A weekly roundup of news and events concerning food, farms, the environment, local communities- and anything else that may catch our eye.
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal examined the decline of farmland in the San Francisco Bay Area, despite heavy demand for locally-grown food in the region. They cited our 2008 San Francisco Foodshed Study that examined whether the City of San Francisco feed itself with local food from farms and ranches within 100 miles of the Golden Gate.
AgWeb ran a story about Ag Secretary Vilsack’s speech at the Commodity Classic in Anaheim outlining his strategy for rural America.
The Western Farm Press highlighted an editorial by Los Angeles Times food editor Russ Parsons that called for a “more constructive give-and-take” between farmers and developers. Our own Dennis Nuxoll penned a response to Parson’ article last month in the Farmland Report- read it here.
Last Saturday, Occupational Health and Safety’s website reported on an initiative by the USDA to engage farmers in helping to improve water quality in the Mississippi River Basin.
An article published over the weekend at theadvertiser.com reported on the continued sign-up for the USDA’s Grassland Reserve Program, which “helps farmers and ranchers keep their grazing operation viable and prevents the conversion of grassland to other uses.”
And Ag Weely reported on the “sustainability” themed 2010 Larry Branen Ag Summit in their piece entitled What does sustainable agriculture look like?
 Massachusetts dairy farmers don’t have the land base to expand into 1,000 or 2,000 cow herds, according to Peter Melnik, a fourth-generation dairyman from Deerfield. Instead, he believes diversity is the key to preserving his family’s 250-cow farm.
In search of that diversity, Melnik and four other dairies are embarking on a methane digester project with far-reaching implications for farmers, the environment and a sustainable future for the region. Organized as AGreen Energy, they will build five identical methane digesters to convert their cows’ manure and waste from food processors in the Boston area into electrical energy and fertilizer. “The way we’re trying to do it is the first in the country,” says Melnik.
AGreen Energy will manage day-to-day operation of the digesters, a key benefit according to Melnik, who points out that dairy farmers only have so many hours available in each day.
“The principal payback from the digesters is from the energy,” he says. “But we will get digested manure and compost to sell to vegetable farmers and local gardeners. We’re also applying for a value-added grant so we can use the excess heat from the digester for a greenhouse.”
“If we don’t capture the methane, it’s just going into the atmosphere. I see the digester as a mini-local bio-cycle – we feed the cows, they process the feed into milk and manure, we capture the manure and methane, and we use that energy to power the farm and grow more food in the greenhouse, where we use our own digested manure as the fertilizer,” he says.
 Melnik and his partners have added a further twist that boosts their chances of success and improves the environment: their digesters will also accept organic waste from food manufacturers in the Boston area, incorporating it into the process stream.
“Food waste brings in more energy per pound than manure does, so this enables us to generate the same electricity from our 250-cow dairy as a 1,200 cow dairy that recycled only manure,” Melnik explains. “For a small farm, typically a digester can’t pay for itself. [Incorporating the food waste] is what’s making this project economically viable.”
Melnik praises Massachusetts’ progressive energy laws along with the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program which have made it possible for his family to preserve most of their farm from development and which are now helping to drive the digester project. “My father was a big proponent of the APR program – he and my grandfather kind of built this farm, and my father did his job by preserving it, and now it’s my job and my son’s to preserve it,” says Melnik.
“I think in 20 years methane digesters are going to be commonplace on livestock farms. I am a firm believer that you try as hard as you can to take care of what’s yours. My dream is that someday instead of driving my tractor up to the diesel pump, I will pull my electric tractor up to the digester to refuel.”
A weekly roundup of news and events concerning food, farms, the environment, local communities- and anything else that may catch our eye.
On Monday, the Washington Post and the LA Times both ran articles discussing the role of manure in the clean water and energy debates happening across the country.
The 2010 Commodity Classic started yesterday in Anaheim, CA with a jam packed agenda including sessions on soil health and how farmers can better utilize social media.
The final round of Change.org’s “Ideas for Change in America” has started with our idea “No Farms No Food | Save the Land that Sustains Us” currently in second place. Don’t forget to vote!
The USDA announced that a general signup in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will be held later this year and that an additional 300,000 acres has been approved for conservation programs under the CRP.
Francis Beinecke penned an article for Switchboard regarding Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s remarks about the common ground between farmers and environmentalists: “After all, he said, “We all kind of want the same thing.”
And for all those that missed it, the USDA Economic Research Service released a Food Environment Atlas last month to “get a spatial overview of a community’s ability to access healthy food and its success in doing so.”
