A simple idea led two women into a thriving new enterprise. Creating backyard mini-farms for homeowners who want to start growing their own fresh herbs and vegetables, but lack the time or resources to do it themselves. A considerable amount of food can be grown in a small area of land, and depending on one’s geographic location, the food can be grown outdoors throughout much of the year. As food prices rise, these types of mini-farms take on new economic meaning!

It’s no easy task being a farmer. What makes it even more challenging these days is to find affordable land in the first place. I hear frequent stories along these lines from those just starting out, and, from those who have been farming for awhile. The veteran farmers shake their heads and say something has to change if we’re going to rely on getting our food locally.

That’s why when I heard about Donna Smith and Robyn Streeter of Your Backyard Farmer, I got really excited! For the right farmer, and the right landowner, this is such a no-brainer. It’s one of those why-didn’t-I-think-of-that moments! There is so much unused garden space in people’s backyards, most covered in grass (resource intensive, and inedible for humans), many of these plots would make a suitable space for a food garden.

Donna says you’d be surprised by the amount of food that can be harvested from a relatively small space. She figures 100 square feet of space will feed at least one adult (up to a family of 2) throughout the growing seasons (this will vary by geographic region). Picture it, a 10 by 10 bed or plot; that’s not so big. Multiply the number of people you’d like to feed in your family by that 10 X 10 figure, and that’s roughly the amount of growing space you will need to keep your family well stocked with fresh vegetables and herbs (PDF).

So many communities and organizations around the world are looking at creative ways to bring good, clean, fresh food closer to home. There’s City Farmer in Vancouver, BC; Pittsburgh, PA; and Middlesbrough, UK. A successful campaign spearheaded by Kitchen Gardeners International to create a White House Garden serves as powerful inspiration for many of us to start working on our own backyards!

There are lots of different ways ( Resources For City Farms ) to accomplish this effort of growing and providing food locally and lots of folks working hard to make it happen. Do you have other ideas to share? Or, know of other groups that are working toward bringing food home…right to your doorstep? Building a local food economy is just one more step toward a more sustainable way of living. A win-win for everyone including our planet.

—Rebecca

Recipes from this show: Kale Philo Bake; Crookneck Squash and Tomato Slices

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Food Works provides opportunities to young people to make a difference in their communities. The youth comes from a diverse background, 14 to 21 years in age, they learn valuable skills how to communicate more effectively with adults, grow and market the food they produce at farmers markets, and provide fresh produce to low income families nearby.

“More grows in a garden than what the gardener plants”
- Old Spanish Proverb
That proverb stands true to what I witnessed at the Food Works project recently. Each year, through the Janus Youth Programs, a group of up to 10 teenagers from various NE Portland neighborhoods have a chance to give back to their community, and themselves, by growing food.

The project is designed as a job that pays in dollars and school credit. These young people learn how to grow food on a one acre plot of land, manage it as a business, and sell the produce. But that’s not all, they learn what it means to give back to their community by giving away, once a week during the summer, the fresh, clean, and good food they grew with their own hands.

Many of these young folks are from low-income families and many are immigrants. Some struggled with the language, some struggled with their shyness. But they all grew. They grew in self-assurance. They became urban farmers by planning, planting, and harvesting their crops on a farm within a metropolitan area. They learned about the value of food by selling at the local Farmers Market. They discovered there is a growing need for local access to fresh, clean foods, and through their own involvement helped people within their community. They learned through hard work and direct community involvement that there are important roles for young people to play in society.

So you see, food, works. It really does.

—Rebecca

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Roger Rainville on his Tractor; photo courtesy of Lynn Redlin

One of Rainville’s goals was to produce enough of his own biodiesel from growing canola and sunflower crops to cost effectively fuel his farm. Rainville has worked diligently for several years to perfect just the right methods for growing his biodiesel crops, and to extend those crops for other economic uses.

Sunflower Crop, Borderview Farm, Vermont; photo courtesy of Lynn Redlin

He is using the same land base for the production of fuel that was used 100 years ago. The difference today, instead of crops grown to feed draft horses, the crops he grows, feeds his five tractors through the active farming months, consuming between 1500-2000 gallons of fuel.

Stay tuned for much more to come about Roger Rainville, and his farm, on CUpS!

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Oak Center, Minnesota. You might say organic farmer Steven Schwen plows a different path through life; one built of a strong connection to the land, without many of the trappings we normally would associate as necessities of modern living.

