It's a recipe!

Here�s a warming recipe for what promises to be a sunny, but chilly New Year�s Day. Keep a pot on the stove for neighbors and friends that might stop by and make an extra batch for the freezer; this will allow you to cozy-up with a good book later in the month, while the scent of your ready-made chowder fills the house.

People's Mexican Corn Chowder

Serves 10 � 12

2 cups yellow potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil (we like Udo's brand!)
1 1/2 cups yellow onion, diced
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup red bell peppers, diced
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons tamari
2 teaspoons ume plum vinegar
4 cups corn
4 cups water
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
Boil potatoes until just tender, then drain. Saut� the onions, celery, and peppers in olive oil until soft, then add the spices and saut� for 1 minute. Add the tamari, vinegar, potatoes, corn and water, and stir well. Take out 1 cup of the chowder and blend until smooth, then add it back to the chowder and simmer until hot. Add the cilantro and serve.

OLLIES SANTY WISHLIST

A few days late with this one, but it landed in the Examiner first, so Santy got it in time......

Free free to search for 'santy' on the very useful searchbox over there on the right (scroll down a bit!) - you will find the last few years of wishlists I've sent him......................

Ah santy, me auld segosha - its been a while. So much has changed. Things have moved on, yet, as we hear so often, �we are where we are�.

Well, I'm not sure where that actually is Santy. I'm confused, because 'where we are' seems to be worse than where we think it is. So, really, we are not where we are at all. In fact, we are where we hope we aren't � everytime.

Anyhow, I left it till now to write this note to you because I was waiting for the budget. I was not expecting much there santy, but boy did you deliver on the 9th.

Thanks so much for not getting out the slash hook for the organic sector's budget - I was really worried there. After Trevor Sargent left, I thought it was curtains for the Organic Grant Aid and the Organic Farming Scheme's funding. But no, organic has survived again, with less cuts than a retired, armless butcher with a blunt knife. Or something.

Fair play there Santy, you're a star. You must have been under severe pressure. At least Harvest 2020 kept its commitment to growing the organic sector, which probably helped.

So, for 2011, I think I want...growth in the organic sector. I know I always ask for that one, but we need it now more than ever. Last year, a little more volume was sold, but the value went down a bit too. Can you fix it for me to have the value increase for 2011?

One way might be with the green public procurement Junior Minister Cuffe announced. That's where the state will start to feed the public sector organic food. Sounds yum, though the press release will have to be handled carefully, or else Shane Ross will probably have a canary.

Naturally, a few more organic farmers � plenty did the course this year, so if a few more of them take the plunge in 2011, and join the Organic Farming Scheme, I'd be delighted.

I'm getting very worried about climate change though Mr Claus. It seems everyone has just forgotten about it, with the recession and the cold snap. People who really should know better are joking about global warming and freezing winters, as if climate change and extreme weather aren't compatible! I'm only a nipper and I know they are!

Plus, according to the World Meteorological Association, since records began in 1850, 2010 was the third warmest year globally, the last decade the warmest ever and the parts per million of carbon in the atmosphere was the highest ever, at 386.8. Wow. And all of this is in a year of recession, when we haven't been able to do as much of the climate change causing actions we normally do.

Farming's Green House Gas (GHG) performance has been improving year on year here in Ireland, Santy, but I'm very worried about dairy once the quotas end. Milk production may increase by a full 50%, or 2.75 billion litres. This alone could increase Ireland's' emissions by a 12%. It says so in Harvest 2020.

Unfortunately the solutions are aspirational. Harvest 2020 does talk a lot about how great and grass fed we are with our livestock Santy, but we also use plenty of synthetic fertilizer and compound feeds. They use up loads of fossil fuels in their production elsewhere.

So a dairy GHG solution Santy � I know its a big one, but if anyone can, you can. That way, you could write off some of the massive amount of methane those raindeers must emit with their globe trotting on December 24/25th � phew!

(And you know I was only joking about organic venison last year santy!)

And while we're at it, let's try to get the beef livestock even more grass fed. Let's bring in even more of the kind of animals that can thrive in the outdoors for longer - Galloways, Dexter, Moiled and the like please Santy.

Do your best � you always do! Ollie

It's a recipe!

Sweet Potato Latkes

Sweet potatoes offer a nutritiously delicious alternative to everyday potatoes. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, sweet potatoes are number one in nutrition over all other veggies. Why? Dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium.

Ingredients:

2 firmly packed cups of grated sweet potato
2 Tbs. grated onion, drained of excess juice
1 Tbs. dried parsley
3 Tbs. cornstarch
pinch garlic powder
pinch onion powder
salt & pepper (to taste)
canola oil for frying
Garnish with vegan sour cream, sprinkling of paprika, and snipped chives or parsley (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to warm (250�). Place potato shreds in a large bowl; sprinkle with remaining ingredients, evenly disperse cornstarch; mix together all ingredients until well combined, keeping potato shreds separated.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat a thin layer of canola oil to shimmering.

Place approximately 1/4 cup size mounds of the mixture into skillet and press firmly with a spatula so latkes hold together.

After about a minute (enough time for crisp surface to develop), gently loosen bottom of latkes from skillet by sliding a spatula under each one. If latkes appears to want to fall apart, remove spatula, press again from the top and cook for another 30 seconds. Total cook time is approximately 4 minutes on the first side, pressing frequently, to ensure crispiness and checking to make sure latkes are not sticking to skillet.

Carefully flip and cook for another 4 or so minutes on reverse side.

Place on paper towel-lined plate and keep warm in oven while preparing remaining latkes serve with garnish suggestions above.

This delicious dish was brought to you courtesy of the Farm Animal Reform Movement. FARM is a national nonprofit organization promoting a vegan lifestyle through public education and grassroots activism to end the use of animals for food. Learn more by visiting them here.

GERRY'S GRASS FED ORGANIC ANGUS: FROM FIELD TO FARMERS MARKET

While farmers and experts debate the merits of grain and grass feeding regimes, Gerry Fitzsimons from Mullahoran in Co Cavan has committed to grass and the breeds that suit it for years.

Fitzsimons has been farming since 1990 on 30 acres. He switched to Organic farming in 2000 with his suckling to beef enterprise.

�I've 23 head of cattle - cows calves and beef animals - at the moment. I stock Aberdeen Angus, Shorthorn and crosses of both� he tells me.

�I keep the traditional breeds of cattle, for a variety of reasons. They are easier to finish. Their finishing qualities, the type of meat native breeds produce, with its marbling, gives a unique taste�.

�They also are of a very placid nature and the cows are great mothers� he continues. �I switched over to Angus even before I went organic, partly because they are easier to handle, especially at calving. The offspring suckle very early. Now, any animal can cause trouble, but these are very quiet. I can handle any of them, and people can walk through the field no problem. With the Continentals, any time they needed to be rounded up they were tough � especially the Limousins. The traditional breeds, especially Shorthorn, are very docile�.

Fitzsimons also likes the fact that they can stay outdoors and thrive in the winter, up until quite late in the season. �They certainly are hardier. Mine are still out eating grass, though this year was exceptional � its been very good grass-wise. They are in top class condition without any supplementary feeding, just grass� he says, also pointing out that since going organic he hasn't yet had to dose them for anything.

