Cass Clay Food Commission - January 8,2020 Minutes
Members Present:
Jenny Mongeau, Clay County Commission, Chair
Jim Aasness, Dilworth City Council
Sara Watson Curry, Moorhead City Council
Chelsey Johnson, Horace City Council
Mike Thorstad, West Fargo City Commission
Mindy Grant, At-Large Member
Kayla Pridmore, At-Large Member
Janice Tweet, At-Large Member
Jeremiah Utecht, At-Large Member
Members Absent:
John Strand, Fargo City Commission
Others Present:
Kim Lipetzky, Fargo Cass Public Health
Noelle Harden, U of M Extension
Timothy Hiller, Concordia College – Community Engagement
Emma Notermann, Clay County Planning
Deb Haugen, Cass Clay Food Partners
Whitney Oxendahl, Cass Clay Food Partners
Greta Gramig, Weed Biology/Ecology Specialist, NDSU
Mike Schroeder, Parks Maintenance Manager, Moorhead
Adam Altenburg, Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments
Chair Mongeau called the meeting to order at 10:30 AM.
1a. Approve Order and Contents of the Overall Agenda
A motion to approve the order and contents of the overall agenda was made by Ms. Watson Curry and seconded by Ms. Grant. The motion was voted on and unanimously approved.
1b. Review and Action on Minutes from November 13, 2019
A motion to approve the minutes for November was made by Mr. Aasness and seconded by Mr. Thorstad. The motion was voted on and unanimously approved.
Ms. Johnson arrived at 10:33 AM.
2. Commission Check-In
Chair Mongeau stated that Commission members and the steering committee had an opportunity to provide updates on news or events happening in the community.
Ms. Pridmore informed the Commission that the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society would be hosting a feature documentary about regenerative organic farming entitled “Dreaming of a Vetter World.” She stated that the documentary would be shown on January 12 at the Fargo Theatre.
Chair Mongeau explained that Clay County was beginning the process of updating some of its ordinances and would be looking to potentially integrate language from blueprints developed by the Commission.
Ms. Haugen arrived at 10:40 AM.
3. Certificates of Appreciation for Bukola Bakare and Nancy Carriveau
Ms. Lipetzky thanked Ms. Bakare and Ms. Carriveau for their service as at-large members on the Food Commission. She stated that neither could attend the meeting but that certificates of appreciation would be presented to both of them.
4. Approve Appointment of New At-Large Member – Janice Tweet
Chair Mongeau explained that, with Bukola Bakare and Nancy Carriveau fulfilling their terms, the steering committee had sought two new applicants to serve on the Commission. She explained that the steering committee reviewed and recommended the appointment of Janice Tweet as one of two new at-large members. She noted that the steering committee will still seek applications for an additional at-large member to serve on the Commission.
A motion to approve the appointment of Janice Tweet to the Commission was made by Mr. Aasness and seconded by Ms. Watson Curry. The motion was voted on and unanimously approved.
5. Jurisdiction Spotlight: City of Moorhead – Sara Watson Curry
Ms. Watson Curry highlighted a variety of food systems accomplishments in the City of Moorhead. She provided the Commission information on the following: city partnerships with the Moorhead Farmers Market and the Dorothy Day Food Pantry, information on city policies regarding compost and yard waste, permitting processes for boulevard plantings and rain gardens, procedures for Moorhead residents to plant yards as natural plantings, programs such as Lawns to Legumes for installing pollinator-friendly native plantings in residential lawns, and other partnerships with the Audubon Dakota Urban Woods and Prairies Initiative, River Keepers, and Longspur Prairie. She concluded her presentation by explaining that Moorhead had reached the third level in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program through its efforts to increase and promote conservation, recycling, and sustainability.
6. Weed Biology and Ecology: Non-chemical Weed Control in Weed Management Systems
Dr. Greta Gramig, Weed Biology/Ecology Specialist with NDSU, presented the Commission information on weed ecology and the urban interface.