It was a deliberate choice that he made. Schwen believes that we, as a society, have been lured down the path of consumerism, and profit, at the expense of the environment and of our souls. “I think it’s important for people to understand that we are all connected to land and labor… When I started out, I thought I’m going to change the world. And all of those people who went back to the land who are still doing this, we are going to do something to change this world. And you know, we are helping shape people’s thinking but I think there has been a lot of resistance because of the comfort levels that material security has been providing people. People have been saying, yeah, I want to do that someday. But circumstances are becoming such that people will not have those choices anymore, and people realize that.”

Steven Schwen was not born into farming, and in fact, first went to medical school before realizing it was living a more sustainable existence that he needed to pursue.

…”I guess I grew up in the country, and my family lived a mile and a half out of town. I spent my childhood looking under logs to see what lived there and running around in the woods, and just animals and nature were my life.”

His parents recognized his early love of nature, especially of bugs, and suggested it could lead to a career in science, and so they encouraged him to become a doctor. But Schwen later discovered that the concept of general practitioner that he had growing up, the country doctor that paid house visits, was quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Yellow Peppers, Earthen Path Organic Farm

Upon graduating college in the early 1970’s, Schwen developed a vision of a sustainable world based upon the model of an agrarian society: small towns, local economies, and more people on the land. It was the only vision he could imagine that presented a lifestyle without the need for oil. During our interview, Schwen asks, “You know what one family can do with a team of horses, or with their own labor”?

As you can see in this, and the other related videos, Schwen shows us his answer— a lot!

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Well they’ve done it again. The two filmmakers that brought us King Corn, Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney, have come together to create another film that covers an important subject about how do we grow fresh, local food in dense urban environments, with a good deal of fun and quirkiness folded in: Truck Farm.

Old Gray Dodge; Courtesy of King Corn

The truck that has the lead role in this film is no newcomer. She played a pivotal part in King Corn – she delivered the duo to Iowa to grow their one acre of genetically modified corn, provided a resting spot to eat their fast food during the road trip, and also hauled their corn away after it was harvested. Quite an accomplishment for an old gal. But that wasn’t enough. She still had some spunk left in her.

Old Dodge Used to Grow Food; courtesy of Truck Farm

Of course, filming the process, devising a way to hook up a camera to take 12 still pictures every hour, and involving a very creative musical duo, The Fishermen Three, to lay the ‘narration’ for this distinctive and unconventional film was a natural step. Well, for them it was.

In its second season of growing food, Truck Farm aspires to be fully harvested this coming winter as an hourlong documentary – one that I am looking forward to seeing, along with a myriad of others interested in learning more new ways to grow good food.

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Cooking Up a Story: Stories

Calvin is a 10-year old boy with a deep enthusiasm for life. But every day is a constant battle against an unrelenting foe. One that requires constant vigilance and treatment; an enemy that science can not—as yet—defeat. Calvin has Type 1 Diabetes: this is Calvin’s War.

Spending a day with Calvin was an eye opener.

First off, I want to say something about the ‘hi’ reading he got on his pump that morning. I traded emails with his Dad later, to understand what had happened and this is what he wrote back: The “hi” reading doesn’t happen very often (thank goodness)–that means that he’s over 500 and means that it’s time for a big-time fire drill to get him down immediately. Anything over 200 is bad news, and over 400 is awful. When it says “hi” it’s almost time to panic. He also later told me that was about the 4th time in 3 years he had a ‘hi’ reading.

It was a Saturday morning. I grabbed a cup of coffee and the newspaper, and flipped through the pages. It caught my eye on the front page of the Living section A Day in the Life of a Diabetic, by Calvin Kocher (see his original article below). I knew a little about diabetes, but I had no idea what a day entailed. I had no idea how critical everything he ate and did could affect his body. Afterwards, I sat there and imagined doing what he did everyday.

With the article in mind I pursued filming a day in the life of Calvin. Again, I go into a story with a general (unscripted) idea how it will turn out, but stay open to what occurs. Though I spent the day with him, so much happened that morning at the soccer game–getting a ‘hi’ reading, taking a bolus of insulin to get it down, discovering it was a false reading due to a dirty finger, drinking Gleukos and Gatorade to counter the extra insulin, and still wanting to play soccer–I decided to concentrate his day around his game. It’s just a small piece of his life, but what a slice it is.

Recipe from the show: Nasi Goreng (fried rice).

