___College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences__Volume 16, Issue 6___November/December 2008 Food policy and sustainable in the news In his October 12th New York Times letter the_full_obama_interview/ visited the Twin Cities several times in the past year, and are working with several to the “Farmer in Chief”, Michael Pollan Will Allen of Growing Power receives Twin Cities area urban farming groups, lets the president-elect know that “food is MacArthur Fellow “Genius” grant about to demand your attention.” He goes including the Women’s Environmental on to state that “…you will need not simply A little closer to home—congratulations to Institute, Dream of Wild Health, and the to address food prices but to make the Will Allen, urban farmer and the founder Minnesota Food Association. A group of reform of the entire food system one of the of “Growing Power” in Milwaukee advocates have been highest priorities of your administration: (www.growingpower.org), and the “Growing meeting to explore promoting Growing unless you do, you will not be able to make Food and Justice for All Initiative”, who was Power-type neighborhood food systems in significant progress on the health care crisis, notified in late September that he is one of the Twin Cities. 25 MacArthur Fellows, or “genius grant” energy independence or climate change.” If And even closer to home: you haven’t yet read Michael Pollan’s 13- recipients for 2008. Will is only the second page “Farmer in Chief” letter, you can find farmer to be named a Fellow. Will uses a Congratulations to our own MISA student it at: www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/ holistic approach to grow food on less than intern, Megan Hines, who was crowned the magazine/12policy-t.html? two acres of land in north Milwaukee, and 2008 University of Minnesota scp=1&sq=Farmer%20in%20Chief&st=cse to promote novel food distribution Homecoming Queen! Megan is a junior channels. Growing Power uses low-cost majoring in Environmental Sciences – It’s received a lot of attention, including production methods—including use of Policy and Management with a minor in being mentioned by President-elect Barack raised beds, , vermiculture, and Sustainability Studies on the Twin Cities Obama in an interview with Joe Klein of heating through composting— campus. Megan also volunteers with Time Magazine. Complete transcript of to grow food for the community and for Renewing the Countryside, Obama’s interview with Joe Klein: http:// area restaurants. www.renewingthecountryside.org swampland.blogs.time.com/2008/10/23/ Will and staff from Growing Power have Conferences, conferences, conferences!

As you get ready for winter, we expect Kirschenmann, organic farmer and “Winter Harvest Manual”. Seating is you’re pulling out your calendars and longtime leader in national and limited, and preregistration is required by making plans to attend the winter international will January 7, 2009. Please contact Mary Hanks conferences available to Minnesotans! Our deliver the second keynote. There will be at the Minnesota Department of conferences always bring in great speakers more than 30 breakout sessions on organic Agriculture for more information: 651-201- from various parts of the country, balanced production of , dairy, livestock, fruits 6277 or [email protected] with plenty of time to tap local expertise and vegetables, marketing, and many more Midwest Value Added Conference, January 22- and share information with other farmers. topics. For more information, go to: 23, 2009, Rochester This year is no exception! We highlight a www.mda.state.mn.us/food/organic/ few of the major conferences below, but conference.htm Farm and Home Added Value: Profiting from Renewable Energy and Regional check out the MISA calendar Eliot Coleman will lead a Food. (www.misa.umn.edu) for more events and workshop prior to the conference: "Expand workshops. your zone - Extend your season," Thursday, The conference brings together farmers and The Minnesota Organic Conference & Trade January 15, 1:00 to 5:30 in St. Cloud. The ag folks to discuss topics like farm business Show, January 16-17, St. Cloud workshop will cover suitable crops, soils and management, marketing your products and on-farm bio energy options. Please join the This conference provides great information fertility management, tunnels and tunnel round table discussions, break out sessions about organic agriculture to excite construction, timing of plantings, yearly and general session speaker presentations. experienced organic producers as well as scheduling, and much more. There will be The keynote speaker will be Kate Clancy, people new to this farming system. Eliot plenty of time for discussion and questions. one of the nation's leading authorities on Coleman, a nationally renowned market The $50 registration fee for this one-day food systems. Kate has expertise in gardener and organic farmer from course includes the workshop, afternoon break, and a copy of Eliot Coleman’s book, will deliver one keynote address, while Fred (Continued on page 2) (Continued from page 1) College, Northfield, MN. Joel Salatin, grass- the organic movement forward together. farmer, author and lecturer, will be the Learn from a community of over 2,000 sustainable agriculture, food policy, food keynote speaker and will close the event farmers, educators, and advocates. Share systems planning, and organic food. For with his address, “Everything I Want to Do best practices, enjoy incredible food, choose more information, go to: Is Illegal,” followed by a question and from over 60 informative and dynamic www.rivercountryrcd.org/valad.html or call answer session and reception. The SFA workshops and experience 130+ booths in River Country RC&D 715-834-9672. Annual Conference registration opens our exhibit hall! November 15, 2008. Visit www.sfa-mn.org Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota Keynote addresses will be given by Vandana for conference details, or contact Anne with Conference, February 21, Northfield Shiva, “Agriculture for Life: Beyond SFA at [email protected], 320- Industrial Farming & Globalised Mark your calendars for the Sustainable 226-6318. Farming Association of Minnesota’s 18th Agriculture" and Alan Greene, "Why Annual Conference on Saturday, Feb. 21, MOSES Conference, February Farmers Are My Heroes." For more 2009. The event is being held in Buntrock 26-28, 2009, La Crosse, Wisconsin. information, go to: www.mosesorganic.org Commons on the campus of St. Olaf Celebrating 20 YEARS of sharing or call 715-772-3153. knowledge, finding solutions, and moving

