UVM Food Feed

Stanford’s Organic Food Study – It’s Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Posted by Cynthia Belliveau | October 4, 2012

Unless you’ve been living under a rock these last few weeks, you probably experienced the giant uproar that rippled through the organic food community after Stanford published a multi-variant study finding that there was little difference “nutritionwise” between conventional and organic food.

The differences between conventional and organic farming are significant. Conventional food growers use pesticides, GMO seeds, antibiotics, growth hormones, and/or other troubling stuff to maximize production. Organic growers don’t. And the uproar is obvious: Organic should be healthier, right?

I would think so, but let’s set aside my opinion for the moment, and try to accept this bit of data as true: that conventionally grown food is as nutritious as organically grown food. What would this mean?

Well, it would mean that conventional food, like organic food, is fine for human nutrition and that this one single perspective is enough information for us to go along our on our merry way and live happily ever after.

Clearly, this is not the case and, if you’ve been reading this blog, you know that its cornerstone philosophy is that diet and health are a part of a healthy food system and that there are three other considerations – the environment, social aspects, and the economics – none included or considered in the Stanford study. It’s understandable then that this fracas is loud because the study only studied one facet of a multi-faceted system. And, as we are seeing, when the viewpoint is narrow the dialogue becomes polarized, off track, and most importantly doesn’t solve the bigger, more looming and interconnected problems in our food system.

Whether or not multi-national Cargill funded the Stanford study (which the researchers say it did not) is irrelevant given that the American public is getting smarter at seeing between the lines (See: “When Science Fiction Becomes Reality: Zilmax in Our Beef, Bellies, and Universities”). Yes, there might be problems with the study’s methodology: several statisticians explain that they don’t like using meta-analysis because there are too many methodological problems with the technique of combining hundreds of data sets together – and in the end, researchers, depending on their own interpretation, can come up with different outcomes. But let’s be clear, it’s not Stanford’s fault. They did a study, one of thousands they do annually, and published it. What’s irritating is that the message was skillfully positioned and then disseminated as absolute using Stanford’s good name.

I think the outrage from this study comes down to the fact that big food businesses are so dominant in the discourse that studies such as this simply pour gasoline on the frustration and helplessness felt by smaller, unsubsidized organic growers and producers – and us informed consumers. The opportunistic and quick broadcasting of this particular message showcases the power certain special interest groups wield. Controlling the message to focus on just the human diet and health advantages is quite brilliant. Not including the environmental, social, or economic impacts of the growing, producing and distributing of conventionally grown food that routinely and systematically destroys air, water, soil and community cunningly limits the public’s awareness of the bigger problems. (See UVM’s video “What’s On Your Plate?”).

The Stanford study did point out that there were more pesticides in conventional food, which they stated was not good for children. This is enough evidence to question the nutrition argument trumps the environmental argument.

We all know human nutrition is an important part of a healthy food system. It is our job as eaters to decipher the double-speak and obfuscation deliberately spread to misinform. At a recent conference on food policy I attended, many panelists spoke about the upcoming fight on GMOs and the multinational food industry powerbase that is effectively blowing thick smoke to mask the issue, again. California Proposition 37, a proposal to label GMO foods is gearing up to be the fight of the century. Currently, GMOs are in most mass produced foods – especially corn, wheat, soy, cotton, sugar beets, and rice. The well-funded opposition to labeling is spending millions to defeat the proposition.

What’s insidious is that these opposing giant companies’ long tentacles actually own many of the smaller organic companies consumers rely on for honest marketing and production. The fact that they are voting against GMO labeling while holding these companies in their portfolios (which would benefit from the labeling) should make us all take to the streets in protest.

Whether GMOs are dangerous to human health is not the question at the moment (although I do think that we should conduct in-depth research before we massively produced a type of food), but rather who is getting to frame the issue and how are we, as consumers, are able to wade through the bombarding bits of information to make more informed choices. Fundamentally, I’m afraid it comes down to power – who has it and who doesn’t. Get informed, expand what you read, and resist buying into any single-framed issue. In other words, take back the power.

Posted in Economic, Environmental, Health, Social | Tagged academic research, organic, organic farming, organic food | Leave a comment

Food in Vermont: Weekly Events, 10/4-10/10

Posted by Haylley Johnson | October 4, 2012

Heads Up for this Week:

Eat Local Week starts this Saturday (Oct 6^th) — Hosted by City Market, this event has plenty of fun food events to partake in. I did not put these events in the WFE though so please check their full calendar and details here.

