Blog

Federal Scientists Say EPA Should Look Closer at Pesticides

Josh Vincent — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:12:44 -0400

The report, Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides, supports steps to improve EPA’s current methods for evaluating the risk that pesticides pose to imperiled Pacific salmon as well as other fish and wildlife.

Among the report’s recommendations are that EPA more broadly account for pesticides’ direct and indirect harm to wildlife – including harm that is not immediately lethal, and impacts to food supply and habitat. It also encourages more consideration of the combined effects of exposure to multiple pesticides.

These recommendations echo what federal fisheries and wildlife scientists have been finding for years about the wide array of effects from these chemicals.

The full report can be found here. NCAP's news release on this report can be found here.

Backwash: The New Old Attack on Clean Water

Josh Vincent — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:17:37 -0400

What some legislators lack in originality, they make up for in persistence. This much is evident in the latest round of a seemingly tireless effort to weaken environmental protections by targeting the Clean Water Act.

The newest proposed bill, referred to as the "Sensible Environmental Protection Act of 2013," would amend the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to nullify the requirement that Clean Water Act permits be obtained for pesticide applications in or near waterways. Senator Kay Hagan (D - N.C.) and Senator Mike Crapo (R - Idaho) are the main support behind the bill, though it quickly gained a bipartisan group of 11 cosponsors.

The bill is a slightly broader version of S. 175, another bill introduced in January by Senator Pat Roberts (R - Kan.) and Senator Mike Johanns (R - Neb.), which itself is a repackaged version of 2011's S. 718, targeting the very same permitting requirements in FIFRA. A House version of the bill, HR 935, was introduced in March by Representative Bob Gibbs (R - Ohio). Like the Senate bill, it is an updated version of its 2011 predecessor HR 872, the "Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act."

Proponents of these bills have allowed themselves to be convinced by chemical and agricultural lobby groups that Clean Water Act permits are duplicative and burdensome given the other requirements outlined in FIFRA. However this is not true. FIFRA outlines the process for pesticide registration, labeling, and sales, but fails to adequately address pollution or potential pollution caused by pesticides. That's why U.S. courts ruled in National Cotton Council et al. v. EPA that certain pesticides are pollutants and are required to be regulated under a water quality permit. See this detailed post from 2011 for more analysis.

It's important that, like in years past, these bills do not pass into law. Please contact your legislators and tell them not to support the following:

In the Senate:

Sensible Environmental Protection Act of 2013

S. 175

Find your Senator

In the House:

HR 935

Find your Representative

Talking Points

1. This bill would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from protecting our waterways from toxic pesticide pollution by exempting pesticides applications from Clean Water Act permitting. The bill tries to overturn a 2009 lawsuit (National Cotton Council et al. v. EPA), which held that certain pesticides are pollutants and are required to be regulated under a water quality permit.

2. Treating pesticides as pollutants when they’re applied to waterways is common sense. Pesticides are manufactured to be toxic to living things and have caused real harm to public health and aquatic ecosystems. Pesticides are known to directly harm fish and amphibian life in particular. They also move up the food chain and can contaminate drinking water supplies.

3. Regulating pesticide discharges to water under the Clean Water Act does not duplicate other regulations and is unquestionably necessary to protect our waterways, public health, fish, and wildlife. Therefore, I urge you to oppose efforts that seek to weaken the Clean Water Act.

Scouting for Mummy Berry Disease

Josh Vincent — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:16:43 -0400

See the video.

Mummy berry is a fungal disease that often infects blueberries. It is common in the northwest, mainly due to constant high levels of moisture throughout the year.

Since Mummy Berry leads to many growers to use large amounts of fungicide, NCAP is conducting ongoing work with Oregon State University and blueberry growers to develop non-chemical controls.

Teresa DeAnda Receives Inaugural Community Hero Award

Katie Kis — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:09:15 -0400

^{See the video}

For years, pesticide clouds drifted into Teresa's home and the homes of her family and neighbors in California's heavily agricultural Central Valley. None of them thought they could protect themselves; incidents and exposures, both in-home and outside, persisted despite their pleas to the farmers and local government officials. When a metam sodium drift led to people being publicly hosed off in a school parking lot, with emergency responders forcing many of them to strip down, Teresa had had enough.

