Veganic Farmers: Different from organic but similar.

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Veganic farmers work without animal fertilizers, byproducts

June 16, 2008 10:04 AM CDT

By MELANIE DABOVICH / Associated Press Writerhttp://www.wfaa.com/projectgreen/greenarticles/stories/green080616_jb_veganic.b97a267.html ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)

Farmer Don Bustos said the tradition of working the land in northern

New Mexico's Espanola Valley had been passed down from his Spanish

ancestors who tilled the same soil centuries before. But

when he realized the traditional farming techniques he was using could

harm his children's health, he went organic 15 years ago. Now, Bustos

said he has found an even safer method — vegan organic farming without

any animal fertilizers or byproducts. Bustos was inspired

to pursue vegan farming four years ago after hearing an address by then

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns. "He was

talking about ways to protect the safety of our food system, but to me

you still have things like e-coli and salmonella from manure

(fertilizer). I thought to myself, 'I'm not going to be putting that

crap on my crops,'" Bustos said. "Now, I use no manures, no bone meals,

blood meal, no pesticides, nothing." This farming method,

also called veganic or stock-free farming, is an emerging concept here

in the United States. Much like certified organic

farmers, veganic farmers use no synthetic chemical fertilizers,

pesticides, herbicides or genetically modified ingredients. Veganic

farmers take it to another level by not using any manures or

slaughterhouse byproducts. They don't even use organically approved

pesticides. Veganic farmers use crop rotations and

composted plant matter — or "green manure" — to provide fertilizer for

their crops. Stephane Groleau, co-founder of the Veganic

Agriculture Network based in Quebec, Canada, said he's aware of only a

dozen veganic farms or gardeners in the U.S. He said the farming method

is more popular in England and Europe due to lack of available land and

concerns over livestock diseases transferring to humans.

"In Europe, what we see is they import a lot of their meat and they

don't have as many animals on their land. And animals require a lot of

space, so if you have just a small holding, it's very demanding for the

farmer," Groleau said. "So if you don't have as many animals, you have

to find other ways to grow food." Vegan farmers in the

U.S. are motivated by the need to protect the environment and human

health, said Ron Khosla, who operates the 77-acre vegan organic

Huguenot Street Farm in New Paltz, N.Y., with his wife, Kate.

Khosla said the primary source of nutrients on many organic farms in

the country comes from manure from confined animal operations, or what

he calls "factory farms." "You think you are getting

these clean happy vegetables, but more often than not they're grown in

waste from factory farms," he said. "The animals ... were fed

non-organic feed laced with hormones and antibiotics. Those products

bio-accumulate in the animals and it's present in their waste as well."

Both Kholsa and Bustos said they have a strong customer

base that seeks out their produce because of the vegan growing

philosophy as well as a growing awareness about food production. "Customers are becoming more aware about how their food is grown and the practices

by the farmer who's growing it. It's the customers that are encouraging

us to find ways to become more environmentally conscious and

efficient," Bustos said. Veganic growers say their

methods reduce environmental impact by using less land, conserving

water and producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

"Veganic farming is not rocket science. It's only using techniques for

farming that have been used for hundreds of years," said Kate Khosla. The practice, they say, is also cheaper than traditional farming and organic farming.

"We grow all the nutrients we need and I feel it's more economically

viable," Bustos said. "We feel it's all about being sustainable." According to experts, veganic farming has yet to be proven as the silver bullet to better growing practices due to its obscurity on the American farm scene.

"It's a new enough concept that benefits haven't been demonstrated one

way or the other, either economically or from a quality standpoint,"

said Charles Martin, assistant professor at New Mexico State

University's Sustainable Agriculture Science Center in Alcalde.

Though there is a possibility that misapplied animal manure can cause

crop contamination, it is no more common than other possible ways for

salmonella or e-coli to appear in the food supply, said Billy Dictson,

director of the Office of Biosecurity for the Southwest Border Food

Safety and Defense Center. "Contamination can happen

anywhere, from the field to transportation to field workers to people

that come in contact (with produce)," Dictson said.

Walter Goldstein, research director for the Michael Fields Agricultural

Institute in East Troy, Wis., said animal manure has proven quality

benefits when growing crops. Goldstein said manure lasts longer in the

soil and releases less carbon back into the air than green manure. "The optimal farm is where livestock are integrated into the land, not separated from it," Goldstein said.

Groleau said he's trying to promote awareness about veganic farming

with farmers and consumers throughout North America through his

network. Farmers can be certified as veganic by meeting

standards set by the Soil Association Certification Ltd. in England.

However, Khosla is working on veganic standards specifically for

American farmers through his organization, Certified Naturally Grown,

based in Stone Ridge, N.Y. "Since it is not mainstream,

we have to find a way for farmers and consumers to exchange knowledge

and provide information for farmers to convert to veganic farming,"

Groleau said. "We see the soil as a living ecosystem —

it's alive. We want others to try to see the farm in an ecosystem

approach rather than thinking it's just a place to grow plants," he

said. "It is now 30 years since I have been confining myself to the treatment ofchronic diseases. During those 30 years I have run against so many histories of littlechildren who had never seen a sick day until they were vaccinated and who, in the severalyears that have followed, have never seen a well day since. I couldn't put my finger onthe disease they have. They just weren't strong. Their resistance was gone. They wereperfectly well before they were vaccinated. They have never been well since. "---Dr. William Howard Hay

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