RSS feed for the OCA California forum http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:24:49 -0800 5 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=3091 http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/09/proposed...roduce-growers/

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 06:17:26 -0700 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=3091 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2961 http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/08/05/18614040.php
http://www.lbamspray.com/eirdraft.html

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) wants to spray your apartment, home, school, and hospitals with proven toxins and carcinogens that have injured hundreds of residents and over 650 birds. They will be coming to your area and will try to tell you that the eradication program is safe when it is not, they will try to tell you their programs is necessary when it is harmful, and they will try to tell you their program is the cure-all when it is will solve nothing.

We were spray in 2007 and it was traumatic, so many animals’ dies and so many people go sick. There was yellow gook in our water and ocean that cause the largest red tide in over 40 years.



Hearing:
August 19, 2009 - Long Beach
Main Library
101 Pacific Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90822

August 20, 2009 - Carpinteria
Carpinteria Branch Library
5141 Carpinteria Ave
Carpinteria, CA 93013


Arrive early for a presentation from California Alliance to Stop the Spray about the danger of the CDFA’s LBAM Eradication Program.

DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH MURDER!!
We were spray in 2007 and it was traumatic, so many animals’ dies and so many people go sick. There was yello gook in out water and ocean that cause the larges red tide in over 40 years.
Hearing:
August 19, 2009 - Long Beach
Main Library
101 Pacific Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90822

August 20, 2009 - Carpinteria
Carpinteria Branch Library
5141 Carpinteria Ave
Carpinteria, CA 93013
Arrive early for a presentation from California Alliance to Stop the Spray about the danger of the CDFA’s LBAM Eradication Program.

DO NOT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH MURDER!!


Department’s website: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PDEP/lbam/envimpactrpt.html. Public
hearings to receive comments on the content of the PEIR will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 pm
on the dates and at locations below:

August 19, 2009 - Long Beach
Main Library
101 Pacific Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90822

August 20, 2009 - Carpinteria
Carpinteria Branch Library
5141 Carpinteria Ave
Carpinteria, CA 93013

August 24, 2009 - Fresno
CSU Fresno, University Business Center
5245 N. Backer Ave
Fresno, CA 93740

August 25, 2009 - Sacramento
Dept. of Health Services
East End Complex
1500 Capitol Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95814

August 26, 2009 - Sonoma
Sonoma County Veterans Memorial Hall
126 First Street West
Sonoma, CA 95476

August 31, 2009 - Watsonville
Civic Plaza Community Rooms A and B
Watsonville Civic Plaza
275 Main Street, 4th Floor
Watsonville, CA 95076


September 1, 2009 - Oakland
Elihu M. Harris Building
Auditorium
1515 Clay Street
Oakland, CA 94612
http://www.lbamspray.com/eirdraft.html]]> Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:47:21 -0700 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2961 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2946 Investor interested in contracting with Earth friendly growers. Looking for ranchers, farmers, orchards, vineyards, etc with the purpose of producing clean food without pesticides, chemicals or hormones. Interested in assisting large producers, small or anywhere in-between. In exchange for our financial assistance we will require a percentage of your production.

Tell us about your operation, your plans, goals and dreams. Then tell us how we can help.

If you are having financial trouble and are in jeopardy of loosing your place, we can help.

Let’s dialog.

Ebediah
Ebediah@gmail.com
]]> Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:51:11 -0700 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2946 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2667
www.unique-design.net/garden/intro.htm

Lawrence Turner]]> Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:46:38 -0700 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2667 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2480
Does anyone have suggestions or info?]]> Sat, 07 Feb 2009 13:50:43 -0800 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2480 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2417 gfh Fri, 26 Dec 2008 11:11:10 -0800 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2417 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2339
el segundo,ca]]> Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:07:53 -0800 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2339 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2293 anyone know of any restaurants in downtown S.D. that have grass fed meat, free range eggs on the menu? Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:37:33 -0800 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2293 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2071
We need your support and need to keep applying pressure. Here is how you can help......

1) Attend rally tomorrow.

2) Forward this e-mail out to friends

3) Call Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggerʼs office at 916-445-2841 and
follow the menus to voice your opinion.

Positivity is a force multiplier! Come on out and show your support!

Come support SB201
http://claravaledairy.com/]]> Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:23:43 -0700 http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2071