Indiana Farmers Promote going green

      Cindy Goss is a self-proclaimed naturalist who loves to listen to the sounds of birds chirping, frogs singing at night, and seeing nature in its “purist form.”

      For years, the senior systems analyst has maintained her family-owned farm located in Plainfield, Ind. that spreads across 100 acres of rich soil and produces corn and soybean.  Instead of traditional plowing, which forcefully breaks up soil and removes key nutrients, Goss takes preventative measures to ensure better crops at harvest. It is also in this quiet, rural countryside that Goss fosters another good deed: a small safe haven for animals called Moonlick Rescue; where cats, dogs, and goats can find shelter and potentially become adopted. 

      With a heartfelt passion for agriculture and quality produce, Goss is among hundreds of farmers who understand that “green living” is more than a popular catch phrase – it’s a standard practice in the arena of Indiana agriculture.

      Last year, President Barack Obama poured more than $80 billion into green initiatives that will aim to create cleaner energy throughout America, as well as more jobs. A large percentage of the funds used will go toward renewable energy from rural farm towns, like Indiana farms, to cities where the energy is most used. While several Indiana farmers have already been accustomed to the “green standard,” others have adopted ways to improve their lands and aid in the president’s green initiatives.

      The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm in Benton County, Ind. is the largest in the Midwest. Supervised by landowner Steve Wallpee, the wind farm delivers over 1 billion kilowatts of clean, renewable electricity, while attracting new revenue to the many rural communities throughout Indiana. BP Wind Energy and Virginia-based Dominion, a leader in producing and transporting clean energy, partnered to establish the commercial operation in Benton County.

      The wind farm has been through two phases of construction, which began in early 2008. Since it has been in operation, more than 400 megawatts of carbon-free electricity has been produced; enough to power approximately 120,000 homes. As a result of the premier facility, almost 900 Hoosiers became employed, significantly improving the dire job market in the northwest region of the state. More jobs could also be created if rumors of expanding the facility to 750 megawatts become a reality.

      Another way that Indiana farmers are keeping in line with green initiatives is the use of the “no-till” method. No-till is the practice of turning the soil on land before planting crops. In contrast to plowing, which can damage the soil and restricts water movement and root growth, no-till is believed to be the preferred method by American farmers. According to 2004 data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, less than seven percent of the world’s crops are farmed using no-till methods, and nearly 85 percent are in North America. Agricultural experts also believe that the method conserves water and significantly reduces erosions by 70-100 percent.

For farmer Zach Cain, the no-till method is a no-brainer.

Cain, who heads the farm that has been in his family for 30 years, became aware of the preventative farming method in the late ’70s. After seeing the positive effects it has on soil and crops, the Montgomery County resident’s farm became 100-percent no-till in 1992. “We dramatically reduce the erosion, and the old plant roots stay in place,” Cain said.

Cain enjoys the benefits that no-till has for the crops he produces on his 3,000-acre farm: “It improves the soil quality, and our yields are better.” He adds that the farming method allows for nature to take its rightful course toward the conservation of the land, by allowing worms and insects to do a bulk of the work, key factors that traditional tilling prevents because of how the land and its roots are lifted away in the process.

“If you give them food to eat, they will really take care of the tillage for you,” he said.

      Critics of the farming practice argue that it is too costly overall and deprives plants of essential gases, like carbon dioxide. Others believe no-till requires farmers to use more pesticides, herbicides and related chemicals, which can potentially contaminate crops. Although Cain agrees some of that is true, the trade off is “keeping the soil in place.”  He has been successful at doing more work with less equipment and fuel, noting that high costs are a mere allegation.

      “We try to be mindful of our chemical usage and keep it as minimal as possible,” Cain said. He also knows that some farmers tend to abuse chemical fertilization, and carefully considers his usage and his role on the farm: “We try to be pretty good stewards of the land … we’re temporary on this Earth, and it’s our charge to take care of the land as farmers.”

 

For more information on Indiana farming and green living, visit www.infarmbureau.org.

Support Your
Local Farmer

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), have long been part of Indiana’s rich farming history. Hoosiers can buy fresh produce and fruit from local farmers throughout the state, and benefit from the nutrient-rich, organic foods that local grocery store chains can’t match in quality. Below is a list of popular CSAs. For a complete listing, visit: www.indianalivinggreen.com.

