Henry A. Wallace Institute for
Alternative Agriculture
9200 Edmonston Road, #117
Greenbelt, MD 20770
(301) 441-8777
E-mail: hawiaa@access.digex.net
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If You Are Interested in Sustainable Agriculture...
In addition to this monthly newsletter, the Henry A. Wallace
Institute for Alternative Agriculture publishes the American
Journal of Alternative Agriculture, a quarterly, peer-reviewed
journal of research on alternative agriculture. It is a
scientific forum for disseminating technical, economic, and
social research findings about the character and requirements of
alternative agriculture systems.
The current double issue (Volume 11, Numbers 2 and 3)
features the 13 papers presented by U.S. scientists at a U.S.-
Middle East Conference and Workshop on "Dryland Farming Systems
and Technologies for a More Sustainable Agriculture," held in
October, 1993, in Moscow, Idaho. That landmark conference was
conducted under the auspices of the Multilateral Working Group on
Economic Development of the Middle East Peace Process, and was
attended by approximately 50 scientists from the United States,
Russia, Egypt, Israel, Tunisia, Turkey, Jordan, Oman, and the
emerging Palestine State. Topics of the papers include farming
systems and conservation needs in the Northwest Wheat Region;
water conservation practices for sustainable dryland farming
systems in the Pacific Northwest; agricultural wind erosion and
air quality impacts; advances in the production of cool season
food legumes; diversification for new management systems
opportunities in the Pacific Northwest; and crop traits for water
stress tolerance.
Subscriptions to AJAA are $44 for libraries; $24 for
individuals; and $12 for students; contact the Wallace Institute,
9200 Edmonston Road, #117, Greenbelt, MD 20770; e-mail
hawiaa@access.digex.net.
Table of Contents:
Sustainable Ag Finds a New Image, Writes Newspaper 2
Papers from Landmark Conference Featured in Journal 3
Positions 3
Bergland Wins 1996 Siehl Prize 4
Organic Milk Sales Growing Rapidly, Says N.Y. Times 4
USDA Explores Medicinal Potential of Legumes 4
Resources 5
Upcoming Events 5
SUSTAINABLE AG FINDS A NEW IMAGE, WRITES CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
MONITOR
Sustainable agriculture is "shedding its old image, finding
a place in government agronomy labs, on American crop lands, and
on supermarket shelves," writes Malcolm Howard in a two-part
series in the Christian Science Monitor (November 19, 1996) which
features Fred Kirschenmann, Vice President of the Wallace
Institute. The articles look at farmers who "reduce pollution
with two approaches to agriculture: one uses navigation
satellites, the other stresses chemical-free practices."
"Given the push for environmental methods, American
agriculture is dividing into two different philosophies," say
experts in the article on sustainable agriculture. "The nature-
based farming movement is resurging, even as the wider
agricultural industry dives headlong into the age of
bioengineering and automated 'precision farming' that precisely
measures fertilizers to reduce pollution."
Kirshenmann's quest to make his family's farm profitable and
chemical-free has succeeded, according to the story. "The 2,600-
acre Kirschenmann spread posts impressive crop yields and
profits. And Kirschenmann has now become a spokesman for what is
today called 'sustainable' or 'alternative' agriculture."
"The conventional model of agriculture stresses
specialization, routinization, and control of nature," says
Kirschenmann in the article. "We stress diversity and
accommodation to the way natural ecosystems work."
The article points out the growth of community supported
farms, organic seed banks, and books and magazines on self-
sufficient country life. It also says that while the USDA has
studied sustainable farming for nearly 10 years, advocates say
more must be done. Recent reports show only 1 percent of
government agriculture research projects directly study
sustainable systems, according to the article.
Dr. Jan van Schilfgaarde, a research director at the USDA's
Agricultural Research Service, "says there's greater interest in
sustainable farming because it bears fruit." He refers to USDA
scientists working with tomato growers in the Southeast and
vintners on the West Coast who are planting vetch to reduce
erosion, replace nitrogen in the soil, and keep weeds down. The
results, says Schilfgaarde, are "less money spent on herbicides
and more profits made on enhanced yields."
The second Christian Science Monitor article, about
precision or site-specific farming, reports that proponents refer
to its promise of economic and environmental benefits.
Using navigation satellites developed by the military,
farmers can apply fertilizer strategically and use chemicals
where they're most needed. Some argue that this spares fertile,
pest-free zones, and lets farmers increase yields and save money.
"Still, even the most ardent enthusiasts admit much is still
unproved," according to the article.
"Many questions remain unresolved. Environmentalists and
proponents of 'sustainable' and organic growing worry that
precision farming will divert needed research funds from less
chemical-intensive growing methods. They also question whether
precision necessarily reduces pollution. A spot of sandy soil,
for example, might need more nitrogen to be productive. But
those coarse grains may also let that nitrogen flush more quickly
into the water table than fertile earth would."
