gmos in georgia: 50 shades of gray
TRANSCRIPT
We connect organic food from Georgia farms to Georgia families. The Quarterly Newsletter of Georgia Organics – Fall 2012
IN THIS ISSUEExploring the annual conference theme, “Farm Rx: A Prescription for Better Health.” –P2
Gaia Gardens, Innovative Urban Farm, Turns 15 – P4
Help Us Get to 5 Million Locally Sourced Meals in Georgia Schools ! – P6
Georgia Organics Around-the-State Update – P12 - 13
UPcOMING EvENTS, P15Nov. 8Atlanta Local Food Initiative 2012 SummitThis summit will document progress on ALFI’s plan for Atlanta’s sustainable food future and provide opportunities to develop new collaborations and strengthen established relationships to promote a thriving local food system for metro Atlanta.
Feb. 2In-Depth Introduction to Organic Farming and Gardening Course
Cane Creek Farm’s intensive organic farming and gardening course is your answer if you're seeking to become an organic farmer or just want to grow organic vegetables.
cONTINUEd ON PAGE 7
The world of genetically modified organisms is one of the murkiest issues in the food, farm, and health community.
The debate has all the qualities of a great science fiction movie: Foes of genetic engineering foresee doomsday scenarios, poisoned humans, and tainted ecosystems. Supporters see the end of hunger, an abundance of food sprouting from the harshest spots on earth, and crops capable of withstanding the toughest droughts, weeds, and insects.
The worst part for consumers trying to learn about GMOs is that studies printed in prestigious journals back up both sides.
With fifty shades of gray and resources fueling each side of the argument, we are left with more questions than answers and a roadmap that is unclear: What will happen if we permanently shift agriculture to the business of Petri-dish farming? Can organic farming co-exist in the same proximity to genetically engineered crops? Do we really know the long-term implications on the environment and human health?
In this Georgia Organics special project, we look at the issue from both sides, with the goal of informing consumers and encouraging healthy conversations on the topic of GMOs.
Let’s start with some basics:
What is a genetically-modified organism (or a product that’s been genetically-engineered) – AKA GMOs or GE?
Plants or animals that have had their genetic makeup altered to exhibit traits that are not naturally theirs.
—From the glossary on the Monsanto website
Organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered
in a way that does not occur naturally. —World Health Organization
How is this different from plant breeding, a technique used in
agriculture for thousands of years?
This relatively new science allows DNA (genetic material) from
one species to be transferred into another species, creating transgenic organisms with combinations of genes from plants, animals, bacteria, and even viral gene pools. The mixing of genes from different species that have never shared genes
in the past is what makes GMOs and GE crops so unique. It
is impossible to create such transgenic organisms
through traditional crossbreeding methods.
The first widely-grown genetically engineered crops contain genes from bacteria and
plant viruses that make them resistant
to several insect pests and herbicides.
Are GMOs in organic food?
No. USDA Organic Rules state that "The use of genetically engineered organisms and their products are prohibited in any form or at any stage in organic production, processing or handling.”
GMOs in Georgia: 50 Shades of Gray
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Letter from the director doctor, doctor, Give Me the News …
GeOrGIA OrGANICS 200-A Ottley Dr., Atlanta GA [email protected]
BOARd OF dIREcTORSrashid Nuri, PRESIdENTMandy Mahoney, vIcE PRESIdENTed Taylor, TREASURERMary reilly, SEcRETARyDave BentoskiJames Brown Chad Carltonrobert CurreyNaomi Davis Dee Dee DigbyLinda Disantis Kurt ebersbachJulia Gaskinroderick GilbertDiane Marie HarrisConnie HayesGina HopkinsMelissa LibbyCashawn Myers Anne Quatrano
STAFF ERIN cROOMFarm to School [email protected]
STEPHANIE HASSMembership & Volunteer [email protected]
SANdy LAyTONDevelopment [email protected]
JENNIFER OwENSAdvocacy [email protected]
ALIcE ROLLSexecutive [email protected]
MIcHAEL wALLCommunications [email protected]
dONN cOOPERFarmer Services [email protected]
SUzANNE GIRdNERAdministrative [email protected]
BROOkE HATFIELdCommunications [email protected]
EMILy ROSEFarm to School [email protected]
NEwSLETTER EdITORMichael Wall
NEwSLETTER dESIGNERSStephen Walker and Brooke Hatfield
the DirtFall, 2012 • Published QuarterlyGeorgia Organics, Inc. 200-A Ottley Dr., Atlanta GA 30324, Volume 15 Issue #1 Copyright © 2012, Georgia Organics, Inc. All rights reserved.
When is the last time a doctor talked to you about the food you eat – your diet? Maybe it was recently, maybe never.
My hope is that in the future it will be always. And even better, my hope is that a doctor might even ask you, “From what farm do you purchase your food?”
Sounds like an alternate reality, I know, but it is not as farfetched an idea as it might have been five years ago.
I recently went to the National Farm to Cafeteria conference in Vermont and toured the Fletcher Allen Health Care Hospital in Burlington. These folks are way ahead of the curve—there’s not a fast food joint in sight in their lobby. Not only does the hospital have a beautiful rooftop garden and dining halls that procure food from more than twenty local farms, but patients get menus.
The hospital actually has a call center to take patient orders. And the menu has healthy and farm-fresh choices carefully selected for the dietary needs of their patients' various conditions. In the kitchen, I watched a line cook receive an order, just like a restaurant, and cook and prep a meal of fresh ingredients. Those Vermonters can be so inspiring and simultaneously annoying with their innate good sense.