Biodiveristy is also important for this farmer, who's animals finish off grass completely:

�I'm very into biodiversity. Everything growing here is natural, the grasses are natural and they are different to those grown with chemical sprays. My weeds are controlled mechanically � everything is done either mechanically or by me�.

He continues �the fields are very biodiverse now � they are vastly different to how they were before going organic. Conventional fields are all even, as if they are clipped to a height. In organic, there are variations, we'd have far more white clover. Even red clover,which doesn't perpetuate itself, its spreading in my land � that doesn't seem to happen with fertilized fields�.

I asked him about the sward itself: �I have reseeded almost all of it over time. Some seed came from Fruithill farm, others were sourced locally. The Fruithill farm sward also has coltsfoot, timothy and various older type grasses in there as well, which I'd rather use. There's more management in it, it works well - in both wet and dry years. A typical ryegrass sward can be a hungry grass � it probably needs the chemicals its used to getting�.

Back to his thriving stock: �I had my own bull up to last year. But you do need to mix it up in a small herd, so I do use AI�. He puts an angus bull on a shorthorn cow, or visa versa, as �shorthorn is a little taller, so the crosses produce a slightly bigger carcass.�

An excellent outlet is available in much of the northwest for Irish organic meat, called, aptly enough, Irish Organic Meat.

Declan Mccarthy and his wife Deirdre have a mobile butchers outlet which travels to farmers' markets across the north west - from Carrick on Shannon (Thursdays) to Roscommon and Cavan towns (Fridays) and both Boyle and Sligo on Saturdays.

Butcher and farmer have a good working relationship:�Yes, I know what he needs, he knows what I have, and we don't haggle over price.�

Gerry Fitzsimons gets E4 per kg deadweight for his animals. Heifers kill out at 230-300 kg, bullocks from 260-380 kg. They are usually killed young, about 20-24 months for heifers and about 2 years for bullocks.

Local grasses, local markets, and a happy set of people, from farmer to butcher to customer. All told, a pure, simple and yet revelatory system.

updates***updates***updates

Quick updates : See over at the organics with altitude blog for something I put together on the weather proof organic galloway cattle of Joe Condon.

The pictures alone are well worth viewing.

And see also a new link to a great idea from Ella McSweeney- a place for consumers to find farmers who sell direct.

Its called your field my fork, and it will hopefully grow nicely into a resource for foodies and farmers alike.

Her own site, and Suzanne Campbells' are both now over there too. About time I added them!

REALLY - WHERE'S THE (ORGANIC) BEEF JOHN?

Part two of my beef interview session with John Brennan. This one discusses the beef grade, and also features a different perspective to John's, that of Teagasc Organic Farming Advisor James McDonnell.

How should quality be defined in organic beef? There are two schools of thought.

(Pic: some of Joe Condon's galloway cattle)

One school suggests that organic cattle should be graded along the same lines as conventional, using the EU R O P system.

For non-farmer readers: This grid or grade system scores cattle carcass shape and muscle development from the top (E) to the bottom (P). Numbers 1 to 5 denote degree of fat on the carcass, with 1 having the least and 5 the most. Thus, in conventional farming, top price achieving animals are up at the U or (rarely) E levels, with a fat score of 1 or 2.

In organic farming in Ireland, a flat price is used instead of this grade system. However, it, or a modified version, is used in other EU countries for organic beef animals.

It could be argued that organic farming does not reward the highest achievers, producing, in conventional terms, the best animals. According to James McDonnell, organic advisor with Teagasc:

�The flat price doesn't do anything for the (organic) sector: in conventional, its all about quality. Good quality cattle and good carcass with better overall cuts are not being rewarded.�

�A Belgian Blue has more fillets, round roast and so on; but it could be argued that, in organic, poor animals are overpaid for, and visa versa. The factories would also prefer quality as they make more.�

He continues: �When factories were paying flat, there were beef blockages in the conventional sector�, pointing out that the flat price may also be mitigating against finishers in organic.

Indeed, top organic producers can sell into the conventional sector for the higher grade prices.

However, both the Good Herdsman and the Leitrim Co-op prefer to pay a flat rate.

For John Brennan of the Leitrim Co-op � we want to improve quality and confirmation, but this factory system isn't the answer�.

He points to a breed renowned for its eating quality: �Take the Aberdeen Angus � that is often graded as an O. It has a natural genetic merit in its confirmation, and for many consumers, the breed produces a superior meat. The grading system does not take organoleptic factors into account - so its about efficiency, not quality of meat. I won't accept anything but a flat rate.�

He continues �You need minimum of a 2 for fat cover � in Scotland R4 is ideal for organic. They have a lot of work done there on the Angus, where they are fed mostly on grass and silage, and finishing at 300 to 320 kg deadweight. Some oats and peas produced on the farm are also used as feed � really its a great system. Plus, they have managed to get PGI status for Scotch beef�.

Levels of grass feeding is another issue again: native breeds are more suited to a grass-based diet. Research suggests that increasing the grass content of the animal's diet increases the levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is thought to help protect against cancer, diabetes and heart disease, without using external inputs (e.g. imported oils) to achieve this.

�If we had the conventional grading system in organic, it would penalise the native breeds�, breeds that, in a nutshell are more suited to the terrain and climate in Ireland, can finish off grass and have tasty marbling.

There is another element to this: �increasingly, supermarket buyers, especially abroad, don't want continental animals from Ireland�. In other words, they want breeds traditionally associated with Ireland and Britain.

�We need to look at low input animals, animals that are carbon footprint friendly. There should be a good conversion of feed into meat, from silage and grass, with just a a small amount of supplements�.

Increasingly, science, through the use of stable isotope tests, can test the meat itself to differentiate beef based on diet.

Research in Ireland by Professor Frank Monaghan and others has now clearly demarked grass fed from other meat, and organic from conventional.

So, in the final analysis, is it about the consumer or the factory?

WHERE'S THE (ORGANIC) BEEF? ASK JOHN.

Beef remains the strongest sector within organics. While there are also significant numbers of sheep farmers, sheep meat has struggled to gain a price premium.

Beef on the other hand, has both numbers and, by and large, something of a price premium. While there are preferable times of the year to sell to gain the premium, the largest organic meat processor in Ireland or Britain, Good Herdsman, recently let it be known that there is a shortage of about 11,000 beef animals in the system.

(Pic: Joe Condon's Galloways with room to roam)

From humble local beginnings in 1998, the Leitrim Organic Farmers Co-op now has a membership of over 100 beef and sheep farmers, from many counties across Ireland. The main areas it focuses on for its members are in finding markets, orgnaising for training and education, advice and lobbying.

A number of organic cattle marts have just finished up. I spoke to John Brennan of the Leitrim Co-op about how the trade has been.

�Confidence has returned to the sales� he tells me. �We had two in Drumcollagher, there were 137 sales at the first and 290 at the second.�

�Prices have improved - typically 2E per kg for heifers, E2.30 per kilo for good weanlings, while forward stores are also meeting good trade.�

�The numbers of organic cattle moved weekly is nearly at record levels - here and in the UK � and while the price is not at the record 2007 levels, it is nonetheless strong and giving confidence� .

