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Franklin D. Roosevelt: Statement on Signing the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act. 28 - Statement on Signing the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act.March 1, 1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt1936 Font Size: In signing the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, I feel that I am approving a measure which helps to safeguard vital public interests not only for today, but for generations to come.This legislation represents an attempt to develop, out of the far-reaching and partly emergency efforts under the Agricultural Adjustment Act, a long-time program for American agriculture.The new law has three major objectives which are inseparably and of necessity linked with the national welfare. The first of these aims is conservation of the soil itself through wise and proper land use. The second purpose is the reestablishment and maintenance of farm income at fair levels so that the great gains made by agriculture in the past three years can be preserved and national recovery can continue. The third major objective is the protection of consumers by assuring adequate supplies of food and fibre now and in the future.The Federal Government, with an annual expenditure far less than the actual yearly wastage of fertility by erosion in the past will make grants of money to farmers, conditioned upon actual evidence of good land use. Thus, in carrying out the soil conservation plan, there will be provided a positive incentive to and protection for those who voluntarily shift from soil-depleting surplus crops, such as cotton, corn, wheat and tobacco, into erosion-preventing and soil-building crops, such as grasses and legumes, of which there is no surplus. This will help to bring about and maintain a healthy supply-and-demand situation from farm commodities, and will have a beneficial effect on farm prices and farm income.There will be no contracts with farmers. The program does not control individual production of individual farm commodities. The absence of production control may make impracticable the attainment of exact parity prices, as defined in the Agricultural Adjustment Act. Nevertheless, I am confident that the farmers, cooperating with the Government, will work hard within existing legal limitations to achieve the goal of the new law, which is parity not of farm prices, but of farm income. They and we have not abandoned and will not abandon the principle of equality for agriculture.In general, the new farm act follows the outlines of a longtime policy for agriculture which I recommended in my statement of October 25, 1935. The wise use of land which it seeks to encourage involves sound farm practice and crop rotation as well as. soil conservation. The income insurance feature afforded by the conditional payments will help farmers to maintain these beneficial systems of farming without interruption in poor crop years. Long-time adjustments, as I said last October, can be adapted to natural soil advantages of regions and localities.Sound farming is of direct interest not only to farmers, but to consumers. To the extent that the new plan succeeds in its aim of preserving and improving farm lands, consumers will share substantially in the benefits. In years of surplus, consumers may lightly take for granted the continuance of adequate supplies of food and fibre; but the recurring dust storms and rivers yellow with silt are a warning that Nature's resources will not indefinitely withstand exploitation or negligence. The only permanent protection which can be given consumers must come from conservation practiced by farmers.For a long time, I have felt that there was need for concerted action to promote good land use. Years ago, as Governor of the State of New York, I took such steps as I could in that direction, and I described them in detail in a speech at French Lick, Indiana, June 2, 1931, on the subject "Acres Fit and Unfit." I said that, having reached a determination as to the best use of land, "we arrive at once at the larger problem of getting men, women and children�in other words, population�to go along with a program and carry it out." I said, "Government itself must take steps, with approval of the governed, to see that plans become realities."As I made that speech, I was thinking in terms of my State, of other States and of the Nation. Now this new Act incorporates a system of Federal aid to function when State cooperation with the Federal Government can be arranged.The provision for State-Federal cooperation, beginning not later than January 1, 1938, will mark a further application of the principle of shared responsibility. This is in accord with the strong feature of the agricultural adjustment programs which operated in a democratic manner through cooperation with the State land grant colleges, State committees, county associations and county committees, township committees and individual farmers.The history of every Nation is eventually written in the way in which it cares for its soil. The United States, as evidenced by the progressive public opinion and vigorous demand which resulted in the enactment of this law, is now emerging from its youthful stage of heedless exploitation and is beginning to realize the supreme importance of treating the soil well.I do not regard this farm act as a panacea or as a final plan. Rather I consider it a new basis to build and improve upon, as experience discloses its points of weakness and of strength. Aiming at justice for agriculture and self-interest for the Nation, the plan seeks to salvage and conserve the greatest values in human life and resources with which this Nation is endowed. Citation: Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Statement on Signing the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act.," March 1, 1936. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=15254. Home © 1999-2016 - Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley - The American Presidency Project

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Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers claims period ends March 25 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack reminds Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who allege discrimination by the USDA in past decades that there are 45 days remaining in the filing period closing March 25, 2013. USDA urges potential claimants to contact the Claims Administrator for information and mail their claim packages on or before March 25, 2013. The process offers a voluntary alternative to litigation for each Hispanic or female farmer and rancher who can prove that USDA denied his or her application for loan or loan servicing assistance for discriminatory reasons for certain time periods between 1981 and 2000. As announced in February 2011, the voluntary claims process will make available at least $1.33 billion for cash awards and tax relief payments, plus up to $160 million in farm debt relief, to eligible Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers. There are no filing fees to participate in the program. Claimants may register for a claims package by calling the telephone number below Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time or by downloading the forms from the website. Website: www.farmerclaims.gov Claims Period: September 24, 2012 - March 25, 2013. Independent legal services companies will administer the claims process and adjudicate the claims. Although there are no filing fees to participate and a lawyer is not required to participate in the claims process, persons seeking legal advice may contact a lawyer or other legal services provider.

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How much longer will we import feeder cattle from Mexico? Jan 12, 2017 How to build a low-maintenance cowherd Dec 20, 2016 How docility plays a role in rebreeding success Jan 12, 2017 Does the beef industry have the drive to promote itself? Jan 12, 2017 Thinking Outside The Box In Europe, new handling and management rules in the veal industry could portend changes in the U.S. Meghan Sapp | Oct 01, 2003 Jos van den Broek is a pioneer of sorts. He raises veal calves on his farm near Zeeland in the southwest Netherlands. But he doesn't raise them in the individual crates familiar to American veal growers and, until January 2004, their European counterparts. “In the past, I was the only one who did it, and the others won the price competition. But now, everyone has to do it,” van den Broek says. For almost 25 years, van den Broek voluntarily raised his calves in groups, penned together in barns. Under EU legislation effective Jan. 1, 2004, however, all 3,500 Dutch farms that raise veal for primarily Italian, French and Spanish markets will be forced to move from individual crates to van den Broek's group system. Van den Broek estimates his grouping system costs 80% more than traditional veal farming. His reasons for absorbing the extra costs, however, go beyond economic considerations. “In the past, you had to hide your head a little bit because you were raising these tiny calves in a little box with no light in it,” he says. “I have more job satisfaction now than I did 10 years ago.” In a half-dozen barns, van den Broek keeps between five and seven Holstein Friesian calves/pen. He feeds roughly 5,000 calves/year. The calves arrive at the farm at 14 days of age, and he feeds them until they're six to seven months old. Beyond that, unless they reach the eight-month mark, there's no government subsidy. Today, van den Broek pays about 280 Euros ($322 U.S.)/calf, a third more than a year ago, which van den Broek attributes to dairy subsidies. As of June, veal meat was bringing about 4 Euros ($4.60 U.S)/kg. Like the meat business anywhere, prices are cyclical. A few years ago, van den Broek made a profit of 300 Euros/calf. During the foot-and-mouth disease crisis, he lost about 600,000 Euros ($690,000 U.S). A Family Tradition Van den Broek's parents began raising veal calves in traditional white boxes in the 1950s. He began experimenting with his group pen theory in the 1970s. Using an automatic feeding system similar to that used for feeding pigs, van den Broek plugs into the computer the number of calves in each pen, the amount of feed, the temperature of the water, and the level of minerals. Individual crates made individual animal management much easier, van den Broek says. Using group pens necessitates closer monitoring to catch sick animals and monitor intake. “One calf will drink too much, another too little, so you put the speed drinkers together, the slow drinkers together, the fat ones and the thin ones. When all is equal, then you can feed them what they need,” he says. “The more veal calves I have, the easier it is to make good groups that fit together.” On average, he loses about 2% of his calves annually, mostly to pneumonia. In a group system, pneumonia can be a devastating disease. Another added cost is experienced labor. The calves must be monitored and fed seven days a week. That's work not just anyone can do. “When 2,000 calves arrive in a week, you must know what you are doing. You can't give it over to a worker unfamiliar with the system,” he says. His cost for labor is about 2,500 Euros ($2,875 U.S.)/month. “With 500 calves, you can make a living and work seven days a week. Otherwise, you must pay enough so your feeders don't walk away from you every month. You need someone who knows exactly what they're doing. You must be very careful because if not, you have a lot of deaths,” he says. The Law Requires Playtime The feeding routine consists of feeding the calves milk, followed by corn silage and then straw. The silage and straw provide no nutritional benefit. It's a requirement agreed to three years ago by a coalition of veal producers and animal rights groups, and backed by the force of Dutch law. Van den Broek explains the benefits of the silage and straw this way: “So they can play with it.” The law requires that veal calves be fed 200 g./day of silage to keep them occupied. Still, van den Broek feeds well beyond the minimum, with 100 g. of straw and 3 kg of maize silage. “It's cheap,” he says, “but it's a lot of work.” But giving the calves something to do isn't the only evidence of animal rights groups' involvement in the Dutch veal industry. A joint task force meets regularly to develop new regulations. The new law that requires calves to be kept in pens, like the ones van den Broek developed, is another example. “Everyone knew the new law was coming; it was decided five years ago,” he says. “We have no problems with animal rights groups because we work with them.” In the past, calves were required to have 1.5 m of living space. Today, 1.8 m is required, and the task force is constantly brainstorming how to improve the industry. “They would like to have a bigger concentration of veal calves — units of 15,000 calves — and arrange the barns so they can all be put outside,” van den Broek says. “But, how is it possible to put them all back inside when it begins raining? Besides, if you put 15,000 calves in a field, after one week, it won't be green anymore. This is just not possible in Holland,” he adds, where average costs per hectare are between 40,000 and 45,000 Euros. One aspect of this “big brother” arrangement is spot checks. On an average of two times during the six months van den Broek has veal calves, a third-party inspector tests the calves' blood and urine to ensure their iron content is at required levels. That inspector also checks for use of growth hormones. Van den Broek says 99.9% of Dutch veal producers don't use hormones, which have never been allowed in the industry. He says just one slipup in his paperwork, or a bad result on the hormone tests, can mean the loss of all his subsidies, which average about 250,000 to 300,000 Euros/year. Subsidies and third-party oversight aside, however, van den Broek's system may be one way to keep veal a viable industry in the eyes of consumers, on both sides of the Atlantic. A farm in Brazil, for instance, based on van den Broek's group rearing experiences, begins this year after three years of development. The format could move north soon. “When America starts with this kind of thing, and when people can see how they do it, then they will all work together,” van den Broek says. “They will see it's a nice piece of meat.” Meghan Sapp is an American agricultural journalist from California who currently lives and writes about agriculture from her base in Brussels, Belgium. Consumers Will Exert Pressure Animal handling and behaviorist Temple Grandin says that government mandates on livestock handling aren't likely to happen in the U.S. That pressure will come, and already has, from U.S. protein consumers. The Colorado State University associate professor says the supplier audits required by McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's hamburger chains are one example. “These firms already audit eggs and chickens back to the farm to make sure their suppliers meet their handling guidelines, so do some casual-style restaurants. And they're doing it due to consumer pressure not governmental regulation like in the European Union,” Grandin says. She believes beef production will be the last livestock sector to audit back to the farm due to its segmentation. Grandin says good handling is a win-win situation for producers and animals, a lesson that packing plants have learned and feedlots are increasingly embracing. Grandin says she recently conducted handling seminars at 25 U.S. feed yards. “With just a little training, we were able to move 98% of the cattle quietly in and out of a squeeze chute,” she says. For more info on quiet handling techniques, as well as scoring for animal handling, go to www.grandin.com.

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Home Committees Agriculture 2012 May 16 Agriculture Committee on May 16th, 2012 Evidence of meeting #42 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was animal. Animal Products Supply ChainCommittee Business Larry MillerMalcolm AllenBob ZimmerFrank ValeriotePierre LemieuxAlex AtamanenkoLaVar PayneFrancine RaynaultBen LobbRuth Ellen Brosseau Kathleen Gibson Policy Analyst, BC Food Systems NetworkMike Beretta Chief Executive Officer, Beretta Organic FarmsGraham Clarke Government Affairs, Canadian Renderers AssociationFrédéric Forge Committee Researcher Policy Analyst, BC Food Systems Network Kathleen Gibson Perhaps you could clarify for me what we're talking about. Is it a carcass that's been slaughtered on a farm and being taken to a federally registered facility for further processing? Is that what we're talking about? Frank Valeriote Right, following the introduction of the changes to the regulations yesterday. Permalink Okay. I actually haven't seen those changes. I'm a bit baffled by that constellation, because it's not one that I imagine happening in British Columbia. When we introduced the on-farm slaughter licences provincially, they were only for meat for sale at the farm gate. The carcass was not taken off the farm; it was slaughtered at the farm gate. The whole idea of those farm gate slaughter licences was that the number of animals would be very low—it's restricted—and the sale would be restricted to a very small area. I'm not familiar in B.C. with the possibility of a farm-slaughtered carcass going to a federally registered facility. I'm racking my brain and I can't think of how that could happen. That's fine. But I agree with the reservations expressed by the writer and the other witness. Okay, thank you. Very brief, you have a few seconds. Very brief. Mike, I'd like you to talk to me about the concern that some have about the vertical integration occurring in the red meat sector—the companies controlling several stages of the supply chain from feedlot to processing. Can you talk to me, from your experience, about the negatives and positives of that? Chief Executive Officer, Beretta Organic Farms Mike Beretta Yes, there definitely are both. As I mentioned earlier, the supply chain is so broken up into different stages that there is a real communication issue within the beef industry, which doesn't exist with poultry and pork, and specifically with something like genetics, right? So you have a cow-calf operator who has been raising young calves for sale and is selling them to a buyer, who then sells them to a feedlot, which then sells them to a packer. There's no discussion point throughout this, so if I'm a cow-calf operator, I'm making decisions on genetics—what kind of bull to use on what kinds of cows—with no understanding of what the end product actually looks like. To get to your point, vertically integrating this would definitely assist them from a genetic standpoint and would bring all the parties together so that they're working to create a more uniform product, which is something that I think the poultry and the pork businesses have done far better than the beef business. So in that regard, I'm all for it. On the flip side, of course, like all things that become a monopoly, you run into that risk of price controls and the lack of third-party involvement in terms of how the animals are reared and how they're processing them right through. So I'm giving you an ambiguous answer, but I think there are pros and cons for both. I think the pros would definitely be on the production side. The cons would definitely be anything related to something on that scale and to what Kathleen has been talking about—eliminating the small farmer. Permalink Thank you. Mr. Lemieux. May 16th, 2012 / 4:15 p.m. Thank you, Chair. I know that Francis' question kind of touches on the supply chain, and it kind of doesn't. I don't want to use up all my time commenting on it, but I will just make a very brief comment on the changes to the regulations. Kathleen said.... It's actually the same federally. It's going to be very rare that we would have an animal euthanized on a farm and then have it transported to a federal facility for further processing. This is not going to become a main occurrence. It's under very rare circumstances. To address Mike's point about when you might have an injured steer three miles in, if that's not safe, it's not going to happen. If he's at the farm gate, he has a broken leg, and you say, listen, why do I have to dispose of this animal when in fact everything is fine if we could just get it to a meat processing plant...? So the idea is to help you with your business, but the underlying criteria is that it is safe for human consumption. If it's not, it's simply not going to happen. So for your case, where it's off in the distance or you're not able to bleed it out properly, it's just not going to happen. It just will not happen. If it's safe for human consumption, there's an option. That's basically what the regulations are talking about. But let me move on to the supply chain for a moment. Graham, I'm really glad you're here, because rendering is something that I think the public really knows very little about, yet it's an important part of the supply chain. Because there are all of these animals that are rendered, it provides a service to the farmer, and it is its own industry that is supported by the farmer. Let me ask you, first of all, where you source your material from. I know that a very basic answer will be that it's primarily from the farm, but I'd like to know whether you also get animals that need to be rendered from places other than the farm, from a dead animal on the farm. Government Affairs, Canadian Renderers Association Graham Clarke Yes. I mean, the major source of raw material is from the packing industry, such as Cargill, XL, and all the big packers. So that's the major source. Then, of course, in the past, deadstock has been a fairly substantial source. Before BSE, Sanimax alone had 50,000 pickup points in Quebec for deadstock. It was pretty much every farm. As has been pointed out—not in every province, but depending on the environmental regulations of the province, because some are stricter than others—it has become uneconomic, certainly for bovine. Because of the fact of SRM, or specified risk material, you end up having to basically throw the carcass away, as has been pointed out by Kathleen. Whereas before this they were paying the farmers, now it's the farmers who have to pay to have the animals picked up. So that of course is an issue, and there's the side effect of all the other stock and so on. The other source of material is restaurants, supermarkets—it's pretty much everything. When you think about it, a certain percentage of everything you eat, as far as the meat supply goes, is rendered. In some species, it's as much as 60%. At other times, it's about 30% by weight. So it's big.

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Couple enjoys challenge, patience of raising peonies By Marlene Deschler, Community Reporter Tuesday, July 16, 2013 6:55 AM Harvey and Brigitte Buchite stand amongst some of their peony plants; most of their plants are done flowering for the season. Patience and planning propagate picturesque peonies. It may seem like a silly sentence full of alliteration, but it truly describes the journey that Harvey and Brigitte Buchite have taken to begin Hidden Springs Flower Farm.Harvey and Brigitte Buchite have had to practice a lot of patience as they began their flower farm in rural Spring Grove - patience in finding the location, patience in planting the thousands of peony roots and patience in waiting for the plants to grow and mature in order to be able to sell them.The Buchites had a nursery in an area in Blaine, Minn., that was rezoned from agriculture to commercial industrial thus making their nursery non-compliant so they needed to move."We got out a map and made a 50 mile radius around Blaine to see if there was property available for purchase where we could move to," explained Harvey. "But we couldn't find anything, so we kept expanding our circle. We came across some options, but many communities were not interested in a small business that wouldn't employ hundreds of people, so we kept looking. "Then one day, I found an ad in a Minneapolis newspaper for 43 acres for sale plus a pond and beautiful woodlands. I thought, 'What do I have to lose?'"So, I drove down to see it. As I came around the curve, I saw the way that the land sloped, and I could just imagine the slope filled with peonies - it would be like a stage!" he said with a big smile.He walked the land and then called Brigitte and told her about it including the detail that there were hills! Brigitte is originally from Austria, a mountainous country, and where they had been living in the Cities area it was very flat.The decision was made to purchase the land with future plans of opening a nursery and to build a home on the site. "Many local people helped us work and prepare the ground," said Harvey. "In 2006, we moved 23,000 peony roots to our flower farm. We hand-placed them and then covered them with soil. We completed getting them in the ground in November, and the day after we finished we got one inch of snow!"Finding a buyer for their nursery property in Blaine proved to be more challenging and a longer process than they expected. Once that hurdle was crossed, they were able to focus even more on their flower farm and nursery in rural Spring Grove.Growing process beginsGrowing peonies from seed to when it is introduced is also a process that takes a lot of patience."It takes two years for a seed to germinate after it has been planted and then it does not flower until five years after it has germinated," explained Harvey. "The first flowers that appear on the plant are not necessarily typical of the plant so we wait a couple more years to see the true flower shape and color, and we want to make sure it stays that way. "So by the time the plant is ready to first be divided, it is 7 to 10 years old. When we divide the plant, we split it into three. We must then wait five more years until we can split it again. "We continue the process of splitting and waiting until we have about 100 plants before we officially introduce it and sell it. It can easily add up to 25 years! "It also depends on how vigorous the plant grows; if it isn't very vigorous, then we can only split it into two instead of three. "Some of the plants that I have begun hybridizing someone else will have to introduce because of the lengthy timeframe."Currently, there are about 7,000 different varieties of peonies in the world. When a grower hybridizes a plant, they are looking to introduce something that is better or different than what is out there already; there is a lot of competition.Hidden Springs Flower Farm has more than 600 varieties of peonies that it grows. Each is carefully identified. What's special about peonies?Their varieties include those from the highly collectable and proven heirloom peonies to the new Itoh Hybrids. "We offer a wide selection of peonies including, large-blossomed fragrant garden varieties, new yellow intersectional, botanical peony species, the red fern-leaf peony, and hard-to-find and much sought after hybrid peonies in vibrant true red, coral and unusual colors," according to its website, www.hiddenspringsflowerfarm.com.Most peonies in the wild grow in rocky well-drained mountain habitats or on sandy slopes where there is always good drainage. They only grow in the northern hemisphere; none are in the southern hemisphere explained Harvey. "Peonies do well here [in our zone] because they are tough and can survive adverse conditions and really don't take too much care. They grow in zones three through eight which covers the prairie provinces of Canada to just north of Atlanta, Georgia."Some peonies were brought to the United States by immigrants that came over on ships. The plants had to last for months on the ships and then also until the immigrants got to where they were going to live. "Peonies were hardy enough to make this journey. In fact, peonies can be found all along the Oregon trail where settlers planted them at their homesteads."The oldest known peony is the red Memorial Day Peony (Paeonia officinalis rubra plena) that is still grown in gardens today. It is recorded to be from 1581 making it 432 years old and one of the longest lived of all garden perennials.What is Hidden Springs about?Hidden Springs Flower Farm is truly a working farm with tractors, weed control and crops that they rotate. They are inspected yearly by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.Peonies will be the main focus of Hidden Springs Flower Farm although they will also offer Itoh Tree Peony hybrids and hardy Asiatic Maples, a hardy double flowered summer blooming Magnolia, Wisteria Blue Moon and more unusual and rare plants like Martagon lilies. More perennials will be added as they mature next season."We wanted to find our niche and not compete with other nurseries in the area," added Harvey. With a sturdy stem, peonies work nicely as cut flowers. In the future, Hidden Springs hopes to be able to supply florists with peonies for flower arrangements.Because of the unusually cool spring, the peony bloom was pushed back three weeks. Then the temperatures warmed significantly and they all bloomed at once followed by heavy rains making it hard on the blooms this year.Line up your peonies nowPeonies are best planted in the fall when they develop 90 percent of their new roots. Bare root peonies should be planted from mid-September to the second week in October. This makes September a very busy time for them as they hand-dig thousands of roots that have been purchased. In August, they will start marking plants that they will be digging. They begin digging on Sept. 1 and ship the orders on Sept. 16. A great deal of their orders are from their website.They will also be having a bare root plant sale on Saturday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 22, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will have 150 to 200 plants available due to the rotation of the growth. The peonies that they offer work very well for the new or casual gardener to those that are looking for a very unique plant.More about the couple"We are excited to have our home built and to be open for business," remarked the couple. "We still have work to do, but are looking forward to calling Spring Grove home. We've been invited to different activities and events in the area and are happy to be welcomed this way. We look forward to meeting more people."The Buchites have two grown children, Markus (20) and Sophie (23). Hours and directionsHidden Springs Flower Farm is located on County Road 4 just west of Spring Grove. July nursery hours are Friday and Saturday only from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; they are closed Sunday through Thursday. The nursery closes for the season on Sunday, July 28, until the local peony root pick up and bare root sale in September. Thursday, Aug. 15, is the last day to order peonies for this planting season. Contact the nursery at (507) 498-3020 or email [email protected]. Visit their website, www.hiddenspringsflowerfarm.com, for more information and to see photos of the peonies that they have to offer.

农业

The Generation That Will Turn Soil Into Gold Around 20 years ago, the French university system was revolutionized with the aim of rejuvenating the aging teaching body, which had been causing problems not just related to employment, but also to a whole culture and vision of teaching. In a few years the system renewed itself, benefiting everyone. Now, European agriculture is in a similar situation: few operators, with a high average age, a culture tied to past decades and scant prospects for the future. Now, add to this the increasingly depressing statistics on youth unemployment. It would seem like a classic case of putting two and two together: agriculture needs young people and young people need work. It seems logical that the first concern of policies should be to assist young people (but also those in their 40s and 50s who have been stagnating without a job for years or who have recently lost a position previously considered “safe”) get into agriculture. Attempts are being made by some. For example, two graduates from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo. One, Nicola del Vecchio, returned to Molise to start a business on his family’s land, and the other, Carlo Fiorani, went back to Lombardy to restart an abandoned farm based on criteria of sustainability. I don’t know when they will start to break even, but I know that seeing them sell their products (bread, vegetables, fruit, cheeses and cured meats) or offer them for tasting and hearing the pride, mixed with amazement, in their voices when they say “I made this” gives me a sense of a solid future being built with tangible, extraordinary efforts, as well as courage and audacious dreams, in this era in which dreaming can be seen as an activity for losers. Among the young people, some start from zero: no farming family behind them, no land, no capital. Sometimes even no skills, but plenty of curiosity, passion, faith, humility and gratitude towards anyone who can help out, teach, join in a network. Perhaps this is the ace up the sleeve of the younger generation: they network together, ask for training and information, use neighbors or social networks, and in the end they manage to work out why they shouldn’t have pruned when they did or why they shouldn’t work the bread in that way. And most of all they know many different things and decide to dedicate themselves to agriculture, bringing what they know and receiving whatever anyone wants to teach them. The new economy is strengthened when these young farmers know how to work throughout the whole production chain. In order to respond to their needs, in the coming months the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo will be starting apprenticeship courses for cured meat producers, microbrewers, bread bakers and cheese agers. Because it is by taking food as a starting point that we can change the world, improving the environment, our health and the quality of life for everyone. Carlo Petrini From La Repubblica, January 18, 2013 |

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Mendo Slaughterhouse: Going Mobile… ds · !ACTION CENTER!, Mendo Slaughterhouse From USDA [We need to call out the planners (and ranchers, even though we love every last one of them) of the Ukiah Valley slaughterhouse group, on their true plans… which are, in my opinion, to expand and supply large amounts of meat to the Bay Area after getting approval of a small local operation right here in our Ukiah population center. And they are going to use the so-called “Right To Industry” proposal to help force it on us. Becoming Harris Ranch North is not what local citizens will accept. Otherwise, to supply our local, northern California region with appropriate, decentralized, small-scale mobile slaughter, on the ranches, will suffice. Their long range plan to grow big is obvious because they want it near the Russian River with sewer hookups for water and waste management, and close to 101 for shipping to the Bay Area… even though it will be in our largest population area. The argument against mobile units here is that California law does not permit the burying and composting of waste on ranch land as other states’ ranchers, who are successfully using mobile meat processing, are able to do. C’mon, it’s not that hard! Gather up Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, and a few chef celebrities and small ranchers, go to Sacramento, and get the law changed! If a Ukiah Valley slaughterhouse is approved now, there will no longer be an incentive for ranchers to pursue this small-scale, greener, localized, humane, on-ranch solution. Stop The Slaughterhouse Now! -DS] [Previous Slaughterhouse blog posts, going years back, here.] Times are tough for small livestock and poultry producers. The consolidation of the meat industry has resulted in the closing of hundreds of slaughter and packing plants, and some of the ones still in operation often don’t cater to small, specialty or niche producers. Many of these packers require high minimum head counts for slaughter, and they’re often too far away to make trucking of relatively small shipments of animals to them economically feasible. In addition, high feed and other costs aren’t matched by the prices producers get for their live animals. At the same time, interest in buying from specialty meat producers is growing among consumers, restaurateurs and retailers. Grass-fed or organically raised beef and free-range poultry are seen by some consumers as both more flavorful and healthier than conventionally raised equivalents. The local food movement encourages consumers to buy their foods from nearby producers wherever possible. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is supporting this movement with its Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative, which promotes farmers’ markets and other outlets for locally grown foods. The issue, then, for many small producers, is not finding the market so much as it is converting their live animals into a product that can take advantage of it. A promising answer to this question is the mobile slaughterhouse — a slaughter facility mounted on a trailer that comes to the farmer. Its advantages are many, including low capital costs, convenience, low processing costs and the marketing advantage of being able to say that your animals are slaughtered on your own property. Mobile slaughter units also don’t attract the same kind of concern that brick-and-mortar facilities arouse among neighbors — the “not-inmy- backyard” problem. Opportunity for co-ops As a result, mobile slaughter units have become a growing movement across the United States. A number of small service cooperatives have been set up to take advantage of the new technology. The seed of the movement was planted in the late 1990s at Broken Arrow Ranch in Texas, a hunting establishment where customers pay to hunt exotic animals, such as African antelope. The ranch developed a slaughtering trailer to process the carcasses. Not long afterwards, a group of livestock producers in northwest Washington was looking for a way to start producing meat for local markets. They found the answer in Broken Arrow’s trailer. The group went to a local nonprofit organization, the Lopez Community Land Trust, which focuses on sustainable rural development, for help. The Lopez Trust in turn hired Bruce Dunlop, a sheep farmer and former chemical engineer, to develop a slaughter trailer. Island Grown Farmers Cooperative was formed to administer the slaughter, cutting and packing services. The initial membership fee was $600. The initiative was made possible by new U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations under the rubric of Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP). Instead of establishing rigid requirements, as with previous approaches to regulation, HACCP seeks to work with food processors to develop appropriate plans for facilities that meet sanitary rules and other requirements. The new protocol is a more flexible regulatory approach that allows for innovation and unique circumstances. When finished in 2002, the mobile slaughter unit was installed in a 32-foot goose-neck trailer, at a cost of $150,000. Financing was provided by private donations and grants from various agencies, including a $50,000 Rural Business Opportunity Grant provided by USDA Rural Development. The unit is owned by the Trust, which leases it to the cooperative. Dunlop estimates that the trailer alone would today cost $195,000, plus another $15,000 to $20,000 for small equipment. Facility meets all regulations The mobile facility is fully compliant with federal regulations, and all of its products are USDA inspected. A small office space is provided for the inspector. The facility can slaughter up to 10 head of cattle per day, at a cost to the farmer of $105 per animal. Up to 40 sheep or 24 pigs can be handled daily, at prices of $37 and $53 each, respectively. Labor accounts for 70 percent of operating costs. Because the unit was financed with grants and donations, there is no loan or investment to be repaid; the fees need only cover overhead, labor and similar costs. However, Dunlop says that such a unit could easily repay its purchase costs in a few years. Cutting and wrapping services are provided by the co-op in a brick-andmortar facility which can also produce sausages. However, marketing is handled individually by memberproducers. The cooperative has six employees, including two butchers who handle slaughtering, and three meat cutters. Dunlop has stayed on as a member of the board of directors. The slaughtering is done on the producer’s property, usually in an open field. The trailer carries a supply of potable water for the slaughter process and for cleanup. If it’s done often in one location, the producer may also have to provide a concrete drainage pad with a sump for runoff. If done only occasionally on a farm or ranch, the operation can be carried out directly on the grass. The animal is killed on the ground and allowed to bleed out. It’s then winched into the trailer, cleaned, dressed and hung in a refrigerated compartment in the trailer. At the end of the day, the carcasses can be transported to the cooperative’s packing facility or the farmers can make their own arrangements. Offal and hides are taken away with the truck; any other waste is composted. Dunlop says composting works well. “It kills the pathogens, it’s inexpensive and there’s little odor,” he notes. Except where production volume requires a sump, the blood and water go directly on the ground. Overall, he says, operations have little environmental impact, especially since the location of the trailer can be changed with each visit. While making the mobile slaughterhouse possible, the HACCP approval process presented its own hurdles, Dunlop says. “It was a shift from approving everything ahead of time to evaluating things as it went along.” The process requires a written plan, which is then evaluated for problems and modified. In the case of the new slaughter unit, equipment and procedures had to be tried out by slaughtering a few animals at a time, making changes until both the co-op and the inspectors were comfortable with the process. Dunlop says that things were complicated by the fact that inspectors were just learning the new procedures when the co-op sought approval. But, he says that they were open to new ideas and willing to work with the cooperative to reach a satisfactory conclusion. “Someone doing it now can build on our experience,” he says. “They wouldn’t have to go through all that.” Puget Sound co-op boosts local sales Not far away, another group of Washington livestock producers took advantage of Island Grown’s pioneering work to establish their own processing cooperative. Puget Sound Meat Producers Cooperative has been operating for just over a year, with a roll of 60 voting members in nine contiguous counties, and another 30 associate members. Perry Schermerhorn, president of the co-op, says the idea for the cooperative occurred to Cheryl Ouellete, a local hog farmer looking for ways to add value to her product. Selling butchered meat instead of live hogs seemed the natural solution. But the local slaughterhouse had closed, meaning that the nearest processing facility was hundreds of miles away in Oregon. With the big population centers of Seattle and Takoma nearby, a market for locally grown meats was assured — if the meat carried USDA inspection stamps. Island Grown’s approach seemed like the answer. The first exploratory meeting, in February 2008, drew 80 local producers, and with the help of the Washington State Small Business Assistance Center at Green River Community College, a business plan was put together and the idea pitched to the Pierce Conservation District board of directors, which approved $200,000 in funds to build the trailer in June 2008. The cooperative itself was set up that November, and in June 2009 the mobile processing unit was delivered. Puget Sound’s unit is based on the Island Grown design, but larger. Built on a 45- foot semi-trailer, it has bigger storage facilities and the ability to process more animals at a time. The Puget Sound co-op works a little differently than the Island Grown co-op. Instead of making appointments to slaughter at each customer’s farm, the slaughter unit operates at three venues on a weekly, or semi-weekly, schedule. Producers transport their animals to the most convenient location. Members can purchase a special class of stock to have priority in scheduling. Two of the locations are on members’ property; the third is provided at no cost by a local landowner. The cooperative doesn’t offer cutting and wrapping services. Those are provided by private packing facilities in nearby Rochester and Bremerton. Schermerhorn says the cooperative has the capacity for about 140 new members; the slaughter unit currently operates at about 25 percent of capacity. Members each market their own products. Some retail their products directly at farmers’ markets and similar venues. This sales strategy, Schermerhorn says, offers the highest margins: 50 to 100 percent. Other producers have contracts to provide high-quality meats to restaurants, local food stores and even to food co-ops. They typically garner markups of 10 to 30 percent. Overall, Schermerhorn says, “We get about a 50-percent net gain over marketing live cattle.” Montana co-op focuses on poultry Growers of four-legged livestock aren’t the only producers who can use mobile slaughter units. The Montana Poultry Growers Cooperative built on the experience of Island Grown, with appropriate modifications. With the help of Farms for Families, a nonprofit that promotes locally grown foods, and other organizations, including USDA Rural Development’s Cooperative Services, the co-op developed a mobile slaughter unit for poultry. Jan Tusick, the president of the cooperative, recalls that the project had its own snags and problems — most involving licensing. Processing poultry is simpler than slaughtering sheep and cattle, and can be done fairly easily by the grower with the proper equipment, obviating the need for employees to do the slaughtering. Also, USDA inspection isn’t necessary under two USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) exemptions: one for producers who process 1,000 birds or less each year, and another for those who process up to 20,000 birds annually — provided that certain requirements are met, including proper sanitary practices. The cooperative chose to operate under the 1,000-bird exemption, which is slightly less rigorous. Under that rule, producers must own and raise their birds and must process them on their own property. They must sell directly to customers; they are not allowed to sell to resellers, such as grocery stores. The effort faced a snag, however, because Montana state law didn’t recognize mobile slaughterhouses. Grow Montana, a pro-local-food lobbying group, successfully petitioned the Montana state legislature to pass a law in 2005 allowing inspection by the state. After the state Department of Livestock promulgated regulations in accordance with the new law, the effort was ready to go ahead. It took several years to develop the mobile facility, but finally, in June 2010, it was approved and ready to go. It consists of a small truck and trailer, with the trailer containing the slaughter facilities and the truck having chilling and storage capabilities. The unit travels around the state to producermembers, who call the cooperative to reserve its use. The cooperative also offers training in slaughtering in accordance with government requirements. Meanwhile, the cooperative is pursuing ways of developing the market for locally raised poultry, including customer education and developing heritage breeds. North Carolina co-op promotes sustainable farming Meanwhile, across the country in North Carolina, different problems have resulted in another approach to slaughtering poultry. NC Choices is a nonprofit initiative of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, itself a program of several North Carolina universities and the state’s department of agriculture. Its purpose is to promote “sustainable” local meat production, and it provides networking and technical assistance to develop markets for locally grown pasture-raised meats. Casey McKissick is the coordinator of NC Choices and a small poultry farmer in Old Fort, in the western part of the state near Asheville. His inspiration was to use mobile slaughterhouses as a temporary measure to help develop the market for locally grown meats. “Around here,” he says, “the small farmer is getting demand for his poultry. People want to see where their meat comes from. But taking your birds to a modern slaughterhouse means a round-trip of four and half hours. That’ll just kill your profit.” Some small local red meat processors are willing to work with small farmers, but none processed poultry. In any case, McKissick says, “they’re ‘mom and pop’ operations that haven’t progressed from the 1940s. They need to get up to speed. If they don’t, the farmers won’t come back.” Thus, McKissick found himself dealing with a chicken-and-egg situation: existing small processing facilities didn’t have the incentive to upgrade their operations because there was no market. But without decent processing available, farmers had no incentive to expand their production. Trailer-mounted facilities seemed the ideal solution. “North Carolina uses federal meat-processing guidelines,” he says. “And FSIS exempts the slaughter of up to 20,000 birds at a time, if proper sanitary guidelines are met.” He says the North Carolina authorities point out that there has never been a complaint about the sanitary quality of farm-processed meat and poultry in the state. McKissick’s approach was minimalist compared to the Montana Poultry Growers Cooperative. Under the auspices of a local 14-member marketing cooperative called Foothills Family Farms, he obtained a grant of $5,000 to construct an open-air poultry slaughter facility on a farm trailer, using non-commercial equipment. Members and other farmers can rent the trailer for $45 a day. Farmers processed about $30,000 worth of meat the first year,” he says. “And it took off from there.” A local nonprofit is working to construct a federally inspected poultryprocessing facility, using USDA Rural Development funding. “The difference is the enormous amount of time and effort you have to go through to get it inspected,” he says. In the meantime, McKissick is talking to anyone who’s interested in setting up a mobile facility, and his minimal design has been already been copied by other farmers. “If I had my druthers, there’d be about 10 or 15 of these things around the state,” he says. “People from nearby states, including Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee, have shown interest, too. But they say their state laws don’t permit such an approach.” McKissick thinks a similar approach to red meat production would be more complicated. “Slaughtering on the farm, in a no-stress situation, that’d be good for marketing,” he says. “But because of the prevalence of red meat cut-andwrap facilities in North Carolina, the real opportunity for us is in exempt poultry units.” He, like many small meat producers, is hoping mobile slaughter trailers may be a way out of the livestock price squeeze. Assistance for new mobile slaughter efforts Interest in mobile slaughter units is growing across the country. At least nine poultry units and a similar number of red meat slaughter trailers are now operating in various states. Seminars on the subject attract crowds. A recent session held jointly by the Colorado and Wyoming state agriculture departments drew 150 people from states as far away as New York, Ohio and California. There are hurdles to overcome in starting a mobile unit, including regulatory and permitting issues and financing. But much of the pioneering work has already been done. Producers interested in starting such an operation can call upon a range of information and assistance resources. The Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network website, http://www.nichemeatprocessing.org, offers a wealth of information on regulations, design and construction, management, financing and other issues. The site offers links to a number of “webinars,” including one led by Island Grown’s Bruce Dunlop, on the various issues. It also offers a spreadsheet feasibility calculator put together by Kathleen Painter, an analyst at the University of Idaho. The Food Safety and Inspection Service offers a “Mobile Slaughter Compliance Guide” on its website for both red meat and poultry operations, and has declared its interest in promoting small processors. USDA Rural Development offers a number of financial programs that may be helpful, and has extensive educational materials to help producers learn about starting a cooperative. It can also offer technical assistance. To learn more, visit: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov, or call your USDA Rural Development office and ask to talk to a business and co-op programs specialist: 1-800-670-6553. One Comment Ron Epstein December 7, 2013 at 5:31 pm Re: “The argument against mobile units here is that California law does not permit the burying and composting of waste on ranch land as other states’ ranchers, who are successfully using mobile meat processing, are able to do.” The waste can be sent to Cold Creek Compost in Potter Valley to be composted. Todd Walton: Celebrity Saviors Religion: Atheist and Christian Argue About Hell (in a Starbucks)… Follow Us

