For more information go to http://www.mda.state.mn.us/organic/conference .

See what's happening at Tochi's in December

Announcement of a full time, benefited position opening for CSA manager

December 12, 2010

CSA Farm Manager
At MRCI- New Ulm, New Ulm, Minnesota
To be filled by March 1, 2011

I am looking for a qualified individual who:

- is interested in working with people with disabilities
- has commercial experience in Organic Gardening
- has supervisory skills.

Company Backgrounds:

Putting Green, Inc. has the mission to educate and inspire people to make informed choices for a healthy planet. An environmental themed Mini-golf park designed, developed, and operated by young people was their starting project. Another one of Putting Green's goals is to inspire and train our young people to be the leaders of tomorrow by giving them the opportunity to discover, create and innovate, and be the next, better stewards of our natural resources.

Growing Green Mini-Farm started growing in 2008. We served 50 CSA members in 2010 and plan to expand to 70 members in 2011. Future plans include developing value added products and animal husbandry projects along with educational projects.

MRCI-New Ulm position description:

The Growing Green Mini-Farm is one of these sites. MRCI-New Ulm wants to build this to be its primary work community worksite (currently it is the 4th largest site).

Benefits: This is a full time position with Vacation, Sick leave, Holiday, Retirement Plan, Health, Dental and Life insurance benefits.

Contact: Georg Marti, Branch Manager 507-276-5637
gmarti@mrciworksource.org This 2011 CSA Farm Manager position will be located at Growing Green in New Ulm. Contact Georg Marti to apply

Noreen Thomas announces December 11 deadline for ordering hams and other products from My Sister's Farm buying club

December 10, 2010. Noreen says that there is a tight turn around for the buying club this month because their pork is still alive, and they need to order those fresh smoked hams this weekend.

These hams will never be frozen, and they will be German smoked the old fashioned way. They are $4.50 a pound, 8 pounds each or 16 pounds for whole hams, bone in. There is a limited supply.

She asks you to email her by Saturday (tomorrow) to place your order. (See the My Sister's Farm contact information in the left margin.) You will be able to pick up your ham on December 22, between 4-6 pm at Sydneys. Bring coolers!

Other products will be delivered December 15th from 4-6 pm, at Sydneys' Health Market, 810 30 Ave S, Moorhead, MN. The list of products and order form are below.

    Eggs- 3.00 a dozen- no GMO"S no cages, no arsenic,  
    Chickens- 2.50 a pound-no cages, no GMOS, raised on organic farm by youth
    Pototoes- 20.00 for 50 pounds Hugh's garden- organic spuds
    
    Applie pies- 10.00 made by ahnd using organic apples- no corn syrup by Esther
    Pecan Pies- 11.00 made by hand no corn syrup made by Esther
    Oatmeal pie- 10.00 a blend of wholesom grians - perfect fro breakfast- made by Esther
    Amish egg noodles- - 6.00 a pound made by Esther
    
    She also has organic carrots, purple cabbage. Ask Noreen for details. 


    HAMS- Dec 22nd-  quantity_________________________________________________  
    
    Name_________________________________________________________________________
    
    Phone number_______________________________________________________________
    
    Order_________________________________________________________________
    
    
    ___________________________________________________________________________ 

Consultant: Greenhouses provide cleaner produce

December 10, 2010. GRASSTON, Minn. — Most of the produce hitting the grocery store today is grown out of the country and consumers have no idea what goes into that produce, especially if it was field grown.

Steve Froehlich, a greenhouse consultant and ag engineer who is also a producer, spoke in Jamestown on Thursday on the challenges and value of growing greenhouse produce. His greenhouses in Grasston, Minn., produce tomatoes and leaf lettuce for the commercial market. By: Toni Pirkl. Read more at The Jamestown Sun.

Coop de ville: chicken-raising goes urban

Bayer settles U.S. rice contamination case

December 10, 2010. (Reuters) - Germany's Bayer AG has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a group of Texas rice growers over claims the company's experimental biotech rice contaminated the U.S. supply four years ago and decimated exports. Read more.

Seed Alliance publishes annual report

December 10, 2010. Looking forward to 2011 and beyond, our mission to support the ethical development and stewardship of seed remains critical. The urgency of our work is echoed in the voices of farmers concerned about their right to save seed; evidenced in farmers’ requests for training in seed production; and expressed by the organic food industry and eaters who demand food that is free of genetically engineered (GE) ingredients. Read more.