Regarding export markets, there are some positive signs. �Tescos in the UK are buying a lot more organic meat again now. They seemed to panic a bit at the start of the downturn, and whipped organic off the shelves. While some customers did trade down to discounters, some of these in turn returned to their preferred supermarkets. So Waitrose, for example, have regained market share.�

Indeed, according to a report earlier in the year from the UK's Soil Association, among the three supermarkets with the biggest shares of the organic market � Sainsbury�s, Tesco and Waitrose � it was Waitrose that proved the most resilient in the recession. Its organic sales fell by only 3.5% in 2009 and it is predicting growth of 3-5% in 2010.

�There have also been increases in the market in Holland, especially for forequarter meat. This leaves other options with rear quarter meat�.

There are of course concerns: �the cost of feed is still an issue. The Sterling differential is helping, but some farmers are now growing their own feed. Some grow for Flahavans, and keep a portion for animal feed. Red clover is also coming strong earlier, and there was an earlier cutting date this year too�

Another issue is the age of slaughter. While there is a preference in the factories for animals slaughtered under 30 months, this comes with various costs and concerns for organic farmers.

According to John Brennan, as finishing under 30 months is difficult with vontinentals, �why not go to 33 or 35 months? Some cattle only reach their full desirable carcass weight at this age, especially the bigger animals like Charlois. But some processors, Slaney excluded, don't want animals that size.�

�A lot of it comes down to breed. With an Aberdeen Angus, they might be close to 280 kg at 20 to 24 months. But to push to and past 300 kg, or to try to get close to 350kg, is very difficult. You'd need another 10 to 12 months.�

�With the bigger continental animals, the Limosins or Belgian Blues, its very difficult without a lot of grain feeding, and feed is very expensive in organic.�

The discussion turned to paying by the grade. In organic, farmers are not paid by the grade for beef in Ireland, though they are in other countries, including the UK. He was especially animated about this issue. As you will see in my next posting on this topic.

People�s Mushroom Gravy

You'll need gravy for your table as well, of course. Thanks to Carolina O. from our Facebook page for suggesting that we get this recipe out to you. This recipe makes approximately 10 cups, which you will need, because this gravy rocks the boat!

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

2 cups yellow onions, diced

3 cups mushrooms, sliced thin

3/4 tsp. black pepper

3/4 tsp. sage

1 Tbsp. dill

3 Tbsp. Braggs� Liquid Aminos

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups soy milk

6 Tbsp. oat flour

6 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

How to make it

Heat the oil. Add onions and mushrooms and saut� until soft, then add the spices. Saut� for 1 more minute, then add the Braggs�, vegetable broth, and 1 cup of the soymilk. Bring to a boil. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the soy milk, flour, and yeast. Mix with a whisk, then add to the pot. Mix well. Heat until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to thicken further.

Cranberry Quinoa Stuffing

At People�s, we�ve run short of stuffing (we ordered 10 cases, and our distributor sent two!) and probably won�t have any in stock during this most stuff-iny-time of the year. Thanks to the folks over at Farm Animal Reform Movement, we do have a great recipe to offer that you and your guests will gobble up. Made from quinoa, the seed from the plant related to spinach, this stuffing recipe is gluten-free and high in protein.

Ingredients

� oz. dried oyster mushrooms
1 tsp. olive or vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
� tsp. salt
� tsp. oregano
2 tsp. thyme
black pepper (to taste)
� cup cashew pieces
1/3 cup cranberries
� cup quinoa, uncooked
1 cup vegetable broth

How to make it

1. Rinse quinoa, then in a pot over the stove, add quinoa and 1 cup of broth and bring to a boil.

2. Cover when boiling and reduce to a simmer; cook for 12-15 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed (the cooked germ looks like a tiny curl).

3. Put dried mushrooms in a separate bowl of hot water and set aside.

4. In a large skillet, heat oil and then saut� onion over medium heat.

5. Add salt and let onion cook a few minutes until they�ve sweated a bit.

6. Add herbs, pepper, and cashew pieces and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.

7. While that�s happening, drain mushrooms and chop them up, then add to pan; add cranberries and quinoa and stir.

Kilskyre National School & its (certified) organic garden

10 years ago, most Irish gardens were for looking at or relaxing in. Now, gardening is back and new hubs are emerging, places where people are getting their hands dirty in the name of fresh food.

These include allotments, GIY (Grow It Yourself) gatherings, and, increasingly, school gardens.

Thousands of schools have done some growing in the last three years, thanks to the Meet the Spuds and Incredible Edibles initiatives. These yearly Agri-Aware schemes provided full growing kits to over 2000 schools.

One school growing with a difference is the Kilskyre National School, between Kells and Oldcastle in Co. Meath. This is one of the few schools to have gone and achieved full organic certification.

Gerard Ruane has been principal of the school since 2007.

(picture: Daryll, Katie Conor supervised by organic gardener Lill Coyne)

The beginnings were modest: � I hoped to plant a few rows of vegetables and hoped that I would be able to get a parent to give me a hand with this so I started the Green School Initiative in Kilskyre when I was began here�

Ruane was informed that the parent of a girl in 5th class would be a great help � Lill Coyne. Coyne has been an organic grower and member of IOFGA since the 1980s.

�We took the children to see the garden in St. Patrick's National School Slane, my old school. Mary Meade, the Deputy Principal there, created a fantastic garden - I was anxious for the children to see it as Mary created this garden with the children�.

�We then visited another school, Rathkenny, who have a fantastic garden that the children were also fully involved in. We went back to Kilskyre and Lill got all the children to design the garden they wanted. Lill collected these and merged them into one design combining all the elements the children had suggested. We started from there.�

�We started out by creating a fedge - the older children dug out sods and the children created a sod bank in which we planted willows�.

He continues: �Every Thursday the children I teach bring in wellies and old clothes. The Parent's Council bought the children tools - wheelbarrow, spades, forks and so on�.

�There is a summer/winter/autumn/spring garden. We have bug hotel, pond, wormery, composting pig, green cone, composting area for grass, wild garden, seating area. The main focus initially was feeding the soil and companion planting for pest control, as well as managing nutrients in the soil�.

There has been great parental and wider community involvement, exemplified by equipment donations, meitheals three times a year, and a burgeoning range of amenities, including bird viewing boxes and benches.

�As we are organic, Lill decided to apply for the license. We have been inspected and the inspector was amazed at the children's knowledge and full involvement in the garden�.

I spoke to Lill Coyne about their organic certification: �I'm an organic grower myself - I feel very strongly about it, and I thought it would be great for the children to have the chance to grow organically. They have access to clean, cheaper food that's healthier. They also get exercise, learn about heritage varieties and traditional methods, and about biodiversity and the balance of nature through things like the use of natural predators�.

�The work in the garden comes under Environmental Awareness and Care in the Geography and Science Curriculum�according to Gerard Ruane. �We also use it for Science nature trails, plant study and so on. There is a diary kept where the children write in what they do each day after they come in from the garden.�

Not only have the pupils grown food, they have learned the practical skills of packing, certification, labelling, and also selling. The produce has been sold, by the pupils, at local farmers' markets and at the school gate. This in itself imparts array of practical life skills, from doing calculations to running a business that relies on good customer relations.

Great stuff indeed, it surely begs the question: why isn't all education a little more like this?

