Dear Friends,

Free-range turkey producers Mike and Teresa Walters, owners of Walters Poultry, couldn't hope for better confirmation that they are raising a delicious product. Cook's Illustrated, a highly regarded magazine for serious cooks, reported the results of taste tests conducted in their kitchens on turkeys from eight different sources in their November/December issue. The birds ranged from the Walters' heritage turkey to a standard Butterball. The Walters' turkey was one of only two brands that received the top ranking of "highly recommended." And while the kosher processed bird that shared the top ranking received a negative note for high salt content, the Walters' turkey received no negative comments from tasters.

Bronze turkey with other heritage birds

"Last Thanksgiving, they ordered the turkey anonymously from Dean & DeLuca," says Mike Walters, explaining that they've been providing the gourmet food retailer with turkeys for the last five years. "Then Cook's Illustrated called up in June and did an interview. They didn't tell me how I'd done, but said I would be 'well pleased.' I knew the magazine was coming out, but I forgot when, so it was a complete surprise." Now Walters has learned that one of their birds will be cooked on The Today Show on November 18, and there are rumors of an article in one of the major newspapers as well.

This burst of positive publicity is great not only for the Walters, but for all producers of heritage turkeys, which have undergone astonishing growth in both population and market popularity over the last ten years. Mike, who has been raising heritage turkeys for almost seventeen years, has been a leader in this resurgence. And he now has a new idea in the works. Recently he and his family moved to a new farm in Stillwell, Oklahoma, about 10 miles from their previous location, and they have plans to do something different. "Most turkeys are raised in open pasture," explains Mike, "but this new farm is wooded. When I visited France in 2002, I saw chickens being raised in the woods. I want to duplicate with turkeys what I saw with Label Rouge chickens. They like to roost in the trees, and the trees will give them shade in the summer and allow them to range better."

Mike and Teresa Walters at their SSAWG Conference Short Course presentation in 2007

Offering thanks for a bountiful harvest is at the heart of Thanksgiving Day in the United States. We celebrate with parades, family gatherings, and mouth-watering holiday meals--mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, corn, sweet potato casseroles, pumpkin pie, and the main event--turkey with all the trimmings.

Thanksgiving is also a traditional time of sharing and giving. What better way to do this than by helping Southern SAWG Take Back Our Food? Support this campaign and make sure that nourishing and sustainably produced foods are available to you and others in your community year-round.

Among our efforts on the community food systems front, Southern SAWG has played a significant role in helping the New Orleans Food and Farm Network build a more secure, locally based food system in that hurricane-devastated city. Southern SAWG provided a link to valuable outside resources and assisted NOFFN with planning and funding development. Since the hurricanes, NOFFN has built coalitions in several city neighborhoods, mapped food access, and conducted neighborhood food assessments, laying a new food system foundation for their city. Way to go, NOFFN.

Help us continue this work and reap a bountiful harvest of healthy community food systems for which we can all give thanks.

Our goal is to raise $25,000 by the end of the year and we need your support. Remember, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar through December 31, up to $10,000.

To make a donation online or download a form to mail to us with your check click here now!

Organic farmers know that they may not plant genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or seeds developed through genetic engineering, if they want to market their crops as organic. However, there are many questions about legal rights and responsibilities with respect to the unintended presence of GMOs. Organic farmers and farmers transitioning to organic production need to understand the regulations governing organic certification, which can be confusing. To help provide this information, Farmers' Legal Action Group, Inc. (FLAG) is offering a new article, If Your Farm Is Organic, Must It Be GMO Free? Organic Farmers, Genetically Modified Organisms, and the Law.

The article examines requirements to avoid the use of genetic engineering that affect crop and livestock farmers who are certified organic, or who want to become certified organic. It also briefly addresses handling requirements, and includes a discussion of sales contracts and the responsibilities they may impose on farmers that differ from the requirements for organic certification.

To download a free copy of the 40-page article, visit FLAG's website, www.flaginc.org. For a printed copy ($11.00, including postage) call 651.223.5400.