Women 'Fixing' Food: WFAN annual conference scheduled

December 10, 2010. Check out the Women, Food, & Agriculture Network website, where you can learn about their winter conference scheduled for January 29 in Des Moines, among many other things.

USDA grant will promote organic farming in Indiana and start student organic farm

Two more stories about the sugar beets

November 5, 2010. The court order to destry genetically-modified sugar beets is causing quite a few comments. Curiously, I don't see much in the Fargo Forum, right here in the middle of beet-production country.

The New York Times reports: Court decisions that have suspended the planting of genetically modified sugar beets could result in a sharp decline in American sugar production in the next two years, leading to possible price increases for consumers and food processors, according to experts and farmers. Read more.

Fast Company reports: Food giant Monsanto is so large that it can disrupt an entire food supply chain--the sweetest one there is. A court battle over genetically modified Monsanto sugar beets may lead to a drop in U.S. sugar production over the next two years, driving up prices for shoppers and food processors alike. Read more.

Fast Company links an earlier background story that begins--The world of genetically modified agriculture has become so contentious that a judge ordered Monsanto seedlings to be removed from the soil this week. U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White issued the ruling after Monsanto ignored his August ruling, which deemed the planting and sale of the company's "Roundup Ready" sugar beets illegal, due to insufficient environmental review from the USDA.

Judge Orders Destruction of Monsanto Genetically Modified Beets

December 4, 2010
Paul Voosen, Greenwire
The report begins: "A federal judge ordered the destruction last night of a batch of genetically modified sugar beets that he said had been planted illegally with the approval of the Agriculture Department." Read more.

Dangers of suggesting cows should eat grass

December 3, 2010. Reading the latest issue of Mother Earth News, I found reference to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education that tells the story of an applicant for a position is sustainable agriculture at Iowa State.

Written by By Thomas Bartlett, the article begins this way: When Ricardo Salvador applied for the directorship of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, at Iowa State University, he seemed like a shoo-in. Mr. Salvador is well known in sustainable-agriculture circles for being both soft-spoken and forthright, possessing an easy command of the issues and a knack for putting complex problems into context. Plus, as a former professor at Iowa State, he was already familiar with the university and with the difficulties faced by Iowa farmers. Read more.

Farming Forward: CSCA screening (low definition version)

Farming Forward: CSCA screening (low definition version) from Martin Lang on Vimeo.

Farming Forward presents several possible answers, revealing the surprising diversity and vitality of Minnesota’s next crop of sustainable growers. From fourth generation farming families to freshly-minted college farmers, these dedicated people offer an inspiring glimpse into their shared passions: community, the planet, and outstanding food.

Published at http://vimeo.com/15168171.

Food Safety Modernization Act Passes Senate

Food&Water Watch Publishes Map of Factory Farms in U. S.

Cass Clay Wholesome Food Co-op Blog Offers Information on Progress

December 1, 2010. If you would like to learn more about plans to open a food coop in the Fargo-Moorhead area, visit the Cass Clay Wholesome Food Co-op blog where you will find information about the planning committee meetings, about other food co-ops in the region, and about how to donate. See their map of co-ops in the region.

MDA sponsors biodiversity workshops for crop and livestock farmers

November 30, 2010. ST. PAUL, Minn. – Mob grazing? Native pollinators? Could be names of garage bands, but we’re actually talking about ways farmers can improve biological activity on their farms. Two upcoming workshops for crop and livestock farmers will focus on using mob grazing methods to build soil and increase ecosystem health and how to create the right habitat to attract insects and other pollinators. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture sponsored workshops will be held January 13, 2011 in St. Cloud.

• Mob Grazing - What Ultra High Stock Density Can Do for You* will be taught by Terry Gompert, an extension grazing expert and cattleman from Nebraska. The mob grazing approach uses large concentrations of animals to graze in small paddocks for very short periods of time, sometimes only for a few hours or a day. The results are better nutrient distribution, weed control, soil health and condition, pasture composition, and forage utilization. The workshop will emphasize beef cattle but dairy, sheep and goat producers may also find it informative.
• Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators on Your Farm* will feature entomologist Jennifer Hopwood, Midwest Pollinator Outreach Coordinator for The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and Minnesota fruit grower Jackie Hoch. More than 30 percent of the food in the American diet depends on pollination services provided by insects, according to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but even products like milk and meat as insects produce the seed for alfalfa and clovers, which are part of most livestock diets. While the modern agricultural landscape in the Upper Midwest provides few food sources for pollinators, there are many simple and interesting ways farmers can provide the habitat and food sources they need.

