COSA website and other updates

Hello all,

This is my first ever posting to a blog! I wanted to share some ideas Victoria and I have about a COSA website.

Here are some ideas of what might go up:

1. The explanation of the COSA committee - which lays out our charge and structure
2. History of how COSA was formed
3. All members and contact info with dates of service (when they are up to rotate off or stay on as the case may be)
4. The blog posting that lists all those great organic and sustainable ag info sites and resources
5. Plans for the 2005 Roundtable and anticipated future events
6. An outline of our purpose, goals and activities and the outcomes we hope for
7. Update on funding or legislative issues. And links to organizations that post regularly on policy actions that can be taken to support organic and sustainable agricutlure
8. Funding opportunities in organic and sust. ag - links to NRI, CSREES organic and OFRF funding among others...
9. A place for international and domestic news

Does this look like a good start? What are your ideas to add? I'm sure we've forgotten important web components in this list -so please help us out!

I haven't reached Laurie Drinkwater on where things are at with the big systems research project. Has anyone else heard? I'll try other folks as well.

I also will check into NRI funding for future COSA activities and possible funding matches.

Happy Mother's Day! Kim

Minutes from April 8

April 8, 2005
COSA conference call

Walter Goldstein, Julie Dawson, Cheryl Baker, Victoria Bhavsar, Kim Leval, Heather Darby

Announcements – none

Annual meeting funding and logistics
Karl and Kim have applied to ASA for funding of the roundtable in Salt Lake. The Western SARE PDP coordinator, Phil Rasmussen, was very supportive and offered help. He will check with Senator Bennett’s office to see if anyone from that office can attend the roundtable.

The roundtable will occur immediately before the Sperling Lecture (November 7, 4-7). Topics are in the minutes from our March conference call.

All discussion groups will be charged with brainstorming ideas for symposia proposals or organized sessions for 2006. COSA members will take those ideas and work them up.

Topic updates:
Farming systems – Still trying to contact Laurie Drinkwater.
Policy – Senator Bennett’s office is being contacted.
Education – On the agenda.
Science in NOSB – Kim will talk to Alex to see what’s going on.

Other Events and Contacts
On-farm breeding projects workshop – November 10 sponsored by
Marcello Carena marcello.carena@ndsu.nodak.edu
Molly John mmj9@cornell.edu

Website content
Kim and Victoria will think about this and circulate draft text.

Flyer for sustainable agriculture
The idea is to identify events and symposia that people can go to during the meeting, as a “map” to highlighted events. This would be included in the registration packet. Karl will be requested to look into the logistics of this.
Next year, we may ask people to check a box in their title-summary form to be included in the COSA flyer. COSA should not get into the position of evaluating people’s talks for sustainability focus.

In the future – have a graduate student talk and poster competition for sustainable agriculture. CSARE has some infrastructure left over from the 7th generation award.

Message on Behalf of CSSA President Jim Coors

Dear Member of CSSA Divisions C1, C7, or C8:

I am requesting some input for an interesting workshop to be held at theupcoming CSSA annual meeting in Salt Lake City on Thursday, November 10,2005. Our assistance is needed for developing a few on-farm breeding projects. In particular, the Farm Breeder Club (FBC) of the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society (NPSAS) has joined with CSSA to sponsor a workshop with the goal of developing four to five teams consisting ofat least one breeder and farmer to work on an agronomic crop ofimportance to the northern plains.

This is a challenging task that requires some real imagination and thought, and one that would also be very rewarding. I will provide one possible example in the hope that you will be inspired to come up with something as well, probably better. Over the years I have developed a unique open-pollinated corn varietythat has the low-lignin (bm3) gene as well as a tillering gene (gt1). This variety has the ability to regrow from below-ground nodes afterbeing cut for forage in mid to late June. Seed for the next season can then be harvested in the fall, or the crop can again be harvested as forage. There are a number of other interesting uses for this varietythat might utilize its high nutritional quality and unique ability to regrow. However, it does need some additional selection for regrowth potential, and this could easily be done on farm by the person who is developing a particular niche for it. Mass selection would be most effective in this situation.