Save the Date – On October 31^st, the Food Systems Spire will host its 3^rd Annual Food Systems Symposium. It will run from 8am-4pm with a variety of speakers — including Marsh Lecturer Dr. Wouter van Hoven from the University of Pretoria and many more. Details to come. Please check our Facebook page for future updates.

Eat Local Week Events run all week. Find them all here.

Thursday (Oct 4)

Bacon Thursdays

Attendees get platters of bacon that they can dip in a variety of sauces. Yum. Oh yes — there’s music and chatting too. Partial proceeds benefit NOFA-Vermont.

7–10pm. Nutty Steph’s. Middlesex. Cost of food; cash bar.

Share the Harvest

Please join us for the annual Share the Harvest event, a statewide fundraiser for NOFA Vermont’s Farm Share Program. On October 4, restaurants and food stores across Vermont will donate a portion of their days’ proceeds to Farm Share, which provides subsidized CSA shares to limited-income Vermonters.

All day. Across Vermont. More information here.

Friday (Oct 5)

Oktoberfest Weekend

Attendees get their yodel on — or at least, they can listen to some yodeling and try their hand at some traditional dances. Good food and patient dance teachers are included.

4–11:59pm. Hulbert Outdoor Center. Fairlee. $10-25. More information here.

Monthly Wine Dinner

Local food and wine pairings are served up by Chef Dennis Vieira.

6pm. Red Clover Inn & Restaurant. Killington. $75 plus tax and tip. Please preregister here.

One-on-One Ag Finance Hour
Now is a great time to update your financials. “Ag Finance Hour” is a time to sit down with a UVM Extension Farm Business Management specialist, one-on-one, to work on the financial planning, critical to your farm’s success. Meetings last an hour to an hour and a half and are focused on developing balance sheets, cash budgets or completing financial analysis.

9am-3:30pm. Middlebury Extension Office. 23 Pond Lane, Suite 300. Middlebury. $15. Call now to schedule an appointment with Christi Sherlock or Erin Clark at 802-223-2389.

Sustainable Energy Field Day: Energy from the Sun!

Leo Siemion will give us a tour of the sustainable energy features on his 25 acre organic farm. The farm produces 11 varieties of garlic in raised fields, eggs from heritage Dominique breed of chickens, and bottled honey, comb honey and beeswax candles from 12 bee colonies.

10am-12pm. Summit Naturals Organic Farm. Free. Contact Violet Stone with questions or for directions at vws7@cornell.edu or (607) 255-9227

Saturday (Oct 6)

DIY Alternative Hot Water Systems

French farmer/inventor Jean Pain became famous for his innovative ideas about the interrelationship between agriculture and energy production. His Pain Mound focused on collecting heat from the composting of a woody biomass. This course will consist of the construction of a Pain Mound hot water system expected to produce 120-140 degree water at a constant rate of ½-gallon per minute — enough to heat a typical 1000-square foot home with a radiant-floor-heating system, or to provide for the home’s domestic hot water use — by flowing well-water through a coil built into the mound of composting wood chips and mulch.

All day Oct 6-7. Yestermorrow Design/Build School. 7865 Main Street. Waitsfield. $320. Please preregister here.

Piccola Italia: Little Italy Burlington, 1886-1968

Burlingtonians take an afternoon to remember the Queen City’s Italian heritage with delicious food, performances, films, and more.

2–5:30pm. Burlington City Hall. Burlington. Free.

Harpoon Octoberfest

Why this Octoberfest is spelled with a “c” instead of a “k” still mystifies me (please email me if you know the origins of this spelling – haylley.johnson@uvm.edu), but this event is bound to be delicious. Lederhosen and bratwurst are the name of the day.

12–6pm. Harpoon Brewery in Windsor. $15 includes one drink ticket; ID required for beer; free for kids under 13. More information here.

Harvest Weekend

19^th-century farm activities abound at this seasonal celebration.

10am–5pm. Billings Farm & Museum. Woodstock. Regular admission, $3-12; free for kids under 3.

Harvestfest, Brewfest & Chili Cook-Off

Attendees get to enjoy gondola rides in addition to all the fantastic items listed in the title.

9am–10pm. Stratton Mountain Ski Resort. Stratton. More information here.

Adirondack Coast Wine, Cider & Food Festival

Tasty seasonal eats help support regional agriculture.

2–8pm. Crete Memorial Civic Center. Plattsburgh. $20-25; $36 per couple. Purchase tickets here.

Bean & Brew

Coffee and beer might seem an unlikely combo, but they do actually work well together as evidenced by this annual event.

12–6pm. Jay Peak Resort. Jay. $20 includes a commemorative glass and 12 draught tickets. More information here.

