Another try since the forward doesn't look like it went through the first time... For those that get confused- the Organic Summit is being held this week in Boulder and is exclusive, the Organic COMMUNITY Summit was a teleconference and was inclusive.
Below, please find an open letter from the participants in the Organic Community Summit. The letter grew from a discussion by approximately 100 diverse organic stakeholders and participants during a conference call this past Monday. This open letter has been sent to the organizers of an event being held this week in Boulder, Colorado, that’s been promoted as "/The/ Organic Summit" (sponsored by New Hope Communications—a major industry trade show firm and publisher of /Natural Foods Merchandiser/). When many of us first heard of "The Organic Summit" we assumed that the term /summit/ was indicative of an all-inclusive gathering of the whole organic industry/community. However, due to a cap on the number of participants, high fees and hotel costs, transportation expenses to Colorado (far from where the majority of organic production takes place), as well as scheduling the event during the busy farming season, it became apparent that the organic discussion was primarily designed for business leaders, industry representatives, venture capitalists and investors with just a smattering of (selected) community delegates. In fact, participation could easily cost a small farmer or family business owner $2500 or more. Those signing this open letter helped organize the Organic _Community_ Summit because many members of the organic community are being excluded from what has been billed as the “new organic conversation” with "industry leaders" in Boulder. We further understand that only three preselected members of the media were invited to cover this event and that other reporters have been told they are not welcome. We hope that reporters covering the Boulder event will balance their story by including an articulation of our concerns. If you are a member of a listserv, publish a blog, or maintain a web site, we also encourage you to disseminate this information widely. We are all stakeholders in preserving the integrity of the organic label….. *The Organic Community Summit* June 18, 2007 Dear Organic Stakeholders, Approximately a hundred diverse members of the extensive organic community met on Monday, June 18, in an effort to reach consensus on issues of deep concern to members of the organic movement that includes a wide range of commercial entities, consumers, advocates, and farmers. The teleconference was quickly put together in response to the highly exclusive nature of the so-called Organic Summit due to meet this week in Boulder, Colorado. When many of us first heard of that meeting, we assumed that the term /summit/ was indicative of an all-inclusive gathering of the whole organic industry/community. However, due to a limit on the number of participants, high fees and hotel costs, transportation expenses to Colorado (far from where the majority of organic production takes place), as well as scheduling the event during the busy farming season, it became apparent that this discussion of organics was primarily designed for business leaders and industry representatives, with just a smattering of selected community delegates. We were motivated to sponsor the Organic _Community_ Summit when we learned that many key participants would be excluded from joining what was billed as the “new organic conversation” with "industry leaders" in Boulder. The Community meeting featured two keynote speakers. Jim Riddle, former National Organic Standards Board chair, said organics encompasses a wide range of farmers, activists, academics, business people, and regulatory personnel, and “in harmony we thrive.” He said the organic movement has strong roots, and this is a time of great opportunity for the whole community, as organic agriculture is best positioned to meet today’s paramount challenges of climate change, energy use, and sustainable food production. These issues were underscored by the second keynoter, Fred Kirschenmann, a universally respected organic leader and also former member of the NOSB, in the context of the longtime organic movement, which grew out of the commitment to soil health principles espoused by its early pioneers. He also referred to the tension the organic community is experiencing with the commercialization and mainstreaming of movement ideals and the need for the entire industry to move beyond this conflict if organic is to survive as meaningful label in the marketplace. The remainder of the meeting was open to all the Summit participants. Others sent comments via e-mail. Participants strongly felt that all sectors in the organic community (farmers, advocates, consumers, academics, public interest groups, investors, manufactures, distributors, and retailers) are vitally important to both the economic success and realizing the societal benefits that organic food represents. Maintaining genuine and meaningful organic standards was high on everyone’s list. The organic industry is successful because of the high esteem the consumer holds for organic food and the farmers who produce it, as well as an authentic approach to food processing, distribution, and retailing. There is great danger that market acceptance will rapidly diminish if consumers perceive the integrity of organic is being breached by business interests looking to