There are any number of other interesting ideas out there. Breeders always have such projects tucked away in their nurseries, and now is thetime to bring them forward. For small grains, some sort of bulk breeding approach would seem particularly appropriate for an FBC farm-breeder team.

All we need at this point is an indication of your interest, and the briefest sketch of an idea (nothing more than I provided in my example) for a farmer-breeder project. Dr. Marcelo Carena (marcelo.carena@ndsu.nodak.edu) will be coordinating this workshop, andDr. Molly Jahn (mmj9@cornell.edu) has offered to help guide our deliberations when reviewing projects. So please send Dr. Carena your ideas, and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact either Dr. Carena or me.

Sincerely,
Jim

Response to Comments:Caron Gala

There were some questions regarding the list I placed on the web last friday

In response:
The definition that I am using to refine the search of "Organic Systems Research", is as follows:

any research that is undertaken and published in the world that includes the organic production as defined by either the USDA or the EU.

USDA Definition
a production system that is managed in accordance with the Organic Foods Production Act and regulations or to respond to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.

and

European Commission's definition
Organic farming favours renewable resources and recycling, returning to the soil the nutrients found in waste products. Where livestock is concerned, meat and poultry production is regulated with particular concern for animal welfare and by using natural foodstuffs. Organic farming respects the environment's own systems for controlling pests and disease in raising crops and livestock and avoids the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilisers, growth hormones, antibiotics or gene manipulation. Instead, organic farmers use a range of techniques that help sustain ecosystems and reduce pollution.

http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/qual/organic/def/index_en.htm

These definitions leave significant room for interpretation. So to aid in the search of organic systems research and in the development of events for the next Annual meeting; the following items have been derived.

Members
1) Please share your definition of organic systems research if it differs from the above.

1) Please provide me (cegala@vt.edu) with information about systems research that you consider to be relevant to the committee.

3) submit topics related to this theme that should be discussed at the round table.

This list was composed with the aid of Michelle, and Heather.

Cheers,
Caron

Sub on systems: Stefan Seiter

Michelle,
I think you captured our charge very well and gave us a great start to move ahead.
Regarding next steps, it seems that we have a good amount of time to generate questions for the round table and I suggest to first brainstrom as a whole group. I am afraid that at this early stage one person's list of questions becomes THE LIST which others just modify here and there. Maybe we can create certain categories or areas of questions and then all of us can submit questions to each (or selected) of these question categories. I am not sure what these categories should be. Maybe we could use the STP model S for Situation (what is and what has been) - T for Target (what is the vision or where do we want to go)and P for Pathway (how do we get there - in the reality of our situation). We could also simply use "the past - the present - the future" or some other way of categorizing questions. Suggestions?

For me personally it is too early to make a committment on drafting the symposium proposal. Of course if some of us are ready to go more power to them.
Thoughts on past and present systems tools and methods later.

Stefan
Stefan Seiter
Linn-Benton Community College
Agricultural Sciences Faculty
6500 Pacific Blvd.
Albany, OR 97321
TEL: 541-917-4765
FAX:541-917-4776
Email: stefan.seiter@linnbenton.edu

Sub com on systems; from Paul Porter

Michelle, You may know all this stuff, but I don't know that other members of the subcommittee do, so I'll ramble on...

Here is my understanding of how the system works in getting a symposium together at the Tri-society meetings: In general the symposium topics are proposed one year in advance by one or more individuals at the respective Division meetings each fall during the Tri-society annual meetings. The division chairs work with the people proposing the symposium topics in helping coordinate the dates and times (with other divisions and their symposia). The people proposing the symposium are given a sizeable amount of leeway (in terms of number of speakers, length and format of presentations, length of symposium, etc.). My understanding is that the Tri-society does want to limit the number of symposia sponsored by each division to 3 or less (but this can fluctuate some) each year. (A division can co-sponsor numerous symposia.) The division chair usually doesn't turn away any proposed symposium topics, and in fact, is more than willing to work with those people proposing the symposium. Sometimes potentially good symposia never materialize because of lack of follow-through by those proposing the symposium [or symposia or symposiums??]. Attached is a Word document of the ASA Division A-8 (Integrated Agricultural Systems) symposia since 1998. I was involved, with Jane Sooby (OFRF), in organizing the Organic Ag symposium in 2003 in Denver. We broke the symposium into 4 part over 2 days, and involved about 35 presentations (27 oral and 8 posters). It was a learning experience. Below you ask "Who among us is interested in using the outcome of the round table discussion to draft the symposium proposal?". I am (especially if a good team is identified). I will be Chair of A-8 in 2006, and therefore responsible for coordinating all the presentations and symposia sponsored by the division that year. Hope this is helpful.

