight will filter through a well-placed piece of stained glass and shine onto bricks salvaged from a demolished motel. On the evening I visited, Alyce was milking eight cows, bringing them into the small parlor and hooking them to automatic milkers two at a time. As she calmly handled the animals without benefit of stanchions, Alyce told me about their decision to install an automatic milk line. Each piece of technology on their farm has been weighed between the savings it brings in time and energy, and the quality it adds or detracts from their lives and their products. When they first put the line in, they milked enough to make one batch of cheese, then disconnected it for two months until they could judge the final product. Luckily the automation didnUt detract from the quality of their cheese, so now they save an hour per milking by not having to hand carry the milk from cows to tank. They usually milk about 12 cows at any given time, keeping another 12 heifers and dry cows as replacements. Their herd is based on the amount of milk they need to produce 10,000 pounds of cheese per year. Averaging four to eight gallons of milk per cow per day, their goal is to produce a target amount of cheese with the fewest number of cows. If one of the Guernseys goes below four gallons of production for long, sheUs a likely candidate for culling. Recently, they added beef cattle to their operation, so when milk cows lose productivity, they are used as brood cows. The Guernseys are bred with Angus or Brangus bulls to produce a 3/4 Angus, 1/4 Guernsey feeder cow. These are sold at a local auction when they reach 300 to 500 pounds. While Alyce milked the cows, Doug was on the west side of the farmyard, beyond the canning kitchen, machine shop and old restored farmhouse, milking four Nubian goats by hand. The goats average one gallon of milk per goat per day, providing variety to the Sweet Home products, complimentary grazing on their pastures, and lively personalities to the farm. As I watched Doug rapidly fill buckets with milk, I asked about the origin of their stock. He told me they keep closed herds, artificially inseminating all their cows and naturally breeding the goats. Again, quality counts. Doug says, Raising your own stock gives you a totally different relationship with the animals from when you buy them. It also keeps him from being tempted to buy some animal with a pedigree or papers. Papers don't mean a thing to me. He points out, When an animal has papers it only causes you to hang onto her longer. Looking For a Farm-Based Business Alyce met Doug in Michigan, where he was running his own sawmill and collecting usable junk. After marrying in 1978, they began looking for a home-based business. Alyce says, We didn't know what we were doing. Earlier, Alyce had received a bachelors degree in Food & Nutrition from Southeastern Louisiana University and had a propensity towards making food. Doug gave her a Jersey cow for a wedding present, and despite its horns and nasty disposition, they liked having the fresh milk. So they sold the Jersey, bought a Guernsey, and Alyce began experimenting with making cheese. After reading books and practicing on her own, she took a course at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. By 1983, she and Doug decided cheese was to be the foundation of their farm. While they built up a foundation herd, Doug raised a barn and Alyce raised capital by working at factory jobs. In 1985 they moved to Alabama, bringing their cows, lumber, bricks, equipment, and even a chicken coop. Doug built more buildings and worked as a well driller while Alyce worked on the farm. Meanwhile, they shipped milk to a local coop for two more years. Slowly, through sweat equity, Sweet Home Farm grew. We went to the local inspectors before we put up our first brick here to help us with the design and so on, explains Alyce. They wanted to make sure they met all the health and building codes from the start. Once they did, they obtained a commercial license for making cheese and they were in business. Now they make a batch of cheese every three to four days. Alyce has 15 varieties that she makes regularly, including Bama Jack, Gouda, Montabella, Feta, Edam, Cajun Spice, Dagano, Garden Vegetable, Baldwin Swiss, Blue, Garlic Blue, Romano, Pepato Asiago and Cheese Fudge. She says the amount is based on their market. If she made only two, they would need more markets. She will sometimes make an unusual variety for special occasions or special orders. And Alyce makes small amounts of both hard and soft goat's milk cheese seasonally. All the varieties are aged for at least 60 days to fulfill the health requirements for raw milk cheese. As by-products, Alyce also makes cottage cheese and sour cream butter that she sells for $5.00 per pound. There is a waiting list of customers for the butter. Doug drinks most of the buttermilk, saying it is a perfect replacement drink for the fluids and minerals lost through sweating on hot, humid Gulf days. Often people ask Alyce, if you make the cheese, what does Doug do? This is a joke between them, because Doug describes himself as naturally hyperactive. The day I visited, Doug had a full page list of things to do before lunch, including hug Alyce. Besides building, repairing and milking, he has also learned to make cheese so Alyce can get away for more than one or two days at a time not that she does. Tending the Land One of Doug's favorite chores is