 

Crème de la Crop Inc. CSA

(Porter, Lake, and LaPorte counties)

Chemical free since 2004

(219) 921-1831

www.cremedelacrop.com

Kiss My Grass Farm CSA

(Brown and surrounding counties)

All natural hormone and antibiotic-free

(812) 521-1063

www.kissmygrassfarm.net

Homestead Growers CSA

(North Indianapolis; downtown)

Chemical free produce

(317) 727-8989

www.homestead-growers.com

Mission Berry Farms CSA

(Anderson, Franklin, Elwood, Noblesville, and Alexandria)

All-natural fruits and vegetables

(765) 620-2880

www.missionberryfarms.com

Victory Acres Farm CSA

Victory Inner City Ministries

(Grant County, Muncie,
Fishers and Indianapolis areas)

No antibiotics or growth enhancers;
pastured poultry and eggs

(765) 998-2590

www.victoryacres.org

 

Genetically- modified injections include vegetables, fruits

 

What if you didn’t know the makeup of the products that you were actually consuming or a few ingredients had been omitted from their nutrition facts labels? The next time you are in the checkout line at the grocery store, search the nutrition label for a listing of the genetically-modified (GM) food contained in the product. Don’t be surprised if you can’t find any GM food listed. A good portion of the foods available to most American consumers usually do not note its GM composition on food labels.

    That’s because the government currently does not have regulations that apply to these modern biotechnological organisms, which have been altered in a way that does not occur naturally.

    “The regulatory process is confused because there are three different government agencies that have jurisdiction over GM foods. To put it very simply, the Environmental Protection Agency evaluates GM plants for environmental safety, the United States Department of Agriculture evaluates whether the plant is safe to grow, and the Federal Drug Administration regulates where the plant is safe to eat,” said Deborah Whitman, author of Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?

    Many consumers are not familiar with the term genetically-modified foods, nor do they know why the genetic-modification process is used to change these products. But the term is one you may want to become familiar with, as the use of GM foods becomes a trend in farm fields and manufacturing assembly lines. GM foods are simply crop plants created for human or animal consumption using enhanced-biology technology.

    Biology technology can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with accuracy. For example, geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. Genes from non-plant organisms can also be used.

    You may wonder which products are altered. Try corn or any products with soybean use. These products are most commonly injected with transferable individual genes from one organism to another.

    The latest GM developments promise to be a true benefit to consumers. Some examples are a soybean modified to produce omega-3 fatty acids, a preventer of heart disease. This GM product can be effectively added to ordinary food products, without altering its FDA-approved state.

    The reason for its creation is just to mass-produce products safely, quickly and cost-effectively.

    Blame it on a fast growing world population or the benefits of GM use, which can be attributed to disease resistance and cold tolerance. The use of GM products also decreases the chance of plant disease caused by insects or viruses, where pest pressure is higher than normal. But many environmentalists, religious- and public-interest groups don’t buy it.

    “The world stands a better chance of feeding itself by using and improving upon farming methods that have been relied upon for centuries,” said Jim Goodman of Common Dreams, a nonprofit organization that promotes change.

            “In Africa, for example, if indigenous crops, long adapted to their environment, were put forward as the solution to hunger, studies show that the population could have adequate food supplies, and at times cash income from sales of surplus crops.”

 

The FFA

Today and

Beyond

 

      The FFA has undergone several changes in order to stay viable in a more diverse society and global economy.

    Originally created to serve high school students, the FFA has recently expanded to include middle school and junior high school students, and established more chapters at colleges and universities across the country.

    The FFA has also embraced the latest mediums of communication to attract new members and keep current members actively engaged. It is conducting field surveys and reviewing ideas on how best to revamp its Web site, www.FFA.org. The online version of the magazine FFA New Horizons has been updated, and a new Facebook-style social network, FFA Nation, has been created for members and those who enjoy discussing cutting edge trends in agriculture.

    “We have found that this is a great way for everyone to connect with other FFA members across the country and talk about interesting topics on the horizon,” said Travis Martin, president of the Indiana FFA.

    Furthermore, the FFA has made a strong effort to increase its diversity, geographically and racially.

