Regenerative-ag farmers had to persuade Trump to sign order over opposition from Farm Bureau boss in Oval Office

Cattle farmer Will Harris shared this photo of the meeting by White House photographer Parick Witty.

"A group of farmers walked into the Oval Office last week expecting to smile as the president signed an executive order supporting the popular farming practice called regenerative agriculture, a method cheered by the Make America Healthy Again movement as an alternative to pesticides. Instead they were greeted by a virtual buzzsaw as President Donald Trump also brought in a top advocate who opposed the policy, prompting a live debate between top advisers, Cabinet secretaries and farmers," reports Politico's Cheyenne Haslett.

Zippy Duvall (Farm Bureau photo)

After an hour of back-and-forth between the farmers, the president, and American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, Trump signed the executive order, "which directs government agencies to promote holistic farming practices that rely on natural land rehabilitation over chemicals," Haslett reports. Also in the room were Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who supported the order.

“I thought the farmers … were going in there just for a photo opportunity,” Jonathan Lundgren, a former Agriculture Department scientist who runs a regenerative farm in South Dakota, told Haslett. He and two other farmers said Duvall told Trump "he was concerned that the order would insinuate a negative impact from pesticide use and said he would not be able to advocate for Trump on behalf of farmers if he signed it," Haslett reports.

A Farm Bureau spokesman denied that Duvall said he would forsake Trump. "Trump went back and forth with Duvall, asking him what he opposed, to which Duvall said he hadn’t been able to fully read the order, the three farmers said. Trump eventually told him he didn’t think the order posed a threat to farmers," Haslett reports.

Regenerative farmer Rick Clark of Indiana told Haslett, “President Trump was just making sure that he had everyone’s opinion and was given all the information before he signed that document,” Clark said. “Was there passion in the room? Yeah, most definitely passion.” Cattle farmer Will Harris of Georgia shared on his blog what he told Trump.

Earlier that day, the Supreme Court shielded Bayer, maker of the weedkiller Roundup, from "thousands of lawsuits that claim the company failed to warn people about the health risks associated with its products," Haslett notes. Lundgren told Trump that families were being “poisoned by these chemical companies and didn’t have recourse anymore.” He "found the president to be concerned," Haslett reports. "Trump turned to Rollins and Duvall, who explained the ruling to him, Lundgren said."

Kennedy and senior adviser Calley Means "framed the ruling as a black eye to MAHA, two of the farmers said, and Kennedy said the executive order on regenerative agriculture would be an important part of repairing relations with the MAHA supporters," Haslett reports.

Many farmers share positive experiences about using Roundup, despite possible links to cancer

Many U.S. farmers still favor glyphosate as an effective
and affordable herbicide. (Photo by Gabriel, Unsplash)

Many American farmers have favorable opinions on Roundup, a herbicide that remains a global favorite despite some studies linking its active ingredient, glyphosate, to human cancer. Many U.S. farmers say they still plan to use glyphosate, even if its current maker, Bayer, stops producing it. They shared their views on Roundup and weed-mitigation experiences with Lena Nargi of Offrange, formally known as Ambrook Research. 

Brent Searle, an organic raspberry, tomato, garlic, and winter squash farmer in eastern Idaho, “expressed a strain of ‘meh.’ He uses OMRI-approved herbicides on his crops but glyphosate on his three acres of driveway,” Nargi writes. Organic chemicals, he said, ‘hit you with a six-times cost’ that is ‘astronomical’ for small-scale growers, ‘and honestly, they don’t work as well.’”

Rick Machado, who breeds seeds for experimental crops in California, despised Roundup and its original maker, Monsanto, but ended up using glyphosate when “he got hit with bindweed,” Nargi writes. He told her, “I used it [Roundup], I kicked myself, but there was nothing I could do."

Jeff Stoltzfus believes glyphosate is the key to his successful no-till farming practice. Nargi adds, “The conservation plan for his 45 acres connected to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which is plagued by sediment issues, requires that he use no-till practices." He told Nargi, “There’s no herbicide I’d rather use.”

Jimmy Tosh agrees with Stoltzfus. “On his 17,000-row crop and hog acres in Henry, Tennessee, the use of glyphosate is 100% a given,” Nargi writes. “It’s helped him control Johnson grass. . . . He believes claims that Roundup causes health issues are ‘ridiculous,’ he said. ‘Most studies show it to be a safe and effective chemical.’”

Mark Nussbaum will continue to use glyphosate “on his 800 acres of hardwood trees,” Nargi writes. “And he said he’ll continue to do so until ‘there becomes scientifically based, peer-reviewed evidence that glyphosate is harmful.’”

Many farmers agreed that while Bayer may stop making Roundup, they will purchase glyphosate from another producer. Nargi explains, “Since its patent expired in 2000 — and with it, Monsanto’s exclusive right to use it in products sold here — off-brand formulations for agricultural use, with names like Buccaneer and Killzall, have been widely available at the local farm supply."

