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HomeFood & Water Manufactured foodscape By Kurt Cobb, originally published by Resource Insights April 13, 2008 For many in North America food has become essentially a manufactured item, carefully packaged in colorful plastic and cardboard wrappers. The packages list the ingredients in small type as if they were elements from the periodic table rearranged by some present-day equivalent of the Star Trek replicator. Few consumers realize the remarkable chemistry that does, in fact, take place in the farm field and in the ocean that transforms carbon from the air into the myriad compounds we recognize as food. And, except in those rare North American households where it remains an economic necessity, cooking itself has become something of the domain of wannabe gourmets with Martha Stewart fetishes. The food manufacturing process has created effortless meals that often require nothing more than a little boiling or heating in the microwave to make them palatable. The cost is in nutrition and overall health, costs which often don’t show up for decades when they are detected in the physician’s office or on the operating table–usually without any recognition of the link. But even the immediate economic costs of food seem virtually hidden from the public which in the United States pays less than 10 percent of its income for food both inside and outside the home. Only recently have rises in food prices began to appear on the radar of the average food buyer in America; still, don’t look for any food riots soon. Not so with the rest of the world. According to The New York Times Indonesians spend half their income on food, Vietnamese spend 65 percent and Nigerians spend 73 percent. A doubling of grain prices in the last three years is not something that can easily be shrugged off by families living in these and so many other countries. Unrest related to food prices has already been seen in Haiti, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal. There are the usual suspects: demand for meat in places with huge and growing middle class populations such as India and China, drought in Australia (one of the four remaining major grain exporters in the world), and demand for biofuels made from food crops. But it is the pricey manufactured foodscape invented by wealthy countries that has helped to create what is fast becoming a food crisis in the rest of the world. It is the industrial mentality itself which regards food as if it were just another input into the industrial system. One obvious result is that we treat food and fuel now as if they were simply interchangeable. Another is that we have streamlined agricultural and food processes by employing the same just-in-time manufacturing principles used to make steel or plastics. The result has been a reduction of world cereal stocks that are expected to fall to 25-year lows this year. As of the end of 2007 we have a 75-day supply of grain and that is expected to fall to around 69 days by the end of this year. Michael Boskin, chairman of the first President Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers, is reputed to have said, “It doesn’t make any difference whether a country makes potato chips or computer chips.” At the time he was pilloried for having suggested such a thing when it was accepted wisdom that a high-tech economy was the desired goal. But Boskin may actually have been wrong for reasons of basic food security. A country held hostage to the food exports of another may find itself without needed food just at the time when supplies are shortest. Witness the the banning of rice exports from Vietnam, Thailand, the Phillipines, Egypt and now India as rice prices have rocketed to new highs. In Argentina the government has attempted to keep domestic soybean and sunflower seed prices down by enacting huge new export tariffs that would effectively curtail exports of the crops. Farmers reacted by bringing the country to a halt. Cereals are obviously not interchangeable with computer chips. Some 80 percent of all our calories come directly and indirectly (primarily in the form of meat and dairy products) from grain. People prefer to eat first and compute later, but only if there is time and money left over. No government or people seems to believe that strictly market forces ought to govern the price of staples. And, no one is actually willing to say in public that if you can outbid me for basic foodstuffs, then I have no right to complain even if it means my family and I starve. It has been a truism from the beginning of civilization that cities require stocks of grain, surpluses that can last a year or even two to sustain them through drought or war. In the last two decades, the champions of the globalized trade system have turned that truism on its head and foolishly convinced governments and their leaders that food production and storage can be largely left to the marketplace. All that is changing rather quickly. Governments are now temporizing as they try to address brewing revolts in the streets. At the World Bank there is talk of trying to raise yields over the long term. But that hardly matters to governments with hungry populations on their hands now. And the long-term yield raisers are assuming a growing supply of petrochemicals which are integral to our current farm productivity. Such a plan is called into question even by the most optimistic forecasts for oil supplies. What then of the manufactured foodscape that has become such an important feature of North American life? It will likely succumb to the realities of food and the limits of the biosphere. There will be less manufacturing and more home preparation as the manufactured foodscape becomes too expensive to maintain. The limits we face in arable lands, in fossil fuels, and in the ability of the atmosphere to absorb greenhouse gasses will compel more people to grow and harvest some of the food they eat. These limits will compel us to eat less meat for no other reason than it will become prohibitively wasteful to feed valuable grain to livestock instead of eating it. We will be forced to listen to the landscape once again and follow its dictates on how to raise food. And, we will be obliged to abandon much of the giant industrial food system that provides a freakish cartoon-like foodscape made up of “fun” foods, fast foods and frozen meals designed to cater to our most childish cornucopian fantasies. Tags: Culture & Behavior, Food, Transportation Kurt Cobb Kurt Cobb is an author, speaker, and columnist whose novel Prelude provides a startling reinterpretation of contemporary events and a window onto our energy future. He writes a widely followed blog on energy and the environment called Resource Insights and is a regular contributor to the Energy Voices section of The Christian Science Monitor. Related Posts Light posting from 20 April to 5th May Just 16,000 Catenary Trucks Would Use All of California’s Electricity with only 2400 to 8300 Miles of Overhead Wires Unpave Low Traffic Roads to Save Energy and Money How the greatest technology ever developed backfired on us The World as Will Door to Door – A selective look at our “system of systems” Awakening to a Path Beyond the Hero’s Journey A Hard-Nosed Optimism Is it Time to Change the Story? Let’s Start Writing the Future. We Need to Electrify As Much Transportation As We Can Recent Articles By Author “Reform” won’t solve our biggest problems By Kurt Cobb, originally published by Resource Insights Split personalities: We like some science, but not all of it Living world: Should natural entities be treated as legal persons? Communications breakdown: Can we even talk about our environmental and energy problems? Saudi Arabia and the war on shale oil that never ended

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» Winter Services and Supplies Biotech benefits ag, environment, consumers Carol Ryan DumasCapital Press Published: March 1, 2014 7:40PM Last changed: March 3, 2014 10:08AM The public readily accepts biotechnology in science and medicine, but when it comes to agriculture it's a different story. Biotechnology has brought numerous benefits to farmers and consumers, and thousands of studies support the safety of food from GMO crops. But many people don't understand the technology. BURLEY, Idaho — Technology is accepted in every aspect of people’s lives, and biotechnology has been widely used and accepted in science and medicine for years.But when it comes to biotechnology in agriculture, the public — due to its growing disconnect from agriculture — is frightened that food is being altered, said Nancy Vosnidue, Monsanto’s scientific communications manager, during the 2014 Idaho Hay and Forage conference in Burley on Friday, Feb. 28.But food from genetically modified crops is exactly the same as food from conventional crops, she said.Biotechnology isn’t new to agriculture. It has been researched for 30 years, and genetically modified crops have been grown commercially for 18 years, with zero food-safety issues, she said.“Everything we eat today (is) the product of some sort of mutation,” she said.Resin for cheese making and yeast to make bread and beer are produced using biotechnology, which is simply putting one organism into another, she said.Biotechnology is the same tool used to create insulin for diabetics. Human DNA sequence is inserted into a particular strain of E. coli bacteria to produce the synthetic insulin, she said.Crop biotechnology is an extension of plant breeding, which has been taking place in some fashion for centuries. In the 1700s, farmers and scientists were cross breeding plants for new traits. In the 1940s, researchers used mutagenesis through chemicals and radiation to alter the makeup of seeds. In the 1990s, the first GMO crops were introduced to the marketplace, she said.Biotechnology is just a faster, more precise process of plant breeding and is one of the only ways the world is going to produce more food, feed and fiber for a growing middle class and a growing population, she said.Genetic modification is a well thought-out process, thoroughly researched and tested. It’s safe and healthy and provides a reliable food supply. It takes about 13 years, $125 million and extensive studies by USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency and academia to bring a GMO seed to market, she said.Consumers aren’t asking how biotechnology works; they’re asking if it is safe, she said.Thousands of academic studies on food from GMO crops support the safety of those foods, which is the most regulated and tested thing in society, she said.Today, GMO crops are grown on about 4 billion acres worldwide since 1996 and are approved for planting or importing in 63 countries. Biotechnology has improved yields and, in some cases, nutrition, she said.Increase in yields for GMO corn, cotton and soybeans has been phenomenal. Between 1996 and 2011, corn production increased 195 million metric tons, soybeans increased 110 million metric tons, and cotton lint increased 15.9 million metric tons in the U.S. alone, she said.Maintaining those yields with non-GMO seed would require almost 40 million additional acres, the amount of total farmland planted to major crops in Illinois and Indiana combined, she said.With more people to feed and less arable land per capita, biotechnology is crucial to agriculture. Climate change, bringing pests and weeds to new areas and water shortages and excesses, will also add to the need for farmland to become more productive.At the same time, environmental concerns are growing, and biotechnology reduces the use of herbicides and pesticides and agriculture’s carbon footprint, she said.At the end of the day, Monsanto and other biotech ag companies are enabling agriculture with safe, affordable, sustainable production of food, she said.

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Perry Pear Joins Ark of Taste Five varieties of Australian perry pear found to be at risk of loss to horticulture have been added to the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity’s international Ark of Taste. The perry — inedible, small, astringent fruit — has been used for centuries in the English western counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire to make a fermented alcoholic beverage similar to cider. Varieties were brought to Australia during the Victorian gold rushes in the 1850s and 1860s. The announcement of the fruits’ inclusion in the Ark was made by Slow Food International secretary-general Paolo Di Croce in conjunction with Australian Ark Commission chair Cherry Ripe at an Ark of Taste dinner today at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) near Hobart, Tasmania, on the occasion of the national meeting of Slow Food in Australia. The perry varieties listed include the Yellow Huffcap, Moorcroft, Gin, Red Longdon and Green Horse. The Australian Ark of Taste was established in July 2003. It aims to protect and preserve quality, small-scale production of culturally significant foods that are threatened with extinction, including critically endangered breeds of animals and heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables. The Ark works to recognise and preserve listed foods’ heritage and taste and to promote and encourage agricultural and horticultural biodiversity. In its first seven years, four products were listed in the Australian Ark, some of which were included the MONA dinner menu, including Tasmanian Leatherwood honey, bull-boar sausages unique to Victoria, Kangaroo Island Ligurian bee honey from South Australia, and the Bunya, an indigenous nut native to Queensland. Since 2010, two further products have been added to the Australian Ark, both rare breeds of domestic animals of European origin: in June 2011 the Wessex Saddleback pig, extinct in its native England, and in April 2012 the Dairy Shorthorn, which is ‘critically endangered’. The pear listing today brings the number of listings on the Australian Ark to 11. Australian Ark Commission chair Cherry Ripe hopes that many more will come to fulfil the goal of 10,000 international Ark listings by 2017. For more information, please visit the Slow Food Australia website For more information on the Ark of Taste, visit the website and follow the project on Facebook. |

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The Treasure of Cruz Alta Honduras - 05 Mar 13 - Andrea Amato About a century ago, just seven families lived in Tecauxinas, a tiny village on the slopes of the Montaña de Camapara. The mountain, which stands at an altitude of close on 1,900 meters at the point where Honduras borders with Guatemala and El Salvador, is covered with forests of pine, holm oak and other tall trees, as well as fruit trees and medicinal herbs. In the old days, when the village was little more than a cluster of houses, its inhabitants were seasonal workers of the indigenous Lenca ethnic group, who spent a few months there every year, then moved on to pick coffee near the border. Now everything has changed and Tecauxinas (some people say it meant “sugarcane” in the old local language, others say it means “land of the wise”) has changed its name to the more Christian Cruz Alta. The village has grown in size and is now immersed in lush forest. Here the berries of the coffee plant, bright red and violet in color, sprout and are ready to be harvested in December. Fertile seeds What happened? Tired of working in other people’s fields, the villagers, the grandparents and great-grandparents of the Presidium producers, stole arabigo (now known as Typica) and Bourbon seeds and took them to Tecauxinas to grow in the shade of fruit and timber trees. Partly helped by the chequeque, a small bird that still feeds on the berries of old coffee varieties and spreads their seeds on the ground, the locals extended the area of cultivation. In Cruz Alta, we met José Elías Pérez Sánchez, a proud coffee grower and member of Cocatecal (Cooperativa Cafetalera Tecauxinas Limitada), a cooperative founded in 2005, which currently boasts 33 members. In early 2011, these producers set up the Camapara Mountain Coffee Presidium, coordinated by José Elías. Based on the fruitful experience Slow Food has enjoyed at Huehuetenango, in Guatemala, since 2002, the Presidium currently produces around 10,000 kilos of coffee a year. The need for a narrative As we sip infused coffee from terracotta cups, José Elías tells us the story of his generation’s resurgence in Cruz Alta. “The cooperative came into being when, worn out by difficulties, we realized that we couldn’t manage on our own any more. We were making huge sacrifices and selling the fresh coffee beans to the coyotes, the local middlemen. We were practically giving away the coffee and they were selling it at premium prices in the city. But then we realized how valuable our coffee and our labor are.” Once the cooperative had been established, it began organizing training and assistance programs for coffee growers and collaborating with local and national agencies such as the Instituto Hondureño del Café, the Honduran Coffee Institute. Since 2007 the producers have marketed their harvest together and now, working with Slow Food, they understand that the market, already glutted with nondescript coffee, demands a specific origin, very high quality and a narrative for the product and the place it comes from. The Presidium producers are now going down this road and taking their coffee, hence their future, into their own hands. “When Slow Food came along, we were about to replace local varieties with hybrids,” confides José Elías, “but now we’ve realized that would have been a wrong decision and now we want to go back to planting Bourbón.” All this will happen with the help of Slow Food which, in 2012, co-funded the creation of a nursery where the Presidium producers can cultivate seedlings of the traditional coffee varieties and, when they grow to the right size, plant them. In about three years, the coffee growers can expect an abundant harvest. Together with technical know-how and a proud and lucid vision of the market, it will be a fundamental asset for Cruz Alta and its inhabitants. We have finished our coffee. The harvest is just two months away and it is time for José Elías to return to the cafetal. But before leaving, he adds, “You know, we used to keep only the worst coffee for us and our families, the poorest quality. Now we keep the best coffee for home”. The sun is rising over ancient Tecauxinas. To find out more The Slow Food Presidia are a project organized by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. www.slowfoodfoundation.org The Coffee Network Since 2002, Slow Food has been helping groups of small-scale coffee producers to improve their product and find an aware market that prizes quality and is willing to pay a fair price. These efforts have led to the setting up of five coffee Presidia (Huehuetenango in Guatemala, Camapara Mountain in Honduras, Sierra Cafetalera in the Dominican Republic, Harenna Forest in Ethiopia and ancient Robusta coffee varieties in the Luweero district of Uganda) and the formation of a group of over 20 communities inside the Terra Madre network. Article first published in the Slow Food Almanac

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Taking Time Out to Reflect on a Sustainable Future Marike de Peña Chair of Fairtrade International and director and co-founder of Banelino banana cooperative in Dominican Republic Almost all of the Sustainable Development Goals' 169 action points are somehow related to food and farming - so the SDGs can only be delivered if smallholder farmers and workers play a central role in planning and implementation. Photo: Santos More of ACPROBOQUEA cooperative in Peru, ©TransFair e.V. There can be few better things in life than enjoying a good, strong coffee in a sunny Italian pavement cafe. Italians will tell you they make the best coffee in the world - and who am I to argue with that - especially as small producers in the south are putting all their effort to produce this high quality product? None of your skinny lattes or mocha macchiatos here - no self-respecting Italian would contemplate anything other than a cappuccino for breakfast and a caffé (aka espresso) at any other time. Anything else is, well - just not coffee. There's something about Italy that makes me want to slow down. I'm determined to make the most of my few days in Milan, where people take their food and drink seriously. Not really surprising - just over the provincial border in Piedmont is the heart of the slow food movement. Slow food - which values taste, variety, locality and sustainability, is the very antithesis of the bland convenience foods, globalised homogeneity and multi-national industrial-scale agribusiness which dominates the diets of so many, especially in the developed world. Even Milan's excessive world of haute couture is embracing a more sustainable approach, with some recent collections including recycled materials and organic cotton. I'm in Milan for Expo 2015. It's been running since May and an estimated 20 million visitors have come from all over the world. With the theme "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life", it's a great place to reflect on how fair trade can play a significant role in achieving the newly-launched Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It's also a brilliant opportunity to try different cuisines from all over the world - there are more than 70 restaurants serving up everything from zebra steaks (I think I'll pass on that, thanks) to sushi ice cream. I'm in severe danger of forgetting that I'm actually here to work! It's less than a month since the SDGs - an ambitious set of 17 overarching global goals to combat poverty and achieve sustainable development - were rolled out. World leaders from the Pope to President Obama lined up at the UN in New York to give their support - and Fairtrade was also there to ensure the voices of the world's 1.3 billion small scale farmers and agricultural workers were not forgotten. But now the really hard work begins - putting the SDGs into action. We've got 15 years to hit some pretty ambitious targets, so there's no time to lose - which is why I'm here at the Milano Expo for the launch of Fairtrade's blueprint for implementing the SDGs. After all, it's what we do. Think about it: the overarching SDG, Goal 1 (to end poverty in all its forms everywhere) is central to Fairtrade's mission. All of our work stems from this overarching goal, as we seek to ensure that trade drives sustainable livelihoods for poor smallholders, producers and workers. As we pointed out in our speech to the UN earlier this year, there's barely a single one of the 169 different action points that isn't somehow related to food and farming. That means that the SDGs will only be delivered successfully if these smallholder farmers and workers play a central role in planning and implementation. Of course, Fairtrade can't implement the SDGs by itself. We're one player - albeit a significant one - in a global movement for change, and it will take a seismic shift in attitudes and behaviour from governments, businesses and consumers to bring about the kind of sustainable growth we need. But we've got 25 years of experience behind us and Fairtrade is the world's most recognised ethical brand, so it's a pretty good start. 1.5 million Fairtrade farmers, producers and workers are already being empowered by our work on sustainable agriculture (Goal 2), gender equality and empowering women (Goal 5), sustainable economic growth (Goal 8), sustainable consumption and production (Goal 12), combatting climate change (Goal 13), democracy, justice and accountability (Goal 16) and global partnerships and governance (Goal 17). Last month I wrote that the UN headquarters in New York was a long way from my home in the Dominican Republic and the home of many small farmers and workers in the south- not just in physical distance but in the striking inequalities in poverty, job and life prospects. Sitting here in Milan, the gap between the so-called developed and developing worlds, between the rich and the poor, seems as wide as ever. But I'm optimistic that the SDGs give us a real chance to narrow that gap. I'd better get going. I've got to find my way through the huge Expo site - more than 1.7 million square meters housing exhibitions from 140 countries - to the Slow Food pavilion where the Fairtrade event is being held. I've been told to look out for performers dressed in banana suits who will be providing street entertainment - those Fairtrade bananas get everywhere! On the other hand - there's always time for another coffee. The report 'Sustainable Development Goals and Fairtrade: the Case for Partnership' launches today in Milan. Sustainable Development Goals Sdgs Fairtrade Fairtrade International Expo 2015

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From something small to something big Jay Naidoo I STAND in a fertile field, stretching towards the mountains that frame the distant horizon. We are in a circle of peasant farmers, who have tilled the land for generations. Former President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique has invited us to see what can be done to help small farmers. I am with Manoj Kumar and David Hogg from the Naandi Foundation in India. They focus on how to work at scale with small-scale farmers. I listen carefully to what they say: “Our starting point is the farmers themselves. They have to own what we can do together. That means that they have to be organised from the ground up. A top-down approach will always fail. We set up village committees and aggregate this into a co-operative, starting with 1 000 farmers. Then we work with them to transfer the skills of organic farming, develop the technology to make organic fertilisers from local materials, to increase productivity and to meet household food security and raise incomes by accessing even the global markets. We work with farmers who have less than two hectares. Individually, they have no bargaining power, but if they are organised from the ground up, they are a powerful commercial operation. “Today, there are over 15 000 members working an area close to 25 000 hectares. Ownership is critical. Each farmer works their piece of land. They understand from the first day that their income is based on how hard they work, and what effort they put into the land. They are not wage labourers. They are taught to be self-reliant entrepreneurs. Government initially provided the land, the seed and water to the farmers. Now, in three years, these co-operatives are self-reliant.” They know what they are talking about. They work with the poorest in the tribal areas of India. The coffee that is sold on global markets from the co-operative project is sold at five times the price they got previously and at greater yields. The Naandi Foundation has increased the biodiversity of the operation and planted millions of mango and coffee saplings and taught the peasants how to grow organic vegetables to meet their household food-security needs. This is the core of local sustainable development. An organising model, an open-source skills transfer based on local sustainability. And the peasant farmers feel a sense of ownership. As the chairperson of the Co-operative Board proudly said to me: “I am part of society. My children are now more educated than I could ever have imagined. They have gone to university. My work and the support of the Naandi Foundation has empowered me.” The multiplier effect is visible. Young girls, historically marginalised, are in school and supported by the Naandi Foundation, and health indicators have improved dramatically. The debilitating scourge of alcoholism is being tackled. Women’s incomes and empowerment have improved dramatically. Their model reminds me of the union organising we did with workers in the sugar mills. It was painstaking work across the country, building leadership and confidence at every stage. There was local ownership. That’s the foundation of the labour movement that became the Cosatu giant. I think we now need a movement of small-scale farmers, with women at the centre. I take them to KZN, and they meet senior officials and political office bearers. Everyone we meet is committed to doing things at a scale that impacts on eradicating poverty and creating livelihoods. But the KZN government recognises that agricultural output has declined, and that the province has become a net food importer. David Hogg remarks after seeing farmers in rural areas: “Jay, why are people so poor here? I cannot understand. You have everything here to grow all the food you need and to become a global exporter.” I reminisce on my childhood. We never saw malnutrition and kwashiorkor. We lived off the land. Market gardens lined the banks of the Umgeni River. Every home had a garden. The Durban markets flourished, as small-scale farmers sold their vegetables. Much of this prime land is now used as shopping malls, industrial parks and housing developments I look at the impact that HIV/Aids has had. I see communities without men, and where there are many child-headed households. I see the contract with the first-world tourist-driven belt of affluence that lines the coast. One does not have to travel very far inland to see the grinding poverty of rural communities. While our social-grant system extends to 15 million South Africans, it will never be enough to eradicate poverty. It is not the solution. As the former Minister of the Reconstruction and Development Programme in the Mandela Cabinet, I am absolutely clear about this. We need people to have livelihoods that give them the human dignity of labour. And this is not subsistence farming. I have seen the Naandi model produce proud farmers who are entrepreneurial and have the skills of any commercial farmer. We have to co-create that sense of ownership of our future again. We need our government to support our small scale farmers with access to land, seed, water and power. But we need to change the culture of entitlement and dependency we have created in our society. Land reform is back on the front burner. We know that apartheid broke the link between our people and the land, but let us honestly evaluate why so much of the land that has been already redistributed lies fallow and unused. We need to align the inputs from government, focus on scaling up the skills and entrepreneurialism of farmers, and strengthen their access and bargaining power to the market. We need corporates in our country to mainstream this effort and plough some of their corporate social-responsibility budgets into such ventures. That is a vision we should all support, built painstakingly from the ground up. It certainly is the foundation on which we can deliver the better life we promised our people in 1994. • Jay Naidoo was the founding general secretary of Cosatu, and minister of Reconstruction and Development in the Mandela Cabinet. He is currently chairperson of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition. He has returned full-time to his voluntary work and social activism, and writes a blog at www.jaynaidoo.org

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News Calendars Opinion Sports Sections Ads Jobs Local Classified CU Extras Customer Service Local Business / Local Business « Northwest Bank to... Hemann Tae Kwon Do continues...» Handicapping markets Marketing pro offers top tips February 19, 2012 By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY, For The Messenger , Save | GLIDDEN - Gaining an edge in today's high-stakes ag industry requires timely information, a global perspective and a willingness to play the basis, said a long-time Chicago Board of Trade professional, who spoke in Glidden recently. "These are not the markets of old, and volatility has been extreme since 2006," said Kevin Van Trump, who was invited by Iowa Savings Bank to share his top marketing tips with approximately 100 local farmers and other guests during an agricultural marketing seminar on Feb. 1. "When the basis is ripping higher and prices are good, you don't want your bins completely full." Van Trump, who was a professional trader on the Chicago Board of Trade for more than 20 years before establishing his marketing firm Farm Direction, is conservatively bullish on ag commodities in 2012. Article Photos -Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty MaulsbyKevin Van trump, a professional commodities trader and founder of Farm Direction, offered his tips to help farmers improve their marketing know-how, during a Feb. 1 seminar, hosted by Iowa Savings Bank in Glidden. He urged farmers to pay close attention to the energy markets going into spring, however. "I believe the markets are under-valuing the risk in the Middle East, so I'm encouraging farmers to purchase diesel now. "As the United States pulls out of the Middle East, Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia are all positioning for power, and none of them get along. If the Strait of Hormuz is closed, crude oil could shoot up to $250 a barrel in a matter of days. "It's wise to keep some on-farm fuel in storage to get you through planting." $8 or higher corn? On the grain side, the weather remains one of the biggest wildcards. Weather records show that some of the warmest winters have also produced some of the warmest summers, said Van Trump, who noted this could have a huge effect on trend line yields in 2012. "If we get trend line yields of 162 bushels per acre or more, we may see $4 corn. With 155-bushel-per-acre average corn yields, we could see $5.50 corn. "If we have 150-bushel average corn yields across the board, however, that could put corn at $8 a bushel or more. That's how critical 10 bushels will be." It's also important to keep an eye on global demand for corn, said Van Trump. While Japan has traditionally been one of the biggest markets for U.S. corn, the Asian nation has been looking for alternative sources from Europe and Argentina in recent weeks. Japan is also struggling with tremendous debt issues, Van Trump said. "Japan could become the next Greece in the next few years. If this happens, we could take a hit in the corn market." In the soybean sector, China remains the key player to watch in the global market. Van Trump noted that the Chinese have reduced their soybean acres and plan to grow more wheat and corn, since they believe these crops fit better with the nation's climate and soil types. This begs the question of where China will buy its soybeans, said Van Trump, who noted that the quality of Brazil's soybeans is traditionally better than the quality of U.S. soybeans. "We have the advantage of being able to ship beans to China faster than Brazil can," he said. "We don't know whether China will wait for higher-quality South American beans, or whether they'll go to the U.S. to get beans faster." South America will also impact the U.S. ethanol markets, Van Trump said. Nations like Argentina are looking for ways to reduce their dependence on foreign oil and have announced plans to retain much more of their domestic corn crop for ethanol production. "As you see more ethanol production in South America, this should be a big bonus for us, in terms of more U.S. corn exports." The U.S. ethanol industry is in good shape, despite losing the blender's credit, Van Trump added. "U.S. ethanol exports are gaining steam, and I think the issues in the Middle East will be good for U.S. ethanol in the long term." Looking ahead While times are good in ag right now, infrastructure remains an Achilles heel for U.S. agriculture, Van Trump cautioned. "Billions of dollars are being invested in infrastructure in South America, which is setting itself up to feed the world. "They're also talking about 100-row corn planters to get the job done, so I think we need to be prepared for these big changes that may be coming." While no one can predict the future, Van Trump is urging farmers to make the most of the opportunities the market is presenting right now. "Trying to pick the tops and bottoms of the market is a bad move. With the profits we're seeing today, grab the money you can, sock it away and don't get leveraged to the hilt." You can contact Darcy Dougherty Maulsby by e-mail at [email protected]. Save | Subscribe to Messenger News I am looking for:

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“Our overall program is similar to last year, as far as the products are concerned, but our acreage has increased just about across the board on everything that we grow, so we are building on the winter program,” said Mike Aiton, marketing manager for Prime Time Sales LLC, which is headquartered in Coachella, CA. Bell peppers continue to be the company’s biggest commodity, he said. “We have both field grown and protected structure or hothouse-grown peppers all winter long.” Red bells are the biggest-volume item in the category for the company, followed by green bells, then yellow, then orange. Mike Aiton“We have production in both mainland Mexico and also in Baja, so we cross product into Nogales [AZ] and into San Diego,” he said. In mainland Mexico, Prime Time grows peppers in Sinaloa and has a greenhouse operation in Jalisco. By early December, “we will be have been harvesting the red, yellow and orange blocky bells from hothouses for a month and also green bell peppers. We will just be starting our red pepper production,” he said. Throughout December, volume will ramp up “with more volume every week,” and by January there will be “promotional volumes pretty much across the board.” The company “planted a little bit more on everything” this year. As of mid-November, Prime Time was harvesting hothouse peppers in both Baja and Jalisco, “starting in a modest way,” he said. “The market is high, and demand is good, and supplies are very tight in advance of the [Thanksgiving] holiday. Our field grown production still hasn’t quite kicked in.” Prime Time has bell pepper fields in the Coachella Valley as well that were just about ready to harvest. Those were set to start “actually tomorrow” [Nov. 15], Mr. Aiton said. “The size is quite small here. Because of the heat, the peppers just didn’t grow much, so I think people are going to be seeing smaller sized peppers from now through Christmastime before we start getting into the new crop and bigger sizes” from different areas. This winter, Prime Time has also “ramped up production on the mini-sweet peppers,” Mr. Aiton said. “Those are red, yellow and orange.” They are main field grown, with “a little bit in shadehouse. But w have just about doubled our production in Mexico from a year ago, so we are very bullish on that program.” The season on the minis is “exactly the same” as for regular bell peppers, he said. They should be in production in Mexico by early December. “Right now, the crop looks very good,” he said. “We have a brand new packinghouse in Culiacan” for which “this will be the second year,” he said. “It is a considerable investment on our part in Mexico. It really is exactly the same packinghouse as we have in Coachella, so the procedures and the guidelines and even the personnel are the same in Mexico as we have in California. I think that is one of the advantages that we offer — the consistency in quality and the standards are the same wherever you buy our peppers.” Prime Time also has “a pretty good selection of tomatoes that we grow in Baja,” he said. “We have round tomatoes plus grape tomatoes and Romas. We have increasing volume on those tomatoes crossing in San Diego, and we will have those, as well, all winter long.” The harvest had already started, “so we are in that game right now.” Videos

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Tackling tough decisions When the economy got rough, Barnes Nursery got smart and made the hard decisions that pulled it through. Kristen Hampshire Subscribe “We couldn’t stop the bleeding fast enough,” says Barnes Nursery Vice President Jarret Barnes of 2008, during the economic fallout when home building just stopped happening in northern Ohio, and particularly along Lake Erie where vacation homes are popular. The problem for Barnes was the investment it literally had in the ground: 300 acres of plant material that required costly maintenance but could not be specified or sold. “You couldn’t give a tree a way at that time,” Barnes says. The family business continued to care for its acres, supporting a legacy of plantsmen and their grandfather’s love of trees. It would be heartbreaking to raze the land. But how long could Barnes Nursery continue paying to care for hundreds of acres of nursery stock that no one would buy? There were no large-scale design-build projects on the books at the time either. “In the last three years we had to make a decision. We had to pull the trigger and say, enough is enough, let’s see if we can weather the storm with no maintenance [for the nursery stock] and what is left, we’ll use and sell, and what’s not we’ll push out of the ground and move on to another product,” Barnes says. Today, Barnes maintains 75 acres of trees — the rest is beans, and eventually some corn will be planted in the sharecropped space. Rather than draining the budget to care for acres of land and trees unsold, others are footing some of the bill to use the rich sandy loam, a revered characteristic of Huron, which has strong agricultural roots. But transitioning the land from nursery stock to farm crops was no overnight gig. “It wasn’t cheap to get out of,” says Julie Barnes Foster, head of Barnes Garden Centers, noting how the fields had to be cleared. “And it wasn’t an easy decision for the family. It took a long time to pull the trigger, and then to see it turn from trees into beans.” But the business is stronger now because of that choice. In 2008, its revenues were nearly cut in half, Barnes says. The company reduced its office staff by 30 percent, including people who had been with the company through years of good times. “We just couldn’t afford to keep everyone,” Foster says. The staff is about 100 strong today, and the company is still diversified with divisions in maintenance, lawn care and design/build and landscape materials, including organics and composting, which is a specialty of Barnes’ mother, Sharon, who was somewhat of a pioneer in the industry. She has been focused on composting since the early 1980s and heavily involved in the U.S. Composting Council The business is recovering and positioned for growth, with eyes on design/build and projects along with the potential that a public interest in compost brings. “The interest has definitely spiked,” Foster says. It takes more than a name to show off what your business does. Read More By the people, for the people A Yard & A Half’s open book policies helped tutor employees for the next stage in business as a co-op. Read More Design with deep roots Barnes Nursery transitioned out of its wholesale nursery and is growing its retail design/build presence, while continuing its organics initiative. Read More

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Voigt Named By Colorado Published online: Aug 16, 2002 >Chris Voigt, who has served as field operations director for the United States Potato Board, was named Executive Director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee this week. Voigt, an Oregon native who traversed the nation on Board activities and programs over the past seven years, will take over from the late Wayne Thompson. Thompson died of cancer early this summer. Voigt will oversee operations for growers from the Monte Vista, CO, office in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado. “We’re just real happy to have him,” an office spokesperson said.

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Search Site Current News Stories Three more FSMA rules set new standards for fruits and veggies Is carbonated air a repellant of Asian carp? Prepare livestock, farm for winter temperatures Experts advise preparing equipment for the winter New ag minister from Canada is in favor of COOL retaliation Fed: Farm finances are tighter west of the Mississippi Panel speculates on ‘real cost’ of producing meat and crops Search News COOL remains contentious even within cattle industry By KEVIN WALKERMichigan CorrespondentWASHINGTON, D.C. — Different cattle producer groups continue to spar over mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL).MCOOL has nothing to do with food safety, but is strictly a marketing tool, said Colin Woodall, vice president of government affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. (NCBA). The NCBA is opposed to MCOOL, but isn’t necessarily opposed to voluntary labeling efforts.The COOL issue at hand is only about how certain commodities are labeled in the United States, as well. It has nothing to do with exports. “Our concern is because of the impact it has on U.S. producers,” Woodall said. “It’s not just Mexican and Canadian producers that are affected, it’s U.S. producers, too.”He opined the consumer isn’t paying much attention to from where their beef is coming. The labels “aren’t providing any value. We’re not against labeling as a whole, we’re just against the government telling us how to do it.”MCOOL is a product of the 2008 farm bill and, to some extent, earlier legislation. MCOOL requires the mandatory labeling of meat packaged for retail sales. According to the NCBA, the beef industry has worked for years to develop livestock production practices that promote safety.Those, in addition to government regulations already in place, ensure the safety of beef sold in the United States, the group contends.The World Trade Organization (WTO) appellate court ruled although the United States has the right to a COOL program, the way in which the MCOOL program is currently configured creates an unfair trade balance in violation of international trade laws. It’s being contended that today, Canadian and Mexican beef producers are being paid less for their product because of MCOOL.According to the NCBA, Mexican and Canadian cattle producers are at a competitive disadvantage because of the U.S. program. In December 2012, the WTO announced the United States had until May 23, 2013, to change its COOL program for red meat or face retaliatory tariffs from Canada and Mexico.Pending lawsuitIn its literature, the NCBA states in some instances Mexican producers are being paid $60 less per head of cattle because of where that cattle originated. The USDA published a final rule on MCOOL on May 24 to help the United States come into compliance with WTO rules, but Woodall said it does no such thing – and the NCBA sued to try to stop implementation of the final rule.“We asked the court to shut down implementation of the new rule, because USDA is causing us to spend money on something that the WTO might reject,” he said. “We think the WTO will rule against it.”According to the group, the cost of complying with the new rule could be in excess of $100 million, in the form of increased tracking of animals and increased costs of physically printing and attaching labels.The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, includes the NCBA, American Meat Institute and several other groups as plaintiffs. They are asking the court to rule against the defendant, USDA, mainly because of the cost to the industry – but also on constitutional as well as a number of technical grounds.Other groups insist consumers do want to know where their beef was born and raised. Leo McDonnell, director emeritus of the United States Cattlemen’s Assoc. (USCA), for example, said of the lawsuit, “Consumers very much want to know where their food comes from. Basically every poll shows a strong preference on the part of consumers for knowing the source of their beef.”He also said it’s interesting that the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) finds “a lot of value in promoting U.S. beef, as opposed to North American beef. We’re not sure the USMEF differentiates between U.S. and North American beef, however.”About the COOL issue as it relates to the WTO, McDonnell said neither Canada nor Mexico have tried to appeal the latest COOL rules.“Instead, they tried to stop the rule in its tracks with a lawsuit,” he said. “It raises a few red flags. I think it raises concerns on their part that it is compliant. I don’t understand why Canada and Mexico wouldn’t want to identify their product. It’s good for everybody.“We’ve been accused of wanting to block trade, but we’ve never wanted to block trade. COOL was never meant to put up a barrier to trade.” The group is in the midst of a fundraising tour throughout the month of August to defend U.S. COOL. More information about it is available at www.uscooldefensefund.org

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TopicsCapital Investment ChannelsMNET IMPO Advertisement Advertisement USDA Takes Action Against Potato Distributor Wed, 08/22/2012 - 1:07pm Comments by WASHINGTON (USDA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has filed an administrative action under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) against United Potato Distributors Inc., d/b/a United Distributors Inc. The company failed to make full payment promptly to 39 sellers in the total amount of $759,820.22 under the PACA. The company, operating from Los Angeles, Calif., purchased the produce during the period of November 2010 through January 2012. United Potato Distributors Inc., d/b/a United Distributors Inc. will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry for two years. Furthermore, its principals would not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for one year and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), PACA Division, regulates fair trading practices of produce companies operating subject to the PACA, which includes buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers, and brokers, within the fruit and vegetable industry. All oversight of actions related to the PACA are conducted by the AMS, an agency within the USDA. The PACA establishes a code of good business conduct for the produce industry. Under it, all interstate traders in fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables must be licensed by USDA. USDA is authorized to suspend or revoke a trader’s license for violating the act. In fiscal year 2011, USDA resolved approximately 2,000 claims filed under the PACA involving $31 million in their continued efforts to serve and protect the fruit and vegetable industry from unlawful trade practices. Facility Advertisement Advertisement View the discussion thread. Connect with Food Manufacturing Facebook Topics Capital Investment © Copyright 2016 Advantage Business Media Advertisement Which innovative new product has been a game-changer this year? Tell us & win! Learn More

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Governor hopes to restore Idaho ag research funding Published on December 6, 2012 3:01AM Last changed on January 3, 2013 7:30AM By SEAN ELLISCapital PressBOISE -- Gov. Butch Otter told Idaho Farm Bureau Federation members he would like to eventually restore the $5 million in agricultural research funding that was cut during the economic downturn.Faced with dwindling revenues, the state cut $5.69 million in funding to University of Idaho for ag research and extension the past several years. That amount doesn't include a one-time holdback of $7.3 million. Addressing dozens of farmers and ranchers from across the state Dec. 4 during IFBF's annual conference, Otter said it was a goal of his to restore that funding.At the governor's urging, the Idaho Legislature last year increased the university's $22.5 million ag research and extension budget by $300,000. But Otter wants the full amount restored."I feel obligated to try to get them whole because I see the great job they're doing," he said. Otter noted that major ag companies, such as Nunhems, which moved its world headquarters to Idaho, came to the state in large part because of the top-notch university research system that exists here."I don't want that bet to go unrewarded," he said, calling ag research an investment in Idaho's future.During the economic downturn, three UI research stations faced possible closure, including the 200-acre Parma Research and Extension Center in southwestern Idaho, which performs a wide variety of research. IFBF, county Farm Bureaus, and other private industry groups formed a coalition that raised funding for the stations that helped keep them open. Otter said those groups have done a great job of helping defer the cost of research and he singled out the partnerships that have allowed the Parma center to remain open. The center receives about $80,000 a year from the Treasure Valley Ag Coalition and UI and J.R. Simplot Co. have a five-year agreement that provides the station with $1.5 million in exchange for giving Simplot access to 50 acres for field crop research.Otter's comments were welcome news to Farm Bureau members, including Caldwell farmer Sid Freeman, whose question prompted the governor's remarks on ag research."There's too much riding on that Parma research center to close it," said Freeman. "You heard what he said: It's an investment for our future. It's a good business decision to get that (funding restored) as fully as possible."I understand he can't make any commitments, and we don't know how revenues are going to come in, but it's encouraging to know that's in the forefront of his mind," he said.

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Date created: 15/11/08 3:02 PM Last modified:15/11/08 3:02 PM Maintained by: John Quiggin Don't sell water down the river John Quiggin Australian Financial Review 22 May 2008 With more disappointing rainfall figures over the last month, the announcement by the South Australian government that Murray River irrigators face zero allocations from July this year comes as no surprise. Unfortunately, there is not much likelihood of winter rains relieving the situation. The long-term picture is equally gloomy. On ‘business as usual’ projections of the impacts of climate change, South-Eastern Australia is likely to get even hotter and drier over coming decades. Even modest declines in rainfall, when combined with higher evaporation due to increased temperatures, translate into large reductions in the inflows to river systems that make irrigation possible. A 10 per cent reduction in rainfall, combined with higher evaporation, could cut inflows in half or even two-thirds. My research group at the University of Queensland has been examining possible adaptation to climate change in the Basin for some time, and the results are sobering. Projections of current climate trends suggest that, even with extensive adaptation by farmers, irrigated agriculture will decline steadily over coming decades. With droughts becoming increasingly common, irrigation will cease to be viable in many regions. There is, however, some hope for the future. If global action to mitigate climate change succeeds in stabilising CO2 concentrations at 450 parts per million (ppm) and if systems for allocating water rights are adjusted optimally, our modelling suggests that irrigation systems will be able to adapt successfully. With a less stringent target of 550 ppm, we are taking a bet on how the uncertainty surrounding climate change is resolved. Adaptation is reasonably successful for the moderate declines in inflows derived from the median projections of climate models. However, there is a significant risk of hotter, drier outcomes that would lead to the failure of the system. If the global efforts to reduce carbon emissions are successful, and if we can reform our systems of water allocation, an economically and environmentally sustainable future is possible. But before we can reach this sustainable position, we need to manage the current crisis, and this needs urgent action. Water reform has traditionally been a slow-moving affair. Concerns about overallocation of water were already prevalent in the early 1980s, when I began work in this field. The first real response was from the Council of Australian Governments in 1994 which capped extractions of water for irrigation. Unfortunately, too much water had already been allocated, and even more had been promised. Resolving this problem was always going to be difficult, and progress under the Howard government was glacial. Even among those pushing for action, it has been assumed that reform must be gradual. An example is the idea of deferred purchase of water rights, aimed at providing farmers with help for adjustment while moving towards a more sustainable use of water. The idea is to make a payment to irrigators now, on the condition that water allocations will be returned, to meet needs for environmental flows or drinking water, in the future. An early version of this idea, put forward in 2004, envisaged a time frame of ten years (Watershed solution needed, AFR, 3/6/04). Four years later, it’s clear that a ten-year program is much too slow. A plan for a Future-Proof Basin, put forward by Mike Young of the University of Adelaide and Jim McColl of CSIRO calls for a three year program of adjustment payments, followed by the replace the current entitlement and allocation regime with a robust and sustainable alternative. The need for an accelerated pace of reform is obvious. More controversial is the suggestion that the current approach, based on the voluntary purchase of rights should be abandoned, and that changes in water allocations should be imposed across the board. This is a drastic measure. It may prove to be necessary, but compulsory resumption of property rights should be a last resort. Thanks to the inaction of the previous government, the voluntary approach based on purchases from willing sellers has not been given a chance to work. If the current tender process, in which $50 million dollars has been allocated to buy water rights on the market, proves successful, it could be expanded to include immediate payments for voluntary deferred purchases. If it fails, more radical approaches may be needed. Regardless of disagreements over details, Young and McColl have made a crucial contribution to the debate over water policy. On their central point, that urgent action is needed now, there can be no serious dispute. John Quiggin is an Australian Research Council Federation Fellow in Economics and Political Science at the University of Queensland. Read more articles from John Quiggin's home page Go to John Quiggin's Weblog

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Too Much at Steak According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the world consumption of meat and dairy products is going to increase exponentially in the upcoming years. In the face of this demand, the current industrial model of food production is set to raise more and more animals, increase productivity and decrease the final price to consumers. Who’s paying the true cost of this industrialised system? Produced by ActionAid, Compassion in World Farming and Slow Food, the Too Much At Steak guide takes a closer look at meat, and what consumers can do to avoid this situation. EU citizens consume an average of 232 grams of meat each day, a total of 85 kilos per capita per year. For a healthy diet, the recommended amount is around 630 grams a week, meaning that each European is eating for 2.5 people. Such an excessive consumption has heavy costs not just for our health and for the environment, but also in terms of animal welfare and farmers’ livelihood. Animal farming throughout the world has become increasingly intensive to meet this demand, with significant consequences. With regards to the environment, it has caused serious soil and water pollution, land and water depletion and, ultimately, global warming. FAO estimates that livestock production is responsible for 18% of the greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. Animal welfare in its holistic sense - physical health and wellbeing, mental wellbeing and ability to express natural behaviours – is not a primary consideration of standard industrial farms, which have become factories for meat and milk production. ‘Factory farming’ prioritises maximum production above all else and animals are treated as commodities, often raised in intense confinement and subject to routine mutilations like tail docking and beak trimming. The pleasure that food can bring is being undermined by the harm, hunger, damage to human health and animal welfare concerns caused by the intensive production model. But, through our choices, consumers have the power to redirect the market and production. Too Much at Steak provides a few good practices that can be applied to everyday life, when shopping, at home or in restaurants. These small changes can contribute to improvements in farming and farmer’s livelihoods. By committing to eat less meat, eat good quality meat from animals with a high quality of life and to pay a fair price, reflective of the true cost of production and one that values the animal’s life, we can continue to eat meat. There’s simply “too much at stake” to continue down the path we’re on. Download the English guide: Too Much at Steak

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SD farm loses 600 hogs to smoke inhalation, Titan Machinery downsizes and Hoeven urges halt of livestock emissions regulations By: Agweek Wire reports, Agweek SD farm loses 600 hogs to smoke inhalation• SALEM, S.D. — A Hutterite colony lost about 600 hogs to smoke inhalation from a fire that started April 12 in a hog barn on the Golden View Hutterite Colony. McCook County (S.D.) emergency manager Brad Stiefvater says embers from a nearby burn pit likely were sucked into a vent and started the fire in the ceiling of the building. Salem and Spencer fire departments responded to the fire about 5:30 p.m. Stiefvater says firefighters had to cut open the roof to get at the fire, which burned some rafters and insulation. Not all the hogs in the 40-by-140-foot barn died, Stiefvater says. But more hogs could die later as some of the animals could develop infections or other complications from smoke inhalation. The fire departments were on scene for about three hours to manage hot spots in the insulation and rafters of the building’s ceiling. Stiefvater says the colony plans to repair the building. In the meantime, the surviving hogs have been moved to another building. “The building sustained damage, but the building damage certainly wouldn’t equal the loss of the hogs,” he says.Titan Machinery downsizes• WEST FARGO, N.D. — Titan Machinery has closed eight of its construction stores and is eliminating 128 positions, including seven at its headquarters in West Fargo, N.D. Slow construction recovery was identified as the reason for the company’s downsizing. CEO David Meyer says the realignment is necessary to ensure the future of the company. “In the fourth quarter, our parts and service business performed well, while our equipment sales and margins continued to experience challenges due to industry headwinds across our segments,” Meyer says. Stores being shuttered include locations in Rosemount, Minn., Bozeman and Helena, Mont., Cheyenne, Wyo., Clear Lake, Iowa, and Flagstaff, Ariz. The company also will reduce staff at other dealerships and seven support staff at its Shared Resources Center in West Fargo. The closing of the Rosemount store will result in the elimination of five positions. The Rosemount store’s operations will be absorbed by Titan’s Shakopee, Minn., construction store. Titan Machinery was established in 1980 in West Fargo. The company owns and operates a network of full-service agricultural and construction equipment stores in the U.S.Hoeven urges halt of emissions regulations• WASHINGTON — Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., has asked three federal agencies to halt regulations on livestock emissions. In a letter also signed by 15 other Republican senators, Hoeven pressed the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency not to impose policies that he says could cost cattle producers thousands of dollars. The letter is in response to President Barack Obama’s Climate Action Plan, which asks the agencies to develop a plan to reduce dairy sector methane greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020. The mandates could cost medium-sized dairy farms up to $22,000 and medium-sized cattle farms up to $27,000. An appropriations bill is preventing the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock production, but it expires Oct. 1. Officials at the agencies are expected to come up with a plan in the following weeks.USDA considers PED outbreak reports • CHICAGO — The U.S. is considering rules that would require outbreaks of a deadly pig virus to be reported to the government in an effort to improve tracking of the disease, which has already spread to 30 states, an industry group says. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus has killed millions of baby pigs since it was first detected in the U.S. one year ago. PEDv has crimped hog supplies in the U.S. and sent prices to record highs. It remains unclear how the virus entered the country, and farmers have struggled to find ways to contain it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has discussed the option of mandatory reporting with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, says Tom Burkgren, executive director of the association. PEDv, which is nearly always fatal in piglets, has been difficult to track in part because veterinarians are not required to alert government officials of its presence. USDA is “currently evaluating additional options for addressing this virus,” a spokeswoman says. Mandatory reporting is already used for viruses such as African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease. The USDA can quarantine animals with African swine fever and restrict the movement of infected animals. DOC to investigate Mexican sugar imports• The U.S. Department of Commerce announced would initiate an investigation to determine if the Mexican government has subsidized Mexico’s sugar production and whether that sugar is being dumped into the U.S. market. A group of U.S. sugar producers filed antidumping and countervailing duty petitions against Mexico’s sugar industry on March 28, and applauded the DOC’s decision. The Mexican sugar industry — 20 percent of which is owned and operated by the Mexican government — has rapidly increased exports to the U.S. in recent years, rising from 9 percent of the U.S. market in 2012 to nearly 18 percent in 2013. And, according to recently updated U.S. Department of Agriculture data, Mexico is accelerating its rate of exportation in 2014. As of March 31, Mexico had already sent to America 1.15 million tons of sugar, putting it on pace to ship 2.3 million tons for the year. That is compared with last year’s all-time record of 2.1 million tons. Unless the pace slows, imports of sugar from Mexico will be 500,000 tons more than U.S. government officials had expected this year. U.S. producers say the growth in Mexico’s exports to the U.S. is being fueled by substantial subsidies and by dumping margins of 45 percent or more. They also say Mexico is directly responsible for sinking U.S. sugar prices, which have fallen 50 percent since late 2011 and are back to the lows of the 1980s. Earlier this month, USDA announced an acreage decline of 4 percent for the U.S. sugar beet crop currently being planted. That marks the fourth consecutive year that U.S. sugar farmers have reduced plantings. The International Trade Commission is responsible for determining whether or not domestic producers are injured by dumped and subsidized imports. It is expected to make a preliminary determination in May. Briefly . . . • Ag speaker: Greg Peterson, known for his music videos that involve agriculture, will speak at 7 p.m. April 22 in Sheppard Arena on the North Dakota State University campus in Fargo. Peterson is the spokesman for Peterson Farm Brothers, a trio who makes parody music videos. He’ll speak in Fargo about “activist websites, celebrity opinions and Internet misinformation.” The event, open to the public, will be hosted by North Dakota Farm Bureau’s NDSU Collegiate group. Collegiate Farm Bureau consists of college students interested in agriculture, policy development and current events affecting North Dakota. There are collegiate groups at Dickinson State University and NDSU. Beautiful Lake Home Auction

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In this Aug. 6, 2009 photo, farmer Diosdado Mena works his oxen in a field in Los Palacios, Cuba. Cuba may rely more heavily than ever on oxen to save fuel normally used by heavily machinery. In a speech to lawmakers last weekend, Raul Castro extolled the value of oxen, saying a pilot program promoting urban farming and relying on the beasts of burden in the central province of Camaguey would be expanded to the rest country.(AP Photo/Franklin Reyes) / APReddit✉-CommentsSAN DIEGO, Cuba — In China it's the year of the ox – and it could be for Cuba, too. President Raul Castro is promoting the beasts of burden as a way for the economically strapped communist country to ramp up food production while conserving energy. He recently suggested expanding a pilot program that gives private farmers fallow government land to cultivate – but without the use of gas-guzzling machinery. "For this program we should forget about tractors and fuel, even if we had enough. The idea is to work basically with oxen," Castro told parliament Aug. 1. "An increasing number of growers have been doing exactly this with excellent results." Cuba's economy was devastated by three hurricanes last summer, and the global recession has left the government short on cash to cover debts. As a result, it has slashed spending and cut domestic production and foreign imports, causing shortages of such basics as cooking oil, ground beef and toilet paper. Though the island gets nearly 100,000 free barrels of oil a day from Venezuela, it also has begun a campaign to conserve crude. The agricultural ministry in late June proposed increasing the use of oxen to save fuel, as Cubans have seen a summer of factories closing and air conditioners at government offices and businesses shutting off to save oil. The ministry said it had more than 265,000 oxen "capable of matching, and in some cases overtaking, machines in labor load and planting." In the farming initiative that began last year, about 82,000 applicants have received more than 1.7 million acres so far – or 40 percent of the government's formerly idle land. The program seems to have slightly increased production of potatoes and tomatoes in season, but the government has provided no official figures. Shortages in Cuba are not new. And neither are oxen. Thousands of Cuban farmers have relied on the beasts in the half century since Fidel and Raul Castro and their rebels toppled dictator Fulgencio Batista. "The ox means so much to us. Without oxen, farming is not farming," said Omar Andalio, 37, as he carefully coaxed a pair of government-owned beasts through a sugarcane field last week. For reasons no one can remember, the plumper one is called "Caramel," even though he's white, and his caramel-hued field-mate is "Lightweight" – never mind that he's nearly 1,000 pounds. Andalio is one of 300 employees who grow cane, low-quality tobacco, sweet potatoes and bananas in San Diego, 95 miles (150 kilometers) west of Havana, with stunning views of limestone mountains in the distance. The cooperative has 24 oxen and eight tractors – with two of the machines clawing through terrain cooked by a recent drought. Each tractor can do the work of five teams of oxen, Andalio said. "Work with tractors hasn't stopped, but it will only go as far as the economy allows," he added. Juan Alvarez, a member of a state flower cooperative that supplies nearby funeral homes, tugged at two oxen with names translating to "Foreman" and "Spoiled Brat." A pair called "Evil Eye" and "Coal-Stoker" stood in the shade nearby, where a sea green-and-red highway billboard read: "Everything for the Revolution. Summer 2009." "We use tractors when there are tractors, but there almost never are," said Alvarez, 59. Zenaida Leon, acting head of the 10-employee flower cooperative, said the issue is not "oxen 'yes,' tractors 'no.'" "I am thankful for the revolution," the 52-year-old said. "But we don't get boots, tools, irrigation that works."