As the first-ever winner of our Community Hero Award, Teresa channels her compassion for her community members and frustration at their plight into a fight for change. When they thought no one could help them, she started finding ways to empower them to help themselves. At the same time, she advocated for large-scale, legislative commitments that hold companies and government agencies accountable for respecting her community and their right to a healthy environment.

Congratulations to Teresa for being a true community hero!

Conservation Stewardship Funding  Now Available to Farmers in 2013

Josh Vincent — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:40:52 -0400

“It was unclear if there would be a Conservation Stewardship Program signup this year,” says Jennifer Miller, sustainable agriculture associate with the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides. “Now producers can visit their local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices and complete the initial application form before the growing season is in full swing. The first step doesn’t take long.”

The funding error was fixed by Congress and President Obama in late March with passage and signing of the Continuing Resolution, which provides funding for the federal government for the rest of the 2013 fiscal year.

Since 2009, 50 million acres nationwide have been enrolled in CSP, more than any other farm conservation program over that same period. Last year, 101 contracts for 256,000 acres in Oregon, 77 contracts for 195,000 acres in Washington, 63 contracts for 103,000 acres in Idaho, and 31 contracts for 31,000 acres in California were enrolled in the program.

Offered through five-year contracts, farmers and ranchers have used CSP to protect and improve water quality, soil health and wildlife habitat on land in current production. The program is available for all types of farm operations, including cropland, pastureland, rangeland or forested acres.

While CSP is a continuous signup program and producers can apply to enroll at any time of the year, USDA applies a cut-off date for applications to be considered during a particular fiscal year. Once the cut-off date is past, producers may continue to apply for the program, but they will not be considered for entry until the spring of the following year (in this case spring of 2014).

NRCS has yet to announce a deadline for applications, but there is speculation it will likely be in May.

“This funding fix allows more farmers and ranchers interested in protecting water quality, soil health, and wildlife habitat to participate in the program this year,” says Miller. “With a potentially short timeline, it is important to get into an NRCS office and start the process.”

Potential applicants can find their NRCS local service center at http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?agency=nrcs.

David Brower Award Goes to NCAP Alumni

Josh Vincent — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:55:07 -0400

Each year at the University of Oregon's Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, the David Brower Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an important activist who exemplifies Brower's spirit and accomplishments. NCAP is proud to say that this year's award went jointly to Norma Grier and Dahinda Meda.

_{Photo by Trav Williams, Broken Banjo Photography}

Norma served as NCAP's Executive Director for 25 years, taking the helm in 1983 after working to coordinate NCAP's efforts with citizens' groups throughout southern Oregon. During that time, she led a successful charge to stop aerial pesticide spraying on public forest lands in Oregon and Washington, launched NCAP's legal efforts to protect salmon and water quality, and developed programs to promote alternatives to pesticides in farming for chemical-intensive Northwest crops such as potatoes.

Aside from her work with NCAP, Norma has been involved as a board member with many other environmentally focused public health and agricultural organizations such as Beyond Pesticides, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Oregon Organic Coalition, and the Willamette Valley Sustainable Foods Alliance.

Dahinda has played an equally large role in advancing pesticide reform. In the 1970s, he became involved in the Environmental Defense lawsuit that was instrumental in producing an EPA ban on the pesticide DDT. He then spent several years working on salmon habitat restoration projects in northern California. In the 1980s, he moved to Eugene where he met Norma and became involved with NCAP, serving on the board of directors for 15 years.

Dahinda's two family businesses, Cafe Mam and Royal Blue Organics, donate proceeds to fund pesticide reform efforts in the Northwest.

Congratulations to Norma and Dahinda for all this wonderful work, and for this much deserved award!

Grower's Own 2013 Recap

Josh Vincent — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:42:58 -0500

We prefaced the 2013 conference with a full day workshop on post-harvest handling and food safety. This was timely since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released new proposed food safety regulations. Atina Diffley, an organic farmer, and now a trainer with Organic Farming Works and FamilyFarmed.org, provided valuable hands on information based on her own farming experience and visits with numerous other produce farmers.

