National Voice, November 2 Campaign Help Bring Millions to Polls
Over the last year, IATP President Mark Ritchie has taken a leave of absence to work as National Coordinator of National Voice—a coalition that supports the work of over 1,000 nonpartisan organizations around the country working to increase voter participation. The effort registered over 3 million new voters this year and helped new and infrequent voters get to the polls

National Voice's "November 2" get-out-the-vote campaign was an historic collaboration among a wide range of both national and local civic engagement groups, including churches, businesses, community groups, schools and national, state and local membership organizations.

Learn more about National Voice and the "November 2" campaign at nationalvoice.org.

Listen to Mark Ritchie's post-election analysis of National Voice's monumental efforts

New Food and Health Web Site Launched
In November, IATP's Food and Health Program launched a revamped Web site targeted to parents and consumers, policy makers and health professionals. The Food and Health Program works to make food healthier by advocating for more sustainable food production and a less contaminated food supply. Much human exposure to many toxic pollutants comes through the food chain.

The site helps visitors learn more about toxic pollutants and other food contaminants and identify and buy safer food alternatives. Specific features of the site include:

• The Smart Fish Calculator, which uses government data to calculate safe levels of fish and seafood to eat
• The Eat Well Guide, which connects consumers with farmers that produce meat and poultry raised sustainably and without the routine use of antibiotics
• Work with hospitals to buy healthy food raised sustainably and without routine antibiotics, including case studies
• Three fact sheets assessing health risks from "factory farms," or confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs)
• Information on flame retardants in food; toxic sludge and fertilizers; and environmental contributors to disease, including cancer and Parkinson's disease

The site is found at iatp.org/foodandhealth

Updated Eat Well Guide Helps Families Eat Healthy for the Holidays
Consumers looking to buy meat, poultry, dairy and eggs from sustainable family farmers can turn to the Eat Well Guide, a free online directory. A joint project of IATP and the Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE), the Eat Well Guide allows consumers to enter a ZIP code and be directed to farms and stores that sell sustainable foods in their neighborhoods.

With listings for nearly 5,000 farms and stores, the Eat Well Guide includes sources for sustainable meat in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and many Canadian provinces. An advanced search function allows users to search by types of meat (including exotic meats like bison, venison, and rabbit) or by production method (including categories like free range, grass fed and biodynamic). The Guide also includes information on healthy holiday eating, including a history of "heritage" meats and holiday recipes using sustainable ingredients.

Check out the Eat Well Guide

Factory Farm Risks to Farmers, Air and Water Quality
Confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) pose health risks to farmers and workers, increase particulate matter in the air and contaminate groundwater, according to a series of new fact sheets produced by IATP.

Just 5 percent of U.S. farms account for 54 percent of beef and dairy cattle, swine and poultry production. These CAFOs produce about 575 billion pounds of manure annually. Manure concentration contributes to water pollution, air pollution and likely to antibiotic resistance, posing serious risks to human health.

The three fact sheets, with extensive references, were authored by IATP's Food and Health Program Director David Wallinga, MD.

Read the fact sheets at iatp.org/foodandhealth

Agricultural Policy and the Obesity Crisis
As farm policy organizations begin to craft their agendas for the 2007 Farm Bill, a relatively new issue has surfaced: the emerging obesity epidemic and the potential contribution of U.S. farm policy to poor health. IATP's Food and Environment Director Mark Muller discussed the link between obesity and farm policy before the American Public Health Association in early November.

The three largest crops in the Midwest—corn, soybeans and wheat—are the primary sources for the three most over-consumed food categories: added sugars, added fats and grains. These foods appear to displace fruits and vegetables, which according to the food pyramid are significantly under-consumed.

Some groups have couched obesity as simply another problem resulting from agricultural subsidies and are using the issue to gather political support for ending farm payments. These subsidies, however, are just another symptom of an agricultural system in disarray. Low commodity prices are the true drivers of this system, and providing farmers with fair prices is the best method of reducing the contribution of farm policy to obesity.