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Agweb HomeDrovers HomeNewsUgly Droughts Ugly Droughts By Jeanne Bernick How do recent droughts compare to 30 years ago? The drought that settled over more than half of the U.S. last summer was the most widespread in more than 50 years, and now a long dry winter has set up farmers for a nail-biting spring. Little in our lifetimes tops the 2012 drought disaster, which goes down as among the ten worst of the past century, according to a new report released by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). With records dating to 1895, NCDC’s State of the Climate shows only the extraordinary droughts of the 1930s and 1950s covered more land area than the 2012 drought. By a slight margin, last summer’s drought actually covered more land mass than the infamous 1936 drought. However, when areas classified as "moderate" drought are excluded, the historical rankings change, notes Elwynn Taylor, Iowa State University climatologist. Some droughts were extremely intense, but focused on specific regions rather than sprawling across large swaths of the country. For example, droughts in 1988, 2000 and 2002 included more than 35% of the U.S. in the "severe" to "extreme" drought categories on the Palmer Drought Severity Index. By comparison, severe to extreme drought covered 32.7% in June 2012. The drought of 30 years ago was no slouch. The 1983 Midwest drought was associated with very dry conditions, severe heat and substandard crop growth, which affected prices and caused hardship for farmers. Multiple disaster declarations went out in Indiana and neighboring states. Readings of 100° F and higher became prevalent in 1983 during these dry spells across the Midwest, Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions. The heat waves killed 500 to 700 people. Heading into 2013. In an ironic end to a winter spent fretting about drought, late snows and heavy rains last month renewed the rising of Midwestern rivers. Current conditions show a change in deep soil moisture levels in the eastern U.S. Nevertheless, drought situations today will have more impact on food prices than 30 years ago, to the tune of about $3.4 billion during the next year or two, says Paul Walsh, a weather analyst for The Weather Company and The Weather Channel. "It has a huge impact, particularly on winter wheat and areas like Colorado," Walsh says. By March, Colorado had only seen 50% of its normal snowpack. "That affects agriculture dramatically because water from the snow pack services crops throughout the West." Apples-to-Apples Drought Comparison Difficult The Drought Monitor report debuted in 1999, and the period of detailed records began in January of 2000. One of the many inputs in the Drought Monitor report is the Palmer Drought Severity Index. This index, developed by meteorologist Wayne Palmer in the 1960s, uses mathematical equations incorporating precipitation and temperature data to estimate evaporation, runoff and soil moisture recharge. The National Climatic Data Center maintains a database of monthly Palmer drought indices dating to 1895. Because of this much longer period of record, the Palmer index can be used as more of an "apples to apples" comparison between recent weather conditions and those from past decades, at least on a meteorological basis. However, differences in land use and farming practices since the Dust Bowl make the comparison of real-world impacts more complicated. Erosion-control practices and drought-resistant crop hybrids are just two examples of ways in which modern agriculture attempts to mitigate the impacts of severe drought. 4 years of massive drought in the 30's. I heard the stories all my life from my father and aunts and uncles and it made them all too conservative. They never got over it.

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World Health Days Medindia » Health Press Releases A-Z Monsanto Company Donates Conventional Corn and Vegetable Seeds to Haitian Farmers to Help Address Food Security Needs Friday, May 14, 2010 Environmental Health J E 4 Haitian Ministry of Agriculture, Kuehne + Nagel, Monsanto, USAID and UPS work together to put more than 130 tons of seeds in the hands of farmers to increase food production and aid long-term earthquake recovery PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, May 13, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Haitian farmers, who otherwise may not have had sufficient seeds to plant this season in their earthquake-ravaged country, are receiving help from a unique public and private partnership to provide access to high-quality, conventional hybrid corn and vegetable seeds in time for this planting season. The Haitian Ministry of Agriculture approved a donation from U.S.-based Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) to Haitian farmers of $4 million worth of conventional hybrid corn and vegetable seeds to be made over the next 12 months in support of reconstruction efforts. The Ministry's involvement ensured the seed selected was appropriate for the growing conditions and farming practices in Haiti. The donated seeds include corn, cabbage, carrot, eggplant, melon, onion, tomato, spinach and watermelon. The first shipment of more than 60 tons of conventional hybrid corn and vegetable seeds arrived in Haiti via air- and seaport last week through donated shipping, logistic and distribution services provided by Kuehne + Nagel and UPS. "Kuehne + Nagel is pleased to lend its services to this important effort for the people of Haiti," said Tim Smith of Kuehne + Nagel Emergency and Relief Logistics. "We are providing no-cost freight forwarding, ocean transport and document preparation for Monsanto's corn seed." "As part of our ongoing efforts to support recovery efforts in Haiti, UPS is proud to donate our services to ship seed to Haiti as the country begins to move toward building a sustainable future," said Ken Sternad, President of The UPS Foundation. "We are dedicated to doing everything we can to get these and other life-saving supplies into the hands of Haiti's farmers and their families." The initial seed shipment will be distributed to Haitian farmers by the WINNER project, a five-year program to increase farmer productivity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). WINNER will provide the in-country expertise, technical services and other inputs, such as fertilizer, needed by farmers to manage the crops. "Our goal is to reach 10,000 farmers this growing season with these seeds," said Jean Robert Estime, the director of the WINNER project. "The vegetables and grain these seeds will produce will help feed and provide economic opportunities for farmers, their families and the broader community. Agriculture is key to the long-term recovery." The seeds are being provided free of charge by Monsanto. The WINNER project will distribute the seeds through farmer association stores to be sold at a significantly reduced price. The farmer stores will use the revenue to reinvest in other inputs to support farmers in the future. The farmer associations alone will receive revenue from the sales. Haiti's prime planting season occurs from mid-March through the end of May, and accounts for 60 percent of the country's agricultural production. According to the World Bank, nearly 2.4 million Haitians are still food-insecure following the January earthquake, and farming and agriculture will be critical to a long-term, sustainable recovery. "As a company wholly-focused on agriculture, we understand the importance of supporting local farmers and the Ministry of Agriculture's efforts to help with reconstruction in their country," said Jerry Steiner, executive vice president, Monsanto Company. "With high quality seeds, agronomic support and training, Haitian farmers will be able to grow nutritious and diversified foods for their families, communities and their economy." A second shipment of 70 tons of hybrid, conventional corn seed, also donated by Monsanto, is en-route. Further donation and distribution of up to an additional 345 tons of conventional hybrid corn seed is anticipated over the next 12 months. The Monsanto Fund – the philanthropic arm of Monsanto – previously donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and has initiated a global program to match employee donations dollar-for-dollar. To date, Monsanto employees have contributed more than $100,000 to the program, raising a total of more than $200,000 for Haiti relief. About Kuehne + Nagel With approximately 55,000 employees at 900 locations in over 100 countries, the Kuehne + Nagel Group is one of the world's leading logistics companies. Its strong market position lies in the seafreight, airfreight, contract logistics and overland businesses, with a clear focus on providing IT-based supply chain management services. Since the January earthquake in Haiti, Kuehne + Nagel has been extensively involved in supporting aid organizations (United Nations, Red Cross, U.S. government and non-government organizations) in their efforts to assist the Haitian people. For more information, visit www.kuehne-nagel.com. About The UPS Foundation Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation's major initiatives include programs that support community safety, non-profit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, environmental sustainability and diversity. The UPS Foundation pursues these initiatives by identifying specific projects where its support can help produce a measurable social impact. In 2009, The UPS Foundation donated more than $43 million US to charitable organizations worldwide. Visit community.ups.com for more information about UPS's community involvement. To date, the UPS Foundation has donated more than $1 million to support Haiti relief efforts. About WINNER A five-year, multi-faceted program designed to comprehensively build Haiti's agricultural infrastructure, capacity, and productivity by providing concentrated and transformative support to Haitians in a large area north of Port-au-Prince. It is focused on building and strengthening Haiti's agricultural foundation, particularly in the areas of Cul-de-Sac, Cabaret, Mirebalais, Arcahaie and Gonaives and is backed by $126 million in funding from the U.S. Government over the next five years. Find out more at www.winner.ht. About Monsanto Company Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while conserving more of our world's natural resources such as water and energy. To learn more about our business and our commitments, please visit: www.monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter® at www.twitter.com/MonsantoCo, on the company blog, Beyond the Rows at www.monsantoblog.com, or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed . Contact: Darren Wallis (314-694-5674) SOURCE Monsanto Company More Environmental Health Press Release Archive

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Capital Region orchards feel weather's impact on crops Ed Miller, owner of Goold Orchards takes a bit of an apple as he prepares for upcoming apple festival Tuesday, October 2, 2012 in Castleton. (J.S.Carras/The Record) Ed Miller, owner of Goold Orchards prepares for upcoming apple festival Tuesday, October 2, 2012 in Castleton. (J.S.Carras/The Record) CASTLETON -- Goold Orchards, like many Hudson Valley fruit orchards, will only see about 10 percent of their usual apple produce and sales this year due to the mild winter that urged apple tree growth too early and a spring frost killing much of the already blooming apples. The trees "woke up" about four weeks early, explained multiple local farmers in Rensselaer County. For those who enjoy visiting the orchards for their fresh produce and goods, Goold is hosting its 24th annual Apple Festival and Craft Show this weekend that is the second largest event in the county, explained Sue Goold Miller whose family has owned the 100-acre farm for 102 years. She said anywhere from 22,000 to 25,000 people could be expected at the festival, weather permitting. The Farm at Kristy's Barn in Schodack this weekend is offering pick your own pumpkins, raspberries, and apples for Empire and Cortland apples. They are also expecting to see about 10 percent of their normal crop, said Ken Johnson, farm manager. He explained that the apples that bloomed early were the ones that died off from the frost. Apples comprise about 20 percent of the 330-acre farm's total business. About 110 acres has produce and eight of that is for apples. They also sell sweet corn, tomatoes, lettuce, and this was a good year for the peach crop, Johnson said. "We'll make it through this year and get to next year," he said confidently. "We were diversified enough to survive this disaster." The state of New York, the second largest producer of apples to Washington state, usually has about 29 million bushels of apples annually, according to the New York Apple Association. While firm numbers will not be known until likely early next year, the expected apple crop due to the frost is about 14 to 15 million bushels. Michigan, the third largest producer, was also "devastated" by the climate and will only be producing three million, said Molly Golden, director of marketing for the association. It has been hard to gauge the worst and least hit areas but she said Wayne County in the Rochester area was probably worst off and the Champlain Valley was least impacted since they are still expecting between 75 and 85 percent of their usual crop. "The Hudson Valley is a large producer for the state," she said. Variables like elevation, being near water, the variety of apple or even the positioning of the apples on the trees had an impact on the crop outcome. Johnson gave anecdotes of how trees near bodies of water might fare better since the water keeps the nearby areas warm. He said he also noticed in his own orchards that the apples 4 feet or higher on the tree would usually be fine while those below 4 feet were damaged. The last time something like this happened in New York was in 1945, said Ed Miller at Goold. "And this year was worse, by far," he said. A normal apple harvest would typically begin the first or second week of August and end around the first week of November. The expected season at Goold for apples will end later this month while Kristy's Barn said this would likely be the last weekend of pick your own apples. "This is a serious year for all of us," said Miller. "We're all in the same boat." She emphasized the importance of still frequenting the farms to support the local business. And, on the bright side, the wet summer resulted in an apple crop that is sweet tasting, said Golden. "We always have to look at the bright side in farming," said Johnson. The Farm at Kristy's Barn, a Schodack farm in its third generation, does not have an upcoming festival but they do have hayrides and a petting zoo, he said. The Goold Orchards festival this weekend, also featuring the Brookview Station Winery, will have a wine tent, live music including an accordion player from Troy, entertainment like cloggers and Irish dancers, food vendors, 100 craft vendors, pumpkin picking, a variety of fresh made foods and baked goods, a haunted house and a corn maze. The fee is $8 or kids under 12 are free. There is no parking fee for the festival that is Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

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A 'short and sweet' season for strawberries Allison Nowicki, 1, of Tolland stops Saturday to enjoy a fresh strawberry as families take advantage of warm, sunny weather to pick their own at Scott's Yankee Farmer in East Lyme. Published June 16. 2013 12:01AM By Judy Benson Day Staff Writer Strawberry season in Connecticut never lasts long, but this year it may be even shorter than normal."The strawberries are taking a hit," said Teri Smith, co-owner with her husband Joe of Smith's Acres in East Lyme, which sells strawberries grown on its fields at its Niantic farm stand and at local farmers' markets. "Enjoy them while you can."In a year of perfect strawberry-growing weather conditions, she said, picking starts around Memorial Day and extends through July 4. In more typical years, the season is about three weeks. This year, picking started last weekend, a bit later than normal, and heavy rains over the last week are leaving many strawberries vulnerable to fungus.At Scott's Yankee Farmer in East Lyme, co-owner Karen Scott said the pick-your-own field off Chesterfield Road fared better than two other fields elsewhere where strawberries are grown for sale in the Boston Post Road farm stand. While many ripening berries have been lost to rot, there are still lots of good ones to be had, she said.The season this year, she said, will be "short and sweet."Hours at Scott's pick-your-own fields were extended this weekend after heavy rains this week kept many away. The pick-your-own field, which opened June 9, is normally open from 8 a.m. to noon on weekends, but is staying open until 2:30 p.m. to give its customers more time to take advantage of the weekend's good weather.On Saturday, the pick-your-own field was busy with strawberry fans of all ages, who all seemed to be finding plenty of perfect red berries to fill their baskets.Over the past few days, about 3 to 4½ inches of rain fell in southeastern Connecticut, drenching fields still drying out from the June 7 downpour.Rainfall totals from the June 7 deluge through Friday ranged from 7½ to 8½ inches at various locations in the region, according to The Weather Center at Western Connecticut State University. In the Connecticut River valley, flooding of farm fields damaged vegetable and tobacco crops, said Linda Piotrowicz, spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture."A lot of fields have to be replanted, but there is time to replant," she said.She added that the river had not yet crested as of Friday afternoon, so the full extend of the flooding and the damage isn't yet known.While some strawberry growers around the state are reporting damage, she said others weathered the heavy rains well, and are hoping for an influx of customers."They need lots of people to come and pick," she said. "They did a good job protecting what they have."Smith said other than the damage to strawberries, crops at her 35-acre farm came through the heavy rains relatively unscathed. The only effect, she said, is that fertilizer has to be reapplied to corn and tomato fields, because most of it washed off the fields before it could soak into the soil.Other than the losses in the 5 acres of strawberries at Scott's, corn and other vegetable crops at the farm are showing no ill effects from the rains."Everything else looks good," Scott said. "We needed the rain. Now we need some sun."At Maple Lane Farms in Preston, owner Allyn Brown said his blueberry, raspberry and black currant bushes were undamaged by the rain, and his Christmas trees "love the moisture.""Other than being behind in my work, it hasn't hurt us too much," he said. The five irrigation ponds at the farm are full."It's good to be going into the summer months with the ground saturated," he said.The farm plans to open for pick-your-own blueberries, raspberries and black currents by July 4 weekend, Brown said.“We're hoping the fields will all be dry by then," he said.Holmberg's Orchards in Ledyard is also planning on an early July opening for its pick-your-own blueberries, owner Rick Holmberg said. Tomatoes and new fruit trees planted this year are all growing well, he said. Holmberg's raises peaches, apples and nectarines."Other than getting mud on our shoes and having to work in the rain, we're in good shape," he [email protected]

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Sat May 3, 2014 Organic Farming Factions Spat Over Synthetic Substances Share Tweet E-mail Comments Print By Dan Charles The National Organic Standards Board voted to no longer allow farmers to use the antibiotic streptomycin on organic apple and pear trees. Here in the news biz, we rely on thumbnail descriptions, sparing you the details. We'll tell you, for instance, that organic farmers aren't allowed to use synthetic pesticides and factory-made fertilizer. In general, that's true. But there's also a long list of pesky exceptions to the rule. And this week, a battle erupted over those exceptions: the synthetic or factory-made substances that organic farmers are still allowed to use because the farmers say they couldn't survive without them. For instance, growers of organic apples and pears are allowed to use streptomycin, an antibiotic, to control a tree disease called fire blight. Egg producers are allowed to use limited amounts of a synthetically produced nutrient called methionine. Both of these substances were on the agenda at a meeting of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Standards Board this week in San Antonio, an event that turned into an ill-tempered confrontation between two wings of the organic industry — purists versus Big Organic. One protester had to be carried out of the room by police, while her comrades chanted, "Don't change sunset." What provoked this "cryptic chant," as Grist's Nathanael Johnson described it, was a dispute over how to handle that list of exceptions to the organic ban on synthetics. Those exceptions are supposed to "sunset." They are approved for a limited time period, no more than five years. And until now, it required a two-thirds majority of the NOSB to keep them on the list and extend their use in organic agriculture. Last fall, though, the USDA issued new rules. From now on, it will take a two-thirds majority to remove synthetics from the list of approved substances. This switch, making it easier for organic food companies to continue using synthetic substances, provoked outrage among organic purists like Mark Kastel, co-founder of the Cornucopia Institute. They fear that the organic label is being taken over by large companies that care more about profits than organic ideals and are willing to blur the line between organic and conventional agriculture. The critics accused the USDA of "capitulating to corporate interests." USDA, for its part, says that the change in voting procedures will bring more stability and consistency to its rule-making. Up to now, a minority of the NOSB could remove a substance from the list of approved substances, forcing farmers and companies into painful adjustments. In San Antonio, though, the purists prevailed, at least when it came to the most hotly debated substances: streptomycin and methionine. Both votes, however, were special cases. Streptomycin didn't face a simple sunset vote; the NOSB had created a hard expiration date for the antibiotic several years ago, so a two-thirds majority was required to extend its use. The vote was 8 to 7 in favor of continuing to use the antibiotic, well short of the necessary supermajority. As a result, streptomycin will be banned in organic orchards after October. A move to allow more flexible use of methionine also failed to get the required two-thirds majority. The decision angered many organic egg and poultry producers, who say their birds are suffering from inadequate nutrition because of methionine restrictions. "NOSB chooses procedural delay over #animalwelfare," tweeted the Organic Trade Association, which represents most major organic food companies.Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. View the discussion thread.

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Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Home News Topics Featured February 25, 2016 Purdue President Mitch Daniels calls on leaders to counter anti-GMO falsehoods ARLINGTON, Va. - Purdue University President Mitch Daniels on Thursday (Feb. 25) called on leaders in the public, private and nonprofit sectors to push back against the attackers of biotechnology in agricultural production. Daniels was a keynote speaker at the annual Agricultural Outlook Forum in Arlington. “The attack on GMO technology is the most blatant anti-science of the age, but it is far worse than that,” Daniels said. “Lives are at stake, and while scientists, regulators and business people are naturally reluctant to fight back, it’s morally irresponsible not to.” Daniels cited projections by the United Nations that the global population is expected to grow to more than 9 billion people in 2050, generating a 70 percent increase in the demand for food. He described GMOs as the best hope to ensure the world’s poor have access to an affordable and nutritious diet. “Thousand of studies and trillions of meals consumed prove the safety of biotechnologies,” he said. “We would never withhold medications with a safety record like that, and it’s just as wrong and just as anti-scientific to do so for food.” Daniels also praised Purdue and other land-grant universities for making the world’s food supply not only safer and more abundant, but far friendlier to the environment. Daniels cited work done by the university’s World Food Prize winners as well as the Purdue Improved Crop Storage program as examples of land-grant initiatives that are making a difference in the developing world. He also described a forthcoming study by Purdue agricultural economist Wally Tyner and colleagues that concluded if the United States banned GMO crops, consumers would pay at least $14 billion more in annual food costs and global agricultural greenhouse gases would increase by up to 17 percent. About the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum USDA has hosted the Agricultural Outlook Forum since 1923. It's also USDA's largest annual meeting, attracting 1,600 attendees. It serves as a platform to facilitate conversation on key issues and topics within the agricultural community, including producers, processors, policymakers, government officials and NGOs, both foreign and domestic. The two-day meeting takes place Feb. 25 and 26. Source: Mitch Daniels, [email protected] Research News Info for Staff Purdue Moves APSAC CSSAC Resources Human Resources Campus Disruptions © 2015-17 Purdue University | An equal access/equal opportunity university | Copyright Complaints | Maintained by Office of Strategic Communications Trouble with this page? Disability-related accessibility issue? Please contact News Service at [email protected].

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Advertisement Home > Farm groups back America's Heartland Series Farm groups back America's Heartland Series Southwest Farm Press EMAIL Comments 0 The National Cotton Council has announced its support of a new weekly public television show that is celebrating the miracle of American agriculture and the farm and ranch families that help make it possible. “America's Heartland” began airing this fall after being distributed to more than 300 U.S. public television stations by America's Public Television, the single largest provider of programming to public television stations. The television series is being produced by KVIE, the public television affiliate in Sacramento, Calif., with the series' two flagship supporters — the Monsanto Co. and the American Farm Bureau Federation. Additional production and promotion assistance is being provided by the NCC, the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, United Soybean Board and U.S. Grains Council. “We are proud to collaborate with other U.S. agriculture groups to raise awareness of the significant contribution that agriculture makes to the quality of American living,” NCC Chairman Woods Eastland said. “America's Heartland will help viewers better understand the nation's farm and ranch families and the challenges and opportunities they face as they produce food and fiber for Americans and people in other countries.” Jim O'Donnell, KVIE's director of program marketing, said, “We project that the first season of the program will be available in markets totaling more than 60 percent of the nation's viewers — about 100 stations reaching more than 71 million households.” The magazine-style, half-hour program will profile the people, places and products of U.S. agriculture. It also will focus on Americans' love for the land, their fascination with food and the bedrock American values of family, hard work and independence that make the U.S. agricultural system the finest in the world. “American farmers play an important role in the stewardship of the land and foods we eat — it is important that they are recognized by non-farming communities for their hard work and devotion,” said Kerry Preete, vice president of U.S. crop production at Monsanto Co. “America's Heartland will provide metropolitan audiences an important opportunity to learn more about the story beyond the grocery store shelves and usher in a greater respect for farmers' and ranchers' contributions.” O'Donnell said each half-hour program is being shot entirely on location in digital widescreen format. The first season of the program will consist of 20 original programs, one or more of which will break from the established format to cover a single topic or theme. Print Please Log In or Register to post comments. Advertisement Related ArticlesFarm groups backing new America’s Heartland Series House/Senate bills could bring hemp farming back to rural America From the farm to the battlefield and back, soldiers have hope for farming’s future Cuts to agriculture in the 2012 farm bill: Is it back to square one? New campaign brings cottonseed oil, America's original vegetable oil, back into the spotlight Advertisement Connect With Us TwitterFacebookRSSPodcast Hot Topics

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Context and trends From Women in Development to Gender and Development Why a gender and development plan of action? Strategic objectives for the plan of action Home gardens Food processing and storage Food discrimination Agricultural support system Rural finance and marketing services Rural organizations Agricultural research and technology Agricultural education and extension The information gap Analytical framework Participation and empowerment Institutional arrangements Resources and references The FAO Gender and Development Plan of Action (2002-2007) reflects changes in perspective based on experience and new paradigms that emerged from international conferences in the 1990s and that generated a broad-based consensus on the approach to gender and development (Environment and Development, 1992; Human Rights, 1993; Population and Development, 1994; Social Development, 1995; Human Settlement, 1996). The Plan is FAO's framework for follow-up to relevant recommendations in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in 1995, Article 14 on rural women in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the outcome document of the Special Session of the General Assembly, entitled Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century, held in June 2000 (Beijing +5 Review). The Plan echoes and expands on the objectives of the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action, which was adopted in 1996 and which clearly reflects the importance of gender in all its seven commitments. It integrates the outcome of the High-Level Consultation on Rural Women and Information, convened by FAO in Rome in October 1999, including The Strategy for Action entitled Gender and Food Security - The Role of Information. Finally, it is the Organization's continuing response to the imperative to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women as effective ways to combat poverty, hunger and disease and to stimulate development that is truly sustainable, as expressed in the United Nations Millennium Declaration The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Publishing and Management Service, Information Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to [email protected] � FAO 2003

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From the Open-Publishing CalendarFrom the Open-Publishing NewswireIndybay FeatureRelated Categories: California | Central Valley | Environment & Forest Defense | Government & Elections Delta Pumping Restrictions: It's About Salmon by Dan Bacher Wednesday Feb 13th, 2013 8:53 AM "While the immediate reason water diversions are reduced in the delta is due to delta smelt being killed at the diversion pumps, the juvenile salmon are also out migrating through the delta now and are being killed by the pumps," said GGSA president Victor Gonella. Photo of Chinook salmon courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Delta Pumping Restrictions: It's About Salmon by Dan Bacher The Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA), responding to a Brown administration announcement that water supplies from South Delta pumping facilities have been cut significantly to protect Delta smelt, reminded the public and government officials that pumping restrictions are just as much about salmon as they are about Delta smelt. As salmon go, so goes the water, the health of the Delta and salmon jobs up and down the state, according to GGSA (http://www.goldengatesalmonassociation.com). "While the immediate reason water diversions are reduced in the delta is due to delta smelt being killed at the diversion pumps, the juvenile salmon are also out migrating through the delta now and are being killed by the pumps," said GGSA president Victor Gonella. "We need natural delta flows to get our juvenile salmon safely to sea right now, especially since we're suffering from low rainfall. The federal government set up a careful system to balance the needs of our salmon and other wildlife against those who divert water from the delta. This system is working and must be respected," said Gonella. In recent years, corporate agribusiness "Astroturf" groups and their political allies, such as talk show host Sean Hannity, have falsely portrayed the battle to restore Central Valley salmon and the Delta as a conflict between "a minnow" and "farmers" and "fish versus jobs." In fact, Delta advocates point out that the conflict over Delta water is one between family farmers, sustainable fishermen and Indian Tribes working to restore salmon and other fish species to their historic abundance and corporate agribusiness interests seeking to divert more water to unsustainable, drainage impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and to Southern California developers. Currently, California’s salmon industry is valued at $1.4 billion in economic activity annually and about half that much in economic activity and jobs again in Oregon, according to Gonella. The Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon run is the driver of salmon fisheries along the West Coast. The industry employs tens of thousands of people from Santa Barbara to northern Oregon. "This is a huge economic bloc made up of commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen (fresh and salt water), fish processors, marinas, coastal communities, equipment manufacturers, the hotel and food industry, tribes, and the salmon fishing industry at large," said Gonella. The Golden Gate Salmon Association is a coalition of salmon advocates that includes commercial and recreational salmon fisherman, businesses, restaurants, tribes, environmentalists, elected officials, families and communities that rely on salmon. Their mission is to "protect and restore California’s largest salmon producing habitat comprised of the Central Valley river’s that feed the Bay-Delta ecosystem and the communities that rely on salmon as a long-term, sustainable, commercial, recreational and cultural resource." On February 8, further water restrictions were ordered as "incidental take" of adult Delta smelt by the facilities approached the number allowed by law. Between Nov. 1, 2012 and Jan. 31, 2013, the pumping curtailment reduced deliveries from the State Water Project (SWP) and Central Valley Project (CVP) to water districts in the Central Valley, Southern California, and San Francisco Bay Area by approximately 700,000 acre-feet. This is "enough to irrigate more than 200,000 acres of farmland or supply 1.4 million households for a year," according to Mark Cowin, Department of Water Resources Director. Even with restricted pumping, the number of Delta smelt salvaged at the federal and state water project pumps reached 232 by Feb. 6. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service then determined that pumping should be curtailed even more significantly. The California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are now conferring with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on measures to protect Delta smelt. The Delta smelt, listed as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act, is an indicator species found only in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The health of the smelt population demonstrates the health of the Bay-Delta ecosystem - and protecting smelt is necessary to protecting Central Valley salmon, steelhead, Sacramento splittail, longfin smelt, striped bass, American shad, white sturgeon, green sturgeon and other fish species that use the estuary as a spawning ground, nursery, forage grounds and migratory corridor. Cowin and Chuck Bonham, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director, used Tuesday's press conference about the pumping restrictions to promote the construction of controversial new water intake structures along the Sacramento River, 35 miles north of the existing pumping plants in the south Delta. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) tunnel proposal includes three separate intakes on the river, with a combined diversion capacity of 9,000 cubic feet per second. Twin peripheral tunnels would carry water beneath the Delta to the existing CVP and SWP pumps in the south Delta. Cowin claimed the "flexibility" provided under the operation of the Bay peripheral tunnels would have prevented these cutbacks on water to corporate agribusiness and water agencies. "This winter provides a case study in why we must find a better way to balance needs in the Delta," said Cowin. "The current plumbing configuration in the Delta serves neither people nor fish and wildlife well. Climate change will only increase the stress and conflict. California needs a rational discussion of the options presented by the BDCP, because to do nothing invites disaster." Both Bonham and Cowin told reporters that "state of the art" fish screens would be installed on the proposed intakes to stop the loss of Central Valley, salmon and other fish species, although Delta and salmon advocates point out that the state and federal government and water contractors have failed to install state of the art fish screens on the existing pumping facilities in the South Delta, as was mandated by the CalFed program over a decade ago. A broad coalition of family farmers, recreational and commercial fishermen, conservationists, environmental justice advocates and elected officials opposes the proposal to build the peripheral tunnels under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) because it would hasten the extinction of Sacramento River chinook salmon, Delta smelt, longfin smelt and other fish species. Restore the Delta (RTD) (http://www.restorethedelta.org) criticized the latest episode in the Brown administration’s campaign to construct peripheral tunnels to take millions of acre-feet of water from the Delta, mainly to benefit "mega-growers" on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The coalition pointed out the hypocrisy of the Brown administration saying it aims to "restore" the Delta when it has presided over record water exports out of the estuary. "Time and time again, the best available Delta science has shown that Delta Smelt and other threatened fish species are on the brink of collapse due to too much water being taken out of the Delta," said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of RTD. "In the face of the threatened extinction of fish species, the Brown Administration has presided over record-high water exports." The Brown administration presided over record water exports to corporate agribusiness and Southern California in 2011, resulting in the "salvage" of a record 9 million Sacramento splittail and over 2 million other fish including Central Valley salmon, steelhead, striped bass, largemouth bass, threadfin shad, white catfish and sturgeon. The state and federal pumping facilities exported 6,520,000 acre-feet in 2011 – 217,000 acre-feet more than the previous record of 6,303,000 acre-feet set in 2005.(http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/05/07/carnage-in-the-pumps) Six Delta fish populations – Delta smelt, longfin smelt, threadfin shad, American shad, striped bass and Sacramento splittail - continue to plunge, as revealed by the results of the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s fall midwater trawl survey. (http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/delta-122537-record-species.htm) "Where was their deep concern for the Delta smelt, salmon and other species during the past two years? The Peripheral Tunnel proponents are proposing a new diversion for one purpose: get the Peripheral Tunnels built ASAP," she emphasized. Add Your Comments Listed below are the latest comments about this post. These comments are submitted anonymously by website visitors. Sustainable PoweGlenn RogersSunday May 26th, 2013 3:15 PM The Need for Water Can be Solved by Solar Power.Unity JackWednesday Feb 13th, 2013 10:10 PM Old QuestionBeelineWednesday Feb 13th, 2013 6:29 PM © 2000–2017 San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center.

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Industry Vilsack says rural America needs a new mindset By University of Tennessee Extension U.S. Secretary of Agriculture garnered a lot of media attention on December 6 when he asked the attendees at the 2012 Farm Journal Forum, “Why is it that we don’t have a Farm Bill?” He went on to say, “It isn’t just the differences of policy. It’s the fact that the Rural America with a shrinking population is becoming less and less relevant to the politics of this country, and we had better recognize that, and we better begin to reverse it.” From the tone of his statement one might expect that he was going to go into a discussion of how city folks have written off the future of rural areas. Instead the point of his comment was that it is rural residents who have written off the future of rural areas by adopting a preservation mindset instead of a growth mindset. As he says, we need “a new mindset in Rural America.” We need to ask ourselves “Where are the new opportunities?” And in his speech, Vilsack identifies a set of priorities and opportunities that are a part of the growth mindset he is talking about. He told his audience that in response to climate change, the USDA needs to “focus on additional research and ways in which we can adapt and mitigate and develop strategies that in the long term will allow us to continue to have the greatest agriculture in the world.” As part of that, Vilsack talked about increased double-cropping. In turning to what he dubbed a new rural development approach, Vilsack spoke of “expanding broadband access to ensure that those who set up a business, who establish an opportunity in rural areas, have the capacity and the power to be able to reach not just a local market, not just a regional market, but a global market.” Another part of this new rural development approach is convincing “smaller communities…that they have to look at themselves as a part of an overall region… addressing economic development opportunities from a regional perspective as opposed to a community-by-community perspective.” In addition, “We need to continue to promote local and regional food systems…. a multi-billion-dollar opportunity which is continuing to grow and provides opportunities for very small producers [and] which will help repopulate some of these rural communities,” Vilsack said. Vilsack also tied rural development to the “need to invest significantly in conservation and link it more closely to outdoor recreation and bring those tourism opportunities back into the rural areas. If people are spending hundreds of billions of dollars,” he said. “we need to capture those resources, and we need to turn them around in the economy more frequently.” In discussing a biobased economy, Vilsack took a line from the old saw that in slaughtering a hog, butchers used everything but the squeal when he said, “we need to absolutely seize the opportunity that the biobased economy creates, the ability to literally take everything we grow, every aspect of every crop, every waste product that’s produced and turn it into an asset, into a commodity, into an ingredient.” He then provided examples of this as he told of turning plant materials into lighter weight car bodies, hog manure into asphalt, and molecules from corncobs into plastic bottles. “This is an amazing new future where virtually everything we need in an economy can be biology-based, plant-based, crop-based, and livestock-based; enormous new opportunities to build refineries that are not large, as we see in the oil industry, but are small because of [the] bulk of [this] biomass is basically dotting the landscape, creating economic opportunity, creating new markets, as well as job opportunities.” Vilsack challenged his audience saying, “we need to cement that new economy in Rural America, and we need to sell it to our young people if we’re going to reverse the population and poverty challenges that Rural America faces. And frankly, I think we need to recognize that unless we respond and react, the capacity of Rural America and its power and its reach will continue to decline.” Source: Daryll E. Ray and Harwood D. Schaffer, Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, University of Tennessee farm billvilsack About the Author: University of Tennessee Extension

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Thornless HoneylocustGleditsia triacanthos form inermis The thornless honeylocust has captured the hearts of arborists, community foresters and homeowners throughout America. And no wonder. This tree is easy to plant, grows fast, has reasonably strong branches, is aesthetically pleasing and is tough enough to withstand just about any urban setting. In nature it grows in both a thorned and thornless form, with thorns growing up to 12" long. Many regions in the South still refer to honelocusts as Confederate pintrees because those thorns were used to pin uniforms together during the Civil War. The thornless honeylocust can be expected to grow in Hardiness Zones 3–9. View Map This is a shade tree, featuring a spreading canopy capable of blocking sunlight. Mature Size The thornless honeylocust grows to a height of 30–70' and a spread of 30–70' at maturity. This tree grows at a fast rate, with height increases of more than 24" per year. Full sun is the ideal condition for this tree, meaning it should get at least 6 hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day. The thornless honeylocust tolerates a wide range of soils including acidic, alkaline, moist, dry and salty soils. It has moderate tolerance for both flooding and drought. Is very easy to plant and grow. Provides showy yellow color in the fall. Features pinnately or bipinnately compound leaves approximately 8" long with 8–14 leaflets. They are among the last leaves to emerge in the spring. Produces small, greenish-yellow blossoms arranged around spike-like stalks that are notably fragrant. Yields large, brown seed pods resembling twisted leather straps that are 7–8" long, sometimes reaching up to 18" in length. Develops a thin, airy crown that provides dappled shade while allowing grass to grow beneath. Tolerates wet and dry sites, salt, compacted soil, pollution and most other urban stresses. Grows in an oval or round shape. Can be used on hillsides to stabilize poor soil and control erosion. Thornless honeylocust seed pods and seeds are consumed by livestock and wildlife such as rabbits, deer, squirrels and northern bobwhite. The flowers provide a good source of food for bees. The thornless honeylocust is native from Pennsylvania to Nebraska and south to Texas. The first scientific observations of this species were made in 1700. The tree derives the name "Honey" from the sweet, honey-like substance found in its pods. The Cherokees in Tennessee made bows from the tree's durable and strong wood. It has also long been a favorite for fence posts.

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Home | Press Release | Press Releases January 2014 Home Shifts Towards Sustainable Agriculture Needed to Meet Demands of 9 Billion by 2050 Tue, Jan 21, 2014 UNEP Executive Director Addresses Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, Meets with Key Ministers | Français | 中文 The world's agricultural production must shift to more sustainable patterns - including greater respect for ecosystems services and less waste - in order to feed the world's rapidly increasing population by 2050, said UNEP Executive Director and UN Under-Secretary-General Achim Steiner as he addressed the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture last weekThe Forum, which was held during International Green Week in Berlin, gave hundreds of representatives from the worlds of politics, business, science and civil society chance to share ideas on agricultural policy within the context of food security. The Forum's 2014 theme was "Empowering Agriculture: Fostering Resilience - Securing Food and Nutrition"In the context of the meeting, Mr. Steiner met with a number of key Environment and Agricultural Ministers, including Germany's newly appointed Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Dr. Barbara HendricksThey discussed issues related to climate protection, investments for sustainable management and preparations for the first meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly of the UNEP (UNEA), which will take place in Nairobi in June 2014Speaking at the Forum during a Working Meeting organized by UNEP, he stressed that, by 2050, the Earth will likely need to feed some 9 billion people with the same amount of land, water and natural resources it has nowHe added that, in order for increases in agricultural production to be sustainable, humanity must reduce its massive loss and wastage of food, as outlined in a soon-to-be-launched UNEP study entitled: Food Wasted, Food Lost : Improving Food Security by Restoring Ecosystems and Reducing Food Loss. "According to the report, as much as 1.4 billion hectares of land are used to produce the total amount of food that is lost and wasted, estimated by FAO at a staggering 1.3 billion tonnes a year", said Mr. Steiner. "This translates to more than 100 times the area of tropical rainforest that is being cleared every year (13 million hectares) of which 80 per cent is used for agricultural expansion", he addedFood loss occurs mostly at the production stages harvesting, processing and distribution while food waste typically takes place at the retailer and consumer end of the food-supply chainIn industrialized regions, almost half of the total food squandered, around 300 million tonnes annually, occurs because producers, retailers and consumers discard food that is still fit for consumptionThat amounts to more than the total net food production of Sub-Saharan Africa, and would be sufficient to feed the estimated 870 million hungry in today's worldAt the same time, said Mr. Steiner, up to 25 per cent of the world's food production - an amount that could feed up to 2.4 billion people annually - might be lost by 2050 due to climate change, land degradation, cropland losses, water scarcity and infestations"In order to ensure that food production is increased to meet the demands of the additional 2.6 billion people expected to inhabit the planet by 2050, it is important that food producing ecosystems are protected and degraded ecosystems are restored", said Mr. SteinerAgricultural production - which is dependent on services provided by healthy natural ecosystems, from pollination and water purification to climate change adaptation - remains the single most important sector in providing the basic necessities for human existence and livelihoods todayIt is therefore critical to consider the values of ecosystems and biodiversity to the agricultural sector, as well as to human health, livelihoods and wellbeingA new study by the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) and the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), to be launched this year, finds that without healthy ecosystems, agricultural systems may suffer if not collapse entirely. "A profound change of the global food and agriculture system is needed if we are to nourish today's 925 million hungry and the additional 2 billion people expected by 2050", said Mr. Steiner"Recognizing that agriculture, water, land, forests , food production and consumption are all connected, the answer to providing food security while maintaining ecosystems lies in pursuing a holistic approach that incorporates climate-smart agriculture and a landscape approach", he added"A landscape approach means managing the land, water, and forest resources necessary to meet an area's food security needs and promoting inclusive green growth as one integrated system." For more information, please contact UNEP News Desk at [email protected] UNEAAt UN Environment Assembly Convening in NairobiGovernments Agree to 25 Landmark Resolutions to Drive Sustainability Agenda and Paris Climate AgreementEnvironment "cannot be an afterthought", says Kenya's President at opening of high-level environment assembly in NairobiBacked by Stars, Unprecedented UN Campaign Seeks to Mobilize Millions to End Illegal Trade in WildlifeTop 12 Ways World Can End Hunger, Stem Environmental Damage from Food SystemsCoral reefs face bleak future - but "lifeboats" may help them survive Most PopularOn World Rhino Day, Julius Yego Locks Horns with Illegal Trade in Wildlife Canada to host World Environment Day in 2017 Footballing Icon Neymar Jr. Targets Deadly Threats to Wildlife Polish business and scientists team up against air pollution, climate change, harmful lifestyles © UNEP | Privacy | Terms and Conditions | Contacts | Site Locator | Support UNEP | UNEP Intranet

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Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa > Development Impact Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy Industries Agribusiness Financial Markets Infrastructure Health & Education Manufacturing & Services Advisory Services Access to Finance Investment Climate Sustainable Business Advisory Public-Private Partnerships Conflict Affected States in Africa Our Partners News Press Releases Media Contacts Development Impact Show other Regions East Asia & the Pacific Europe, Middle East & North Africa (EMENA) IFC in Africa With offices all over Africa, we are where you are. Contact an IFC office in Sub-Saharan Africa. Follow us: Development Impact Six years after the global financial crisis erupted the world economy is at last on a more solid footing. However, growth remains subdued and uneven. According to the World Bank 2014 Africa’s Pulse report, global GDP growth is projected to strengthen from 2.4 percent in 2013 to 3 percent in 2014, 3.3 percent in 2015, and 3.4 percent in 2016. Africa will play a key role in global growth. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The World Bank’s Africa’s Pulse reports that the region’s economy grew at 4.5 percent per year on average between 1995 and 2013. Its medium-term prospects are positive, with GDP growth projected to rise from 4.7 percent in 2013 to 5.2 percent in 2014, strengthening further to 5.4 percent in both 2015 and 2016. Economic activity during 2013 was driven by strong domestic demand and increased investment in the region. Net foreign direct investment grew by 16 percent to $43 billion during the year. Despite this robust performance, economic growth between countries is uneven. Much of Sub-Saharan Africa remains constrained by lack of infrastructure, poor business climate, lack of access to finance, the effects of climate change, and ongoing conflict. To overcome these obstacles, IFC delivers a package of advisory and investment solutions in developing countries. We introduce our clients to new sources of capital and better ways of doing business sustainably. IFC’s rapid expansion in Africa and role in financing across so many countries and sectors provides a unique platform for our advisory services to have a major impact on Africa’s development. Linking our advisory services to our overall business strategy ensures that IFC can achieve more with our development partners and the ultimate beneficiaries of our projects. In particular, IFC provides advice and training to various public and private clients; supports projects to improve the investment climate, strengthen infrastructure, and encourage entrepreneurship; and devotes resources to improve corporate governance and gender equality. Of the 30 countries in which we work in Sub- Saharan Africa, 12 were fragile and affected by conflict as of December 31, 2013. IFC’s engagements in fragile and conflict-affected situations are of critical importance, as it aims to provide opportunities for the poor to escape poverty. If current trends continue, it is estimated that more than 80 percent of the world’s poorest will be living in fragile and conflict-affected countries by 2025. Fragility and conflict have a devastating effect on development – a civil conflict can cost a developing country about 30 years of GDP growth. In 2014, nearly one in every three dollars IFC’s Advisory Services spends in Africa will be in fragile and conflict-affected countries. 2013 Impact at a Glance As of December 31, 2013, IFC Advisory Services had achieved the following results in Sub-Saharan Africa for projects active in 2013. Supporting the creation of jobs is an important aspect of our work in Sub-Saharan Africa. IFC will report on its impact in this area when the results are finalized. $17 Billion Financing Facilitation We facilitated loans worth about $17 billion to households and micro, small, and medium enterprises through financial institutions and improved financial infrastructure. $100 Million Saved in the Private Sector We helped save the private sector more than $100 million by simplifying regulatory compliance requirements. 210 Laws, Regulations Enacted We helped African governments enact about 210 laws and regulations and amendments to improve the investment climate and access to finance. 130,000 People Trained We trained about 130,000 people in areas such as business management, loan application processes and better farming practices. 70 Reforms Supported We supported more than 70 reforms in such areas as starting a business, licensing, construction permits, and alternative dispute resolution. 14,750 Entities Advised We advised nearly 14,750 companies and public entities on ways to improve their services and implement new products. To read the full 2014 Development Impact Report, click here. IFC is moving to a unified results measurement system which has three mutually reinforcing components namely the IFC Development Goals (IDGs) (which are forward-looking goals); a monitoring and tracking system to measure development results; and a system to evaluate the outcomes and impact of our activities. To learn more about the IFC Development Goals click here.