A Day in the Life of a Diabetic, by Calvin
published in The Oregonian, Living Section, May 6th, 2006

Picture yourself like this: You have sudden thirst all the time, you’re always hungry, you have blurry vision, have lost weight, and suddenly have urination problems. You go to the hospital, and your doctor says you’re diagnosed with diabetes. Then you go to sticking yourself with a 1⁄4-inch long needle 50 times a week. That’s what happened to me and 23 million people all over the United States of America. Are you scared now? Wait until you see our average days!

The day starts at 2 o’clock in the morning for me, even though I’m not awake. My dad comes in and tests the amount of sugar I have in my blood. Oops. I’m high. See, the normal range is 80 to 180. I’m 274. I have a portable I.V. that I carry in my pocket called a computerized insulin pump. It gives me insulin, a hormone I need to stay alive, constantly throughout the whole day, which is connected by means of an infusion set.

To give an example, insulin is like a drawbridge that connects the red blood cells to sugar wanting to get in. The insulin “drawbridge” lets the sugar in, which is then converted into energy. However, when you have diabetes, you don’t produce insulin, so the sugar can’t get in over the drawbridge. When your drawbridge is up, the cells are literally starving all the time because they are in need of glucose, even though the blood is thick with it. The body wants to wash out the extra sugar, and so you need to drink and go to the bathroom a lot. A lot can go wrong when that drawbridge isn’t working properly, so my pump puts in insulin regularly via my set, which is an infusion set in my body for up to five days at a time. This constant input of insulin is called a basal rate.

So, back to our 2am blood check. Since my blood glucose is high, my dad gives me enough insulin to get it in range. You figure out how much insulin to inject by subtracting your goal from the high blood sugar, and dividing by the patient’s correction rate. My goal is 135 and my correction rate is 50. So 274 (my reading) – 135 (my goal) = 139 (the amount I need to come down). Then he takes the 139 and divides it by 50, which equals 2.78 units of insulin. So, he programs my insulin pump to inject that much insulin into me via my “set”, which is called a bolus since a lot of insulin is being injected at once, and everything is normal and peaceful…until morning comes.

Today is a Saturday, which means it’s a soccer game day. The game is at 11 o’clock. I wake up at about 9:30, get my contacts in, and head downstairs for breakfast. I read the paper as I test. Oh, look, Phoenix won! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! That’s my meter! I’m 146. Perfect! I’m having 2 waffles, 30 carbs, honey, 15 carbs, butter, and milk, 15 carbs. So 30+15+15=60 grams. My breakfast ratio is 1 unit of insulin to 10 carbs, so I bolus 5.75 units, because I’m going to be burning a lot of carbs with all the exercise at the soccer game. Then I eat, bolus and we head off to the soccer game.

As we get there, I shed my sweatsuit and head off to warm up before the game. Then, just before we take the field, I test. 131. Normally, this would be perfect, but since I’m going to be exercising, I swallow a drink of my Gatorade® and jog onto the field.

At halftime, I test again. 187. Good! I don’t do anything. But then, later in the half I feel low. You know what it feels like to be low? It’s like running a marathon with only water to quench your thirst. You’d feel woozy, ready to drop, and ravenous, right? That’s what it feels like to be low. So, my dad calls me off the field. Yikes!!!!! I’m 39! I quickly slurp my whole Gatorade®, and ten minutes later, after testing to affirm that I’m at a good level again (107), I go back on the field to savor the last five minutes of a 6-2 win.

At the end of the game, I test again. Oh, good! I’m 156, so I can eat the after-game game snacks: Tropicana® fruit punch and a bag of chips. I will need to bolus for them. So, 30 for the juice and 15 for the chips is 45 on a 1:15 mid-day ratio, that’s 3 units. I bolus, and then, since I was exercising, I activate a setting on my pump that, for a short time, lets me reduce the basal rate of insulin my pump puts in to a fraction of what it was, called temporary basal rate. The basal insulin is the amount of insulin that my pump puts into my body continuously. My normal basal rate is about .8 units per hour.

We then, in good spirits, go to Outback Steakhouse™ for lunch. I order a steak, a baked potato, diet Dr. Pepper®, and a sundae. Then, after we order, I test: 126, and when I see the food, I bolus: 60 for the potato and toppings, 0 for the steak and the soda (they are carb-free), and 60 for the sundae. On a 1:18 ratio is…6.67 units. So I bolus and we dig in to our food like stray dogs at a deli.

At three o’clock, I go outside to eat a Popsicle and grab a bag of pretzel/cheese sandwiches and relax in the hammock. This is a snack I don’t have to bolus for. I look forward to it every day. Eating without testing and bolusing. It seems so normal for everyone else, but for me it’s a luxury.