    FFA chapters have been established in places as far away as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The organization began with members representing predominantly rural areas, but today 34 percent of the membership represents urban and suburban communities. FFA chapters now exist in 16 of the nation’s 20 largest cities, including New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.

    The FFA also has promoted gender equality in the field of agriculture, and currently 38 percent of its members are female who hold more than 50 percent of state leadership positions.

            FFA membership is 11 percent Hispanic/Latino, and four percent African American. Organization leaders would like to see those numbers go higher, and are conducting outreach activities to help make agriculture a more diverse segment of the economy.

 

 

More Windmills, Ethanol & Bio-Energy on the Way

                                                          By James Patterson

      Major changes are in the pipeline that will affect everything from the way we build our trucks, cars and buses to how homes, schools and businesses are heated, cooled and powered. Ready or not, the transformation has already begun that will forever alter the way the world generates and consumes power.

    Two of the greatest nations, the United States and China, have been forced to the forefront of the movement for energy renewal. China, with 1.3 billion people, is the global leader in the growth of energy consumption at 5.5 percent a year, while the United States consumes 25 percent of the world’s energy with only 5 percent of its population. Clearly, those figures portend adjustments ahead; we no longer have a choice.

    One of Herbert Hoover’s campaign slogans during the 1928 U.S. presidential election was “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” The declaration is still true today. We are blessed with as much food as we can eat, and there are some 250 million vehicles registered in the U.S., nearly one for every man, woman and child. But the energy that is needed to cook our meals and run our automobiles will increasingly come from natural sources that can renew and recharge themselves, such as the wind, our crops and – no kidding – trash. 

    Memo to the General Motors, Cisco Systems and ExxonMobils of the world: Make room.

    Factories will not disappear but will change what they produce. More precisely, a whole new workforce will need to be trained to run them. We are going to begin seeing in the near future, along with the Fords, Chevrolets and Chryslers parked in the driveway, windmills towering over Indiana homes that generate homegrown electricity and, more importantly, offset power bills, especially in smaller towns and rural areas.

    Indiana sits squarely in the forefront of the new and renewable energy movement. That fact was underlined when Finland power plants manufacturer WinWinD announced in March 2010 that it has signed a $100 million agreement with Brevini, the Italian-based company that is a world leader in gear box manufacturing. The deal will mean hundreds of new green jobs for Delaware County/Muncie, Ind.

    Brevini USA and Brevini Wind, the green energy component of the Brevini Group, are in the process of locating their North American operations at the Park One/332 business park at Interstate 69 and Ind. 332 near Muncie. Brevini Wind will produce main gear drives for 3 megawatt turbines there for WinWinD. When the plant opens in 18 months, it is expected to employ more than 450 people. In addition, thousands of construction jobs will be generated to build the facility.

    “In terms of green jobs, I think the opportunities in Indiana are phenomenal, and I don’t say that with any exaggeration,” says Jesse Kharbanda, executive director of the Hoosier Environmental Council. “The reason is because we have a wonderful manufacturing base in this state. It’s the largest as a percentage of gross state manufacturing in the country, and that manufacturing base could be used to produce the next generation of renewable energy components.”

    Among the renewable energy options, wind is, shall we say, making the most waves. Installed wind power capacity increased by 29 percent in 2008, with the U.S., Spain and China leading the way, according to statistics compiled by the World Wind Energy Association.

    By the time the Delaware County plant gets going, it may very well be making gear boxes to power the wind turbines that churn up power for Indiana homes. That’s because bills in the Indiana House and Senate that would have enhanced Indiana homeowners’ rights to generate their own electricity were barely defeated in the final hours of this year’s General Assembly.

    “We were very close this session,” says Kharbanda. “Both bills would have opened up ‘net metering’ to all kinds of customers.” Net metering allows a power customer to generate his own electricity through an alternative energy source, such as wind or solar while staying connected to the power grid. Energy generated independent of the power grid can be used to offset an energy bill.

    Another development that will have a huge impact on Indiana’s burgeoning biofuels industry is the likely coming increase in the amount of ethanol in gasoline. The Environmental Protection Agency signaled in November that it would probably raise the ethanol component that is permitted in gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent. Critics have charged that the higher ethanol gas formula, called E15, could be damaging to the engines of some vehicles and the enviroment.  