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Steve Wiswell (left), Tom Willard (center) and Andy Turcotte take a breather while setting up their entry from Endicott House in the Bayside Expo Flower Show.Photo / Donna CoveneyFull Screen Endicott team blossoms at spring show despite winter casualties Victimized by a tough winter, the MIT Endicott House horticulture team lost most of its bulbs and perennials and had to improvise ground cover for the team's entry in the annual New England Spring Garden Show. Nonetheless, the exhibit in Hall B of the Bayside Exposition Center won a bronze medal and was popular with the spectators during the show's first weekend. The show runs daily from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. through Sunday, March 23. "We'll just have to work harder next year," said Steve Wiswell, horticulturist at Endicott House, a Dedham estate that MIT runs as a conference center. The team won two awards and a silver medal last year and six awards and a gold medal in 2001. This year's Endicott House exhibit includes more than 300 specimens of 25 varieties of plants and flowers in a 14-by-40-foot plot. The exhibit is divided into two sections by a Chinese moon gate, with plants on one side from North America and specimens from the rest of the world on the other. The North American section features a Bristlecone Pine from the Rocky Mountains, one of the oldest existing plants on Earth, and May Apple and Bear Berry trees. A Korean Spice Bush, whose sweet fragrance permeates the surrounding area, along with a Dawn Redwood and Pink Discovery Azaleas, with origins in the orient, brighten up the international area. Besides Wiswell, Andy Turcotte, head of Endicott House grounds department, Tom Willard of grounds, and Dave Loud of conference services worked on the exhibit. A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on March 19, 2003. Topics: Special events and guest speakers, Staff

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Pay deal may be too late for Mulgrave cane growers Charlie McKillop Crushing looks set to continue into December at Mulgrave Central Mill after a difficult season A protracted pay dispute between the Mulgrave Central Mill, in Far North Queensland, and its workers may finally be over but cane growers fear the worst is yet to come amid predictions of a late finish to the crushing season.Yesterday, employees voted to accept a 11.4 per cent pay increase over three years after torpedoing a series of earlier offers from the milling company, MSF Sugar.It's one less concern for growers who have been watching anxiously as the cane harvesting season looks likely to extend beyond the optimal 22-week season.Canegrowers Cairns region chairman, Jeff Day, says the extension is the worst possible news for growers who had high hopes for this year's large crop."We can't see being finished anything before the end of November, start of December so it's very late for us and it's going to knock our productivity around for next year.""The time that we've lost is really going to hurt us," he said."We've exceeded our planned lost time for wet weather, we've also had the industrial action and we've also got a crop of cane out there that's probably better than what we've had in the past couple of years."We are not happy with how the mill has performed, it hasn't been as reliable as we're used to and that's been the one that's really worrying us."Mr Day says the longer the harvest season drags on, the more it will hurt cane growers because of a shorter growing season for the next crop."We've got contractors who continually are not getting their daily quotas, that's one side of it, and then there's our productivity on the other side of it as a cane grower," he said."It's common knowledge, there's even been research done on it, that after a certain time in October you start to lose tonnage for next year and that is what we're into now."Mr Day says while he's not blaming the strike action, which cost a total of 97 crushing hours, growers are relieved a new enterprise agreement has been accepted."Right now we are worried about just getting to the end of the season and getting it all off."Workers had been without an agreement since May and the matter was sent to the Fair Work Commission after previous pay offers were voted down three times.Australian Workers Union organiser, Peter Gunsberger, admits negotiations have been protracted, but he's defended the campaign which delivered 1.5 per cent more than the original pay offer."The members exercised their legal right to take protected action."I think there's been skirmishes at the mill, this is not the only mill, of course, there's been skirmishes at mills over many, many years. "I think in the big scheme of things it's just a drop in the overall passage of what goes on in life in a sugar factory," he said. Jeff Day says lost time at Mulgrave Central will hurt growers as the cane harvest drags on The AWU's Peter Gunsberger says workers will now get a pay increase of 11.4 per cent over three years

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Wolf Recovery at Crossroads in the Southwest By Susan Montoya Bryan on MNN.com Reintroduction of Mexican gray wolves into the American Southwest has caused major problems for some ranchers. A decade has passed since the federal government began returning endangered Mexican wolves to their historic range in the Southwest. It hasn't worked out — for the wolves, for ranchers, for conservationists or for federal biologists. And that has resulted in frustration and resentment by many involved in the reintroduction program along the Arizona-New Mexico border, a landscape of sprawling pine and spruce forests, cold-water lakes and clear streams. "I believe in being a good steward of the land and preserving it for generations to come, but this is ridiculous," said Ed Wehrheim, who heads the county commission in Catron County, in the heart of wolf country. "I've had ranchers' wives come to me just bawling because everything they and their parents have worked for is going down the drain." Four ranches have gone out of business since the wolf reintroduction began and another four are expected to do the same before next summer, Wehrheim said. The region has been hit by drought and cattle prices aren't what they used to be, but Wehrheim said pressure from environmentalists and hundreds of livestock kills by Mexican gray wolves over the past decade have only made things worse. Environmentalists argue that grazing practices are part of the problem and the wolf reintroduction program has failed because of mismanagement by the federal government. In the middle stands Bud Fazio, coordinator of the Mexican gray wolf reintroduction program. The program is at a crossroads, and Fazio said he hopes to bring everyone back to the table to find a way to move forward, quell concerns of critical environmentalists and gain the confidence of wary ranchers. "One thing about wolves is they bring out extreme emotions and feelings and attitudes, so it is an extra challenge," he said. "There is some middle ground. There is some balance, but my sense is that so far we haven't found that in the Southwest and we need to." A subspecies of the gray wolf, the Mexican wolf was exterminated in the wild by the 1930s. The government began reintroducing wolves in 1998 along the Arizona-New Mexico line, in a territory of more than 4 million acres interspersed with forests, private land and towns. There are about 50 wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico, but that's half of what biologists had hoped to have by now. Federal, state and other officials involved in wolf recovery are scheduled to meet next week in Albuquerque for the first of many "frank discussions" about the future of the program, Fazio said. Part of the reason for the talks is a recent settlement with environmentalists that called for an end to a three-strikes rule that allowed wildlife managers to trap or shoot wolves that had killed at least three head of livestock within a year. The settlement also made clear that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has control over the program, rather than a committee formed in 2003 to bring other agencies into the recovery effort. The original rule that established the reintroduction program still allows managers to remove problem wolves, but Fazio said officials will now consider many factors — such as the wolf's genetic value to the program and its reproductive success — before making decisions on keeping an animal in the wild. "Everything remains on the table in terms of an option for managing wolves and that does include removal of live animals or lethal removal," Fazio said. "What is different is that a whole suite of things, broader than before, will be taken into account." Wehrheim and the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association maintain the settlement changes nothing because the wolf program had already started to leave wolves with more than three strikes in the wild. They pointed to the Middle Fork pack, which was blamed for 10 livestock kills in two months. The pack includes four pups and two adults, both of which are missing their front left paws. Federal biologists say the pack is now hunting elk and relying less on strategically placed food caches. Ranchers say that leaving the maimed wolves in the wild encourages them to go after easy prey such as calves. "It's a problem of the program, not a problem of the wolf," Catron County Manager Bill Aymar said. The Center for Biological Diversity also has been critical of the program, but the group believes the wolves should be left in the wild and critical habitat declared for the species to recover. Wehrheim told New Mexico legislators in Santa Fe this week that ranchers in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona can't afford to live with the wolves if the program remains unchanged and the federal government's plan for compensating livestock losses goes unfunded. "It's very, very serious for Catron County and all of the wolf recovery area," he said. "We don't see any ranching existing with the wolf. We don't see any hunting existing with the wolf. We're talking tens of millions of dollars of loss." He gave the example of a third-generation ranch that harvested about 200 calves annually before going out of business earlier this year. The operation was capable of bringing in more than $1 million in tax and other revenues to the county. Tod Stevenson, director of the New Mexico Game and Fish Department, testified that his agency and the state want to make sure Catron County and its ranchers can survive on the landscape. "That's the best way that we can continue to manage wildlife, is to have them as partners out there on the ground," he said. "It's critical that we come up with a balance to achieve that." Please Help Our Efforts

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AgriLife scientists working on new lablab variety Texas The value of lablab, an annual tropical legume, as potential quality forage has long been known, but that doesn't mean it can't be made a lot better, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant breeder. Gerald Smith, Ph.D., AgriLife Research plant breeder at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton, is currently working with hundreds of crosses looking for superior qualities. "We need a new forage crop in Texas that fits our seasons and works for us in the summer," Smith said. "We have a lot of summer annual grasses, but we need a forage legume that works in the summer like those grasses." Lablab fits that need very well, he said. It's a great crop for cattle; they readily graze it and get good weight gains on it, and it's drought tolerant. It's also a great plant for wildlife browsing, particular white-tailed deer, Smith said. And as an added benefit, lablab, being a legume, fixes nitrogen from the air, which offsets high fertilizer prices. And unlike many other legumes, such as cool-season clovers, lablab seed can be produced in Texas. "Lablab is deep-rooted and drought and heat tolerant, but does require soil moisture to germinate and establish," Smith said. "This does narrow the utility of this plant to eastern and central Texas where annual rainfall is at least 30 inches per year." Because of all these benefits, Smith has been working with lablab lines for the last 10 years. Rio Verde lablab, which he also developed the Overton center, was released by AgriLife Research in 2006. Planted in May, Rio Verde will start flowering in late August and continue producing forage until the first frost. The crude protein of its leaves is 25 percent or higher, and 12 percent in the stems. As good as Rio Verde is, there is a need for an earlier flowering and more disease-resistant variety, which Smith is continually working on, he said. From the hundreds of second generation crosses he currently has in Overton center greenhouses, Smith is looking for types that not only have improved disease resistance and drought tolerance, but also demonstrate other traits such as small seed size, early flowering and seedling vigor. All these traits will make a better fit into Texas forage-production systems. To this end, he has crossed existing anthracnose-resistant lines with small-seed, deep-rooting types that are closely related to "wild" lablab lines. "The parents that we crossed are quite different," he said. "What we are doing now is selecting for flowering times that will fit Texas." Next, he'll take the most promising progeny to field tests in 2013 and further select for desired traits. If all goes well with field tests, Smith expects new cultivars to be ready to start the release stage in three years. The approval and subsequent release of seed to seed-production companies usually takes an additional two years.

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Pulled raisin vineyards led 2016 decline in California grape acreage Apr 20, 2017 GMOs, fertilizer spark good rural-urban discussion Apr 18, 2017 Napa County farm, wine grape values jump 33 percent Apr 19, 2017 Arizona tree nut plantings on the fast track Apr 18, 2017 Management Squeezing sustainable energy from compressed air The CAES group is developing cost-competitive energy-storage systems based on compressing air and storing it in man-made containers or below ground in natural reservoirs. Ed Stiles, University of Arizona | Jan 12, 2011 Solar collectors and wind generators hold so much promise for clean energy, but they have a major flaw – they produce no power when the sun doesn't shine or the wind doesn't blow. "If all we had to do was to generate power when the sun is shining, we would actually be in good shape right now," said Ben Sternberg, a researcher in the University of Arizona's Compressed Air Energy Storage, or CAES, program. "The crucial issue now is finding economical ways to store energy for large-scale use, either home-by-home over the entire country, or utility scale." Batteries have traditionally been used to store energy, but they're expensive, have a limited number of charge-discharge cycles, and pose resource and disposal problems. The CAES group is developing cost-competitive energy-storage systems based on compressing air and storing it in man-made containers or below ground in natural reservoirs. When solar panels shut down and wind generators stop spinning, the compressed air is heated slightly and released to drive turbines that generate electricity. The compressed air also can be released directly to drive mechanical systems without being converted to electricity. Although CAES researchers are putting a high-tech spin on compressed air storage and its modern materials, sophisticated remote sensing gear, and computer analysis, it's a simple, well-tested and mature technology. Urban systems were built in European cities as early as 1870, and by the 1890s were storing and delivering power to factories and homes. The UA's CAES research team is working on three projects that range from systems that might power a single air conditioner or refrigerator to building-wide systems, as well as massive storage sites that could store utility-scale energy. Small-scale storage system In this system, a low-speed motor uses some or all of the power from a solar panel or wind generator to pump air into a tank similar to those used for propane or oxygen. The energy is later used to power an appliance, such as a refrigerator. Several of these units could be linked together to power a home. "We hope to develop a single-appliance system that could be built for less than $1,000," said Dominique Villela, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering. "We've had visitors from Alaska, whose villages depend on energy generated from propane. This is very expensive. Systems like ours could save them a lot of money by using solar or wind power for refrigerators or lights, for instance." These systems could also save lives and taxpayer dollars in combat zones by producing energy on site. A recent segment on NPR's Science Friday program featured military efforts to conserve energy and switch to renewable energy fuels. Program guests noted that a gallon of gas that cost $2.35 in the U.S. could cost between $200 and $400 by the time it reaches outposts in Afghanistan. They also noted that more than 1,000 Americans have been killed moving fuel since that war began. Villela said the group's research is now focusing on reliability issues, scaling the system to provide more energy storage, and adapting the system to less expensive materials and components. Building-size systems UA civil engineers are designing hollow structural members that could be used to store compressed air in load-bearing components, such as foundation piles or the frames of buildings and houses. "The key to our system is that the loads on structural components coming from compressed air are small compared to building loads, such as the weight of the building and wind loads," said George Frantziskonis, a professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics. "This makes CAES storage in buildings economically and aesthetically feasible." The larger the building, the more economical the CAES system and the greater the energy cost savings both in the short and long term, Frantziskonis said. Underground storage reservoirs Researchers in the UA's Laboratory for Advanced Subsurface Imaging, or LASI, are developing high-resolution underground imaging systems that can be used to find salt deposits, porous rocks and other natural underground storage reservoirs. These sites could be used to hold large amounts of compressed air to drive utility-scale turbines. While salt deposits have traditionally been associated with CAES technology, "you don't need a large cavern," said Sternberg, a professor of mining and geological engineering and director of the LASI program. "Rocks that have lots of pores also can provide energy storage. A third option is alluvium in basins, such as those found throughout the Southwest." All of these possibilities require mapping the Earth's subsurface in high resolution with ground-penetrating electromagnetic waves. "That's where our work comes in because accurate imaging is needed to determine if there are discontinuities in these underground storage areas that will allow too much air to escape," he said. Sternberg said porosity within the Earth, either from caverns or lots of interconnected pore space, has tremendous potential for low-cost storage that would make renewables cost competitive with fossil fuels. Recent breakthroughs in the LASI program could help drive exploration and development of these resources. "We're getting data that's an order of magnitude more sensitive than conventional measurements," Sternberg said. "It's a combination of a new approach to collecting data, a new type of antenna array and a very different way of analyzing the data." Sternberg is anxious to rapidly expand this technology to utility-size exploration. "Right now, so much of our energy is coming from volatile areas of the world, and we've got to overcome that," he said. "Energy security is our biggest risk. That's why this is so pressing. We cannot afford to drag this out and sit on the new developments in energy independence that are being created here in the LASI and CAES programs, as well as in other programs at universities across the country." Science Foundation of Arizona and the Arizona Research Institute for Solar Energy, or AzRISE, are funding UA's CAES projects. The small-scale project also is being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and has received help from several local businesses. RelatedFieldNET by Lindsay adds irrigation management toolApr 26, 2017Key tools to maximize pistachio production in ‘trickier’ saline soilApr 19, 2017Reduce canker damage in almond with proven management tipsApr 19, 2017Monsanto launches ‘National Agronomy Week’ April 3-7Apr 03, 2017 Load More

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89-year-old's farm is first to be permanently preserved in Silver Spring Township 128-acre Farm Enters Cumberland County Agricultural Conservation Easement Program View the Slideshow >> (Gallery by Dan Gleiter | [email protected]) Tricia Kline | Special to PennLive on April 06, 2013 at 7:43 PM, updated April 07, 2013 at 11:53 AM CARLISLE — Mary Deitch might have grown up in a farming community in Cumberland County, but at the time she met her future farming husband, Harry, 65 years ago, many of her hours were spent working in a Mechanicsburg clothing factory.Harry and Mary married in 1947, and the next year, on Easter Monday, they moved onto a 128-acre farm on Kost Road.“It was a big change,” remembers Mary Deitch, now 89.“We started with three horses and a John Deere tractor,” she said.She kept her job at the factory until they were able to obtain dairy cattle and machinery with which to run their farm. And once they did, Mary took on a farmer’s life alongside her husband, driving the tractor over the fields countless times, sowing and cutting the wheat into sheaves, working the ground, planting corn and raking straw and hay.When Harry passed away in 1966, she hired a man to take over the chief operations.Eventually, she sold her cows to an Amish man in Lancaster, and held a public sale for all of the equipment. She continues to hang onto the precious, level and fertile farmland, now renting the land to other farmers, but she has become increasingly aware of farmland all around her being lost to developers.“It was only a few months after [Harry] passed away, they were after me … but I just wouldn’t sell it,” she said.A struggling economy has taken its toll on farmers, and many farm owners are looking at the money they can make by selling their land to developers. “They can get more money by selling it than if they keep on farming,” Deitch said.But Deitch is clear - to her, it’s not about the money.“I just look at it this way - I don’t like to see the good farms being destroyed,” she said. “When they’re gone, you can’t bring them back.”She knows her husband would have supported her.“That’s the way I feel, and that’s the way I know he’d have felt,” she said.That’s why she has worked the past 10 years, delays coming through physical ailments and meeting stringent requirements, to enter her farm into Cumberland County’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program, which uses county funds to purchase easements on prime agricultural land from willing landowners, setting aside the property as permanently preserved farmland and forever safe from development.Deitch said she had hoped in her lifetime she would see it saved from the fate of what she calls “concrete and macadam”.On March 11, Deitch's farm was the first in Silver Spring Township to receive that official designation. Township and county officials plan to hold a celebration at the farm on April 6.Mary hopes that other farm owners will be inspired by her actions to save their own land, even as she sees land right next to hers succumbing to development.Supervisors in October approved a preliminary land development plan by Key Development Group to combine two lots totaling 38 acres on which to build a 500,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. The approval had been delayed a month before, and in 2010 the development company was denied a request to rezone the land in order to build three warehouses totaling more than 2 million square feet.Deitch senses the timing is crucial, saying she had done what she can to hold off developers, but, “I don’t know how long it will last.”Silver Spring Township is comprised of approximately 20,000 acres of land, with farmland representing just under 5,000 acres.While most of the township is zoned residential, it is also diverse, consisting of farmland, shopping centers and numerous housing developments.“We want to keep that balance — at least try to,” said Vince DiFilippo, Silver Spring Township supervisor and member of the Cumberland County Agricultural Preservation Board.But agricultural land must remain a priority, he believes, as it helps municipalities with water recharging, storm water issues, and keeps wells pumped up without developing the whole township, he said.Farmland helps keep a municipality’s costs down in the long term, he said, while costing the township nothing.“There are no streets to update, no roads to maintain,” he said.No tiling, repairing sidewalks or replacing lights. “It’s pretty much cash-free for us,” he said.Farmland also helps the school districts, he said.The cost to educate a student in the Cumberland Valley School District is just under $10,000, and each home in the district averages about one-half of a student, he said. As township land is taken over by housing developments, that means more people and more students to provide for. “Compare that to the revenue out of taxes, and you’d have a shortfall,” DiFilippo said. That shortage goes on forever, and creates more of an expense for a school as the hallways get more crowded.In comparison, if the land is purchased instead as an easement and left open, the cost is about $4,000 to $6,000 an acre, paying for itself in two to three years, DiFilippo said.Applications — 100 percent voluntary — for the farmland preservation program, which receives funding from county, state and federal levels, are accepted throughout the year, with Dec. 31 as the deadline to be included in the following year. Applications are ranked according to criteria including soil quality, development potential, the size of the farm, and what types of conservation practices are being used.Deitch’s farm, according to county Farmland Preservation Program Administrator Rebecca Wiser, ranked No. 3 out of 54 farms in the county in 2012.Five farms in the county were preserved last year, with Mary’s the first to go to settlement, she said.The program has been in existence since the first farm was preserved in 1992. Since then, many farms in Mechanicsburg and west have been included in the program. In the most recent years, the participating farms have been further west into Carlisle and beyond. Penn Township has the most preserved farms. Mary Deitch's farm preserved in Silver Spring Twp. Mary Deitch's 128-acre farm in Silver Spring Township has been entered into Cumberland County'€™s Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. Now permanently preserved in Cumberland County are 15,439 acres — approximately 10 percent of the county’s farmland.Once designated as part of the program, the county purchases the land from the owner and owns its development rights, allowing the property owner to continue using the land for agriculture, but they will never be allowed to develop it for anything other than a farm, Wiser said.Deitch was paid $3,675 an acre for the easement rights — much, much lower than she could have received if she sold it to a developer, Wiser said.Many farm owners in Silver Spring Township have taken the first step in permanent preservation by joining the Agricultural Security Area program, through which the municipality designates the land as an agricultural district. There are currently 2,100 acres under the Agricultural Security Area program, according to Silver Spring Township Manager Theresa Eberly.Cumberland County as a whole is seeing a more focused effort in land preservation. Commissioners recently approved $50,000 of Marcellus shale money be set aside for the purpose of purchasing easements on farm land in 2013.DiFilippo realizes they won’t be able to preserve all of the farmland in the township.However, “contrary to popular belief that most want to sell their land and use the money for retirement,” he said, “there are a lot of farmers who simply love their land and do not want to develop.”That is something that township officials are hoping they will see more of.A group of 11 concerned residents, representing a number of demographics in the township, formed this month what chairman Michael Woods terms “a full-swing political action committee” called Preserve Silver Spring. The logo for a new local political action committee, Preserve Silver Spring. The primary purpose of the group, said Woods, an agricultural science instructor and FFA adviser at Cumberland Valley High School, is to educate township residents and others “about the importance of proper land management and conservation of our agricultural lands and open spaces available to us.”“A lot of people aren’t aware that the township has the most fertile land in the county,” he added.The committee wants to hang on to it, as they realize how quickly developments can take over, such as in neighboring Hampden Township, where only three farms remain standing.The group is aiming to have a referendum placed on the November ballot that would allow residents to decide if they would be willing to allot a portion of their taxes for the township to begin its own farmland and open space preservation program.“It’s really scary with the vast number of people, especially young individuals, who truly don’t have a concept of where our food, fiber and natural resources come from,” Woods said, adding that with the world population expected to grow by 2 billion by 2050, if prime and fertile land continues to be developed, there won’t be enough to feed, clothe or house future generations.DiFilippo said similar programs have become very popular in other municipalities in southeastern Pennsylvania, with funding being generated through earned income tax, property tax, or a combination of the two. The money is set aside for farmland preservation or natural and environmental areas, or additional parks and recreation. Comments

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Public Release: 29-Aug-2008 Key discovered to cold tolerance in corn Longer growing season, growth in colder regions possible American Society of Plant Biologists Demand for corn -- the world's number one feed grain and a staple food for many -- is outstripping supply, resulting in large price increases that are forecast to continue over the next several years. If corn's intolerance of low temperatures could be overcome, then the length of the growing season, and yield, could be increased at present sites of cultivation and its range extended into colder regions. Drs. Dafu Wang, Archie Portis, Steve Moose, and Steve Long in the Department of Crop Sciences and the Institute of Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois may have made a breakthrough on this front, as reported in the September issue of the journal Plant Physiology. Plants can be divided into two groups based on their strategy for harvesting light energy: C4 and C3. The C4 groups include many of the most agriculturally productive plants known, such as corn, sorghum, and sugar cane. All other major crops, including wheat and rice, are C3. C4 plants differ from C3 by the addition of four extra chemical steps, making these plants more efficient in converting sunlight energy into plant matter. Until recently, the higher productivity achieved by C4 species was thought to be possible only in warm environments. So while wheat, a C3 plant, may be grown into northern Sweden and Alberta, the C4 grain corn cannot. Even within the Corn Belt and despite record yields, corn cannot be planted much before early May and as such is unable to utilize the high sunlight of spring. Recently a wild C4 grass related to corn, Miscanthus x giganteus, has been found to be exceptionally productive in cold climates. The Illinois researchers set about trying to discover the basis of this difference, focusing on the four extra chemical reactions that separate C4 from C3 plants. Each of these reactions is catalyzed by a protein or enzyme. The enzyme for one of these steps, Pyruvate Phosphate Dikinase, or PPDK for short, is made up of two parts. At low temperature these parts have been observed to fall apart, differing from the other three C4 specific enzymes. The researchers examined the DNA sequence of the gene coding for this enzyme in both plants, but could find no difference, nor could they see any difference in the behavior of the enzyme in the test tube. However, they noticed that when leaves of corn were placed in the cold, PPDK slowly disappeared in parallel with the decline in the ability of the leaf to take up carbon dioxide in photosynthesis. When Miscanthus leaves were placed in the cold, they made more PPDK and as they did so, the leaf became able to maintain photosynthesis in the cold conditions. Why? The researchers cloned the gene for PPDK from both corn and Miscanthus into a bacterium, enabling the isolation of large quantities of this enzyme. The researchers discovered that as the enzyme was concentrated, it became resistant to the cold, thus the difference between the two plants was not the structure of the protein components but rather the amount of protein present. The findings suggest that modifying corn to synthesize more PPDK during cold weather could allow corn, like Miscanthus, to be cultivated in colder climates and be productive for more months of the year in its current locations. The same approach might even be used with sugar cane, which may be crossed with Miscanthus, making improvement of cold-tolerance by breeding a possibility. Contact for Press: Steve Long Cell +1-217-766-6570 or +1-217-398-6639; e-mail [email protected] Steve Moose +1-217-244-6308; e-mail [email protected] This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Steve Long [email protected] @ASPB http://www.aspb.org More on this News Release Plant Physiology

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Advertisement Home > Cotton equipment could work for switchgrass Cotton equipment could work for switchgrass | Southeast Farm Press EMAIL Comments 0 Quick, how much new equipment will you need to get started as a producer of switchgrass, which is being touted as a potential cellulosic feedstock in the production of ethanol? The answer — maybe not that much if you’re a cotton producer. A study of two switchgrass harvest and transport methods, conducted by University of Arkansas Economists Michael Popp and Robert Hogan, looked at the economics of using hay baling and module building equipment for switchgrass harvest. The study was presented at the Farm Foundation’s Biofuels, Food and Fiber Tradeoffs conference in St. Louis. “What we tried to do was figure out a way for producers to get into the switchgrass market without having to make an enormous investment,” Hogan said. “In fact, they already have an enormous investment in equipment.” The economists developed enterprise budgets for the two methods of harvesting and transporting switchgrass. The budgets were simulated over 12 years of production. Costs for establishing and maintaining a stand of switchgrass would be about $220 per acre the first year, $143 per acre the second year and $189 per acre for years three through 12. Marginal land would be targeted for use. Hogan and Popp assumed that producers would not necessarily shoot for the maximum yield because of the high cost of fertilizer. “So we would fertilize our grass with about 75 units of nitrogen, plus whatever potash and phosphorus soil tests required.” The switchgrass would be harvested once a year, but there would be no harvest the first year — when the stand is being established. The second year, yield was estimated at 3 tons of dry matter to the acre. For years three through 12, yield was estimated at 5 tons per acre. The stand of switchgrass would last 12 years. In the hay baling model, the crop would be harvested with a 12-foot disk mower, wind-rowed, baled and wrapped in plastic. “We’ll shoot for harvesting at about 16 percent moisture content at a rate of about 20 bales per hour. When we establish our stand of switchgrass, we’ll make gravel pads on the side of the field where we will store the bales after harvest. The bales will weigh approximately 1,000 pounds each. It will take one person to do the entire operation. “In the cotton module model, we’ll run a forage harvester through the switchgrass, blow it in cotton boll buggies, dump it in a module builder, compress it and place a tarp over it. When it’s ready to go to the plant, we already have module trucks that can pick the modules up and haul them.” On the module model, the switchgrass would be harvested at a rate of 15 dry tons per hour, at a moisture content of 15 percent. “One downside is that the module operation requires five operators. You need one person on the harvester, one person each on two boll buggies, one person on the module builder and another person tarping it down.” Costs, estimated from previous research, puts hauling costs for the round bales at about $3.60 per mile, for distances less than 50 miles. It will cost $1.15 per bale for unloading 26 bales per load. Costs on module handling varied, according to informal surveys conducted by Hogan. “The module hauling trucks in Texas charged $17.43 a module, plus $1.22 per mile. Arkansas charged about $50 per module and $2 per mile.” Prorated costs for the round bale system were about $39 per ton, according to the study. Delivered to the plant, the cost is about $52 per ton. With modules, the breakeven to the producer is about $46 per ton. Delivered to the plant, the cost is $62 per ton. “The module cost is somewhat sensitive to the cost of the module tarps, which cost between $100 and $125 each and have a life expectancy of about three years.” He noted that an advantage to the module system is that switchgrass is already chopped by the time it gets to the ethanol plant, while round bales are not. “So you will have to add that cost, although we don’t know what that cost would be.” Biorefinery capacity was set at 50 million gallons annually at a conversion rate of 90 gallons per dry ton of switchgrass. With 350 operating days, this requires approximately 1,587 dry tons of biorefinery processing per day. In other words, the plant would need to process 128 truckloads of round bales or 196 modules per day. Both systems require approximately 132,000 crop acres in switchgrass in a 1,174 square mile area surrounding the plant. Experts at the conference believe that cellulosic ethanol will start making a significant contribution to the biofuel effort in 2012. It could lead to massive changes in land use, mostly for pastureland. e-mail: [email protected] Print Please Log In or Register to post comments. Advertisement Related ArticlesGeorgia AgrAbility helping farmers get back to work UGA, IBM work with Georgia farmers to conserve water Jody Childs’ corn was a ‘nightmare’ to get hauled but he worked it out Virus could influence switchgrass yield Wearable computers could make steep inroads into farming Advertisement Connect With Us TwitterFacebookRSSPodcast Hot Topics

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European Agriculture: Its Time for a Revolution The hope for a form of European agriculture that is more attentive to the environment, both for taxpayers and for those who produce in a sustainable way, has recently suffered a setback. Last week Brussels took a definitive step backwards in the procedures that will give us the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2014, the instrument with which the future of our food will be decided. It is not easy to explain to the common man what is happening, but it is fundamental to try. For the last 50 years the CAP has taken over almost half of the European budget, our money. Its reform is the chance to change a paradigm, towards a form of agriculture that is less oriented towards productivism and more respectful of territories, natural resources, farmers and citizens. To date, harmful agricultural practices that destroy the fertility of the land, the environment, the landscape, the intergenerational transmission and biodiversity have been favored, which is profoundly unfair toward the poorest third world countries. And thus Europeans have found themselves, many unconsciously, supporting harmful production methods for which they are paying twice: once for subsidies and again to repair the damages of these destructive agricultural practices. In short, the old CAP has been a disaster. On January 23 and 24, the European Parliament’s Agricultural Committee (COMAGRI), voted on the amendments to the proposal for the CAP reform which was presented more than a year ago. They decided to block, impoverish or cancel the majority of measures which were put in place to improve the sustainability of our food production system. Now its up to the various governments which, in February, will decide the new budget dedicated to the CAP. More importantly, the European Parliament in March will still be able to correct the path that we have taken thus far, but they must act. For example, there is the possibility of introducing so-called “greening” measures, those dedicated to the environment. The largest part of the CAP’s budget has almost always been determined by a company’s surface area. Over time this has led to the rewarding of the largest companies that generally are not the most attentive to sustainability. Greening, on the other hand, would be revolutionary in its own small way: it would force even the largest companies to enact sustainable practices. Rather, with the amendments that were voted on last week they have made greening “flexible”, taking it apart piece by piece and thus creating so many loopholes as to render it useless. They have transformed greening into greenwashing: a mere cleaning up of the façade. With the new standards 82% of European companies would be exempted from these obligatory eco-friendly practices, and many other critical points as well. For example, companies would have the possibility of being paid twice for a single type of environmental measure, and the obligation to reserve seven percent of the company’s surface area for ecological purposes would be reduced to a mere three percent. In the end there are too many negative elements that outweigh the few good things that have been kept, like incentives for young people who decide to enter the agricultural business, the introduction of a cap of € 300,000 on subsidies for the largest land holders and a better definition of “active agriculture”, which helps to avoid the financing of places like airports and golf courses. From March 11 to 14 the European Parliament will have the historic opportunity to reverse course and therefore we must put pressure on our deputies so that they don’t make the mistake of supporting that old paradigm that awards those who produce in the worst way and that is certainly not in our collective interests. It is not right to dedicate public resources to the benefit of the few. A European mobilization has begun, which Slow Food is a part of, named “Go M.A.D.”. Through this tool we can contact our members of parliament and explain to them how important the assembly in March will be. Citizens can become protagonists in this debate and it will be of the utmost importance for us all to participate. At stake is the future of our food, the places where we live and our very well being. Slow Food President Article first published in La Repubblica on January 29, 2013. Photo: Alberto Peroli

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Riceland tops billion dollar mark for 5th straight year The 92nd Annual Riceland Foods Membership Meeting was held at the Grand Prairie Center. Riceland Foods reported at its annual meeting in Stuttgart Thursday that sales and revenue topped the billion-dollar mark for the fifth consecutive year.The 92nd Annual Riceland Foods Membership Meeting was held at the Grand Prairie Center. Danny Kennedy, president and chief executive officer of the farmer-owned cooperative, said sales during 2011-12 were $1.16 billion, and distributions to farmers were $675 million. Member equity stands at $254 million, up $7 million from a year ago.Riceland’s seasonal pool for long grain rice returned a gross payment that averaged $7.12 per bushel, including freight, storage and interest. The long grain pool provided a $1.09 per bushel premium over USDA’s national average price for long grain rice. Riceland’s medium grain rice seasonal pool returned a gross payment that averaged $6.82 per bushel, Kennedy said.The cooperative’s soybean seasonal pool earned farmers $12.84 per bushel. With USDA’s national average price for soybeans at $12.45 per bushel, the Riceland soybean pool paid a premium of 39 cents per bushel.Kennedy addressed the future of the rice industry and the long-term outlook for U.S. rice. He said that in many cases, rice is being viewed based on the recent performance of corn and soybeans. He said the question is, will it continue?The answer begins, he said, when one considers the population growth. Today’s world population of 6.8 billion people is expected to grow to 9.1 billion by the year 2050. About half of the earth’s population consumes rice as a primary component of their diet. “Do the math,” he advised. “World rice consumption will continue to increase in order to feed the expanding population.”Kennedy said farm and trade policy was a key factor in driving U.S. rice market success. Farm policy and trade policy must go hand-in-hand. Other rice exporting countries continue to support prices of rice and other crops for their farmers at levels much higher than the U.S., he said. “It is important to work on trade initiatives that not only promote free trade, but also fair trade,” he said.The decline in the number of farm and rural voters, an increase in the number of people in Congress without rural backgrounds, and more people competing for fewer budget dollars have combined to make good farm policy difficult to achieve.The farm community must strongly support members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees who understand the needs of Southern agriculture and encourage supportive Members to build alliances with other Members of Congress.Riceland’s 2012 InitiativesKennedy said Riceland introduced several initiatives during the past year that benefit farmers. One of the initiatives was the designation of four Commodity Marketing Specialists who would be available to work with farmers to explain the marketing opportunities available through the cooperative.Fred Black, Riceland’s commodity marketing specialist for Southeast Arkansas, said, “There is a new generation of young farmers, and the co-op is committed to grow with them. He said he understands the importance of service to Riceland’s farmer-members because he is one.“Each farming operation is unique from the crop mix that is grown, the varieties that are planted, the equipment used and everyday farming practices which are employed on the farm,” Black said. He said that while the cooperative’s seasonal pool continues to be the most popular marketing option for Riceland members, that not all farmers know Riceland also offers self-pricing opportunities such as booking contracts, hedge-to-arrive contracts and members cash purchases.With the increasing popularity of on-farm storage, Riceland is exploring new technologies that are available to help monitor the drying and storage of rice in farm storage bins. A program called “Bin Ready” is under development that will offer Riceland members the peace of mind that the condition of the grain in their farm bins is being monitored.Another initiative for the year has been the development of the new website — www.Riceland.coop. The site provides Riceland members with one place to go for Riceland account information, markets, news and weather, Black said. “You can also view the truck line at any of our receiving locations with the website’s web cams.“Two things make Riceland unique: our membership is open to all and we offer our members a reliable market for their crops,” he said. “Riceland brings the world market to our farmers’ individual operations.”Market OutlookCarl Brothers, Riceland senior vice president for marketing and risk management, said world rice stocks to use ratio continues in the narrow range and that a disruption in the production of any major exporting country could “result in fireworks in the market.”He said that the disappointing quality of the 2010 crop created by excessive heat, and the increases in corn and soybean prices have kept U.S. rice acreage at 12-year lows. The smaller acreages and disappointing milling yields have supported long grain rice prices in the U.S.Brothers said that prices also have been supported due to reduced export competition from South America and the Thailand rough rice scheme where the government has paid farmers high prices for rice and removed rice from the market.While the U.S. rice industry has worked to open the Chinese market to U.S. rice, China’s phyto sanitary protocol is onerous. On the other hand, the Colombia free trade agreement has provided for the successful development of a Colombia Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) program that is resulting in new sales of U.S. rice to the Central American nation.

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Israel Is On It Tiny Dynamo Book Search for: Donate Fighting Hospital Infections Anti-bacterial Fabric Arabs in Israeli Hospitals Children with Heart Disease Doctors Treating Terrorists One Doctor’s Account Managing Water Supply Desalinated Water Untold News Awards for Israeli Innovation Drip Irrigation Systems / Irrigation in the Desert / Latest News Drip Irrigation: Growing Crops in the Desert From Tiny Dynamo: How One of the World's Smallest Countries Produces Some of the Most Important Inventions, by Marcella Rosen Drip Irrigation, an Israeli invention, allows dry land to produce crops to feed a hungry world. In the words of my generation, let’s get real. There are now more than 7 billion people coating the surface of Planet Earth, and that number’s going to go up a lot more before it goes down. The rankings of what people consider to be life’s necessities will vary depending on whether they live in Greenwich or Ghana, but the one thing that’s at the top of everyone’s list is water. Earth is 2/3 water, but only 10% of that is the fresh water we need for drinking, running machinery, growing rice and beans, and shaving and brewing beer and making blue jeans. Analysts from the UN to the Council On Foreign Relations are painting a fairly grim picture of our ability to keep up with the demand for water in the years to come. The situation is dire – already more than a billion people in Africa and Asia don’t have access to clean drinking water – and the challenge is huge…but it’s not insurmountable. I suppose that any steps individuals can take to cut down on our use of water would help – shorter showers, less car washing, fewer ice cubes in our mojitos. But when it comes to making a real dent in humans’ use of fresh water, if you’re not talking farming, you might as well not be talking. Here’s how we humans divvy up the planet’s fresh water: Think of ten glasses of water lined up on a kitchen counter. They represent the world’s supply of fresh water. You drink one glass: that’s the portion people put to domestic use. Then a factory owner comes in to the kitchen and grabs two glasses: that’s the slice industry uses to do its thing, to cool engines and make paper and fabric and so on. Then a farmer comes in, grabs the remaining seven glasses, takes them back to his farm and pours them on his crops. That’s right. Seventy percent of the available fresh water on our planet goes to agriculture. And the vast majority of that water is used not only unproductively, but in ways that do more harm than good. This is the challenge that the legendary Israeli firm Netafim has been confronting since the 1960s – that challenge of bringing agricultural irrigation in line with a drying planet. “Let’s be clear,” says Naty Barak, a director at Netafim, “most agriculture in the world is not irrigated at all. That’s really poor resource management. The bulk of the irrigation that is done is incredibly inefficient.” Irrigation breaks down into three main categories: flood irrigation, sprinkler irrigation and the method that Netafim pioneered, drip irrigation. Flood irrigation (essentially pouring water on crops) accounts for almost 80% of the irrigation that’s done on farms, and according to Mr. Barak, it’s harmful to soil (the water pushes the soil all over the place) and water sources, produces diminished yields, and is wildly wasteful. The sprinkler family of irrigation devices – used for about 15% of farm irrigation – is a bit better than flood irrigation in terms of efficiency, but that’s not saying much. Bringing up the rear in terms of usage is drip irrigation, which is the method of choice for about 5% of farms. But it is the unquestionable state of the art in terms of efficiency and its ability to squeeze the most productivity out of every drop of water. Estimates of the water savings drip irrigation provides vary, largely because watering conditions vary, but they come down between twenty and fifty percent over sprinklers, the next most efficient method. In other words, when it’s really working right, drip irrigation can effectively double your water supply. Drip irrigation might not sound like your idea of scintillating cocktail party chitchat, but the story of its discovery is a piece of Israeli lore. Israel isn’t the #1 driest country on earth, but neither is it Seattle. So Israel has more than a bit of history with irrigation. And from the beginning, it was always a matter of moving water around and then turning on the spigot. In the 1930s, a water engineer by the name of Simcha Blass was visiting a friend in the desert when he noticed a line of trees with one member that was noticeable taller and more robust looking than the others. He did a little digging, literally, and noticed that a household water line running along the tree line had spring a small leak in the area of that one tree and as feeding it with a steady drip drip drip of water. The wet spot on the surface didn’t seem like much, but down below was a large onion-shaped area of juicy soil. The idea of drip irrigation was born. Mr. Blass partnered with Kibbutz Hatzerim in the Negev desert to develop entire drip irrigation systems. He tinkered with variations on the idea, but when plastics became widely available in the 1960s, he finally had the ability to put drops of water precisely where he wanted, when he wanted; Mr. Blass and the kibbutz founded Netafim. Since then, Netafim has sold its systems in more than 100 countries worldwide. And, according to Mr. Barak, the more we ask of our planet’s limited water supply, the more Netafim’s systems will benefit the world. “Water has been declared to be a basic human right,” he says, “but we squander it with wasteful irrigation. Drip irrigation provides the ability to make water work harder and more productively than its ever done in the past.” Mr. Barak makes the point that if 15% of farms using conventional irrigation switched to drip irrigation, the supply of water available for domestic use would double. That statistic alone should make the world take notice. But Netafim’s drip irrigation systems do a lot more than just move water around the farm. “We’re not just talking about a hose with a hole,” says Mr. Barak. “The system is very sophisticated, because you need to make sure that the plants that are far from the valve get the same amount as the plants that are close to the valve. You have to be able to maintain consistency in a system that runs uphill, that runs downhill…Inconsistency equals waste, and the goal is to eliminate waste.” Mr. Barak adds that the very idea of water has changed since the company started. “In the 1960s, we were using plain drinking water. Today we use recycled water, waste water, brackish water…and we’re adding nutrients mixed in with the water, so that, in a way, what we’re really doing isn’t irrigation, it’s ‘fertigation.’” Dirt, nutrients, waste – all of this business going on in the water is what makes controlling it so tricky. And this is where the ingenuity of Netafim comes in – in the valves that control the actual drops of water. The valves are spaced precisely along the irrigation lines, and they must work in concert with one another. “These valves are what make the system work,” says Mr. Barak. “They are anti-clogging, self-cleaning, very sophisticated little mechanisms. They make it possible to get greater crop yields, greater crop control, while using significantly less water than we did just a few decades ago. How much less? In 1965 a typical drip irrigation system could use anywhere from two to four liters of water per hour, which was a vast improvement from the prevailing flood irrigation system. But now, a typical Netafim system will use half a liter per hour…and Netafim is still trying to get that number down. The main reason, Mr. Barak explains, is simple. “In the next 100 years we are going to have to produce more crops than we ever have, with far less environmental damage than we’re doing now.” Some are well on the way to achieving that goal. About 75 percent of Israeli farming is done with drip irrigation, with practically no flood irrigation at all. Drip irrigation accounts for about half of irrigation in California; South Africa is also a big user. But other areas of the world have yet to make the shift – and food is only one of the reasons why it’s important for them to do so. Because when you really dig in to the nuances of drip irrigation, you start to see how widespread its ramifications are. For example, by using water more efficiently, drip irrigation means you use less fertilizer. Fertilizer production is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Likewise, the growing market for biofuels will benefit from drip irrigation through the reduced cost of raising fuel crops. which will in turn aid in the spread of biofuels, which will reduce the production of greenhouse gasses, which will, in the long run, reduce the pressure on the world’s water supplies. There’s also a quality of life issue at stake here – and I’m not talking about watering lawns. There are places where the challenge is not managing water, but simply getting it. Netafim is in some of these places, and the changes they have made are remarkable. Mr. Barak tells of one Kenyan village where the women spent the bulk of their day carrying water from a small lake to the fields. With a drip irrigation system in place, not only are they realizing far higher crop yields, but the women are now freed up to spend their time far more productively than they were before…getting an education, for instance. It’s an open question whether we can push our existing water supplies to provide us with the food – let alone the ice cubes – to which we’ve become accustomed. But Netafim has already demonstrated an ability to take a productive technology and keep pushing it well beyond its initial boundaries. There’s no reason to think they can’t do the same for the world’s existing water supply. © 2017 Untold News

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Garden Talk: September 8, 2011 From NGA Editors Lemons for Limes If your garden produced a bounty of vegetables this summer, you may have had more than you and your family could eat at certain times. What to do with all that extra produce? Many of us share with friends and neighbors or donate surplus to local food pantries. Now a California gardener has come up with another innovative way for gardeners to share their gardening wealth. Lemons for Limes is a new website that allows gardeners within a community to share and trade the bounty of their home gardens and fruit trees, improving the availability of fresh, locally grown food and helping people move toward more sustainable living. The website is the brainchild of Lori Barudoni, a small-space gardener in Folsom, California. Last year her potted lime tree set a bumper crop and it occurred to her that there might be another gardener out there eager to trade a different type of produce for her surplus fruits. Thus Lemons for Limes was born. Gardeners can list the produce they have to trade and search for produce being offered by zip code. They can also enter a produce item not currently on offer on a "wish list" and get notification when it becomes available. Produce is traded on a points system. Points don't have to be redeemed right away, so a gardener with extra tomatoes in summer, for example, can use his or her points to get some fresh fruit in the fall. Barudoni sees her website as benefiting not only individuals who will have greater access to a variety of local produce and lower grocery bills, but to the planet as a whole as fewer resources go toward the transport of food from outside the community. "My hope is that lemonsforlimes.com will change the way people think about gardening and edible landscaping in relation to how it can be used to support sustainable living," she says. For more information, go to: Lemons for Limes. Hot Enough for You? Lots of gardeners across the country would probably answer with a resounding "Yes!" given the extreme heat in many areas this past summer. And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has the figures to back them up. According to their National Climatic Data Center, July temperatures in the central and eastern sections of the country broke long-standing daily and monthly records. The hot weather only exacerbated the effects of drought conditions that are as dry as or drier than those of historic droughts of the 1930's and 1950's. July was the warmest month ever on record in Texas and Oklahoma. In fact, Oklahoma's 88.9 degree F average temperature for the month was the warmest monthly statewide average temperature on record for any state during any month! Overall, this was the fourth warmest July on record in the United States. Was this summer an indication of what climate change might have in store for the future? While all this heat may be due to normal, if unpleasant, fluctuations in the weather, the statistics are sobering. Forty-one of the Lower 48 states had July temperatures that were above normal, even record setting. One aspect of the heat wave was unusually warm low temperatures at night and in early morning. This pattern has become more typical of heat waves in the last decade and mirrors the increasingly warm night temperatures that have been noted since the last part of the 20th century. To read more about this summer's heat wave, go to: NOAA. To get the answers to some frequently asked questions about global climate change from the National Climatic Data Center, go to: NCDC. Back to Eden Back to Eden is a new feature documentary that follows one man's revolutionary approach to organic gardening. "It's all about the covering!" is how Paul Gautschi enthusiastically describes his gardening method that mimics the self-sustaining design of nature. The film exemplifies how gardeners and farmers worldwide can easily transform their agricultural practice into a simple and productive process of growing food. Gautschi approaches gardening from a deeply spiritual perspective, so while the film addresses critical issues such as soil preparation, fertilization, irrigation, weed and pest control, crop rotation, and pH issues, it also touches on experiencing faith, seeking relationships, and the power of forming community. Highlighted interviews include diverse families and specialists in human ecology, nutrition, horticulture, and agriculture. Released this past August 2011 in select locations, the film is also available in its full content for free online viewing. To find out more about the film and view it online, go to Back to Eden. Fall Frost Dates Gardeners are becoming more and more interested in keeping their gardens as productive as possible into the fall and winter months. Whether growing in the open garden or using season extenders like traditional cold frames or the newer technology of row covers, low tunnels, and hoop houses, the first step in late season gardening success is knowing when the first fall frost is likely to strike. This information is easily available in graphic or tabular form from the National Climatic Data Center. Check out a nation-wide map of showing when you can expect temperatures of either 28 degrees F or 32 degrees F to help you figure out when plants need to be started in order to harvest a fall or winter crop. Also included are maps of the spring frost dates and frost-free season length. The tabular data lists three probabilities for the fall dates of 36, 32, and 28 degree temperatures for many locations within each state. To see the frost date maps, go to Frost Maps. To see the freeze/frost tables, go to Freeze/Frost. Report Index