For some true believers, longtime members of the good food movement, the path from a farm to a healthy diet is a straight shot. But for the majority of the public, and most medical professionals, the path is much less obvious.
But there are signs that the healthcare community is beginning to connect the dots.
Tulane University just instituted a Center for Culinary Medicine to combat the diabetes and obesity epidemic through culinary nutrition education. Even better, the curriculum will be incorporated into medical students’ required course load.
Why is this so important to the work of Georgia Organics? Well, our longtime reply to the complaint that some organic food is more expensive has always been, “You can pay your farmer now, or your doctor later.”
The struggle to ensure that sustainable farmers are fairly paid for their hard work is at the heart of everything we do.
New Staff Members Join the Georgia Organics Fold Donn CooperFarmer ServiCeS CoorDinator So, just who is this new tall guy at Georgia Organics World Headquarters? Good question. Over the last several years, Donn Cooper managed the Athens Farmers Market and the farm-to-table sustainable garden at the Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island. Cooper grew up on a chicken farm with 35,000 hens in Chestnut Mountain, Hall County, where his family has been involved in agriculture for 200 years. In the last four years, his family’s farm has transitioned from conventional heavy-breed chickens to USDA-certified organic laying hens in a pasture-based system. The eggs are processed and distributed by Vital Farms to earth Fare and Whole Foods throughout the Southeast. “After witnessing suburban sprawl consume the farms in Chestnut Mountain, I realized that farmers who wanted to hold onto their land, like my family, needed better tools to bring control to their operation and add value to their products,” Cooper said. “There couldn’t be a surer sign the American food system was flawed than the fact we never ate anything from the farm, outside of a few pecans and wild blackberries. Because we were inside what we thought was a stable animal-production system, I had never considered alternative ways of farming. As with most people, that all changed with The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I started to think for the first time about local economies and the inherent absurdities in the way Americans farm and eat, and suddenly I began to long for fresh food. As I went about a self-directed education in Georgia agriculture, I always had Georgia Organics as my guiding light. Suffice it to say, it’s nothing short of a dream come true to be joining this pioneering organization. My desire has always been to help farmers, from Bainbridge to Blairsville. I
know from personal experience nobody is more intelligent or resourceful, and our farmers are Georgia’s number one resource. It’s an honor to work with them and help strengthen their already-incredible efforts.”
Suzanne GirdneraDminiStrative aSSiStant Suzanne Girdner helps patiently manage a growing and dynamic office. She has five years of experience as an operation and sales manager, and has previously helped coordinate the ALFI Fruit Tree sale in 2012. She is also one of the best chefs in the GO office, which is no small feat. A native of richmond, Va., Suzanne came to Atlanta by way of england, where she received an MSc in Spatial Planning in Developing economies in 2011. Her studies helped her develop a passion for participatory development and a love for small, community-led change. She’s proud to be part of a team with the moral imperative to inspire and empower communities throughout Georgia. Her hobbies include reading, furniture restoration, and crafting – she’s just taken up knitting, which could come in handy since she and her husband Marshall are expecting their first child in March 2013. They live in Decatur, where future plans include
eventually supplementing their blueberry bushes with a terraced British garden in the backyard for growing food and flowers.
Brooke HatfieldCommuniCationS aSSiStantBrooke Hatfield comes to Georgia Organics from Washington, D.C., where she was design director at Washington City Paper. While serving as a Southern ambassador in our nation’s capitol she introduced several people to muscadines and subsequently taught them the correct way to pronounce “scuppernong.” After graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Georgia —and a stint as a student writer for the School of Agriculture and environmental Sciences—she worked as a reporter, editor, photographer, and designer in newsrooms across northeast Georgia. She won several awards from the Georgia Press Association, the Magazine Association of the Southeast, and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, but one of her favorite days as a journalist was when she photographed two large cabbages grown by a man known only as Blue in the back of a pickup truck in Madison, Ga. (She was also voted D.C.’s funniest journalist at the National Press Club, so feel free to send
her jokes and non-chemical methods to eradicate all the fire ant piles in her yard. Those bites are no laughing matter.) Brooke is excited about the potential in engaging communities, and is pleased as punch to be part of the megaphone promoting Georgia’s farmers, their stories, and the myriad ways their work impacts our health, environment, and economy. She’s also glad to be back in time for the tail end of fig season.
Emily RoseFarm to SChool aSSiStantemily rose grew up in Tampa, Fla. She graduated from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Ga., double majoring in music and psychology. Despite her non-food related majors, she has always been interested in gardening and cooking. To learn more about organic food production, she spent a year living and working on an educational farm in central Massachusetts. Overlook Farm, a learning center for the global nonprofit Heifer International, solidified her commitment to sustainable agriculture and spurred her to teach others about growing and cooking good food. To do so, she moved to northern Vermont to work with six public schools as a farm to school coordinator for Green Mountain Farm to School. She worked with teachers, food service staff, and local farmers to coordinate and implement farm to school activities, including farm field trips, new food taste tests, and hands-on workshops in the classroom and school garden. However, the snow proved too much for the Floridian, so emily moved to the San Francisco Bay area of California and worked with the Oakland nonprofit People’s Grocery. She worked in their one-acre urban garden and developed curriculum for local kids to visit the garden on field trips. She is excited to now be back in the Southeast and working for Georgia Organics, supporting and expanding farm to school programming all over the state!