Burlington Food Tours

Food lovers get a guided food tour as they are led through tastings from local restaurants and food producers. Tours start at East Shore Vineyards Tasting Room.

12:30–3pm. Church Street Marketplace. Burlington. $45. Purchase tickets here.

Discover Food & Wine

Entertainment by jazz and blues performer Jenni Johnson accompany some sip-able vintages.

5–7:30pm. Smugglers’ Notch Resort. Jeffersonville. $29. More information here.

Horse Barn and CREAM Open House, Hosted by Dean Josie Davis 

Visit the student-run dairy and horse barn cooperatives and see horseback riding demonstrations!

11am-2pm. Paul Miller Research & Teaching Complex. 500 Spear Street .  Shuttle buses will go back and forth continuously from the Paul Miller Farm and to the Davis Center from 10:45am to 2:15pm.

Sunday (Oct 7)

NEFCU Giant Pumpkin Regatta & Festival

If racing hollowed-out large pumpkins didn’t seem like a good time already, this celebration includes pie-eating contests and crafts too. Sold(!) to the writer of this events calendar.

10am–3pm. Races start at noon. Waterfront Park. Burlington. Free. More information here.

Pumpkin Festival

This party for pumpkins has horse-drawn wagons and cider pressing to complete this day of family fun.

10am–4pm. Cedar Circle Farm. East Thetford. Free admission; $5 per car. More information here.

Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival

And yet another pumpkin party — we can throw pumpkins long distances (with trebuchets) at this one however. There will be music by Mike Dunn and Jenn & John to accompany the festivities. Proceeds benefit the Lamoille Family Center.

11am. Boyden Farm. Cambridge. $5; free for kids under 4; $20 family maximum. More information here.

Famous Apple Pie Festival

With over 1500 homemade pies surrounding attendees, everyone will be able to pick their favorite one. Trying to not buy all of them, however, may be a feat.

10am. Dummerston Congregational Church. East Dummerston. Cost of food.

Williston Chowder Challenge

14 area restaurants compeat to make the best chowder. Attendees get to try them too. Proceeds benefit the Williston Community Food Shelf and the Williston Police Officers Association.

12–3pm. Town Green. Williston. $10; free for children under 12.

Edible Forest Gardens

Edible Forest Gardening is the conscious application of the principles of ecology to the design of home scale gardens that mimic forest ecosystem structure and function, but grow food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizer, “farmaceuticals” and fun. This workshop will offer an in-depth exploration of forest ecology, site analysis and assessment, the design process, and interaction with some of the lesser known plants that can comprise ‘perennial polycultures’.

All day 10/7-12. Yestermorrow Design/Build School. 7865 Main Street. Waitsfield. $320. Competency Level: Intermediate to Professional. Please preregister here.

Harvest and Courage Celebration

Harvest and Courage is an annual harvest festival put on by Center for Whole Communities at Knoll Farm. Not your typical harvest festival, it is a celebration of the land and its bounty, of community, and an event designed to renew our collective courage and be inspired for the work ahead. Included in the schedule this year are a variety of workshops and family activities, music by Wee Folkestra and the Brett Hughes Band, harvest lunch prepared from local fields. It happens rain or shine, so dress warmly. Bring your own bowl and spoon for lunch.

10am. Knoll Farm. 700 Bragg Hill Road. Fayston. Free. Please preregister here.

Harvest Festival

Celebrate the bounty of fall harvest with a local feast and live music by Katie Trautz & the Tall Boys. A fun and delicious way to celebrate the fall season!

11am-5pm. 3597 Route 74 West. Shoreham. $14 per plate for adults, $6 for kids. More information here.

How to Grow High Quality Crops

Join Dan Kittredge for his talk on Bionutrient Rich Crop Production.

3pm. Shelburne Farms. 1611 Harbor Road. Shelburne.

Monday (Oct 8)

No events known. If you have food events for this newsletter, please send them to haylley.johnson@uvm.edu.

Tuesday (Oct 9)

No events known. If you have food events for this newsletter, please send them to haylley.johnson@uvm.edu.

Wednesday (Oct 10)

Sun to Cheese Tours

Cheese lovers get an inside look at dairy farming and cheese production.

2–4pm. Shelburne Farms. Shelburne. $15 includes a block of cheese.

Swede Midge Workshop

Swede midge is an invasive insect pest that has been found in Vermont since 2006, but is recently expanding its range. The midge attacks the growing tips of brassica plants. This workshop discusses what is known about the midge, how to monitor for the midge, typical damage signs, and the current best practices for controlling the midge in organic systems.