ORGANIC SUPERMARKET NEWSLETTER

I have a new piece on the femininity of farming, in particular organic farming, in the new newsletter from the Organic Supermarket.

To follow on a bit from it, you could have a look at a piece I'm especially happy with, one that I've had in the read these section for ages (must update, I know!), called nature and class.

This deals with the more theoretical issues behind gender and nature, in an introductory sense.

Its a really interesting newsletter - lots of recipes, info, giveaways etc - well done to Darren and the team for getting it together.

RAW FOOD FOR EVERYONE

Recently, its been my pleasure to come accross a few raw food 'cook'books. Cook is in commas because its not usually about cooking, more about preperation. There are numerous reasons to bring raw and living foods into your diet, many of which I have covered here.

I'm particularly fond of Natasha's Living foods and the servants of love book Raw in a Cold Climate as both are based in Ireland and are as such adapted to the Irish climate.

Raw Food for Everyone is another one I got recently, this one from the States. Its written by a raw food convert, Alissa Cohen, who found raw food helped her become healthy, having previously had numerous compalints.

The personal story is well written and engaging, and she is quite convincing about the reasons to go raw, from a health perspective. Her restaurant background is also a boon for the book - plenty of raw foodies are into giving classes and the like, but as she has had to get (paying) bums on seats - a different proposition entirely.

Packed full of recipes, the book is also packed full of short and simple recipes, so you can get started on your raw food journey quickly and easily. Only available on Amazon this side of the pond, its well worth checking out.

As is this little ditty (long term readers of this blog will have seen this before!)

Its the sexy bitches who like it raw. Oh Yea. (this is their best old vid i think, rest of them are available here)

ORGANIC GROWERS OF IRELAND

Producer groups can very effectively work well for clusters of farmers or growers. While they have a chequered history, there are plenty of good working examples, such as the Wexford Fruit Producers.

Another horticultural example of a producer group is the recently formed Organic Growers of Ireland.

(pic: organic basil crop)

This new group was established by certified organic horticulturists, who felt that their own needs and interests were not being sufficiently represented.

The OGI are modeled on the UK's Organic Growers Alliance. The UK group aims to bring growers together to help promote and represent growers' interests, as well as accrue other benefits from sharing experiences.

It has emerged as an effective body for interacting with certification and state bodies on behalf of organic growers in the UK.

The Irish version, the OGI, have similar aims and objectives. Initiated at an Organic Conference in Birr in March 2009, already they have held a number of horticulture walks in various locations around Ireland.

There were 6 in 2009, including on the holdings of the Kearns sisters in Roscommon, and Jonathan Doig in Cork.

Five more again have been held this year, including a recent return to the holding of Deirdre O Sullivan and Norman Kenny in Kildare.

OGI have also made submissions to the relevant authorities. These include to the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food with regard to developing the sector.

This submission noted that organic horticulture was historically underfunded and under represented, and that the targets in the Organic Action Plan did not necessarily chime well with the needs of organic horticulturists.

This suggested the appointment of a horticultural development officer, with responsibility to provide training and supports for new and existing growers, and to work on mentoring, advice and market development.

The submission also cited other key areas requiring attention, including �third level and post graduate education in organic farming, an organic apprenticeship scheme, research, on-going market development and financial supports for growers.�

There has been some movement on this horticulture appointment in recent times: however, as of yet, no one has been recruited for the post.

The group hold their first conference and AGM on Monday 22nd November. This will be held in the suitably mid-Ireland location of Kilcormac county Offaly, in the Kilcormac Development Association Hall, from 10am-4pm. (Kilcormac is on the N52 main road between Birr and Tullamore, Co. Offaly)

Topics for the morning session include the following:

The potential for commercial production of organic seed varieties, with Peter Bourke, head gardener from the Irish Seed Savers Association (ISSA), and Madeleine McKeever from Brown Envelope Seeds in Cork.

The ISSA have 8 hectares in Scariff, east Clare, where they research, locate, preserve, educate about and use traditional varieties of fruits, vegetables, potatoes and grains. Brown Envelope Seeds are based in Skibbereen in Cork, where they have produced and distributed vegetable seeds from, since 2004.

Both have, in no uncertain terms, pioneered the development of organic seed availability in Ireland.

As there is a new initiative from SuperValu to increase the amount of Irish-grown vegetables on sale in their stores, a representative from Supervalu will also be speaking, as will Kinsale's Colum O' Regan, who has been involved in this new venture.

There will also be presentations on irrigation in polytunnels and on a field scale with Billy Clifford (Kerry) and Dirk Flake (Galway), as well as a representative of P and A supplies, who supply pumps and irrigation equipment.

Finally, there will be a presentation on compost and compost teas with Michael Miklis, a biodynamic farmer and grower based in Killkenny.

In the afternoon, the OGI will have a general meeting, where they will plan their upcoming activities. A number of trade stands will also be in attendance.

All told this day should be of interest to anyone interested in or currently growing, organic horticulture crops.

Price for the day is �30 (includes a 25% reduction from National Organic Training Skillnet) which includes an organic lunch and tea/coffee.

For more: irishorganicgrowers@gmail.com, NOTS, or 071 96 40688.

ARTISAN FOOD & A RECOVERY THAT'S MORE FARMERS' MARKET THAN BOND MARKET

"The recovery will be more GAA than IDA, less bond market, more farmer's market". That's according to the ever colourful David McWilliams in a recent article.

McWilliams was making the point that when times are tough, we can and do rely on others, buying and selling from each other, to get things moving again.

He witnessed this sort of resilience when he visited Iceland, a country that has taken bold economic steps and now seems stable compared to Ireland.

The quote is also about playing to our strengths and to our uniqueness. To this end, the artisan food sector in Ireland punches well above its weight.

(picture: Iain Flynn winner of Blas na hEireann 2010)

There are a couple of ways of measuring this. Firstly, there's the extraordinary performance of the little guys, the artisan producers, when they come up against the big boys, the large food corporations, in food competitions this time of year.

While companies like Flahavans and Glenisk do well each year at the National Organic Awards, this year's winner was Mossfield Cheese's mature, a handmade farmhouse cheese made on the farm at the foothills of the Slieve Bloom mountains.

While companies on the scale of Hilton Foods and AIBP did very well at this year's Blas na Heireann, the winner was Iain Flynn's spinach and ricotta cannelloni. Flynn's Kitchens, the food business that makes the Cannelloni, is a one man operation.

Flynn's Kitchens makes and sells a range of food products, including freshly prepared meals, pate, quiches, mayonnaises, oils, preserves and chutneys using local and organic ingredients.

Flynn himself makes dishes, staffs his own stall at farmers' markets and even does his own accounts, as he has a degree in economics.

This is reflective of the caliber of the next generation of food producer coming through � a decidedly post Celtic Tiger sort of business person.

Flynn's local sourcing is very comprehensive, a point he really emphasises in conversation.

Up against 1000 other producers in 34 categories, Flynn's Kitchen's stood out because of the sheer quality of the ingredients and preparation.