Then we kicked off the conference Friday evening with a banquet and the highly popular virtual farm tours. These tours featured two farms from Idaho, Wood River Organics in Bellevue and Mesquite Cattle Company in Middleton, and one farm from Oregon, 47^th Avenue Farm in Portland.

On Saturday, farmers shared in discussions during the farmer-to-farmer exchange. Three concurrent sessions were held on a variety of topics, including winter production, livestock feed sourcing & growing, organic insect management, wash facilities & packing sheds, and much more. Guest farmer Laura Masterson of 47^th Avenue Farm in Portland, OR shared her experience and led discussions in several of these sessions.

Also on Saturday, NCAP's Jennifer Miller was surprised with a Sustie Award. This was presented by conference co-organizer, Beth Rasgorshek of Canyon Bounty Farm, and farmers Janie Burns of Meadowlark Farm and Fred Brossy of Ernie’s Organics. The Steward of Sustainable Agriculture (Sustie) Award is modeled after the ones given at the EcoFarm Conference in California each year. Periodically over the past ten years, Idaho farmers have given this award to leaders in the Idaho sustainable agriculture movement. Congratulations Jen! NCAP is lucky to have you!

The Grower's Own Conference is a unique opportunity for Idaho’s organic and sustainable farming community to gather, share their experiences, and inspire one another. NCAP is pleased to provide this opportunity to further strengthen healthy farming practices in the Northwest.

Temporary Farm Bill Extension Passes: Food and Farm Issues Still in Play

Kim Leval — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:10:00 -0500

In short, the Farm Bill is a mess. We need to fix it.

After attending the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition meeting in Florida last week, it's clear to me that there are many ways we can still try and reform food and farm policy in this country. We want marker bills or other vehicles ready, so that we can strive for improvements in conservation, organic and research for alternatives. We want to be ready to counter attempts to roll back clean water regulations or to add industry loopholes that fast track GMOs. It's crucial to keep pushing for good environmental standards, organic programs, research on alternatives to pesticides, and other items that will truly reform the traditional 5-year Farm Bill.

This what we all did last fall, and even though we didn't get the good things we wanted, we did stop a lot of bad ideas from moving forward. Because of your responses, no rollbacks on endangered species protection, clean water protection or biotech regulations were attached to the Farm Bill extension...and we count those as important wins!

Our efforts also paid off in another way. While not perfect, the Conservation Stewardship Program was extended at the 2008 Farm Bill levels. Without our loud voices it might have been cut entirely.

Unfortunately, several successful programs important to the advancement of alternatives to pesticides in agriculture were not included in the 9-month Farm Bill extension. These include support for organic research, organic cost share, and beginning farmers and ranchers.

You may ask, what did make it in?

Answer: Direct payments – those subsidy payments for commodity crops like corn and soybeans. These payments were not reformed in any way.

Last summer, the full Senate passed a Farm Bill that removed these direct payments, which many in agriculture agreed should go.

All was not lost, though. This was just an extension and the new Congress will soon address a full five-year Farm Bill. Your calls to Congress are extremely important. Be ready to pick up the phone this spring and summer.

- Kim Leval

Eat for the Earth!

Shelly Connor — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:10:00 -0500

Eat for the Earth in 2013!

Throughout 2013, NCAP is teaming up with local restaurants and breweries who are supporting our work with percentage days each month.

Help NCAP, eat good food and get the most out of your meal!

May 14th

Our May Eat for the Earth day will be at Granary Pizza and Nightclub on May 14th. The fundraiser runs all day and at 9 pm Small Joys will have a special performance. Good pizza, good music and supporting NCAP, what more could you want?

April 16th

We are so pleased to announce our first ever Community Hero Award winner on April 16 at Holy Cow. I hope you will join us in celebrating the incredible work of this extraordinary person.

Plus Holy Cow is donating 25% of the proceeds from the evening!

