Missouri Alternatives Centers Bimonthly Electronic Newsletter 800-433-3704 AG OPPORTUNITIES@ March-April 1999 (Vol 9 No 5) * Small Farms * New Family Farms * Agricultural Alternatives 1999 MO Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Awards The Missouri Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Award Program began in 1995 after being funded by the Missouri Legislature. Each year since then, 23 grants of up to $3,000 have been awarded to farmers across the state. The grants encourage producers to reduce their dependence on nonrenewable resources such as petroleum and minerals, and promote the preservation of natural resources such as soil, water, and air. They help farmers experiment with techniques that will make their farms ecologically sound, economically viable and socially responsible. A report on the demonstrations carried out from 1995 to 1997 has been published and is available from the MO Dept of Ag, Plant Industries Division, PO Box 630, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0630, 573-751-5505. The projects presented in the report are in various stages of completion. This is an on-going piece of work that will be continuously updated. For the most current report information and additional information about sustainable agriculture programs in MO, visit the following website: http://agebb.missouri.edu/sustain. The 1999 MO Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Award recipients are: 1. Wind monitoring station for alternative wind power: Karen Riley, Elmo, MO 2. Multi-purpose SOLAR barn: Shelly & Stanton Warren, and Keith Rademacher, Dawn, MO 3. Enhancement of birdsfoot trefoil and marion lespedeza in brome, with a sustainable management rotational grazing program: Jeff Robinson;, Lucerne, MO 4. Improved mineral supplement for beef cattle through forage evaluation and soil testing: Mark Trump and Kenneth Suter, Wyaconda, MO 5. Overseeding legumes and forbs into fescue pastures to increase productivity and profitability: Gary Ogg, Richmond, MO 6. Alternative crops in sole and double crop systems in west central MO: Lynn Rogers, St Richmond, MO 7. Small grain cover crops following soybeans for erosion control and as a forage source: Robert Schrunk, Norborne, MO 8. Agroforestry: Evaluation of nontraditional cultivars for Christmas trees: Scott & Donna Slusher, Lexington, MO 9. Value-adding organic wheat, corn and rye into whole grain flour: Susan Bennett, Mexico, MO 10. Establishment of colored angora goats for fiber production and breeding at the Alpaca Company Farm: Diane Peckham, Columbia, MO 11. Doubling the production of meat goats by utilizing managed grazing and improved forages: Linda & Jack Saunders, Lincoln, MO 12. Erecting a passive solar multipurpose structure for on-farm processing of foods and for outreach to the rural community: Tim & Julie Walker, Fayette, MO 13. Artificial insemination of queen honeybees: Troy Hart, Lonedell, MO 14. East central Missouri Farmers' market poultry market: Kelly Klober, Silex, MO 15. A trial of (Ark) poultry housing: Kelly Klober, Silex, MO 16. Exploring the use of locally produced compost as an alternative to commercial potting soil for the growing of hardy fall chrysanthemums: John & Frances Delly, Elkland, MO 17. Organic farming: Dale Dintaman, Carthage, MO 18. Production and marketing strategies for the small scale ostrich operation: Alan Fear, Hermitage, MO 19. Improving soil for berry production and wildlife control using organic methods: Cecil & Delores Votra, Wheatland, MO 20. Scouring and mothproofing wool and mohair using an organic cleaning agent and herbal extracts: Nancy Barnett, Alton, MO 21. Passive earth cold storage: Michael Lane, Hartville, MO 22. Using dairy goats for brush control and raising calves: Susan Likens, Ava, MO 23. Pasture Poultry/Intensive grazing: Bobby Clay, Neelyville, MO 1999 Missouri On-Farm Tours Missouri Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Award Tours April 23 & 24, 10 am to 6 pm, Wool Days '99 at Humble Hills Sheep & Wool, Franklin, MO. For more information contact Andy or Desiree McMurry at 660-848-3197 --- Visit the McMurry's farm to see their naturally-colored Merino, Romney, and Merino x Romney cross sheep and fleeces. These are the sheep the McMurry's use to produce their line of handwoven products called Genopalette. There will be a shearing demonstration by Andy McMurry on Saturday the 24th at 12 pm, followed by a hands-on fleece skirting opportunity. There will be a drawing to win the fleece! June 12, 9:00 am, Ray Evans, Evans