I recently had the honor of moderating a panel discussion on climate change at USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum 2010. There were several interesting presentations that I wanted to share with everyone:
- Brian Murray from Duke University and Chad Hellwinckel from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, delivered presentations on the economics and effects of energy and climate policy on farmers—putting the hopes and fears that farmers have about climate legislation in perspective. You can view their presentations here.
- Tim Searchinger, a research scholar and lecturer at Princeton University, was the third panelist, discussing whether climate security and food security are on a collision course.
While work on clean energy legislation has slowed in Congress, there is still the possibility of action later this year or soon thereafter. The research and discussion presented by these panelists is important to consider as the agriculture sector looks for ways to maximize their access to carbon sequestration markets and other ecosystem markets to “offset” the costs of a cap and trade system.
I know this is one area of federal policy that may seem confusing, so I invite you to learn more about what cap and trade is and how agriculture can be involved in providing solutions to one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time.
You can view the rest of the presentations from the Ag Outlook Conference here.
About the author: Dennis Nuxoll is Senior Director of Government Relations for American Farmland Trustbout the author: Dennis Nuxoll is Senior Director of Government Relations for American Farmland Trust
A recent article by Joel Salatin in Flavor Magazine, subtitled “These landscape-oriented restrictions make farming unsustainable,” calls into question the merits of conservation easements in providing for the future viability of farms subject to an easement. The author paints this conclusion with a very broad brush based on his experience with a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) easement, just one of many easement programs. This is unfair to both the CREP program and to conservation easement programs that promote active agricultural use on protected farms.
Conservation easements have been employed to protect the benefits we derive from land as wide and as varied as a scenic view, wildlife habitat, groundwater recharge zones, a historic setting and, yes, the capacity to grow food. The conservation easement is the work horse of land protection. But, there is no stock, off-the-shelf, legal language for all conservation easements. The terms and conditions of an easement are tailored to each landowner, to the resource values to be protected, to the objectives of the program or land trust sponsoring the easement and in some instances to a source of funding, if the easement is to be purchased. Therefore, an unfortunate experience with any single conservation easement does not necessarily reflect problems with conservation easements on a whole.
In the case of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which Salatin cites for limiting on-farm projects, this is a uniquely targeted program administered by USDA’s Farm Services Agency (FSA). As described by FSA, it is “a voluntary land retirement program that helps agricultural producers protect environmentally sensitive land, decrease erosion, restore wildlife habitat, and safeguard ground and surface water.” In order to achieve the goals of the program, a CREP easement by design is crafted to restrict actions on the land that may compromise its environmental objectives, which may include new agricultural buildings and activities, at least in environmentally sensitive areas on the farm. This may explain the experience Mr. Salatin describes with CREP. However, farmers have the option to enroll only those portions of their farms that are environmentally sensitive and where they would not otherwise plan to have any new buildings or conduct farming activities. Though, in some instances, landowners have chosen to enroll their entire farm in the program.
Whatever the case, if you choose to voluntarily participate in the CREP program, you and any future owner of the land must agree to the terms of its easement. In the latter case, “buyer be aware.”
Conservation Easements Tailor Made for Farms
 There is, however, an entire class, if you will, of conservation easements, agricultural conservation easements, that are specifically designed to protect the resource values of agricultural lands, while being flexible when it comes to new agricultural buildings and activities in order to promote continued agricultural viability and use. They do not, as Mr. Salatin contends, “freeze a farm in time,” for to do so would limit future opportunities to adjust to new markets, change operating models and take advantage of new research and farming methods.
Agricultural conservation easements work! Over 2 million acres of farm and ranch land have been protected with agricultural conservation easements by state and local purchase of agricultural conservation easement programs across the country. The close to 14,000 agricultural conservation easements associated with these 2 million acres are written to not only protect this land from non-farm development and conversion and promote sound stewardship, but also to ensure the future of farming and ranching as a land use and livelihood.
If you are interested in seeing the status of such programs around the country, please see the following two pdf’s:
· Status of Local PACE Programs
· Status of State PACE Programs
You can read Joel Salatin’s article here.
About the author: Bob Wagner has been on the staff of American Farmland Trust since 1985 and worked in the field of farmland protection since 1981. In his current position, Wagner helps communities nationwide build support for and create policies to protect agricultural land.