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Chief medical correspondent and our 2013 Conference keynote speaker.
A healthy diet depends on healthy agriculture. Georgia Organics sees the healthcare industry as one of our best new allies. This is a huge opportunity and perfect fit for sustainable and organic farmers who are growing some of the freshest and most nutritionally dense foods.
Georgia Organics is striking out into this new territory in two ways. The first is to pilot a farmers market prescription program that will build on our current farmers market promotion campaign. It’s in the early stages and we are still seeking funding, but we hope to work with two doctors, a pediatrician and obstetrician, to see if we can support better health and diets through nutrition education and farmers market ingredients.
The second is to welcome healthcare professionals to our 2013 conference by offering special educational sessions in partnership with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and our presenting sponsor, Kaiser Permanente. These individuals will have the opportunity to connect with farmers and the good food community while earning CME credits for continuing education.
And just as important, we are incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the conference. Dr. Gupta has long advocated for better eating habits to prevent the many health ailments that afflict our citizens and our economy.
So now you know why the 2013 annual conference theme is “Farm Rx: A Prescription for Better Health,” and why this exciting new connection between doctors and farmers can benefit individuals, communities, and ultimately the viability of organic and sustainable farming in Georgia.
Alice RollsExecutive Director
1
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A History of Gaia Gardens from Four of Her Farmers: "we do not own land forever, but can only steward and love it in our time."By Joe Reynolds
including shiitake mushrooms, honey beehives, and a multitude of perennial plants such as figs and blueberries. In addition to bringing the CSA count up to 60 or more members, Daniel returned to the Morningside Farmers’ Market, where Gaia had previously sold under Ryan. According to Daniel, he got his chops running a business, learned how to talk on camera, cut his teeth on keeping equipment running, and gained a tremendous amount of experience as an educator, providing internship opportunities and workshops. He also enhanced the farm’s interaction with the good food community by stepping onto the
Georgia Organics board, helping with Team Agriculture Georgia, being a Terra Madre delegate, taking a leadership role in managing the Morningside Market, and becoming a reputed farm consultant.
“The community support was key in helping me to reach outside of my little farming operation and have an impact. The fact that I was in the city meant that anyone could come visit the farm and see what it was all about.” In 2008 Daniel left Gaia to move with his wife to Clinton, S.C.
He was honored with the Land Stewardship Award at the 2009 Georgia Organics conference by the membership, the board, and Michael Pollan.
RAcHEL TALI kAPLANHaving had experience with Daniel and Gaia Gardens, Rachel Tali Kaplan was a natural selection for the helm in 2009. “I started working with Daniel Parsons in the spring of 2006 as his first intern and I stayed on through the end of the year. I fell in love with Gaia.” Rachel moved the marketing model closer to home and heart, becoming deeply connected to many CSA members and bringing the farm to the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market.
“Farming takes a village,” Rachel says. “I credit my accomplishment to the support of the Gaia community…who stood by me every step of the way.” With a renewed desire to farm close to her family and alongside her husband, Andy, Rachel moved to Boston, Mass., at the end of 2010. JOE REyNOLdSMy time at Gaia Gardens is still in the making and has been forever forged by my work and respect for Crystal Organic Farm and the Glover Family Farm, as well as those Gaia gardeners that preceded me. I always make the joke that I have inherited the right to steward turn-key operations. Along with my sweetheart Judith, we have embraced our CSA, the East Atlanta Village Market, our great restaurant friends, and a desire to grow good community through supporting Slow Food Atlanta, Wholesome Wave Georgia, Community Farmers’ Markets, and Georgia Organics. We also deeply stand by educating new and emerging farmers in an effort to increase and empower our ranks.
So what’s the total value of a 15-year small farm in East Lake? It would be tough to quantify the number of CSA shares harvested or the number of market or restaurant customers served through the years. I see 67 units of homeowners preserving and supporting a five-acre piece of land that has been and will remain productive, interactive, ecologically conscious, and revolutionary, as well as three farmers that continued to farm after their time here. The ripple effect of Gaia Gardens touches two daughters, one son, two wives, one husband, one sweetheart, and relies on a new tractor and an amazing supporting cast of workers, members, volunteers, customers, and true community.
Daniel posited it best on the night that he received his Land Stewardship Award. His sentiment that night often resonates in my psyche and heart as a true panacea for our time.
“We do not own land forever, but can only steward and love it in our time.”
From a newcomer’s perspective, it is hard to imagine the dense and diverse history of the five acres that make up Gaia Gardens. Owned by the East Lake Commons Home Owners Association (ELC), Gaia Gardens is a tucked-away jewel in the East Lake neighborhood in Dekalb County. Gaia is a quintessential, well-constructed, and thoughtful meditation on how an organic, diversified production farm sits in the context of an urban community and neighborhood.
Essentially, it harbors an oasis of biodiversity of plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms, giving weight to the idea that biodiversity is the masterplan for success on planet Earth. Additionally, and just as importantly, it provides delicious seasonal and organic food to the ELC community and many good folks in the Atlanta area.
This year Gaia Gardens will celebrate 15 years of this good food work by honoring its farmer partners, founders, champions, and all of the helping hands and mouths. RyAN cOHENIn 1998, an idea that had been contemplated by a few people germinated into an active, productive, and working urban farm under the care of Ryan Cohen, a soft-spoken young farmer who had spent time on farms in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“It was really hard to imagine this would be successful,” Ryan says. There was much work to be done on the property, according to Ryan, and in the shadow of a bulldozer leveling land and a background of houses being built, he was beginning with a hand rototiller and a couple of garden tools. “We started off from square one,” he said.
