Action Alert for Fresh Vegetable Growers, and an Update on NAIS Funding

A National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement could harm family-scale farmers. Attend a hearing or submit written comments today!

The USDA is holding hearings across the country in September and October to allow the public — especially fresh vegetable growers and handlers — to comment on a proposed agreement that would authorize the development and implementation of production and handling regulations for a long list of fresh vegetables, primarily leafy greens.

The proposed marketing agreement would allow corporate leafy green handlers to attach a USDA-backed “food safety seal” to lettuce, spinach, cabbage and other vegetables.  But, since the standards would be written by big industry, it would be impractical for local farmers at farmers markets, CSAs and roadside stands to use that same seal.  This marketing ploy could lead many consumers to assume that vegetables from industrial-scale monoculture farms (primarily in California) are safer than the leafy greens at local farmers markets.

Although claiming to be a food safety measure, there’s no proof that these standards would actually prevent food borne illness.  Standards in California, which would likely provide the basis for the national program, have not prevented contamination. To the contrary, on September 18, a signatory to the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement recalled 1,715 cartons of spinach due to salmonella contamination!

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Tags: Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, Fresh Vegetable Growers, NAIS, National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, USDA

Attracting Beneficial Insects to Your Garden

basil, parsley, lettuce, arugula, dill, beans

Portions reposted from http://phigblog.com/2009/06/21/buzz-on-attracting-beneficial-insects-to-your-garden/ This has been very helpful to my organic garden!

LACEWINGS: One of the best predatory insects, these little guys flutter around the garden on delicate green wings at dusk.  Their larvae are known as ‘aphid lions’, but lacewings also attack thrips, caterpillars, mites, and more!  COMPANION PLANTS: Dill, goldenrod, dandelions.

LADYBUGS: There’s a reason these spotted beetles are considered lucky, as their presence helps protect your garden from bothersome pests.  Their larvae look like tiny alligators and voraciously consume aphids, mealy bugs, scales, and spider mites.  COMPANION PLANTS: Yarrow, sunflowers, mint.

BRACONID WASPS: These tiny wasps don’t sting, but gruesomely parasitize everything from gypsy moths to cabbageworms to cornborers.  After laying eggs inside their prey, their young eat their victims alive from the inside out.  How’s that for revenge against your enemies?  COMPANION PLANTS: Fennel, coriander,  Queen Anne’s lace.

DADDY LONG LEGS: Eight legs good!  Like the spiders they are closely related to, these useful fellows feed almost exclusively on all kinds of insects.  COMPANION PLANTS: Comfrey, yarrow, nettle.

How do I attract and keep them in my garden?

• Avoid spraying chemicals. Insecticides are generally indiscriminate, killing good and bad bugs alike. In the long run this will only make your problems worse. The pests will quickly return and, in the absence of predators, their populations will explode and devastate your garden. By the time your natural insect allies return, the damage will be done.
• Feed your insect friends with beautiful flowers. Besides eating pest insects, many beneficials also feed on pollen at different stages of their life cycle. Attract them by planting a wide variety of annual and perennial flowers. Keep them in the garden by making sure you have something blooming in all seasons. Plants with clusters of tiny flowers (the umbel and aster families in particular) are often the best for bringing in beneficials.
• Provide a home for your new garden allies. Ideally you want them to stay in your garden year round as a permanent garrison of pest protection.Dense vegetation, fallen leaves, mulch, and rock piles all provide good shelter for beneficials to live and reproduce. If possible, leave your end-of-season garden clean up until Spring to allow your insect friends to overwinter.Pre-industrial farms always had hedgerows, wild spaces in between fields that provided habitat for a balanced ecology. You can apply the same principle in any sized yard or garden.Consider leaving one corner of a larger property to grow wild at nature’s whim. In smaller gardens, the approach can be as simple as interplanting some flowers with your veggies.
• Create a watering hole. Although many beneficials meet their moisture needs from drinking nectar, others need a water source to stay hydrated or to reproduce. This can be accomplished with something as simple as a birdbath or as ambitious as a greywater processing pond.

Learn more: The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control, Ellis & Bradley; Gaia’s Garden, Toby Hemenway. http://phigblog.com/2009/06/21/buzz-on-attracting-beneficial-insects-to-your-garden/

Click on the Continue reading link to read about my gardening experience (I’m a newbie at this, but having my own horse manure compost helps …) › Continue reading

Tags: beneficial insects, companion plants, natural insect and disease control, organic gardening