globalbriefs
News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.
Local Eats Feds Boost Support for Local Farm-to-School Meals
A new ruling by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) underscores the federal government’s intent to encourage use of local farm products in school meals. It al- lows schools and other providers to give preference to unprocessed, locally grown and locally raised agricultural products for school-based nutrition assistance programs. “This rule is an important milestone that will help ensure that our children have
access to fresh produce and other agricultural products,” confirms Agriculture Undersecretary Kevin Concannon. “It will also give a much-needed boost to local farmers and agricultural producers.” Part of the landmark Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 signed into law by President Obama—which improves the critical nutrition and hunger safety net for millions of children—the rule supports USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative and builds on the 2008 Farm Bill designed to revitalize rural economies by supporting local and regional food systems. USDA expects Ameri- cans’ spending for locally grown food to rise from an estimated $4 billion in 2002 to as much as $7 billion by 2012.
For more information, visit
fns.usda.gov/cnd/f2s.
Florida Water Watch State Water Quality is a
Regulatory Hot Potato Florida, the nation’s 22nd largest and fourth most populated state, is also geo- graphically diverse. That is why a 2010 move by the U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency (EPA) that changes the way pollution is measured is having a con- troversial impact on the state’s efforts to conserve its natural water supply. The Florida Aquifer comprises a hidden tributary of water, scrubbed by the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia and flowing underground all the way south to the Everglades. North Florida’s spring- fed Suwanee River is one of the clean- est in the nation, and numerous North Florida sources, such as Zephyrhills and Blue Springs, are tapped and bottled for their water’s purity.
Traditionally, state regulations governing water quality have been based upon a specific waterway’s of- ficial designated use. Evidence of deg- radation, such as becoming unsafe for swimming or for the survival of certain types of fish, yields the designation of “impaired.”
In 2009, the EPA determined that Florida’s narrative form of monitor- ing did not uphold the national Clean Water Act; federal regulators decided that a numerical method, already used in dozens of other states, is a better way to keep tabs on water quality. This method records data on a regular basis and compares it to baseline standards, in an effort to detect and address pol- lution as it occurs, rather than wait for evidence of damage to show up after the fact.
The current controversy arises because the EPA is applying certain standards on a statewide basis using averages of data samples, although un- derground conditions vary widely. For example, in some areas, such as Central and North Florida, natural rock forma- tions contain high levels of phosphates and nitrates, which in other areas could be byproducts of fertilizer runoff.
20 Collier/Lee Counties
swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com
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