Ag Opportunities Volume 17, Number 8 August 2006 Rules and Regulations of Direct Marketing By Crystal Weber, Community Development Specialist Jackson County If you have or are attempting to sell your farm products at a farmers’ market, roadside farm stand or out of you own home, you have probably realized the importance of contacting your local and state governmental agencies to ensure compliance with their rules and regulations. If you are thinking about direct marketing--selling a product to an end consumer on an individual basis--your freshly grown produce, jams, honey, meat, cheese or milk, you would be wise to contact your local health department or the MO Dept of Ag to make certain you are adhering to proper health department procedures and agricultural regulations. In May, the MO Departments of Health and Senior Services and Agriculture hosted a day long educational forum to inform food processors and producers of the various local, state and federal agencies that are involved in maintaining and enforcing the rules and regulations that govern direct marketing raw and processed agricultural products. This article is a very brief overview of the topics covered in the forum. The MO Dept of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), the state agency charged with working to improve the health and quality of Missourians relies on their service providers at the county and city level to ensure that Missourians retailing their food precuts are in compliance with the DHSS food safety and sanitation standards. Raw or unprocessed foods, such as apples, head lettuce or whole watermelon can be sold without health dept regulations while processed goods such as salsa and cut melon require health dept inspection as a raw product has been altered from it natural state and could potentially be contaminated if not properly handled or stored in a safe environment. In some cases, processing requires the use of a certified and inspected kitchen or facility. Within the last year, the MO legislature passed new legislation easing the restrictions placed on small food processors called the Jams, Jellies and Honey Law (House Bill 744). This law allows for county health dept exemptions for producers (farmers, non-profit, charitable or religious organizations) of jams, jellies, honey and other non-hazardous products from having to use certified and inspected kitchens. However, the exemption only applies if accepted by your local county health dept. And, if you are selling the product yourself from your home, roadside stand or farmers’ market, it is clearly labeled as being produced in an uncertified kitchen and contains your name , address, and all ingredients in descending order and you are making less than $30,000/year in sales of the product. Producers are still expected to maintain proper sanitary processing standards regardless of lack of inspection. The MO Dept of Ag (MDA) also is involved as a regulating authority at direct marketing venues. Dairy, eggs, products sold by weight and non-USDA inspected meat are but a number of products that are under the authority of MDA. Milk and cheese producers would need to contact the State Milk Board to assure that they were adhering to state procedures and inspection regulation. If you are selling eggs or produce by weight, you will need to contact MDA’s consumer protection dept, the Division of Weights and Measures, to acquire a state egg retailer or wholesaler license or to have your scale’s accuracy inspected and approved. Meat products for sale fall under the inspection authority of either the MDA or the USDA. Meat products can not be sold without being processed in an inspected facility. Your choice of MDA or USDA inspected processor may be dependent on your consumer’s needs and demands. It must be noted that any processed (cut) meat product that crosses the Missouri border into a different state for sale must be sourced from a USDA inspected plant. As a marketer of meat products it would be wise to investigate your potential markets and consumers to determine your need of inspection authority. Canned products come under the authority of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Acidified and low-acid food products can not be sold without proper certification. To ensure that consumers are protected from any potential containment, the FDA requires that operators of processing equipment, packaging systems and container closures attend the FDA Certified Better Process Control School to make certain that products undergo proper processing. Canned foods requiring FDA certification are salsa, pickled foods and canned foods such as green beans and more. For more information on what