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>Biofuels >Green Gold Rush: Africa Becoming a Biofuel Battleground Green Gold Rush: Africa Becoming a Biofuel Battleground By Horand Knaup Western companies are pushing to acquire vast stretches of African land to meet the world's biofuel needs. Local farmers and governments are being showered with promises. But is this just another form of economic colonialism? Everything will turn out alright. Correction: everything is going to get better. There will be new roads, a new school, a pharmacy, even a proper water supply. Most of all, there will be jobs -- 5,000, at the very least. "If there are jobs for us, then it's a good thing," says Juma Njagu, 26, who hopes to be able to leave his meager existence as a planter and charburner behind soon. Njagu lives in Mtamba, a village of about 1,100 souls in Tanzania's Kisarawe district, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south-west of Dar es Salaam, the capital and largest city. Mtamba, accessible by dirt road, is a place where people scrape by on a bit of farming, a bit of fishing and the production of charcoal. There isn't much else in Mtamba. That could change if the British firm Sun Biofuels goes ahead with plans to produce biodiesel fuel from "Jatropha curcas," an energy plant with a high oil content, which it hopes to plant on Kisarawe's farmland. The Tanzanian government has granted the British firm the use of 9,000 hectares (22,230 acres) of sparsely populated farmland, or enough land to cover about 12,000 soccer fields, for a period of 99 years -- free of charge. In return, the company will invest about $20 million (€13 million) to build roads and schools, bringing a modicum of prosperity to the region. Sun Biofuels is not alone. In fact, half a dozen other companies from the Netherlands, the United States, Sweden, Japan, Canada and Germany have already sent their scouts to Tanzania. Prokon, a German company known primarily for its wind turbines, has already begun growing jatropha curcas on a large scale. It expects to have 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) -- an area about the size of Luxembourg -- under cultivation throughout Tanzania soon. Find out how you can reprint this DER SPIEGEL article in your publication. A gold rush mentality has taken hold -- not just in East Africa but across the entire continent. In Ghana, the Norwegian firm Biofuel Africa has secured farming rights for 38,000 hectares (93,860 acres), and Sun Biofuels is also doing business in Ethiopia and Mozambique. Kavango BioEnergy, a British company, plans to invest millions of euros in northern Namibia. Western companies are turning up in Malawi and Zambia, where they plan to produce diesel fuel and ethanol from jatropha curcas, palm oil or sugar cane. Foreign investors have their eye on 11 million hectares (27 million acres) in Mozambique -- more than one-seventh of the country's total area -- for growing energy plants. The government in Ethiopia has even made 24 million hectares (59 million acres) available. The consequences of this boom are dramatic. Experts agree that the worldwide push to grow energy plants is on overwhelming factor in the global explosion of food prices. According to one study by the World Bank, as much as 75 percent of the increase could be attributable to this change in the types of crops being farmed. Many farmers in industrialized countries are more than happy to accept government subsidies for corn or rapeseed, but this comes at the cost of the cultivation of wheat, potatoes and legumes. Oil plants are not competing with intensively farmed land in Africa -- yet. Investors argue that the land they are using is uncultivated or underused. But rising food prices and population growth will also increase pressure in the southern hemisphere to convert unused land to agricultural use. Biofuels are profitable when oil is expensive. For investors, growing energy plants in Africa is highly profitable. Crude oil will become scarce in the foreseeable future, so that easy-to-produce biofuel comes at just the right time. At an estimated annual yield of 2,500 liters per hectare, Sun Biofuels is in it for the long haul in Tanzania. Production becomes profitable as soon as the price of a barrel of crude oil exceeds $100 (€69) on the world market. A barrel currently goes for just over $100. Africa offers oil farmers virtually ideal conditions for their purposes: underused land in many places, low land prices, ownership that is often unclear and, most of all, regimes capable of being influenced. The land is unusable, says the Ethiopian energy and mining minister in Addis Ababa, the country's capital. "It's just marginal land," say officials at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Dar es Salaam. "The whole thing is nothing but positive," says the district administrator of Kisarawe, who is responsible for the Sun Biofuels project. "We have convinced the people." In his rudimentary office, which lacks both a computer and a copy machine, he leafs through the planning documents. In none of these places are the needs of local residents taken into account. In Ghana, BioFuel Africa wrested away land clearing and usage rights from a village chief who could neither read nor write. The man gave his consent with his thumbprint. The weekly newspaper Public Agenda felt reminded of the "darkest days of colonialism." The Ghanaian environmental protection agency eventually put a stop to the clear-cutting, but only after 2,600 hectares (6,422 acres) of forest had been cut down. In Tanzania, while there are hopes, there is also plenty of reason to be skeptical about promises that everything will improve. In April 2006, Sun Biofuels claimed that it had received formal approval for cultivation from 10 of the 11 affected villages. At that point, however, several communities were not even aware of the plans, while others had attached conditions to their consent. A village head complained, in writing, to the district administration that Sun Biofuels had cleared and marked off land without even contacting the village elders. In Dar es Salaam, Peter Auge, general manager of Sun Biofuels Tanzania, sits in his office. He is a casual, straightforward South African. "It is true," he says, "that we were a little reserved with our information policy." There are still many unknowns, says Auge, adding that he doesn't want to read in the paper that "the project is two years behind schedule." Auge promises social investments, although they are not part of the agreements at this point. Even when it comes to compensation for the people living on the land, which the government insists must be paid, the investors are getting an exceedingly good deal. They offered the equivalent of about €450,000, a ridiculous price for the 9,000 hectares (22,230 acres) that they can now use for almost a century. Seventy kilometers (43 miles) farther south, on the Rufiji River, thousands of residents are being forced to move to make way for the Swedish company Sekab's plans to grow sugarcane, a highly water-intensive crop, on at least 9,000 hectares (22,230 acres) and then distill it into ethanol. Five thousand hectares (12,350 acres) have already been approved. The river and the wetlands along its banks are the only source of drinking water for thousands of people, especially during the dry season. Sekab also plans to tap this reservoir to irrigate its plantations. Transparency? Nonexistent. Compensation? None whatsoever. Information? A scarce commodity. When residents attending an informational event asked about compensation payments, they were told curtly: "You will get what you are entitled to." The PR machine is all the more active, even in poor countries like Tanzania. Naturally South African national Josephine Brennan, who is in charge of public relations for Sekab in Dar es Salaam, sees only good things for Tanzania's future. Farming for biofuel will enable the country to build new schools and new roads, which translate into better opportunities for Tanzanians, says Brennan. According to Brennan, small farmers will also be able to earn more money in the future by growing biofuel-ready plants, and up to three million people in Tanzania alone will be lifted out of poverty. With its two million hectares of potential cropland, Tanzania, says Brennan, has as much growth potential "as the Celtic Tiger, Ireland." Finally, she is convinced that "the world needs Tanzania." But Brennan's rosy predictions do not reflect opinions in East Africa. A study on energy plants in Tanzania, conducted by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation, lists a host of negative side effects. What is more, this is not the first time that white investors have promised prosperity for Tanzania. With similarly enticing promises, small farmers were talked out of their land several decades ago to make way for coffee plantations. In the 1990s, foreign mining companies arrived in Tanzania to dig for gold. "They promised us jobs, new roads, new wells and schools," says journalist Joseph Shayo. "And what happened? No schools, no wells and few jobs, which were low-paying jobs, to boot." To make matters worse, large mining zones were fenced off and became inaccessible to the original residents. In a recently published study on the "Biofuel Industry in Tanzania," journalist Khoti Kamanga of the University of Dar es Salaam warns against the side effects of energy plantations. The population, Kamanga writes, is usually uninformed, while the cultivation of energy plants usually goes hand-in-hand with forced resettlement. According to Kamanga, it is very likely that ethanol production will also affect food prices in Tanzania, with the country's dependency on food imports growing even further. In Dar es Salaam, the government has now recognized that the boom also comes with problems. "Energy plants cannot be an alternative to food production," said President Jakaya Kikwete, responding to widespread resentment in his country over high food prices. But the energy farmers remain unimpressed. Sun Biofuels and Sekab each want to expand their production to 50,000 hectares (124,000 acres) -- as soon as possible. -- Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan September 05, 2008 – 04:23 PM Print E-Mail Feedback 'We Need More Research': Is the EU Turning its Back on Biofuels? (07/07/2008) World Bank Leak: Biofuels May Be Even Worse than First Thought (07/04/2008) Harvesting Trouble: Pressure Grows on EU to Abandon Biofuels (04/16/2008)

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Rent Carson Photos RCC Publications Purchase CD Songs for the Earth:A Tribute to RC "Knowing what I do, there would be no future peace for me if I kept silent... It is, in the deepest sense, a privilege as well as a duty to speak out to many thousands of people..." —Rachel Carson The Rachel Carson Council, founded in 1965, is the national environmental organization envisioned by Rachel Carson to carry on her work after her death. We promote Carson's ecological ethic that combines scientific concern for the environment and human health with a sense of wonder and reverence for all forms of life in order to build a sustainable, just, and peaceful future. Support RCC About Rachel Carson RCC Activities Pesticides, Chemicals & Alternatives Green Mantle™ Initiative Faith, Science & Action Environmental Media Momentary Meditations 2,4-D is an herbicide and secondarily a plant growth regulator. Formulations include esters, acids, and several salts, which vary in their chemical properties, environmental behavior, and to a lesser extent, toxicity. The salt and ester forms are derivatives of the parent acid. Acaricide Pesticide used for the control of ticks or mites. Acceptable daily intake (ADI) Estimate of the amount of a substance in food or drinking water, expressed on a body-mass basis which can be ingested daily over a lifetime by humans without appreciable health risk The pesticide chemical in pure form (95-100% concentration) as it is manufactured by a chemical company prior to being formulated into wettable powders, dusts, emulsifiable concentrates, granules, etc. Adipsia Absence of thirst, or abnormal avoidance of drinking. Mixtures of small particles (solid, liquid, or a mixed variety) and the carrier gas (usually air). Owing to their size, these particles (usually less than 100 μm in diameter) have a comparatively small settling velocity and hence exhibit some degree of stability in the earth’s gravitational field. An aerosol may be characterized by its chemical composition, its radioactivity, the particle size distribution, the electrical charge, and the optical properties Aggregate exposure Sum total of all exposure to pesticides through inhalation, dermal, oral, or optic contact. Algicide Used to control algae in lakes, canals, swimming pools, water tanks, and other sites. Alopecia Absence of the hair from skin areas where it normally is present. Ampicillin Ampicillin is a penicillin-like antibiotic used to treat certain infections caused by bacteria such as pneumonia; bronchitis; and ear, lung, skin, and urinary tract infections. Antibiotics will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Anaphylactic An unusual or exaggerated reaction of the organism to foreign protein or other substances; decreasing immunity instead of increasing it. Anticholinesterase A compound that causes excessive nerve transmission at (cholinergic) synapses by blocking ability of cholinesterase to break down acetylcholine into acetic acid and choline. Chemicals with this activity include poisons of the nerve gas type as well as pesticides of the organophosphate or carbamate class. Neuralgia or pain in a joint. Ataxia Failure of muscular coordination; irregularity of muscular action. Atrazine Atrazine is an herbicide that is used to stop pre- and postemergence broadleaf and grassy weeds in crops such as sorghum, maize, sugarcane, lupins, pine, and eucalypt plantations, and triazine-tolerant canola. In the United States as of 2014, atrazine was the second-most widely used herbicide after glyphosate, with 76 million pounds of it applied each year. Its use was banned in the European Union in 2004 (auricular): A condition characterized by irregular convulsive movements of the aria of the heart, the number of impulses being great, and individual fibers acting independently (ventricular): A condition characterized by fibrillary twitching of the ventricular muscle, with the impulses traversing the ventricles so rapidly that coordinated contractions cannot occur. Biopesticide Biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. Abnormal slowness of the heartbeat, as evidenced by slowing of the pulse rate to 60 or less. The Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) bacteria produce a toxic protein lethal to caterpillars due to a unique condition in the caterpillar intestinal tract. The gene for the Bt protein has been transplanted into a corn plant producing transgenic Bt corn. This is a patented life form. Carbamate A chemical class that includes insecticides. They may or may not act as anticholinesterases (or cholinesterase inhibitors). Includes the insecticides: methomyl, carbaryl, propoxur (which are cholinesterase inhibitors) and fenoxycarb (which is not a cholinesterase inhibitor). Those acting as cholinesterase inhibitors are neurotoxic agents that can have additive effects with organophosphates (OPs). They can be very acutely toxic, but do not bind as tightly to the sites of action as do the OPs. carcinogen a substance that can cause cancer. Any substance capable of producing cancer. CAS Chemical Abstract Service http://www.cas.org/ which assigns numbers for chemicals used in commerce. - A cleansing or purgation, especially for the digestive system. ChE inhibitor Chlorpyrifos is a crystalline organophosphate insecticide. It was introduced in 1965 by Dow Chemical Company and is known by many trade names, including Dursban and Lorsban. It acts on the nervous system of insects by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase. Chlorpyrifos is moderately toxic to humans, and exposure has been linked to neurological effects, persistent developmental disorders, and autoimmune disorders. Exposure during pregnancy retards the mental development of children, and most use in homes has been banned since 2001 in the U.S. In agriculture, it remains "one of the most widely used organophosphate insecticides", according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). cholinesterase inhibitor A disease or condition associated with the process of clot formation. Conjunctivitis Inflammation of the conjunctiva, the delicate membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the exposed surface of the eyeball. Cranial Nerve Deficits A lack or defect regarding any of the twelve pairs of nerves that are connected with the brain. Cushing’s Disease (in dogs)- A syndrome which may be accompanied by signs of polydipsia [excessive, extended thirst], polyuria [passing a large volume of urine in a given period], abdominal distension, lethargy, muscular weakness, and testicular shrinkage. DDT a synthetic organic compound used as an insecticide. Like other chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons, DDT tends to persist in the environment and become concentrated in animals at the head of the food chain. Its use is now banned in many countries. Delayed Neurotoxicity Effect associated with certain organophosphates which starts several weeks following recovery from acute toxicity. Signs usually start at the extremities, arms and legs. Can be permanent or temporary and may be accompanied by nervous tissue degeneration. delayed toxicity effects may become evident some time after exposure which may delay treatment Dermal Excoriation Any superficial loss of the skin, such as that produced by scratching. Dermatitis Inflammation of the skin. Diaphoretic Characterized by or promoting excessive perspiration. Dicamba Dicamba is a selective pre- and post-emergent herbicide. It is classified as either a benzoic acid or chlorophenoxy herbicide. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) name for the acid form is 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid and the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry number is 1918-00-9.4 Dicamba was first registered for use in the United States in 1967. Formulations include dicamba acid, dimethylamine salt (DMA), sodium salt, diglycoamine salt (DGA), isopropylamine salts (IPA), and potassium salt. Products containing dicamba frequently contain other herbicides as well. Difficult or labored breathing. Ecological Effect Brings about a change in the ecosystem. Since we do not understand completely the function and structure of most ecosystems, we generally are not aware of all the ecological effects of our actions. Ecological effects which could result from use of chemical insecticide products outdoors include harm to birds and beneficial insects as well as poisoning of fish, and aquatic invertebrates. Ecosystem An interacting system of all living organisms in an area and their non-living environment. The presence of abnormally large amounts of fluid in the intercellular tissue spaces of the body; usually applied to demonstrable accumulation of excessive fluid in the subcutaneous tissues. Effusion the escape of fluid into a part or tissue. Endocrine Disruptor An exogenous agent that interferes with the synthesis, secretion, transport, binding action or elimination of natural hormones in the body that are responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis, reproduction, development, and behavior. Epidemiology The field of science relating to the various factors that determine the frequencies and distributions of a disease or condition in a human or animal community. Erythema - A name applied to redness of the skin produced by congestion of the capillaries. Exogenous Developed or originating outside the organism. Fasciculation A small local contraction of muscles, visible through the skin, representing a spontaneous discharge of a number of fibers innervated by a single motor nerve filament. fetotoxin a substance that can poison the fetus (child developing in the womb) Fetotoxin Any substance capable of causing toxic effects on the fetus. Fibromyalgia Pain of the muscle fibers. Formication A sensation as if small insects were crawling over the skin. Formulated Product The physical form in which insecticide products are marketed, generally a combination of the active ingredients with inert substances, other carriers, solvents, etc. The inert ingredients are not intended to act on the pest for which the product is labeled, although they may prove toxic to other pests or to non-target plants or animals. The resulting insecticide products may have the form of sprays, dusts, granules, pour-ons, aerosols, collars or wipes. Used to kill fungi (including blights, mildews, molds, and rusts). Funmigants Produce gas or vapor intended to destroy pests in buildings or soil. GABA is the acronym for Gamma Amino Butyric Acid, a neurotransmitter. GABA acts to stop transmission of impulses in vertebrates and invertebrates. It operates at sites in the choloride channel of the nerves in the central nervous system of mammals and throughout the nervous system of insects. Fipronil, type II pyrethroids and some organophosphates can act on various aspects of the GABA receptor. genetically engineered Genetic Engineering is based on the technology which makes possible the ability to move genetic material (DNA) from one organism (a virus, fungus or animal) to another organism (a plant, animal or bacteria). Totally new life forms can be created by this technology. Thus these novel life forms can be patented. Glyphosate Glyphosate is released to the environment in its use as a herbicide for controlling woody and herbaceous weeds on forestry, right-of-way, cropped and non-cropped sites. These sites may be around water and in wetlands. EPA has found glyphosate to potentially cause the following health effects from acute exposures at levels above the MCL: congestion of the lungs; increased breathing rate. Expelling blood from the respiratory tract. Hemorrhaging Pertaining to the liver. Herbicide Used to kill weeds and other plants that grow where they are not wanted. Hyperesthesia Abnormally increased sensitiveness of the skin. Hyperpnea Abnormal increase in the depth and rate of the respiratory movements. Hyperthermia An abnormally high body temperature; fever. Ileus Obstruction of the intestines. immunotoxin a substance that damages the immune system Insecticide Used to kill insects and other arthropods. Insecticide Registration The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) defines the standards by which insecticide products must be registered. FIFRA requires that the technical chemicals in a product only be tested on birds, fish, and small mammals, not on trees or other plant life. In addition, the USEPA may waive the requirement for proof of efficacy. Once the technical chemical has fulfilled all requirements, the formulated products which contain that chemical undergo limited acute toxicity testing on laboratory animals as a minimum requirement. A lethal dose for 50% of the test organisms. The dose of toxicant producing 50% mortality in a population. A value used in presenting mammalian toxicity, usually oral toxicity, expressed as milligrams of toxicant per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg). Leukocytosis An increase in the number of white cells in the blood. Lipophilic Having an affinity for fat The mass of tissues and organs separating the two lungs, between the sternum in the front and the vertebral column behind, and from the thoracic inlet above to the diaphragm below. It contains the heart and its large vessels, the trachea, esophagus, thymus, lymph nodes, and other structures and tissues, and is divided into anterior, middle and posterior and superior regions. Metam sodium Metam sodium is an organosulfur compound (formally a dithiocarbamate), which is used as a soil fumigant, pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide. It is one of the most widely used pesticides in the United States, with approximately 60 million pounds used in 2001. Metam sodium is the sodium salt of methyl dithiocarbamate. Metolachlor Metolachlor is an organic compound that is widely used as an herbicide. It is a derivative of aniline and is a member of the chloroacetanilide herbicides. It is highly effective toward grasses but its application is also controversial. Metolachlor was developed by Ciba-Geigy. Its acts by inhibition of elongases and of the geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) cyclases, which are part of the gibberellin pathway. It is used for grass and broadleaf weed control in corn, soybean, peanuts, sorghum, and cotton. It is also used in combination with other herbicides. Miosis Excessive contraction of the pupil. Molluscicide Used to kill snails and slugs. Muscarinic Receptors Types of acetylcholine receptors which can affect the GI tract, respiratory system, urinary tract, and the eyes. a substance that causes mutation in cells Pain in a muscle or muscles. Mydriasis Extreme or morbid dilation of the pupil. Necrosis Death of tissue, usually as individual cells, groups of cells, or in small localized areas. Nematicide Used to kill nematodes (microscopic, worm-like organisms that feed on plant roots). A type of chemical weapon with anticholinesterase activity. This is also the mode of action of the organophosphate and carbamate pesticides. For both, the nerve gas and the pesticide, atropine is the antidote. The means by which the body coordinates activity. It is composed of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. Pain of the nerves. Functional disturbance and/or pathological changes in the peripheral nervous system. Neurotoxic Harmful to the nervous system. neurotoxin a substance that damages nerves or the nervous system Organochlorine Organochlorine Insecticides were commonly used in the past, but many have been removed from the market due to their health and environmental effects and their persistence (e.g. DDT and chlordane). Organophosphate Insecticides (also one or two herbicides and fungicides) derived from phosphoric acid esters Inflammation of bone usually caused by an infectious organism. Ovacide Used to kill eggs of insects and mites. Inflammation of the pancreas, a part of the digestive system, with pain and tenderness of the abdomen and vomiting. Pancytopenia Deficiency of all the cell elements of the blood; aplastic anemia. Paresthesia Morbid or perverted sensation; an abnormal sensation, as burning, prickling, formication, etc. Pheromone A biochemicals used to disrupt the mating behavior of insects. Abnormal intolerance of light Polydipsia Excessive thirst persisting for long periods of time. Polyuria The passage of a large volume of urine in a given period. Prostration Extreme exhaustion or powerlessness. Pruritis An effusion of serous fluid into the air vesicles and interstitial tissue of the lungs. Pyrethroid Synthetic insecticides and nerve toxins belonging to the pyrethroid class must be distinguished from the naturally occurring pyrethrin/pyrethrums isolated from chrysanthemums. Pyrethroids are much more potent, toxic, and significantly more persistent in the environment than are the plant-derived compounds (see Section 2, Overview, Part I-1 Pyrethroids for details). Occasionally, chemical company representatives try to blur this distinction by stating that pyrethroids are derived from the natural pyrethrums, but this is misleading. Pyrethroids are synthesized products designed to be more powerful and longer lasting insecticides than are the pyrethrums, partly because the latter are too easily destroyed by ultraviolet light. Pyrexia A fever, or a febrile condition; abnormal elevation of the body temperature. Rale Any abnormal respiratory sound heard while listening with a stethoscope and indicating some pathologic condition. Registration Number A number assigned to a pesticide product by the EPA when the product is registered by the manufacturer or his designated agent. The number must appear on all labels for a particular product Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose. Rodenticide Used to control mice and other rodents. Serous Fluid The clear portion of any animal liquid separated from its more solid elements especially the clear liquid portion of the blood (without the blood cells) that can diffuse into body cavities. Stomatitis Inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth. A chemical which interacts with another chemical to dramatically increase the potency of one or both of the chemicals. Synovitis Inflammation of a synovial [joint-lining] membrane. It is usually painful, particularly on motion, and is characterized by a fluctuating swelling, due to effusion within a synovial sac. Affecting the body generally; distributed throughout the body. [It can pertain to plants as well as to animals.] Tachycardia Excessive rapidity in the action of the heart. Tachypnea Excessive rapidity of respiration; a respiratory neurosis marked by quick, shallow breathing. Technical Chemical The pesticide chemical in pure form (95-100% concentration) as it is manufactured by a chemical company prior to being formulated into wettable powders, dusts, emulsifiable concentrates, granules, etc Technical Chemical The pesticide chemical in pure form (95-100% concentration) as it is manufactured by a chemical company prior to being formulated into wettable powders, dusts, emulsifiable concentrates, granules, etc. a substance that can cause birth defects Teratogen Any substance capable of producing structural abnormalities of prenatal origin, present at birth or manifested shortly thereafter Tetracycline Tetracycline, is used to treat bacterial infections, including pneumonia and other respiratory tract infections; acne; infections of skin, genital and urinary systems; and the infection that causes stomach ulcers (Helicobacter pylori). It also may be used as an alternative to other medications for the treatment of Lyme disease and for the treatment and prevention of anthrax (after inhalational exposure). Tetracycline is in a class of medications called tetracycline antibiotics. It works by preventing the growth and spread of bacteria. Antibiotics will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. pertaining to the chest Decrease in the number of blood platelets. Tissue A group of specialized cells that are connected and perform a given function, such as lung tissue, skin tissue, etc. Topical Application Treatment applied to the body’s surface, such as an animal’s skin or coat. Toxicosis Any disease condition due to poisoning. transgenic A transgenic plant is one in which a genetically engineered method has been used to insert foreign genetic material (DNA). In the case of the Bt transgenic corn (for example) the genetic material comes from bacteria. United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)- Formed in 1970, responsible for enforcement of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, (FIFRA). Registers pesticide products if it is determined that they do not pose an “unreasonable” risk to human health and the environment when used as directed by product labeling. A vascular reaction of the skin marked by the transient appearance of smooth, slightly cleaved elevated patches (eruptions), which are redder or paler than the surrounding skin and often attended by severe itching. The eruption rarely lasts longer than two days, but may exist in a chronic form. USEPA Formed in 1970, responsible for enforcement of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, (FIFRA). Registers pesticide products if it is determined that they do not pose an “unreasonable” risk to human health and the environment when used as directed by product labeling. A hallucination of movement; a sensation as if the external world were revolving around the patient or as if he himself were revolving in space. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for dizziness. viral enhancer increases the toxicity of viruses that an exposed person or animal encounters Looking Ahead... News and Events ACTIONITEMS RC on Campus RACHEL CARSON COUNCIL, INC. · 8600 Irvington Avenue • Bethesda, MD 20817 · Phone: 301-214-2400

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California's nut boom defies gravity Published on December 31, 1969 3:01AM Last changed on September 9, 2013 7:11AM Tim Hearden/Capital Press Tyler Christensen stands in his walnut orchard near Red Bluff, Calif. In response to their rising profitability, Christensen has doubled his walnut acreage in the last four years. Buy this photo Growers excited but worried about sharp increases in production, valueBy TIM HEARDENCapital PressRED BLUFF, Calif. -- Tyler Christensen's family has been growing plums for prunes for five generations, and his dryer is used by prune producers from throughout the region.But the 37-year-old farmer recognizes which direction the trade winds are blowing.Now Christensen, whose 1,000 acres of orchards line Highway 99 on the outskirts of town, is climbing aboard the Golden State's nut bandwagon. He has doubled the size of his walnut orchard in the past four years, from 200 to 400 acres."Obviously, we've been having some really good luck" with walnuts, he said. "We've had good growing success and good economic success. Those have been the big factors."Christensen also has about 130 acres of almond trees. But this far north in the Sacramento Valley, the land and conditions are more conducive to walnuts, he said."Our county is really beneficial for walnut growth," he said. "In the almond industry, we can barely set the state average, but with walnuts we can set record crops."Christensen is one of many California producers who are reaping the benefits of a veritable nut boom, as burgeoning global demand, ideal growing conditions and the misfortunes of other crops and other regions have fueled a steep rise in profitability for almonds, walnuts and pistachios.Nuts boomingThe production, bearing acres, prices and total value of walnuts and almonds have been rapidly growing for the past two decades -- particularly since 2005, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.Bearing almond acreage has nearly doubled, from 418,000 acres in 1995 to 810,000 acres this year, NASS reported. Production during that period has jumped from 370 million pounds to an anticipated 2 billion pounds this year.While the price per pound has remained relatively stable, the total production value for the Golden State's almonds ballooned from $881 million in 1995 to $4.1 billion last year, according to handlers' reports to the California Almond Commission.Walnut acreage has been trending gradually upward since 1988, from 177,000 acres then to 245,000 for last year's harvest, NASS reported. However, production has more than doubled during that time, and the total crop value has jumped from $193 million 25 years ago to $1.3 billion in 2011, the government reported.Pistachios are a rising star among nuts, with about 153,000 bearing acres in California. Last year's roughly 550 million-pound pistachio crop dwarfed the 355 million pounds produced in 2009, according to the Fresno-based American Pistachio Growers. The 2012 crop was valued at $1.1 billion, up sharply from $879 million in 2011, NASS reported.No one can say with any specificity when these sharp upward trends will show signs of easing."The way I view that is if anybody claims to really know, you'd better grab your wallet because they're up to something," said Daniel Sumner, an economist and director of the Agricultural Issues Center at the University of California-Davis."Very reasonable people have been saying for a decade this almond thing can't continue," Sumner said. "They weren't silly for saying it, but they were wrong."Growing demandMost industry representatives say the boom is driven by an expanding middle class in places like China and India, where consumers are becoming more health-conscious and have the money to improve their diets."Health is still the driving force," said California Walnut Commission CEO Dennis Balint, referring to studies in recent years that show regular consumption of walnuts can reduce disease risks and even aid male fertility.Indeed, in a 2011 U.S. market study, the commission found that 86 percent of consumers believed walnuts are healthful and 61 percent said they were buying more than they were five years ago.The perceived health benefits are a big reason the Almond Board of California sees a potential to sell 200 million pounds more almonds per year by 2016, associate director of agricultural affairs Robert Curtis said in December. China and India consume nearly 300 million pounds of almonds a year already, and there's a potential to sell them another 375 million pounds as those countries urbanize and develop more Western tastes, he said.Meanwhile, pistachios are known as the "happy nut" in China, which purchases 20 percent of the American crop."Primarily where the growth is coming is Chinese growth," said Veronica Nigh, an American Farm Bureau Federation economist in Washington, D.C. "China is the world's largest importer of tree nuts and the U.S. happens to be the largest exporter. ... A lot of that is the market demand has increased in tandem with local consumers' understanding of the nutritional benefits of tree nut consumption."Ideal conditionsWhile demand is ultimately the key to the success of any crop, other factors contribute to the profitability of nuts from California. For one thing, California has some of the most suitable soil and weather in the world, experts say."California is certainly the best place in the world to grow almonds," said Brooke Jacobs, who runs the Fruit and Nut Research and Information Center at UC-Davis.A farmer needs three things to be successful with nuts -- good ground, plentiful water and optimal water, explained Roger Duncan, a UC Cooperative Extension pomology farm advisor in Modesto. There needs to be very little rain from April through October, and a low probability of frost in March and April, Duncan said."I've gone to Europe and other places now, and it just really impresses upon me that what we have here is really unique," he said. "When I grew up here, I assumed the whole world was like this. It just isn't."In many places around the world, soil is very shallow or contains high amounts of alkali, Duncan said. The Central Valley's deep, alluvial soils allow for larger, more vigorous trees that supply nuts in high quantities as well as quality, he said.On Christensen's farm one recent morning, Howard walnut trees had become so full that workers were cutting and hauling away branches that were in danger of being ripped away from trees because of their weight. Christensen said it used to bother him to see piles of abandoned branches on the ground, but he got used to it."I've seen trees peel just like a banana," he said.Advances in irrigation efficiency and other growing techniques have helped California orchardists further bolster production. Last year, the Golden State's almond growers produced 2,390 pounds per acre, up from 885 pounds per acre in 1995, according to NASS. In the same period, walnut production per acre has increased from 1.21 tons to 1.92 tons, the agency reported.The yield increases have helped growers meet the burgeoning demand while keeping prices affordable, Sumner said."The biggest story is yields have gone up like crazy as efficiency of production has gone up," he said.Others' misfortunesCalifornia's growing conditions and efficiencies have enabled the industries to gain a strong reputation around the world for food safety, Sumner and other experts say.The U.S. has gained a trade advantage over Iranian pistachios, for instance, because growers there bleach their shells with hydrogen peroxide to make them as white as California's, Nigh said.The European Union purchased more pistachios from Iran than California about 20 years ago, Sumner said. But now California has surpassed its competitor.Further driving California's nut production are the misfortunes of other crops, which have encouraged many farmers like Christensen to switch. For instance, as a global glut of prunes has lingered, plum acreage for prunes has dropped to an estimated 51,000 this year, down from a peak of 86,000 acres in 2000."Prunes have just not been that profitable," Christensen said.In Stanislaus County, Duncan is contacted almost daily by growers sending him soil and water tests so they can determine if they can grow almonds, he said. He's spoken to many row crop producers on the west side of the valley whose long-term plan is to rotate out of tomatoes and beans and go into permanent crops such as nuts, he said."We may not be opening up new ground (for nuts), but we could be converting used ground," Duncan said. "How long will that continue? If the market stays the way it is now, it'll continue until the market can't absorb any more. From what we've seen, the market can absorb a lot more walnuts, almonds and pistachios."Room to growThe walnut commission's Balint believes the U.S. has only realized about 25 percent of its potential for marketing walnuts globally. Processors have built new facilities or expanded existing ones in the last few years, bringing California's total to 88."Ten years ago, we probably had 50," he said. "So the increase in the number of handlers along with the increased capacity of the old handlers means that in the foreseeable future, I don't think there's going to be a lack of production capacity. If there's a problem, it's huller capacity."The AFBF's Nigh expects California's nut boom to last at least another five years."I don't see any reason for that to be dampened," she said. "There's really strong consumer trends supporting the growth. There's increased acknowledgment of the health benefits of tree nuts, and that's not going away. I don't see any lurking limitations to an increase in demand over the next several years."But for his part, Christensen is more cautious. He's mindful that California's prune growers are still trying to recover from a dip in grower returns stemming from a busted crop in 2004 that ate into their worldwide market share. He noted that much of California's success is tied to a weak dollar that makes American walnuts more attractive overseas, where 60 percent of the crop is sent."The scary part is the industry has staged itself for another 15 years of record crops ahead of us," Christensen said. "In that situation, all of our markets have to fire on all eight cylinders."While many growers have paid large sums for land, Christensen has avoided taking on new debt, he said."We're just trying to be prepared for whatever occurs," he said. "Agriculture is like anything -- history repeats itself. It's just a matter of when."OnlineCalifornia Walnut Commission: http://www.walnuts.orgAlmond Board of California: http://www.almondboard.com/English/Pages/default.aspxAmerican Pistachio Growers: http://americanpistachios.orgUC-Davis Fruit and Nut Research and Information Center: http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu

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USDA PLEDGES FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR CHESAPEAKE BAY WATER QUALITY PARTNERSHIPSJun. 20, 2014Source: USDA news release United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretaries Robert Bonnie and Michael Scuse today pledged up to $5 million to state and local partnerships in six states for accelerating tree planting along the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The pledge was made at a summit in Washington, D.C. attended by leaders of Chesapeake Bay water quality restoration efforts. "Improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay is a top priority of the Obama Administration, and USDA programs can help," said Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Under Secretary Scuse. "We're identifying creative approaches using our existing programs, so that USDA's partnerships with Chesapeake leaders can enhance our mutual goal of preventing soil erosion, improving water quality and restoring wildlife habitat in this region. That's good not only for future generations, but today's generation." "Voluntary conservation practices made possible through the 2014 Farm Bill enable us to work with farmers who are interested in taking steps to ensure their practices help conserve the Chesapeake Bay Watershed," said Bonnie, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment. "These conservation efforts help to clean our soil and water, boost outdoor recreation and provides agriculture with the tools needed to remain productive in the years to come." The conference marks the start of an accelerated strategy of the Chesapeake Riparian Forest Buffer Initiative to promote the establishment of more forested areas, known as "riparian forest buffers," along streams and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, providing natural barriers that can filter sediment, chemicals, and other contaminants from entering into the waterway. The USDA financial assistance will provide more incentives to private landowners interested in participating in the Farm Service Agency's (FSA) voluntary Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Each Chesapeake Bay state has a CREP in place, which collectively cover the entire watershed. To date, about $500 million in USDA financial assistance has been provided or obligated to farmers enrolling land in the six CREPs. For 25 years, USDA has worked with the six Bay states (New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia) to improve and restore the Chesapeake Bay, with more than 7,000 miles of riparian forest buffers established by private landowners in the Bay states since 1996. In 2013, the CREP's buffers have intercepted an estimated eight million tons of sediment, 16 million pounds of nitrogen, and four million pounds of phosphorus in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. "Establishing riparian forest buffers provides better fish habitat, cleaner streams and a healthier watershed for the Chesapeake Bay," said Under Secretary Bonnie. "Forest buffers also provide wildlife habitat for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife." "This is about more than just investing in a cleaner place to boat and swim," added Scuse. "The Chesapeake Bay is a food source that's an important part of the local economy. We need to ensure that the fish and crabs are abundant and healthy." The Leadership Summit is sponsored by USDA's Farm Service Agency and is organized by FSA, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with a collection of private partners, including the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and the Stroud Water Research Center. Today's announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. 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. To learn more about CRP and CREP initiatives, producers are encouraged to visit their area FSA county offices or go online to www.fsa.usda.gov/crp.Tweet

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Email to a friend Detroit's Good Food Cure Wednesday, 12 September 2012 10:23 By Larry Gabriel , Yes! Magazine | Report font size Weekend mornings are the busiest days of the week at D-Town Farm. That's when up to 30 volunteers from across Detroit come out to till the earth and tend the crops at the seven-acre mini-farm on the city's west side. They sow, hoe, prune, compost, trap pest animals, build paths and fences, and harvest­—all the activities necessary to grow healthy organic fruits and vegetables to nurture the community. There is a 1.5-acre vegetable garden, a 150-square-foot garlic plot, a small apple orchard, numerous beds of salad greens in a couple of hoop houses, a small apiary, and a plot of medicinal herbs such as purslane, burdock, and white thistle. "One of our goals is to present healthy eating to people," says Malik Yakini, Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN), which runs D-Town. "We think that healthy eating optimizes a good life generally. A diet close to nature allows the human body to function the way it is supposed to function." D-Town is set in one of the city's greenest areas, a former tree nursery in the 1,184-acre River Rouge Park. It's a couple of miles downriver from Ford Motor Co.'s famous Rouge plant (that once employed 100,000 workers) and about a mile upriver from the Brightmoor, a formerly devastated neighborhood that boasts no fewer than 22 community gardens. The Detroit City Council granted use of the land to DBCFSN in 2008. Deer ate up most of the first crop: Volunteers who planted 750 tomato plants harvested only about five pounds of tomatoes. Now a fence keeps deer out, and other pests such as raccoons and possums are trapped and released far from this feeding ground. There are even a few apple trees on the grounds that are tended by folks from Can-Did Revolution, a recently established family canning company. Urban farmers are leading an environmental and social movement to transform our national food system. Photographer Michael Hanson toured the country for his book Breaking Through Concrete: Building an Urban Farm Revival to document twelve successful urban farm programs, including The Catherine Ferguson Academy for Young Women, a school for pregnant teens and teen mothers in Detroit (pictured). Detroit renaissance Nowhere in the United States has urban agriculture taken root as prolifically as in Detroit. Earthworks Urban Farm, Feedom Freedom Growers, GenesisHOPE, Georgia Street Collective, and other community gardens have stepped up to help create a healthier and more self-empowered food system. The Catherine Ferguson Academy for Young Women runs a small farm on the school's grounds to teach students about nutrition and self-sufficiency. This gardening renaissance has been growing for over two decades since the Gardening Angels, a group of southern-born African-Americans, began growing food and passing their agricultural knowledge on to another generation. There are more than 1,200 community gardens in Detroit—more per square mile and more per capita than in any other American city. The number of community gardens is just a fraction of the number of kitchen gardens that families grow in yards and side lots. Locals are learning more about nutrition and feeling the health effects of eating the food they grow. "You're only as healthy as the food you eat," says Latricia Wright, a naturopath who champions natural, uncooked, unprocessed foods. "It's all about the minerals in the food." Better tomatoes—with a bonus Kesia Curtis began gardening with her parents, Wayne and Myrtle Curtis, at Feedom Freedom Growers community garden. The 29-year-old had suffered from debilitating allergies since she was 17, often missing work, unable to sleep, and suffering from sinus infections. "I was pretty much living on Benadryl or other allergy medications year round," says Curtis. About a year after she started gardening, Curtis began eating a vegan diet—no animal products at all. She reports that her allergy problems have gone away except for some mild symptoms in the spring. "My parents started the community garden, and it felt like a natural thing to do with my family," says Curtis. "The more I became involved with it the more I started asking a lot of questions about food from the grocery store as opposed to what you can grow. Tomatoes that you grow taste and smell different from what you get at the store. I had tasted tomatoes before but a local tomato had so much more flavor. ... I can't imagine someone being a farmer and it not changing your health and making some kind of positive impact on your life." Food in the desert DBCFSN's goals include empowering African-Americans within the food system and providing fresh, healthy foods in an area where access is not a given. Detroit was among the communities declared food deserts by researcher Mari Gallagher in 2007. Food deserts are communities where the kinds of foods necessary to maintain a healthy diet are unavailable, unaffordable, or difficult to get to. "The types of food we live closest to—along with many other factors—are related to our health." reads Gallagher's report. "Unless access to healthy food greatly improves, we predict that, over time, those residents will have greater rates of premature illness and death from diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, obesity, hypertension, kidney failure, and other diet-related complications. Food imbalance will likely leave its mark directly on the quality, productivity, and length of life ... " Those are the effects of malnourishment. Eating healthy food is the cure. This is particularly important in Detroit, where the population is 82 percent African-American, the unemployment rate is twice the national average, and the poverty rate is high. African-American adults are twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be diagnosed with diabetes, almost twice as likely to be hospitalized for diabetes and more than twice as likely to die from the disease. "Type 2 diabetes is epidemic," says nurse practitioner Yvett Cobb, a member of DBCFSN. "I've spent 23-plus years in emergency medicine and critical care nursing. I've seen a lot of complications of diabetes. I've seen a lot of limbs being cut off." Even though African-Americans suffer from higher rates of these diet-related illnesses and are more likely to develop kidney failure or complications from high blood pressure, all American demographics are suffering increasingly from the effects of bad diets and lack of exercise. Getting Americans to eat a healthier diet is a growing concern, exemplified by First Lady Michelle Obama's championing of gardening and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's recent attempt to ban sugary sodas 16 ounces or larger at restaurants. In cities across the nation, an urban agriculture movement focused on overcoming food scarcity and promoting healthy eating is driving a local food movement. "It gives me so much tremendous hope that change can happen as we make gardening accessible," says Cobb, who also teaches yoga and has trained as a practitioner of the Tree of Life raw food diet. "As people get more and more into gardening and learning its benefits, it gives me hope. Planting gets you closer to nature, keeps your joints loose, and you get to eat all these nutritional things." A host of infirmities could be avoided simply through eating well and getting some exercise. Both can be accomplished through gardening. "Health is impacted by eating fresh produce," says Yakini. "Food loses some of its nutrient density over time as it is transported long distances. Food that is produced nearby and eaten soon after being harvested is more nutrient-dense and has a stronger health impact. Also, gardening is great exercise—bending, standing, and using muscles that you might not normally use." A healing connection Dinah Brundidge was already in the throes of changing her life when she discovered gardening. She had just kicked a 20-year alcohol and crack addiction and was going to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, near where she lives, to eat and shower. She asked one of the Capuchin brothers about a job and he referred her to the gardening training program at Earthworks, which supplies food to the soup kitchen. Brundidge's recovery was still shaky and she hadn't settled on how to spend her time when she wasn't getting high. "I started the gardening work," says Brundidge. "It was like a healing process with me, a connection with the earth. The gardening motive gave me a purpose in life. I was used to the everyday drug life. I had tried many years to kick, but what really did it for me was urban gardening. The beauty of planting a seed and seeing food grow, that gave me a purpose. Having my hands in producing it really captivated me. How people really cared about growing healthy food." Brundidge reports gaining weight and losing the skinny drug addict look. Her skin became healthier, and a chronically bad complexion cleared up. She reports feeling better, although she suffers from arthritis. But the biggest thrill seems to come from doing for others. "I invite people to come out to my community garden, and they can't believe I'm doing this and enjoying it," she says. "Last year in the community garden I did so well—I fed a lot of people." There's plenty of space for gardening in Detroit; most people live in houses and have yards. And there are some 20 square miles of vacant land in the city that could easily be converted into arable land. Many gardening activists say they think of food as medicine. If that's the case, there is potential for a lot of healing in the city. This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. Related StoriesDetroit: A New American FrontierBy Aaron M Renn, YES! Magazine | Op-Ed Show Comments By Staff, The Graduate Center, CUNY | Video Detroit's Good Food Cure

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Use of antibiotic in organic pear, apple trees will stop in controversial move Lynne Terry | The Oregonian/OregonLive on April 12, 2013 at 3:15 PM, updated April 12, 2013 at 11:20 PM Many popular varieties of apples, such as Fuji and Gala, are susceptible to fire blight. The Associated Press/2009 Despite objections from growers, a federal advisory board decided this week to ban the use of an antibiotic by organic apple and pear farmers to combat a disease deadly to fruit trees. The National Organic Standards Board, at meetings in Portland, opted not to allow the use of a type of tetracycline in organic apple and pear orchards starting Oct. 21, 2014. The antibiotic was approved for use by organic pear and apple growers to fight a highly contagious and deadly disease called fire blight. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees organic farming, does not allow the use of antibiotics on any other organic product, including livestock. Consumer advocates hailed the ruling by the board, which met at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Portland from Tuesday to Thursday. "We thought it was the right vote for public health," said Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food & Water Watch, based in Washington, D.C. "We're facing a crisis of antibiotic resistance because of overuse." Antibiotics in agriculture are mostly used on livestock, to promote growth and treat illness. Overuse, many scientists say, has led to the evolution of antibiotic-resistant strains of salmonella and other bacteria, causing people to develop infections that can't be treated with medication. But Brady Jacobson, an organic pear grower in Hood River, says tetracycline has not become a problem like other antibiotics. She said she was dismayed by the board's decision. "There are no truly fire blight resistant pears or apples," said Jacobson, co-owner of Mt. Hood Organic Farms in the community of Mt. Hood. "None of us really wants to use antibiotics." She said orchardists do not spray the fruit itself. Instead, they treat trees while they're in flower and only during seasons when fire blight hits. The disease is highly contagious. When it strikes, it doesn't destroy fruit. It kills trees. An infection can wipe out an orchard. Jacobson knows that firsthand. In 1990, fire blight spread through the Hood River valley. But Jacobson and her husband, whose farm was certified organic the year before, didn't spray. All of their trees were killed, she said. "Once that happens, it puts the fear of God in you," Jacobson said. "It takes 12 years to bring a pear tree into production and six years to bring an apple tree into production. It's not like planting row crops." She said growers have few other options. One product was recently distributed in the market but it's not yet been tested. Jacobson said growers are hesitant to rely on it. "You don't want to be the one that says, "Oh sure, I'll try the new product," she said. Jacobson is among 15 pear and apple growers in Oregon who are certified organic by the USDA. She spoke at the organic standards meeting on behalf of Mt. Hood growers in favor of allowing tetracycline use. Board members were divided. A majority voted to extend the use of the antibiotic until 2016 in a nine to six vote. But the extension failed anyway because the extension needed 10 votes to pass. Another antibiotic, streptomycin, will come up at the board's next meeting in six months. It, too, is USDA-approved for use by organic pear and apple growers to fight fire blight. But it will fall off the approved list in October 2014 unless an extension is approved. Lovera, of Food & Water Watch, hopes the board does not allow further use of streptomycin. "It's the same issue," she said, "but just another antibiotic." Lovera said the board was not unsympathetic to the growers' concerns. It voted to recommend that the USDA come up with a contingency plan for growers, allowing the use of tetracycline until 2017 in the event of an emergency. Growers would not be allowed to sell the apples or pears as organic but would not lose their certification. -- Lynne Terry

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How Two Bitter Adversaries Hatched A Plan To Change The Egg Business By Dan Charles At the JS West egg farm, south of Modesto, Calif., one chicken house has the new, spacious cages that egg producers and animal welfare advocates say keep chickens happier. Big Dutchman Gene Gregory (left), head of the United Egg Producers lobby, and Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society, visit Washington to lobby Congress for a law requiring larger cages for egg-laying chickens. John Rose Pacelle and Gregory have different backgrounds and dietary preferences, but there seems to be genuine respect between them. John Rose Gene Gregory and Wayne Pacelle are the odd couple of American agriculture. "We were adversaries. Some might say bitter adversaries," says Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States. Pacelle's organization says it wants to end factory farming. So Gene Gregory, president of the United Egg Producers, which represents most of the country's biggest egg farmers, used to think that there was no point even talking to Pacelle. "Why would you want to have a conversation with someone who wants to eliminate your business?" he says. These days, though, they're not just having a conversation; they're allies, walking shoulder to shoulder into offices on Capitol Hill, asking Congress to approve new rules for egg farmers. They spent much of this past Tuesday in these lobbying meetings. But they arrived there from very different places — starting with breakfast. Pacelle, the Humane Society president, woke up in a trendy part of the nation's capital and started the day with a Very Berry smoothie with soy milk. No ham, no eggs, as always. "I made a decision a long time ago that I was not going to consume animal products, because I was concerned about what was going on on factory farms," he says. Gregory, meanwhile, lives in Georgia, in the suburbs outside Atlanta. He got up really early on Tuesday so he could catch his flight to Washington. So breakfast was a rush. "My wife keeps hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator. So I had a hard-boiled egg and a glass of juice before I left the house," he says. Of course he'd eat an egg. Gregory has been connected to the egg industry for about 50 years, either running a farm himself or representing other farmers. Pacelle has been among that industry's fiercest critics. He took aim, specifically, at the industry's standard practice of crowding chickens into long lines of wire cages, with hundreds of thousands of birds in a single chicken house. "I said that these factory farms were cruel and inhumane, no question about that," he says. "We're passionate about this issue. We want to see changes within this industry." Over the past decade, these two men spent millions of their organizations' dollars fighting over proposals to ban the cages. In a series of states, notably California, the egg producers lost badly. Then, last summer, they did something unexpected. Gregory sent a message to Pacelle through an intermediary: "Can the two of us just talk?" And Pacelle saw an opportunity. "We could fight the United Egg Producers for another 10 or 15 years, and spend millions of dollars on both sides. But the other option is, we could sit down together and figure out a pathway that's good for industry and better for animals," he says. Within a few months, the two sides came up with a compromise. They agreed to jointly lobby Congress for a law that would allow farmers to keep their chickens in cages, but the chickens would get twice as much space, plus perches and "nest boxes" where they could lay their eggs. (Last month, I visited a chicken house in California that already has these cages.) Pacelle and Gregory agreed that the new cages and nest boxes would be phased in over 15 years. That's to avoid chaos in the industry and "ensure that we always have a sufficient supply of eggs at a fair price," says Gregory. For both Gregory and Pacelle, there's a calculation behind this joint venture.For the egg producers, it's a lot better than the growing patchwork of state regulations that they were already facing. For the Humane Society, it's a way to change conditions on farms in a lot of states that weren't likely to regulate the egg industry at all. But at this point, there also seems to be a bit more involved than those calculations. It may not be a close personal friendship. But despite all that divides them — different generations, backgrounds and dietary preferences — there seems to be genuine respect. "I've found him to be a man of his word," Gregory says, speaking about the Humane Society president. "It doesn't have to be his way or no way. And he's not trying to eliminate our business, or anybody's in animal agriculture. He just wants to see improvements made." Pacelle, for his part, says Gregory has helped him understand the pressures involved in trying to make a living by producing food — "the daily struggles that a lot of farmers go through, economically. They were kind of in a race with others, in a competitive environment, to build efficiencies, and this is how it went." The former adversaries will need each other to get their proposal approved. It's an unusual plan — as unconventional as the partnership that hatched it. No one knows whether Congress will find that appealing, or perhaps suspicious.Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. View the discussion thread. © 2016 KNAU Arizona Public Radio

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A Trap for the Small Hive Beetle Honey bee on an apple blossom. (K4716-3) Bees make the agricultural world go ’round—at least the fruits and nuts part of agriculture. Crops such as apples, pumpkins, almonds, and sunflowers all depend on honey bees to pollinate their flowers. In addition to their pollination contribution, bees produce more than 17 million pounds of honey each year in Florida alone. But in recent years, pests have been reducing honey bee numbers and threatening large sectors of agriculture. One such pest, which has appeared in the United States in the last 10 years, is the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida). In bee colonies already stressed by other pests or diseases, the beetles are able to evade guard bees and access the hive’s pollen and other food resources. Peter Teal, research leader of the Chemistry Research Unit at the Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, Florida, and his colleagues have developed a trap and an attractant to help beekeepers protect their bees from this pest, which has spread throughout the eastern portion of the United States. When small hive beetles invade a beehive, they bring in a yeast that grows on the pollen. “As the yeast grows and ferments, it releases compounds that mimic honey bee alarm pheromones and are highly attractive to other beetles,” says Teal. “This sets off a cascading effect. When the beetle population gets too high, the bees have no choice but to abandon the hive, leaving beekeepers without honey and their bee colonies.” In cooperation with several beekeepers, the team of scientists decided to use the small hive beetle’s biology against it. They developed a trap that is baited with the small hive beetle yeast. The trap is installed below a hive and separated from it by sliding doors drilled with cone-shaped holes. Hive beetles can get through the holes and into the traps, but they can’t get back out. The trap could be a boon to the bee industry in Florida, which is a common overwintering destination for bees. A patent for the trap was filed in March 2005. “We think these traps will solve the problem for small-scale beekeepers, which make up 60 percent of the industry,” Teal says. “They tend their hives daily and can clean their traps often.” For large-scale beekeepers, who maintain up to several thousand hives, Teal and his team plan to develop a new trap requiring less management. Teal also hopes to devise a similar way to reduce populations of Varroa mites—another significant pest of honey bees. “If we can find out what makes these pests tick, we might be able to find out how to prevent them from causing further harm to this industry,” says Teal.—By Sharon Durham, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff. This research is part of Crop Protection and Quarantine, an ARS national program (#304) described on the World Wide Web at www.nps.ars.usda.gov. Peter Teal is in the USDA-ARS Chemistry Research Unit, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, 1600-1700 S.W. 23rd Dr., Gainesville, FL 32608; phone (352) 374-5730, fax (352) 374-5707. "A Trap for the Small Hive Beetle" was published in the November/December 2007 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

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Joe Colgan remembers 54 years of horses to horsepower with John Deere Worked at several dealerships Wednesday’s column about John Deere Day, a popular winter get-together for farmers when it was too cold to do anything outside, brought a nostalgic note from an old friend, Joe Colgan of Wyoming.Joe, later joined by son Tim, ran the John Deere dealership in Wyoming for many years. We learned from his e-mail that if you want to go to a living source for the most history of John Deere tractors and implements, Joe’s your man.“In 1933, I went to work in the John Deere store in Wyoming,” Colgan writes. “In 1937, I went to work for the John Deere Plow Company (which I believe was in Moline) and my first job was emcee at John Deere Days for dealers in this area.“In 1947, I became the John Deere dealer in Wyoming. At our John Deere Days, lunch was a barbecue sandwich, baked beans, cake and a drink of coffee or milk. We gave door prizes of grease guns, pails of grease, or tools.” Colgan said in 1987, his last year as owner, everyone got a John Deere cap reading “Colgan Company 1947-1987.” Tim worked for other John Deere dealers in central Illinois for many more years and is also now retired.“I had been with John Deere 54 years. Times have changed. I am sending this message from the iPad that I received for my 99th birthday! Best wishes, Joe.”I don’t know if anyone keeps track of such things, but Joe has got to be the oldest living John Deere dealer, retired or working, in the United States, still sharp as a tack and plugged into technology. Take note all you oldsters out there who claim you can’t figure out how to turn on a computer!Kewanee John Deere enthusiast Brett Bennett tipped me off to a three-part video interview with Joe and Tim done two years ago by someone called “Machinery Pete,” in which they share stories about their John Deere years. Greg “Machinery Pete” Peterson details agricultural equipment prices and trends on his website, Machinerypete.com. He also writes columns for Successful Farming magazine, Implement & Tractor magazine and the Agriculture.com web site and appears on the Machinery Show on RFD-TV.He did the wide-ranging interview with the Colgans at the dining room table in Joe’s Wyoming home. His wife of more than 70 years, Majella, joined in with stories about raising their 12 kids.In the interview, Joe tells about taking horses in trade for a tractor in the 1930s and the “merge or close” mandate from John Deere in the late 80s which led to their decision to end a good run. He also talks about how there used to be six John Deere dealers within a 20-mile radius of Wyoming, and the year he got stuck with quite a few two-row tractor-mounted corn pickers when farmers quickly switched to the then-new combines with picker heads.He said every farm equipment manufacturer has had one product that every farmer had to have. For Case, it was a good two-bottom plow and for New Holland it was a square hay baler. For John Deere, he says, it was the 4020 tractor.After making more than 1.25 million two-cylinder tractors, John Deere switched to four-and six-cylinder engines in 1960. Announcement of the change came after seven years of development and $40 million dollars in retooling, which eliminated the “pop, pop, popping” sound associated with Deere since the beginning.Bigger machinery, more acres and the need for more power, however, finally forced the company to abandon the “Johnny Poppers” and create what were known as “New Generation” tractors, of which the 4020 was one of the first. The 4020 was hugely popular with farmers who didn’t care whether it “popped” or not. It was one of the company’s biggest sellers with 184,000 tractors going out the door between 1963 and 1974, according to one online site. Joe said he remembers when John Deere brought every dealer in the nation to Dallas for the unveiling of the new-style tractors. “The first thing one of the guys said was ‘Where’s the belt pulley? You can’t have a John Deere without the belt pulley.’” Up until then, most tractors had a round pulley mounted on the side which drove a wide leather belt used to operate grinders, corn elevators, hoists and other machines around the farm. It had been a basic tool of farming, but by the 60s, power take-offs were replacing belts as the way to make things run with a tractorJoe’s mention of the belt pulley gave an idea of why my dad bought a 1936 John Deere “B” at Taylor & Son in the late 1950s. We had two tractors — a 1944 Farmall “M” and a 1949 Case VAC.The Farmall was the “big” tractor on the farm and had a belt pulley but was used to carry a New Idea two-row mounted picker. The Case was a smaller tractor and had a side pulley but was used to haul wagonloads of corn from the field to the crib. He needed a stationary tractor at the crib to run the belt-driven gear box which raised the wagon hoist and the elevator which transported ear corn up and into an opening on top of the crib.The “B” was perfect. It was small and fit well in a tight spot, but powerful enough to run two pieces of equipment as it effortlessly sat and chugged away.If you want to see Machinery Pete’s interview with Joe and Tim Colgan, type “joe colgan wyoming illinois” into your search engines. All three segments should pop up. They are posted on several ag-related sites and on YouTube.

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A Deficient Approach Philippines - 16 May 11 - Bess Mucke Imagine looking out on the historic rice terraces and seeing a thriving, working landscape - a landscape where the indigenous farmers are using their traditional knowledge and expertise to build a sustainable and culturally appropriate economic enterprise. This is the vision of RICE Inc, an NGO working with villagers in the Philippines to protect heirloom rice varieties that have been cultivated for generations in an impressive landscape of high-level terraces. Across Asia, rice farmers cultivate an incredible diversity of rice crops adapted to their regions, but the influence of modern, hybrid and genetically engineered rice varieties threatens their future. The announcement last month of support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for further development of genetically modified ‘golden rice’ in the Philippines and Bangladesh is the latest threat, and has been strongly opposed by RICE Inc and other farmers’ groups participating in Slow Food’s Terra Madre network for small-scale sustainable food production. The farmers’ organizations are worried that golden rice, being developed to increase Vitamin A in the local diet, will do more harm than good. They are concerned that GM crops require large-scale use of fertilizers and damage soil fertility; that the health risks linked to consumption remain unclear; and that the contamination of non-GM crops is an issue occurring all around the world. But most worrying of all, they are concerned about the massive loss of local food and cultural diversity that would accompany its widespread introduction. Golden rice is a genetically modified strain containing beta carotene, which gives the rice a yellow color and is converted by the body to vitamin A. Following 20 years of investment and research, the Gates’ grant of US$ 10 million to the International Rice Research Institute is destined to fund the final stages of development and evaluation of golden rice varieties, with hopes that it will be available in the Philippines in 2013 and Bangladesh in 2015. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affects 90 million children in Southeast Asia alone, and causes 670,000 deaths and 350,000 cases of blindness among children worldwide each year. However, for many, golden rice is not the ‘golden’ answer to this very serious problem. "The world desperately needs to address the plight of children with preventable diseases. But the reason that so many children in Southeast Asia suffer vitamin deficiencies isn't that their rice lacks vitamin A, it's that the only thing that they can afford to eat is rice,” argues writer and activist Raj Patel. “An end to vitamin A blindness won't come from strange colored food, but restoring the investment in agriculture, education and welfare that poor families have long demanded. Gates is patching a broken agricultural and economic system, rather than listening to the voices of the people who have plenty of robust, proven ideas about how to fix it." Nancy Haselow, from new golden rice project partner Helen Keller International that works on Vitamin A delivery programs, asks us to picture a different scenario on the foundation’s blog. “Imagine living in Bangladesh and eating little more than a bowl of rice or two each day. Rice has been part of your diet since you were a child, and you feed it to your children because it’s filling, inexpensive and accessible.” She goes on to tell us that rice has calories, but it has minimal additional nutritional value and that a diversified diet that includes nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables is necessary to prevent sight- and life-threatening deficiencies, including vitamin A deficiency. But in the their opinion, if diverse diets are unaffordable or unobtainable, nutritionally enhanced staple crops are the best way to help the two billion people worldwide facing deficiencies. A 2010 report from Greenpeace takes a different stance, outlining how the resources given to the development of golden rice would be far better applied toward existing methods to fight VAD. Significant improvements have been made over the past two decades in the treatment of VAD, and these are due to a combination of four strategies, said to be well-tested and proven to be successful: vitamin A supplementation with capsules, the fortification of food with vitamins and minerals, oral supplements or food additives, and dietary diversification. With the end goal of rebuilding local food systems for the world’s poor, these short-term approaches are part of the journey to more resilient solutions. Even the World Bank has admitted that rediscovering and use of local plants and conservation of vitamin A rich green leafy vegetables and fruits have dramatically reduced VAD-threatened children over the past 20 years in cheap and efficient ways. Laurence Padilla from the Philippines’ Palawan Center for Appropriate Rural Technology is quick to point out that malnutrition is partly a question of awareness and ownership/access to the right food. “The United States is a very rich country but they have a lot of malnourished people. How can they solve malnourishment in other countries if they themselves cannot solve it? Our traditional seeds have been used by several generations and we do not buy them from any company. Why do they want to force us to use GMO?” Grassroots groups across the region are focusing on the preservation of these traditional rice varieties, as the fundamental link to the continuation of their culture and local economy. RICE Inc executive director Vicky Garcia commented, “The preservation of traditional rice and its cultivation on the terraces are allowing us to keep Indigenous skills, knowledge and resources in practice that will allow the new generation to appreciate and continue… while the native rice varieties that are actually grown in the mountains and in the terrace may have slower yields and growth cycles compared to lowland rice, this centuries-old tradition can be bridged to economic opportunity.” Also in the Philippines, MASIPAG - a farmer-led network of organizations and scientists working towards the sustainable use and management of biodiversity through farmers' control of genetic and biological resources – is disappointed in the announcement, but not surprised. “It is not a shock to hear the Gates Foundation putting their resources to the rice research institutes for this GM project as they are one of the top stockholders of Monsanto Corp – the largest corporation in the world aggressively pushing genetically modified organisms as the answer to poverty and malnutrition,” said Georita Pitong, MASIPAG’s coordinator. “We strongly oppose GMOs, and our network of farmers, scientists and NGOs has been working since 1986 towards the sustainable use and management of biodiversity through farmers' control of genetic and biological resources, agricultural production and associated knowledge.” Pavel Partha of Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK) commented that the answers to the major problems they are facing can often be found through local knowledge and varieties, but it is overlooked in favor of ‘modern’ science, which in turn may wipe out local diversity. “Following the devastation of cyclone Alia this year, a so-called agricultural rehabilitation program financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation focused on trying to develop saline tolerant rice varieties and hybrid maize,” said Partha. Meanwhile BARCIK has been searching out local varieties of rice that will produce good yields in the future, and already have a group of 14 types of local rice varieties that are saline tolerant and adaptable to the climate change situation. Its time to adopt this culturally and environmentally sensitive approach in major responses, avoiding the lone band-aid that’s likely to come unstuck. What we really need is a holistic solution that goes to the roots of malnutrition and supports local farming to build strong food communities, supported by effective interim measures. This is the approach Slow Food is taking with the A Thousand Gardens in Africa project this year, working with the Terra Madre network to create food gardens in communities and schools to cultivate local food varieties and spread the know-how to families. Let’s imagine a world where the poorest people are supported to build sustainable food systems, provide food security and increase agricultural diversity in a way that is empowering communities, providing income to rural farmers, and improving the nutritional status of people around the globe. The Gates funding is also supporting a BioCassava Plus project in Nigeria and Kenya, which aims to add beta-carotene, iron and protein to cassava, a staple crop eaten by more than 250 million people in Africa. You can read a response here from Slow Food International vice-president John Kariuki from Kenya. To find out more about actions being carried out by the Slow Food network around the world against GM crops, click here. To receive the latest news from Slow Food, follow us on facebook. Bess Mucke [email protected]

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Drone experts see booming ag market Speakers say agriculture will be an early adapter of drone technology. By Eric MortensonCapital Press Published on December 11, 2013 11:26AM Eric Mortenson/Capital Press A four-rotor, camera-equipped drone hovers during a demonstration flight at a McMinnville, Ore., forum. Buy this photo Eric Mortenson/Capital Press About 100 people, including farmers, students and researchers, attended a McMinnville, Ore., forum on the use of drones in agriculture. Buy this photo MCMINNVILLE — Young Kim is a former U.S. Air Force pilot and familiar with the “outcome oriented” use of drone aircraft by the military. Get them over a target, conduct the surveillance or fire the missile – that’s how success is gauged.Putting drone technology to work in agriculture, as he does now as general manager of Bosh Precision Agriculture in Virginia, requires an entrepreneurial mind-set.“Do not waste growers’ time,” he said at drone technology forum in the heart of Oregon’s wine country this week. “You’ve got to deliver value very, very quickly. Show them how it will increase yield and lower inputs costs.”Kim believes unmanned planes, equipped with sensors and cameras, will rapidly transform agriculture by providing quick, detailed information on plant health, soil and water conditions, disease or pest outbreaks and more. He said it’s a change similar to moving from analog to digital technology.Agriculture is in the midst of a significant transformation, he said. The “biggest ag boom since the 1980s” is accompanied by a trend in which the number of farmers is declining but the acreage farmed by each is increasing, Kim said. At the same time, those farmers working large plots of land want the intimate knowledge they used to have of smaller acreage. Drones can provide that, but Kim said people shouldn’t get hung up on the “sexiness” of the technology.“The real value is the data,” he said. “Focus on the problem of the grower and work backward from there.”Kim was among a series of experts speaking at a day-long precision agriculture forum held in McMinnville, at the Yamhill County Fairgrounds. The county’s part-time economic developer, Jeff Lorton, believes the area’s renowned vineyards will benefit from the technology and hopes the county can attract drone makers and the legions of engineers and programmers who will follow the industry.The forum included a brief outdoor demonstration of a small, four-bladed helicopter equipped with a video camera, which zipped about 50 feet in the air and hovered above the crowd. Images captured by the video camera were displayed on screens mounted on a control truck. About 100 people attended the forum, including vineyard owners, researchers and students.John Parmigiani, an OSU mechanical engineering professor, displayed a fixed-wing drone painted to resemble a predatory hawk and programmed to mimic its flight patterns. A student team under his direction built it as a project in 2012. The team wanted to find out if the “Mock Hawk” would scare damaging robins, starlings and cedar waxwings from vineyards, but the birds didn’t show in numbers enough to make the tests conclusive, Parmigiani said. The university is eager to test the drone again, he said.“You can tell this thing what to do and it will go out and do it,” he said. “This really looks promising, the technology is there.”Researchers with the University of California-Davis have test-sprayed vineyards and nut orchards with a 200-pound, unmanned helicopter made by Yamaha Motor Co. About 2,000 of the devices are in use in Japan, said Ken Giles, a UC-Davis agricultural engineering professor. Regulations have limited the researchers to spraying only water so far, not actual pesticides, but application coverage, speed and cost considerations appear favorable, Giles said. The ability to spot spray crops could be a significant advantage, he said.To reassure potential critics, university researchers opened flight demonstrations to the public.“You want to talk about a couple things people get jumpy about, it’s pesticides and drones,” Giles said.Eric Folkestad, president of the Cascade chapter of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International said groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union are worried police agencies will use drones to peek into people’s backyards without a search warrant. Agriculture has no such interest, he said.“We don’t use these systems to spy on people,” he said. “We’re the good guy drones.”In farming, the technology can mitigate risks, Folkestad said. He predicted drone use will become like other specialized crop services offered by companies or co-ops, rather than taken up by individual farmers.Ryan Jenson, chief executive of the Portland-based HoneyComb Corp., said his company will begin selling its fixed-wing Ag Drone in January 2014. The drone, “ready to go out of the box,” costs $14,995, can be launched by hand and comes in a case that can be thrown into the back of pickup for transport to fields. “It’s a flying robot,” he said.The drone’s cameras, including infrared sensors, will provide early detection of disease or pest outbreaks, irrigation problems, plant stress or other issues, Jenson said. His company will process the data at a per acre charge to be determined later, with the first month free.A key point in the forum discussion came when an audience member asked Jenson if his “drone in a suitcase” is legal for farmers or service companies to fly. The short answer is “not yet,” but the Federal Aviation Administration is working to establish drone guidelines by 2015. For now, unmanned aerial systems may be flown for pleasure or in conjunction with university research, but advocates are optimistic the FAA will recognize the value of agricultural applications.When the FAA integrates commercial drone use into the national airspace, backers expect an industrial boom. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International projects the idustry will produce an $82 billion economic impact and create more than 100,000 jobs by 2025.Agriculture is likely to be an early adapter of the technology, speakers at the McMinnville forum said.Michael Wing, an OSU forestry professor who will test drones over three Yamhill County vineyards in the coming year, said the industry is just getting started.“It’s a revolution in the application of remote sensing, and it’s happening right in front of us,” he said.

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China’s Rising Soybean Consumption Reshaping Western Agriculture By Earth Policy Institute on Jan 8, 2013 Share By Lester R. Brown Global demand for soybeans has soared in recent decades, with China leading the race. Nearly 60 percent of all soybeans entering international trade today go to China, making it far and away the world’s largest importer. The soybean was domesticated some 3,000 years ago by farmers in eastern China. But it wasn’t until well after World War II that the crop gained agricultural prominence, enabling it to join wheat, rice, and corn as one of the world’s four leading crops. This real news is powered by you. Support Grist This rise in the demand for soybeans reflected the discovery by animal nutritionists that combining 1 part soybean meal with 4 parts grain, usually corn, in feed rations would sharply boost the efficiency with which livestock and poultry converted grain into animal protein. As China’s appetite for meat, milk, and eggs has soared, so too has its use of soybean meal. And since nearly half the world’s pigs are in China, the lion’s share of soy use is in pig feed. Its fast-growing poultry industry is also dependent on soybean meal. In addition, China now uses large quantities of soy in feed for farmed fish. Four numbers tell the story of the explosive growth of soybean consumption in China. In 1995, China was producing 14 million tons of soybeans and it was consuming 14 million tons. In 2011, it was still producing 14 million tons of soybeans—but it was consuming 70 million tons, meaning that 56 million tons had to be imported. China’s neglect of soybean production reflects a political decision made in Beijing in 1995 to focus on being self-sufficient in grain. For the Chinese people, many of them survivors of the Great Famine of 1959–61, this was paramount. They did not want to be dependent on the outside world for their food staples. By strongly supporting grain production with generous subsidies and essentially ignoring soybean production, China increased its grain harvest rapidly while its soybean harvest languished. Hypothetically, if China had chosen to produce all of the 70 million tons of soybeans it consumed in 2011, it would have had to shift one third of its grainland to soybeans, forcing it to import 160 million tons of grain—more than a third of its total grain consumption. As more and more of China’s 1.35 billion people move up the food chain, its soybean imports will almost certainly continue to climb. The principal effect of skyrocketing world soybean consumption has been a restructuring of agriculture in the western hemisphere. In the United States there is now more land in soybeans than in wheat. In Brazil, the area in soybeans exceeds that of all grains combined. Argentina’s soybean area is now close to double that of all grains combined, putting the country dangerously close to becoming a soybean monoculture. Together they account for over four fifths of world soybean production. For six decades, the United States was both the leading producer and exporter of soybeans, but in 2011 Brazil’s exports narrowly eclipsed those from the United States. Although most of the growth in the world grain harvest since the mid-twentieth century is from the tripling of grain yield per acre, the 16-fold increase in the global soybean harvest has come overwhelmingly from expanding the cultivated area. While the area expanded nearly sevenfold, the yield scarcely doubled. The world gets more soybeans primarily by planting more soybeans. Therein lies the problem. The question then becomes, Where will the soybeans be planted? The United States is now using all of its available cropland and has no additional land that can be planted to soybeans. The only way to expand soybean acreage is by shifting land from other crops, such as corn or wheat. In Brazil, new land for soybean production comes from the Amazon Basin or the cerrado, the savannah-like region to the south. Put simply, saving the Amazon rainforest now depends on curbing the growth in demand for soybeans by stabilizing population worldwide as soon as possible. And for the world’s more affluent people, it means eating less meat and thus slowing the growth in demand for soybeans. Against this backdrop, the recent downturn in U.S. meat consumption is welcome news. For further reading on the global food situation, see Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity, by Lester R. Brown (W.W. Norton: October 2012). Supporting data sets and PowerPoint presentations are online at www.earth-policy.org/books/fpep.