Once a month, we will be providing you with a farm fresh recipe provided by chef’s from around the nation. Our goal is to be as seasonal as possible; however, it is a big country out there so seasonal recipes may vary depending on your location. Enjoy!
1/2 pound tender young Roma beans, trimmed.
1/2 pound yellow wax beans, trimmed
3 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
8-10 ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
Sherry vinaigrette; recipe follows
1 tablespoon pesto; recipe follows
Salt and pepper
Bring an eight-quart soup pot full of water to a boil. Salt generously. Working in small batches, plunge green beans in boiling water and cook until bright green and tender (three to four minutes). Immediately cool the beans in an ice bath or under cool running after to stop the cooking process. Continue process until all beans are cooked. Repeat for the yellow beans, cooking until tender. In a large mixing bowl, add the beans, walnuts, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper, dress with the sherry vinaigrette and add pesto. Toss well and adjust seasoning to taste. Present the salad neatly arranged on four small salad plates or family style on a large platter.
For the Vinaigrette:
2 ounces sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, minced
5 ounces of grapeseed oil
Combine the sherry vinegar, Dijon and shallot in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil in a steady stream until well combined. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
For the Pesto:
8 ounces very fresh basil
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Pecorino cheese
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
In the bowl of a food processor, add the basil, pine nuts and garlic. While running, gradually add the oil until all is incorporated. Finish the pesto with the cheese and season with a pinch of salt.
About the Chef: Chef Mike Lata is dedicated to featuring fresh produce from local farms at FIG, a restaurant in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, that he co-owns with manager Adam Emir. FIG stands for “food is good,” and Late has a passion for farm fresh vegetables that began during his childhood in Springfield, Massachusetts, where his grandparents had substantial gardens.
More than ever before, New Yorkers need to tell state leaders why they have to invest in New York’s farm and food system. Severe and disproportionate cuts to New York’s food, environment and agricultural programs have been proposed in Governor Paterson’s 2010-2011 State Budget.
Some proposed cuts eliminate programs that help farmers make a good living and give consumers access to local foods, such as the Farmers Market Grants program and the New York Farm Viability Institute. Other programs have been slashed. The Farmland Protection Program, the premier state program for protecting irreplaceable farmland from development, may be shut down for at least two years.
These cuts are not inevitable! Current funding for farms and food represent far less than one percent of the state’s $130 billion budget. There are other solutions to New York’s budget woes than slashing programs that invest in a farm and food system that strengthens the economy, feeds people and protects the environment.
New Yorkers can make a statement about farm and food priorities by:
- Sending a message to state leaders.
- Joining the No Farms No Food Rally on March 15th at the State Capitol in Albany.
- Asking local government, growers association, or other organizations to sign on as a supporter of the No Farms, No Food agenda.
For more information and sign on materials, go to www.farmland.org/newyork, e mail newyork@farmland.org or call (518) 581-0078.
About the Author: David Haight is New York Director of American Farmland Trust.
Nationally I’d like to send a big shout-out to a FFA team from Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, for their recent success. The Ag Issues Team from the Little Dutchmen Chapter at Annville-Cleona High School took their local and state winning presentation to the National FFA Convention competition this past October and came home in eighth place out of 35 teams.
The team of four girls, all seniors, chose to present an unbiased overview of a current agricultural topic of extreme importance: farmland preservation! The team gathered information from Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program and American Farmland Trust and had a great coach; they also eschewed the typical overhead or PowerPoint presentation for something more creative. Instead, the young women wrote an original skit about a girl who inherits her parents’ farm and must decide among several options, such as selling to a developer or preserving the farmland.
From my perspective, they were destined to do well because they recognized a critically important challenge facing agriculture. It’s great to see a new generation take on the issue of farmland preservation.
The National FFA Organization, dedicated to developing leadership potential, personal growth and career success through agricultural education, is celebrating National FFA Week this week. As a National FFA Organization alumni, I can tell you how valuable it was to be involved in a youth organization that gave me great experiences in different fields of agriculture and helped me set school and career goals. I’m proud to have been a member of the Tri-Valley FFA chapter in Illinois, to have served as the State FFA President, and later to have served as the chairman of the Illinois FFA Foundation Board of Trustees.
I challenge all of us to do our part to help develop strong leaders for America’s future. The next generation will need to help solve the many farm and food challenges we face—including the loss of our nation’s farm and ranch land and the many other global issues of our time.
Congratulations again to the Little Dutchmen’s Issues Team; all of us at AFT wish you continued success in the future!
