Fall 1993 (v5n5)
	Briefly Noted Compiled by David Campbell, SAREP Pesticide Use Tops 161 Million Pounds Since the 1990 "100 Percent Reporting" rule took effect, all pesticide use in California must be reported to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. According to the latest California Department of Pesticide Regulation survey, over 90 percent of the 161 million pounds of pesticide used in 1991 in the state were in agricultural production. Three crops accounted for roughly one-third of the total use (in millions of pounds): grapes (37.6), cotton (10.4), and sugar beets (8.7). Sulfur, a naturally occurring chemical element which is considered organic, is included in the survey and ranked as the most-used pesticide, at 49.5 million pounds. California's three leading agricultural counties also lead the state in pesticide use reported (in millions of pounds): Fresno (23.3), Kern (17.6), and Tulare (12.4). For more information see Rural California Report, Newsletter of the California Institute for Rural Studies, Summer 1993, p.5. Copies of the state's printed pesticide reports are available in two volumes, one indexed by commodity, the second by chemical. To order, send $25 to: Cashier, California Department of Pesticide Regulation, Information Services Branch, 1220 N Street, P.O. Box 942871, Sacramento, CA 94271-0001. For information on the fall computerized database of the reports, call the DPR Information Services Branch, (916) 654-1353. Marin Ag Land Trust Saves Farmland Thirteen years after it was formed, the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) is being recognized as a model for protecting farmland. MALT, a non-profit, membership-supported organization, conserves farmland by purchasing conservation easements. Easements usually represent the difference between the property's market value and its value when development rights have been removed. They are purchased in a legal agreement requiring property owners to permanently keep their land in agriculture and open space. By June 1993, MALT easements had protected 22,098 acres of farmland on 33 properties. For more information, see "Anyone for a MALT?," American Farmland: The Magazine of American Farmland Trust, Summer 1993, pp.18-20. Bovine Hormone (BGH) Moratorium A 90-day moratorium on the marketing and use of bovine growth hormone (bGH) has been put in place by the U.S. Congress, and a seven-year ban on the hormone has been recommended by the European Commission. The U.S. moratorium will ban bGH use, sales, and marketing for 90 days if and when the FDA approves its use. The moratorium is in the federal budget approved in August, in legislation authored by first-term Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI) and was supported by a group of 2l organizations, including the National Family Farm Coalition, Community Nutrition Institute, Ben and Jerry's, Inc., Consumers Union, and the National Farmers Union. The 12 member states of the European Commission were scheduled to vote on the issue sometime in September. The recommendation to ban bGH until the year 2000 was based on research conducted over the past three years that reportedly shows smaller dairies would be driven out of business. Additionally, the Commission's recommendation pointed out that safety, quality, and efficacy standards could only be met in controlled environments. Organic Foods Act Update For the first time since the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) passed in 1990, funds have been appropriated for its implementation. The U.S. House/Senate Budget Conference Committee accepted action taken in early August in both the House and Senate to appropriate $500,000 for implementation of OFPA, which had received no recommended funding in the Administration's proposed budget. The National Organic Standards Board will be funded, but USDA has not yet decided the amount. Funding for the Board and for implementation of OFPA had not been included in either the FY 1992 or FY 1993 final budgets. As of October 1, 1993, it will be a violation of federal law to sell or label a product as "organic" unless it meets the requirements of the act, many of which are still unclear. Regular updates on the progress of OFPA are included in Nutrition Week, published by the Community Nutrition Institute, 2001 S. St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009. Decline in Farm Numbers and New Farmers Reported The USDA's Economic Research Service Agricultural Outlook Summary of June 1993 forecasts that farm numbers will likely decline by an average of 15-20,000 per year in the coming decade. The trend toward fewer, larger farms continues, though at a slower pace than the 1950s and 1960s when the U.S. was losing over 100,000 farms annually. A recent study by the General Accounting Office (GAO) notes that the number of individuals entering farming decreased by 25 percent during the mid-1980s, a trend that is still continuing. According to the report, high entry costs for land and equipment are a chief impediment. The USDA is currently drafting regulations to implement legislation that would target federal loans to beginning farmers. Farm Finance: Number of New Farmers is Declining (GAO/RCED-93-95) is available at no charge from the U.S. GAO, P.O. Box 6015, Gaithersburg, MD 20884-6015. [ Back | Search | Feedback ]