Southern SAWG's January 16 -19, 2008 Galt House Hotel and Suites Louisville, KY

Check Out Our
Outstanding Presenters with
Practical Expertise

We have an outstanding collection of producers, educators, researchers, and organizers with an abundance of practical experience and knowledge bringing tremendous expertise to the program this year. Our presenters are chosen with one goal in mind--to equip you with the tools, methods, and ideas that you need to improve the sustainability of your operation or organization.

To learn about the expertise of each of the 2008 conference presenters, click here.

We always get great feedback on the sessions. But conference participants also appreciate the opportunity for informal discussions with presenters and other experts between sessions.

Come to Louisville in January and soak up the wealth of knowledge. You'll come away full of good ideas and inspiration.

Southern SAWG is updating and improving communications, and we need your ideas and suggestions for the e-newsletter and website. Your opinions are vital and will help us focus on the news and information that is valuable to you, as well as shape the way we present it. We invite you to click here and complete a brief 5-10 minute online questionnaire.

To thank you for your help, if you complete the questionnaire by November 27 you will be entered in a drawing to receive one of Southern SAWG's eight stunning and practical videos (your choice) from the Natural Farming in the South series. There will be three lucky winners!

So what are you waiting for? Let us know what you think and enter to win right now.

On October 25, the Senate Agriculture Committee completed its "mark-up" of the 2007 Farm Bill. Several amendments will be offered from the Senate floor that can significantly strengthen--or weaken--key provisions. Progress bogged down last week over amendment procedures and the start of the debate is now uncertain. This means there is still time--if we act right now--to impact the Senate version.

This is our last major opportunity to promote a Farm Bill that better serves family farmers, supports conservation, and builds community-based food systems.

Some outcomes of the Senate Agriculture Committee's Farm Bill deliberations:
· SUCCESS: Conservation Security Program (CSP) was strengthened in the Senate bill thanks in part to widespread grassroots support for Senator Tom Harkin's CSP proposal.
· SUCCESS: The Senate Committee's new Livestock Title promotes fair markets and contract agriculture reform. Floor amendments could strengthen or weaken it.
· SUCCESS: Community Food Projects program has mandatory (secure) funding.
· DISAPPOINTMENT: Both House and Senate bills lack effective reform to commodity subsidies. A strong reform amendment will be offered during floor debate.
· DISAPPOINTMENT: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, and Value Added Producer Grants program do not have secure funding.
· DISAPPOINTMENT: Bioenergy Crops program lacks sustainability provisions.

The outcome of the Senate floor debate could strengthen the successes and address some of the disappointments--thus, it is highly effective to contact your Senator NOW.

For current action alerts, visit www.sustainableagriculturecoalition.org.

Article continues here with more information on the Farm Bill, including how to call your Senators.

Southern SAWG is working to bring you the latest tools and resources through our conferences, videos, newsletter, and on our website, where you can find new material from the Community Food Systems Leadership training we conducted in July 2007, and extensive information from conference short courses on a variety of farming enterprises.

Community Food Systems
These are resources for people in the South who are working on Community Food Projects or are interested in community food systems work. Information conveyed in Southern SAWG-facilitated trainings and gathered through Southern SAWG research has been assembled here.
CFS Resources include:
· Two handbooks published by SSAWG
· Summaries from 11 CFS sessions of the SSAWG 2007 annual conference
· Summaries from 5 sessions of the CFS Leadership Training Southern SAWG conducted in July, 2007
· A list of CFS resources from other organizations

Farm Enterprise Educational Sessions: Presentations and Proceedings
These presentations and proceedings (notes) from Southern SAWG short courses provide detailed information for farmers and ranchers on a variety of farming enterprises from experienced producers and expert agricultural educators.
· Management Intensive Grazing of Beef
· Organic Vegetable Production and Marketing
· Cut Flower Production and Marketing
· Goat Production and Marketing
· Pastured Turkey Production and Marketing
· Seed Saving
· Pastured Broiler Production and Marketing

http://www.ssawg.org

We welcome your feedback and suggestions--

please write to us at news@ssawg.org