foods would need canner certification it is best to contact the FDA directly. It is important to remember that our counties’ local health departments may be enforcing more stringent environmental health policies than that of state law. So, for that reason, it important to contact your local office directly to make sure that you are in compliance. Inspection Authority Contacts MO Dept of Health and Senior Services, 573-751-6400, www.dhss.mo.gov * Section for Disease Control and Environmental Epidemiology, 573-751-6090 * Local city and county environmental health depts MO Dept of Agriculture, 573-751-4211, www.mda.mo.gov * Division of Weights and Measures, 573-751-4278 * State Milk Board, 573-751-3830 USDA, www.usda.gov District Meat Inspection Field Office, 785-841-5600 US Food and Drug Administration, 913-752-2100, www.fda.gov ************************************************************************ New Courses Emphasize Holistic Approach to Farming and Consumption By Chuck Adamson, Senior Information Specialist, Extension and Agricultural Information When Tony Thomas teaches college philosophy courses in applied ethics and consumer behaviors, he wants to offer his students practical solutions, not just pose questions. The University of Missouri-Columbia graduate student and part-time instructor said that's why he wants to learn more about the sustainable agriculture movement. He knows there's more to it than just organic foods and conservation, he said. Thomas plans to audit an inaugural offering of Sustainable Agriculture: Theory and Practice, a fall semester course offered through the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. The course is an undergraduate course open to all MU students. It's one if three new sustainable agriculture courses being developed for the 2006-07 academic year and the first offered on the subject at MU. The other two courses will be offered in the winter semester. Those will be upper-level courses aimed at sophomore to senior undergraduate students majoring in general agriculture. Mary Hendrickson, MU assistant professor of rural sociology, said Thomas is right; sustainable agriculture is about more than just natural growing methods. It's about where and how food is sold, how it gets to market, field laborers' wages and working conditions and how consumers buy, prepare and eat their foods. "All of this works together in a very holistic way and that's a very difficult thing to understand," Hendrickson said. "What we're about in sustainable agriculture is quality of life." Hendrickson is one of several faculty members teaching the winter courses. Jose Garcia, MU assistant professor of rural sociology, is one of two teachers for the fall course. The new course offerings are an outgrowth of several years of work on developing an emphasis area in sustainable agriculture for general agriculture students, he said. The emphasis allows students to focus a general agriculture major around sustainable agriculture using a core of existing CAFNR courses. The new courses, funded through grants, are the first to focus exclusively on sustainable agriculture practices and philosophy. Garcia is planning two farm visits and a field trip to the National Small Farm Trade Show and Conference, which annually is at the Boone County Fairgrounds. "The students will have the opportunity to interact with farmers, ask questions and see what it takes to be a sustainable farmer," Garcia said. "We want students to know that sustainable agriculture is not only about taking care of the environment. It goes way beyond that." A common misunderstanding, he said, is that sustainable agriculture is about rejecting technology and going back to a time when people only worked with their hands. To the contrary, Garcia said, using technology toward being more environmentally friendly, economically profitable and socially responsible is at the center of the movement. "Students will be exposed to industrial agriculture from every corner here at MU, but there are not many opportunities to learn about and discuss sustainable agriculture," Garcia said. "This is one of those opportunities." While teaching as an adjunct instructor, Thomas said that classroom discussions have often come to focus on ethical issues regarding the land and its resources. "Is it right to have factory farms in order to allow people to eat $1 fast food chicken sandwiches?" he asked rhetorically. "I'm interested in what I can do, how I myself can be a better consumer and user of resources," Thomas said. Hendrickson is encouraging non-agriculture majors to give the course a try. "Anyone could take the course in the fall," she said. "If you're a journalist and