Funny Farm, Holts Summit, MO. For more information, call Ray at 573-896-4836 --- Ray will demonstrate his intensive vegetable production techniques that allow him to produce 6,000 to 10,000 heads of a wide variety of lettuces as well as other vegetables in 75 raised beds, totaling 22,000 square feet of growing space. June 26, 9:00 am to 4 pm, The East Central Missouri Farmers' Market Field Day, Silex, MO. The Field Day will be held at the City Park. There will be demonstrations and displays in addition to the regular Farmers' Market activities. Ron Macher, editor and publisher of Small Farm Today magazine will be on hand to answer questions. For more information call Kelly Klober, Market Master, 573-485-7261. June 26, 9:30 am, Tom Craft and Larry Harper, Butler, MO. For information, call Tom Craft at 660-679-5086 --- Tom Craft and Larry Harper will be having a joint field day at Larry Harper's farm in western Bates County. Field day will focus on their Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Award projects. Tom's project is to look at Returning CRP Acres to Productive Use by Converting from Cool-Season Grasses to Perennial and Annual Warm-Season Grasses and Utilizing Them in a System of Finishing Cattle on Pasture. Larry's project is on Developing an Agroforestry System of Growing Ginseng in Black Walnut Plantations. There will be a meal served, free of charge, compliments of MFA. Directions: Take Hwy 52 west and go about 11 miles west of Butler, MO. Take Hwy V south 1/2 miles and look for signs. July 11, 2:00 pm, John and Francis Delly, Elkland, MO. For more information, call the Dellys at 417-933-5449 --- They raise greenhouse crops and will be presenting information on their 1999 Missouri Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Award titled, Exploring the Use of Locally Produced Compost as an Alternative to Commercial Potting Soil for the Growing of Hardy Fall Chrysanthemums. Farm crisis hotline staffed to offer help from University of Missouri specialists A toll-free hotline to provide assistance to farm families facing financial and emotional stress has been opened by outreach and extension specialists at the University of Missouri. The service is in response to low prices farmers are receiving for hogs and grain. Farm families seeking help can call 1-877-363-3659. The hotline, called FarmFIRST, will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week. A website will also be available Jerry Carpenter, retired extension specialist, has been rehired to coordinate FarmFIRST. Two experienced farm management specialists will answer the phone calls. Myron Bennett and Ed Wiggins, retired from MU, have experience with farm-crisis response teams. "We won't know all of the answers," Carpenter said. "But, we can get people in touch with people who do know." In addition to the state specialists, two specialists in each of Missouri's eight extension regions will be named as first responders, Carpenter said. Those specialists in turn can call on any extension co-workers throughout the state. "This has become a top priority issue," Carpenter said. "It needs to be done, and extension responds to people's needs." "While there is not a statewide farm crisis, some individual farm families are in crisis," said Norlin Hein, associate dean for extension at the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. "The situation is very uneven. But as grain prices continue to drop, the farm stress increases." The potential for farm failures and bankruptcies became apparent with a dramatic drop in hog prices last fall. Prices received for hogs going to market at year's end dropped to 8 to 10 cents a pound, far below the estimated cost of production, which is above 30 cents a pound. "In just a few weeks, people lost their farm equity that they had built over years," Carpenter said. Even before the new service was publicly announced, Carpenter, who started on the job a month ago, was already receiving calls. "The opening line is, 'I'm losing my farm and don't know what to do,' " he said. "People who have farmed all of their lives face being forced off the farm." Response teams are not a new concept for University Outreach and Extension specialists. In the farm crisis of the 1980s, a program called MoFarms was set up to respond to farmers facing bankruptcy. That program called on resources from MU, the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the Department of Mental Health. The crisis hotline was reactivated during the Great Flood of '93. Both Wiggins and