Mairead McGuinness, MEP, who attended the Blas na Heireann awards, commented: �I am astounded at the passion of the producers involved in the Blas awards. I believe this is a vital key in Irish food production. Ireland and especially home produced products have an exceptional quality brand to offer. The potential in this sector is truly enormous.�

Artie Clifford, chairman of the Blas Awards pointed out that �these Irish awards provide an opportunity for Irish producers to compete with each other and prove that they can compete with the best in the world. We are now asking shoppers to talk with their feet and support home grown produce.�

While the export output of these artisan companies is small, the export potential is strong. And that's the key point: Ireland Inc can grow more indigenous food businesses which can then begin to earn foreign revenue.

Before reaching that point, artisan food businesses help rebuild consumer confidence by beginning the process of recirculating money in the economy and augmenting business busy-ness more generally.

It is also the case that many of today's bigger food companies, companies like Clonakilty Black Pudding, Mr. Crumb or Lily O Briens, started out as small companies and grew into a different category over the last 15 or so years (small food companies are defined as those with between E100,000 and E3.5 million turnover each year).

Many other growing food companies are in a healthy state like Burren Smokehouse, St.Tola's, Just Food or Sheridans.

The Taste Council, a voluntary group made up of many of the key stakeholders in the artisan food sector, has been lobbying for years, through the good times and the bad, to improve the sector's supports.

Here are some facts and figures on artisan and local food from their Agri-vision 2020 submission:

• There are 350 specialty micro and small food business in Ireland.
• These 350 firms grew from a population of 60 firms in 1996.
• These 350 firms have a combined output at consumer prices (i.e. prices charged at retail or foodservice prices) of �475 million.
• Small firms are more labour intensive: Ireland's 350 small food firms employ 3000 people, a figure that grew over the last 10 years, while other agri-food sectors retracted in employment and in other terms.
• The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reported a 50% increase in inquiries regarding the starting up or establishment of new food firms in 2009 compared to 2008.
• A study by the New Economics Foundation in London found that every �10 spent at a local food business is worth �25 for the local area, compared with just �14 when the same amount is spent in a supermarket. That is, a pound (or euro) spent locally generates more than twice as much income for the local economy.

In sum, small food businesses selling through routes to market other than the supermarket, contribute disproportionately more in terms of labour and spending patterns.

Peter Ward is owner of the Country Choice Food store in Nenagh. Founded in 1982, the store is famous amongst foodies and artisan producers alike.

He is full of ideas as to how to better facilitate the artisan sector and consumers alike. Routes to market is a big thing for Ward: �we need to up our game in the catering colleges, including in purchasing policies. Former catering collage graduates who now have food businesses need to be able to access that market.�

He continues: �all the young chefs have to be introduced to the excellence of artisan food production - otherwise we can't expect them to use the produce themselves when they graduate. They need to be stimulated by meeting producers, otherwise they just become fodder for an industry that doesn't see artisan food as terribly important.�

�Graduates from other disciplines need to see food is a viable option: no one presents food to them as a future career, they fall into food for other reasons. But people from other disciplines often have lots of new and useful skills to bring � this year's winner of Blas (na Heireann) is a perfect example� he says, in reference to Iain Flynn's accountancy background.

Indeed the recession has thrown up a whole new class of highly skilled and educated people who are out of work for the first time in their lives. The potential for these people to become superb food craftspeople is real.

Public procurement is another area where there is potential for the artisan sector, provided the �larger caterers who have the public contracts, like the contracts for feeding children in schools� can be convinced of the merit.

To this end, the newly revamped green public procurement initiative announced by Junior Minister Cuffe could begin the process of improving access for alternative foods not currently getting a look in to the public sector route.

One area Ward is especially passionate about is state support: �why is there no national media campaign to promote farmer's markets? I'd like to see organisations like Safe Food using their budgets to guarantee accessibility of affordable food to people who most need it outside of the supermarket structure�.

Considering some of the things food campaigns are run about, such as an egg a day being ok, this seems to be an eminently sensible suggestion.

He emphasises the importance of accessible and affordable fresh food, rather than just shelf life, a major focus for supermarkets.

Indeed, research into food poverty, in Ireland and elsewhere, has emphasised the importance of access as much as price: people without cars, in particular older people on low incomes, cannot frequent supermarkets as often as others. They rely on nearby shops and outlets for their food staples. Problems arise when these outlets do not have significant amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, which is often the case. (See Combat Poverty's food poverty research for more)

I put some of these points to Bord Bia. They point to some distinct areas where they help grow farmers' markets.

�Bord Bia sponsored RTE One�s �Fresh from The Farmers� Market� programme for two years. The series, which aimed to encourage viewers to use and support their local market and artisan producers, featured well known chef and farmers market advocate Clodagh McKenna. It ran on prime time national television for 16 weeks and featured / interviewed in excess of 25 markets and 30 top quality small Irish food producers.�

They also supported an episode of RTE One�s Eco Eye which focused on the promotion of farmers� markets in Ireland.

Their own website and social media functions promote traders at farmers' markets, which includes a full market listing, while their Marketing Assistance programme includes signage and point of sale materials for farmers markets. They intend to upscale their web work with regard to markets, �We plan to include new elements in this over time, such as an interactive market map, case studies, training modules for markets� a Bord Bia representative said.

Finally, they developed a Code of Good Practice, to help both encourage best practice and promote farmers' markets in general.

However, there are issues, some of which are funding related. Bigger campaigns are match funded. This means that EU rules dictate that those being supported need to come up with some of the money themselves. So campaigns on, for example, beef and eggs, can get industry supports, whereas farmers' markets, which invariably have smaller scale producers at them, find it harder.

Indeed, funding rules also dictate that it is producers and products, rather than routes to market or farmers' markets per se that get the supports, according to a Bord Bia representative.

This invariably calls for creative actions, as the Fresh From the Farmers' Markets TV shows was. They do stress that they are, as it were, reviewing the situation with regard to promoting farmers' markets, so who knows, some fresh and funky promotions may grab your attention soon. In the meantime, seek and ye shall find.

JOHN FEEHAN ON OMEGA BEEF DIRECT FARM PARTS 1 AND 2

I would highly recommend going over to the Organics with Altitude blog and having a read of John Feehans' 2 parter on the Omega Beef Direct Farm, which has just been posted over there.

here

Dr. John Feehan is probably the most knowledgeable person on the history, heritage and current state of farming and rurality in Ireland. He also has a healthily big picture view of global issues without loosing his rural focus. A delicate pathway, but one he navigates seamlessly.

GETTING OUR OATS: A TALE OF BUMBLEBEES AND BEEF

(Part one of this feature is here)

Organic oats are becoming attractive for farmers.

One such farmer is Richard Galvin of Portlaw in Waterford.

�I've been in oats for ten years, and for the last five I've been organic� Richard tells me.

Organic beef's feed needs, as well as Flahavan's desire for 1800 tonnes, are driving demand.

Explaining why he decided on organic oats, he states �I was growing beet and when the contract went, conventional tillage wasn't really worth it. We tried it, but we could see that oats were the better option: they cold be grown commercially and of course Flahavan's were interested too.�

He continues �also, there weren't a huge number of farmers interested in growing oats then and we reckoned that the market was increasing: people were becoming more more health conscious.�

Galvin gets about 2 tonnes to acre, which can go back to 1.5 depending on crops and mulching. �I also use a permitted organic sludge. I don't have livestock so I don't have dung, which can be a bit of a drawback.�

While the price remains relatively strong for organic oats, one thing worth considering in calculations, according to Galvin, is the rotation.