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Corn Warmer weather, but still a cool economy in the Twin Cities A warmer-than-usual spring has given Minnesota fruit and vegetable suppliers a look at the bright side. “It’s been great, the first year I’ve been excited to be in Minnesota in March,” said Adam Gamble, general manager of North Country Produce, a subsidiary of Russ Davis Wholesale, Inver Grove Heights, Minn. The weather cooled off to a more typical damp coolness in late April and early May, but nevertheless, the state got an early start on spring with snow off the ground weeks before usual. “People tend to buy a little more fruit when the sun is out and when it’s warm enough to go outside,” Gamble said. “I think it (the weather) helped some, but some stuff gets going later on in May, so it doesn’t help that much in March.” But not all is sunshine and roses in the Twin Cities. The mayor’s recent battle with the city’s budget — complete with potential layoffs for government employees — is a sign that, like most of the country, the economy is still on the rocks. Consumers shop around more As retailers and restaurants have been fighting for consumers’ food dollars, produce suppliers have been fighting for retail and foodservice business. Although there aren’t any significant additions to the competitive marketplace, there is strong competition. “A lot of what we’re seeing with customers is there is a lot more shopping,” said Mike McLeod, produce manager for Cloquet, Minn.-based Upper Lakes Foods, a foodservice supplier. McLeod said it’s not rare for five suppliers to be working on one account. “People are a lot more aware of and in tune with what they’re buying,” McLeod said. “They’re definitely getting smarter and smarter.” Customers are more aware of new products and more likely to try new products, McLeod said. “There are customers asking for stuff they’ve seen right off Food Network, whereas in the past it’s just been lettuce and tomatoes, and that’s what you were looking for,” McLeod said. “Everyday I get a call for something goofy.” The culinary scene is fast-paced in the Twin Cities, said Kevin Hannigan, vice president of St. Paul, Minn.-based J&J Distributing Inc. The cities had at least a handful of chefs up for James Beard awards this year, one of the top honors in the culinary field. “It’s really a fast-moving culture,” Hannigan said. “Life is good for food distributors.” Gamble said he has seen multiple approaches to improve sales on the retailer’s end. “Some carry less variety, focus on grades that have lower retail price points, and try to increase movement,” he said. “Then there are people who have gone the other direction, offering more variety.” North Country Produce has a broad and diverse customer base, so it has to be able to work with either tactic, Gamble said. Some of the variable markets for tomatoes, onions and romaine this year are still affecting Minnesota wholesalers and distributors. “We’re in the tomato business, so it affected us directly,” Gamble said. “And onions were very, very difficult.” Brings Co., an onion repacker that is now part of H. Brooks & Co., New Brighton, Minn., has been working with variable onion markets all spring. “It’s been an incredible spring. I’ve never seen anything like it in 30 years,” said Pat Coan, president. “I’m really glad we have the relationships we have with our growers around the country.” Even with Texas entering the onion market, supplies weren’t yet where they needed to be in early May, Coan said. “Texas doesn’t have enough crop either,” Coan said. “Arizona’s starting to open up, and Southern California.” Although rumors of an economic recovery are plentiful, no one in the Twin Cities is willing to bet on a quick turnaround quite yet. “A lot of people have lost their jobs, so it’s hard to say,” Hannigan said. This year is already looking better than years past for Co-op Partners Warehouse, the distribution arm of The Wedge Co-op, Minneapolis. “Sales are up 22% over last year,” said Tom Rodmyre, warehouse manager. Rodmyre attributes the growth to people staying at home for more meals and being more conscious about their health. “The economy here is picking up a little bit,” said Phillip Brooks, chef executive officer of H. Brooks & Co. For Fridley, Minn.-based Roland Marketing, with its core business in staple items like potatoes, corn, apples and oranges, the economic downturn has had a minimal effect, said Dan Meuers, chief operating officer. a warmer-than-usual springminnesota fruit and vegetable suppliersconsumers shop around morerumors of an economic recovery About the Author:

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Badger Cull Badgers are being killed by the UK government in what is known as the ‘badger cull’, which has taken place in certain parts of England since 2013. Thousands of badgers have so far been killed in what we, along with numerous independent scientists and animal welfare organisations, believe is a totally unjustified slaughter of a protected species. The Government believes that culling badgers will help reduce the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle, also sometimes incorrectly referred to as ‘badger TB’ - an infectious disease that results in the slaughter of tens of thousands of cattle each year. Badgers have been found to be infected with bTB and some farmers fear that infected badgers are transmitting the disease to their cattle, despite the fact that there is no conclusive evidence that this happens often enough to be significant. Badger Cull – the way forward The National Farmers Union lobbied hard for a badger cull and the Government agreed to pursue this policy - in spite of substantial scientific evidence suggesting that culling badgers would not have any significant impact on reducing the disease in cattle, and could even make it worse. We agree that action is needed to tackle bovine TB as it is devastating for cattle and for farmers; however the evidence shows the main source of transmission for bovine TB is cattle to cattle. Therefore, the main focus for eradicating the disease should be tackling cattle to cattle transmission through improved testing (i.e. better tests and mandatory annual and pre-movement testing for all cattle), more movement restrictions and rigorous biosecurity on farms. This approach, along with a humane vaccination programme for badgers, is already being carried out successfully in Wales, with the incidence of bTB in cattle having dropped significantly without killing badgers. The League has a long history of campaigning to protect badgers and played an instrumental role in the implementation of the Badgers Act 1991. Our charitable status remit covers all areas of animal welfare and we believe that our expertise in badgers is an asset in the campaign to stop the badger cull. Why the League is opposed to the badger cull We believe that culling badgers in an attempt to tackle bTB in cattle is ineffective and inhumane. A 2014 report by an Independent Expert Panel of scientists appointed by Defra to assess the effectiveness and humaneness of the 2013 pilot badger culls, concluded: The culls did not even come close to reducing badger populations by 70%, the minimum level deemed to have any significant effect in reducing bTB in cattle Coverage of 70% of the land in the cull area, another essential criteria for having any significant effect, could not be confirmed Up to 18% of badgers shot were still alive after 5 minutes and at risk of experiencing marked pain, meaning up to 422 badgers may have suffered marked pain. In 2015 the Government got rid of most of the scientific criteria that had been used in the past to justify the cull (from the 10 year study called the Randomised Badger Cull Trial), so making it even less efficient and scientific. Why can’t we vaccinate cattle and badgers? Vaccinating cattle against bTB is currently banned under EU law because the way to distinguish vaccinated cattle from infected cattle is still being tested. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee held an inquiry in 2013 to explore the extent to which vaccination can contribute to the control and eradication of bovine TB. It stated that the Government should produce a clear strategy for badger vaccination. It also confirmed that the primary means of transmission is cattle to cattle, and as such a cattle vaccination could be a useful proactive tool for combating the disease in the future; however, a licensed cattle vaccine is still several years away. How many badgers have been killed by the badger cull? Defra released figures indicating that 850 badgers were killed in Somerset (40% of the initial target), and 708 in Gloucestershire (just 30% of the population in the cull area when the target was 70%) in the initial six week pilot culls in 2013 - before the trials were granted time extensions. Following the extensions the number of badgers killed totalled 1,861. According to Defra figures for the 2014 cull, 274 badgers were killed in Gloucestershire (44% of the initial target) and 341 in Somerset during the six week period starting in September. The Government’s figure for the number of badgers killed in the 10 culling areas in 2016 is 10,886, which includes 5,667 killed with controlled shooting and 5,219 killed with cage trapping. Will the cull be extended to more areas? Despite the evidence that the cull does not work the Government seems determined to keep rolling it out beyond the two initial pilot zones in Somerset and Gloucestershire. It was extended to Dorset in 2015, and in 2016 to Devon, Herefordshire, the Cotswolds, Cornwall, and a new Dorset zone. It is expected to be extended to others zones in subsequent years. What is the League doing to oppose the cull? The League provided support and funding for equipment needed by badger patrol groups Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting and Somerset Against The Badger Cull in 2014 as it was clear we would need boots on the ground when the culls commenced. Also, to show our solidarity with activists taking part in wounded badgers patrols in the cull zone, the League along with Bill Oddie, now our President, joined them in both cull zones to help generate attention towards their tireless work. See the feature in the Daily Mirror here. In 2016 Bill Oddie returned to the cull zones with our CEO Eduard Gonçalves.As a founding member of the Team Badger coalition, the League Against Cruel Sports is campaigning to stop the badger culls and any potential further roll outs. How can I help to stop the cull? Contact your MP and remind them that the published science and evidence from Wales is strongly against the cull. Ask them to vocally oppose the cull and urge their party to commit to ending the cull if they form the next Government When the cull starts, join a peaceful wounded badger patrol by getting in touch with the Badger Action Network Share this page on your social media Published: 8th November, 2016 We are opposed to the shooting of animals for sport, both because of our moral objection to killing for sport and because of the unnecessary suffering and collateral damage to wildlife and the environment that is caused by commercial shooting. Race horses are being fatally injured on a regular basis at race-courses all over the UK. The high numbers of injuries and fatalities of horses involved in horse racing has led many to call for the most gruelling races to be banned. Mink Hunting Mink are medium-sized river-dwelling animals, similar to otters and ferrets. Mink hunting is banned in England and Wales by the Hunting Act 2004, but we believe it still continues. Terrier Work Terrier work, which is often associated with hunting, sees terriers introduced to a hole in the ground to flush out or force a wild animal to escape, or to dig it out and kill it. Bullfighting is perhaps the most well known spectator “sport” involving the killing of animals for entertainment. It has already been banned in most countries, but each year tens of thousands of bulls are maimed, tortured and killed for entertainment in Spain, Portugal, France, Colombia, Mexico, USA, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru. Cub Hunting Cub hunting is the practice of hunting fox cubs and training young hounds to hunt. It is a type of hunting hardly ever spoken about publicly by the hunters as besides from being illegal, it is something we believe most people would find abhorrent. Pheasant and Partridge Shooting Around 35 million pheasants and red-legged partridges, both non-native species in the UK, are released on UK shooting estates each year. They are farmed and shot purely for sport, with many wounded and left to suffer. Trophy hunting is the stalking and killing of wild animals with guns or bows and arrows with the purpose of obtaining part of the animal as a trophy to represent the success of the hunt. This multi-million pound international industry is utterly unjustifiable and it is pushing some of the world's most threatened species toward extinction. Hare Hunting and Hare Coursing Much of the debate over hunting with dogs focuses on foxes, yet hares and deer are also traditionally hunted in a similar way. In fact, before the Hunting Act was passed, one third of hunts in Britain targeted brown hares with packs of beagles, basset hounds and harriers.

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Rice harvest looking good across region By CHING LEE/Courtesy of Ag Alert As rice harvest begins to ramp up this month, California farmers say they expect to have a good crop, although yields may not be as remarkable as they would like, given the late start to planting this spring.A small percentage of fields are already harvested, but the good majority of farms will be starting this week and likely run into November, according to University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisors Chris Greer and Luis Espino."It looks like it's going to be an OK harvest," said Butte County rice farmer Michael Arens. "The weather seems to be good. I think the crop is going to be average. I don't think it's going to be anything spectacular."He planted his first field in mid-May and said he expects to begin harvest next week. But stand establishment was tough this spring, he said, because late-season rains delayed planting, which typically causes a drop in yields."I think our production is going to be what it's going to be," said Arens, who grows rice in Richvale. "Everything is done. We can't change that. Hopefully, harvest will be easy, with good weather."Greer, a farm advisor who covers Yuba, Sutter, Placer and Sacramento counties, agreed that yields should be "somewhat average" this year, although some fields may see more losses if the plants were flowering during a stretch of hot weather in August, when temperatures topped 100 degrees.The heat spell also helped to control the fungal plant disease rice blast, which has been prevalent this year -- although not as bad as the last two years, he noted. With weather cooling down, more blast is now showing up, but it's too early to tell how much of an impact it will have on overall yields, Greer said."In a year like this, unless we start getting heavy rains, (harvest) is probably going to turn out fairly good," he said.This year marks the state's 100th rice harvest, according to the California Rice Commission. Rice production is forecast at 47.3 million hundredweight, up 2 percent from 2011, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The yield forecast is 8,400 pounds per acre. The state is expected to harvest some 563,000 acres of rice this fall, down from 580,000 in 2011.Greer said the amount of reduced acreage is not unusual, as the state has fluctuated between 500,000 and 575,000 acres in the last 10 years. Some of the lost acreage could be attributed to ground that was fallowed in favor of water transfers, such as in Butte County, or a switch to other crops, he said.George Tibbetts, a Colusa County rice farmer, said he typically likes to keep all his ground in production and stick to his regular crop rotation, which includes sunflowers, safflower and tomatoes.He said he will modify his rotation schedule a bit and keep a field in rice a year or two longer to take advantage of higher prices, but generally about two-thirds of his farm is devoted to rice. Not all growers are able to do the kind of rotation he does, however, because their ground may not be suitable for other crops, Tibbetts noted.If the price outlook for rice is particularly strong during planting time, he said, some growers may bring marginal ground into production. But the outlook this spring wasn't necessarily too bright or too gloomy, he noted."The price has been rather volatile," Tibbetts said. "Right now, the price outlook for the crop you harvested last year is a lot lower than it was a few years ago, but not as bad as it was five or six years ago, so it's kind of in between."Tibbetts said his crop is mature enough now to harvest, but he's waiting for the moisture level to come down so he can avoid high drying costs, and that may take until late this week. That puts him about a week behind, even though he planted his crop in early May, which is his normal planting window. He also said he did not experience any significant weather issues this summer that would adversely affect his crop."It could still be a good crop. It could be average," he said. "I won't know until we get out there and cut a few loads."Matt Tennis, who farms rice in Chico and is about two weeks away from harvest, said although temperatures during pollination were a little hotter than he would like, weather conditions on the whole this summer were "pretty benign."He said he did have a harder time with weeds this year, noting that growers are now battling increasingly tough weeds that have few materials available to control them. He said while he was "mostly" able to manage the weeds this year, it got expensive.Farm advisor Espino, who covers Glenn, Colusa and Yolo counties, said UC researchers confirmed last year that smallflower umbrella sedge, a common weed in rice fields, has become resistant to one of the main herbicides that growers use to attack it. While the resistant strain is not yet widespread, Espino said the problem weed is a concern, as "we'll probably see more of it as time goes by."Tennis said farmers not only need all the tools that are available now to control weeds, but new ones as part of their arsenal."We need to encourage innovation," he said. "That means chemicals that can safely control weeds. It also means more science that can produce hardier varieties of rice that can stand up to these various challenges -- weather and threat from weeds."

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The coming California Dust Bowl Monday, April 21, 2014 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writerTags: dust bowl, California, drought http://www.naturalnews.com/044800_dust_bowl_California_drought.html (NaturalNews) The fruit basket of America, California's Central Valley, is in major trouble. Persistent drought conditions combined with decades of overfarming and chemical spraying has killed much of the growing acreage there. And experts are now warning that the entire agricultural region will likely collapse if more farmers don't give the land a chance to rest and rejuvenate itself.Ever since early farmers first began diverting water from across the state into the valley, which is technically a desert, the viability of the land there has been on a slow crash-course toward collapse. Irrigation-based crop systems, it turns out, which dominate the San Joaquin Valley where some 1.75 million acres of farmland exist, leach toxins, salts and other substances out of the ground, where they build up over time.If you're wondering why this is a big deal, consider that the Central Valley provides more than 25 percent of the nation's food, including nearly half of the tree fruits, nuts, table grapes, and wine grapes that stock your local supermarket. The Central Valley is also a critical producer of cereal grains, hay, cotton, tomatoes vegetables, and citrus, according to data provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).Native habitats that keep land healthy disappearing at alarming rate Of particular concern is the continued destruction of native habitats to make way for more large-scale farms, residential housing and other developments in the area. Without the natural plants, animals, insects and other life that flourished in the valley before it was transformed into a multimillion-acre network of industrial agriculture plantations, the growing soils simply cannot be sustained."We can make the decision now, when we actually have the choice about how to rationally back out of that bad situation and make landowners whole," said Jon Rosenfield, a conservation biologist for the environmental group Bay Institute who is calling for many more landowners in the area to retire their fields and restore them back to native habitat for restoration."Or we can just wait until the worst is upon us, we've driven the species extinct, we've plowed under the last bit of naturalized landscape in the area, and then we're going to retire these lands anyway," he adds, as quoted by the San Francisco Gate.All good things must come to an end Some area farmers have already sold off their land, including Jack Mitchell, a 74-year-old retired farmer who used to cultivate many thousands of acres. The federal government purchased some 3,000 acres of Mitchell's to study the damage caused, as well as initiated a restoration program to bring birds, mammals, plants and other wildlife back to the land."We could see the writing on the wall," stated Mitchell to SFGate, noting that the drainage system for irrigation was always less than desirable.In fact, much of the western side of the valley where Mitchell's former land is located is plagued by poor drainage. This is made worse by the fact that land in the valley is set atop an impermeable clay layer known as Corcoran, which further traps irrigation water that has already collected heavy amounts of salt, boron, selenium and other minerals that are poisoning the soil.The unfortunate reality is that there is nowhere for all this irrigation waste to go, which means it is continuing to pile up in the valley with no end in sight. The only option, say environmental experts knowledgeable about the situation, is for farmers to either move their crops elsewhere or simply stop growing them altogether.Be sure to take a look at this rendered satellite image showing what California's Central Valley used to look like before modern agriculture moved in:http://bigthink.com.Sources for this article include:http://www.sfgate.comhttp://bigthink.comhttp://ca.water.usgs.govhttp://science.naturalnews.com More news on dust bowl California's severe drought could become new Dust Bowl; 'Agonizing death' for farmersConventional agriculture has brought Dust Bowl back to Texas and OklahomaWestern chocolate corporations causing new 'Dust Bowl' in third-world countries with destructive cacao farming practicesTexas farmers fear arrival of new Dust Bowl35-year 'megadrought' to strike the American southwestAmazon.com launches PrimeGrocery, offering all-you-can-eat corn-based groceries delivered by elven-piloted dronesLearn these simple tips for preventing cancer naturally

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Agro-terrorism defenses to be improved By Stewart Doan© Copyright Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.WASHINGTON, Sept. 14--The federal government must do more to help the $300 billion U.S. food and agriculture sector respond and recover from potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report to Congress on Tuesday, two days after the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. President Bush directed USDA and three other executive branch agencies in 2004 to establish a national policy to defend against agro-terrorism after documents confiscated from an al Qaeda training camp showed that the terrorist group has researched how to compromise the U.S. food supply. In testimony to a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee, a GAO official said there still is no centralized coordination to oversee the federal agencies' overall progress in implementing the nation's agro-defense policy. The report concludes that USDA does not have a department-wide strategy for setting priorities and allocating resources implementing its various responsibilities under the 2004 directive. For example, although USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has acquired supplies to respond to the 17 most damaging animal disease threats, vaccines and diagnostic test kits for certain diseases have either not yet been developed or may be too costly for the agency to purchase. There also may not be sufficient workforce capacity to depopulate animals quickly in the event of a catastrophic outbreak of a highly contagious animal disease, such as foot-and-mouth, the report suggests. APHIS officials told congressional investigators that it could take as long as 80 days to depopulate a single feedlot with about 100,000 cattle. GAO recommended nine corrective actions; four of which directly affect USDA. Sheryl Maddox, deputy director of USDA's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Coordination, said the Department concurred with the recommendations and would work to implement them. For more news, go to http://www.agri-pulse.com/

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Glynwood Skip to content About History of Glynwood Farming at Glynwood Training Farmers Promoting Regional Food Retreats & Conferences How We Are Funded Harvest Award Farm Store & Products n Menu In 1929, the financier George Perkins, his wife Linn, and his mother Evelyna Ball Perkins, purchased the land that became Glynwood Farm, which took its name from a combination of the first names of its new owners. The Perkins brought a deep conservation ethic to their farm, inspired by Mr. Perkins’ father—George Walbridge Perkins—who in the late 19th Century led the way to the creation of the Palisades Interstate Parkway Commission, and served as its first President. To date, the Commission has conserved more than 100,000 acres of land in New York and New Jersey. Upon Mrs. Perkins’ death in 1993, her family preserved the property and made its core the site of a not-for-profit organization dedicated to rural conservation. With help from Open Space Institute and its Open Space Conservancy and funding from the Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace Fund, the forested uplands of the 2,500-acre estate became part of Fahnestock State Park. The 225-acre core, with its farms and houses, became Glynwood. The Perkins family also created an endowment to help maintain Glynwood’s facilities, which now include a headquarters and convening center, situated on a demonstration farm. Glynwood continues to benefit from the family’s involvement and support. In 1997, Glynwood absorbed the Countryside Institute and its Countryside Exchange program, which served as a “field laboratory” for understanding the problems and needs of rural communities. Our mission is to ensure farming thrives in the Hudson Valley. We carry on the tradition of learning from and informing other rural communities in the United States and internationally. PO Box 157, Cold Spring NY 10516 Tel: 845 265-3338 Shopping Cart - 0 items

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Tim White My First Real Boss: Andy Stevens 1936-2010 Buckeye Farm Beat The former editor of the Ohio Farmer and American Small Farm passed away Mar. 24. Published on: March 25, 2010 Andy Stevens is hoping mad about the health care bill. I can hear him now. “Big government give away,” he says just as he has said it many times before. “When will those people learn? It’s the tax payers’ money not theirs.” We won’t get to hear Andy rave about things like big government spending anymore. We won’t get to hear his tales of feeding cows at the farm in Delaware. We won’t get to read his words in the American Small Farm. The former editor of The Ohio Farmer and recent inductee into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame passed away in the early morning of March 24. The editor who entitled his OF column “Straight Talk from Andy” will not get to shoot from the hip again. Marti Smith, his business partner in the magazine “American Small Farm,” called to tell me the news this morning. Anyone who knows Marti, a former sale rep for Farm Progress, knows she is about fun and joy and laughter, but recently we have talked mostly about Andy and his failing health. She confided that she has known more about his painful year of battling an over sized tumor on his bladder than she has let on. Surgery to remove the tumor and the bladder in January had been successful, but Andy had taken a turn for the worse this week. Marti asked me to write a piece about Andy for the April issue of ASF and I was happy to agree. In my mind and memories Andy is still full of life. I recall the 40ish suit-and-tie-clad editor who practiced punting a football because he was sure he had one more shot at making the NFL as a punter. “I’ve got pretty good hang time and I’m getting it out there 35 or 40 yards,” Andy would say as if he really believed he could be a punter. I recall sitting at his desk with the stacks of boxes surrounding it, like a ship that was under siege from little pirate boats. The attackers were filled with papers -- mail and releases any one of which might hold the key to his next editorial. Along the window the planters were filled with young tomato plants. “How can you grow the first one, if you don’t get started early,” he would say. I recall writing a long “humorous” piece mocking the television advertising approaches of the various companies that were our bread and butter. Andy was a guy who liked to laugh and encouraged humorous articles, but in this case he bluntly told me it was not something that we were likely to run. Other wise, Andy’s management style was pretty relaxed especially given the fact that in 1980s the publication had a big and very young staff. Whether it was choosing cover photos, deciding what beats we wanted to cover or planning the annual Christmas party, Andy gave us full reign. It was under this freedom that the staff in 1983 wrote “the Storm Lingers” which won the DeKalb Oscar in Agriculture for team category. About a year later Andy and Larry Vance came up with a plan to salute conservation farmers which I have been proud to continue in the publication. Andy’s scope of knowledge of agriculture was truly amazing. Raised on the family’s Ayrshire dairy farm near Delaware, Ohio, he participated in FFA and 4-H. He continued to raise and show cattle for the rest of his life and served as president of the Ohio Ayrshire Breeders Association as recently as a few years ago. After getting a BS in agricultural education in 1958, he got an MS in the subject in 1963. During those years he taught vocational education. His love for FFA continued throughout his life as he served as president of both the FFA Foundation and the FFA Alumni Association. Over the years Andy took on part-time jobs to add income and fill in the time. He worked as a crop inspector for the Ohio Seed Improvement Association. He was an instructor for the Farm Business Planning Association, helping farmers computerize their record books. He was the association director for the Ohio Fair Board, which provides help to county fair managers. His farmer heart always came out in the spring when he would start his tomatoes in the office. Andy had long nursed a dream of starting a publication directed at small and hobby farms. He tried to get the leaders of Harvest Publishing to undertake the project, but did not get much interest. When Farm Progress bought the Harvest Group and Ohio farmer in 1991 Andy was let go. While many would view losing a job of 28 years as a devastating blow, Andy took it as an opportunity to follow his dream. In 1992 he co-founded the American Small Farm magazine. He and Marti would later buy out the other co-founder and the magazine continues to flourish. In his long career Andy was recognized by conservation organizations, farm organizations, small farm educators and of course the Ohio Ag Council with induction in the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2009. He was inducted in the Ohio State Fair Hall of Fame the year before that. Andy wasn’t really my first boss. I had lots of them before him, but Andy was the first person to hire me for the job I wanted to make my career. He gave me a chance and he gave many young journalists a chance. He was a fair person who claimed to be “quiet, shy and bashful,” but he loved to laugh and root for the Buckeyes and he loved to know that the words he wrote were helpful to farmers of all shapes and sizes. He never lost touch with his roots on the farm and his words will be missed most by those who nurture the soil. Andy, thanks for your many contributions to Ohio agriculture.

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President Bush backs biodiesel President George W. Bush has touted biodiesel as a key component of his plan to confront high fuel prices. A farmer-leader of the American Soybean Association (ASA) participated in a renewable fuel summit hosted by the Renewable Fuel Association (RFA) April 25 in Washington, D.C., where the President announced his plan. "It’s truly rewarding to hear the President of the United States include biodiesel in his plan to address skyrocketing fuel prices," said ASA past-President Bart Ruth, who represented ASA at the RFA summit. "ASA has long advocated that farmers stand ready to help address our nation’s energy needs, and the President validated that point again today." During his remarks, the President impressed upon listeners the need to continue investing in alternative fuels. He said," research and development has led to new alternative sources of energy like biodiesel. So that’s one of the reasons why I signed into law the first ever federal tax credit for biodiesel producers. In other words, we’re interested in addressing our energy security on a variety of fronts. It makes sense for the United States to have a comprehensive strategy to help us diversify away from oil." ASA led the charge to enact the biodiesel tax credit in October 2004, as part of the JOBS Act. Ten short months later, the ASA convinced Congress to extend until 2008 this critically important biodiesel provision, which would have expired at the end of this year. ASA is currently working to extend the biodiesel tax incentive beyond 2008. To that end, ASA supports S. 2401, introduced by U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.), and H.R. 2498, introduced by U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.). Both pieces of legislation would extend until 2010 the biodiesel tax incentive. "Extending the biodiesel tax incentive beyond 2008 is one action Congress can take to help reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil. It’s a top priority for the ASA, and we urge our supporters in both chambers of Congress to cosponsor these vitally important measures," concluded Ruth. ASA is the policy advocate for 25,000 U.S. soybean producers on domestic and international issues of importance to all U.S. soybean farmers. Source URL: http://southeastfarmpress.com/president-bush-backs-biodiesel

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Charles Goodnight, Jr. (1836-1929) The grave of Charles Goodnight, Sr. located at the Willis Wolf farm (left); Charlie and John�s ranch in Palo Duro (right) Up-close picture of the headstone, Zoomed out picture of Charles Goodnight Senior's grave You often hear stories of cowboys who roamed the west with nothing but a blanket, a herd of cattle, and their trusty steed. Not too many people think of these illusive cowboys as real, individual men who worked hard to succeed in farming and business, not to mention cattle herding. But one of those so-called cowboys originated right here in Macoupin County, and went on to lead an amazing life. His name was Charles Goodnight, and he happened to be one of the most prosperous cattle herders in the old American West. Charles Goodnight, Jr. was born in 1836 on the farm now owned by Willis Wolf, Jr. He grew up with three other siblings and was raised by his parents, Charlotte and Charles Goodnight, Sr. When he was only five, his father died of pneumonia. Charlotte married a neighboring farmer soon after. When Charlie was ten, the family moved to Texas. There, he began looking for odd jobs at neighboring farms. When he was fifteen, he tried jockeying at a local racing outfit, but found that it didn�t suit him as well as ranching and farming. So, he returned home to his mother and continued finding work to do at nearby farms. At about twenty years old, Charles found his way into the cattle business in northwest Texas, where he also helped out with the local militia. In 1857 Charlie joined the Texas Rangers and fought on the Confederacy�s side in the Civil War. After the war, he met up with a large group of other men and began helping in a statewide roundup of cattle that had scattered across Texas during the war. After Charlie got his herd back, he had to think of a way to get them out of the almost destroyed South and to the market. He wanted to go further west, where beef was in high demand. Charlie found a partner in Oliver Loving, whose way of making a living during the Civil War was to sell Confederates his beef. Loving was somewhat of an experienced cattle herder, so he joined Goodnight in his long trek from Texas to New Mexico. Trailing two thousand head, they paved the path that would be later known as the Goodnight-Loving Trail. This trail between Belknap and Fort Sumner became one of the most heavily traveled trails in the Southwest. Oliver Loving died from wounds inflicted by fighting Indians at the very end of their third trip to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Distressed, Charlie turned back from the cattle drive to take his partner�s body safely back to Texas. Charlie kindly continued to divide his profits with his old friend�s family. In the following years, Goodnight also created a trail singularly named after him that extended from Alamogordo Creek, New Mexico, to Granada, Colorado. In later years, his lead steer, Old Blue, helped him lead several cattle drives. Once, this famous steer helped lead a thousand head 250 miles all the way to Dodge City. That accomplished, Old Blue then turned around and trotted back home with the cowboys. Traveling the trail everyday carrying minimal baggage in hot, uncomfortable weather was tough on a cowboy. In 1866, Charles saw his opportunity and began on his new invention � the chuck wagon. He basically redesigned a Studebaker wagon to fit a cowboy�s needs. The Studebaker was a tough army surplus wagon that could last months of hard driving on the trails. Goodnight designed his very own chuck box, containing a number of shelves and drawers. He fitted this to the back of the wagon and it served to keep the cook�s things in order. The box had a hinged lid, and when the cook shut it, he would have a perfect surface to fix meals on. A water barrel holding a two days� water supply was also attached to the wagon alongside a row of hooks, boxes, brackets, and a coffee grinder. Charles also hung a canvas under the wagon (hammock-style) to carry wood and kindling, which is scarce on the prairies. An additional wagon box was used to carry the cowboys� bedrolls, personal items, and food supplies. Goodnight�s genius invention is used in cattle drives to this day. On July 26, 1870, Charlie finally tied the knot. The lucky lady was Molly Ann Dyer, affectionately nicknamed Mary. Previously she had been a schoolteacher at Weatherford. The two had been longtime sweethearts, and now, with Charles at age 34 and Mary at age 31, they were married. At 40 years old, Charlie drifted back to Texas and put his business efforts toward running a ranch in the panhandle. He settled in Palo Duro, an area he was formerly acquainted with from his experience with the Texas Rangers during the Civil War. He partnered up with Englishman John G. Adair, and together they attempted a pioneer venture at the JA Ranch in Palo Duro Canyon. This venture expanded their ranch to over a million acres and 100,000 steers. Mary faithfully settled down with her husband as the only woman on Charlie and John�s ranch. Mary imprinted her loving nature in the hearts of the cowboys and hands working there. She became known forever as Mother of the Panhandle for acting as a nurse, comforter, nurturer, homemaker, mother, and sister to all those living in Palo Duro around her. Mary adjusted to life in the same canyon where the indians who killed Oliver Loving had once camped. Women in that time would have cringed, but Mary held onto her faith in Charles and in herself. Horrified at the sometimes brutal ways of men and forever the protector of baby animals on the ranch, she struggled to maintain a halfway civilized way of life. Her only friends were the ranch hands, a few wandering Indians, and several pet chickens she received as gifts. Yet Mary adapted, and busied herself with the many baby buffaloes left to die on the plains. Abandoned by commercial hunters, the rescued baby buffaloes later made up the Goodnight buffalo herd, which became well known throughout the world. Mary was the one who played the biggest part in building up this herd. During his eleven years spent at the JA Ranch, Goodnight not only built up the herd and extended the ranch, but he also assisted in enforcing law and order in the area. He helped send numerous outlaws and cattle thieves to justice. Goodnight was a pioneer in cattle breeding. He successfully crossed Texas longhorns with Herefords, creating a breed of cattle combining the longhorns� toughness with the Herefords� more heavyset build. He also created the very first �cattalo� by breeding buffalo and cattle. At 60 years old, Goodnight�s reputation for cattle breeding grew. He is recognized as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, cattle breeders in the American West. But Charles Goodnight, Jr. didn�t retire then. As if ranching and cattle driving wasn�t enough, he went on to be a very successful entrepreneur, investing in various Mexican mining operations, and even trying his hand at movie producing. As he reached his 90s, he was an internationally recognized figure in range and cattle economics. At the age of 93 and unknowingly living the last year of his life, Charlie joined a church. Although he had founded and funded many in his lifetime, he had never been a part of one. So, having made his mark on the world, Charles died peacefully on the morning of December 12, 1929. He was buried next to Mary in the panhandle town of Goodnight, Texas.