capitalize on organics’ good name. Organic production does not mean business as usual in this respect, but rather resides in the province of socially responsible business. In the coming years, climate change, energy conservation, water quality and quantity, and food security will be the major emerging themes in this country and around the world. How agriculture reacts to the end of cheap energy and cheap water resources will have a profound effect on our well-being and, through impacts of global warming, on the planet. In all of our deliberations we need to make sure that organic food production, processing, and distribution remain a proactive alternative for consumers to meet these profound challenges. Organic food also needs to remain at the forefront of offering consumers alternatives to technologies and practices they find environmentally destructive, a danger to their families’ health, or morally abhorrent. In the near term, animal cloning, genetic pollution, livestock confinement operations, as well as the exponential growth of imports and concomitant food safety problems will be high-profile issues that have the potential to showcase the vastly superior organic alternative. To keep organics healthy, other important issues will also need to be addressed. There is wide concern that smaller farmers and processors are being squeezed out in terms of distribution opportunities and escalating costs at the USDA for certification. Also, aggressive action is needed to recruit and train new, young farmers to take the place of retiring organic producers and to meet increasing demand for organic commodities—domestically. The word /local/ needs to be respected and continued to be associated with organics. Shipping food around the country, or around the world, does not conform to the expectation of the organic consumer. And more needs to be done to facilitate market access by smaller, dedicated farmers, who are held in high esteem by the consumers. These family-scale farmers are the "face of organics”! Overall, we need a greater level of transparency, both in the processes and ingredients used to manufacture organic food and in the oversight of our industry by the USDA. At the same time, the National Organic Program needs a much higher level of funding, as does organic research. Industry clout could be a positive force for change at the political level to support and expand all aspects of organic agriculture. In closing, we need to move toward a unified industry. The fact that we felt compelled to hold a /Community/ Summit in the same week that industry interests were holding /their/ Summit is counterproductive and a loss of a great opportunity to join experienced and passionate people in the common goal of furthering the organic movement. This message, and our gathering, were not intended to be "anticorporate." We absolutely welcome corporate investors into the organic market. Their capital and expertise have broadened both product offerings and distribution and are an integral part of organics’ success. But, the commercial sector needs to carefully consider the long-term implications of not respecting the high standards created by the organic community/industry. If we lose the integrity of the organic standards, we will rapidly lose organics’ preeminence in the marketplace. We all look forward to future meetings that are truly legitimate gatherings of the /entire /organic community. Together, we can ensure that organic food and farming offer healthy returns to farmers and investors, respectful employment to all those involved in such an important enterprise, respect for the Earth, a productive, sustainable, safe, and nutritionally rich food supply that meets modern energy and climate challenges, and a positive “green” model for society. Sincerely yours, on behalf of all those who participated in Monday's Organic Community Summit, Barth Anderson The Wedge Co-op The nation's largest single-store natural foods cooperative Dave Engel Certified organic dairy farmer Natures International Certification Services Ronnie Cummins Organic Consumers Association Steven Heim Expert in corporate responsibility and ethical investing Boston Common Asset Management Steve Gilman New York Organic Farming Activist Michael Potter, CEO Eden Foods Ken Rabas Farmers All-Natural Creamery Mark Kastel The Cornucopia Institute Trudy Bialic PCC Natural Markets The nation’s largest consumer-owned grocery Cooperative Goldie Caughlan PCC Natural Markets Former member: National Organic Standards Board /Organizations listed are for identification purposes only/ *_ _* *_Minutes from the Organic Community Summit – 6/18/07_* The */Organic Community Summit/* phone conference began at 1 pm CST on Monday, June 18. Conference call phone logs indicate approximately 100 people participated in the phone conference (we maxed out the capacity of the phone system—98 callers—so, unfortunately, we assume that some folks who had intended to participate might not have been able to get through). *Jim Riddle*, one of the invited speakers (internationally recognized leader in organic inspection policy and training and immediate past chairman of the National Organic Standards Board), presented his observations about the gathering, focusing on aspects of organic, community, and summit. All of these pieces have substance and meaning, Riddle said. When we work in harmony is when we thrive, he added. As organic continues to grow, Riddle predicts