Today the Cornucopia Institute issued an alert, calling to action its troops in support of organic and sustainable agriculture. Three bills have been introduced to Congress (HR 875, 759 and 1322), all designed to strengthen our country’s food safety system, but all falling short. 

Like the Organic Consumers Association, the Cornucopia institute was quick to point out that none of the bills are backhanded attempts from agriculture giants to cripple organic producers, as many have been led to believe. (Read HR 875: No Need for Alarm ... Yet.) But they do urge you to visit their website to read up on the bills, and contact your representatives to make your opinions known. As always, sample message wording and contact info for members of Congress are supplied — it will take a matter of minutes to make a big difference!

ISTOCKPHOTO/MARGITA BRAZE

The bill is designed to address inadequacies in our food safety system, but it doesn’t create controls specifically for filthy factory farms. Instead it applies the typical one-size-fits-all regulations on the entire industry, which almost always spells trouble for small producers who don’t have the extra funds to implement them. 

You can learn more about the bill, OCA’s stance, and tell your representatives that revisions are needed through this handy tool. Simply plug in your zip code and all the work is done for you! Speak out for organic farming.

Quick! If you want to secure grant funds for your farmers market, roadside stand, community-supported agriculture program, agri-tourism venture or related activity, you must apply to the USDA by April 27. 

The Agricultural Marketing Service has announced that $5 million will be available for these purposes through the Farmers Market Promotion Program. Take a look at these guidelines to see if you’re eligible.

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Experienced crop farmers know that if they want to keep their soil fertile and healthy from year to year, they should enlist the help of a good cover crop. Cover crops such as rye grass or alfalfa, planted in unused plots over the non-growing season, provide a host of benefits: reduced erosion, fewer pests, increased mineral content (thanks to their deep roots), and valuable organic matter (when converted to mulch or compost). Plus, they reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers and other expensive amenities.  

Managing Cover Crops Profitably, 3^rd Edition, published by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, can be downloaded from their website, and includes expert advice from researchers and farmers nationwide. There are farm profiles, seed sources, and region-specific recommendations. Print copies are available here. 

For more advice on cover crops and soil health, read Build Better Garden Soil, and 8 Strategies for Better Garden Soil.

The next president of the United States will have a lot on his plate. Energy, the economy, foreign relations, healthcare … these may be the main dishes on the current political agenda menu, but it would be a very bad idea to overlook another that seems to be simmering on the back burner: food policy. 

Many thanks to Michael Pollan, who pointed this out in an excellent letter published in The New York Times Magazine. In it he urges the president-elect to consider a food garden on the White House Lawn and rethink the subsidies that are shaping the current landscape of industrial agriculture. He urges our future “farmer in chief” to decentralize our food system, thus increasing the security and safety of our food. Most importantly, he identifies the connection between a sound food policy and high-profile issues such as healthcare, energy independence and climate change. 

Take a look! This is a comprehensive plan from someone who really knows their stuff.

Photo by ISTOCKPHOTO/Melih Kesmen