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Reclamation by tubewell drainage in Rechna Doab and adjacent areas, Punjab region, Pakistan Water Supply Paper 1608-O Glenn T. Malmberg Around the turn of the century, a network of more than 40,000 miles of canals was constructed to divert water from the Indus River and its tributaries to about 23 million acres of largely unused desert in the Punjab region of Pakistan. The favorable climate and the perennial supply of irrigation water made available through the canals instituted the beginning of intensive farming. However, because of generally poor drainage and the high rate of canal leakage, the water table began to rise. As the population increased and agriculture expanded, the demand for irrigation water soon exceeded the available supply. Spreading of the canal supply to meet the expanded needs locally created shortages that prevented adequate leaching. Increased evaporation from the rising water table further contributed to the progressive accumulation of soluble salts in the soil. By the late 1930's the combined effect of waterlogging and salinity had reduced the agricultural productivity of the region to one of the lowest in the world. In 1954, after several unsuccessful projects were undertaken to reclaim affected areas and to stop the progressive encroachment of waterlogging and salinization, the Government of Pakistan in cooperation with the U.S. International Cooperation Administration undertook a study of the geology and hydrology of the Indus Plain that ultimately resulted in the formulation of a ground-water reclamation program. The principal feature of the program is the utilization of a network of deep wells spaced about a mile apart for the dual purpose of lowering the water table and for providing supplemental irrigation water. Through financial assistance and technical and engineering support principally from the United States, construction began in 1960 on the first of 18 proposed reclamation projects that eventually will include 21 million acres and more than 28,000 wells having an installed capacity of more than 100,000 cubic feet per second. An area of about 1.3 million acres a few miles west of the City of Lahore was selected for the pilot project. The first Salinity Control and Reclamation Project (SCARP-l) was completed in 1962. Within the project area about 2,000 wells were drilled as deep as 350 feet and equipped with turbine pumps having a capacity of up to 5 cubic feet per second each and a combined operating capacity of about 3.5 million acre-feet per year. To July 1968 pumping from project wells and from private and other governmental agency wells supplied about 12 million acre-feet of water. This pumping more than doubled the available irrigation supply and lowered the water table to a depth of 10 feet or more below most of the project area. As a result, approximately 66 percent of the 400,000 acres of land damaged by waterlogging and accumulation of excessive salt was wholly or partially reclaimed. The cropping intensity was increased from about 77 percent in 1962 to 101 percent in July 1968, and the annual value of crops increased 186 percent over 1962. Annual water budgets for the first 6 years of project operation indicate that pumping caused a decrease in annual ground-water outflow from the project area from about 57,000 acre-feet to 32,000 acre-feet, caused an increase in annual ground-water inflow to the project area from 35,0'00 acre-feet to 52,000 acre-feet, and depleted about 1.71 million acre-.feet of groundwater storage. Net annual recharge to the ground-water reservoir during this same period ranged from a high of slightly more than 2 million acre-feet in 1964 to a low of about 1 million acre-feet in 1965. The budgets suggest that perhaps as much as half the net canal' inflow to the project area is lost through leakage. This leakage is the principal source of recharge to the ground-water reservoir. Pumping has caused widespread changes in the chemical quality of ground water by chanelling the rate and direction of flow, inducing infiltration from canals, and mixing of indigenous waters of dif iv, 72 p. :& portfolio (5 fold.maps)ill. ;23 cm. URL: http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/wsp1608O

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Ending Hunger and Poverty What You Can Do Join the Conversation Gift Catalog Or, View Heifer 12X12 Blogger Named Regional Finalist for CLASSY Award LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (July 10, 2012) – Heifer International’s Global Blogging Ambassador, Betty Londergan, is a regional finalist for Volunteer of the Year in the fourth annual CLASSY Awards. Londergan, along with four other finalists, was chosen out of a pool of more than 2,000 nominations. Londergan is spending a year of her life visiting some of the poorest and most remote parts of the planet chronicling her experience on the blog, Heifer12x12.com. Londergan is volunteering her time and writing for the global hunger nonprofit Heifer International, sharing the intimate stories of the families in Heifer’s projects. Starting July 9, members of the public will have the opportunity to vote a single time for Londergan in the category of Volunteer of the Year in the Southeast region by visiting http://www.stayclassy.org/classy-awards/vote. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. PST on July 26, 2012. The CLASSY Award is one of the most prestigious recognitions in the nonprofit industry, awarded to the most outstanding and compelling philanthropic achievers by their peers and supporters. The CLASSY Team said Londergan’s story “stood out as one of the best of the best.” While the public is casting their votes, a panel of Past CLASSY Awards winners will judge and score each Regional Finalist based on impact, originality and category fit. The Regional Winners in each category will be determined by a combination of the public vote (50 percent) and the past winner judges' scores (50 percent). Regional winners will be announced on July 31, and the CLASSY Awards ceremony will take place Sept. 22, 2012. About Heifer International:Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Since 1944, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. Heifer is currently working in 40 countries, including the United States, to help families and communities become more self-reliant. For more information, visit www.heifer.org or call (800) 696-1918. Press Room Heifer International receives $8 Million for East Africa Dairy Development Extension Explore Heifer International Through Flat Stanley App Give Where Needed Most

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An American Tea Lover This is a story about an American tea lover. This is Sasha’s story. Even though Sasha may not be what you would generally think of as a stereotypical tea drinker, the face of the tea lover is changing every day.Even though tea is the second most popular beverage next to water itself, the popular belief has, for a long time, been that a tea drinker is an English aristocrat. Someone who, leisurely, takes their afternoon tea in the library with a spread of cakes and pastries.While in comparison, coffee drinkers were always considered the “regular folks”. The common man and woman, who worked hard for a living just to make sure their families had the things they need.As time goes by the stereotypical face of the tea drinker is changing fast. However, in this case the face of this American Tea Lover is definitely not what you would expect. This tea lover’s name is Sasha, our 9 year old niece from Ukraine.The war in eastern Ukraine has claimed more than 6,000 lives and left more than one million families without homes since it began in early 2014. As a result of the war tens of thousands of children have been forced from their homes in eastern Ukraine and many more are forced to continue living in areas close to the front lines.Our niece Sasha was one of these children, living in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk. To ensure her safety, her parents sent her here, to the United States, in August of last year to stay with family. Unfortunately, her parents are still stuck in the war zone but they had to make the incomprehensibly difficult decision to split up their family just to ensure Sasha’s safety. A decision no parent wants to make.Sasha is an amazing young lady. She is very smart, perceptive and kind. Most of all she is so grateful for the opportunity to experience the immense freedom and possibilities afforded by this great new land, the United States of America. Freedoms and possibilities that we, as natural born citizens, quite often take for granted.With all four of our children grown and making their own way in life, Elena and I are so blessed to have this little angel around to brighten our home again. Sure, we are helping to keep her safe and providing for her, but she gives us so much more in the form of love and joy in return, we are the ones actually benefiting from this situation.Our little Sasha is my shadow and my best buddy, I love to introduce her to American classic movies, music, books and anything else that is considered truly Americana. She is like a sponge, absorbing everything I say, and it is so cute to hear her repeat common sayings such as “I’m outta here”, “Howdy” and “See you later alligator” just to name a few. We have built such a strong bond, but to be honest it is easy with a person as sweet and open to exploring a brand new world as Sasha is.As I said, Sasha is a tea lover. Actually, she is the biggest tea lover in the family, and mind you we live and breath tea with our business and in our personal life. For Sasha, tea drinking is a tradition that connects her with her mother and father which comforts her.She will start her day with a morning cup of black tea with sugar and lemon and either an open face cheese sandwich or buttered toast, just like she did back home. In the evening, teatime is around 6 or 7, with tea brewed preferably from a samovar and with Sasha’s preferred semi-sweet bread, jam, sweet condensed milk, fruits and other delights.This evening teatime ritual is very important to Sasha because it is the time when we sit down as a family and share our day with each other. She loves to teach me Russian and laughs at my “accent”.This lovely little girl has no idea just how much she has given Elena and I, the absolute least we can do is to do everything in our power to repay her by keeping her safe from a world gone mad. To save a child’s innocence for as long as possible before she will be forced to enter this “adult” world. Tea Production in Africa Even though Africa is relatively new to the tea growing industry it has become one of the largest tea producing regions in the world and for good reason. African countries have had the benefit of being able to build on the experience of other producers.Because of this, Africa produces teas of high quality and excellent bright color which are used for blending all over the world. The tea producing countries in Africa include Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa, which produce about 32% of the world’s exports, amounting to some 424,000 tons of tea a year.KenyaKenya is the largest African tea producers, with a history of tea that dates back to 1903. This is when tea seeds from India were first planted on a two acre farm. Today, Kenya has 69,000 hectares under cultivation by smallholders (shambas), under the protection of the Kenya Tea Development Authority, along with tea producing companies in both the private and public sector. Kenya exports over 349,000 tons of tea per year, which is 22% of the world’s exports. The equatorial climate in Kenya allows tea to grow all year round. Teas from Kenya are very bright, colorful, with a reddish coppery tint and a pleasant crisp flavor.MalawiMalawi is the pioneer grower of tea in Africa, with production that first started commercially in the 1880s in Mulanje. Today, Malawi exports over 43,000 tons annually. This equates to a 3% share of the world exports and is mainly responsible for the spread of tea cultivation in Africa.Malawi was the first African country to adopt the cloning method of estate refurbishment. However, Malawi teas are not well known as speciality teas, they are mainly used in the blending of leading British tea brands because of their superb color and brightness.ZimbabweZimbabwe commercial tea production could only begin after the successful establishment of irrigated tea estates. With only about 50% of the usually required rainfall annually, irrigation is essential to continuous growth.Zimbabwe now exports over 15,000 tons of tea per year. Today, tea is a “controlled” commodity in Zimbabwe so that its quality and industry growth are protected.At ESP Tea Emporium, our goal isn’t to only sell tea, we want to inform and teach you about the amazing world of different teas, tea culture and the provided health benefits. Please check back for more interesting, helpful and informative articles about all the benefits to drinking tea. The Very Cool History of Iced Tea Iced tea accounts for about 85% of the tea consumed in the United States, where it is very popular as an alternative to soft drinks, especially in the hotter southern states.The oldest printed recipes for iced tea were from the 1870s. Two of the earliest cookbooks with recipes for iced tea are the Buckeye Cookbook by Estelle Woods Wilcox, first published in 1876, and Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Cabell Tyree, first published in 1877.Iced tea had started to appear in the United States during the 1860s. At first, it was seen as a novelty and during the 1870 it became widespread. Not only did recipes appear in print, during this period, but iced tea was offered on hotel menus, and was on sale at railroad stations.Iced Tea’s popularity really took off after Richard Blechynden introduced it at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. As the story goes, it was unbearably hot at the fair and the last thing the fair goers wanted was the hot tea that Blechynden, the India Tea Commissioner and Director of the East Indian Pavilion was selling.So, with necessity being the mother of invention and Blechynden having an entrepreneurial mind, he found a way to cool the tea for the parched patrons. Even though Mr. Blechynden didn’t invent iced tea, however, his brewed and chilled India tea was so popular that restaurants were scrambling to offer the beverage to their customers. And as they say the rest is history.Today, iced tea is so popular that it has its own month! June was National iced Tea Month, even though this is an impressive accomplishment, people would be completely happy naming the whole summer in honor of the refreshing drink.Iced tea with a punchEarly iced tea recipes had a lot more in common with the alcohol infused favorite, Long Island iced Tea, which is all alcohol and no tea at all. Americans were drinking iced tea with booze added at least as far back as the Colonial era.The classic Philadelphia Fish House Punch, first created in the early 1700s, was usually diluted with a small amount of tea. In his book Punch, liquor historian David Wondrich writes that the recipe for Regent’s Punch, dating to 1815, also packed a very significant punch.Not only did the punch call for green tea and arrack, a rum like liquor from South Asia, it also threw in citrus juice, sugar, champagne, brandy and rum. This makes it understandable how one of the early drinkers described the Regent’s as imparting a “mad, delirious dizziness,” as Wondrich wrote. These early iced tea creations had very little in common with the light, fruity drinks served today.As you can see, iced tea has had a long and robust history. Even though the recipes have changed dramatically over the years, one thing has held true, iced tea is still an American favorite during the dog days of summer and all year round.And iced tea has come such a long way. No longer do you have to settle for the same old fashioned tea. ESP Tea Emporium offers a wide selection of amazing, flavorful and robust Iced Tea Blends to satisfy anyone’s taste.At ESP Tea Emporium, our goal isn’t to only sell tea, we want to inform and teach you about the amazing world of different teas, tea culture and the provided health benefits. Please check back for more interesting, helpful and informative articles about all the benefits to drinking tea. Tea Harvesting Times of the Main Tea Producing Countries The harvest time for tea leaves largely depends on the region in which they are being grown and can also vary from season to season in regards to the fluctuations in weather.Timing the harvest is of the utmost importance because it can take only a few days for a bud to appear, open up and grow into a large leaf. If the optimum harvest time is missed a whole crop can be destroyed.This is mainly due to the fact that a specific style of tea may require the use of only the buds, or that only a certain number of buds be picked after the buds open. If there is a period of dormancy, due to cool weather, in the field, the first new shoots after this period are of the highest quality, making them the most sought after and usually the most expensive.The reason for this increase in quality is that they have been building up nutrient reserves over this period for the new leaves.Several growing regions have names for the first harvest of tea leaves. In India and Nepal, it is called the “first flush”, in China, these harvests are known as “Pre-Qing Ming” teas, in Japan they are referred to as “Shincha” and in South Korea, Ujeon.”Each growing region also has a special set of terms for referring to a period of growth in the tea plant. In China, Taiwan and South Korea, the terms used to signify tea harvests are dates in the traditional East Asian Lunisolar Calendar.Here is a guide to the harvest seasons for the world’s major specialty tea producers:India, Nepal and Sri Lanka Tea HarvestDarjeeling, India and Nepal - The Darjeeling and Napali harvest period lasts from late March to early November and is broken up into 4 parts: first flush, second flush, monsoon flush and autumnal flush. Sometimes, the plants will continue to flush past November and this is usually called a winter flush.First Flush: March - AprilSecond Flush: May - JuneMonsoon Flush: July - AugustAutumnal Flush: October - NovemberNilgiri India and Sri Lanka - Since there isn’t a cold season in the southernmost growing regions like Nilgiri in South India and Sri Lanka, tea plants can be harvested throughout the year.Assam India - Assam, like Darjeelings, are usually harvested from March to October. The higher quality teas are harvested during the two distinct growth periods of the first and second flush. The first flush begins in March and the second in June.China and TaiwanIn China and Taiwan, the harvest season varies greatly between the different growing regions and elevations in the countries. However, in general the harvest season can begin as early as April and last until late November.The harvest season in these regions are:Qing Ming (clear bright): This is tea picked before April 4-6Yu Qian (before the rains): Tea picked before April 20Gu Yu (grain rain): Tea picked before May 5Li Xia (start of summer): tea picked before May 21JapanJapan’s harvest season also varies by region, but typically begins in late April and ends in early October.Japan’s harvest periods include:Shincha (new tea): this is the name given to the first harvest of the year.Ichibancha (first tea): this refers to the whole first harvest season, including shincha and usually occurs from late April to May.Nibancha (second tea): This refers to the second harvest of the year that takes place from June to the end of July.Sanbancha (third tea): The third harvest of the year taking place in August.Yonbanchi (fourth tea): This is the fourth harvest of the year which can take place as late as October in some regions.South KoreaThe growing seasons in South Korea correspond to dates on the lunisolar calendar. It’s important to know that in South Korea, different grades of tea are harvested during different times so the harvest period is defined by the grade of tea picked during that time.Here are the different harvesting periods in South Korea:Ujeon (before the rain): This is tea picked before April 20 which corresponds with Gogu on the lunisolar calendar.Sejak (small sparrow): Tea picked before May 5-6 which corresponds to Ipha on the the lunisolar calendar.Jungjak (medium sparrow): This is tea picked around May 20-21 which corresponds to Soman on the lunisolar calendar.Daejak (large sparrow): This harvest period refers to lower quality large leaves tea picked during the summer.AfricaDue to the lack of a cold season in the East African countries of Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Burundi and Ethiopia, tea is able to be harvested year round. Peak tea production coincides with the rainy seasons.At ESP Tea Emporium, our goal isn’t to only sell tea, we want to inform and teach you about the amazing world of different teas, tea culture and the provided health benefits. Please check back for more interesting, helpful and informative articles about all the benefits to drinking tea. A Short History of Chinese Tea Drinking It is believed that Chinese people have enjoyed tea drinking for more than 4,000 years. Legend has it that Yan Di, one of three rulers in ancient times, tried many different types of herbs in the search of medicinal cures.One day, as he was dying from being poisoned by an herb he had ingested; a drop of water from a tea tree dripped into his mouth and saved his life. True, this is legend, but one thing that is backed up by research, is that tea does possess powerful health benefits that prevent or relieve several serious health issues.During the Western Zhou Dynasty, tea was regularly used as a religious offering. With the popularization of Buddhism from the Three Kingdoms to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, tea’s refreshing effect had made it a favorite among the monks during Za-Zen meditation.During the Tang Dynasty tea prospered as a common beverage, at which point tea shops became very popular. It was during this time that a major turning point in tea culture happened, the completion of the book Tea Classics, the cornerstone of Chinese tea culture, by Lu Yu.This book details the rules concerning various aspects of tea drinking, such as growth areas for tea trees, wares and skills for processing and tasting of tea, the history of Chinese tea and quotations from other records, comments on tea from various places and notes on what occasions tea wares should be included and when some wares can be omitted.Reflecting the cultural style of the Song Dynasty, tea culture, during this period, was delicate and sumptuous. New skills were learned to create several different ways to enjoy tea. The Ming Dynasty laid the foundation for the tea processing, types of teas and different styles of enjoying tea that we have inherited today.The Qing Dynasty brought the addition of folk art to tea shops, making them popular entertainment centers. This tradition is still being practiced in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.In 1610, tea and all of the practices and traditions made their debut in Europe via a Dutch merchant ship and as they say the rest is history. As expected, tea drinking successfully caught on and became just as popular as it was in China.At ESP Tea Emporium, our goal isn’t to only sell tea, we want to inform and teach you about the amazing world of different teas, tea culture and the provided health benefits. Please check back for more interesting, helpful and informative articles about all the benefits to drinking tea. << Older posts Newer posts12345678910...3334Older posts

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The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues Past Issues | Editors | Submissions | Subscribe | Sponsors Donate to Choices Agriculture, the Tax Code, and Potential Tax Reform James M. Williamson JEL Classifications: Q14, H24, H25 Keywords: Agriculture, Farm Business, Life Cycle, Tax Reform The Internal Revenue Code (IRC) plays a large role in the management of the farm business and the well-being of the farm household. The IRC can affect farm businesses at every stage of a farm’s life cycle, including influencing decisions about investments, their character, amount, and timing of their acquisition or sale. By its treatment of respective business entity types, the IRC can affect farm business formation. Because farm income and income from other sources are almost always combined in a farm household for tax purposes, the treatment of farming activity can affect off-farm labor and investment decisions as well. Finally, the tax treatment of land and other farm assets in estates affects dissolution or succession decisions. Policymakers and stakeholders are once again calling for reform, citing a tax code that is difficult to administer and comply with, inefficient, and inequitable. To accomplish such goals, reform proponents often refer to “broadening the tax base” or amending the IRC to include more income as taxable by eliminating tax expenditures or preferences. Tax expenditures are defined as federal revenue losses attributable to special tax exclusions, exemptions, and deductions, as well as preferential tax rates, credits, and deferrals of tax liability (Office of Management and Budget, 2012). Tax expenditures are sometimes known as “tax preferences,” evoking an image that the benefits accrue to a small group or a narrowly defined activity. However, in many cases, an individual tax expenditure benefits a large proportion of taxpayers. The exclusion from income allowed for the employer contribution toward health insurance is one example. Despite recent tax legislation that amended, extended, or made permanent key pieces of the IRC, proponents of tax reform still see a need for a comprehensive overhaul of the tax system. Published reform plans differ in specifics, but all are predicated on limiting or eliminating deductions, restructuring or creating new credits, and changing statutory marginal rates for ordinary income, capital gains, and dividends. Proponents of reform argue that tax preferences for certain activities or types of income complicate the federal tax system and create differences in tax liability between taxpayers with similar incomes and filing status—a violation of the principle of horizontal equity—as well as reduce the progressivity of the tax system because its value depends on the taxpayer’s marginal tax rate, generally reducing tax liability more for a high-income taxpayer than for a low-income taxpayer. Broadening the tax base by eliminating tax expenditures could reduce complexity and computational burden, and perhaps increase efficiency and equity, and, as this article will show, have a significant effect on investment, management, and production decisions in the agricultural sector at each stage of the farm life-cycle (Kay, Edwards and Duffy, 2011). From the perspective of farmers, the individual income tax is significantly more important than the corporate income tax for understanding how taxes affect most farm businesses. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture (U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)), sole proprietorships accounted for 86.5% of all farms and 50% of total sales. Partnerships comprise 7.9% of farms and 20% of sales. Sole proprietorships and partnerships are taxed at the individual level, as are partnerships and subchapter S corporations. Farms organized as subchapter C corporations are taxed under the corporate system and account for less than 4% of all farms, though they account for about 30% of farm sales. In all, more than 96% of all farms and over 75% of farm sales are taxed under the provisions of the individual income tax. Farm households may receive income from farm earnings and off-farm labor, as well as other business or investment activities, and, in fact, income sources other than farming account for a significant share of the farm household’s total income. Because the family is the typical unit of taxation for a farm business, farm and nonfarm income are combined for the purpose of computing federal income taxes for farm households. In 2011, the average farm household income reported in the USDA Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) was $87,289, and off-farm sources accounted for a majority of the income (84.3%). Since 1980, farm sole proprietors, as a group, have reported negative aggregate net farm income for tax purposes, and, over the last decade, both the share of farmers reporting losses and the amount of losses reported have increased. In 2010 (the last year for which complete IRS data is available), nearly three of every four farm sole proprietors reported a farm loss. For those who reported a loss, the average loss was $18,079 for a total of $24 billion. Total Taxable Net Farm Income/Loss for Farm Sole Proprietors Reported on Form 1040 Schedule F, 1998-2010 Source: USDA, Economic Research Service; tax data are compiled from the Internal Revenue Service. Because only about 30% of farm sole proprietors report a profit, and with just 60% of those reporting a farm profit owing any federal income taxes, only about 19% of farm sole proprietors paid any federal income tax on their schedule F farm income in 2010. Consequently, despite farm sole proprietors reporting an average gross income and taxes of $85,021 and $12,664, respectively, they also reported a net farm loss of $6,064. Further, because taxes on farm income are paid at the individual level, under the proposed changes to the individual income tax system, farm households could experience significant changes to their after-tax incomes. Proposed changes to the system of deductions and credits will expand the taxpayer’s tax base, and proposed changes to tax rates on dividends and capital gains, in particular, will raise current tax rates for some farmers, even if the plan is designed to be revenue neutral. Investing in Capital Assets Starting a farm operation can be an expensive endeavor, particularly if the farmer chooses an asset ownership model. Startup requires access to land and capital equipment, and these costs are particularly prohibitive for beginning or low-equity farmers. In 2010, the average farm (with “farm” defined as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the year) operated 416 acres and held just under $1 million in assets, the vast majority of which was in land and structures. Established farmers also routinely make capital purchases, and in 2010, 43% of U.S. farms made a capital investment of $32,000 on average, for a total of $29 billion. In general, the size of the capital purchase varied with the size of the operation; the greater the sales revenue of the operation, the more likely it was to make a capital investment in a given year. Based on 2010 ARMS data, 83% of very large commercial farms—farms with at least $500,000 in annual sales—reported they made such an investment in 2010, while only 36% of farms classified as rural residences (less than $250,000 in sales and a reported major occupation other than farming) made a capital investment. Under the current tax system, much of those costs may be expensed immediately, with the remainder capitalized and depreciated over time. This reduces the income subject to tax. The amount that can be expensed is subject to a limit, and the investment amount above the limit must be depreciated over a specified recovery period, generally seven years for farm machinery and equipment. The tax treatment of these investments is of considerable importance to the farm sector, especially to established commercial farms (farm sales above $250,000). Over the last decade, the amount that a farmer could immediately expense has changed. Beginning with the Economic Growth and Taxpayer Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (2001 Act), which set the expensing amount at $25,000, the amount of capital purchases eligible for immediate expensing has steadily increased. The amount was raised from $25,000 to $100,000 in 2003, and then again in 2008 to $250,000 through stimulus legislation. The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 doubled the expensing amount to $500,000 for property placed into service in 2010 and 2011. Recently, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 temporarily reinstated the amount to $500,000 for 2013. Along with the expensing provision, the ability to take an additional first-year depreciation deduction also benefits farmers making capital purchases. When combined with the expensing amount, the ability to accelerate depreciation has meant that much of the capital purchases made during the past decade have been completely deducted in the first year, offering a substantial tax savings. For tax years 2012 and 2013, the first-year depreciation allowance is 50%. Under current law, the expanded expensing and accelerated first-year depreciation allowances are considered tax expenditures and are candidates for reform. The impact of tax reform on U.S. agriculture will depend on how the expensing and depreciation provisions change. Currently, less than 1% of farmers annually invest more than the 2013 annual expensing limit of $500,000. Investments above this amount are eligible for the 50% additional first-year depreciation, so nearly all capital investment by farmers can be written off in the current year. The expensing allowance reduces the effective tax rate on income from farm capital and simplifies the recordkeeping burden associated with the depreciation of capital purchases, with commercial farmers the primary beneficiaries. Eliminating or lowering the expensing amount would raise the cost of capital purchases for some farms. As well as raising the cost of capital investment, lowering or eliminating expensing and additional first-year depreciation could increase the farm’s tax base, potentially increasing its taxable income. On average, farmers reported depreciation expenses of $21,259 in 2010. Farms with $500,000 or more of annual sales had an average depreciation expense of $94,000. Farmers who had previously been able to write off most or all of their capital investment in the first year due to the expensing and first-year depreciation provisions will find that their taxable incomes are higher with the scaling back or elimination of these provisions, whether they adjust their investment levels or not, and this could result in higher tax burdens. The IRC also offers assistance to some first-time farmers with their purchasing of land and equipment. An “Aggie Bond,” as it is sometimes called, is another source of financing for farmers who wish to establish or expand an operation. Aggie Bond programs currently operate in 16 states and the program is authorized through a provision in the IRC covering private activity bonds (National Council of State Agricultural Finance Programs). Such programs rely on private lenders to make loans to eligible farmers; in return, the lender receives a tax exemption on the interest received from the loan. The benefit to beginning farmers is that the tax-exempt status of the loan is an incentive to lenders to provide access to credit they might not otherwise provide and at rates that may be below the market rate. Limiting the value of the interest deduction could affect Aggie Bond loans. Currently the value of the bond to the bondholder is a function of their marginal tax rate—the tax liability saved on the last dollar earned—and limiting or removing the exemption of interest income from such bonds would effectively raise the rates on loans made through Aggie Bonds because bondholders would require a higher rate in return for the reduced value of the deduction. Reform would likely alter the tax treatment of capital gains. The federal income tax system has historically taxed gains on the sale of assets held for investment and certain business purposes at lower rates than on other sources of income. The current tax rate on capital gains is zero for taxpayers in the 10% and 15% income tax brackets; 15% for taxpayers in the 25%, 28%, 33%, and 35% income tax brackets; and 20% (plus an additional 3.8% surtax) for those in the 39.6% income tax bracket. Many of the assets used in farming or ranching are eligible for capital gains treatment. For example, raised cattle used for breeding, dairy, draft, or sporting purpose, as well as certain other livestock, are gain property and their sale may generate income eligible for treatment as a capital gain for tax purposes. Furthermore, capital gain income is a nontrivial and important source of income to some farmers, particularly established farms. In 2010, about 38% of U.S. farmers reported income in the form of capital gains—nearly three times the share for all other taxpayers—totaling $28.4 billion. For those who reported capital gains, this accounted for 21.5% of their total taxable income. The average amount of capital gain reported by farmers was also more than double the average capital gain reported by other taxpayers. In 2010, the last year for which complete IRS data is available, farmers reported capital gains of $28.4 billion. Deduction for Hired Labor and Self-employed Health Insurance Two important deductions that are likely to affect established farm businesses are for domestic production activities and self-employment health insurance. The domestic production activities deduction allows famers to deduct the lesser of 9% of adjusted gross income for domestic production activities income or 50% of wages paid to produce such income. While the wages-paid limitation reduces the deduction for many smaller farms that hire little or no labor, farm sole proprietors deducted nearly $1.25 billion in 2010. The average deduction for eligible farm households was $8,926. Among farms, commercial farm households are the primary beneficiaries since they are more likely to report positive farm income and wages paid to hired labor. Since 2003, farmers and other self-employed taxpayers have been allowed to deduct 100% of the cost of providing health insurance for themselves and their families as long as they are not eligible for any employer-sponsored plan. Among the general population of taxpayers, few use the deduction, but IRS tax data show about one out of seven farmers use the deduction in any given year, deducting an average of $6,173 for a total of $1.684 billion in health insurance premiums. Estate and Land Management Farmers often wish to pass the farm business to their heirs or otherwise preserve the nature of their farm and the IRC contains provisions that help do this in an orderly manner, while reducing the estate tax liability. Special provisions in the Federal estate tax, such as a rule that allows farm assets of an estate to be valued at their farm-use value rather than a higher market value, facilitate the transfer of farm estates from one generation to the next. The estate tax has never affected a large percentage of taxpayers, including farmers. In fact, in no year since 1916 has the percentage of adult deaths generating a taxable estate surpassed 8% (Jacobson, Raub, and Johnson, 2012). A number of targeted provisions help to reduce the burden of the estate tax on farms and small businesses and facilitate the transfer of a farm or other small business to the next generation. Farmers can choose to preserve farmland by making a donation of a qualified conservation easement, and this can be done while the farm is still an active operation. The deduction provision allows the farmer to create a separate, special right on the designated land stipulating that it will be used only for certain purposes, such as agricultural production. The farmer or rancher can continue to use the land for production, knowing that in the future, it will continue to be used in the same manner. In return for placing the land into a qualified conservation easement, the landowner may deduct the value of the easement from his or her income for tax purposes. Tax Reform from a Farm Life-Cycle Perspective Renewed calls for tax reform have highlighted a tax system that, while complex, offers substantial benefits to farm businesses at every stage of the farm life-cycle. Reform could reduce the after-tax income of many farm households. In particular, reducing or eliminating deductions for capital purchases and raising capital gains taxes could increase the farmers’ tax base and raise the tax rate paid on a significant portion of their income. These effects will vary by farm size and type. Offsetting these effects, though, is the proposed reform of the marginal tax rate structure. A reduced number of brackets and lower rates will mitigate the effect of a potentially larger tax base for U.S. farm households. Jacobson, D., Raub, B., and Johnson, B. “The Estate Tax: Ninety Years and Counting” in Compendium of Federal Estate and Personal Wealth Studies, Volume II, Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income 2012. Available online at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/11pwcompench1aestate.pdf Kay, R., Edwards, W., Duffy, P. (2011). Farm Management, 7th ed. New York: McGraw Hill Book Co. National Council of State Agricultural Finance Programs. 2010 Biennial Directory. Available online at www.stateagfinance.org Office of Management and Budget. 2012. The Fiscal Year 2013 Budget of the United States Government: Analytical Perspectives: http://www. whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/spec.pdf Williamson, J, Durst R, Farrigan, T (2013) The Potential Impact of Tax Reform on Farm Businesses and Rural Households, USDA, Economic Research Service, February 2013.” James M. Williamson ([email protected]) is an economist with the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The views expressed here are by the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Economic Research Service or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Articles in this theme: Theme Overview: Transitions in AgricultureShannon L. FerrellDrivers of Agricultural TransitionDerrell Peel, Damona Doye, and Mary AhearnRetired Farmer - An Elusive ConceptJoy KirkpatrickThe Policy and Legal Environment for Farm TransitionsShannon L. Ferrell, Michael D. Boehlje, and Rodney Jones Agriculture, the Tax Code, and Potential Tax ReformJames M. WilliamsonCredit Markets and Land Ownership for Young and Beginning FarmersNathan S. KauffmanSocial Forces and Cultural Factors Influencing Farm TransitionShoshanah Inwood Choices is supported by individual donations. Please donate today. © 1999-2014 Choices. All rights reserved. Articles may be reproduced or electronically distributed as long as attribution to Choices and the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association is maintained. Submissions | Subscribe | Comment | Editorial Team | Sponsors | Contact

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Good Food, Good Agriculture, Real Change! On September 19, Slow Food and ARC2020 – a platform of over 150 EU civil society networks and organisations - will present the European Parliament with requests for a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that supports family farms, reinvests public money into public goods and rejects food speculation. The current CAP, The EU’s system of agricultural subsidies and programmes, represents the largest single spending of the EU: about 43% of the total expense, or 55 billion euros per year. These investments, however, have not always had a positive impact: 80% of EU contributions are directed towards just 20% of farmers, and 70% of plant and animal biodiversity has been irreversibly lost. An estimated 250 million people—50% of the whole European population—are overweight, while 42 million are facing malnutrition due to poverty. Furthermore, 90 million tons of food, or 180 kg per person, are thrown away each year. The direction of the European food and agricultural policy until 2020 is currently being discussed in Brussels. For the first time in its 50-year history, the future of the CAP will be co-decided by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. The new involvement of the Parliament gives civil society a real chance to make its voice heard. At the conference on Wednesday, President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, will be joined by Dacian Cioloş, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development; Carlo Petrini, President of Slow Food International; and representatives of other key European civil society organizations who are involved in the CAP reform debate. “It is necessary to return dignity to farming” said Petrini. “At the moment only 11 million people are working in agriculture, less than 5% of the European population. It is an issue that is crucial to the food security of 27 countries and a question that cannot be left in the hands of a few multinational corporations. The CAP needs to change if we want agriculture to be a viable option for young people, an economic driver for rural communities and an element of safeguard for landscapes and the environment.” Participants of the Good Food March - farmers, citizens, young people and 100 organizations from 19 countries who journeyed from Munich to Brussels - will also be taking part in the conference, and will have an opportunity to pose their questions to their MEPs. “The Good Food March has seen people from all ages and backgrounds come together from the north, south, east and west of Europe to define the tradition, heritage and future of food and farming in Europe,” said Stephanie Roth, Campaign Coordinator at ARC2020. “It has shown the spirit of people from villages and cities across Europe, embraced the diversity of our food culture and demonstrated the vitality of our countryside. At the same time it has sent a strong and unified message to decision makers as they debate and decide over the future of the CAP. We must bring democracy back to the CAP.” Click here to find out more about the motions that will be put forward in Brussels. Find out more about Slow Food's campaign for a good, clean and fair Europe. www.slowfood.com/sloweurope

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Get Javascript Other reports in this collection 5.3. Agriculture Conclusions regarding the consequences of climate change for the agriculture sector in the SAR (Reilly et al., 1996) provide an important benchmark for this section. The focus in this section is on basic mechanisms and processes that regulate the sensitivity of agriculture to climate change, relying mostly on research results since the SAR. Specifically, we ask how the conclusions of the SAR have stood the test of new research. Research advances since the SAR have brought several new issues to light—for example, understanding the adaptation of agriculture to climate change. The discussion in this section is guided by the State-Pressure-Impact-Response-Adaptation model (see Figure 5-1). The pace of social, economic, and technological change in the agriculture sector will steadily transform the setting in which climate change is likely to interact with sensitive features of the food system. The current state of the sector and important trends that would transform it provide a baseline against which to examine the potential consequences of climate change (Section 5.3.1). Multiple pressures are being exerted on the agriculture sector, including the need to meet rising demand for food and fiber, resource degradation, and a variety of environmental changes (Section 5.3.2). Agricultural impacts, response, and adaptation are discussed concurrently because they are inseparable parts of the calculus of the vulnerability of agricultural systems to climate change. Hence, we consider the response and adaptive potential of agriculture in each of the succeeding sections. Agriculture is likely to respond initially to climate change through a series of automatic mechanisms. Some of these mechanisms are biological; others are routine adjustments by farmers and markets. Note that we equate response with automatic adaptation, as discussed in Chapter 18. Climate change will impact agriculture by causing damage and gain at scales ranging from individual plants or animals to global trade networks. At the plant or field scale, climate change is likely to interact with rising CO2 concentrations and other environmental changes to affect crop and animal physiology (Section 5.3.3). Impacts and adaptation (agronomic and economic) are likely to extend to the farm and surrounding regional scales (Section 5.3.4). Important new work also models agricultural impacts and adaptation in a global economy (Section 5.3.5). Finally, the vulnerabilities of the agriculture sector, which persist after taking account of adaptation, are assessed (Section 5.3.6). 5.3.1. State of the Global Agricultural Sector As Reilly et al. (1996) argue in the SAR, one of the foremost goals for global agriculture in coming decades will be expansion of the global capacity of food and fiber in step with expansion of global demand. Agriculture in the 20th century accomplished the remarkable achievement of increasing food supply at a faster rate than growth in demand, despite rapidly growing populations and per capita incomes. Key summary indicators of the balance between global demand and supply are world prices for food and feed grains. Johnson (1999) and Antle et al. (1999a) show that during the second half of the 20th century, real (inflation-adjusted) prices of wheat and feed corn have declined at an average annual rate of 1-3%. Climate change aside, several recent studies (World Bank, 1993; Alexandratos, 1995; Rosegrant et al., 1995; Antle et al., 1999a; Johnson, 1999) anticipate that aggregate food production is likely to keep pace with demand, so that real food prices will be stable or slowly declining during the first 2 decades of the 21st century. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (1999), food security1 has improved globally, leading to a decline in the total number of people without access to adequate food. The declining real price of food grains has greatly improved the food security of the majority of the world's poor, who spend a large share of their incomes on these staples. The global number, however, masks variation in food security among regions, countries, and social groups that are vulnerable because of low incomes or a lack of access to food (FAO, 1999a). In lower income countries, political instability and inadequate physical and financial resources are the root causes of the food security problem (see Section 5.3.6). In higher income, developing countries, food insecurity stems from unequal distribution of food that results from wide disparities in purchasing power. Agricultural production and trade policies also affect global food availability and food security. There is a widespread tendency for high-income countries to maintain policies that effectively subsidize agricultural production, whereas low-income countries generally have policies that tax or discourage agricultural production (Schiff and Valdez, 1996). Many low-income countries also pursue policies that promote food self-sufficiency. Although all of these policies tend to reduce the efficiency of agricultural resource utilization in low- and high-income countries, they have not changed long-run trends in global supply and demand (Antle, 1996a). Relatively few studies have attempted to predict likely paths for food demand and supply beyond 2020. There are reasons for optimism that growth in food supply is likely to continue apace with demand beyond 2020. For example, population growth rates are projected to decline into the 21st century (Bos et al., 1994; Lutz et al., 1996; United Nations, 1996), and multiple lines of evidence suggest that agricultural productivity potential is likely to continue to increase. Rosegrant and Ringler (1997) project that current and future expected yields will remain below theoretical maximums for the foreseeable future, implying opportunities for further productivity growth. Other analysts are less optimistic about long-term world food prospects. For example, there is evidence that the Asian rice monoculture may be reaching productivity limits because of adverse impacts on soils and water (Pingali, 1994). Tweeten (1998) argues that extrapolation of the downward trend in real food prices observed in the latter half of the 20th century could be erroneous because the supply of the best arable land is being exhausted and rates of productivity growth are declining. At the same time, demand is likely to continue to grow at reasonably high rates well into the 21st century. Other studies indicate concerns about declining rates of investment in agricultural productivity and their impacts on world food production in some major producing and consuming areas (Hayami and Otsuka, 1994; Rozelle and Huang, 1999). Ruttan (1996) indicates that despite advances in biotechnology, most yield improvements during the first decades of the 21st century are likely to continue to come from conventional plant and animal breeding techniques. These concerns about future productivity growth, if correct, mean that simple extrapolation of yield for impact assessment (e.g., Alexandratos, 1995) may be overoptimistic. The implication is that confidence in predictions of the world food demand and supply balance and price trends beyond the early part of the 21st century is low. Box 5-3. Impacts of Climate Change and Elevated CO2 on Grain and Forage Quality from Experimentation The importance of climate change impacts on grain and forage quality emerges from new research. For rice, the amylose content of the grain—a major determinant of cooking quality—is increased under elevated CO2 (Conroy et al., 1994). Cooked rice grain from plants grown in high-CO2 environments would be firmer than that from today's plants. However, concentrations of iron and zinc, which are important for human nutrition, would be lower (Seneweera and Conroy, 1997). Moreover, the protein content of the grain decreases under combined increases of temperature and CO2 (Ziska et al., 1997). With wheat, elevated CO2 reduces the protein content of grain and flour by 9-13% (Hocking and Meyer, 1991; Conroy et al., 1994; Rogers et al., 1996a). Grain grown at high CO2 produces poorer dough of lower extensibility and decreased loaf volume (Blumentahl et al., 1996), but the physiochemical properties of wheat starch during grain fill are not significantly modified (Tester et al., 1995). Increases in daily average temperatures above 30°C, even applied for periods of up to 3 days, tend to decrease dough strength (Randall and Moss, 1990). Hence, for breadmaking, the quality of flour produced from wheat grain developed at high temperatures and in elevated CO2 degrades. With high-quality grass species for ruminants, elevated CO2 and temperature increase have only minor impacts on digestibility and fiber composition of cut material (Akin et al., 1995; Soussana et al., 1997). The large increase in water-soluble carbohydrates in elevated CO2 (Casella and Soussana, 1997) could lead to faster digestion in the rumen, whereas declines in nitrogen concentration occurring mainly with C3 species (Owensby et al., 1994; Soussana et al., 1996; Read et al., 1997) reduce the protein value of the forage. The protein-to-energy ratio has been shown to be more critical in tropical climates than in temperate countries (Leng, 1990). Livestock that graze low protein-containing rangeland forage therefore may be more detrimentally affected by increased C:N ratios than energy-limited livestock that graze protein-rich pastures (Gregory et al., 1999). Basically, lowering of the protein-to-energy ratio in forage could reduce the availability of microbial protein to ruminants for growth and production, leading to more inefficient utilization of the feed base and more waste, including emissions of methane. Table of contents

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Farm Bill helps ranchers, restores county payments By JEFF BARNARD Of the Associated Press GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — The Farm Bill moving through Congress includes disaster assistance for ranchers who lost cattle and grazing to drought and wildfire, and millions of dollars in federal payments for counties with federal lands. Organic farmers would get improved crop insurance and wheat farmers help in selling their crops overseas. The bill passed the House on Wednesday and goes to the Senate. About 225 cattle died in Oregon in the 2012 wildfires, and hundreds of thousands of acres of rangeland burned. No disaster assistance was available at the time because the last Farm Bill had expired and Congress could not agree on a new one. The current bill would restore programs that offer grants to partially cover the value of cattle and grazing lost to disaster. “That is good news,” said Jeanette Yturriondobeita. She and her husband, Rich, run the 12-Mile Ranch southwest of Jordan Valley in Malheur County. “It will help a lot of people.” They lost a third of their 300 cattle, and had to buy hay and lease pasture more than 100 miles away to feed the survivors. With drought building in Oregon, they don't expect to put up much hay for next year and have not replenished their herd. They expect more grazing restrictions from federal protections for the sage grouse. In Klamath County last summer, drought and newly awarded water rights led to irrigation shutoffs to cattle ranchers in the upper basin, forcing them to find new pasture or sell off their herds. Ranchers estimated they lost hundreds of millions of dollars. The bill extends for one year Payments in Lieu of Taxes, or PILT, which makes up for property taxes the government doesn't pay. Oregon received $15.5 million last year. Nationwide, the program has distributed $6.3 billion since 1977. The upcoming payments will be a little larger than last year's, about $410 million nationwide, compared to $400 million last year, according to a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore. “These payments are a critical lifeline for rural resource-dependent counties that can barely afford to pay for critical government services like public safety, schools and roads,” U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., said in a statement. “This one-year reauthorization means Congress will once again have to break through partisan gridlock to continue PILT payments past FY2015.” Meanwhile, another federal payments program for timber counties known as Secure Rural Schools is expiring after a one-year extension. An amendment from Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and others would improve the crop insurance program for organic farmers. It gives $5 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to update the prices paid on crop loss claims. Until this year, crop insurance had charged organic farmers a 5 percent premium, and paid them for losses based on the prices for conventionally grown crops, which does not include the market premium organic crops command. As a result, many organic farmers did not take advantage of the program. The bill would also permanently restore authorization for the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to offer stewardship contracts, which are used to reduce wildfire danger, restore forest health, and harvest timber on federal forests. The authorization was due to expire in September. The contracts are widely used on federal forests in Oregon.

