Organic Broadcaster | September 2021 | Volume 29, Issue 5

Organic Farm Practices vs.

Crop Insurance Page 5

Pipeline Foods Bankruptcy

Climate-Smart Farming

Page 7

Page 13

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Volume 29 | Number 5

Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service

September | October 2021

Central Illinois co-op bridges the gap between farmers, institutional buyers

By Jeff Hake

An ambitious project is underway in Mt. Pulaski, Illinois. In almost the geographic center of the state, a bit north and east of the state capital, local farmers and food systems advocates have been working with the city to establish a cooperative fresh food processing facility since March 2020. If you feel like you’ve heard of Mt. Pulaski before, it may be from an article in the July/August 2020 issue of the Organic Broadcaster that discussed the city’s successful effort to open a cooperative grocery store on their square, years after their last grocery closed.

Central Illinois can seem like both the first and the last place you would expect to see a movement to regrow a local food economy. It seems logical, after all, that one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions would produce tons of food, that its economy would revolve around the success and well-being of its farmers, and that the people there would eat a lot of fresh, local food.

But this is the epicenter of Big Ag, focused on row crop production of corn and soybeans by the millions of acres, stretching in every direction. Very little actual food is grown here: Illinois imports 96% of what we eat from outside the state. The small towns of Central Illinois are prototypical examples of rural decline.

Through the forces of economics and policies, small towns declined, people moved away, farms got big or got out, and those that remained essentially stopped raising food. What remained was a culture and an economy built around agriculture, and a very specific brand of it, but certainly not around food.

Now, the only infrastructure devoted to agriculture

Kaitie Adams is an interim board member of Central Illinois FarmFED Co-op and is the Community Agroforester for Midwest Agroforestry Solutions. Kaitie co-owns Red Crib Acres with her husband, John Williams.

Photo by Jeff Hake

is the rail lines and grain elevators that still serve a purpose for the two crops that occupy nearly all our acreage. So, while Central Illinois can grow huge volumes of incredible food, those crops exist in a vacuum, estranged from the many people who would eat them if they had access to them but instead eat inferior foods brought in from around the world.

What we’re trying to do here, then, is really quite

practical. We are attempting to create a missing piece of that food system infrastructure that will raise the ceiling on growth for our small but determined collection of fresh food growers while also letting them do more of the good work they set out to do in the first place: feeding their communities well.

Our initial idea is not extravagant. After many Illinois Co-op continues on 6

Building a Grade A Dairy through a second MOSES mentorship

By Sarah Woutat

PO Box 339, Spring Valley, WI 54767

NONPROFIT ORG

Cella Langer and Emmet Fisher of Oxheart Farm always knew they wanted to have a dairy as part of their farm, but also knew it would take a lot of infrastructure, and they would have to wait a few years.

They both grew up in agriculture, Cella on a homestead in Massachusetts, and Emmet on a diversified vegetable farm in western Wisconsin. After interning on and managing vegetable farms around the country, in 2013 they secured a lease for land in southern Wisconsin.

Through the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm

Knowing that dairy was a long-term goal of Cella and Emmet’s, Kat and Tony augmented a visit to Stony Acres with a tour of a neighbor’s Grade A dairy farm, Clover Meadows Family Farm, which sells glass bottled milk and yogurt. Langer recalls, “Touring the dairy farm with Kat and Tony, and that introduction was a huge turning point for us in realizing the dairy dream. It was the first time we had seen, in Wisconsin at a very small scale, a Grade A dairy. This was what we could actually, realistically do! It was very eyeopening and exciting. So, we based our model off of that. We stayed in touch with that farmer and went back to visit once we had started construction of our Cella Langer and Emmet Fisher of Oxheart Farm benefited creamery.” from a MOSES Farmer-to-Farmer mentorship for their Grade In Spring of 2017, Cella and Emmet bought their A dairy. fi rst two bottle calves. “It’s a long process”, said Langer.

Photo by Oxheart Farm “We knew we wanted to raise our own calves. Once you buy them, raise them, then wait one and a half years to breed them, and another nine months for Beginnings Program, they mapped out a plan for them to have calves, then leave the calves on, it’s the first few years of their farm: they started with a another two months before you have any milk.” very small vegetable CSA (Community Supported They bought their farm in Hager City, Wisconsin, Agriculture), pastured pork, and meat birds, and sold in 2018. That February, they attended an Organic at the farmers market. After three years they moved University course on Organic Dairy at the MOSES to another piece of rented land, closer to Hager City, Organic Farming Conference taught by Francis Wisconsin.

In the winter of 2014, they began Land Stewardship Thicke. After that, they knew that when they were ready for a dairy mentorship, they wanted to work Project’s two-year Journeyperson Course, and in with Francis.

February of 2015 were paired with their first MOSES After submitting their plan to the Department of mentors. They had met Kat Becker and Tony Schultz of Ag for pre-approval, Cella and Emmet had the cement Stony Acres Farm at a conference (Kat now owns and operates Cattail Organics) and requested to work with floor for the facility poured on Halloween of 2019.

“The plan was to work on it over the winter and start them as mentors with a focus on veggies, pastured meats, and mushrooms. “The mentorship with Kat and selling milk in spring 2020”, Langer shared. “COVID hit and we hadn’t bought our equipment yet, so we Tony was great – we got a lot out of it for our veggie production,” said Langer.

Grade A Dairy continues on 12

TM

Volume 29, #5

September | October 2021

Editor

Jenica Caudill

Advertising Coordinator

Tom Manley

Digital Content Producer

Stephanie Coffman

The Organic BroadcasterTM is a bimonthly newspaper published by the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), a nonprofit that provides education, resources, and practical advice to farmers.

Opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

Inclusion of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of a product. We reserve the right to refuse inappropriate advertising. ©2021 MOSES

Content may be reprinted with permission.

Contact organicbroadcaster@mosesorganic.org Content Submissions or Inquiries: organicbroadcaster@mosesorganic.org Display Advertising: Thomas@mosesorganic.org or 888-90-MOSES Classified Advertising: Sophia@mosesorganic.org or mosesorganic.org/organic-classifieds Subscription: mosesorganic.org/sign-up or 888-90-MOSES

MOSES is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit qualified to receive tax-deductible donations.

Support resilient organic, sustainable, and regenerative farms by donating: MOSES, P.O. Box 339, Spring Valley, WI 54767

Farm wisdom toward community, compassion, and collective struggle

By Lori Stern, MOSES Executive Director

Organic farmers understand systems. There are multiple variables that allow a plant or animal to thrive on our farms. The dips and hills in our fields provide unequal access to soil and water for vegetables and row crops. When there is struggle, there is often disease that can spread.

To compensate, we test and amend, water more or less.

It is in our best interest to keep all of the components of a system functioning.

We do not blame the corn row, apple trees, or spinach plant. We recognize that all conditions and starts are not equal. That the viability of our farm enterprise is dependent on the health and resilience of all members.

And yet, counter to what our farm systems tell us, we’re witnessing intense expressions of anger over the federal and state efforts to finally—belatedly—provide some economic support to Black, Brown, and Indigenous farmers. Farmers who have historically been excluded from accessing such resources, as the result of centuries of hurtful policies and practices, broken treaties and promises, that were meant to do just that: exclude.

Today we see the impacts of those policies: Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Indigenous farmers collectively make up less than 5% of all farmers in the United States. The fact that what these farmers have in common is their non-whiteness has resulted in a politicization of the conversation. It has deepened the divide between farmers and made rural places, where land is less expensive, feel uninhabitable and unsafe for nonwhite farmers, further exacerbating the challenge of access to farmland.

So, let’s set race aside, and review the lived experience among those of us committed to agriculture and shared communities.

My Lived Experience: A Short Quiz 1. Are you and your family homeowners or landowners?

Online: mosesorganic.org/donate

MOSES educates, inspires, and empowers farmers to thrive in a sustainable, organic system of agriculture.

2. Were you raised by your mother and/or father (biological or adoptive)?

3. Did any of the public schools you attended undergo improvements like remodeling, expansion, or new equipment purchases?

4. If you experienced the death of a classmate or friend, was it a result of an accident (car, farm, drowning) or illness, rather than violence?

5. Have you (or could you have) attended college or graduate school?

6. Do you have a safety net composed of family or friends to call on when you need a financial favor?

7. Are any of your bills or credit cards on autopay?

8. Do you trust the police and court system to work in your best interest and protect you?

9. Has anyone in your family received treatment for mental health issues or addiction without threat of being sent to prison?

10. Have you or do you expect to inherit money or property?

11. When you go to banks and businesses in your community, or in communities where you travel, do you feel comfortable striking up a conversation with people you do not know?

How many ‘yes’ answers did you get? Consider how difficult it would it be for someone with more ’nos’ than ’yeses‘ to get a farm loan, to buy land so that they have equity to access funding, or to feel that they have the skills and support to make it in farming.

I think we rarely consider those ‘yeses’ as things that give us advantage. It is easy to assume that everyone has the same experience. When we have days or seasons of crop loss, personal and financial struggle, our ‘yeses’ provide us options that others may not have. And that is what is unfair and needs to be addressed.

These are the impacts of racism. As small and mid-scale farmers, there is no shortage of obstacles we all face in the U.S. agricultural landscape. Instead of focusing on what divides us, we can work together in support of one another, toward real solutions that address the shortcomings in the food and farming system. Struggling farmers and families hurt us all.

We can agree to fix a system that keeps some of us from thriving.

MOSES Team:

Board of Directors:

Lori Stern, Executive Director | lori@mosesorganic.org

Mike Bollinger | River Root Farm, Iowa

Chuck Anderas, Program Specialist | chuck@mosesorganic.org

Sylvia Burgos Toftness | Bull Brook Keep, Wis.

Sarah Broadfoot, Project Manager | sarahb@mosesorganic.org Sophia Cleveland, Administrative Coor. | sophia@mosesorganic.org

Dela Ends | Scotch Hill Farm, Wis.

Jenica Caudill, Dir. of Development & Marketing | jenica@mosesorganic.org

Regi Haslett-Marroquin | Northfield, Minn.

Stephanie Coffman, Presentation Coor. | stephanie@mosesorganic.org

Clare Hintz | Elsewhere Farm, Wis.

Tom Manley, Partnership Director | thomas@mosesorganic.org

Charlie Johnson | Johnson Farms, SD

Jennifer Nelson, Land Access Navigator | jennifer@mosesorganic.org

David Perkins | Vermont Valley Farm, Wis.

Hannah Westfall, Comm. & Marketing Specialist | hannah@mosesorganic.org Sarah Woutat, Farmer Advancement Coor. | sarahw@mosesorganic.org On-Farm Organic Specialist Team | specialist@mosesorganic.org

Sara Tedeschi | Dog Hollow Farm, Wis. Darin Von Ruden | Von Ruden Family Farm, Wis.

mosesorganic.org | 888-90-MOSES

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Are children, agricultural workers, and the food supply safe with the EPA’s chlorpyrifos decision?

By Jay Feldman, Beyond Pesticides

Does a science-based, public health-oriented, occupational safetyfocused, childrenconcerned, ecologically protective society allow the use of toxic pesticides that are unnecessary to achieve land management, quality of life, and food productivity goals? Should victims of poisoning have to plead with regulators to protect them? Should organizations have to fight chemicalby-chemical to achieve basic levels of protection from individual neurotoxic, cancer causing, endocrine disrupting pesticides? Of course not. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement that it is stopping food uses of the insecticide chlorpyrifos after being registered 65 years ago provides us with an important opportunity for reflection, not just celebration.

The collective effort to remove this one chemical is a tremendous feat in eliminating one exposure to a hazardous material for children. That is the point.

The action we’re celebrating required an amazingly resource-intensive effort at a time in history when we are running against the clock in an urgent race to transition our society and global community away from the use of petroleum-based, toxic pesticides— and move to meaningful practices that sustain, nurture, and regenerate life.

The picture is clear. Even in a victory, like the EPA’s chlorpyrifos decision, the action is typically filled with exceptions that respond to vested interests seeking to ignore or deflect the science.

In this context, let’s put chlorpyrifos in perspective.

The EPA was forced into its decision by a court order following the agency’s decision to reverse course after proposing to stop food uses of chlorpyrifos in 2017.

Despite a mountain of scientific data challenging chlorpyrifos’s safety, it was embraced by industrial agriculture, the golf industry, and others, and deemed too valuable to the bottom line of its manufacturer, Corteva (formerly Dow AgroSciences). Pesticide manufacturers are also motivated to steer the EPA away from adverse health and environmental effects findings on their products in order to avoid potential litigation by those harmed.

In its May 2021 ruling, The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco mandated EPA

INSIDE ORGANICS Viewpoints from members of the organic community action, saying, “The EPA has had nearly 14 years to publish a legally sufficient response to the 2007 Petition [filed by environmental and farmworker groups].” The court continued, “During that time, the EPA’s egregious delay exposed a generation of American children to unsafe levels of chlorpyrifos.”