Paul PorterUniv. of Minnesota612-625-6719pporter@umn.edu

Email sent to Sub committee on systems

Farming systems research subcommittee-
Heather, Alex, Stefan, Paul Porter, Michelle, Caron, Kim,
Karl for logistics-
A summary of what I understood to be our charge follows.
The Charge: Plan symposia for 2007, for farming systems
research, based on roundtable discussions.
It is clear that some affiliated with the tri-societies and
other national and international entities have a long history
with systems research. It is also clear that as organic
agriculture matures, entirely new dimensions of the system
call for attention.
The purpose of our sub-committee is to organize a
conversation on systems research to be held at this year's
round table. The product of this discussion will be a
proposal for a symposia (to be submitted to A-8?) for the
2006 meeting. To that end, we must decide how to facilitate
a constructive discussion of systems research that is germane
to organic agriculture.
So far is seems we are interested in providing some
background to participants that includes a combination of
looking back (highlights of what has been done by A-8, the
international ag division #?, and individual researchers) and
examples that are forward looking (current efforts supported
by Southern SARE, ongoing international efforts, and
strategies to address emerging systems issues).
An example of an interesting international effort I mentioned
during the call was that a previously informal EU network on
Organic Agriculture (European Organic Agrciulture University
Teachers which uses the acronym ENOAT) has decided that to
achieve desired outcomes of their teaching project they will
merge with the MRENet project which "aims to support the
development of a European dimension to teaching and learning
for disciplines relating to the multifunctional rural
environment by redefining the curricula to reflect
environmentally sustainable, ethically defensible and risk
conscious agricultural and forestry industries that foster
the wellbeing of rural communities, and of the biophysical
and socio-cultural environment in which they live."
* We might all forward such examples to Caron to assist her
with her compilation.
It might be also helpful if we can clarify what we mean by
systems research and maybe identify areas of particular
importance to organic agriculture. I don't know if someone
has already categorized systems research, but I suspect we
are not all thinking about soft-systems engineering. Below
is a start on a short list, please add/revise or scrap as you
see fit.
Looking back- these are still important tools
• Farming systems research - interdisciplinary
assessment of farming systems
• Participatory research - engage subjects in process
of defining, asking and answering questions
• Farming systems approach to research - use of designs
that are of practical relevance to farmers that are not
designed to study the individual components of production
systems. Sadly this is still controversial.
Now and in the future- here it gets wilder-
• Life cycle, energy analyses
• Food systems/food shed
• Farming, food and human health
• Regulatory net works, harmonization of certification,
administrative burden and farm scale
• Agriculture, human and community development
In addition to sending comments/additions/corrections to the
previous note, please let me know if at this time you want to
find an individual or two to provide an overview or instead,
prefer we find individuals share examples that showcase
promising strategies or identify areas of need.
Next steps:
Does any one want to take a shot at crafting the questions we
ask round table participants to discuss?
Who among us is interested in using the outcome of the round
table discussion to draft the symposium proposal?
And... Tasks underway:
Caron – research groups involved in systems research in last
5 yr
Kim – contact Laurie Drinkwater and seek NRI funding
opportunities
I'll try to summarize responses and move us forward by the
end of next week so please reply within a week.
Michelle

Prelim. Organic Systems Research

Alright Folks,

Here is a preliminary list of sources for organic systems research. I plan on providing you all with a document list and emailing the serve with suggestions for individuals for the roundtable discussion and ad hoc seminar presentations sometime at the end of next week.