At dinner, we’re having creamed corn, my mom’s really good fried potato slices, and steak outside. I rack it all up. My number’s a bit high 324, so maybe I shouldn’t have had the popsicle…. Anyway, so 324-135=189, and 189÷45=4.2 units, plus the meal. Milk’s 10, potatoes are 50, creamed corn is 30, steak is 0, and a fudge sickle is 15, so that makes 105, divided by my dinner ratio, 1:20, is 5.25 units plus the 4.2 units from earlier, which makes 9.45 units. It’s a lot of insulin, but that’s what I need. I bolus, and we eat. Later, right before I go to bed, I test. Terrific! I’m 110, so I eat a half a banana (15) so I won’t go low overnight. Then I go to bed, waiting for yet another eventful day.

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Have you noticed the growing interest in farmers markets? Well, the official stats have just been released, and their numbers are growing, robustly. In the Portland area alone, there are 5 new farmers markets this year, 37 in total!

Last year, while filming at the Earthen Path Organic Farm, in Oak Center, MN, I spoke with organic farmer Rebecca Schwen. She was about to head out to one of the farmer markets they sell to, and I asked her if she had seen a change in numbers in farmer markets over the last few years. Here’s what she shared:

August 1st through the 7th marks National Farmers Market week. The USDA has just released the new number of farmers markets in the U.S. and (drum roll) it’s climbed up to 6,132 – up 16% over last year’s number of 5,274!

Number of Operating Farmers Markets in 2010; Source, USDA, AMS

Top 10 states with the most farmers markets:

1. California (580)
2. New York (461)
3. Illinois (286)
4. Michigan (271)
5. Iowa (229)
6. Massachusetts (227)
7. Ohio (213)
8. Wisconsin (204)
9. Pennsylvania (203)
10. North Carolina (182)

If you haven’t been to a farmers market yet, this would be a great week to go! To find a farmers market in your area, check out the National Farmers Market Directory. Or, look into starting a farmers market for your area! Or, go check out this cool interactive map to find out what’s in season and where the nearest farmers market is (in U.S.)!

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Filmed in May 2010 at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s, Cooking For Solutions: Sustainable Foods Institute media conference, Mr. Masumoto talks about the recent passing of his father, and the inner search for achieving a balance with life where no such state is fully possible. This panel discussion on Stories of Sustainability was moderated by Jane Black of the Washington Post.

In the video below from his publisher, Simon and Schuster, Mas Masumoto shares a passage from his latest book, Wisdom of the Last Farmer:

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Even before the recent BP oil spill disaster, the Gulf of Mexico has been America’s dumping grounds for decades dating back to the 1930′s. In part, the dumping of old weapons ordinances, yearly oil spills from nearby land seepage, and refinery operations, along with agricultural run-off, hundreds of miles away, have greatly contributed towards its steep decline.

Jobs, and money, finite resources too precious to that region to risk losing, have long dampened enthusiasm for vigilant regulatory enforcement, and environmental support by local politicians has been historically lacking.

In the case of agricultural run-off of nitrogen fertilizer, from states as far away as Iowa that grow corn, 1.5 million tons of nitrogen flow into the Gulf each year. A dead zone, 6000-7000 square miles has resulted from this non-point source of pollution.

The federal Clean Water Act specifically exempts agricultural run-off from regulatory action under its charter.

For more information: Gulf of Mexico Has Long Been Dumping Site

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In this short video, Pat Morford talks about her Bloomy Rind style cheese that uses a type of mold that effects not just the surface of the cheese—like most of the varieties produced in this country—but throughout. As her cheese ages, it ripens the dense cheese into a soft and creamy texture with a full bodied flavor neither flinty, or dry.

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Portland Fruit Tree Project provides a valuable service that helps communities benefit directly from local resources. Fresh fruit that grows on neighborhood trees is collected by volunteers, and dropped off at local Food Banks for distribution to those in need. The great thing about this program is that in large part, the fruit would not be harvested or eaten by anyone—if not for fruit gleaning. Everyone involved benefits, including the trees, as harvesting is beneficial to their health!

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Through a program overseen by the Swedish Cooperative Centre, several communities in Kenya have learned how to rebuild the organic matter in their eroded soil in order to grow food. Some of the methods that have positive results: adding manure, building retention ditches, constructing a dam with a water-gate, and planting nitrogen fixing plants.

Many great sustainable agriculture methods are shared and you can see the positive results in the short video.

