Good Fruit Grower

February 15

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Diseases & Disorders It���s important that growers provide comments or, better yet, oral testimony before the decision is made, he said. ���I think if it���s important enough for you to come and make a presentation to us, it adds credence. It shows that the material is important to you as an individual and to the industry.��� Mating disruption Austin said other issues with the potential to impact orchardists will be on the NOSB���s agenda in the future. For example, it is working on a process to consider whether the inert ingredients in mating disruption dispensers should continue to be approved for use in organic production. ���That will impact how you do business today, tomorrow, and in the future,��� he said. ���You need to be engaged. If the board doesn���t hear from the growers and know how important or not important the issue is to the stakeholders, we have to listen to the other voices that are making the comments and are testifying to us. ���Whether it���s tetracycline, or streptomycin, or inert ingredients, whether it���s handlers or growers, they really need as organic stakeholders to become involved in the process if they want the process and the rules to work on their behalf.��� ��� N OSB proposals can be viewed at www .ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOPNational OrganicProgramHome under the National Organic Standards Board section. Who���s on the NOSB? The National Organic Standards Board consists of 15 members. by Geraldine Warner T he National Organic Standards Board has 15 members who serve five-year terms, though the terms are not equally staggered. The membership is comprised of four farmers, three environmentalists or resource conservationists, three consumer or public interest advocates, two handlers or processors, one retailer, one scientist, and one certifying agent. In January this year, Dr. Francis Thicke was appointed to the board to replace Barry Flamm in one of the environmentalist positions. A year ago, five new members joined the board: Harold Austin (handler), Carmela Beck (farmer/producer), Tracy Favre (environmentalist), Jean Richardson (consumer/ public interest), and Andrea ���Zea��� Sonnabend (scientist). EPA Certi���ed V-10 Engine [without catalytic converter] Go CAT Less FORD TRITON V-10 Simplify Your Life [without Catalytic Converter] Introducing # Lower initial purchase price our newest dealer # Lower maintenance cost Chamberlin Distributing Co., Inc. Wenatchee, WA # Easier to diagnose and service 509-663-7151 # No more CAT burn injuries # Increased return on investment # Reduced theft losses, eliminate costly CAT replacements Call for a dealer in your area! # Eliminates need for oxygen sensors H.F HAUFF . COMPANY INC. 2921 Sutherland Park Dr. Yakima, WA 98903-1891 Toll Free 1-855-855-0318 509-248-0318 ��� fax 509-248-0914 hfhauff@gmail.com www.hfhauff.com 22 FEBRUARY 15, 2013 GOOD FRUIT GROWER Miles McEvoy Miles McEvoy, deputy administrator of the National Organic Program, said that positions on the board are sought after. The U.S. Department of Agriculture received at least 20 applications for Flamm���s position, and when the five positions were open a year ago, it had about 45 applications in total. Selection criteria include an understanding of organic principles and experience in the organic community, as well as an ability to evaluate technical information. Specific positions have additional criteria. For example, the scientist should have expertise in toxicology, ecology, or biochemistry. Sonnabend, who was appointed to the scientist position, has a master���s degree in plant breeding from Cornell University and has been a farmer, retailer, wholesaler, and teacher and works as a policy specialist and farm inspector for California Certified Organic Farmers in Watsonville, California. Her biographical information makes no mention of toxicology, ecology, or biochemistry. However, McEvoy said she met the qualifications for a person applying for the scientist position, as expertise in those fields is just a recommendation. The Cornucopia Institute made an official complaint to the USDA last year regarding the appointment of Carmela Beck to a farmer/grower position as she neither owns or operates an organic farm but is a fulltime employee of Driscoll���s, a fruit marketer, where she manages farmer contracts for berry growers. Technical Asked if the board members are able to adequately research and understand all the issue that come before them, McEvoy said the USDA is looking at how it could do a better job of summarizing the technical information for them and plans to have more technical experts attend the NOSB meetings to answer the board���s questions objectively. The Organic Food Production Act authorized the formation of a technical advisory panel, but McEvoy said there is no process to put that in place at this time. McEvoy said he can understand why growers might feel that the board does not fully understand their situation. ���The organic standards are a conglomeration of a number of different perspectives, so that���s the challenge, to get the agriculture perspective to be really understood by consumers and environmental groups.��� He said growers should provide comments to the board to help them understand the issues. www.goodfruit.com

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