�People think its a good price, but you have to look at it on a 5 year cycle: two out of five years its idle. Now, you can do something with the clover, but nonetheless its not the same as a crop every year�

Organic oat crops are long rather than short straw. This allows the crop to surpass the weeds: without herbicides, short straw varieties would find it difficult to compete with the weeds in the fields. Long straw also helps aerate the crop and thus works against mildew.

Even then, as with other sectors in organic farming, there are permitted inputs to help with pest and weed management: �I do use a bit of what's permitted; a little sulfur on mildew, but mostly it looks after itself. For example ladybrids eat the aphids � I saw more ladybrids this year than ever before, and I put that down to the fact that I'm not using pesticides�.

He continues �you would notice an increase in wildlife on the farm when you don't use pesticides. There are more insects and then more birds, and we have an incredible number of bumblebees this year too. With the white clover in at the orchard, I never saw so many bumble bees before as this year.�

His orchard is the second key enterprise on the farm, and a growing one at that. 30,000 fruit trees are already yielding a crop for Galvin, while he is planting another 4000 apple trees in November. Of his 110 acres, 10 are now orchards.

Red Johnogolds are the variety grown. He supplies Simply Organics, and while some are sent to distributors in Northern Ireland, the majority go to Tescos.

Elstar is used as a pollinator, while Galvin is also going to trial between 600 and 1000 Delbars, which are an early red variety.

In a promising sign of the market for Irish organic apples, he is considering planting another four acres next year.

As with every food enterprise, the trick is to stay one step ahead of the market. Three short years ago, organic oats were getting abut 100E per tonne more than they are now.

However, the need for feed in organic beef and sheep should keep the price at least stable, as tillage farmers can simply start to supply organic beef or sheep farmers if the price gets too low.

And, as Richard Galvin shows, there is plenty of sense in tillage farmers having more than one product and more than one route to market.

GETTING YOUR (ORGANIC) OATS: HERE THERE AND EVERYWHERE

1800 tonnes of Irish organic oats are now used by Flahavans in their products, up from just 100 tonnes in 2008.

This is quite a jump, as in 2008 the majority of the oats in Flahavans organic products were sourced from abroad, including from far flung territories like Argentina and Canada.

Now between 60% and 75% of their organic oats are sourced in Ireland.

I met John Noonan, sales and marketing director with Flahavans at the National Organic Awards at Bord Bia's offices in Dublin.

Their jumbo porridge oats were commended at the awards in the sustainability category, because of some of the environmental innovations they have recently carried out.

(pic from bibliocook - great site!)

Along with the recyclable packaging, the processing plants themselves are now more sustainable: The burning of the outer shell of the oat powers the boiler, which generates steam for the cooking process.

They also generate electricity from the original millstream alongside their mill, which will soon be the only mill left in Ireland.

Their recent upscaling and upgrading of their processing facilities involved an investment of E1.7 million on drying, grain handling and storage equipment: they can now store 4000 tonnes of organic oats.

Vital for Ireland Incorporated, Flahavans have been leading the charge on exports, with 20% of their sales now going to foreign markets. This is primarily to the UK, where over 200 Tescos and a slightly smaller number of Waitrose stores carry their products, along with Wholefoods and Tree of Life.

More recently the Spanish market has opened up for them, whilst they are also initiating sales to the US.

Of the four Teagasc's organic advisors, James McDonald covers the south east. He thus has his ear to the ground when it comes to the organic tillage sector.

Growth in the sector he puts down to the efforts made by Flahavans to build Irish production of oats: �Flahavans have attended numerous farm walks and conferences over the last two years. They have been very publicly looking to increase the number of farmers who supply them.�

He continues: �The price has been reasonably good for oats for the last couple of years too. 2 years ago they were paying E400 per tonne. Last year, it was still strong but back to E340 a tonne.�

These reasonable prices encouraged farmers into organic, and also encouraged farmers who did not previously have tillage to to take on some oats as part of their mixed enterprise.

However, according to McDonald: �Tillage now is as valuable as a feed crop� as the price paid for feed is almost if not actually the equal of the processor price:

Indications are that organic oats will fetch just E300 per tonne this year.

In effect, the organic beef and sheep sectors are defining the price of the oats as much as Flahavans. This may have the effect of putting a floor beneath any further price drops, as growers can simply turn to the feed market.

And with, by a considerable distance, the biggest progress being made in beef and sheep in terms of conversion to organic in recent years, including 2010, this situation is likely to continue.

According to McDonald: �for example, one farmer I was dealing with went in (to the organic farming scheme) on the 15th May with 100 sucklers. He'll need 80 or 90 tonnes to finish. So organic beef growth is driving demand, as is the euro exchange rate.�

The latter effects the price of imports from the UK, where significant increases in organic oat production, for the feed export market, have been noted in recent years.

This all points to a stable and reasonable situation for organic oat growers in Ireland: not as well rewarded as two years ago, but then, very few people in any sector, farming or otherwise, are.

Next, we'll talk to one of the tillage farmers who supplies Flahavans, Richard Galvin of Portlaw in Waterford.

YEO VALLEY, YEO VALLEY, BIG UP THE MASSEY MASSIVE....or something.

Have a look at this: quite funny, and decent too I'd say.

Farming never looked quite so funky. (Even being retweeted by the mainstream farming twitterati - yes, they also exist!)

NEW GM REPORT ON SOY RAISES CONCERNS

�The weight of evidence from scientific studies, documented reports, and on-farm monitoring shows that both GM RR (Roundup Ready) soy and the glyphosate herbicide it is engineered to tolerate are destructive to agricultural systems, farm communities, ecosystems, and animal and human health. The conclusion is that GM RR soy cannot be termed sustainable or responsible.�

That's according to the recently published report, GM Soy Sustainable? Responsible?

As part of the renewed Programme for Government, there are commitments to make Ireland GM-free, and to GM-free labelling.

According to Green Party Agriculture Spokesperson Trevor Sargent TD, (previously Junior Minister at the Department of Agriculture): �This is a concerning study, which concludes genetically modified soya endangers human and animal health. It also identifies real problems with the herbicides that must be used in conjunction with this GM crop and highlights the damage that GM causes to the environment and to the rural communities where it is grown.�

The report summarises peer reviewed research and other studies into GM, and is authored by 9 senior scientists, including experts in biosciences, molecular embryology and ecology .

According to the report, though the vast majority of land (99%) and farmers (90%) don't grow GM crops, soy is exceptional: �More than 95 per cent of GM soy (and 75 per cent of other GM crops) is engineered to tolerate glyphosate herbicide, the most common formulation of which is Roundup. This allows the growing crop to be sprayed with glyphosate, killing weeds but allowing the crop to survive.�

This has led, the authors claim, to: the emergence of superweeds; increased herbicide use; land abandonment; lower yields; higher costs; reduced nutrient uptake; increased pests and diseases and increased use of fossil fuels in the production of such Soy crops.

Some of these are also factors with the no-till approach to farming that accompanies GM soy, they claim.