The evening program features speaker Colehour Bondera who is a member of the National Organics Standards Board, organic farmer, activist from Hawaii and a former NCAP workstudy student!

If you can't make it to the event, you can still support NCAP by eating at Holy Cow and mentioning our name at the time of purchase!

Come and enjoy a tasty dinner along with celebrating local heros who are making a difference in their community! For more information visit their website.

March 18th

Want to try some amazing comfort food with a vegan, earth friendly conscious? Cornbread Cafe will be the host of our March Eat for the Earth fundraiser on March 18th. Cornbread Cafe is generously donating a percentage of their daily profits on March 18th to NCAP, so come enjoy a tasty meal at a great diner with a vegan twist! For more information visit their website!

February 17th

Eating cupcakes and helping the environment, what could be better? With every bite you take at Divine Cupcake on Sunday, February 17th you will be supporting NCAP. Divine Cupcake is generously donating a percentage of their daily profits so come celebrate the sweet side of of life with amazing organic treats and beverages! For directions to Divine Cupcake www.divinecupcake.com.

January 14th

Falling Sky Brewing is generously donating 10% of their daily profits so come celebrate the start of the week with great food and tasty beverages! For directions visit their website at: http://fallingskybrewing.com/.

Canola Hearing Jan. 23

Josh Vincent — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:29:13 -0500

The public comment period closes that following Friday, January 25th at 5pm. Written comments can be mailed to: Canola Hearings Officer, Department of Agriculture, 635 Capitol Street NE, Salem, OR 97301 or via send email to: canola-rulemaking@oda.state.or.us.

From Friends of Family Farmers:

The new proposed rule differs from the one ODA considered in September 2012. In the new version, the boundary remains the same and the total number of canola acres allowed is 2,500. ODA maintains authority to grant variances to growers 'near' the boundary to plant unlimited amounts of canola. Variances will not count toward the acreage cap, and ODA is not prohibited from raising the cap at any time.

The proposed new rule allows for any grower in the Willamette Valley 'Protected' District' to plant canola provided the grower treats the canola crop as a specialty seed and abides by the Willamette Valley Specialty Seed Association (WVSSA) rules for pinning and isolation distances. However, the WVSSA's current rules do not accomodate this scenario: "Canola/ rapeseeed may be grown only under permit [research] from the Oregon Department of Agriculture and GM Canola or Rapeseed is not allowed to be grown." For the proposed rule to work, WVSSA would have to change their guidelines, including a removal of the GM prohibition. This is not something that WVSSA is inclined to do.

Please attend the hearing if you can, and contact Friends of Family Farmers if you plan to attend: leah(at)friendsoffamilyfarmers.org

Community Hero Award Launched

Shelly Connor — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:45:00 -0500

The award aims to honor leaders across the Northwest who are driving innovative, inspiring efforts to reduce pesticides in their communities. No action is too small.

The deadline for submissions is March 1st. Winners will be announced the week of April 15th.

Here are some great reasons why you should submit a nomination:

To motivate others to reduce pesticide use by providing innovative alternatives.
To give community leaders the opportunity to share their genius on a broader scale.
To inspire other people to work toward reducing pesticide use, even on a local level.
To give leaders the recognition they deserve for their good work.

Visit our Community Hero Award page for the nomination form, guidelines, and full list of prizes.

Organic Land Care Accreditation

Josh Vincent — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 19:22:43 -0500

Oregon Tilth Accredited Organic Land Care Accreditation Training

January 28th – February 1st, 2103
Clackamas Community College, Oregon City Campus

Oregon Tilth, in partnership with Clackamas Community College, is offering a five-day training for landscape professionals focusing on organic practices including soil biology, ecological landscaping, Integrated Pest Management, permaculture design, water collection, organic weed management, marketing organic land care, stormwater management, toxics and pollution reduction, tree care and more. (See attached curriculum for details.)

Participants in the training are eligible for accreditation.
(37) LCB CEU’s available.