Is organic farming possible for large agricultural operations? In Iowa, it has been successful, and the trend is growing.

Jack Fehr harvesting organically grown soybeans.
(Photo by Keith Schneider, The New Lede)

Midwestern agriculture has its fair share of industrial farms that use chemicals to enrich soils, kill bugs and prevent weeds to increase crop yields. But amid the region's miles of traditionally grown crops, Clear Creek Acres farm is growing 50,000 acres of corn, soybeans, oats and other crops "without the use of synthetic chemicals," reports Keith Schneider of The New Lede. Clear Creek Acres "farmers fertilize the land with chicken litter and hog manure and weed much of the land by hand, or with non-chemical tools, such as new laser weeders."

Located in the rural northern Iowa town of West Bend, the farm's unconventional farming practices began in 1998 when "Barry Fehr experimented with raising chemical-free soybeans on 45 acres," only to produce, "the most expansive and profitable area of organic grain production in Iowa, and possibly the United States," Schneider writes. "Fehr family farms are nearly matching the yields of crops grown conventionally."

Meanwhile, agriculture chemical companies such as Monsanto-owner Bayer and Syngenta maintain that "weed killers, insecticides and other pesticides are essential to robust food production, and that a growing global population requires use of the chemicals in agriculture," Schneider reports. "But 71-year-old Dan Fehr, who has been farming more than 50 years, says 'that is debatable.'”

Organic farming isn't the most common practice in Iowa, but its popularity is growing. "Clear Creek is part of a wave of growth in chemical-free agriculture in and around Iowa," Schneider adds. "The number of organic farms in Iowa increased from 467 to 799 from 2011 to 2021, and ranks sixth in the nation for the number of chemical-free farms. The state is first in organic corn and soybean production."

Despite the sector's growth, many farmers still fear the investment involved in switching. Schneider explains, "Jack Fehr, 28, said his family is setting an example for other farmers who fear converting to organic farming takes too long, costs too much, yields too little, and can’t be done successfully except on small farms." 

The practice is "a high wire act balancing the lower cost for supplies [such as fertilizer and pesticides] against the higher costs for labor," Schneider writes. 

Still, many farmers see the benefit of avoiding farm chemicals. Schneider adds, "Iowa, in particular, suffers from extensive farm-related water pollution, and cancer is prevalent. Indeed, Iowa has the second-highest and fastest-rising cancer incidence among all U.S. states, according to a 2024 report issued by the Iowa Cancer Registry."

USDA has new rules for organic food suppliers, but many in its complex distribution chain may not be ready

Complex organic food chains needed updated
regulation. (Photo by nrd, Unsplash)

The certification of the U.S.'s organic food supply faces its first big change in 30 years, and many food companies may not be ready. The Department of Agriculture launched its Strengthening Organic Enforcement regulations on March 19, and some experts are waiting to see "if unprepared companies will get left behind," reports Lydia Noyes of FoodDive. "The new rule is the most significant change to organic certification since the program's start. . . . There's growing concern that large portions of the food industry. . . haven't made the necessary compliance changes."

The organic food industry has grown exponentially since the 1990s and has "out-scaled its initial regulations. That's led to gaps in enforcement that allowed for loopholes and outright fraud," Noyes writes. The SOE rule is designed to address the sector's growth and complexity, but has been largely ignored. Nate Ensrud, an executive with FoodChain ID, one of the largest organic certifiers in the U.S., told Noyes he has "noticed little action across the industry to meet SOE's changes."

The failure to address the new rule may come from a lack of information and a historical lack of oversight requirements. Ensrud told Noyes, "Some organic suppliers are still unaware of the March 19 compliance requirements. Because importers, exporters, brokers, traders, and storage facilities have not historically been required to be certified, we believe there will be an increase in last-minute organic certification applications."

When a supplier is not SOE compliant, production may suffer. Ensrud told Noyes: "Suppose a manufacturer of organic breakfast cereals finds that a handler of organic raisins in their supply chain hasn't pursued certification in light of SOE. Now the manufacturer must find a replacement, and it might suffer production disruption in the meantime."

Southern organic farmers are a rarity because it's a harder way to grow crops, but it may become more common

Keith White is in the process of turning his farm into organic.
(Photo by Stu Boyd II, The Commercial Appeal)

The South has fewer organic food growers than other U.S. regions, and one big reason is organic farming is harder to do in Southern climates "without pesticides or herbicides," reports Todd A. Price of The Tennessean. "And most of the South's organic farms are smaller, and grow vegetables."

Keith White is a Southern farmer "training" his land to produce healthy, organic crops. He is Price's key example: "White invited an older farmer to his land, which sits on the south edge of Memphis next to Highway 61 . . . . White was preparing the 45 acres for soybeans, and the older farmer spotted a weed he had not seen in years: cocklebur. . . . White was working to make this plot organic. The cockleburs had likely been dormant for years, kept from sprouting by the herbicides sprayed on the soil. . . . In April, White checked on his land. . . . What was growing in the field, cereal rye and radish greens, looked no more impressive than weeds. But those plants were the culmination of two years of work. He was building up cover crops, which will lock nutrients into the soil and choke out weeds. . . . He was farming without herbicides or pesticides as part of a five-year program run by the Memphis-based nonprofit AgLaunch. At the end of the third year, he can officially certify the farm as organic through the Department of Agriculture."

