AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 26, 2002
OPINION
Many Farmers Are Concerned About
SB 1413 , And Most of Them Should Be
Editor’s note: Though we welcome guest editorials, sometimes the
opinions of the writers differ from the editor’s. For the benefit of our
diverse readership, we strive to provide a balance of opinion in Lan
caster Farming.
Guest Editorial By
Brian W. Snyder
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Association For
Sustainable Agriculture (PASA)
The rhetoric is growing so strong on both sides of the current debate
in Harrisburg over Senate Bill 1413. Many folks who have not studied
the matter must be helplessly confused about the cause of all this com
motion. Behind it, one would expect to find an exhaustively complete
and complex piece of legislation that by its nature invites the radically
different interpretations we are witnessing.
Surprisingly, the opposite is true. SB 1413 is such a simple affair
that the average person would require less than five minutes to read
the entire document. In fact, it is the oversimplification and subtle
reasoning contained in this potential law that renders it at the same
time so controversial and so dangerous to the democratic process.
The reason for the bill, we are told by its sponsors and advocates, is
roughly to “protect our largest industry” from any one or a combina
tion of the following three major threats: 1) neighbors, particularly
those who are not farmers themselves, 2) the communities in which a
farm resides, and/or 3) local elected officials, who, we are told, are
busily trying to shut down farms all over the commonwealth. So there
they are... the true “enemies” of modem agriculture.
My guess is that there are actually very few farmers in Pennsylva
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Saturday, October 26
High Tunnel Autumn Workshop
at Penn State Horticulture Re
search Center, Rockspring.
Raising Goats Field Day, Mifflin
burg, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., (814)
349-9856, ext. 6.
Perry County Farm Safety
Workshop, St. Paul’s Luther
an Church, Loysville, 7 p.m.-
8:30 p.m., (717) 789-3110.
York County Cooperative Exten
sion Association Annual Meet
ing, York County 4-H Center,
Editor.
Once again, the dairy industry
is in a crisis mode. Prices paid
producers stand at 30-year lows.
No matter what size dairy opera
tion, 50 cows or 1,000, the price
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6:45 p.m., (570) 265-2896.
Fall Composting Workshop, Pat
terson Building, Guthrie
Square, Sayre, 9 a.m.-noon,
(570) 265-2896.
Maryland Shorthorn Associa
tion’s Dynamic Duo Spotlight
Calf Sale, Frederick County
Fairgrounds, Frederick, Md., 7
p.m., (301) 898-5152.
Third Annual Fall Antique Trac
tor Pull, Mason Dixon Fair-
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♦ Farm Forum ❖
of 100 pounds of milk paid to the
dairy producers is disgustingly
paltry for the amount of capital,
labor, and pride every dairy fami
ly places in their operations.
I am ashamed of the leader
ship roles, both governmental
and in our own industry, with re
spect to the current crisis. I fully
understand the laws of supply
and demand, but it makes no
sense to import the equivalent of
more than 600 tanker loads of
milk products daily into this
country when our producers are
being led to believe we have too
much product. Personally, I be
lieve that any milk handler or
dairy co-op that imports dairy
product into this country, should
take a very hard look at their
leadership.
There is no doubt that the
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To Learn About The
New USDA National
Organic Standards
On Oct. 21, Agriculture Secretary
Ann M. Veneman launched the im
plementation of USDA’s national or
ganic standards for agricultural
products to provide consistent label
ing on products across the nation.
“Today, when consumers see the
USDA national organic seal on prod
ucts, they will know that the prod
ucts labeled organic will be consistent
across the country,” said Veneman.
“Organic agriculture is increasing
and organic farmers across the coun
try have been looking forward to the
release of these regulations with an
ticipation they will create consumer
confidence in their products.”
The USDA reports standards were
developed from extensive industry
input and hundreds of thousands of
public comments. As of Oct. 21, any
organic agricultural product must
meet USDA standards in order to be
sold as “organic.” Along with the na
tional organic standards, labeling
rules were developed to help consum
ers know the exact organic content of
the food they buy. Consumers can
tell organically produced food from
conventionally produced food by
looking at package labels and watch
ing for signs in the supermarket.
“We’re very pleased with the work
JUST A
MINUTE, GOD!
Background Scripture:
Habakkuk.
Devotional Reading:
Hebrews 11:32 through 12:2.
I can’t help admiring Habakkuk
for his forthright relationship with
God. There is no pretense, no mut
tering under his breath, and he
comes right out and makes an impas
sioned complaint; “O Lord, how long
shall I cry for help, and thou wilt not
hear? Or cry to thee ‘Violence!’ and
thou wilt not save?” (1:2). This is the
Hebrew equivalent for “Hey, just a
minute God, I want an explanation!”
x
* >
Habakkuk wasn’t the first com
plainant, nor would he be the last.
We too want to know how God can
permit the perversion of justice and
stand by while evil people prevail. As
I write this, tomorrow will be the an
niversary of September 11, and many
are still challenging God to answer
for this horrendous tragedy and in
justice. God, how can you be “silent
when the wicked swallows up the
man more righteous than he?” (1:13).
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that USDA employees and the Or
ganic Standards Board have done
over the years to finalize these regu
lations,” said Veneman. “Consumers
will begin to see the results of these
efforts.”
The USDA Organic Sea) tells con
sumers that a product is at least 95
percent organic. Processed products
that contain 70-95 percent organic
ingredients (made with organic fruit
for example) can use the phrase
“made with organic ingredients” on
the label but they can’t display the
seal.
