Northland Organic Watershed Initiative
Northland Organic Foods Corp has long had a commitment to sustainable agriculture and organic conversion projects. Toward that end we wish to offer this idea and ask for comments and support for the following initiative:
"We believe that the use of dedicated and available funding in the areas of water quality, game and habitat, and conservation funding for agriculture should be focused on the support, underwriting and promotion of the conversion of agricultural land along the watersheds of North America. We would hope similar conversions to organic and sustainable farming of farm land adjoining the rest of the world’s watersheds would be encouraged through our initial actions here in North America. The financial subsidies required to make this attractive for farm conversion will, in the case of sensitive watershed area farms, have a multiple and immediate payback to the farmer and the food consumer. Most important will be improvements in the quality of our water supply and the environment.
The concentration of nitrates, herbicides, pesticides and erosion sediments flowing into our sensitive watersheds from conventional agricultural practices is a large percentage of the total pollutants in the water systems of the world today. In North America the conversion of these sensitive farming acres to organic farming practices will have the multiple benefits of improving water quality, improving game (water, marsh and field fowl, and fish) quality and sustainability, and increasing the amount of value-added organic grains produced for consumption.
We urge State and National governments in North America to consider legislation in their farm bills and conservation funding to strongly encourage the conversion of the farm land along the watersheds of North America. Northland Organic Foods welcomes your comments and suggestions as we lobby and work toward this goal."