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WSDA Organic Farming Proposal

WSDA Organic Farming Proposal. By Rebecca Chandler, Janell Duey, and Kristin Kinder. How to make organic food more accessible. Goal: to propose regulation alterations to improve the current organic food system Client: Organics Program at the WSDA.

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WSDA Organic Farming Proposal

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  1. WSDA Organic Farming Proposal By Rebecca Chandler, Janell Duey, and Kristin Kinder

  2. How to make organic food more accessible • Goal: to propose regulation alterations to improve the current organic food system • Client: Organics Program at the WSDA

  3. How to make organic food more accessible • Interviews: • Nate Lewis at WSDA • Brent Cochran at Grandin Village Community Market • Joel Salatin at Polyface Farms • Vicky Foley at Whole Foods • Chris Chippen at Metropolitan Market • AJ at Madison Market • Several Farmers at the University District Farmer’s Market

  4. You are what you eat! By treating our food industry like every other industry, we’ve sacrificed the quality of what we’re eating. Why is organic important?

  5. Why is Organic important? • Health • Nutritionally • Chemically • Environment • Ecosystem Balance • Sustainability • Economics • Taste • Humanity

  6. Almost as much US land is used to grow corn for high fructose corn syrup as is used to grow all the vegetables • 40-50% of all food grown in the US is thrown away, uneaten by the farmer, the distributor, or the consumer • The largest concentration of hungry people in the state of California is in the Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world

  7. History of the organic movement • Synthesized nitrogen in 1840 • Heavy DDT use --> Silent Spring 1962 • 1970s counterculture • Alar food scare • Regulation • 1990 Farm Bill • 1992 National Organic Program

  8. Current Organic Regulations • First time: detailed application, inspection, fees, three year transition period • For all operations • Keep detailed records • Update Organic Systems Plan annually • Specific regulations for crop farms, livestock operations, and processing operations

  9. Issues with our food system today • Economies of scale • Regulations are a singular prescription across the board • There is no discrepancy between farms that profit $5,000 and $500,000 • Farming is a dying art • The average farmer in the US is 57 yrs old • The average American spends 7% of his/her income on food (and 11% on healthcare) • Farming is perceived as 2nd class uneducated citizen work • Farming is not as profitable anymore

  10. Issues with our food system today • Food distribution is inefficient • 40-50% of produce is wasted at grocery stores • New varieties are turned away • Too many middle men • Consumers are on average not informed about the food they buy • No transparency from agribusinesses

  11. Which of these labels is regulated by the government? • Natural • Organic • Free-range • Grass-fed • Vegetarian • Cage-free • GMO-free

  12. Why is certification important • “organic” is the only adequately regulated term in the consumer world • It provides a baseline; if everyone was certified organic, it would be a good start

  13. Is the benefit of an organic certification worth the cost? Depends on your market For commercial farms, yes For farmers’ markets: Costs to small farmers: • Bookkeeping • Location • Profits • Economies of scale

  14. Is the benefit of an organic certification worth the cost? Most farmers agree that an Organic Certification is worth the cost • Marketing appeal to customers – customers trust the label • Opens up market base: can sell to restaurants

  15. Stakeholders: how do they affect and how are they affected by the organic movement • WSDA • Grocery stores • Farmers • Consumers • Cows, chickens, and produce

  16. Organic is Good! “Chemicals are not necessary to grow food. Synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and GMOs are substitutes for thinking, understanding, and effort” -Organic Manifesto

  17. Organic Pioneers -B • Polyface farms, a “pasture-based, beyond organic, local market farm” • Written policies to help them stay small • Transparent • Local • Grass-based • Grandin Village community market • Filling a gap between local producers and residents • Addressing the distribution issues • Provides organic, local food to a food desert in Roanoke

  18. Proposals Our proposals for the WSDA stem from four areas of concern: • Education • Transparency • Economies of scale • Food Distribution

  19. Education • What if grocery stores were educators? • What if we offered need- and merit-based scholarships for college-level farming programs? • What if Farming was Part of all School Curricula? • What if we awarded grants to organically-minded inventors? • What if Consumers Understood how Subsidies Affected Pricing?

  20. Transparency • What if we inspected produce at the point of sale? • What if all GMO products were labeled? • What if we disclosed carbon foot printing? • What if we required pesticide prescriptions?

  21. Economies of Scale • What if we subdivided the regulations based on size of operation?

  22. Food Distribution • What if we taxed grocery stores for wasting produce? • What if we introduced new crops to market? • What if we freed food donors from liability? • What if we cut out the middle man?

  23. THE END Please email this guy with all questions. Thank you.

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