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DAVIS -- The University of California’s statewide Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) has submitted results of a two separate organic studies to the federal government to help resolve controversies within the rapidly growing organic food industry.

Whether organic livestock and poultry should be fed exclusively with certified organic feeds was at the heart of a national controversy that was resolved last month when the U.S. Congress reinstated funding for enforcement of the organic feed requirement.

Last fall, UC Davis-based SAREP conducted a survey among organic producers in order to evaluate claims concerning the supply and price of organic feed crops. The survey found that although the West is not now a major source of organic feed, the potential is there.

SAREP is one of several contractors nationwide that provided the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) with data on these feed crops to resolve questions about their availability. SAREP director Sean L. Swezey and UC postgraduate researcher Samuel Prentice conducted the survey, which is intended to help USDA make decisions about organic regulations. The USDA is reviewing SAREP’s feed grain study before sending it to Congress this month (June).

Organic feed crop production in the western United States is unique in that an extensive semi-arid climate restricts the cultivation of corn and soy, the two main animal feed ingredients nationwide. However, the results of SAREP’s survey indicate that certified organic land in the Western Region appears to be increasing, with feed crops representing an increasing proportion of this land.

“In 2001, over half of all organic acreage was planted to at least one of 10 crops identified for their potential use in feed recipes,” said Swezey. “Interestingly, lesser-used feed crops such as flax, millet, safflower, and dried pulses appear to be gaining ground as feed ingredients.”

The survey results also reveal extensive areas of land (70,000 unsprayed acres) available for rapid transition to certified organic production. Finally, organic producers expect a premium for their products, and several cited a rough formula of conventional price plus 20 percent as a benchmark for what they expect to be paid for organic grains.
 
“National organic product sales are currently approaching $13 billion annually, and farmers are demanding increased technical and research services,” said Swezey. “Organic products are among the fastest growing segments of the national food economy.”

In a separate project, UC Davis-based SAREP also completed eight reviews of substances used in organic production for another USDA organic initiative.

Prentice and Swezey conducted Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) reviews, which  are used by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to determine the compatibility of substances petitioned for use in organic agriculture. The review process was set up to address ambiguity in the national standards, and is considered integral to maintaining the intent of the national list of substances that can and cannot be used in certified organic systems.

“With the help of TAP reviews, the NOSB can better interpret the letter and spirit of organic law,” said Swezey. “At the same time, their decisions will help certifiers understand what substances a grower may use, and what substances do not belong in a certified organic system. Farmers will find that going directly to the materials section of the NOSB regulations will make it easier for them to select inputs.”

SAREP has been conducting TAP reviews since spring 2002, including reviews of Chilean nitrate (for agriculture and aquaculture), calcium stearate,
1,4-dimethylnapthalene, and potassium sulfate. The NOSB used the reviews to rule on use of these five materials prior to implementation of the USDA standards last October. More recently, reviews of potassium silicate, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA), and Sumisorb 300 were sent to the NOSB for consideration at the May NOSB meeting in Austin, Tex. The NOSB’s recommendations to the USDA will be posted at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/TodaysNews.html.

Click for hi-res feeding chicken image.

Media contact:
Sean Swezey, director of University of California’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), (530) 752-2379, findit@cats.ucsc.edu.