Standstill supermarkets

Tired of gettin into your tractor and heading to your local IFA protest?

Then have a look at this very innovative way to let supermarket know you are annoyed with them:

a flash mob with what we'll call an agro-food purpose in Germany.....

to read about it, see here

foras organach: bodies don't (always) lie

b4 u even start on this and the government, have a look at what will now happen because the greens are in government. And then think of what would have happened were they not in government.

Its an a-z of what should be done. Like 500 _new_ teachers....

Sure if u don't trust the times, there's always the horses' mouth itself

article begins:

Its amazing how much dislike there is out there for the government, and how this manifests itself.

This occasionally naked anger appears in a myriad of different ways � even in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's (DAFF's) promotion of organic farming.

On line and in print, the establishment of Foras Organach has actually managed to annoy a number of people, both from and outside the farming community.

Foras Organach is the new body, which takes over from the National Steering Group for the Organic Sector, with a remit to drive the development of organics.

That Foras Organach is taking over from a previous body seems has passed most of the critics by.

This shows a lack of due diligence on their parts - under-researching their opinion and criticising something without having the facts established.

However it also reveals just how little faith people have in the government: in the case of Foras Organach, they immediately presumed it was another gravy train.

One of these sources of criticism was the on line forum politics.ie . This is an extremely busy and active website, which carries news and discussions on politics.

On politics.ie the announcement of Foras Organach was greeted with shouting rage. Many presumed it would be costly, that the members of the body would be on a wage, that offices would be filled with the members and their staff.

In fact, Foras Organach is 1/3 the size of the previous group and far more targeted, as conventional sector experts and organic representatives work together in a very focused way.

The members are all either volunteering private businesspeople, or state employees doing their dairy work.

The meetings are in Department of Finance buildings in Tullamore. This latter fact also reduces the costs associated with it, as Tullamore is in the midlands so people traveling from the four corners, as it were, will have a shorter distance to travel. And as farming is rural, the logic of this location is clear.

Members do receive civil service rates for traveling to Tullamore the once a month meetings, but why shouldn't they? Especially if they are private businesspeople taking a day out of actually earning money, and volunteering to help develop the organic sector?

Critics also saw Foras Organach as a waste of money in a country with none. Apart from the fact that it will actually cost very little money, investing in organic farming is investing in a growth area that, compared to conventional farming, has a younger demographic, has a better gender balance, has more profitability and is more sustainable. What's not to support in this, considering the Department's conventional farming budget tops E2.6 billion?

While you can expect a level of ignorance about farming on websites, you might expect a bit more from a farming publication.

The Irish Farmers' Monthly actually carries an editorial on Foras Organach in its current October edition. The presumptions and basic errors made in Margaret Donnelly's editorial are noteworthy.

Claiming that Foras Organach is an �entirely new body� is a very basic error. As is the claim that recent research has found that organic has �zero health benefits�: no food has zero health benefits.

While, expecting that people will have less money to spend, and thus might purchase less organic food, is understandable, this jars with the fact that organic sales in Ireland are increasing as the recession deepens.

In July of this year, organic sales reached E124 million. This is a 19% increase on the July 2008 figure. (This has been misreported almost everywhere, as people have conflated the volume increase of 13% with the value increase of 19%)

It also ignores the fact that Ireland has an export orientated agricultural sector, and that there are significant shortages of organic produce in many parts of Europe � where, as it happens, the recession is not as severe anyway.

Foras Organach will continue to grow the organic sector, in a very cost effective manner, whatever about people's dislike of the government.

Fall Means Pumpkins

Pumpkins are at their prime from September to late November, so now�s the time to transform these attractive seasonal squashes into delectable dishes � and we�re not just talking pie! A pumpkin�s mild, succulent flesh marries beautifully with many other flavors, and it can be prepared in almost any way that�s suitable for other winter squashes: baked, roasted, grilled, boiled, braised, or even hollowed out and used as a serving container. Over in the Earthbound Farms kitchens, they�re whipping up all kinds of wonderful pumpkin recipes including, Pumpkin Gratin, Savory Pumpkin Tart, Pumpkin and Coconut Soup (this one sounds extra delicious), Steamed Ginger, Date, and Pumpkin Pudding (which is actually much more like a cake than a pudding), Pumpkin Cheesecake and more!

Click here for recipes. And remember, every meal is better when you share it with a friend.