you think food and agriculture systems are going to be important to your career later, you could take this." For more info on the MU CAFNR sustainable ag program, log on to the Community Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture Program at http://agebb.missouri.edu/sustain. (Jose Garcia, 573-884-3794, Mary Hendrickson, 573-882-7463) **************************************************************************** Matching Pecan Cultivars with Soil Zones for Optimum Nut Maturity Pecan research at the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (UMCA), conducted primarily at the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center (HARC), New Franklin, MO, is another opportunity for the Center to assist Missouri landowners with profitable nut crops. Native pecans grown in Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois tend to have a higher oil content compared to pecans grown in the Southwest and Southeast US. The higher oil content gives Missouri’s pecans a richer, sweeter flavor than Southern pecans, potentially commanding a higher price at grocers, specialty retail vendor or wholesale outlets. Since 1995, a large collection of pecan cultivars have been planted at HARC to catalog several descriptors, including date of nut maturity, nut size, percent kernel and nut yield. Drawing from collaborative pecan research efforts conducted at Kansas State University and the Pecan Experiment Field Station in Chetopa, KS, nut tree specialists have developed initial recommendations based on growing season climatic zones of the tri-state region. The recommended climatic zone was chosen for each cultivar based primarily on length of growing season required to mature the nuts, but modified by such variables as relative winter hardiness for each cultivar. This will assist pecan growers in choosing proven cultivars that will provide consistently profitable nut yields. Following is a sample of data from 2005 showing a selection of cultivars and appropriate zones for Missouri, Kansas and Illinois, as indicated by the map. Note: Recommendations may change as trees mature and come into full commercial production. Nut yield in Pecan Cultivar Trial, Fall 2005. Location: Silt-loam soil near Sulfur Creek bottom, along edge of Missouri River floodplain, New Franklin, Mo. (Trees, age 10 from graft, are not irrigated.) Cultivar Mean yield (lbs.) Recommended Zone(s) Colby 8.9 2,3 USDA 64-11-17 7.4 3,4 James 6.4 2,3 Kussman 6.1 2,3 Posey 6.1 2,3,4 Shepherd 3.9 2,3,4 Peruque 3.6 2,3,4 Witte 3.7 2,3 Kanza 3.5 3,4,5 Norton 2.3 2,3 Goosepond 2.2 2,3, USDA 62-1-15 2.0 3,4 Canton 1.8 2,3 USDA 64-15-85 3,4 Ste. Genevieve 1.3 4,5 Warren #346 1.0 1 Project Team: Ken Hunt, UMCA; Bill Reid, Kansas State University http://agebb.missouri.edu/agforest/archives/v10n3/gh2.htm (From Green Horizons newsletter, Summer 2006) ************************************************************************ AFSIC The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) at USDA's National Agricultural Library (NAL) has launched a redesigned Web site bearing several significant enhancements to make it easier to find information on a wide range of agriculture-related subjects, including sustainable agriculture, alternative crops, organic farming, and farm energy. The AFSIC Web site is now easier to navigate and find topics of interest, including grazing systems and alternative livestock breeds, alternative marketing, and business practices and ecological pest management. Users will find it easier to get to popular resources such as publications on sustainable agriculture, a database on community supported agriculture, and guidance for applying for a SARE grant. The latest edition of the popular "Education and Training Opportunities in Sustainable Agriculture" is also available on the AFSIC Web site. The "Organic Roots" database can also be accessed from the new AFSIC Web site, providing growers and researchers access to USDA's documents on organic agriculture which were published before 1942 (before synthetic chemicals became widely used). These documents contain state-of-the-art information and data that is still very pertinent for today's agriculture. Access to this data is intended to provide growers with new ideas on crop production without chemicals, as well as help researchers conserve scarce resources by avoiding unintended duplication. The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center is one of eight Information Centers at the National Agricultural Library, and is supported in part by the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program and National Organic Program (NOP). AFSIC also works closely with the University of Maryland