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Limber Pine, Pinus flexilis Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis) grows in the sub-alpine mountainous regions of the Western United States, Mexico, and Canada, with a small cropping found in the Black Hills in South Dakota. One of the oldest trees to be documented is found in Eagle Cap Wilderness in Oregon and is reported to be 2000 years old. This pine is also known as the Southwestern White Pine and Rocky Mountain White Pine. The Limber pine is drought tolerant and grows at high elevations (5000-12,000 feet) marking the sub-alpine region. This pine is relatively short growing from 16 – 33 feet high with some growing to 66 feet in perfect growing conditions. Limber pine found growing on the rocky slopes in southern Alberta are less than 10 feet tall. Limber pine branches are light to dark greenish gray with the old trunks aging to a dark gray or dark brown. The bark is separated by deep grooves causing rectangular plates to form. The crown of the limber pine can spread from 10 – 15 feet. The needles grow in bundles of five, smooth to the touch, dark green-bluish in color, and measures up to 3.5 inches long. The cones are green when immature and mature to brown cones that measure up to 8 inches long and has thick scales, which protects the seeds when the cone falls to the ground. The most prevalent disease to threaten the Limber pine is the white pine blister rust. This disease has killed many trees throughout its range with no hope of preventing the disease from spreading. The Limber pine is grown as a windbreak, as ornamental trees, or as a Christmas tree. The Limber pine serves as a nesting tree for squirrels, Mourning Doves, Northern flickers, and mountain bluebirds. The red squirrel and Clark’s nutcrackers as well as the American black bear like the pine nuts. Image Caption: Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis). Credit: Famartin/Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) Related Reference Library

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Why Micro-Gardening Could Go Big ShareTwitter Facebook Google+ Email VIEW SLIDESHOW 1 of 2 The Nourishmat, which is inspired by Square Foot Gardening, makes it easy to grow 15 to 20 pounds of food in a small space with a plastic mat that serves as a garden planting guide. Courtesy of Earth Starter Earth Starter launched a Kickstarter campaign on July 1 to raise money to manufacture more Nourishmats. Originally published on July 11, 2013 2:10 pm Most urban consumers are happy to leave farming to the farmers, but for those with a green thumb, it is getting easier to garden in the city. That's thanks, in part, to DIYers sharing ideas for reusing old materials to garden in and a new range of tools designed to get many more people involved with growing some of their own food. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has lately been talking about micro-gardens as critical way to help the urban poor get more food on the table. The FAO defines micro-gardens intensively cultivated small spaces — such as balconies, small yards, patios and rooftops. Many rely on containers such as plastic-lined wooden boxes, trash cans and even old car tires. While it's probably tough to sustain a family on a micro-garden, FAO research shows that a well-tended micro-garden of 11 square feet can produce as much as 200 tomatoes a year, 36 heads of lettuce every 60 days, 10 cabbages every 90 days, and 100 onions every 120 days. Sure, micro-gardens can easily be created out of plenty of scrap materials: potatoes grown in a bucket or trash can, for example, or wooden pallets turned into an herb garden. Anne Gibson, an Australian who runs The Micro Gardener website, has aggregated many of the most creative ideas. And for folks who don't want to DIY it, several companies are also making it easy to start a micro-garden with an array of new products. Earth Starter is one such start-up. This month, the company launched a Kickstarter campaign to manufacture more of its all-in-one roll out garden tool, called a Nourishmat. The Nourishmat, which is inspired by Square Foot Gardening, makes it easy to grow a lot of food in a 4-foot by 6-foot space by turning a plastic mat into a garden planting guide. The mat comes with seedballs (seeds mixed with clay and worm castings to enrich the soil, and chili powder to keep pests away). To plant, you simply lay out the mat on top of a bed of soil, then stick the seedballs for the 18 different vegetables and herbs in their respective holes. (Urban residents who may have soil contaminated with lead and other heavy metals will have to build a raised bed and fill it with clean soil.) The mat also doubles as a weed barrier. John Gorby and Phil Weiner, who founded in the company in 2011 while they were undergraduates at the University of Maryland, College Park, believe that there's a big market of people who want to garden but need this kind of help. "Everyone in the world should have a victory garden," says Weiner, referring to the food gardens that thousands of citizens of the U.S, U.K. and elsewhere planted during WWI and WWII to improve their food security. "But the most common excuses we heard for why more people don't spend more time gardening were 'I don't know what I'm doing,' or 'I don't have time,' or 'I don't have space,' " Weiner tells The Salt. He grew up gardening with his family in Washington, D.C. So far, Weiner and his partner have beta-tested the product with people in 22 states. They estimate that users can grow $200 worth of produce in one season and 25 to 30 pounds of food in a year. The mats can be replanted for three to five years, Weiner says. Right now, the mats are only available to people who donate to the Kickstarter fund, but Weiner and Gorby hope to raise enough money to eventually manufacture them on a big enough scale to sell nationwide. Weiner says he expects to charge $40 for the basic kit, and $79 for a deluxe kit with an irrigation system. Nourishmats may be an intriguing option for people with small yards, but what's an apartment dweller to do? Fortunately, there has been an explosion in indoor or balcony hydroponic systems. We covered the window farming movement a few years back, and it's still going strong. And recently, Treehugger.com put together a slideshow of 12 different plug-and-play hydroponic systems for indoor micro-gardening, ranging from aeroponics, a method of growing plants in hanging containers with little to no soil, to aquaponics, which involves growing plants (or fish) directly in water. Plastic and ceramic pots and wooden boxes are also tried-and-true containers for gardening on balconies and deck, but there's been innovation in these containers, too. A few companies have developed polypropylene bags – designed to be porous and lightweight – for growing potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and other crops. According to Gardener's Supply, one company that sells these grow bags, polypropylene fabric is superior because it "'breathes' and 'air-prunes' roots."Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. View the discussion thread. © 2015 KPLU News for Seattle and the Northwest

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Ag Policy Blog Jerry Hagstrom Thursday 12/12/13 Print Farm Bill Close to a Deal House and Senate Agriculture committee leaders said today that they expect both chambers of Congress to pass a new farm bill in early January, but lawmakers will not reveal details on the agreement until then. Ideally, the farm-bill conferees will be bringing a deal to the floor soon after 2014 begins. The House has gone out of session after passing a one-month extension of the 2008 farm bill. The Senate will be in session through Dec. 20, but is not expected to take up the extension bill. House leaders said they wanted to make sure USDA does not implement the 1949 dairy law, which would lead to higher milk prices. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said that is not a worry if Congress passes a new farm bill in January. The principal negotiators include House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., House Agriculture ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Senate Agriculture ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., Lucas said the group had "another productive meeting" on Friday. Lucas, who is chairing the conference, talked with reporters as they emerged from a meeting room in the Longworth House Office Building. "We're moving right down the pike," Lucas said, adding that the bill now needs to be vetted by the House and Senate Agriculture committee lawyers. Stabenow said there is "no question" about whether the committees will come to an agreement to pass a bill in early January, but she also said that they would not release a framework agreement until early January because so the other 37 conferees on the farm bill would have a chance to look at the agreement. Stabenow said it will be a "courtesy to our fellow conferees" to present it to them before releasing it to the public. There have been reports that Lucas and Peterson will return to Washington to negotiate with Stabenow and Cochran. Lucas affirmed that they would return if needed, but Stabenow said they would consult either in person or by telephone. Lucas told K-101 Radio, a Woodward, Okla., station on Thursday that the lawmakers have reached agreement on the commodity title, crop insurance and the nutrition title including food stamps. When asked if the group had moved on to other issues, Lucas quoted Stabenow, who has said, "It's not done until it's all done." All four principal negotiators have declined to reveal details of the bill, but some information on the agreement has leaked out. It appears the bill would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by $8 billion over 10 years, twice want the Senate wanted but only a fifth of what the House approved. On the commodity title, it appears farmers will have a choice between payments based on revenue losses and one based on target prices. Payments would be made on base acreages, but it appears likely farmers will be able to update their bases to reflect changes in what they grow compared with the 1980s when the current bases were established. It seems likely that participants in the subsidized crop insurance program will have to comply with federal conservation standards, but less likely that premium subsidies to high income farmers will be cut. Peterson has said that the dairy program will be "workable," an indication that he is satisfied with it and that it will favor dairy farmers more than processors. Both the House and Senate farm bills extended the current sugar program, and it appears likely to remain in the bill even though low prices have led to government payments for the first time in a decade and sugar users have complained it is raising their costs. Politico reported on Dec. 13 that the conference leaders had settled on limiting the land-idling Conservation Reserve Program to 24 million acres. Follow me on Twitter @ChrisClaytonDTN.© Copyright 2013 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved. by Jerry Hagstrom

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U.S. honeybees remain in peril David Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff In 2006, after honeybees abandoned hives in massive numbers, beekeepers began sounding an alarm that gained volume in 2007 when the mass exodus and die-off of bees picked up speed. Researchers named the mysterious malady colony collapse disorder (CCD). “Unfortunately, beekeepers have struggled over the last few years from colonies dying from introduced parasitic mites and other things,” said Jerry Hayes, then president of the Apiary Inspectors of America from his Gainesville, Fla., office last spring. “They’re already kind of numb because of all the problems. But in (the summer of 2006), beekeepers began losing colonies for reasons that weren’t quite in line with the other problems. “With affected hives, there are no dead or dying bees on the ground as we see with pesticide exposures or other diseases. No one can explain this behavior.” The few bees left in CCD-hit hives appear to suffer from an immune system collapse, susceptible to bacteria and fungi that normally would cause little bother. “That, too, is highly unusual, and we’ve been trying to find the cause for several months. It seems to indicate some sort of mass immune deficiency. There are some very smart people looking for an answer, but we still haven’t come up with something we can combat through management practices or something else. It’s quite frustrating.” With solutions to CCD in short supply, many were hoping the disorder would run out of steam and the key pollinators of U.S. crops would be back to full health in 2008. That hasn’t happened. “The AAIA did another survey looking at CCD,” said Hayes, assistant chief of Apiary Inspection at the Florida Department of Agriculture. “This year, there’s been an additional 36 percent loss in honeybee colonies over the winter coming into 2008.” There has also been a shift in the region suffering most from CCD. “East Coast beekeepers — especially Florida beekeepers who travel up and down the East Coast — took a dramatic hit in the 2006-07 period. Tens of thousands of colonies were lost.” This year, the problem has largely moved to the West Coast. Beekeepers there “lost tens of thousands of colonies last winter.” It seemed to have happened just before, during or after they moved bees into almond pollination in California. A lot of colonies were empty and had to be transported back to the beekeepers’ homes after almond pollination. “These bees are being impacted by something that’s mysterious, but consistent. We just have to figure out the (offending) combination of viruses, microsporidians, chemicals and pollutants.” Are crops already being impacted by the dearth of bees or have beekeepers been able to keep up so far? “For the most part, they’ve been able to keep up. The good thing about honeybees is keepers can use management techniques — utilizing honeybee biology — to split healthy colonies into two. That’s one way to recover some losses. Artificial feed and other things can also build up colonies. “If cattle or poultry (perish), it takes a long time to replace the animal and production. Honeybees are a bit different and that’s a good thing.” But the ability to recover quickly can disguise deeper problems. “People sometimes assume beekeepers are crying wolf about losses while there are just enough honeybees to get by. But that’s because keepers are doing what they must to survive by splitting colonies and using other management techniques.” Asked about a rumored push to bring Mexican bees into the United States to pollinate crops, Hayes confirms such a possibility. “One of the scenarios being considered involves almond pollination. Because of increased almond acreage due to prices, beekeepers are being paid a premium to bring in their colonies. The almond industry absolutely requires honeybees to carry pollen from point A to point B.” In the event U.S. bee numbers come up short, “Mexico — being involved in NAFTA and GATT — could petition the U.S. to allow its honeybees and keepers across the border. My guess is because of the scope and range and how lucrative almonds are, that could certainly happen.” U.S. almond producers won’t be denied the opportunity to produce a crop. However, that could deepen U.S. beekeeper problems. By allowing in Mexican bees, “the Africanized bee issue would gain additional concern. But it isn’t just that. There could be more pests, predators and other concerns — things that aren’t in the United States now. “If anything like that happens, it would further weaken and, possibly decimate, the U.S. beekeeping industry.” On the other hand, points out Hayes, such worries are all predicated on the idea “that people care where their food comes from. I think USDA already projects that some 40 percent of our vegetables will be imported by 2015, or thereabouts. And the prediction is the U.S. will be a net food importer in 50 years. If people don’t care about that, they probably won’t care about U.S. bee health either.” Hayes stresses the public needs to understand that commercial beekeeping — where hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of colonies are tended — is an enterprise as agricultural as raising livestock or row crops. Too often, commercial beekeeping is seen as a “bucolic activity in the backyard.” That is a false perception. Beekeeping is hard work, not a weekend hobby. “Commercial beekeeping is production agriculture. And in production agriculture, you push the commodity to achieve. Corn growers apply nitrogen, scout for disease, and take care of nematodes, borers — the whole thing. Beekeeping is largely the same.” Currently, so many products are being systemically applied to U.S. crops “that we’re pushing honeybees very hard. As a result of all the things we’ve mentioned — as well as factors we haven’t yet considered — the bees have reached a tipping point. With CCD, it appears something finally pushed them over. The bees said ‘We can’t keep this up.’ And that’s why we’re seeing these dramatic losses.” Meanwhile, aggressive Africanized bees are moving through the lower half of the country. “They’re now in areas of Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. They’ll probably be crossing the Mississippi River in the next year, or so. “Depending on who you believe, these bees have been responsible for three to 11 deaths in Texas. In Florida, we had the first human fatality due to them in April.” Hayes is keen to separate the honeybees from their “killer” cousins. “We don’t want people thinking bees in the white boxes are part of the problem when they’re actually part of the solution.” Asked to prognosticate on honeybee health, Hayes doesn’t see a dramatic improvement anytime soon. “But it could get worse if we have another invasive pest, virus or disease added to the current list. “It’s interesting that honey prices are on the rise a little. Some keepers on the East Coast are saying if honey prices are up, there is less reason to travel west for almond pollination.” It costs about $9,000 one-way to drive a loaded semi from Florida to California. If honey prices stay up, beekeepers “can save that transportation cost and stay afloat and keep their bees from being so stressed. That, of course, would take pollinators away from a growing almond crop. And that’s another reasons why Mexican bees could be an option.” e-mail: [email protected] Source URL: http://southeastfarmpress.com/us-honeybees-remain-peril

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U.S. Wheat May Drop as Rogue Strain Spurs Concern, UN Says By Luzi Ann Javier and Aya Takada - Jun 4, 2013 Prices of U.S. wheat may decline should more countries delay or cancel purchases from the largest supplier after an unauthorized, genetically modified strain was found in Oregon, according to the United Nations. Futures fell. “In Asia, and for good reasons, countries are concerned,” Abdolreza Abbassian, senior economist at the Food & Agriculture Organization, said in an interview. “If more countries start having second thoughts or cancel their purchases, it could have downward pressure on prices of U.S. wheat, to be compensated by perhaps somewhat higher prices of other origins.” The discovery risks hurting demand for U.S. supplies at a time when the FAO is predicting a record global grains harvest that will increase competition among shippers, including Russia and the rest of the Black Sea region. Five of the 10 biggest U.S. wheat buyers are in Asia, and Japan, the largest, halted some U.S. imports after the Oregon find was announced. The Consumers Union of Japan said it wants all U.S. shipments to be halted. “We are asking the government to impose a ban on wheat imports from the U.S. completely,” Michiyo Koketsu, an officer in charge of GM issues at the group in Tokyo, said by phone today. “We are concerned about the safety of the genetically modified wheat as nobody has checked whether it is suitable for human consumption. We are worried that the modified wheat had already been sold and consumed in Japan.” The U.S.

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Most Often, the Right Word is “Grazing,” Not “Overgrazing” by Andy Kerr Using the correct word matters. Not only in the popular media, but often in government reports and scientific papers, the term “overgrazing” is used to describe a land use that affects the natural environment. Herbivory by domestic livestock in a natural environment is accurately called “grazing.” The use of the term “overgrazing” when the facts actually call for the term “grazing” incorrectly presumes or represents that some level of grazing in the arid American West is benign—if not helpful—to native wildlife, water quantity, water quality and ecosystem function. But that is not the case. Livestock (including cattle, sheep, goats and horses) trample vegetation, damage soil, spread invasive weeds, pollute water, steal forage from native wildlife, and even contribute to global warming. Livestock grazing in riparian (streamside) areas—especially in the arid American West—causes immeasurable damage to riparian resources, including the loss of fish and wildlife habitat, soil erosion, and diminished water quality and quantity. Public lands livestock grazing occurs not only on the "tree-free" landscapes in the American West, but also in many forested areas. In addition to the proliferation of roads, the scourge of logging and the exclusion of fire, livestock grazing plays a major role in creating unhealthy forests.1 Grazing—just “grazing”—is among the most environmentally destructive activities in the American West and around the world. Former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt concluded that grazing—not overgrazing—“is the most damaging use of public land.”2 Because of their numbers and pervasiveness across the landscape, the bovine has done more damage to the Earth than the bulldozer. This fact makes its all the more distressing that apologists for livestock grazing in natural ecosystems prefer to characterize the ecologically irritating agent as overgrazing rather than grazing. Such is to be expected because, after all, they are apologists. What is overdistressing is when scientists and public land managers also misuse the term overgrazing when what they are actually describing grazing. One does not see the use of the term “overlogging” when describing harm done to forests by chainsaws and bulldozers. Nor does one see the term “overmining” or “overdrilling” to describe the activity of mineral extraction as a cause of degradation of land, water and wildlife. One does not read the term “overroading” in a discussion of landscape fragmentation. A common dictionary definition of “overgrazing” is “to allow animals to graze (as a pasture) to the point of damaging vegetational cover.”3 The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization further expounds: Overgrazing: What is it? One of the risks associated with arid and semi-arid grazing systems in particular, is land degradation as a result of overgrazing. Overgrazing can be defined as the practice of grazing too many livestock for too long a period on land unable to recover its vegetation, or of grazing ruminants on land not suitable for grazing as a result of certain physical parameters such as its slope. Overgrazing exceeds the carrying capacity of a pasture. However there may be other factors involved or contributing to apparent overgrazing such as climate change. Overgrazing often results in soil erosion, the destruction of vegetation, and other problems related to these processes.4 Overgrazing is most appropriately used to describe the impacts of too much grazing in an area to maintain domestic livestock grazing, rather than in the context of sustaining functional ecosystems, intact watersheds and native species. Sage-grouse, Pacific salmon, native trout, Mexican spotted owls, and numerous others species, as well as water quantity and water quality are all detrimentally affected by grazing long before soil loss becomes an issue. Even “light” grazing (if such could be done by 1,000-pound beast ill-bred for such environments) alters ecosystem composition and function. The continued use of “overgrazing” rather than “grazing” to define the problem of grazing impacts on western public lands in the American West serves to shield that activity from needed scrutiny. Andy Kerr (andykerr.net) is Czar of The Larch Company (www.andykerr.net), and consults for public lands conservation organizations in the American West, including those who seek to end abusive livestock grazing on public lands through the use of federal grazing permit buyouts, in which public lands grazing permittees are compensated for voluntarily relinquishing their permits back to the federal government, which then permanently retires the affected allotment from livestock grazing. 1 See in general, Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options. 2006. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Rome, Italy; and Wuerthner, George and Mollie Matteson (editors). 2002. Welfare Ranching: The Subsidized Destruction of the American West. Island Press. Washington, DC. 2 Babbitt, Bruce. 2005. Cites in the Wilderness: A New Vision of Land Use in America. Shearwater Books. Island Press. Covelo, CA: 148. 3 Merriam-Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overgraze 4 http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/lead/toolbox/Grazing/overgra1.htm

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Advertisement Home > Management > Continued prosperity envisioned for U.S. agriculture Continued prosperity envisioned for U.S. agriculture The profitability and the profits being generated in agriculture show up in the primary asset of farmland Paul Hollis EMAIL Long-term projections Value of dollar Net farm income has gone from about $55 billion in 2000 to what is predicted to be $100 billion this year, and most of this growth is due to high prices. Cash receipts for cattle and crops have shown an upward trend for the last four years, and that was due primarily to increased global demand, mostly from China and Southeast Asia. Viewer Photo Galleries, Immigration Issues, Crop Insurance, Pesticide Regulation, Grain Storage, Herbicide Resistance Turning to the value of the dollar, Whitley says the USDA is projecting that throughout the remainder of the decade, the dollar will fall by 14 percent, with most of the decline coming against currency in developing countries. “When the dollar falls against the currency in those countries, it makes them able to afford more products from the United States. In just the last year, the dollar has fallen by 14 percent.” Biofuels is one those factors that some people love and some hate, says Whitley. The industry is very close to achieving its mandate of 15 billion gallons for corn ethanol by the year 2015. “We’re at about 13 billion gallons now, and we have the capacity to be at about 14.5 billion gallons. Once we reach the mandate, the increased demand for corn, feedstock and ethanol will probably plateau and remain level unless oil prices shoot through the roof and ethanol becomes profitable on its own. “If tax credits expire at the end of the year, then attaining profitability in the industry will become much tougher.” Commodity prices are undeniably highly related to energy prices, says Whitley. A study out of Purdue University showed that corn price increases in 2007 and 2008 were 80-percent related to the rise in crude oil prices. The agricultural industry, he says, has done a great job of accepting the advancements of innovation and technology and to answer the call to help feed hungry people all over the world. But how the rest of the world responds will determine largely how we’ll meet the future demand for food. “We’re projecting that U.S. ag exports will reach almost $140 billion, so we’ve basically doubled our exports over the past five years. But it’s not just the United States. All of the major agricultural producing countries around the world have increased their exports in the last five years. “Even the Chinese have become a major exporter as well as importer. Over the long-term, Brazil is probably the country to keep an eye on, not only because of their advancements in technology, but also because of the additional land they have at their disposal for increasing production.” By the year 2020, says Whitley, global trade will reach $1 trillion. “One of the challenges the world will have to meet over the next 30 to 40 years will be how to feed what economists project will be 9.5 billion people on earth by the year 2050. One of the ways to do that is to increase yields. We have adopted the technology to improve our yields. “Over the last 15 years, our trend upwards certainly is more than many of the world’s corn producers. The yields in the United States are five times the yields for the same crops in Central America. “South America has started to adopt some of the biotechnology, and we expect some of their trend yields to move upward. But the Europeans and East Asians are still resistant to new technology.” There are basically three large areas of land around the world that could be brought into agricultural production, he says: South America, which is mainly Brazil; Eastern Europe; and Africa. “But one of the things we’ve seen since 1990 is that most of the gains have been in yields and not in increased areas of planting. Eventually, there’s a finite amount of land you can bring into production. Eventually, you have to increase yields. We do have land at our disposal in the world, but not in the United States.” The increase in the purchasing power of the middle class is going to outpace the purchasing power of developing countries in the next decade, and the prosperity of U.S. agriculture should continue, says Whitley. [email protected] « Long-term projections Prev123 Print Please Log In or Register to post comments. Advertisement Related ArticlesCattlemen disappointed with COOL ruling Early corn harvest clouding Sept. 1 old-crop numbers Record U.S. beef exports in 2010 — $1 billion jump Trade agreements vital for beef exports U.S. beef exports dip slightly Advertisement Connect With Us TwitterFacebookRSSPodcast Hot Topics

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McComb Gardens owners plan imminent retirement You won’t find Jane Stewart and Neil Burkhardt wistful about retiring after 15 years with McComb Gardens — they’re positively jumping for joy at the freedom they’ll have not being tied to a watering schedule that’s 365 days a year. The now 70-year-olds, a couple since 1969, say it’s “an old age thing.” They first moved to Seattle in 1972 for graduate school, and Jane became the director of a research center and Neil became a merchant seaman. “I made a career change in 1996 and went to school for horticulture,” Neil said. “I knew of a nursery for sale and Jane said, ‘Let’s buy it.’ — three words that changed our lives. That was in November 1998. Then it wasn’t much of a nursery. There were only a few trees, shrubs and perennials. We developed a display garden with unusual plants.” “We had lots of ideas,” Jane recalled. “We wanted the nursery to be a center for horticulture and we wanted to provide education for us, our staff and the public. It just sort of evolved.” Neil explained that they established an educational series with world renown horticultural designers. “We believe we raised the level of ornamental horticulture in the valley,” he said. “We learned a lot from our customers in what they knew and what they wanted,” Jane said. “We put in rare and unusual pieces of trees, shrubs and perennials just for fun …” “… Because that’s what creates a better gardener by getting them interested in more unusual plants,” Neil added. “It’s been fun for us to watch people who knew nothing about gardening become serious gardeners.” The many display gardens and the mini-forest of mixed trees planted over the years gave customers an idea of what the plants would look like in their own gardens throughout the seasons and Jane and Neil always welcomed customers’ questions. “We’ve done so much with the gardens and were the first business in Sequim to use solar panels on our store,” Neil said. “We’re a green nursery and we don’t sell or use chemicals. And we’ve been the only one recycling nursery pots for years.” “It’s a stewardship,” Jane said. The first order of business is to liquidate the plants and hard goods. They plan to put the nursery up for sale in April but Neil is open to talking to potential buyers before that. They say they’re in good health and don’t have any responsibilities. “It’s been 15 years so we’re kind of tired,” Neil admitted. Jane will do more hiking, yoga, bird watching and reading. “We might garden! We haven’t been able to garden in years,” she said. The best part they say are the customers and other experts in the horticultural industry. “Our customers have become our friends,” Neil said. To them, Neil said, “Drop by and say hello — we’ll be around.” McComb Gardens sets new hours McComb sets spring hours McComb sets winter hours McComb on break Music at McComb

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Industry USDA announces new landmark conservation initiatives By USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that applications are now being accepted for new, landmark conservation initiatives created by the 2014 Farm Bill. The programs will provide up to $386 million to help farmers restore wetlands, protect working agriculture lands, support outdoor recreation activities, and boost the economy. Vilsack made the announcement at Kuhn Orchards in Orrtanna, Pennsylvania. The farm’s owners participate in the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Conservation Stewardship Program, have worked to encourage pollinator health through planting practices, and used USDA program support to construct a high tunnel. “By protecting working lands and wetlands, we’re able to strengthen agricultural operations, sustain the nation’s food supply and protect habitat for a variety of wildlife,” Vilsack said. “In addition, we’re providing states and tribal governments a tool to expand access to private lands for hunting, fishing, hiking and other recreational activities, which helps boost wildlife-related businesses and grows the economy.” NRCS’ conservation efforts have helped mitigate the negative impacts of drought and are helping producers to manage the effects of climate change. The USDA agency enrolled a record number of acres in conservation programs that have saved millions of tons of soil, improved water quality, contributed to the national effort to preserve habitat for wildlife, and protected the most sensitive ecological areas. USDA has partnered with more than 500,000 farmers, ranchers and landowners on these conservation projects since 2009 - a record number. In addition to protecting cropland and critical habitats, conservation strengthens outdoor recreation and helps boost the economy. According to the National Fish and Wildlife Federation, annual United States conservation spending totals $38.8 billion, but it produces $93.2 billion of economic output throughout the economy - 2.4 times more than what is put in. This output takes the form of more than 660,500 jobs, $41.6 billion in income and a $59.7 billion contribution to national Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. The new programs announced today are the Agricultural Conservation Easements Program and the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program. Both programs have application deadlines in early June for fiscal 2014 funding. More information can be obtained at the local USDA service center, the VPA-HIP website, or grants.gov. Through the 2014 Farm Bill’s new conservation programs, USDA NRCS is making available up to $366 million for conservation easements under ACEP to state and local governments, Indian tribes, non-governmental organizations and private landowners. ACEP consolidates three former easement programs—the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, the Grassland Reserve Program and the Wetlands Reserve Program. VPA-HIP is a competitive grant program that enables state and tribal governments to increase opportunities for owners and managers of private lands who want to make their land available for public recreation. Up to $20 million is available this year for VPA-HIP. Both programs have application deadlines later this spring. Funding for the ACEP and VPA-HIP programs is provided through the 2014 Farm Bill, which authorizes services and programs that impact every American and millions of people around the world. The new Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Vilsack said that quickly and effectively implementing new programs and reforms to existing ones called for by the 2014 Farm Bill is a top priority for USDA. Learn more about the Farm Bill at www.nrcs.usda.gov/FarmBill. Agricultural Conservation Easements Program USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service administers the two components of ACEP, one for agricultural land easements and one for wetland reserve easements. Under the agricultural land component, funds are provided to eligible entities that can use ACEP funding to purchase agricultural land easements that protect the agricultural use and conservation values of eligible land. Eligible lands for agricultural land component include cropland, rangeland, grassland, pastureland and nonindustrial private forest land. Application priority will be given to proposals preventing conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural uses and maximizing the protection of land devoted to growing the nation’s food supply. Under the wetland reserve component, funding is provided to landowners for the purchase of an easement and for restoration funds to restore and enhance wetlands, improving habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. Lands that are eligible for a wetland reserve easement include farmed or converted wetlands that can be successfully and cost-effectively restored. Applications also will be prioritized based on the easement’s potential for protecting and enhancing habitat for migratory birds, fish and other wildlife. Applications for funding consideration in fiscal year 2014 must be submitted by the individual state deadline or June 6, 2014, whichever is earlier. Applications and state deadline information can be obtained at your local USDA Service Center or at www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted. Agreements will be finalized beginning in late August. Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program Recipients of the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program can use the grant funding to create new or expand existing public access programs. These programs provide financial incentives or technical assistance, such as rental payments or wildlife habitat planning services, to owners and managers who allow public access. Funding priority will be given to applications that propose to: Maximize private lands acreage available to the public; Ensure that land enrolled in the program has appropriate wildlife habitat; Strengthen wildlife habitat improvement efforts; Supplement funding and services from other federal or state agencies, tribes or private resources; and Provide information to the public about the location of public access land. Applications for VPA-HIP are due by June 16 and should be completed by state and tribal governments at Grants.gov. For more information, view the notice on Grants.gov or the program’s website. farm billusdaconservation initiatives About the Author:

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Visit MyBeefCheckoff.com Now Cattlemen's Beef Board Hires Polly Ruhland as CEO Contact: Diane Henderson, 303-867-6302; [email protected] Polly Ruhland is the new Chief Executive Officer of the Cattlemen's Beef Board, as hired today by the Beef Board Executive Committee. Ruhland has been serving as the interim CEO since June 28, and the chairman of the Executive Committee in charge of hiring her said she more than proved herself in her three months in that position. “Polly was the right choice for this checkoff, and for this industry,” said Weldon Wynn, Executive Committee chairman and Beef Board vice chairman. “She has a powerful passion for the checkoff and for the beef industry, and she has absolutely proven in the last three months that she can run this operation astutely. She has an excellent rapport with staff and our contractors, and I don’t think we could have found anyone at this time who could have done the job as well as she is doing it. “I think producers across America will certainly be satisfied with the results Polly achieves,” Wynn continued. “And I feel honored to have been serving as the chairman of the committee that hired her.” Beef Board Chairman Wesley Grau echoed Wynn’s sentiments. “Polly brings a breath of fresh air to the CBB,” Grau said. “More importantly, her knowledge of the checkoff and our contractors allows us to move forward with much needed improvements to the checkoff. “Her demeanor is beyond reproach,” he continued. “Her knowledge is beyond reproach. And her willingness and ability to get things done is second to none. As chairman of the Beef Board, I am very pleased that Polly has accepted this position.” Polly joined the Beef Board team as director of evaluation in early 2010. Her previous 20-plus years in the beef industry most recently included six years with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), working in the areas of issues management, membership and communications. Prior to NCBA, she served as communication director for the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF), was compliance coordinator for the institutional animal care and use committee at Colorado State University, and was director of communications for the American Gelbvieh Association. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from University of Colorado and a master’s degree in agriculture, with an emphasis in beef industry leadership, from Colorado State University. Polly has one son, Ryan, and lives in Denver with her husband, Randy. “The opportunity to serve farmers and ranchers in this way is an unparalleled honor,” Ruhland said. “I am committed to working every hour of every day to promote beef through the unique cooperation and coordination offered by the Beef Checkoff Program.” # # # The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. You have received this e-mail because you have an account at www.BeefBoard.org. To unsubscribe, click here. © 2016 Cattlemen's Beef Board, 9000 E. Nichols Ave., Suite 215, Centennial, CO 80112

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Blog: Biodiesel manufacturing drives demand for soybeans By United Soybean Board The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) recently acknowledged the national soy checkoff's commitment to advancing the U.S. biodiesel industry with the Eye on Biodiesel Influence Award. The award honors an individual or organization that has impacted public acceptance of biodiesel.Biodiesel manufacturing drives demand for U.S. soy oil, which continues to be the primary feedstock for U.S. biodiesel manufacturing.United Soybean Board (USB) Chairman Jim Stillman accepted the award on behalf of the checkoff at the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo."It's an honor to receive this award on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers," says Stillman, who farms in Emmetsburg, Iowa. "U.S. soybean farmers, through their checkoff, have helped grow the U.S. industry through research and promotion."Much of that work has come in the form of partnerships with NBB that have helped increase the use of biodiesel.A large portion of the checkoff's biodiesel investments has been used for quality and performance testing, and to promote biodiesel availability and use. As a result, biodiesel is one of the most tested renewable fuels on the market. Thanks in part to the checkoff's efforts, U.S. biodiesel production has increased from about 500,000 gallons in 1999 to more than 1 billion gallons in 2012.The checkoff has also been active in promoting Bioheat, a biodiesel-based heating oil alternative. This winter, New York City began requiring all heating oil used in the city to contain at least 2 percent biodiesel."The soy checkoff has made biodiesel a priority, and we've seen the results in the growth of the biodiesel market," says Lewis Bainbridge, USB Oil Action Team chair and a soybean farmer from Ethan, SD. "USB will continue to support the biodiesel industry by funding research to help expand the market even more."