Indeed the combination of no till and heavy herbicide use in GM Soy production has contributed to rapid negative changes for South American farming: these include soil erosion, loss of soil fertility, loss of biodiversity (including farming biodiversity) and deforestation.

The report also states that GM Soy in South America has led to; less varied and nutritious local diets; concentration of power and resources in fewer hands and displacement of rural dwellers, including forcibly in Paraguay.

The authors claim that Glyphosate and Roundup are highly toxic to many organisms and to human cells:

Professor Andr�s Carrasco's research has linked glyphosate herbicide to birth defects �in frog and chicken embryos, in doses much lower than those used in agricultural spraying�.

Carrasco commented, �the findings in the lab are compatible with malformations observed in humans exposed to glyphosate during pregnancy.�

Severe health problems were also cited amongst villagers and farm labourers from aerial spraying of glyphosate on GM Roundup Ready soy, a practice now banned in some regions.

According to Trevor Sargent: �GM soya is predominately used in Ireland for animal feed, but GM-free options are available.�

He pointed out that Irish producers could profit if they embraced the market opportunities of GM-free meat and dairy produce:

�I would call on grain importers to ensure availability of GM-free soya into the Irish market so that farmers can cater for a growing market demand for GM-free feed produce. A move to feeding animals GM-free feed would result in only an additional 3c per kilo in the retail price of pork or 2c in the price of chicken.�

Critics would argue that:

This report in itself is not a peer reviewed report, it summarises peer reviewed and other information.

No all contributors are GM specialists; some are from broader areas like ecology.

Peer reviewed studies have suggested the oppose in many cases: e.g. no till, pesticide use reduction, yield.

The report conflates GM with generic corporate power.

There are major expert and institutional backers of GM Soy in agri-food, and also in some cases in environmental and development, (e.g. Plant Research International, members of the Round Table on Responsible Soy)

Nonetheless, this report is revelatory about global agri-food, especially in a third world context.

OLLIE ELSEWHERE

I don't just post here you know!

Here's a feature I have in the current edition of Organic Matters on an organic food business in Offaly, Clanwood farm.

Don't forget there's also a why eat organic in a recession by me on the organic supermarket website too.

BALLYDEHOB FOOD DAY SUNDAY 3RD OCTOBER

Very very busy foodie weekends coming up events in Dingle, Kinsale and Ballydehob - and probably more!

Me, I'm speaking about farmers becoming food businesses this Sunday in Ballydehob. More specifically, I'm speaking about changing over from being a commodity producer to being an organic food business.

So if you are in the area on Sunday, pop by: lots going on, lots of talks,...learn about seaweed cooking, wine making, climate change, nut trees, Community Supported Agriculture...there's a panel devoted completely to gardening, there's permaculture, and yes kids stuff too!

And it being West Cork, plenty of the people talking about doing these bits and pieces are doing it, and doing it really well too.

Lots of stalls with local food too.

For more details see here

We'll also have our Box of Delights stall there too, if you are feeling like some organic delectables

THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS (ORGANIC WEEK)

A busy National Organic Week has left the organic sector buzzing. Plenty of well attended events, some new research, promising policy developments and upcoming opportunities have all emerged.

Early on in the week, the Picnic in the Park in Portumna (pictured, left (c) Oliver Moore) was a very positive event indeed. This was certainly an event that attracted many people who were simply out and about in the greater Galway North Tipperary and West Offaly region for the day.

And that's what was so interesting about the day; its straightforwardness. It came across as a cross between an agricultural show and a foodie eat in, with nothing especially alternative about the crowd in attendance.

Slow Food the ICSA and IOFGA were the main organisers, while many local food businesses chipped in.

All the traders were certified organic who attended, and all sold out of their food exceptionally early. The location was stunning, while the activities ranged from informative and inspiring forest walks with Andrew St.Ledger of the Woodland League to detailed discussions on the process of converting to organic with Pat Barry, Mary Lynch and a genuinely interested crowd.

In many ways, attending an event like this, one full of positivity and great food, is as useful an introduction to organic farming and food as a farm walk or a course.

The National Organic Awards were also positive, as awards often are. However it was interesting to be in a room full of businesses and agency workers who seemed quite positive about the future.

Minister of State Ciaran Cuffe's speech pointed to a renewed Green public procurement initiative, which would be incorporating organic produce.

The market's message was mixed: According to Cuffe:

�The Irish organic market is estimated to be worth about �95 million this year compared to �66 million in 2006. Admittedly the figure is down from last year, but the decrease is more in value than in volume and the trend is more or less the same as we see in the conventional sector�.

�Despite this some sectors have bucked the trend. For example, Organic Yoghurt has shown a 24% growth in volume and diary is an area that is largely supplied by domestic production.�

Bord Bia's own research, released to coincide with National Organic Week, found that 33 per cent of Irish grocery shoppers purchased an organic product in the past week, up 2% on the 2008 figure.

It also found the volume of sales steady, and that 30 per cent of these consumers are purchasing more organic food than they were last year. Sixty-two per cent were buying the same amount of organic food.

Another possible policy development is the establishment of an organic horticulture advisor. Flagged at the Teagasc National Organic Conference in Birr last Thursday, if this does come to pass it would indeed be a positive and much needed development: there is significant interest in and need for dedicated organic horticulture advisory services.

However, in a possible sign of the wavering economic times, there was much talk of the fact that efforts were being made to make this happen rather than its certainty.

Good news for cattle and sheep farmers emerged from John Purcell of the Good Herdsman, who also spoke at the Teagasc event. He revealed some areas where he felt there would be a need for animals to service organic markets: �the industry needs an extra 6000 organic cattle to make a strong presence on the European Market� he claimed.

Purcell also pointed out that by introducing a branded organic product abroad - the organic steakhouse range - Good Herdsman was able to secure a premium and avoid a commodity race to the bottom, thus avoiding competition with South American Beef.

Winter finishing off green forage offers lamb producers some opportunities too, according to Purcell. He pointed out that if 4-5000 winter lambs were finished, processors would find European markets for them.

All in all, plenty of positivity emanated from Organic week . Here's hoping it is built upon.

Why eat organic in a recession? In Ireland?

Why eat organic in a recession? In Ireland? Have a look at my reasoning, part one, on the Organic Supermarket's website.

(See the current edition of organic matters for a couple of features by me too: one of social media and organic food businesses, the other a farm and food business profile of Clanwood farm in Offaly)

MOSSFIELD CHEESE SCOOPS TOP PRIZE AT NATIONAL ORGANIC AWARDS

Mossfield Organic Farm's mature cheese has won the 2010 National Organic Awards. The cheese, which is now available as a prepack, was chosen from amongst 165 products from dozens of companies.

Ralph Haslam's farms almost 300 acres at the foothills of the Slieve Bloom mountains, where he stocks Rotbunt and Freisen dairy cattle.

No stranger to awards, this mature gouda style cheese has won numerous accolades in Ireland and abroad, including three gold stars and best Irish specialty food product at the Great Taste Awards.

It is certainly a cheese that can hold its own amongst the best in the world, and is fully deserving of its win.