The first goal was to get the farm operational and begin a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, something unheard of by most at the time. Another goal was to create a self-sustaining farmer salary from food sales. At that time, the farmer salary was part of the development budget. Then there were the infrastructure challenges that Ryan faced: irrigation and water supply, a lack of equipment, growing diverse products for the CSA, and maintaining the paperwork required for organic certification.
Back then, the local food and farming movement was nascent, and it was thrilling for a young enthusiast to take on an urban farming challenge. “I always felt like somewhat of a rock star,” Ryan says.
One amongst many inspiring stories of Ryan’s time is his fruitful encounter with Jane Fonda. Ryan, unaware of who he was talking to, gave a farm tour and provided examples of his work with Gaia. While leaving, Fonda introduced herself and told him that her foundation funded projects like the farm. From that meeting, Gaia applied for grant funding to build the current greenhouse and dig and install our 300-feet-deep well.
All in all, Ryan reflects, “We created a lot of excitement of what could be done…I am proud of the community for making it happen.” dANIEL PARSONSDaniel Parsons arrived at Gaia Gardens in 2004, a year after the departure of Ryan, and after the tenure of a hard year which saw the early exit of the second Gaia gardener. “It had been a year since Ryan left, and they had not had a good year with someone new…Meanwhile, I had all these ideas in my head about how to structure a farm,” Daniel says. It was the interview workday that made a huge
impression on Daniel. “Several people were there…and we seeded cover crops in the big upper field. I was impressed by the community involvement and the infrastructure and field setup.”
Daniel quickly began to define several features of the farm that make it intensely productive through neat organization into a 12-year rotation on 1.5 acres. He also introduced new facets on the farm,
Top: The fields of Gaia Gardens. Bottom right: From left, Joe Reynolds, Ryan Cohen, and Daniel Parsons at the 15th annual Gaia Gardens birthday celebration. Bottom left: Joe Reynolds leads children on a farm tour.
InfoLearn more at www.loveislovefarm.com
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5 Million Meals campaign Brings Local Food to Georgia Students
Info Sign up for the Georgia Organics farm to school eBite newsletter georgiaorganics.org/home/5Millionmeals
A “ROUNd UP” OF THREE IMPORTANT ISSUES IN THE GMO dEBATE
1. Sustainable Silver Bullet
GMOs are said to deliver positive environmental results – they produce breeds that are more drought-tolerant, reduce the need for excessive pesticide and herbicide applications, and make more efficient use of nitrogen.
Brian Tolar, the president of the Georgia Agribusiness Council, recently spoke to Georgia Organics on the state of Georgia’s “biotech” – the term he prefers for genetically engineered crops – production abilities.
“Whether it’s drought or heat stress, whatever it might be, so far what we’re hearing now is that they [GMO crops] are performing exceptionally well,” Tolar says. “At least 95 percent of our corn production for feed grain is going to be biotech and we’re seeing exceptional yield numbers of 200 bushel and more to the acre. Those are numbers we used to see in the Midwest. For us to be able to produce corn at this level in the Southeast is a tribute to the biotech performances and the improved genetics of the crop.”
“The bottom line is that GMOs give great yields in difficult climates,” Tolar says.
But some studies paint a different picture of the productivity of GMO crops.
A U.S. Dept. of Agriculture report on the yield performance of genetically engineered (GE) crops says “GE crops available for commercial use do not increase the yield potential of a variety. In fact, yield may even decrease.... Perhaps the biggest issue raised by these results is how to explain the rapid adoption of GE crops when farm financial impacts appear to be mixed or even negative.”
The failure of GMOs to increase yield potential was emphasized in the 2008 report by the United Nations International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). This report on the future of farming, authored by 400 scientists and backed by 58 governments, stated that yields of GMO crops were “highly variable” and in some cases, “yields declined.” The report noted, “Assessment of the technology lags behind its development, information is anecdotal and contradictory, and uncertainty about possible benefits and damage is unavoidable.”
Moreover, the amount of chemical use in agriculture may be increasing because of the rise of superweeds and superbugs that have adapted to resist common pesticides and herbicides.
According to the 2009 study, “Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years,” farmers applied 318 million more pounds of pesticides over the last 13 years as a result of
planting GMO seeds. The study was published by the Organic Center and was written by the center’s chief scientist, Dr. Charles
Benbrook.
“[GMO] crops are pushing pesticide use upward at a rapidly accelerating pace. In 2008, [GMO] crop acres required over 26
percent more pounds of pesticides per acre than acres planted to conventional varieties. The report projects that this trend will continue as a result of the rapid spread of glyphosate-resistant
weeds,” the report states.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, “Glyphosate, also known by its tradename Roundup, is commonly found in
rain and rivers in agricultural areas in the Mississippi River watershed.”
“Though glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world, we know very little about its long-term
effects to the environment,” says Paul Capel, U.S.G.S. chemist and an author on the study.
2. Human Health Unknowns
The impact of genetically modified food on human health is the most unclear area in this debate. Research is difficult because the seeds are patented and any scientist wishing to perform research must receive express permission from the seed company or patent-holder. This has created a scientific vacuum which has spurred more questions and apprehension than may be warranted.