College of Agriculture & Natural Resources and the Maryland Cooperative Extension in the implementation of several projects. The redesign of this Web site implements USDA Web standards and meets US Office of Management and Budget guidelines for focusing on customer needs. For more info, visit http://afsic.nal.usda.gov. ************************************************************************ *** IN THE NEWS *** Cost share assistance available for certified organic producers and handlers: to receive information regarding cost-share assistance, applicants must complete a signed application, supply a copy of their organic certificates and provide an invoice documenting their certification costs. Applications are available from the MO Dept of Ag website at http://mda.mo.gov/Market/certcostshare.htm Due date is September 30, 2006. In time, bison owners will get USDA to pay meat inspection costs for their animals, so they won't have to pay $10/head for voluntary exams of over 40,000 bison a year. USDA has the authority to inspect bison, but federal law bans interstate sales of bison from state-inspected sites if USDA classifies bison as a species mandated for inspection. Congress will fix that quirk for bison owners, but it'll take two years or more. (Kiplinger Ag Newsletter, No 77, Vol 14) Will chickens lay larger eggs if there's music in the henhouse? Research on canaries suggests yes. A well-sung, pleasing song by a male voice has female canaries producing larger-than-usual eggs. Harsher melodies lead to smaller eggs. Chickens will be tested next to see whether their responses will be similar to those of canaries. (Kiplinger Ag Newsletter, No 77, Vol 14) Pity the poor honeybee. It works so hard-pollinating the trillions o f blossoms that eventually develop into billions of dollars worth of US farm crops. Yet this tireless worker is vulnerable to some pests and diseases that have made its future-and agricultural economics-somewhat perilous. One of these perils is American foulbrood, a widespread and devastating bacterial disease of honey bees. It kills young bee larvae and turns their remains into dark, shriveled corpses or "scales" that contain billions of spores that easily spread. While the disease poses no human danger, severe outbreaks can weaken or kill entire bee colonies. The bacterium responsible for this bee carnage, Paenibacillus larvae, has developed resistance against the one antibiotic that's been effective against American foulbrood. Recently, a new one, tylosin tartrate (TYLAN Soluble), was approved for use by the US FDA after research demonstrated its field efficacy and safety for both honey bees and humans. For more info 301-504-8637, feldlaum@ba.ars.usda.gov. (Agricultural Research, July 2006) It's now possible for growers to harvest in early winter and again in spring from June-bearing strawberries. And the berries that ripen into December will bring premium prices. This new production method requires rooting runner tips collected from mother plants in early July and planting them as 8 week old transplants in early Sept. These new plantlets will flower and fruit during autumn, yielding ripe berries for fresh market sales into Dec and possibly beyond. In places where freezing might be a danger, inexpensive plastic tunnels are used to protect the fruit, which also speeds the harvest of spring season berries. For more info 304-725-3451 ext 212, ftakeda@afrs.ars.usda.gov (Agricultural Research, July 2006) *********************************************************************** *** In Print/On-Line *** The Federal Government has developed a single Website to provide "one stop" current information about the status of avian influenza and the steps individuals and families can take now to begin preparing for a potential human influenza pandemic. The site will serve as the official US Government source of information on the issue. The Website is www.pandemicflu.gov/. The Website also provides information to individuals traveling through infected regions around the world and offers suggestions for safeguarding personal health while traveling. Additionally, visitors to the site can sign up to receive periodic avian and pandemic influenza news updates. Starting a Pasture-Based Livestock Business: Would It Work for You? Starting a new business venture requires careful analysis before an investment is made. A new book, Managing and Marketing for Pasture-Based Livestock Production, provides fundamental and essential information a producer needs to manage and market a goal-oriented forage-livestock system. How this knowledge applies to a producer's unique situation will help determine whether or not this business venture