Go to original post, “A Winning Scenario”.

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Go to original post.

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(see related: Animated Charts Showing the Seed Industry Structure from Phil Howard, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University.)

On the surface, understanding the organizational structure of the seed industry may seem a pursuit into the arcane, and wonkish world of academics, and private seed breeders. This is certainly not the case!

World's Top 10 Seed Companies; ETC Group, 2007. Click to enlarge image

In a recent New York Times article, Rapid Rise in Seed Prices Draws U.S. Scrutiny, the price of corn seed, the most dominant seed crop, has risen 132% since 2001. Soybeans, another major seed crop, rose 108% over this same period of time. The U.S. Department of Justice is currently investigating the seed industry for possible antitrust violations.

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Stay tuned for more videos on this subject.

For now, here’s a slideshow introduction to some of the attractions at Naomi’s store:

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Tons of tomatoes, and over 70 different varieties are represented at this tomato fest. These farm fresh tomatoes have character, beauty, and yes, even charm.

It was back in May. Or maybe it was June. I passed by a group of folks selling plants for a community fundraiser. It was a good cause and I was looking for some geraniums to plant out back, which they had. There were also a handful of tomato starters. Should I give this a try? I love homegrown tomatoes. I knew I didn’t have the time for a whole garden, but maybe one tomato plant would work. There wasn’t a varietal name attached to it, or the others. I took the nameless home along with a small geranium, and planted both.

It was wise of me not to plant a whole bunch of tomatoes. With my schedule, I was happy to coerce the few I got from the plant. There was one surprise. I expected it to be red. And it is definitely orange.

My one plant was not going to satiate my taste for tomatoes—especially when my inner clock said—HEY! It’s time for tomatoes! So what a great opportunity it was to go visit the local farmer’s market and experience a Tomato Tasting.

I got there about 8:30am, as the plates were being filled with cut samples. The morning light filtered through the tall leafy trees and buildings surrounding the market. The light was beautiful and so were the colors of all the different kinds of tomatoes. Colors and types I had never seen before. Soon folks were lining up, equipped with toothpicks and pencils. Poke, taste, rate. Jab, taste, exclaim. Pick, taste, pick, taste, oooh, pick, taste, hmmm, move on. There was a quiet symphony of sounds stirring in the background as I filmed the activity and lushness of colors. What a great way to celebrate one of my favorites of summer.

Recipes from the show: Baked Roma Tomato Pasta; Tomatoes Vinaigrette.

—Rebecca

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Excerpted from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s, Cooking For Solutions 2010 media conference, Paul Hawken eloquently explains how the price of food is divorced from its true costs, and what this really means for society, at large.

This is a central theme that runs through much of the sustainable food movement’s core beliefs, and those advocating a profound change to the existing structure of the food system. Michael Pollan, in his 2008 “Open Letter to the Next Farmer In Chief“, writes:

“Food policy is not something American presidents have had to give much thought to, at least since the Nixon administration— the last time high food prices presented a serious political peril. Since then, federal policies to promote maximum production of the commodity crops (corn, soybeans, wheat and rice) from which most of our supermarket foods are derived have succeeded impressively in keeping prices low and food more or less off the national political agenda.”

Indeed, the massive consolidation of agricultural food companies into giant transnational corporations may well trace its origins to Nixon’s Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz, whose prime directive was to develop a plan to keep U.S. food prices at a reliably low level. With the recent decision of the Department of Justice to investigate the mounting evidence of over-consolidation of the food industry, it seems fair to ask whether the pendulum of centralization, maximization of production, monoculture industrial farming, and the existence of mega-farms (technically referred to as CAFO’s), has shifted the pendulum too far.

The high cost of cheap food begs a serious question: who should foot the bill to cover the full external costs of industrial farming—the American people, as has largely been the case—or the corporations who chiefly benefit from the existing structure?

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Picking Kale

If you haven’t considered planting a winter garden, maybe now is the time! There are many vegetables you can plant and harvest in the winter months, depending upon where you live.

Master gardener, Jen Aron watering her seed tray

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• Crunchy Tuscan Kale Salad with Lemony Oil Dressing
• Twice Baked Irish Potatoes with Stout Onions and Kale
• From the Field: Kale

The Perennial Plate Episode 15: Farm to Market from Daniel Klein.

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of following the farm-to-market process with one of the “successful” upstart organic farms. Laura and Adam from Loon Organics let me film and work through their Friday-Saturday operation. I had been idealizing the idea of starting a farm: seeing the beautiful produce stacked up at the market made me want to take out a loan, buy 50 acres and start my own little operation. But after a day with the folks at Loon Organics, reality comes into play.

