By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The American Soybean Assoc. (ASA) and other groups have withdrawn from the Leonardo Academy’s sustainable agriculture project.

The ASA made its announcement Oct. 19, stating it withdrew from the project because the relevant committee was stacked against modern production agriculture in favor of environmentalists, and had too many regional rather than national groups and too many organic farmers.

“There wasn’t a lot of balance on the committee,” said Ron Moore, an ASA board member who was also on the Leonardo Academy’s sustainable agriculture committee. Moore grows soybeans in Roseville, Ill.

“There seemed to be a lot of flower, horticulture people; there wasn’t a lot of balance. There were a lot of environmentalists. The whole process seemed cumbersome. I just didn’t think it was the right group to create a national standard for sustainable agriculture.”

A letter announced the ASA’s withdrawal, signed by Moore and seven other voting representatives of ag groups and businesses on the committee, including the National Corn Growers Assoc. and American Farm Bureau Federation.

The letter also listed 46 other associations and businesses as “allied” in supporting them.

Last week the Leonardo Academy issued a statement responding to the ASA and other groups’ withdrawal.

“I am personally saddened by these resignations,” said Michael Arny, president of the Academy.

“The Leonardo Academy standards development staff and I have enjoyed working with these individuals and their participating organizations over the past two years.

“I will personally thank all of those who have resigned for their service on the sustainable agriculture standards committee and let them know that they are welcome to rejoin this process in the future.”

Although it doesn’t provide a detailed rationale for why it disagrees with the ASA’s assessment of the committee, the Academy makes clear in its statement that it believes the committee provides “balance across interest categories needed for developing a sustainable agriculture standard that will be widely implemented and successful in the marketplace.”

Among the producer representatives on the sustainable agriculture committee are Ximena Franco-Villegas of Asocolflores, a Colombia-based flower company; Brian McElroy of Driscoll’s Strawberry Associates, Inc.; John Foster of Earthbound Farm; and Hank Giclas of Western Growers Assoc.

Moore said he doesn’t think representatives from foreign-based companies is appropriate, and that Western Growers Assoc. is an example of a group with a decidedly regional, rather than national, focus.

Other members are James Knutzon of Farm Fresh Direct, Luke Howard of Homestead Farms, Inc. and Mark Yelanich of Metrolina Greenhouses, Inc.

Moore said a big problem with the committee is its insistence that the use of pesticides, herbicides and biotech seeds be discontinued. He said “no GMO (genetically modified) crops” cannot be a part of a sustainable agriculture standard.

“If you’re going to create a standard that eliminates 93 percent of the soybeans grown in the U.S., that’s going to be a problem,” Moore said. “When it became clear we were outnumbered whenever we met in full committee, it became clear we were going to have to move away from that process. They weren’t willing to listen to our arguments.”

Moore also said part of the problem with the committee is that many of its members wanted a certification process. He said although many organic farmers think this way because there is an established certification process for organic farming, there is no way for production farmers to recover the added costs they would incur to fulfill a typical certification process.

“If you’re an organic producer, you have an opportunity to recover your costs from the marketplace through higher prices,” Moore said.