Who is Behind The Curtain for Poultry/Livestock in Eldorado? Big Ag....CARGILL, MONSANTO, DUPONT...

This past Sunday morning I attended a talk at The Collected Works Bookstore on Galisteo/Water St's. It was listed in the Green Fire Times paper and said it was hosted by JourneySantaFe. The talk was going to be about the 'chicken debate' in Eldorado and stated the talk would be presented by Ed Moreno and accompanied by pro and con people from BOTH sides of the issue. There was quite a long promo-resume listed for Mr. Moreno but the very first item mentioned is what caught my attention. It stated this:

"Ed Moreno is a public policy facilitator and mediator, practicing since 2000, and associated with The Keystone Center since 2005." 

I went to do my research. Mr. Moreno is presently employed by The Keystone Center. The Keystone Center has a program called Field To Market. It is about working with big agriculture businesses and corporations, and organizations to come up with new ways to create more agricultural production, etc. 

It is my assertion that The Keystone Center, their Field To Market alliance for sustainable agriculture, and our Board President's affiliation with Keystone, is at the core of our Eldorado debate regarding whether or not we want to allow poultry/livestock in Eldorado. This is not about allowing neighbors to have a couple of chickens, this is about commercial food production. This is about turning Eldorado into a farming and ranching community made up of 'mini-farms', a new term and a new idea that big ag is pushing. Mini-Farm Subdivisions. As you can see, from The Keystone Center's website page below, members of this alliance are Cargill, Dupont, Monsanto, the Corn Grower's Association, and many more.

Our Board President asked our Spec Comm to come up with a document last fall regarding poultry/livestock in Eldorado and in that document they themselves state and our Board President agreed, that there would be 15 chickens per lot allowed. That is not a household pet as they are arguing, nor does it have anything to do with our Household Pets clause in our Covenants. The document also states "while this document only addresses hens, no reader should construe this as eliminating other types of backyard 'domestic livestock' from future consideration." This IS about food production.

Our Board President, Ed Moreno, also used a Keystone Center affiliate as mediator at the first Chicken Debate.

The TALK: The 'talk' included Mr. Moreno's same points he always likes to make...that our Covenants are just to difficult to change. He spoke about the size of our community as it is the largest subdivision in New Mexico. Mr. Moreno talked about 'his survey', which I oppose, and said that he wanted to use the nuances from the responses to try and come up with a compromise solution. Mr. Moreno keeps forgetting that our Covenants are a legal document that all members agreed to when we purchased our homes and they clearly state No Poultry. They also clearly state the process for amending them. This is the ONLY PROCESS that is acceptable, legally or otherwise and is the legal RIGHT of every lot owner in Eldorado. It is not an decision that can be 'nuanced'. It is either Yes of No.

The con side of the issue - there was no one from the opposing side of the poultry/livestock issue that spoke during the 'talk'. Jan Deligans spoke for a minute by request from Mr. Moreno but stated that she did not know she was going to speak, even though her name was in the description of the 'talk' as a speaker.  Her comment was that "our Board has every right to pass 'guidelines' to allow poultry in Eldorado". This, of course, is NOT true. But the pro poultry/livestock people are still pushing to do this, as originally planned by our Board President, Ed Moreno, because they know they cannot have their way with a Covenant vote. Mr. Moreno is quoted as saying in a recent SF New Mexican letter to the editor, that our Covenants are not democratic. 

At the end of the 'talk', I asked if I might please ask Mr. Moreno a question. I said, "Mr. Moreno, from the promo describing this 'talk' this morning, it states that you are a member of The Keystone Center. I understand that you used an affiliate from The Keystone Center as the mediator at the first 'chicken forum'. I also noticed that The Keystone Center has a program called Field To Market which is an alliance for sustainable agriculture and some of its members are Cargill, Monsanto, Dupont, The Corn Grower's Association...and I would like to know how many of these big ag members are your clients?"

Mr. Moreno stated that yes, he is a member of The Keystone Center and that they play with everyone involved. He agreed that he used a woman affiliated with The Keystone Center for the first 'chicken forum' and gave her name and talked about her qualifications and was then cut off by the host from JourneySantaFe. Mr. Moreno didn't get the chance to answer my question. I'll have to ask it again.