While most Southern organic growers stick to planting produce, "White is a row-crop farmer, producing corn, wheat, cotton and soybeans on 1,000 acres. . . . He can't name another row-crop farmer who grows organically, even though organic crops can sell for on average 50% more than conventional crops," Price reports. White told him, "It's definitely up in the air. But if it works, it's going to be very, very profitable."

Smith reminds us of Kermit the Frog's adage: "It's not easy being green. . . . . Growing organically is harder everywhere. Organic farmers cannot use pesticides, herbicides or genetically modified seeds. Organic farming requires more workers. . . . A 2015 USDA study found that the labor cost on organic farms was $37 per acre more than on conventional farms. The three-year waiting period for organic certification also means that in the beginning, farmers are spending more and getting lower yields of organic crops without being able to charge higher prices. . . . In the South, where the weather is warmer and wetter, organic farming is even more difficult."

While organic farming is challenging, AgLaunch President Pete Nelson "believes eventually many farmers will have no choice but to grow organically," Price reports. "Consumers will demand more organic food. He wants farmers in the South to be ready for that change. Nelson told Smith, "The tide has turned. We're sort of betting the farm, if you will, that to be successful long term, you've got to move in that direction."

After 17 years of debate, Iowans will be able to buy raw milk, but health questions remain; 18 other states ban sales

Michael Jennings Photography photo via Des Moines Register

After almost two decades of debate, the Iowa Legislature gave its final approval to allow the sale of raw milk from farm to consumer, reports Donnelle Eller of the Des Moines Register. "Previously passed by the House, it will let producers sell unpasteurized milk to Iowans from their farms, as well as cheese, yogurt, ice cream and other raw milk products. . . . Sen. Jason Schultz was the bill's Senate floor manager; he said that he'd waited 17 years for a raw milk bill to clear the Legislature. . . . Senate Bill 315 goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds for her signature."

The bill's passage doesn't mean the conflict over raw milk is settled. "Supporters say raw milk tastes better and has more nutrients, while opponents say it can contain bacteria that's dangerous to children and could spark a public health outbreak," Eller writes. "Several major farm organizations, including the Iowa State Dairy Association and Iowa Dairy Foods Association, registered to lobby against the bill. . . . Rep. Megan Srinivas, (D) and Des Moines infectious disease doctor, said last week during the House's debate on the bill that she's concerned children will become ill, with potentially lethal ramifications, if adults give them unpasteurized milk."

The bill sets some limits on where products can be sold along with testing requirements, but Srinivas points out that testing may not prevent illnesses. "Under Senate Bill 315, producers can sell the raw milk and related products from their farms, but not at farmers markets or restaurants. Containers must have labels saying the contents were not subject to state inspections or public health regulations," Eller reports. "It sets a testing requirement of no more than 25,000 colony-forming units, or CFUs, of bacteria per milliliter in raw milk. . . . [the testing] doesn't distinguish between the types of bacteria, Srinivas said, adding that some bacteria are good for people, while others are deadly," Eller reports. Srinivas told her, "If I had 25,000 CFUs of lactobacillus, a very healthy gut bacteria we have in probiotics, growing in my raw milk, I wouldn't be concerned. But if we have even 5,000 or 10,000 colony-forming units of Shigella, that can be lethal."

Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, a farmer who was the bill's House sponsor, said the legislation "allows Iowans to buy raw milk if they want it," Eller writes. Kaufmann said, "We're simply adding this to the list of foods that people can get without Jiminy Cricket, the government, sitting on their shoulder, and whispering what's best for their families." Eller adds, "Iowa is one of 19 states that has prohibited the sale of unpasteurized milk, according to Raw Milk Facts."

Opinion: Organic farms are paying off as financiers provide the land and tenant farmers cultivate the crops

A twist on organic farming is blooming into profits, opines Peter Coy of The New York Times. The set-up looks like this: Garrett Mussi, a farmer in California's San Joaquin Valley, "doesn’t own any of the acres he tends so carefully. He is a tenant farmer. The owner of the land is Farmland L.P., an investment fund that buys farmland and readies it for certification as organic by the Department of Agriculture: using pesticides sparingly, and only the least harmful kinds; minimizing erosion; sequestering carbon in the soil; rotating crops regularly and providing habitats for butterflies, bees and other pollinators. Some organic farmers use ladybugs to eat aphids and owls to eat rodents. . . . What we have here is finance meeting farming and doing good, not evil."