Some believe sustainable and precision agricultures are not
necessarily at odds, according to the article. "Farming is still
85 percent art," says John Hess, a farmer from Idaho.
PAPERS FROM LANDMARK DRYLAND FARMING CONFERENCE FEATURED IN
JOURNAL
A special double issue of American Journal of Alternative
Agriculture (Volume 11, Numbers 2 and 3), the Wallace Institute's
quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of research on alternative
agriculture features the 13 papers presented by U.S. scientists
at a U.S.-Middle East Conference and Workshop on "Dryland Farming
Systems and Technologies for a More Sustainable Agriculture,"
held in October, 1993, in Moscow, Idaho. That landmark
conference was conducted under the auspices of the Multilateral
Working Group on Economic Development of the Middle East Peace
Process, and was attended by approximately 50 scientists from the
United States, Russia, Egypt, Israel, Tunisia, Turkey, Jordan,
Oman, and the emerging Palestine State. Farmers in the dryland
areas of the U.S. Pacific Northwest and the Middle East face many
similar problems in production, resource conservation, and
environmental protection. "These similarities and challenges
provide an ideal setting for sharing knowledge and experiences,
and for developing collaborations between U.S. and Middle East
dryland experts that promote technologies for improving dryland
farming capabilities while enhancing long-term sustainability,"
write Robert I. Papendick and James F. Parr, USDA-ARS
Collaborators.
Topics of the 13 papers in the Journal include farming
systems and conservation needs in the Northwest Wheat Region;
water conservation practices for sustainable dryland farming
systems in the Pacific Northwest; agricultural wind erosion and
air quality impacts; advances in the production of cool season
food legumes; diversification for new management systems
opportunities in the Pacific Northwest; and crop traits for water
stress tolerance.
Subscriptions to AJAA are $44 for libraries; $24 for
individuals; and $12 for students; contact the Wallace Institute,
9200 Edmonston Road, #117, Greenbelt, MD 20770; e-mail
hawiaa@access.digex.net.
POSITIONS
Community School seeks teacher/farm manager to apply science
and other studies to farm, manage 40 acres; send resume with
references to Community School, P.O. Box B, South Tamworth, N.H.
03883; e-mail bearcamp@ncia.net.
From the Ground Up, a community farm project, seeks a
production manager for its organic vegetable operation; send
resume, cover letter, and three written recommendations with two
phone contacts to Bernice Taylor, From the Ground Up, 645 Taylor
St., NE, Washington, D.C. 20017; (202) 526-5344; fax (202) 529-
1767.
Casey Farm has apprenticeships available from April 1 to
October 31, 1997; contact Polly Hutchison, Casey Farm, 2325
Boston Neck Road, Saunderstown, R.I. 02874; (401) 295-1030; e-
mail nofari@ids.net.
Public Citizen seeks a senior researcher for Global Trade
Watch; send resume and writing sample to Chris McGinn, Global
Trade Watch, 215 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, 3rd Floor, Washington,
D.C. 20003; no calls please.
University of California at Berkeley, Department of
Agricultural and Resource Economics seeks an
Assistant/Associate/Full Professor of Agricultural and Resource
Economics; Ph.D. required; send c.v. and the names and addresses
of three references to Dr. David Zilberman, Chair, Department of
Agricultural and Resource Economics, 207 Giannini Hall #3301,
University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3310; deadline is
January 1, 1997; for information, contact Ellen Boyle, (510) 642-
2995; e-mail boyle@are.berkeley.edu.
BERGLAND WINS 1996 SIEHL PRIZE
Former Secretary of Agriculture Robert Bergland, a former
member of the Wallace Institute's President's Council, is one of
the three newly-named recipients of this year's $150,000 Siehl
Prize for Excellence in Agriculture. Named for Eldon Siehl, a
business executive interested in production agriculture, the
Siehl Prize is awarded every two years by the College of
Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences of the University
of Minnesota. The prize consists of three separate categories.
Bergland won the production agriculture award. Other winners
were Donald Rasmusson of the University of Minnesota, for
academics, and the Bailey Family and Bailey Nurseries, Inc., for
agribusiness.
ORGANIC MILK SALES GROWING RAPIDLY, SAYS NEW YORK TIMES
Sales of organic milk, once too minimal to tally, now total
about $30 million annually and are "growing rapidly," according
to an article in The New York Times (October 30, 1996). "Some
people began turning to organic milk about five years ago, when
there were revelations of anti-biotic residues in milk," writes
author Marian Burros. "In 1993, when the government approved the
use of BGH to increase milk production, despite many questions
about its safety for both cows and humans, others became
interested in milk produced the old-fashioned way." For milk to
be organic, the cows' pasture land must be free of all chemical
compounds like herbicides, and of course, the cows cannot have
been injected with growth hormones, according to the article.
"The increased interest in organic milk joins the boom in organic
foods, which have increased in sales by 20 percent for each of
the last two years," according to the article.