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8 Ways To Hire Help Shelby Haag “Employers today are struggling to find the right people,” says Gary Maas, president of Agricareers, Inc. “It's hard to find employees who have the skills and competencies for the job, the values and behaviors that promote job satisfaction and the attitudes that motivate them to excel.” After spending an afternoon with a potential job candidate, Maas says it's tough to know if you'd like to work with him or her for years. The cost of hiring an unqualified person may far exceed the time requirements of finding out if the person is right for the job. Experts say the risk of hiring a bad worker can be minimized with a sound selection process and deliberate employee management system, and by following a few guidelines. KNOW WHAT YOU NEED Take time to evaluate the credentials of prospective employees, says Melvin Brees, farm management specialist at the University of Missouri. Create a job description that details the tasks of the position and establishes specifications and requirements needed to do the job. Also, remember that a job description should evolve with the business, position and employee. The best way to recruit skilled new employees is to make your business the kind of place where talented and hard-working people feel appreciated and valued, Maas says. Being a great employer makes it easier to retain quality people and develop a reputation of being the employer of choice. EVALUATE THE APPLICANTS Ask questions pertaining to specific farm-related situations. “Make sure you compare apples to apples so that every applicant has the same start,” Maas says. Written tests are good to gather general information and are an excellent tool when technical knowledge is required, while oral tests may help assess the applicant's communication ability and technical expertise. Individual interviews allow potential employers and employees to get to know each other. However, some applicants may sound very impressive during an interview and disappoint once on the job, or be nervous in an interview and miss their opportunity to shine. A practical test is useful because it requires the applicant to perform one or more of the skills the job requires, Maas says. These tests also demonstrate the applicant's thought process — can they ask questions, prioritize tasks and keep their composure if something went wrong? Have the applicant provide the names and phone numbers of past employers. While keeping in mind people have different perceptions and personalities, Maas recommends looking for patterns with previous employers. If the new employee will be working with current employees or family members, include them in the evaluation process. Also, remember that evaluation goes both ways — you may not get a great employee if you don't put your best foot forward, too. BE THE BOSS YOU WOULD WANT TO WORK FOR Ask yourself the question, “Would you like working for you?” No one ever said that employee management would be easy, but it doesn't have to be difficult. “Employee surveys have shown that the most important thing to employees is working for someone they trust and having a boss that looks out for them,” Maas says. LAY THE GROUND RULES No one likes to play in a game where the other players make up the rules as they go along. For many agricultural employees, that's exactly the kind of situation in which they work. Many agricultural managers fall into the common trap of assuming their employees know what's expected of them. The best way to establish rules is through an employee handbook. PROVIDE PROPER TRAINING “Even employees who are experienced in the industry will need training and orientation specific to your venture,” Brees says. “It's important that both employer and employee understand each other.” In fact, studies show it takes 30 days for a new employee to be fully oriented into a business and a year for an employee to be fully trained. It's also important to learn that there is more than one way to accomplish most tasks. “Training can help clarify the differences between the right way, the wrong way and your way,” Brees says. Every business speaks its own language and has its own routines, so be patient and thorough when teaching a new employee. MEET THE EMPLOYEE'S NEEDS Successful compensation packages are really total rewards systems, containing non-monetary, direct and indirect elements all based on the objectives of the employer and the needs of the employees. “Money is a big consideration, although other factors may be equally important,” Brees says. “As a farm manager, you should reappraise both the size and the composition of the wage package you offer employees.” Creative compensation alternatives are the small business's competitive advantage in hiring. Consider what monetary and non-monetary rewards your operation has to offer, and be sure employees comprehend them. UNDERSTAND EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION Every employer should be concerned about how satisfied their employees are with their jobs. Unfortunately, that's something that is usually hard to quantify. “Especially in agriculture employment, there is a feeling of achievement and many people find the work itself to be very rewarding,” Maas says. “Let employees grow in their job to increase skill level. Start out with a basic set of responsibilities and then offer advancement as the employee develops. People enjoy having responsibility and challenges.” Maas also says that sometimes over-analyzing situations can be destructive. “So many times managers focus on the employees who got away rather than the ones they have or could be missing out on.” he says. “One-sixth of employees who leave their job do so for reasons completely unrelated, and there's nothing that can be done about that.” Continue on Page 2 MAKING IT WORK “People consider more than wages, hours and fringe benefits of a job, so good employer-employee relations are important,” Brees says. “As in any job, loyalty to the business is a two-way street. The employer must believe in and support employees in their decisions and be willing to accept that employees will make a mistake. In turn, employees are more likely to devote themselves to jobs in a happy working environment than in an unhappy environment, even with higher wages and fringe benefits.” Brees adds that employees desire good “mental wages” — such as recognition and respect from their employer. On the other hand, the employer wants employees to show initiative and pride in their jobs and to contribute to a profitable business. “Being a good employer simply makes good economic sense,” Maas says. “Management is really just common sense — what you put in is what you get out.” SPEAK UP Want to learn more from those who have been there? Employers and employees shared comments on finding and keeping quality help through an online agriculture forum. Here are some of those suggestions: “A bonus is a good way to show someone that you appreciate what they do, but a ‘thank you’ and ‘well done’ go a whole lot further.” “I'm treated basically as a partner. My boss actually listens to me and considers what I say to be important and just as worthy of consideration as anyone else's info.” “Don't let the hired help do only the dirty work.” “If I make a mistake I'm never looked down upon or treated as a child; the boss knows that we're all human.” “Be generous with compliments. It doesn't cost much and pays dividends.” “Things work more smoothly when employer and employee understand each other's strengths and weaknesses.” “Let employees in on your plans; they need to know what's going on and what's next on the list.” “I treat my employee as a friend and a partner, after all we are in this together — we both need this to succeed.” “An attractive, well-equipped and well-run farm owned by a farmer known as a community leader and an all around nice guy usually gets the best help.” “Pay a wage that a provider can feed his family on, some people will take a pay cut to farm, but won't make the family suffer.” Syndicate Source URL: http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/8-ways-hire-help

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Welcome to the Animal Feeding Operations Database! The online Animal Feeding Operations database lets you access information about DNR’s regulated livestock and poultry facilities. You can - look up locations, animal numbers, construction reviews, environmental or geological reviews; and details about manure management plans, production areas, manure storage structures and treatment systems. Facilities IncludedNot all animal feeding operations are listed. Most of the roughly 8,000 facilities you can find are the larger operations that were required to get a permit or a manure management plan. Other operations volunteered to provide information to the DNR or have had a compliance issue. Generally, there are two types of facilities: confinements (totally roofed) or open feedlots (partially or totally unroofed). Regulations differ depending on the size, type and age of the facility. Finding a FacilityClick on Search at the top of the page to find a facility. You can search by location (in the left-hand column) or facility characteristics (in the right-hand column). The fastest way to find a facility is to type in the 5-digit Facility ID number and then click on the “Search” button near the bottom. If you don’t know the Facility ID, you can search by facility name or the owner’s name. Search results will appear at the bottom of the page. Click on the red arrow to the left of the facility you are interested in. Click on Site Map in the upper left-hand to see facility locations on an interactive mapping Web site known as Facility Explorer. Find basic National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit information and compliance and enforcement actions on the Facility Summary page. Summary ReportsClick on the Reports link at the top of the page to create summary reports such as the number of regulated facilities in the state, a region of the state or a watershed. AccuracyUnfortunately, because data from previous data systems have been imported into the online database, the DNR cannot guarantee the accuracy and completeness of the available information. Some of the historic data, such as animal numbers, were collected using different categories than are used today. Also, changes in facility operation are not always known or tracked with more than 8,000 facilities in the system. Producers who notice inaccurate information should contact their local DNR Field office to ask for corrections. Eventually, as resources permit, electronic documents will be added to the system. Until then, most records will be available at the central office and/or the appropriate field office. More Information Go to the Help link in the upper right-hand corner for how to use this application. You will also find links to a detailed user manual and a list of terms and definitions. For more information on regulations and requirements, see the DNR’s Animal Feeding Operations Web site. Site Policy AFO Siting Atlas AFO Home State of Iowa Home [email protected] © Iowa Department of Natural Resources

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Select a Country Improving Agriculture Featured Collaborating on Sustainable Agriculture It’s important to know how your food is produced, why it’s produced that way and how the world can produce enough to feed itself in the coming years. We invite you to take a look at the collaborations we are making in agriculture, and to learn more about Monsanto. Partnerships & Projects Field to Market Honey Bee Health The Monarch Butterfly Monsanto's Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program Seedbed of the Future Youth Focused Partnerships Why Does Agriculture Need to Be Improved? What Is Monsanto Doing to Help? How Are We Doing It? Agronomy and Weed Science Student Receives 2015 Will D. Carpenter Distinguished Field Scientist Graduate Assistantship September 22, 2015 Monsanto Company Adds Patricia Verduin, Ph.D., to Board of Directors September 22, 2015 Monsanto Gift to the University of Illinois Helps to Create State-of-the-Art Soils Lab September 21, 2015 State Historical Marker Commemorates Iconic DEKALB Winged Ear Symbol September 17, 2015 Featured Monsanto Recognized as Platinum Sponsor at National FFA Convention Last month, Monsanto was recognized at National FFA Convention as one of the five platinum sponsors of the National FFA Foundation in Louisville, Ky. Check out our infographic highlighting a few of the focus areas Monsanto supports within the FFA sponsorship. Products Agricultural Seeds Monsanto BioAg Traits and Technologies Weed Control Products Glyphosate and Roundup Agricultural Seed Traits, Technologies and Partnering INTACTA RR2 PRO Soybeans INTACTA RR2 PRO™ soybeans are the first‐ever insect-protected trait in soybeans, providing consistent and reliable control of lepidopteran pests. INTACTA RR2 PRO™ soybeans are... 2015 Research & Development Pipeline Take a peek through the window into agriculture's future by learning more about the products in our research and development pipeline... Featured Discover Monsanto At Monsanto, we understand the importance of accessibility to a balanced meal, which is why we are working alongside farmers, researchers, and other experts to come up with a range of sustainable solutions to help nourish our growing world. It's time for a bigger discussion about food, be part of the conversation. Social Responsibility and Sustainability Report STEM and Education Monsanto at a Glance Company Leadership Corporate Governance Company History Partnering and Licensing Monsanto Growth Ventures Procurement Our Locations Contact Us Improving AgricultureImproving AgricultureWhy Does Agriculture Need to Be Improved?A Brief History of AgricultureHow Agriculture Is Connected to the PlanetGrowing Populations, Growing ChallengesOrganic and Conventional AgricultureWhat Is Monsanto Doing to Help?How Are We Doing It?Features Home / Improving Agriculture / Why Does Agriculture Need to Be Improved / What Is Agriculture For most of human history, we were hunter-gatherers. And then, about 10,000 years ago, we began to domesticate plants and animals as a way to make our food supply more accessible and predictable. In many ways, the birth of agriculture can be defined as the moment we stopped chasing our food and started raising it. As humans have advanced agriculture, agriculture has reshaped human civilization. For the most part, these changes have been good ones. But as we enter a new era of human history, agriculture faces new challenges and new responsibilities. The origins of agriculture Without a time machine, it’s impossible to know the exact date on which the first human held a seed in his or her hand and thought: “If I plant this in the ground, I’ll know exactly where to find food in a few months.” What we do know is that sometime around 8,500 BC, humans in the Fertile Crescent (an area that stretches through modern-day Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Iraq) slowly started to plant grains, instead of gathering them in the wild. By 7,000 BC, they also began to domesticate animals such as sheep, pigs and goats. A thousand years later, they domesticated cattle. Before the advent of agriculture, humans were nomadic, traveling constantly in search of wild animals and grain. With the rise of agriculture as a predictable, centralized source of food, they suddenly had an incentive to stay put. Cities began to form. In this way, agriculture began to change not only the human diet, but human civilization as well. Where Did Crops Originate? Macadamia Nut The CRANBERRY is one of only three commercially produced fruits that are native to North America. The other two are blueberries and Concord grapes. [source] The SUNFLOWER is one of the few crops that are native to North America. Most experts believe it was domesticated by Native American tribes around 1000 B.C. [source] Most expert agree that MAIZE, or corn, was domesticated in the Tehuacan Valley in Mexico. [source] There are four types of cotton cultivated today-two from the new world and two from the old world. All were domesticated independently for their fiber. New world cotton such as pima and upland cotton were first domesticated in Peru and Mexico. Old world cotton was cultivated in India and Pakistan, and Arabia and Syria.[source]and [source] The TOMATO originated in South America and some varieties still grow wild in the Andes Mountains. Before Christopher Columbus, the Italians had no tomato sauce! [source] Like the tomato, the POTATO can trace its origins to the Andes Mountains in South America. It was first cultivated around 7,000 years ago. [source] The PEANUT was excavated from archaeological sites on the western slopes of the northern Peruvian Andes [source] Most experts agree that the WATERMELON was first cultivated in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. [source] The precise origin of barley is unclear, but it appeared in the Fertile Crescent (an area that runs through modern-day Egypt, Syria and Iraq) around 10,000 BC. [source] Coffee was initially discovered in highlands of Ethiopia. By the 15th century, it was actively cultivated in what is now Yemen. [source] The origins of WHEAT have been dated between 10,500 and 9500 yr B.P. in the region of southeastern Turkey and northern Syria [source] The origins of the SOYBEAN have been traced to the eastern half of North China around 10,000 BC. [source] Researchers have long debated whether rice was first domesticated in China or India. Recent evidence suggests it first appeared 9,000 years ago in the Yangtze Valley of China. [source] Interestingly, the MACADAMIA NUT is the only commercially produced crop that originated in Australia. [source] Gradual advancement Over the next 8,500 years, agriculture evolved relatively slowly. Through trial and error, farmers around the world began to breed better plants. They naturally noticed that not all plants within a species were the same. Some grew larger, tasted better or were easier to grind into meal. They simply began to save seeds from the best plants and sow them for the next year’s harvest. Over hundreds of generations, this led to the transformation of wild plants into the larger, tastier grains and vegetables we know today. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, stone and wooden tools were replaced by stronger, more efficient metal tools. However, farming remained a time- and labor-intensive pursuit that involved nearly 80% of the world’s population. The agricultural revolution From 800 to 1400 A.D., the tools of farming remained essentially unchanged. The early colonists in North America used plows that were no different or better than the plows used during the Roman Empire. Then suddenly, during the 18th and 19th centuries, agricultural innovation exploded. Plow design was improved and an Englishman named Jethro Tull invented the world’s first seed drill, a device that allowed seeds to be planted quickly in neat, straight rows. Horse-drawn, mechanized harvesting equipment—like Cyrus McCormick’s reaper—quickly followed. Farmers could now plant and harvest in a fraction of the time is used to take them. Agricultural productivity soared. Industrialization During the 20th century, gasoline-powered machines began to replace traditional, horse-drawn equipment. This, combined with advancements in fertilizer and pesticide technology after World War II, allowed agricultural productivity to take another leap forward. The new technological efficiencies meant farmers could manage more land. Over time, this led to fewer, larger farms. For developed countries, it also led to a shift in the labor force. In the United States, for example, the percentage of the workforce engaged in farming dropped from 40% (in 1900), to just 2% (in 2000). Because fewer of us lived on farms, it became easier to forget how crops were grown, processed and shipped. In the more developed countries, at least, food became an available, affordable commodity that came from “somewhere else.” Post-industrialization Between 1900 and 2012, the world’s population grew from 1.6 billion to more than 7 billion. In 1700, only 7% of the earth’s surface was used for agriculture. Today it is more than 40%. And only a portion the land that is left is currently suitable for growing crops. Clearly, agriculture is at a crossroads. The world needs to produce more food than ever before, while conserving the limited resources we have available. Where we go from here will require the ingenuity and cooperation of farmers, companies, governments, universities and citizens alike. Learn more about Monsanto's history of involvement in agriculture: Company History, Interactive Presentation World History for Us All, project of San Diego State University Agricultural Biotechnology (A Lot More than Just GM crops), ISAAA Monsanto Homepage Partnering & Licensing Traits & Technologies Improving Agriculture Monsanto Gift Store America's Farmers Asgrow & DEKALB Deltapine Discover Monsanto Genuity Monsanto Fund Monsanto Vegetable Seeds Roundup Ready PLUS ©2002–2015 Monsanto Company - All Rights Reserved Sitemap | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

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Stink bugs: Get them with traps before they get your home and garden The new Rescue stink bug trap is harmless and odorless to people and pets; find it at stores such as Lowe's and Home Depot. Courtesy Rescue! Courtesy Rescue! Out of sight should not mean out of mind. The "great awakening" is upon us; stink bugs are ready to mate and multiply. Stink bugs have been called one of the most serious agricultural and ornamental pests ever seen in the United States. It is estimated stink bugs do millions of dollars of damage to crops and gardens each year. They particularly like fruit and berries, juicy tomatoes and veggies. With nationwide record-setting warmer winter and mild spring temperatures, stink bugs are showing up earlier than many anticipated. "In the Mid-Atlantic region they're appearing from one to two weeks earlier than we normally see and are in the process of moving outdoors," says Dr. George Hamilton, chair of the Department of Entomology at Rutgers University. Hamilton says the brown marmorated stink bugs are a particular problem with the potential to wreak havoc on agriculture and home gardens at almost every growth stage. With the early spring and plants coming out sooner and the possibility of warmer weather extending into fall, some scientists are wondering if there's a potential for two generations of stink bugs showing up further north than they've seen before. Dr. Qing-He Zhang, PhD, lead scientist and director of research at Sterling International, has developed a safe and effective solution for home gardeners to use outdoors. The RESCUE!® Stink Bug Trap, catches adult stink bugs and the ravenous younger generations that feed on gardens and fruit bearing shrubs and trees. Rod Schneidmiller, president of Sterling International, developer of the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap explains why it is important to trap stink bugs now. "It's of the utmost importance to reduce the numbers of stink bugs now, to catch them before they mate and multiply," says Schneidmiller. "Breaking the stink bug life cycle is critical because it is estimated that one female stink bug can potentially lay up to 400 eggs." Since stink bugs first appeared from Asia in 1998 near Allentown, PA, their numbers have exploded with the highest concentration in what has become known as the "red zone" states, including Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. And they're on the move hitching rides across the nation. According to United States Dept of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ ARS) in Beltsville, MD, four more states - Missouri, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas - have reported sightings of invasive stink bugs, bringing the total to more than 37 states. The RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap lures, captures and destroys these destructive pests using patent-pending technology that slowly releases a pheromone that's odorless to humans and formulated to lure stink bugs from up to 30 feet. The non-toxic delivery system is similar to what Sterling has successfully used in other RESCUE! traps for pests. Celebrating its 30th year in business, Sterling International, Inc. offers RESCUE! traps and attractants for wasps, hornets, yellowjackets, flies, Japanese beetles and Oriental beetles. Look for these products and the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap at home improvement centers, hardware stores and lawn & garden retailers throughout the U.S. All traps are manufactured in the USA at Sterling's headquarters in Spokane, Washington. For more information and tips on how to beat stink bugs, visit http://www.rescue.com and its new site, http://www.stinkbugsmackdown.com or follow RESCUE! on Facebook. Visit the site for a list of retailers near you.Posted by Kathy Van Mullekom; [email protected] KATHY:http://pinterest.com/digginin/www.roomandyard.com http://www.facebook.com/#!/kathy.vanmullekom www.twitter.com/diggindirt Copyright

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US Farm Report Home Tractor Tales AgDay Ace Your Farm's Accounting Tyne Morgan Forward Contracting Leads to Long-term Success USFR Segments USFR Segments Home Marketing Roundtable Baxter Black Read the Weekly Recap Alison Rice How to Market Your Grain Right Now Filling Your Grain Bins? Consider Calls to Manage the Risk Analysts Expect Spring Rally for Stored Grain USFR Market Analysts USFR Market Analysts Home Meet Our Panel of Experts USFR Team USFR Team Home John's Commentary John's Commentary Home John's World Find USFR Find USFR Home Find a Station Showing USFR Agweb HomeUS Farm Report HomeNewsReactions to EPA’s Renewable Fuel Proposal TAGS: Marketing, Overseas By Sara Schafer Reactions to EPA’s Renewable Fuel Proposal November 15, 2013 08:02 AM For the past few weeks, there have been rumblings that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had plans to reduce the ethanol mandate, officially known as the Renewable Fuels Standard. The agency’s official proposal was released this afternoon. EPA proposed a range of 15 billion to 15.52 billion gallons of renewable fuel in 2014. That range for fuels such as corn-based ethanol and biodiesel compares to a quota in 2007 legislation that called for 18.15 billion gallons. Here are the industry’s reactions: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack: "The Obama Administration remains committed to the production of clean, renewable energy from homegrown sources, and to the businesses that are hard at work to create the next generation of biofuels. It's important to take a long-term approach to the RFS. Clearly, as Governor of Iowa and as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, my support for the RFS has been steady and strong. But I also believe that improved distribution and increased consumer use of renewable fuels are critical to the future of this industry. We are proud of our record to support increased demand for renewable fuels. USDA has invested in the creation of advanced biorefineries across the nation; developed a unique partnership with the U.S. Navy and Department of Energy to create new biofuels for marine and aviation use; and boosted markets for nearly 3,000 U.S. companies that are creating biobased products from homegrown materials. I am pleased that EPA is requesting comments on how we can help the biofuels industry expand the availability of high-ethanol blends, and I hope the industry uses the comment period to provide constructive suggestions." American Farm Bureau Federation: The American Farm Bureau Federation is disappointed in the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed reduction in the amount of ethanol that must be blended into the nation’s gasoline supply," says Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation. "This decision strikes a blow to conventional ethanol production as well as dampens the prospects for advanced biofuels." "The intent of the Renewable Fuels Standard revised in 2007 (RFS2) was to get more renewable fuels into our nation’s pipeline and move beyond the E10 fuel blend. Today’s announcement from EPA moves us in the opposite direction. This decision has the potential to pull the plug on new technologies and investments that are currently in place and needed to produce advanced biofuels. "The ethanol industry, from farmers to investors and everyone in between, needs stability and certainty." National Corn Growers Association: "This recommendation is ill-advised and should be condemned by all consumers because it is damaging to our tenuous economy and short-sighted regarding the nation’s energy future," said NCGA President Martin Barbre. "Agriculture has been a bright spot in a failing U.S. economy, but current corn prices are below the cost of production. EPA’s ruling would be devastating for family farmers and the entire rural economy." The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed renewable volume obligations set the annual targets for the utilization of cellulosic, biodiesel, advanced and total renewable fuel within our transportation fuels. The proposed rule caps corn-based (or conventional) ethanol at 13 billion gallons. These proposed volume obligations are a drastic reduction from the mandated RVOs in statute. Today’s proposed rule cuts 1.4 billion gallons from the conventional ethanol cap that was set at 14.4 billion gallons. "Ethanol and the RFS have been a great success story. Now, the EPA is sending a terrible message that we no longer have a long-term energy policy for biofuels, which was the original intent of this forward-thinking legislation. The Administration has clearly backed away from their commitment to renewable energy and this proposal blatantly contradicts the President’s Climate Action Plan," Barbre said. "The goal of the RFS is to reduce our dependence on imported oil to make our country more energy independent and more secure. It has done that while also revitalizing rural America." American Soybean Association: In response to a Proposed Rule for the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard Required Volume Obligations (RVO) issued today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Soybean Association expressed concern that the biomass-based diesel levels for 2014 and 2015 would be reduced below the amount actually produced in 2013. The rule, which establishes the amount of biofuels that obligated parties must utilize for 2014 and the amount of biomass-based diesel for 2014 and 2015, proposes a biomass-based diesel RVO of 1.28 billion gallons, less than the amount produced by the industry in 2013. EPA has also proposed to reduce the total advanced biofuels requirement, which also limits the opportunities for biodiesel. "The level set forth in the proposal is unnecessarily low and will stifle the growth and job creation potential demonstrated by the biodiesel industry over the past several years," said Danny Murphy, a soybean, corn and wheat farmer from Canton, Miss., and ASA’s president. "Biodiesel, including biodiesel produced from soybean oil, is the most prevalent advanced biofuel currently produced in the United States. Biodiesel is the first and only EPA-designated Advanced Biofuel to reach 1 billion gallons of annual production. The industry has met or exceeded the RFS Biomass-based Diesel volume requirements each year they have been in place." ASA will continue to work with EPA and industry partners to demonstrate the flaws represented by this proposal and looks forward to achieving a final rule that does not hinder the momentum and positive economic benefits generated by biodiesel. "The biodiesel industry is on track to produce at least 1.7 billion gallons of biodiesel in 2013, and can match or surpass that production level in 2014," added Murphy. "By keeping the RVO target at the lower 1.28 billion gallon level, EPA would be limiting an industry that is supporting jobs, providing a valuable market for soybean farmers, and in turn lowering the price for the protein-rich soybean meal used in animal feed." Advanced Ethanol Council: "While only a proposed rule at this point, this is the first time that the Obama Administration has shown any sign of wavering when it comes to implementing the RFS," said Brooke Coleman, Executive Director of the Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC). "EPA is in the right ballpark for cellulosic biofuels, and we are confident that the final number will be the right one for the industry in 2014. But bigger picture issues must be resolved in the final rule because advanced biofuel investors also pay attention to the big picture." The Council pointed to unnecessary reductions to the advanced biofuel pool, unfounded concern about imaginary blend walls, and not enough faith in the mechanics of the RFS program among certain Administration officials as the primary issues that need to be resolved during the comment period. "What we’re seeing is the oil industry taking one last run at trying to convince administrators of the RFS to relieve the legal obligation on them to blend more biofuel based on clever arguments meant to disguise the fact that oil companies just don’t want to blend more biofuel. The RFS is designed to bust the oil monopoly. It’s not going to be easy," added Coleman. U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry: "The so-called blend wall is a crisis manufactured by the oil industry, which is interested in eliminating the competition so they can continue reaping even greater windfall profits. The proposed rule could cost thousands of good paying clean energy jobs and mean less competition at the pump. I urge the administration to take a hard look at how this could seriously set back growth at a crucial time when tremendous progress is being made toward commercial-scale production of advanced biofuels. "I’m committed to working with the EPA to ensure new standards don’t stand in the way of American innovation. It’s important we continue growing and expanding access to homegrown fuels that not only reduce our dependence on foreign fuel, but also create jobs here and grow the U.S. economy." Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, a member of the House Agriculture Committee: "Today’s proposal from the EPA to reduce the amount of renewable fuels defies common sense. Not only would this proposal hurt Illinois farmers, rural communities and our state’s economy, but it could also drive up prices at the gas pump and increase our dependence on foreign sources of oil. I’ll continue fighting for the health of our region’s economy and to keep our country safer and more secure by standing with both Democrats and Republicans in opposing this insensible proposal." Ethanol Report Sparks Strong Reactions 11/12/2013 10:33:00 AM AP Ethanol Report: 'It's Just Not True' 11/12/2013 11:33:00 AM EPA Proposes Cut in Renewable Fuel Quota 11/15/2013 1:41:00 PM Comments

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2013-05-13 Linde invests in crop science as challenge to food security intensifies Linde invests in crop science as challenge to food security intensifies Munich, 13 May 2013 – Linde Gases, a division of the Linde Group, today announced the launch of its Crop Science business. The re-energised product and service offering – previously referred to as its "fumigants" business – is recognition of Linde's renewed commitment to combating the increasing challenges facing the world food supply chain. Tomorrow also marks the opening of Linde's new plant in the Czech Republic, which will manufacture the group's latest environmentally friendly fumigant. The new fumigant, to be marketed as EDN®, will be used to limit the impact of pests and disease on timber and in agriculture.1 Global research by the Department of Agriculture and Food in Australia has confirmed that a third of the world's food supply is lost or wasted – enough to feed over two billion people. Over half of this food loss is attributable to destruction by crop pests. There are an estimated 70,000 species of crop pests responsible for over 1.4 trillion US dollars of economic losses each year, and as crop pests are predicted to outpace the growth of environmental pests and animal diseases over the next 20 years, this problem will only intensify. Leading Linde's Crop Science program, gas applications manager, Chris Dolman, said, "Unwanted and harmful organisms are an increasingly global and complex problem, ranging from microorganisms such as bacteria and moulds to arthropods such as insects and spiders, to specific types of plants." The issue of crop pests is further aggravated by population growth. Predications around food production indicate that food growth will need to increase by 70 to 100 percent over the next 30 years to meet demand.2 Globalisation and the movement of people and goods also create new opportunities for pests: entry into new geographical regions, the finding of new vectors, hosts and environments, and the development of new genetic combinations. With these challenges in mind, Linde's newly formed Crop Science business will offer innovative fumigant products to protect both food produce itself and the producer's investment, while allowing for genuine sustainable agriculture. The products are highly effective substitutes for the universal – and now mainly banned component – Methyl bromide (MBr), which has for some time been the global standard for fumigation. Linde's fumigant product range is considerably more environmentally friendly and comprises of naturally occurring active ingredients that degrade to earth-friendly metabolites. The fumigant range also fully complies with UN Directives, such as the Montreal Protocol, and has no known global warming potential. Dolman added, "The move to strengthen our Crop Science business reinforces Linde's commitment to food security and to help protect the global food supply chain. Linde has always played a pioneering role in innovative gas technologies and has a strong heritage in environmental care and scientific research. It is well placed to lead the way with innovative solutions for crop protection." Linde's innovative Crop Science product range includes VAPORMATE™ and EDN™. Linde also has a dedicated team to ensure farmers and producers select the most appropriate fumigant product to meet their needs and to comply with local regulatory requirements. Further information can be found at http://cropscience.linde-gas.com In recognition of Linde's dedicate to sustainabilty performance, in September 2012 the Group was added to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI World). Analysts at the Sustainable Asset Management Group (SAM) recognised in particular the Group's activities in the areas of climate change, environmental management systems and risk and crisis management.3 The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 62,000 employees in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2012 financial year, Linde generated revenue of EUR 15.280 bn. The strategy of the Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development. For more information, see The Linde Group online at www.linde.com Linde Gases Division Phone +44.7825.853814 Clare Daly or Suzy Greenwood Hill + Knowlton Strategies Phone +44.207.973-5912 or +44.207.413-3348 E-Mail: clare.daly@ or suzy.greenwood@ Dollars and Cents of Biosecurity, Economic Impact as Part of Pest Risk Analysis and Communication - http://www.biosecurity.wa.gov.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ARzcPVyFEpY%3D&tabid=190 1 Based on ethanedinitrile, EDN® is an ozone friendly alternative to methyl bromide (MeBr), which was banned in many countries in 1992 by the Montreal protocol due to its ozone-depleting effects. EDN® surpasses the efficacy of MeBr, requires less dosage per crop, has a shorter fumigation period and has the additional benefit of leaving residues that degrade to become useful soil fertilisers. 2 Current and emerging threats to impact plant industry on global food security - http://www.biosecurity.wa.gov.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=s20m7esxhjQ%3D&tabid=190 3 The internationally renowned share index for sustainability performance selects the top 10 percent among the 2,500 largest companies listed on the Dow Jones Global Index. The companies represent 58 different industry sectors and are ranked by SAM analysts according to various environmental, economic and social criteria.

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Home Archived Issues Ag/Rural Show Guide FTP Upload Information Best of NAMA 2015 Latest Ag Agencies Listing Forms Agri-Marketing Conf More NAMA ALLIED AG GROUPS MEET WITH HOUSE'S MINORITY WHIP TO PRESS FOR FARM BILLDec. 6, 2012Source: American Soybean Association news release American Soybean Association (ASA) President Steve Wellman and Vice President Richard Wilkins joined fellow farmer-leaders from the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Milk Producers Federation, National Corn Growers Association and the National Association of Wheat Growers in a meeting today with House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to reiterate the critical importance of finishing a new, five-year farm bill before the 112th Congress adjourns. "We appreciate the opportunity to meet with Minority Whip Hoyer and his staff today. It is imperative that the Minority Whip and all of the House leadership understand the importance of passing a new farm bill to provide certainty for farmers heading into 2013. The bill represents a good-faith investment in an agriculture industry that has been one of the bright spots in the American economy," said Wellman, a farmer from Syracuse, Neb., who grows soybeans, corn, wheat, alfalfa and raises cattle. "It is critical that we sustain that progress, and ASA and our colleagues in the farm community are committed to working together to do so. We have come to the bargaining table with concrete spending reductions, and remain the only industry that has done so. We are, as we have been, open to compromise, provided that the end product is a new, five-year farm bill that enables America's farmers to continue producing the safest and most abundant food supply in the world." House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) have both given commitments to address the farm bill in the lame duck session, however any effort appears to be delayed as the House remains divided in discussions on the fiscal cliff. "We hope that, as Congress tackles the fiscal cliff, the farm bill will be resolved as well, but we would remind our elected representatives that the issues we tackle as farmers can't be solved by political posturing or placing blame," added Wilkins, who grows soybeans, corn, wheat, barley, vegetables, hay and raises cattle in Greenwood, Del. "We face real challenges every day, and we need real solutions in place to manage risk, protect resources, encourage conservation, foster research and innovation, and grow our market opportunities. The farm bill holds solutions in each of these areas, and we encourage the House to get to work immediately to pass this bill." ASA will continue to meet with congressional leaders to encourage passage of a new, five-year farm bill between now and the adjournment of the 112th Congress. ASA represents all U.S. soybean farmers on domestic and international issues of importance to the soybean industry. ASA's advocacy efforts are made possible through the voluntary membership in ASA by more than 21,000 farmers in 30 states where soybeans are grown.Tweet Proudly associated with: All content © Copyright 2016, Henderson Communications LLC. | User Agreement

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Wednesday, 20 August 2014 14:37 Reclaiming the landscape: Greenhouse project to spur habitat restoration Written by Holly Kays Under a clear sky and afternoon sun, the winding road through Cherokee and out past Birdtown is a beautiful one. It’s a trek that employees at the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Office of Environment and Natural Resources have been making a lot over the past several months. With the ribbon now cut on a 2,200-square-foot greenhouse and a black-clothed grow yard filled with 33,000 native plants representing 32 species, they’ve finally got something to show for it. “By this fall we’ll have over 100,000 plants,” says project manager Patrick Breedlove, looking out over the yard of potted natives. Those pots represent just the starting stock for what Breedlove eventually hopes to see covering the yard and growing along Cherokee stream banks. The department is continuing to get more species in — largely from the N.C. Forest Service, which has given the Eastern Band a reduced price — with plans to gather still more from the backcountry. Come fall, they’ll take cuttings of all the plants and start growing those cuttings into new plants. Those baby plants will go in the greenhouse for the winter while their roots grow and their stems harden into wood, and from there they’ll move to a soon-to-be-erected cold-weather hoop house. The last stop will be a return to the grow yard when the weather gets warm, where they’ll await planting in some tribal restoration project. Meanwhile, another batch will be growing up six months behind. “Our goal in three to five years is for us to provide all plants, not just for environmental-based projects but to land-based projects that need native plants,” Breedlove said. The tribe doesn’t reveal cost figures for projects, but the propagation operation, with its automated greenhouse and irrigation system, soon-to-be-installed tower lights and security system and the impending renovation of a historic house onsite that will serve as an office didn’t come cheaply. But within three years, Breedlove said, the greenhouse operation will have paid for itself. A plus for propagation The plants will mainly be used in restoration projects to improve waterside habitats and wildlife forage. Before, the Eastern Band has had to buy all those plants from some other supplier, but it’s a whole lot cheaper to grow them in-house. For instance, a rhododendron in one gallon of soil costs $3.30 to buy, but only about $0.60 to propagate. “For some of them, we’re about 10 or 15 percent of cost,” Breedlove said. It’s the potential for cost savings that initially sparked Breedlove’s interest in the greenhouse idea. He started looking into the dollars and cents in 2012, submitting a financial analysis to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which funds ECBI restoration projects. The funds were approved in October, with 99 percent of the money coming from the EPA, though a whole laundry list of partners donated supplies, volunteers, professional advice and the remainder of the cash. By January, the first ground was broken, and by July the greenhouse was ready to go. “I detailed my whole department down here for the last two weeks,” said Jamie Long, manager of the Office of Environment and Natural Resources. “We worked every day, long hours.” The result? A greenhouse capable of holding two batches of 80,000 plants each year. The building has LED lighting as well as grow lights, and the roof pieces can open up to let heat out when the building gets too hot. It’s made of tempered glass, not polycarbonate, which turns yellow and starts blocking light after a few years in service. A weather station monitors metrics such as humidity and temperature, adjusting with heating, fans or irrigation as needed to meet the settings. A pair of 5,000-gallon rain barrels stand on either side of the building, ready to catch any rain running off the roof. Just one month in, they each hold 1,500 gallons. “Once we use that in the greenhouse, once we catch it off the roof, we water the plants with it,” Breedlove said of the rainwater. The plants in question are the thousands of pots gathered on the 1.4-acre grow yard beside the greenhouse. The greenhouse itself is empty at the moment, waiting until cooler weather comes to be filled with plants. Five species are slated for the first round of propagation: Carolina rhododendron, Catawba rhododendron, mountain laurel, doghobble, silky dogwood and black willow. They’ll root in the greenhouse throughout the winter. Then, once their stems grow woody, they’ll be transferred into a hoop house to be set up beside the greenhouse. A hoop house is a kind of semi-permanent greenhouse consisting of plastic stretched over a metal frame, but unlike the greenhouse it won’t be heated. Rather, it will serve as a transition between the cozy greenhouse and seasonal elements a native plant must adapt to. From there, they’ll be shipped out to streamsides throughout the Cherokee reservation. The OENR is actively involved in restoring riparian zones, the name for habitats that grow up along running water. Those areas are often easy targets for invasive species, which squelch native diversity and don’t provide much for wildlife when it comes to food and cover. Riparian zones can also fall prey to erosion when the shallower roots of invasives allow stream banks to collapse or the river channel starts digging into the banks. By removing undesirable species and replanting with natives, restoration projects keep natural systems in Cherokee working like they’re supposed to. “Our goal is to restore it before there is any impact to it, whether that be manmade or natural,” Breedlove said. Stabilizing Snowbird This fall, Breedlove’s office is planning the largest-scale restoration project yet, involving 5,600 feet along Snowbird Creek. “That’s the largest project we’ve ever done here on the reservation,” he said. The project will require 100,000 native plants, well outside the normal range of 20,000 to 40,000. It will involve removing some invasives, breaking up an abandoned beaver dam that’s been degrading trout habitat and reshaping the channel to a more natural contour. Having the greenhouse onsite will allow the OENR to do more of those kinds of projects. The office operates on consistent funding from the EPA, so its budget won’t change as a result of the greenhouse. But because they’ll now be able to produce more plants for less money, they’ll have more capacity for restoration. “It’s cost savings so we’ll be able to do more larger projects,” Breedlove said. Of course, the extra plants will require some extra work to pot and propagate. The department isn’t planning to hire any extra staff, though. Rather, they’re relying on summer interns and volunteers from the Oconaluftee Job Corps. Those volunteers have helped out a lot already, chipping in to pot the thousands of plants that have been coming in over the summer to reside in the outdoor grow yard. “We have a lot of volunteers,” Breedlove said. Cultural conservation Maybe that’s because plant propagation isn’t just an environmental project. It’s a cultural project. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources has a region-by-region list of native plants to help out localities wanting to plan restoration projects, but the Eastern Band doesn’t go by that list. They have their own, which includes plants with large root masses capable of holding riparian soil in place, those producing berries tasty to wildlife and plants with especially high cultural value to the Cherokee people. For instance, Breedlove said, when it comes to selecting species for restoration, “an oak is an oak,” but lately he’s been trying to plant a higher proportion of white oaks. “White oaks are culturally significant to the Eastern Band,” he said. “They use them to make baskets.” Another example is the black walnut, used for its edible nut as well as for the stain surrounding the fruit that yields black ink or dye. Berry bushes and fruit trees also appear in the species list, planted to attract game animals like grouse and turkey. “Our list is just more specialized for tribal lands,” Breedlove said. As the stockpile of trees and bushes outside the greenhouse grows and multiplies, Breedlove is looking forward to the imminent multiplication of healthy habitat on the Qualla Boundary. And he’s glad that his office is on the road to making that happen. “It was a lot of work, but we got it finished,” Long said, “and it really turned out well.” Latest from Holly Kays Saving Preacher Bear zoo case will go to appeal Casino board member under investigation Cherokee debates captive bear laws Cherokee Bear Zoo survives lawsuit Bowling alley coming to Cherokee Cherokee re-examines adventure park idea Corruption found in preliminary Cherokee audit results

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US food conference fails to unite farmers on GM crops Tuesday 1 July 2003 21.20 EDT The Killer Tomatoes Meet the Sacramento Riot Police may sound more like the title of a horror movie than the summary of one of the largest conferences ever held on the future of food, but last week's gathering in the Californian state capital was no ordinary event. To the organisers of the ministerial conference and expo on agricultural science and technology, who consisted mainly of various branches of the US government, it was about helping poor nations address hunger through new farming technologies.Ministers from more than 100 countries accepted invitations to attend. To the protesters who demonstrated throughout the event, it was a cynical last-ditch attempt by the US government to bail out the American biotechnology industry in general - and its largest practitioner, Monsanto, in particular. So what came out of the official and unofficial gatherings? As far as Ann Veneman, the US agriculture secretary, was concerned, it was a chance to spread the word of the benefits of technology in general. In her keynote speech, she said: "Biotechnology is already helping both small- and large-scale farmers around the world by boosting yields, lowering costs, reducing pesticide use and making crops more resistant to disease, pests and drought." She said the aim of the conference was to help developing countries reduce world hunger by 2015 - the date set by agriculture secretaries at the World Food summit last year in response to statistics that indicate that 800 million people currently face chronic hunger or malnutrition. The US is currently mounting a very aggressive campaign in support of bio-technology aimed at forcing the European Union to end its ban on genetically modified food, a demand that will be brought to the World Trade Organisation conference in Cancun, Mexico, in September. President George Bush became part of this campaign last week when he told 5,000 delegates at the Biotechnology Industry Organisation conference in Washington that opposition to GM food was impeding efforts to fight starvation in Africa. "For the sake of a continent threatened by famine, I urge the European governments to end their opposition to biotechnology," said Bush, at his most bullish. "Acting on unfounded, unscientific fears, many European governments have blocked the import of all new biotech crops. Because of these artificial obstacles, many African nations avoid investing in biotechnology, worried that their products will be shut out of important European markets." It would be fair to assume that when Bush visits countries throughout Africa next week, the subject will again be raised. More than 70 people were arrested at the Sacramento conference, which was very heavily policed with officers in riot gear standing guard over delegates. Among the protesters were a number of farmers who have been outspoken in their opposition to genetic engineering. So what did they feel had come out of the contrasting gatherings? George Naylor, an Iowa corn and soya-bean farmer for 26 years and the president of the National Family Farm Coalition, said at the close of the conference that the event had been extremely useful for raising the issue of GM foods both nationally and internationally. "It's important that people in Europe realise that it's not true when the media here say that family farmers' organisations are backing [GM foods]," said Naylor. "The organisations that back it are pseudo-farm organisations that take corporate advertising from these firms. The idea that [GM foods] are important for ridding the world of hunger is 100% baloney. I would hope the message has got out from this week that a lot of us who are farmers don't agree with the aggressive trade policy that this country has been pursuing." Another farmer, Walt Kessler, of Family Farm Defenders, who is a dairy farmer near Sacramento, said he thought that the message was gradually getting through. "We wanted to inform the public that [GM food] is not necessary, that there is no shortage of food," said Kessler, who saw the conference and expo as the work of a "bio-genetic cartel". Patrick Reinsborough, of the Mobilisation for Food Sovereignty, Democracy and Justice group, described the event as the largest protest on genetic engineering ever held in the US. "People are starting to draw the connections and see how the government is using food as a weapon exclusively for the benefits of US corporations," he said. And Luke Anderson, a spokesman for the Genetic Engineering Action Network in Britain, said the massive security operation was "a sign of an empire growing increasingly insecure". Next stop, Cancun.

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By Marcia King Barns & Sheds Print Email If you think lightning never strikes twice in the same place, think again. The USDA's recently retired Chief Meteorologist Albert Peterlin says, "Lightning is not just a random event natural killer, but more an opportunist taking advantage of a preferred pathway. Where lightning has struck a tree in the past, it will likely hit again. An area of pasture that has been deadly once could be again. With lightning, the past is a prologue to the future." For horse owners, the message is clear--to help safeguard livestock from lightning strikes, learn what lightning likes, then either remove the attractant or remove the livestock. Lightning Turn-Ons Lightning is biased toward tall objects and easy pathways. "The primary goal of a lightning bolt is to seek the easiest pathway to Earth," explains Peterlin. "Any pathway offering less resistance than air standing between the bolt in the blue and the Earth's surface is at risk. The most likely area for a strike is toward higher elevations." Higher elevations include hilltop or hillside pastures, states Peterlin. Other attractants include tall (relatively speaking) objects, including single trees or even animals. Pathways to the Earth can also include power lines and wire or metal fences. Mix in a little rain to moisten the ground, add a few horses, and your horse pasture has become a tempting playground for lightning, and the horse a pathway to the ground. Even ungrounded barns can be a problem. "Livestock can be injured even in a structure, depending on size, grounding, and the size and location of any open areas," says Peterlin. "A very small barn without grounding is not a protected environment when it comes to lightning." Dean Scoggins, DVM, equine extension veterinarian at the University of Illinois, agrees. "If there is a lightning strike on a metal barn, it can almost explode from the impact of the voltage." Lightning attractants in wooden barns include metal screens, metal automatic waterers, water conduits, etc. "We don't hear about that being so much of a problem," he says, "but people dealing with lightning rod services stress that if there is such a strike, it will pretty well destroy all the electrical panels and everything in the barn." Lightning-Safe While one cannot guarantee a risk-free environment from lightning, there are several things a horse owner can do to reduce that risk. If possible, bring horses into a safe, well-grounded barn when electrical storms are imminent. "A wooden barn is best, or a well-grounded metal barn topped with lightning rods," says Scoggins. "Make sure that conduit and water pipes are well-grounded." Also make sure that lightning rods have been properly installed and maintained. For horses which live outside, provide safe havens such as a stand of trees, lower elevations, or access to a properly grounded shed. Because lightning is biased toward a single tree rather than one in a large group of trees, avoid that kind of situation in your pasture. "Lightning can strike tall trees and spread to the animals sheltered beneath the branches," explains Scoggins. "Once there, the lightning bolt may bounce between animals, including several in the group. Also, lightning frequently goes down the tree, and if it's a shallow-rooted tree, it will travel out through the roots so the ground will be involved as well." If you have individual trees in the pasture, Scoggins suggests fencing them off with wood, vinyl, or other nonconductive fencing. Use nonconductive fencing for paddocks when they attach to a metal barn, or at least provide some sort of insulated area between the building and the fence so lightning won't jump from the barn to the fence and travel. Provide nonmetal water tanks and, regardless of what the tank is made of, don't put it on top of a hill. "Whatever is in contact with the tank or adjacent to it is just as susceptible as being under a tree," he warns. "The same thing for horses standing in ponds; sometimes in hot, humid weather there are lots of flies, so horses will take sanctuary in ponds." When Lightning Strikes An animal struck by lightning can suffer severe consequences. Michel Levy, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, large animal medicine clinician at Purdue University, says, "Often when lightning strikes, it causes sudden nervous shock with temporary unconsciousness or immediate death. The nervous system is mostly affected--the animal may stay unconscious for minutes to hours. When consciousness is regained, the animal may be normal, or show depression or blindness. Usually, lightning strikes are fatal." Scoggins agrees. "A couple of things occur during a lightning strike that normally kill horses. One is nerve damage and the immediate destruction of the brain. The other, usually with lesser strikes, involves problems related to the heart. The heart is primarily controlled by electrical mechanisms as far as the strength of beat and the rate. Frequently, the heart will have some ventricular fibrillation; those cases will normally die within a short period of time." In nonfatal cases, most injuries are nervous system-related. "One may end up with a horse that has its eyesight, hearing, or both destroyed," says Scoggins. "The horse may suffer brain damage to the point where it has trouble functioning." Levy says animals electrocuted by lightning seldom have burns on the body, so diagnosis is partly based on proximity to trees or other dead animals nearby. "It's partly a detective game," adds Scoggins. "Usually the horse totally collapses in whatever position it was in. When there's no struggle involved, the fact they died so quickly and the report of an electrical storm in the area leads one to consider the possibility of a lightning strike. Many times, there will be something else that will indicate a strike--a tree that's been struck, burn marks on the ground, a horse found dead under a tree or on a hill, a group of horses that's involved, or horses standing next to a wire or metal fence." Definitive diagnosis is made post-mortem. "And the sooner, the better," Scoggins states. "One of the things that occurs with lightning strike is that animals will bloat more quickly. Organs in the horse will become distended with gas more rapidly than normal. Usually, we find no burns, but if we do find burns, they frequently will be over the withers, down the legs, or will run down the jugular groove on the side of the neck." Treatment of survivors is done symptomatically. Levy recommends stimulants for the nervous system and oxygen/ventilation support. "But practically speaking, most horses are either dead or have recovered before treatment can be instituted," he says. Scoggins sometimes adds corticosteroids to the regimen, and occasionally sedatives for hyperexcitable horses. Prognosis ranges from complete recovery to permanent injury. "Damaged nerves do not heal very well," says Scoggins, "so the horse may or may not improve from its injured state. If a horse is going to respond, it will be in the first two or three weeks. If it hasn't recovered by then from whatever damage is left, whether it is blindness, deafness, lameness because of nerve damage, etc., the horse probably isn't going to get any better." What Are The Risks? Levy says he's never been called to look at a horse which possibly was struck by lightning. However, he says, "I had one client who had three dead cows close to a tree in the pasture with burn marks on the ground." Scoggins found records indicating that the largest single-strike kill involved 20 head of cattle gathered under a tree. He notes that discussions with other practitioners indicate that a lightning strike to livestock "is not an uncommon thing at all." In fact, Peterlin says that the USDA estimates that lightning causes 80% of all accidental livestock deaths. "Almost all parts of the United States face some risk of threat by lightning, although the risk is more remote west of the Rocky Mountains and in New England. The greatest risk is centered over Florida and stretches northwestward to Colorado and northward to the Carolinas (see page 50). "Lightning is a common occurrence and an uncommon threat," Peterlin adds. "Lightning is not recognized by many people as a threat because of its very nature--it is frequent and familiar, and familiarity can lead to underestimation. Lightning's victims at any moment are few in number, so there is not a massive outpouring of publicity as in many other types of natural disasters. Finally, we have all taken that chance and run into the house in a thunderstorm. Do that a few times and the likelihood of thinking of the risk in the future diminishes." It's a familiarity and risk that could have fatal consequences to whomever--and whatever--remains outside and unsheltered during an electrical storm. Horses and Storms When horses huddle in a group or seek shelter during a thunderstorm, it might be the wind and rain from which they’re seeking shelter, and not a killer bolt from the sky. Sue M. McDonnell, PhD (reproductive physiology and behavior), head of the Equine Behavior Lab at New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, has formally studied horses which are pastured most or all of the time, equids at liberty or in very large pastures, and a semi-feral herd. McDonnell notes that during thunderstorms, most horses show no noticeable response to either thunder or lightning independent of the severity of the rain and the wind. "We consistently observe that with thunder and lightning preceding a storm, horses just continue on as they would, doing whatever else they were doing before the weather change. But when the wind picks up and the rain picks up, horses may seek natural or artificial shelter. So, we conclude that it is not the electrical storm from which they are seeking shelter." McDonnell also found that stabled horses didn’t exhibit any changes during thunderstorms. They just continued to munch their feed and continued their activities, oblivious of the thunderclaps and lightning flashes. "It could be a hellacious storm, and still no change," she says. When thunderstorms are accompanied by wind and rain, horses will seek the shelter of trees and natural changes in the terrain, says McDonnell. "For example, they’ll often go down to the creekbeds, which are typically lined with trees. They usually stand on the side of the creek. That makes sense in terms of having the wind and rain at their back. They often huddle in their social groups and become more tightly compacted, just as they would in a driving snowstorm or torrential rain that’s independent of thunder and lightning." McDonnell notes that outside horses also seek refuge in man-made shelters--if nothing else is available. "With our semi-feral herds, it is only after all the natural terrain spaces are taken that lower ranking individuals or groups get the shed. Here at the university, our indications of horse behavior concerning the three-sided run-in shed we provided is that it’s not the preferred shelter, but they will use it when the other spaces are occupied." Marcia King Marcia King is an award-winning freelance writer based in Ohio who specializes in equine, canine, and feline veterinary topics. She's schooled in hunt seat, dressage, and Western pleasure. Human Behavior Changes Necessary to Improve Equine Welfare 'Map' Airborne Particles in Barns to Minimize Airway Disease Air Quality in Barns Critical for Horse and Human Health Summer Insects: Flies, Ticks, Wasps, Bees Using Soil-Cement on Horse and Livestock Farms Barn Fires: Strategies to Prevent and Respond (AAEP 2008) Take a Tour of the Olympic Stables Airing Out Your Barn

