Partnerships
for Pollution
Solutions
Private Initiatives in Agriculture
 |
Building Bridges that Support
Partnerships
More than 100 people, many of them farmers who took
time away from spring planting, attended a Michigan
conference that focused on the private sector's role in
preventing pollution in agriculture. Here's the
conference description and agenda as set out in the conference brochure.
The conference highlighted a broad range of private
initiatives. Gary Hansen of AgriBank, FCB gave the
perspective of cooperatives. Members of the National
Council of Farmer Cooperatives have launched
|
a range of worthy environmental initiatives,including programs
by American Crystal Sugar and Atlantic Dairy Cooperative.
Representatives from Dow Elanco, DuPont Agricultural Products,
Monsanto, and Schoolcraft Farm Service shared examples of
agribusiness in action. During his lunch time speech, Jim
Breinling of Gerber Foods explained how consumer concern about
pesticide residue is driving his company's environmental
initiatives.
Farmers with different operations spoke candidly
about their innovations. Bill McPhee of Innovative Farmers highlighted a
grassroots project in Huron County to spur adoption of
environmentally-sound practices. Jan Vosburg described his family's operation which was recently
included in the Stewardship Club of the National Cattlemen's Beef
Association.
Conference organizers intended to do more than showcase the
efforts of the private sector. They hoped to generate strategies
to increase private sector involvement and support for voluntary
action in Michigan. As a starting point, participants were asked
to consider the value of a Michigan-specific resource directory
listing private sector programs. 
Gary Jackson of
the national Farm*A*Syst/Home*A*Syst office showed how local
directories might be developed using materials prepared by Partnerships for Pollution Solutions.
Participants agreed that a local directory was good place to
start. Nearly every one of the 43 participants who provided
written feedback said that a directory of private sector programs
would be moderately or highly useful to them. Several
participants observed that the agricultural community needs one
place to go to find the right agencies and private sector
programs that provide assistance. One person commented,
"Before we can build partnerships, everyone must know what
is available. This can be done with a directory."
In addition to local directories, the group pointed
out the value of building links between urban and rural
interests. They also thought that farmers, regulators and
agribusiness should have more meetings like this to share ideas.
Of the many who saw value in the conference, one participant
said, "Great conference! Encourage other states to do
this." In fact, other states appear ready to take up this
suggestion.
Address for this site:
http://www.wisc.edu/farmasyst/private/confer.html
Created by: Richard Castelnuovo, rcasteln@students.wisc.edu,
Last modified: November 17, 1996