Bennett worked with the previous teams. "They have the knowledge to go right to work," Carpenter said. "We don't know the extent of the problem," he added. "But, we will offer the hotline and see who calls." To assist farmers in making financial decisions, regional farm management specialists are being equipped with laptop computers with a powerful new financial analysis software package. Known as FINPAK, the software will accept the financial information from an individual farm and quickly provide alternative solutions. "Our specialists can sit right at the kitchen table, in the privacy of the home, and go through a financial analysis of the farm situation," Carpenter said. "Having an outside, independent, impartial analysis can help reduce the stress." Regional response teams will be made up of specialists with farm management training and those with family relations training. Agencies outside of the University will be called upon to provide needed assistance. As part of the response, the University will increase training for the extension field staff on crisis management. A workshop for farm management specialists and livestock specialists was held last December. Similar sessions will now be held for other specialists in March. New in-service workshops for extension regional specialists in Human Environmental Sciences are also planned. A new series of extension guide sheets on crisis management are being rushed into print to support the educational efforts. Similar response teams and hotlines are being set up in surrounding states by land-grant universities. Additional information and resources to assist farm families are available on the FarmFIRST website at: http://agebb.missouri.edu/first/index.htm. CONTACTS: Jerry Carpenter (573) 882-2669 Ed Wiggins 1-877-363-3659 Myron Bennett 1-877-363-3659 Poultry Processing Plant Survey One of the Value Added grants from the MO Dept of Ag is looking at a USDA poultry processing plant to be built for the small farmers of MO. It will be a cooperative and contains a grandfather clause keeping this facility open to the public. But first there is a need for statistics proving that the small farmers will use this plant. The plant will be able to butcher chicken, turkey, duck, goose, rabbit, quail, and pheasant, in small or large numbers. The plant will be located in central MO, but available to all farmers of MO. Anyone who might be interested in using this plant can call the survey line (800-994-9244) and give an estimate of the numbers and types they raise or want to raise, even the small farmer who only wants it for small numbers of barnyard culls. *** In the News *** The USDA last month announced that certain meat and poultry products will be allowed to carry a label saying that they are certified organic, effective immediately. If processors seek prior label approval from the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the claim meets certain basic criteria, meat and poultry products will be labeled "certified organic by (name of the certifying entity)." There are 33 private and 11 state organic certification entities, as well as smaller entities that provide self-certification. The USDA is currently revising its first draft national organic standards, but meat and poultry products can now be labeled as organic in the interim. (Alternative Agriculture News, Feb 99) In a first-of-its-kind study of USDA data, Consumers Union analyzed the amount of pesticides on produce and found "unacceptable levels of some especially toxic pesticides" for children. "With some fruits and vegetables, kids who eat a single serving can exceed the safe daily limit of certain pesticides," concluded the report, released last month and featured in Consumer Reports (March, 1999). The study also analyzed how toxic those pesticides are, and devised a "toxicity index" that integrates health risks and the actual amounts of pesticides on produce. Though the pesticide levels on all tested produce are within legal limits, many of those limits are at odds with what the government now deems safe for children, according to the report. Of the 27 foods Consumers Union tested, seven had a toxicity index up to hundreds of times higher than the others: apples, grapes, green beans, peaches, pears, spinach, and winter squash. These products "are typically treated with more toxic pesticides and are often eaten unpeeled." The study also found that methyl parathion accounts for the "lion's share of the total toxicity of the foods we analyzed, and that domestic produce had more, or