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Dairy in Africa: Keeping Cultures Alive Italy - 21 Sep 13 - Pascale Brevet Africa might not be the first continent that comes to mind when we talk about cheese, and it is true that it is not such a common food in most African countries. But there are a number of rich dairy traditions around the continent, some a legacy from the colonialist history, others, more deeply rooted, from the nomadic pastoral cultures that still exist in many countries. A selection of these dairy products from Kenya, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Morocco and Cape Verde were presented at Cheese 2013, on Friday September 20 at the Biodiversity House. Though importation issues meant only a few were available for tasting, the public was lucky to have the opportunity to hear from members of the food communities who make these dairy products: Priscilla Chemtay from the Pokot Ash Yogurt Presidium in Kenya and Roba Bulga Jilo from the Karrayyu Herders’ Camel Milk Presidium in Ethiopia as well as Boubacar Diallo, who described how Wagashi and a Tuareg tomme cheese are made by the Peul ethnic group in Burkina Faso. A highlight was the contribution of Roba Bulga from the Karrayyu ethnic group in Ethiopia and a graduate of the University of Gastronomic Sciences. The Karrayyu are famous for their camels, the type of clothes they wear as well and a specific hairstyle. They have a strong connection with their herds, and guide them along a journey of several hundred kilometers during the dry season to find food for them, while also surviving themselves. Unfortunately, they are having to travel further and further due to external causes such as global warming and land rights issues. The Karrayyu are also known for being proud to be herders, for being proud of their traditions. “We want to keep our way of life,” said Bulga at the end. “The Presidium has allowed us to promote camel milk at a country level.” Before it was mostly consumed by herders and was unfamiliar to the rest of the population. “We’ve been able to invest in a vehicle that allows us to transport the milk faster to Addis Ababa,” he said. By raising awareness about the problems they are facing, as well as their camels' milk, the Karrayyu hope to keep their culture alive. Photo: Pokot Ash Yogurt Presidium © Oliver Migliore

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Tomato Wars Ahead? U.S. Dubious On Extending Mexico Trade Deal By Bill Chappell Sep 28, 2012 ShareTwitter Facebook Google+ Email A worker separates tomatoes at a market in Mexico City. The Commerce Department says it might act to end a 16-year-old trade deal governing fresh Mexican tomatoes sold in the U.S. Gregory Bull Originally published on September 30, 2012 7:09 pm Talk of a Tomato War is simmering in agricultural circles, after the U.S. Commerce Department issued a report Thursday that recommends ending an agreement on how fresh tomatoes grown in Mexico are sold in the United States. The issue could create an expanding trade conflict; Mexican officials have said they would retaliate to defend the tomato growers. Produce news source The Packer says the deal "appears to be doomed." The New York Times says that Mexican officials believe tomato farmers in Florida — a swing state — might have the Obama administration's ear this election season, as they complain that Mexican tomatoes have too large a share of the U.S. market. "We cannot sustain an agreement that is tilted very heavily in favor of the import industry," Reggie Brown, vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, tells The Packer. But before fear of a price hike sends you running out to buy all the fresh tomatoes you can find, two things are worth noting. First, the Commerce ruling is only preliminary. And second, it has recommended ending the tomato agreement before. So there's a chance the agency, as well as U.S. and Mexican growers, are merely staking out strong bargaining positions at this point. The team at NPR's The Salt blog say they're following the story. And it turns out the story is a convoluted one, because the Commerce Department's stance isn't so direct as to say, "This trade deal is now null and void." Instead, the agency is recommending (bear with me) the end of the suspension of an investigation into Mexican exporters' "dumping" tomatoes on the U.S. market. That inquiry started in 1996, the same year it was suspended and an agreement on prices that were not "lower than fair market value" was reached. Since then, the agreement has been slated for the chopping block several times, only to be continued under new terms after the antidumping investigation is suspended anew. When that has happened in the past, a new minimum price per pound of tomatoes is set, for both the warm and cool seasons. For instance, the 2008 agreement lists a minimum bulk price of just over 17 cents a pound for fresh tomatoes during the summer months, and nearly 22 cents per pound from October to the end of June. Once the terms are agreed upon, dozens of tomato growers in Mexico then sign the agreement. The Commerce Department must allow public comment on its preliminary ruling; it has until May to reach a final decision. In the meantime, U.S. retailers and exporters of goods to Mexico are hoping that their businesses don't suffer from the fallout of a potential tomato dispute. "I think the fact that groups like Wal-Mart, (the Food Marketing Institute, the National Restaurant Association) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce have weighed in certainly puts the Department of Commerce on notice that everyone is watching," Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, tells The Packer. Does it surprise you that the tomato is covered under its own trade covenants? Consider that back in 1887, U.S. tomato imports sparked what became a Supreme Court case over whether tariffs on "vegetables" also applied to what is botanically a fruit. According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, agricultural imports from Mexico to the United States totaled $15.8 billion in 2011, making America's southern neighbor its second-largest supplier. In the same year, Mexico was the third-largest market for U.S. agricultural products, at $18.4 billion.Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. View the discussion thread. © 2016 90.3 KAZU

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Growing Currants Possibly the most nutritious of berries, growing currants yourself will help you save money on these pricey, hard-to-find fruits. By Barbara Pleasant Their powerful nutritional punch notwithstanding, growing currants would have been illegal in eastern states. However, many varieties are now resistant to the diseases that once plagued them. PHOTO: LEE REICH Growing currants hasn't been sanctioned activity in our country. In fact, for almost 100 years the United States waged a war against them and gooseberries because they serve as an alternate host for white pine blister rust, a devastating disease of northern forests. Both plants were banned in most states east of the Mississippi River, and millions of existing plants were eradicated using pesticides and axes. But by the 1970s, it became apparent that the strategy didn’t work very well for several reasons: Currants and gooseberries grow back from the roots, other wild plants serve as alternate hosts for the disease, and a moist microclimate encourages white pine blister rust more than the presence of a few wild berry bushes.Meanwhile, the availability of rust-resistant varieties has led to the lifting of restrictions in many areas. At this time, Ribes (the species name of both currants and gooseberries) are still restricted in several eastern states. In others like New York, rust-resistant varieties can be grown, except in high-risk areas. Black currants are nutritional superstars, outshining even blueberries with their potent punches of antioxidants, vitamin C, and potassium, and varieties such as "Titania" and "Consort" are so rust-resistant that they are considered immune. "Captivator" and several gooseberries that ripen to rosy red offer good resistance, as do "Jonkheer van Tets" and a few other varieties that ripen to red.More Information on CurrantsPreferred soil pH for currants is 5.5 to 7.0.Find currant seeds and plants with our Seed and Plant Finder.To learn how to use currants in your home landscape, check out the new book Landscaping with Fruit by Lee Reich (Tower, 2009).See also: Growing Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Currants and Other Berries That Thrive Where You Live Discover Delicious Currants and Gooseberries Contributing editor Barbara Pleasant gardens in southwest Virginia, where she grows vegetables, herbs, fruits, flowers and a few lucky chickens. Contact Barbara by visiting her website or finding her on Google+.

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You Put the Lime in the Coconut Bali Proposed as a World Center for Coconut Research. (4/19/2004) The National Center for the Study and Development of Plantation Agriculture has proposed to the Government of Bali that a 200-hectare research and development center for coconuts be established on the island.In meetings held with Bali's Vice-Governor, Mr. Kesuma Kelakan, on Thursday, April 15, 2004, a representative from the National Plantation Center in Bogor, West Java, suggested that the proposed center could be home to more than 200 of the 1,400 separate species of coconut known in the world, doubling the current 100 species found in Indonesia.Eventually, the site would serve as a research and study center for agriculturalists, a development locus for new products derived from the coconut, and a tourist attraction open to visitors to Bali.While the proposal was enthusiastically received by the Vice-Governor, a number of hurdles remain including finding a suitable location from among the suggested sites in Jembrana, Buleleng and Karangasem and socializing the idea to local populations to assure its future success.

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Navigating the urban forest Timothy Snider has made care of trees and plants his life’s work When you’re driving around a neighborhood, or driving on the freeway and looking at all the trees in the city, most folks just see green. Pasadena resident Timothy Snider glances at a tree and will tell you its Latin name, the common name, and many things about the tree. He knows how to identify trees better than just about anyone, and he knows their history and uses as well.Snider began his study of botany at Riverside City College and continued at CalPoly Pomona. He had thought he might have a career in the US Forest Service, but when he realized they weren’t hiring, he shifted his focus to ornamental horticulture. At RCC he learned how to key out plants using the technical botanical books. “Everyone was into the ‘back to nature’ thing back then and I was mostly interested in wild plants that I could use for food,” says Snider.A quick learner with a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of trees and plants, he was hired out of college to do street inventory work in Riverside, which involved walking Riverside streets, cataloging the trees in the computer with a number. Snider smiles and points to the tree beside us. “This is a number 83,” he tells me, “a Cupaniopsis anacardioides, a carrotwood tree, and I would record this in my computer as an 83.” His inventory work included noting the tree’s exact location and condition.His tree identification work has taken him near remote Indian sites and from mountaintops to deserts. He says that though there is greater diversity of trees today than in the days when only Indians lived here, the trees that are here now are not necessarily more useful. “There was mostly a grass savanna here, with lots of oak trees producing acorns, and lots of open space to hunt game. Today, the greater diversity of trees does not produce more food, plus much of the open space is taken up by buildings and roads.”Snider is keenly aware of the health of trees, and how this relates to the general health and well-being of the local populace. For example, Snider points out that the ideal number of trees in the Big Bear area was figured out to be about 40 per acre. However, before the massive burn six years ago in which everyone on the mountain had to be evacuated, the ratio was about 300 trees per acre. “This meant less water per tree, which allowed the bark beetle to cause devastation. The drought made things even worse,” he explains. People were unwilling to thin their trees; “The residents said the trees were too pretty and wouldn’t cut them.” So when the wildfire came, it burned out of control. Snider was called in after the fact to assist with tagging trees that had to be removed. Snider, who is working on a plant identification book mainly utilizing photos, also has a gripe with tree-pruners who don’t know trees.“Most tree-pruners know nothing about trees or pruning, and some only know how to use a chain saw. Most do not know how to shape a tree, and they overprune in hopes that they will not need to come back to the tree soon. But, in fact, trees grow twice as fast when they are overpruned, since the tree is trying to compensate for the imbalance between the root system and the leaf system.“You should never remove more than 20 to 30 percent of the foliage of a tree in any one season,” says Snider.If looking for a good tree-pruner, Snider suggests talking to the Ornamental Horticulture Department at CalPoly Pomona. If you ask Snider to name the best tree for your backyard, he’ll tell you that’s the wrong question. “There is no best tree,” he explains, “since we need to take into account the lighting and shade conditions, the soil, the amount of space, the size of the mature tree, and maybe other factors.” To see examples of trees in a variety of conditions, Snider suggests going to Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens in Claremont, the LA County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia or Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. Another interest of Snider’s is the natural history of the area, especially unique Native American sites. One nearby example is Mockingbird Canyon, where the light of the sun makes a dagger through a circle on the winter solstice. This site was used by the desert Cahuilla Indians and others. For more information, contact Urban Semillas through Miguel A.Luna at [email protected]. Other Stories by Christopher Nyerges

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How Using Antibiotics In Animal Feed Creates Superbugs By Richard Knox Feb 21, 2012 TweetShareGoogle+Email Many livestock groups say there's no evidence that antibiotics in livestock feed have caused a human health problem, but researchers beg to differ. Originally published on February 21, 2012 5:19 pm Researchers have nailed down something scientists, government officials and agribusiness proponents have argued about for years: whether antibiotics in livestock feed give rise to antibiotic-resistant germs that can threaten humans. A study in the journal mBio, published by the American Society for Microbiology, shows how an antibiotic-susceptible staph germ passed from humans into pigs, where it became resistant to the antibiotics tetracycline and methicillin. And then the antibiotic-resistant staph learned to jump back into humans. "It's like watching the birth of a superbug," says Lance Price of the Translational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen, in Flagstaff, Ariz. Price and colleagues in 19 countries did whole-genome analysis on a staph strain called CC398 and 88 closely related variations. CC398 is a so-called MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, that emerged within the past decade in pigs and has since spread widely in cattle and poultry as well as pigs. The genetic analysis allowed the study authors to trace the lineage of the livestock bug back to its antibiotic-susceptible human ancestors. Price says it shows beyond a doubt that the animal bacterium jumped back into humans with close exposure to livestock. This "pig MRSA" has been detected in nearly half of all meat sampled in U.S. commerce, according to the American Society for Microbiology. Most staph found in meat can be eliminated by cooking food well, but it can still pose a risk to consumers if handled unsafely or if it cross-contaminates with other things in the kitchen. Price told The Salt that the new resistant human bug appears to be spreading beyond people with direct exposure to livestock. "Initially we could always trace it back to livestock exposure," Price says. "But now we are starting to see cases of resistant strains that we can't trace back. So we think it may be changing gears, so to speak, and gaining the capacity to be passed from person to person." Price says the new data provide an early warning of what might become a major public health problem. "We're seeing this one coming," he says. "The question is how often will this occur in the future if we don't start controlling antibiotic use?" So far, the proportion of human MRSA infections due to this livestock-derived strain is small. But in some areas of the Netherlands, it's causing as many as 1 in 4 human MRSA cases — suggesting that it has the potential to spread extensively. Paul Keim, another study author, says the report shows that "our inappropriate use of antibiotics ... is now coming back to haunt us." He says the solution is clear — banning antibiotics in livestock feed, as the European Union has done. Most antibiotics sold in the U.S. go to animals, mostly in their feed, where they act as a growth promoter and damp down infection outbreaks in large feedlots. Many livestock groups say there's no evidence that using antibiotics in livestock feed creates a human health problem. "Most informed scientists and public health professionals acknowledge that the problem of antibiotic resistance in humans is overwhelmingly an issue related to human antibiotic use," the American Meat Institute says. The new report adds fuel to the long-running debate about antibiotic use for livestock, and the government's responsibility to regulate it. In December, the FDA withdrew a 1977 proposal to remove approvals for two antibiotics, penicillins and tetracyclines, used in livestock and poultry feed. It said it would focus instead on "voluntary reform" by the meat industry to limit use. Then in a partial reversal in January, the agency said it would ban one class of antibiotics called cephalosporins from animal feed.Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. TweetShareGoogle+EmailView the discussion thread. © 2017 WAMC

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Reception, Frequencies, & How To Listen Big Bucks From Strawberry Genes Lead To Conflict At UC Davis By Daniel Charles Jul 2, 2014 ShareTwitter Facebook Google+ Email Originally published on July 2, 2014 4:26 pm Yesterday, we reported on a legal tussle over control of the country's top center of strawberry breeding, at the University of California, Davis. But there's a backstory to that battle. It involves the peculiar nature of the UC Davis strawberry program. Basically, in the world of plant breeding, there are public programs at universities, there are private efforts at companies like DuPont or Monsanto. And then there's the UC Davis strawberry program, an ungainly hybrid of those two worlds. Public breeders have traditionally made their work freely available to the public, and to each other. "We're a pretty family-type group," says Jim Hancock, a berry breeder at Michigan State University. "We like to work together. We like to share germplasm [the technical term for seeds or plant samples.] It's kind of in our genes, if you will." Not the UC Davis strawberry breeders. Among public breeders "they are by far the most restrictive. No question. Hands down," says Hancock. "Not only will they not share material with you, they don't think you should use any of their varieties, which you can buy, in your breeding program." The UC Davis strawberry breeders are faculty members in the university's Department of Plant Sciences. That normally involves teaching and knowledge-expanding research, yet their primary focus is creating commercial varieties that can be patented and licensed to strawberry growers. They are remarkably successful at it. Most of the strawberries that we eat trace their ancestry to breeding plots at UC Davis. And because strawberries are a phenomenally valuable crop, these varieties earned the University of California $50 million in royalties from 2004 to 2013. This placed strawberries among the the UC system's top money-earning inventions. That revenue far exceeded the cost ($16 million over those years) of running the strawberry breeding program. Roughly a third of those royalty payments, $18 million, went directly to the co-inventors of those varieties, the breeders Douglas Shaw and Kirk Larson. Shaw and Larson, in turn, shared some of that money with their co-workers. Until recent years, no public plant breeder could have imagined earning such sums of money, and it's still mind-boggling for many. Yet in an e-mail to NPR, Shaw sounded disgusted that he wasn't earning even more. "The University has done a poor job of commercialization and has not collected fair value for its product," he wrote. California's strawberry growers don't pay full price for UC Davis varieties, for instance. The way Shaw sees it, those discounts amounted to money taken from him and the university, which means that "all the money to run this program since 2000 .... came from [the university] and the strawberry breeders." Money, however, wasn't Shaw's biggest problem. According to Shaw, he ran into increasing conflicts with university administrators who didn't value his commercially oriented program. This is what convinced him to leave the university, he wrote in an email. "We do not fit here any longer." Some of Shaw's professional associates say that personality may also have played a role. They describe Shaw as highly skilled, but also opinionated and "polarizing." Shaw and Larson now have decided to end their attempt to straddle both public and private worlds. They are setting up a private company to continue their work unconstrained by the university. Many are now wondering how strawberry breeding at UC Davis will evolve in the future. This includes strawberry farmers, who are suing the university, hoping to force it to continue in something close to its current form. The university has promised to hire a new strawberry breeder, but that breeder may not have Shaw's single-minded focus on new commercial varieties. Instead, the program may devote more effort to research that won't lead to immediate profits, such as searching for valuable genes in wild strawberry species. Eventually, that could mean less revenue for the university. But the UC Davis program might rejoin that "family-type group" of public breeders who like to share plant materials with each other.Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. View the discussion thread. Our Partners

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USDA announces funding for 2 Farm Bill bioenergy programs By USDA | June 16, 2014 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced up to $14.5 million in funding for two USDA bioenergy programs made available through the 2014 Farm Bill. USDA's Rural Development announced it is accepting applications from companies seeking to offset the costs associated with converting fossil fuel systems to renewable biomass fuel systems, while USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced the availability of $2.5 million in grants to enhance national energy security through the development of bio-based transportation fuels, biopower, and new bio-based products. USDA today also announced a valuable aid to those in, or interested in, starting a bio-energy business, the Bioeconomy Tool Shed. The Tool Shed is a portal offering users access to a complement of web-based tools and information, statistical data and other resources related to the sustainable production and conversion of biomass into products and fuel, a process often referred to as the bioeconomy. "These USDA investments are part of the Obama Administration's 'all-of-the-above' energy strategy, and they benefit our economy as well as the environment," Vilsack said. "USDA's support for bio-based technologies is good for the climate, and enhances rural economic development while it decreases our dependence on foreign sources of oil." He concluded, "These and other USDA efforts will create new products out of homegrown agriculture from this and future generations of American farmers and foresters." USDA plans to make up to $12 million in payments for eligible biorefineries through RD's Repowering Assistance Program, which was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Biorefineries in existence on or before June 18, 2008 are eligible for payments to replace fossil fuels used to produce heat or power with renewable biomass. Since President Obama took office, USDA has provided $6.9 million to help biorefineries transition from fossil fuels to renewable biomass systems. The deadline for applications is September 15. For details on how to apply, see page 34280 of the June 16 Federal Register. USDA is also seeking applications for NIFA's Sun Grants program that encourages bioenergy and biomass research collaboration between government agencies, land-grant colleges and universities, and the private sector. Congress authorized the Sun Grant program in the 2008 Farm Bill and reauthorized the program in 2014. The program provides grants to five grant centers and one subcenter, which then will make competitive grants to projects that contribute to research, education and outreach for the regional production and sustainability of possible biobased feedstocks. The project period will not exceed five years. The newest addition to the USDA Energy Web, the Tool Shed can help those interested in bio-energy business ventures by providing access to the data and information necessary to evaluate potential opportunities across the entire supply chain: from feedstock production, to bioenergy production, bioenergy use, and linkages between feedstock production, bioenergy production and use. The tool is designed to assist in evaluating the feasibility and opportunities for locating a new biorefinery. It provides the stakeholder access to information on demographics, land use, biomass, feedstock, economics, and financial management. The announcements were made possible through the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for the taxpayer. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill Related ArticlesCoalition announces Biomass101 campaignPew report tracks bioenergy investments in emerging markets ElectraTherm commissions whole-log woody biomass power plant PHOTO REVIEW: International Biomass Conference & ExpoACT biomass boilers receive critical certification OPG’s Biomass Brothers 0 Responses Leave a Reply

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Posted: Fri 6:55 PM, May 22, 2009 / KBTX - Brazos Valley This Morning / From the Ground Up / Article Results from a recent study indicate significant losses in agricultural land acreage in Texas between 1997 and 2007. You might be surprised to learn that fragmentation of rural land can lead to much more than just a loss in capacity to produce food and fiber. Joe Brown has more in this week’s From The Ground Up. "If we look at just the value of that land, that farm and ranch land, just for aquifer recharge, then that’s a big portion of the land value if we were to be able to monotize that. Of course, those are ecosystem services that are most times provided for free by rural lands. Just as nutrient cycling is provided for free, protection against storm surges on the coast, flood plain protection." Neal Wilkins is the director of Texas A&M’s Institute of Renewable Natural Resources. "We’re faced with demands that can only be met on these private lands. Everything from carbon sequestration to water quality, water quantity, maintaining bio diversity, recreation, all of those things that are valuable off of land. Usually we only think of food and fiber." Wilkins emphasizes that his position is not anti-growth, but one of striving to make smarter decisions about where growth occurs. "We’re at the point where we’re going to have to start putting together some policy innovations that recognize the public good that comes from private lands, or we will squander those things that are providing the public good." And the key to maintaining those public benefits, says Wilkins, lies in private land ownership. "It seems that we’d be better off providing some incentives to private land owners to maintain those services, so that when they fall into tough economic times the only alternative isn’t to simply sell for development." I’m Joe Brown, looking at Brazos Valley agriculture, From The Ground Up. From the Ground Up - Agriculture & Christmas KBTX-TV Channel 3 Copyright © 2002-2016 - Designed by Gray Digital Media - Powered by Clickability 45880607 - kbtx.com/a?a=45880607 Website Policy

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Big Grower May 2006 Around the Table By Bridget White Where do you get your fuel? "We work with a broker who deals with other area nurseries. He has five or six growers that actually hedge natural gas. The rest just buy through their utility or they may nominate gas through him. When you get to the significant months, if you don't nominate, you could have a problem with the amount of gas available to purchase. You don't want to run into that issue." Ñ L.J. Contillo, production manager, Costa Carolina, Ashville, N.C. "On the greenhouse side of it, we're buying open-market gas as well as contracting out. We work with a gas broker who assists us with that. We're monitoring it real close to find the right source." Ñ Tim Stiles, president, Masterpiece Flower Co., Byron Center, Mich. What about retailer price breaks? "We get some, but it takes a lot of discussion, preplanning and information sharing. It depends on which retailer you're working with and how open they are. We've had some success both on their retail and our cost but it barely covers the increased costs. We try to understand their point of view because they're dealing with the same issues. I think we're all realizing everyone has to make a profit to exist. " "Our salesmen have been able to raise some prices — not everything. You have to raise prices. There's no way around it. There are no margins to absorb the any of this. We are raising prices, but we're also trying to conserve energy. "If the stores want you as a supplier, they have to go along with you. The smarter buyers are recognizing that. Some of the other buyers don't seem to care. We're up against the wall. We either get some price increases or we go out of business; it's that simple." Ñ Jim Leider, owner, Leider Horticultural Cos., Buffalo Grove, Ill. How do you monitor fuel prices? "We watch it extremely closely. It's a daily thing; we've got our financial department involved in it, and we've got a consultant on it. I'm not an economist. I do know some, but it's more like playing the stock market." Ñ L.J. Contillo, production manager,Costa Carolina, Ashville, N.C. "Every week. And not just heating oil. We're monitoring for trucking because we pay a fuel surcharge to drivers. We pull the Midwest average every week right from the Department of Transportation Web site. We base our fuel surcharge on that." "We're checking it every week, looking at what's in reserve. You could see that this market was a bubble and was going to collapse because there was so much gas in storage. Then we had a mild winter. If we'd had a cold winter, this bubble may have continued on for a while." Did you lock in pricing for 2006-07? "We've already locked some of our fuel for the fall, and we did it based on security. We just bought it in January, when the market stumbled a little bit. We paid an enormous price last year and in locking some of the fuel, we can bank on the fact that we can have a 30-40 percent reduction in cost over what we paid last fall. Right now, we're buying about a year out; we don't buy years in advance on futures." "We do lock in pricing. It's very much a layered approach. We look at next year's heating season and take it in slices. For example: If in a month we used 20,000 mcf of gas, we may book 5,000. We take a look at it again in 30 days, then put on another layer of, say, 5,000. What you get to is the blend, your average cost. "We've been looking out a year. Sometimes, I think maybe we should do more because we plan on being here longer. It's just so doggone uncertain ç with those things. Our crystal ball is no cleaner than anyone else's. It's just a matter of paying attention and taking advantage of what you think is a good pricing opportunity when it comes around." "We did a few years ago. We locked a lot of it in. Now, the futures market gets so high that it got away from us. We ended up buying just on the market. I think in December it hit a high but then came down. It worked this year. I wouldn't recommend it always. "We thought maybe we made a big mistake by not locking in prices at $10, $12, and it turned out we were better off buying on the short market because the price bubble kind of evaporated. The futures market is still around $10 per 100 therms or whatever, and that price is pretty expensive. You can buy it on the spot market for around $61?2 or 7. We're going to look at locking inÉbut right now the long market is still too expensive." Ñ Jim Leider, owner, Leider Horticultural Cos, Buffalo Grove, Ill. What are you doing to control costs long-term? "We are looking at doing an expansion and installing underground heating, then going back and retrofitting with underground heating. A few years ago when we looked at it, the return on investment was about four years. I think now it's probably in the year and a half to two years range. That should help. "We're also looking at creating a greater production of bigger liner sizes at our Florida facility and transferring it up here to minimize heating and growing space." "You try to do what you can to conserve. I think everybody is working on energy conservation. We put in additional energy curtains this year and try to do good block management so we don't open a section before we have to. That also takes money, too, because you have to put money into moving a crop or consolidating a crop and then moving it to another growing zone. But mostly it's just through more careful planning. "There's a lot of people working on a lot of things that you might call out-of-the-box solutions. I've had conversations with folks about generating methane from animal waste, corn burning and biomass burners. We're in a residential area, so we have to be sensitive to what our neighbors smell and see. Right now, we have not implemented any of those alternative systems, but we've done a lot of investigating." "We made a decision to run as cold as we can. We cut out a lot of product that we normally would grow in January and ran things a lot colder. We were shutting down wherever we could. In early January some greenhouses were empty. Then we planted a lot of pansy bowls, violas and petunias — things you can grow at a colder temp. We try to pick plants that don't need high temperatures. "It takes a long time to grow this stuff, so the jury's not in. We'll see how it turns out. We think we're saving a lot by not running the temperatures that we used to; the trade-off is some of the stuff is a little slower than we'd like it to be." Bridget White Bridget White is editorial director of GPN. She can be reached at (847) 391-1004 or . Lean Flow Workshop Slated to Meet in April International Trials Conference Announces Speakers, Garden Stops Who’s The Boss? Taking on a Big Challenge COVER STORY — Flourishing With Family SNA to Meet in August Shinoda Foundation Awards Nearly $19,000 in Scholarships

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Home News The Toro Company recently honored The Toro Company recently honored The company’s efforts to promote “Smart Irrigation Month” recognized. RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Recently, Assemblyman Eric Linder, representing the 60th Assembly District in the State of California, honored The Toro Company for its support of “Smart Irrigation Month” and for its coordinating efforts with local water districts, cities and the State of California to proclaim the month of July as “Smart Irrigation Month.” For the first time since 2005, when the Irrigation Association first launched “Smart Irrigation Month,” the Governor issued a declaration recognizing July as “Water Smart Month in the State of California.” The intent was, as he stated, to help “increase water awareness throughout the state” and to “invite all Californians to practice more sustainable water consumption.” Recognizing the importance of using our water resources wisely, The Toro Company reached out to government agencies and elected officials at multiple levels to proclaim the month of July as “Smart Irrigation Month.” “If nothing else, we hope that by promoting ‘Smart Irrigation Month’ people will take a closer look at where they are using water and recognize that changing the habits of their water consumption will have a huge impact on our water supplies,” says Phil Burkart, vice president of the company’s Irrigation Business and acting past president of the Irrigation Association. “From fixing a leaky faucet to upgrading water guzzling sprinkler nozzles or converting an area to drip irrigation, consumers can save money by making a few simple changes to use water more efficiently indoors and outdoors.” The Toro Company was successful in proclaiming the month of July as “Smart Irrigation Month” in three states, eight cities and two water districts including: The State of California, the State of New Jersey, the State of Oklahoma, the City of Los Angeles, the City of Riverside, the City of Ontario, the City of Upland, the City of Grand Terrace, the City of Chino, the City of Chino Hills, the City of Loma Linda, the Cucamonga Valley Water District, and the San Bernardino City Water District. “We are thrilled with the civic participation we have seen this year because it helps local efforts to improve water use efficiency and adds to the national campaign being championed by the Irrigation Association,” says Robert Starr with The Toro Company’s water management group. In addition to helping create more awareness about water issues during the month of July, Toro also supports water agencies throughout the year by donating products for demonstration gardens, participating in Earth Day & Sustainable Landscape events, and providing product training and education at agency facilities. This close working relationship even led one water agency to develop a unique water conservation program called: FreeSprinklerNozzles.com that provides internet-based training so homeowners themselves can install low flow, high uniformity Toro Precision Series spray nozzles at no cost. This successful program has now been adopted by other water agencies and has expanded as far south as San Diego County and as far north as Sacramento. For more information on Toro irrigation products visit our website at www.toro.com/irrigation. Hydro-Rain and Philips Hadco win new product contest More than four dozen new products vied for the top spot at the annual event. Thoughts from the floor of the 2014 Irrigation Show. Irrigation innovation Check out the newest products from the Irrigation Show. New webinar series announced IA offers a host of business and technical education opportunities for 2015. Clean your plate Marty Grunder gives three tips on how to move tasks from your plate to someone else’s.

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Drosophila numbers increase significantly in Idaho The number of spotted wing drosophila caught in traps in southwestern Idaho has increased significantly the past few weeks. The pest attacks a broad range of fruit crops and producers in the region are monitoring the situation closely. Sean EllisCapital Press Published on September 30, 2013 11:27AM CALDWELL, Idaho — An exotic fruit fly that attacks a wide variety of fruit crops appears to have gained a foothold in southwestern Idaho.The number of spotted wing drosophila caught in traps in the area has increased significantly over the past two weeks, raising the concern level of fruit producers around the region.“They’re out there. They’re in the valley,” said Chad Henggeler, field manager for Henggeler Packing Co. in Fruitland, one of Idaho’s largest orchards. “We are very concerned about the situation and we’re … monitoring it all the time.”Small numbers of spotted wing drosophila were detected in August of 2012 in Idaho but state officials were hopeful the state’s cold winters would prevent them from surviving over the winter.However, the insect was detected in an orchard near Fruitland in June and University of Idaho researchers said the presence of the invasive pest that early in the 2013 season was an indication they may have over-wintered.Unlike the common cherry fruit fly, which attacks ripe or already damaged fruit, the spotted wing drosophila will lay eggs in much firmer and thicker-skinned fruit while it is still on the plant.“That can be a definite issue,” said Michael Williamson, manager of Williamson Orchards and Vineyards in Caldwell. “It’s a concern.”It also has a broader range of hosts than other fruit flies, from berries and cherries to grapes and peaches.The spotted wing drosophila prefers wet, cool weather and Idaho’s cold winters and hot, dry summers aren’t conducive to the pest, said Mike Cooper, bureau chief of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s plant industries division. But it does appear to have gained a foothold in this part of the state, he added.“It’s probably here to stay,” Cooper said. “I don’t know how well it will do here, but it’s probably going to be a problem from time to time.”ISDA and UI officials encourage fruit producers to harvest as early as possible to reduce exposure to the insect and to remove and destroy infested and overripe or damaged fruit.The pest hasn’t damaged any good fruit at the Henggeler orchard but it can potentially cause economic harm and the company is watching it closely, Henggeler said.“It’s become a new pest in our area and we want to be aware of it and keep an eye on the situation,” he said.The insect was first detected in the mainland United States in 2008, in California, and was reported for the first time in Oregon and Washington the following year.The fact that the insect attacks fruit that isn’t overly ripe or damaged is a major concern, said Bruce Pokarney, communications director for the Oregon Department of Agriculture.“It’s been a major pest the last couple of years … and it seems to be more prevalent this year than last year,” said Pokarney, who added that Oregon State University researchers are working with growers to develop practices that can reduce the insect’s threat.

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New secretary of agriculture speaks to U.S. Wheat, NAWG boards By Jennifer M. Latzke NEW SECRETARY--With less than a month on the job, newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack speaks to the boards of U.S. Wheat Associates, Inc., and the National Association of Wheat Growers. (Journal photo by Jennifer M. Latzke.) He's only been appointed for a little more than three weeks, but U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is optimistic the U.S. Department of Agriculture can become a leaner and more efficient agency under his watch. As part of his debut to agricultural organizations, Vilsack visited the Joint Board Meeting of the National Association of Wheat Growers and U.S. Wheat Associates, Inc., Feb. 9, in Washington, D.C. Secretary Vilsack will be working for agriculture in a political environment that will place more emphasis on environmental and labor issues, and in a time of an economic depression, which may affect its future policies and programs. Environment and farm programs Vilsack told wheat producers that, with an increasing environmental emphasis, they should expect to see some of their farm subsidies, already under fire from many in the WTO and from Congress, to be coupled with climate change and conservation efforts. "We should use the climate change discussion as a different way to provide resources to farmers, so it isn't as trade distorting as some claim our subsidies to be," he said. Specifically under fire in the future will be the direct payments wheat growers now receive under the 2008 farm bill. "I strongly suggest we look into using climate change to deal with this," Vilsack said, in response to a grower asking about an alternative to direct payments. "It would fix the man-on-the-street perception. You'd be getting a payment because of your help with the climate change problem, and not just because you are a farmer. It's hard for ordinary people to understand how we have the cheapest food supply, but why should farmers just get checks? They understand the need for counter-cyclical and conservation payments, though." In the new political atmosphere, trading direct payments for something tied with environmental conservation may be the new way for ag, he said. "We should be a national leader in the discussion on energy and climate change," he added. "It's an opportunity to develop income opportunities for farmers." Vilsack said since farmers and ranchers are already using land in ways that conserve water and soil, there should be ways for them to be compensated for their efforts in reducing ag's carbon footprint. "We must be forceful about ag's place at the table in this conversation," Vilsack said. It's his goal to figure out what system would work for U.S. growers to be compensated under, and to cooperate with other agencies in monitoring any system. Reviewing policies David Cleavinger, president of NAWG, told Secretary Vilsack he appreciated the extended comment period over the definition of "actively engaged farmers" in the 2008 farm bill. Vilsack said the comment period was extended as part of President Barack Obama's request to review all policies passed in the waning days of the Bush administration. However, he found it odd that only a handful of comments had been received by USDA on the actively engaged definition. One wheat grower mentioned one reason for few comments was that some may have feared that this could be a way for USDA to spotlight commentators for further review. "That doesn't seem right to me," he replied. "We're asking your advice because we need it and not because we want to go after you." Trade agreements Since there was not yet a confirmation of a U.S. Trade Representative at the time of the meeting, nor a confirmed U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Secretary Vilsack didn't want to speculate about the country's position on the Doha round of the WTO, or any pending bilateral trade agreements. However, he told producers to expect environmental and labor issues to be important considerations in future trade discussions. Vilsack also said he was supportive of bilateral trade agreements, more open markets, and would aggressively pursue ways to get ag trade accomplished. One trade topic that he would speak about was the status of the Foreign Agricultural Service within USDA. FAS is one agency that uses producer checkoff dollars with federal appropriations to promote U.S. foreign market access for agriculture. FAS is currently in financial difficulties because of inadequate federal funding. While the amount of funding hasn't been increased, the amount of work FAS has been charged to do by Congress has. To make do, the agency has been securing operating expenses from other parts of its budget. However, those places are becoming tapped out and the agency may have to furlough workers. "The FAS plays an important role in promoting trade," Vilsack said. "It is in a multimillion dollar budget deficit and we must get that budget right so that FAS can stop playing tricks to do its work. We must get Congress to provide the resources for FAS." Of particular interest to wheat growers on both boards was the recent language attached to the stimulus bill, calling for government agencies to buy American first. This protectionist act could adversely affect future U.S. wheat export markets. Secretary Vilsack said he was not in support of using the stimulus for protectionist agendas, and that free and open fair trade would be in the best interest for all. "I think it's a reflection of the economic anxiety today," he said. "People look inward at a time they should be looking outward." Balancing organic and production ag A North Dakota wheat farmer, Doug Goehring, asked the secretary how USDA will deal with the conflicting needs of organic and sustainable agricultural production under his watch. "I look for as many diverse opportunities as possible for farmers to survive," Vilsack replied. "I have dedicated my public life to finding multiple ways for farmers to succeed," Vilsack continued. "I'm not going to shut out any one segment. It's difficult to coexist, but we have to. We can't shut anyone out. "However, there are 6 billion people in the world, and the amount of land available to farm is finite," Vilsack said. Rising populations mean farmers must find ways of doing more on the land they have, he added. "I want the organic farmer to survive and also recognize the role of production ag in the world," Vilsack said. "It won't be easy, not when peoples' emotions are attached, but we need to recognize the role each plays." Strong ag support Vilsack left the wheat boards with one strong message of support from his office as they return to their homes and farms. "I support production agriculture and I want Americans to understand the role agriculture plays in their lives, every day," he said. "Sometimes we take for granted what you do every day. "Our role is to make sure people understand how hard the business of agriculture is," he added. "This is a great business and a noble business. You can't name one significant issue today that doesn't come through my department. National security, health care, immigration, the economy, energy-there is not one single issue that doesn't intersect at USDA. But you wouldn't believe the number of people in this town who don't know where USDA is located. And, we have half of the Mall!" Vilsack said it's easy for farmers to assume people don't know and don't care to know about farming and ranching. "You have got to talk ag up," he said. "We're in this together in the struggle to recognize what you do." Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached by phone at 620-227-1807, or by e-mail at [email protected].

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Klussendorf Association Names Geiger 14th Honorary Member Submitted by World Dairy Expo on Sat, 10/06/2012 - 11:00 Hoard's Dairyman: Klussendorf Association Names Geiger 14th Honorary Member Date: Sat, 10/06/2012 Corey Geiger is congratulated by Horace Backus as newest Honorary Klussendorf Member. Doug Blair, also an honorary member joins the two. Corey Geiger, Mukwonago, Wis., was named the 14th Honorary Member of the Klussendorf Association. Since the association was formed in 1937, 13 other men have received special recognition by the membership for their involvement with the purebred dairy cattle. Geiger has shared his talents with a number of dairy-based organizations including his service as the third secretary-treasurer of the Klussendorf Association for the past eleven years. Geiger became a full-time member of Hoard’s Dairyman’s editorial staff seven months before graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with dual degrees in dairy science and agriculture economics. Since then, he has traveled to 45 states, five Canadian provinces, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Germany to cover the dairy industry. Recently, he was named assistant managing editor of the publication with subscribers in 68 countries which also has Japanese and Spanish editions. A friend to all breeds, he also coordinates and selects cattle for the popular Hoard’s Dairyman Cow Judging Contest which is entering its 83rd competition. As a valued contributor to our industry, he spent eight years as superintendent of contest officials at the National 4-H Contest and now serves as superintendent of the Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest. Respected by his peers, Geiger served as president of the National Dairy Shrine and was twice elected president of the Wisconsin Holstein Association and was instrumental in developing Midwest Holsteins, a joint publication between Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin’s state Holstein associations. Today, he represents breeders as a director on the National Holstein Association board of directors. In 2010, Geiger was named a “Friend” of World Dairy Expo, and in 2008, he was recognized as the top young agricultural journalist by the American Agricultural Editors Association. That same year he won Alpha Gamma Rho’s Grand President Award given to its top four members under 40 years of age. This year’s 14th honorary winner remains active in his family’s Ran-Rose Holstein herd in Reedsville, Wis. He has mated the herd since he was a teenager and it is now an eleven-time Progressive Genetics Herd Award recipient by Holstein Association USA. He has bred two 93-point cows, two that have produced over 340,000 pounds of lifetime production, and has co-bred and owned the 2004 High Honorable Mention All American Holstein Summer Yearling. The family operation dates back to 1867 and consists of nearly 400 acres. Share your Dairy Wellness story by liking our sponsor, at www.facebook.com/DairyWellness. Tweet Click the icon to subscribe to Hoard's at Expo blog and get the blog sent to you. Return to Hoard's at Expo

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One year on Katine Chronicles blog The Ugandan government needs to do more for farmers The Katine project could help improve livelihoods in this sub-county of north-east Uganda, but it should not absolve the government of its responsibilities towards farmers across the country, argues Ronald Naluwairo Peter Eroku and his cattle in Katine, Uganda. Photograph: Guardian/Martin Godwin Thursday 20 November 2008 04.03 EST As in many other rural areas, agriculture is the major source of employment for the majority of the people in eastern Uganda, where Katine is located. More than 80% of the population in the region depend on agriculture to meet their food, animal feed, health and cultural needs. Agriculture constitutes a major source of income across Uganda, employing more than 80% of the populace - the majority being women and young people. However, over the years, agricultural production has steadily declined. Figures from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics indicate that sector growth declined from 5.6% in 1999-00 to 1.9% in 2006-07, with some years registering depressingly low figures. For example, 2005-06 registered 0.5% growth and 2004-05 registered -0.6%. There are a number of factors that account for this decline, including increasing land degradation, declining soil productivity, pests and diseases, climate change and unpredictable weather patterns. The civil war in the north, which has lasted more than 21 years, has compounded the issue in the east. In the face of rapid population growth, this decline is threatening the livelihoods of the people in the region who now can't produce enough food. Some people can hardly afford more than one meal a day for their families. The situation is made worse by increasing food prices and the opening up of new markets in neighbouring southern Sudan. While this could have been a blessing for farmers, it is proving disastrous in terms of ensuring food security in the region. Farmers say they are being forced by circumstances to sell their produce cheaply to businessmen, who now buy it right from the gardens even before it is ready for harvest. The desperately poor farmers are forced to sell almost all their produce, leaving very little for home consumption. They need the money to buy other necessities, like soap, salt and paraffin, the cost of which have more than doubled in the last two years. Another major concern is seeds. Quality seeds are the foundation of agricultural productivity and food security. In eastern Uganda, improved seeds, which could help address some of the problems farmers face, are not only very expensive, so unaffordable for most people, but are not readily available. And because of the weak enforcement of standards, there are now a number of fake seeds on the market in the region. Some farmers have had to cross into neighbouring Kenya in search of quality seeds. One area in which the Katine project could help improve agricultural production and livelihoods in the region is by providing improved seed varieties to farmers. This should not, however, absolve the government of its responsibility towards farmers in the area, and in the rest of the country. The government must, as a matter of urgency, consider subsidising improved seeds for poor farmers. After all, it is these people who sustain Uganda's economy, which remains largely based on agriculture. While the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) has, over the years, developed a number of high-yielding, pest and disease-resistant varieties that are relatively cheap, these have had a very low adoption rate in the region, because the majority are not suited to the environment. Farm-Africa's approach to developing the high-yielding cassava variety tailored to Katine's special environmental conditions is, therefore, commendable. However, to be fully successful, planting new varieties has to be accompanied by adequate and sustained technical advice. There has been a virtual breakdown of agricultural advisory services in eastern Uganda, as there are very few advisers for so many farmers. To make matters worse, these advisers are poorly assisted and are, in most cases, not up to date with emerging agricultural technologies and practices. It comes as a surprise to learn that the Ugandan government won't allow Farm-Africa to train community animal health workers outside those already certified, apparently because there are enough in the country. While this is true on paper, the number of health workers is still low and because of the poor pay and lack of help they receive, many are not willing to work in very remote areas, such as Katine. In August this year, a farmer in the neighbouring district of Palisa shared her frustration and disappointment at losing a cow. She informed participants at the Eastern Uganda Farmers' Platform, organised by the Kampala-based thinktank Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment, which I attended, that she lost her cow because on the two occasions she had requested the area veterinary worker to check the sick animal, he would demand money for fuel for his motorcycle, which the old woman could not afford. • Ronald Naluwairo is a Ugandan PhD student at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. He was awarded a PhD scholarship through the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's governance for development in Africa initiative, a collaboration between the foundation and SOAS, which offers PhD scholarships, short-term leadership development fellowships, residential schools and lectures on governance and development.

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Nebraska a longtime leader in research into distiller grains Written by Gothenburg Times Friday, 24 May 2013 13:40 LINCOLN—Terry Klopfenstein’s first foray into the possibility of using distillers grains for cattle feed in the late 1960s was based on the idea of fermenting wheat because it was so cheap at the time. “I put together a plan that never took off. It’s a good thing that it didn’t,” Klopfenstein recalled. Instead, the fledgling field took its lead from the distilling industry in Kentucky, which was about adult beverages, of course, even landing some early funding from the whiskey industry for research. At the time, cattle were fed corn, corn silage and alfalfa, but the industry was interested in the possibility of feeding a distillers byproduct, Klopfenstein said. Early research showed that with much of the starch removed, distillers grains were a better feed than corn. “That was a tough sell to feeders,” Klopfenstein said. Later came another shift: In addition to being a source of protein, research showed, distillers grains could be a source of energy for cattle. Over the decades since, the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources has been a leader in the field, thanks to Nebraska’s unique mix of corn, cattle and ethanol production. IANR animal scientists long have been leaders in researching how best to use byproducts from ethanol production for cattle feed. Their pioneering studies in the 1990s proved the benefits of feeding wet byproducts to cattle instead of drying the material. Eliminating drying reduces ethanol production costs, reduces greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural complex, and provides an economical, high-performance feed. This work transformed wet byproducts into a feedlot staple and helped develop Nebraska’s ethanol industry. Klopfenstein, now semi-retired, has been the one constant presence in that research. In addition, his former students now are all over the country carrying the work forward as feeders and consultants. Bill Dicke, who got bachelor’s and master’s degrees in ruminant nutrition from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the 1970s, founded Cattlemen’s Nutrition Services LLC, based in Lincoln, one of the largest independent beef nutrition consulting firms in the nation. Dicke said Klopfenstein’s research and teaching have been key in making Nebraska a leader. “We definitely use what we learned in graduate school over the years, and we continue to monitor research and follow the university’s research very heavily,” Dicke said. Klopfenstein’s colleagues, including fellow animal scientist Galen Erickson, take university research to the industry through UNL Extension. In 2012, for example, Erickson advised consultants to use more corn silage in cattle’s diets, in part to use drought-damaged corn. In fact, current IANR research is exploring working more corn silage back into cattle’s diets after it was largely eliminated since the 1980s. “There’s a synergy there between silage and distillers grains,” Klopfenstein said. Klopfenstein praised the Nebraska Corn Board, and the livestock and ethanol industries for being a key part of the partnership.