But before all the recent activity, in 1999, the EPA had negotiated a compromise with Dow that stopped most residential uses of chlorpyrifos. Why? For the same reason that the EPA finally acted on food. This neurotoxic chemical is harmful to children. That was 22 years ago and followed a campaign by Beyond Pesticides and others to remove Dursban/chlorpyrifos from the market because of indoor ambient air contamination of homes and buildings, and lawn and landscape exposure.

It should be noted that Dursban was viewed with promise by regulators as the alternative to the organochlorine insecticide chlordane, which Beyond Pesticides sued to remove from the termite use market—a remaining use after the agricultural, lawn, and garden uses were finally taken off the market in 1983, with decades of review by numerous agencies. Its cancer-causing properties and ecological effects could no longer be defended. The cancellation of termite use followed in 1988 after millions of homes were potentially contaminated, with high risk factors for cancer.

With all this as context for the chemical treadmill, next up after chlorpyrifos may be the insecticide bifenthrin. It too is a neurotoxic, cancer-causing, endocrine disrupting pesticide. And if that is not enough, there are others waiting in the wings.

The picture is clear. Even in a victory, like the EPA’s chlorpyrifos decision, the action is typically filled with exceptions that respond to vested interests seeking to ignore or deflect the science. With chlorpyrifos, the EPA, since announcing its decision in 1999 to ban “residential” uses of chlorpyrifos, continues to allow the following uses: (i) Residential use of containerized baits; (ii) Indoor areas where children will not be exposed, including only ship holds, railroad boxcars, industrial plants, manufacturing plants, or food processing plants; (iii) Outdoor areas where children will not be exposed, including only: golf courses, road medians, Industrial plant sites; (iv) Non-structural wood treatments including: fenceposts, utility poles, railroad ties, landscape timers, logs, pallets, wooden containers, poles, posts, and processed wood products; (v) Public health uses: Fire ant mounds (drench and

granular treatment); (vi) nurseries and greenhouses; and (vii) Mosquito control. These uses are unaffected by the EPA’s August 18th announcement.

Corteva’s statement prior to the EPA announcement was predictable, as the company and the chemical industry generally pushes pesticide dependency: “Chlorpyrifos is a critical pest management tool used by growers around the world to manage many pests. . .

We will continue to support the growers who need this important product.” Similarly, the pesticide industry’s partner, the Golf Course Superintendents Association, stated, “Chlorpyrifos is a vital tool for controlling damaging pests on golf courses.” These are self-serving statements because the industry’s products create ongoing product dependency by focusing on killing organisms and life in the soil, rather than preventing pest problems with cultural practices and soil supplements that work in concert with nature and create resiliency.

The history of chlorpyrifos is a shining example of the failure of pesticide law and policy, which has set a course for the nation that is inherently destructive of life. The good news is that we have the tools to course correct.

In the absence of a functional federal system that sticks to the science in an effort to protect public health and the environment, states have intervened to fill the void. The pattern with chlorpyrifos is not any different than the history of state intervention on chemicals like DDT, Chlordane, 2,4,5-T, Ethylene Dibromide, and numerous others, where states have acted to curtail specific pesticide use, in some cases years ahead of the EPA. Hawaii, New York, Maryland, and Maine all acted to different degrees to restrict chlorpyrifos in advance of the EPA. In response to the Maine chlorpyrifos ban in June 2021, Rick Deadwyler, a lobbyist with Corteva AgriScience, was quoted as saying that studies “have shown that current uses of chlorpyrifos meet the U.S. regulatory standard of a “reasonable certainty of no harm.” Therein lies the systemic problem. The EPA is subject to a standard (spelled out in the law’s legislative history or report language) that utilizes a risk assessment process that determines reasonableness. That standard has enabled the agency to assume the need for the chemical and adopt self-described protections from exposure that do not reflect reality. In so doing, the EPA applies margins of safety that are meaningless, or simply ignores mechanisms like synergism, the effect of mixtures, or a lack of information on health Inside Organics continues on 12

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September | October 2021

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What do I need to know to grow food grade field crops?

By Carmen Fernholz

I have produced food grade grains over the years and here are the things to keep in mind if this is your market desire: seed variety, harvest challenges, storage, quality, marketing assistance, and markets.

The first consideration must be the seed variety.

Specific companies require specific seed varieties.

And certain varieties may not perform under specific weather or soil conditions. So, know the characteristics of the seed before you plant.

Attending to the crop in the field is critical if you expect to harvest an acceptable, saleable, food grade product. Keeping weed pressure to a minimum will allow not only for a higher yield but a much more presentable grain in the combine hopper and in the sample that you eventually send to the buyer. Less foreign material in the grain also helps the grain to store better.

When it comes to harvesting, make certain that your equipment is in good condition and is capable of harvesting a marketable crop. Combine settings are critical to get more grain into the hopper as well as to maintain quality. In the case of soybeans, edible beans or peas, splits and damaged seed skins can very quickly cause a rejection of the grain. Harvesting under adverse conditions can stain or discolor the crop significantly impacting its appearance and causing the company to reject the load. Dirt, stones, and weed seed including thistle seed heads and cockle burr bolls may not impact the crop itself, but high enough percentages in a sample will cause serious concerns with the buyer.

Small stones are never good in a food grade grain.

It is important to know what moisture levels the grain should be harvested at. Most grains will harvest and store best in the 10 to 12% moisture range. Food grade corn however can be harvested at a higher moisture and be dried down to storable levels. However, in the drying process it is most critical to not have too high of a heat that will damage the kernel. In this case it will be necessary to consult with the buyer and what their recommendations and requirements might be.

Many buyers will consider test weight and other qualities like protein levels, thins, falling numbers, and cracked or broken kernels, and will very readily reject loads if these percentages are outside their specifications. Know what the buyer wants and produce accordingly. Food grade oats and wheat can be especially challenging. Light, damaged, infected, or thin kernels can fill the hopper but can disqualify a grain very quickly. Turn up the combine fan for small grains and blow these light kernels out the back. Consider them as part of your fall cover crop. Turning up the fan will lower the potential dockage and give the grain a much better appearance.

Storing grain can be a challenging task. Grains can go out of condition and become bug infested or moldy in a matter of days under adverse conditions. I would

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the actual grain of significantly less quality than the sample indicated, come into their facility. Make certain you are sending a representative sample. Take continuous small samples either as the grain is going into the combine hopper or more appropriately when not consider long-term storage of 30 days or more in the grain is being unloaded into a storage facility. a storage facility that does not have full floor aeration. Never just take a sample off the top of a load or the I would also recommend putting the grain in the bin top of a storage bin. And be certain the sample is dry immediately after harvesting and leaving the air off for enough so as not to spoil when being sent. Consider the first 24 hours to allow the grain to do a minimal sending samples on a Monday to avoid the weekend sweat. Then turn on the fans and leave them running delay in a post office somewhere.

24/7 unless you have high humidity or rainy weather A small but significant practice is to have the semiconditions, under which conditions you would tempo- trailer or hopper car sealed. Many reputable compararily turn the fans off. nies will require this in the case of food grade grains. It It is important to remember that some buyers will is for the protection of you as the seller and the comreject a load if they see just a few bugs. And odor will pany as the buyer. Producing food grade grains can be always be a serious consideration for rejection. Any subject to very serious product delinquency lawsuits hint of mold or other foul odors will definitely get so any safeguards you can provide only serve to keep loads rejected. Any signs of bird or rodent droppings these mishaps from occurring. will get a load rejected immediately. It is why I strongly In my years of organic farming, it has always been recommend steel storage facilities. But this means to my advantage and benefit to have a marketer reprekeeping all rodents and birds from access to these bins. sent me to a food grade buyer. There were several times Tightly seal all roof and side wall access doors as well when my grain was rejected only to have my marketer as unloading tubes. Keep in mind always that you are either find a new home for the grain or negotiate with producing human food not livestock feed. the buyer and eventually have the grain accepted with Sampling grains to send to a buyer is a critical a minimal discount. Paying the trucking both ways step. There is nothing more upsetting to a buyer than after a load has been rejected can be expensive. to accept a grain based on the sample and then see In organic food grade field crop production, the additional monetary incentive can sometimes be well worth the extra effort. However, that extra effort can Get answers to your become frustrating and expensive if all of the detailed questions about requirements are not adequately considered and the organic certification! product is not satisfactory to the buyer. In plain language not to have a specific market or even a specific buyer in mind before growing a food grade field crop Free in print or online: is a bad idea. What may sound like a perfect crop for bit.ly/CertificationGuidebook your farm may not be what the buyer has in mind.

Know your market before you grow the crop.

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Crop insurance rules challenge organic and sustainable farming practices

By Jeff Schahczenski

“I am a regenerative organic farmer, and I want to limit tillage and ensure soil health, but crop insurance rules get in the way of developing a resilient system in the face of growing extreme weather and climate disruption,” Craig Schmitt, organic grain farmer, Wolf Point, Montana I wish that Mr. Schmitt’s problem with crop insurance rules and complexities were an exception. The issue of how the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) defines organic, sustainable, and good farming practices continues to cause significant problems for farmers and ranchers trying to develop climate friendly and resilient systems of production in the face of climate disruption.

Many national organizations and federal policymakers worked to change the negative impact of crop insurance rules on the adoption of innovative organic and sustainable practices during the 2018 Farm Bill debate, with limited success.

The federal crop insurance program rules are set by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), administered by the RMA, and implemented through federally subsidized policies serviced by 14 private crop companies (known as Approved Insurance Providers). The rules view past practice as the key determinant of the future. Any deviation from past farming practices that jeopardizes the insured crops’ “ability to make normal progress toward maturity and produce at least the yield used to determine the production guarantee or amount of insurance” is by the federal crop insurance program definition, NOT a Good Farming Practice (GFP).

The innovative changes in practices that are very familiar to sustainable and organic farmers can jeopardize crop insurance coverage because of the likelihood that such practices may have some, difficult to predict, impact on yield. These practices include cover cropping, green-manuring, inter-seeding of cash and non-cash crop, integrating livestock into cover crop production for forage and termination, development of long complex rotations, varying planting spacing, alley cropping, prairie strips, and changing degrees of tillage intensity. But yield maximization is not the only goal for resilient production systems that can adapt to coming climate disruption and neither should it be the only focus of our federal farm programs.

The 2018 Farm Bill attempted to solve these problems. The Senate version of the bill would have required that all conservation-oriented practices be automatically qualified as GFP. The final version

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of the bill unfortunately cut this back to apply only to cover cropping, and then only when the farmer followed either evolving cover crop termination guidance set by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service or received approval by identified agricultural experts.

Unfortunately, the Natural Resources Conservation Service guidance on cover crop termination has not kept up with emerging better practices developed by farmers and cover crop researchers.

Moreover, farmers have little time to search out official sanction by non-farmer experts who often do not have easy answers on how best to adopt a given innovative conservation practice in each ecology and each soil type and cropping system, without impacting historic yield.

What are the solutions?

First, implement policy changes that severely limit the responsibility of the FCIC and RMA in regulating what constitutes good farming and ranching practices. Actuarial accountants, crop insurance agents, and insurance adjusters have limited understanding of what good farming practices are or how they are evolving for particular types of farming and ecologies. Only if a crop insurance agent or adjuster has evidence of fraudulent behavior, where a farmer or rancher is purposefully and willfully engaged in the destruction of their insured production to garner an insurance claim, do they need authority to limit or terminate payment of claims.

Second, any farming and ranching conservation practices that are defined and financially supported

by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, ought to meet a minimum standard of a good farming practice, without any requirement that the farmer prove that the practice will have zero yield impact.

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Third, when certified organic farmers and ranchers are following an approved Organic Systems Plan, this ought to suffice as evidence that good organic practices are being followed.

Finally, further research using crop insurance data to assess the relative yield and price risks of varying systems of production is critical in these times of extreme weather and climate crisis. This is not so much needed to further lower the premium rates of a highly subsidized system of insurance for crop and livestock production, but rather to suggest paths toward further innovation that are critical to the economic viability of farmers and ranchers and their communities.

Scientists agree that extreme weather and climate disruption is going to be our future. Farmers and ranchers need insurance in the short term to weather this future. No matter how resilient the farming or ranching practices that are used, floods, droughts, winds, fires, pests and even volcanoes will continue to be destructive.

Crop insurance is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, crop insurance has tended to reinforce current agriculture practices that are significantly climate-unfriendly and that have been made less risky by subsidized insurance. On the other hand, it has been helpful in maintaining some degree of economic and productive viability which in turn allows farmers and ranchers the very ability to engage in often needed risky production system changes. Growing research is likely confirming this conundrum (AGree, 2021; Wang, R., et. al., 2021).

