Are there antibiotics in our organic food?

A number of listservs and bloggers have posted articles searing organic producers when it was discovered that antibiotics used on animals in agriculture do not break down in soils or hot composting and can be taken up in plants. Under current USDA regulation it is possible for these chemicals to make it into food labeled as organic without being detected. The fear is that we are creating new types of super bugs that will be resistant to available antibiotics. Strange that they fail to point out that you are far more likely to come into contact with these chemicals in operations that make no attempt to follow organic methods than someone that does, or that the need for such chemicals is greatest in very large operations typical of those owned by large publicly traded companies.

Hormones and other manmade chemicals are also altering biology in our water ways. Male fish carrying egg sacks and three legged frogs are now being linked to human artificial hormones being excreted in urine that is not monitored or broken down in waste water treatment plants. With all the scares about GMOs and other technological "advances", few people seem alarmed by the fact that mutated bacteria are being developed in farmer's fields every time they spray the manure from their holding ponds on next year's corn crop. “Around 90 percent of these drugs that are administered to animals end up being excreted either as urine or manure,” said Holly Dolliver, a member of the Minnesota research team and now a professor of crop and soil sciences at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. “A vast majority of that manure is then used as an important input for 9.2 million hectares of (U.S.) agricultural land.”

One thing that most people might not be aware of is that chickens in large egg operations aren't given water to drink. They get a chemical cocktail, as do cattle in feed lot operations, that is designed to keep them alive in such unnatural environments. Chicken manure is often composted and fed to cattle, possibly increasing the future need for antibiotics and new antibiotics since eventually resistance will develop. I have to wonder whether anyone is tracing the chain of antibiotic use as it gets passed from animal to animal and eventually to humans. People that choose to get their food from a large corporation instead of a local farmer may be subjected not only to resistant strains of bacteria but also to the chemicals that make the bacteria resistant.

The USDA had originally called a halt to one antibiotic, cefquinome, last year but lobbying by interest groups forced the only agency that has the authority to protect our food supply to continue allowing it's use. Cefquinome is a fourth-generation veterinary-use cephalosporin that is not affected by pH and can be used to treat infections caused by Salmonella, E. coli, Staphylococcus, & Streptococcus. It passes unchanged through the animal so giving this to an animal is like giving it directly to your corn or forage crops if that is what you do with your manure.

With the explosive rise in MRSA and other necrotizing fasciitis as well as epidemic levels of meningitis in states like Oregon, one has to wonder why there hasn't been more pressure to provide controls for these chemicals including certification that they were destroyed before animal byproducts were allowed to enter the environment or food chain. Veterinarians should be required to certify that proper handling and isolation procedures are in place at the time of use as a part of chain of custody agreements in order to write a prescription and could be as simple as checking a box on the prescription. We should be doing the same things with veterinarians that we do with doctors and train lower level practitioners to help deal with more routine matters so the overall cost of an affordable and safe food supply is ensured.

If we can’t ask or trust our licensed health practitioners and officials to protect the community’s health then who are we going to ask to do that? The signs are out there that a huge problem that we might not have any solutions for might be coming and it would seem that erring on the side of caution would get more consideration than supporting industries that only exist because they are so heavily subsidized in the first place. Our "cheap food" industry only exists because of taxpayer support for commodities like corn and milk, industries that are given billions of dollars in direct and indirect subsidies every year. Hopefully some day we will have a government that invests in wellness and quality instead of supporting large company short term financial interests over the needs of the people that are being robbed to keep corporate and large government interests in power.

The current system of food production in this country is not only not sustainable, it is fragile and dangerous. Your next trip to a hospital could be because of an antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria currently being bred by the USDA in a large farmer's field. Supporting either wing of the Big Money Party, Democrats and Republicans, could end up being a death warrant for your grandchildren. We, government, can do better, we just choose not to upset the people that pay for and own our politicians. We also keep sending the same monsters back to Washington with results that should be predictable by now. Meanwhile one of the best protections you could give to your family is support local agriculture by getting to know who your farmer is and how they produce their food. Supporting local agriculture helps build strong communities that will be much more resilient and self reliant and have fewer exposures to vagaries in the economy and disease.

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/antibiotics-in-crops
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cefquinome
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/03/AR2007030301311_pf.html
http://ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=223799
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/Publications.htm?seq_no_115=217938
http://scienceblogs.com/mikethemadbiologist/2007/03/fda_approves_cefquinome.php

Straw bale gardens

After getting some detailed instructions I decided to experiment with some straw bale gardens in order to bypass having to break up any more sod. Even though our front yard was tilled early this Spring the silt soil managed to stitch itself back together into a rock like substance that seems more suitable for a parking lot than growing anything. The exceptions to that are the areas that we covered with 12-16 inches of wood chips, manure, and anything we could steal from our neighbor's garden waste bins three years ago. That soil is now loose, deep, and fertile. It holds water and grows enormous fruitful plants.

You can see instructions for straw bale gardening at our discussion group http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/camas_permaculture. Pictures can be seen by clicking on the photos at the top of the blog.

