Help Make This Our Most Successful Annual Appeal Ever

Last fall we described an exciting new chapter that is opening in the history of the biodynamic movement and we announced a $50,000 challenge grant from a generous donor. We articulated eight key themes that illustrate some of the emerging needs and opportunities before us. And we asked for your generous support as we move forward with this work.

We are pleased to let you know that over 270 members and friends have responded to that letter, helping us to raise a total of $108,000! We are very humbled and grateful.

But we're not stopping here. There is one month left in our annual appeal and we'd like to raise another $12,000 to make this the most successful annual appeal in the history of the Association.

Your support is so crucial in these challenging times. In the midst of all this change, there is an opening for biodynamics to touch more lives and more land than ever before.

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Biodynamic Association to Support Zinniker Farm and Pioneer New Consumers’ Associations

The Biodynamic Association has received a grant from RSF Social Finance to help develop a new type of consumers’ association designed to purchase and hold agricultural assets in order to support family farmers and protect consumer rights. The BDA will pilot the effort in Wisconsin and then look to share lessons from its use in other states. Read more....

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Save the Date!

The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association's Annual Conference will be held at the Threefold Educational Center in Chestnut Ridge, NY from Thursday, Sept. 30 through Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. Details, along with our upcoming call for workshop presenters, will be announced as they become available on our conference page and through our e-newsletter.

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Announcements

• Video from USDA on hoop houses at the White House Garden
• Video by Will Brinton of Woods End Laboratory: discusses research on biochar, concluding that compost is probably a better alternative
• Austrian study of health effects of GM insecticide-producing maize (PDF format): "Mice fed GM insecticide-producing maize over four generations showed a buildup of abnormal structural changes in various organs (liver, spleen, pancreas), major changes in the pattern of gene function in the gut, reflecting disturbances in the chemistry of this organ system (e.g. in cholesterol production, protein production and breakdown), and, most significantly, reduced fertility."
• Breaking Down Market Barriers for Small and Mid-Sized Organic Growers: new report from CIRS, in cooperation with the USDA ARS
• Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years: new report from the Organic Center finding that, compared to pesticide use in the absence of GE crops, farmers applied 318 million more pounds of pesticides over the last 13 years as a result of planting GE seeds, representing an average increase of about 0.25 pound for each acre planted to a GE trait
• Sustainable Food Jobs: new blog site for job opportunities in the sustainable food sector
• Value Added Producer Grants Program Fact Sheet from the Center for Rural Affairs
• Conservation Stewardship Program information from the Organic Farming Research Foundation
• New funding resources website: Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) offers a new site with a wide variety of funds and resources available for beginning and established organic farmers.