AMES, Iowa -- “We are entering a time of unprecedented support for organic agriculture,” Kathleen Delate, associate professor in agronomy and horticulture, told the Eighth Iowa Organic Conference. Delate credits the work of the Iowa delegation and key organizations, including the Organic Farming Research Foundation and the Iowa Organic Association, in getting 30 provisions included in the 2008 Farm Bill that have direct application to organic producers. One provision enhances cost-share payments for organic certification and transitioning acres to organic production.

Iowa currently ranks fourth in the nation in the number of organic farmers, with Iowa State University’s Organic Ag Program and the organic division at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship rated among the top five in the country. More than 225 farmers, industry representatives, Extension staff, professors, and students attended the conference at the Scheman Center on the ISU campus, Monday, Nov. 24.

Tim LaSalle, CEO of The Rodale Institute, spoke to conference goers on Sunday night, explaining the carbon sequestration benefits of organic agriculture to offset harmful global emissions. The Rodale Institute, the nation’s oldest organic farming research center, has extensive soil carbon sequestration data from their 29-year-old side-by-side comparisons of organic and conventional grain crops. ISU is also collecting similar data and plans were made for a consortium to share information among U.S. research institutions to provide policymakers in the upcoming administration.
 
An all-organic conference lunch featured local, organic beef, chicken, squash and apples transformed into a gourmet meal by Nancy Levandowski, ISU Director of Dining and speaker at the conference. “The average food item travels 1,500 miles,”  Levandowski told the session-goers. “Our goal is to have 35 percent of our ISU menus contain local, organic and sustainable products by 2012.”

Already, the student body has been extolling the praises of the Dining Services efforts in this regard. According to surveys conducted by Dining Services, students see the value in eating more sustainable foods, and are willing to pay a small premium to support family farms and the environment. This sentiment bodes well for producers in Iowa looking to diversify into organic and specialty crops.

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