On Oct 6, 2016, at 12:33 AM, l <[log in to unmask]> wrote:Thanks, Fred, Donna, and Wally.
As I was reading the Climate Smart ag docs, I was struck by how they were merely grafting some climate-friendly initiatives onto the industrial agriculture model. What we need instead is to make regenerative agriculture the norm.
We visited MUM earlier this year. The big question for me regarding MUM is the future of Vedic City, a vast tract of mostly farmland near Fairfield, incorporated about 15 years ago as a city. It is still mostly farmland. Will it be another automobile-choked urban sprawl mess in a few years, like Ankeny or West Des Moines? Or will it be a collection of, say, a dozen small farming villages, set among acres of rich Iowa land, and not subdivisions, strip malls or office parks? (Or data centers.)
My 0.014 acres of gardens here in my Des Moines back yard did fantastically well this year, fed by compost and not sprayed with any chemicals. Half a freezer of frozen green beans; 44 quarts of canned tomatoes plus many containers of frozen tomatoes. Lots of bell peppers. Good crop of zuchinni. Collards and carrots still to be harvested. Not bragging. I owe it all to this amazing Iowa soil. Our house was built in 1940, and it seems at that time they were not bulldozing topsoil away when new houses went in. Not the case today.
Tom Mathews
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From: fred rosenberg <[log in to unmask]>
To: IOWA-TOPICS <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wed, Oct 5, 2016 2:51 pm
Subject: Re: TODAY: TOP IOWA Scientists release Iowa Climate Statement 2016: The Multiple Benefits of Climate-Smart Agriculture
This also just came across my attention today -- that MUM in Fairfield is just starting an entire new academic certificate program in regenerative agriculture. here is the announcement that hit my email today:Fred Rosenberg
Certificate in Regenerative Organic Agriculture to be OfferedThose interested in being part of the next generation of organic farming will be able to enroll in a 10-month certificate program in regenerative organic agriculture beginning this January.The program will combine classroom instruction with six months of field work learning all facets of organic agriculture. The field work will take place at the Center for Regenerative Organic Agriculture, which includes 26 acres of land with facilities such as classrooms, food processing areas, a kitchen, and offices.Courses include planning an organic farm, soil science, starting seeds, biodynamic agriculture, greenhouse management, organic crop nutrient management, organic pest management, and more. Apprenticeships will be available in the U.S., Nepal, Italy, Bali, and Costa Rica.Graduates will receive a certificate in regenerative agriculture underwritten by MUM, the Biodynamic Association, and the International Federation of Organic Farming Movements.According to program head A. Thimmaiah, few schools or organizations offer hands-on programs in regenerative organic farming systems, which he distinguishes from common organic farming."Most organic agriculture is still a substitution farming wherein most of the inputs are imported, such as seeds, manures, biopesticides, and more."Regenerative agriculture, on the other hand, is a self-sufficient, closed-loop system in which all the inputs required for farming are produced by farmers on their farms using only the naturally available resources within their farms."This course will be of interest to anyone who has a passion to create radical change in the current food and agriculture systems," Dr. Thimmaiah said. "The students can be food activists, farmers, food advocates, home and urban gardeners, or future organic farmers."The program will be a collaborative effort among five internationally renowned organizations in the field of organic and biodynamic agriculture."The world leaders in this field will be helping to teach this course," he said. "This is a great opportunity for students to have a global understanding and to learn solutions to the present unsustainable, exploitative farming systems."For more information, see www.mum.edu/roa-certificate. Or send an email tosustainableliving@mum.edu.
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On Wed, Oct 5, 2016 at 2:46 PM, Donna Buell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
This topic of regenerative agriculture is something that I believe Sierra Club is looking into as a national campaign issue. It is building momentum and has so many positives that we should be supporting regenerative agriculture whenever possible. Thanks for sharing, Wally.
Donna
On Oct 5, 2016, at 9:42 AM, Wallace Taylor <00000041ecaa5627-dmarc-[log in to unmask] > wrote:
Iowa scientists keep issuing these warnings every year, but no one listens.
Wally Taylor
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From: Bolkcom, Joseph L <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wed, Oct 5, 2016 9:37 am
Subject: TODAY: TOP IOWA Scientists release Iowa Climate Statement 2016: The Multiple Benefits of Climate-Smart Agriculture
Friends,Good morning!The Iowa Climate Statement 2016: The Multiple Benefits of Climate-Smart Agriculture was released today at a 9:00 am press conference call with Iowa media.The 6th annual Iowa Climate Statement was endorsed by 187 science faculty and researchers from 39 Iowa colleges and universities.Attached please find a copy of the statement with endorsers, the statement with references and the press statement announcing the release.Please feel free to share the statement with interested parties. Here is a link to the 2016 statement and press release at https://cgrer.uiowa.edu/. Visit https://iowaenvironmentalfocus. to view all previous Iowa Climate Statements.wordpress.com/iowa-climate- statement/ Let us know if you have any questions.Best regards,JoeJoe BolkcomOutreach and Community Education DirectorCenter for Global and Regional Environmental Researchand the Iowa Flood CenterThe University of Iowa426 IATLIowa City, IA 52242<image001.jpg>
To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to IOWA-TOPICS-signoff-[log in to unmask] , or visit Listserv online. For all the latest news and activities, sign up for Sierra Club Insider, the Club's twice-monthly flagship e-newsletter. Listserv users are subject to the Sierra Club's Terms and Conditions.
<Iowa Climate Statement 2016 The Multiple Benefits of Climate-Smart Agriculture_FINAL_October_5_2016.pdf> <Iowa Climate Statement 2016_The Multiple Benefits of Climate-Smart Agriculture_Press Release_FINAL_October_5_2016.pdf> <Iowa Climate Statement 2016_The Multiple Benefits of Climate-Smart Agriculture_References_FINAL_October_5_2016.pdf>
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To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to IOWA-TOPICS-signoff-request@lists.sierraclub.org , or visit Listserv online. For all the latest news and activities, sign up for Sierra Club Insider, the Club's twice-monthly flagship e-newsletter. Listserv users are subject to the Sierra Club's Terms and Conditions.
To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to [log in to unmask], or visit Listserv online. For all the latest news and activities, sign up for Sierra Club Insider, the Club's twice-monthly flagship e-newsletter. Listserv users are subject to the Sierra Club's Terms and Conditions.
To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to [log in to unmask], or visit Listserv online. For all the latest news and activities, sign up for Sierra Club Insider, the Club's twice-monthly flagship e-newsletter. Listserv users are subject to the Sierra Club's Terms and Conditions.