more toxic, pesticides than imported produce in two-thirds of the cases. Consumers Union "has asked the EPA to restrict or ban specific pesticide uses that expose children to residues above safe limits." It also recommends that the government provide financial and educational support for farmers making the transition to "less toxic ways of controlling pests." The government should also "direct more research toward finding safer ways of managing pests now controlled by the most toxic pesticides." The study, "Do You Know What You're Eating? An Analysis of U.S. Government Data on Pesticide Residues on Foods," is available on the Internet at http://www.consunion.org (Alternative Agriculture News, 3/99) Exploding consumer support for organic products is encouraging 56 percent of organic farmers surveyed by the Organic Farming Research Foundation to increase their organic acreage and the number of crops they grow. According to the Foundation's "Third Biennial National Organic Farmers' Survey," which surveyed 1,200 certified organic farmers in 44 states, 63 percent of those surveyed plan to increase their number of markets and buyers. 87 percent of the respondents are single-family operations or family partnerships, and 62 percent farm full-time. The farmers' top research priority was weed management, and their most useful resource for information was other farmers. Asked to name current constraints to organic production, the farmers responded, in order, uncooperative or uninformed extension agents, cost of organically allowable inputs, and distance or transport of organically allowable inputs. Current constraints to organic marketing included lack of consumer understanding about organic food, lack of organic marketing networks, and the distance between producer and market or delivery point. (Alternative Agriculture News, 3/99) Monsanto's seed-killing gene system, dubbed "Terminator" by critics, "has become the focus of a grass-roots protest," according to Time (Feb 1, 1999), and has also been the subject of several articles in national publications. "Farmers pay a premium for Monsanto seeds, and to make sure they keep paying, the company requires them to sign an agreement promising not to plant seeds their crops produce," Time wrote. "With the help of clever genes currently in development, future Monsanto crops may be designed with a new feature in mind: sterility. No sooner will the company's plants mature than the seeds they carry will lose the ability to reproduce." According to The Washington Post (Feb 8, 1999), "The quest is either a sincere effort to solve the world hunger crisis or a corporate plot to impose economic slavery on the world's farmers....The debate over the technology has already become so polarized and emotional that farmers in India recently went on a rampage and burned several fields of crops rumored to harbor the deadly genes." A separate article in The Post (Feb 3, 1999) describes farmers "who stand accused by Monsanto of replanting the company's patented, gene-altered seeds fresh every year....Besides sending Pinkerton detectives into farmers' fields, the company sponsors a toll-free 'tip line' to help farmers blow the whistle on their neighbors." (Alternative Agriculture News, 3/99) *** In Print *** *How to Establish Goals: A Group Project for Farmers and Their Families* for whole farm planning, is $3 from The Minnesota Project, 1885 University Ave West #315, St Paul, MN 55104. *Online Resource Guide on Children's Environmental Health* Children's Environmental Health Network. Provides an overview of children's environmental health and children's vulnerability. Offers information on and links to organizations working in the field and data sources that pertain to protecting children from environmental health hazards. Covers issues such as childhood cancer, endocrine disruptors and air quality. http://www.cehn.org. *Adding Value for Sustainability Guidebook* will help farmers, ranchers, processors to develop and market high-value products. The guidebook outlines the struggles, opportunities, and lessons learned by four successful processors. Food safety, financing, marketing, product development, and legal issues are clearly presented. Published by Pennsylvania Assn for Sustainable Agriculture and Cornell University's Farming Alternatives Program. Send $11.50 to PASA Adding Value, PO Box 419, Millheim PA 16854, 814-349-9856. *1999 Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for commercial Growers* includes varieties, fertilization, and insect, weed, and