 About the Author: Jon Scholl is President of American Farmland Trust. Prior to AFT, he served as Counselor to the Administrator for Agriculture Policy at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Jon and his family operate a corn and soybean farm in McLean County, Illinois.
 What an honor to be blogging for American Farmland Trust. My company, Peeled Snacks, has been buying American-grown fruit since I founded it in 2005, and we’re very proud to now be working with AFT on our shared goal of protecting American farmland.
Back when I started Peeled Snacks in 2005, my experiences working for big consumer-packaged-goods companies taught me that real food is surprisingly hard to come by, and even tougher to sell. When I started Peeled Snacks, I wanted to offer food, and not some food-like product. Luckily, in the United States we have some of the greatest food suppliers in the world keeping us fed: American farmers.
In starting Peeled Snacks, I set out to offer people who were on-the-go a snack option that they could feel good about. To me, that meant creating snacks from all-natural and organic ingredients that you recognize. I wanted large, easy-to-eat pieces of fruit and nuts that provide a natural source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber—with NO added sugar or fat. My first snacks were mixes of fruit and nuts, and later we added the single-serving Fruit Picks, which enabled us to introduce a wide range of organic fruits to the snack world.
In developing our snacks, I had the privilege of working with farmers to find fruits that could be grown sustainably and offered a solid nutritional benefit. As our company grew, it became apparent to me that sourcing from American farms is becoming more difficult. So many U.S. farmers are being driven out by development and lower priced imports. Several years ago, we couldn’t find any more dried apples from U.S. farms. It seemed inconceivable to me that we would have to source apples from abroad. What happened to Johnny Appleseed’s vision? Since then, we worked hard to find more American sources and increased our commitment to partner with them. That’s why I was so excited when I learned about American Farmland Trust.
As a food company, we are so deeply connected to where our food comes from. American Farmland Trust’s “No Farms, No Food” message strongly resonates with our philosophy at Peeled Snacks that we should eat food that’s as natural as possible and grow it as close to home as possible. We’re now partnering with American Farmland Trust to help save the farms that sustain us. We created the American Farms Sampler and are donating 10 percent of sales from this pack to American Farmland Trust. The American Farms Sampler features our delicious American grown cherries and apples. I hope that you’ll help us in this effort, and I encourage everyone to buy and eat real food. Thanks to organizations like American Farmland Trust, you don’t have to settle for less.
 About the Author: Noha Waibsnaider is the Founder and CEO of Peeled Snacks, a healthy snack food company headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Peeled Snacks are available nationwide in Starbucks, Hudson News, Nordstrom, Amazon.com and at PeeledSnacks.com.
Before I came to American Farmland Trust, I was the Counselor to the Administrator for Agricultural Policy at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). One of my primary efforts at EPA was to start the first-ever agricultural advisory committee for the agency so that they might advise the agency on how environmental policy issues affect farms, ranches and rural communities.
Why? To foster a better understanding between farmers and the EPA so that each group might have a better sense of the challenges each face in their work.
Nearly 150 people from farmers, ranchers, rural suppliers, academics who study agricultural and environmental issues and others applied to be on the committee for a two-year term, with a diverse group of 29 selected to make up the group. Our former president, Ralph Grossi, just completed a term—and I was glad to have someone from American Farmland Trust on the advisory board.
The group was charged with several tasks: to help the agency understand the effects on agriculture of EPA programs, policies and regulations related to climate change and renewable energy; to help develop a national environmental strategy for livestock operations; and to find a framework to address the common interests between sustainable agriculture and protection of the environment.
I learned a lot from this experience. First, that the agency and farmers are challenged to communicate because each group has a very different language and lots of acronyms for describing their work and what they want to accomplish. Second—both face challenges—one group in running viable farms and ranches, the other in running a regulatory agency with lots of statutorily prescribed duties. An important perspective that the advisory group brings is to help the agency find ways to meet its environmental goals in ways that will allow farmers to remain profitable.
But I also learned that after all is said and done, both groups have a common goal: to leave the land better than when they started.
As a second group of citizens from across the country are selected to serve on EPA’s Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee, I have some words of wisdom to share: a common understanding isn’t something that always comes overnight. Stick with the process—after a few meetings, you’ll have developed stronger relationships and better solutions to the very real environmental issues we face in our country.
About the Author: Jon Scholl is President of American Farmland Trust. Prior to AFT, he served as Counselor to the Administrator for Agriculture Policy at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Jon and his family operate a corn and soybean farm in McLean County, Illinois.
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