For more information about the details of starting a small organic farm, check out this resource page containing a list of (PDF) documents from the Minnesota Institute of Sustainable Agriculture featuring Loon Organics.

After learning to cook at his mother’s bed and breakfast, Daniel Klein (The Perennial Plate) went on to work and train at many of the world’s top restaurants. His culinary education brought him to Spain, France, England, India and New York, where he has worked and trained at top Michelin starred restaurants. After graduating from NYU, Daniel also pursued a career in film. Daniel’s most recent film “What are we doing here?” has aired on TV, in theaters and at numerous festivals around the world.  

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• Growing Food in Kenya Amid Climate Change (video)
• Growing and Caring for Potatoes (video)
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Tricia Butler, Sassafras Catering

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Tom Trantham, Twelve Aprils Dairy Farm

This fortuitous discovery led Trantham to seek research and grant assistance from the Southern’s region, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. SARE has worked closely with him since, ultimately their collaboration together has resulted in his profitable and highly successful Twelve April’s program that serves as a model for other dairy farmers. Look for his story, and detailed information on his Twelve April’s grazing program, coming soon on CUpS.

Twelve Aprils Dairy Farm Holstein Cows; Photo courtesy of Tom Gerendasy

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A big problem for most home gardeners is how to keep insects like aphids, mites, and caterpillars from eating and destroying a crop. Growing insectary plants would be a good start. It’s purpose is to attract beneficial insects which feed upon insects that might be damaging your garden.

Master Gardener Jen Aron talks about the different insectary plants she has in her garden and some of the beneficial insects they attract. Not only is an insectary garden beneficial to your plants, it’s beautiful to look at too.

Master Gardener, Jen Aron

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June 28, 2010; The recent Supreme Court decision on the Roundup Ready Alfalfa case (PDF) has drawn a mixture of reactions from the mainstream media, and from the Blogosphere. To help us better understand this decision, CUpS sat down with Craig Johnston, professor of environmental law at Lewis & Clark Law School, and the lead author (on behalf of the NRDC) of one of the briefs presented to the Supreme Court in this case.

A Field of Alfalfa

Alfalfa is the fourth largest cash crop, and is conventionally grown on over 20 million acres of land throughout the US. A member of the legume family, alfalfa is an important forage crop for livestock, and also for commercial seed production. The concern of some farmers, both conventional and organic alfalfa growers, is that through open pollination (principally from plants grown to produce commercial seed that must be allowed to bloom), the plants would be susceptible to cross contamination from the pollen of nearby genetically engineered (transgenic) alfalfa plants. The potential for gene flow (cross contamination between transgenic and non-transgenic varieties) was considered a possible outcome of the unrestricted regulation of Roundup Ready Alfalfa (RRA), and potentially, a catastrophic environmental threat to non-transgenic alfalfa seed growers. The other environmental concern was the possible transfer of the Roundup resistance to native populations of weeds, requiring the use of more toxic herbicides for future weed control.

The Monsanto vs Geerston Seed Farms case arose out of the 2005 decision by USDA’s Animal Protection and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the agency charged with “Protecting American Agriculture”, to deregulate Monsanto’s RRA seed products. In responding favorably to Monsanto’s petition to receive deregulatory status on its RRA varieties, two alfalfa farmers, the Center For Food Safety, and other environmental groups went to court seeking a permanent injunction barring APHIS from deregulating RRA until a final Environmental Impact Statement was performed. As governed under the Plant Protection Act (PPA), APHIS was required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to conduct an extensive and rigorous scientific analysis, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), on any regulated article that poses a risk of significant environmental harm before fully deregulating its use. The District Court ruled (PDF) that APHIS violated the law by failing to conduct an EIS prior to deregulation, and ordered that all further sales of RRA cease, and (with certain limited exceptions) no future plantings of RRA seeds were allowed to occur until after a final EIS was conducted. Monsanto appealed the case, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently affirmed the decision (PDF) of the lower court.

In that neither side contested the decision of the District Court that APHIS violated the NEPA requirements, the Supreme Court chose to rule on narrow procedural grounds, for the most part, not weighing in directly upon the environmental issues involved. The lone dissenter, Justice Stevens, wrote in his dissenting opinion, in part:

“The Court does not dispute the District Court’s critical findings of fact: First, Roundup Ready Alfalfa (RRA) can contaminate other plants. Second, even planting in a controlled setting had led to contamination in some instances. Third, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has limited ability to monitor or enforce limitations on planting. And fourth, genetic contamination from RRA could decimate farmers’ livelihoods and the American alfalfa market for years to come. Instead, the majority faults the District Court for “enjoining [preventing] APHIS from partially deregulating RRA”.”

