Presentation to IUPUI SPEA class at Food Fight Indy - With first edits and resources

1. Biological Farming vs. Industrial /
Biotech Based Farming
Presented by Chris Sullivan
Food Fight Indy
November 26, 2012

2. Two Competing Methodologies
• Developments of the late 1800s to early
1900s
• Research and work of early 1900s up to
WWII
• Post WWII a winner emerges
• The battle continues today
• Which way is best for the future?

3. Several Questions
• Are we any better off? Are we healthier?
• Which way really can feed the world?
• Who should be feeding the world? Can the
rest of the world learn to feed itself?
• Which method is truly sustainable?
• What are the unintended consequences of
biotech and industrial farming?

4. What Do We Mean by Biological Farming?
Synonymous or associated with:
– Organic Farming
– Holistic Systems
– Eco Agriculture
– Sustainable Agriculture
• Nurturing of soils and biodiversity
• More recent focus on nutrient dense foods
• A community of excellent farmers and ranchers,
consultants, support organizations and product
companies.

5. Industrial and Biotech Based Agriculture
• Coinciding with Industrial Revolution
• Early focus on chemical fertilization – NPK
• Chemical pest & weed control explosion post
WWII
• Propelled by the “Green Revolution”
• Focused on production volume
• Abundant, lower cost and more convenient food
• Supported by Agri-Business and government
agencies

6. A Few Concerns with Biotech and Industrial Ag
• Continual need for agri-business to grow markets to
grow companies and keep profitable - To who’s ultimate
benefit?
• Ramping up PR machine seemingly in response to
popularity of organics and local food movements.
• Pushing a new Green Revolution with biotech – Are we
well served by the first one?
• Low margins mean need for higher production of lower
value foods to maintain a modest living.
• Industrial methods require high energy inputs.

7. A Few Concerns with Biotech and Industrial Ag
• GM0s are not proven and suspect of many
health problems.
• GMOs lock farmers into a cycle of dependence
and into debt.
• 40% of grains are fed to factory farm animals
• Unintended consequence of chemicals have
weakened soils. RoundUp Ready (RR) crops
shown to be less productive (Huber.)
• RR GMO crops mean more Roundup sprayed,
but no better food and nutrition.

8. A Few Concerns with Biotech and Industrial Ag
• Crops are more environmentally sensitive.
• Higher occurrences of pesticide related illnesses
in farmers and their farm workers.
• Herbicide tolerant ‘super weeds’ have
developed, RoundUp is now less effective.

9. A Few Concerns with Biotech and Industrial Ag
• 9-10 million dairy cows in US with an average
culling age of 42 months.
• Since 1993 US went from 131,000 to 50,000
dairy farms.
• Bigger is not better!
• Pharamceutical methods of manipulating cow’s
rumens (Rumensin, monensin) for production,
has consequences. But this can be done
naturally!

10. True Sustainable Agriculture
• People past and present
• Future farmers and interest of young and
beginning farmers
• Large movement with much scientific support
and results
• Scalability – limited, but not limited to how much
can be done!
• Whole systems and biodiversity with results!

11. True Sustainable Agriculture
Early 20th Century Visionaries
• Sir Albert Howard – Father of modern organic ag
• Frank Newman Turner – British organic farming pioneer
• William Albrecht – University of Missouri Agronomist
• Louis Bromfield – Malabar Farms, “Out of the Earth”
• Friend Sykes – Modern hummus farming
• Dr. Weston A. Price – Nutrition researcher
• William Kenan – Randleigh Farms, dairy and nutrition
research. Worked with numerous doctors and farmer
scientists. Cured undulant fever and TB with raw milk.

12. Carnation Dairy in 1952
• Animal husbandry prior to advent of modern ‘animal science.’
• 42,000 lbs milk and 1,500 lbs butter fat!
• 135 cows @ 1,000+ lbs. of butter fat!
• Diverse high forage ration, high dry matter intake, low starch
– • Pasture: 30 - 40 lbs. (“lactogenic factors”, sugars, pectins,
fructans, glucans, cellulose, hemi-cellulose, fatty acids,
polysaccharides)
– • Beet Pulp: 12 lbs. (cellulose, hemi-cellulose, pectins)
– • Corn Silage: 15 lbs. (use molasses for preservative)
– • Sliced Beets: 25 lbs. (pectins, sugars, glucans, fructans, etc.)
– • Alfalfa Hay: 20 lbs. summer/40 lbs. winter (cellulose, hemi-
cellulose, sugars, fatty acids, pectins, lignin)
– • Kelp: ? (amount not stated)
– • Molasses: 2 lbs. (sugars, minerals)
– • Grain: 20 lbs. (20% Protein, 5% Fat, 10% Fiber)
– Wheat bran, ground oats, ground corn, linseed oil meal,
– soybean meal, rolled barley, coconut meal, corn germ meal,
hominy feed, yeast, salt, minerals (8% of the grain).

13. Healthy Soil Systems
• Don Shrefer – “From The Soil Up” and “Agriculture
in Transition”
• Yield limiting factors go beyond NPK. Fertilization is
nothing without proper air, water and digestion
(decay) management.
• Soil biology, including microbes and fungi, are an
important part of healthy soils.
• Good soil systems are fundamental to yields and
nutrient density.
• Lots of off farm inputs ARE NOT required for high
volumes of production.

14. True Sustainable Agriculture
Sample of Modern Researchers,
Consultants and Practitioners
• Jerry Brunetti – Animal health and nutrition
• Ardeen Anderson, Ph.D., D.O., soils consultant
• Will Winter, DVM – Holistic animal health
• Gary Zimmer – Soils consultant and farmer
• Jeff Moyer – Rodale Institute, cover crops and organic
vs. conventional trials.