Dr. Gramig explained that, prior to the 1940’s, weeds were controlled via tillage, hand pulling, mechanical devices, and inorganic herbicides like sodium arsenate. She stated that beginning in 1946, weeds began to be controlled through a range of synthetic herbicides with various modes of action and types of selectivity. She explained that his practice continued up until 1996, when weeds started to be controlled with glyphosate and other herbicides to which crops are resistant through genetic engineering. She touch upon the challenges to herbicide-intensive approaches including: environmental concerns, social and health concerns, economic concerns, and herbicide resistance.
Dr. Gramig described four approaches and tactics to integrated weed management (IWM) including: physical and mechanical tools such as pulling and tillage, cultural tactics such as crop rotations and cover crops, biological strategies which include grazing and biocontrol, and chemical approaches that use multiple effective herbicide modes of action (MOA). She stated that an IWM program is designed around what is most effective for a particular weed, crop, or farm operation, and that it is imperative to use a variety of tactics as no one strategy is a silver bullet.
Dr. Gramig concluded her presentation with information on the following: benefits of growing food in cities, risks of lawn herbicides moving off-target and affecting gardens, ecologically balanced lawns including ‘no-mow’ fescue species and adding white clover for weed control, and benefits of natural lawn care.
7. Moorhead Parks Maintenance
Mike Schroeder, Parks Maintenance Manager for the City of Moorhead, briefly addressed the Commission to explain the weed management activities and procedures of the Parks and Recreation Department, as well as information on spraying and mowing in the city’s 45 parks.
8. Pesticide Use on Public Land Issue Brief and Snapshot
Ms. Oxendahl presented a draft issue brief and community snapshot regarding pesticide use on public land. She provided information from the issue brief that explained issues with synthetic chemical pesticides including: negative impacts to pollinators, ground and surface water contamination, pesticide drift which can occur during sprayed applications, and neurotoxicity to humans. She concluded the issue brief by providing examples of how cities and states are addressing certain pesticides including: implementing integrated pest management (IPM) plans to reduce pesticide use, creating no-spray buffer zones, banning glyphosate on public lands, and adopting rules to restrict pesticide use to protect local pollinators.
Ms. Oxendahl presented the Commission information included in the draft community snapshot highlighting weed and insect control for the following: Cass County Vector Control, Cass County Weed Control, the City of Fargo, Fargo Parks District, West Fargo Parks Department, Clay County Soil and Water Conservation District, the City of Moorhead, and the City of Dilworth. She described how local non-profits including Audubon Dakota, Longspur Prairie, Pheasants Forever, and River Keepers can help reduce pesticide use by planting prairie grasses, certain trees, and pollinator habitats. She also explained a shortlist of community actions that jurisdictions and organizations could consider including: communication and education strategies, working with non-profits, IPM plans, recruiting volunteers to hand-weed certain areas, and creating no-spray buffer zones around playgrounds and other sensitive areas. Ms. Oxendahl and Chair Mongeau stated that a final issue brief and snapshot would be brought before the Commission in March.
9. Public Comment Opportunity
Chair Mongeau informed the Commission that time would be allotted for public comments.
Jen Walla, former AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer for the Prairie Roots Community Fund, expressed her gratitude to the Commission for opening up the conversation regarding pesticide spraying in the community. She stated that knowing what is sprayed and how often is beneficial for people who may want to pick certain plants for various uses in area parks and open spaces.
Ms. Grant responded that what some people may consider as weeds, others view as edible plants and that there are sometimes groups of people who forage in parks for dandelions and other plants. She said that she tries to discourage the practice but that there are people that might not always be aware of the risks or may not have the language skills to know that certain open spaces have been sprayed with chemicals.
10. Commission and Steering Committee Roundtable
Chair Mongeau asked for the Commission and the steering committee to share any additional updates.
Chair Mongeau stated that, as the Commission approaches its five-year anniversary, it may be beneficial for Commission members to become more involved in steering committee meetings to better understand its processes and to better shape how the Commission moves forward with issues and topics in the future.
11. Commission Action Steps
Chair Mongeau stated that the next Commission meeting would be held on March 11. She also mentioned that the next First Fridays event would be held on February 7, 8:00 AM at Theatre B in Moorhead.
Chair Mongeau adjourned the meeting at 11:40 AM.