Mr. Schmitt and other farmers are still waiting for a satisfactory solution to their desire to continue down the path of adopting organic regenerative practices without jeopardizing their ability to be insured through the federal insurance program. The USDA can and should make the needed changes in their policies to remove these barriers to the improvement of a longer-term resilient system of production.

Further Resources: For a more detailed discussion of the issues discussed in this article visit attra.ncat.org for our many National Center for Appropriate Technology and ATTRA publications.

Jeff Schahczenski is an Agricultural and Natural Resource Economist at National Center for Appropriate Technology

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September | October 2021

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Illinois Co-op — from page 1

Katie Bishop (right) of PrairiErth Farm is an interim board member in Atlanta, Illinois. Here she delivers produce to Connie Crawley, Director of Food Service at the Lincoln Elementary School District #27, as part of the local buying program.

Photo by Jeff Hake

months of research and deliberation, starting with a call to investigate the feasibility of a food hub in Mt. Pulaski, we developed a business plan for a for-profit cooperative that would focus on a few key activities.

The most important of these was the creation and operation of a facility that was equipped to purchase bulk fresh produce from local growers (for example, pallet crates of carrots or dozens of bushel bags of sweet corn), lightly process it (chop and quarter the carrots, shuck and shell the sweet corn, etc.), freeze it, and then package it for sale.

We landed on this central premise after extensive interviews with a core group of local growers and institutional buyers, as well as a review of the many similar projects, successful or otherwise, that exist around the United States. Our growers and buyers voted for a cooperative structure over other options such as a non-profit or a simple LLC. Growers offered data and pricing on what kinds of crops they would be willing and able to scale up in terms of production volume, buyers told us how much they could buy at what prices on a variety of crops, and we matched these together to determine our budgets, equipment, and facility needs. This in-depth input from our many regional stakeholders imbued a cooperative ethic into the project before we ever registered as such with the state, and that helps us believe strongly in the power of our idea.

But a lot has to go right in order for a project like this to have a chance. To be truthful, I would not have opted to be part of this if it didn’t appear to have so many things going in the right direction. Central Illinois is far from alone in having these food system shortcomings, but among all the places that could use

this kind of cooperative, our region certainly does not look like a hotbed of advocacy. And yet, this project is happening at the right time, in the right place.

In 2018, the city of Mt. Pulaski applied for and was awarded a Local Food, Local Places grant from the EPA to explore how it could use food as an economic driver. Their planning ultimately led to the opening of the Market on the Hill last year, but along the way, they also discussed the possibility of something like a food hub, fitting in as well as it did with their ongoing grocery efforts.

My wife, Katie Funk, and I initially got involved in the project because we wanted to learn from what they were doing. Mt. Pulaski, with a population of about 1,500 people, is a half hour south of us, and some of our friends were involved in the early stages of the planning funded by the EPA grant. We wanted to see how this all played out and then try to replicate it in our own even smaller village of McLean, where the population is close to 800. I went to their initial community meeting in 2019 and simply could not believe the consensus of enthusiasm that I saw. I had never seen anything like it.

One of the most critical things that Mt. Pulaski did right was to commit to paying someone to make this project, with all its requisite planning, happen. That turned out to be my wife and me in the end. I have become a firm believer, through both our research and this experience, that something of this magnitude cannot come to life without someone making a substantial early investment and taking on its risk. No one can, or should, volunteer the amount of time we put into this project, and even if they did, there are other costs: legal fees, promotion, design, mileage, and printing, to name a few.

We are attempting to create a missing piece of that food system infrastructure that will raise the ceiling on growth for our small but determined collection of fresh food growers while also letting them do more of the good work they set out to do in the first place: feeding their communities well.

Funding in this case came from both a local sales tax implemented by the Economic Development & Planning Board of the city of Mt. Pulaski and, even more interestingly, a wind energy company who recently established a wind farm in the area. The creation of that wind farm was met with resistance, and so the company, Enel, committed a large amount of funding to economic development in the area with essentially no strings. A portion of that has gone to this project, and it simply would not have life if not for that funding.

Much of the coordination needed to apply that

Jeff Hake on his farm, Funks Grove Heritage Fruits & Grains in Funks Grove, Illinois.

Photo by Jeff Hake

funding to this project required a dedicated, active local community. Tom Martin is a local farmer and lifelong Mt. Pulaski resident who was deeply involved in the planning of the Market on the Hill. He’s never been a produce farmer himself, but as a respected and tireless member of the city’s Economic Development & Planning Board, he saw the potential value that food could have to grow his hometown’s economy. His presence on that board helped to keep this project in front of his fellow community members and keep it funded.

Thanks to his advocacy and persistence, the EDPB was willing to pay us, through the tax revenue and Enel funds, to put the plan together and, when we presented our business proposal to them in December 2020 after nine months of work, they unanimously approved of our work and agreed to continue funding our work to the present.

Tom has since left that board, but also become the president of our cooperative’s interim board. While he has made clear that he will need to step back sooner than later, this project also would not be possible without his substantial efforts. He is the person on the ground who knows the town, knows the right people to talk to, and who is willing to spend his own social capital and his time and energy to get this done. He is our champion. If anyone put in too many volunteer hours, it’s him. We’re grateful for that, and we’re also ready to stop bothering him when he says he’s ready to retire.

And yet despite all of that, still more has to go right for this to all fit together. A nearby school district has created a local food purchasing program for its food services, and it is hard to overstate what a unique advantage this is. Lincoln Elementary School District #27, in the larger city to the north of Mt. Pulaski, worked with the nearby Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital and Beyond Green Sustainable Food Partners, a food service consulting company, to set up the program and train its staff to work with fresh produce, and they have established a bidding process that considers characteristics of food beyond just its price.

So far, the program has been popular and successful.

Illinois Co-op continues on 12

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States and the OFA urge grain farmers to act on Pipeline Foods claims

By Tony Ends

Pipeline Foods’ bankruptcy proceedings have continued to unfold since the major organic and non-GMO grain buyer filed for Chapter 11 protections July 8. New federal court hearings in the Pipeline case were scheduled Sept. 8 and Sept. 24, the latter being an omnibus hearing at which the bankruptcy court may present a checklist of what it wants to know about the filing and may also hear pretrial motions.

Pipeline Foods is based in Fridley, Minnesota, but with five interlocking subsidiary companies and affiliates in Canada and Argentina; also, nine grain elevators, milling and handling facilities; as well as specialty food businesses, its financial troubles have far-reaching implications for regenerative grain producers across the hemisphere.

Pipeline revenue from July 1, 2020, through May 31, 2021, was $208.1 million, according to bankruptcy reorganization first-day filing documents. Its liabilities topped $143 million this past spring the filings stated.

While it indicated only a wide range of possible creditors, between 200 and 999, in its Chapter 11 protection petition, Pipeline named its 20 largest unsecured claimants as ranging from $238,000 to $5.2 million owed. Grain farmers whose Pipeline contracts were written as little more than IOUs may have the least legal recourse for mitigation. The court records acknowledge financial problems meeting its obligations well back into the spring.

In the July court records, Pipeline blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for adversely affecting its business last year. This “impacted (Pipeline’s) ability to service its obligations,” the court record stated.

“The research and development teams at consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies stalled new product development and the inclusion of new ingredients, thereby reducing the demand for (Pipeline’s) products,” the Pipeline court filing continued. “The sourcing teams at CPG companies could not travel to visit and approve new manufacturing facilities, thereby reducing (Pipeline’s) ability to increase volumes at its facilities. Food service customer orders declined due to the slowdown in their businesses,” Pipeline stated in its bankruptcy filing with the federal court.

Email and phone attempts to contact Pipeline Foods for this story were unsuccessful. Pipeline Foods has been a MOSES Conference sponsor and an Organic Broadcaster advertiser.

Reached by phone Sept. 3, a spokesperson for Stretto, an online claims noticing agent that attorneys nationwide hire in such bankruptcy proceedings, directed Minnesota and Iowa grain sellers to electronic forms they can use to opt out of contracts with Pipeline on grain otherwise due for delivery after July 8 (https://cases.stretto.com/Pipelinefoods).

State of Minnesota and Iowa agriculture and legal officials won those stipulations in late July and August court virtual appearances before the Federal Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware, where Pipeline initiated its petition for Chapter 11 protections from creditors.

The Organic Farmers Association (OFA), a nonprofit that advocates for domestic organic farms and strong organic standards, observed in a lengthy press statement to producers online that Pipeline’s website indicates it contracted with 1,461 growers in 2019.

“If you are an organic grain producer who sold grain to Pipeline Foods and have not been paid, there are a couple of things you can do right now,” stated the OFA in the release on its website in August.

“Contact the state department of agriculture for the state where your grain was delivered. Many states have grain dealer licensing programs that administer funds or insurance programs to cover obligations from grain dealer defaults. Each state has its own program, so the details vary on how to apply and how much of the loss will be covered,” the association stated, listing websites for state grain programs in eight states where Pipeline bought grain.

Minnesota Department of Agriculture officials urged affected producers to act immediately to secure their interests in delivered grain through the legal process under Minnesota Statutes 336.2-702.

“If you delivered grain in a different state than where your farm is located, you may also want to contact your state department of agriculture to see if there are programs that cover this loss,” the department stated in an online release.

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“Most states license the grain dealer, so they cover transactions at grain facilities in the state (where the grain is delivered, not where it is grown.),” the OFA added. But it is also worth checking with your home state in case they have a program that could help.

Some state programs may eventually hold information sessions about what options farmers have in this situation, so keep an eye on the websites for your state grain program.

“Consider seeking legal help if you made deliveries shortly before the bankruptcy filing, or before making any new deliveries to Pipeline. (Several states have suspended the company’s grain dealer license.)

There may be steps you can take to impact your standing as a creditor in the bankruptcy process, depending on the terms of your agreement.”

The OFA stated that it will continue looking for other options for organic farmers who are impacted by the Pipeline bankruptcy and share any new information it uncovers on its website: organicfarmersassociation.org/news/pipeline/ “But contacting a state grain program and getting your own legal advice are short-term steps you should take as soon as possible,” the OFA stated, sharing the following contact information.

State Grain Program Contacts Illinois Grain Insurance Fund https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/agr/Consumers/ GrainWarehouses/Pages/Illinois-Grain-Code. aspx#h3 Call 800-654-0882 or 217-782-2895.

Pipeline Foods continues on 16

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One Step Forward, Two Steps Back…

By Harriet Behar

Note from the Editor: This article is a special reprint from the September/October 2012 issue of the Organic Broadcaster. It has been nearly a decade since the Minnesota Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that organic farmers could receive damages from pesticide drift. When this article was originally published, the fight against pesticide drift was already in full swing for organic farmers. Today, the issue reaches conventional non-GMO farmers, too, as drift from Bayer’s Dicamba continues to make headlines for fueling the spread of herbicide resistant weeds.

If you’ve been exposed to pesticide drift, or have lost crops due to drift damage, download The Pesticide Action Network toolkit for details on how to protect your health, how and where to report drift incidents, and find out how farmers can seek compensation for crop loss. Learn more and download the kit at www.panna.org/resources/case-pesticide-drift On August 1, 2012, the Minnesota Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that organic farmers Oluf and Debra Johnson could receive damages from pesticide drift under the Minnesota trespass law. This Supreme Court ruling was based on the premise that movement of “particulate matter” could not constitute trespass, but instead should be considered a nuisance. This ruling is truly a step backwards for the rights of organic farmers and specialty crop growers, who are very susceptible to the damage caused by pesticide drift.

A dissenting judge felt the full court judgment was incorrect, stating that there are many different types of particulate matter, with many different results when they cross from one property line to another. Size, quantity and the result of the drift should be taken into account, according to the dissenter. Unfortunately, this dissent was from just one judge out of nine on the court, and his points were not viewed as significant by the full court. While the door is open for the Johnsons to sue the offending pesticide applicator for “negligence,” this is much harder to prove and to receive damages for than under the trespass law.

This ruling is disturbing in its far-reaching effects. There was hope that the trespass law could be

used to protect organic farmers, but this ruling now creates precedent for those causing pesticide drift to not be charged with trespass in Minnesota. Most states, including Minnesota, have some protections for landowners who experience damage from pesticide drift onto their property. It was acknowledged in the court record that the pesticide application was done when the wind speed was higher than allowed, therefore breaking the Minnesota statute covering pesticide application. Unfortunately, that Minnesota law has a two-year statute of limitations, and the Johnson’s claims under this statue were dismissed.

The Supreme Court also felt that the particulate matter from the spray was not “tangible” enough to be considered trespass.

Problematic Interpretation of the NOP Even more problematic than the trespass issue was the Court’s interpretation of the federal organic regulation. Their ruling stated that the organic certification agency was incorrect in stating the crop which received pesticide drift was no longer certifiable as organic, and that the land would need to go through a three-year transition in order to again be certified as organic.

The court interpreted the portion of the NOP regulation which states that no prohibited substances can be “applied” to land for three years prior to the harvest of an organic crop as meaning the application was done by the certified organic farmer, not by any other party. Since the organic farmer did not “apply” the pesticide in this case, the court said this aspect of the regulation should not be considered when determining whether the crop was organic. Instead, the court used the section of the NOP regulation (205.671) that states organic crops that contain more than 5% of the EPA tolerance of a pesticide cannot be sold as organic to help them arrive at their decision. The NOP regulation states that less than 5% of a pesticide could be present due to “unavoidable residual environmental contamination.”

Since the Johnson’s crop was not tested to prove it had a pesticide “residue” of more than 5% of the EPA tolerance, the court stated the organic certification

agency had no grounds to declare the crop or the field as non-organic. There was no denial that the pesticide had drifted onto the Johnson’s organic field and crops; this has occurred numerous times over the past 10 years. The Supreme Court tried to address the question, “What is considered organic?” by using this 5% EPA tolerance level.

The lawyer for the cooperative that sprayed the offending pesticide was quoted by the Associated Press as saying ...the ruling was “a very logical result when you think about what it means for agriculture as a whole.” He also stated that the 5% level “establishes a bright-line test for what is organic and what is not.”

As organic producers, we do not believe the designation of organic is based on testing the crop.

We put a significant amount of thought and effort into meeting the many aspects of the regulation, not just the one aspect that mandates a low residue level of pesticides. I believe the court made a significant error when interpreting the NOP regulation, viewing the organic label as a pesticide residue level assurance rather than a holistic system which includes the avoidance of toxic materials. In addition, it is my understanding that the 5% EPA tolerance level was set up for pesticides that have a long persistence in the soil, or other “unavoidable” occurrences that might result in pesticide detection. It seems to me that pesticide drift is something that is avoidable, and therefore I feel that the Minnesota Supreme Court interpreted the organic regulation incorrectly.

Broad-Ranging Impact It is not just organic farmers who suffer from pesticide drift. Many nontraditional crops are grown around the United States, from wine grapes in Minnesota to chestnuts in Iowa, which are vulnerable to traditional pesticides. We’ve also seen a significant impact of insecticide drift on native pollinators and commercial honeybee operations. This court ruling could affect all of these operations.

Just because organic and specialty crop growers are a smaller percentage of the crops grown in the One Step Forward continues on page 10

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A Call to Action: An interview with Tiffany LaShae and KaZoua Berry The following interview is an excerpt from episode three of the newest season of “In Her Boots,” a MOSES supported podcast. In this episode, KaZoua [gKAzhüa] Berry of Big River Farms speaks with MOSES’ In Her Boots Coordinator, Tiffany LaShae, about the challenges of organic and nonprofit farming, and how we can use our platforms to drive meaningful change.

KB: I’m a refugee, I was born in Thailand. Because my dad was a soldier, we were in the second wave of Hmong people that came to America. We were sponsored by a Methodist Tiffany LaShae (top) and church in California, and KaZoua Berry. we were there almost three years and then moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where my family still lives.

I work at Big River Farms (formerly known as Minnesota Food Association). It’s now a program of the Food Group which is a food bank. And I am the Farmer Education Manager as well as the Emerging Farmers Conference Coordinator.

So, I provide technical support for farmers and I provide the education curriculum, hands-on learning experiences and field days, and collaborate with local organizations that share the same values as us.

TL: Tell me about the farmers you work with?

KB: Our farmers mainly identify themselves as immigrants, Black, Indigenous, people of color, and women. These farmers would basically be categorized as those who have been disenfranchised by systems. We provide opportunities with land and education, so they can lease out a portion of land and do hands-on farming.

Oftentimes they either learn that they really love what they’re doing and they want to grow as an enterprise, or they don’t love it and it’s too much work (laughter) and they’d rather just garden in their backyard. Which is fine too because then we help farmers mitigate those risks.

The upside is that we allow farmers to come and farm with us, where they have land, access to tools, access to a greenhouse, pack shed, coolers—it’s a community. So, they get to network and learn, glean information, and share skills with other farmers that have different practices.

And because a lot of our farmers are multicultural, they all come from different backgrounds, and have different stories, it’s a really fun place to get to know people.

TL: What are some of the challenges of running a multicultural program?

KB: The language piece is a challenge. Not everything is translatable from English. One thing that we’ve been talking a lot about is the translation of organic matter. In the Hmong language, organic means to farm without pesticide and you wouldn’t be able to say the same thing about organic matter. Our classes are traditionally taught in English and then we have simultaneous interpretation for farmers who need it. We provide it in Hmong, Spanish and sometimes in Somali.

The other [challenge] is providing content that is culturally relevant for those farmers. In our program, we have a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and our CSA members are a majority white people, so that means our farmers have to grow produce that caters to their diet. And that goes the same for a lot of markets and farmers markets. So, our farmers, who are multicultural themselves, are growing produce that is made for other people’s diet other than their own. Our farmers don’t have too much of a problem growing it because they’re making money from it, but that means they would have to grow separate foods for themselves. It would be great if they could integrate farming food for their customers

as well as for their family.

Another barrier is that we don’t own the land.

We are leasing through Wilder Foundation and our farmers are leasing from us, so there is a lot of back and forth. Another challenge is staff support and funding—because we’re a nonprofit, funding will always be an issue. Nonprofit farms are always going to have to be fundraising, you literally need somebody to just constantly look for funding. In the past, before Big River Farms became a program under the Food Group, when it was Minnesota Food Association, funding was a huge issue. And because the money they depended on for running the program came from farmers, that meant we were charging farmers a lot of money; it was inaccessible.

Now, as a program of The Food Group, we don’t have to worry so much about that. We have teams who find funding for our programming rather than Big River Farms doing it for ourselves. But as an organization, we’re oftentimes competing with hundreds of other similar organizations, and we are all fighting for this small amount of money that has been allocated to [support] the work we do. The problem isn’t so much the non-profit structure, I think the problem is the systemic structure. The need is there for more programs that support BIPOC farmers and immigrant farmers.

TL: Do you think being Hmong or being a woman plays a role in your work?

KB: A lot of the farmers that we work with are Hmong farmers and it was easy for the Hmong farmers to gravitate towards me to ask questions or to let me know that they need help with something. Because there’s no language barrier, they can just simply tell me how they’re feeling. There’s also a trust issue, as wonderful as this program can be, there’s not a lot of representation. And I’m not just talking about representation for farmers, but representation in the educators and people who are leading this A Call to Action continues on 15

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MOSES Expanding the Farmer Advancement Program

By Jenica Caudill

In 2020, MOSES was awarded funding through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) to strengthen the success of beginning farmers in the Midwest. This funding helped MOSES to provide farm business and production workshops and trainings, peer-to-peer support, and one-to-one mentorship from experienced farmers and farm business experts. Today MOSES is thrilled to share that additional funding has been awarded to expand the reach and scope of this work even further—and the timing couldn’t be more critical.

Conversations with various Black, Indigenous, and farmers of color (BIPOC) stakeholders in the MOSES community have shown that the needs of beginning farmers, particularly historically underserved farmers, go beyond trainings on production methods and business planning. Language barriers and a lack of access to farm programs are among the challenges these farmers face.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the breadth and depth of these inequities throughout our food system.

For many BIPOC farmers, the pandemic exacerbated challenges of market access, as those who relied on direct-to-consumer sales and sales to independently owned local restaurants watched their markets evaporate, shut down by COVID restrictions. Even land access became more complicated, as urban dwellers, now working remotely, left crowded cities to live in

more rural communities, doubling the price of land near city centers.

With this additional funding, MOSES will expand our mentor program, funded in part with BFRDP funding, to create a Farmer Advancement Advocate training program. The program will provide mentors, as well as farmers from historically underserved communities, and agricultural professionals, with specific training and resources that will enable them to act as advocates. These Farmer Advancement Advocates will learn and teach skills to foster relationships with various USDA and community-based programs, helping historically underserved beginning farmers and ranchers access such programs.

Additional grant funds will be available, through an application process, for farmers to address identified needs including travel to trainings, attendance at educational events, and infrastructure needs on their farms. MOSES will also collaborate with allied organizations to address issues of land access, access to capital, and organic certification.

To address cultural and language barriers, MOSES is pleased to be expanding the reach and resources of four of our current Organic Farmer Specialists, who represent diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds from Hmong, Latinx, and African immigrant communities. New program resources will be available in Hmong, Spanish, Swahili, and Somali languages.

Tiffany LaShae, MOSES’ “In Her Boots” Coordinator, will be the program lead and brings with her program facilitation skills in programs such as Soul Fire Farm’s BIPOC Farming Immersions and USAID Africa Climate Smart Agriculture Farmer to Farmer.

This talented and knowledgeable team of Organic Farmer Specialists has been increasingly called to support the work of other white-led agricultural organizations in the Midwest wanting to address issues of implicit bias, racism, and access in their own beginning farmer and rancher programs. Through this additional award, MOSES will allocate funding to Farmer Advancement Advocates to support this work, and build even greater capacity to address barriers faced by the historically underserved farmers and ranchers interacting with other organizations throughout the region.

Farmer Advancement Advocates will be recruited from historically underserved communities and from the current and past pool of MOSES beginning farmer mentors. For more information on this program or to find out how you or your organization can get involved, please contact Sarah Woutat, Farmer Advancement Coordinator at sarahw@mosesorganic. org or 888-90-MOSES x703.

lawsuit when applied to intangible particulate matter, and these states might have ruled differently in this case. We in the organic community need to be looking at the statutes in our own states, as well as the current rent federal organic regulation, to see if there is any way to strengthen those statutes to avoid more unfortunate rulings such as this one in the future.

I receive numerous calls every year from organic farmers around the Upper Midwest and beyond with tales of woe resulting from the invasion of unwanted spray, usually applied by custom applicators on neighboring land. These occurrences are not only about the dollars lost when the organic premium is gone, but also the lack of respect for the landowners who specifically chooses to not have these substances

on their land, in their air and water, or around their crops and livestock. The USDA definition of organic includes protection of the ecosystem and enhancement of biodiversity, with organic farmers working to promote and enhance the health of the farm environment.

The Johnsons have spent much time and money to hold the pesticide applicator accountable for the damage done, and to try and have the applicant respect the sanctity of the certified organic land, but to no avail. At the time of this writing, the Johnsons are consulting with their attorney to see if there are any next steps. I know many of our readers join with me in wishing them well and thanking them for fighting the good fight.

Jenica Caudill is the Director of Development and Marketing at MOSES.

One Step Forward — from page 8 United States doesn’t mean that we don’t have clear private property rights to use our land to grow what we want without the unwanted intrusion of toxic substances that damage our ecosystem, soils, crops and wellbeing. Those applying synthetic pesticides in our environment should be required to control where the materials end up, with drift not accepted as something “normal” by those who do not want them on their land or crops. It is not logical to think that because these unwanted pesticides are used by our neighbors, and that the wind blows regularly, that organic growers and consumers should see pesticide drift as “unavoidable.”

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A New Resource Helps Organic Farmers Understand the Economics of Growing Seed

By Kiki Hubbard

Organic seed production is a developing industry and viable economic opportunity for organic growers.

To help growers manage the uncertainties and risks inherent to seed production, and to help growers earn more profit, Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) recently published an online toolkit to assist organic seed growers and seed enterprises. The toolkit serves as the first of its kind to focus on organic seed production specifically, offering support in the form of budgeting spreadsheets, inventory management, and foundation and stock seed planning.

“Seed production can be deeply rewarding work,” says OSA’s Micaela Colley. “However, turning a passion for seeds into a viable livelihood is a challenge that even experienced seed growers struggle to overcome.”

Colley shares that OSA developed this toolkit in partnership with agricultural economists at Highland Economics – experienced professionals who understand the importance of a farm budget and production plan.

“We hope this toolkit allows farmers who already grow seed – as well as those looking to diversify their organic operations by incorporating seed as a new crop – to better understand the economics of seed production and earn more money per acre,” Colley adds.

There are three main components of this online toolkit: 1. Tracking seed enterprise expenses and budgets The first tool in the Seed Economics Toolkit is a spreadsheet that helps growers track the costs associated with producing seed crops. Enterprise budgets provide a snapshot of costs associated with a crop for a single year and do not make predictions or forecasts for future years. However, they can be used to provide guidance for growers who are considering investments in new equipment and scaling up.

2. Planning for stock seed and foundation seed production Common questions around foundation, stock, and production seed include: How much foundation seed do I need to ensure I have enough stock seed? How much stock seed should I produce every third year for my production seed? This second spreadsheet helps guide decisions around how much and how often to

Organic Seed Alliance recently published an online toolkit to assist organic seed growers and seed enterprises.

Photo by Broken Banjo Photography

produce foundation, stock, and production seed based on your operation, desired inventory, longevity of the seed, and estimated yield.

3. Tracking labor Tracking on-farm labor can be confusing and overwhelming, but it is also extremely important for growers trying to get a handle on their operation costs.