15. True Sustainable Agriculture
A Sample of Modern Day Successful
Sustainable Farmers and Ranchers
• Cody Holmes and Greg Judy – Successful grass-fed and
grazing operators
• Joel Salatin – Polyface Farms, multifaceted eco-
agriculturist, successful farmer
• Dick Thompson – Farmer and founding member of
Practical Farmers of Iowa
• Klass and Mary Martens – Former conventional turned
successful organic farmers
• Wendell Berry – Famous farmer and author, “The
Unsettling of America.”

16. Sustainable Agriculture Conferences
Since the Mid 1990s
• Growing in size each year
• Five plus with 1,000 or more attendance
• Several with 2,500 to 3,000 attendees
• Fair number with 400-500 attendees
• Many with 100-250 attendees
• All kinds of meetings and specialty topics

17. Sustainable Agriculture Groups
Sample of Agencies, Associations
and Publishers
• SARE – Sustainable Agriculture Research and
Education, part of USDA
• ATTRA – National Sustainable Agricultural Information
Service, National Center for Appropriate Technology
• MOSES – Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education
Service
• OEFFA – Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association
• SSWAG – Southern Sustainable Agricultural Working
Group
• Acres USA – Publisher, founded by Charles Walters

18. Whole Systems
Farms Seen as Ecosystems
• Mimic the success of nature
• Intelligent, self organizing, collaborative
• Nature is not survival of the fittest, it is survival
with cooperation, communication and
collaboration
• Biodiversity of local environment
• Depend upon consilience, versus specialization

19. Feeding the World
• It’s more than increasing yields. For example:
– Per capita food production in South America
and India is up in the last 30 years, but the
number of hungry people have increased.
– In India, from 10 million to 42 million tons of
grain produced, but not all distributed, much
marked for export.

20. Feeding the World
How can biological/eco-agriculture help?
• Development of many more sustainable farming
environments
• Rural development around the world
• Already many in US sustainable agriculture
movement are helping worldwide
• Exporting the current successes
• Empowering local people to do what works

21. Future of Food and Farming
A critical time to make a wise choice
We must learn from the past and take into account
unintended consequences
Nutrient density needs to be considered
We need to respect the connection between soils,
plant, animal and human health
Science and nature do coexist, as has been
proven, when the right motives are in force

22. Contact Info
Chris Sullivan
chris@FarmFoodAndHealth.com
www.FarmFoodAndHealth.com

23. Resources
• Acres USA – Publisher and seller of Eco-Agriculture books and “Acres USA
Magazine” and the annual Acres USA Conference.
http://www.acresusa.com
• MOSES – Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service. Annual
conference, various educational events and farm field days. Based in
Wisconsin.
http://www.mosesorganic.org

24. Resources
• OEFFA – Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association.
Annual conference, organic certifications, educational events and tours.
http://www.oeffa.org
• Southern Sustainable Agricultural Working Group (Southern SAWG) –
Supporting southern states, annual conference, educational programs.
http://www.ssawg.org

25. Resources
• Rodale Institute – Organic farming research and outreach for the last sixty
years. Home of the 30 year Farming Systems Trial comparing conventional
farming to organic farming.
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org
• SARE – Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, part of USDA.
Grants, books and other educational materials. Various office in many
states. Serving Indiana.
http://www.sare.org
• ATTRA – National Sustainable Agricultural Information Service, National
Center for Appropriate Technology. Sustainable agriculture information and
services for all that are interested.
http://attra.ncat.org

26. Resources
• Cornucopia Institute – Information for consumers, family farmers and the
media on the sustainable and organic agricultural community. Various
‘Scorecards’ on the state of certified organic companies and producers.
http://www.cornucopia.org
• Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture – Research and education
center located at Iowa State University with a focus on the negative
environmental and social impacts of farming, farm profitability and
conservation of natural resources.
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu

27. Resources
• Institute for Responsible Technology – Founded by Jeffery Smith, author
and GMO expert. Investigating the risks and health affects of GMOs and
educating the public and policymakers. Publishers of the ‘Non-GMO
Shopping Guide’ and iPhone app.
http://www.responsibletechnology.org
• Organic Consumers Association - Campaigning for health, justice,
and sustainability. Dealing with issues of food safety, industrial
agriculture, genetic engineering, children's health, corporate
accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other
key topics.
http://www.organicconsumers.org

28. Resources
Some National Sustainable Farming Heroes
• Joel Salatin – Polyface Farms, multifaceted eco-agriculturist, successful
pasture based farmer, author, advocate and educator.
http://www.polyfacefarms.com
• Cody Holmes - Successful grass-fed and rotational grazing operator,
author and educator.
http://www.holisticsystemsforstockmen.net
• Greg Judy - Successful grass-fed and mixed species rancher, MOB grazing
expert, author and speaker.
http://www.greenpasturesfarm.net

29. Resources
Some National Sustainable Farming Heroes
• Eliot Coleman – Organic produce farmer, utilizing season extension,
rotational grazer, free range poultry producer, author and educator.
http://www.fourseasonfarm.com
• Will Allen – Former professional basketball player turned urban farmer.
Founder and CEO of Growing Power, Inc., an organization dedicated to
the development of community food systems and to sharing the knowledge
of local food production. He is a public speaker and educator, author of the
book ‘The Good Food Revolution’, and an innovator of creative farming
systems.
http://www.growingpower.org

30. Local Indiana Resources
• Global Peace Initiatives -