Both workshops are scheduled January 13, 2011 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at a cost of $35 each. Registration materials are available at www.mda.state.mn.us/adfa or by calling 651-201-6012.

Minnesota Public Radio Focuses on Local Foods

November 20, 2010. If you haven't had a chance to visit Minnesota Public Radio's website lately, you might have missed their stories on local foods. Take a look by going to Local Food: What's Next? There you will find stories like these:

Chefs, farmers meet online for local food. Local food salads An experiment to get more locally grown food on resort menus this summer by six Brainerd chefs and eight area farmers was one of a variety of efforts on the local food front. It showed both how things might work and why it's difficult. . . .

In Milan, the harvest lasts all year. Carol Ford and Chuck Waibel operate Garden Goddess Greenhouse and sell fresh produce to 20 families all winter. Now they want to expand operations, growing more and acting as a middleman for neighboring farms to reach the growing local food market. . . .

Dean Hulse and Fred Kirschenmann Comment on ELCA Discussion of Moral Elements of Farming

By: Dean Hulse, Fargo

Published by the Fargo Forum, November 16, 2010

While the current debate is on biotechnology, the underlying issue extends back generations and involves economic policies more than it does science. Whether a larger, faster machine or a biotech marvel, technological advancements are increasingly more costly. Hence, the mantra to “get big or get out,” the rallying cry of many agricultural policymakers dating back to the Eisenhower administration.

Clearly, getting bigger makes a farmer more economically efficient – that is, he or she can spread fixed costs across more acres and thereby benefit from “economies of scale.” But there’s a downside: Another farmer has to get out. The depopulation of North Dakota’s countryside is a social cost that few are willing to acknowledge, let alone attach to the cost of our subsidized cheap food.

Nonetheless, there are moral considerations to be made concerning our farming practices. To its credit, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is attempting to formulate some of those considerations.

But Sarah Wilson is one who disagrees. Quoted in the article, Wilson, a fifth-generation farmer originally from Maryland, says, “The basic principle I keep coming back to is that I do not believe it is the church’s place to give recommendations on farm management practices. We go to church to worship and study Scripture, but from there it is up to individuals to apply the lessons we’ve learned in our lives.”

Recall that in order for one farmer to get bigger, another farmer must get out. In other words, one farmer’s management decisions may require him, or her, to seek another’s land. Now, consider the following from Deuteronomy (5:21): “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Furthermore, consider what Jesus might have to say about corporations that use “stewardship agreements” to forbid farmers to save seed, a practice as old as civilization itself. The methods by which these corporations seek power and wealth are not unlike those the Pharisees used in Jesus’ day.

Yes, there indeed are moral considerations to be made concerning our farming practices. Thank God for those denominations willing to speak up.

Hulse lives in Fargo. He is the author of a book about growing up on a farm near Westhope, N.D., “Westhope: Life as a Former Farm Boy.” He is an activist for issues of land use, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. Fargo ND 58102

Fred Kirschenmann, Leopold Center at Iowa State, responds to Dean Hulse's comments.

November 16, 2010. While it is certainly true that economies of scale increase efficiencies---they do so only up to a point. Mike Duffy, ag economist at Iowa State University, did an analysis of actual Iowa farms a few years ago to determine whether economies of scale continued to improve efficiencies indefinitely. What he discovered is that a typical corn/soybean farm in Iowa improved its efficiencies as it got bigger but only up to about 600-900 acres. After that there were no further efficiency gains---in fact in some instances some efficiencies were lost. (This makes sense when you think about the fact that as farms get bigger they have to travel farther to service the land.) A typical market hog operation in Iowa reached its peak efficiency at about 1200 hogs per year, according to Duffy’s study. Interestingly enough these size farms would be regarded as “family size farms” by most Iowans.

A few years ago I learned what actually drives farms to get bigger even when no further output-for-input efficiencies are being gained. I had the opportunity to sit next to one of Cargill’s top meat marketers at a dinner meeting. When he found out who I was he asked me what I thought the future of family farms was. I told him that if we continued down our current path most of them would be gone in the next 5 to 10 years. He replied that he thought I was right. Then he asked me “what about the big farms?” I replied---“As long as they can figure out how to continue to get bigger and operate on thinner margins they can survive, but eventually they will be in trouble as well.” He replied, “I think you are right, in fact WE cannot make a profit selling to Walmart anymore.” I turned to him and said, “Wait a minute, you are Cargill!” He said, “Yes, but you don’t understand how it works. When a big box retailer like Walmart needs a new product they will go to 7 or 8 of us that they know can provide them with the product they need in the quantity they need, and they will ask us to give them out best price. None of us wants to lose such an account, so we all sharpen our pencils and give them the best price we think we can live with. Then they will select three of us and say, ‘Now give us your REAL price.’ So we have no choice but to reduce our transaction costs in order to service the account and still make a profit. And the best way to reduce our transaction costs is to buy from the biggest farmers. It is simply cheaper for us to by 10,000 hogs from one farmer, than to buy a 1,000 hogs from 10 farmers, so that is what we have to do.” Suddenly, I understood how the system works and why the farmers “in the middle” are going out of business at an unprecedented rate. It has nothing to do with on farm efficiencies, it has everything to do with market concentration.