NYT illustration; images by VectorGoods and Bablab/Getty Images

Federal crop insurance "incentivizes farmers to stick with one crop — typically industrial corn or soybeans — and make heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides," Coy writes. “Companies such as Farmland are thinking further ahead while still keeping financial principles and profit in mind. Farmland bought one 4,000-acre farm that grew mainly low-value alfalfa, feed corn and processing tomatoes, assessed the ideal uses for different sections based on soil conditions and other factors, and chose to go with blueberries, olives, nuts, garden vegetables and pasture in various areas — all grown without heavy-duty pesticides." Craig Wichner, the founder and managing partner of Farmland, told Coy: “At a very simple level, our business model is based on taking high-quality land that’s growing low-value crops and converting it to higher-value crops.”

Coy writes: "Going organic isn’t cheap. Farmland has to stop using industrial-strength pesticides and fertilizers on land for three years before it can meet the Department of Agriculture’s standard for organic farming. . . . The upside is that consumers are willing to pay more for organically grown food. . . . For organic farming to catch on, young people will have to embrace it. But most can’t afford to because of the sky-high cost of agricultural land. . . . It’s as if tech start-ups had to buy their own office buildings before they could go into business, Wichner told Coy. Investors in companies such as Farmland are essentially supplying farmers with the 'office buildings' they need to work their food-producing magic."

Maine House passes bill banning sewage sludge that can have 'forever chemicals' and is commonly used as fertilizer

Known PFAS contamination sites in 2021. Blue dots denote samples from drinking water, purple from military sites, and orange from other sites. (Environmental Working Group map; click image to enlarge or click here for interactive version.)

Maine's House of Representatives has sent its Senate a bill banning the spread, use or sale of sludge from sewage treatment plants and septic tanks, since the sludge (called septage) is often contaminated with "forever chemicals" linked to numerous health problems. The bill would also ban the sale of crops grown where septage was spread, and the material would go to landfills instead. "It would be one of the most aggressive actions to date in Maine, which has been ramping up its efforts to respond to the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in farmland, water and food after several farms have discovered unsafe levels of the chemicals," Caitlin Andrews reports for the Bangor Daily News.

Map shows sites where septage was spread in southern Maine. (Click to enlarge)

That includes Songbird Farm, 90 miles northeast of Portland. Adam Nordell and Johanna Davis bought the 44-acre farm in 2014 and established a thriving organic farm. But in 2021 state wildlife officials found dangerously high levels of PFAS in deer that hunters had harvested in nearby Fairfield. The state warned people not to eat the deer in that area, Keith O'Brien reports for The Washington Post: "Several farms there had been fertilized in the 1990s with municipal or industrial sludge — essentially, treated sewage — that contained an unknown amount of PFAS. The deer had ingested it over time and should now be avoided, the state announced."

Nordell and Davis suspended sales from their farm after voluntary testing revealed that their soil, water and spinach crops were all contaminated with PFAS. The farm's last owner had died of pancreatic cancer, so they got themselves tested for PFAS too, and discovered their levels were 250 times higher than the average American, O'Brien reports.

"It would be comforting to dismiss the story of Songbird Farm as a one-off calamity — a confined case of PFAS contamination. The reality is far more disturbing. According to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, more than 2,800 sites nationwide are contaminated by PFAS — and that’s only what’s documented," O'Brien reports. "The real total is unknown, and possibly much higher. In Maine alone, the state Department of Environmental Protection is investigating 700 sites once fertilized with the same sort of sludge that likely contaminated Songbird Farm. Many cases are lurking beneath the surface, undetected and often unregulated by an official watchdog."

PFAS, invented in 1938, are nearly impossible to avoid: They're in everything from food packaging and non-stick cookware to baby bibs, and they have a habit of rubbing off on whatever they touch. Once they're in your body, they're around for the long haul. "It can take four to 15 years for levels of PFAS to reduce by half in the human body, and it can take centuries for the substances to disappear from the environment," Isabella Grullón Paz reports for The New York Times, citing a Consumer Reports investigation revealing how prevalent PFAS are (in fast-food packaging, for example).

Maine is taking some of the most aggressive regulatory actions of any state towards PFAS to date. The state government "advanced a first-in-the-nation phaseout of most consumer products containing PFAS last year. They are on track to approve a $100 million fund to aid farmers and address health effects and have also advanced a phaseout of pesticides containing the chemicals," Andrews reports.

Fresh veggie imports up 200% in past two decades; USDA digital magazine Amber Waves has more data-rich reports

Increasing consumer demand for year-round access to fresh produce has driven a 200% increase in fresh vegetable imports over the past two decades. That brings a host of challenges to U.S. farmers.

The top two sources of imported fresh veggies are Mexico (77%) and Canada (11%), thanks to favorable trade agreements, a stronger dollar, and those countries' ability to cater to Americans' tastes with affordable organic and greenhouse-grown produce, Wilma Davis and Gary Lucier report for Amber Waves, a digital Agriculture Department magazine.

