Aquaponics Digest - Sat 01/23/99




Message   1: Re: Chicken Poop

             from MajorDad38

Message   2: Re: unsubscribe

             from "Susanne Machler" 

Message   3: Animal waste

             from Colin Johnston 

Message   4: Chicken Poop

             from Colin Johnston 

Message   5: 

             from "Michael Cahill" 

Message   6: Re: Ted  

             from Dave Miller 

Message   7: RE: Chicken Poop

             from "Donna Fezler" 

Message   8: Poultry Poop

             from Colin Johnston 

Message   9: Ted  

             from Colin Johnston 

Message  10: Re: safe fertilizer

             from Jon Hays 

Message  11: 

             from "Palchik" 

Message  12: Re: Chicken Poop

             from William Evans 

Message  13: Re: Pennyfish

             from Gordon Watkins 

Message  14: Flu Vaccines

             from William Evans 

Message  15: Re: Pennyfish

             from Adriana Gutierrez 

Message  16: Re: Chicken Poop

             from jilli and lars 

Message  17: Re: Ted  

             from doelle 

Message  18: Re: Ted  

             from Adriana Gutierrez 

Message  19: Organics Gaining Ground Approval

             from Dave Miller 

Message  20: Message length

             from S & S Aqua Farm 

Message  21: Re: Organics Gaining Ground Approval

             from S & S Aqua Farm 

Message  22: Missouri Organic Assn. Conference

             from S & S Aqua Farm 

Message  23: Re: Organics Gaining Ground Approval

             from Gordon Watkins 

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| Message 1                                                           |

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Subject: Re: Chicken Poop

From:    MajorDad38

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 01:14:39 EST

In a message dated 1/22/99 4:18:06 PM Pacific Standard Time,

doelle@ozemail.com.au writes:

<< Biogas digesters are inexpensive when you are

 using polyethylene material. To give an example, a family size 6 m3

 digester would cost less than US$ 100 and you are safe. >>

Horst, do you know where one could find information on small bio gas

digesters?

Dick Bristol

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| Message 2                                                           |

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Subject: Re: unsubscribe

From:    "Susanne Machler" 

Date:    Fri, 22 Jan 1999 22:24:09 PST

Ted I hope this is just a joke?? I have always found your answers so 

informative... Dont tell me that PC screen has become a hand choking you 

out there in cyberspace?? What about playing deaf sometimes??

I will miss you...

A keen learner, 

Sue...

From: "Ted Ground" 

To: 

Subject: unsubscribe

Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 08:12:10 -0600

Reply-To: aquaponics@townsqr.com

unsubscribe

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| Message 3                                                           |

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Subject: Animal waste

From:    Colin Johnston 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 10:12:26 +0800

List members

As Horst has pointed out, the practise of rearing animals above

ponds where various species are cultured is widespread in Asia.

If a problem exists with this then I believe it is the clash between

traditional farming practises and the modern industrial approach.

In other words it is not the practise per se that's at fault but rather 

it's possible misuse by individuals.

To explain. When I was observing the raising of carp here in 

Hong Kong in the mid-70's, it was pointed out that the ratio of

ducks to fish (several carp species usually) was common know-

ledge in the villages concerned and this information had been 

handed down for centuries in China. There did not seem to be any 

ill effects or the method would have been discontinued or further 

adapted. However, I have recorded the use of ponds as a sewer/

latrine next to piggeries where over 200 porkers were housed. Even

then the pond ecosystem appeared to be able to cope, perhaps the 

dilution of the waste by the farmer made it acceptable. This

practise is being fine-tuned at the Asian Institute of Technology in

Bangkok to bring in other animal types. Goats are tethered above

very small ponds holding tilapia to determine the acceptable

carrying capacity. After the World Aquaculture Society's meeting

in 1996 delegates were bussed to the Institute and the loudest

reaction pondside came from those living northwest of Cuba :)

So perhaps it is not the practise that's at fault, but simply the 

manner in which it's implimented and of course the degree.