    “Although all of the studies have not been completed, our engineering assessment to date indicates that the robust fuel, engine and emissions control systems on newer vehicles – likely 2001 and newer model years – will likely be able to accommodate higher ethanol blends, such as E15,” says EPA’s Assistant Administrator Gina McCarthy.

    Electricity produced from biomass, or wood waste, is also in play. BioEnergy Development Co. of Fishers, Ind. is trying to help start a biomass plant in Clay County, Ind., near Brazil. The proposed $42 million plant would be located on a coal strip-mine site, and would use sawdust, wood shavings, bark and other sawmill by-products in the region to generate electricity for homes and businesses.

    “We have some people looking at a wood-generated energy project. We have a good possibility of that kind of facility coming in here. The wood by-products would be produced by burning wood, which would leave ash that also could be sold to farmers to be used as fertilizer,” says Clay County Commissioner Charlie Brown. Additionally, there is a coal company operating in southwest Clay County that is reclaiming coal slurry out of pits. “The coal plant isn’t really putting out like they thought it would because they can’t get buyers to the product,” admits Brown.

    But that hasn’t stopped them from trying. Nor will it stop business ventures all over Indiana from continuing to develop renewable and alternative sources of energy.

 

 

 

Black farmers

closer to justice

                                                                                By Brandon A. Perry

Members of the National Black Farmers Association, the United States Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Justice reached a $1.8 billion settlement recently over a discrimination case filed by Black farmers.

      On Feb. 18, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed to compensate thousands of Black farmers, mostly from Southern states, who say they were denied loans and government aid from the USDA during the 1990s.

      The landmark Pigford discrimination case was decided in favor of black farmers by a federal judge’s ruling in 1999, but officials and representatives of minority farmers have just now come to an agreement as to what kind of compensation should be given.

      Furthermore, Congress still has to set aside funding for the billion-dollar settlement, with March 31 as the deadline to add the funding to the 2010 farm bill.

      At the Recorder’s press time, an amendment to include the funding had been presented but not yet approved. That has made several African-American farmers concerned that the settlement will expire because of lack of funding.

      “We got to make it happen,” says John Boyd Jr., a Virginia-based farmer and president of the National Black Farmers Association.

      Boyd believes that lawmakers and President Obama have been preoccupied with the health care debate. Now that the health legislation has passed, Boyd would like to see the president make justice for minorities an “emergency” priority and help push it to the front of the congressional agenda.

      “He looked real good and sounded very good and strong on health care this past week and we really need that same type of fire,” says Boyd. “So I’m calling on the president to take immediate action and to finish the job that he started and bring justice to the black farmers.”
      U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says under the settlement each farmer would receive $50,000, and could potentially receive up to $250,000 if they make a claim for actual damages from the bias.

      Vilsack confirms that racial discrimination definitely took place in the USDA for many years, with loans and grants being denied to Black farmers “without due diligence,” and applications by white farmers being approved and processed quickly.

      In many cases, adds Vilsack, Black farmers lost their land after being unfairly denied assistance.

      Boyd asserts that discrimination is still taking place, claiming that some USDA officials are purposely misinforming Black farmers about the deadline to file claims as part of the settlement.

      Boyd’s group has organized demonstrations throughout historically Black agricultural areas of the South to encourage lawmakers to support funding for the settlement and measures to prevent discrimination in the future.

      In response to years of claims of discrimination, the USDA has formed the Center for Minority Farmers to promote equal opportunity for minority farmland owners, farmers, ranchers, tenants and other individuals with agricultural interest.

      The agency has also opened an office for civil rights, with Joe Leonard, an African-American Ph.D., serving as assistant secretary of agriculture for civil rights, and Mary McNeil as deputy assistant secretary.

      Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has been one of several members of Congress who has (since 2006) called on the Government Accountability Office to continue to examine whether the USDA has achieved its objective of enforcing civil rights.

      “The findings of the GAO reports are troubling,” says Lugar. “Improvements still have not been good enough, and a better job must be done of ensuring equal opportunity for all of America’s farmers.”

                        For more information about the settlement involving Black farmers and claims, visit www.blackfarmerclaims.com

or call 1-866-472-7826.