Organic farming enjoys field day at Lamberton

Hundreds come to learn about alternatives to farming

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

LAMBERTON -- Butterfield farmer Brian Romsdahl sat down in his bib overalls under a large tree and enjoyed his lunch with several hundred people at the Organic Field Day 2000 Thursday at the Southwest Research and Outreach Center.

A burger on his plastic plate came from Moonstone Natural Beef. The meat came from livestock raised on grass without antibiotics, steroids, medicated feeds or growth hormones.

The burgers had virtually no grease and tasted fairly good, he said.

Romsdahl has strong feelings about agriculture and its future. Earlier this year, he rode a bus to Washington, D.C. with Minnesota Farmers Union members and people representing many other ag organizations.

He said the field day provided him with interesting information even for conventional farmers. He learned ways to cut costs and chemical input in his regular farming practices.

Romsdahl is not an organic farmer, yet. He said he may become one some day.

"Conventional farming is a money pit," Romsdahl said. "We've got a rotten farm policy. Nothing will happen until enough people start voicing their concern. If we just continue to lay down and take it, nothing will change."

He said consumers can play a role in improving the lot of small farmers.

"Consumers should be more concerned about what is going on and whether or not they want their food provided by ADM and Con Agra or family farmers," said Romsdahl.

He would like to see controls on imported grain and livestock and production management rather than government handouts.

"They can talk all they want to about improving exports, but if Japan buys 50 billion bushels of soybeans and we ship them out. Then Cargill ships in 60 billion bushels from Argentina. What did we gain? It's a charade." Romsdahl said.

Romsdahl is looking forward to first forum at Farmfest next Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Gilfillan --"Designing U.S. farm policy in a global economy."

Panel members include Second District Congressman David Minge, Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson, National Farmers Union President Lee Swenson, Minnesota Farm Bureau President Al Christopherson and former NFO President Eugene Paul.

Watonwan County Extension Educator Gary Wyatt said farm policies must protect family farmers so they can make a profit.

Romsdahl would like to see the importing of corn, grain and livestock stopped; a flexible set-aside program and a trigger mechanism to allow measured imports when prices rose to certain levels like $3.50 corn."

He said many some organizations that pretend to help family farmers are really big investors in corporate farming.

Morning tour activities at the field day included composting, corn cultivation, flame weeding, crop rotation, edible soybeans, corn and soybean inter seeds and buckwheat P cycling.

Afternoon breakout sessions included organic markets, value-added enterprises, livestock health in organic systems, organic pork production, E-commerce and organics, cover cropping, biology and ecology of pests and beneficials and GMO issue updates.