USDA EXPLORES MEDICINAL POTENTIAL OF LEGUMES
A "special purpose legume collection" is being examined by
the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Griffin, Georgia, for
the potential legumes have as future sources of drugs and other
medicines, according to an article in Agricultural Research
(November, 1996). The winged bean, for example, has high levels
of lectins, which medical researchers use as diagnostic tools;
soybeans and black beans are rich sources of genistein, which is
being examined for fighting the leukemia that strikes bone marrow
and other blood-forming tissues; and common indigo contains
indigotin, which is used as an antiseptic. The Griffin
collection contains more than 4,000 acquisitions from the United
States and tropical countries. "I see the collection as an
unopened medicine chest," says USDA agronomist Brad Morris.
"We've only scratched the surface on the potential of these
legumes." Morris can be reached at the USDA-ARS Plant Genetic
Conservation Resources Unit, Regional Plant Introduction Station,
1109 Experiment St., Griffin, GA 30223; (770) 229-3253; e-mail
bmorris@ars-grin.gov.
RESOURCES
"Direct Marketing Resource Notebook" from the Midwest
Sustainable Agriculture Working Group is $20 from the Nebraska
Sustainable Agriculture Society, P.O. Box 736, Hartington, NE
68739; (402) 254-2289; Nebraska residents must add 5% sales tax.
"Beekeeping in Northern Climates," a manual and 40-minute
video (EP-6684-NR), are $45 plus shipping and tax; manual alone
(MI-6683-NR)is $15; the video (VH-6553-NR), $40; contact
Minnesota Extension Service Distribution Center, 1-800-876-8636
or (612) 624-4900.
"IPMnet" is a free, global, collaborative, electronic
Integrated Pest Management information source; for information,
e-mail IMPnetNUZ@bcc.orst.edu.
"1996 CSA Farm Network" is $6 from Steve Gilman,
Coordinator, CSA Farm Network, 130 Ruckytucks Farm, Stillwater,
N.Y. 12170; (518) 583-4613.
"Noah's Ark Today: Saving Rare Farm Animal Breeds from
Extinction," a children's education program, contains a slide
program, activities for K-6th grade, and a teacher's guide; each
kit is $119 plus $11 shipping/handling from Carolyn Christman,
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, P.O. Box 477, Pittsboro,
N.C. 27312; (919) 542-5704.
UPCOMING EVENTS
January 4, 1997, Oklahoma Sustainable Agriculture Working
Group Organizational Meeting will be held in conjunction with the
Oklahoma Horticulture Industries Show in Tulsa, OK; contact the
Kerr Center at (918) 647-9123.
January 16-19, 1997, the sixth Annual Southern Sustainable
Agriculture Working Group Conference and Trade Show will be held
in Gainesville, FL; contact Jean Mills, Southern SAWG, (205) 333-
8504; Florida Organic Growers, (352) 377-6345; or Keith Richards,
(501) 292-3714.
January 17-18, 1997: Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture
Society's Annual Conference will be held in Jamestown, N.D.;
contact Theresa Podoll, NPSAS Executive Secretary, 9824 79th St.,
SE, Fullerton, N.D. 58441; (701) 883-4304.
January 20, 1997, is the deadline for abstracts for the
Second International Conference on Invasive Spartina, an aquatic
weed, to be held in Olympia, WA, March 20-21, 1997; titles and
requests for information should be mailed, e-mailed, or faxed to
Spartina Conference, Washington State University -- Long Beach,
2907 Pioneer Road, Long Beach, WA 98631; fax (360) 642-2031; e-
mail pattenk@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu.
January 22-25, 1997, "Reinventing Stewardship," the annual
meeting of the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants,
will be held in San Antonio, TX; contact NAICC, 1055 Petersburg
Cove, Collierville, TN 38017; (901) 861-0511.
January 22-25, 1997, the 17th Annual Ecological Farming
Conference will be held in Pacific Grove, CA; contact the
Committee for Sustainable Agriculture, 406 Main St., #313,
Watsonville, CA 95076; (408) 763-2111.
January 24-25, 1997, "Organic Farming Demystified," the 16th
Annual Organic Conference and Eco-Products Trade Show, will be
held at the University of Guelph, Ontario; contact Tomas Nimmo,
Box 116, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada, L9Y 3Z4; (705) 444-0923;
e-mail organix@georgian.net
January 28-29, 1997, "Working with Wetlands and Wildlife"
will be held in Houston, TX; February 25-26, 1997, in Atlanta,
GA; contact Wildlife Habitat Council, 1010 Wayne Ave., #920,
Silver Spring, MD 20910; (301) 588-8994.
January 28-February 2, 1997, "Linking Science to Sustainable
Industry Development," the North American Farmers' Direct
Marketing Conference, will be held in Albuquerque, NM; contact
Vance Corum, (360) 693-5500.
March 19-21, 1997, International Conference on Agricultural
Production and Nutrition will be held in Boston, MA; contact
William Lockeretz, School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts
University, Medford, MA 02155; e-mail
wlockeretz@infonet.tufts.edu.
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