NAMPA, Idaho—Many small and organic farmers in this region are excited about the Nov. 18 Idaho Sustainable Agriculture Symposium, but large producers and farm groups have been slow to warm to the third annual event.
Some large producers who attended last year’s event were offended by a presentation from guest speaker Wenonah Hauter, event organizer Pete Pearson said.
Hauter, author of “Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America,” was critical of some aspects of production agriculture during her presentation, which caused some farmers to stand up and protest and eventually walk out.
“I think that ruffled a lot of feathers. There were some people in the audience who did not like what she had to say,” said Pearson, who said he has received “radio silence” from many farm groups in Idaho this year.
Pearson said the event, hosted by the Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture, is not about big versus small farmers, or organic versus conventional methods.
“I’m doing everything I can to be fair and balanced and to try to include all different approaches and opinions,” he said.
This year’s event in Nampa includes workshops on farm recycling, animal husbandry, regional water management, healthy soil, seed saving, bees and pollinators and an overview of land trusts in Idaho.
One of this year’s guest speakers, Gabe Brown, has gone completely no-till and pesticide-free on his 5,000-acre farm in North Dakota and uses herbicides once every four years, Pearson said.
“He is able to do it on a big production scale (and) I think he can really speak to Idaho producers,” Pearson said.
The event has been sponsored each year by the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, which views it as a way to help educate people about what sustainability really is, executive director Bob Naerebout said.
“Sustainability is one of the key words going forward for the agricultural and dairy industry,” he said. “We have a responsibility to educate people about what sustainability is. We think it’s a positive conference.”
The conference will feature a discussion on biotechnology that will include Duane Grant, a sugar beet grower from Rupert who defended the use of genetically modified crops during last year’s event.
Grant said the event does attract an audience that generally does not support the use of biotechnology in agriculture.
“I’m not going to be there because I think I’ll make friends,” he said. “We need to be there to represent production agriculture. Biotechnology is a phenomenal tool.”
Organic producer Janie Burns from Nampa said she’s excited about the conference and thinks it can be an opportunity for all segments of agriculture to learn from each other.
“I’d rather see less confrontation and more education,” she said. “Unfortunately, the words ‘sustainable agriculture’ have divided people into two camps and both think they’re doing the right thing. We all have much to learn from each other on how we can be more sustainable.”
For more information about the conference online, visit http://idahocsa.org
Source: www.capitalpress.com