Nonetheless, there were some surprises in the Supreme Court’s decision, and both sides claimed legitimate victories. For Monsanto, they were able to overturn the lower courts injunction to block deregulation of their RRA seeds until the EIS report was released. The Supreme Court remanded the case back to the Agency (APHIS) to evaluate whether a partial deregulation could be allowed prior to the release of the EIS. APHIS had earlier proposed to the District Court Judge during their remedy phase, a set of limited conditions upon which Monsanto could continue to sell RRA seeds, and farmers to purchase and plant those seeds until a final EIS was issued, but the District Court Judge (Breyer) rejected their proposal. However, should APHIS again decide to seek a partial deregulation for RRA, the Supreme Court made it clear, the case would be brought back to the District Court judge to review again. According to Johnston, it was unlikely APHIS will seek to partially deregulate RRA, until after the final EIS is released, perhaps, in another two to four years.

For the farmers and environmental groups that initiated the lawsuit, there were a number of victories that resulted from this decision. For the first time, the Supreme Court now recognizes economic consequences resulting from environmental impacts as legitimate factors for consideration under NEPA rules. This aspect of the decision may significantly impact the similar GMO sugar beet case;  already in response to the Supreme Court Decision,  the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judge has postponed the next scheduled July hearing until mid-August to give both sides time to review the Supreme Court’s ruling.  Both cross contamination threats, and economic loss, are central issues involved in the sugar beet case. For Johnston, the biggest win in this decision was the Supreme Court’s rejection of Monsanto’s threshold argument to prevent future court injunctions from being issued in cases where the “likelihood of irreparable harm” (even catastrophic harm) were considered less than a even 50:50 chance of occurring.

In the end, whether it becomes a matter of years, if indeed it ever does occur, before any Roundup Ready Alfalfa seeds reach the marketplace again, or as Monsanto predicts, their seeds will be available for sale under partial deregulation by this Fall—on determining the actual outcome—the jury is still out.

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Master Gardener, Jenn Aron Pulling Out the Cover Crop from Her Backyard Garden

Jen Aron, owner and operator of Peaceful Gardens, sustainable landscape design. OSU Extension Master Gardener, certified in Permaculture Design, have been teaching sustainable agriculture and Permaculture throughout the Portland area for the past two years, volunteer countless hours educating the Portland community about urban agriculture and sustainability.

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And for those wanting more, watch the related story about Marge Braker and an old friend who develop a closer bond through their connection with preserving food: Preserving Food and Friendship.

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Potatoes are one of those vegetables that are so plentiful and easily found at the market, many don’t even consider growing it. But it is one of the easiest crops to grow and there are over 4,000 varieties to choose from. They like to be planted when it is still cool outside, and urban farmer Donna Smith says she always gets hers in around St. Patrick’s Day.

Depending upon variety, potatoes can be harvested 90-120 days after planting. Many kids find digging up potatoes a fun activity, almost like going on a treasure hunt! And there are as many different ways to cook them as there are varieties. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend the Twice Baked Irish Potatoes with Stout Onions and Kale.

Master Gardener Jen Aron Working in her Backyard

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Organic Seed Breeder, Frank Morton Working In the Field; Wild Garden Seed, Philomath, Oregon

Continuing with our Seeds of Life series, Willamette Valley organic seed breeder, Frank Morton, explains the benefits of open pollination in plant breeding, and the important role for farmers in the selection process to continually improve plant varieties for better local adaptation.

In open pollinated plant varieties, pollination can occur from the pollen of related species that sometimes travel great distances (as measured in miles), by insects, wind, and birds.

Open pollinated plants can be selected over time to breed a desired mix of traits, and the seeds from these plants can be reused over successive generations with highly favorable results. In particular, Morton says, organic farmers want organically bred seeds, that is, seeds which are designed to work well in an organic system. Organic farmers place a strong emphasis on maintaining soil fertility, and do not use commercial fertilizers, and other chemicals to artificially boost production yields. Organically bred seeds, may be bred for roots that travel deeper through the ground to acquire the necessary supply of nutrients that a healthy plant may require. By contrast, an organically grown seed, means only that the seeds were grown on organic soil, but will not have been bred to do better under an organic farming system.

