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I see the world organic scene entering a huge growth period—and us in New Zealand dragging our feet trying to find shortcuts to meeting the biological food and fibre markets needs of the world.
Anyway to the weeks news.
The world continues to focuses on a couple of farmers in Western Australia this week, for many this is the only story that counts!
the Court transcripts are now online....
http://www.supremecourt.wa.gov.au/T/transcripts.aspx
Daily updates from those that are there......
When Spiezia Organics founder Amanda Barlow stood in front of a conference hall full of skincare industry delegates and ate a mouthful of one of her own beauty creams, it was to make a salient point: If what you put on your skin is not clean and natural enough to eat, then you shouldn't be putting it on your skin–the body's largest organ............................
http://www.triplepundit.com/2014/02/pioneering-women-forefront-authentic-organic-beauty-revolution/
The planet has lost one of its most passionate friends and so have we. Horst Rechelbacher founder of organically certified Intelligent Nutrients was a distinguished environmentalist, author, artist and innovative business leader who changed the face the beauty industry through his steadfast commitment to the development of sustainable, eco-friendly consumer products. Throughout his career he was dedicated to the importance of using organically grown ingredients, the study of pure plant essences and their psychological, physiological and environmental benefits and creating businesses with social and ecological practices that help preserve the environment.
Intelligent Nutrients (17 February 2014)
http://www.intelligentnutrients.com/
Josephine Fairley, Co-founder, Green & Black's: 'why Horst Rechelbacher was my business hero' The Daily Telegraph (17 February 2014)
Emma Reinhold, Soil Association Certification trade relations manager commented: "Horst Rechelbacher was an organic pioneer, whose vision and passion has helped shape the natural and organic beauty movement we know today. He helped make 'green' the norm and through the creation of the brands Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients, showed businesses there was another way. He will be truly missed."
BioWorld, the organic branch of the Best Fresh Group, is slowly extending its assortment. After the development of the organic greenhouse vegetable and open ground fruit and vegetable assortment, the business started importing organic pineapple from Costa Rica, in which organics and fair trade are combined......................
German organic turnover grew by 7% in 2013
The organic market in Germany in 2013 grew as equally strong as in 2012. Besides the traditional supermarkets and pharmacies, the health food shops contributed heavily to this growth. Increases in prices of fresh products and an increase in sales in dried products in particular caused a larger turnover in organic foods.
The German households spent 7.2% more on organic foods and drinks in 2013. The total turnover made with these products was 7.55 billion Euro compared to 7.04 billion Euro in 2012, figures from the German Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI) show.
Publication date: 2/20/2014
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont has released a short film, Organic Matters, about the importance of organic food and agriculture to human and environmental health. This nine-minute video features certified organic farmers across Vermont talking about why they believe in certified organic, how it defines their approach to their land and to food production, and why organic is important to the overall food movement. The film can be viewed online.
http://nofavt.org/find-organic-food/why-organic
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has granted a temporary variance to provide relief for drought-affected California organic ruminant livestock operations that may not be able to meet the organic pasture requirements in the USDA organic regulations. The variance for the 2014 grazing season applies to producers located in California counties designated as primary disaster areas.
USDA has also announced several forms of additional assistance to help farmers, ranchers, and residents affected by severe drought in California.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5106421
He's part of a bold new wave of independent vintners who are challenging Chile's reputation for producing oceans of agreeable but predictable wines. Their quirky, small-batch harvests.............
By Mark Astley+ , 20-Feb-2014
WhiteWave Foods has slammed "wildly false allegations" that a former Horizon Dairy milk farm breached US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) regulations.
Journalist George Monbiot discusses how the government allowance of the farming lobby to grow Maize for feeding livestock has had an impact on soil. He writes: Six weeks before the floods arrived, a scientific journal called Soil Use and Management published a paper warning that disaster was brewing. Thanks to a wholesale change in the way the land is cultivated, at 38% of the sites the researchers investigated, the water – instead of percolating into the ground – is now pouring off the fields. Contributing to this is the shift towards growing maize, whose cultivated area in this country has risen from 1,400 hectares to 160,000 since 1970. In three quarters of the maize fields in the south-west, the soil structure has broken down to the extent that they now contribute to flooding. In many of these fields, soil, fertilisers and pesticides are sloshing away with the water. Maize is being grown in Britain not to feed people, but to feed livestock and, increasingly, the biofuel business. This false solution to climate change will make the impacts of climate change much worse, by reducing the land's capacity to hold water.
The Guardian (18 February 2014)
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/17/farmers-uk-flood-maize-soil-protection
He says it's heartening to see more beef producers applying for organic certification. "Eight years ago when we opened our doors, we started with 66 head of cattle a fortnight. Earlier this year we were at 1000 a week," says Alister.
"The reason is that producers can see a 40 per cent premium in it for them. They can also see huge markets like the United States demanding organic beef with these orders still struggling to be filled. Our programs are currently growing by 20 per cent each year. The great unknown is China, which is just starting to come on board.
http://austorganic.com/more-organic-meat-on-the-shelf/
...........................according to director general of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, José Graziano da Silva, they can quickly realise their productive potential. "They can increase the availability of food in poor communities, preserve traditional food products, support the shift to more balanced diets, safeguard the world's agro-biodiversity and contribute to food security and sustainable development as a whole.
"Nothing comes closer to the sustainable food production than family farming. The preservation of natural resources is rooted in their productive logic; and the highly diversified nature of their agricultural activities gives them a central role in promoting the sustainability of our food systems and ensuring food security.".................
It not too late!!!
February 23rd 2014.
After sending a newsletter last week saying Daniel and Sheri wouldn't be attending... well things have changed and they will be here and rounding off what looks like an amazing program for the day.
Click on the following link to the program. http://www.heenandoherty.com/media/images/FieldsOfFarmersOutline2014.pdf
Joel will also be speaking on Monday at a luncheon promoted by Auckland South Tourism, Events and Economic Development. For more details on this presentation and to register follow this http://businessaucklandnz.com/events/listing/auckland-south-business-lunch-series-february
We still have a long way to go to make this tour get into the black, and more importantly the information shared at these events should be put in front of anyone who Eats, Buys or Grows food.
The OrganicAg website is there to serve the biological and organic primary producer---take a look and tell us what else would be useful on this site.
This site is funded without industry support---so let us know what you think---lets make it better.
" Nature is often greatest in her smallest creations"
M S Devere
Regards,
Bill Quinn,
Organic Promotions.
R.D.4 Paeroa. 3674.
www.organicag.co.nz
Organics'---integrity through transparency!