…another page in progress…
KCFC’s Non-GMO Feedstock Project - Post-Meeting Notes
Sunday, December 8, 2013
==================================
Many thanks to all who attended! On the whole, I believe it was a great meeting.
I probably stuck my oar in a bit too often, but the discussion provided many opportunities for expression, education and enlightenment and, perhaps most of all, some renewed solidarity. Our coordinating committee will continue to deliberate on the main issue at hand, how to renew our commitment to a healthier food supply by making a progressive (not abrubt) transition to wholly non-GMO feedstock solutions for our livestock producers.
Truly, these improvements may not come soon enough for some but we are working in the real world, not a perfect one, and we will proceed accordingly. Once again, we thank you all for your candid input, your understanding and your continued patience in these matters.
*** On that note, before I get any further into this project, I want to offer my personal apology to all of you for not pointing out the massive effort already put forward on this project by one volunteer in particular - our Membership Chair, Brandi Schoen. Her efforts alone have already overcome a huge amount of process-binding intertia, and I look forward to following her lead on this in the future. ***
Some first steps in this transition process will involve the development of localized procurement solutions - local production, processing, storage and short-haul (approx. 50 mi.) delivery options will be explored and documented here on ‘Our Non-GMO Feedstock Project’ pages at http://www.KCFoodCircle.org/feedstock - and we’ve already posted a list (and MAP) of local feed mill operations which do (or soon will) offer segregated facilities for processing non-GMO grains and other feed stock in our extended Greater K.C. Area (within 200 mi. of KCMO).
This effort cannot succeed without your involvement. We need your input and collaboration on this long-term project, and we will soon provide a standardized input form for you to help us add new entries to our resource lists. In the meantime, send us whatever comments, leads and recommendations you have - it is all welcome.
All the best,
Dave Lawrence
Co-Coordinator - KC Food Circle
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(archive - Pre-Meeting Announcement - November 2013)
KCFC Annual Membership Meeting on December 8
“GMO’s – What’s the big deal?”
What concerns you the most about GMOs in our food supply? Is it the lack of independent testing, the close association with and increased use of RoundUp and other poisonous pesticides, the billions spent on suppression of food labeling campaigns (among other acts of political corruption), or is it all about the long-term negative economic effects on smaller farms and organic growers?
The KC Food Circle cannot address all of these issues, but we can work to provide a local standard for others to follow. At our annual meeting we will have a panel discussion on the issues of growing, processing and procuring local, non-GMO feedstock for our local egg, meat and dairy producers. Please join the discussion, in correspondence (email or postal mail), or in person.
The meeting will be held on December 8 at the KCMO-South Library in Waldo, 201 E. 75th St., our traditional location. We will convene in Meeting Room A from 2 to 4:30 PM. Our farmer members who raise animals should make a special effort to attend, as we will be discussing how we will, over time, upgrade our standards regarding GMOs in animal feed.
We do not require our producers to use organically grown feed because it can be expensive and hard to find, however, this policy seems to have become more controversial among both our producer and eater members especially if the feed comes from commercial mills sourcing genetically engineered grains. However, we recognize that there is a difference between organic feed, conventionally grown non-GMO feed, and GMO feed. We also recognize that procuring and storing non-GMO feed has its own set of challenges. The KCFC Coordinating Committee will present some possible options for changes to our Animal Growers Pledge and these will be submitted to a panel of our producers for discussion.
These possible changes include:
-Phasing out GMO feeds but in the short term, allowing conventionally grown non-GMO feeds.-
-Requiring more transparency in our Producers Directory listings and encouraging Growers who use non-GMO feed to advertise that fact.
After we hear from the producer panel we will hear from some of our eater members. All attendees are welcome to share their thoughts on this matter. We will make a decision on changes to our GMO feed policy prior to our 2014 Producer Membership renewal.
We are compiling a list of non-GMO feed sources and resources for both our growers and the interested public. If you are a grower of non-GMO feed stock and want to be included on this list, please contact [email protected].
If you cannot attend the meeting, we would still like to hear your opinions! Email [email protected] or call Dave Lawrence at 913-620-8427. If corresponding by traditional mail, please send all comments to KCFC, P.O. Box 20181, Kansas City, MO 64195 prior to January 10, 2014.