we will see peaks and valleys along the way, and we need to stay focused on the opportunity and the challenges. *Energy conservation*, *water quality, and food security* are emerging themes. We need to take head-on the issue of organic integrity. Riddle identified other important issues, including *cloned animals*, *confinement of livestock* *and pasture*, *imports of organic food* and threats to our own food security, the lack of standards enforcement, and the inadequate funding of the National Organic Program, which needs its fair share of federal dollars. He said we need a *conversion to organics incentive* program and *funding for organic inspectors*. We need to include credentialing to ensure those inspecting understand the principles and how they apply. Riddle called on the community to think strategically. The critics, he noted, are needed, but we need to strategically think how we relate to consumers. *Fred Kirschenmann* (one of the most respected voices in the organic community—farming 3500 acres in North Dakota, respected academic, early pioneer in organic certification, and former member of the National Organic Standards Board) also added his perspective as a keynote presenter on the call, helping frame the discussion. *Organics, he mentioned, emerged as a reaction to industrial agriculture,* and a primary aspect of organics is *maintaining soil health*. The core message of the leading organic thinkers was that soils were being depleted through the use of chemical products. The rise of organic certification helped the emergence of organic products into the marketplace. Kirschenmann said that organic processors and manufacturers involved with the organic industry have a different set of goals, including the *mainstreaming of organics*. *Industry goals, he said, sometimes conflict with ecological principles*. IFOAM has been working to develop approaches overcoming this tension. /Note: Fred has also been invited to give the keynote speech at the upcoming corporate-dominated Organic Summit in Boulder, Colorado./ Kirschenmann highlighted three major organic challenges, which he intends to take to the coming summit in Boulder: the end of cheap stored energy, climate change, and the end of cheap water resources for agriculture. With 70% of freshwater resources now used for agriculture, Kirschenmann called for development of practices utilizing half that amount. He said agriculture must develop a new approach to energy consumption, as the era of cheap fossil fuels is ending. Climate change will further complicate agriculture by, at a minimum, lessening weather stability. And it is making monoculture obsolete. A healthy and biologically active soil, he added, will not require as much water and energy inputs and will be a more diverse system. Together we must face the challenges and use the tools and resources set forth by Steiner, Rodale, Howard, and others to develop healthy soils, use less energy and water, and go beyond the existing diversity to create biodynamic synergies with organic agriculture leading the way. Lastly, Kirschenmann called upon us to identify farmers who represent the early models of sustainability and to document and spread their practices. Mark Kastel, of The Cornucopia Institute, acting as the moderator, next outlined the plans for development and distribution of a letter from the participants of the conference call to the attendees/organizers of the coming summit in Boulder—the event that precipitated this conference call. He also advised people who wanted to speak during the call to send an email with a request to speak. Others, without access to e-mail during the teleconference, would be able to chime in later in the call. Fred Kirschenmann added one final observation. He said it is very important to pay attention to the marketplace, as consumers are not passive, but instead want to be involved with organics. Industry’s desire to mainstream doesn’t necessarily include this fact, and we must work to encompass the consumers’ desires or face consequences in the marketplace. * * *…. Comments from community participants:* *Marty Mesh* (Quality Certification Services, member Organic Trade Association board—Florida) asked where the priority is for local in organics, where’s the guarantee for market access for smaller producers? He also said that conventional grocers and their produce purchasers are making a mistake by telling organic farmers what varieties to grow for sale in their stores. *Michael Potter* (CEO, Eden Foods—Michigan) said that many on this phone call were driven to it by the loss of natural in organic foods. He pointed to unnatural additives and substances that processors are or seeking to add to organic foods. *Leslie Lowe* (Interfaith Council on Corporate Responsibility—New York) asked about the likelihood that many urban consumers will be able to access and find locally grown foods. *Mark Kastel* mentioned that cooperative grocers are the gold standard for distribution of local foods and Whole Foods is now seeking local producers and that organic community members should monitor their follow-through. *Erin Rosas* (certified organic livestock producer—Florida) said the key was getting food distributors to wake up to local food demand. She said she has noticed an uptick in that during the past two months. *Doug Crabtree* (USDA accredited certifier—State of Montana) expressed concern over the loss of small farmers and producers from organic