A third piece of this toolkit is designed as a guide for tracking your operation each day, including a form designed for routine activities over the course of many days (such as watering in a greenhouse or screening a large seed lot) for tracking labor in seed production.

Getting seed contracts Success in seed production contracts requires careful management of the grower-buyer relationship and an understanding of the terms of the contract.

Learning from others’ experience can save many headaches and ensure a successful grower-buyer relationship. Over the years, experienced seed growers and buyers have shared their experiences and advice in workshops and webinars at the Organic Seed Growers

Conference and other online networking events.

Several of these webinars also offer contact information and guidance on how to reach out to seed companies when seeking contracts. (All of these webinars are provided as part of the Seed Economics Toolkit.)

Growing seed on contract for a seed company takes some of the sales-related risks out of seed production but finding the opportunity to grow on contract can also be a hurdle, as it is not always clear how to connect with a seed company to acquire contracts. Seed companies and growers alike report that they most often make new relationships by networking at conferences, like the Organic Seed Growers Conference, and other regional events. Many seed growers also cold call companies to see if they’re looking to contract with new growers.

As an organization that strives to create networking opportunities for seed growers, OSA developed an online registry called the Organic Seed Producers Directory to connect seed growers with seed Growing Seed continues on page 14

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Illinois Co-op — from page 6 However, when we began discussing our project with them, they were extremely eager to be able to access more local produce, processed, preserved, in bulk, and throughout the year. Illinois State University in nearby Bloomington similarly has big goals for local procurement, and the success of our project will be a huge boon to them achieving those goals.

Now, this project has come all this way to what we call an “advanced planning” stage. We are currently waiting to hear back about the large planning grant we applied for through the USDA Local Food Promotion Program. We worked with the Illinois State Treasurer’s office and the local bank in Mt. Pulaski to be able to obtain low-interest loans. We took advantage of a free program of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service that drew up preliminary drawings of our proposed facility. We are on the cusp of purchasing a former hardware store in Mt. Pulaski (recently vacated so they could move to a larger location) owned by another

active community member who also has offered strong support of our project. And we are actively seeking the right candidate to take over from Katie and me as the full-time manager of this project and fully, finally bring it to life, someone who has the level of expertise that we lack, and the time and willingness to commit to it.

And now, everything hinges on the task that has taken the biggest piece of our time the last two months: our ownership campaign. As a cooperative, we need folks to buy shares and become owners. Any individual anywhere can become an owner, and we are required by our Articles of Incorporation to sell at least $100,000 of stock before we can begin operations, but we also must sell distinct amounts of each three kinds of shares. To our surprise, we have actually exceeded our minimum requirement for the most expensive Preferred Stock (perhaps because of its 4% interest rate), while we are still working to sell our required

Common A and Common B stocks. However, we have actually exceeded our $100,000 goal in about a month, and it has been a joy to know that our community believes in this like we do.

With that funding raised, we have the seed money to purchase our building, to secure our loans, to provide the matching funds for our grant, and to go back to our community and say “This is happening. We are almost to the finish line.” And what’s at the finish line?

The start of something new, without modern precedent in our region. A new entity that could make our farmers more prosperous, our community members healthier, and our region more resilient, all through the power of good food.

Jeff Hake is a partner at Funks Grove Heritage Fruits & Grains and interim co-manager at Central Illinois FarmFED Co-op

Grade A Dairy — from page 1 said, ‘Let’s put this on pause. Starting a new business right now doesn’t seem like a good idea.’”

They put on the brakes and finished construction in winter 2020-21. They did all the work themselves, except the concrete floor, and officially got their license in April of 2021.

In the meantime, they applied for their second mentorship with MOSES, this time with a focus on their small-scale Grade A dairy, and requested to be mentored by Francis, who operates an on-farm Grade A dairy in Iowa.

“We specifically wanted someone with Grade A at a smaller scale, and someone who knows the regulations inside and out. Those folks are few and far between.

Francis is already an educator so we though he would be a good person.” Langer added, “The mentorship has been super helpful. There are so many little, tiny details. I keep a running list of the most minute little questions, but they add up, and it gets very

overwhelming. It’s hard to find it in the regulations, or a book, so being able to have a phone call once a month or so, or send an email, and run through that list of questions has just been so helpful. It’s saved us some money, some time, and Francis has been really supportive. I appreciate that.”

The MOSES Farmer-to-Farmer mentorship “is a great program and I tell lots of people about it. It’s just really tangible. You can search the internet forever, you can read a book, and we have lots of farming people in our lives. But there’s something about having a designated person who has said ‘yes, I will let you come at me with all of your questions’. Having someone whose designated role in this program is to help is so reassuring. There’s a comfort and assurance in accumulating that list knowing that I’ll be able to ask someone, and I’ll be able to find the answer,” added Langer.

Langer ended by saying, “We really want to be a model for small scale dairy in Wisconsin. We wanted

to prove to ourselves and to the world that it’s still possible in the 21st century to have a small, on-farm dairy that’s financially viable that can be run just by a family. We’re still pretty early in the game, but it’s looking good. I’m excited to be here telling our story so that if there are other people who want to do this, we can work with them in the same way as the people who have helped us along the way.”

You can find Oxheart Farm’s milk and yogurt at the Whole Earth Market Co-op in River Falls, Wisconsin, or pick it up at the farm.

Are you interested in being mentored or being a mentor? Applications are now open for the 2022 Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring program. More information and application can be found at mosesorganic.org/projects/mentor-program/

property. The nationwide momentum is leading the nation from the grassroots in proving that toxic pesticides and fertilizers are not necessary in land management.

The history of chlorpyrifos is a shining example of the failure of pesticide law and policy, which has set a course for the nation that is inherently destructive of life. The good news is that we have the tools to course correct at a time when pesticides, like chlorpyrifos, not only have direct adverse health effects but are contributing to the climate crisis, biodiversity collapse, and due to residential segregation, disproportionate levels of illness in people of color.

Let’s collectively congratulate all who worked on exposing the societal failure of pesticide law, policy, and use in fighting agricultural uses of chlorpyrifos.

We can and must use this occasion as an example of the abject failure of the current system, and advance systemic change that rejects toxic pesticides and moves society to the adoption of organic practices. This will take a concerted effort that rejects the chemical-bychemical approach to reform, which at the current pace will not meet the urgency of the existential crises that we face as a nation and globe. The solution is within our grasp. We know how to manage agricultural production, land spaces, and buildings without toxic chemicals. Reform legislation in Congress must meet the urgent need to make this a transformational moment. This is our charge.

Sarah Woutat is the MOSES Farmer Advancement Program Coordinator

Inside Organics — from page 3 outcomes (like endocrine disruption, for which the agency has not established review protocol).

To make matters worse, the “reasonable certainty of no harm standard” only applies to pesticides that have agricultural uses, while those pesticides with only non-agricultural uses are subject to an “unreasonable adverse effects” standard. In this case, the EPA does not evaluate the necessity of pesticides in light of the availability of less or nontoxic alternative practices or products. When safer alternatives exist, is it reasonable to allow exposure to a hazardous pesticide with known adverse effects and the large uncertainties that are inherent to risk assessments?

Local governments are intervening to stop toxic pesticide use on their public lands and, in cases where they are not preempted by state law, on private

Jay Feldman is the Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides.

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| 13

To Fight the Climate Crisis, Support Smart Farming

By Amalie Lipstreu and Lori Stern

This article was originally printed in The Hill. To read this article online at The Hill, visit https://bit.ly/2XM33Dt The scope and intensity of the climate crisis can make us desperate for answers. As we struggle to find hope, however, we need to beware of “silver bullets,” greenwashing and snake oil masquerading as real solutions. Cover crops offer myriad benefits to the soil and our climate, but when they are burned down with herbicides, the soil biota responsible for critical functions, which include decomposing dead plants and animals, regulating pests and diseases, and sequestering carbon in the soil, are destroyed.

Organic agriculture is a ready solution for the climate crisis. A voluntary, third-party verified, holistic form of ecological farming that prioritizes soil health should be championed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), yet the department has been reluctant to highlight organic agriculture for fear of alienating non-organic growers.

The reality is that a growing number of conventional farmers are choosing to make the transition to organic. While still a small percentage of farmers overall, the number of producers seeking organic certification increased by almost 40 percent between 2012 and 2017, and the average value of sales per organic farm increased 84 percent. Demand for organic continues to grow, reflecting the public’s willingness to pay a premium for environmentally friendly products and it can grow further with additional support and investment.

More frequent, extreme weather events are forcing all farmers to adapt, and during this time of transition, we have an opportunity to support holistic solutions that include ending our reliance on fossil fuel-based inputs, promoting longer-term

crop rotations and diverse cover cropping that work synergistically to build soil health and resilience while reducing our climate footprint. Dozens of states across the country are advancing legislation to help farmers in this time of transition.

Although organic production provides a voluntary, marketbased approach to addressing climate change, farmers making the transition face many hurdles often without the financial or technical support they need to effectively implement organic management practices. Organic farmers have been leading the way in using cover crops and crop rotations, Full Circle Farm in Seymour, Wisconsin and protecting biodiversity, water Photo Full Circle Farm quality, and more, with little to no seasons, drought or extreme weather events will support for far too long. make our food system more resilient. Large corpoThe Agricultural Resilience Act (ARA) would rate ownership of mono-crop varietals, relying on make permanent a program to provide producer synthetic inputs, will not save our soils or our planet. assistance during the often-difficult transition period U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack when farmers need to refrain from using most of recently announced plans to allocate up to $20 milthe tools in the traditional farm toolbox. Instead, lion in additional organic certification cost-share these farmers are rebuilding the soil fertility that will assistance as part of the USDA Pandemic Assistance become foundational for a resilient and profitable organic farming operation. While that is a small piece for Producers initiative. In addition to restoring the of the historic investments the ARA will make, it is an funding cut to cost-share due to an accounting error by a prior administration, a portion of the $20 milimportant one. lion will also be used to provide support for producThe ARA also will support more farmer-led ers transitioning to organic. This is an important research on plant diversity and selection for climate administrative step in the right direction to support change specific to regions. Smaller farm operations climate-smart farming. that can be nimble and adapt to shorter growing

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September | October 2021

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Growing Seed — from page 11 and try crops that you are familiar with growing.

Try a test plot the first year if it is a new crop you are unfamiliar with so you can determine if you can grow it in your location. Also plan for how you will harvest and handle the finished seed crop.

• Keep good records on your costs of production, including your time, so that you are able to engage in informed negotiations on price.

• Share your production information with the company and ask them to share what they know about the crop. Seed companies want to learn from your experience and also help you succeed. It takes an open exchange of information to ensure everyone’s success. If you need help, ask!

companies. It includes a user profile that shares each grower’s location, scale, and crop expertise. In this way, the directory can be searched by seed companies seeking new growers and for producers to connect with one another as well.

If you are an organic seed grower who would like to join this directory, create a profile today to start connecting with seed companies and other growers here: https://seedalliance.org/directory/

Seed company advice Prices for wholesale production vary widely by crop, variety, and scale and terms of the contract. The roles and expectations of the producer also influences the pricing in a production contract and understanding the expectations of the seed company is very important, as it significantly influences the risks and costs of production. While prices vary widely from company to company, and depend on a multitude of factors, it is also helpful to have some ballpark idea of average wholesale prices to help in negotiating contracts and using the enterprise budgeting tool to project profit potential.

OSA surveyed nine seed companies to solicit feedback on best practices for engaging in contract seed production and to inquire about average contract prices for specific crops to help growers develop production

Spinach seed after being cleaned.

Photo by Broken Banjo Photography

Onion seed heads drying.

Photo by Organic Seed Alliance

plans (these prices are listed in the online toolkit at the link below). Contract prices often varied widely between companies and within a given crop by each company. Commonly mentioned determinants of prices included production scale; variety type (high or low yielding, ease of production); roles of producer, such as need for rogueing or finished quality seed cleaning; seed quality, such as germination rate and disease testing; and whether the crop is an openpollinated or hybrid variety.

Below is a summary of best practices shared by seed companies: • The best time to contact seed companies to inquire about contract opportunities is between September and January when companies are preparing for the following year’s production.

• Communication is critical to maintaining a good contract relationship. Most companies request an update on the crop status 2 – 3 times throughout the growing season. Photos of the crop and updates on any off types are very helpful.

• Timely delivery of clean seed is important as it helps the company prepare for the following year’s sales.

• If you are new to contract production, start small

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“It is an exciting time for farmers who are interested in organic seed production,” Colley says. “As organic acreage continues to grow, so does demand for organic seed, and growers in the Midwest are wellpositioned to help fulfill market needs.”

To access the Seed Economics Toolkit, visit: https:// seedalliance.org/publications/seed-economics-toolkit/ Kristina “Kiki” Hubbard is the Director of Advocacy and Communications for Organic Seed Alliance.

Chard seed after being cleaned.