Cost: $550 (with an additional $100 exam fee for accreditation)

Contact: David Alba
Oregon Tilth
OLC Program Manager
541-908-1194
davealba@tilth.org

Pediatricians Call for IPM

Josh Vincent — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:29:31 -0500

A report released earlier this week by the American Academy of Pediatrics conveyed their position on pesticides and the evidence linking children’s pesticide exposure to “…pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral problems.” The report identified home pesticide use, use on lawns and public spaces, and diet as some of the primary pathways for exposure in children.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is chief among the strategies the report recommends for preventing exposure. The report’s other recommendations to the medical and regulatory communities include: increased pediatric awareness of pesticides and exposure symptoms; easier incident reporting and centralized tracking of exposure cases; improved labeling of “…all product constituents, including inert ingredients, carriers and solvents;” and new label sections that are specific on risks to children.

Download the Full Report (PDF 689KB)

Boycott Looms for Labeling Opponents

Josh Vincent — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:38:36 -0500

PepsiCo, Kraft, Coca-Cola, General Mills, ConAgra, Kellogg’s, Smucker’s, Unilever, and Dean Foods...

What do these companies have in common?

They all spent loads of money to help defeat California's Proposition 37, a ballot initiative that would have required genetically modified foods (GMOs) to be labeled. Now organic and right-to-know advocates are rightfully calling for a boycott, but it's complicated.

These major companies all have another thing in common, which is that they own many "organic" and "natural" brands as subsidiaries. In the case of PepsiCo, it's Naked Juice, Tostito’s Organic, and Tropicana Organic. In the case of Coca Cola, it's Honest Tea and Odwalla. The list goes on to include ubiquitous health-food-store finds like R.W. Knudsen, Santa Cruz Organic, Silk, Horizon, Gardenburger, Morningstar Farms, Kashi, Ben & Jerry's, and many, many more.

The irony of it is cruel, but one of the implications here is that if you've been shopping some of these organic brands to avoid consuming GMOs, you've actually been giving your money to parent companies that want to keep you in the dark on all things genetically modified. A boycott now means avoiding these brands (even the organic ones) in favor of others that aren't feeding their profits to conglomerates who work actively against food safety.

In recent years, national polls conducted by Reuters, ABC, MSNBC, the Washington Post, and Consumer Reports, have all shown that at over 90% of Americans want labeling for GMOs. In California, polls showed the "Yes on 37" votes at around 70% until these and other companies stepped in.

Common sense and overwhelming public support is why it took a $46 million ad campaign to generate enough confusion, fear, and doubt to kill the proposition. After all, it's expensive work convincing people to vote against their own best interest. The only way it works is if you've got enough money. Since there are GMO labeling initiatives on the horizon in Washington, Vermont, and other states, why not take steps to ensure that these opponent companies have less money to fight with next time?

If you are one of millions of consumers who are angered and disappointed by California's defeat, please help send a clear message to the companies who helped kill Prop 37.

Boycotts. Fewer sales. Less profit. It's the only language they understand.

Learn More:

The Divide: Which Brands Support/Oppose Your Right to Know

Organic Consumer's Association: More on the Boycott

Funding Deadlines Approach for Organic Initiative

Josh Vincent — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:03:09 -0500

Next Friday, November 16 is an important deadline for conservation funding through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California, Idaho and Oregon.

Funds are available for both certified organic and transitioning producers.

The Organic Initiative can help producers implement cover crops, plantings for pollinators and beneficial insects, grazing plans, and much more.

While producers can sign up at any time, an initial application must be submitted by the following deadlines to be considered for fiscal year 2013.

      California - November 16
      Idaho - November 16
      Montana - December 21
      Oregon - November 16 and February 15
      Washington - December 21

      Other state deadlines have been compiled by the Organic Farming Research Foundation HERE.

Contact your local NRCS office to begin the application process.

We need your help in spreading the word about this funding, especially to transitioning growers! If you have been contacted by a farmer who has expressed interest in organic production, be sure to tell them that there are federal funds for establishing buffers, beneficial plantings, cover cropping and so much more.

Contact Jennifer Miller (jmiller@pesticide.org) or check out this recent Capital Press article for more information.