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« Didn't we learn? Ronald Reagan didn’t know Ri...» Write the SFWMD on Adaptive Protocols for Lake O Guest commentary by RAE ANN WESSEL, SCCF Natural Resource Policy Director Save | Post a comment | The Adaptive Protocols for Lake Okeechobee Operations (AP) provide guidance to Lake Okeechobee water managers when deciding if, when and where to release water from the lake. The AP document is currently being updated because of the 2008 change to the lake regulation schedule, and it is anticipated that the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board will vote on the revised Adaptive Protocols at their meeting in West Palm Beach next week. Over the past year, SCCF policy staff has been part of a process involving the SFWMD, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, agricultural and natural system stakeholders including west coast partners from the City of Sanibel, Lee County and the Southwest Florida Watershed Council on updating protocols for Lake Okeechobee releases. Goal of the Adaptive Protocol Process The goal of the Adaptive Protocols for Lake Okeechobee Operations (AP) is to manage the volume, timing and delivery of water out of Lake Okeechobee to more equitably balance water deliveries between permitted users (agriculture and municipal water supply) and natural systems for the benefit of wildlife and habitat protection and saltwater management. It is critical that the AP document be updated in order to change strict guidelines that have resulted in harmful water delivery decisions for the Caloosahatchee and other natural systems. Defining the problem In the Caloosahatchee, problems for the natural system exist both when water levels in the lake are low as well as high. When water levels are low, the SFWMD has repeatedly recommended unilaterally cutting off flow to the Caloosahatchee, without requiring conservation or cutting back water supply to other users. Compounding the injury, Caloosahatchee water is often redirected to the lake for the benefit of permitted water users at the expense of the estuary. In other words, when water is scarce, permitted water users get all they want, while the natural system gets cut off. Water that should be directed to the natural system is instead redirected to benefit permitted water users, resulting in harm to the natural system from high salinities caused by too little freshwater. In high water conditions, unwanted, excess water is pumped off lands throughout the system and dumped down the river, damaging seagrass and oyster habitat. This provides flood control to permitted users at the expense of the natural system. In order to improve ecosystem benefits, this current operational inequity that unilaterally cuts off water entirely or dumps unwanted flood waters harming the function of natural systems, must be changed. Seminal Policy Issue The process of addressing the damage to natural systems has revealed a seminal policy issue: the fundamental fairness of cutting off natural systems from public water while private, permitted users receive 100 percent of their demand, even when that inequity results in actual harm to the natural system. Staff AP recommendation A number of alternatives were modeled in the evaluation phase of this process, resulting in a broad range of outcomes. Unfortunately, the Governing Board was not presented a side-by-side comparison of the effects of these alternatives. The staff-selected recommendation will continue to unilaterally cut off natural systems without restricting other users. Additional issues For the Caloosahatchee, high flows are a critical issue as we receive the majority of damaging flows during periods of excess water. The current document does not include any guidance for assessing ecological conditions in the estuaries during periods of high flow. There need to be operational alternatives to contract and implement emergency storage options throughout the watersheds north, west, east and south of the lake. Without additional storage, the Caloosahatchee will continue to be the dumping ground for the system. Back flowing or redirecting Caloosahatchee water back into Lake Okeechobee — a common practice in the extreme dry seasons and drought years — was modeled during the evaluation of alternatives. Backflowing was shown to harm the Caloosahatchee estuary while benefiting permitted water users. Conversely, modeling showed that if that river water was allowed to flow to the estuary during those periods, the Caloosahatchee estuary conditions would improve without impacting permitted water users. We have requested that the adaptive protocol first assess estuary conditions before redirecting any Caloosahatchee water into Lake Okeechobee. If the estuary needs the flow, the water would continue to flow to the estuary. Only if the estuary does not need the flow, could water be redirected to the lake. Speak out The SFWMD Governing Board is scheduled to discuss and vote on the AP at its meeting in West Palm Beach next week. The natural systems of the west coast have been seriously impacted by lake release decisions, and the currently proposed recommendation is unacceptable. The Governing Board needs our input. Ask them to stop sacrificing the natural system for the benefit of other water users. Ask them to adopt a policy that only cuts back water to natural systems when all users share in cutbacks. Ask them to implement emergency storage options to reduce damaging lake releases. It’s time the west coast gets equal treatment. You’ll find Governing Board e-mails on our website, where you can also review our letters to staff and the GB: www.sccf.org. Save | Post a comment | Subscribe to Island Reporter, Captiva Current, Sanibel-Captiva Islander Sanibel Weather Forecast, FL

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Global Food for Thought Global Agricultural Development Initiative The Chicago Council on Global Affairs This Week's Edition of the Global Food for Thought News Brief Please click here to view this week's Global Food for Thought News Brief. If you have not signed up to receive Global Food for Thought by email, please do so by clicking here.Image: The Last Hunger Season Film Series/Roger Thurow Posted at 05:16 PM in Global Food for Thought News Brief | Permalink | | To Succeed, Let’s Make Room for Failure Next Generation Delegation 2014 Commentary Series By Caitlin Grady, PhD Candidate in the Ecological Sciences and Engineering Program at Purdue University and 2014 Next Generation Delegate It is well-known that, unfortunately, many development interventions worldwide have failed to provide benefits to the communities in which they are implemented. One can find failed projects from funders such as the World Bank and International Finance Corporation in Africa, or failed digital villages in South Africa, or a campaign that donated computers to villages without power, and the list goes on. The possible reasons for these failures are numerous: some suggest that it may be due to a lack of local perspective from program implementers, others speculate that it may be the result of trying accomplish too many things things on much too short timelines, or perhaps it is due to one of the hundreds of other reasons outlined in both scientific inquiry and popular press. If a quick Google search can find a number of resources on failed projects or programs, why are we still making million dollar mistakes? I reflected on this at The Chicago Council’s Global Food Security Symposium 2014. As a Next Generation Delegate, I had the opportunity to represent a youth voice at the Symposium. Several of the speakers provided new and interesting technological advances or solutions to our complex global food challenges, yet there was little discussion about mistakes and failures of approaches in the past. I suggest that we should talk openly about previous failures, project planning, local perspectives, follow through, and continued monitoring and evaluation. Let’s make room for failure in international development. This means embracing experimentation and learning from past failures. Some development organizations have already taken this step - Engineers Without Borders, for example, publishes Failure Reports, noting that “development is not possible without taking risks and innovating – which inevitably means failing sometimes.” We can learn from previous failures, but only if we lower the “costs” of failure in our current social environment within the development community. Together we can change the discourse and start to make significant progress on working to bring basic human rights and needs to all. Posted at 04:18 PM in Next Generation Delegation 2014 | Permalink | | Losing the Plot? Agricultural Research Policy and the 2014 Farm Bill This post originally appeared on Choices Magazine.By Philip G. Pardey, Jason M. Beddow, and Steven T. BuccolaA large part of U.S. agricultural output and its competiveness in international commodity markets is attributable to research-induced gains in productivity accumulated over the 20th century. In 2012, the United States accounted for a sizable share (9.5% by value) of the global food, feed, and fiber economy. This is substantially smaller than its 1961 share of 14.8% (United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2014). Over the same period, the Asia-Pacific region (including India and China) grew its global share from 24.2% to 45.1%. Productivity growth in U.S. agriculture has declined along with its global market share. For the post-World War II period through 1990, agricultural productivity—measured by accounting for changes in the use of multiple factors of production—grew on average by 2.1% per year, but dropped to almost half that rate (1.2% per year) during the subsequent two decades (Pardey, Alston, and Chan-Kang, 2013). As the 21st century unfolds, a question of major importance is whether a continuation of contemporary trends in public investments in research and development (R&D) are sufficient to preserve or enhance past productivity gains and ensure the United States remains competitive in global agricultural markets (Alston et al., 2010, especially chapter 11). While the links between R&D investments and changes in productivity are difficult to disentangle, there is compelling evidence that these investments continue to yield relatively large social dividends (Hurley, Rao, and Pardey, 2014), but with several major, and politically crippling, caveats. The lags between investing in R&D and realizing returns on those investments are long (often spanning decades), and the benefits are diffuse, accruing to a broad range of producers and consumers, and not limited to any particular political jurisdiction or constituency. It is, therefore, harder for politicians to reap short-term electoral benefits by acting in a far-sighted fashion for the country’s long-run economic and environmental gains. Nevertheless, decisions taken now will have potentially profound consequences for U.S. and global agriculture at least through the middle of this century. So how have political commitments to the public investments in R&D that affect the food and agricultural sectors fared of late? Are the institutional arrangements for funding and performing public agricultural R&D evolving in ways that will lead to a robust future for U.S. agriculture? Are the investment and institutional changes envisaged in the 2014 Farm Bill sufficient in light of substantive shifts in the roles of public versus private R&D within the United States, and the position of the United States in global innovation markets for food and agriculture? Read the full story on Choices Magazine > Posted at 01:29 PM in Commentary | Permalink | | Thursday, October 09, 2014 Commentary - Nutrition Interventions from the Lab to the Field By Elise Ellinger As a student in nutrition and international development, I have strived to develop a variety of skills in the fields of food security and nutrition. My experiences so far have convinced me that ensuring global food security requires a breadth of measures, from the lab to the field, in order to attain sustainable solutions to these pressing problems. As a student at the University of Illinois, I conduct research in Food Science and Human Nutrition, under the direction of Dr. Juan Andrade. I analyze fortified blended foods to test for values of specific micronutrients. Although vitamins and minerals are vital for health, vitamin deficiencies are not immediately physically evident, unlike calorie deficiency, or ‘starvation.’ But micronutrient deficiencies can be just as detrimental as calorie deficiency, leading to health problems like blindness, mental impairment, and even death. Fortifying these vitamins and minerals into foods is therefore an important solution that not only requires insight into food chemistry but also sociology and economics. For example, I analyzed Corn Soya Blend, which is a porridge given to children in school lunch programs worldwide by the World Food Programme and USAID. It contains a bountiful supply of micronutrients, but through our analysis we learned that when the product is improperly prepared, the nutrients are severely diminished, because vital nutrients can be destroyed through high cooking temperatures, sunlight, and humid storage conditions. I realized that the interventions necessary to resolve these issues depend on technical expertise as well as careful consideration of the entire supply chain and sociological influence, such as educating caregivers on the proper preparation techniques and storage. My field experience in Latin America taught me about nutrition interventions beyond technical laboratory work. In my field research, I supported a PhD candidate’s analysis of the correlation between food security, diet diversity, coping strategies, and other livelihood factors in rural Honduras and Guatemala. We traveled to several rural communities and went door-to-door surveying households on these indicators. Suddenly, the effects of malnutrition were no longer a dataset for me, but a child with cloudy eyes whose height falls far below their developmental average. Continue reading "Commentary - Nutrition Interventions from the Lab to the Field" » | | Wednesday, October 08, 2014 Roger Thurow - Rasoa’s Big Plans This post originally appeared on the Outrage and Inspire blog. We’re excited to announce the launch of a new multi-part film series on Roger Thurow’s The Last Hunger Season. Now through October 16—coinciding with World Food Day 2014—we will be releasing new episodes from the series each week. Part 7 is now available below. See all episodes. With Rasoa Wasike’s first big harvest came big plans for the future. She and her husband Cyrus would begin saving money for their three sons to attend high school. Rasoa and Cyrus, now seeing their family farm in western Kenya as a family business, strategized about diversifying their crops. Growing a greater variety of vegetables would be good for the nutrition of their boys. And the crop rotation would help revitalize the depleted soil in their field. Hazy, distant plans for adding another cow or two, and starting a poultry business, and planting more fruit trees became clear and imminent. And, of course, there would be a new house, with a bedroom just for the boys. Tripling the size of their maize harvest opened up the possibilities. Relieved of the daily worry of putting enough food on the table, Rasoa was free to think ahead. Greater productivity on her farm—thanks to the access to financing and the ability to purchase better quality seeds and soil nutrients through One Acre Fund—yielded a cornucopia of choices. It liberated her entrepreneurial spirit. In this video, Rasoa personifies the benefits of investing in Africa’s hard-working family farmers. Posted at 10:15 AM in Roger Thurow - "Outrage & Inspire" | Permalink | | Tuesday, October 07, 2014 USDA Secretary Vilsack on Innovation in Agriculture On October 6, 2014, US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs on how innovation in US agriculture is helping to reduce hunger and advance a safe, nutritious, and affordable food supply both in the US and abroad. Vilsack, who was welcomed by Dan Glickman, former Secretary of Agriculture and cochair of The Chicago Council’s Global Agricultural Development Initiative, highlighted the importance of continued innovation and US leadership in agriculture in order to address the most pressing global problems that we currently face. Secretary Vilsack emphasized the important role of agriculture in the face of threats from climate change, highlighting the Obama administration's launch of the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture at the UN Climate Summit in September. The Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture aims to increase agricultural productivity worldwide, ensure agriculture’s resilience to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. He also heralded the value of agricultural research, particularly in the face of climate change. Earlier this year, he said, USDA established the Open Data Initiative to “open the vault” of USDA data to scientists worldwide. Secretary Vilsack also recognized the importance of partnership with the private sector, and emphasized the USDA’s belief in “a science and rules-based system to spur innovation.” He noted the creation of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research in the most recent Farm Bill, noting that the US government’s investment, to be matched by the private sector, has created a $400 million investment in agricultural research. Secretary Vilsack also outlined the role of USAID’s Feed the Future Initiative in supporting agricultural production throughout the developing world, noting that is has assisted over 7.4 million farmers and 3.8 million hectares of land worldwide. Feed the Future is a country-led program, he said, in which the US listens and responds to countries, rather than dictating policy. Recently, bipartisan legislation was introduced in both the House and Senate that would make Feed the Future, whose programs include credit systems for smallholder farmers, trade and export assistance, data collection, and improved storage of crops to avoid loss, a permanent fixture of USAID’s programs. Secretary Vilsack encouraged such legislative action, stating: “We hope that Congress takes action to institutionalize the Feed the Future program—to institutionalize the training, credit programs, data collection, market access and export programs—in this global food security legislation. We hope Congress will pass it, because it is the right way to approach these issues, and the most innovative way.” As the world’s population grows closer to 9 billion, Secretary Vilsack observed, every tool and innovation will be necessary to ensure global food security. Noting that over 70 percent of the world’s farmers are women, he paid particular attention to the important contributions of women in agriculture, both in the US and internationally. “We need the ideas, focus, and direction that women in particular can bring,” he remarked. He concluded: “Agriculture is a big deal,” assuring that agriculture has the capacity—and ability—to help solve the world’s most pressing problems. Posted at 02:51 PM in News Updates | Permalink | | Monday, October 06, 2014 Big Ideas and Emerging Innovations REUTERS/Siegfried ModolaLivestock Insurance Could Protect Cattle-Herders in Africa from DroughtIndex-Based Livestock Insurance, being piloted in Kenya, uses data from satellite imagery to assess the impact of drought on the vegetation that livestock need to survive, allowing insured pastoralists to receive a pay-out in times of drought based on predicted rather than actual livestock deaths. It is a promising option for addressing poverty traps that arise from catastrophic drought risk.What Do African Farmers Want? More ManureThe Guardian Project Foundation’s initiative works as a pay-it-forward scheme, with farmers given a female sheep or goat as an interest free loan. Access to manure from the animal can increase crop yields by up to 300%. The increased income and greater stability in the communities involved in the project has led to significant improvements outside farming and food, including in healthcare and education.Arctic Greenhouse Provides Locals Fresh Produce Year-RoundA greenhouse based in a northern Canadian community is providing fresh local produce for residents of the Arctic region for the first time. The greenhouse will help improve local food security by extending the growing season past the summer months.Solar Energy: A Sunflower Solution to Electricity ShortageIBM revealed the prototype of its advanced solar electricity generators: the machines can convert 80% of the sun’s radiation into electricity and hot water. At present, about 1.3 billion people have no access to electricity. However, that figure is dwarfed by the number—2.5 billion—who have no access to proper sanitation; a number that is currently increasing at a rate of 9% a year. Posted at 02:06 PM in Big Ideas and Emerging Innovations | Permalink | | Friday, October 03, 2014 Please click here to view this week's Global Food for Thought News Brief. If you have not signed up to receive Global Food for Thought by email, please do so by clicking here.Image: REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh | | Integrated Strategies to Improve Food Production Next Generation Delegation 2014 Commentary Series By Jennie Lane, DVM, Master of Public Health from University of California, Berkeley and 2014 Next Generation Delegate I felt fortunate to attend The Chicago Council’s Global Food Security Symposium 2014 as a Next Generation Delegate and meet my fellow delegates, as well as sponsors and attendees. The Symposium was an excellent forum to understand the different aspects of food security and to learn about the diverse breadth of solutions to some of the toughest global challenges of our time. It was especially exciting to listen to the remarks by US National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah regarding USAID’s 2014-2015 Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy. In my opinion, agriculture for nutrition and health, or A4NH, is one of the most important aspects of food security. Integrating the disciplines of public health, agriculture, water, sanitation and food assistance into a cohesive strategy is an obvious step in the mission to eliminate extreme poverty around the world. I firmly believe in the potential of agricultural interventions through education and environmentally appropriate techniques to contribute to food security, decrease the prevalence of malnutrition, empower populations, withstand climate change and promote sustainable development. But we need more rigorous evaluation of the diverse and context-specific agricultural interventions designed to improve health and nutrition, learn what solutions work, what don’t and why, and how to scale those that succeed. Livestock and animal agriculture is another important aspect of agricultural production. While food systems involving animals are recognized as essential to global food security, the impact of smallholder animal agriculture as well as draught animals - cattle, oxen, horses, donkeys, and mules - at all levels of the food system is poorly understood. These animals are essential to rural and traditional forms of agriculture. Learning more about their effects on farming systems has implications for national and international policy, the provision of veterinary services and education, and sustainable agriculture worldwide. Improving animal agriculture, in part through improved veterinary care, will remain essential to feeding a growing population. In tandem, we need an even better understanding of the effects that livestock systems have on household socioeconomics, human health, the local environment and the potential to mitigate climate change. To sustain the planet’s growing population, we need to integrate strategies to improve food production while adapting to and mitigating climate change through attention to soil improvement, increased use of perennial and forestry crops, improved grazing techniques, and advanced water retention methods. To this point, Dr. Cynthia E. Rosenzweig made excellent recommendations to the panel discussion of the climate-food nexus: she suggests we need increased collaboration and rigorous, cross-disciplinary research employing public health, agricultural, climate, agroeconomic, and social science techniques to fully understand the complexity of these systems. At the Symposium, numerous experts called for increased collaboration across sectors; similarly, two of the four recommendations in the Chicago Council’s report, Advancing Global Food Security in the Face of a Changing Climate, called for increased partnerships. These recommendations must be converted into action. With increased knowledge paired with human-centered design and community involvement at all levels, we can continue to develop solutions that result in food security and support sustainable societies. Roger Thurow - Leonida’s Education Priority We’re excited to announce the launch of a new multi-part film series on Roger Thurow’s The Last Hunger Season. Now through October 16—coinciding with World Food Day 2014—we will be releasing two episodes from the series per week. Parts 5 and 6 are now available below. See all episodes. During the hunger season, Leonida Wanyama not only struggled to feed her children. She also struggled to educate them. For Leonida, putting her children through school was as important as putting food on the table. At the beginning of the year, she sold her entire maize harvest—which could have fed her family throughout the year—to raise money to pay the high school tuition for her son, Gideon. Gideon was in his third year of high school. Leonida desperately wanted him—her fourth child—to be the first in the family to complete secondary school. At first, it seemed an unfathomable decision. Selling the harvest meant plunging the family back into another hunger season. But Leonida told me they could cope and somehow make it through; they always had. Yes, she said, the food would have likely satisfied the family for a year. The opportunity to have a high school graduate in the family, though, could yield lifetime benefits. Education of her children, she believed, was the steady, long-term route out of poverty. The initial tuition payment, however, wasn’t enough to cover the entire year of schooling for Gideon. The principal would regularly send him home for more money to stay in school. Leonida and her husband continued to sacrifice; they sold their little plastic radio and some chickens and tightened their belts further. The deepening hunger season made it harder for Gideon’s three younger sisters to perform their best in school. How can you study on an empty stomach? But their mother said it would pay off in the long run: with a high school diploma, Gideon could get a better job, and he could then help put his sisters through high school. In these next two videos, Leonida and her husband Peter emphasize the importance of education. And Gideon and his sister Jackline Sitawa, who is in eighth grade and hoping to follow her brother into high school, explain what it is like to be teenagers during the hunger season, how they yearn to accomplish something in school, and achieve a better life even as the food on the table dwindles. Posted at 03:53 PM in Roger Thurow - "Outrage & Inspire" | Permalink | | « The Global Food for Thought blog, twitter feed, and facebook wall, provide updated information, commentary, and analysis on breaking developments on international agriculture, food, and related issues. The Chicago Council and the Global Agricultural Development Initiative do not endorse the opinions expressed in this blog, twitter, and facebook but merely provide a forum for this information, commentary, and debate. 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Arielle Golden Reintroducing the Marshall Strawberry By Arielle Golden on May 24, 2013 Five years ago, Slow Foods’ “Most Endangered Foods” list included the Marshall Strawberry. The fruit, known as the finest eating strawberry in America by the James Beard Foundation, is a deep, dark, red, with an exceptionally bold flavor. After World War II, the Marshall was devastated by viruses and has been left out of conventional supermarket supply chains due to its soil specifications and the delicate handling it requires. Read more Interview with a Young Farmer By Arielle Golden on October 9, 2012 The University of Vermont’s Farmer Training Program, introduced in May 2011, is an intensive six-month program that aims to provide graduates with an education and support system that encourages them to create and maintain sustainable farms and food businesses. What distinguishes the program from typical farm apprenticeships, in addition to the application fee for enrollment, is the comprehensive exposure to different types of sustainable food industries in the food system, from a stint on a 500-member CSA farm to working for a smaller, specialty grower. Civil Eats spoke to Robinson Yost, one of the current students in the program. After studying anti-colonial politics as an undergraduate student, he studied ecological building methods in New Mexico and participated in a reforestation project and low-impact living experiment in Southeast India. As a young farmer, Robinson is a telling example of the sort of unconventional backgrounds that many young farmers are bringing into the American food system. Read more Young Farmers Begin the Path Towards Equality with Loans By Arielle Golden on August 6, 2012 Starting a farm is not easy, a business in which high startup costs and a lack of available land for purchase or rent are obvious obstacles. As our nation’s farmers grow older–the average American farmer is 57–and we simultaneously undergo a shift towards reclaiming our food system, young and beginning farmers are stepping up. Government programs designed to help farmers have existed for many years, but much of this funding is only within reach of large-scale producers that have been in the business for many years. Several USDA programs are geared towards helping farms based on production, favoring commodity farmers and large-scale farmers, which keep these loans out of the hands of smaller start-ups. But new opportunities are in development for young farmers. Read more Website by SOUTH BEND

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AgriLife Offices AgriLife.org Leader in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life Sciences About AgriLife About Texas A&M AgriLife The Land-Grant Mission The Land-Grant Legacy in the Lone Star State History of Texas A&M AgriLife Texas A&M AgriLife Institutes Office of the Vice Chancellor Staff AgriLife Communications AgriLife Information Technology Federal Relations Texas A&M Foundation: AgriLife Office Texas A&M AgriLife Leaders Dr. Mark A. Hussey – Vice Chancellor and Dean Dr. Douglas Steele – Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Dr. Craig Nessler – Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Dr. Bruce Akey – Director, TVMDL Tom Boggus – Director, Texas A&M Forest Service AgriLife Entities About AgriLife Entities Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) Texas A&M Forest Service Vice Chancellor’s Newsletter Contact AgriLife Agriculture & Life Sciences Complex AgriLife Center Texas A&M AgriLife Directory Texas A&M AgriLife Offices The Office of External Relations, under the direction of the Vice Chancellor of Agriculture and Life Sciences, communicates the needs, priorities, and relevance of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M Forest Service, and the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory to external interests. The External Relations team is the primary point of contact for elected officials, government agencies, and external stakeholders at the state level. In addition, the Office of External Relations collaborates with the Texas A&M University System Office of State Relations. Using strategic communication and interaction, the office maintains consistency and coordination of contact with supporters while promoting numerous unique and pertinent programs and initiatives. External Relations Staff Assistant Vice Chancellor for External Relations [email protected] 814 Lavaca St. Austin, TX 78701 Joe Cox currently serves as assistant vice chancellor for External Relations for Texas A&M AgriLife. He joined the AgriLife team after his exceptional work for several offices in the Texas House of Representatives, where he focused on policy areas pertaining to agriculture, natural resources and the environment, and energy. Before working in the House of Representatives, Mr. Cox was employed by a private government-relations firm and represented a broad spectrum of clients. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and earned his Master of Arts degree in political science at Texas State University. A native Texan, Mr. Cox remains close to his roots and manages a family livestock operation in Central Texas. Cristina Cornejo [email protected] Cristina Cornejo joined the External Relations team as program coordinator in December 2008, after serving as director of communications for the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO). Before working for TIPRO, Ms. Cornejo served as legislative director in the office of Texas State Representative Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles, where she focused on a wide array of issues, including agriculture, energy, juvenile justice, and criminal justice. Ms. Cornejo was also employed by the Advertising Council in Washington, D.C., where she helped to manage the public relations and media outreach efforts for five national public service campaigns, including Homeland Security. She has worked for members in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Ms. Cornejo is a native of South Texas. AgriLife OfficesTexas A&M AgriLife Offices Texas Districts – Representatives Informational Brochures of Texas Congressional Districts D.C. Travel Texas A&M AgriLife News Don’t let stress dampen the holiday spirit Dec 02Verchot named resident director for Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center-Dallas Dec 01Wildlife Tax Valuation workshop set Dec. 8 in Leming Nov 30BIG Conference cotton session to feature new production trends Nov 30Riparian, stream ecosystem workshop set for Dec. 7 in Kenedy Nov 30 Texas A&M Forest ServiceTexas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostics LaboratoryTexas A&M AgriLife Extension ServiceTexas A&M AgriLife ResearchTexas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Compact with Texans Texas Veteran's Portal

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October 27, 2002Dr. David Wm. Smith, CFPresidentSociety of American ForestersEmeritus Professor of ForestryVirginia Tech621 Woodland Drive, NWBlacksburg, VA 24061-3234Dear President Smith: Several weeks ago we received a copy of the August 28, 2002 letter that you wrote, in your capacity as SAF President, to Senator Robert Byrd, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. The letter addressed the current wildfire problem on the nation's public (primarily Forest Service) lands in the western United States. It was read and extensively discussed at the Louisiana SAF's annual meeting on September 18, 2002. You accurately and definitively set out the facts concerning the problem, including describing its parameters and outlining the reasons for its existence. In this connection you quoted from SAF's report Forest of Discord in offering suggestions for improving the management of the national forests. You went on to point out that SAF recognizes that the current problems are being caused in large part by time-consuming and frivolous administrative appeals and lawsuits -- often based on little or no scientific validity -- filed within the permissive framework of various environmental laws. The letter rightfully acknowledges that such appeals ignore the Forest Service planning process and public comment periods, and that those who appeal seldom have on-the-ground involvement with the project in question. The Louisiana SAF fully agrees with these statements and commends you for communicating them to Chairman Byrd. As expressed unanimously by those of our members (including a number of Forest Service employees) present on September 18, however, Louisiana SAF strongly disagrees with your pronouncement at the top of page 2 of the letter that SAF (as professional forest managers) does not support emergency suspension of environmental laws to assist in alleviating the problem -- and that the problem should be addressed within the framework of existing laws. We recognize that the letter was written after President Bush's announcement of his Healthy Forests Initiative but before the Administration actually presented the legislative portion of that initiative to Congress. Louisiana SAF believes that you were premature in sending your letter. It would have been better, in our opinion, to have not taken such a hasty position but rather to have waited to examine the legislative portion of the Initiative and the several proposed amendments to the Interior Appropriations Bill, relative to the Initiative that were subsequently filed. You (and by extension, SAF) rightfully acknowledge in the letter that the status quo is not sufficient, and recognize that the existing administrative and legal processes cannot adequately address the current fire danger given the urgency of the situation. In this respect, however, you nevertheless ask only for legislative reform, not legislative suspension. The Louisiana SAF agrees that legislative reform is the long-run answer. By unanimous vote of those present on September 18, however, we strongly disagree with your position that legislative suspension is not the answer in the short-run. Based on past history, it is apparent that reform is not going to occur in the near future -- and certainly not soon enough to timely address the current fire problem. In the meantime, action is needed now to alleviate a very critical situation. You state at the top of page 3 of the letter that SAF, as an interim solution, supports Congress directing the judiciary to more heavily weigh the harm of not implementing a hazardous fuel reduction project versus the short-term consequences of moving forward. Even if Congress were to take this step, which is highly unlikely, LASAF believes that the federal judiciary would not pay it much heed. In summation, Louisiana SAF fully and strongly supports the President's Healthy Forest Initiative in its entirety. We believe, because of the urgency of the problem, that the temporary suspension of particular provisions of certain environmental laws -- which are flawed to begin with -- in order to allow the completion of critical fuels reduction projects is the only practical way to proceed in the short-run. We believe that this can be accomplished with sufficient sidebars in place so that the negative impacts associated with the salvage rider would not reoccur. Louisiana SAF objects to the issuance of your letter as representing the SAF membership at large. We believe that a substantial portion of SAF members, if not a majority, would disagree with you as we do per our comments above. On a final note, our Council Representative informed us that he was not made privy to the letter for comments and concurrence before it was sent. We believe this should have been done.Sincerely,John Adams, CF# 302 Chair, Louisiana SAF LOUISIANA SAF REPLY TO PRESIDENT DAVID WILLIAM SMITH'S LETTER TO SENATOR ROBERT BYRD CONCERNING PRESIDENT BUSH'S HEALTHY FORESTS INITIATIVE:

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Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Pedology Pedology, (from the Greek pedon = soil), is the study of soils and soil formation. Pedology or soil science? This discipline is known under several names, soil science, edaphology, or agrology. The diversity of names associated with this discipline is related to the various associations concerned. Indeed, agronomists, chemists, geologists, geographers, biologists, sylviculturists, specialists in regional planning, have all contributed to further knowledge on soil formation and soil distribution and use. The soil is not only an inert and stable support for vegetation, but it is also the seat of numerous interactions between climate (water, air, temperature), soil life (micro-organisms, plants, animals) and its residues, the mineral material of the original and added rock, and its position in the landscape. During its evolution, the soil deepens and is slowly characterized by successive layers, called horizons, while a steady state balance is approached. Soil users (such as agronomists) showed initially little concern in the dynamics of soil. They saw it as medium whose chemical, physical and biological properties were useful for the services of agronomic productivity. On the other hand, pedologists and geologists did not initially focus on the agronomic applications of the soil characteristics but upon its relation to the nature and history of landscapes. Today, there's an integration of the two disciplinary approaches. Pedologists are now also interested in the practical applications of a good understanding of pedogenesis processes (science of the evolution of soils), like interpreting its environmental history and predicting consequences of changes in land use, while agronomists understand that the cultivated soil is a complex medium, often resulting from several thousands of years of evolution. They understand that the current balance is fragile and that only a thorough knowledge of its history makes it possible to ensure its sustainable use. Famous pedologists : Olivier de Serres Vassili Dokuchaev E. W. Hilgard Hans Jenny See also Agricultural sciences basic topics -- soil life Fact-index.com financially supports the Wikimedia Foundation. Displaying this page does not burden Wikipedia hardware resources.This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

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Tag: Karen Rivara Mural coming down, restaurant possible at East Main St. building Q&A: New L.I. Farm Bureau pres marks a couple of ‘firsts’ by Carrie Miller CARRIE MILLER PHOTO | Karen Rivara on the dock at her Southold-based oyster business. After nearly 60 years representing farmers on Long Island, the Long Island Farm Bureau named both its first woman, and first aquaculture farmer as president of the agriculture advocacy group. Karen Rivara, the owner of Aeros Cultured Oyster Company – which operates in Southold as well as Connecticut – stepped into the new post on Monday, at the LIFB’s annual meeting. Joseph Gergela, executive director of the bureau, said Ms. Rivara’s election comes at a bit of a crossroads, as water quality has come the forefront of environmental issues discussed on Long Island, and aquaculture is growing in popularity. “Her business is effected by water quality issues, but she’s very balanced. She’s a lot more realistic and understands the problems with groundwater and surface waters,” he said. “Karen is able to hold her own in conversations about difficult issues. Whether its sod, wine grapes, vegetables, potatoes, or oysters – She gets it. She understand it. She’s a leader, and people listen to her and they respect her opinion.” Q. What would you say is the biggest issue affecting North Fork farmers? A. Making sure we can keep the farms viable, because it’s so expensive to farm out here. The cost of land, the cost of inputs, and then we have to compete with products from other areas that are cheaper to produce. To just maintain viability of our farms so they can get passed on to future generations – and there are a slew of policy issues that play into that. Q. What do you think are the common misconceptions about Long Island farmers? A. I think people don’t understand what it takes to farm out here. When you have an area where you have agriculture, and you have lots of residential property really close to those farms – the neighbors don’t understand what the farmers are doing, why they are doing things and how necessary it is to farm using those farming methods they have to be successful. There is a big difference between gardening and farming. You can’t really take what you do in a garden and transfer it to a 200-acre farm. Q. Working in agriculture, farmers are invested in the environment. Do you consider yourself and environmentalist as well? A.I think that I am a steward and I take the health of the environment that I work in very seriously. And I try to make sure that I have as little negative impact on the environment as possible. And for what I do I am extremely dependent on the bay being healthy. I can only grow the oysters in the hatchery for so long and then they have to be put out into the bay. Q. Your livelihood depends on water quality. In terms of groundwater protection, if you could ask anything of Long Island’s farmers what would it be? Keeping the trend of more environmentally-friendly farming practices moving forward. It seems to me people are using more less-detrimental farming practices than they did 20 years ago. So I would say that’s great and just keep the trend going. Keep thinking about stewardship and working with Cornell on farming practices like integrated pest management, time release fertilizer, getting involved with the stewardship program. I think the farmers on Long Island are some of the most progressive and intelligent farmers, probably on the planet – because they have to be. Q. What legislation needs to be enacted to ensure farming remains a long-term, viable option for people on Long Island? And on the same note, fishing/aquaculture? A. First of all we have to make sure we can preserve the farmers so we have to make sure that farming on the east and and North Fork of Long Island can be viable. That it’s not so burdensome from a regulatory standpoint that there is no way to really make a living. When you are farming in an area that is so populated, it is easy to get yourself painted into a corner from a regulation standpoint, and I think that the worst thing for this area is to lose our farmland and open space. We have a lot of young people coming into farming. Our board has a lot of young people interested in being involved, which is extremely exciting and is really a great thing for this area. They are doing different types of farming like hops and livestock – so just making sure that the farms they take over are viable. The legislators basically all branches of government and not-for-profits like the Peconic Land Trust, everybody just has to be so creative to figure out ways to preserve land because the value is so high. Making the programs for buying development rights attractive to farmers, and I think the county is trying to do that with the Chapter 8 revisions. The estate tax law, that is going to have to be dealt with. That is really going to come in it play because the average age of the American farmer is, I believe, in their mid-50s. If your farm is worth over a certain amount, you can be left with estate tax issues so you can’t just give it to your kids. You have to be very creative about how you pass on your farm to the next generation. It could be a viable farm, but if the acreage is valued high enough you may have a hard time passing it on. Especially for land with the rights intact because that land is more viable. In dealing with groundwater quality, everybody contributes to that every time they flush the toilet. I think everybody who lives on Long Island has to think of themselves as a stakeholder and we all need to work together to solve the problem instead of focusing on one industry over another, and burdening that industry with regulations when you’re not really addressing the whole problem. Q. Is there anything you hope to achieve for area farmers in your term as president? A. If people – when I am done being president in three years, and I’ve got a lot to do – could have a better understanding and appreciation of the farm industry. Then from that, we could have a better ability to resolve issues – like for instance traffic. I think if I can do something positive from being in this position, it would be to make this a both an economically and ecologically healthy area to farm down the line. In general we have issues with cesspools so I think if I could have people focus on the bigger picture and focus on the fact that we’re all stewards of the environment. We have to be really cognoscente. I think that I understand the issue from both sides because I live it. agriculture, Aquaculture, Karen Rivara, Long Island Farm Bureau

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BeekeepingTimes.com Search Main PageNews & Events News from the StatesNews from All OverThe Bee EconomyThe Honey TradeDevelopment NewsOn the Research FrontEvent Notices Research & Tech You are here: News & Events The Honey Trade International Honey Trade Importers of Chinese Honey Avoid Tariff in the USA through Re-routing Importers of Chinese Honey Avoid Tariff in the USA through Re-routing Thursday, 09 September 2010 22:08 MCS International Honey Trade User Rating: / 12 PoorBest Pune, May 27, 2010 (sources: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement News Release dated April 1, 2010; Texas A&M News & Information Services dated April 29, 2010; EurekAlert Public Release dated April 29, 2010; Science Daily news dated April 30, 2010; UPI Science News dated April 30, 2010): The news release dated April 1, 2010 of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says that Hung Ta Fan, a Taiwanese executive of several honey import companies was arrested in Los Angeles March 31, 2010 on federal charges filed in Chicago for allegedly conspiring to illegally import honey that was falsely identified to avoid U.S. anti-dumping duties. According to the ICE affidavit filed in Chicago, Fan and others allegedly used fraudulent means between July 2004 and June 2006 to import about 96 shipments of Chinese honey with a total declared value of more than US $ 4.5 million, falsely identifying it as originating in South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. In a similar case earlier in May 2009, the ICE affidavit adds, Yong Xiang Yan, of a honey manufacturing concern in China was arrested to 'conspiring to illegally import Chinese honey that was falsely identified as coming from the Philippines to avoid a total of nearly $4 million in domestic anti-dumping duties.'The practice of illegally importing Chinese honey into the USA as honey from other countries is continuing, according to a news release dated April 29, 2010 of the Texas A&M News & Information Service. Dr. Vaughn Bryant, a pollen scientist at the Texas A & M University at College Station, the news release says, found that honey samples labelled as coming from Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Laos usually turned out to be "a little honey from those countries and a majority of the blend coming from Chinese sources." Following is the full text of the release. Scientist Tracks Origins Of Bootleg Honey From China A Texas A&M University scientist spends hours at a time peering at slides of pollen samples, comparing them to track down the origins of honey with questionable heritage. Some of the samples contain labels from other countries when in fact they originated in China but were re-routed to avoid tariffs of up to 500 percent, says Vaughn Bryant, a palynologist and an anthropology professor at Texas A&M University.The tariffs were attached to the import of Chinese honey about two years ago because exporters there were "dumping" it in the U.S. - selling it at a much lower price than its cost, which is about one-half what it costs U.S. honey producers. The practice has almost ruined the market for domestic honey, says Bryant, who is also director of the palynology laboratory at Texas A&M.China is the largest honey producer in the world.Bryant, who examines more than 100 honey samples a year for importers, exporters, beekeepers and producers, says he believes he is the only person in the United States doing melissopalynology - the study of pollen in honey - on a routine basis. For the last five years, he has analyzed the pollen in honey samples from all over the world to determine the nectar sources and origin of the honey.He examines imported samples purported to come from Viet Nam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Laos, and usually discovers that the samples are blends "with a little honey from those countries and a majority of the blend coming from Chinese sources.""Now there are lots of shenanigans going on to avoid having to pay those tariffs, and the investigators are way behind in following them," Bryant says. "The beekeepers of the U.S. have been pleading with the FDA to enact stricter guidelines about accurate labeling for honey, but that is a long, slow process. Meanwhile, I'm trying to help out here and there, but it's almost impossible to keep up."Some foreign exporters get around the tariff by mixing honey from different sources, while others infuse up to 50 percent high fructose corn syrup into the honey, he says.DNA studies of the pollen in honey are expensive and difficult, Bryant says. Isotopic studies can reveal the source, provided you have a database of isotope signatures, which for now are very limited, he adds."We've never had 'truth in labeling' for selling honey, and we should," he says. "And the U.S. needs to make it illegal to import honey that has been filtered to remove the pollen, which makes it almost impossible to detect where it came from." Bryant has been a professor of either biology or anthropology at Texas A&M since 1971. He holds degrees in geography, anthropology and botany. Such variety has enabled him to address many topics - ranging from charting paleoenvironments and ancient human diets to his current emphasis on forensics and honey research.John Thomas, who was an entomologist with the Texas A&M Extension Service from 1957 to 1992 and is a beekeeper and a major donor to the new Texas Honey Bee Facility at Texas A&M, says he is grateful for Bryant's work."We have fought with the Chinese importers because honey is not a primary export there; it is just a byproduct they get from these other products they produce for medicinal purposes," Thomas says. "This system the A&M anthropologists have devised is a mechanism to trace the origins of the honey through the pollens. Unfortunately, it doesn't solve the problem."----- About research at Texas A&M University As one of the world's leading research institutions, Texas A&M is in the vanguard in making significant contributions to the storehouse of knowledge, including that of science and technology. Research conducted at Texas A&M represents an annual investment of more than $582 million, which ranks third nationally for universities without a medical school, and underwrites approximately 3,500 sponsored projects. That research creates new knowledge that provides basic, fundamental and applied contributions resulting in many cases in economic benefits to the state, nation and world. Contact: Kelli Levey, News & Information Services, at (979) 845-4645 or Vaughn Bryant at (979) 845-5255. Main PageNews & EventsNews from the StatesNews from All OverThe Bee EconomyThe Honey TradeDevelopment NewsOn the Research FrontEvent NoticesResearch & Tech Who's Online? None My BeekeepingTimes Copyright © 2016 BeekeepingTimes.com. All Rights Reserved. Designed by JoomlArt.com.

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... Mer Rouge farmer wins again The Louisiana Radio Network recently announced Mer Rouge farmer Harper Armstrong is the winner of the 16th annual Louisiana Farmer of the Year award. Not knowing he had won, Armstrong found out at the organizations's banquet at White Oak Plantation in Baton Rouge Thursday night, where former Gov. Buddy Roemer served as the guest speaker. By Vicki [email protected] Bastrop,La News of Harper Armstrong's farming accomplishments in Morehouse Parish has not fallen on deaf ears. As a matter of fact, the Mer Rouge resident attributes word of mouth as the reasoning behind his two recent Farmer of the Year titles, after farming 40 years and never receiving that honor.In Jan. Armstrong was awarded, by Sen. Francis Thompson, the Outstanding Agricultural Producer of the Year."I'm not doing anything different than I've done in the past," Armstrong said. "I think people are noticing what all I'm doing in the farm community and they're telling others about it."Armstrong is currently the president of the Morehouse Black Farmers and Landowners Association. This organization, which he helped develop, gives minority producers the latest information on farm programs and farming practices that enable them to continue farming. He is also the vice president of the National Black Growers Council, which covers minority producers throughout the South.Through the years, Armstrong has served on many committees, such as the Farm Service Association, the Soil Conservation Service and the LSU Ag Center, where he served as an advisor to farm producers in Morehouse parish.Southern University Ag Center Extension Agent Odis Hill said he's proud to have worked many years with Armstrong."On behalf of LSU and Southern University Ag Center, we're very appreciative of everything Mr. Armstrong has done to work with us over the years," Hill said.As the 2013 Farmer of the Year, Armstrong will receive $1,000 and 100 hours' use of a CaseIH Magnum tractor from title sponsor Progressive Tractor & Implement Co.Armstrong said he's happy to have won the Farmer of the Year title, but he's also happy that people are noticing what he and other black farmers are doing in Moehouse Parish."This was a great honor," he said. "I think people are recognizing what I'm doing in the community. I'm going to continue doing what I've been doing and I know I'll have the support of my community and other farmers."

