Establishing a National Standard for Sustainable Agriculture

Leonardo Academy is providing process administration to develop a national sustainable agriculture standard through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). All stakeholders are invited to help shape this standard under the ANSI process.

ANSI has established a balanced, transparent process for developing standards that is internationally recognized. Leonardo Academy, an ANSI-accredited standards development organization (SDO), will facilitate the process to ensure that all interested stakeholders have a place at the table.

If you are interested in participating in this standard development process, contact Leonardo Academy (amanda@leonardoacademy.org).

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Announcements

SCS Commits to Transfer of SCS-001 Copyright

Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) has officially committed to transferring the ownership of the copyright for any standard developed in this process to a charitable nonprofit organization. Transferring the standard copyright to a nonprofit has been the intention of SCS since the launch of this initiative, as is the commitment that any resulting standard will remain available to the public. These agreements have been documented in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), co-signed by SCS and Leonardo Academy on April 27, 2009.

With these commitments in hand, Leonardo Academy is launching a fundraising campaign to support both its ongoing facilitation of this standard development process, as well as Committee member and stakeholder participation. Our goal is to raise $400,000-500,000 per year to support these efforts. All contributions, large and small, are welcome. Our most immediate need is to raise funds to support the May 27-28, 2009 Standards Committee meeting in St. Charles, IL, particularly the travel expenses of several Committee members who will not be able to attend without financial support.

Learn more about our funding needs here. To make a donation to support this process, contact Amanda Raster (amanda@leonardoacademy.org, 608-280-0255).

 

New Committee Members Selected Within User Interest Category

Leonardo Academy welcomes three new members to the Sustainable Agriculture Standards Committee, within the User Interest Category - Constance Jackson, Corn Refiners Association; John Allan of the American Frozen Food Institute and Jesse Singerman, Prairie Ventures. These individuals will be replacing Steve Lomax, Corn Refiners Association; Theodore Johnson, Freshblooms/Delaware Valley Floral Group and Diane Holdorf, Kellogg Corporation. Click here for additional information.

 

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Important Dates

• There are no events scheduled at this time. Please check back soon.

 

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Sustainable Agriculture Practice Standard Development Reference Documents

• SCS Draft Standard for Sustainable Agriculture Practice - This standard setting process was initiated by the April 13, 2007 publication of SCS Sustainable Agriculture Practice Standard for Food, Fiber and Biofuel Crop Producers and Agricultural Product Handlers and Processors in ANSI Standards Action. Since that time, the Sustainable Agriculture Standards Committee agreed to treat the draft standard as a reference document, and a PINS has been filed for this project. A copy of the SCS draft standard is available here.
• Timeline
• Q & A: Establishing an American National Standard for Sustainable Agriculture (Updated January 15, 2009)
• Leonardo Academy's ANSI Standards Development Constitution
• List of Standards Committee Members
• List of Standards Committee Observers

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Standards Committee/Task Force Meeting Documents

• Task Force Meeting Notes and Documents are available at: http://sites.google.com/site/sustainableagstandards/

• May 27-28, 2009 - Second Standards Committee Meeting
  • Meeting Notes
  • Motions
  • Sustainable Agriculture Standard Scope - Approved by Committee
  • Approved Subcommittees
  • Post-Meeting Press Release: Progress Reported as Sustainable Agriculture Standards Committee Takes Next Steps Toward Development of American National Standard
• September 25-26, 2008 - First Standards Committee Meeting
  • Meeting Notes
  • Approved Motions
  • Post-Meeting Press Release: First National Sustainable Agriculture Standard Setting Initiative Moves Into High Gear

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Public Documents and Outreach April 2007 - September 2008

• February 29, 2008 Stakeholder Dialogue Meeting
  • Leonardo Academy Presentations (PDF)
    • Overview of the ANSI Standards Process
    • Participating in the ANSI Process-Working Together
  • Panelist Presentations (PDF)
    • Agricultural Biotechnology (Sharon Bomer Lauritsen,Biotechnology Industry Organization)
    • Integrated Pest Management (George Elliot, Dept. of Plant Science, University of Connecticut)
    • Sustainable Biofuels (Charlotte Opal, Transfair/Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels)

• October 29-30, 2007 Informational/Kick-off Meeting
  • Presentations
    • The Draft Standard for Trial Use -Review

• USDA Letters/Appeals and Leonardo Academy Responses
  • USDA Letter to Leonardo Academy, May 20, 2008 re: Observer Participation
  • USDA Letter to Leonardo Academy, June 6, 2008 re: DSTU SCS-001 and Standard Development Process
  • Leonardo Academy Response to USDA, June 24, 2008 re: Observer Participation, DSTU SCS-001 and Standard Development Process
  • USDA Appeal to ANSI, September 12, 2008 re: Request to Review Leonardo Academy Standard Development Accreditation and Request to Withdraw DSTU SCS-001
  • Leonardo Academy Response to USDA Appeal to ANSI, October 3, 2008
  • ANSI ExSC Decision on USDA Appeal, January 13, 2009

• News
  • September 29, 2008 - First National Sustainable Agriculture Standard Setting Initiative Moves Into High Gear
  • October 28, 2008 - Call for Appliations: Open Seats on Sustainable Agriculture Standards Committee, User Interest Category
  • November 3, 2008 - Standards Committee Officers Selected to Lead Progress of National Sustainable Agriculture Standard
  • January 16, 2009 - ANSI Rules in Favor of Leonardo Academy on USDA Appeal - National Sustainable Agriculture Standard Process Continues With Robust Participation

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Additional Information

Subcommittee Applications -- The subcommittee work is anticipated to start in the Spring, 2009. We will continue to accept applications from individuals who wish to participate on the non-voting subcommittees. Those interested are encouraged to submit an application, identifying their interest areas as related to the standard, which will be used to guide the Standards Committee on which issues and sector-specific annexes to proceed with during the standard development process. (Subcommittee application available in Word or PDF format)

Time Commitment for Committee Members -- The time commitment required of Standards Committee members is estimated to be up to 8 hours per month, including meetings/teleconferences, meeting preparations, reviewing documents, voting, corresponding, etc. Members who choose to take on a leadership role (i.e., the Chair and Secretary) will invest more of a time commitment in the development process. Also, members are free to join the subcommittees they are interested in, thereby increasing their time commitment.

Subcommittee and advisory group commitments will vary depending on the level of debate over the issues at hand. Participants can expect to devote up to 4 hours per month while their respective subcommittee or advisory group is still active. Depending on the issues being addressed by the Standards Committee at a given time, there may be periods of higher intensity for certain subcommittee groups, which will taper off as those subcommittee issues are resolved.

Committee Meetings: Frequency and Location -- Meetings by conference call will be the most common type of meeting for the Standards Committee in order to make these meetings convenient for the Committee members. When face-to-face meetings are scheduled, all attempts will be made to select a location that is convenient for the majority of committee members. For these meetings, arrangements may be made to include participation by conference call for those members who are unable to participate in person.

Observer Participation -- Observers are invited to participate in the Standards Committee and Task Force meetings and conference calls for the Sustainable Agriculture Practice Standard, subject to the provisions set forth in Leonardo Academy's Policy on Observer Participation. Observers to the Standards Commitee meetings will be accommodated on a first-come, first-serve basis, subject to the availability of space or capacity. However, observers will have the opportunity to engage fully in the work undertaken by the Task Forces. If you are interested in participating in the Standards Committee and/or Task Force meetings and conference calls as an observer, please fill out an application for observer status (Word format, PDF format). Applications can be submitted to Leonardo Academy by email (amanda@leonardoacademy.org) or by mail (PO Box 5425, Madison, WI, 53705).

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Leonardo Academy is a member of the American National Standards Institution (ANSI), an organization that coordinates the development and use of voluntary consensus standards in the United States. Leonardo Academy is an ANSI Accredited standard developer and is actively engaged in consensus standard development. We believe that these national standards are an important tool for teaching sustainability objectives.

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Return to Leonardo Academy's ANSI Standard Development web page