RSS feed for the OCA North Carolina forum http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:50:48 -0800 5 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=3494
I would like to meet people here in NC who actually grow organically so I can get some hands on experience and see first hand what I've only read about.

"I believe the extra money I spend now on quality food (organic) will save me money on medical bills in the future." - Dale]]> Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:24:13 -0800 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=3494 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=3094 http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/09/proposed...roduce-growers/

http://www.cornucopia.org/ProposedLeafyGre...ngAgreement.pdf

USDA Schedules Public Hearings to Obtain Citizens’ Concerns and Suggestions

The “Leafy Green Marketing Agreement,” which requires producers to follow a set of rules (metrics) in the name of food safety, has already shown to be injurious for the environment, biodiversity, and organic growers in California. The USDA is now considering a similar “Leafy Green Marketing Agreement” that would extend beyond California and Arizona to cover the entire United States—let’s help make this rule work for growers of all sizes!

The USDA has scheduled a series of hearing sessions, around the country, inviting you to this perfect opportunity to share your concerns and suggestions.

Click here to view the USDA announcement in the Federal Register.

Make your voice heard!—if you are able to attend, we urge you to speak on behalf of the organic and family-scale farming community. (See below for locations and dates.)

High Quality and Organic Growers Competitively Disadvantaged

Producers’ experiences in California, where these metrics have been in place for several years, reveal what is at stake. While food safety is a legitimate national concern, organic and small-scale farmers bear a disproportionate economic burden of these metrics. Consider this:
# An estimate from leafy green growers in California indicates an average expenditure of $18,000/ year per farm for food safety efforts.
# Metrics require the expense of regular laboratory testing of irrigation water, soil amendments, fertilizers and sometimes seeds and transplants.
# Growers must have someone regularly monitor fields for wildlife and domestic animal incursions and documentation of all their efforts and testing is required.
# Farms with more acreage generally spend more to comply with the metrics but can experience some economies of scale due to larger field sizes and existing staff—these burdens could force the safest farms out of business.
# Smaller farms often have smaller field sizes, grow more diverse crops and raise livestock as well. These farms don’t usually have staff available to help them comply with complicated record-keeping requirements nor can they afford to hire extra help. They incur higher expenses per acre due to their smaller field sizes and greater complexity and disproportionately high testing/inspection costs.
# The requirement to have traceability of the produce grown also poses significant financial and record keeping challenges for many growers—organic farmers are already required to do much of this—it is redundant for organic growers—and local direct marketers have a special relationship with customers facilitating trace back.

Biodiversity Threatened

The environmental impacts of the Leafy Green metrics have also been alarming. Since wildlife, non-crop vegetation (wild habitat), and water bodies could be viewed as food safety risks, many environmentally positive, conservation and habitat-oriented practices that growers have implemented in California have been forced to be destroyed or abandoned by growers threatened with the rejection of their crops.

If these metrics are adopted nationally, organic farmers across the nation could face difficulties balancing organic requirements, to promote biodiversity, with metrics seeking elimination of wildlife and non-crop vegetation.

Voluntary Regulations?

Although the USDA has defined this regulation as “voluntary,” it is important to realize that in California, this has not been the case. Large grocery chains and distributors have refused to purchase produce from growers unless they are a signatory to the “leafy greens” program, making this a defacto rule. Don’t let the voluntary nature of this program dissuade you from recognizing the impact this proposal could have on small, local and organic growers.

Make Your Voice Heard!

The USDA organized public hearings to glean citizens’ concerns and suggestions. The USDA invites you to present evidence at the hearing on the possible economic impacts of the proposal on small businesses.

When and Where:
# Monterey, California
September 22-24
# Jacksonville, Florida
September 30-October 1
# Columbus, Ohio
October 6
# Denver, Colorado
October 8
# Yuma, Arizona
October 14-15
# Syracuse, New York
October 20
# Charlotte, North Carolina
October 22

All hearing sessions are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Stay tuned! The Cornucopia Institute, in partnership with other public interest groups, will shortly issue a more comprehensive action alert including talking points, information to submit written comments, sample letters and detailed instructions and help regarding appearing at the public hearings (including the precise location of each hearing).

We encourage other NGOs that would like to collaborate on this project to contact us. A number of other groups have also invested in developing an excellent knowledgebase and networking together will leverage our work on behalf of family farmers and consumers.]]> Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:56:57 -0700 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=3094 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2830 ]]> Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:31:59 -0700 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2830 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2701
I am Delisha from Charlotte. Recently I have moved here from Boston. I had a great time in living in Boston. Had a good circle of friends. Now looking to make new friends here as well as searching for a steady relationship. Recently saw an ad of The Relationship Company on TV. Can anybody guide me if its worth a try. Please share with me all your experiences. Hope to make new friends in the process.

Thanks

Delisha]]> Thu, 07 May 2009 04:05:57 -0700 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2701 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2601
I am new to this forum so be nice to me

I recently moved to Charlotte, I am Single and struggling to find where people hang out, how do people make connections.
I am in my 30s, so not really looking for anything crazy, just regular, fun, normal people to connect with.
Also, does anyone here have any experience with Dating and Matchmaking for Singles - The Relationship Company?
I saw their ad on the TV and just curious if people have had success?
Anyway, hope to make some new friends here.

Delisha]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:45:19 -0700 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2601 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=1969
Here are the resources I sent him. Maybe you all have more ideas and advice.

You'll find a lot of good information on our NC page:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/state/NC.cfm

And, our organic section:
http://organicconsumers.org/organlink.cfm

Our farm issues page:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/farm.cfm

And our local farming page:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc.cfm

You should also take advantage of the local resources in NC:

Organic Trade Association's How to Go Organic NC resources:
http://www.howtogoorganic.com/index.php?page=north-carolina

Organic Growers School: Supporting Sustainable Agriculture in the Southern Appalachians
http://www.organicgrowersschool.org/

Grower Resources from the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/farmers.shtml

Marketing Opportunities for Farmers from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Projecthttp://www.asapconnections.org/index.php/MOFF.html

Carolina Organic Growers, Inc.
A marketing cooperative of certified organic farmers

Box 11, 570 Brevard Road, Asheville, NC 28806
Phone: 828-251-1189
Toll Free: 1-877-251-1189
FAX: 828-251-1481
www.carolinaorganicgrowers.com
manager@carolinaorganicgrowers.com]]> Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:54:16 -0700 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=1969