The Documentary Fresh to be Shown, November 22

November 12, 2010. On Monday, November 22nd, Trinity Lutheran Church will show Fresh at 7 pm. Trinity is located at 210 7th St South, Moorhead. They say, "Join us for a showing of the critically acclaimed documentary Fresh, followed by a discussion on: • our roles as consumers and citizens • the ethics and politics of food security • organic and urban gardening movements • global hunger issues • accessibility to healthy foods for all within our local communities Doors open at 6:30pm, movie begins at 7pm A free-will offering will be taken."

New Look for Fargo Local Foods Website

November 7, 2010. The Fargo Local Foods website has been on sabbatical for nearly two years and has just recently been reactivated. You are looking at a new design for the site, which will have the appearance of a blog, but we are leaving a link to our old website (see archives to the left). Look for new stories and announcements here. Those that are most recent will appear at the top.

New issue of The Seedling now Available

Second Annual 100-MILE Thanksgiving Farmers Market on Tuesday, November 9th from 4-7pm in the Concordia College Campus Center.

November 7, 2010. Come and meet the farmers and producers of all the items you will want to serve on Thanksgiving Day. Reserve a free-range turkey to be delivered fresh (never frozen) on the 23rd. Purchase fresh, seasonal and organic vegetables including potatoes, carrots, onions, and parsnips. Pick up some Haralson apples for pies and sauces and sweeten both with locally produced honey. Also available are the best quality, homemade dips and chips that you will want to serve as appetizers. Remember also to show off the entire feast with locally-made beeswax candles of different shapes & sizes. Choose to have your Thanksgiving Day celebration in 2010 reflect integrity for people & the environment.

Workshop on Selling Local Scheduled for Nov. 16 in St. Cloud

November 7, 2010. A workshop on the practical aspects of selling local, sustainably-raised food to a health care facility will be held Tuesday, Nov. 16, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., at University Lutheran Church of the Epiphany (390 4th Ave. S.) in St. Cloud.

This Land Stewardship Project (LSP) workshop is open to farmers, dietitians, food service directors for health care facilities and the general public. The fee is $10 per person, payable at the door. If you are an LSP member or currently enrolled in or a graduate of LSP's Farm Beginnings program, the workshop is free. Seating is limited; to reserve a seat, contact Tom Taylor at 320-269-2105 or ttaylor@landstewardshipproject.org.

Workshop participants will hear firsthand how best to prepare for selling food directly to a health care facility. Presenters include: Greg Reynolds of Riverbend Farm; Jane Yetter, the chef/kitchen manager for the MainStreet Lodge at Catholic Elder Care in Northeast Minneapolis; Sister Pat Ruether, a dietician and the food buyer for St. Benedict Monastery and St. Scholastica Convent; and Marie Kulick from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Topics to be addressed include marketing to heath care facilities, regulations, liability insurance, on-site logistics, sales skills, educational materials, price and billing arrangements. Participants will also be guided through a self-assessment worksheet to help them decide if, when and how marketing to health care facilities fits into their individual farm goals and work plans.

Grants Writing Webinar for FY 2011 to be held November 22, 2010

Nov. 7, 2010. USDA-NIFA is conducting a webinar on November 22, 2010 between 2:00 and 3:30 pm to assist grantees write competitive grants applications to this program the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). The purpose of this group is to develop and offer education, outreach, mentoring and internships for beginning farmers and ranchers.

The FY 2011 BFRDP Request For Application (RFA) was published in October 26, 2010 and the proposals are due on December 22, 2010. Additional information about BFRDP and the Request For Application (RFA) is available at: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/beginningfarmerandrancher.cfm.

Additional Information: Suresh Sureshwaran, 202-720-7536 or ssureshwaran@nifa.usda.gov Antonio McLaren, 202-720-5997 or amclaren@nifa.usda.gov