production. He called them the face of organics and one we can’t afford to lose, as consumers expect that relationship. He said we need to keep organic certification costs affordable and called for reform of the National Organic Standards Board so as to allow for greater farmer involvement. *Albert Lusk* (founder, Albert's Organics, distributor—Delaware) said that he no longer sees that the larger organic community and its core group are effective in guiding the direction of the organic industry. We should create programs for recognition of local producers and small farm producers. These are marketable, he said. *Dave Engel* (Natures International Certification Services, organic dairy producer—Wisconsin) noted that he, as a farmer, is getting tired and called upon us to find and bring in new and more farmers to organic agriculture. He said he was not seeing new farmers moving into organics. *Susan Horn* (TOFGA—Texas) said that the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association holds New Farmers workshops, and she sees two segments of new farmers, young families and newly retired. *Arthur Harvey* (organic inspector, certified grower—Maine) said that controversy could be lessened by adding transparency for consumers. He called for adding legal language eliminating synthetic processing aids and inputs like corn syrup made with the use of benzene. He said the ban on synthetics should be noted on the organic ingredients label. He asked others to contact him at [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> if they are interested in working on the matter. *Merrill Clarke* (certified organic livestock producer, former member of the NOSB—Michigan) said it was not productive to blame the organic industry, but rather, necessary to protect organics through the laws that were followed by those who came into organics early on. *Steve Gilman* (long-time organic farmer and activist—New York) mentioned that we have to move toward a unified industry. He expressed frustration at the cost of the pending industry summit, which may unify the industry but leave out leave out the small producer. Small farmers, consumers, and integrity are keys to a unified partnership. But cost containment of input providers is not part of this view. *Mark Kastel* then asked for others who had not yet spoken to add their perspectives and concerns. He suggested that anyone who wanted to have input into the pending draft of a letter from this conference call by its conveners should contact him. The letter will be directed to the organizers and attendees of the coming business summit. The Organic Community Summit phone conference ended at 2:05 pm CST. Additional notes: /Organizational names appear for identification purposes only./ / / /Many e-mails of thanks, including thoughtful comments, from call participants that did not speak during the teleconference were received following the call and distributed to all the co-conveners prior to drafting the public letter./ / / /These minutes were prepared by Will Fantle, Susan Horn, and Steve Gilman./// / / /We were asked to distribute this message by NOAP organizers. Many on the call support their work: Several national groups, led by the Rural Advancement Foundation International, have been working for the past several years (and continuing) to engage the entire organic community in developing a _National Organic Action Plan. _*Ongoing regional dialogues have been held in 2007, open to participants in many venues around the country, and more will continue throughout 2008, culminating in a National Organic Action Plan Summit in very early 2009, where participants can come together to focus a National Plan. *After years of reacting to the implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act, and USDA’s National Organic Program, it is time for the entire organic community – farmers, consumers, farm workers, industry, trade, urban and rural groups – to take a step forward, and begin to develop a vision for Organic -- 10 to 20 years in the future. The scope and vision could include both governmental and non-governmental goals as to where organic should go, and how to get there, from Farm Bill priorities for Organic, to acreage and sales goals for the future, as well as incorporating quantitative and qualitative measures for a long list of societal benefits provided by organic. *For more information, or if you would like to participate in regional dialogues and/or the National Summit, please contact Liana Hoodes at [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> */Liz Karabinakis wrote: > As Walmart trumps Co-ops in "organic" sales, the future integrity of > organic agriculture has become (more) uncertain. Eating is something > we all do (I hope) but it sometimes escapes us that our food choices > provide us with a means to support sustainability on a daily basis. > For those interested in the future of "organic" you might find the > below information of interest. > In Cooperation, > Liz > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >_______________________________________________ >RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: >[email protected] >http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins >free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > > -- Elizabeth Karabinakis Member & Community Services GreenStar Cooperative Market 607.277.0080 x501 [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
