Re: The Sustainable Label

[Kermit Carter]

Good to hear that there are some well intentioned folks involved.  Bottom line is, all good and moral additional requirements aside, they are not "organic" - they still use poisons.  Niman Ranch "natural" meat is good, better by far than the factory farmed crap, but they still use poisons.  There seems always to be this binary division of organic vs. not, and a lot of people crowding the line to try and look like something they aren't.  At least BD practitioners have signaled clearly where they stand.

Kermit


At 10:52 AM 1/25/2002 -0600, you wrote:

I'm familiar with some of these groups.  The Leopold Center is currently headed by (BD farmer) Fred Kirschenmann.  They do good work.  Practical Farmers of Iowa is an accurate term for their organization.  The Food Alliance is an "eco-label" that isn't necessarily organic, but has some requirements that organics don't address (such as how employees are treated).  The Midwest Food Alliance is just like The Food Alliance.  Niman Ranch is a lot about animal welfare (no tail trimming or slats, I believe, plus natural requirements).
--Susan

PROPOSED PARTNERS:
Wallace Foundation (Lewis, Iowa)
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Leopold Center
The Food Alliance (Portland, Oregon)
The Midwest Food Alliance (Minnesota)
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
North Central Institute for Sustainable Systems
Niman Ranch
Iowa Department of Health Promotion
Iowa Department of Economic Development
IDLES

Now I haven't done any extensive research about these folks, but it's a good place to start in uncovering real motives.  I bet this is a ploy to smell organic to consumers without being organic.

Kermit

Kermit Carter, General Manager
Flowers by the Sea LLC
A Demeter Certified Organic/Biodynamic Farm and Nursery
V 707 877-1722
F 707 877-1721
PO Box 89 Elk, California 95432 USA

[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.fbts.com

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