However, short- and medium-term impacts are surfacing. Peer-reviewed studies have linked allergenic and toxic reactions or products containing decreased nutritional value to GMOs. But because the technology is fairly new and not available for public research, it is
difficult to know the long-term health impacts that may come as a result of genetically modified foods.
But a growing body of evidence links the pesticides and herbicides used on GE crops to human health problems, specifically birth defects, ADHD and other neurological disorders, and liver damage.
3. Farmer Rights – Seeds and Sovereignty
Genetically engineered crops are, by design, intellectual property and patented by the companies that engineer and manufacture them. This simple fact has drastically altered the seed industry and farming. Farmers can no longer save seeds for future plantings or share seeds among one another. This has begun to impact the diversity of seeds available, as well as access to regionally appropriate crop strains. It has also concentrated the seed business into the hands of a few large companies, limiting the choices farmers have to purchase and plant seeds.
GMOs in Georgia: 50 Shades of Gray Continued from cover
Upcoming Farm to School EvEntS 11.3.2012 atlanta Farm to School parents Workshop Atlanta—Morningside elementary School
11.5.12 - Farm to School community roundtableAthens—With Special Guest Doug Davis
MeMbers Only! cooking Demo & Book Signing with Kevin gillespie
Join us in celebration of Kevin Gillespie’s new cookbook, “Fire in My Belly: real Cooking.” Kevin will provide a cooking demo and sampling followed by a book signing at the Cook’s Warehouse (Ansley Mall)
in Atlanta on Jan. 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.. This event is free for all Georgia Organics members. Seating
is limited and RSVP is required. Visit the General Store at www.georgiorganics.org to sign up for the event. Copies
of Kevin’s book will be available for sale at the event.
the Organic Gardening magazine promotion is back!If you join Georgia Organics or renew your existing membership between Oct. 1- Dec. 31, you will receive a one-year subscription to Organic Gardening Magazine*. Just like that!
* Minimum membership contribution is $25. If for some reason you do not wish to get the magazine, you may receive a rebate for the $5 value of the magazine by sending Rodale your membership receipt, name, and address to Organic Gardening Rebate, P.O. Box 26299, Lehigh Valley, PA, 18002-6299.
Fewer things worry parents, healthcare provid-ers, and educators more than the nation’s rising childhood obesity epidemic.
More and more, those searching for a solution have honed in on farm to school programs, which are one of few efforts that show improved long-term eating habits, while enriching educational experiences.
In October, Georgia Organics and its partners launched the 5 Million Meals Campaign, a statewide effort to get 5 million meals made with locally grown food served in K-12 cafeterias across Georgia. Thanks to the hard work of dozens of farm to school advocates, 3 million meals featuring locally produced food were served in more than 650 Georgia schools in 2011 as part of a program to teach children where their food comes from and why it matters, and inspire them to eat more fruits and vegetables. With your help, we can push that number to 5 million. Imagine:
• More Georgia kids eating fresh, locally-grown food• More Georgia farmers supporting healthy
kids in their immediate communities• If we spent just 5 cents per cafeteria meal on local food, it
would add $15 million to the local economy.
nutrition Directors , here’s what you can do• Take the 5 Million Meals Pledge to receive resources and recognition.
• Call Georgia Organics to get started.
parents & Students, here’s what you can do• Ask your nutrition director to take the 5 Million Meals Pledge.• Reach out to your school leaders and encourage their support of farm to school.
teachers , here’s what you can do• Connect with Georgia Organics for
resources to integrate gardens, farm, and food education in to your curriculum.
Farmers , here’s what you can do• Email [email protected] if you are interested in selling to schools and we will add you to the list of local farmers being provided to distributors and school food buyers.• Host a farm tour for local students or visit a school.
11.5.12 Farm to School and Salad Bar training Workshop for School nutrition StaffMetro Atlanta Area—With Special Guest Doug Davis
11.29.12how nutrition Directors can Use the geographic preference rule to purchase local FoodsWebinar—With Shirley Tidwell of the Georgia Dept. of education
2.21.13 – 2.22.134th annual Farm to School SummitStatewide Conference—Georgia International Convention Center
“the bottom line is that gmos give great yields in difficult climates."—BrIAN TOLAr, president of the Georgia Agribusiness Council
“[gmo] crops are pushing pesticide use upward at a rapidly accelerating pace. in 2008, [gmo] crop acres required over 26 percent more pounds of pesticides per acre than acres planted to conventional varieties." —Dr. CHArLeS BeNBrOOK, chief scientist of the Organic Center
actA Not a member? Become a member today
and join us at the event! We would love to have you. www.georgiaorganics.org
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The most pressing concern among organic and sustainable farmers is the chance for co-mingling, or contamination by genetically engineered seeds in their fields. Pollination is an amazing natural feat, but it is a process that does not occur in a controlled environment. If one farmer has planted genetically engineered seeds, those plants can be pollinated and easily contaminate other fields.
Strong arguments have been made in favor of the “co-existence” principle – an idea that both GMO and non-GMO crops have a place in agriculture. Currently, organic farmers bear the full expense of preventing contamination and dealing with it if it does happen. Patent-holders are not required to take any steps to prevent genetic draft or pollination contamination as it stands now, which is an expensive liability for organic and non-GE farmers.
GMOS ANd GEORGIA – A LESSON IN THE MAkING Nowhere has the impact of GMO crops been felt more than in the cotton fields of middle Georgia. The most common variety of cotton in Georgia is known as Roundup Ready, a product that was genetically modified to resist the herbicide glyphosate.