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Tom Breunig Joins SCR Dairy as General Manager of U.S. Business Tom Breunig Joins SCR Dairy as General Manager of U.S. Business SCR Selects Madison, Wisconsin, as U.S. Headquarters to Deliver Revolutionary Solutions and Superior Support to U.S. Dairy Producers SCR announced today the addition of Tom Breunig to their team as U.S. General Manager. A dairy industry veteran, Breunig will lead SCR’s domestic dairy team’s keen focus on supporting the U.S. market and providing revolutionary technology for dairy cow management. SCR, an Israeli-based company, opened their U.S. office in Madison, Wisconsin, in March of 2012 to support the growing need for state-of-the-art technology in dairy cow management. The opening of a U.S.-based location demonstrates an ongoing commitment to further support U.S. dairy producers. “Tom brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to SCR as we focus on growing our presence within the United States,” says SCR's CEO Yariv Avisar. “We look to Tom to provide strategic direction as we engage with customers and provide better solutions and service, bringing SCR innovative products and solutions to the dairy producers in this region of the world.” “United States dairies represent some of the largest, most progressive operations in the world, and we recognize their ongoing need to have up-to-date information at their fingertips for decision-making on individual cows,” explains Breunig. “SCR is committed to delivering superior support to dairy producers in the United States and advancing financial return to our customers through innovative technological solutions.” Breunig joins SCR with more than two decades of experience in the dairy industry. He most recently served as U.S. Sales Director for ABS Global, where he led the U.S. dairy sales business and developed strategic plans to strengthen and grow the ABS business. He previously held a variety of roles within the ABS Global organization including Business Development Director and ABS Global Dairy Product Manager. Breunig also spent eight years as an independent consultant for animal health, animal identification, specialty feeds, genetics and reproduction companies. About SCR SCR is a leading developer of advanced technologies for dairy farms and a driving force for progress in the industry. SCR provides dairy producers with revolutionary herd monitoring solutions to manage individual cows, regardless of herd size. Technologies include Heatime® heat detection and health monitoring systems, which utilize unique collar tags and advanced milking controllers based on the most successful electronic milk measurement devices in the market today, and DataFlow, a centralized complete management solution. Over 1.3 million cows on more than 15,000 farms worldwide are monitored using SCR's collar tags, while their technology touches over 10 million cows worldwide, making SCR the global leader in advanced solutions for cow monitoring. To learn more about SCR, visit www.SCRDairy.com. 5.02.2012

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Showing posts with label donkeys. Show all posts Mandrin no longer with us Theoretically, the old donkey Mandrin belonged to my former neighbor Béatrice, the ex-wife of Bob. But Beatrice was more interested in horses than in this aging donkey… which she had received from a lady who loved the animal, but could no longer care for him. So, Mandrin was often left to his own resources, and he spent his time wandering around on the crest up above my house, on the edge of Moshé's paddock. In the beginning, I was reluctant to invite Mandrin into the same paddock as Moshé, because I imagined that the two males might fight with one another. On the contrary, from the moment they found themselves together in the same paddock, the two donkeys got along perfectly well together.Based upon the Drôme locality in which the two donkeys were born, the lady who had reared Mandrin reckoned that he might even be Moshé's father.Recently, I noticed that Mandrin was weakening, and I feared that he might be approaching the end of his life. The day before yesterday, while working in the garden, I was alarmed to see Moshé racing madly across the paddock and braying fearfully. A moment later, I discovered Mandrin's dead body in the shed, in a position suggesting that he had simply toppled over and died, with no signs of agitation. In the case of a farmyard animal, it's often difficult to determine the precise cause of death. I imagined immediately that Mandrin might have succombed to the present heat wave. While the high temperatures might have played a role, I believe that Mandrin simply died of old age… although I've never known his exact year of birth.From that moment on, I was faced immediately with two problems: getting rid of Mandrin's dead body, and taking care of Moshé (suddenly deprived of his constant companion). Solving the first problem involved the rapid creation of a path behind the house, so that a tractor could access the donkey shed on the far edge of my property. Having been informed that the width of my neighbor's tractor is 2.1 meters, I started out by attacking the embankment behind the house with a pick and a hoe to widen the narrow pathway.Then I used my powerful grinder and my chain saw to demolish rapidly my decrepit hen house, which happened to be located (through an error in judgment, which I made many years ago) right in the middle of the path from my house to the donkey shed. Incidentally, Christine will surely be happy to learn that the obligatory demolition of this Gamone eyesore has followed in the wake of the death of Mandrin.My friendly and efficient neighbor Gérard Magnat succeeded in extracting rapidly the donkey's body, and dragging it down the road below my house. In the heat of the action (that's a literal description of our collaboration yesterday morning), I told Gérard that I would call in on him in the next day or so, to pay him for his efforts. Gérard: "William, you don't owe me a cent. This operation has not entailed work for which I might expect to be paid. It was simply a neighbor-to-neighbor service." I sensed with gratitude and respect the profound meaning of Gérard's words. The sentiments he expressed were surely a precious manifestation of the moral and social heritage of countless generations of Alpine farmers. As of tomorrow, I shall think up some kind of elementary gesture aimed at thanking him.Afterwards, I set to work covering the donkey's body with quicklime, thick layers of straw and a plastic tarpaulin. Because of the Bastille Day holiday, the service that removes dead animals won't be turning up here before tomorrow.While I'm saddened immensely by the departure of the old donkey Mandrin, I like to think that Moshé and I welcomed him here, at Gamone, for the final few years of his existence, which were surely spent in the donkey equivalent of peace and contentment. donkeys, Nice key ring, noble NGO I've always liked this key ring, which was given to me by my daughter Emmanuelle soon after I moved into Gamone and invited the young donkey Moshé (born in a neighboring valley) to join me.At that time, this key ring was associated with a French-based NGO [nongovernmental organization]: Veterinaries without borders.Recently, a reference to agronomists has been inserted into the NGO's title. [Click the banner to visit their French-language website.] Their noble goal consists of using agronomic and veterinary know-how in the planetary combat against hunger.The donkey is an excellent symbol for the quest for durable solutions… if only because the beast itself might be thought of as a kind of living "durable solution" that has come down to us intact from African prehistory. Admittedly, here at Gamone, my two donkeys happen to be living in an exceptional environment, where there's always something to eat… even in winter, when there's half a meter of snow on the slopes. For their ancestors in parched lands, life was surely much harsher. Donkey dinner When I found a few apples lying in the grass, preserved by the snow, I cut them up and put them on top of the donkeys' daily dose of oats.I was a little surprised to find that the animals promptly pushed aside the apple fragments so that they could get stuck into the oats.I had always imagined that the donkeys are immensely fond of apples. Well, they are, I'm sure... but it seems that they're fonder still of oats.Five minutes later, when I returned to pick up the dishes, both the oats and the apples had disappeared. Maybe it's like children having a meal in such-and-such a celebrated junk-food restaurant. I would imagine that, spontaneously, a normal kid would tackle the hamburger and French fries first, and then move on to the sundae.The donkeys were standing still at the same spot, above the empty dishes, digesting their dinner.Judging from the respective positions of their ears, old gray-faced Mandrin is waiting for me to say something (or maybe he's intrigued by the buzz of my Nikon adjusting its focus), whereas young beige-faced Moshé is more interested in keeping an auditive "outlook" on what might be happening behind him: in particular, the presence of Sophia... who learned long ago that it's not wise for a dog to spend too much time behind the powerful rear legs of a donkey. Blog gem : If it be Your will Nobody owns me Sale of French submarines to Australia

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Expanding planting High crop prices entice farms to turn available land over to crop production By: David Pitt, Associated Press BIGGSVILLE, Ill. — Clark Kelly plans to spend a lot of time on the links this spring. The Illinois farmer is plowing the Hend-Co-Hills Golf Course near tiny Biggsville, Ill., into a cornfield.He’s not the only one turning over soil in unlikely places. Across the Midwest, farmers are planting crops on almost any scrap of available land to take advantage of consistently high corn and soybean prices. Growers are knocking down old barns, tearing out fencerows and digging up land that had once been preserved for wildlife. Some are even suspected of tearing into pioneer cemeteries.Kelly moved quickly when he heard the golf course was for sale near the Mississippi River, about 80 miles west of Peoria, Ill. With nearby land selling for $15,000 an acre, the 133-acre course with a clubhouse and campground was quite a find for $775,000.“That’s why I wanted to get my paws on it so bad,” says Kelly, who estimates he can plant 80 acres on the property.The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects farmers to plant 174.4 million acres of corn and soybeans this year, a record high. More than 97 million acres will be devoted to corn — the most since 1936 — as demand keeps prices high.Prices soared above $8 a bushel last summer and have hovered around $7 recently. For farmers with production costs around $5 a bushel, there’s still room for a good profit.The growing world population, widespread use of corn for ethanol and other factors have produced significantly higher demand for the crop in the U.S. and elsewhere, says Dan Steinkruger, executive director of Nebraska’s Farm Service Agency.Gordon Wassenaar, who grows corn and soybeans near Prairie City, Iowa, east of Des Moines, says he’s removed fences and trees to squeeze in more crops.“In all honesty, it’s easier to get rid of the buildings and crop farm as it is to take care of the buildings and mow and do a lot of that stuff,” Wassenaar says.It’s a similar situation for Bill Bayliss, who raises cattle and sheep and grows corn, soybeans and wheat on about 2,000 acres near West Mansfield, Ohio.“We tore out fencerows and tore down one old barn, and we farm right over it,” he says.In Minnesota, state archaeologist Scott Anfinson is investigating whether farmers plowed up pioneer cemeteries. He will soon inspect an area of Grant County in west-central Minnesota, where a farmer hired an excavator to bulldoze trees and headstones near a pioneer cemetery dating to the late 1800s. Headstones were knocked down, and Anfinson will determine whether human remains or coffin parts have been turned up by a plow.The farmer, who is in his 90s and farms with his son, could be charged with a felony if graves were disturbed. He probably will be required to replant trees and reset the headstones.Anfinson says the family whose ancestors are buried in the plots is appalled.“Families don’t forget about these things,” he says.He’s investigating three other cases in which Minnesota farmers are suspected of “nibbling” at the edges of pioneer cemeteries. CRPMany farmers have pulled land out of the federal government’s Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers not to plant land that could easily erode or is ideal for grassland, wetlands and wildlife habitat. It’s become increasingly lucrative to farm or rent such land to another farmer rather than collect the government payments.In Iowa, the average cash rent for corn or soybean fields is about $270 per acre, says Chad Hart, an Iowa State University agriculture economist. The average conservation payment in Iowa is $141 an acre.Nationally, the number of acres enrolled in the program has slipped to about 27 million acres from a high of more than 36 million acres in 2007.Losing that land worries conservationists, who see dwindling habitat as a threat to the already-falling numbers of pheasants and other wildlife. It also raises environmental concerns about soil erosion and water quality, says Tom Fuller, Iowa coordinator for Pheasants Forever, a nonprofit organization focusing on wildlife conservation.Back in Biggsville, corn is returning to land that for 48 years was devoted to golfing. Kelly says his father farmed the land before selling it as a golf course. Although popular for decades, the course ran into trouble during the recession and flooding by the Mississippi River a few years ago hurt attendance.“It was a well-run fun place for the community since 1970, and everybody was sad to see it close, including me,” Kelly says.Tractors have replaced golfers at the former Whittemore Golf Club near Algona, in north-central Iowa. It closed in 2011 after more than 40 years and was planted over by a farmer.The same thing happened near Wayland, Mich., where the Hidden Valley Golf Course closed in November and was sold to a farmer.In Hastings, Mich., the River Bend Golf Course has ended its 49-year run. Former owner Denny Storrs says a fifth-generation dairy farmer approached him about selling the 180 acres that had been carved out of his family farm in 1963 for the golf course.Now the land will produce crops to feed Larry Haywood’s cows.“They made us a fair offer, and we thought it was an opportunity that might not come again,” Storrs says. “It was more valuable as a farm than as a golf course.” Tags: planting, illinois, crops, updates 9.77 Acre Farm Site, Unique Large House & Storage Buildings Land Auction: (NOV-20, 2014) Barnes County farmland.

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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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Special to the LVN Hoop house construction begins Mike Wolterbeek | Photo by Mike Wolterbeek, University of Nevada, Reno. Hoop house construction has begun as part of the University of Nevada, Reno’s High Desert Farming Initiative at the Valley Road Field Lab. « Related Media Construction is underway on six hoop houses for the High Desert Farming Initiative, a University of Nevada, Reno farming demonstration project. The business-oriented collaborative will provide applied research and demonstration in hoop-house, greenhouse and organic farming in high desert climates for local growers and the agriculture industry, as well as assessment of various options to support economic development – primarily to support agriculture. Educational opportunities are also available to students interested in agriculture and business. “It’s exciting to get started and begin to realize the potential for this initiative,” said Sam Males, director of the University of Nevada, Reno’s Nevada Small Business Development Center. Males was instrumental in the design and funding of the initiative, who received a $500,000 grant in collaboration with Sen. Harry Reid and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The project, under the direction of Jennifer Ott, also based in the Small Business Development Center, is on one acre at the Valley Road Field Lab, one of the University’s Nevada Agricultural Experiment Stations, which is operated as part of the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources. Rick Lattin of Lattin Farms is the liaison and agriculture consultant working with the high desert farming initiative, and is a part of its working group. Urban Roots, a community partner to the project, is working closely with the Initiative to help realize the goals of education, research and outreach. “We’re happy to be a part of the University’s project,” Jeff Bryant of Urban Roots said. “We’re bringing a service learning component through a federal AmeriCorps grant. We’ll bring in young adults who want to be part of the ag community to do day-to-day, hands in the dirt work.” The university is also offering a course in the Fall through the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources that will be a part of the Initiative. The course will cover growing crops, but also the business of growing crops for small to medium growers. “This initiative is for research, outreach and education,” Ott said. “One way to accomplish this is to test and research different varieties of produce and growing methods so farmers won’t have to go through the expense and time of seeing what will grow and be profitable. We’ve already received a federal block grant to test a new variety of lettuce for this area.” The hoop houses are scheduled to be completed this summer and the first plantings will begin in September when students are back in class. Join the Conversation The Nevada Appeal Updated Jul 5, 2013 08:11AM Published Jul 5, 2013 08:11AM Copyright 2013 The Nevada Appeal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Mobile Site

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« Installation of artificial t... Judge rules against Paia sho...» Hawaii is flash point for GMO crops Save | Post a comment | WAIALUA, Oahu - You can trace the genetic makeup of most corn grown in the U.S., and in many other places around the world, to Hawaii. The tiny island state 2,500 miles from the nearest continent is so critical to the nation's modern corn-growing business that the industry's leading companies all have farms here, growing new varieties genetically engineered for desirable traits like insect and drought resistance. But these same farms have become a flash point in a spreading debate over genetic engineering in agriculture. Article Photos Corn grows in a field on Pioneer Hi-Bred International land on Oahu. The nation’s leading corn seed companies have farms in Hawaii, but their fields have become a flash point in a spreading debate over genetic engineering in agriculture. AP photo Kauai and Hawaii counties have moved in the past several months to regulate genetically modified organisms and the pesticides the farms use. In Maui County, a group is collecting signatures for a potential ballot measure that would impose a temporary ban on the crops. "People are very concerned, and it's my job as a council member to determine whether those concerns are valid and take steps to protect them," said Gary Hooser, a Kaui County councilman. Hooser and the Kauai council passed a law last year, over the mayor's veto, to require large farms to create buffer zones around their crops and to disclose what pesticides they use. The law is set to take effect in August. Seed companies with Kauai operations - Syngenta, Pioneer, BASF and Agrigentics - have sued the county to stop the law, saying they are already regulated by state and federal laws and there is no need for additional county rules. "We don't plant anything that isn't permitted and approved through the proper regulatory agencies, be it the EPA, the FDA and UDSA," said Mark Phillipson, the head of Hawaii corporate affairs for Syngenta, referring to the Environmental Protection Agen-cy, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hawaii's origins as a critical node in corn production dates to the 1960s when James Brewbaker, a researcher at the University of Hawaii, noticed he could plant three crops a year in Hawaii's warm climate instead of one as in most places on the Mainland. Around the same time, Pioneer Hi-Bred was trying to squeeze more research into a year by using greenhouses and farms in Florida. Brewbaker suggested researchers come to Hawaii. Seed farms grew as research expanded and more land became available as Hawaii's sugar and pineapple plantations became less competitive in the global market and shut down. As of 2012, the most recent data available, seed crops in Hawaii were worth $217 million, up from $140 million in 2007. About 95 percent of the crops are corn. In all, they exceed the value of the state's next several largest crops - including sugar cane and macadamia nuts. Developing a new seed variety takes about 10 to 12 growth cycles, said Phillipson. On the Mainland, this could take 10 to 12 years. Being able to get three to four growth cycles a year in Hawaii dramatically shrinks the time it takes to bring a new product to market. "It's getting your newest and best hybrids to market quickly," said Richard McCormack, who leads Hawaii operations for Pioneer Hi-Bred International, which is part of DuPont and has farms on multiple islands. New genes - such as those making corn resistant to drought or floods - are inserted in a lab on the Mainland. Once federal authorities approve new varieties for planting, they're brought to Hawaii for two growth cycles to see how they perform in an actual field. The best ones are sent elsewhere for more growing. Syngenta, for example, sends its best to fields in Missouri, Canada and Mexico to make sure the corn is able to thrive in the soil, wind conditions and temperatures of various places, Phillipson said. Today, about 90 percent of all corn grown in the U.S. is genetically engineered. The discontent, however, has been simmering. There has been little scientific evidence to prove that foods grown from engineered seeds are less safe than their conventional counterparts, but consumer concerns and fears persist - not just in the islands but around the country and the rest of the world. In Hawaii, residents have also expressed concern about pesticides used in the growing of seed crops. Hooser said that he introduced Kauai's legislation to get information that would allow the county to determine whether the seed companies' operations were having any negative effect on the health of that island's people and the environment. Hawaii County later adopted a law banning the cultivation of genetically modified crops. County officials there created an exemption, however, for papayas already grown on the Big Island that have been genetically engineered to resist a virus that nearly wiped out the fruit in years past. No seed companies currently have farms on that island, so they're not affected by the law. In Maui County, a group called Sustainable Hawaiian Agriculture for the Keiki and the Aina Movement is gathering signatures for a ballot measure to impose the ban until seed companies complete environmental and public health studies finding their practices to be safe. Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences, a unit of Dow Chemical, both have farms in Maui County. State Sen. Clarence Nishihara predicts that the wrangling over genetically modified crops will continue, in Hawaii and around the country. "There's no one side that's going to say, 'OK, we had enough. We've given up on the issue,' right?" said Nishihara, who chairs the state Senate's agriculture committee. "They'll keep fighting it. Isn't that the American way?" Save | Post a comment | Subscribe to The Maui News I am looking for:

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The farming Cabinet: Who you need to know 6:00 AM Monday May 6, 2013 The Primary Industries ministerial portfolio is a large, challenging one. For Horowhenua farmer and Otaki MP Nathan Guy the first few weeks on the job have been hectic, with the most severe drought since the 1940s striking the North Island and parts of the South, reports Felicity Wolfe The January Cabinet re-shuffle by Prime Minster John Key saw a number of changes in key positions for agriculture, as well as for Primary Industries. Taking over from new Speaker of the House David Carter, Nathan Guy already had experience as the associate Primary Industries minister and is well-known as a hard-working politician who has risen through the National Party ranks since first entering Parliament as a list MP in 2005. Federated Farmers national president Bruce Wills says Guy's farming background and experience in both the meat-producing and dairy industries give him a broad understanding of the varied challenges faced by the different primary sectors. "We know that as a farmer himself, Nathan will really understand and work well for agriculture and all other primary industries in this country," Wills says. He pointed to Guy's work as Minister of Immigration, associate Primary Industries Minister and as the associate Transport Minister which showed his ability to work well with Federated Farmers in the past. "I believe there is a good understanding between the Minister and the Federation," Wills says. Continued below.Related Content Venison, velvet prices pleasing farmers Pasture first a low-cost success Log prices rise in firm market The Federation welcomes Guy's indications that water storage and resource management are areas of focus, as is making sure the sector is in a position to take advantage of new trading opportunities. "It is a drought, so water storage is high on the agenda for everyone at the moment," Wills says. "The Federation will be working hard to make sure it stays in politicians' consciousness well after the rain has returned." Guy told Federated Farmers he was very supportive of irrigation projects to help mitigate future droughts. "Done properly, this has the potential to deliver a major boost to our primary industries and support many new jobs. If current proposals are advanced, there could be another 420,000 hectares of irrigated land available over time," Guy says. "I'm also working closely with Environment Minister Amy Adams on water reform, and recently we launched a discussion paper with ideas on improving water quality and the way freshwater is managed. "Balancing environmental issues with economic growth will be a major challenge, but one in which New Zealand can be a world leader." Having already visited many drought-hit areas, Guy says he is keen to meet farmers from all regions. "I'm looking forward to getting my sleeves rolled up and stuck in." The January Cabinet reshuffle also brought a number of other younger politicians to the top table, many of them in positions which have a direct impact on New Zealand's agricultural sector. These included Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye in the Food Safety portfolio, Tauranga MP Simon Bridges taking on the Labour, Energy and Resources portfolio and Napier MP Chris Tremain taking on the all-important Local Government portfolio. These have joined relative newcomer, Environment and Telecommunications Minister Amy Adams in Cabinet. "Local Government is currently undergoing some much-needed reform and, with farmers being directly impacted by the land-based rating system, this is a portfolio the Federation takes a keen interest in," Wills says. Also back at the top table is Nelson MP Nick Smith with Conservation. "We know Dr Smith brings a wealth of skill and knowledge to the conservation arena, having previously held this portfolio," Wills said. "We will be working with all of these politicians to bring better policy and legislative outcomes for our farmer members and, indeed, all New Zealanders." The farming Cabinet of 2013 Minister of Finance - Bill English (Clutha-Southland) Cabinet Rank: 2 Political career to date: English is the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure; pivotal roles for agriculture. As the Minister of Finance and Treasury, English is responsible for the allocation of funds for government ministries and key projects such as the water storage fund, the rural broadband initiative and research. English, who hails from a Southland farming family, is very in touch with farmers' needs. He is also highly experienced and respected, having been a Member of Parliament since 1990. He is a former National Party leader and in previous National governments has held Health, Finance and Revenue portfolios. What farmers will like: English has brought a rural practicality and straight-talking style to some of the most important portfolios in the Cabinet. He has retained close links with agriculture and heartland New Zealand, giving English a real understanding of the sector, its importance to the country and what it needs going forward. Challenges: The government's unwillingness to take active measures to lower the New Zealand dollar has upset some farmers and other exporters, however, Federated Farmers' opinion is that reducing government expenditure and debt is the preferable measure. Real farm experience? English comes from a farming family which is proudly based in the Southland town of Dipton. With family members in agribusinesses and his brother, Conor, at Federated Farmers' helm, there are bound to be plenty of agricultural anecdotes when the clan gets together for a lamb roast dinner at Christmas. Minister for Primary Industries - Nathan Guy (Otaki) Cabinet Rank: 16 Political career to date: After just over a year as Associate Minister for Primary Industries, Guy was promoted into the Primary Industries portfolio in the January Cabinet reshuffle, stepping into the spot left vacant by South Island sheep farmer David Carter who gained the Speaker of the House role. Guy first entered Parliament in 2005 as a list MP and won the Otaki electorate in 2008. He was given the Internal Affairs portfolio and other responsibilities in 2009. What farmers will like: Guy has a solid farming background, which includes Young Farmer competitions, an agricultural degree from Massey University and a past recipient of a Winston Churchill Fellowship, with which he travelled to the United States to study beef exports. He has hands-on, pan-sectorial agricultural understanding. Challenges: Despite a solid political reputation, Guy's profile is not as prominent as some of the other new faces around the Cabinet table. Also, those looking for a new direction after David Carter are likely to be disappointed. Guy has indicated that while he sees himself as a part of a younger political generation, he has also said he means to carry on in much the same path as Carter. Real farm experience? Five stars. Last month Guy told Dairy Exporter that he enjoys getting back to the family farm, about an hour north of Wellington, in the weekends. Minister for the Environment - Amy Adams (Selwyn) Cabinet Rank: 15 When Aucklander Amy Adams moved to study at Canterbury University in 1988, she stayed, practicing law and living with her family on a 600-acre sheep farm in Aylesbury, just west of Christchurch. After graduation with first class honours, Adams had a successful law career then was elected to Parliament in 2008. Political career to date: Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Minster for the Environment. What farmers will like: As Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Adams has been a supporter and ally of the roll-out of the Rural Broadband Initiative. As Environment Minister, Adams is in the process of overhauling the Resource Management Act. It is hoped she will streamline it to reduce the huge time inefficiencies and money wastage it has become synonymous with. Challenges: If the Resource Management Act reforms do not deliver the promised savings, it won't just be the farming community left disappointed. Real farm experience? Although Adams was an Aucklander, she has taken to country life and is a strong advocate for her largely rural electorate and the needs of all other rural New Zealanders. Minister of Conservation - Nick Smith (Nelson) Cabinet Rank: 13 Nelson MP Nick Smith has been a National Party stalwart since university and has retained his seat since 1990, when it was then the Tasman seat. Political career to date: Nick Smith first stood for political office at Rangiora District Council in 1983, while at high school. He was elected in 1986, aged 21 and has been involved in politics since. He won the then-Tasman electorate in 1990, becoming Minister for Conservation in 1996. He has also held portfolios for Corrections, Education, Environment, Climate Change Issues and the Accident Compensation Corporation. He was also, briefly, the deputy leader of the party under Don Brash in 2003. The January reshuffle saw Smith return to Cabinet with the Conservation portfolio, after resigning his previous ministerial portfolios following allegations made about his conduct as the Minister for ACC in handling the case of a friend and former National Party member Bronwyn Pullar. What farmers will like: Smith listened to Federated Farmers about the difficulties around including biological emissions in the Emissions Trading Scheme and delivered on removing them indefinitely. Challenges: In returning to his old Conservation portfolio, the thousands of farmers who do conservation work for free - replanting, creating QEII covenants on fragile land and bush - will be looking for Smith to show a real and tangible understanding of what it really takes to protect New Zealand's unique biodiversity. Farmers will be looking for further unity between the Department of Conservation and its rural neighbours. Farmers in bovine tuberculosis-prone areas will also be looking to see what solid government commitments are made to the Predator Free New Zealand idea, as its aims could overlap into their interests in possum control. Real farm experience? Smith is a career politician, but grew up in an agricultural service town and has successfully ingrained himself in the Nelson electorate, which runs on the primary industries, including agriculture. Minister of Trade and Minister for Climate Change Issues - Tim Groser Cabinet Rank: 14 As the Minister of Trade and Climate Change Issues, and previously holding the Conservation portfolio, Tim Groser has held a great deal of influence over New Zealand agricultural sectors since 2008. He is a former ambassador to Indonesia and the World Trade Organisation. As such, Groser has been a firm supporter of free-trade agreements and multi-lateral agreements such as the Trans Pacific Partnership. At present Groser is a contender for the director-generalship of the World Trade Organisation which will become vacant after May. Groser has been deeply involved in facilitating international climate change negotiations and has been part of many climate change forums and conferences. Political career to date: Between 2008 and 2010, Groser was the Minister for Conservation and is the Minister for Trade. What farmers will like: Groser is seen globally as a leading proponent for free trade and is widely respected on the international stage. He has been very active in opening new trade opportunities for New Zealand's agricultural products. Challenges: If he secures the director-generalship of the World Trade Organisation Groser will leave his role as Minister of Trade and Climate Change Issues. Even if he does not, it is likely he will be looking at his career prospects on the world stage. Real farm experience? With agriculture playing a huge role in New Zealand trade, Groser has worked on agricultural negotiations over the years, including a stint chairing World Trade Organisation's agricultural negotiations. Minister of Local Government - Chris Tremain (Napier) Cabinet rank: 18 Chris Tremain has been given the Local Government portfolio at a crucial time. Federated Farmers is encouraged by many of the initiatives outlined under the Local Government Reform Bill, but hopes Tremain will have the courage to look at the biggest issue, the funding mechanisms available to councils. Tremain has been in Parliament since 2005 when he won the Napier seat. A successful Hawke's Bay businessman, Tremain should have some previous dealings with local government as a private citizen - a perspective the Federation hopes he retains. Political career to date: Minister of Internal Affairs and Associate Minister of Tourism; Local Government What farmers will like: As a businessman from a regional, agriculture-dependant centre, Tremain should have a good understanding of the demands on small to medium-sized business owners. Challenges: It remains to be seen if Tremain will look seriously at the problems with purely land-based rating systems. Real farm experience? Hailing from Hawke's Bay, Tremain is never far away from a primary producer - including the Federation's own president, Bruce Wills. Minister of Labour - Simon Bridges (Tauranga) Cabinet Rank: 19 Originally from Auckland, Bridges completed a BA and LLB (Hons) at Auckland University, before further studies at Oxford University and the London School of Economics. He also worked as an intern at the British House of Commons. After a period as a litigation lawyer in Auckland, Bridges moved to Tauranga where he became senior Crown Prosecutor. He was elected as Tauranga's MP in 2008 and has risen quickly up the National Party lists in that time. Political career to date: Minister of Energy and Resources, Minister of Labour, and Associate Minister for Climate Change Issues. What farmers will like: Coming from a legal background, Bridges is known as an active and skilful debater and also as an intelligent politician. Challenges: Farmers could be sceptical about Bridges' background as a litigation lawyer, but will appreciate his rhetorical skills in Parliamentary debate. Real farm experience? Moving from the rat-race in Auckland to the Bay of Plenty was a good start. Minister for Food safety - Nikki Kaye (Auckland Central) Cabinet rank: 20 Kaye was elected for the Auckland Central seat in 2008 and has proven a committed constituency MP. Political career to date: Minister for Food Safety, Minister for Civil Defence and Minister for Youth Affairs. What farmers will like: Kaye is seen as a determined MP who is not afraid to speak her mind - even when that does not quite fit the National Party line. Challenges: Kaye is the youngest Cabinet Minister in history and as such is a bit of an unknown quantity. Real farm experience? Kaye is an Aucklander through and through, but has shown an awareness of urban environmental issues. - Hamilton News Hamilton News Services

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Forest issue? There’s an app for that Companies are increasingly turning to digital technology for greater efficiency and cost savings By Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun FPInnovations, one of the world’s largest forestry research and development groups, is looking at how to apply new technology to the job of felling trees and bringing logs out of the woods.Photograph by: Mark van Manen , PNG filesFrom bucksaws to chainsaws to mechanized falling machines, British Columbia’s logging industry has seen huge advances since the founding of the provincial government’s forest service in 1912.The huge, noisy vehicles used for tree felling, trimming and log handling are getting close to optimal efficiency, depending on the cost of fuel relative to labour.In response, many of Canada’s top forest sector researchers are focusing on other opportunities to ratchet down the cost of logging — including a focus on digital technology.At an FPInnovations research lab located on the University of B.C.’s Point Grey campus, forest operations program manager Doug Bennett reels off a list of projects that resonates with anyone tracking the popularity of high-resolution mapping, cellphone apps and global positioning systems in other sectors of the economy.FPInnovations is one of the world’s largest forestry research and development groups, a not-for-profit organization that works with both industry and the Canadian Forest Service on everything from wood products manufacturing to advanced wood-based construction methods and bioenergy development.“Mills for years have had pretty sophisticated process control systems,” Bennett explained. “But when you get out to the bush, and you’re falling and skidding or yarding timber to roadside and loading on a truck, it has been sort of a visual, manual type of a process. There isn’t much technology in the past that has been applied to that process.”The R&D lab is developing on-board computer systems to allow operators of harvesting equipment, such as the feller bunchers that mechanically cut and stack trees, to tap into satellite-based GPS, or global positioning systems, to determine the boundaries of the cut blocks they’re working in. Ultimately, it could eliminate the cost of group-based surveys to map out and mark the boundaries of those blocks with flagging tape.“The other aspect of that system is to provide a means to get a record of production and productivity. It’s all about driving continuous improvement in your contract workforce. To do that you need information and you need to have an awareness on the operator’s part about how they’re doing out there, and get real-time feedback on their production and productivity,” Bennett added.Mark Ryans, another FP program manager, noted that, “Half your cost is the fibre cost, the whole piece of lumber, so you have to make sure you are cognizant of reducing your costs on the fibre supply side.“It’s the adage: You can’t control what you can’t measure. Quite often it’s just a machine out there at a very remote location, an operator on his own. This way you can essentially monitor what’s happening and send the data by satellite at the end of the shift, rather than weeks later following up on some measurements, scaling, what we call measuring wood, and finding out later what the actual operator did.“It could be used as a big brother device, but that’s not what it’s intended for. It’s intended to improve the operation and get better utilization out of the machines.”FPInnovations is also looking at improved methods for assessing the condition of forest roads. There are thousands of kilometres of forest service roads around B.C. and booms in other resource industries, such as mining and oil and gas exploration, mean many of those roads see more traffic than they were designed to carry.In response, they’ve created a road-evaluation system consisting of both laser scanners and digital scanners, mounted on the roof of a van that’s also equipped with GPS technology.They’ve also developed a cellphone app for logging truck drivers that can give them a full rundown on steep grades they will be descending with a full load of logs. It can tell them whether their brakes are up to the task of taking them down a 22-per-cent pitch, how fast they should be travelling as they approach it, and how much weight their truck can reasonably carry on that trip.Laser-based aerial survey technology, or Lidar, is also enabling more detailed surveys of the forest land base, providing both an accurate model of the surface terrain and a digitized inventory of the trees that are rooted into it.The technology is giving them “really good predictions of things like volume of timber for example,” Bennett said. “They’ve seen no significant difference between the Lidar-based estimates and the actual harvested volumes, whereas the conventional methods might have a variance of as much as 20 per cent compared to the eventual yield.”The industry is also working to derive more value from the trees it cuts, such as chipping what used to be considered waste material — branches stripped from a log immediately after it’s cut — and shipping it to mills to burn for heat or generation of electricity.“If you’re using it for heat applications, the amount of energy you’ve delivered is 30 to 40 times what you’ve expended,” Ryans said. “If you just make electricity you’re looking at 30-per-cent efficiency — but you are still way ahead of the game in terms of the biomass you’ve delivered. You get most of the value out of the biomass if you’re using the heat for your mill process, or you’re just using it as heat within a small community.”University of B.C. forestry professor Dennis Bendickson, a third-generation logger who spent 30 years in the industry, expects the focus on maximizing the value of a stand of trees to intensify.“If we are looking at the value of a stand of trees, 20 or so years ago we would have been totally concerned with solid wood,” Bendickson said. “Today we are able to manufacture a lot of different things in different ways — we don’t have to concern ourselves just with solid wood.”Today, a wood veneer mill can turn a 10-cm diameter tree top — something that used to be burned as slash or sold as a Christmas tree — and chip it up for use in the construction of a manufactured roof beam or [email protected]@ScottSimpsun0 « Previous 1 2 View as one page Next »© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun E-mail this ArticlePrint this ArticleShare this Article More on This Story Go to BC 2035 main pageFibre optics in the forest sectorA new way of viewing the woodsThe problem of poor returnsBuilding our future ... with woodGenome study aids race against climate changeBackstory for next lumber deal could yield peace — touch woodForestry’s future: a favourable forecast Story Tools E-mail this ArticlePrint this Article Font:***** Image:**** PreviousNext FPInnovations, one of the world’s largest forestry research and development groups, is looking at how to apply new technology to the job of felling trees and bringing logs out of the woods.Photograph by: Mark van Manen, PNG files E-mail this GalleryPrint this GalleryShare this Gallery Photo Galleries »

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Rabobank: Grain prices moderating World grain supplies are rebuilding and moderating prices, but there are some wild cards in the mix, including production in South America and Chinese demand. But moderating prices are already boosting margins for dairy and beef production and could go even lower in 2014. Strong global demand will also underpin a stellar year for dairy and beef producers. Carol Ryan DumasCapital Press Published on March 6, 2014 11:27AM Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press Bill Cordingley, left, chief of Rabobank Food and Agribusiness Research and Advisory, talks with Charles McElligott, Rabobank’s western region managing director, before Cordingley’s presentation on global commodity markets to clients at a dinner in Twin Falls March 4. Buy this photo TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Moderating feed prices, combined with strong demand, has U.S. beef and dairy producers on target for an exceptional year, according to Rabobank analysts.In the big picture, grain markets are rebuilding and prices have moderated over the last six months and could go lower, said Bill Cordingley, managing director and chief of Rabobank agribusiness research and advisory group.Rabobank officials are on a tour of the Northwest, speaking to clients about global commodity markets in terms of price and outlook. The tour made a stop in Twin Falls on March 4.It will be a strong year for U.S. dairy producers and exporters, and the tightening U.S. beef supply will continue favorable cattle prices and provide a big growth market for lean beef, Cordingley said. U.S. planting intentions and weather will affect U.S. grain prices in the next few months, but it’s too early to tell how production will play out. So most of the volatility in markets is coming from outside the U.S., he said.“All eyes are on South America and the Black Sea (region)” as well as the U.S. winter wheat crop, he said.South America’s record soybean crop is challenged by rainy weather at harvest, its transportation infrastructure and logistics in getting it to export markets, and the likelihood of drought in Brazil is decreasing expectations on it second corn crop, he said.Unknowns are also entering grain markets with the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, rallying contract corn prices to their highest in eight months on March 4. The Black Sea region represents about 20 percent of global wheat exports, 40 percent of barley exports and 18 percent of corn exports, and any volatility there has an immediate effect on markets, he said.And while world demand for agricultural commodities remains strong, fueled by China’s huge appetite, there is some concern that China’s grain demand will moderate this year. But China also wants to build its strategic reserves, relaxing its 95 percent self-sufficiency policy for feed corn.“China is very much a wild card,” Cordingley said.In the medium term, corn (which drives the grain complex in the U.S.) is still on a bearish note. If weather cooperates, there could still be a big crop in South American and a good crop in the U.S., and stocks are rebuilding, he said. Chinese demand for dairy has turned U.S. dairy exports on their head, whether or not they are going to China. That country’s domestic milk production last year was flat at best, and the country is also dealing with food-safety issues, he said.That’s given strength to U.S. and global dairy prices, while feed prices are coming down. Income over feed has brought extraordinary returns to U.S. producers, he said.“It’s a bit of a perfect storm with China’s demand and corn prices moderating,” he said.Margins over feed costs in the last three to six months have been the best ever seen. But U.S. dairymen are not responding with production growth as they would have in the past, due to a need to rebuild equity and concerns over labor availability, he said.U.S. milk and ingredient prices will moderate in the second half of the year, with milk production growth here and abroad, and pressure producer margins. But those margins will still be attractive, he said. U.S. beef is in a tightening phase, with beef production expected to be down 5 percent to 6 percent, a “huge contraction,” in 2014. Current cattle prices are an incentive for slaughter but also for cow and heifer retention, he said.The challenge to the beef complex will be consumer access to beef and price competition from pork and poultry. The price advantage ground beef had over chicken breast has closed due to a tightening of lean meat for grinding. That tightening is a function of reduced cow slaughter and reduced lean imports, he said.Some traditional U.S. imports of lean meat have been redirected to China due to China’s demand for the product. China imported 140,000 tons of beef from Australia in 2013, up from 14,000 tons in 2012, he said.Beef markets are so tight and prices are so high, the U.S. government is considering allowing fresh beef from Brazil on the basis of regional freedom from foot and mouth disease, he said.An upside pressure for beef is that the PED virus in U.S. swine will limit growth in the pork industry. But red meat prices remain robust, which is supportive for poultry, and could allow poultry to take more market share, he said.