Finishing up the beds

We are trying a lot of new things this year as we try to get all the starts planted. Realizing that we weren't going to be able to break the sod or get enough organic matter to turn our very silty soil into something that can retain water and nutrients I decided to shop for some hay bales and was pleased to be able to find some oat hay bales for $1 each. Those were distributed about the same time the big thunderstorm came through but I was the only one that got wet. We didn't get enough rain out of the storm to do more than dampen everything.

It was exciting to see the big black clouds suddenly darken the sky. I rushed outside to get the hay bales off my trailer and into position before it started raining. Hay bales are heavy enough without getting wet. Then they are almost impossible to move. As it turned out we got some relief from the unseasonably hot weather with temperatures dropping down into the 60s for the first time in a couple of weeks. The good news is that taking a chance to get vegetables started a month earlier than normal seems to have paid off. They suffered from the heat a little but are starting to grow again.

Hay bale gardens are another way to break the ground, smother a lot of weeds and provide long lasting organic matter to the ground. First you start the rotting process by soaking the bales for the first three days. You want them to absorb as much water as they can. Then you start feeding and watering for the next few days 1/2 cup of ammonium phosphate or about a cup of blood or feather meal. I would be interested to hear if anyone has an opinion on which of those two would work best as a nitrogen source to keep the bales decomposing in a semi hot compost. You need to slow down the feed after that and stop no later than day 10. If the bales aren't hot on day 11 then you can start planting directly into the bales. It helps to have a supply of compost on hand to place around the seedlings and protect their root system until they get established in the bales. If your bales are really coarse you might want to put up to 2" of compost or potting mix on the top of the bale to help close it up. This will help retain moisture and decay more evenly.

I got three sets of bales set out in different parts of the yard. I still have the large patch in the bamboo grove that was planted with a daikon cover crop this spring left to deal with and will have to check and see which is easier-digging the daikon by hand or hauling another trailer full of hay.

I tried broadcast seeding a number of different cover crops this year and the daikon was by far the best, mostly because our soil is so hard and poor that fenugreek and soil builder(cereal rye and field peas mostly) mix just couldn't establish a good foot hold. I was able to mow the 3 foot tall daikon radish with my lawn mower which left the radishes in the ground. Daikon left large roots 6-8 inches long. If I put hay bales on top of that they will leave a very open soil structure to integrate the bales more quickly with the soil layer.

Some States Still Accepting Organic EQIP Applications

USDA is allocating $50 million of funds through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to be set aside for a new Organics Initiative to assist organic farmers and those transitioning to organic. Current organic producers and those transitioning to organic will be eligible to receive contracts for implementing conservation practices and conservation planning under the program, but they’ll have to act fast.  Applications will be accepted beginning Monday, May 11, 2009.To ensure consideration for assistance from this pool of funds, producers must file an EQIP Organic Initiative application no later than May 29.

The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is administering the EQIP Organic Initiative. To apply, producers should visit their local NRCS Service Center. Use the NRCS Service Center locator to find the one closest to you - offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?agency=nrcs.

Update: The NRCS has created a webpage with information about the Organic Initiative. The site explains the eligibility requirements and provides guidance on how to participate and resources on organic production - www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/organic/

According to the NRCS, the states in the chart below have extended the deadline to apply for the EQIP Organic Initiative past May 29th. States not listed in this chart will still continue to accept applications, but may not be able to fund them in 2009. This chart is continually being updated, so please check back.

State New Deadline State New Deadline Alabama 6/5/09 Montana 6/12/09 Alaska 6/12/09 Nebraska 6/12/09 California 6/26/09 Nevada 6/12/09 Colorado 6/12/09 New York 6/12/09 Connecticut 6/12/09 North Carolina 6/5/09 Delaware 6/26/09 North Dakota 6/15/09 Florida 6/12/09 Ohio 6/12/09 Georgia 6/5/09 Oklahoma 6/12/09 Hawaii 6/15/09 Oregon 6/12/09 Indiana continuous Pacific Basin 6/15/09 Iowa 6/13/09 Pennsylvania 6/12/09 Kentucky 6/12/09 South Carolina 6/5/09 Louisiana 6/12/09 South Dakota 6/12/09 Maine 6/12/09 Utah 6/12/09 Maryland 6/26/09 West Virginia 6/12/09 Massachusetts 6/12/09 Virginia 6/30/09 Minnesota 6/30/09 Wisconsin 6/12/09 Mississippi 6/12/09

Even though your state is not listed here, it still may have extended the deadline for applying to the EQIP Organic Initiative. Call your state NRCS office or visit your state NRCS webpage to find out your state's deadline or any other state specific information. If your state has extended its deadline and is not listed above, please contact Tracy Lerman at (831) 426-6606 x 108 or tracy@ofrf.org. To find your state NRCS office go to www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/organization/regions.html.

If you have any questions, contact Tracy Lerman, Policy Organizer at (831) 426-6606 x 108 or tracy@ofrf.org.