Sustainability, Freshman InquiryUNST 172C

Dr. Tom RicciardiGuest Presenter for Dr. Jeff Fletcher

3/4/2009

Today’s Class Outline

• Homework questions• Organic & Local Farming – definitions &

resources• Social Engineering in Agriculture• Links to Local Food

Homework

Homework/Exercise

• Take a number, 1-8, corresponding to your homework question.

• Take 5 minutes and review/proof your answer to the homework question.

• Read your answer to that question to the class.

Homework Questions

1. What was the original definition of “organic” food?

2. Why does Joel Salatin consider “industrial organic” to be a contradiction in terms?

3. Do you think that the term “industrial organic” really is a contradiction in terms? Why or why not?

Homework Questions

4. What are some of the differences between “Big” and “Small” organic?

5. What are some of the negative consequences of industrial organic farming techniques, in terms of soil health?

Homework Questions

6. What is “beyond organic”?7. What are some of the positive consequences

of large-scale organic farming? What are some of the negative effects?

8. If you had to write a realistic definition of what organic food should be, what would it say?

Organic and Local Food

Definitions & Discussion

What Qualifies as Organic Food?

• Organic is what the government says it is• USDA regulates the definitions• Government does not directly label food as

“Organic”• Instead, the USDA certifies accrediting agencies

through the National Organic Program• European Union = similar• Pollan p. 131

US Government Definitions• National Organic Program

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateA&navID=NationalOrganicProgram&leftNav=NationalOrganicProgram&page=NOPNationalOrganicProgramHome&acct=nop– What do you notice about this website?

• Organic Food Production Act of 1990• Certified Organic• 7 C.F.R. Part 205

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=9f7d238c82480a19673ba270678268f6&rgn=div5&view=text&node=7:3.1.1.9.31&idno=7

What qualifies as “Local?”

• What is a small farm? What is an industrial farm?• How many head of cattle?• How many acres of corn, grass, soy?• What plant diversity is required?• What income? USDA $5,000?• What radius of distribution? 100 miles?

http://100milediet.org/get-started/map Eugene, Olympia, The Dalles.

Case study #1: Polyface Farm

• Joel Salatin video http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=joel+salatin&oe=UTF-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv&ei=Z4euScpiiZ4z9e_17AQ&oi=property_suggestions&resnum=0&ct=property-revision&cd=1#

Case Study #2: Abundant Life Farm (Dallas, Oregon)

• Abundant Life Farm (Oregon) http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M3686

• http://www.veoh.com/videos/v14930416rdD3sj8g

• What did you notice about the chicken coops? (Pollan, pages 126-127)

• How much land did the pigs require?• What did the fences look like?• How big were the cattle?• How do they sell their products?

Pig FarmIndustrial or Local? Organic or Not? How can you tell?

Broiler ChickensIndustrial or Local? Organic or Not? How can you tell?

Cows

• What are they eating?• How much land do the need?• How much do they weigh?

Industrial or Local? Organic or Not? How can you tell?

Social Engineering

Agriculture

Social Engineering

• Policy: Legislation, regulation, standards & guidance.

• Economic or Financial Stimulus: Subsidies, creating markets, pricing, grants and loans, investments.

• Technology: Encouraging inventions, adoption of new technology, implementation on a wide scale.

Social Engineering in AgricultureA mini - exercise

Write down one of each of the following:

• Examples of Agriculture Policies

• Examples of Technologies in Agriculture

• Examples of Financing in Agriculture

Social Engineering in Agriculture

• Examples of agriculture policies– Industrial agriculture (Butz)– USDA definitions & certifications of organic foods

• Examples of technologies– King Corn – plant 1 acre in 18 min– GM crops– GPS/Satellite auto-steering (fertilizer, fuel costs)– Soil, nutrient sensors– Feedlots, antibiotics

• Examples of Financing– Public funds make the difference for a corn farmer– Private/ventures in biotech, – agribusiness (Cargill, ADM, Unilever)

Discussion Questions

• Do we have effective social engineering targeted to increase production and consumption of Organic food?

• Do we have social engineering targeted to increase production and consumption of Local foods? Should we?

• What about water & energy needs?• What about land use?• Who will do the work of local farming?

Local Food

Links to Resources

Links to Local Food

• http://www.eatlocal.net/; scorecard http://www.eatlocal.net/downloads/EatLocal_scorecard.pdf

• Locavores http://www.locavores.com/; Guidelines http://www.locavores.com/how/

• Dining halls – Whitman, Swarthmore, Stanford, Bates, Vassar, Penn State, Yale, Santa Cruz, PORTLAND STATE? http://earthfirst.com/green-college-spotlight-portland-state-university/

• PSU – Community Garden http://www.dailyvanguard.com/1.1305046-1.1305046

Sustainability, Freshman InquiryUNST 172C

Dr. Tom RicciardiGuest Presenter for Dr. Jeff Fletcher

3/4/2009