|
|
 WHAT IS FOOD ALLIANCE MIDWEST?
Food Alliance is widely recognized as the nation’s leading certifying organization for environmentally friendly and socially responsible agricultural practices. Food Alliance connects consumers with farmers and ranchers – using the power of the market to build demand for healthy, sustainably grown food. Food Alliance helps consumers make great food choices, ensuring a healthy future for us all. Food Alliance Midwest, an affiliate of Food Alliance, is certifying farms throughout the Midwest.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF FOOD ALLIANCE MIDWEST?
Food Alliance Midwest is dedicated to promoting the expanded use of sustainable farming systems, and educating consumers about the benefits of sustainable agriculture to increase purchases of sustainably-produced foods.
WHAT IS 'SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE'?
Sustainable agriculture is a system and philosophy that emphasizes protecting and enhancing natural resources, using alternatives to pesticides, and caring for the health and well being of farm workers and rural communities. Food Alliance certified growers are committed to:
• Using a range of natural pest controls, such as beneficial insects, careful weather monitoring and scouting.
• For non-organic certified products, minimizing the use of pesticides when natural methods don't work.
• Improving soil by natural methods, such as crop rotation and cover crops.
• Protecting clean drinking water and fish habitat by providing buffer zones in riparian areas.
• Providing wildlife habitat and encouraging residency by growing some year round vegetative cover for shelter and food.
• Taking into consideration quality of life issues for their farm workers and their communities when making daily farm management decisions.
• Continually improving their farming practices to make them more environmentally sound, socially just and economically viable.
• Managing their farm as an interconnected whole, rather than as a set of unconnected enterprises.
HOW DO FARMERS QUALIFY FOR FOOD ALLIANCE MIDWEST CERTIFICATION?
Farmers seeking to market their products as “Food Alliance certified Midwest grown” submit a detailed Whole Farm Application, meet strict environmental and human resource criteria, and sign a set of Guiding Principles. The Guiding Principles apply to all commodities and serve to unite Food Alliance certified farms. In order for farmers to be considered for Food Alliance certification, they must agree to adhere to these principles. The Whole Farm Application asks farmers to supply information about their operation and farming experiences while describing farming goals and philosophies. The Whole Farm Application consists of four sections: 1) History and Description of Farm, 2) Farm Production Plans, 3) Management Systems, and 4) The Future of the Farm.
DOES A THIRD PARTY INSPECT THESE FARMS?
Yes, a site inspection is conducted to evaluate the on-farm performance in five different areas: 1) pest and disease management, 2) soil and water conservation, 3) human resource development, 4) wildlife habitat conservation, and 5) crop/livestock species specific production practices. No genetically engineered seed varieties or livestock breeds are allowed; nor can subtherapeutic antibiotics or hormones be used in livestock production.
SO, ARE THESE FOOD ALLIANCE MIDWEST CERTIFIED FARMERS ORGANIC?
Food Alliance Midwest doesn't require farmers to be organic, though some Food Alliance certified farms are also USDA certified organic. All Food Alliance Midwest certified farms share a common goal of reduced environmental impact and increased social responsibility.
DO FOOD ALLIANCE MIDWEST CERTIFIED FARMERS USE PESTICIDES?
None of the Food Alliance Midwest certified/ USDA certified organic farmers use synthetic pesticides. Other Food Alliance Midwest certified farmers use pesticides only when carefully chosen, for the minimum environmental impact, and when non-chemical pest controls are not feasible. Food Alliance Midwest certified farms may use synthetic or naturally occurring pesticides and fertilizers that are chosen with consideration for having the least environmental impact. The goal of Food Alliance Midwest is to reduce, if not eliminate completely, the use of pesticides.
HOW IS FOOD ALLIANCE CERTIFIED MIDWEST GROWN DIFFERENT FROM USDA ORGANIC?
Food Alliance Midwest systems examine the overall effect of farming operations, not just the use of chemicals. Food Alliance areas not covered by USDA organic certification include: whole farm planning, soil and water conservation philosophy, soil quality indicators, Natural Resource Conservation Service plans, and wildlife habitat. But organic agriculture and sustainable agriculture share many characteristics. Both the USDA organic label and the Food Alliance certification seal represent good choices consumers can make in support of environmentally friendly farming practices. Sustainable agriculture techniques such as cover cropping, pest and disease monitoring, and holistic farm planning offer an incremental approach to pesticide reduction, but do not necessarily mandate pesticide elimination.
HOW IS FOOD ALLIANCE MIDWEST FUNDED?
Food Alliance Midwest is a joint project of non-profit organizations-—Cooperative Development Services and Land Stewardship Project— and receives funding from grants and private donations. Major funders include W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, The Bush Foundation, the Otto Bremer Foundation, and The Carolyn Foundation.
|
|