3-5pm. Intervale Community Farm. Burlington. Contact Yolanda Chen with questions at Yolanda.chen@uvm.edu.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Food in Vermont: Weekly Events, 9/27-10/3

Posted by Haylley Johnson | September 27, 2012

Heads Up for the Week

Save the Date – On October 31^st, the Food Systems Spire will host its 3^rd Annual Food Systems Symposium. It will run from 8am-2pm with a variety of speakers — including Marsh Lecturer Dr. Wouter van Hoven from the University of Pretoria and many more. Details to come. Please check our Facebook page for future updates.

It Takes a Region NESAWG Conference is coming up on Oct 28-30^th. All those working for food systems change should check it out. Register and find more information here.

Burack Lecture with Barry Popkin (“The World is FAT”) is coming up on Oct 4^th from 10:30-11:45am in the Silver Maple Ballroom. Davis Center. UVM Campus. More information here.

Thursday (Sept 27)

Gardening Tips for Fall

Master gardener Kelly Wakefield provides tips of the trade for bulbs, perennials and veggies as we move further into fall.

6:30pm. Fairfax Community Library. Fairfax. Free.

Handmade Spaghetti & Tomato Sauce

Kids (ages 8 and up) get to try their hand at cranking out fresh pasta (on a hand-crank pasta machine) and paring it with their very own sauce.

5:30–7pm. Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. Burlington. $5-10.

Wild Plant Walk

Folks hone their plant-identification skills while learning about the local habitat and sustainable wild-harvesting practices.

5–6:30pm. Wisdom of the Herbs School. Woodbury. Donations accepted. Please preregister here.

Janet Hubbard

This author of Champagne: The Farewell tells of a mysterious tale set in France.

7pm. Phoenix Books. Essex. Free; cash bar.

Potato Production

Tony Lehouillier, owner of certified organic Foote Brook Farm in Johnson, VT, will cover the following essentials for potato production: understanding your soils, cultivation techniques, irrigation needs, harvesting with a two-roll picker, and disease issues. Feel free to bring a camera to take pictures of equipment. Bring boots for field walking. Vern Grubinger, UVM Vegetable and Berry Specialist will co-lead this workshop.

4-6pm. Foote Brooke Farm. Johnson. Free for farmers and VVBGA members; $10 NOFA-VT members; $20 non-members. Please preregister here.

Paul (Paligwende) Nikiema

Dr. Nikiema — Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba — discusses the role of Beneficial Management Practices for greenhouse gas mitigation and carbon sequestration in agro-ecosystems.

2:30-3:30pm. Gund Conference Room. 617 Main St. UVM Campus. Burlington.

Major Valentine’s Swedes

In 1890, Vermont’s Commissioner of Agricultural and Manufacturing Interests, Alonzo B. Valentine, launched a program to repopulate Vermont’s ‘abandoned’ farms with farmers recruited from Scandinavia. The program brought a handful of Swedes to three towns in the state, was immediately discontinued, and generally has been dismissed, both by contemporaries and by historians, as a preposterous fiasco. In this talk, Paul Searls (Professor of History and Music at Lyndon State College) will explore the bizarre and ironic story of Vermont’s Swedish colonists, what the program has to teach us about that transitional era in Vermont’s history, and more.

7:30pm. John Dewey Lounge. Old Milling building. UVM Campus. Burlington. Free. More information here.

Friday (Sept 28)

UVM Apple Sale at the UVM Horticulture Research Center 10am to 4pm. Out this week: Macoun, Golden Supreme, & Empire.

Wild Mushrooms

Mycologist Greg Marley teaches attendees all about the fungi of fall.

6:30–8:30pm. Richmond Free Library. Richmond. $5-10.

Rocktoberfest!

The 1960s cover band Mellow Yellow delivers some smashing tunes for this first night of the full Oktoberfest weekend in Stowe.

7–11pm. Jackson Arena. Stowe. Free. The Oktoberfest continues through Sunday. More information here.

Community Dinner

Neighbors gather for this friendly meal of corn bread, coleslaw, and more.

5:30–7pm. Osborne Parish House. Hinesburg. Free.

SIPtemberfest Meet the Brewers Dinner

Brewers from Lawson’s Finest Liquids and Otter Creek Brewing Company host this night of delicious eats and beer pairings — four courses worth.

6:30pm. General Stark’s Pub & Grill, Mad River Glen. Waitsfield. SIPtemberfest continues on Saturday. $60. Purchase tickets here.

Vermont Law School Conference on Agriculture and Food Systems 

This conference will serve as a launch platform for the law school′s new Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, bringing national experts and leaders in the field together to address the major legal and policy issues related to agriculture and food systems.