Deadlines approaching for farmer-rancher grant applications! Don’t’ forget that those deadlines are prod.htm. Additional support materials, The Minnesota Department of Agriculture coming up for grants to support on-farm including a Spanish-language presentation Sustainable Agriculture grants are due innovative research and demonstration about the SARE farmer-rancher grants, can January 16, 2009. For information and a projects! be found at: http://www.misa.umn.edu/ 2009 application packet, go to: The North Central Region-Sustainable Application_Information2.html. For more www.mda.state.mn.us/about/divisions/ Agriculture Research and Education (NCR- information about the grants, contact Beth esap.htm . You can also contact Jeanne SARE) farmer-rancher grants are due Nelson, Minnesota State SARE Ciborowski, Grant Program Coordinator, December 1, 2008. Application materials Coordinator, 612-625-8217 or Energy & Sustainable Agriculture Program, can be found at: www.sare.org/ncrsare/ [email protected] . [email protected], 651-201- 6217.

Wholesale Success: A Farmer’s Guide to Selling, Post Harvest Handling, and Packing Produce Now that the busy harvest season is over for the capacity of Midwest farmers to meet the $80.00 plus s&h . You can view the Table many, you might actually have time to read burgeoning demand for local food. It of Contents and Introduction, and find through some of the great new materials includes comprehensive sections on issues ordering information at: and information resources that have been such as Building Relationships with Buyers, www.michaelfieldsaginst.org/news/newsrele developed in the past year! “Wholesale Food Safety, and Calculating Return in ase_postharvest_handling_resources.html. Success” is a 174-page manual produced by Investment. It also includes 63 profiles A copy is also available in the MISA office FamilyFarmed.org staff and 9 authors, as that give specific harvesting, cooling, (413 Hayes Hall, St. Paul campus) if you’d well as a 27-member steering committee storage, and packing information on most like to page through it! consisting of leading farmers, retailers, of the fruits and vegetables grown in the distributors, academics, and NGO leaders. Midwest. The manual is available from the The goal of “Wholesale Success” is to build Michael Fields Agricultural Institute for

High tunnel workshop

The first frost may have ended your growing The 2008 Minnesota High Tunnel/Season Minnesota researchers will address topics season this year, but there are ways to be Extension Conference, December 4-5 in ranging from interplanting and unique picking tomatoes in October, even in Alexandria, will highlight opportunities for crops in high tunnels to economics of high Minnesota! High tunnels are an efficient season extension in our region. Details and tunnel production and soil fertility in high way to extend the growing season by as registration forms are also available on line tunnels. much as six weeks in the spring and six at www.extension.umn.edu/Vege&Fruit/ An “Introduction to High Tunnels” session weeks or longer in the fall in Minnesota. Invited speakers include Ted Carey from will precede the main conference on Though introduced in Minnesota just a few Kansas State University, who will present December 4 from 9-12. For more short years ago, high tunnels are now being research on salad greens and flowers and information contact the University of used from the southern Minnesota border Kathy Demcheck from Penn State, who will Minnesota Extension Crookston Center at to International Falls in the north. discuss research with brambles and pest 888-241-0781. management in high tunnels. University of

Page 2 Sustainable Agriculture USDA releases proposed organic pasture rule

The USDA has released a proposed rule to producers were not following the intent of for public comment, and comments are due clarify access to pasture requirements for the rule. In response to the organic by December 23, 2008. For more organic livestock. Access to pasture for community's request for a strict standard to information on how to view the proposed organic ruminant animals (i.e. cows, sheep protect the integrity of organic, the USDA's rule and submit comments, see the MISA and goats) has been a requirement of the proposed rule attempts to clarify the website: www.misa.umn.edu/ USDA organic regulation since its standard by requiring that animals raised Access_to_Pasture_Rule.html inception, but ambiguous wording of the under organic standards have access to definition has led to complaints that some natural pastures. The proposed rule is open

Tidbits and other news you can use:

”Planning an Event—Consider Serving information, contact: Dean Current, St. CIAS Releases Grazing Reports Local Food” Paul, [email protected]; Diomy Zamora, The Center for Integrated Agricultural You can support local farmers by serving Brainerd, [email protected]; Gary Systems (CIAS) recently published two locally grown food at your workshops, Wyatt, Mankato, [email protected]. grazing-related reports. "How does managed conferences, and special events. Extension Best management practices for nitrogen grazing affect Wisconsin's environment" educators and Wisconsin chefs teamed up application (www.cias.wisc.edu/crops-and-livestock/ to share their experiences—ranging from U of MN Extension has updated its how-does-managed-grazing-affect-wisconsins- how to successfully source and serve local publication, “Best management practices environment/) covers what scientific studies food for snacks at short meetings, to serving for nitrogen use in Minnesota.” As noted have shown about the effects of managed three meals a day during major winter and in the publication, “There can be no ’one grazing on the environment. This report summer conferences. View or download the size fits all’ approach. The BMPs are dif- presents results from papers which are the 10-page publication at: http:// ferent [in different parts of the state] most relevant to managed grazing systems in learningstore.uwex.edu/pdf/A3873.pdf because soils and factors of soil formation Wisconsin and similar regions. "Forage are different. Recognition of these Fescues in the Northern Follow up to September SAN’s article on differences will result in more efficient USA" (www.cias.wisc.edu/crops-and- Bovine TB in Minnesota management of fertilizer N, and maximum livestock/forage-fescues-in-the-northern- profit.” To view or download the usa/) discusses the background and latest Three years after detecting bovine document, go to: www.extension.umn.edu/ tuberculosis (TB) in northwest Minnesota, research on meadow fescue, tall fescue and distribution/cropsystems/DC8560.pdf or festulolium. Special emphasis is on the United States Department of order copies by calling (800-876-8636. Agriculture has approved Minnesota’s Split productivity and performance in the State Status effective Oct. 10, 2008. For the northern USA. latest information on TB regulations, CSP Fact Sheet released from LSP including research-based resources from CSAs in the Workplace University of Minnesota Extension and The Land Stewardship Project has just other state agencies working cooperatively released its ninth fact sheet on the A new resource, "Community Supported to help eradicate the disease, visit the state’s Conservation Stewardship Program. "CSP: Agriculture for the Workplace: A Guide for one-stop website, www.mntbfree.com; or The New & Improved Conservation Developing Workplace Community call the toll free hotline: 877-668-2373 Stewardship Program" Supported Agriculture Distributions,” has been released from CISA (Community (www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/ CSP09.pdf) is a 2-page fact sheet that details Involved in Sustaining Agriculture.) The Minnesota landowners can receive carbon changes and highlights of CSP under the 59-page manual shares key lessons learned credits for conservation practices 2008 Farm Bill. Significant changes to the from CISA's Workplace CSA program in A new two-page fact sheet from U of MN program are that enrollment is now Western Massachusetts, and is designed to Extension and CINRAM (Center for continuous, on a whole-farm basis, and help other non-profits, farmers, and Integrated Natural Resources and open to any farmers nationwide. The fact workplaces replicate the project. View the Agricultural Management) details who is sheet also describes the process USDA is pdf: www.buylocalfood.com/ eligible and how to go about it claiming expected to follow in releasing the interim WorkplaceManual2008.pdf or contact carbon credits! Download “How to Utilize final rule on the revised CSP. Claire Morenon for a print copy, 413-665- 7100, ext 16. Carbon Payments” at: www.extension.umn.edu/ Environment/00014.pdf. For more

Volume 16, Issue 6 Page 3 Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture

411 Borlaug Hall 1991 Upper Buford Circle St. Paul, MN 55108

This newsletter is supported by the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA)—a partnership between the Sustainer’s Coalition and the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) the University of Minnesota Extension; the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCRSARE) Professional Development Program (PDP). Send story ideas to MISA, 411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper Buford Circle. St. Paul, MN 55108, (612) 625-8235, fax (612) 625-1268, e-mail: [email protected]. Editorial board members: Helene Murray, (612) 625-0220, [email protected]; Beth Nelson, (612) 625-8217, [email protected]; Bill Wilcke, (612) 625-8205, [email protected]; Jane Jewett, [email protected] and Kate Seager, (612) 625-8235, [email protected]. Please send address changes directly to: Kate Seager, [email protected], MISA, 411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108. You can find more University of Minnesota Extension Service educational information at www.extension.umn.edu. Also check MISA’s home page at www.misa.umn.edu. Our mission statement: To help bring people together to influence the future of agriculture and rural communities to achieve socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable farms and communities. To stimulate thinking and discussion about sustainability, we try to present items that reflect different points of view. This being the case, we aren’t promoting and don’t necessarily agree with everything we publish.