Photo by Broken Banjo Photography

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| 15

Executive order extends ‘Right to Repair’ to farm equipment

By Jenica Caudill

If a tool you use every day were to break, what would you do? If you have the skillset, you might opt to fi x it yourself. Otherwise, you might choose to take it to someone you know and trust to have them make the repairs for you. For farmers and ranchers in need of farm equipment repair, it’s not always that easy.

Increasingly, large manufacturers of farm equipment, such as tractors, bar individuals and independent repair shops from making necessary repairs. How did we get here? It’s part of the larger landscape of corporate consolidation that has been threatening the livelihoods of small and mid-scale farmers across the United States and around the world.

Over just a few decades, the markets for seeds, equipment, and inputs have increasingly become dominated by just a few large companies, concentrating power and wealth, and decreasing competition.

For farmers and ranchers, fewer options mean increasing prices for the equipment they depend on to run a successful farm. But an Executive Order signed by President Biden in July aims to strengthen anti-trust rules and crackdown on consolidation—a move that could provide more support to small and

mid-scale farmers and ranchers.

One aspect of the Order encourages the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to limit powerful equipment manufacturers from restricting the ability of people to repair their own equipment or work with independent repair shops. When the right to repair is left solely in the hands of manufacturers, inflated costs and long wait times are common. For small and mid-scale farmers and ranchers who are already working on razor-thin margins, a costly tractor repair or extended period without functioning equipment can be detrimental. Instead, this Order may soon return agency back into the hands of farmers and ranchers to make repairs themselves or support their local, independent repair shops.

Additional provisions within the Order also direct the USDA to consider issuing new rules under the Packers and Stockyards Act, making it easier for farmers to bring and win claims, stopping chicken processors from exploiting and underpaying chicken farmers, and adopting anti-retaliation protections for farmers who speak out about bad practices. The order also directs USDA to consider issuing new rules

defining when meat can bear “Product of USA” labels.

Additionally, the order directs USDA to develop a plan to increase opportunities for farmers to access markets and receive a fair return, including supporting alternative food distribution systems like farmers markets and developing standards and labels so that consumers can choose to buy products that treat farmers fairly.

Jenica Caudill is the Director of Development & Marketing for MOSES

A Call to Action — from page 9 work and advocating for this work need to also be led by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) folks who also speak the language of the people that are being served.

TL: I want to talk about organic farming, both in how [certification] presents barriers and how it was designed based on principles of soil health but has evolved into this industry-driven machine.

KB: The whole process of organic certification is convoluted. It’s not accessible, especially for farmers who don’t speak English. It’s costly. Even though there are reimbursement programs, you still have to put that money [out] up front. For farmers who have their own native seeds, they have to go through this process of seed searching and signing affidavits. I understand that there’s got to be some kind of accountability system, but when somebody has to sign paperwork such as affidavits, I feel like you take the dignity out of the person who wants to grow something that has been passed down to them. And then you have all of these organic inputs that people can just easily buy if they have the money for it.

My parents were farmers in Thailand and Laos.

Coming here, [farming] was one of the first kinds of jobs they got, because it paid them under the

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table. They didn’t have credentials to work, they didn’t speak any English, they didn’t have money, and there were already four of us kids by the time they came to the states. They needed to make a living.

at Big River Farms. It’s a learning process for him for sure and for all of us. We’re intentional about how our kids can be involved in the process of doing seedlings and they know what springtime is when we do it.

When we moved to Milwaukee, I remember my mom and dad working as farmhands and I remember us helping them in the field. The first time I ever had sweet corn off the cob was the most amazing thing—there’s nothing that compares to that. We grew up helping my parents and then we leased a small piece of land. We would grow food and sell it to the local grocery store. I was part of that process with my parents, and I loved it.

My daughter, Angela, is still carrying a lot of trauma around George Floyd last year. She would cry every day up until just a couple of weeks ago because, you know, people were killing Black people for no reason. But she still wants her dad to give her a kiss and hug before he leaves, even if she’s sleeping. I didn’t know that trauma was holding her, was still lingering. She told her daddy, I have nightmares, I’m scared you’re not gonna come back. That’s a reality my daughter, who is eight—she embodies that. And I think about all the other Black girls who worry about their moms and their dads, their grandmas and grandpas. And I worry about my family and my nephews—they’re so little right now. My son is already 11, he’s so big. Three years from now they’re gonna see him as a Black man before they see him as a young man.

When I married Michael, my husband, we lived in an apartment, and we had a balcony. I told him I felt restless because I had not been able to grow anything; I was in college, and then we lived with his parents, and so I said, now we have our own place and even though it’s a balcony, I’m going to grow some tomatoes. And so, we grew tomatoes and strawberries and that was [our children’s] first introduction, as toddlers, seeing that they were able to pick the fruit and just eat it, straight up. They were so happy about that and [the experience] reminded me of how I felt. This farming season, it was Michael’s idea to lease a small plot

When the Daunte Wright shooting happened, my family was up till one in the morning on the phone with family, because our mom and dad A Call to Action continues on 16

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July | August| October 2021 2021 September

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A Call to Action — from page 15

Farmers create cooperative to market perennial crops

live in Brooklyn

By Carmen Fernholz Park—they don’t live far from that area. Whenever this stuff happens, I just Alisten new cooperative, Promise Growers and I ask myPerennial family what I can do, can I Cooperative, will help farmers market the new wave provide meals for you? of perennial crops, including Kernza®. The Co-op’s mission to actualize the letter, promises inherent in a Andisthen I wrote this “A Call to Action.” perennialized ultimately It took meagriculture, a long time.which I was really angrytransand latesfrustrated. into a perennialized food system.

I was frustrated with organizations Kernza a potentially changer saying is they were sorrysignificant about whatgame happened but in agriculture, providingthe many ecosystem not acknowledging systemic racismservices and not like doing soil health, sequestration, clean water, a callcarbon to action. and continuous living cover, as well as being a third thought really long and hard about how cropI to enhance plant diversification across theto put myself in the shoes of my white friends. think landscape. I first planted Kernza in 2011, andI in 2018 they mean well, and they really want to be allies planted 15 acres with a new variety, MN Clearwater, they significant also struggle with guilt and shame. I thatbut showed improvement in productivalways tellthat my friends, you should only indulge ity, indicating serious Kernza development was yourself in guilt and shame when you don’t do beginning to have possibilities of reaching critical mass, enough so that it could in fact be a viable new alternative crop in agriculture.

From years of farming experience, older farmers Pipeline from page 7are their lifeline. have come Foods to realize—that markets At the same time, university researchers and plant Indiana Program breedersGrain knowIndemnity that the success of any endeavor https://www.in.gov/isda/divisions/indiana-grain-buyinvolving new crops, in this case Kernza, depends ers/grain-indemnity-corporation/ Call 317-232-8770. solely on the marketability of the end result of their research and breeding.and Sellers Indemnity Fund Iowa Grain Depositors With experience in cooperative marketing as a https://iowaagriculture.gov/news/notice-of-warefarmer and my long working relationship with house-grain-dealer-bankruptcy-07132021 Callthe University of Minnesota, it was apparent to me early 515-281-5987. on If that farmerswith to find viableFoods markets youexpecting have a contract Pipeline for for Kernza was not going to be an option.

Growers need delivery in Iowa on a date after July 8, 2021 (the date to be focused on the evolving agronomic questions the company filed for bankruptcy), you can now be relating of to any the Kernza how plant, harvest, relieved liabilitygrain: or claim bytoPipeline to fulfill and store it.

They don’t have time to be searching for this contract. aHere market for an unproven new crop. is what you need to do: much of my farming career, I have • Throughout Go to the Pipeline Foods Bankruptcy webbeenpage involved in organizing farmers around and fill out the Undelivered Grain a cooperative collective marketingNotice concept.

I have come Sellers – Non-Delivery Submission to realize that any success with such a new grain Form https://cases.stretto.com/PipelineFoods/ withcontent/1213-undelivered-grain-sellers/ new and unique agronomic characteristics, • After you make this notification, you can sell the contracted grain or beans elsewhere. Keep records of where you sold the grain and for how much.

This procedure covers: Iowa farmers who would truck their grain under

By Elizabeth McMullen a Pipeline contract to a facility in dairy Iowa;life farmers Phase one of Organic Valley’s cycle in states other than Iowa who would truck grain under assessment (LCA) evaluated on-farm greenhouse agas Pipeline contract to a facility in Iowa; and farmers emissions from dairy farms in a diverse range of in Iowa whom Pipeline (rather than the farmer) climatesfor using different management practices.

The would thefarming trucking to pick up grain/beans at results arrange show that practices of Organic Valley an Iowa farm but that would be delivered to a facility farmers have a measurable benefit for the planet. in aUniversity state otherofthan Iowa. It does not cover contracts Wisconsin-Madison’s assessment under which the grain/beans would be delivered to a reveals that, on average, the dairy farms of Organic facility a state other Iowa.carbon footprint Valley’sin members havethan a smaller Michigan Farm Produce Insurance than average U.S. conventional andFund organic dairy https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/0,4610,7-125overall. Including carbon sequestration in the LCA 1569_16993_16996---,00.html reduced the net farm emissions Call of the517-284-5642. cooperative’s

anything. If you choose to close yourself out in that bubble that you live in every day, that is the especially its of perennial quality yield being as based epitome privilege.

Even Iand have privilege a on pounds per acre instead of bushels, would be a Hmong woman. People don’t see me as threatenmajor hurdle to overcome especially whenlike it came ing.

I would never know what it feels to be a to per-acre gross revenue.

It is one thing to corn Black woman going through what Blacksell women at $3are to $4 perthrough, bushel onworried 150 to 200 bushels per acre going about their children. and That grossdoesn’t anywhere from $600 to $800 per acre.

The mean I don’t worry about my Black market has already functioned in these parameters. children, but I understand that I have the priviApply idea Kernza on a per-acre lege ofthat alsosame being abletoto shut myself out because basisI and numbers are of totally different.

Yields don’tthe have that kind trauma that Black on Kernza are in pounds per acre.

So when pricing women have.

Kernza, a competitive price would need to start at a minimum of $2 to $3because per pound when I wrote the letter I have the average power to do marketable are position going to to be do 100itto 300I’m pounds it and I yields have this that thankper acre.

Kernza potential relative to ful for.

I wantincome my kids to growmust up inbea world that where of cornwe’re or soybeans to evenhistory. attractAnd growers. not repeating it is not Understanding this market uniqueness immejust the responsibility of Black people to create a diately indicates that there would need to be a significant cooperative effort on the part of the Kernza growers if success were to be reached with this crop. University personnel also realized that there would need to be a collaborative effort with Minnesota Department Grain farmers if research wereoftoAgriculture’s move forward on Licensing Kernza Program development. https://www.mda.state.mn.us/statement-minnesotaAfter a series of calls and Zoom meetings with department-agriculture-regarding-pipeline-foods-llcscurrent and potential Kernza growers, we have chapter-11-bankruptcy Call 651-201-6011. formed a steering committee and, at this point, Minnesota Program held a virtual public have Articles ofGrain Incorporation ready to be signed. information session aboutand thismemberships bankruptcy on Bylaws are being drafted areWeds. being July 21.

(Editor’s note: visit the online version of accepted. Membership fee will be $100 per year.this The article on organicbroadcaster.org a link to a co-op also will generate operatingfor revenue byview assessrecording of thisfee session.)If you have a contract with ing a marketing per marketing transaction, the Pipeline Foods for delivery onbylaws. a date after July 8, 2021 amount to be finalized in the (theSeveral date thegrants company filed for bankruptcy), can we secured are helping theyou co-op now be relieved of any liability claim by on Pipeline to contract with someone to focusorprimarily market fulfill this contract. feasibility.

Simultaneously, we are coordinating Here is what youpersonnel need to do: with university in food science as well as •private Go entrepreneurs to the Pipelinein Foods Bankruptcy webpage expanding the various ways fill out Grain that and Kernza canthe be Undelivered used in baking andSellers cooking as a – Non-Delivery Notice Submission Form unique food ingredient. at https://cases.stretto.com/PipelineFoods/ content/1213-undelivered-grain-sellers/ • After you make this notification, you can sell the contracted grain or beans elsewhere.

This procedure covers: Minnesota farmers who would truck their grain dairy by ancontract averageto ofa15%.

Organic Valley underfarms a Pipeline facility in Minnesota; farmers report engaging in 50% more pasture grazing farmers in states other than Minnesota who would than that required by the National Organic Program, truck grain under a Pipeline contract to a facility andMinnesota; the LCA results are impacted by this for significant in and farmers in Minnesota whom difference.

In 2022, the full LCA will be completed, Pipeline (rather than the farmer) would arrange the and Organic Valley will publish the environtrucking to pick up grain/beans at a overall Minnesota farm mental impact of the cooperative’s organic milk. but that would be delivered to a facility in a state other InMinnesota. light of the It study, is committing than doesthe notcooperative cover contracts under to a carbon-neutral supply chain by 2050, aiming for which the grain/beans would be delivered to a facility 15% of the way to being carbon neutral by 2030 and in a state other than Minnesota.

