The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy promotes resilient family farms, rural communities and ecosystems around the world through research and education, science and technology, and advocacy.

7/19: Des Moines Register. Ethanol Stirs Fears of Water Shortage

7/18: Des Moines Register. Make Farm Bill About Providing Healthful Food

7/15: Sacramentoo Bee. Farm Bill Should Focus on Healthful Foods

7/13: Reuters. Farm Groups Appeal to Congress for Crop Reserves

7/12: Bloomberg. Brazil Files Broadest Attack on U.S. Farm Aid at WTO

7/8: Lincoln Journal Star. Water Drain vs Economic Gain

7/4: New York Times. The Debate Over Subsidizing Snacks

7/4: City Pages. Sucked Dry

7/1: E Magazine. Kicking the White Stuff

6/21: Inter Press. Few Tears Over Collapse of Talks

6/17: Columbus Dispatch. Cash by the Acre

6/13: St. Cloud Times. Consumers Have Light Bulb Moment

6/10: Virginian Pilot. Proposed Ethanol Plant Would Need Water From City

6/7: Star Tribune. Study of 3M Chemicals

6/6: Christian Science Monitor. Brazil Eyes Ethanol as Fast Track to Power

Perennials Key to Bioeconomy: Science

Government policies that support an expansion of perennial energy crops for the new bioeconomy will help diversify Midwest farms and bring a series of economic and environmental benefits, according to an article published in the June 15 edition of Science. IATP's Mark Muller and Dr. Dennis Keeney were among 14 co-authors of the article.

"Perennial cropping systems are more resilient because they improve soil and water quality and are better able to deal with climate change. A stronger cropping system will bring economic rewards for farmers while benefiting the environment," said Muller. "Farm policies should encourage this transition to safer production systems and a more prosperous agricultural economy."

The study team came together as part of an effort called Green Lands, Blue Waters, a consortium of Land Grant Universities and non-governmental organizations in the Mississippi River Basin. IATP is a founding member of Green Lands, Blue Waters.

Press release (PDF)
Full article from Science (PDF)

Call for Middle Ground on Subsidy Debate

Thirty-six farm, labor, environmental, faith and consumer groups sent a letter to congressional leaders staking out a middle ground in the escalating Farm Bill debate over government subsidies. The groups, including IATP, support policies that would reinstate strategic grain reserves to stabilize volatile crop prices and would reduce controversial government subsidies by replacing the current loan deficiency payment with a price floor that would provide farmers with a safety net in the marketplace.

IATP's Dennis Olson said the new ethanol boom has increased price volatility in crop, food and energy markets, and that reestablishment of strategic grain reserves would ease the uncertainty of farmers and consumers by stabilizing prices in these interrelated sectors. "Whether you're a corn farmer facing the uncertainty of this year's harvest, a venture capitalist investing in an ethanol plant, a family dairy farmer wondering what your feed prices might be by the end of year, or a consumer wondering if food prices will rise, you have a stake in a stable, affordable supply of grains in the supply chains. Strategic grain reserves would help reduce the dangerous volatility that can harm everyone."

Press release (PDF)
Letter to House Agriculture leaders (PDF)

Doctors Call for a Healthy Food Bill

More than 300 health professionals from around the country-physicians, nurses, dietitians and public health practitioners-sent Congressional leaders a letter last month calling for the 2007 Farm Bill to be a "Healthy Food Bill," to better combat childhood obesity and other illnesses by making healthy food more affordable and accessible.

IATP's David Wallinga, M.D. helped to organize the letter, which was signed by nearly 160 physicians, including Georges Benjamin, M.D., FACP, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association; Robert S. Lawrence, M.D., Director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future; and Andrew Weil, M.D., best-selling writer on health and wellness.

From 1985 to 2000, the real consumer cost of fresh fruits and vegetables rose nearly 40 percent while that of sugars and fats actually dropped 7-14 percent. By encouraging the over-production of a few raw commodity grain crops, Farm Bill policies have worked at cross-purposes with healthy eating recommendations, such as those in the USDA's own Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Press release (PDF)
Letter to Congress (PDF)
Commentary: Healthy Farm Bill by David Wallinga, M.D. and Robert S. Lawrence, M.D. (PDF)

Madelia's Rural Development Model

The small south central community of Madelia, Minnesota, recognizes its potential to become a leader in renewable energy. A recent assessment of the area found enough available land, community support and energy demand to develop a renewable energy development project.

IATP, in partnership with Madelia community leaders, facilitated focus group sessions with area residents to identify community principles for the project to ensure the needs of the residents are met. Four facilitated sessions and one meeting were held from March-April. The resulting 12 priority principles fell equally into the three categories of sustainability: environmental, community and economic. There was unanimous support for the principles at an April 30th community meeting when IATP presented the focus group findings. At present, the City of Madelia and the Chamber of Commerce are working toward adoption of the principles. IATP hopes that the Madelia Model for integrating sustainability and renewable energy into rural development will serve as an example for other small towns around the country to follow.

A Sustainable Vision: Creating Community Principles for the Madelia Model (PDF)

Dump the Doha Round

As the WTO releases new negotiating texts in Geneva, IATP and more than 90 civil society organizations from both rich and poor countries sent letters to trade ministers, calling on them to acknowledge the failure of the Doha Round.

"We believe that the time has come to officially declare the Doha Round of the WTO negotiations dead and to provide the necessary space to re-think the kind of multilateral trade rules that are needed to create employment and achieve sustainable development," the letter states.