8:30am- 6pm. Vermont Law School. Chelsea Street. South Royalton. $25 in advance, $30 day of, free for students. Email lawreview@vermontlaw.edu or get more information here.

NODPA Field Days and Annual Meeting

Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance presents a program packed with compelling, practical topics, two farm tours, a large trade show, delicious local and organic meals, a social hour, and plenty of time for networking with fellow farmers. The theme is “Farming Smarter: A Nutrient and Energy Dense Agenda to Help Farmers Become More Self-Reliant.”

All day. Vermont Agricultural Business & Education Center. Brattleboro. More information here.

Saturday (Sept 29)

Burlington Food Tours

Food lovers get a guided food tour as they are led through tastings from local restaurants and food producers. Tours start at East Shore Vineyards Tasting Room.

12:30–3pm. Church Street Marketplace. Burlington. $45. Purchase tickets here.

Butter Making

Shaking butter in a jar — a timeless classic for kid-friendly fun.

11:30am. Shelburne Farms. Shelburne. Regular farm admission, $5-8; free to members, Shelburne residents and kids under 3.

Vermont Public Radio’s Listener Picnic

This locavore luncheon is hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, who also happens to host “The Splendid Table.”

11am–3pm. Vermont Agricultural Business Education Center. Brattleboro. Free.

Harvest Celebration

This fest is full of farm tours, hands-on harvesting, a locavore dinner, and a concluding concert with Vermont singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell.

1–9pm. Pete’s Greens. Craftsbury. $20 for concert; $5-20 for preshow dinner; all other events are free. More information here.

American Flatbread Fungi Fest & Feast

Mycologist John Atkinson leads a mushroom spotting walk to Dana Forest Farm, where Nick Laskovski picks up and teaches attendees about the nuances of getting mushrooms from forest to plate. Flatbread dinner follows at 6pm.

3pm. American Flatbread. Waitsfield. $5-15 for the 3 pm walk; $50 for dinner (space is limited).

Caledonia Spirits & Winery Open House

The Caledonia curious can check out the distillery and see where these beverages are produced.

10am–5pm. Caledonia Spirits & Winery. Hardwick. Free.

Chicken Pie Supper

Mashed potatoes, squash, and homemade pies — yum.

5pm. Bellows Free Academy. Fairfax. $5-10; takeout available.

Pumpkin & Apple Celebration

Cider pressing, pumpkin ice cream, and more make this harvest party a fall event to fall for.

10am–5pm. Billings Farm & Museum. Woodstock. Regular admission, $3-12; free for kids under 3. Continues through Sunday.

Rosemary Gladstar

Rosemary whips up a batch of “fire cider” while telling attendees all about the best herbs for winter health.

7pm. Phoenix Books Burlington. Burlington. Free.

Sustainable Development in Nicaragua – Fall Tour 2012

Through a multi-media presentation, and round table dialogues, Compas de Nicaragua Executive Directors, Ana Rosa Narvaez and Michael Boudreau will share their knowledge and insight on community development, organic farming, sustainable living and the challenges faced due to global climate change. Potluck supper at 6 followed by presentation. Please bring a dish or snack to share.

6pm. St. Albans Bay UMC (next to Town Hall). Lake Road. St. Albans Bay. Free. Contact Rev. Elizabeth Griffin with questions at pastorliz@earthlink.net or (802) 849-6588

Sunday (Sept 30)

All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast

Need we say more?

7–10:30am. Masonic Hall. Bradford. $5.50.

Cheese & Apple Tasting

Make some cheese, press some cider, snack a little bit — a classicly fabulous Vermont event.

11am–3pm. Old Stone House Museum. Brownington. Free.

Monday (Oct 1)

The Great Vermont Corn Maze

If the sun is shining, maze lovers get to try their hand at this massive field full of twists and turns.

10am. 1404 Wheelock Rd. Danville. $9-12; free for ages 4 and under.

Tuesday (Oct 2)

Winter Tunnel Production and Season Extension 

Bread and Butter Farm harvests kale, chard, spinach, cilantro and other crops from their high tunnel all year long. In this workshop, Corie Pierce will explain the four keys to winter hoop house production: crop selection, timing seeding and planting, crop protection needs, and overall system management. Vern Grubinger, Vegetable and Berry Specialist with UVM Extension, will be on hand to provide additional information and answer questions.

3-5pm. Bread and Butter Farm. Shelburne. Free for farmers and VVBGA members; $10 NOFA-VT members; $20 non-members. Please preregister here.

Wednesday (Oct 3)

No events known. If you have food events for this newsletter, please send them to haylley.johnson@uvm.edu.