Extended market-window creep is another reason for Mexico and Canada's increasing dominance of imported vegetables: The U.S. once imported vegetables mostly when they were out of season domestically, but vegetables grown under greenhouses or in much warmer climates make it easy for American wholesalers or grocers to buy imported produce even when it's in season in the U.S. For example, "Summer is historically the primary market window for U.S. producers; however, fresh vegetable import volumes from Mexico during the summer months have shown substantial increases in the past 15 years," Davis and Lucier report. (The proliferation of imported, greenhouse-grown produce helped spur AppHarvest, a start-up building huge greenhouses in Kentucky.)

Amber Waves has other excellent reports from USDA's Economic Research Service that can inform rural reporting. Here are a few others from this month's edition, and from ERS's home site:

Food pantry use increased from 2019 to 2020 for most types of U.S. households. "Data from the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement sponsored by the USDA Economic Research Service shows that use of food pantries increased from 2019 to 2020. In 2020, 6.7 percent of all U.S. households reported using a food pantry, an increase from 4.4 percent in 2019," Alisha Coleman-Jensen and Matthew P. Rabbitt report.

Free meal sites expanded rapidly to provide meals to children during the early months of the pandemic, Saied Toossi reports. A working paper provides more details, and notes that free meal sites are more prevalent in urban areas, leaving many rural communities underserved.

Off-farm organizations are responsible for bringing 40% of total irrigation water applied to croplands. Several federal agencies collaborated on a survey of such organizations in 2019, the first federal attempt to collect nationwide data on such organizations since the Census Bureau's 1978 Census of Irrigation Organizations. The report highlights broad trends, including how much water is lost to seepage because of unlined irrigation canals. Considering the massive drought in the West, that data matters. Read more here.

USDA announces $12 billion agriculture aid program; aims to reach smaller producers overlooked in previous aid

The Agriculture Department has announced a program to distribute more than $12 billion to farmers from the relief-and-stimulus bill passed at the end of December. USDA said the Pandemic Assistance for Producers program is meant to "reach a broader set of producers" than previous pandemic aid has.

"Most of the nearly $24 billion in coronavirus aid during the Trump administration was funneled toward big farmers and major commodities. White farmers collected almost 97 percent of the cash in the first round, said the Environmental Working Group, based on a review of USDA data. Advocates for small farmers and producers who sell their crops and livestock locally also said they had been given short shrift," Chuck Abbott reports for the Food and Environment Reporting Network. "Along with dedicating at least $6 billion to new forms of coronavirus relief, USDA said it would put a greater emphasis on reaching out to small and socially disadvantaged producers, specialty crop and organic producers, and timber harvesters, among others." Click here for an in-depth breakdown of how the money will be apportioned.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Laura Reiley of The Washington Post that 0.1% of overall pandemic relief for agriculture went to Black farmers. "Of the 3.4 million farmers in the United States today, only 45,000 — 1.3% — are Black," Reiley writes, introducing an interview. "Vilsack said the Biden administration would be focused on closing those inequalities. USDA will battle three systemic problems concurrently, he said: a broken farm system, food insecurity and a health-care crisis." 

"Where statutory authority allows, the old programs will be refined," Natalina Sents reports for Successful Farming. "CFAP 2 sign-up will be reopened for at least 60 days beginning April 5, 2021. The [Farm Service Agency] has committed at least $2.5 million to improve outreach for this program and will partner with organizations to ensure socially disadvantaged communities are informed and aware of the application process."

National Farmers Market Week runs through Saturday

Yesterday kicked off the 20th annual National Farmers Market Week. The celebration, which runs through August 10, is the brainchild of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and promoted by nationwide organization The Farmers Market Coalition.

This year's campaign highlights the important role farmers play in the nation's food system, and in fostering entrepreneurship.

"National Farmers Market Week is a chance to celebrate all that farmers markets do for communities," Farmers Market Coalition’s Executive Director Ben Feldman said in a press release. "This year we are focused on the role that farmers markets play in creating opportunities for entrepreneurs, particularly to those who may lack the capitol or connections necessary to start a more traditional business. Farmers market success stories include farms and businesses run by young people, immigrants, and the previously incarcerated. With low barriers to entry and a customer base that prioritizes the product over the packaging, farmers markets are the most democratic form of commerce around."

The campaign provides more than 8,600 farmers markets nationwide with tools, guides and materials to use in event promotion and community education. Members of the news media may also access a toolkit, webinars and other free resources. 

Middle Eastern farming techniques and skills are the secret to success of organic vegetable farmers in New York state

A couple who run an organic vegetable farm in Norwich, New York, have become highly popular with restaurant chefs who shop at a Manhattan stand, and their success stems from an unusual business model in agriculture.

Zaid and Haifa Kurdieh in a high tunnel (NYT photo)

“If (Zaid and Haifa) Kurdiehs’ produce is uncommon, so is the way they grow it — with technology and farmers from one of the world’s oldest, most advanced agricultural nations: Egypt,” reports Priya Krishna of The New York Times.