tending to their land. Before buying the property, he studied soil maps and discovered there was a small band of soil with good structure between the sandy soils along the Gulf and heavy red clay further inland. This is where Sweet Home Farm lies. The farm's original 40 acres is broken into six paddocks surrounding the central yard. About 11 acres along the lowest land is in woods, and one hay field is beyond the woods on the west side. All of our fields have a border of woods for shade and a little herbal, explains Doug. That's important for the cows this far south. Doug walks the pastures every day so he can better understand his land. He believes he had an advantage in coming to this place without preconceived notions. He says he wasn't set in any patterns or trained to think by so-called experts. He came with an open mind, asked lots of questions of his neighbors, and observed. Besides neighbors, Doug gets his information from old agricultural books. He advises, you have to sift through the bad, like recommendations for DDT. He also consults charts from Extension. The Extension service is not on the cutting edge, but they do have the basics,S says Doug encouragingly. Doug has tried all kinds of grass and legume mixtures in the pastures, but likes alicia Bermuda grass interplanted with Haifa clover (an Israeli variety), oats and Puna chicory. He says the cows seem to really like the big leafed clover, and the chicory is high in crude protein. He seeds them at a rate of 2 lbs to the acre for the chicory, 3 lbs for the clover, and 100 lbs for the oats. After some searching he found a John Deere 1500 Powertill grain drill that seeds directly into the Bermuda by rotovating a shallow seed bed ahead of the drill. Since their density of cattle is fairly low, Doug spreads broiler house litterQat $27 per ton deliveredQand lime for fertility. He has tried crab and shrimp meal, but it includes too much trash to make it worthwhile. They graze their herd nearly year-round, rotating them through the fields with the milk cows getting first priority, then the dry cows and heifers. The goats have free access to pasture all the time, but seem to be more affected by inclement weather and go into their shed often. At night, the milk cows are left in the loafing yard next to the milking parlor and their feed is supplemented with a little hay. Doug says this keeps the cows from getting too loose. Doug cuts his own hay, occasionally buying a little extra from the neighbors. Our herd is pretty healthy on the whole because they're out on pasture all the time, says Alyce. Then she adds, but as they say, if you don't have cows, you don't have problems. For fly control, they use ducks and a beneficial fly parasite called Muscidifarax zaraptor, Spanglia. The ducks pick through the manure and eat all the eggs and larvae they can find, especially around the edges of the milking parlor between grass and cement. Doug buys the fly parasites from Bozeman BioTech and releases them periodically throughout the year to keep fly populations in check. Because of the high population of soil-borne parasites and pathogens in their warm environment, they have to worm and vaccinate their cows on a regular program. Still, they've often lost a cow after first frost, and don't know the cause even after having expensive tests run last year. Recently, Doug and Alyce felt forced to buy 20 more acres across the road to the south. The former owner was spraying chemical pesticides and the drift blew onto their property. Once Doug fences the boundary, he will use this pasture for rotational grazing of their beef cattle, dividing it with moveable electric-tape fence. Customers Come To Them Besides all their other chores, Alyce and Doug also operate a little cottage store, open 10 am to 5 pm, Wednesday through Saturday, at the front of their property. When they bought their farm, they planned on selling the cheese through mail-order, so their location at the end of a dirt road didn't seem to be a factor. For a little advertising, Alyce had a publicist friend help her write a press release to send to the local newspapers. Eventually, one paper sent a reporter out and printed an article. Then another did, another and another, until Sweet Home Farm was a regular feature for the print media and television stations from Pensacola to New Orleans. With the customers coming to them, mail-order sales became superfluous. Most of their customers are retired snow birds from the Midwest who come down for the winter, Southerners on vacation, or city people out of Mobile and Pensacola. Alyce catches the travelers by putting out brochures at each of the Welcome Centers to the state. The brochures (10,000 yearly) cost about five cents apiece to print. She had to get them okayed through the Alabama Department of Tour & Travel, who stock them for free. I was very reluctant at first to put brochures in the Welcome Centers because I thought it would be too diffuse (of advertising). But it has been a wonderful thing, marvels Alyce. In addition to cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream butter, they've added a few complimentary items in the store. Alyce makes up nine loaves of bread every night to bake and sell in the morning (nine is how many her oven will hold). They sell homemade pepper jelly, kumquat marmalade, praline syrup, a few vegetables when their large garden overflows, and pecans from the grove behind their cattle shed. They've even