I would appreciate any suggestions that you have regarding the path I should pursue most. I prefer not to post individuals names on the blog due to privacy reasons. However, publications are public information, so those will go here.

Cheers,
Caron

Organic Systems Agriculture Research

University Research

University of Davis, California
Center for Agro ecology & Sustainable Food Systems

Wageninin University, Netherlands
Biological Farming Systems Group, Wageningen University
Address: Marijkeweg 22, Wageningen Building nr. 527, 6709 PG Wageningen, The Netherlands. Tel: +31.(0)317.478201 Fax: +31.(0)317.478213.
http://www.dpw.wageningen-ur.nl/biob/


Iowa State University- ISU Research Farms
http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/organicag/rr.html


North Carolina State University
Center for Environmental Farming Systems - Organic Unit
Address: Box 7609, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA. Tel: (919) 515-
9447.
With about 80 acres of certified organic land, CEFS is one of the largest
research/demonstration sites affiliated with a land-grant university (North
Carolina State University) in the USA.
http://www.agr.state.nc.us/research/cefsorganic.htm


On Farm Research – Producers
more to come here.....
Elm Farm Research Centre – Berkshire UK
http://www.efrc.com/?i=articles.php&art_id=36&go=Articles


Databases
SAREP Funded Projects Database
searchable by crop, topic, organic relevance
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/grants/database/FPDB.ASP

USDA CSREES Current Research Information System (CRIS)
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/ProgView.cfm?prnum=3753


Govt. Agencies
Organic Farming and Marketing: Publications from USDA
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/AFSIC_pubs/orgusda.htm


Non-profit Institutes
MORE TO COME
W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Food Systems Professions Education (FSPE)
Project.
http://www.fspe.org/projects/broch4.asp


The Rodale Institute
Farming Systems Trial - BOOK by Cass Peterson, Laurie E. Drinkwater, Peggy
Wagoner
The Rodale Institute; (1999)
http://www.rodaleinstitutestore.org/store/customer/product.php?productid=469

The First 15 Years, chronicles the one of a kind, side-by-side comparison of
conventional versus organic farming methods. A fixture at The Experimental
Farm since 1981, FST has been the site of a unique and far reaching
agricultural experiment.

People
MORE TO COME HERE TOO.....
David Chaney
Education Coordinator Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
dechaney@ucdavis.edu
Dave has worked for SAREP since 1987 and has been involved in a number of projects to extend practical information on sustainable agriculture to California farmers and ranchers. His academic background is in agronomy and international agricultural development. Dave's current focus is to coordinate SAREP's diverse educational programs, California's participation in the Western Region USDA SARE professional development program, and the development of educational materials on topics relating to sustainable agriculture. He is also the technical reviews editor for SAREP's newsletter Sustainable Agriculture.

International
Henry Doubleday Research Association - the organic organization - UK
http://www.hdra.org.uk/research/index.htm

Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) UK
http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/organic/research/index.htm

Institute for Biodynamic Research - The oldest private research institute on organic farming in Europe.
http://www.organic-research.com/links/linksframe.asp?link=http://www.ibdf.de/

Organic Farming at the FAO
http://www.organic-research.com/links/linksframe.asp?link=http://www.ibdf.de/
http://www.organic-research.com/research/Papers/index.asp

Misc.
Please see Organic Research webpage
http://www.organic-research.com/links/links.asp?id=41

Minutes from March 11 Call

COSA Conference Call
March 11, 2005.
Next call April 8, 2005. 2:00 pm Eastern time

Participating: Karl, Kim, Victoria, Stefan, Caron, Michelle, Brise, Paul Porter (chair-elect of Division A-8, sitting in), Alex, Cheryl

Tasks:
Content is needed to generate a COSA website. Please consider this for our next conference call (Everyone)

Please make sure your contact information is correct at the COSA group list on the ASA website, at www.asa-cssa-sssa.org. Click on Member Services. Click on Committees (about halfway down). Search for organic or sustainable agriculture and you will find our committee.