“Each year, they enlist about 25 farmers from that country to work for six to 10 months. They use high tunnels, unheated greenhouses developed in the 1950s and still not widely used in the United States, and even adapt some varieties that are popular in the Middle East.”

The Kurdiehs bought a house in Norwich where real estate was inexpensive and started growing vegetables in the backyard in 1998. Then they bought some acreage nearby and installed high tunnels, a type of low-tech greenhouse that requires less equipment and maintenance.

Today their business, Norwich Meadows Farm, is a certified organic grower of produce, poultry and eggs with a heavy reliance on high tunnels to gain control over adverse weather at their farm. They also design and build high tunnels for other farms.

Chefs know the Kurdiehs because they produce unique varieties of vegetables that thrive with cultivation methods unique to the Middle East. Zaid Kurdieh, 55, was born in the United States but grew up in the Middle East. His father was an oil industry engineer.

As the farm expanded, the Kurdiehs wanted to leverage skills they knew existed along the Nile River. “In 2002, Mr. Kurdieh flew to Egypt, an early adopter of the high-tunnel system, and found a group of farmers to work for him. Before they arrived in Norwich, Mr. Kurdieh was cultivating 200 varieties; he now grows more than 1,300 on the 250-acre farm,” the Times reports.

Maple season is arriving in New England; demand for natural syrup has turned cottage industry into a big business

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Vermont Gov. Phil
Scott, flanked by Vermont "Maple Ambassadors" Mark Turco
Jr. and Michelle Poulin, tap a maple. It's still too cold to tap
trees for sap in northern New England. (Maple News)

The business of tapping maple trees for their sap, and using it to make a sugary syrup, has become big business, thanks to increasing demand for natural syrup. Not long ago, "sugaring" was "largely a sideline for dairy and small-scale farmers that fell at a nice spot on the calendar. Now it's become virtually industrialized" with state-of-the-art technology and continues expansion, reports former New Hampshire agriculture commissioner Steve Taylor, who was long among the tree-tappers.

"Operations that once had 2,500 taps may now have 35,000; Somerset County in northwestern Maine has recently seen new operations spring up with 100,000 or more taps, often run by Quebecers who want to get around the provincial quota system," Taylor writes in an email to The Rural Blog. "So the industry is now headed in the same direction as dairy, with production outstripping demand and brokers and other bulk purchasers carrying over inventory from last season and imposing limits on what producers can bring them. The bulk price five years ago hovered close to $3 per pound, now it has settled at below $2." A gallon weighs 11 pounds.

Perdue listens as Kevin Harrison of Georgia Mountain Maples
 explains the workings of his processing system. (Maple News)

Another indication of the industry's size may have been last week's visit by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to "160,000-tap Georgia Mountain Maples, tapping the ceremonial first tree of the 2019 maple season with Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and a group of second graders from a nearby school. It was the first known visit of a sugarhouse by a U.S. agriculture secretary in modern history," Peter Gregg reports for Maple News, a trade journal he started a few years ago – itself another indication of the industry's growth.

Bruce Bascom of Bascom Maple Farms, New Hampshire's top producer, also sells supplies and equipment, and told The Rural Blog that part of the business has reached "a soft spot" due to low prices. "People invested in maple for a lot of emotional and irrational reasons," he said, but the number of taps keeps growing 7 to 10 percent a year as consumption is goes up about 7 percent annually, and he voiced confidence: "In the next 12 to 15 years, the industry's gonna double again." He said it has been boosted by heavy promotion from the Quebec industry and a growing desire of U.S. consumers for natural syrup rather than the "chemical concoctions" sold under popular brands.

U.S. is world's largest corn grower but imports organic corn

The U.S. is the world's biggest producer and exporter of corn, but it's a net importer of organic corn. The number of acres planted with organic corn increased by 28 percent between 2015 and 2016, to 214,000 acres. But that number is still less than 0.5 percent of the total corn planted in the U.S. Why? It isn't because of profit margins: farmers who plant organic corn get about 30 percent lower yield than with conventional corn, but the organic stuff sells for twice as much. Leo Mirani of The Economist explains the three main reasons more U.S. farmers don't grow organic corn:

Growing organic takes a significant investment of time and money. A field must be cultivated with no chemicals or contamination for three years before crops produced on it are certified organic. "In effect, that means putting in all the effort required for organic crops with none of the payback," Mirani writes from Norfolk, Neb.. "Moreover, it often means buying separate equipment rather than risking contamination through shared use with machines handling the conventional crop."

Growing organic is riskier, too: non-organic pollen drifting from nearby farms can pollinate the organic crop and render it uncertifiable. Weather and weeds are a bigger threat without conventional fertilizers and herbicides. And growing organic takes more work, which is both more expensive and sometimes harder to find.

USDA kills animal welfare rules for organic meat

"New rules, decades in the making, that would have required organic meat and egg producers to abide by stricter animal welfare standards were withdrawn by the federal government on Monday, frustrating organic farmers and animal welfare groups but leaving some traditional egg and livestock farm groups rejoicing," David Pitt reports for The Associated Press.

