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Show B-13 The Park Record Wed/Thurs/Fri, December 7-9, 2005 Agriculture gets a half-step greener Nonprofit promotes new eco-label for crops grown with fewer chemicals By EMMA BROWN High Country News Anyone who buys organic produce is accustomed to grocery-store sticker shock. But the people behind a new eco-label believe that healthy food can be both sustainably produced and affordable. Protected Harvest is a nonprofit that offers certification to farmers who are interested in adopting ccofriendly farming practices, but who are not necessarily willing to undergo the rigorous and expensive process of organic certification. In 1996. the World Wildlife Fund teamed up with the University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin potato growers to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional agriculture. The group wanted to reward growers with either better prices or new markets for their crops. Such incentives require independent certification: Protected Harvest was born in 2001 tofillthat role. To date, it has certified 12 potato farms, all in Wisconsin. Now, Protected Harvest is heading west to California. The nonprofit hopes to gain a foothold in the Central Valley, where farmers grow 95 percent of the country's processing tomatoes, used in soups, ketchup and pizza sauce. "Our main mission is getting as many acres of agricultural working land as possible under a sustainable plan." says Carolyn Brickey, Protected Harvest's executive director. Next stop: California The Wisconsin researchers captured the relative toxicity of each pesticide and herbicide in a single number, or toxicity unit. They also assigned points for ecologically friendly farming practices. To qualify for the Protected Harvest label, farmers have to earn a certain number of conservation points, and they can't surpass a maximum number of toxicity units per acre. It's working: Participating Wisconsin farmers use 64 percent fewer chemicals than the industry average. In California, Protected Harvest will work with local growers, watershed groups, and experts from the University of California-Davis to write processing-tomato standards. Those standards will require farmers to keep close tabs on weed, pest and disease problems by scouting their fields regularly. Instead of using blanket chemical control, farmers might release beneficial insects to deter pests, or plant "smother crops" to control weeds. And they may still use chemicals when other methods aren't effective. The California State Water Board recently awarded Protected Harvest $425,000 to begin working on the tomato standards. Water Board chair Art Baggett says that Protected Harvest's presence in California will both encourage conservation and allow his agency to focus on the "bad actors": growers who aren't complying with state environmental protection laws. Baggett also thinks Protected Harvest's standards could encourage a more holistic approach to environmental protection than do organic standards. "Just because you're organic, just because you don't use pesticides, doesn't mean you're sustainable," he says. Plastic mulch laid down in place of a synthetic herbicide and then torn up and trucked to the dump, for.example, is organic but not environmentally friendly. Protected Harvest's standards would be able to discourage such practices by assigning them fewer conservation points. Selling new label is no simple task There are plenty of hurdles to overcome if Protected Harvest is ever to enjoy organic's success in the marketplace. In Wisconsin, certified potatoes, sold under the brand Healthy Grown, haven't earned significantly higher prices than their conventional counterparts. A five-pound bag costs $1.79 -- just 10 cents more than conventionally grown varieties. The same amount of organic spuds costs $4.99. While that's good for consumers, it's disappointing to growers like Steve Diercks. who initially thought that his certified potatoes would fetch a better price. Diercks says he's now hoping that certification will help his product stand out in a marketplace choked with competition. Selling the label to consumers who've never heard of Protected Harvest and don't know what it means ~ or how trustworthy it is -may be the organization's biggest challenge. Rochelle Kelvin. Protected Harvest's deputy director, says that for now, the organization will reach potential customers by partnering with grocery chains; for example, Whole Foods Market sells, the Wisconsin potatoes in some of its stores. Whole Foods' James Parker says the company may sell certified California crops in its Western outlets. Laura Sayre of the Rodale Institute, an organization founded by organic pioneer J.J. Rodale, says that new labels like Protected Harvest may confuse consumers who are already bombarded by information. But, she says, they also provide an important middle ground for conventional farmers who aren't quite ready to go organic. Despite the obstacles, Kelvin believes Protected Harvest can succeed. The orga.nizalion already plans to develop standards for wine grapes, peaches, nectarines, plums and strawberries. Eventually, it hopes to certify a wide range of crops. "We want to challenge conventional agriculture further to make improvements," Kelvin says, "and we need a new vehicle to do it. Organic isn't appealing to a broad enough sector of agriculture." Join us at Park City's mort luxurious sushi restaurant! ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI! Itoemtiow but » t retired 645-4400 ! 2 FOR 1 I DINNER ENTREES Expires Dec. 16Lh 2005 High Country News (www.licn.org) covers the West's communities and natural-resource issues from Paonia, Colorado. GM shrinks tuition perk for salaried staff By BRETT CLANTON Media News Group Wire Service Detroit - General Motors Corp is cutting by almost half a perk that helps salaried employees cover the costs of graduate degrees they pursue outside of work. In a recent note to employees, GM said that starting Jan. 1 , it will provide $6,400 per year to cover graduate and postgraduate degree programs, down from $10,000 per year today. The change is tjie latest cost-cutting move at the automaker, which is trying to turn around its money-losing North American automotive business amid slumping sales. About 2,900 U.S. salaried employees participate in the GM program annually, but the change affects only new participants and employees who enroll in new degree programs beginning next year. "They're looking at every advantage they can possibly gain to make certain their cost structure and their revenue picture meet somewhere that's beneficial to stockholders," said Jim Sanfilippo. an industry analyst with AMCI Inc. in Detroit. "And they've got to do it fast." GM's tuition reimbursement program for undergraduate degrees, with a cap of $6,400 a year, is not being changed. The automaker lost $4.8 billion in North America during the first nine months of the year and is undertaking several restructuring moves, including an overhaul of sales and marketing, a deal with the United Auto Workers to cut its nearly $6 billion annual health care tab by $1 billion a year, and a plan to close nine factories and cut 30,000 hourly jobs by 2008. GM said it made the reduction in the educational assistance to bring the automaker in line with what other companies pay for the benefit. "Even with this change, (the tuition-assistance program) remains very competitive with what other companies are offering," GM spokesman Robert Herta said. A recent survey by Mercer Human Resources Consulting in New York seems to back up the claim. Of the U.S. companies offering such a benefit, the highest percentage - 29 percent - said the maximum in tuition assistance offered to employees ranged from $5,000 to $5,999 per year, while the next largest group - 24 percent - said the maximum spanned from $2,000 to $2,999 per year. GM's program illustrates the largesse that Detroit automakers have shown employees through the years. But such benefits are becoming costly to maintain amid challenging times in the U.S. auto industry. 11 1 actually commend GM for not cutting (the program) more." said Gary Schickler, director of Wayne State University's graduate admissions office. Wayne State, which has GM employees in graduate programs, should not be affected by the move, he said. But Gerry Gallagher, a spokesman for the University of Michigan at Dearborn, said the cut in tuition reimbursement could hurt graduate enrollment, which has fallen in recent years as Detroit 1972 Join us for Lunch and enjoy the Best 1/2 lb. Burgers in Town. Breakfast Served All Day From 8;im - 4pm Lunch From 11 am Dinner From 5pm 649.8284 317 Historic Main Street Please see GM, B-14 Has Your Realtor Shown You Tkese? { x./i TWO GREAT COLONY LOTS 168 WHITE PINE CANYON ROAD This 5-33 acre homestead presents exciting opportunities for multiple-ownership and privacy. The main residence ;ind t^ucsc house sites are on opposite sides of the ski run, each with private drive access. Nestled in a mature fir and aspen forest you will enjoy Iron Mountain and down-valley views and excellent ski-in/out from the front door. 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