will be feasible. The first of four books on pasture-based livestock systems to be published this year, this book covers the basics of a forage-based system; sustainability; developing mission statements and goals; resource evaluation; evaluation of the marketplace; and much more. For ordering info, contact NRAES at 607-255-7654, NRAES@cornell.edu, www.nraes.org *2006-07 SARE Highlights* is the latest of a series of publications that feature the most creative research funded by SARE. Download the entire publication at www.sare.org/publications/highlights.htm. To order free print copies, visit www.sare.org/Webstore, call 301/504-5411 or email san_assoc@sare.org. Agricultural educators may place orders for print copies in quantity at no cost. Colorado State University publication analyzes emerging issues in organic for USDA. Dawn Thilmany, Associate Professor in Colorado State University's Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, is also serving as USDA-CSREES's Interim National Program Leader for Organics. The April 2006 Agribusiness Marketing Report, a CSU Extension publication, features her article, The US Organic Industry: Important Trends and Emerging Issues for the USDA, which describes historical trends in organic agriculture, analyzes emerging issues, discusses international models for supporting organic agriculture, and presents research, extension, and education needs in organic ag. Read it at http://dare.agsci.colostate.edu/csuagecon/extension/docs/agbusmarketing/abmr06-01.pdf *Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch* a new 16-page bulletin from the Sustainable Agriculture Network, spotlights innovative, SARE-funded research into a range of conservation options including soil management, such as using compost, conservation tillage and cover crops; plant management, featuring crop rotation, water-conserving plants and rangeland drought mitigation; and water management strategies such as low-volume irrigation and water recycling. Download the entire publication at http://www.sare.org/publications/water.htm To order free print copies, call 301-504-5236 or san_assoc@sare.org. *Living on Acreages: What You Need to Know* Living outside the city limits is much different than living in town. What do you need to know to live closer to nature and in harmony with rural neighbors? If you're thinking of moving to an acreage or inhabit one now, this book will be a valuable instruction manual and reference to everything from building and landscaping in the country to maintaining rural property. More than 80 drawings, diagrams, photographs, and charts enhance descriptions of essentials which include: * Selecting a rural living site. * Adapting to life near commercial agriculture--from signage and traffic rules to noise, odors, and dust. * Designing a house or farmstead that is comfortable, functional, and adaptable to evolving life-style needs. * Understanding effects of seasonal weather--including wind-- on rural structures. * Avoiding radon. * Installing water and septic systems. * Planning and laying driveways and roadways. * Planning shade and planting trees. * Building optional structures. such as a bus shelter for children. * Managing outdoor burning and recycling. Much more. Available from MU Extension publications 573-882-7216, $20.00. *********************************************************************** *** ON THE CALENDAR *** Aug 10-20 - 2006 MO State Fair, Sedalia, MO. Call 1/800-422-FAIR. Aug 15-17 - 5th National SARE Conference, Oconomowoc, WI. Go to www.sare2006.org/ Aug 18 - From Recipe to Reality, Lincoln, NE. Call 402-472-2819. Aug 19 - Canine Care Workshop, Kirksville, MO. Call 573/882-8320. Aug 24 - Catastrophic Poultry Event Workshop, Sedalia, MO. Call 573-522-3377. Aug 24 - Agroforestry Farm Tours, Perryville, MO. Call 573-883-3548 or e-mail KeeleyK@missouri.edu. Aug 26 - Canine Care Workshop, Springfield, MO. Call 573-882-8320. Aug 29 - Selling Fruits and Veggies to the Public; Twilight Tour of Three Contrasting Approaches, Jefferson City, MO. Call 573-573-634-282, QuinnJa@missouri.edu Aug 29 - Small Fruits U-Pick Farm Tour, Farmington, MO. Call 573-883-3548 or e-mail KeeleyK@missouri.edu. Aug 29 - Forest Tax Planning Conference, Springfield, MO. Call 417-732-6485. Sept 11 - Bulb Forcing Workshop, Mountain Grove, MO. Call 417-547-7500. Sept 16 - South Farm Showcase, MU South Farm, Columbia, MO. Call 573-882-7488. Sept 16 - MO Nut Growers Assn Meeting, McDonald County, MO. Call 417-436-2351 Sept 20 - Mid-Missouri Agritourism Tour, Centralia, MO. Call 573-581-3231 or e-mail audrainco@missouri.edu Sept 20-23 - Black Walnut Festival, Stockton, MO. Call 417-276-5213, email info@stocktonlake.com