The rules would have ensured improved living conditions for animals whose meat would be labeled organic. Livestock would have to have enough space to lie down and move around a little, chickens could not have their beaks removed and cattle could not have their tails cut off. All organically raised animals would be required to have proper ventilation and access to fresh air and direct sunlight.

The rules were published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture two days before President Obama left office in January 2017; the Trump administration repeatedly delayed implementing the rule before this week's announcement. USDA Marketing and Regulatory Program Undersecretary Greg Ibach said the rules would exceed the department's statutory authority, and that the organic industry's continued growth shows that consumers are fine with current rules.

Kansas Republican Pat Roberts, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, said in a statement that the rule would have increased the paperwork burden and driven up the cost of production for farmers and ranchers.

Organic dairy farmer Francis Thicke blamed industry lobbyists for the decision, and told Pitt some organic farmers are working on creating their own label, the Real Organic Project, which they hope to pilot on farms this summer and eventually roll out nationwide. The label would guarantee improved living standards for organically raised animals.

Fund redevelops rural and small-town properties to help fund nonprofits in Appalachian Kentucky

Community builder Lora Smith is working to help Eastern Kentucky with a first-of-its-kind fund to boost to nonprofits serving the area. The organization also invests directly in communities on Kentucky's 54 Appalachian counties through real-estate acquisition and development to improve dilapidated small-town downtowns.

Smith

"Smith co-founded the Appalachian Impact Fund with Louisville philanthropist Brook Smith (no relation) in 2016; the organization opened its doors in January 2017 in a former hardware store the fund purchased on Main Street in Hazard," Kathie Stamps reports for The Lane Report, a Kentucky business-news outlet. "The three-story building serves as headquarters for the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, Appalachian Food Summit, Appalachian Arts Alliance and other nonprofits." They offer lunchtime yoga on Mondays to locals, and will soon offer co-working space and venue rental space.

Smith formerly oversaw grants in Central Appalachia for the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and worked with three other organizers to found the annual Appalachian Food Summit in 2013, which focuses on sustainable agriculture and regional food systems. "Sustainable agriculture and local food businesses are incredibly important to creating a sense of place, supporting healthy communities with good food access, and can be a real economic driver in Kentucky," Smith told Stamps. "It’s community and culture that holds us together and sustains us during difficult times . .  . And it’s our unique natural and cultural assets that are creating an exciting and bright future in the mountains."

The Corbin native has family stretching back seven generations in Whitley County, on the Tennessee border. She studied anthropology at New York University and folklore and documentaries as a graduate student at the University of North Carolina, but came back home, saying she "could never stay away too long from Kentucky and the mountains." She, her husband and their two children live on a 120-acre organic farm in Jackson County, near the northwest salient of the East Kentucky Coalfield.

USDA withdraws tougher rules for organic eggs

A chicken at an organic farm in Dawson, Ill. (Associated Press photo by Seth Perlman)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday that it plans to withdraw Obama-era rules that would have required organic-egg producers to give hens room to graze outdoors, which would have made it much harder for large-scale poultry farms to earn an organic certification.

It was a widely anticipated move, since USDA has delayed the implementation of the rules several times. Smaller operators who demanded the stricter regulation say the rules were necessary for a level playing field and have vowed to file suit. "Smaller producers who provide open yards for egg-laying hens have complained that the loophole lets competitors reap the premium price of organic eggs without substantially changing their operations," Geoffrey Mohan reports for the Los Angeles Times. "Livestock and poultry companies, however, complained that the rules went beyond the intent of the original law establishing organic certification, which covered only feed and medicine.

"Current organic rules require animals to have "access" to the outdoors. The largest egg producers, however, have built chicken houses that hold tens of thousands of hens, and the hens have access to the outdoors only through small enclosed "porches." Under the new rules, finalized at the end of the Obama administration, these porches would no longer be adequate," Dan Charles reports for NPR.

The USDA says it will open a public comment period on the rule withdrawal before taking final action in early 2018. The rule would otherwise have taken effect in May.

Large firms that are squeezing organic-milk farmers may not follow the same grazing standards

Amish organic farmer Eldon T. Miller of Kalona, Iowa,
packs eggs. (Washington Post photo by Rachel Mummey)

Amish dairy farmers who produce organic milk may soon be priced out of a living by large organic-milk operations – some of which may not be meeting organic grazing standards, Peter Whoriskey reports for The Washington Post.

Organic milk's increasing popularity has led large-scale dairy farms to get into the act, causing prices to fall, and with it, the paychecks of small organic farmers already operating with thin profit margins. In Kalona, Iowa, more than 90 farms in a 10-mile radius produce milk as well as eggs, corn and soybeans. But because of a glut of organic milk from large operations, "over the past year, the price of wholesale organic milk sold by Kalona farms has dropped by more than 33 percent. Some of their milk – as much as 15 percent of it – is being sold at the same price as regular milk or just dumped onto the ground," Whoriskey reports.

