Heads up: USDA Organic Rules to Impact BD Practices

[Allan Balliett]

If you're monitoring SANET or Elaine Inghams compost tea discussion group, you already know that the USDA organic rules group has been advised to restrict the use of compost teas on food crops. This applies particularly to teas that use added sugars (mollasses, for example). Already, however, it appears that the rule may be generalized to 'ban' all cow manure based teas. The chances of this impacting BD 500 and BC is very high. Of course, this only applies to people who are interested in receiving USDA organic certification, but the possibility of truly negative publicity is very high. I don't have all the details on these events, and what I've said above may be misleading.

What I have to say most importantly is that we need to gather all the information we can on this move by the USDA organic group and discuss it among ourselves so we are prepared to speak out on it and more importantly, to talk intelligently to our customers about the difference between biodynamically grown foods and USDA organics.

-Allan