[SustainableTompkins] [Fwd: The Organic Divide: Corporate Executives and Organic Community Hold "Dueling" Summits]

[northsheep at juno.com]

Sustainable Tompkins,

The lamentable state of affairs that has developed in the 'organic'
agriculture business, of which the "dueling summits" report that was
posted here is just one manifestation, was easily predictable by anyone
who took the trouble to understand the nature of our economy, the policy
framework that created and sustains it, and the characteristic patterns
of behavior over time that the system generates. In fact those who sought
this understanding did predict the present situation. This is not a
criticism of the 'organic' community, many of whom are better equipped to
comprehend the biogeochemical nature of the soil system than they are of
grasping the sociological nature of our economy. 

The takeover by industrial giants of what started as a sustainable
agriculture movement was entirely characteristic of the historical system
behavior in virtually every sector of our economy. Until the movement
gets serious about understanding why these patterns of behavior happen,
its attempts at solutions are likely to have counterintuitive results. In
plain English, the results will repeatedly fall short of the
expectations. 

In this case for example, the appeal for unity with the same corporate
giants that have created the problems, viewed from my understanding of
the dynamics of power in the system, is like inviting foxes into the hen
house. Another example I see in this report of the general ignorance of
many of the idealists who started the movement is their initial
assumption that a summit sponsored (read controlled, shaped) by a major
corporate merchandiser could possibly produce much that advances the
cause of sustainability in agriculture or the food system. 

The report says that Fred Kirschenmann (with whom I have worked
organizationally on these and other questions) " 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." What is the nature of the entire industry that he wants
to get in bed with? This reveals a pathetic ignorance of the structures
of power in that industry, as in the rest of our economy. 

It is also disappointing that so many of the idealists (I am an idealist
too) still cling to the notion that the 'organic label' will save the
movement. The NOSB, the institution mandated to create and protect the
label is located in and controlled by the USDA. That is like locating a
hen in a fox house. Like most other market-based solutions to social
problems, the organic label has born results that are too little, too
late. That is a historical pattern, generated by market forces, a lesson
we need to learn and make a basis for strategy. I believe that solutions
exist, but they need to be grounded in a better understanding of how our
society works. 

Karl North
Northland Sheep Dairy, Freetown, New York USA
     www.geocities.com/northsheep/
"Mother Nature never farms without animals" - Albert Howard
"Pueblo que canta no morira" - Cuban saying

On Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:34:28 -0400 Liz Karabinakis
<ekarabinakis at greenstar.coop> writes:
> 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 arthurharvey at yahoo.com 
> <mailto:arthurharvey at yahoo.com> 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 
> 
> Liana at hvc.rr.com <mailto:Liana at hvc.rr.com>
> 
> */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:
> >SustainableTompkins at lists.mutualaid.org
> >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
> ekarabinakis at greenstar.coop
> 
> _______________________________________________
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>