30% by 2035.

Missouri Grain Regulatory Services Program https://agriculture.mo.gov/grains/?utm_content=&ut

space for healing to happen. And it’s not just the responsibility of police or governments. It has Aside actually marketing itself,and to be from collective.

Everybody hasthe thegrain personal the real mission of the co-op is perennialization of we individual responsibility, and within the roles the landscape and how that can be achieved with play in our organizations—there’s responsibilisuchties crops on as allKernza of us. while simultaneously remaining a viably marketable crop. With this in mind, the co-op structured to continue serious collaboration Thisisspring KaZoua Berry sent her letter, A Call to with the University as its Forever Green Initiative Action, to the white-led farming organizations in her advances The other perennial and winter annual network. letter acknowledges the pain andcrops trauma includingonwinter pennycress, perennial inflicted Blackcamelina, communities in the wake of Daunte flax, hazelnuts, perennial peas, Wright’s death and sharessunflowers, suggestions winter for action steps and winter barley. we can all take to build anti-racist behaviors, actions, thecan goalhear is toagenerate value not only andUltimately policies. You reading of the letter for the but for the ecosystem services across and thegrain full interview between Tiffany LaShae and the landscape areepisode, achieved“AasCall a result of theseon KaZoua Berrythat on the to Action”, crops.

At season the same it isBoots,” the intent of theacross co-op all the latest of time, “In Her streaming and the University that the success of Kernza and the major podcast platforms. other developing crops become the primary responsibility of the farmers who grow them; a responsibility that includes protecting their social, economic, and environmental promises. Already, municipalities are seeing the budget savings of planting Kernza m_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source= in well-head protection areas. The co-op feels that govdelivery&utm_term= a significant part of the economic benefits derived Please the Missouri of on from thesecontact ecosystems servicesDepartment should be passed Agriculture if you or your business have any unsettled to the farmers who are growing the crop itself. obligations withthe Pipeline mayiscall And finally, co-op Foods, realizesLLC. thatYou success Grain Regulatory Services Ericbut dependent not only on the Program loyalty ofManager its members Berwanger 573-751-4112. on reachingatout to other grower groups across the country to build a national network to protect the North Dakota Grain and Livestock Licensing Division value or promise of Kernza and eventually the other https://www.nd.gov/ndda/program/grain-inspection developing crops.

Call 701-328-4761.

To find outComplaint more aboutForm: the co-op or become a ND Grain https://www.nd.gov/ member contact me at Fernholz001@gmail.com or ndda/submit-grain-complaint 320-598-3010.

Ohio Grain, Feed & Seed Program https://agri.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/oda/divisions/ Carmen Fernholz is a MOSES Organic Specialist, plant-health/grain-warehouse-feed-and-seed/grainOFARM member, and a founding member of the feed-seed (choose Grain Indemnity Fund button) Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative.

Call 614-728-6410.

Claim forms: https://agri.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/ oda/divisions/plant-health/forms/plnt_4203-006 South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Grain Warehouse Program https://puc.sd.gov/warehouse/ Producers who are not being paid in a timely manner are encouraged to Organic Valley taking a direct, report problems toisthe Public Utilitieshands-on Commission by approach to carbon neutrality, as itan plans to to achieve calling 1-800-332-1782 or sending email puc@ its climate goal without purchasing external carbon state.sd.us credits. Instead of offsetting emissions with credits Wisconsin Agricultural Producer Security Default like many U.S. companies, the cooperative’s efforts Claims will reduce or eliminate emissions in the first place https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/ and maximize carbon sequestration on Organic Valley AgProdSecDefaultClaims.aspx family farms across the country.Call 608-224-5012.

Assessment shows Organic Valley farms have low carbon footprint

Tony EndsMcMullen is a freelance He and hisSpecialist wife, Dela, Elizabeth is a writer.

Public Relations for own and run Scotch Hill Farm, a certified organic farm Organic Valley. near Madison, Wisconsin.

Experience the Benefits of Membership

ofarm.2005@gmail.com ofarm.org • 785-337-2442

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Organic Farmer of Year Nominations Shine the spotlight on an outstanding organic farmer or farm family you admire by nominating them to be the MOSES Organic Farmer of the Year. This prestigious award recognizes organic farmers for exemplary land stewardship, innovation, and outreach. The 2022 award winner(s) will be selected from community nominations by the MOSES Board of Directors. The board will present the award at the 2022 MOSES Organic Farming Conference, planned for Feb. 24-26 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Nominations can be submitted at https://mosesorganic.wufoo.com/forms/ swe5h4y1cx8sye Beginning Farmer Training Registration is open for the 2021 New Farmer U, a training offered by MOSES and Renewing the Countryside to augment beginning farmers’ business skills and support their farming success. New Farmer U will take place Oct. 29 and 30 at Camp One Heartland in Willow River, Minnesota. The event includes workshops on topics such as wholesale markets, online marketing, recordkeeping, land access and financing, and income diversification. The $50 registration fee covers workshops, meals, and lodging.

Language interpretation and scholarships are available.

Half-Day Farm Finances Workshop It’s back! Our popular workshop based on the book, Fearless Farm Finances, will be offered in a half-day format Oct. 29 at Camp One Heartland in Willow River, Minnesota. The workshop, taught by book coauthor Paul Dietmann, is offered in conjunction with New Farmer U—attendees may take the workshop on its own or combine it with New Farmer U. Registration for the Fearless Farm Finances workshop is just $25 and includes a copy of the book.

Long-Term Care Plan — from page 15

. multi- purpose implement can thick covers to ensure a good ntral roller. The sharp-edged s. The side wings are raised to uk City, Wis. tests its spiral reel

NEWS BRIEFS the years of the Organic Farming Conference.

Dr. Kris Nichols, the former Chief Scientist at the Rodale Institute speaks on the topic of soil biology, sharing how healthier soil can help buffer your farm from weather extremes.

Sticking to the theme of soil health, Dr. Jessica Gutknecht and Dr. Lauren Snyder share research-based guidance on practices that can improve overall soil structure and water-holding capacity—characteristics critical to dealing with extreme precipitation events.

And we hear from farmers as they share their reflections after a small group discussion on the topic.

We also hear from our keynotes at the 2021 Growing Stronger Conference, Jim Goodman (National Family Farm Coalition), Erin Schneider (Hilltop Community Farm, Wisconsin), and Lea Zeise (Intertribal Agriculture Council). In this episode, the panelists share their unique perspectives on farming and climate in a conversation that explores some of the critical solutions needed to face climate change.

Updated COVID-19 Relief for Specialty Crops and Contract Producers The USDA is updating the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) to include contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry, as well as producers of specialty crops and other sales-based MOSES Welcomes New Team Member commodities. This program is designed to support farmers who faced market disruptions in 2020 due to Hannah Westfall joined the MOSES team on September 7 as the impacts of COVID-19. Assistance is also available to new contract producers who began their farming the new Communications and operation in 2020.

Marketing Specialist. Hannah Applications to apply for funding must be submitted draws from years of nonprofit

by October 12, 2021. To submit a new application or marketing and graphic design experience, most recently work- update an existing one, please contact your local FSA office. To find your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/ ing in hunger relief and food recovery. She has a small vegetable garden, loves travel- service-locator. For those needing direct support on ing and is happiest when spending time in nature with application submission, please call 877-508-8364. For her fiancé and their rescue dogs. You can reach Hannah more program details, please visit https://bit. ly/3Be9DRO at hannah@mosesorganic.org or 888-90-MOSES ext.

701 Fall Fundraising to Support Farmer Resilience Current Podcast Episodes We’re not going to sugarcoat it: the last year and a Tune into the MOSES Organic Farming Podcast for half has been challenging. For so many of us, every day has felt like an opportunity to exercise our skills in new episodes on the impacts of climate change on our adapting, being flexible, and holding space to approach food and farming systems—and solutions we can our work differently. As the pandemic drags on, we implement for more resilient farms. In this special here at MOSES continue to research and provide series, we hear from experts who have joined us over

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creative ways for the rural farmers we represent to find community and connection—especially in this time of isolation.

Our hope is that this year, we were able to support you in finding community at a Field Day, in building relationships through a Grower Group, or feeling connected through the stories and interviews featured in the MOSES Organic Podcast, and in this newspaper. If our resources helped to keep you connected this year, please consider making a donation to our Fall Fund Drive to help support more programming like this in the new year. To donate, you can visit us online at mosesorganic.org/donate/ or send a check to: Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), PO BOX 339, Spring Valley, WI 54767.

MOSES Organic Field Days There are just two more Organic Field Days left in the season! We’ll be in Elk Mound, Wisconsin, on September 28 for a pasture walk with organic farmer and conservationist, Mariann Holm. This field day will focus on grazing and forest management as regenerative agriculture methods. This event is part of the Wisconsin Women in Conservation Series.

Our final field day of the season will be on October 4 in Jamestown, Missouri. Join us for a special Field Day to learn about winter vegetable production with our 2021 Farmer of the Year, Liz Graznak and cohosted with EarthDance Organic Farm School. Find out more about these events on our Community Calendar on page 20 and on our website at mosesorganic.org/organic-field-days Resources for Farmers Impacted by Pipeline Foods Bankruptcy On July 8th, Pipeline Foods filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. If you are an organic grain producer who sold grain to Pipeline Foods and have not been paid or if you have binding contracts for fall grain sales, a new resource from the Organic Farmers Association shares action steps you can take right now. Find resources on state programs that can help and learn how to seek legal representation from their guide, available for free on their website at organicfarmersassociation.org/ news/pipeline To learn more about the Pipeline Foods Bankruptcy, read the article on page 7 of this issue, titled “States and the OFA urge grain farmers to act on Pipeline Food claims.”

Make Sure You’re Counted in the 2022 Ag Census Calling on farms of all sizes! No one is too small to participate in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture. In preparation for the census, the USDA is asking farmers to sign up to make sure your farms are counted. Several rural assistance programs use census-derived data in formulas that geographically allocate funds among eligible recipients, so it is especially important for organic and regenerative farms to be counted. Find out

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September | October 2021

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more and sign up at https://agcounts.usda.gov/static/ get-counted.html

Danone/Horizon Terminates Contracts with 89 Family Farmers Groupe Danone, a multinational conglomerate which owns the Horizon Organic brand, terminated contracts with 89 organic dairy farms in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont as of August 2022. At the same time, Danone entered new contracts with 50 other “organic” concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that produce milk at lower cost.

As a result of the contract termination, the future for generations-old dairy farms and their families remains uncertain, an impact that will be felt throughout Northeast rural communities. Readers are encouraged to contact federal officials to advocate for tightened rules by the National Organic Program (NOP ) that protect the integrity of organic certification and the livelihoods of the small and mid-scale farmers who steward the land and drive the organic movement.

MOSES will continue to share updates on this story in the Organic Broadcaster and online.

NEWS BRIEFS about organic certification cost share, please visit the OCCSP webpage at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/ programs-and-services/occsp/index, visit usda.gov/ organic, or contact your local USDA Service Center.

Compeer Financial Supports New MOSES Programming for Women, Women of Color MOSES has been named a recent awardee of grant funding from Compeer Financial in support of a new project, From “Bootless” to In Her Boots: BIPOC Women Farmers Accessing Land and Capital. This project aims to support women farmers and landowners, the fastest growing and most underserved farm population, and specifically BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) women farmers. For these farmers, identifying sources of capital can be a struggle and USDA Accepting Applications to Help Cover Costs loans are often only provided at higher interest rates. for Organic Certification This project will connect our staff’s expertise in land Organic producers and handlers can now apply for access, farm finances, support for new farmers, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds to assist mentorships in support of women and BIPOC women with the cost of receiving or maintaining organic certi- farmers. fication. Applications for the Organic Certification Cost This project builds off of the original In Her Boots Share Program (OCCSP) are due Nov. 1, 2021. CostRural Women’s project launched by MOSES in 2009 to share assistance is available to producers and handlers provide training, outreach, and a voice for women in of agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or organic and sustainable agriculture in the Midwest. To maintaining organic certification under the USDA’s learn more about this history of this project and follow National Organic Program. Farms and businesses that our work as it changes, visit us at mosesorganic.org/ produce, process, or package certified organic agriculin-her-boots/ tural products are eligible to be reimbursed for 50% of Emergency Haying, Grazing of Conservation certification-related costs (up to $500 per category or scope) for expenses paid from Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, Reserve Program Acres Available to Wisconsin 2021. Organic farmers and ranchers may apply through Farmers Impacted by Drought a Farm Service Agency county office or a participating Farmers impacted by drought can now request state agency. If you are interested in learning more haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres in certain Wisconsin counties, while still receiving their full rental payment for the land.