Sept 22-23 - Native Plant School, Kingsville, MO. Call 573-522-4170. Oct 7-8 - MO Botanical Garden’s Best of Missouri Market, St. Louis, MO. Oct 10-12 - 26th Annual Central States Forest Soils Workshop, Poplar Bluff, MO. Call 573-876-0907, dennis.porter@mo.usda.gov Oct 14 - 4th Annual Missouri Chestnut Roast, New Franklin, MO. Call 573-882-3234, rhoadsj@missouri.edu; www.centerforagroforestry.org Oct 26-29 - Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers Annual Conference, San Jose, CA. Call 440-774-2887, www.ascfg.org Oct 27-28 - MO State Beekeepers Assn Fall Meeting, Lake Ozark, MO. sgibbs314@earthlink.net Oct 30 - From Recipe to Reality, Lincoln, NE. Call 402-472-2819. Nov 2-4 - National Small Farm Conference and Trade Show, Columbia, MO Call 1-800-633-2535. Nov 7-9 - Shortleaf Pine Symposium: Restoration and Ecology in the Ozarks, Springfield, MO. Call 573-882-9909 x 3320, david.gwaze@mdc.mo.gov. Nov 10-12 - Raising Vegetables and Civic Values : CSA in the 21st Century, Tustin, MI. Call 877-526-1441, or www.csafarms.org Dec 1-2 - MO Livestock Symposium, Kirksville, MO. Call 660-665-9866 or http://missourilivestock.com Dec 10-13 - 3rd National Conference on Grazing Lands, St Louis, MO. Call 303-986-3309, www.glci.org/3NCGLindex.htm Jan 12-13 - Landscape Design with Missouri in Mind, Springfield, MO. Call 573-522-4170. Feb 3-4 - MO Nut Growers Assn Evaluation & Show, Nevada, MO. Call 417-436-2351. Feb 3-5 - Midwest Wine & Grape Conference, Tan-Tar-A, MO. Call 1-800-392-WINE. MU Ag Experiment Station Field Days Aug. 3 - Greenley Memorial Research Center Field Day, Novelty, MO. Call 660-739-4410 Aug. 22 - Graves-Chapple Farm Field Day, Corning, MO. Call 660-744-6231 Aug. 26 - Bobwhite Quail Management Workshop and Field Day, Bradford Center, Columbia, MO. Call 573-884-7945 Aug 31 - Delta Research Center Field Day, Portageville, MO. Call 573-379-5431 Sept 6 - Hundley-Whaley Center Field Day, Albany, MO. Call 660-726-5610 Sept. 8 - Southwest Center Field Day, Mount Vernon, MO. Call 417-466-2148 Sept 16 - South Farm Showcase, South Farm, Columbia, MO. Call 573-882-7488 Sept 26-28 - Beginning Grazing School,Forage Systems Research Center, Linneus, MO. Call 660-895-5121 Oct. 5 - Wurdack Farm Field Day, Cook Station, MO. Call 573-882-4450 Oct. 14 - Chestnut Roast, Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center, New Franklin, MO. Call 573-882-3234. Green Hills Farm Project 2006 Farm Walk Schedule Aug 17-5 pm John & Rose Blaszak, Polo, MO, 660-354-3438 John & Rose and their growing family are like many of us who pursue careers off the farm and have that dream of a farm on a little acreage. Raising chickens for meat and a garden is a great way to bring that dream to reality. Bring lawn chairs and a covered dish. Sept 21-5 pm, Jordan & Anne Bentley, Brookfield, MO, 660-388-6825 City Slickers think'n they're going to homestead!? Jordan & Anne have bought just less than 40 acres with nothing but a pond on it. They have been raising chickens, turkeys and lambs for the past six years on rented ground. They will begin raising the same this spring on the new home place. All pastured meats are direct marketed locally or in Kansas City. They have not built a home as of the first of the year, but they will be living there this spring. This is a dream come true for the Bentleys! Contact them early this spring for directions or call Barb Buchmayer. Their contact information will change this spring! Bring lawn chairs and covered dish. Oct 19-4 pm, Doug & Diane Peterson, Ridgeway, MO, 660-824-4276 Doug and Diane raise cattle and use MIG methods. "We have a cattle only operation at this time. We have expanded quite a bit in the last few years and are still trying to get everything figured out. We will try and look at one or two different grazing systems. One will be fairly large with 200 cows being run together as one herd. This large of a herd have some very unique benefits and problems. Because we expanded our grass base faster than we wanted to purchase cows we run a combination of our own cows plus some contract cows for other people. We have also started selling a limited amount of grass fed all natural beef to customers in the Kansas City/St. Joe area. We are a family operation." Bring lawn chairs and covered dish. Nov-Workshop/Seminar will be announced 2006 Market Gardening Workshops Growing Growers Program For more information on each of these workshops, call 913-488-1270, growers@ksu.edu Aug 7 - Start a New Farm & Community Supported Agriculture, Kearney, MO. Aug 27 - Pests, Diseases and Weeds, Independence, MO. Sept 25 - An Integrated Farm, Higginsville, MO. Oct 21 - Business Management for Small Farms, TBA.