Press release (PDF)
Letter in English (PDF)
Letter in Spanish (PDF)

Tyson to Stop Using Antibiotics
in Fresh Chicken Production

IATP and health advocates hailed a recent announcement by Tyson Foods that its fresh (as opposed to frozen) chickens would be raised without antibiotics as another step in preserving the effectiveness of critical life-saving medicines.

"It's big news when the largest chicken producer in the country uses an antibiotic-free label to gain a competitive advantage," said David Wallinga, M.D., director of the Food and Health Program at IATP and a member of the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition (KAW). "What's good for public health is also good business. Tyson should be applauded for taking this great step forward."

Medical and public health experts have long decried the use of antibiotics in animal feed-both to promote growth and to compensate for unsanitary conditions on industrial-scale farms-because it spurs the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that spread to humans via our food, air and water. IATP and KAW have been pressuring companies to eliminate the inappropriate use of antibiotics in food animals.

Keep Antibiotics Working on Tyson's decision (PDF)

Peace Coffee Hires Lee Wallace

IATP announced in June that Lee Wallace has been hired as the new Chief Executive Officer at Peace Coffee, the award-winning, 100 percent fair trade and organic coffee company.

"We are incredibly excited to have Lee leading the company," said Peace Coffee Board Chair Ricki McMillan. "Peace Coffee's success is a national model for how a business can thrive in partnership with a mission-based charity. Peace Coffee and IATP are passionate advocates for fair trade. Lee shares that passion, along with entrepreneurial ingenuity."

Wallace had been serving as interim director at Peace Coffee since December. She is the former Associate Director at the Resource Center of the Americas, where she directed all earned income activities for the organization. She previously served on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Market Natural Foods Cooperative and worked to incubate businesses in rural communities with the Blandin Foundation.

Peace Coffee was founded by IATP in 1996 to help jumpstart the fledgling fair trade movement. Last year, Peace Coffee recorded $2.2 million in sales to customers including grocers, cafes, churches and college campuses around the country. It purchases coffee from farmer cooperatives in Guatemala, Ethiopia, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Indonesia. All of the coffee is 100 percent certified fair trade- a system that guarantees farmers are paid a fair price under safe working conditions and the environment is protected.

Press release (PDF)
Peace Coffee

Alternatives Sought at G8 Meeting

In June, the annual G8 meeting of major industrialized democracies was held in Rostock, Germany. Nearby, civil society organizations held an Alternative Summit to discuss how the G8 could play a more constructive role in areas of climate change, global trade, biofuels and development in poor countries. IATP's Alexandra Strickner coordinated several workshops at the Alternative Summit, including one on Economic Partnership Agreements in Africa and another on Food vs. Fuel.

G8 Alternative Summit

U.S. Hosts First Social Forum

Last month, three IATP staff, including Heather Schoonover, Dennis Olson and intern Elisabeth Pixley-Fink, attended the first U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta, Georgia. An outgrowth of the World Social Forum, the U.S. Forum attracted more than 10,000 members of social movements from both the U.S. and abroad. The IATP team organized and presented workshops on local food systems, agriculture and water, food sovereignty, sustainable biofuels production, and fair trade, all of which were well-attended and full of lively discussions.

U.S. Social Forum

IATP's Jim Kleinschmit Appointed
to Governor's Climate Change Group

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has launched a Next Generation Energy Initiative to expand the state's renewable energy and energy efficiency, while reducing carbon emissions. Part of the initiative is the formation of the Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group. The group will develop, through a stakeholder-based consensus-building process, a comprehensive set of state-level policy recommendations for the governor to reduce or sequester greenhouse gas emissions, and promote energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy resources that will enhance economic growth. Jim Kleinschmit, Director of IATP's Rural Communities Program, has been appointed by the governor to serve on the group's Technical Working Group for Agriculture, Forestry and Waste.

Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group

What's Happening "In the Field"

IATP's Amy Stratton blogs about the upcoming Rural Youth Summit, the Madelia Model and a trip to Prarie Horizons farm. Read more at IATP's Rural Communities' blog, In the Field.

Save the Date - Upcoming Events

IATP has so many events, conferences, workshops and trainings that we created a new web address strictly for events. The new web page- events.iatp.org- includes conference registration tools, conference materials, agendas and more. Find out more about these upcoming events:

Invasive Species of Minnesota Forests - August 21-30 - Northern Minnesota - IATP's Community Forestry Resource Center is hosting a series of one-day workshops in late August designed to help foresters and resource managers become familiar with plant and insect species invading Minnesota's woodlands. Participants will learn how to identify, monitor, prevent and control the most troublesome invaders. The workshops, which will include classroom and field time, will be held in Collegeville, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Bemidji, Baxter, Detroit Lakes and Altura.

Lessons From NAFTA - October 22-24, Minneapolis, MN - At the end of the year, the North American Free Trade Agreement's final provisions will go into effect. Join North American researchers, policymakers and activists to review NAFTA's past, learn about efforts to expand free trade and exchange ideas on building a new fair trade agenda.

Rural Youth Summit - October 26-27, Ames, Iowa - The Rural Youth Summit is an exciting opportunity to connect with rural youth from across the Midwest to discuss the challenges and opportunities of living in rural areas. Young farmers, rural residents, college and technical college students, new Americans and youth who wish to live and work in rural areas are invited to participate. Event highlights include an invited 2008 presidential candidate forum, rural youth presentations and discussion, leadership training and networking opportunities.

Details on all events can be found at: events.iatp.org

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. For 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.

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. Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
Jim Harkness, President
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