Look for more from IATP on this emerging issue.

Re-Empowering Rural America
In a new commentary, IATP President Mark Ritchie writes: "All over the country there are rural innovators and entrepreneurs finding new ways to increase their 'triple bottom lines'—improving their income while protecting the environment and contributing to their communities. One good example is Organic Valley, now one of the largest dairy cooperatives in the nation. The co-op has been a pioneer in both ensuring fair prices to organic family farmers and giving major support to the communities they serve. Equally encouraging is the dramatic surge in civic participation across small-town America, as more rural people get involved in electoral politics to preserve democracy."

Read Ritchie's full commentary on "Re-Empowering Rural America"

Minnesota Family Forests Planning for Forest Stewardship
IATP's Community Forestry Resource Center (CFRC) sponsored a day-long workshop entitled FSC Plan Writer Workshop on Oct. 19 at the Audubon Center of the North Woods in Sandstone, Minn. This workshop was designed for stewardship plan writers interested in learning how to write forest stewardship plans for family forest owners that are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifiable. The lead instructor was private consulting forester Peter Bundy, who has been certified to write FSC forest stewardship plans for five years. Participants included consulting foresters, Soil and Water Conservation District foresters, logger and landowner cooperative service providers and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) statewide certification and forest stewardship program coordinators.

The workshop began with a presentation by Peter Bundy on demystifying the FSC standards with a "top ten" approach to topics including plantations, threatened and endangered species and high conservation value forests. This was followed by a group plan review exercise where participants reviewed submitted plans and discussed how to rework them to be FSC certifiable. A field tour of Audubon's FSC-certified pine and hardwood forests enhanced the discussion. CFRC closed the workshop with a presentation on how stewardship plan writers and family forest owners can have access to FSC certification through the group certificate held by CFRC and administered through the Umbrella Certification System.

The workshop is the first step in expanding FSC certification capacity to family forests in Minnesota by encouraging individuals to become certified, to establish additional group certification models, or work under the umbrella system established by CFRC. A follow-up workshop is being planned to address the implementation of FSC-certified forest stewardship plans.

For more information, visit the CFRC Web site

Cultivating a New Rural Economy
"While much has been made of the societal benefits of a bio-based economy that increases our energy independence, it is our farmers and rural communities that may be the primary benefactors," writes IATP's Jim Kleinschmit in a new article for the newsletter of the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.

Kleinschmit writes, "Early in our country's history, agriculture and forestry provided the capital and motivation for expanding our infrastructure and boundaries, the food for a burgeoning population, and much of the power for our growing manufacturing sector. With the advent of the new bio-based economy, we have the opportunity to turn once again to farms and rural communities for a significant portion of the renewable resources that we need to feed, fuel and run the industries of the nation. For farm communities, which have been in decline for much of the last 50 years, this `new' approach could provide the spark long needed to revitalize the rural economy and agricultural sector by providing new and diversified cropping and income opportunities."

Read Kleinschmit's full article

Donate to IATP! You can help. IATP does very important work to keep family farmers on the land, to ensure the safety of our food supply and to preserve biodiversity and the environment for future generations. We cannot do this work without you. Your tax-deductible contribution will help us secure a sustainable world. Please make your tax-deductible contribution today. If you would like more information about our programs, or if you would like to discuss different contribution options, please contact Kate Hoff, Development Director, at khoff@iatp.org or (612) 870-3404. We appreciate your interest in our work. Thank you for your support.

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IATP News is an occasional publication reporting on recent events and activities at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). It is sent to board members, supporters, partners and friends. If you want to learn more about any particular item or if you do not want to receive this newsletter, send email to Communications Coordinator Ben Lilliston at blilliston@iatp.org or call: 612-870-3416. Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
Mark Ritchie, President
2105 First Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 USA
Tel. 1 (612) 870-0453 Fax. 1 (612) 870-4846
Email: iatp@iatp.org Web: iatp.org