Farmers could plant the Roundup Ready cotton, spray with the chemical treatment containing glyphosate and the cotton plants could withstand the spraying while the weeds died off. Somewhere along the way though, nature got smart. A variety of pigweed developed that became resistant to the glyphosate and took its toll on Georgia cotton farmers in a big way. In 2009, nearly half a million acres of Roundup Ready cotton had to be hand-weeded when pigweed took over fields in 52 counties. The hand weeding cost farmers nearly $11 million.
“What we’ve seen is nature is pretty incredible,” Tolar says. “It has an ability to adapt fairly quickly. [We] have some weeds that have developed a resistance to Roundup. When you used to spray
Roundup, it killed everything. For cotton, soy beans, or whatever, we’re seeing weeds that are resistant to even other types of herbicides.
“If a machine gun won’t work, we’ll hit them with a grenade, and then we’ll pick the next weapon of choice,” Tolar says. "We’re trying to expand that toolbox with the least amount of chemical applications needed to control weeds.”
In July of 2012 at the SunBelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, UGA researchers shared that the techniques and chemicals being used to control the spread of glyphosate-resistant pigweed are beginning to work. Dr. Stanley Culpepper was quoted as saying “We’re having a great year as far as management, but we’re having a challenging year as far as sustainability.” (SE Farm Press, 7/16/2012)
Growers are now instructed to practice more chemical applications both pre- and post-emergence to control the weed’s growth. During that same field day presentation, growers were warned of the need for more research to ensure neighboring fields would not be impacted by the spraying. Air, water, and wind may carry the chemicals to
unintended sources such as streams and rivers – and organic and sustainable farms.
On the plus side, the never-ending battle against weeds is leading some farmers to adopt more sustainable pest-management practices.
Julia Gaskin, the Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator at UGA’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and a Georgia Organics boardmember, provides this perspective:
“Although overuse of glyphosate has created glyphosate-resistant weeds, the availability of Roundup ready cotton, corn, and soybean allowed widespread adoption of conservation tillage systems.”
Conservation tillage is any method of soil cultivation that leaves the previous year's crop residue (such as corn stalks or wheat stubble) on fields before and after planting the next crop to build the soils as well as reduce soil erosion and runoff.
According to Gaskin, using the conservation tillage method “had and still has a tremendous impact on sustainability. For example, in cotton in Georgia, we went from 31,320 acres in 1993 to 447,223 acres in 2003 of conservation tillage. On a 5 percent slope of land, this can reduce soil erosion by 12 tons per acre per year. Since sediment is the number one impairment of our streams, this is a big step forward in sustainability. It’s not perfect but these are large impacts.
Bluffton, GA
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Publix Supermarkets
and online www.whiteoakpastures.com
Also, adoption of conservation tillage systems with winter cover crops and crop rotation has been shown to reduce weed pressure, so farmers using this … still reduce herbicide applications. Conservation tillage systems increase soil organic matter and reduce the [mechanized] passes across the field so [there is] reduced fossil fuel [use]. This just illustrates how complex the issue is.”
LETTING THE cONSUMER dEcIdE Conflicting evidence, inconclusive science – in the end, the gray area around GMOs has led countries around the world to compro-mise: label GMOs and let consumers decide.
Nearly 50 countries require labels on GMOs, even China, and many of these also have severe restrictions or bans against GMO food production or sale. The U.S. does not have any laws requiring transparency. Currently, the only state that has any kind of GMO labeling law is Alaska, which requires fish and shellfish to be labeled if genetically engineered.
But that may be changing. In early 2012, over 1 million comments were delivered to the USDA requesting that foods made of GMO crops be labeled. Georgia Organics signed on to support the “Just Label It” campaign.
States are acting as well – this fall, California will have a ballot question that would require the labeling of GMO foods. Prop 37, as it’s known, is now a flash point for the GMO debate. It’s become a line in the sand that distinguishes whether a company or group is for or against GMOs in general.
Monsanto has poured $4.2 million into campaigns to squash Prop 37, and the parent companies of brands that many believed to value the
philosophies of the organic food movement have joined Monsanto in the push to stop GMO labeling.
Pepsico, owners of the Naked Juice brand, has spent $1.7 million fighting Prop 37. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, owner of HONEST tea, and Odwalla, has spent $1.2 million; Kellogg, owner of Kashi, Gardenburger, and Morning Star Farms, has spent $633,00; General Mills, owner of Larabar, Muir Glen, and Cascadian Farm Organic, has spend $520,000; and Dean Foods, owner of Horizon Organic dairy products, and the soy-based dairy substitute, Silk, have spent $253,000 to make sure foods made with GMOs are not labeled as such.
Connecticut and Washington are also pursuing the required labeling of GMO foods.
Tolar, of the Georgia Agribusiness Council says, “I think consumers should be warned when there’s the potential hazard to their health for them or their health. There is no reason to label a product that’s produced from a biotech crop because there’s no hazard associated with its production.”
Tolar may be correct about health-hazards related to GMO foods. But the link between the herbicides and pesticides used on GMO crops, specifically glyphosate, is well-established.
Glyphosate is commonly used on GE soybeans, corn, and cotton – three of Georgia’s most widespread crops.
Info For more information on efforts to label GMO foods, check out www.justlabelit.org
Info Georgia Organics Core Values relevant to the GMO issue:
• Thepublicshouldhavearighttoknowwhereandhowtheirfoodwasgrown.
• Eatingorganicallygrownfoodreducesexposuretoharmfultoxins.