added local honey from a neighbor, regional wines, sausage, and crackers because these items go well with the cheese. They've learned some secrets to retail selling over the years. First and foremost is to readily give away samples of the cheese. They also had to learn presentation. Originally, they put out bulbs of elephant garlic in a bulk basket straight from the garden and charged $4.00 per pound. No one would touch it. So Alyce tried cleaning it, broke it into cloves, and packaged it in net bags. Now it is one of their big sellers at $1.00 per bag ($6.50 per pound). Operating a retail store on your farm can be an enlightening (and sometimes frightening) experience, finding out just how ignorant the general public has become about their food. Doug tells a story about a couple who came into the store one day and asked why there were cows on the farm. When Doug replied that that's where the cheese came from, they literally backed out of the door without buying anything. Most customers, though, really like the turkeys that strut around the yard and the chickens in the pen next door. With cattle and their companion egrets grazing at the edge of magnolia trees, and the smell of honeysuckle heavy in the air, Sweet Home Farm presents visitors with a bucolic scene. Meanwhile, it's milking time again. Alyce and Doug both point out a fat toad behind their water heater, proudly telling me it is death on cockroaches. Then they are off in perpetual motion, creating another day's labor of love. SOUTHERN SUSTAINABLE FARMING SURVEY The purpose of this newsletter is to serve the sustainable agriculture community of the South. We need your feedback to do this well. Please take a moment to fill out this survey and return it to the address at the bottom of the page. Thank you. (Please check all that apply.) Overall, what did you think of this issue? [] very useful [] somewhat useful [] not useful [] very relevant [] somewhat relevant [] not relevant [] not enough depth [] too much depth [] just the right depth [] well written [] interesting Which articles did you read? [] Sweet Home Alabama: A Labor of Love Founded On Cheese [] A Brief History of the Southern SAWG [] Grassroots Campaign Builds Towards 1995 Farm Bill [] RState of the SouthS Identifies Barriers To Sustainability [] Southern SARE/ACE Program Amassing Research [] Extension Agents To be Trained in Sustainable Agriculture [] National Organic Standards Only Months Away [] 8 Steps To Successful Value-Added Marketing What topics would you like to see covered in the future? [] News of SSAWG business and actions [] SSAWG member profiles [] Info about sustainable agriculture research & demonstration projects [] Stories on successful sustainable farmers [] Coverage of policy issues that affect Southern farms [] Discussion of sustainable agriculture research needs [] News of markets and marketing tips & information [] Coverage of sustainable agricultureUs role in rural development [] Resource lists with addresses and phone numbers [] Calendar of events [] Appropriate advertising Would you like to receive this newsletter regularly? [] yes [] no How often would you like to receive this newsletter? [] monthly [] 6 times a year [] 4 times a year [] twice a year Would you be willing to pay a subscription fee? [] yes [] no [] maybe If yes, how much per year? [] $5 [] $10 [] $15 [] $20 [] $25 Would you like to be involved as: [] a writer [] an editor [] an editorial board member Name: Farm/Organization: Address: City: State: Zip: Return this form to: Southern Sustainable Farming, 1533 S. RESOURCES Cheese: Sweet Home Farm, 27107 Schoen Road, Elberta, AL 36530. 205-986-5663. Seeds: Cutting Edge Agri Products, RR 1, Box 234AA, Lowry City, MO 64763. 800-753-6511. Oldfields Seed Co., PO Box 190, Mt. Sterling, KY 40353. 800-448-5145. Beneficial Insects: Beneficial Insectary, 14751 Oak Run Road, Oak Run, CA 96069. Phone 916-472-3715 or fax 916-472-3523. BIOFAC, Inc., PO Box 87, Mathis, TX 78368. 800-233-4914 or 512-547-3259. Bozeman Bio-Tech, PO Box 3146, Bozeman, MT 59772. 800-289-6656 or 406-587-5891. M & R Durango Inc., PO Box 886, Bayfield, CO 81132. 800-526-4075 or 303-259-3521. Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, PO Box 1555, Ventura, CA 93002. 800-248-2847 or 805-643-5407. CALENDAR OF EVENTS: JULY 31: SARE Mulch Project Field Day, Twin Oaks Farm, Louisa Co., VA. Call 804-263-4557. AUGUST 6: Organic Market Garden Field Day, Williamsburg VA area. Call 804-566-1367. AUGUST 13: SARE Mulch Project Field Day and Farm Tour, Dayspring Farm, King Queen Co., VA. Call 804-785-9401. AUGUST 14: SARE Mulch Project Field Day and Farm Tour, Potomac Vegetable Farms, Loudon Co., VA. Call 703-882-3885. AUGUST 20: Soil Health and Composting Workshop, Seven Springs Farm, Floyd Co., VA. Call 703-639-0160. SEPTEMBER 23-25: Southern SAWG Steering Committee Meeting, Gulf State Park, AL. Call 501-521-7922. OCTOBER 10: National Organic Standards Board meeting, California. Call 202-720-2704 for details. NOVEMBER 4-6: RSeed Saving,S Tennessee Alternative Growers Assoc. Annual Conference, Standing Stone State Park, TN. Call 615-653-4402. NOVEMBER 18-20: Carolina Farm Stewardship Assoc. Annual Conference, Winthrop College, Rock Hill, SC. Call 919-968-1030. JANUARY 13-15, 1995: SOUTHERN SAWG ANNUAL CONFERENCE, Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, AL. Call 501-521-7922 to suggest workshops or presenters you would like to see. More details in next issue.