This is a very serious issue at hand. I am presenting this information to members of our community for your serious consideration and actions. We have members on our Board who are pushing this poultry/livestock issue and they are NOT UNDECIDED IN ANY WAY. They are on our Board for one reason and one reason alone. There is money in this decision, big money from big ag. Our Board President, Ed Moreno, has a serious conflict of interest and must, at the very least, recuse himself from any future votes regarding this poultry/livestock issue. 

I recorded this entire talk. By the way, if the name Keystone rings a bell...yes, The Keystone Center is the source for the Keystone Pipeline.

If you would like the direct link to The Keystone Center website to view the page that I have pasted below, here it is:

http://www.keystone.org/policy-initiatives-center-for-science-a-public-policy/environment/field-to-market.html

If you would like the link to The Keystone Center website to view Ed Moreno's 'staff' page, here it is:

http://www.keystone.org/about-us-the-keystone-center/staff/item/ed-moreno.html

FIELD TO MARKET: THE KEYSTONE ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

 Field to Market, the Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, is a diverse, collaborative initiative involving producers, agribusinesses, food companies, retailers, conservation organizations, universities, and agency partners.

Field to Market defines agricultural sustainability as meeting the needs of the present while improving the ability to feed future generations by focusing on increasing agricultural productivity, improving environmental impact, improving human health through access to safe, nutritious food and improving social and economic well-being of rural communities. The Alliance is working to facilitate quantification and identification of key environmental and socioeconomic sustainability outcomes and metrics, foster industry-wide dialogue, and generate processes for continued improvement in sustainable agricultural production.

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The Agricultural Challenge of the 21^st CenturyTo meet the needs of 9 billion people in 2050, we must:

• Increase efficient use of resources for profitable agricultural production
• Continue to increase overall productivity
• Maintain and improve access to nutritious and safe food, and
• Maintain and improve environmental health

Our Vision
To champion solutions for tomorrow’s safe, accessible, and nutritious food, fiber and fuel in thriving ecosystems.

Our Goal
To meet the needs of future generations, promote an economically viable agricultural production system that measurably:

• Reduces pressure on habitat and other land use demands by increasing productivity of affordable, accessible, quality crops on available acres
• Increases the resource use efficiency of energy, water, fertilizer, soil, and other agricultural inputs
• Enhances water quality and other natural resources through thoughtful stewardship
• Contributes to the economic vitality of agricultural communities
• Protects the health and safety of our workers and consumers

Our Mission 
To meet the agricultural challenge of the 21^stcentury by providing collaborative leadership that is:

• Transparent
• Grounded in science
• Focused on outcomes
• Open to the full range of technology choices, and
• Committed to creating opportunities across the agricultural supply chain for continuous improvements in productivity, environmental quality, and human well-being

Our Strategies

To provide useful measurement tools and resources for growers and the supply chain that track and achieve continuous improvement against key outcomes. To engage in broad communication and collaboration with stakeholders and other efforts to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive approach to sustainable agriculture issues.

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Members

Field to Market members include grower groups, conservation organizations, agribusinesses, food and retail companies, and academia and research organizations.

Field to Market Members include

American Farm Bureau Federation American Soybean Association BASF Bayer CropScience Bunge Cargill CHS Inc. Conservation Technology Information Center Cotton Incorporated CropLife America CropLife International DuPont Environmental Defense Fund Fleishman Hillard General Mills Grocery Manufacturers of America Illinois Soybean Association Indiana Soybean Alliance Innovation Center for US Dairy International Plant Nutrition Institute John Deere

Kellogg Company Land O'Lakes Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences Mars, Incorporated Monsanto Company National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance National Association of Conservation Districts National Association of Wheat Growers National Corn Growers Association National Cotton Council of America National Potato Council Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Penton Media The Coca-Cola Company The Fertilizer Institute The Nature Conservancy Syngenta Corporation United Soybean Board University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences USA Rice Federation World Resources Institute World Wildlife Fund – US