• Consumershavetherighttochoosefoodthatisnotgeneticallyengineered.
• Ourcountry’sfoodsystemshouldbesafeandtransparent.• Farmersshouldhavetherighttosaveseedsandrestoregeneticdiversity.
By The Numbers: GMOs Sources: Center for Food Safety, MSNBC, Cornucopia Institute.
85% of U.S. corn is
genetically modified.
91%of U.S. soybeans are genetically
modified.
88%of U.S. cotton is genetically
modified.
95% of U.S. sugar beets
are genetically modified.
900,000 people have sent comments to the FDA calling for the labeling of GMOs.
$23.5 million has been spent by companies fighting the California effort to require labeling of GMO foods. $3.5 million has been spent by companies who support labeling GMO products.
92% of Americans want GMO foods labeled.
the dirt | Page 10 Fall 2012 the dirt | Page 11
Healthy Soil ~ Healthy Food ~ Healthy People
A Z O M I T Efor Gardens, Pastures, Flower Beds and Orchards
GG Farms LLCd i s t r i b u t o r
[email protected] owned and operated
We stock the largest amount of organic fertilizers in town.
Adams-Briscoe Seed Company “The ABCʼs of Buying Seed”
325 E. Second St. / P.O. Box 19 Jackson, GA. 30233-0019
Since 1946 Adams-Briscoe Seed Company has been serving agriculture and the seed industry with all types of seeds, many of which are difficult to locate elsewhere. We stock all types of
seeds for cover crops, forages, erosion control, wildlife enhancement, vegetables, land reclamation and other uses. As a dealer for National Garden Wholesale we also supply a good assortment of organic fertilizers and plant protection products. Please contact us for a seed and
product list. You may visit our website at www.ABSEED.com
Phone: (770) 775-7826 FAX:(770) 775-7122 E-Mail : [email protected] Jimmy Adams Mail Orders Welcome * Credit Cards Accepted Greg Adams
Fall 2012 the dirt | Page 13
IN THE FIELd: Georgia Organics Around-the-State Update (May – Oct 2012)
actA Support Our efforts! Become a member of Georgia Organics today! www.georgiaorganics.org
PRESENTATIONSGeorgia Organics presented at the Georgia Municipal Association’s annual convention in Savannah in late June. We spoke to about 40 local elected officials from across Georgia about farmers markets and best practices of administration, zoning and permitting, vendor relations, and consumer awareness. Co-presenters included Teri Schell of Savannah and Jan Kozak of Athens.
My MARkET cLUB PROGRAMThe My Market farmers market
campaign is underway at six pilot markets, shown on the map with the My Market logo. So far, more
than 1,200 shoppers have been attracted to farmers markets for the
very first time. Danielle Moore, a Georgia State University dietitian student, has been contracted to coordinate the implementation and management of the My Market campaign.
LANd USE ANd zONINGLegislative proposals are moving through both DeKalb County and the city of Atlanta on zoning regulations to allow for more robust food production and fewer barriers to urban farming.
ATLANTA FOOd SySTEM INvENTORyALFI is currently undertaking a Food System Inventory to assess the state of the food system in Roundup Atlanta. The report seeks to measure progress and initiatives made toward the eight goals of ALFI’s Plan for Atlanta’s Sustainable Food Future.
FOOd HUB/INFRASTRUcTURE dEvELOPMENTGeorgia Organics is working with stakeholders in the Milan area to establish a food hub in Telfair County.
cAPAcITy cAMPAIGNGeorgia Organics has received a three-year commitment of $375,000 from the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation to seed our capacity campaign. We have also received $175,000 in pledges from our board members this year. Our three-year campaign total is $1.1 million, so it's wonderful to kick off our funding campaign with 43 percent committed to our goal.
MEMBERSHIPWhole Foods sponsored a membership campaign for Georgia Organics that ran from June 15- July 11 in all eight metro Atlanta stores. We saw a 500 percent increase in memberships compared to the same time last year. We now have 1,565 members and, for the first time ever, a full-time membership coordinator: Stephanie Hass.
Carrollton, Aug. 14Georgia Organics presented the “Small Farm Tax & Labor Workshop” with UGA Extension tax specialist Keith Kightlinger, who spoke to a crowd of beginning and established farmers on the regulatory issues involved in running a farm business. Kightlinger said, “There are three risky businesses: farming, fishing, and drilling for oil.” Inadequate bookkeeping only adds to the jeopardy.
Atlanta, May 23Advocacy Director Jennifer Owens and Gov. Nathan Deal at the launch of the state’s SHAPE Initiative to get kids active and eating better in Georgia. The statewide effort, involving areas of the government as varied as state parks to health officials, is using a network of partners, agencies, and athletic teams to improve the health of our young people.
Elberton. Sept. 25Sponsored by Georgia Organics, Jon and Cathy Payne hosted over 30 guests on their dynamic, multi-species farm outside of Elberton on Sept. 25. Broad River Pastures LLC—a diverse, 11-acre farm established in 2010—focuses on the breeding and preservation of heritage livestock and nutrient-dense food.
Portal, Aug. 17Georgia Organics and Al Clark, a retired Postal worker and lifetime farmer, hosted two dozen farming and agricultural professional and a passel of local high school students on his fifth-generation farm. USDA Agricultural Research Service agronomist Carroll Johnson, a leading researcher in organic cultivation in Georgia, spoke to the students about organics as a proven, science-based production system. “We’re using the same cultivator that my daddy used in the Sixties,” Clark said.