In June 2017, an investigative report by Whoriskey found that Aurora Organic Dairy in Colorado, one of the country's largest organic dairy producers and a supplier for Walmart, Costco and Albertsons, may not be allowing its cows to graze on grass enough to meet organic standards. Consumers pay more for milk from grass-fed cows because they believe it is healthier for the cows and makes for better milk. But grass-fed cows also produce less milk, so organic farms have an incentive to feed them grain on the sly, Whoriskey reports in his latest story.

The amount of organic milk on the market has risen disproportionately to the number of organic cows, suggesting that many organic farmers are secretly giving their cows grain. Some say that the increase in milk may be due in part to farmers reducing the amount of grazing the cow gets to the minimum required by organic regulations, Whoriskey reports.

The Agriculture Department uses inspectors hired by the farmers to investigate whether its organic standards are being met, but many argue that the department doesn't punish violators enough or at all. "The USDA has shown a remarkable lack of interest in whether these big organic dairies are really organic," Mark Kastel of the small-farm watchdog group The Cornucopia Institute told Whoriskey. USDA said it is reviewing the information from Post's investigation.

Large imports of food labeled 'organic' have turned out not to be organic; part of a weak system

Post graphic; click on it for a larger view

A recent shipment from Europe to the U.S. of 36 million pounds of soybeans magically went from being labeled and priced as ordinary soybeans, to being labeled organic, which boosted their value by approximately $4 million, Peter Whoriskey reports for The Washington Post, saying it exposes major holes in the way the U.S. ensures that foods labeled "organic" actually are. One problem is that at least half of organic commodities in the U.S. come from overseas, from as many as 100 countries.

"After being contacted by The Post, the broker for the soybeans, Global Natural, emailed a statement saying it may have been 'provided with false certification documents' regarding some grain shipments from Eastern Europe," Whoriskey writes. "About 21 million pounds of the soybeans have already been distributed to customers."

That shipment, plus two others, "each involving millions of pounds of 'organic” corn or soybeans, were large enough to constitute a meaningful proportion of the U.S. supply of those commodities," Whoriskey reports. "All three were presented as organic, despite evidence to the contrary. And all three hailed from Turkey, now one of the largest exporters of organic products to the U.S., according to Foreign Agricultural Service statistics."

Under U.S. Department of Agriculture rules, "a company importing an organic product must verify that it has come from a supplier that has a 'USDA Organic' certificate," Whoriskey writes. "It must keep receipts and invoices. But it need not trace the product back to the farm. Some importers, aware of the possibility of fraud, request extra documentation. But others do not."

"Regardless of where organics come from, critics say, the system suffers from multiple weaknesses in enforcement: Farmers hire their own inspection companies; most inspections are announced days or weeks in advance and lack the element of surprise; and testing for pesticides is the exception rather than the rule," Whoriskey reports. "These vulnerabilities are magnified with imported products, which often involve more middlemen, each of whom could profit by relabeling conventional goods as 'organic.' The temptation could be substantial, too: Products with a 'USDA Organic' label routinely sell for twice the price of their conventional counterparts."

Rural farmers' markets struggle to adapt to changing consumer needs, but can stay relevant

Farmers market in Bridgeport, W.Va. (Gazette-Mail photo)

Despite a boom in farmers' markets and a movement to buy local and healthier foods, rural merchants are struggling to constantly adapt to changing consumer habits to stay relevant, Max Garland reports for the Charleston Gazette-Mail in West Virginia. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Farmers Market Directory, there are 8,676 farmers' markets in the U.S., up from 1,755 in 1994. West Virginia has 90.

"Even with the growing number of markets, profit and success isn’t guaranteed, especially in rural areas of West Virginia where resources are limited," Garland writes, citing Parween Mascari, executive director of the West Virginia Farmers Market Association. Mascari told him, “The trend is definitely there, but in rural communities, there are some struggles. It takes some dedication and creative methods to keep them going on a weekly basis.”

Roane County, West Virginia, has found some success in reviving its farmers' market this year, largely because the county does not have a local grocery store, Garland notes. But continued expansion by Kroger, coupled with its recent move to add online ordering, might hurt rural areas, said Faye Looney, an organizer of the market and treasurer of Walton Community Building in Roane County. “I think the trend (of rural farmers markets) is dying,” she told Garland. “But if we don’t do it, what else is there to help the community? Right now it’s still really about trying to get the word out.”

Other rural farmers' markets have added entertainment options to draw customers, Garland reports. For example, the market in Bridgeport, W.Va., has added live music and "the market’s POP (power of produce) Club, which has children interact with vendors and learn about their produce." But the selling point is still fresh food from 50 vendors. Debbie Workman, a member of the market’s board of directors, told Garland, "The goal is to promote healthy food, but in order to do that, we have to bring more people in."