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Resist the Corporate State Posts Tagged ‘Food security’ Don’t be fooled: NO to ‘Climate Smart Agriculture’ The Institute of Science in Society 09/28/15 No to Climate Smart Agriculture ‘Climate Smart Agriculture’ is agribusiness’ latest attempt to promote industrial farming and undermine agro-ecological approaches generally recognized as the real solution to food production under climate change Agribusiness corporations that promote synthetic fertilisers, industrial meat production and large-scale industrial agriculture are calling themselves “Climate Smart”. The Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture was launched a year ago; Its membership of 21 nations includes only ten developing countries, three farmers´ organisations, and a large private sector (with numerous corporations), 60 % of which linked to the fertilizer industry. Monsanto, Walmart and McDonalds have launched their own “climate-smart agriculture”. CSA claims to include all models of agriculture. However it lacks any social or environmental safeguards and fails to prioritize farmers’ voices, knowledge and rights as the key to facing and mitigating climate challenges. Most of all, CSA actually threatens to undermine agro-ecological approaches generally recognized as the real solution to food production under climate change. There is huge opposition from all sectors of civil society all over the world. An open letter addressed to decision makers objecting to CSA has been signed by 55 international organisations and 300 national organizations (including the Institute of Science in Society). The full text is reproduced below. Please forward widely to your policy-makers. Civil society says NO to “Climate Smart Agriculture” and urges decision-makers to support agroecology We, the undersigned, belong to civil society organizations including social movements, peasants/farmers organizations and faith-based organizations from around the world. We are working to tackle the impacts of climate change that are already disrupting farming and food systems and threatening the food and nutrition security of millions of individuals. As we move towards COP21 in Paris, we welcome a growing recognition of the urgent need to adapt food systems to a changing climate, and the key role of agroecology within a food and seed sovereignty framework in achieving this, while contributing to mitigation through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. However, despite these promising signals, we share deep concerns about the growing influence and agenda of so-called “Climate-Smart Agriculture” (CSA) and the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA). Climate change is the biggest and the most urgent threat our societies face. We need a radical transformation of our food systems away from an industrial model and its false solutions, and toward food sovereignty, local food systems, and integral agrarian reform in order to achieve the full realization of the human right to adequate food and nutrition. We therefore urge decision-makers at country and UN levels to reject the dangerous rhetoric of Climate-Smart Agriculture. Climate Smart Agriculture must not be confused with agroecology Climate Smart Agriculture must not be confused with agroecology [1]. Agroecology is a holistic approach to agriculture, based on principles of ecology as well as food and nutrition security, food sovereignty and food justice which seek to enhance agricultural systems by using and recycling natural resources instead of relying on externally-purchased inputs. It encourages local/national food production by small food producers and family farmers, and is based on techniques that are not delivered from the top-down, but developed from farmers’ traditional knowledge and practices as well as from farmer innovations. This approach is based on farmers’ participation and makes nature a powerful ally in ensuring food and nutrition security, building healthy soils and conserving water. It increases farmers’ incomes and resilience in the face of climate change, while improving biodiversity and crop diversity. It is therefore crucial for all efforts to realize the human right to adequate food and nutrition. Governments must recognise that industrial approaches that degrade soil health and water retention, pollute water systems, poison nature and create dependency on external inputs, impoverish biodiversity and ecosystems are not only harmful and unnecessary, but also deeply misguided for a planet facing hunger, ecological crises and climate change. Written by laudyms September 28, 2015 at 4:55 am Posted in Agriculture, Corporate State, Environment, Food, GMO Frankenfoods, Health, Human Rights, Imperialism, Lobbying, Oligarchy, Perception Management, Whistleblowers and other heroes Tagged with Climate Smart Agriculture, fertilizer, Food Safety, Food security, GMO, McDonalds, Monsanto, Toxic environment, Walmart Oregon county seeks to ban GMO crops, asserts community rights GMO crops like these Roundup Ready sugar beets near Monroe would be outlawed in Benton County under Measure 2-89, but the initiative would have to stand up to legal challenges in court. Photo: Amanda Cowan M2-89 relies on ‘community rights’ to challenge Oregon statute May 05, 2015 8:00 pm • BENNETT HALL Corvallis Gazette-Times A ban on genetically modified crops is not the most radical part of Measure 2-89. The most radical part of the Benton County ballot measure is its attempt to circumvent state law by asserting a fundamental right of local self-governance, even in the face of state or federal law. If passed by voters in the May 19 special election, Measure 2-89 — also known as the Benton County Local Food System Ordinance — would prohibit corporations and government entities from using genetically modified organisms anywhere in the county and require them to harvest, remove or destroy all GMOs within 90 days of passage. But in order for the measure to take effect, it would have to override Oregon Revised Statute 633.738, a two-year-old state law that bars local jurisdictions from regulating seeds or agricultural production. In high-flown language reminiscent of the nation’s founding documents, M2-89 begins with a statement of “findings and intent” that directly challenges the rights of corporations and the authority of state and federal laws, culminating in this remarkable statement: “We the people of Benton County therefore enact this local law pursuant to the inherent and inalienable right of the residents of Benton County to govern their own county for their own health, safety and welfare. That authority is also secured by the Declaration of Independence’s assertion that governments are instituted to secure the rights of the people, in the State Constitution of Oregon’s recognition that all power is inherent in the people, and in the Benton County Charter, which delegates the authority to the people and their representatives to enact local legislation on matters of county concern.” The question, of course, is this: Can they really get away with that? ….. continued at site Written by laudyms May 9, 2015 at 7:30 am Posted in Agriculture, Corporate State, Environment, Food, GMO Frankenfoods, Health, Human Rights, Liberty, Lobbying, Perception Management Tagged with Biotech, community rights, corporate power, Food Safety, Food security, GMO, Monsanto, Round-Up, Sustainability Global Assault on Seed Sovereignty through Trade Deals Global Assault on Seed Sovereignty through Trade Deals Is Assault on Human Rights, Protest is Fertile From Asia to South America, the EU to the Caribbean, the corporate seed industry is using international trade agreements to criminalise farmers for saving seeds (A fully referenced version of this report is posted on ISIS members website and otherwise available for download here) Institute of Science in Society 01/12/15 Dr Eva Sirinathsinghji The multinational seed industry is continuing its multipronged attack on the most basic of human rights, the access to seed. Lobbyists of the seed industry are using trade agreements to pressure nations into adopting strict measures such as UPOV agreements that ensure the protection and ownership of new plant varieties for plant breeders. On top of this, corporate seed industry lobbyists are proposing revisions to the UPOV convention that promote further monopolisation of the seed industry through ‘harmonisation’ of procedures for registering and testing new plant varieties. Protests in many regions around the world are putting up much needed resistance against this corporate takeover of the food system, successfully forcing governments to delay and even repeal the agreements. These movements are an inspiration for our continual global struggle against the relentless onslaught of agribusiness whose current biggest targets are the ‘untapped’ markets of the global South, with the spotlight on Africa and other regions where seeds have not yet been commercialized, and are still used in traditional systems that allow seed saving and exchange. Read the rest of this entry » Written by laudyms January 12, 2015 at 9:08 am Posted in Agriculture, Corporate State, Food, Food, Agriculture, GMO Frankenfoods, Govt folly, Health, Human Rights, Imperialism, Lobbying, Perception Management, Secrecy, Whistleblowers and other heroes Tagged with Bill C-18, criminalization, Farmers, Food security, Food Supply, Monopoly, seed control, seed saving, Slavery, TPP, working conditions Colombian Farmers Defeat Monsanto: Win Back Control of Seeds Sept. 17, 2013 By Oscar León The Real News – reposted at Food Freedom News Colombians in Trafalgar Square show their support for the farmers’ strike in Colombia. Protesters are demonstrating against the free trade agreement with the US; seed multinationals; GMO crops, and seed patents. Photo by Andres Pantoja On Sept. 10 in Colombia, after 21 days of a nationwide strike by thousands of farmers, who were supported by bus and truck drivers, miners, students, and others joining massive demonstrations in cities and towns all around the country in places as far as Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Cauca, Huila, Putumayo, Caldas, Cundinamarca, and Nariño, and blocking more than 40 roads, in an historic moment, protesting farmers forced the Colombian government to negotiate the rejection of a farm bill and the release of detained protesters. On Sunday, September 8, Vice President Angelino Garzón met with the Strike Negotiating Commission in Popayan and agreed to suspend Law 970, the one that gave control over seeds to the government [which made it illegal for farmers to save seeds, any seeds, forcing them to buy patented ones]. They also were promised the release of the 648 arrested during the strike and the creation of a new mining law. Under this first and provisional agreement, the government will compensate the farmers for their losses when competing with cheaper products imported under as much as ten free market treaties with countries all around the world. In other cases it will suspend the importation of such products. The strike was ended and negotiations started to discuss the farmers’ proposals. The process of negotiation, as well as the final agreement and its implementation, will be verified by the United Nations. Posted in Agriculture, Corporate State, Economics, Environment, Food, Agriculture, Globalism, GMO Frankenfoods, Imperialism, Militarism, Oligarchy, Whistleblowers and other heroes Tagged with Colombia, Farmers, Food security, Human rights, Monsanto, seed control, seed saving, strike The New Politics of Food Scarcity Veteran world watcher Lester Brown sounds dire warning of spreading political unrest, conflicts, and deepening division between rich and poor as food prices soar and supply falls further and further behind rising demand, but does not point to obvious solution Dr. Mae-Wan Ho June 14, 2011 The Institute of Science in Society Soaring food prices and political unrest Soaring food prices were a major trigger for the riots that has destabilized North Africa and the Middle East beginning December 2010 in Tunisia. Political unrest has since engulfed Algeria, Egypt, Jordon, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and spread to Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, and beyond [1-4]. Latin America is said to be at risk [5], and even Britain, if food prices continue to rise [6]. The UN Food Price Index has been hovering above 231 points since the start of 2011, and hit its all-time high of 238 points in February. The May 2011 average was 232 points, 37 percent higher than a year ago [7]. Richard Ferguson, global head of agriculture at Renaissance Capital, an investment bank specializing in emerging markets, told The Guardian newspaper in the UK [1] that the problems were likely to spread. “Food prices are absolutely core to a lot of these disturbances. If you are 25 years old, with no access to education, no income and live in a politically repressed environment, you are going to be pretty angry when the price of food goes up the way it is.” It acted “as a catalyst” for political unrest, when added to other ills such as a lack of democracy. “Scarcity is the new norm” Food has quickly become the hidden driver of world politics [8], says Lester Brown, venerated veteran world-watcher, who also predicts that crises like these are going to become increasingly common. “Scarcity is the new norm.” Historically, price spikes tended to be almost exclusively due to bad weather such as monsoon failure, drought, heat wave, etc., but today, they are driven by trends of both increasing demand and decreasing ability to supply. With a rapidly expanding global population demanding to be fed, crop-withering temperatures and exhausted aquifers are making it difficult to increase production. Moreover, the world is losing its ability to soften the blow of shortages. USA, the world’s largest grain producer, was able to rescue shortages with its grain surpluses in the past, or bring idle croplands into cultivation. “We can’t do that anymore; the safety cushion is gone.” That’s why “the food crisis of 2011 is for real”, Brown warns, and why it may bring yet more bread riots and political revolutions. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, may not be the end, but the beginning. Brown does not mention the huge speculation on agricultural commodities in the world financial markets that not only drives up prices but increases volatility, making it much more difficult for farmers and consumers to cope (see [9] Financing World Hunger, SiS 46). Olivier de Shutter, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, has referred to the 2007-2008 crisis as a “price-crisis” not a “food-crisis”, precipitated by speculation and not linked to insufficient food being produced, at least not yet, as Brown elaborates. Written by laudyms June 14, 2011 at 8:06 am Posted in Agriculture, Corporate State, Economics, Environment, Food, Agriculture, Globalism, GMO Frankenfoods, Govt folly, Health, Imperialism, Oligarchy, Perception Management, Politics, Whistleblowers and other heroes Tagged with bread riots, Commodities, Famine, Farmers, Food prices, Food security, population, revolutions, Scarcity, Speculation, Water supply Ban Neonicotinoid Pesticides to Save the Honeybee Fresh evidence links neonicotinoid pesticides to death of the honeybees and spurs calls for banning the pesticides Dr. Mae-Wan Ho January 24, 2011 Institute of Science in Society Increase vulnerability to infection at minute doses The honeybee’s vulnerability to infection is increased by the presence of imidacloprid, even at the most microscopic doses. This new research result by Dr Jeffrey Pettis and his team at the US Department of Agriculture’s Bee Research Laboratory has remained unpublished for nearly two years, according to an ‘exclusive’ report in UK’s newspaper, The Independent [1]. Increased disease infection happened even when the levels of the insecticide were so tiny that they could not be detected in the bees that the researchers had dosed. The neonicotinoid insecticides, introduced since the early 1990s, are increasingly used on crops in the US, Britain and around the world. Bayer, the German chemicals giant that developed the insecticides insists that they are safe for bees if used properly, but they have already been widely linked to bee losses. Imidacloprid was Bayer’s top-selling insecticide in 2009, earning the company £510 m. Link to colony collapse of the honeybee Neonicotinoids have attracted growing controversy since their introduction by Bayer in the 1990s, and have been blamed by some beekeepers and environmental campaigners as a potential cause of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), first observed in the US in 2006, in which bees disappear from hives en mass (see [2] Mystery of Disappearing Honeybees, SiS 34). Prof. Joe Cummins at ISIS was among the first to link neonicotinoid insecticides to CCD ([3] Requiem for the Honeybee , SiS 34); which had led to swift action on the part of the German Government in banning the pesticides ([4] Emergency Pesticide Ban for Saving the Honeybee, SiS 39). Between 20 and 40 per cent of American hives have been affected, and CCD has since been observed in several other countries from France to Taiwan, though it has not yet been detected in Britain [1], where the area of cropland treated with neonicotinoids has gone from 0 in 1993 to more than 2.5 m acres in 2008. Neonicotinoids bans The chemicals have been banned already in France, Germany and Italy. In Britain, the Co-op has banned their use in farms from which it sources fruit and vegetables, but the British Government has refused to ban or suspend them. Buglife director, Matt Shardlow, commented on the Pettis study: “This new research from America confirms that at very, very low concentrations neonicotinoid chemicals can make a honeybee vulnerable to fatal disease. If these pesticides are causing large numbers of honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees, hoverflies and moths to get sick and die from diseases they would otherwise have survived, then neonicotinoid chemicals could be the main cause of both colony collapse disorder and the loss of wild pollinator populations. “The weight of evidence against neonicotinoids is becoming irresistible – Government should act now to ban the risky uses of these toxins.” Written by laudyms January 23, 2011 at 3:54 pm Posted in Corporate State, Environment, Food, Agriculture, Globalism, GMO Frankenfoods, Govt folly, Health, Lobbying, Perception Management, Secrecy, Whistleblowers and other heroes Tagged with Bayer, Bees, Corporate influence, Food security, Insecticides, Pesticides, USDA cover-up Monsanto’s Roundup Triggers Over 40 Plant Diseases and Endangers Human and Animal Health Jeffrey Smith The world’s leading consumer advocate promoting healthier, non-GMO choices January 14, 2011 Institute for Responsible Technology The following article reveals the devastating and unprecedented impact that Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide is having on the health of our soil, plants, animals, and human population. On top of this perfect storm, the USDA now wants to approve Roundup Ready alfalfa, which will exacerbate this calamity. Please tell USDA Secretary Vilsack not to approve Monsanto’s alfalfa today. While visiting a seed corn dealer’s demonstration plots in Iowa last fall, Dr. Don Huber walked passed a soybean field and noticed a distinct line separating severely diseased yellowing soybeans on the right from healthy green plants on the left (see photo). The yellow section was suffering from Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), a serious plant disease that ravaged the Midwest in 2009 and ’10, driving down yields and profits. Something had caused that area of soybeans to be highly susceptible and Don had a good idea what it was. The diseased field on the right had glyphosate applied the previous season. Photo by Don Huber Don Huber spent 35 years as a plant pathologist at Purdue University and knows a lot about what causes green plants to turn yellow and die prematurely. He asked the seed dealer why the SDS was so severe in the one area of the field and not the other. “Did you plant something there last year that wasn’t planted in the rest of the field?” he asked. Sure enough, precisely where the severe SDS was, the dealer had grown alfalfa, which he later killed off at the end of the season by spraying a glyphosate-based herbicide (such as Roundup). The healthy part of the field, on the other hand, had been planted to sweet corn and hadn’t received glyphosate. This was yet another confirmation that Roundup was triggering SDS. In many fields, the evidence is even more obvious. The disease was most severe at the ends of rows where the herbicide applicator looped back to make another pass (see photo). That’s where extra Roundup was applied. Posted in Agriculture, Corporate State, Education, Environment, Food, Agriculture, GMO Frankenfoods, Govt folly, Lobbying, Whistleblowers and other heroes Tagged with Food Safety, Food security, GMO health risks, Misinformation, Monsanto, plant diseases, Roundup « Older Entries Arthur Silber: Power of Narrative COTO Report Eating Crow and Humble Pie News From Underground Sibel Edmond's Blog Claudia’s Tweets I just contributed on @theactionnet: Break Free PNW Legal Support. 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I fear for those who swallow it.... 4 months ago Top Posts Gatekeepers party like there's no tomorrow (for us) as they protect the Elite they pledged to reform GMO Crops Super-Weed Time Bomb Explodes Scientists Discover New Route for GM-gene 'Escape' Call for AIG Open Source Investigation (and Goldman Implications) Evidence that Depleted Uranium is intended as a weapon of genocide Scary Food Science: designed to be irresistible Buzz It! To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be placed under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited... General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century, translated by John Beverly Robinson (London: Freedom Press, 1923), pp. 293-294." — Pierre Joseph Proudhon Corporate State Food, Agriculture GMO Frankenfoods Govt folly Perception Management Whistleblowers and other heroes Copyright notice All articles are copyrighted by the authors, and any reprint permission is subject to each author’s discretion. Fair Use https://laudyms.wordpress.com contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available without profit to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" and in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. About: Questioning authority, defying perception management, and encouraging critical thinking. My name is Claudia Woodward-Rice. 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On the Traces of Sticky Rice Alessandro Scarpa Mayu Ino works in Vietnam for the Japanese NGO Seed to Table and is an old friend of Slow Food and Terra Madre. Thanks to her, we were able to visit the food community of Tan Lac organic rice producers in the northern Vietnamese province of Hoa Bin. The car battled for an hour through the inexorable flood of motorcycles that fills the roads of Hanoi before finally emerging into open countryside. On both sides stretched endless rice paddies, filled with people working, as it was the season for planting out the seedlings. After another hour’s drive, we stopped for a restorative Vietnamese coffee at the base of the first hills. A beverage is made locally from fermented rice and sold in jars of 5 to 7 liters, which come with meter-long reeds used as straws. Also at the bar, we see rice spirits with toads and scorpions steeping inside the bottles. Back on the road, we start to climb through a varied landscape, with tropical jungle alternating with rice paddies. The last unpaved stretch takes us a thousand meters above sea level. The mountaintops are wrapped in fog. In Nam Son, we find Thuong and her husband, the village chief Truyen and his deputy Lung, the coordinator of the young growers and other rice producers. They explain to us that in Vietnam and throughout Southeast Asia, over and above the many different rice varieties, there are two main categories: “normal” rice and sticky rice. Production in mountainous areas is mostly concentrated on the latter. Sticky black Oi rice, with its very limited production and excellent quality, is an ideal candidate for joining the Ark of Taste. Apart from its delicious flavor, it also has therapeutic properties, curing stomachaches and helping to restore strength to women who have just given birth. Mayu Ino is working with a Japanese university to scientifically test these characteristics, and she is also promoting the product and looking for distributors in the capital Hanoi, which has 6 million inhabitants. As well as the Oi variety, the growers also cultivate Ban, a white sticky rice, and Dan Bac Tam, a white normal rice. Thuong, who has been to Turin for Terra Madre twice, coordinates around 50 producers from the local Muong ethnic group, the fourth largest of Vietnam’s 54 ethnicities. The mountain paddies, whose colors range from emerald to chartreuse to gold, are impressive works of engineering and hydraulics. Compared to the fields in the plains, they require twice as much work for a smaller harvest. All of the rice varieties are grown organically and harvested twice a year. Alessandro Scarpa [email protected] |

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Soybean Farmer Takes Monsanto to Supreme Court http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/soybean_farmer_takes_monsanto_to_supreme_court_20130209/ Posted on Feb 9, 2013 A single 75-year-old Indiana soybean farmer in rural southwestern Indiana is taking on the multibillion dollar agricultural giant Monsanto over the issue of who controls the rights to seeds planted in the ground. When confronted with the David vs. Goliath nature of his battle, Vernon Hugh Bowman told The Guardian: “I really don’t consider it as David and Goliath. I don’t think of it in those terms. I think of it in terms of right and wrong.” In the next few weeks, legal teams representing Bowman and Monsanto will face off in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. The dispute pertains to Monsanto’s “aggressive protection” of a proprietary soybean it calls Roundup Ready. The bean has been genetically engineered to resist its Roundup herbicide and the product’s generic equivalents. The company maintains that when farmers like Bowman plant Monsanto’s seeds, they are obligated to harvest only the resulting crop and not use any of it for planting the following year. The arrangement means that farmers have to buy new Monsanto seeds each year. “[D]espite the vast sums of money involved in modern farming, it is ironically Bowman’s own lack of cash that has seen the case end up at the supreme court,” Paul Harris reports at The Guardian. “Monsanto has a long record of reaching settlements with commercially pressured farmers it targets for patent infringements. But when the firm sued Bowman, he was already bankrupt after an unrelated land deal went wrong. Thus, he had little to lose. ‘I made up my mind to fight it until I could not fight it anymore,’ he said. ‘I thought: I am not going to play dead.’ ” —Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly. The Guardian: [F]armers are able to buy excess soybeans from local grain elevators, many of which are likely to be Roundup Ready due to the huge dominance Monsanto has in the market. Indeed in Indiana it is believed more than 90% of soybeans for sale as “commodity seeds” could be such beans, each containing the genes Monsanto developed. Bowman, who has farmed the same stretch of land for most of the past four decades and grew up on a farm, ended up on Monsanto’s radar for using such seeds – bought from a local grain elevator, rather than Monsanto – for year after year and replanting part of each crop. He did not do so for his main crop of soybeans, but rather for a smaller “second late season planting” usually planted on a field that had just been harvested for wheat. “We have always had the right to go to an elevator, buy some ‘junk grain’ and use it for seed if you desire,” Bowman said. To put it mildly, Monsanto disagrees. The firm insists that it maintains patent rights on its genetically modified seeds even if sold by a third party with no restrictions put on its use – even if the seeds are actually only descendants of the original Monsanto seeds. To that end it sued Bowman, eventually winning a legal settlement of some $84,456 (£53,500) against him for infringing the firm’s patent rights. Monsanto says that if it allowed Bowman to keep replanting his seeds it would undermine its business model, endangering the expensive research that it uses to produce advanced agricultural products. jster91 (CC BY 2.0) Soybean crops.

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Drought In U.S. Now Worst Since 1956; Food Prices To Spike, Economy To Suffer By Mark Memmott On Monday, a weed was growing through the dry earth at Marion Kujawa's pond, which he normally uses to water the cattle on his farm in Ashley, Ill. The redder the area, the worst the drought. Originally published on July 17, 2012 5:16 pm With about 55 percent of the continental U.S. suffering from "moderate to extreme drought" conditions the nation is withering under conditions that haven't been this bad since 1956, according to a new report from National Climatic Data Center. And this "worst-in-a-generation drought from Indiana to Arkansas to California is damaging crops and rural economies and threatening to drive food prices to record levels," Bloomberg News warns. That's bad news for a U.S. economy still struggling to gain strength. As Bloomberg notes, agriculture has been "one of the most resilient industries in the past three years." But now, that sector is facing an awful time. Already, the U.S. Agriculture Department has designated 1,016 counties in 26 states as natural disaster areas — meaning hard-hit farmers in those areas can apply for low-interest emergency loans from USDA. According to Bloomberg, that's "the biggest such declaration ever." What's more, "the drought could get a lot worse before it gets better," says Joe Glauber, chief economist at the Agriculture Department, in this morning's Washington Post. There's no relief likely this week. The Post says that: "Forecasters expect a high-pressure area to remain entrenched over the Rockies and central United States. As a result, any storm systems will probably track across southern Canada, missing the worst-affected areas. "The bottom line: No significant rain is expected." And it's going to be very hot in large parts of the nation again today and the rest of this week. Weatherunderground.com's current "severe weather" map shows heat advisories in states from Iowa and Missouri east through Pennsylvania and up into New England. Weather Underground's Jeff Masters adds that the costs associated with this drought "are certain to be many billions of dollars, and the disaster could be one of the top 10 most expensive weather-related disasters in U.S. history." As he points out, "droughts historically have been some of the costliest U.S. weather disasters." Update at 4:03 p.m. ET. It Started Promising: Bryn Bird, a second generation farmer from central Ohio, tells All Things Considered's Robert Siegel that this spring looked promising. She said it was mild and many farmers had an early start. But, now, it looks like most of their sweet corn crop will be lost to drought. That means that Bird and her family will take a $30,000 to $40,000 loss. "For a family farm," she said, "that's a significant loss." Also, she said, because sweet corn is not a commodity crop, it can't be insured. If the drought continues, Bird said, the sweet corn could become livestock feed. Her family, she said, has also turned to growing more tomatoes to deal with the drought. More of Robert's conversation with Bird will air on tonight's All Things Considered.Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. Transcript ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: The drought that half the continental U.S. is experiencing these days is the worst in 56 years. That's according to data this week from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA. The hot, dry conditions have spelled doom for many crops, especially corn. Bryn Bird is a second-generation farmer in Central Ohio, and she joins us now. Welcome to the program. BRYN BIRD: Thank you. Great to be here. SIEGEL: And how's your corn doing? BIRD: Not very good. It's just sitting in the field, kind of just looking the same it did two months ago. SIEGEL: How tall should it be at this point and how tall is it? BIRD: Well, we grow sweet corn, so usually about this time, we were hoping to have sweet corn by the 4th of July usually seven feet tall, taller than us, you know, wading through it. And, at this point, it's not even three feet, maybe three in some areas. SIEGEL: Do you have any hopes of this corn ever being harvested or is it going to die out there on the stalk? BIRD: We do expect these first two plantings to completely die. They didn't tassel. The third planting has tasseled, but it's not silking, so it's not creating the ears of corn. We had two other layer plantings that, if everybody can get out and do their rain dances, maybe we could have a late salvage of some smaller ears, but we aren't really holding out too much hope. SIEGEL: Now, how many acres of corn do you have planted there? BIRD: Twenty-two acres of sweet corn. SIEGEL: And where do you sell that corn, usually? BIRD: We sell most of our corn through the farm markets. We go to five local farm markets. We sell into two local independent grocery stores in Columbus, Ohio, and to about 10 local area restaurants. And then we also have the subscription CSAs where people pay in advance and they receive bags of produce a week and there's about 210 subscriptions each year. SIEGEL: So this is a fairly small operation you're running there. BIRD: It's a small operation compared to field commodity corn producers, but for sweet corn producers, it is - we're looking at pretty much a $30,000 to $40,000 loss this year. For a family farm, that's a pretty significant loss and one of the bigger issues that - because we grow sweet corn, which is considered a specialty crop - it's something you eat, not one of the commodity crops like the field corn and soybeans, our insurance is different. So we aren't able to insure our crops the same way that commodity producers are. So we don't have proper insurance products out there and so we won't be able to get any money back on our losses. SIEGEL: Well, what does it mean for your family when you say you take a loss? You just go deep in the hole? Do you dig into savings or sell off land? What do you do? BIRD: We dig into savings and we become very innovative. My brother right now, who is the main producer on the farm, has decided to triple his tomato production. We can irrigate our tomatoes. It's a little more costly to irrigate tomatoes, but we can do that much cheaper than what we could with other products, so he has already put out three and four additional plantings of tomatoes. We have hoop houses, which are unhued greenhouse structures that can extend our season and so we've been also taking on additional CSA members for a fall CSA, which we usually don't do in hopes to diversify, diversify, diversify and try and make up for some of this loss. But, again, it is savings. As farmers, you do have to - those great, great years, you have to put away that money and not spend it on one of those shiny tractors and know that this bad year is right around the corner. SIEGEL: Well, Bryn Bird, thanks a lot for talking with us. BIRD: Thank you so much. SIEGEL: Bryn Bird's family owns Bird's Haven Farms near Granville, Ohio. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.View the discussion thread. © 2016 WFAE

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IBM Develops Plan to Help Moroccan Farmers Boost Skills, Production Select a topic or year Contact(s) information Rabat, Morocco - 08 Nov 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) experts participating in the company's pro bono Corporate Service Corps program have recommended a strategy to lift the productivity of Moroccan farmers. The plan focuses on improving coordination between the country's Ministry of Agriculture and the farming community, as well as improve internal coordination within the ministry. Closer ties with farmers will enable the ministry to provide more timely advisories, training, and research results -- enabling farmers to modernize work techniques and improve their production quality and quantity. The nine-member IBM team, comprising members who hail from five countries, presented recommendations on a variety of issues after spending one month in Rabat in consultation with organizations from the public and private sector, including the country’s Directorate of Education, Training and Research of the Ministry of Agriculture, International Office of Migration, and the Rabat School of Government and Economy. With the Directorate of Education, Training and Research of the Ministry of Agriculture, IBM helped design a framework for a system to collect and share expertise and institutional knowledge from and between many government agencies. The system would also disseminate information and training to farmers, help coordinate outreach, and measure impact. Such a framework, based on cloud computing and shared services technology, could strengthen government services and foster private sector involvement in the agriculture sector. It would help support "Green Morocco Plan" development programs by providing relevant advisories to farmers and investors throughout Morocco. Today, agriculture and agri-industry represents 19 percent of Morocco's gross domestic product, accounts 23% of its exports, and employs close to half of the labor force. With its Green Morocco Plan, the Government of Morocco is expanding from domestic food self-sufficiency to developing international markets for its agriculture. At the Rabat School of Government and Economy, the IBM team developed a methodology for managing surveys that gauge perception of conducting business in Morocco. The plan would allow the school to post polls online, in print, and via social media. IBM recommended technology to analyze poll results, and outlined a branding and advertising strategy to promote positive feedback. In addition, the IBM team presented a plan to The International Office of Migration to help it realize its mission to promote social and economic advancement through migration. The suggested framework would allow the office to fine-tune its internal procedures and to create a database of information and insights shared between its North African offices. The team was a part of IBM's Corporate Service Corps, which sends IBM experts to provide pro bono counsel to government, non government agencies, and the private sector in emerging markets on matters that intersect business, technology and society. The program aims to help improve local conditions, enhance government services, and foster job creation. Team members, who are among IBM’s top talent, offer skills in areas that include information technology, research, marketing, finance, consulting, human resources, and law. This is the third team of top IBM talent that the company has sent to Morocco on a pro bono basis this year. The last team of IBM experts sent in June provided Moroccan government leaders with recommendations for the implementation of a more efficient public transport system for Rabat and nearby Sale and Temara by 2020. “The IBM Corporate Service Corps projects in Rabat reflect IBM'S commitment to Morocco. Through these projects, IBM leverages its expertise to address local challenges and, we at IBM, are pleased to support the Moroccan Government in achieving its critical development goals," said Abdallah Rachidi Alaoui, Country General Manager of IBM Morocco. In September of this year, IBM had announced the strengthening of its operations in Morocco with the opening of an expanded location in the administrative capital, Rabat, effectively doubling IBM’s presence in the kingdom. Since the launch of the Corporate Service Corps in 2008, over 2,000 IBM employees based in 50 countries have been dispatched on more than 200 team assignments in 30 countries. Africa is a significant focus for the initiative. Since 2008, IBM's Corporate Service Corps has deployed more than 500 IBM employees on 50 teams to South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Egypt. Follow IBM's Corporate Service Corps on the CitizenIBM blog at www.citizenIBM.com and on Twitter, at @citizenIBM Contact(s) information Ari Fishkind IBM Media Relations 914-499-6420 [email protected] Nadia Kallel +21698485358 [email protected] XML feeds CorporateFinancial news, company earnings, philanthropy, community service, human resources, sponsorship GovernmentNews about IBM solutions for federal, state, and local governments Smarter PlanetImages related to IBM's Smarter Planet initiative Build your own feed New to RSS? Subscribe to our latest news releases View more news room feeds

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More Go green with versatile and inexpensive cabbage for St. Patrick's DaySusan Greer, THE CANADIAN PRESS 03.10.2014Cabbage is grown commercially in most provinces in Canada, says Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, with Quebec leading the way, followed by Ontario.beerfan Creations with cabbage: Recipes for St. Patrick's soup, stew, coleslaw Recipe for roasted 'green' potatoes Recipe: Hearty potato, cabbage and smoked fish soup LONDON, Ont. — Corned beef and cabbage is about as authentically Irish as pizza. But in North America, and particularly in the U.S., it is synonymous with the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.The story goes that impoverished Irish immigrants to New York couldn’t get or afford their first choice — Irish bacon, which is similar to back bacon — so they borrowed the idea of corned beef from their Jewish neighbours. Potatoes were available, but cabbage was cheaper, so the Irish-American tradition of corned beef and cabbage was born.It has become so popular that the U.S. Agricultural Marketing Resource Centre says March sees the biggest demand for cabbage in that country because of St. Patrick’s Day. But that could be a problem this year.A U.S. trade publication called The Packer says the “polar vortex” that reached far into the southern States this winter hurt cabbage crops in northern Florida and Texas, limiting supplies and resulting in prices that almost doubled in February and were expected to continue into March.Canadian cabbage fans don’t have to worry, at least not for a while.Homegrown cabbage harvested last fall will be available here until April, says Jamie Reaume, chair of the Ontario Food Terminal in Toronto and executive director of the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, based in Newmarket, Ont.When Canadian consumers could see the effects of the U.S. problems is in May and June, he says, what Canadian growers call their “lull time — just between the end of our stored cabbage and the beginning of the new crop season for July.”He also says there is no spike in Canadian demand for cabbage corresponding to St. Patrick’s Day and called cabbage sales “pretty flat line” throughout the year.Cabbage is grown commercially in most provinces in Canada, says Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, with Quebec leading the way, followed by Ontario. The main varieties are green, red and Savoy cabbage, but green is the most common because it stores best over the winter. But in a test last year, the more delicate varieties were successfully stored, Reaume says, so that could be a trend in the future of the industry.Mary Shabatura and her family grow about 40 hectares of green, red and Savoy cabbage in Ontario’s Norfolk County. Depending on the weather, they will plant their spring crop in April for harvest as early as June, with additional plantings in May and June. The early varieties take 50 to 60 days to mature, while the hardier storage type — mainly the green cabbage — take about 120 days, she says.“For the spring ones, you won’t get as heavy a head. It will be a lighter head (in weight) and very green.”Green cabbage has the strongest taste, she says. Savoy, which has dark green crinkled leaves, “is a little softer (in texture) and is a milder cabbage (in taste).”But the two can often be used interchangeably in many recipes.Napa cabbage, sometimes called Chinese cabbage, with pale green crinkled leaves and a white core, looks more like a head of romaine lettuce than a typical head of cabbage and has the mildest flavour.Shabatura uses cabbage a lot in her kitchen, both cooked in soups, stews and cabbage rolls and raw in coleslaw.The key to combating the smell of cooking cabbage is not to overcook it, says Foodland Ontario. It should be cooked quickly, until just tender, in an uncovered pot.Other suggestions include using stainless-steel or enamelled cast-iron pans to cook cabbage instead of aluminum and adding a bay leaf, a little vinegar or lemon juice to the pot. Vinegar or lemon juice will also preserve the bright colour of red cabbage.Cabbage is a versatile vegetable. It can be steamed, boiled, braised in butter, microwaved, baked, pickled or added to stir-fries.Nutritionally it is a good source of vitamin C and is associated with lowered risk of certain cancers.When buying cabbage, look for firm, heavy heads of green, red and Savoy cabbage with closely furled leaves. Napa should be crisp and pale green.It can be refrigerated, tightly wrapped in plastic, for up to two weeks. Once cut, it should be used within a few days. xShareGo green with versatile and inexpensive cabbage for St. Patrick's Day

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DuPont Unveils New Local Investments in Africa and Innovative Global Food Security Index DuPont Chair and CEO Ellen Kullman announced two key efforts that will support collaborative, world hunger initiatives. Based on our work with smallholder farmers and African families, we understand that local solutions, local acceptance and community collaborations are critical to improving food security in Africa and around the world. DuPont Ag Academy Selects 48... DuPont and New Tianlong Industry... Announcing the 2015 DuPont... DuPont Chair and CEO Ellen Kullman today announced two key efforts that will support collaborative, world hunger initiatives. First, DuPont will invest more than $3 million over the next three years to help smallholder farmers in Ethiopia to achieve food security. Second, DuPont is sponsoring an innovative Global Food Security Index being developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to measure the drivers of food security across 105 countries. The index will be published this summer and will be a unique resource for those working to improve food security across the private and public sectors. This interactive benchmark tool will be publicly available so governments, universities, NGOs and others can access the relevant data to help tailor local solutions regarding food security. Kullman made both announcements at the Advancing Food and Nutrition Security at the 2012 G8 Summit, hosted by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. Building on DuPont’s Substantial Commitment to Africa DuPont intends to forge a strategic alliance with the government of Ethiopia and the Agriculture Transformation Agency to directly benefit the productivity of smallholder farmers in the nation, thereby improving their ability to produce nutritious food for their families and communities. “Based on our work with smallholder farmers and African families, we understand that local solutions, local acceptance and community collaborations are critical to improving food security in Africa and around the world,” Kullman said. “DuPont will commit additional local resources, including recruiting local talent to run our research and operations in Sub-Saharan countries like Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa, and ensure the solutions we develop are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.” DuPont has operations in 35 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and employs more than 500 people on the continent through its businesses. Kullman said the commitment to grow DuPont’s presence on the continent will result in investment to grow these businesses in Africa to more than $1 billion in revenue in the next decade. DuPont’s commitment to grow its business in Africa and explore collaborations in the region is in support of Grow Africa and the G8’s New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. Supporting Local Solutions in Ethiopia Kullman also highlighted a specific emphasis in Ethiopia in DuPont’s collaboration and expansion efforts: She announced a pilot project between DuPont and the Earth Institute of Columbia University to create a rapid soil information system to aid Ethiopian farmers with an effective way to diagnose soil constraints in the field and receive recommendations to improve crop yields. DuPont will invest $1 million over three years for the pilot project. DuPont’s Crop Protection business will work to develop a sulfonylurea weed control offering for wheat to improve productivity, bring novel insect control solutions for cotton and vegetables, and train farmers on the responsible use of crop protection products. Looking ahead, Kullman said DuPont is exploring a collaboration opportunity with USAID to upgrade agronomic practices and inputs of smallholder Ethiopian maize farmers and increase the profitability of their farms. DuPont also will invest $2 million to expand seed production and storage facilities in Ethiopia. Bringing New Tools to Focus Global Efforts The Global Food Security Index will be released in July 2012 and will take into account underlying factors such as the affordability, accessibility, availability, nutritional value and safety of food to measure food security and assess vulnerabilities country by country. The index is distinct because it uses 25 indicators and adjusts for food price fluctuations to actively reassess the risks countries face over time. “We need a clear metric that enables us to see, transparently and objectively, what we’re up against,” Kullman said. “Governments, private and public sector entities need a common language to discuss the root cause of hunger so they can make better informed decisions that drive sustainable action at a local level. We are pleased to support the Economist Intelligence Unit in developing this one-of-a-kind tool for promoting collaboration, generating insights and stimulating action to feed the world’s growing population.” The index supports the continued execution of the Millennium Development Goals and the L’Aquila Food Security Initiative by providing a way to gauge the success of investments in a region and to hone future projects to address exact food security drivers in a particular country. To learn more about how DuPont is committed to driving food security efforts locally, sustainably, and collaboratively, visit foodsecurity.dupont.com. DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit http://www.dupont.com. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the company's strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures and financial results are forward-looking statements. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "intends," "projects," "indicates," and similar expressions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors, including those discussed more fully elsewhere in this release and in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by DuPont, particularly its latest annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q, as well as others, could cause results to differ materially from those stated. These factors include, but are not limited to changes in the laws, regulations, policies and economic conditions, including inflation, interest and foreign currency exchange rates, of countries in which the company does business; competitive pressures; successful integration of structural changes, including restructuring plans, acquisitions, divestitures and alliances; cost of raw materials, research and development of new products, including regulatory approval and market acceptance; seasonality of sales of agricultural products; and severe weather events that cause business interruptions, including plant and power outages, or disruptions in supplier and customer operations. The company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements as a result of future developments or new information. Jennifer Goldston DuPont515-306-9581

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Related ResourcesLocal History Tools Local History Secrets of a Turkey Grower Published November 23, 2009 Submitted by: Renee Secrets of a Turkey Grower Citizen of the week section by Jim Billings Bias Magazine, Springfield, Mo., November 21, 1951, pages 16-19 The car door slammed and 2,000 wrinkled red necks straightened abruptly. From 2,000 throats came a rippling cacophony that is like no other sound in this world. Stocky Bill Barrett, chuckling at this greeting, stepped over the wire fence and was knee-deep in his flock of Bronze Broad-Breasted turkeys. The big birds clustered closely around him. Bill ducked suddenly, swiftly, and came up holding one of the birds by it's feet. He hefted the heap of feathers, stroking the broad, meaty breast. "He'll go 35 pounds on the hoof, maybe 40," said Bill and there was a certain entirely justifiable pride in his voice. The next day the tom Bill was holding along with 899 of its brothers was to be sold to a produce dealer who has plants at Carthage and Richland. Bill estimated after some mental arithmetic that he would clear a dollar or more a head on the toms. The toms were 28 weeks old. Bill had started them and the rest of the 2,000 bird flock as poults -newly hatched turkeys to the uninitiated- in April. So from these 900 toms, he stood to make profit of something more than $900 after seven months of anxious care and rather expensive feeding. This gives you a sort of baby's thumbnail sketch of the growing Ozarks turkey business in this pre-Thanksgiving season of 1951. John William Barrett, who lives on a 120-acre farm a short distance west and north of Springfield's municipal airport, is not yet in the turkey raising business on what turkey raisers would call a large scale. This year he started 3,200 poults-the Broad-Breasted from the Browning Poultry Farms of Winchester, Ky., in April and some Beltsville Whites from the Mound Poultry Farm here in July. He still has 3,000 birds so he's lost only 200 -- a very good mortality rate, he observed. The turkey raising business in Missouri is growing, Bill said, and he plans to make his share of it grow, too. As of now, he said, Missouri ranks fifth or sixth among the turkey producing states of the nation and Bill believes that the state's reputation for producing eggs with a high fertility rate will boost it even higher in the standings. At present turkeys are, for Bill, just what they are to many another Ozarks farmer -- somewhat of a sideline. He also grows some grain and hay crops on the farms he works, and he has 40 head of cattle, some for beef and a few for milk. But he wants to change his operations, possibly gradually, more and more to the production of turkeys. "The big trouble in expanding," he said, "is labor. As it is now, I couldn't afford to hire any help. My turkey operation wouldn't justify it. And in order to justify it, I'd have to expand quite a bit." Bill was born 35 years ago on the farm of his father, John Barrett, on highway 66 at Elwood corner -- just a few miles south of the farm on which he now lives, which is owned by his father-in-law, J. J. Frazier, whose home is close by Bill's. He graduated from Senior High school here in 1934. He went on to the college of agriculture at the University of Missouri, but had to return to the farm after three years because his father was ill and Bill himself had to have a minor operation. His father died in 1940 and Bill now farms his father-in-law's 120 acres as well as his mother's 81 acres. His wife, he said, "is a main cog in the works" of running the farms and more particularly, the turkey-raising projects. They have a five-year-old son, Thomas Anthony. It wasn't surprising that Bill got into the turkey business since his father's brother, E. L. "Bun" Barrett was sort of a pioneer in turkey raising in this section. "Bun" Barrett quit the turkey business about three years ago and now raises Shetland ponies on his farm near Bill's mother's place and sells real estate. Bill began raising turkeys in 1938 when he started and raised 400. Since then he has been expanding gradually. He always saves a part of his flock as breeders --next spring he'll have 1,400 breeding hens -- and sells the eggs to hatcheries. He buys his poults each year, starts them in clean brooder houses where the temperature is kept at a uniform level by gas or oil-fired brooders. In his big brooder now Bill is using butane gas controlled by a thermostat. He finds it more satisfactory than oil or electricity, he said. If you’re using electricity, he points out and there's a power failure you may wake up some morning and find yourself out of the turkey business. But Bill is reluctant to talk about that darker side of the turkey business. He's had bad years of course like all turkey men but it's hard to get him to go into details. "You say much about turkeys being susceptible to disease and it gives a lot of people the wrong idea," he said. "As a matter of fact, turkeys that go to the market now can't be diseased. They're inspected carefully." The fact remains, however, that disease can wreak havoc in a turkey flock. Not so much because turkeys are more susceptible than other poultry, Bill believes. "A turkey is a good deal like a sheep." Bill said. "When something hits him, he seems to give up. He doesn't have any resistance, any fight." If there's any one critical stage in a turkey's life, it's when he's about 10 to 11 weeks old, Bill said. That's because turkey men usually shift their birds from the comparative safety of pens to open range at about that time. And it isn't disease so much that bother them then. It's more likely to be weather. In two big pens and a big barn, Bill had about 1,000 Beltsville Whites which, he said should have been on range already. But he was glad he hadn't put them out when the big snow hit a few days ago. "If I had, a lot of them would be gone now," be said. "The Broad-Breasteds came through all right --didn't lose a one -- but they're bigger and could stand it better. I know a fellow up by Everton who lost about 500 of these Whites in that storm." The main thing a successful turkey raiser needs, said Bill, is good poults. "Then," he added, "sanitation and more sanitation and still more sanitation. By sanitation, I mean clean feeders, clean waterers, clean pens. And of course, good feed is essential." Raising turkeys now isn't nearly the chore it used to be, even a few years ago, Bill said. "We've learned a lot about better breeding methods, better feeds, and getting more growth on a bird in a shorter period of time," he said. "the new drugs help a lot, too. One of the best is Enepathin, for black head which used to be practically fatal to a turkey." But there's still a lot of work to the job. "Gathering, grading and candling eggs from 1,400 hens, and packing them and shipping them to the hatchery is quite a job," Bill said. "And there's been many a season when I've slept with my flock on range every night. Sometimes you've got to do that to keep off marauders -- not only animals but the two legged variety as well. Thanksgiving and Christmas are still the most important marketing seasons to a turkey raiser but the National Turkey Federation of which Bill is a member is carrying on a constant campaign to promote the consumption of turkey the year around. The Whites are an important factor in this campaign.. They're the birds which are raised for frying and broiling-- the "apartment-sized" turkeys you see advertised by stores here. Bill's Whites will go on the Christmas market. Some of them he'll dress and sell locally. Others will be marketed on the hoof, probably will go to eastern consumers. The market for toms this year is 34 cents a pound, in wholesale quantities, on the hoof. "Be sure and make it plain that that price is strictly for wholesale business and alive, so some of my friends won't be mad when I have to charge them more than that for a dressed turkey," Bill urged. That price is about five cents a pound higher than it was at this time last year --but the price of feed has gone up proportionately so the farmer isn't much, if any, better off this year. Bill looked out across the glistening backs of his Bronze charges, milling and circling on their range. After tomorrow, he may have been thinking, there'll be 900 fewer to worry about. He grinned and said, "It's sure a relief when you get that Thanksgiving crop on the market. If you would like more information about raising turkeys and the histories of turkeys and Thanksgiving try these books: The turkey : an American story by Andrew F. Smith Giving thanks : Thanksgiving recipes and history from Pilgrims to pumpkin pie by Kathleen Curtain Storey's guide to raising turkeys by Leonard S. Mercia Find this article at The Library

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The many faces of Bega’s big cheese Barry Irvin Photos Luis Enrique Ascui by Julie-anne Sprague Barry Irvin , the man about to make millionaires of many in his home town, never wanted to be a farmer.As far as he was concerned, he had turned his back on the little Bega dairy property farmed by his family for three generations before him for an easier life as a banker, taking an internship at the local bank after finishing high school. Not long after this, he packed his bags and left the town to pursue his banking career in Sydney.His mind was made up. His father had little hope of convincing him to swap his suit for a pair of overalls. A nine-to-five job and a steady income with the weekends off was what he wanted. But how differently life turned out to be.He was just 24 – and a fortnight away from marrying his fiancee, Harriet, when his father died. As the only son in a family in which one daughter was afflicted with a rare genetic disorder, Prader-Willi syndrome, and another had multiple sclerosis, Irvin was the only sibling capable of saving the farm. “A whole series of choices were made for me," Irvin says. “I came back with a heavy heart because I did enjoy the work I was doing."Fast forward 25 years and Irvin has managed to not just grow his family’s dairy operations from a 300-hectare property to seven farms spanning 1200 hectares, but he has played a pivotal role in transforming Bega Cheese into the largest “cut and pack" cheese operation in the southern hemisphere, and about to list on the Australian Stock Exchange.When he joined the Bega board about 18 months after returning to Bega, the then co-operative was a single-site dairy processing 5000 tonnes of cheese a year. It now processes 200,000 tonnes of cheese and dairy products including infant formula across NSW and Victoria. Turnover will approach $1 billion this year.Bega Cheese’s 150 shareholders – 110 farmers, 40 ex-dairy farmers – are set to cash in through its listing, expected late next month, which is expected to value the group at between $350 million and $400 million. The average shareholder owns 200,000 shares, which based on recent valuations are worth at least $1.6 million. It is just reward for many who endured a deregulation that hurt milk prices, and drought that crippled production.“The last 10 years in agriculture have been extraordinarily difficult," Irvin says. “Even with a strong performing [Bega] dairy our farmer shareholders were having a pretty tough time financially in their own business operations. Bega was very successful in building value but the farmers were not necessarily seeing that transfer to the farm level."Bega Cheese has become successful by developing and expanding its cutting and packaging facilities, which it uses to fulfil long-term contracts with dairy giants Fonterra and Kraft – and creating a retail brand. It meant its fate was not entwined with the price for the raw commodity.Even though life on the farm was tough, selling was not an option. “That is the interesting thing about the culture that builds up around family properties and the culture that builds up around farmers," Irvin says.He still recalls the first day of his new farming career. He left Sydney on a bus and started work at 2.30am on the farm. As he set about trying to improve the farm’s returns, he stumbled upon a shareholding the family owned in the then Bega Co-operative. He was later invited to join the board, which was attracted by the knowledge he gained in his previous banking career.But life on the farm was to change forever. About four years after returning to Bega, and with the family farm and Bega Cheese going from strength to strength, he and his wife heard the news that would rock them to the core. Their youngest son Matthew was diagnosed with profound autism. He was just three years old.Almost overnight, the family packed up and moved to Sydney, the place Irvin decided was the best place for Matthew to receive care. He chose a fledging organisation called Giant Steps, which provides transdisciplinary education for autistic children by combining music, occupational and speech therapy. But Irvin was not about to quit the farm. He spent Monday to Friday there and each Friday evening drove the 500 kilometres to Sydney to spend the weekend with the family before returning to the farm on Sunday night.“I became extraordinarily good at music trivia," he laughs. So much so that he and Geoff Stein, a partner at Sydney legal firm Brown Wright Stein and a director of Giant Steps, are no longer allowed to be on the same team at charity quiz nights. They are simply too competitive and Irvin’s music knowledge makes them a dynamic duo. Irvin became chairman of Giant Steps in 2002. “It is an extraordinary time commitment," Stein says. “It isn’t a matter of coming in once or twice every other month or presiding over a board meeting. He attends the premises probably once a week."The organisation aims to ensure families from all walks of life can receive care for children regardless of their financial capabilities.With student numbers swelling, it needs to raise between $2 million and $3 million each year to pay its staff and maintain its facilities and supplement its government funding, which provides about 40 per cent of what it needs. A decade ago its target was about $250,000 to $300,000.Irvin says he has become very good at asking his friends for money. Stein says Irvin is passionate about creating a better future, not just for his son, but for families of children with autism.“He is one of the best orators I have ever heard," Stein says. “He is a true leader."This has no doubt held him in good stead as he convinced Bega’s dairy farmer-owners that a listing was in the best interests of the dairy group. Abandoning a co-operative structure, listing or selling farming groups is notoriously difficult. It normally takes years of heartache and several attempts – AWB and Warrnambool Cheese & Butter had rocky roads to listing, while recently farmer shareholders were able to block the sale of Australia’s last agricultural single desk, SunRice, to Spain’s Ebro. It took Bega Cheese several months from the time its plans became public to farmers agreeing to the listing.“The road from co-op to company is littered with failure caused by management and directors who haven’t understood the link between farm value, share value and corporate structure," says Bega Cheese adviser David Williams, a director of investment bank Kidder Williams. “Barry Irvin understands all this and better still, he can communicate the link to his farmer shareholders."Ivrin says significant value had been created for shareholders that had become material. This would help with succession on the farm, which was far more complex than previous generations.“If you went back a generation it was the case that the son got the farm and the daughters got a little token, but it certainly wasn’t divided up," Irvin says. “Now there is a challenge. Quite often a family succession involves the need to pay out a number of family members, which creates a pretty heavy financial burden for the next generation coming along."But sharing the spoils Bega had amassed wasn’t the point of the exercise. Irvin wants Bega Cheese to be ahead of the game. There will be further rationalisation in the industry and he wants Bega to be well placed to benefit. It will use the $35 million or so it plans to raise from investors to pay down debt as it sits back and eyes growth opportunities.“We don’t necessarily have anything on our agenda but we can see there are opportunities we think will flow in the next year or two," he says. “I think the strength of the company is that we have tried to position ourselves early for whatever event might occur. There is no point talking about restructuring when the event arrives. We wanted to be ahead of the game."Irvin still owns the expanded family farm, which carries 1200 head of cattle. Even though the farms now have staff, Irvin still makes the 500 km journey from Sydney regularly. “On the long weekend I gave the staff the time off and went out there," Irvin says. “I do the milking if they need the help. I’ll get out of bed early and put on an overall suit." Williams reckons Irvin is a rare breed of farming director.“He is a large farmer that had a stint in banking before returning to the farm. His affinity with farmer shareholders is common but his ability to bring a commercial flavor to that relationship makes him unique and powerful." Graincorp cut to ‘hold’ SunRice to unveil much-anticipated capital review UBS ‘neutral’ on Nufarm Nufarm cites weather for share price gain Boom times for WA grain farmers Latest Stories

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More 'Canes In The Cotton? Charles Johnson | Mar 31, 2000 Nothing gets Southerners' attention quite like a big storm on the horizon with cotton almost ready for harvest. Strong winds can blow cotton right out of opened bolls, covering Deep South fields like a soggy early autumn snowfall. From 1995-1999, Southeastern farmers endured the five most active Atlantic Basin hurricane years in recorded history. Twenty major Category 3 or stronger hurricanes rose from the warm Caribbean waters and threatened the U.S. Luckily, few made landfall. One of the most damaging hurricanes, Floyd, destroyed eastern North Carolina crops and livestock operations last fall, but was only a Category 2 storm. Most of its destruction came from heavy rains caused by an upper level trough to the west, a rare event in hurricane history. This is likely just the beginning of a period of heightened storm activity, say hurricane experts. Hurricane activity tends to come in cycles. Following 25 years of relative calm, the number of big storms increased from 1926 to 1970. Things quieted down again until 1994. Now climatologists think we're in another period of 25-40 years when more Category 3 or stronger hurricanes will threaten the East Coast. "There is a feeling among atmospheric scientists that we're returning to a period of increased tropical storm activity, like we had earlier in the 20th century," says David Stooksbury, Georgia state climatologist and a University of Georgia engineer. "The last several decades were a quiet period, more benign than the historical record. We might be returning to a more normal pattern. This is still a situation where most areas will probably not get hit every year. When we say increased numbers, we're talking on the order of four or five per year." Scientists say this prognostication isn't guesswork. William Gray, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Colorado State University and probably the nation's leading hurricane expert, says slightly warmer water- surface temperatures in the Atlantic, combined with higher salinity, increase the likelihood of big, strong hurricanes. "I think we have entered a new era for major hurricanes," says Gray. "I'm talking about storms doing damage mainly along the coast. There will probably not be a greater number of weaker storms, but more Category 3 and higher storms. If farmers are more than 100 miles inland, it may not affect them very much." It could be a good time to take precautions in the Coastal Plain. "Even though the past five years have seen record activity in the Atlantic, it's been about average in the U.S. as far as having a huge impact. That's probably been more luck than anything," says Chris Landsea, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research meteorologist. "I'm sure there are lots of folks in Georgia and western Florida who think they can't get a major hurricane," says Landsea. "Maybe they need to rethink that. It does look like we go in cycles of 25-40 years when it's busy and 25-40 years when it's quiet. It was very quiet from 1970 to 1994, and then the last five years we've had a record number of hurricanes. The activity probably won't continue at that high rate the next couple of decades, but I think we're going to be busy." Source URL: http://www.cornandsoybeandigest.com/more-canes-cotton

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Hemp not worth the risk for farmers Published: December 6, 2013 10:00AM Last changed: December 6, 2013 10:01AM P. Solomon Banda/Associated Press In this Oct. 5 photo, a volunteer walks through a hemp field at a farm in Springfield, Colo. during the first known harvest of industrial hemp in the U.S. since the 1950s. Buy this photo The more we find out about hemp the less we like it as an option for western farmers. EditorialThe more we learn about hemp, the less enthusiastic we are about it as an option for western farmers.It is illegal under federal law, the market for it is minuscule and it requires a lot of water, which is a precious commodity nearly everywhere in the region.On the plus side, it’s easy to grow. It’s still found in ditches in parts of the Midwest, where it was grown during World War II to make rope. The economics of growing hemp appear to be marginal at best. The folks at Oregon State University ran some numbers on it. Providing that a reliable market could be found or established, it would bring in upward of $400 an acre — a bit more than half what wheat would bring in, according to OSU. The kicker: It would grow best in eastern Oregon but requires 20 to 28 inches of irrigation. In Canada, as recently as 2011, a total 39,000 acres of hemp were grown and farmers netted $200 to $250 an acre, according to the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance.Considering those factors, we are not surprised that virtually no one outside Portland, Eugene and a few other hotspots is clamoring for the ability to grow the stuff. No mainline farm group has expressed any interest in it whatsoever.Economics aside, the fundamental hurdle that hempsters must get past is its illegality. States such as Oregon and, most recently, California, have declared that hemp is distinct from marijuana and have approved hemp’s cultivation. The U.S. House version of the farm bill does the same, though we have to wonder when Congress will approve any farm bill, let alone one that embraces hemp. The U.S. attorney in Oregon even said growing hemp was OK, but since then has waffled on her statement.One other state where hemp has gained supporters is Kentucky, where some farmers are looking for an alternative to growing tobacco. Even there, the state attorney general has issued a warning that hemp is, and will continue to be, illegal until Congress says otherwise. In the meantime, hemp is included with marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970. The problem is that hemp and marijuana are the same species. Only the amount of active tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive compound found in both, is different. Differentiation between the two would require close scrutiny and testing. It should also be noted that hemp can be processed to concentrate the amount of THC from it to provide a potent drug.Unless and until Congress, in its wisdom, decides that hemp should be grown in the U.S., the federal law will still be the controlling law in Oregon, California and other states.The Oregon Department of Agriculture is putting together a committee to study what to do about hemp. Our advice: Do nothing. Either Congress will act on the issue, or it won’t. Either way, the state needn’t get itself — and farmers — caught up in the cloud of legal uncertainty that exists today.