Pathogens may indeed be present but if the carrying capacity

is reasonable, they may not pose an unacceptable hazard. But

I'm in no way a micro-biologist and so I'll take a quick step to

the rear.

Cheers

Colin

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| Message 4                                                           |

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Subject: Chicken Poop

From:    Colin Johnston 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 15:03:13 +0800

Terry

 

>I have a brochure I acquired from Auburn University about Tilapia raising in

Guatemala.

>They were quite specific in praising the idea of chicken coops directly above

the ponds 

>so the excreta would fall through into the water.

>I believe the idea was to create a more friendly environment for the algae

growth, and 

>hence food for the Tilapia.

>Is this in fact, not a good idea, what with the pathogens going into the water

straight from 

>the chickens? I was planning on doing this on my place in Belize.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I believe that it's a question of getting the

ratio of 

poultry to aquatic systems right and not overloading the environment. AIT in

Bangkok

has plenty of papers on this aspect of polyculture and you may wish to access

their

homepage on the net to get contacts. Prof. Kwei Lin and his staff would, no

doubt, be 

happy to assist.  

Whilst a bit superficial this link examines briefly an expect of polyculture.

Take it 

from there : 

Cheers

Colin

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| Message 6                                                           |

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Subject: Re: Ted  

From:    Dave Miller 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 04:49:27 -0500

A word from the friend of the muse, Ted is tired yet has great plans. 

He may still surface at some later time.

To quote:

Jim, thanks for sending me the info on the millenial group you referred

to, and of course your good wishes.

Carol, Terry, and Dave, thank you so much for the good cheer and in

sending your thoughts my way.  I really appreciate it, y'all.  Thanks to

everybody else who have since sent me their nice thoughts and jokes,

rude noises and rubber chickens...

 

I was, up until today, on 3 different email groups.  I decided to

unsubscribe on all of them for a while.  This actually has been on my

"Things to Do" list for a while...the silly exchange with Horst and

company just led me to an earlier disappearance that I would have made

soon anyway.. I have to get some major projects done.... 

Again, I really am not irritated - Horst doesnt phase me, but I do lose

interest when these unhappy little "volleys" from Horst and company

crash into the middle of a topic from way out in left field, especially

when logic, humor, or hand waving doesn't seem to deter the chilly

weirdness....It is difficult to continue in that vein without things

turning dreary real quick. So, out of my own preference to be in a sunny

and wonderful mood, and out of deference to the group, which deserves

much better than this boring, incessant, tit for tat stuff, I am blowing

it off for a while.... So, maybe I'll resurface at a later date....

Oh, here's one in passing...What was Gandhi's butler's name?  Mahatma

Coat... And I gotta run.

In friendship,

Ted

P.S. - (Hey, you folks knew this could not be a short email message,

considering the source- my gravestone will probably read like the

Gettysburg address- the size of the Vietnam Memorial...and one more

thing..)

Dave, in your last message I caught part of the discussion with you and

Jim about generators, etc.  I have researched a lot on alternate energy

sources, and found a home built wind generator design that I would like

to build if given the chance- or if I had to in a pinch, as one of you

alluded to.  I intend on building it one day...when things settle down

around here just a bit.  

Richard Pierson wrote a book back in 1978 which I kept a copy of.  It is

entitled "Build-It Yourself Natural Energy Sources: Solar,  Wind & Water

Power Made Easy" ...Chapter 10 of that book describes in great detail

how to build the Vertical-Shaft Pierson Wind Turbine..it is basically a

modified S-rotor system with aluminum or galvanized sheet metal scoops

or half-cylinders as rotors, but it ALSO has these neat stationary

vectoring vanes to scoop up even more wind into the rotor.  These are

really just fixed walls pointing at a tangent to the rotor buckets.  He

calls these fixed walls stator vanes, or just stators.... That is the

best part of this design, I think because it allows the configuration to

begin putting out power in 5 MPH winds or below, depending on the length

of the stator (wall) from the vertical shaft out to the end of the

stator.  You have to rig up a generator and some gears, and for high

winds you might have to figure out how to shut it down or rig up a

governor, but it looks do-able for a tinkerer like myself...

James Baldwin (of Whole Earth Catalog notariety) claims that his

experience has shown that few wind machines can develop sufficient

output at the low wind speeds (under 9 mph average) common in most

locations, and that few prove to be reliable over the long haul- due to

mechanical wear, etc.. And so he recommends that if you are going to go

out and buy a wind turbine, that you should try to find a used Jacobs

brand wind turbine which were built in the 1930s through the 1950s...He

further recommends photovoltaics as a better overall deal than wind

power. (But I think the big packages for the whole house are pretty

expensive - like 5, 10 or 15 thousand bucks).

An excellent reference on solar electricity is the New Solar Electric

Home by Joel Davidson.  You can order that book from AATEC Publications

in Ann Arbor Michigan at 313 995 1470.  There is also Real Goods in

Ukiah, California 707-468-9214 which can put an off grid PV package

together for you, and has a very comprehensive design manual for about

20 or 30 bucks....There is also Kirkby Solar Electric in Scottsdale,

Arizona 602-433-8520, Flowlight Solar Power in Santa Cruz, New Mexico at

505 753-9699, and Photocomm in North San Juan California at 800

-544-6466. Another neat reference is the RVer's Guide to Solar Battery

Charging by Noel and Barbara Kirkby - also available from AATEC

Publications.  But I would still try this Vertical-Shaft Pierson Wind

contraption.  It looks good to me Pierson uses plastic sheeting as a

wall sheathing for the stators.  I would probably use sheet metal or

treated plywood to make it stronger and more permanent- paint it and it

would look a lot better too...so it can be made to kind of blend into

the farm building "scenery", up on a high platform behind the barn or

whatever..  You should be able to build it for something like $300 to

$500 1978 dollars- what is that now?  $1000 or so?  That does not count

the batteries.  I guess I would look to one of the solar electric

suppliers mentioned above to source my batteries- probably those gel

lead acid types??  That estimated cost will also depend on the extent of

your walls and whether or not you already have an available platform...

For best results, every bit of height helps, so the rule of thumb is

that a wind turbine should be 15 feet above all obects within 400 feet

for best results.  Thus, it is recommended to put this puppy up on a

roof top, or platform or hill-top...

This book may be out of print.  If you can't find it by interlibrary

loan or at the used book store, and you really, really just gotta have

this wind turbine design in your hands, email me and I will endeavor to

send you a photocopy...Sorry I don't have a scanner to send it to you

electronically. 

 

God Bless You All.

Ted

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| Message 7                                                           |

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Subject: RE: Chicken Poop

From:    "Donna Fezler" 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 06:22:31 -0600

I have been looking and asking for over a year.  I think I am going to use a

plastic farm water tank.

Donna Fezler

Jacksonville, IL

-----Original Message-----

From:   aquaponics [SMTP:aquaponics]

On Behalf Of MajorDad38

Sent:   Saturday, January 23, 1999 12:15 AM

To:     aquaponics@townsqr.com

Subject:        Re: Chicken Poop

In a message dated 1/22/99 4:18:06 PM Pacific Standard Time,

doelle@ozemail.com.au writes:

<< Biogas digesters are inexpensive when you are

 using polyethylene material. To give an example, a family size 6 m3

 digester would cost less than US$ 100 and you are safe. >>

Horst, do you know where one could find information on small bio gas

digesters?

Dick Bristol

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| Message 8                                                           |

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Subject: Poultry Poop

From:    Colin Johnston 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 21:26:21 +0800

>John Shannonhouse

>Department of Genetics

>University of Wisconsin-Madison

>jlshanno@students.wisc.edu

John,

I'd like to respond to the following points but in a general fashion and not

to/against you in particular :

-------------snip-----------------------

>(1) manure greatly increases bacterial growth and oxidizable compounds in

>the water. It can lead to problems with low dissolved oxygen, especially if

>too much manure is used. 

No argument here, but it does NOT seem to be a problem in the Asia region

where traditional methods have been used for hundreds, if not thousands, of 

years. Some aeration of fish ponds is practised but is minimized for reasons 

of economy. Perhaps more to the point is not overloading one's ponds in the

first place and maintaining the ecological balance. This is done through the

selection of sometimes 5 species of carp each of which operates in a different 

niche within the water column. The consequences of overloading the nutrients

and leading to fish and/or poultry mortality are severe - you starve. It is not

something one will attempt on more than one occasion. I have mentioned the

ratio of different carp species in Asian ponds but additionally there is the

ratio

of animals being raised above/beside/on the pond. It is the unwary or the

ignorant that trifle with this without outside backing perhaps from government 

agencies.  (Note that the particular environment in a given location is also a 

prime determinant as to the methods employed and the amounts deployed 

when using waste be it animal or human. )

>(2) Manure will significantly increase the number

>of pathogens in the water. This is mostly dangerous to the aquaculturalist,

>as he is exposing himself regularly to highly contaminated water and fish.

Agreed!   However, although I might be mistaken, the number of people injured

applying traditional fish/poultry waste systems is negligible, although granted,

this might be a function of poor record-keeping. And, yes, we had the "bird-flu"

chicken slaughter here in Hong Kong but that was found to be related to

off-farm 

activities rather than in traditional farm systems.

>Watch out for scales and bones scratching your skin! It can lead to

>so-called "fish handlers disease," especially with poultry waste. 

Yes!  But it's unwary housewives in the developed world that appear to suffer 

disproportionately and not those in the villages in Africa and Asia, but I'm

prepared to be corrected on this. And, naturally, cleanliness and godliness do 

go hand-in-hand - everywhere.

>If the

>fish from a manured pond are not adequately purged and/or are undercooked,

Purging is not a common practise within Asia except where the product is to be

exported to the States. However, the market preferences are towards marine

species of fish which do not require purging partly as the flesh tastes

better but 

also due to brackish water ponds which do not cause the flesh of the fish to

become

tainted. However, you are right, under cooking can be a problem which is why

the 

Chinese (and the Cantonese in particular) steam or otherwise cook their fish 

thoroughly. The flesh has to fall gently from the bones or the fish will be

sent back 

for further steaming.

>there is a higher risk of illness to anyone eating the fish than if the

>fish came from an unmanured pond.

Agreed!   Finally, the risk assessment aspect. To my view,  western nations are 

the most litigious when it comes to liability and if that's the way the

voters want it, 

fine, just don't expect the mass of humanity to come round to that view in

the near 

future - there are simply more important things to take care of. By all

means set

up HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) regulations to

protect the 

(duh) consumer, that is entirely an internal affair. However, I don't

believe that you 

can legislate all danger or risk out of any human system, although where a

court 

grants damages to a person who put that now-famous carton of hot coffee between 

her thighs when driving, I guess anything is possible. It's really a

question of what is 

'reasonable' and we need to remember that this varies across the globe. If one

took John's comment above to a ridiculous conclusion, we would only eat animals 

bred/captured in the most pristine of conditions. Fish from the deepest "South

Pacific" ocean, goats from the highest "Sound of Music" mountains etc. How many

people have observed the 'products' caught up during the milking of dairy cattle

but later 'pasturized' into 'acceptablility' and swallowed hook, line and

stinker [sic] ?  

Or cattle in North America which are fed poultry waste in their regular feed

? Or in

the UK the cattle being fed offal from sheep ?  "Mad cows disease" ring a

bell ?  In 

my mind Asian fish-polyculture systems are the least to worry about at the

moment. 

Mind you, it does keep the pressure groups busy, so that's a plus - I guess !

Of course, as Hans has repeatedly pointed out, waste products may indeed be

better 

utilized in other ways and this is slowly, maybe too slowly for some of us,

is actually 

happening.

Cheers, and back to aquaponics again :)

Colin

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| Message 9                                                           |

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Subject: Ted  

From:    Colin Johnston 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 21:56:04 +0800

H'mm !

>I was, up until today, on 3 different email groups.  I decided to

>unsubscribe on all of them for a while.  

Go for the mass appeal :)

>This actually has been on my

>"Things to Do" list for a while...the silly exchange with Horst and

>company just led me to an earlier disappearance that I would have made

>soon anyway.. I have to get some major projects done.... 

Go fer it !  Don't hurry back on account of us !

>Again, I really am not irritated - Horst doesnt phase me, but I do lose

>interest when these unhappy little "volleys" from Horst and company

>crash into the middle of a topic from way out in left field, especially

>when logic, humor, or hand waving doesn't seem to deter the chilly

>weirdness....It is difficult to continue in that vein without things

>turning dreary real quick. So, out of my own preference to be in a sunny

>and wonderful mood, and out of deference to the group, which deserves

>much better than this boring, incessant, tit for tat stuff, I am blowing

>it off for a while.... So, maybe I'll resurface at a later date....

Are you threatening us ?

>Oh, here's one in passing...What was Gandhi's butler's name?  Mahatma

>Coat... And I gotta run.

Guess that's funny, if you're not an Indian ! Thought you were all "PC" in the 

States ?

Colin

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| Message 10                                                          |

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Subject: Re: safe fertilizer

From:    Jon Hays 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 10:07:38 -0700

Hello Uwe: Sorry about not seeing this note and getting back to you but I

was in the hospital and had a crash on my system after that. I don't know

how I recovered this note. In answer to your question yes the Fe O2 would

make more sense on a small unit but if you put the spent iron oxide + H2S

out to dry it will burn so watch out where you put it. The lime I am not

familiar with.

John  

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Subject: 

From:    "Palchik" 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 19:26:24 +0200

driana

Creo que el problema de las diferentes formas de actuar de una bacteria

depende tambien del estado sel sitema inmunologico del sujeto.

en caso de peces, bacterias que son, innocuas en un estado se =

transforman en patogena en otro.=20

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| Message 12                                                          |

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Subject: Re: Chicken Poop

From:    William Evans 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 09:44:08 -0800

And I thought the 1918 flu epedemic was caused primarily by Bad

vaccine????Most folks who survived the epedemic refused it!.

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Subject: Re: Pennyfish

From:    Gordon Watkins 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 11:40:59 -0600

You may be thinking of me, Adriana. I've bred and bought Pennyfish and

am pretty ambivalent about their use in my aquaponic system. I purchased

1,000 fry from one of Mike Sipe's collegues in Arizona (International

Strategies, Inc.) and was very disappointed with them - lots of

deformaties, much size variation, and poor survivability. I would not

buy from this source again. I also have a breeding harem (5 mossambica

females and an hornorum male) purchased from Mike that supply enough

fingerlings for my small 1,500 gallon aquaponic system. My own fry do

not exhibit the high level of deformaties as the purchased ones (an

occasional saddle back, misshapen lip or pectoral fin) and are fairly

consistent in size. As far as I can tell, all of the offspring have been

male. I've not come anywhere close to the growth rates that Sipe reports

(2.2 lbs in 6 months from 1/2 oz fingerlings) but then my system is not

optimized for fish growth. Perhaps if I raised temps to 85-90 degrees

F., added pure oxygen, and reduced stocking rates, such growth would be

possible, but I doubt it would be profitable. I recently acquired some

nilotica fingerlings and they appear to grow faster than the pennyfish.

Being a mixed sex population, I'll be curious to see if they spawn in my

sloped bottom production tank. If so, I'll probably just throw in a few

oscars or bluegill for population control. Also, niloticas tend to begin

spawning at a larger size (>3") than other tilapia, which should buy me

a little time.

    I've yet to find a source other than Mike Sipe for pure line tilapia

broodstock, especially hornorums. Everyone is very protective of their

bloodlines which is unfortunate for the little guys like me who like to

dabble with strain improvement.

                                Gordon

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| Message 14                                                          |

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Subject: Flu Vaccines

From:    William Evans 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 09:52:45 -0800

Looks like disinformation or at least selective  reporting IMHO..The

vaccine was the culprit just as in the "swine flu" epedemic ...

 Anybody ever read "murder by injection" by Eustace Mullins 1988 Lib of

congress Cat # 88-060694---via National Council for Medical Research PO 

box 1105 Staunton VA 24401

billevans

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| Message 15                                                          |

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Subject: Re: Pennyfish

From:    Adriana Gutierrez 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 13:08:10 -0500

Thanks for the update Gordon.  There is a place about 15 miles

from me called Delcious Fishes; you might give them a call at

941-322-1640.

Adriana

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| Message 16                                                          |

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Subject: Re: Chicken Poop

From:    jilli and lars 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 10:45:18 -0800

hello -

        If y ou have more detailed information on building small scale

methane digestors, can you please forward it to me as well?

    I have heard that methane digestors with thermophilic bacteria can even

break down lignin. I haven't found much information on this rumor. Have you

heard anything about this?

thanks,

lars fields

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| Message 17                                                          |

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Subject: Re: Ted  

From:    doelle 

Date:    Sun, 24 Jan 1999 09:18:42 +1100

I am very sorry to learn that Ted unsubscribed earlier because of my

comments. I apologise but I never thought in my life that health issues are

'silly exchanges'. They are very serious out here.

Neverthless it seems that some cannot take opposite views and thus I will be

quiet not to rock the boat unless asked a question. 

I apologise for not knowing this sensitivity.

Horst Doelle

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| Message 18                                                          |

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Subject: Re: Ted  

From:    Adriana Gutierrez 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 17:24:24 -0500

Horst,

We do appreciate your insight.  Please don't refrain from jumping

in without being asked.  For those who find a topic weird or

unhappy just hit the trash button and move on...

Adriana

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| Message 19                                                          |

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Subject: Organics Gaining Ground Approval

From:    Dave Miller 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 20:01:57 -0500

Has any one read the newer (revised) proposals for organic standards due

out this year?

How will it affect the aquaponics industry? 

Will fish emulsion be considered "organic"? 

Will feces from other animals be considered "organic"  if the same

animals were fed organically or if a certain amount of time to compost

has passed (such as one year?).

Not everyone in the aquaponics list may desire to be certified "organic"

yet it is helpful to see how the newer certification and labeling

requirements will affect both fish and the hydroponic/raft vegetation

(as how they shall be labeled.)

Certainly no type of fish farming will be exempt of a certain code of

ethics and certification.

Your thoughts as time goes on.  A news article related appears below,

lots of the general info is known but the take charge reversal is a new

twist:

PACIFIC GROVE, California (AP) -- In a reversal, the government is

drawing

up rules saying that food cannot be labeled "organic" if it has been

irradiated, genetically engineered or treated with antibiotics, a top

agriculture official told farmers Thursday.

The labeling plan was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in

response to an outcry last year against an earlier set of rules organic

farmers considered too permissive.

I'm telling you we are looking at every possible way to protect the

integrity of your industry," said Keith Jones of the department's

National

Organic Program.

The new rules governing fruit, vegetables and livestock will probably be

published next summer in the Federal Register and could take effect in

the

fall, Jones said.

The department is trying to develop the first national standards on

organic food labeling to replace a hodgepodge of state rules and

industry

guidelines.

U.S. sales of organic foods have grown 20 percent annually for the last

seven years. In 1996, they exceeded $3.5 billion. There are now more

than

10,000 U.S. farms trying to raise organic crops and livestock, according

to the Organic Farming Research Foundation.

Farmers have their own informal guidelines for what they call organic.

For

instance, fruits and vegetables shouldn't have pesticides, herbicides or

preservatives, and livestock should be raised in an open-air

environment,

without antibiotics or hormones.

Last year, the USDA proposed allowing food to be labeled "organic" even

if

it was irradiated to kill germs, genetically engineered, or subjected to

sewage sludge or chemical spraying.

Organic farmers, marketers and consumers sent more than 280,000 protest

letters, prompting Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman to withdraw the

proposal. Jones shared details of the department's latest proposal at

the

Ecological Farming Conference, the nation's largest gathering of organic

farmers.

Holding a hand-drawn paper target to his chest, he conceded that the

federal agency has failed the organic farmers in the past.

"It seems that in the current environment the USDA can't do anything

right," he said. "But I can tell you today we have a commitment to get

it

right."

He got a generally sympathetic reception.

"I'm very encouraged," said Bob Anderson, who runs Walnut Acres in Penn

Creek, Pennsylvania., and is on the National Organic Standards Board, a

coalition of organic farmers. "There's nothing like 280,000 comments to

get the government's attention."

However, some farmers were skeptical and said they want to see the rules

in print.

"We farmers in West Texas joke about never having seen rain but we still

believe in it. That's kind of where we are in this process," said

Michael

Sligh of the Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, based in Chapel Hill,

North Carolina.

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| Message 20                                                          |

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Subject: Message length

From:    S & S Aqua Farm 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 22:02:39 -0600

To the list:

Please try to delete all but the most pertinent parts of the message you're

replying to.  Some of the digest versions are going over limit to some

subscribers simply from those who are anxious to reply not snipping out any

portions of extremely long posts, and reposting all information with a very

short reply.

Thanks for you help.

Paula

S&S Aqua Farm, 8386 County Road 8820, West Plains, MO 65775  417-256-5124

Web page  http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/

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| Message 21                                                          |

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Subject: Re: Organics Gaining Ground Approval

From:    S & S Aqua Farm 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 22:02:41 -0600

At 08:01 PM 1/23/99 -0500, you wrote:

>Has any one read the newer (revised) proposals for organic standards due

>out this year?

>

>How will it affect the aquaponics industry? 



I think many of our members are quite interested in this subject.

Unfortunately, the individual who has done all the work on initiating,

drafting, and pursuing a program for national aquaponics standards has had

to take some time off the list.  Perhaps we'll get an update later.

Paula Speraneo

S&S Aqua Farm, 8386 County Road 8820, West Plains, MO 65775  417-256-5124

Web page  http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/

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| Message 22                                                          |

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Subject: Missouri Organic Assn. Conference

From:    S & S Aqua Farm 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 22:02:59 -0600

I have information for the Annual Farmer-to-Farmer Conference to be held

January 30 and 31, 1999 in Springfield, MO.  If you're interested, I'll post

to you directly.  Please let me know at .  

Topics to include presentations on herbs, cut flowers, farmers markets,

psdyutrf poulyty, CSA's, "Weedless Watermelons and Other Vegetables", and

season extension. 

Paula

S&S Aqua Farm, 8386 County Road 8820, West Plains, MO 65775  417-256-5124

Web page  http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/

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| Message 23                                                          |

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Subject: Re: Organics Gaining Ground Approval

From:    Gordon Watkins 

Date:    Sat, 23 Jan 1999 22:06:43 -0600

Dave,

    The best place I've found for up to date info on the pending legislation

and other policy issues of interest to organic farmers is the Organic

Farmers Marketing Association site at http://web.iquest.net/ofma/

                        Gordon



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