Swiss Chard; Wild Garden Seed Farm

Working with open pollinated plants, Morton provides organically bred seeds better suited for organic and sustainable farming systems, and offers farmers a means of continually improving their own crops along with the ability to reuse their seed.

By contrast, most hybrid seeds, including genetically engineered seeds with patent protections, either can not be reused under licensing restrictions, or, the hybrids have been designed not to be stable beyond their first harvest. This lock and key protection means that while farmers will continue to purchase their seeds year after year from the seed companies, they may also have to purchase an assorted mix of farm chemicals to insure the best chance of success with those seeds. Not only does this bind a farmer to the seed companies, it precludes them from cultivating varieties over time from their own selection process. As Morton emphasizes in the video, when the farmer participates directly in the selection process, he can further adapt his seed to fit his particular tastes, and growing conditions.

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Amflora potato. photo courtesy BASF

Go to original post…

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What’s most remarkable about hanging out with Anthony Boutard besides his passion for food, it’s his incredible breadth of knowledge about organic farming. He does everything by hand, and he constantly is learning from his observations and field experiments. As Boutard is readying his corn seeds for planting in this video, he is doing another experiment by separating the 3 different corn varieties onto different plots of land to learn more about their unique characteristics.

In a follow-up email, I asked Anthony Boutard a few more questions about his corn. This is what I learned from him, some of his responses are provided just as he wrote them.

Corn Sheller Removing Seed Kernels from Ear

The process of removing corn kernels from the ear is known as “shelling”. As Boutard explains in the video, the best place to store ears of corn prior to shelling are in “cool, dry places without rodents”.

Longevity of the seed depends upon a variety of factors, in general, the seed will keep for several years, depending also, upon the variety. After a couple of years, the viability of the seed begins declining. Storing the seed on the ear, lengthens the period of time the seed remains viable.

Boutard explains how he determines the best time to plant his corn:

“This year, or normally . . .  Corn planting is governed by soil temperature. Generally, you want soil temperature of 60 degrees (16 C) or higher.  Sweet corn needs the soil closer to 70 degrees (21 C), or it will rot before it germinates.

Corn is harvested at “physiological maturity” in the autumn. A sooty layer forms where the kernel is attached to the ear, a sign that the ear has matured.  Maturity varies greatly among the varieties. In Oregon, Roy’s Calais Flint is mature by early September, while gourd seed corn needs another month or so, late November if you are lucky.”

Anthony Boutard Planting Corn at His Ayers Creek Farm Near Portland, Oregon.

“They are all Roy’s Calais Flint.  It has many different kernel colors. I think I referred to the variety having a superb library of traits found in the Northeastern eight row flint corns. 

The red kernel is apparently a recessive trait, so you have to pay attention to it. The red kernel matures earlier and has better cold soil germination, so I favor it. “

Boutard is working on a new book on the subject of corn, as he describes below:

“The working title is: Beautiful Corn: A guide to growing, milling and cooking America’s grain.  The book is loosely organized as an almanac, following corn through the year, as well as from kernel to plate.  In addition to the practical details, I hope to encourage readers to pause in the corn field and take a moment to contemplate the aesthetics of this remarkable sweet grass. It is a beguiling and accommodating plant that has seduced its cultivators from its earliest cultivation in southern Mexico.”

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Lappé sees an important role for government to play. Without a strong government to represent the interests of the people, narrow private interests prevail, often to the detriment of society. One can look at the sharp rise of food safety issues over the past decade to see the corrosive effects of lax government oversight and enforcement, coupled with the increased centralization (and consolidation of ownership) of large-scale food production, and processing, to appreciate how relying too heavily upon voluntary industry self-regulation does not benefit the public interest. While large corporations are highly focused upon protecting their own vital interests, the public interest is more diffusely spread, its pressure not as acutely felt in Washington.

Re-authorized every five years, the single biggest engine to drive fundamental change to our food system is through the federal Farm Bill legislation. The next (2012) Farm Bill will have the potential, in part, to shift subsidies away from the current top 10% of commodity producers, (principally of corn, wheat, soy, cotton, and rice) toward sustainably produced foods that are beneficial to the environment, promotes public health to people of all means, encourages the humane treatment of livestock, and helps to create healthy, regional food economies.

In democratic societies, government is neither inherently good nor evil. In a lasting democracy— not out of fear, but of hope— an informed and engaged citizenry holds its leaders properly accountable.

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