October is Harvest Moon

I'm still here, and it's been really busy between work and putting up my harvest. I have about 100 jars of food put up now. The harvest kitchen is almost ready to close for the season. Expect to see me back here soon catching up with photos and commentary for this amazing year of growing food organically. Thanks, and get out there and experience some harvest time! Such a wonderful time to give thanks, this harvest moon. We truly reap what we sow. Experience picking some organic apples and pears, persimmons, grapes, fall raspberries, check it out before they're gone or in cold storage. There's something about picking your own food, it just makes you feel so thankful and lucky to be alive. Plus it's really fun to do with kids, nice memories of going to the orchard with all the sounds and smells of autumn leaves and crispy air and colors, check it out. Rain soon come!

Co2 and the oxygen of publicity

More Co2 is good for the planet...(!?!)

It may be getting the oxygen of publicity by being featured, but this is so worth seeing...if only to learn more about the oil industry and duped,

confused american consumer-citizens

Fire walking through it all: organic farming's cool wet grass

Sometimes it must seem as if organic farming is blessed. It is almost as if organic farming is fire walking, thinking all the time of cool wet grass while bounding across the burning agri-food embers.

All around, casualties nurse their smoldering, singed, smoky feet. And yet, in its own small but significant way, organic continues to thrive.

Economists, commentators and other apparent experts have euligised the new fashion for frugality in food: the consumer now only wants cheap cheap cheap, and the consumer is getting it.

In this new world, organic supposedly doesn't stand a chance. How and why would anyone spend, wait for it, more than they have to, on something so basic as food? Its like taxing yourself on top of all the imposed cuts and taxes.

The same commentators then morn for farmers' falling income, as though cheap food and falling farmer incomes are not connected.

All the while, organic farming calmly and collectively presents itself as a viable and sustainable alternative.

Despite its image as expensive, organic continues to defy expectations. Despite all the presumptions, predictions and hype, organic sales figures are still growing in Ireland.

The most recent TNS figures for organic food sales put the figure at E124 million. Organic broke the 100 million mark in July 2008, and has been on the rise ever since. 73% have purchased an organic product in the last month.

Indeed the growth rate is actually hastening. Perhaps the consumer is sharpening her focus on value: the balance between price and quality.

It seems as if a new breed of quality organic products are emerging. There once was a place for uber convenience, for what now seems to be gimmicky value added products, or for ever smaller portions designed for ever more convenience again.

The new breed is an altogether leaner, cleaner, greener, machine. Consider the winners at this year's Bord Bia national organic awards.

Happy Heart organic rapeseed oil from Drumeen farm is grown, pressed and bottled on the Colchesters' farm in Kilkenny. It tastes great and is good value too, clocking in at under E6 for a half litre.

St Tola's organic goats cheese 1 kg log, which wins awards across many competitions at home and abroad, is now an export product.

The non-homogenised Moon Shine 2 litre organic milk, overall winner from the Kelly's in Westmeath, is another great taste great value product.

All three were category winners, decent sized portions, and all are produced on a farm.

Looking at the winners and highly commended's from these awards, its clear that simple, good quality foods are emerging as the foodie's choice.

This years organic award winners were meats, bread, milk, oil, cheese, porridge and yogurt: Simple honest foods.

The Good Herdsman's organic steakhouse beef, a highly commended product in the awards, proves that organic is able to compete with any retail product. The Good Herdsman recently achieved a E500,000 contract on the continent with their Organic Steakhouse, which is produced, processed and packaged in Ireland.

That the driving forces of the company, John Purcell and Josef Finkle can speak fluently in French and German no doubt helped with achieving contracts at this year's Biofach organic trade show in Germany.

Fellow judge Darren Grant from the Organic Supermarket in Blackrock, Dublin was very impressed by the fact that this new organic product has an extra 10 days shelflife.

St Tola's, Drumeen and Moonshine products, all farm produced, surely suggest to farmers that there are realistic options out there, both in organic and in on farm processing.

And for those very farmers, the dates and locations for the new Teagasc Organic Farming Courses have been announced.

These FETAC accredited courses start the week of the 20th October, and run for 25 hours in total one day per week for five weeks. The cost is �200 per participant.

Accredited courses are now compulsory to qualify for the new organic farming scheme, which reopens on the 1st January 2010.

And while the grass is greener on the organic side, in flaming world of farming, it's cooler and wetter too.

(photo by chaosinjune )

October is Co-op Month!