A recent USDA study determined
that U.S. organic farmland has in
creased from approximately 1.4 mil
lion acres to 2.4 million acres. Now
any farm or processor that wants to
sell products as organically produced
must adhere to these new standards.
The requirements include operating
under an organic system plan ap
proved by an accredited certifying
agent and using materials consistent
with the National List of Allowed
Synthetic and Prohibited-Non-Syn
thetic Substances.
To assist farmers and produce
handlers with the cost of becoming
certified, the USDA is administering
a $5 million cost share program in all
50 states, the U.S. territories, the Dis
trict of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
This program expands the original
cost share program that covered only
producers and included only 15
states. The Pennsylvania Certified
Organic Organization is currently
able to certify producers.
The organic crop production stan
dards require that the land will have
no prohibited substances applied to it
for at least three years before the har
vest of an organic crop. The use of
genetically modified crops, sewage
sludge, or ionizing radiation is not al
lowed under the standards. The use
of organic seeds is preferred but
fanners may use nonorganic seeds
and planting stock under certain
conditions. Management practices
including physical, mechanical, and
biological controls will be the prima
ry means allowed to control weeds,
crop pests, and diseases. If these
means do not adequately control the
problem a biological, botanical, or
synthetic substance approved for use
on the National List may be used.
The new standards provide direc
tion for organic animal agriculture as
well. Animals for slaughter must be
raised under organic management
Note that God doesn’t become
angry with Habakkuk’s audacious
challenge, nor does he censure him.
Instead, he explains that the Chal
deans, evil as they are, will be instru
ments through which he will execute
his will. Think of the irony here: God
says he will use the Chaldeans to
chastise his people. The Chaldeans
would also be known as the Baby
lonians, and Babylonia comprised
much of what we know of today as
Iraq. 1 pray that God will not use to
day’s Chaldeans to chastise us.
Running & Reading
God finally responds to the chal
lenge, promising an answer that will
not be hidden: “ ‘Write the vision,
make it plain upon tablets, so he may
run who reads it... For still the vi
sion awaits its time; it hastens to the
end it will not lie. If it seem slow,
wait for it...” (2:2,3).
Typically, Habakkuk wants an an
swer right now. Typically, God says
that we should just be patient it will
coming! And that is another age-old
complaint from God’s children: how
long must we wait?
God gives a two-part answer; “Be
hold, he whose soul is not upright in
him shall fail, but the righteous shall
live by his faith” (2:4). Without any
reference to just when this will hap
pen, God says the unrighteous per
sons will fail. In the five woes
(2:6-19), Habakkuk spells out the
why and how of that fall. Each woe
indicates that the unrighteous will
destroy themselves.
The second part of the answer is
an assurance to the righteous. The
righteous person can look forward to
the time when he or she will be vindi
cated. Until that vindication, he can
from the last third of gestation, or for
poultry no later than the second day
of life. Producers are required to feed
livestock agricultural feed products
that are 100 percent organic. How
ever, vitamin and mineral supple
ments may be added to organic ani
mal feed.
Farmers who want to convert an
entire, distinct dairy herd to organic
production can do so by providing 80
percent organically produced feed
for 9 months, followed by 3 months
of 100 percent organically produced
feed. Organically raised animals may
not be given hormones to promote
growth, or antibiotics. Preventive
management practices, including the
use of vaccines, will be used to keep
animals healthy.
Organic producers are prohibited
from withholding treatment from a
sick or injured animal; however, ani
mals treated with a prohibited med
ication may not be sold as organic.
The organic standards require ail or
ganically raised animals must have
access to the outdoors, including ac
cess to pasture for ruminants. They
may be temporarily confined only for
reasons of health, safety, the animal’s
stage of production, or to protect soil
or water quality.
The USDA will set aside $3 mil
lion per year for fiscal years
2003-2007 to administer competitive
research grants on organic produc
tion, largely through the Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Ex
tension Service. The research will
focus on determining desirable traits
for organic commodities; identifying
marketing and policy constraints on
the expansion of organic agriculture;
and conducting advanced research
on organic farms, including produc
tion, marketing and socioeconomic
research.
According to USDA figures, the
organic industry is growing between
20 and 25 percent annually, and has
been for the last several years. U.S.
retail sales of organic foods reached
approximately $7.8 billion in 2000,
with global sales topping $17.5 bil
lion.
The USDA has set up a website
providing much more information on
the organic standards at
www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
Quote Of The Week:
“What lies behind us and what
lies before us are tiny matters com
pared to what lies within us. ”
Ralph Emerson
live by his faith and trust in that fu
ture even though injustice and cor
ruption seem to prevail. The righ
teous live by trusting, not in present
circumstances, but the promise of
God; “But the Lord is in his holy
temple; let all the earth keep silence
before him” (2:20). God is in charge,
so we can live without all the an-
swers.
The Greater Benefit
Habakkuk began with an honest
complaint and the Lord received it
without prejudice. He asked for the
alleviation of particular ills, but God
does not tell him when these peti
tions will bear fruit. He then makes a
discovery that perhaps has eluded
many of us; fellowship with God is
more important and of greater bene
fit than prosperity and an immediate
end to all evil. “Though the fig tree
does not blossom, nor fruit be on the
vines, the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food, the flock
be cut off from the fold and there is
no herd in the stall, yet I will rejoice
in the Lord, I will joy in the God of
my salvation” (3:17,18).
it is natural and understandable
for us to seek and demand answers
from the Lord, but the solution is not
specific answers or grants, but the
abiding presence of God in the midst
of a broken world, so that we can live
in the power of his promise which is
the highest and greatest gift he can
bestow upon us.
Lancaster Farming
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Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2002 by Lancaster Farming