The cheese was also the winner of the Sustainable category of the awards, which were announced on Tuesday. In this category, both Glenisk and Flahavans were highly commended. Both of the latter companies have made great strides to make their operations more sustainable: Glenisk for example use Airtricity in their own plant, have installed their own wind turbine and reed bed systems and have made partnerships with environmental NGOs like Cultivate and the Organic Centre, Leitrim.

However Mossfield's own farm in Offaly is a veritable haven of biodiversity. Their new grass sward has to be seen to be believed, such is the range of plants and thus butterflies, crickets, grasshoppers and various other insects in the fields.

Whilst organic farmers in general use clover to improve fertility, the Haslam sward is becoming very bountiful indeed.

Best New Product always attracts a lot of excitement, and this year its no different. Out of a very impressive new range from Ballybrado, their Organic Junior Muesli scooped the top award.

This ticks a lot of the right boxes indeed as a retail product. Very impressive and attractive packaging, coupled with a realistic blend of sweetness and health will make this a winner amongst conscious parents.

Anther exceptional new organic product, this one highly commended in the awards, is the Oliver Carthy Dry Cure Organic Rack of Bacon.

This marks a great new departure for Irish organic pork, as previously organic pork from Ireland was very difficult to come by. Oliver Carthy's other organic pork offerings, all very high quality products in their own right, were made with Danish bacon. This one is made with Irish meat instead. And many is the fine meal it will make in the months ahead.

In the export category, there was just one award and no commendations: Murphy�s Whole Fresh Irish Organic Salmon.

In the best retail product, three stalwarts of organic and indeed other awards scored best: Burren Smokehouse and Mossfield mature cheese were highly commended, while St. Tola's organic goat's cheese was the category winner.

The latter's award was in part because of the significant improvement in its packaging: previously St Tola's packaging was very basic indeed.

And while many products use images of the Burren to sell themselves abroad the difference here is that St Tola's is made in Inagh in the county Clare, on the fringes of the Burren itself.

Best Local Product went to Beechlawn organic farm. This year's awards included horticultural entrants for the first time. Beal Cheese and Moonshine organic dairies were also commended in this category.

What was most impressive about the local element of Beechlawn was how distinct it was from the otherwise more generic local claims made by others in the category.

They sell 85% of their produce in Co. Galway or Westmeath � all within one and a half hours drive from their Ballinasloe farm. They provided seeds, compost, manure, plants and gardening expertise to the school garden in Scoil U� Cheithearnaigh, Ballinasloe ( primary school) throughout Spring and early Summer 2009 and 2010.

Una Ni Broin of Beechlawn also has delivered extensive organic horticultural teaching days, many of them in Irish, from single events to 20 hour courses across the region. Each year, the farm hosts 6-8 farm walks.

SO what are you waiting for? get munchin!

Box of delights: a new venture in an organic oasis

Usually, the posts here are about organic farming and food issues. Well, today, its a little different. Myself and my partner Vicki started a stall at a farmers' market for the first time.

In fact, I've established, with Joe Condon (of Omega Beef direct and the Organics with Altitude project I also coordinate) an organic only farmers' market!

At this market, in Clonmel every Friday from 11-6 (at the Showgrounds Shopping centre) all the stalls are organic. And all (except mine!) is staffed by the actual farmer too.

We have Siobhan La Touche and Eamon Wallace, (fresh fruits, veg, salad leaves and eggs) , Joe Condon, Denis Maher and John Collins doing various meats (beef, lamb and pork) Diarmuid Foley doing fish (wild is acceptable alongside organic!) and then myself and Vicki.

Our stall is called Box of Delights, and we're really filling in the gaps with pure delectables.

The market was short bread and cheese, as well as hot tea and coffee, so we've gone for it.

Myself and Vicki do:

Coolfin bakery's breads, Mossfield cheese, Solaris tea, Natura Equa coffee and Valrhona chocolate. All are organic (or in the case of the chocolate, its the organic line the company offers) and all are in my own opinion, the best in their respective fields.

I now live in north Tipperary, so can easily grab a delivery of Coolfin's breads in the AM. I'm also just across from Mossfield cheese.

Its been a real learning curve, as both our box of delights stall and the market itself are applying for organic certification.

We have our official launch on Friday, as part of Organic week. Hopefully see you there!

Not Crying over Spilt Soymilk

from The �Cornucopia� Institute:http://www.cornucopia.org

CORNUCOPIA, WI � It�s not often that family-scale farmers can go toe-to-toe with a $12 billion agribusiness and come out victors. But organic soybean producers, and a modestly scaled but powerful ally, The Cornucopia Institute, are claiming victory over Dean Foods in the organic marketplace.

Dean Foods, the manufacturer of Silk, the top-selling soymilk drink, was first �outed� in Cornucopia�s May 2009 report, Behind the Bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry, for switching its soybean sourcing from American farms to cheaper organic beans from China. Later in 2009, Cornucopia revealed that Dean Foods had then largely abandoned organic soybeans altogether, stealthily changing the soybeans in their core Silk product line from organic to less expensive conventionally grown soybeans that the company was calling �natural.�

The shift away from organic outraged many loyal consumers and alienated retailers across the country that were not informed of the change and continued to inaccurately merchandise Silk products as �organic.�

�Dean Foods has been roundly criticized for taking the organic out of Silk, and now the marketplace and consumers are passing their judgment,� said Mark Kastel, Cornucopia�s senior farm policy analyst. �They took what once was a pioneering 100% organic brand, before they acquired the company in 2003, and cheapened the product at the expense of American farmers and consumers.�

Dean�s purchase of Silk initially excited American farmers who had been selling organic soybeans for use in Silk soymilk. Many thought that Dean would use its marketing prowess to further grow the Silk brand and expand demand for domestic organic soybeans. Instead, the company turned the screws on its farmer-suppliers and demanded that they compete on pricing with Chinese imports � something they were unable to do.

�White Wave (the operating division of Dean Foods that markets Silk and Horizon organic milk) had the opportunity to push organic and sustainable agriculture to incredible heights of production by working with North American farmers and traders to get more land in organic production, but what they did was pit cheap foreign soybeans against the U.S. organic farmer, taking away any attraction for conventional farmers to make the move into sustainable agriculture,� said Merle Kramer, a marketer for the Midwestern Organic Farmers Cooperative.

Dean spokesperson Molly Keveney told the Denver Post that staying with organic beans would have resulted in price increases. This statement stands at odds with the reality of falling farmgate prices for organic soybeans in recent years.

The shift away from organics by Dean in its Silk soymilk products also produced additional embarrassment for and anger at the company when Cornucopia discovered in 2009 that it had failed to change the soymilk product�s packaging to overtly reflect that it was being made with �natural� soybeans. Cornucopia filed a formal complaint with the USDA�s National Organic Program over the matter. The company ultimately corrected its misrepresentation.

�Consumers and retailers repeatedly reported to us that they were deceived and ended up unknowingly buying Silk products with conventional soybeans,� said Kastel. �We know of numerous retailers that ultimately pulled Silk products from their store shelves over the gross misrepresentation of the soymilk product,� Kastel added.

The Cornucopia Institute maintains a soy foods scorecard on its website (www.cornucopia.org), which provides information and ratings of soymilk and various soy foods and rates them on the integrity of their production (including whether brands buy from American family farmers or from China). The scorecard can be used by consumers and wholesale buyers to make purchasing decisions that support their values.