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Tobacco purchasing should be based on value, not price Apr 03, 2017 Some Georgia growers wanted to talk soybean weed control, most didn’t Apr 10, 2017 Caledonia: Where prisoners have grown their food for 125 years Apr 04, 2017 How a blueberry family won and lost against a punishing situation Apr 05, 2017 Management NCC leader to speak at Gin Show Woods Eastland, the 2005 chairman of the National Cotton Council, and president and chief executive officer of Staple Cotton Cooperative Association and Staple Cotton Discount Corporation, will bring his unique perspective on cotton issues to the 2005 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show at Memphis. He will speak at the Friday morning, March 4, Ag Update Session in the downstairs auditorium of the Cook Convention Center. Staplcotn, located at Greenwood, Miss., was founded in 1921, and is America's oldest farmer owned cotton marketing cooperative. Eastland has served as its president since 1986. He will become 2005 chairman of the National Cotton Council at the organization's annual meeting in Washington later this month. “We believe we have an outstanding lineup of speakers for this year's show, says Tim Price, executive vice president of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, which sponsors the show set for March 4-5. Co-sponsor for the event that attracts more than 15,000, is Delta Farm Press. In addition to Eastland, USDA's under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, William Hawks, is among congressional, government, and industry leaders who will participate in the annual Ag Update sessions. Hawks, a long-time Mississippi farmer, was appointed to the agriculture post in the first administration of the current President Bush and will update show attendees on government programs and the outlook for farm legislation. Some members of the Mid-South congressional delegation are also expected to be present, Price says, and will be offered an opportunity to speak during the sessions. The 53rd annual show will give growers a firsthand look at new ag products and technologies for the 2005 season, plus a special seminar on soybean rust. “We're pleased to have Monte Miles, the nation's number one authority on the disease, conduct this seminar” says Price. The USDA Agricultural Research plant physiologist at the University of Illinois will lead a reaction panel that will include participants that range from growers and input providers through end users. The soybean rust seminar will be Saturday, March 5, at 1 p.m., and will be co-sponsored by a number of Mid-South organizations, including the Agricultural Council of Arkansas, the Delta Council, state soybean associations, state soybean promotion boards, and others. “While soybean rust is new to the U.S.,” Price says, “researchers have been working on it for at least five years, and Monte Miles has a wealth of information that can help growers to take a proactive stance in dealing with it.” Here's the lineup for the speakers for this year's event: Friday, Mar. 4 — Woods Eastland will discuss cotton sector issues. J. Michael Hathorne, vice president and coordinator of economic analysis for Informa Economics, Memphis, will discuss the outlook for rice and wheat. William Dunavant, chief executive officer of Dunavant Enterprises, will provide his annual cotton market outlook. Saturday, Mar. 5 — Richard Brock, president of Brock Associates, a widely known farm marketing advisory firm, and publisher of The Brock Report, will present the outlook for soybeans and corn. And to be announced, there will a speaker on the outlook for alternative bio-based energy, including biodiesel and ethanol. “There is a lot of interest in alternative fuels from crops,” Price says. “Some ethanol plants are already operating in the Mid-South, and a number of projects for both biodiesel and ethanol are in progress. “We feel the Ag Update programs and the soybean rust seminar will offer a forum for issues of key importance to farmers this year,” Price says. This year's show, is shaping up to be another sellout for the 200,000 square foot convention center. More than 450 exhibits are expected, Price says, running the gamut from the latest equipment, to seed, chemicals, and services. “We have many new exhibitors, bringing a new array of products,” Price says, “and a lot of our every-year exhibitors are increasing their space, so it's going to be a very diverse show spanning all the major Mid-South crops. “While we're proud of the cotton and ginning heritage of the show, it has evolved over the years into a stage for exhibitors representing all of our crops. We believe it is the premier indoor farm show in the South.” RelatedDerek Potter makes dryland yields work by choosing the right varietiesApr 18, 20177 tips for successful cotton plantingApr 14, 2017Cotton thrips forecasting tool helps make preplant management decisionsApr 13, 2017Dairyman is Georgia Farmer of the YearApr 10, 2017 Load More

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Let it grain Learn how truly wild rice is harvested [VIDEO] By Daniel Klein on Jan 13, 2011 Share This week, The Perennial Plate is covering the most Minnesotan of all topics — wild rice. It is an epic food: delicious, full of nutrients and tradition. However, I’ve never really been fond of the stuff until recently, perhaps because I’d always eaten the cultivated “wild rice” that takes forever to cook and tastes like nothing. But, since trying hand-harvested wild rice, I’ve put it on almost every menu I’ve cooked in Minnesota. Most wild rice that you see at the store is not, in fact, wild. Although it is the Minnesota state grain, after the University of Minnesota developed a hardy strain that could be produced and harvested in paddies, California has become the largest producer. Despite the product being anything but wild (and grown elsewhere), it can still be labeled as “Minnesota Wild Rice.” The flavor of the two rices are incomparable, as are the prices. Hand-harvested wild rice costs between $10 and $15 per pound, as much as rib-eye — and worth it. Not only is the flavor superior in every way, but the process is to be admired. The rice is ripe enough to harvest for only three or so weeks out of the year. During that period, the harvesters — primarily Native Americans — go out two to a boat and painstakingly hit the grains into it. That rice can be processed by machine, but many choose to do it by hand. In this video, Mushkooub shows me how to rice and explains this time-honored process:

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LiveXchange HomeArticles Articles By Industry Articles By Industry Articles By Topic Articles By Topic Articles By Location U.S. – Far West U.S. – Far West U.S. – Great Lakes U.S. – Great Lakes U.S. – Mid Atlantic U.S. – Mid Atlantic U.S. – New England U.S. – New England U.S. – Plains U.S. – Plains U.S. – Rocky Mountains U.S. – Rocky Mountains U.S. – Southeast U.S. – Southeast U.S. – Southwest U.S. – Southwest International International Archives By DateOnline Features Daily News Executive Analysis The Editor’s Blog Contributed Columns Videos Featured Video Video Archive How To Post A Video Online ArchivesMagazine Ask The Expert/The Growth Specialist Business Report Corporate Moves Cover Story Feature Story Industry Focus Inside LiveXchange First Word International Profile Location Focus Snapshots Special Section State Focus Special Reports Recent Issues Request Location InformationLocation Spotlights Location Spotlights Featured Video How To Post A VideoDirectories & Databases Zoom Prospector/GIS Information Site Seekers Guide U.S. – Far West U.S. – Great Lakes U.S. – Mid Atlantic U.S. – New England U.S. – Plains U.S. – Rocky Mountains U.S. – Southeast U.S. – Southwest Canada InternationalLiveXchange You Are Here: Home » Archives » Farmers Rice Milling Announces $13.4 Million Investment In Louisiana Farmers Rice Milling Announces $13.4 Million Investment In Louisiana Posted by: Heidi Schwartz | Posted date: February 04, 2013 The company got its start back in 1917. Gov. Bobby Jindal and Farmers Rice Milling Company Inc. have announced a $13.4 million expansion and modernization of the company’s rice mill in eastern Calcasieu Parish. The 55,000-square-foot expansion of the mill’s clean rice packaging and distribution facility will allow the company to increase processing speed and volume. The project will retain 87 jobs at the rice mill, with an average salary of $34,500, plus benefits. Gov. Jindal said, “Farmers Rice Milling Company has a long history of buying rice from Louisiana farmers, and we’re proud they’re expanding right here in our state. We’ve made retaining and expanding Louisiana’s existing businesses our top economic development priority since taking office in 2008, and this expansion is another example of our commitment to make Louisiana the best place in the world to find a great job and pursue a rewarding career. Farmers Rice Milling Company could have chosen to invest in another state, but they picked Louisiana because of our strong business climate, outstanding farmers and our incomparable workforce.” Farmers Rice Milling Company, a division of The Powell Group, operates the largest rice mill in Louisiana. The mill and related businesses form the largest agriculture-related business in Southwest Louisiana. Overall, the company employs more than 125 workers in the rice mill and related facilities in and around Lake Charles. The company also employs an additional 25 Louisiana citizens at its headquarters in Baton Rouge. “This project ensures Farmers Rice Milling will continue to purchase rice from the farmers of Southwest Louisiana and grow its position as a leader in the world rice market,” said company CEO James Warshaw. “Farmers Rice Milling Company has been a key part of the agricultural economy in Louisiana for over 90 years, employing hundreds of workers and buying services from vendors and suppliers around the state. The company looks forward to continuing its work with LED and its goods relations with the communities of Southwest Louisiana.” Farmers Rice Milling processes and mills rough rice at the Lake Charles facility, and then packages and distributes clean rice to customers from the site. The mill, which has been in continuous business since 1917, is investing in the new facility to expand its output and meet the demand of national and international customers. The mill purchases rice from rice-growing regions throughout Louisiana and serves customers in the United States and worldwide, including Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. The mill purchases $120 million annually in locally grown rice, and supports those who work in the rice industry, from farmers to truck drivers. The mill is capable of processing more than 800 million pounds of rice per year. “We are very pleased about today’s news from the Farmers Rice Milling Company,” said Shannon Spell, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury president. “For more than 95 years, this Calcasieu-based company has been a staple of the rice industry, reaching customers worldwide. This expansion provides a twofold benefit by increasing economic impact and retaining jobs. The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury applauds the efforts of Louisiana Economic Development and Farmers Rice Milling Company, and we look forward to observing this expansion growth in the future.” LED began working with Farmers Rice Milling on the modernization project in May 2011. To support the expansion, LED offered the company a competitive incentive package, including a Modernization Tax Credit of $425,000 payable over five years. The company is also expected to utilize the Industrial Tax Exemption Program. “The SWLA Economic Development Alliance congratulates Farmers Rice Milling Company on this modernization project, which will increase their production,” said President and CEO George Swift of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. “Farmers Rice Milling has been a longtime leader in agribusiness in Southwest Louisiana. In addition to supporting local agriculture, they are a strong job provider for our region.” This Article is Posted In: Archives, Articles By Industry, Articles By Location, Articles By Topic, Daily News, Featured Post, Food Processing, Logistics And Distribution, Louisiana, Online Features, U.S. - Southeast Tweet Heidi Schwartz Internet Director Schwartz joined Group C Media in April 1989 as managing editor of Today's Facility Manager. In September 2012, she took over the newly created position of internet director for Group C Media, where she is charged with developing content and creating online strategies for TFM and Business Facilities. Schwartz can be reached at [email protected]. Number of Entries : »AAR Announces 500 New Jobs In Lake Charles, LA »INDUSTRY FOCUS: More Than Just Production And Plating »KWIC In Manhattan, KS, Gets EDA Grant

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Agriculture faring better than overall economy Harry Cline The economy is still out of gas, struggling to find relief. Agriculture is faring considerably better than the rest of the economy. The latest USDA figures project that net farm income will increase this year to $77.1 billion, the fourth highest level ever. Fertilizer and fuel costs have stabilized for farmers, with prices lower than they were in 2008 in the middle of the recession. The 18-month U.S. “great recession” ended a year ago, according to the federal government. Nevertheless, no one told the economy. Since the proclaimed end of the recession a year ago, the economy has been like a lost marathon runner searching for the finish line and recovery after completing the 26-mile, and 385-yard course. The economy is still out of gas, struggling to find relief. John Penson, Jr., regents professor and Stiles Professor of Agriculture at Texas A&M University, told the 29th Annual Agribusiness Management Conference in Fresno, Calif., that many economic indicators are worse now than they were when the government declared the recession over in December 2009. “Things are a little bit better than the last time I was here (a year ago),” Penson told attendees at the conference sponsored by three departments at California State University, Fresno and Bank of America. Fortunately, agriculture is faring considerably better than the rest of the economy. The latest USDA figures project that net farm income will increase this year to $77.1 billion, the fourth highest level ever. Agriculture is being helped along with low interest rates and a falling value of the dollar, which is boosting exports. This is particularly helpful to California agriculture, which exports roughly 25 percent of what it produces. Exports are also being bolstered by growing foreign economies like China and India, although those two have slowed a bit lately. Milk prices are also improving, another positive sign, particularly in California, the nation’s No. 1 dairy state. “The ag economy is definitely coming out of the recession faster than the general economy,” he said. That is saying something, but not much, after listening to a litany of depressing economic indicators. Benson even suggested the U.S. could be looking at another recession right around the corner in 2011-2012, unless the economic situation improves. The Obama administration’s stimulus package has not made a significant impact on the economy. At best, it is a “fragile recovery,” he said. Many small businesses are hurting; foreclosures are high; most states are struggling to achieve a balanced budget and the list goes on. A faint economic heartbeat “While the economy is said to be growing, you have to struggle to hear its heartbeat,” Penson said. Unemployment is 9.6 percent. It was 5 percent at the start of the last recession in December 2007. Businesses continue to pare costs to make a profit. Eight million people have lost jobs since the end of the recession. 8.6 million people are under employed — ”college graduates flipping hamburgers.” Consumers are not spending because of continued economic uncertainty. Debt is still high, but consumers are working it down. 45 percent of households have cut back on expenses, and half of the population is pessimistic about the economy. 23 percent of homeowners are upside down on their mortgages and more foreclosures are coming, Penson said. Interest rates are low and that is good news for banks, but financial institutions are being stingy with loans. Although 275 banks have folded since Washington Mutual went under in 2008, Penson said other banks are showing their best profits in three years. Consumers, corporations and banks are hoarding what they have. The Fed has announced it will be buying $600 billion in government securities to encourage banks to lend and consumers to buy. “There are no guarantees it will work,” Penson said. This likely will do nothing more than give Congress the excuse to avoid making critical tax and spending decisions to improve the economy. The overall problem, Penson said, is not liquidity, but a lack of confidence that things will improve any time soon among the people and businesses. “We do not have a supply problem. It is a demand problem." What is needed to turn the economy around is “transparent” economic policy rules from Washington. However, Penson expects “little to happen” to improve the situation. The only change, he predicts, will be more television time for politicians to offer insight. California water situation The lousy state economy and the growing annual California state debt derailed a proposed $11 billion state bond issue scheduled for a referendum vote this year. It has been postponed until 2012. Although the bond issue won a two-thirds vote from the state legislature to get on the ballot, there were no guarantees it would have passed. Unless the package is changed dramatically, it will not have full agricultural support in 2012, according to Ron Jacobsma, general manager of the Friant Water Authority. Two-thirds of the bond package needs changing, he says. The often repeated criticism of the package is that it contains too may perks or pork barrel projects. However, take those out and there is less chance of it passing. Kings County, Calif., farmer Jim Verboon told the agribusiness conference audience that the issue is not developing new water, but reliability with existing water supplies. Most of the debate about California’s water crisis has focused on “fixing” the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta to improve the state’s water supply and repair the rapidly degrading Delta ecosystem. This usually implies building a canal or pipeline around the Delta to ensure a more reliable downstream water supply for the majority of California water users. The water bond, Verboon said, “does not specifically address many of the problems directly affecting the Delta, its environment or its fisheries.” The problem is, as Verboon sees it, the continual degradation of the Delta from growing use of upstream flows by Bay area cities and towns. “Most of the upstream water diversions are from tributaries of the San Joaquin River,” he noted. Urban users getting water from the Tulumne, Mekolumne and Stanislaus rivers continue to draw more water each year, reducing the flows to the Delta export pumps, which deliver water to the south state. These upstream fresh water diversions, combined with downstream partially treated wastewater discharges, have concentrated pollutants in the Delta, said Verboon. Dilution is no longer a long-term solution. “The wastewater treatment must be improved, otherwise the volume of pollutants will continue to concentrate the toxicity of the Delta.” Utilizing modern tertiary treatments to clean up the pollutants is the solution to the problem, Verboon said. He calls for state funding to create those plants, as well as funding new water projects. “We need to have a specific, long-term plan for the Delta and not just throw money at it." [email protected] Source URL: http://southwestfarmpress.com/markets/agriculture-faring-better-overall-economy

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Indonesia: Fighting for food self-sufficiency Andi Abdussalam Antara 4 Nov 16; Jakarta (ANTARA News) - As an agriculture country, Indonesia was once self-sufficient in the production of rice, the staple food for its people of 250 million, but now it is importing some of the commodity and is struggling to regain its past glory in rice production. Through the Ministry of Agriculture, the government has continued to improve regulations deemed to have been impeding Indonesias efforts to regain its self-sufficiency in rice production. "We are improving all regulations, which are seen to be hindering the pace towards achieving self-sufficiency in food production," Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said on the sidelines of a function held to observe the 36th World Food Day in Boyolali, Central Java, on Friday last week (Oct. 28). So far, all procurements such as the procurement of high-bred seeds and fertilizers should be carried out through tenders so that efforts to increase food production are often made late. According to the Agriculture Minister, Indonesia has been hit by the El Nino and La Nina weather phenomenon for two consecutive years. The challenges faced in 2015 were extraordinary and the heaviest ones along the history of Indonesia with an intensity of 2.44 percent. The same phenomenon also affected the country in the 1997-1998 with an intensity of only 1.9 percent at the time, but Indonesia was forced to import 12 million tons of rice. "With hard work, we have been able to pass the heaviest season over the past two years and imported only 1.9 million tons of rice. We hope will no longer face the same problem in 2017," said Minister Amran. Even, now the government has two million tons of rice stock, which is adequate to meet the need for the commodity up to May next year. Moreover, in March, the rice harvest season will begin so that rice stocks are adequate. In addition, all regional governments across the country have been asked to increase their regions rice production with assistance provided by the central government. If they fail to increase production, the assistance will not be provided in the following year. In order to regain the countrys glorious food production, the government has overhauled various regulations in the food sector and repaired damaged rice infrastructure, which reached three million hectares. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has asked the minister to finish the job in three years but the Minister of Agriculture said his side has been trying to accomplish it in one year. The government is also improving the distribution of fertilizers and has taken action against those who distribute fake or mixed fertilizers, which disadvantage farmers. "Self-sufficiency in food can be achieved through efforts to modernize agriculture, while in parallel we improve regulations and infrastructure. We have to work hard to boost production and control export and imports. Organic agriculture is very attractive and prices could increase ten times and that could improve the welfare of the farmers," he said. The government has also distributed some 160 thousand units of agricultural machine tools to the regions. This is intended to cut production costs from Rp2 million per hectare to Rp1 million. This year, Indonesia has planned to open up 200 thousand hectares of new rice fields. The plan to increase the acreage under rice farms in the country by 200 thousand hectares is expected to help the government achieve its target of unhusked rice production of Rp76 million tons. By increasing the acreage of the countrys rice fields by 200 thousand hectares, the rice farms in Indonesia will cover about 9.0 million hectares. As a country where rice is a staple food, Indonesia must always have adequate rice stocks, particularly in the face of two extreme dry and rainy seasons. During the rainy season, thousands of hectares of rice could be damaged while during the drought, thousands of hectares of paddy fields could also fail to produce any harvest. On an average, the domestic need for rice in Indonesia is predicted to reach about 30 million tons per annum. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said Indonesia should be able to compete with other countries in the food, energy and water sectors. "I should say that the competition among countries today has become really tough," Jokowi stated on the sidelines of the 36th World Food Day (HPS) 2016 celebrations at the Office Complex Square of the Boyolali Regional Government last weekend. According to the President Jokowi, Indonesia, with its 17 thousand islands and fertile soil, should start preparing, planning for and anticipating the development in food sector. If the people worked hard to improve production, Indonesia will no longer have to import food commodities. Jokowi believed that with a consistent approach, the country would no longer have to import foods such as maize by 2018. Despite the fact that Indonesia is a big country with fertile lands, it has not been able to become self-sufficient in food. That means something is wrong. "Clearly, if such is the scenario, we need to improve. We are confident that Indonesia can be self-reliant in food in the future," the president underlined. As of now, the government has assured that it would not import rice until the end of 2016 as there was sufficient supply of rice. "I can assure there will be no rice imports until the end of this year. I said last year that supply during the September-October period was only 1.030 million tons but now it has reached 1.980 million tons," Jokowi disclosed while inspecting the rice harvest in the village of Trayu in Boyolali, Central Java. Calculations made by the Ministry of Agriculture had found that the per capita consumption of rice in Indonesia is 124 kilograms per annum. So the government based its rice production target on the basis of a per capita consumption of 124 kilograms. With a population of 250 million, the domestic need of the people for rice reaches some 31 million tons. However, following a joint assessment conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) and the Ministry of Trade some time ago, it was found that Indonesias per capita consumption of rice is only 114 kilograms per annum. So, based on this figure of 114 kilograms, the domestic need is pegged at only about 28.5 million tons. Thus, if the target of 76 million tons of unhusked rice production is achieved this year, Indonesia will be able to become self-sufficient in rice production. (T.A014/INE/KR-BSR)

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The Van Hoosen Farm By Jill Waldecker The Van Hoosen Farm dates back to 1823 when Lemuel Taylor, his wife Sarah, and nine children purchased 160 acres of land in Avon Township, now Rochester Hills. When Lemuel's granddaughter, Sarah Ann, married Joshua Van Hoosen in 1854, most of the Taylor farm property was purchased by Joshua and productively farmed until Joshua died in 1894. Joshua's widow Sarah leased the farm to local farmers until Dr. Sarah Van Hoosen Jones, granddaughter of Joshua Van Hoosen and great-great granddaughter of Lemuel Taylor, assumed operation of the land. After receiving her Ph.D. in animal genetics in 1921, Sarah began running the farm under scientific management. The Van Hoosen Farm operation consisted of four phases: cattle herd, poultry, milk production and tillable land for crops. Although Dr. Jones started her farm operation by raising one thousand single-comb, white leghorn chickens, she devoted most of her efforts to the dairy operation. Through Sarah's efforts, the original herd of fifty Holstein dairy cows increased until it numbered two hundred in 1944. Every year between 1929 and the 1940s, the Van Hoosen Farm exhibited cattle and won ribbons at stock shows, including the Michigan State Fair, the Wisconsin and Illinois State Fairs, and the Dairy Cattle Congress in Waterloo, Iowa. Van Hoosen cattle became desired throughout the world, and part of Sarah's prized stock was sold to the governments of Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Argentina for breeding programs.

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Fisheries & Wildlife | Forestry | Parks, Recreation & Tourism | Soil, Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences | School of Natural Resources Missouri Climate Missouri Weather Missouri Mesonet Tropical Storms in Missouri Pat Guinan State Climatologist Commercial Agriculture/University of Missouri Extension As summer progresses conditions tend to become more favorable for tropical storms and hurricanes to develop in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Most people tend to think these storms only affect states along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts and, for the most part, this is true. Hurricane force winds and storm surges are effects usually reserved for the shoreline and nearby coastal communities, but there have been instances of hurricane force winds (>73 mph) extending over 200 miles inland and tropical storm force winds (39-73 mph) experienced as far inland as Kansas and Iowa. Additionally, remnants of hurricanes can bring widespread rainfall to states hundreds of miles from the coast. The remnants of 44 hurricanes and tropical storms affected Missouri between 1900 and 2011 (Figure 1). Southeastern Missouri is the most likely area to be impacted and, of these 44 systems, six maintained their tropical storm status when they moved into the state. The first tropical storm to affect Missouri occurred overnight on September 10, 1900. Two days earlier, this storm was a catastrophic hurricane that struck Galveston, TX and killed more than 6,000 people. The hurricane made landfall at Galveston and moved west to San Antonio by the morning of the 9th. From there, it turned northward and rapidly moved across Oklahoma and Kansas during the 10th reaching the vicinity of Des Moines, IA on the morning of the 11th. The storm passed over the extreme northwestern portion of Missouri during the night of the 10th, causing high winds over the northern counties, which caused damage to orchards, hay stacks, corn, and fencing. The second tropical storm swept through Missouri on June 28-29, 1902, tracking quickly from Joplin to St. Louis and dropping light precipitation totals due to its rapid movement. The third tropical storm to hit Missouri occurred in late September 1906. On the morning of the 27th, a powerful hurricane was near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The hurricane weakened to a tropical storm as it moved northward through Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, into southeastern Missouri. During the succeeding 24 hours the tropical storm center moved over eastern Missouri and southern Illinois. The rain fell steadily for more than 30 hours over the eastern half of the state depositing 2-4 inches of precipitation. The fourth tropical storm struck southeastern Missouri on September 24, 1941 and traveled from Poplar Bluff to Cape Girardeau. The fifth tropical storm entered southeastern Missouri from West Plains to Poplar Bluff on October 5-6, 1949. It also was a weakening storm that made landfall in Texas as a powerful hurricane and traveled through Louisiana and Arkansas before striking Missouri. The sixth tropical storm to impact Missouri occurred in 2008. Hurricane Ike made landfall near Houston, Texas on September 13, 2008 and moved through southeastern Oklahoma, northwestern Arkansas and into southern Missouri on September 14, 2008. The center of the storm traveled northeastward through Missouri from Ozark to Reynolds counties, before being downgraded to tropical depression status. The past decade has been unusually active for Missouri, with 13 named tropical systems impacting the Show Me State between 2002 and 2011. A record four named Atlantic tropical systems affected Missouri in 2005 (Arlene, Dennis, Katrina, Rita) and 2008 (Dolly, Fay, Gustav, Ike). When tropical systems affect Missouri, it's usually during late summer/early fall and, most of the time, they are welcome. They have the potential to drop significant rains over a large area, and act to recharge depleted summer moisture supplies. On average, Missouri is affected by remnants of tropical storms or hurricanes every 2-3 years, whereas the chances a tropical storm will maintain its identity while moving into Missouri is about 1 in 20 years. A full-fledged hurricane has never been witnessed in Missouri. Site Maintained by AgEBB. © 2017 The Curators of the University of Missouri

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FARMERS NAT'L CO. NAMES FOUR SENIOR VPSApr. 15, 2014Source: Farmers National Co. news release Farmers National Company, the nation's leading agricultural and energy management company, has announced four internal promotions to the position of senior vice president. David Englund, David Smith, Michael Pfantz, and Terri Piccolo, all current Farmers National Company employees, are members of the executive team involved with the strategic growth and planning for the company's future. Also, their roles and responsibilities will be expanded in their areas of specialty. David Englund, Omaha, is now senior vice president - farm and ranch management. He oversees all farm and ranch asset managers and area vice presidents in Farmers National Company's 24-state territory. His new responsibilities include hiring and training staff and supervising field operations involving the management of farms and ranches and our Jacksonville, Texas, based forest resources division. Englund joined Farmers National Company in 1987 as a farm manager and has most recently served as area vice president of farm management for our Western Area. David Smith, Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been named senior vice president - oil and gas management. He is responsible for managing the oil, gas, and mineral management department that includes land administration and business development. Smith has more than 30 years of energy industry experience, including 20 years in fiduciary trust management and mineral management. He has been with Farmers National Company out of our Tulsa office since 2003, serving as vice president - oil and gas management. Michael Pfantz, Omaha, is now senior vice president - risk management. Responsibilities include oversight of the company's insurance agency, corporate insurance coverage, security, and the information technology (IT) department. Pfantz will continue to promote crop and property and casualty insurance coverage to clients, farm managers, sales associates and agencies in all states in which Farmers National Company is licensed. Pfantz is responsible for the corporate risk management program and will now lead the information technology group. Pfantz has been with the company since 2007 serving as the vice president of insurance. Terri Piccolo, Omaha, has assumed the role of senior vice president -- finance for Farmers National Company. In addition to overseeing corporate and customer accounting, Piccolo now has oversight of human resources and supervision of the farm and ranch management support operations team. Piccolo has been with the company since 1993, serving as vice president of finance and controller. "These key players have been promoted to leadership roles at Farmers National Company because of their professionalism and achievements in their areas of expertise," said Jim Farrell, president of Farmers National Company. "Each individual is taking on a broader, expanded role to help our company advance and continue to ensure that we provide the highest level of service to clients and customers of Farmers National Company. All four of these professionals have been instrumental in our growth and success over the years," said Farrell.Tweet

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| Auto Reviews How to make a pumpkin BY COLLEEN DAY (Staff Writer) From local farms to house decorations, pumpkins are everywhere this time of year, but preparation for the pumpkin craze began in May, Gene Hahn, manager of Roba Family Farms, said. Farmers at Roba Family Farms sow thousands of pumpkin seeds into more than 60 acres of land in anticipation of the fall harvest. Farmers often enjoy growing pumpkins because they are a relatively low-maintenance crop. "You start by planting the seeds and watering," Mr. Hahn said. "From there it's just rain, sunlight and the help of Mother Nature. You kind of have to take a shot in the dark and hope you get a good pumpkin." After planting the seeds, farmers await the appearance of the yellow pumpkin flower. The pumpkin flower, which blooms at the end of June and into early July, is vital to the pumpkin growing process, said John Esslinger, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences extension educator for horticulture. The pumpkin plant produces both a male and a female flower. The honey bee and the squash bee transfer the pollen from the male flower to the female flower allowing a pumpkin to grow. Every pumpkin flower opens only once between approximately 6 and 11 a.m. before closing for good, Mr. Esslinger said. If the flower is not pollinated during the few hours while it is open, the pumpkin will not grow. When there are not enough bees for proper pollination, farmers may be forced to pollinate the flowers by hand. Farmers are recommended to have one bee hive per acre to ensure proper pollination. If the flower is pollinated, the average growing period for a pumpkin is about 90 to 110 days, Mr. Esslinger said. Pollination is just one of the many problems that can arise during the pumpkin growing season. Other problems include powdery and downy mildew, insects, infection, weeds and even deer. "Aside from the usual challenges, another major challenge that most people don't realize is keeping the deer out," Mr. Esslinger said. "It's not unusual to lose about 50 percent of the crop to deer. They like to bite holes in them and go after the seeds." Pumpkins are native to North America and mainly grown for commercial use. Mr. Esslinger said about 10 to 20 percent of the pumpkins grown are considered unmarketable. "Sometimes people look out at the acres of pumpkin plants, see a lot of orange and think that there are a lot of pumpkins going to waste, but that's not the case," Mr. Esslinger said. "Consumers demand the perfect pumpkin. If a pumpkin isn't the right shape or size or color or if the pumpkin's handle isn't shaped right it's considered unmarketable." Pennsylvania is one of the top five pumpkin-producing states. Robas Family Farm contributes to the more than 1 billion pounds of pumpkin grown annually in the United States, according to the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Extension website. These pumpkins, grown on about 25,000 acres of U.S. soil, generate more than $100 million in farm profits. Contact the writer: [email protected]

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Farmers for economic freedom Updates from the Prairie Centre/Centre for Prairie Agriculture in Regina, Saskatchewan. web posted February 19, 2001 Who’s endangered now? By Craig Docksteader On February 2nd of this year, Environment Minister David Anderson followed through on his promise: He reintroduced his endangered species bill, and set the wheels in motion to push it through the Parliamentary process. After years of proposals, submissions, consultations and recommendations, it looks like Canadians are about to get another law to protect endangered species. This will bring the total of such laws to 43. There are currently 8 federal and 34 provincial or territorial laws which contain provisions for the protection of endangered species or their habitat. The new Species at Risk Act is destined to be the crowning jewel of them all, granting sweeping powers to the federal government over provincial, private and leased federal land. At this point, I doubt anything receives more legal protection in Canada than species at risk. Ironically, however, after seven years of consultation, the federal government has satisfied nobody. On the one hand, hard-line environmentalists are adamant that the Act doesn’t go far enough. They want endangered species and their habitat to receive automatic protection under the Act, with no flexibility for Parliament to treat an endangered fly differently than an endangered fox. On the other hand, landowners recognize that the law goes too far by threatening to regulate the use of private land and limiting compensation. In the middle of it all is Environment Minister David Anderson. Anderson must now try and sell the law to as many people as possible, passing it off as a good compromise. He has to highlight the heavy-handed aspects to appease hardliners, while in the same breath underscoring changes that were made to alleviate the concerns of landowners. But if Anderson thinks the changes to his Bill make it more acceptable to landowners, he’s dreaming. Consider the following: 1) Initially the law applied only to federal land. Now it applies to federal, provincial and private land. 2) Initially the law was to protect species which were endangered as a result of human activity. This has now been expanded to include "species of special concern" which means any wildlife species that might become threatened, even if the threats have nothing to do with human activity. 3) Initially the species was protected by law, but its habitat would be protected through voluntary efforts. Now landowners can face legal charges for harming either the species or its habitat. 4) Initially, penalties could reach as high as a $1,000,000 for corporations, or $250,000 plus five years in jail for individuals. In addition, the fines could be levied on top of each other for second offenses, offenses on consecutive days, offenses to different species, or offenses to more than one of the same species. These penalties remain unchanged in the new Act. But in addition to them, persons convicted of an offense can also face a court order directing them to do the following: - Take action to remedy the harm they caused to the species; - Subject themselves to periodic environmental audits (paid for by the offender); - Perform community service; - Report to the court on their activities for three years; - Pay for the cost of any remedial or preventative action taken as a result of the offense; - Pay a sum of money toward research into the protection of the species harmed; - Pay a prescribed amount of money toward an environmental scholarship fund; - Post a bond to ensure future compliance; - Comply with any other conditions the court considers appropriate to prevent a repeat offense. In spite of some improvements in the tone and attitude of Minister David Anderson, these have not been reflected in the proposed legislation. In fact, it would be safe to say that the longer this process goes on, the more endangered landowners become. web posted February 12, 2001 Dual marketing down under On July 1st, Australian barley producers in the state of Victoria will have a dual market for barley. The Australian Barley Board is scheduled to lose its monopoly status in the export market and become a voluntary, farmer-owned grain marketer. For the first time in 61 years, producers in Victoria will have the choice of selling their barley through the ABB or directly to another grain marketer. The move doesn’t come suddenly. Changes have been underway in the Australian barley industry for a number of years, beginning with a review of the ABB in 1993. That same year, the ABB’s monopoly over domestic sales was ended, giving producers a dual domestic market. Plans were then made to transition the ABB from a government-owned statutory authority to a producer-owned private company. In 1999 this transition took place, with the new ABB retaining its export monopoly. The removal of the ABB’s single-desk status began with the deregulation of container sales of export barley. This is now being followed by the complete removal of the ABB’s export monopoly in the state of Victoria, which is the last step in this series of changes designed to give producers more control over their industry. According to World Grain publication, the changes will provide the first practical test of the benefits of single-desk selling versus deregulated export trading, and are expected to provide new impetus for the debate of the Australian Wheat Board’s export monopoly. Not everyone is happy about the changes, though. The ABB issued a scathing two-and-a-half page press release, blasting the state government for proceeding with plans to deregulate. Members of the Victoria Farmers Federation voted unanimously to oppose the changes, and claim that more than eighty per cent of state barley growers support the monopoly. Regardless of the opposition, however, the state government is pressing ahead. State Treasurer, John Brumby, pointed out that the government found no compelling reason for an export monopoly and that the changes mean Victorian barley growers will be free to choose whether they sell their export grain to the Barley Board or other grain traders. "The government’s decision is about providing choices to growers so they can take advantage of changes to the domestic and export markets," Brumby said. "Grain traders can compete for Victorian growers’ business, allowing growers to shop for the best deal." The move is also expected to encourage greater innovation and competition in grain industry related services such as financing for growers. Brumby noted that, "The general experience of domestic barley deregulation has been that greater competition stimulates investment and innovation. In recent years significant new investment in on-farm storage and handling facilities has taken place in Victoria in anticipation of barley export deregulation." For prairie producers who are watching the developments, the direction may seem quite radical for a Labour government. But according to Brumby, it’s quite simple: "Growers should be allowed operational control of their business." In other words, government doesn’t have any business telling farmers who they must sell their barley to. web posted February 5, 2001 Listening to the past When the prairie wheat pools were first established in the 1920's, producers were buoyant. The new system held promise of being a grain handling and marketing system which would operate in the interests of farmers and iron out the troublesome wrinkles of grain farming in the early 1900's. Many of the problems then were different than what producers face today. In the 1920's there was a lack of basic infrastructure for the grain industry; farmers were concerned about price manipulation by those who speculated in wheat on the grain exchange; there was suspicion over the fairness of weights and measures at the local elevator; and there was widespread concern that elevator operators were manipulating storage space in order to force farmers to sell at a lower grade. At the heart of the issue, however, was the same concern which can be found today: Price. Producers were not happy with the return they were receiving for their grain. Their solution to the problem was a grassroots one. By banding together, they would gain a measure of control over their industry, and secure a better future for their families. When the pools went on to capture more than 50 per cent of grain deliveries over the first few years of operation, the sense of optimism climbed higher. Pool members were convinced that by riding the wave of cooperation they had discovered the meaning of market power. Most believed that by banding together they could command a better price for their grain. They expected to counter market fluctuations by holding onto their grain when prices were low and selling only into the higher markets. By controlling a significant share of the market, they would exercise market power, increasing returns to growers. Those who wanted their grain would have to pay a fair price to get it. But as the years ticked by, the pools found themselves unable to deliver their promise of a better way and a better tomorrow. While the cooperative nature of the pooling system appealed to many growers because it averaged returns over the year and cut the established grain companies out of the pie, it was unable to fulfill its promise of a better price. On December 10, 1930, an editorial in the Winnipeg Free Press summed up the experience in the following words: "It must be recognized, however bitter the realization, that we have nothing to say about the price we get for our grain... This experiment has been watched with the deepest sympathy and interest by the public generally and its failure insofar at any rate as the controlling [of] price is concerned..." Although the intentions had been good, and some benefits had been realized by working together, the ability to increase returns to growers was not one of them. For many it was a time of dashed hopes and profound discouragement. It is with a measure of concern that some producers see a similar scene beginning to unfold today. Although there are variations in the strategy, there are numerous attempts underway to form cooperative groups whose primary purpose is to push the price of grain up. Like the experience of the 1920's, the intent is noble. But even though every producer on the prairies would like to see better prices, history would suggest this might not be the way to achieve it. web posted January 29, 2001 Arbitrary exemptions When a group of prairie durum growers asked for an exemption from the Canadian Wheat Board, the CWB turned them down flat. There was no way the Board was going to grant it. Their reasons were simple: An exemption would require a change in legislation; allowing a few producers to bypass the pooling system would dilute the pool; allowing an exemption could result in producers selling into CWB markets; and lastly, it would set a dangerous precedent, encouraging other producers to insist on exemptions as well. The producers' plans were frustrated. They could not deliver their durum directly to their pasta plant without doing a buy-back from the CWB. Forced participation in the durum pool would mean their premiums would be diluted in the pooling system, rather than being captured by the producers themselves. When organic producers recently asked for an exemption from the Wheat Board, they got the same response. An exemption wasn't possible under the existing legislation, would undermine the pool, interfere with CWB markets, and open the floodgates for more requests. But this time the producers pointed out a number of holes in the CWB's argument. Although the CWB denied it at first, spokespersons eventually admitted that under the existing legislation the Board could grant exemptions. In fact, not only are they able to do so, but it is a common practice at the Board. Producers outside the designated area are routinely granted exemptions; pedigreed seed producers receive exemptions; and producers of kamut, spelt and einkorn are granted exemptions. Furthermore, under the CWB's Export Manufactured Feed Agreement, feed mills routinely receive exemptions to export thousands of tonnes of wheat and barley outside the CWB pooling system. The agreement allows exporters to bypass the CWB feed wheat and barley pools as long as the manufactured feeds contain less than 75 per cent of wheat or barley by weight. This means that if a producer finds an export market for his feed wheat, he cannot export it without first going through the sometimes costly buy-back procedure. On the other hand, however, a feed mill can purchase the same wheat from the producer, process it, and promptly export it with no buy-back. It would appear that the CWB's concerns over granting exemptions only apply to producers. Grain can bypass the pooling system and even be sold into CWB markets as long as it's done by "a feed mill that produces manufactured feeds registered with Agriculture Canada and subject to the regulations of the Canadian Feeds Act". Ironically, however, unlike feed wheat and barley, the CWB doesn't even have markets for organic wheat and barley. Granting an exemption for organic grains would have no impact on CWB marketing. This means there is an even stronger case for providing an exemption for organic grains than there is for manufactured feed. Perhaps the CWB's real concern is their last one: If producers realize the CWB can and does issue no-cost export licenses, there would be a rush of producers demanding one. On this point, they might be right. Craig Docksteader is Coordinator with the Prairie Centre/Centre for Prairie Agriculture, Inc. Prairie Centre/Centre for Prairie Agriculture, Inc. #205, 1055 Park Street S4N 5H4 Phone: 306-352-3828 Web site: http://www.prairiecentre.org Email: [email protected] The CFEN needs your help! The battle against the Canada Wheat Board can only continue with your support. Canadian Farm Enterprise Network Central Butte, Saskatchewan S0H 0T0 Write the following and demand free market rights for Western Canadian farmers! The Canadian Wheat Board 423 Main Street P.O. Box 816, Stn. M. R3C 2P5 Telephone: (204) 983-0239 / 1-800-ASK-4-CWB Email Address: [email protected] Ralph Goodale Minister Responsible for the Canada Wheat Board Department of Natural Resources Canada 21 - 580 Booth Street Canada K1A 0E4 Telephone: (613)996-2007 Fax Number: (613)996-4516 Email Address: [email protected] Current Issue Archive Main | 2001

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The scent of Garlic | Hood River News tablet version The cook’s best tool has new organic roots in Hood River Nine years ago, Eric Hixson knew next to nothing about garlic. Now he’s fully conversant about softnecks, hardnecks, clove size, and which varieties are prized for size, looks and flavor. Hixson and Terri Browne Hixon bought two and a half acres of cow pasture in the Rockford area of Hood River in 1996. They moved onto the property with a 15-foot travel trailer, then in 2002-03 built a house. “When we bought the house there was nothing here,” Eric says. “We thought about putting in echinacea or ginseng, but there really wasn’t enough room for echinacea and ginseng seemed a little questionable.” The idea of growing garlic came from a guy Eric knows in Washington who has a garlic farm. The Hixons bought 20 pounds of garlic from him and set out to try their hand. “I was talking to John down at John’s Equipment Repair, and when I told him I was going to grow garlic, he said, ‘You’ll never be able to grow anything in this rocky soil,’” Hixson recalls. The area is called Rockford for a reason: The soil, he says, is clay loam, and full of rocks. He had to extract many rocks — which he used to build rock walls — before he could work and amend the soil. With a rototiller and the help of many friends, two 100-foot rows of earth were prepared, and the 20 pounds of garlic planted. Through the years the Hixsons havelearned many lessons through trial and error, and one of the first was that, if you’re growing for size, garlic needs a looser soil. Even without the rocks and despite its history as a cow pasture, the soil needed some help. “I had a couple of years where I was growing ‘popcorn garlic,’ I called it,” he says. “The clay soil makes it hard to get much size.” Size matters, to garlic growers. The bigger the seed (clove), the bigger the garlic bulb, and the bigger the garlic bulb, the fewer — and larger — cloves it will contain. Since Hixsons are growing garlic for seed, he wants the cloves to be as large as possible. So in the seven years that they have been working the field, Eric figures they have added tons of organic material such as buckwheat, clover, seedless straw, compost, and decomposed leaves. And from day one, everything done to the land has been organic. Hood River Garlic was certified by the Oregon Tilth in 2002. Eric and Terri started out with four varieties of garlic. The 20 pounds they planted yielded about 150 pounds of seed garlic. The next year they planted about 100 pounds, and harvested 700. After buying a tractor, Eric was able to prepare more soil and now the farm has about a half acre of garlic bed. “Now we plant about 500 pounds, which produced about 3,300 pounds of garlic,” Eric says. “The general rule of thumb is you can expect to get seven times the weight you plant. Some varieties will produce even more, depending on the size.” The couple has also experimented with different varieties. From the original four varieties, they expanded to as many as 30, and have now narrowed it down to about 18. “This was a weird year — one variety produced 15 times the amount, and one didn’t come up at all,” Eric says. “The ones that are the most prized in the market are the toughest ones to grow. And they don’t store as well, but they have the flavor!” The garlic farm is a side job for Eric; his “day job” is as a carpenter. The half acre he’s been tending is about all he can handle on his own, and that’s with lots of help from friends and family. He figures of the two and a half acres he owns, the maximum he could dedicate to garlic would be about 1 1/2 acres. But then he would need to quit his job. The target market for Hood River Garlic is home gardeners, since they are growing seed garlic, but there are also a few vendors who carry their product, including Rosauers and Mother’s Market in Hood River. “That’s great because they buy the smaller ones — they taste just the same!” Eric says. This year brought two changes, one being the installation of a drip irrigation system as part of the Conservation Security Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service Extension in The Dalles. The irrigation water is pressurized and filtered twice before going into the drip lines, to make sure it’s free of pesticides and herbicides. The other new facet to the business is the birth of the Hood River Garlic Web site (www.hoodrivergarlic.com). Terri works the Web site and Eric works the land. In addition to order information about the garlic, the Web site has a year-round growing guide as an aid to gardeners who buy the seed. “Since they’re gardeners we designed the Web site so they could see the whole process,” Eric says. “I wish we’d had something like that when I was getting started!” Another change is in store: Eric will build a barn this fall, so that he doesn’t have to borrow his neighbor’s barn to dry the garlic after it’s harvested. It’s an old wooden barn, perfect for drying garlic. “It’s a great drying room because it’s got all those holes in it and the wind comes right through,” Eric says. “It hangs in the barn, kind of like tobacco.” Pistil hats: Getting ahead of the day 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. From pink slip to pear bars Winning district title takes back seat to state dreams It's "country" -- without going to the country Grapes of Wonder

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Raw Milk Producers Aim To Regulate Themselves Charlotte Smith, of Champoeg Creamery in St. Paul, Ore., says raw milk may offer health benefits. But she also acknowledges its very real dangers.A growing number of Americans are buying raw milk. That's milk that has not been pasteurized to kill bacteria.As we've reported, the legal treatment of raw milk varies state by state. In some places like California, it's sold in stores. In other states, it's outlawed entirely — although folks get around regulations by buying a "stake" in a cow so they're drinking what amounts to their own milk, or selling it as a pet food.But this patchwork of permissions and workarounds means that, as a nation, we don't have any national standards when it comes to raw milk testing and safety.A new group is trying to change that.Mark McAfee is the CEO of Organic Pastures, California's largest raw milk dairy. And after frustration with the lack of national standards, he founded the Raw Milk Institute."People are searching for local raw milk," McAfee explains. "But when they go to the farm, or they go to the store, they really don't know what they're getting."To create both accountability and transparency, McAfee worked with epidemiologists, biologists and other health professionals to create RAWMI's standards. Instead of just focusing on the end results, like bacteria levels, they also worked up detailed protocols for the entire process — from taking the temperature of the dishwasher used to clean the milk bottles to the distance between the water well and manure pile.The group is also looking at the risk specific to each farm, whether it's a muddy slope with three cows in Oregon or a sunny California farm with a midsize herd.When a farm completes its hazards analysis, planning and testing — and passes a site visit from RAWMI — it is listed on the institute's website. Right now there are half a dozen farms listed, with 10 more in the midst of the process.The first farm to be listed was Champoeg Creamery, a small dairy about 30 miles south of Portland, Ore. Owner Charlotte Smith is a fifth-generation farmer. But when she first started producing raw milk a few years ago, she discovered it was an entirely different animal."I could call the extension office, and get some help on what was going on with my vegetables, or what is this beetle eating my tomatoes," says Smith. "But there's no one that will help you with raw milk production."And with about 100 families buying her milk — and monitoring an E. coli outbreak at a neighboring farm that landed kids in the hospital — Smith was committed to getting it right. Because while Smith says raw milk may offer health benefits, she also acknowledges the very real dangers."You can bring home a chicken and sell the eggs, and feel pretty safe about it. But raw milk, coming out of a cow, and manure flying during milking time — it is a huge challenge, far different than any other farm animal we have."As someone looking for guidance, Smith was a bit surprised that national regulatory agencies wouldn't lend their expertise to establishing safety criteria. To them, she says:"Raw milk is here to stay, whether you want to admit it or not. So why not work together, come up with some very basic things, where if you're going to produce and sell raw milk, you're going to agree that you have met these standards. In my mind, it seems so easy."But regulatory agencies aren't jumping in. That's because they argue that raw milk is not safe under any circumstances. Robert Tauxe at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that while the safety plans and regular testing advocated by RAWMI can certainly reduce the risk of bacterial contamination, they can't offer any certainty that the particular gallon you grab from the shelf is truly safe."A cow can test negative today, and then get infected tomorrow," notes Tauxe.Tauxe is not unsympathetic to the reasons people seek out raw milk. "I understand the interest in having colonies of living bacteria in the food we eat," he says. "The problem is when those living bacteria that are beneficial get mixed up with the living bacteria that cause disease."But for raw milk drinkers like Portlander Adrian Hale, getting those living bacteria are worth the risk. And guidelines like those established by the Raw Milk Institute are a part of managing that risk."There's a lot of choices we make with food, so I try to make those choices as best I can," says Hale. As a food writer concerned with healthful choices, Hale looks for the full story behind the food on her table. And as a mother, she's even more concerned. "I don't want to be a negligent parent. I just wanted that assurance that the person who is producing the milk is paying attention."As Hale notes, a lot of food choices can have risk — food outbreaks have struck everything from cantaloupe to spinach, and we take a chance every time we eat a delicious raw oyster. But when the producer — and the consumer — are paying attention, it can create a risk that's a little more manageable. Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. News Headlinesall headlines

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