Fw: Second Proposed Rule being issued next week and a poem

G* C*

----------
From: Erorganic@aol.com
To: Organic4um@aol.com
Subject: Second Proposed Rule being issued next week and a poem
Date: March 02, 2000 8:29 AM

A communication from the organic4um:
Facilitated by Eric Kindberg, certified organic farmer
Email: erorganic@aol.com
NEW, UPDATED WEBSITE: http://members.aol.com/organic4um/info

Written contributions and comments are sought.
If you desire your email address to be removed from our circulation list, 
please inform us.  To be added to this email circulation request to 
organic4um@aol.com

NOTICE
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes.
The Organic 4UM distributes this material free of charge
even though, it takes considerable time and money
to produce it.  
Eric Kindberg,  Editor, 
Ripplebrook Organic Growers, Inc.
Certified organic farm, Fairfield, Iowa

Good morning,

In a telephone conversation with Keith Jones, USDA/NOP, he indicated the 
second Proposed Organic Rule would be placed in the Federal Register for 
public comment this coming week of March 6, 2000.  

The Organic 4um will issue a side by side comparison of the Proposed Rule 
with the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 very shortly thereafter. 
Final 
Recommendations of the National Organic Standards Board, CODEX Guidelines
for 
Organic Farming and Handling and consumer expectations will be noted in the

Side by Side Comparison where appropriate.  Everyone is asked to critique
the 
Proposed Rule and the Side by Side as well.  

A report follows by a participant at a meeting held last week with Keith 
Jones, staff director of the USDA National Organic Program.  It should be 
noted there were no certified farmers or handlers in attendance.  Without 
someone circulating the information of such meetings and the information 
supplied at such meetings to certified organic farmers and handlers, we are

becoming more and more spoken for rather than spoken to.  We suggest that
for 
information flow and transparency, that statements that impact on the
organic 
community at such "organic community meetings" with federal government 
representatives, need to be posted on the USDA Agricultural Marketing
Service 
website the following day.

And there is a poem.

Have a good day

Best regards,

Eric Kindberg

Monday, February 28 - Briefing with Keith Jones 

Representatives of the Organic Committee, Campaign for Sustainable 
Agriculture, met with Keith who updated us about the rule and program news.

Attending were Michael Sligh, Liana Hoode, Mardi Mellon, Joe Mendelson,
Stacy 
Clary (CASWAG), Barbara Robinson (the USDA Secretary's legislative
liaison), 
Diane Goodman and two or three others.

Keith announced that the rule would be out within 10 days.  The Secretary 
will hold a press conference announcing it and Keith will initiate
conference 
calls to constituents on the same day.  Kathleen will do a briefing for the

Hill and with mainstream agriculture.

The rule includes a user-friendly index so if you wanted direction to a 
subject like livestock, a find or search for that subject will turn up each

time the word is used in the rule.  It's 676 pages, double-spaced, single 
sided and the web site has been redesigned to handle it, as well as a 
capacity for 400,000 comments.  

The Preamble includes a question and answer section, a section of changes 
requested by those that commented and made by USDA, changes requested and
not 
made and changes made by USDA on their own.  

There is not a side by side comparison of the rule, NOSB Final 
Recommendations, American Organic Standards, European Union Guidelines nor 
CODEX.  

There will be no USDA public hearings on the Proposed Rule.  

NEXT National Organic Standards Board Meeting Scheduled:
The NOSB will meet in Buena Park, California March 21 and 22. 
--Day 1, first half will be NOSB Committee Reports, Materials will address 
ethylene, second half will be USDA briefing the Board about the Rule, 
--Day 2, first half will continue USDA briefing and second half for public 
input.

New NOSB appointments will not be announced before the second Proposed Rule

is issued.  They will be in place before the Board meets in June.

Dates for public input regarding certification of the production and
handling 
of organic seafood meetings have been set.

--April 7   Seattle Workshop formats with State of Washington and Alaska
--April 10  Mobile, AL  with EPA Gulf Coast Conference
--April 11  Anchorage   with Pacific Council of Fisheries
--May 3     Providence, RI      with Atlantic Council of Fisheries
--June 23-24    University of Minnesota Independent conference

Spring is already in the air here.  Thought you might enjoy this piece by
Ned Rorem entitled The Sowers.  It is one section of a 10 part
composition for violin, viola, cello, piano and baritone composed in 1980
for the Santa Fe Symphony.  

The Sowers

Now horses' hooves are treading earth again

To start the wheat from darkness into day

And along the heavy field go seven men

With hands on ploughs and eyes on furrowing clay.

Six of the men are old; but one, a boy,

Knows in his heart that more than fields are sown-

For spring is ploughing up heaven with row of joys

In the voice of one high bird, singing alone

_______________________________________________
community_garden maillist  -  community_garden@mallorn.com
https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden