1. business and industrial
2. agriculture and forestry
3. crops and seed

“In nature nothing exists alone.” —Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
THEY'VE GOT A GOLDEN RADISH
School nutrition directors honored
at the Capitol for local food pledge 4
ADVANCING TOGETHER
The next steps for the
Good Food movement 5
HELP STRENGTHEN OUR IMPACT
Support the Georgia Organics
Capacity Campaign 6
THE DIRT
The Quarterly Newsletter of Georgia Organics – Fall 2012
Spring 2013
We connect organic food from Georgia farms to Georgia families.
Cl
Cl
S N
O
P
O
O
Cl
Georgia's
Pesticide
Problem
Our environment,
our bodies, and our
future have a problem too.
In 2009 over 15,000 pounds of
chlorpyrifos, an insecticide linked to
learning disabilities, were sprayed on
our state's conventional peaches.
A quick lesson on the presence of chemicals in our
environment: even though it's cold in the Arctic, too
cold for crops and definitely too cold for mosquitoes,
scientists are still finding the insecticide DDT in the
fatty tissues of penguins there.1 The substance has been
banned in the United States and most of the developing world since the 1970s, but it's prone to drift and,
as a persistent organic pollutant, it breaks down very
slowly. So chemicals introduced into the environment
decades ago find their way into glacier water, then in
the fatty tissue of wildlife hundreds of miles away from
the initial applications.
Agricultural pests cause very real problems for growers,
and chemical pesticides are one method of curtailing their
impact. But a growing body of scientific evidence suggests
that pesticides have dangerous long-term impacts on our
health and environment.
Continued on page 8
1
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, "DDT persists in
Antarctic ice." http://www.vims.edu/newsandevents/
topstories/archives/2008/ddt_ice.php
Letter from the Director
The Time for Silence Is Over
When it Comes to Pesticides, What Would Rachel Carson Do?
200-A Ottley Dr.
Atlanta, GA 30324
678.702.0400
[email protected]
www.georgiaorganics.org
Board of Directors
Rashid Nuri, President
Mandy Mahoney, Vice President
Ed Taylor, Treasurer
Linda DiSantis, Secretary
James Brown
Chad Carlton
Robert Currey
Naomi Davis
Dee Dee Digby
Kurt Ebersbach
Cheryl Galway
Julia Gaskin
Roderick Gilbert
Diane Marie Harris
Jenni Harris
Connie Hayes
Gina Hopkins
Carroll Johnson
Melissa Libby
Ellen Macht
Cashawn Myers
Anne Quatrano
Staff
Donn Cooper
Farmer Services Coordinator
Erin Croom
Farm to School Director
Suzanne Girdner
Conference Coordinator
Stephanie Hass
Membership & Volunteer Coordinator
Brooke Hatfield
Communications Coordinator
Sandy Layton
Development Director
Alice Rolls
Executive Director
Emily Rose
I can’t remember a time when I
didn’t know who Rachel Carson was.
In high school biology class,
I made a papier-mâché doll of
Carson, complete with binoculars
around her neck, and gave a
presentation to my classmates about
her stance against the pesticide
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or
DDT. (I was already well on my way
to being a treehugger.)
Carson showed unprecedented
courage back in the 1960s, particularly
as a woman. A beloved bestselling
Rachel Carson
author, she was steadfast and used
prose, science, and measured reason to raise a warning
flag while being vilified by the chemical industry.
She remains my hero. Without her, who knows
how long it would have taken us to ban DDT’s
widespread use, or whether we even would have?
Last September was the 50th anniversary of the
publishing of Silent Spring. It’s a surprise that such a
technical book was No. 1 on America’s bestseller list
for many weeks. But the allegory of the fictional town,
absent of bird song, was powerful, and struck a chord
with a public increasingly suspicious of chemical use.
I believe that if Carson were alive today she would
be aghast at the chemical wash that is so prevalent
in modern agriculture. She would not shun the
occasional use of a targeted chemical here or
there, but would be a vocal opponent against the
indiscriminate use that has become all too common.
While pesticides are used for everything from seed
coating to field spraying to storage, the greatest
harm may come from the systemic use of a variety
of chemicals, not a single toxin. It is the same
mentality that leads us to use prescription drugs for
treating preventable illnesses, instead of committing
to the hard work of prevention. Why work on
keeping Humpty Dumpy on the wall when there
is so much money to be made from
putting him back together?
When one chemical becomes
ineffective against weeds and pests,
research is directed to come up with
a new one. That is where the money
is. Cover cropping, crop rotation,
composting,
and
companion
planting doesn’t feed Wall Street’s
bottom line.
As a country, we don’t like to talk
about pesticides or confront their
potential impacts on the environment
and our own health. We put too
much faith in a government that’s
stretched too thin to guarantee our safety. We adopt
a “see no evil” attitude. That suits the agricultural
industry just fine. It is difficult to pinpoint links
between environmental exposure and our medical
diagnoses in the eyes of the courts, regulators, and
other institutions, so the commercial industry can
continue to bypass the precautionary principle.
The good food community is suffering from its own
“silent spring.” We aren’t vocal opponents against
chemicals in our food, land, and waterways. We freak
out about GMOs and laud “local,” but meanwhile crop
dusters fly undeterred across the American landscape.
But we can’t root for change if we are uneducated.
Our cover story is an attempt to expose the specifics
of chemicals we use on the very food we eat,
particularly here in Georgia. If you are reading this
but skipped the lead story, I urge you to go back.
We need to understand what organophosphates
are and how neonicotinoids are a probable cause of
the colony collapses of bees, which are so crucial to
pollinating our nation’s crops.
We literally cannot live with the status quo.
Alice Rolls
Executive DIrector
Farm to School Assistant
Michael Wall
Programs Director
Anika White
She's
n e w!
i!
Say h
Administrative Assistant
the Dirt
Spring 2013 • Published Quarterly
Georgia Organics, Inc. 200-A Ottley
Dr., Atlanta GA 30324, Volume 15
Issue #2 Copyright © 2013, Georgia
Organics, Inc. All rights reserved.
2
THE DIRT SPRING 2013
The 2014-2015 Local
Food Guide is coming!
This is the state’s leading consumer, restaurant, and institutional
resource for finding food from local organic farms and the restaurants
and businesses that support them here in Georgia. We're debuting a
new printed version and online interactive version this summer!
Farms, businesses, and restaurants need to be members in good
standing for inclusion. Get listed today! For more details, check out
www.georgiaorganics.org/become-a-member-today/local-foodguide, or give Stephanie a holler at 678.702.0400.
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GEORGIAORGANICS.ORG 3
GOALS SET AT 2013 FARM TO SCHOOL SUMMIT Taste test with kale at the school · Start a
school garden and bring local farmers to our school · Share information with my farming
co-op to extend the movement in west Georgia · Purchase more local produce every day
Going Far, Together
Jennifer Owens, Our Outgoing Advocacy Director, on Good Food's Next Steps
Leaders who have
taken the pledge
Students in Adrienne Smith's horticulture class at Colquitt County High School
taste test salad made of organic lettuce and spinach they grew themselves, as
well as caprese sticks including basil they also grew.
5 million meals spotlight
Colquitt County Schools
Colquitt County Schools' farm to school
work was outstanding long before nutrition
director Monika Griner took our 5 Million
Meals pledge. Colquitt County is a longtime
state leader in agriculture production,
and Moultrie's own Packer Produce is a
distribution hub that processes and packages
food from local farmers and sells it wholesale
to local school systems.
Credit is also due to people like Griner,
who's been at the helm of the school system's
nutrition department for a decade and has
deepened relationships with local farmers
and resources like the Colquitt County High
School agriculture education department.
Last year the school system's Norman
Park Elementary School participated in the
Georgia Department of Agriculture's Feed
My School for a Week program, and for a
week featured 75-100 percent Georgia-grown
food. Colquitt County High School is also
one of 38 pilot agriculture education programs
incorporating farm to school in the state.
Like so many in Colquitt County,
Griner is proud of what her community
has accomplished: a school system where
students are eating—and growing— healthy,
tasty food.
Appling County School System
Atlanta Public Schools
Baldwin County Schools
Bleckley County School District
Burke County Public Schools
Carrollton City Schools
City Schools of Decatur
Clarke County School District
Cobb County School District
Colquitt County Schools
Commerce City Schools
Crisp County School System
DeKalb County School District
Fulton County Schools
Grady County Schools
Habersham County Schools
Hall County Schools
Harris County School District
Hart County School System
Jackson County School System
Madison County School District
Marietta City Schools
Morgan County School System
Newton County Schools
Pickens County Schools
Rockdale County Public Schools
Savannah-Chatham County
Public School System
Thomas County Schools
Tift County Schools
I learned a lot in my time at Georgia Organics, the most important of which was a reminder of an African proverb – “If you want
to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far,
go together.” This is an exciting time for the
food movement in Georgia. Farmers are meeting with school nutrition directors, the medical community is promoting farmers markets
and chemical-free food, consumers are buying
organic products. I truly believe policymakers
stand ready to act to improve the regulatory
conditions of small farm businesses, farmers
markets and school food service. And we have
a funnel of innovative, hardworking farmers
and entrepreneurs who see a different way forward for food and agriculture in this country.
Now comes the heavy lifting. We need to be
smart, strategic and engage in public policy.
It’s easy to ignore the email asking you to reach
out to your congressman or blow off that city
council or county commission meeting. But
we have gotten the ball this far down the field
and we must finish the drill.
Collective Impact Wonderful regional food groups around the state are critical—the
Savannah Local Food Policy Council, Macon
Roots, Federation of Southern Coops, West
GA Cooperative, Augusta Food Policy Council,
Atlanta Local Food Initiative, Coastal Organic
Growers, Urban Food Abundance Network,
and Locally Grown chapters, to name just a few.
These groups are ground zero for assessing current conditions and policies and have tremendous potential to serve as locally-based centers of
power to push for policy changes. These groups
must be fostered and supported.
Move beyond the choir It can be
uncomfortable, especially if you are the only
one in the room with your viewpoint. But
we have to be there. Be respectful and know
that you will not change hearts and minds in
one meeting. Keep showing up. Make food
a part of the conversation whenever you can.
The non-profit sector cannot single-handedly create
large-scale social change Nor
can one cause. Collaboration is critical—it’s
going to take environmentalists, farmers,
public health professionals, entrepreneurs,
planners, policymakers, chefs, moms, and on
and on. This is the strength of and opportunity for the good food movement in Georgia.
If we want to go far, we must go together.
Owens is now the Director of Development
& Outreach at the Georgia Budget & Policy
Institute.
the
golden
radish
On March 5, State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge, Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black, and Georgia Organics
Board President Rashid Nuri honored Georgia school districts for taking the 5 Million Meals Challenge and pledging to
serve more local food in their cafeterias. Honored districts are listed above, and the pledge is open until May 25!
4
THE DIRT SPRING 2013
GEORGIAORGANICS.ORG 5
Support our Capacity Campaign
Conference-goers opened their hearts
“I support Georgia
and wallets at this year’s Farmers
Organics because I
Feast. Why? Because they know
believe everyone,
that now is a critical juncture for the
every single
good food movement. Georgia OrGeorgian, should
ganics launched its first ever capacity
know where their
campaign at the feast, and we were
food comes from.
touched by the envelopes with $2, as
Once people are
well as $5,000, adding up to $38,000
connected to their
in generous contributions that night. food, they will choose healthy, toxicIt all counts towards our three-year free food. Georgia Organics exists to
campaign goal to raise $1.1 million to help people make these connections
improve our effectiveness.
so that organic farmers can thrive.”
For 15 years, Georgia Organics has —Matt Gove, Chief Marketing
fought for higher standards for our Officer, Piedmont Hospital
farms and food and reconnected the
pathways from farm to fork. There has never been a better time to make significant progress in growing new growers, expanding farm to school, and influencing consumers to eat
local, organic food produced here in Georgia. This has put a lot of pressure on our small
but mighty organization. To date, the support of people like you has helped us reach
$738,000 towards our three-year campaign goal.
By supporting this campaign, you allow us to build our internal capacity so we can
take a more aggressive stance in pursuing our shared goals. There’s amazing potential to
strengthen our impact, and this campaign will give us the boost we critically need to work
towards our vision that all Georgians eat organic food from local farms, transforming our
health, our environment, and our economy.
Please give online by going to www.georgiaorganics.org and clicking “Join/Donate.” Select
“Make a Donation” from the drop-down menu and write “Capacity Campaign” in the special
notes field. For further information and to participate in our Capacity Campaign please contact
Sandy Layton, [email protected].
2013 Land Steward of the Year
Lynn Pugh
Long known as “The Grower Who Grows Growers,” organic farmer and
educator Lynn Pugh was awarded the 2013 Georgia Organics Land Steward of the Year Award at our 16th annual conference.
As Broad River Pastures’ Cathy Payne said in her introduction, “for over
30 years, Lynn has been a living example of the heart and soul of organic
agriculture.” In 2001, after teaching high school and college, she founded Cane Creek Farm in
Forsyth County. For over 13 seasons, Pugh's hands-on, intensive farming and gardening class
has trained 155 people in the fundamentals of organic growing, and many graduates have gone
on to start their own operations. The Land Steward of the Year Award was created by Georgia Organics to honor an individual or individuals who have contributed greatly towards the
organic agriculture movement in Georgia.
2013 barbara petit pollinator award
Helen Dubose
Henry County resident and longtime farmer Helen Dubose has blazed
trails for over nine decades, and at our conference this year she was
awarded the 2013 Barbara Petit Pollinator Award. The first female African American in the nation to graduate with an agriculture degree (and
two subsequent Master’s degrees in agriculture and agriculture economics), she has lived for 32 years on Healing Acres, her 12-acre blueberry farm in McDonough.
The farm and Dubose have served as an epicenter of African American agriculture. The
Barbara Petit Pollinator Award honors an individual or organization for outstanding
community leadership in Georgia’s sustainable farming and food movement.
6
THE DIRT SPRING 2013
Farmer Services Coordinator Donn Cooper,
our man in the field.
The cold, wet winter dragged on about
as long as anyone can stand.
While spring's arrival will receive a
hearty welcome, many farmers are frantically catching up in preparation for the
big market season. Around the state,
heavy, consistent rains have pushed back
field work, and late-season frosts have
made transplants and early crops a dicey proposition. (Not to mention, these
chilly, raw days have aggravated a nasty
cold that seems to have struck farmers
from Hall to Wilkinson counties.)
But that will all soon be behind us.
For the farmers and eaters of Georgia's
good food, this is the happy time, when
all the exciting possibilities of the movement are growing in our minds. The zealous countdown for local tomatoes begins
with a little warm sunshine. We're already
dreaming of the community and progress
that will be forged over fresh fried okra
and squash casserole this summer.
At Georgia Organics, we're looking
forward to a busy and productive season
as well. With the momentum of another
great conference behind us, we'll be rolling out an array of workshops, farm tours,
and events over the next several months.
Our 2013 mentoring program will display
the remarkable intelligence and diversity
of new and beginning farmers in the state.
And through our media outlets and new
blogs, we'll continue to share resources on
important issues to Georgia farmers.
But Georgia Organics can only do so
much. The farming community in Georgia must also grow itself. Through co-ops,
Locally Grown networks, and certification
groups, we must continue to be each other's solace and succor throughout the year.
Farmers should take advantage of each
other's expertise and of the many on-farm
educational activities increasingly being
held by Georgia's agricultural innovators.
The sun is out. Good yields and high
prices are surely ahead.
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GEORGIAORGANICS.ORG 7
In this special
report, we explore the science available on pesticides, as well as what we do and don't know about
their use in Georgia.
It can be easy to think that pesticides don't affect us.
We hope that a better understanding of this issue will
lead to healthy choices for our bodies, environment,
and communities.
Continued from cover
What's ON GEOR GIA'S TOP Crops?
Taken from www.whatsonmyfood.org, a project of
the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program with
Peaches
62
Cantaloupe
27
Pesticide
Residues
with other pesticides into new toxic substances.
Thanks to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and scientific non-profits like the
Environmental Working Group, we know that pesticide residue is found on nearly all conventionally
grown food we eat.
Over the last few years, a growing number of
studies and medical organizations are voicing
concerns about the health impacts of pesticide use:
•
•
•
A 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics report5, as well as dozens of independent studies, link even small amounts of the insecticide
chlorpyrifos to learning disabilities and developmental disorders.
The American Public Health Association,
American Medical Association, and the
Council on Scientific Affairs of the American
Medical Association have all come out against
endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including
pesticides.
A 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics study
said "in terms of health advantages, organic
diets have been convincingly demonstrated to
expose consumers to fewer pesticides associated with human disease. Organic farming
has been demonstrated to have less environ-
•
Green Onion
24
Pesticide
Residues
12 Honeybee toxins
3 developmental or reproductive toxins
6 neurotoxins
13 suspected hormone disruptors
4 known or probable carcinogens
12 Honeybee toxins
5 developmental or reproductive toxins
11 neurotoxins
15 suspected hormone disruptors
6 known or probable carcinogens
THE DIRT SPRING 2013
*Pesticide use Estimate from EPA. Sources:
Pesticide and Fertilizer Use and Trends in
U.S. Agriculture (USDA, 1995); Pesticides
Industry Sales and Usage: 2006 and 2007
Market Estimates (EPA, 2007)
21 Honeybee toxins
7 developmental or reproductive toxins
14 neurotoxins
8
Pesticide use on
major U.S. crops
them. Her seminal 1962 book Silent Spring linked
declining bird populations to DDT use and is widely credited with facilitating a national ban on the
substance a decade later.
DDT’s legacy can still be felt today. According to the
President's Cancer Panel, women exposed to DDT before puberty are five times more like to develop breast
cancer in middle age.3 A 2011 study found that certain
organochlorine pesticides, including DDT, are found
in 99-100 percent of pregnant women.4 They've been
linked to various cancers and neurological damage,
among other acute and chronic harms.
Georgia is a particularly difficult place to control
pests. Insects like subtropical humid and hot climates, so our fields are especially prone to them, and
large swaths of commodity crops are a big incentive
for bugs that feed on that crop to run rampant. Plus,
we're a transportation hub for the country and the
world. We have interstates, international seaports,
and airports, so invasive pests from all over the
world can make their home here.
Three main types of pesticides are used in Georgia:
insecticides, which target insects, herbicides, which
target plants, and fungicides, which target fungi. And
as they break down over time in the environment,
the resulting metabolites can transform and combine
24 suspected hormone disruptors
"Environmental Chemicals in Pregnant Women in
the United States: NHANES 2003–2004." http://
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114826/
2007*
Pesticide
Residues
8 known or probable carcinogens
4
1982
52
19 Honeybee toxins
10 developmental or reproductive toxins
13 neurotoxins
"DDT and Breast Cancer in Young Women: New
Data on the Significance of Age at Exposure,"
Environmental Health Perspectives. July 24, 2007.
1964
11 known or probable carcinogens
3
16 Honeybee toxins
9 developmental or reproductive toxins
12 neurotoxins
233
000
000
pounds
blueberries
Pesticide
Residues
25 suspected hormone disruptors
612
000
000
pounds
the Pesticide Action Network that cross-references
data from EPA and other authoritative listings.
49
Pesticide
Residues
9 known or probable carcinogens
25 Honeybee toxins
11 developmental or reproductive toxins
12 neurotoxins
29 suspected hormone disruptors
10 known or probable carcinogens
1
100
000
000
pounds
2
Michael Wines, "Mystery Malady Kills
More Bees, Heightening Worry on Farms,"
The New York Times, March 28, 2013.
35
Pesticide
Residues
While most pesticides degrade after a few days,
neonicotinoids persist for weeks and even months.
The European Union has proposed to ban their
use on crops frequented by bees. Some researchers
have concluded that neonicotinoids caused extensive die-offs in Germany and France.
It’s not just the neonicotinoids. Different herbicides and fungicides have also been indicted in the
hive die-offs. An apiculturist at the University of
California Davis has found about 150 chemical residues in beehive pollen and wax.
But let’s back up. Humans have used insecticides
for centuries. The earliest on record is a 2,500 B.C.era sulfur compound used by Sumerians.
Most modern chemical pesticides arose out of
World War II, when DDT was developed. It was
seemingly a wonder chemical: cheap, effective
against pervasive insect-borne diseases like malaria, and as far as anyone could initially tell, safe for
mammals. (Dr. Paul Muller, who invented DDT,
was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1948.)
However, as early as 1945, some scientists began to
express concern about DDT's impact on biological
ecosystems. Rachel Carson, then the editor in chief
of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was one of
bell pepper
26 suspected hormone disruptors
WHAT WE KNOW
So far, one of the biggest agricultural stories of 2013
is the decline of beehives around the world. Pollination by bees and other insects account for about
$200 billion of agricultural production every year;
pollinators are responsible for 70 percent of the
crops humans consume.2
For years, it was normal for beekeepers to lose 5
to 10 percent of their hives per year. But in 2005,
that percentage jumped to 30 percent. And last year,
commercial beekeepers reported that they lost 40 to
50 percent of their hives.
There is no smoking gun, but beekeepers and some
researchers now think they finally have a culprit: a
powerful new class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids. From a March 18 New York Times article:
cucumber
•
Types Of
Toxicities
Carcinogens
A substance capable
of causing cancer
in living tissue.
Endocrine
disruptors
Chemicals that interfere
with the systems that
produce hormones
in the body.
Neurotoxins
A substance that damages
the nervous system
and/or brain, usually
by killing neurons.
Developmental/
reproductive toxins
Chemicals that are
believed to interfere with
fetal or child development,
or to reduce fertility.
Pollinator toxins
Chemicals that kill
pollinators like bees
and butterflies.
mental impact than conventional approaches."6
That same report says there is “robust evidence”
that pesticides are associated with cancer, especially leukemia and brain tumors, lower I.Q., autism,
attention deficient disorder, and hyperactivity.
Neurologists at the University of California,
Los Angeles found a link between Parkinson's
disease and exposure to a fungicide called benomyl, which was used for decades on a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts before being
discontinued in 2001.7
Labels rarely list a pesticide's inert ingredients,
which almost always make up the bulk of a mixture.
These can be just as harmful to humans and the environment as the active ingredients, and some are even
the active ingredients in other pesticides. According
to a 2000 report from the New York attorney general,
more than 200 chemicals used as inert ingredients in
pesticides were classified as hazardous pollutants in existing federal statutes.
The EPA has set environmental thresholds for many
of these pesticides, but it does not address "the effects
of chemical mixtures, synergistic effects, and health effects associated with consistent low-dose exposure."8
The newest EPA regulations, released in 2012, do not
account for inert ingredients.
Though data on pesticide use in the state is spotty
—more on that later—some of what we do know is
cause for concern. Georgia used over 15,000 pounds
of the aforementioned chlorpyrifos on conventional
peaches that year, according to 2009 data from the
National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS).
“Tens of thousands of more pounds have been used
on peanuts, corn, and onions in recent years," said
Paul Towers, the Organizing and Media Director for
Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA).
"[Chlorpyrifos] is also a volatile chemical that becomes airborne and is prone to drift." PANNA is calling on the EPA to suspend its use.
According to 2011 NASS data, 24,600 pounds of malathion, an insecticide that affects the nervous system
and is a possible carcinogen and water contaminant,
were applied to our state's conventional blueberries.
The herbicide atrazine is classified as a carcinogen
and water contaminant by PANNA, and according to
a 2007 EPA report it’s the second most-used pesticide
in U.S. agriculture.9 Continued on NEXT page
5
"Impact of Prenatal Chlorpyrifos Exposure
on Neurodevelopment in the First 3 Years of
Life Among Inner-City Children," American
Academy of Pediatrics, 2006.
6
“Organic Foods: Health and Environmental
Advantages and Disadvantages,” American
Academy of Pediatrics, 2012.
7
"Aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibition as a pathogenic
mechanism in Parkinson disease," Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences, Jan. 8, 2013.
8
Beyond Pesticides,"EPA Publishes Human Health
Benchmarks for Pesticides in Water," April 18, 2012.
9
EPA, "Pesticides Industry Sales and Usage: 2006
and 2007 Market Estimates." February 2011.
GEORGIAORGANICS.ORG 9
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW
Pesticide data available on the NASS database is
limited, and federal reporting is scattershot, so we
don't know the true scale of what is used in Georgia.
(The only state in the country with a comprehensive
pesticide-use reporting program is California, which
requires that all monthly agricultural pesticide use
be reported to county agricultural commissioners
since 1990.)
There isn't any recorded information about applications of many of the pesticides listed in the NASS
database. Instead, the majority of columns contain
(D), which stands for "Withheld to avoid disclosing
data for individual operations."
The EPA and Georgia's Department of Agriculture
(GDA) register and license pesticides, but Kelly Products, the firm that assists the GDA with pesticide data
tracking, only tracks what products are registered for
sale within the state. Though some states require pesticide sales information, Georgia does not, so there
is no definite way to gauge which pesticides are purchased and used the most on our crops.
Pesticide manufacturers claim that in the correct
quantities their products are safe for humans and the
environment. And even though we're still discovering the full long-term impact of these chemicals,
emerging science suggests that they affect everything
from our bodies to our environment to the soil that
provides livelihoods for farmers across the state.
"It's soil versus chemicals," says Georgia Organics
Executive Director Alice Rolls, "Whereas a sustainable farmer might spend years building up her soil, in
conventional agriculture chemicals are applied before
pests even show up. By definition, pesticides are applied prevention, and that prevention has a price."
WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
"A hungry pest can decimate a farm’s bottom line,” says
Georgia Organics Farmers Services Coordinator Donn
Cooper. “Obviously farmers don't apply chemicals
to hurt their families or their customers, but at some
point in time, most farmers in the state—conventional
or organic—will reach for an insecticide."
Sometimes organic farming methods may not be
enough in the face of an extreme eruption of new and
invasive species, according to Julia Gaskin, the Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator at the University of
Georgia's College of Agriculture and Environmental
Sciences and a Georgia Organics board member.
“Biodiversity, crop rotation, cover crops, and healthy
soil are all necessary for good yields," she said. "But in
some circumstances, they are not sufficient and growers need tools to deal with outbreaks. This is becoming
ever more apparent as we seemingly get a new invasive
species that has no natural predators or controls every
year—see the Kudzu bug that is creating havoc for
organic soybeans, or Asian spotted wing drosophila,
which is a new threat to all our berry crops.”
As one of the largest vegetable producing states
10
THE DIRT SPRING 2013
Common Health
Problems Related
To Pesticide Use
from www.beyondpesticides.org
CANCER
Of the 40 most commonly
used pesticides at schools,
28 can cause cancer, and 19
of the 30 most commonly
used lawn pesticides
are carcinogens or have
been linked to cancer.
TYPE 2 DIABETES
A 2010 Environmental
Health Perspectives study
linked low dose exposure to
some persistent organic pollutants to type 2 diabetes.
DEVELOPMENTAL/
BIRTH DEFECTS
A 1996 study of children
exposed to chlorpyrifos
in utero found extensive and
unusual patterns of birth
defects, affecting the brain,
nervous system, eyes, ears,
palate, teeth, heart, feet,
nipples, and genitalia.
ASTHMA
Pesticides may increase
the risk of developing
asthma, exacerbate a
previous asthmatic
condition or even trigger
asthma attacks by
increasing bronchial
hyper-responsiveness.
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
A robust body of literature
details reproductive
deformities in fish,
amphibians, and reptiles
related to exposure to
endocrine disruptors.
The study of endocrine
disruption is revealing
mechanisms that show how
specific environmental contaminants can alter fertility.
in the country, Georgia has tremendous potential to
advance the important work of making our food and
environment safer.
In a speech at the 2013 Georgia Organics conference,
Beyond Pesticides' Jay Feldman noted that Silent Spring
"really does lay out guiding principles for us." Carson
writes: "We must make wider use of alternative methods that are now known, and we must devote our ingenuity and resources to developing others."
"So she basically told us 50 years ago that we really
needed to work on alternatives, and while she didn't
use the word organic per se, what she describes, in
terms of attention to complex biological systems, goes
directly to the point," Feldman said.
Growing food organically and supporting farms that
do is also a part of the solution. In a March 2008 report called "Simplifying the Pesticide Risk Equation:
The Organic Option," the Organic Center reported
that if all fruits and vegetables in the country were
grown organically, then the risks of dietary exposure
to pesticides would be reduced by 97 percent.
We have to encourage responsible policy in addition
to making healthy choices for our own families. Sign up
for the Beyond Pesticides and PANNA alerts. Support
anti-GMO measures. (As Feldman noted, "genetically
engineered crops are wholly dependent on increasing
herbicide use.") Share this article with a friend.
There is reason for hope. The last few years have seen
an unprecedented increase in consumers who want
clean food for their families and communities, as well
as farmers who want to grow that food.
It wasn’t so long ago that the world banned lead
paint, and the Food and Drug Administration’s
stance against using the toxic chemical BPA in baby
bottles and children’s drinking cups is proof that
public awareness, followed by public outcry, can
influence policy shifts that make us all safer.
As Carson wrote 50 years ago, "The road we have
long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed,
but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road—
the one less traveled by—offers our last, our only
chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth."
DIG DEEPER
www.beyondpesticides.org Beyond Pesticides is a 501(c)3 nonprofit
organization comprised of experienced scientists, conservationists, and activists. They
provide the public with useful information on pesticides and alternatives to their use.
www.whatsonmyfood.org, iPhone app This PAN project links up the
USDA’s Pesticide Data Program results with all the information on pesticides
that PAN has compiled over many years. The data and search functionality
here allow you to see what levels of pesticide residues are on your food, in
what combinations, and with what associated health risks.
www.panna.org Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) works
to replace the use of hazardous pesticides with ecologically sound and socially
just alternatives.
Adams-Briscoe Seed Company
“The ABCʼs of Buying Seed”
325 E. Second St. / P.O. Box 19
Jackson, GA. 30233-0019
Since 1946 Adams-Briscoe Seed Company has been serving agriculture and the seed industry
with all types of seeds, many of which are difficult to locate elsewhere. We stock all types of
seeds for cover crops, forages, erosion control, wildlife enhancement, vegetables, land
reclamation and other uses. As a dealer for National Garden Wholesale we also supply a good
assortment of organic fertilizers and plant protection products. Please contact us for a seed and
product list. You may visit our website at www.ABSEED.com
Phone: (770) 775-7826 FAX:(770) 775-7122 E-Mail : [email protected]
Jimmy Adams
Mail Orders Welcome * Credit Cards Accepted
Greg Adams
www.ewg.org The Environmental Working Group is the nation’s leading
environmental health research and advocacy organization.
GEORGIAORGANICS.ORG 11
Angelina Bellebuono
Presentations
2013 Conference
With more than 1,300 attendees, the 16th
Annual Georgia Organics Conference and Expo
united the two communities most responsible
for the health of Georgians—growers who
farm organically and healthcare practitioners—
in what was the largest conference in our
history. The conference culminated with a
keynote from CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who
recognized the importance of uniting good
food and good farms. “We’ve eaten our way
into a problem, we can eat our way out of
it,” he said to a standing-room-only crowd.
IN THE FIELD
Atlanta, Jan. 28
At an Atlanta Public Schools
Farm to School Food
Procurement meeting with
School Nutrition Director
Dr. Marilyn Hughes,
parents came to hear how
APS sources their food.
Around-the-State Update
January–April 2013
Feb. 7 Georgia Organics collaborated with
USDA, state agencies, and local economic
development representatives to review and
finalize the Georgia StrikeForce five-year
strategic plan. StrikeForce is a USDA program
that aims to relieve persistent poverty in
Georgia, particularly in the state’s rural areas.
2013 Farm to
School Summit
Sparta, March 23
Roberta, March 6
Amakiasu Ford-Howze of Truly Living
Well leads a Summit session.
The 4th annual Georgia Farm to School Summit
inspired 260 participants representing a third
of Georgia’s school districts to grow their farm
to school programs! Over two days, school
nutrition staff, teachers, parents, farmers,
and more attended 16 educational sessions,
four field trips, and one amazing keynote
address from FoodCorps' Debra Eschmeyer.
Farm Supply Update
This winter's farm supply order from Seven
Springs Farm helped 38 farmers save almost
$4,000. Over 38,000 pounds of products, or over
900 items, were delivered to Athens and Atlanta.
Capacity Campaign
The Georgia Organics Capacity Campaign
has received $738,000 towards our threeyear campaign goal of $1.1 million. For
more about the campaign, see page 6.
Membership
Current membership is up to 1,790, a 14%
increase since our last update and a 55%
increase in membership compared to
the same time in 2011. Also, 694 people
participated in the Organic Gardening magazine
promotion campaign at the end of 2012.
Jan. 25 Georgia Organics Farm to School Assistant
Emily Rose presented to Georgia Family and
Consumer Science teachers from all over the state at
their annual winter conference in Cobb County. She
talked about the basics of farm to school and how
it can be incorporated into Family and Consumer
Sciences classes. They’re already teaching kids
how to cook, and can use more fresh, whole foods
to teach with. These specialized teachers can also
buy locally more easily than cafeterias because
they need much smaller volumes and don’t have
to follow the same regulations cafeterias do.
On March 6, Georgia Organics trekked
to Greenway Farms in Roberta for a
meeting of the minds regarding making
pastured-poultry processing a reality in
Georgia. Many thanks to Kerry and Robin
Dunaway for sharing their insight—
and for their brilliance, community
engagement, and good farming practices.
There are some great ideas about
making central Georgia—and Crawford
County—a poultry hub in the future.
Tifton & Fort Valley,
Jan. 8 & 10
In January, our Farm to School program
began partnering with Ag Education
teachers in central and south Georgia,
leading two workshops on incorporating
farm to school principles into agriculture
education curriculum. Pilot programs
at 23 schools will serve as models for
the regions, and 15 pilot schools in
north Georgia began incorporating
farm to school a couple years ago.
Denotes one of the 29 school
districts that have taken the
5 Million Meals challenge.
For the full list, see page 4.
Support Our Efforts! Become a member of Georgia Organics today!
Reidsville,
Jan. 26
The Southeast Local
Food Conference
was an informationpacked weekend for
organic gardeners,
modern homesteaders,
sustainable farmers,
and do-it-yourselfers
in south Georgia.
Passionate people
shared the secrets to
kefir, ginger, curing
meat, rainbow-colored
carrots, growing
loofah sponges, solar
powering your farm,
and so much more.
Jerry Larson, one of the foremost
experts in organic fruit production
and an authority on muscadines in
Georgia, led a hands-on workshop
on successful fruit tree pruning and
grafting. The workshop took place on
the beautiful grounds of Elm Street
Gardens in historic downtown Sparta.
March 14 As the sole representative of the
organic industry, Georgia Organics presented on
farm certifications during back-to-back sessions
at the Team Agriculture Georgia spring meeting
in Fort Valley. Team Agriculture Georgia (TAG) is
a cooperative group formed by the USDA Food
and Agriculture Council to deliver educational
opportunities to small, beginning, and limited
resource farmers.
Habersham county farm
to school pilot program
In January, Georgia Organics launched a
comprehensive farm to school pilot program in
Habersham County in northeast Georgia. Led by
Dr. Teri Hamlin, in three months the program has
hosted a community meeting, a farmers forum, a
kale taste test (pictured above), a teacher training,
and a community workshop on home gardens.
Savannah, Jan. 10-13
Georgia Organics exhibited our programs and
resources at the 2013 Southeast Regional Fruit and
Vegetable Conference. This was a tremendous
opportunity to reach out to larger growers
outside of metropolitan Atlanta, especially
in south Georgia. Thanks to the Georgia Fruit
and Vegetable Growers Association and the
South Carolina Peach Council, Georgia Organics
was a cooperating sponsor of the conference.
Pictured: Georgia Organics member Don Babb.
My Market Club
The My Market Club, which Georgia Organics
premiered at six pilot farmers markets
last Fall, is launching again for Spring!
The program, which incentivizes first-time
visitors to a market, attracted over 2,200 new
shoppers and last year Georgia farmers made
$12,648 as a result. Participating markets include:
the Decatur Farmers Market, the East Atlanta
Village Farmers Market, the Forsyth Farmers Market
in Savannah, the Grant Park Farmers Market in
Atlanta, Mulberry Street Market in Macon, and
the Mainstreet Farmers Market in Statesboro.
Are you our friend on Facebook yet?
GEORGIAORGANICS.ORG 13
EVE RY E XCUSE TO CO O K
Healthy Soil ~ Healthy Food ~ Healthy People
AZOMITE
for Gardens, Pastures, Flower Beds and Orchards
Best Cooking Classes 2011, Creative Loafing
About.com 2012 Reader’s Choice, Best Kitchenware Retailer
Top 50 Retailer, Gourmet Retailer Magazine
Organizations
Did you know that you can
support Georgia Organics in
your company’s employee
giving campaign? You can designate to
Georgia Organics through EarthShare of
Georgia and have a small donation taken
out of your paycheck, which adds up to a
significant contribution at the end of the year!
Call Alice to enroll: 678.702.0400.
Events Calendar
For more information, visit
www.georgiaorganics.org/events.
GG Farms LLC
distributor
770-539-3293
[email protected]
Locally owned and operated
Public and Private Cooking Classes
including Corporate Team Building,
Birthday Parties, Bridal Showers and more.
Cookware, Gadgets, Cutlery, Barware,
Kitchen Electrics, and Large Appliances including
Miele, Wolf, Sub-Zero, Viking and more.
M IDTOWN
BRO OKHAVE N
1544 Piedmont Road, Suite 403-R
Atlanta, GA 30324
404.815.4993
4062 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, Ga 30319
404.949.9945
D EC ATUR
E AS T COBB
180 W. Ponce De Leon Ave.
Decatur, Ga 30030
404.377.4005
1311 Johnson Ferry Rd, Ste 568
Marietta, GA 30068
770.565.8005
WW W.CO OK S WAR E H OUSE .COM
School Garden Creation - Curricula - Support
Residential - Commercial - Design - Implementation
Masters Agriculture
Masters Landscape Architecture
Certified Permaculture Design
www.sustenancedesign.net - ph: 404.377.2843
May 2 This is Market, Decatur This
annual celebration of the farmers markets
and local chefs who make up Atlanta’s good
food community is coming to Gaia Gardens.
Miller Union’s Steven Satterfield will curate
local food prepared by a team of the city’s
best chefs. Admission is $35 for members and
$45 for non-members. (This includes a year
membership to Georgia Organics.) VIP tickets
are $100 and include a special Happy Hour
and a farm tour. For more information, go to
www.xorbia.com/e/gao/thisismarket13.
May 15 Starting A New Food
Business in Georgia Workshop,
Tifton University of Georgia Extension
faculty from the Department of Food Science
& Technology and the National Center for
Home Food Preservation and representatives
from the Georgia Department of Agriculture
and FDA will address topics concerning the
food product entrepreneur. The program
will conclude with a panel discussion with
experts and faculty answering your questions
about the challenges in starting, running,
and growing a food business in Georgia.
Pre-registration is required by May 2. $150.
For more information, email [email protected].
May 16 Canning Workshop, Statham
This hands-on workshop at Lazy B Farm will
teach you how preserve your food using a
water bath canner and a pressure canner.
We’ll discuss the proper way to handle food
before it’s canned, can some jam using
seasonal fruits and can some soup with meat
in the pressure canner. $35. To register, go to
www.thelazybfarm.com/workshops/canning.
May 19 Seed to Table Weekend,
Little St. Simons Island Join executive
chef and local organic farmer Matthew Raiford,
Little St. Simons Island’s organic gardener
Amy Schuster, celebrated author Janisse Ray,
and Little St. Simons Island Naturalists for
a three-day, two-night experience that will
include cooking and gardening classes, a
reading from "The Seed Underground" as well
CONEX Recycling Corporation is one of the Southeast’s leading recycling solutions. Choose Conext to
serve your recycling needs for
Urban homesteading has never been
more popular, and Atlanta is home to
a new educational resource that will
forge a community around this growing
movement. Georgia Organics is proud to
be the fiscal partner for The Homestead
Atlanta, which offers affordable classes,
convenient locations, and expert
instructors to help students learn about
everything from canning to permaculture.
Upcoming classes include:
• May 4: The Home Dairy –
Cheesemaking & Beyond (Part I)
• May 11: Rainwater Harvesting
• May 12: Chef's Kitchen- Vinegar canning
Georgia Organics members
get reduced rates for classes!
www.thehomesteadatl.com
• apartment and condominium communities
• small businesses, major corporations & government entities
• hotels, hospitals & campuses
• and special events!
Grass-fed Beef
706-384-2648
www.indiancreekangus.com
1515 Georgia 198, Carnesville, GA 30521
Certified Naturally Grown • Animal Welfare Approved
as led programs in kayaking, fishing, hiking,
biking, bird watching, and learning about the
conservation initiatives practiced on Little
St. Simons Island. Cost is $399 per couple
per night. To make reservations call (912)
638–7472.
May 4 Implementation-Alternatives
to Watering Your Garden:
Stewardship of a Priceless Resource,
Decatur Join Paul Morgan of the
rainharvestcompany.com at the Wylde Center
as he discusses the costs and logistics of
implementing systems that will enable you to
collect rain water, grey water, air conditioning
condensate and/or ground water for outdoor
use. Advanced registration required. $5 Wylde
Center members, $10 non-members. To
register, go to www.wyldecenter.org
MAKE YOUR PLANTS WANT TO GROW!
Pure Earthworm Castings
OMRI-certified • Listed Organic
www.appalachianmountaincrawlers.com
(706) 747-1065
July 21 Jct. Kitchen Attack Of The
Killer Tomato Festival, Atlanta Some of
the South’s best chefs, farmers, and mixologists
team up to benefit Georgia Organics. The
festival will once again be held at JCT. Kitchen
& Bar and will spread out over the pedestrian
bridge that connects the two sides of Westside
Provisions District to feature 35+ chef
participants, 14 mixologist participants, and
30+ farmers. The event will also include live
music from The Spazmatics and local chef band
Five Bone Rack. $55 for general public, $50
Georgia Organic members. Tickets purchased
after July 1 are $70 for everyone.
GEORGIAORGANICS.ORG 15
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