Atlanta, July 12Georgia Organics partnered with a student-led advocacy group and the Atlanta Community Food Bank to host 26 students from around Georgia for a full-day advocacy training on farm to school.
Griffin, Aug. 25A capacity crowd turned out for the “Small Scale Intensive Farming Workshop” at the UGA-Griffin campus to see Andy Pressman, a Sustainable Agricultural Specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology, present on how to start and run a small farming business. Topics ranged from testing soils for heavy metals to year-round financial planning to the beginning principles of permaculture.
Moultrie, Oct. 16-18Georgia Organics hosted the
first Organic Pavilion with 15 partners at the SunBelt
Ag Expo, which draws around 125,000 attendees.
Tifton, Oct. 10Executive Director Alice Rolls spoke at the "Celebrating Rural Georgia" conference on how local food can support rural farmers and communities. "I know we talk a lot about feeding the world, but let's talk about feeding Georgia," she said.
Fall 2012 the dirt | Page 15
To request a free catalog, visit www.highmowingseeds.com or call 802.472.6174
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Other highlights include: Live music by DriveTrain, the South’s premiere Bluegrass band, a one-of-a-kind cake raffle featuring sweets from Atlanta’s top pastry chefs, hayrides, children’s activities, and an expanded silent auction offering exclusive dining and travel packages, food and wine merchandise, and original art by prominent artists. Tickets are: $95 for adults / $35 for youth, ages 13 to 20 / Free for children 12 and under. Register at www.ldeiatlanta.org
Atlanta Local Food Initiative 2012 Summit, Nov. 8, AtlantaThe ALFI summit will document progress on ALFI’s Plan for Atlanta’s Sustainable Food Future and provide opportunities to develop new collaborations and strengthen established relationships to promote a thriving local food system for metro Atlanta. Register at www.AtlantaLocalFood.org/events.htm
2012 Georgia Jaunt, Nov.10, Atlanta-BlufftonGuests are invited to pack an overnight bag as Slow Food Atlanta presents the inaugural Georgia Jaunt, an exclusive opportunity to explore Georgia’s unique regions along with the distinctive foods on Saturday, Nov.10, and Sunday, Nov. 11. Attendees will enjoy a variety of delicious adventures during their overnight escape, including guided tours of the Green Family’s sugarcane farm and the Harris family’s White Oak Pastures, a bonfire celebration, and dinner created by chef Robert Lupo of Leon’s Full Service. For more information, visit www.slowfoodatlanta.org
Candle Making From Beeswax, Nov. 18, DecaturJoin Cassandra Lawson, our Bee Team Leader, and make your own beeswax candle by pouring into molds. Each participant leaves with their own beeswax candle they poured. $25 Garden Member, $30 Non Member. Register at www.wyldecenter.org
Cooking Demo & Book Signing with Kevin Gillespie, Jan. 17, Atlanta Join us in celebration of Kevin Gillespie’s new cookbook, "Fire in
My Belly: Real Cooking." See page 6 for more information.
In Depth Introduction to Organic Farming and Gardening Course, Feb. 2, Cumming
Whether you seek to become an organic farmer or just want to learn how to grow delicious, nutritious, organic vegetables in your garden for you and your family, then Cane Creek Farm’s intensive organic farming and gardening course is your answer! Information about Cane Creek Farm, including location and directions, can be viewed at www.canecreekfarm.net. Register at www.georgiaorganics.org/EventList.aspx
Did you know that you can support Georgia Organics in your company’s employee giving campaign? You can designate to Georgia Organics through
earthShare of Georgia and have a small donation taken out of your paycheck, which adds up to a significant contribution at the end of the year! Call Alice to enroll: 678.702.0400.
classifiedsFor a unique and thoughtful book by a Georgia veterinarian on how to improve the health of both animals and people, please go to: www.betterhealthandaplantoachieveit.com. Or send $14.50 to: Better Health PO Box 451, Quitman, GA 31643.
TO PlACe A ClASSiFieDS AD, OR TO leARn ABOuT AD RATeS FOR THe DiRT, PleASe eMAil [email protected]
Events calendar For more information and event registration, please visit http://www.georgiaorganics.org/events.
From the Kitchen to the Medicine Cabinet, Oct. 23, Decatur Heal Yourself! Join one of Oakhurst Community Garden’s favorite teachers Charli Vogt, of Beyond the Measuring Cup, and meet some of the food, herbs, and spices in your kitchen that are health-inducing. Taste and learn about food that restores health and provides comfort.Learn more and register at www.wyldecenter.org
Permaculture Design Certification Course, Oct. 27, Gainesville Permaculture is a set of principles and practices designed with a philosophy of creating the least change for the greatest effect. The process incorporates observation of humans and the natural world utilizing appropriate technology and relationships for an environmentally sound and economically viable outcome. Fee: $1,100 for the 8-day PDC intensive. Meals included. Limited lodging available at Cedar Hill for additional fee, hotels within 4 miles of the center. Call Kat Stratton at 770-887-0051 or e-mail [email protected]
Atlanta Les Dames d’Escoffier 12th Annual Afternoon in the Country, Nov. 4, PalmettoChefs from Atlanta’s top restaurants, paired with Georgia’s top Organic Farms, and select caterers and retailers will be set up in a tasting format alongside fine wines, spirits, and premium micro-brews - all under festive big-top tents in the beautiful gardens surrounding The Inn at Serenbe near Palmetto.
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