Although the primary nesting season for Wisconsin ended August 1 , some counties have been approved for emergency haying and grazing due to severe drought conditions. Additional emergency assistance may also be available for livestock producers who experience livestock deaths and feed losses due to natural disasters through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). Producers interested in emergency haying or grazing of CRP acres must notify their Farm Service Agency county office before starting any activities. To learn more about this program, please the USDA website for more information: https://bit.ly/3sNGc62

Boost your farm business skills!

USDA Accepts 2.8 Million Acres for the Conservation Reserve Program The USDA has accepted 2.8 million acres in offers from agricultural producers and private landowners for enrollment into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in 2021. This year, almost 1.9 million acres in offers have been accepted through the General CRP Signup, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency has accepted over 897,000 acres for enrollment through the Continuous Signup. Farmers and landowners participating in the program can now also benefit from a new Climate-Smart Practice Incentive to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This incentive provides a 3%, 5% or 10% incentive payment based on the predominate vegetation type for the practices enrolled – from grasses to trees to wetland restoration. The Continuous Signup remains open; however, CRP Grasslands Signup is now closed. Find out more at https://bit.ly/3sN5OzM USDA Announces $400 Million Dairy Donation Program Inspired in part by the donations made by Michigan Milk Producers Association in conjunction with the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan in response to the Flint water crisis, the new USDA program encourages eligible dairy organizations to partner with non-profits that distribute food and to individuals and families in need. The program aims to facilitate timely dairy product donations while reducing food waste.

Through the Dairy Donation Program, eligible dairy organizations can receive reimbursement to cover some expenses related to dairy product donations. Dairy farmers, cooperatives, or processors that purchase fresh milk or bulk dairy products to process into retail-packaged dairy products and meet other requirements, are eligible to participate. Costs reimbursed through the program include the cost of milk used to make the donated eligible dairy product and some of the manufacturing and transportation costs.

Reimbursement is available to approved partnership donations since January 1, 2020. To learn more about this program or submit a partnership application, please visit www.ams.usda.gov/ddp

Farmer-to-Farmer

Mentoring Program Boost your farming skills!

Oct. 29-30, 2021 • Willow River, MN

Workshops on: • Land access & financing • Wholesale markets • Employment law • Recordkeeping & more

Just $50!

Includes onsite lodging Friday night, Friday night supper & social, Saturday workshops, plus breakfast and lunch.

Scholarships available.

NewFarmerU.org

Get 1-to-1 guidance from an experienced organic farmer who can show you: Best practices for your type of operation; How to get your farm ready for certification; Tips to move your farm forward!

Half-day class with Fearless Farm Finances author Paul Dietmann Friday, Oct. 29, 2021 • Willow River, MN Just prior to New Farmer U–sign up for both!

$25 (includes the book) See details at NewFarmerU.org.

cost:

$350

Program runs one year, beginning and ending with free admission to the MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wis. Applicants must have farmed at least one year.

apply by Oct. 31: mosesorganic.org/mentor-program

mosesorganic.org | 888-90-MOSES

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CLASSIFIEDS Place an ad online or call 888-90-MOSES. mosesorganic.org/organic-classifieds

EQUIPMENT For Sale: Super 69D Clipper Grain Cleaner 20 screens on trailer w/leg 3 phase w/220 converter. Call Bruce at 1-920-960-6895.

For Sale: FMC 1 row carrot/beet harvester, $10,000 Also older pull-type 2 row green bean harvester, $4000.

Email greatoakfarm@gmail or call 715-765-4297, be sure to leave your number. Mason, WI

FARMS/LAND Looking to rent. Looking for organic row crop farmland to rent in Northwest Iowa or extreme Southeast South Dakota. Been farming organically for 20 years. 712-229-0161

FORAGES

For Sale: Certified organic hay. Alfalfa/grass blend.

250 big rounds. Can arrange trucking. Central Iowa. Call 515-338-0151.

Certified Organic Hay For Sale. Multiple types and qualities. Small squares are in bundles of 9, 18, or 21. Rounds and big squares also available. Sold individually or by the semi-load. Brian@suttoncattle.com For Sale: Organic corn stalk round bales, baled dry, 5’X5.5’, $50/bale, trucking available. Morton, MN 56270. Call Gary at 507-317-1331.

LIVESTOCK For Sale: Certified organic heritage breed beef cattle.

All ages and sized up for discussion. Located in Virginia and grass-fed. Call 757-374-4240 or email mestienne@ ayrshirefarm.com.

Organic Fish Fertilizer 15-1-1, 100% dry water soluble, 5-7 times more nutritious than liquid fish. Will not clog drip irrigation. One lb., 5 lb. or 55 lb. packaging. Humates OMRIcertified, liquid and dry. Can be shipped anywhere via UPS. Frommelt Ag Service, Greeley, IA, 563-920-3674.

OMRI 15-1-1 & 7-7-7 dry soluble fertilizers. 3-3-3 clean liquid organic fertilizer. Sold by the ton, tote and tanker.

Call Dan Beck at 308-940-2020. Nature Safe Organic Fertilizers.

For Sale: Tempered, insulated, double-pane glass.

Large panes for sunrooms, solar homes, ag buildings, greenhouses or ??? One hundred fifty thousand sold since 1979; 32” x 74” x 1” double-pane only $69.00. If you need glass, now would be a good time! Arctic Glass, www.kissourglass.com, 612-860-8083.

Classified Ad Placement

For Sale: Dairy Herd. 40 Holstein-Jersey-Brown Swiss cows in all stages of lactation. A2/A2 bred to Flevich bull.

20 springers due now till fall. Retiring. Call 507-582-3330.

MISCELLANEOUS For Sale: Certified organic seed garlic, white porcelain, Iona Moon, clean, beautiful large bulbs, 30 year seed stock. $8/# plus shipping. Contact Janet Gamble janetmariegamble@gmail.com.

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Reach 15,000+ organic-minded readers.

Includes free listing in the Online Organic Classifieds at mosesorganic.org/organic-classifieds.

Submit ads online or write out your ad and send it with this mail-in form and payment to: MOSES, PO Box 339, Spring Valley, WI 54767 Ads must be submitted by the 25th of the month prior to Organic Broadcaster publication date.

Organic hay for sale. 2x3x6 foot large square bales. First, second, and third cuttings. High quality. Ed Baum 920-4272575. Shiocton, WI.

Name:

Organic baleage for sale. We have various cuts and lots of dairy quality with no rain. Prices per ton are based on feed tests. There are various combinations of alfalfa, clover, and grass. Delivery available. Call 715-921-9079.

City:

Address:

State:

Winter Vegetable Production Happy Hollow Farm, Jamestown, MO

Zip:

Phone: Email:

$20 up to 30 words; $5/each additional 10 words.

Place my ad in (price is per insertion):

Act for a Sustainable World

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+1 (888) 337-8246

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Hosted by Liz Graznak, Organic Farmer of the Year!

Monday, Oct. 4 , 2021 9 a.m. – Noon Free Learn about:

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Please register: mosesorganic.org/winter-vegetable-production-october-4 or call 888-90-MOSES.

January - February

July - August

March - April

Sept. - Oct.

May - June

Nov. - Dec.

Word rate x number of insertions = ______ TOTAL PAYMENT INFORMATION: I’m enclosing a check made out to MOSES. Please charge $ Card # Visa | Mastercard | Discover | American Express Expiration: (mm/dd/yy) CVV: Signature: This form good through December 2021.

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September | October 2021

Agritourism Workshop

September 23 |1 – 5 p.m. | Mora, Minn.

Many small farms have an interest in hosting the public on their farm for different events – U-pick, corn mazes, winery/cidery, hayrack rides, petting zoos etc. Enjoy a line-up of some great speakers to cover the important topics that need to be considered as you noodle Agritourism in some form. Experts and successful farmers available to share their knowledge and personal experience. Email Rod Greder at gred0014@umn.edu or call 320-591-1662.

Fermentation Fest: Grassland Edition

September 25 & 26 | 11 a.m – 6 p.m. | Sauk City, Wis. Grassland 2.0 is partnering with the Wormfarm Institute to host this festival features a two-day jamboree of live ”grassical” music, fermentation tastings and demonstrations, grazing demonstrations, art activities and local food. To learn more contact Laura at lkpaine@gmail.com.

Grazing and Forest Management as Regenerative Ag

September 28 | 3 – 7 p.m. | Elk Mound, Wis. Join us for a pasture walk with organic farmer and conservationist Mariann Holm. She will be covering pasture renewal, grazing as conservation, and grazing livestock on pasture with trees. Box lunches will be served. This field day is part of the Wisconsin Women in Conservation series and co-hosted by MOSES. Call 715-778-5775 to learn more and register.

NODPA Annual Field Days at Wolfe’s Neck Center

Sept. 30 & Oct. 1 | $ | Freeport, Ma. Wolfe’s Neck Center (WNC), a public non-profit and community resource since 1997, offers a wide variety of programs. This year’s field day features research on PFAS on Maine farms, cow health, grazing, OPENteam, and more, including a trade show, and social time.

Call 413-772-0444 for more info.

Just Farm and Food System Harvest Festival

October 2 | 4 – 7 p.m. | Jordan, Minn.

Join the Land Stewardship Project at Ravenview Farm, operated by LSP members Dana and Mike Seifert for a Harvest Festival full of fun activities, food, and celebration. Call 612-722-6377 to learn more.

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR Find details and event links online:

mosesorganic.org/community Winter Vegetable Production in Missouri

October 4 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Jamestown, Mo. Learn more about fall crop harvesting and winter high tunnel and caterpillar tunnel production for vegetables in Missouri from 2021 MOSES Organic Farmer of the Year Liz Graznak. Co-hosted by MOSES and EarthDance Organic Farm School. Call 715-778-5775 to learn more and register.

PaddockTrac: A Web-Based Mobile Application for Managed Grazing Systems

October 7 | 2:30 p.m. | Online Join this webinar which discusses a new wireless sensor, tethered to a smartphone and GIS-based web application, built to improve the efficiency of measuring/monitoring/managing forage systems. Hosted by the USDA NRCS. Contact Jennifer @ jennifer.ryan@ usda.gov.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Fall Board Meeting

October 13 - 21 | 2:00 p.m. | Online The NOSB will meet to discuss substances petitioned for addition to or deletion from the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List), substances due to sunset from the National List in 2023, and recommendations on organic policies. During the meeting, the NOSB will listen to public comments, discuss agenda items, and then vote on recommendations to the Secretary. The meetings are open to the public, and no registration is required, except to sign up for oral comments. For more information call 202-997-0115.

Written comments: deadline is 11:59 p.m. on September 30, 2021 via Regulations.gov.

ELITE GENETICS AND ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES. From day one in 1937, Beck’s has made it a priority to offer farmers the choices they need to have a thriving operation. With an organic line of high-yielding certified organic corn, soybean, and wheat seed for your organic acres, see what Great Harvest Organics has to offer for the 2022 season.

Request a copy of the 2022 Great Harvest Organics Seed Guide by calling 800.937.2325 or view a digital copy at BecksHybrids.com.

Silvopasture Workshop and Oak Savanna Restoration

October 14 | 2 – 7 p.m. | Howard Lake, Minn.

This event is tailored for volunteers to help a farmer transition some acres to a silvopasture oak savanna system. Volunteers will get experience planting oaks, spreading prairie/oak savanna seed, pulling buckthorn, and learning about silvopasture and oak savanna restoration. There will also be discussion on grazing and fencing. Hosted by SFA. Call 844-9225573 to learn more.

Silvopasture and Oak Savanna Field Day

October 22 | 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Zimmerman, Minn.

This event is part of a joint effort between the University of Minnesota Extension, SFA, Great River Greening, and the Center for Integrated Natural Resource Agricultural Management and will be held at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. Call 844-9225573 to learn more.

Arkansas Women Owning Woodland Conference

October 21 – 22 | $ | Bismark, Ark. Hosted by Women Owning Woodlands (WOW), this event will highlight sustainable forestry practices, pollinator habitat and include hands-on activities. For more information, contact Jennifer Johnson at 501374-2441.

New Farmer U

October 29 & 30 | $ | Willow River, Minn.

This MOSES event covers farm financial and business management for intermediate beginning farmers—3-6 years of farming experience—or anyone who is ready to plan for future success. Call 715-7785775 to learn more and register.

Iowa Organic Conference

November 28 & 29 | $ | Iowa City, Iowa The Iowa State University Organic Agriculture Program’s 21st Annual Organic Conference will be held in the Iowa Memorial Union at the University of Iowa.

Keynote will be Dr. Jessica Shade, speaking on “Contributions of Organic in Mitigating Climate Change: Evidence from Farms and Fields.” Call 515-294-6222 for more information and to register.

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DIRECTORY 11th Edition

Everything you need to grow

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Find buyers, sellers, suppliers, and more.

Free download or print copy:

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