Announcements:
New blog is available at www.cosagroup.blogspot.com. Please use the blog for posting work for comment, or for discussing issues that may require extensive emailing.

Salt Lake City events
Organize a morning and afternoon paper session leading up to roundtable. These events will consist of “volunteered” papers as far as the society goes, but will be requested by COSA. People will be asked to submit to A-8 with some identifier in a heading and the session will self-assemble. Inform A-8 chair that this is our intent.

Roundtable: similar to last year. Goal is to begin to organize symposia or other more focused events for 2007.
 Policy and funding updates (including NRI funding for systems research; include a representative from Senator Bennett’s office)
 Farming systems research discussion
 Science in NOSB discussion
 Possible discussion topic, education
Karl will request time, venue, facilities from ASA corresponding to last year’s roundtable event.


Farming systems research subcommittee:
Heather, Alex, Stefan, Paul Porter, Michelle, Caron, Kim, Karl for logistics.
Charge: Plan symposia for 2007, for farming systems research, based on roundtable discussions. Invite speakers for morning or afternoon sessions as dicussed above.
Tasks:
Michelle – send out first email
Caron – research groups involved in systems research in last 5 yr
Kim – contact Laurie Drinkwater and seek NRI funding opportunities

NOSB issue subcommittee:
Stefan, Alex, Michelle
Charge: Outline issues of science informing NOSB recommendations
Goal: Have the roundtable flesh out a symposium proposal that very quickly is forwarded to ASA to get on the docket for 2007.
Tasks:
Stefan – request Eric Sideman to participate
Alex – request Steve Scheurell to participate
Michelle – request Lynn Cody and Rose Koenig to participate

Policy subcommittee:
Brise, Kim, Karl
Charge: Outline funding and policy update during roundtable
Tasks:
Ask Phil Rassmussen (WSARE director) to identify participant from Sen. Bennett’s office.
Identify NRI funding and possible collaborations.
Research organic funding priorities and create informational content for website regarding status of such funding.

Collaborating with/relating to Division A-8
Division A-8 is not having a symposia specific to organic interests at the Salt Lake City meeting. Topics are real-time decisions in ecology and economics of forage systems and managing saline-sodic soils.

If systems research and participatory research is of interest (rather than organic specifically), A-8 has done several activities in the past. We should investigate what A-8 has done and build on it, possibly giving them an opportunity to communicate their current work. (For example, Laurie does one kind of systems research, Chuck Francis does another.)

Kim Leval will contact Laurie Drinkwater of the Organic Crop Production committee of ASA to determine the scope of their activities.

Suggestion: Create an A-8 panel who would talk about what they have done, perhaps at the roundtable. Then, over the next year, consider more in-depth workshops or other events for 2007.

Question: Are we considering domestic issues only, or thinking more broadly? Farming systems associations are still active in Europe (name?)

Posting to COSA blog

Hello COSA members! Welcome to the COSA blog.

This will be an easy way to share thoughts and keep track of dialogue.

To post to this blog, go to www.blogger.com. You will see on the upper right corner a place to log in. The username and password will be sent to you by email.

After you log in, you will see a list of blogs belonging to COSA. Right now, it's just this one, COSAgroup. Click on the link. You will be taken to a screen where you can write a posting such as this one. Write what you want. Preview your post if you like -- always a good idea. Please put your name at the bottom of your post.

When your posting says what you want, you can click the orange Publish Post button at the bottom of the screen.

To view the blog and to comment, go to www.cosagroup.blogspot.com. To comment on someone else's post, click the Comment link at the BOTTOM of the post. Posts can have as many comments as necessary.

Please be careful what you say. As with all electronic communication, blogs are NOT PRIVATE. Even though this one is not "publicly listed," anyone could find it fairly easily.

Please do not edit or delete someone else's post. If it happens accidentally, just post a comment or a new article to let people know. We will archive this blog monthly for safety's sake, so we can re-post anything we need to.

Blogs are a great way to communicate. They allow their readers to see many posts and comments almost simultaneously. Hopefully this one will let us get a lot of work done with minimum stumbling due to imperfect communication!

Have a great day.

Victoria B.