plant disease control recommendations. Order from Information Technology and Communication Service, Univ of IL P146, 1917 S Wright St, Champaign IL 61820, 800-345-6087. Cost is $11.00. *1999 Green Methods* Free catalog of supplier of biological pest control agents and integrated pest management paraphernalia. Contact Green Spot, 93 Priest Rd, Nottingham, NH 03290-6204, 603-942-8925. *Horticulture Crop Enterprise Cost and Return Estimates* now available. Contact Jeff Kindhart at Univ of IL Dixon Springs Ag Center, 618-695-2444, kindhartj@idea.ag.uiuc.edu *Common Weed Seedlings of the North Central Region* identifies weeds at the seedling stage when it's possible to do something about them. Order from Information Technology and Communication Service, Univ of IL P146, 1917 S Wright St, Champaign IL 61820, 800-345-6087. Cost is $6.50. *Final Results of the Third Biennial National Organic Farmer's Survey* 1999. Compiles survey findings from 4,638 organic farmers. Prioritizes their perceived needs for organic farming research, ranks usefulness of production resources, ranks products grown as well as marketing outlets. Gives an overview of organic management strategies utilized and examines constraints and challenges to organic production. Contact Organic Farming Research Foundation, PO Box 440, Santa Cruz, CA 95061, 831-426-6606, email research@afrf.org. *Making the Transition to Organic Farming, Conference Proceedings* Univ of Guelph, Jan 29-31, 1999. Workshops include weed management, soil fertility, getting your farm certified, permaculture, community supported agriculture and more. $10.00 Contact Tomas Nimmo, Conference Coordinator, Box 116, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada, L9Y 3Z4, 705-444-0923 email organix@georgian.net, website http://www.gks.com/OrgConf/. *Adding Value for Sustainability* $8.50 plus $3 shipping from Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Attn: Kristen Markley, PO Box 419, 114 West Main St, Millheim, PA 16854, 814-349-9856, email ksm6@psu.edu *1999 National Organic Directory* $47.95 plus $3 shipping from Community Alliance with Family Farmers, PO Box 363, Davis, CA 95617, 1-800-852-3832. *** Calendar of Events *** April 2-4-Bud Williams Stockmanship School, Alberta, Canada. Call 780-875-9256. April 10-Draft Horse & Mule Meeting & Auction, Hannibal, MO. Call 417-742-5038. April 15-17-Free Range Poultry Production and Marketing, Creola, OH. Call 740-596-4379. April 17-Draft Horse & Mule Hitching & Driving Seminar, St Clair, MO. Call 417-742-5038. April 29-Value-Added Food Processing "From Product to Profit" Seminar, Lincoln, NE. Call 402-472-8930. May 6-8-Free Range Poultry Production and Marketing, Creola, OH. Call 740-596-4379. May 15-Fiber Fair, Marshfield, MO. Call Gladys Gaeke, 417-859-2914. May18-21-Low Cost Cow/Calf Production School, Pratt, KS. Call 800-575-0864. May 21-23-Annual Conference of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, LaFox, IL. Call 919-542-5704. May 22-Poultry Slaughter-Hands On, Creola, OH. Call 740-596-4379. May 29 30-MO KAN Dairy Goat Show, Sedalia, MO. Contact Rhonda Goddard Hamby hds@ponyexpress.net June 5-Sheep Fitting Workshop, Boonville, MO. Call 660-882-2021. June 11-13-MO Forest Products Assn Spring Technical Session, Branson, MO. Call 573-634-3252. June 12-16 - 6th Conference on Agroforestry in North America: Sustainable Land-Use Management for the 21st Century, Hot Springs, AR, tclason@agctr.lsu.edu June 14-25-International Training Program in New Crops: Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, West Lafayette, IN. Call 317-494-7220. June 26-Poultry Field Day, Swap and Trade Show, Silex, MO. Call Kelly Klober, 573-485-7261. Aug 8-10-Annual Convention and Trade Show, MO Landscape and Nursery Assn, Columbia, MO. Contact Sarah Woody Bibens, 816-233-1481. Aug 12-22-MO State Fair, Sedalia, MO. Aug 20-22-Herbfest 99, (Frontier Herbs) Norway, IA. Call 800-669-3275. Sept 23-27-Annual International Bedding Plants Conference and Trade Show, Denver, CO. Call 800-647-7742. Sept 24-Nursery and Landscape Field Day, Horticulture/Agroforestry Research Center, New Franklin, MO. Contact Sarah Woody Bibens, 816-233-1481. Sept 24-25-Midwest Forest Industry Show, Cape Girardeau, MO. Call 573-634-3252. Oct 12-15-National Small Farm Conference: Building Partnerships for the 21st Century, St Louis, MO. Call 202-401-4900 or 573-681-5550. "University Outreach and Extension does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or status as a Vietnam-era veteran in employment or programs."