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Mustangs Spirit of the Shrinking West In the winter of 2oo5 Nelson Quispe, new from Peru to North America, was hired to herd sheep in Wyoming's Red Desert. His sheep-rancher boss, Pat O'Toole, gave him a six-year-old mustang to help him cover the long miles over snow whales and sagebrush to open range. The mustang was white all over, with dark spots on his rear, betraying some Appaloosa in his ancestry, but with hooves like dinner plates, suggesting the additional introduction of something more along the lines of a draft horse. He'd been named Dot by the inmates at the Honor Farm near Riverton, where he'd been trained as a wild-born five-year-old. As a result the mustang had both native sense and correctional-facility manners, and you can do a lot worse than that in a horse. O'Toole told the Peruvian, "If the wind picks up, and the sheep get blown out, just head back to your sheep camp. Whatever you do, don't try to follow them." He said this in both English and Spanish and, just to be sure, in gestures, because the way weather can turn on you in Wyoming, a man needs all the languages at his disposal to explain it. After that, a veteran herder of these ranges, also a Peruvian, gave the young man one short, critical piece of advice in Spanish. Then Quispe rode off with Dot and the sheep into the wide-open world. He wasn't there very long before the wind turned to speeding metal sheets, and the temperature hit 35° below zero Fahrenheit. Quispe, full of youth's eagerness to prove itself, tried to stay with the flock. Then the sheep blustered off the range, and night fell, and the wind sped all the harder. The young shepherd was lost, frozen solid to his horse and sure he would die. Just then, however, he remembered the key piece of advice the veteran shepherd had given him. So Quispe leaned forward, took off Dot's bridle, and wrapped his arms around the mustang's neck. He closed his eyes and committed his soul to the Holy Mother. Dot­—whose ancestors roamed these plains roughly one and a half million years ago, and who was born wild onto this very land just six years earlier, and therefore knew this world to the millionth power—lowered his head to smell for prairie dog and badger holes to keep from falling and, compensating with brains and courage for what he lacked in beauty, took the terrified youngster right back to camp. When the weather in Wyoming seems hell-bent on murder, and a shepherd can't see past his nose, the difference between life and death is—just as it used to be a century ago—a good, native-bred horse with more than a usual dose of backcountry smarts. But when the wind dies down, and cell phone service is restored, this modern age arrives with noisy, impatient abruptness, and wild horses look out of place in a West that is shrinking around them. So a straggle of mares and a few foals led by a single stud running parallel to a barbed-wire fence, power pylons, and an oil-field truck behind them is the way I first saw mustangs near Rock Springs late in the fall of 2007. "Wild horses are right in the middle of a culture that wants nothing to do with them," said Jay Kirkpatrick, director of science and conservation biology at ZooMontana, in Billings, a center for the development of contraceptives for wildlife. Kirkpatrick, who has spent more than 30 years studying the animals, said the wild horse has been despised ever since white men came west—blamed for everything that can and does go wrong on these grasslands. So in the mid-1800s, when stockmen released up to 40 million cattle on the plains, where horses had lived for centuries without destroying the grazing, at most two million mustangs were held responsible for the suddenly depleted range. At the same time, the range-tough wild horses, a fast-breeding renewable resource, were indispensable to early settlers. Occasionally hunted to keep their numbers in check, they were also rounded up periodically for ranch work and transport or were used to conquer and define the growing nation. Lt. Ulysses S. Grant, invading Mexico with Gen. Zachary Taylor's army in March 1846 on a freshly caught mustang (from mestengo, meaning "stray"), tells in a contemporary account: "As far as the eye could reach to our right, the herd extended. To the left, it extended equally. There was no estimating the number of animals in it." But then came railroads and roads, cars and tractors, tanks and combine harvesters, and you can't fix a dead horse with a monkey wrench, so the mustang lost its value as transport and instead became, literally, dogmeat. Millions of pounds of wild horsemeat were processed into food for dogs, cats, and chickens during the 1930s alone. "Man," as Pat O'Toole said, "was the wild horses' natural predator." Traditionally ranchers haven't had much time for anything that competes with them for resources. It's not uncommon to find coyote carcasses draped over barbed-wire fences, as if Westerners had gone trolling for whatever offended their souls and, unable to shoot the wind, turned their ire on something more tangible. In February 2006 the Sportsman's Warehouse in Reno, Nevada, sponsored a competition in which the varmint hunter who brought in the most proof—such as the jaws of coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and mountain lions—would win a boat. Around the same time several wild horses were also shot, even though mustangs have been federally protected since 1971—under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act—from capture, branding, harassment, or killing. (It was largely the efforts of a Nevadan, Velma Bronn Johnston, better known as Wild Horse Annie, to bring the plight of mustangs to public attention that led to passage of the act.) You can outlaw cruelty, but you can't outlaw the culture that spawned that cruelty. Wild horses around the Rock Springs area (where Dot is from) have been killed in greater numbers than anywhere else in the country. It's impossible to know if the deaths are the deliberate work of ranchers fed up with the pressures on their grazing or of careless young men with too much time on their hands. In the spring of 2005 two Wyoming men and two men from Utah roped a wild stallion and castrated the animal with a knife. The mustang bled to death, and its body was dragged to a remote draw and left to rot. All four men were apprehended, convicted of misdemeanors, given six-month suspended jail sentences, and ordered to pay fines of a little more than a thousand dollars each. It's hard to conceive that anyone would kill a federally protected mustang in this way, until you take into account the anatomy of the West: little towns strung like beads along highways, and between the towns an impression of endless public lands where it's still possible to imagine getting away with anything, in part because these expanses feel as if they belong to no one and everyone all at once. In the ten Western states where wild horses are found, the federal agency in the unenviable position of overseeing the interests competing for public lands—livestock and minerals, trees and the people who hug them, hikers and wildlife, wild horses and water­sheds—is the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM is required to manage its 258 million acres (more than any other federal agency) for an ever changing West and for "multiple use." In theory there should be enough room for everything, but in reality, from the moment pioneers settled here, resources have been extracted with little patience for anything that got in the way of a silver dollar. These are not—and never were—lands managed for all things equally, but for the priorities of the age. Historically the priority has been livestock, and in 2006 cattle and sheep consumed 20 times as much forage on BLM land as wild horses and burros. But in the past 30 years the tone of the culture has been changing. Ranchers in many parts of the West have been losing their dominant place, and the loudest voice is now coming from oil companies. With intensifying pressure to make the United States more energy independent, the BLM has leased 44 million acres of land for oil and gas, nearly five million of that in areas set aside for wild horses. It's an indelible use of the land: Even when capped, the wells don't go away. "The energy is where you find it," said Tom Gorey, PR officer for the BLM's wild horse program. He sounded profoundly reconciled to that fact. Gorey's agency oversees some 30,000 wild horses, which are confined to 29 million acres of disconnected BLM herd management areas (HMAs). Under the 1971 act the BLM must keep the herds at what it decides are appropriate management levels (AMLs). Some horse advocates believe the AMLs are arbitrarily low, threatening the genetic viability of the herds; ranchers say they're unrealistically high, threatening vital grazing. Pat O'Toole's grazing allotments (an allotment is an area of BLM land leased to stockmen) overlap with HMAs in south-central Wyoming and northwestern Colorado, and he has the measured calm and authority of a man who has learned his priorities the hard way. "When the wild horses were regularly harvested by ranchers," he said, "they couldn't take the range down. Then the wild horse was protected,

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Minnesota Wine Legislation Update Improving regulations in the state 'where the grapes can suffer' by Linda Jones McKee Minnesota farm wineries such as Chankaska Creek Ranch & Winery can produce 75,000 gallons of wine under new legislation. Saint Paul, Minn.—The omnibus liquor bill signed by Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on May 13 didn’t give brewers, micro-distilleries or farm wineries everything they were asking for, but it did include some provisions that will benefit the state’s farm wineries. The number of gallons a farm winery may sell per year was increased by 50%; off-site warehousing of wine products is now permitted, and a provision was included that corrects a double-taxation problem concerning Port-style wines. Since the original bill that permitted the establishment of farm wineries was passed in 1980, those wineries have been limited to selling 50,000 gallons per year. While Kent Schwickert, a member of the legislative committee of the Minnesota Grape Growers Association, MGGA, and owner of Chankaska Creek Ranch & Winery in Kasota, Minn., said he would have preferred to have the limit raised to 250,000 gallons, the legislators chose to increase it to 75,000 gallons. Irving Geary, president of the MGGA and a partner in Wild Mountain Winery in Terrace Falls, told Wines & Vines that this change “gives opportunities for wineries to keep expanding. No winery is pushing the 50,000-gallon limit yet, but I know several wineries are now planning to become larger in the next few years.” Geary said farm wineries in Minnesota are viewed as small boutique wineries designed for agro-tourism. To secure a farm winery license, wineries must be in an agricultural setting with 10 acres of agricultural land. In addition, 51% of the fruit used in making wine must be from Minnesota. The state also has a commercial wine license, which permits wineries to be located anywhere and purchase fruit or wine without restrictions about origin. The commercial license, however, is considerably more expensive. Previously, farm wineries had to store their products on winery premises. With the new legislation, a farm winery’s off-site warehouse must be a secured facility that meets state requirements such as giving the state proper notification about the location of the warehouse. Schwickert’s Chankaska Creek Winery is an example of one winery that will benefit from the change in taxation for Port-style wines. In past vintages, the Minnesota Department of Revenue viewed the brandy that Schwickert used to stop the fermentation in his Port-style wine as a taxable product, not as a part of the process of making the wine. Under the new bill, brandy will be considered an ingredient in Port-style wine, and the finished product will be subject to the sales tax. “The farm winery law we have is a good one,” Geary said. “It was designed to be. For example, wineries can be open on Sunday, while liquor stores can’t. Farm wineries can sell both wholesale and retail, and can self-distribute. Initially some distributors weren’t happy about this, but as more wineries are getting bigger, some are choosing to work with distributors.” An issue Geary said he hopes the state will address in the future is winery signage. He said each county has its own rules on signage, and the state is also different. “I’d like to get MNDOT (the Minnesota Department of Transportation) to allow state signs,” he said. “Currently they won’t work with a winery if the county won’t allow signs.” Minnesota today has 47 wineries, according to the Wines Vines Analytics’ winery database, and several more are about to open. “Wineries still struggle with the old image of Minnesota wines being sticky sweet or awful,” Geary said. “But many wineries here are winning gold and double-gold medals at international wine competitions across the country. We need to keep our marketing campaigns going and promote Minnesota as a wine region.” SHARE »

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Category: Fitness What is the Nutritional Value of Rice? Converted rice has the nutritional benefits of brown rice but the flavor and texture of white rice. Rice plants. A bowl of rice. Black rice is high in antioxidants and fiber. Different types of rice. Brown rice. Marjorie McAtee The nutritional value of rice can vary, depending on variety. White rice is usually considered to have a significantly reduced nutritional value, because the process of polishing the rice removes most of its nutrients and fatty acids. Even when white rice is enriched with vitamins B1 and B3 and iron, it still has lost much of its nutritional value. Rice is, however, considered an important world crop, since it is a staple food for about half of the world's people. Brown rice is considered far more nutritious than white rice, since it usually undergoes far less processing, and is generally allowed to retain most of its nutrition. While both brown and white rice contain about 170 calories per serving of 0.25 cups (0.06 liters), the nutritional value of rice of each type can be significantly different. Brown rice is generally considered a good dietary source of vitamins B1, B6, and B3, as well as phosphorous, manganese, dietary fiber, iron, and essential fatty acids. Brown rice is also considered a good source of tryptophan, selenium, and magnesium. The nutritional value of rice that has not been polished during processing makes it a good source of fatty acids, dietary fiber, and complete protein. Ad White rice loses many of these vitamins and minerals in processing. The hulling and polishing of white rice can reduce its vitamin B1 content by up to 80 percent, its B6 content by up to 90 percent, and its B3 content by more than 60 percent. White rice also typically loses about 60 percent of its iron content, along with all of its fatty acids and dietary fiber, in processing. Vitamins and minerals are often added to white rice after processing, but this process of enrichment does not generally replace most of the nutrients lost from the rice during processing. White and brown rice alike are considered very low in fat, cholesterol, and salt. The nutritional value of rice of both types may rest on the large amounts of complex carbohydrates they provide. Rice's nutritional value as a source of carbohydrates has made it a dietary staple for much of the global populous. A diet based on whole grains like rice is said to help maintain healthy body weight, support cardiovascular health, lower cholesterol, and prevent type 2 diabetes. Ad What is Parboiled Rice? What is Red Rice? What are the Different Types of Rice? What Is Himalayan Red Rice? What is Enriched Rice? What is Black Rice? What is Boil-In-Bag Rice? Rotergirl @Pippinwhite -- I'm glad you brought that up about white rice and your blood sugar. Some doctors don't tell their diabetic patients about this kind of thing. They're still going on the old recommendations from the 1970s that basically held that diabetics needed to eat carbs to stabilize their sugar. Don't know how that got around, but it was a load of garbage. Like you, I love rice, but I don't eat it. I did run across an interesting recipe for something called cauliflower "rice" that sounded interesting. I'll have to try it and will post here with the results. Pippinwhite Rice is wonderful, but people who are already Type 2 diabetic don't need to eat much of it. It can do bad things for your blood sugar. It does for mine, anyway. I can eat brown rice in small amounts, but I have to be extra careful about white rice. I love it, but it's just not good for my blood sugar. I could sit down with a bowl of white rice and a bottle of low-sodium soy sauce and have supper, but my blood sugar just won't have it. It will run my sugar into orbit every single time. Post your comments

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The Generation That Will Turn Soil Into Gold Around 20 years ago, the French university system was revolutionized with the aim of rejuvenating the aging teaching body, which had been causing problems not just related to employment, but also to a whole culture and vision of teaching. In a few years the system renewed itself, benefiting everyone. Now, European agriculture is in a similar situation: few operators, with a high average age, a culture tied to past decades and scant prospects for the future. Now, add to this the increasingly depressing statistics on youth unemployment. It would seem like a classic case of putting two and two together: agriculture needs young people and young people need work. It seems logical that the first concern of policies should be to assist young people (but also those in their 40s and 50s who have been stagnating without a job for years or who have recently lost a position previously considered “safe”) get into agriculture. Attempts are being made by some. For example, two graduates from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo. One, Nicola del Vecchio, returned to Molise to start a business on his family’s land, and the other, Carlo Fiorani, went back to Lombardy to restart an abandoned farm based on criteria of sustainability. I don’t know when they will start to break even, but I know that seeing them sell their products (bread, vegetables, fruit, cheeses and cured meats) or offer them for tasting and hearing the pride, mixed with amazement, in their voices when they say “I made this” gives me a sense of a solid future being built with tangible, extraordinary efforts, as well as courage and audacious dreams, in this era in which dreaming can be seen as an activity for losers. Among the young people, some start from zero: no farming family behind them, no land, no capital. Sometimes even no skills, but plenty of curiosity, passion, faith, humility and gratitude towards anyone who can help out, teach, join in a network. Perhaps this is the ace up the sleeve of the younger generation: they network together, ask for training and information, use neighbors or social networks, and in the end they manage to work out why they shouldn’t have pruned when they did or why they shouldn’t work the bread in that way. And most of all they know many different things and decide to dedicate themselves to agriculture, bringing what they know and receiving whatever anyone wants to teach them. The new economy is strengthened when these young farmers know how to work throughout the whole production chain. In order to respond to their needs, in the coming months the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo will be starting apprenticeship courses for cured meat producers, microbrewers, bread bakers and cheese agers. Because it is by taking food as a starting point that we can change the world, improving the environment, our health and the quality of life for everyone. Carlo Petrini From La Repubblica, January 18, 2013 |

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A fairer CAP EU leaders must ensure that new budget guarantees equal treatment of Baltic farmers. By Andriejus Stančikas, Juris Lazdins and Andres Oopkaup 11/21/12, 8:30 AM CET This week’s summit on the European Union’s multi-annual framework will be a tough one. In the middle of a deep economic crisis, heads of state and government will have to take important decisions on the size and distribution of the EU budget over a seven-year period. Yet what is at stake goes far beyond simply money. Our leaders must ensure that the new budget is representative of the values the EU is built on – including the equality of all its citizens. The farmers from the Baltic region should not and cannot be an exception to this rule. We have seen in recent years a great deal of discussion about the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The EU wishes to maintain its high safety standards and to set an example to the rest of the world in promoting green, sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture. The farming community supports these ambitions, while taking on the challenge and cost of implementing them. However, achieving these goals will only be possible if proper support is given to farmers. This is partly achieved through rural development funds. But most of the money still needs to come from the farmers themselves. Unfortunately, whereas we all work within the single market – with similar environmental, animal welfare and food-safety standards leading to similar production costs – we are not all treated equally; and right at the very bottom of the chain of support you find the Baltic farmers. Although production costs in the Baltic states are often as much as or sometimes higher than the European average, a Baltic farmer currently receives less than €100 per hectare, compared to more than €400 per hectare received by farmers in the Netherlands, Belgium or Italy. This has very serious consequences. The example of the Baltic states is a worrying foretaste of what could happen to the European countryside and farming in general if we maintain high standards in the face of unequal support. As we operate in a single labour market, there is a tendency for young and skilled workers to leave disadvantaged countries to look for better opportunities in other parts of the Union. To give just one example, according to official statistics, from 2001-11 Lithuania lost nearly 15% of its total population. The majority of those leaving the country came from rural areas. This resulted in the rural population shrinking by nearly 50%, leading not only to problems in finding skilled workers but also to profound changes in the whole social infrastructure of the countryside. Many schools, kindergartens, cultural centres and local businesses were closed due to a decline in the population. This is not an isolated problem in a small part of Europe. The price of inequitable CAP support is paid by all European consumers, in the form of higher food prices. The good news is, though, that EU leaders have a great opportunity to address this situation by taking the right political decisions at the upcoming summit. We are therefore calling on the European leaders to ensure equal treatment of all European farmers. This requires a direct payments system that ensures truly fair and honest competitive conditions among all EU member states. As farmers operate in a single market, there should be no significant differences in direct payments. As far as the Baltic states are concerned, the amount of direct payments (financial envelope) must be determined by applying a new method of calculation, based on the current EU 27 average for one hectare. This method should be applicable as of 1 January 2014, taking into consideration that new member states have been working in accordance with transitional provisions since their accession. The political decision taken at the summit should result in the European Parliament improving its current proposals. Although a slight improvement on the original proposal from the European Commission, they would still leave farmers in Latvia receiving almost three times lower direct payments than their counterparts in the Netherlands, despite facing similar production costs. We hope that the presence of Baltic farmers in Brussels around the summit will remind our leaders that, beyond budgetary figures, there are wider European values; and that all EU citizens should be treated equally, no matter which member state they come from. A strong, just and competitive agricultural policy is in the best interests of all Europeans. Andriejus Stančikas is chairman of the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture. Juris Lazdins is chairman of Latvian Farmer’s Parliament. Andres Oopkaup is chairman of the Council of Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce. Andriejus Stančikas , Juris Lazdins and Andres Oopkaup Related stories on these topics:BudgetBelgiumEstoniaItalyLatviaLithuaniaNetherlands Related Content UK vows to plug EU funding gaps for farmers and scientists Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland protest that guarantees do not go far enough. Senior German MEPs threaten to cut EU money to Poland, Hungary Countries that don’t respect EU laws ‘should be deprived of funds.’ French finance minister calls for Portugal to be spared EU sanctions Michel Sapin says Lisbon has made great efforts to improve its public finances. Jean Arthuis: France’s money man comes to Brussels The Parliament’s chief budget negotiator sees the same parochial squabbling at EU level that he saw when he was mayor of a small town. Commission to sanction Madrid and Lisbon over national budgets: report Both countries’ deficits exceed the EU’s limit of 3 percent of GDP.

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Alex may have blessed South Texas crops Rod Santa Ana Rod Santa Ana, Texas A&M University If weather cooperates in the coming weeks, Hurricane Alex's rains may actually benefit South Texas row crops that are now on the brink of harvesting, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel. "With Alex making landfall in Mexico, we're looking at minimal crop losses here in the Rio Grande Valley, provided we go back to hot weather and fields dry out," said Dr. Ruben Saldana, an AgriLife Extension administrator. When Alex had his sights on the mouth of the Rio Grande earlier this week, growers in the four-county Lower Rio Grande Valley were looking at possible major losses from the half-million planted acres of corn, cotton and sorghum crops that until then were producing well, he said. "We dodged that bullet, and rains help condition the soil, but now we need things to dry out as soon as possible so growers can go in and harvest their crops," Saldana said. "And that's the forecast -- sunny and hot starting Saturday." Before Alex's threat, only a tiny percentage of crops had failed, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency. But then Alex threatened to continue a disturbing trend in South Texas, said Dr. Luis Ribera, an AgriLife Extension economist. "In 2008 we had losses of just over $25 million to Hurricane Dolly and last year we had losses of just over $19 million to drought," he said. "Had Alex made a direct hit here, losses could have exceeded the '08 and '09 losses combined." Instead, Alex veered into Mexico Wednesday night, some 100 miles south of Brownsville, delivering little more than occasional gusty winds and mostly beneficial rains to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Saldana said. In Hidalgo County, the most intensive crop-producing county of the four, Brad Cowan, an AgriLife Extension agent, said early assessments, subject to change as more information is received, are so far favorable. "The county received 7 to 12 inches of rainfall on June 30 due to Hurricane Alex, with most everyone receiving 7 inches with heavier amounts reported in scattered areas," he said. "There are only a few isolated reports of wind damage to crops." For many crops, including cotton, sugarcane, citrus, sunflowers, sesame and soybeans, Alex turned out to be a welcome irrigation event, Cowan said. While all crops are "at risk" prior to harvest, Cowan said the area's sorghum crop was the most vulnerable since grain knocked to the ground by wind and rain cannot be harvested. "Only 20 percent of the sorghum crop was harvested prior to the hurricane," he said. "Fortunately, there are few reports of sorghum leaning due to wind. There is no direct damage but the crop is still at risk if more rainfall is received in the coming days." There was no damage to livestock, while pastures and rangeland benefited from the rains. Corn, while not as at-risk as sorghum, also needs dry weather in the coming days for harvest, he said. In nearby Cameron County, which borders on the Gulf and includes Brownsville and South Padre Island, many fields are saturated and flooded but no crop damage as of yet, according to Dr. Enrique Perez, an AgriLife Extension county agent. "All in all, everything went well," he said. "One farmer, south of the river near Matamoros in Mexico, told me their fields, like many of ours, are saturated but there was no damage to crops there. In fact, like here, rains were good for dry cotton fields, provided they get no more rain." The final assessment, Saldana said, is that dry weather for the next few weeks is critical. "There will always be low-lying areas that can't be helped," he said. "But as we start to dry out, growers will hopefully start harvesting their high ground and/or their best crops first, then move toward the low-lying fields as time permits." Source URL: http://southwestfarmpress.com/management/alex-may-have-blessed-south-texas-crops

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Land degradation Water pollution from agricultural runoff Overview Malawi is a small landlocked country in sub-Saharan Africa, bordering Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique. It covers an area of 118,500 km2 and has an estimated population of 14 million. The country is defined as low-income and ranks 171 out of 187 countries in the 2011 UNDP Human Development Index. Over 40 percent of the population live on less than US$1 per day (2010 Government of Malawi MDG Report). Landholdings are generally small, particularly in the densely populated south, leading to the over-use of marginally productive agricultural land, causing soil erosion and nutrient depletion. More than 40 percent of rural households cultivate less than half a hectare, mainly devoted to maize production. Large parts of Malawi are expected to suffer from food insecurity this year. Agricultural production estimates for the 2012 harvest season show a decrease in maize production by as much as 40 percent in some areas, following poor onset and erratic distribution of rains in the country. Combined with the impact of high food prices, the Famine and Early Warning System Network (FEWSNET) suggests that a food emergency could start as early as July 2012 and last for 9 months. These problems, in combination with other structural causes of food insecurity in Malawi, have exacerbated vulnerability in rural and urban areas. Roughly one million people could require emergency assistance to meet basic food needs. In April 2012, Joyce Banda became Malawi’s first female president and only the second woman to lead a country in Africa. In May 2012, the Malawi kwacha was devalued by 49 percent. The devaluation, coupled with soaring inflation of 12.4 percent (as of May 2012), has produced precipitous increases in the price of basic goods and services. A report from the Centre for Social Concern indicates that the cost of living in urban areas has increased by nearly 50 percent from January 2011 to January 2012. Retail prices for the staple, maize, were higher in March than last year and the 5-year average by 40 percent. The stunting rate for children under 5 is 47 percent, while the wasting rate is 4 percent (Malawi Demographic Health Survey, 2010). An estimated 27,000 people in the country are infected with TB. Since 1990, Malawi has hosted an average of 14,000 refugees, mainly from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Rwanda at Dzaleka refugee camp. Malawi faces a host of food-related challenges. These include chronic food insecurity among poor and vulnerable households, some of them refugees; recurrence of natural disasters such as drought and floods; high cost of living; high prevalence of chronic malnutrition and widespread micronutrient deficiencies; high rates of dropping out, repetition and absenteeism among primary school children from food-insecure households; and low income for smallholder farmers due to poor agricultural market structures and policies. Country Programme (2012 -2016) CP 200287 The Country Programme (CP) started on March 1, 2012 and will be operational until February 2016. The overarching objective of the programme is to strengthen national capacity to improve primary education outcomes, reduce malnutrition among vulnerable groups, and improve food security of communities living in disaster-prone areas and build their resilience to shocks. The CP aims to achieve this through its three components: Support to Education, Nutritional Support, and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) for Food Security. Through the CP, WFP intends to develop the capacity of more than 2,000 government staff and some 3,600 local community members, in-line with WFP's shift from food aid to food assistance. A total of 122,948 metric tons of food is scheduled to be distributed to some 1,926,400 beneficiaries over a five-year period at an estimated total cost of US$109,893,112. WFP will procure most of its food assistance in the local markets, thus supporting the local economy, including smallholder farmers. Assistance to Food Insecure People Suffering from the Effects of Natural Disasters (PRRO 105860) Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) estimates show that as many as one million beneficiaries may require food assistance during the 2012/2013 food consumption year. An assessment of the rural food security situation by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) took place between 27 May and 1 June, and the results will be officially presented at the end of June. This assessment will determine the exact need for any WFP and Government emergency food assistance in rural areas. The PRRO was due to end in February 2012, but was extended until December of this year. WFP is extending the emergency window of this operation so as to be able to jump-start an emergency response. Assistance to Refugees (PRRO 200087) The current refugee project started on 1 January 2010 and will be operational through December 2012. The project provides assistance to 14,000 refugees through general food distributions in the Dzaleka refugee camp and at the Karonga refugee transit shelter. The refugees’ movement and local integration is limited, making them heavily dependent on WFP food assistance to meet their basic food needs. The overall goal of the operation is to help achieve and maintain food security among refugees living in officially-designated camps while protecting the environment and livelihoods of the surrounding communities. Purchase for Progress (P4P) WFP is working to connect farmers in Malawi to markets through its Purchase for Progress initiative. Purchase for Progress, a five-year pilot which started in 2008, aims at linking small- scale farmers to markets. P4P Malawi aims to improve smallholders' agricultural productivity and the marketing of staple crops while boosting domestic production. In 2011, WFP distributed 23,500 metric tons of assorted commodities (cereals, pulses and corn-soya blend) in country. Approximately half of those (11,202 MT) were procured locally. Read more on WFP Malawi Operations Brief (2009).

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Klussendorf Association Names Geiger 14th Honorary Member Submitted by World Dairy Expo on Sat, 10/06/2012 - 12:00 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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The Wine Institute Wine Institute Library Staff and Offices State Shipping Laws for Wineries Issues and Policy Ad Code Pierce's Disease TCA Factsheet TTB Carbohydrate Labeling California Wine Export Program International Trade Policy LexisNexis Benefits FedEx Benefits Associate Members List Harvest and Winegrowing American Viticultural Areas Wine Fact Sheets Lifestyle and Travel Videos and News Home > Our Initiatives > Issues and Policy > Pierce's Disease > Origin Bulk Grape Compliance Agreement ... Origin Bulk Grape Compliance Agreement No- [Pursuant to Food and Agricultural Code Sections 5705 and 6045 et seq.] 1. _________________________________ County Agricultural Commissioner ("CAC"). Contact: ________________________ ______________, CA ______ Telephone: (____) ____-______ Facsimile: (____) ____-______ 2. California Department of Food and Agriculture ("CDFA"). 3. Name of Grower: _______________________________________ (subsequently referred to as "Grower"). Mailing Address: ________________ City: _____________ Zip: _____ Physical Location: _______________ Pierce's Disease presents a clear and present danger to a vital industry in the State of California. Movement of the vector, glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), via movement of bulk grapes is a possible channel for this vector of Pierce's Disease to move from established locations to new locations. Pursuant to Article 8 (commencing with Section 6045) of Chapter 9 of Part 1 of Division 4 of the Food and Agricultural Code (Act), CDFA administers a cooperative effort between public entities which are responsible to contain GWSS and Pierce's Disease. CAC is such a public entity, with additional authority and responsibility conferred by the Food and Agricultural Code. Pursuant to Food and Agricultural Code Section 5705, either or both CDFA and CAC may enter into Compliance Agreements with Growers pursuant to statutory standards, as a means of carrying out the statutory responsibilities set out hereinabove. CAC is willing to permit such movement pursuant to Food and Agricultural Code Section 6045 et seq. if Grower complies with CAC's reasonable time, place, and means restrictions as set forth in this agreement and its attachments. CDFA, in its capacity as administrator of GWSS, enters into this agreement on behalf of destination counties pursuant to Food and Agricultural Code Sections 5705 and 6045 et seq.. Grower operates in CAC's jurisdiction and is in the business of producing grapes. Grower may or may not operate within 5 miles of an infestation. However, Grower wishes to take preventative measures to insure that it may continue to move its bulk grapes into areas not known to be infested. Grower is, therefore, willing to enter into a Compliance Agreement pursuant to Food and Agricultural Code Section 5705. Subject to the monitoring requirements set out in exhibit B, CAC will permit Grower to self-execute the Origin Bulk Grape Compliance Requirements, attached as Exhibit A and incorporated into this agreement by reference as if fully set out. In exchange for CAC's promise contained in sub-paragraph "A" above, Grower agrees to: Handle, process, and/or move regulated materials in accordance with the Compliance Requirements; Follow CAC's instructions, whether written or in the form of a verbal communication from an authorized representative, for the use of any and all permits and certificates; and, Maintain and make such records as CAC requires accessible for inspection upon reasonable notice by CAC. These records shall be maintained for a period of the later of two years or the resolution of any outstanding claims; Agreement becomes effective on signing and shall remain in effect until canceled by either party on thirty days notice to the other at the address of either appearing above. However, CAC or CDFA may accelerate the notice to immediate for cause, including but not limited to discovery of glassy- winged sharpshooter in bulk grapes or Grower's abandonment of the procedures outline in the attached Exhibit. Grower assumes all liability, if any, arising from the manner in which Grower applies treatments. If any provision of this agreement is invalidated the balance of this Agreement's provisions shall continue in full force and effect unless the Agreement is cancelled by CAC or CDFA in accordance with sub-paragraph C. NOTICE: Any signatory or employee of any signatory who violates the terms of this Compliance Agreement may be subject to Civil Penalties pursuant to California Food and Agricultural Code Section 5705. Signed in the County of ______________________ in the State of California on ______/____/ 2000. __________________________ Grower, by: CAC, by: Authorized Representative ___________/__/2000 CDFA, by: Advertising Code American Viticultural Areas Consumption / Sales Exports Harvest & Winegrowing Issues & Policy Lifestyle and Travel Press Releases Regional Winery & Grower Associations of California State Shipping Laws Statistics Sustainable Winegrowing Wine Fact Sheets Wine Industry Jobs Wine Institute 2015-16 Dues Wine Institute Membership Wine Institute Members' Site Our Initiatives Overview Copyright © 2005-2015 Wine Institute. All rights reserved.

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County's cash crop in peril Darrell Cole AMHERST - Blueberry producers across Cumberland County feel their industry may implode if prices don't soon increase. With the blueberry season drawing near its conclusion, farmers say they are paying more to produce the berries than they are worth on the market. "It's way below the cost of production," said Ralph Thompson, who has about 100 acres of blueberries in production near Conns Mills. "We've had down years before, but this is a disaster." It costs farmers like Thompson about 70 cents to produce a pound of blueberries, but he's only getting 35 cents for that pound. Two years ago, producers were receiving $1.05 per pound. He believes the low price being given to producers is going to impact the local economy. "It's going to have quite an impact in Cumberland County," he said. "We've had prices like this before and we have had a lot of challenges, but right now it's just not worth it." Thompson figures a lot of smaller producers will walk away from their fields if prices don't increase soon. The situation is so bad that he has about 30 acres that he's not going to harvest because it will cost more to do so than what he'd get for selling it. "If the crop is not half decent you can't afford the time to pick it," he said, adding it's troubling that the retail price of blueberries is just as high as it was two years ago. Thompson said the issue lies in the fact there is so much integration among the blueberry buyers and there's no legislation to control this, while he's concerned about the lack of a grower-oriented organization the represents the interests of the independent grower. "We have a growers association but they don't give us enough information," Thompson said. "In a year like this we should have had an indication earlier in the season. We had directors telling us they didn't know what the price was going to be a couple of days before the season. Someone had to know." Steve Gibson of Hawkes Blueberries understands the frustration of producers and like them he has been given no explanation as to why the price is so low. "There's all kinds of speculation. They say we have too many berries, but there are conflicting stories. They say the world economy is bad, but then they say it's not affecting the markets," Gibson said, agreeing it's going impact the economy locally. "People don't realize the spinoffs of the blueberry industry locally," Gibson said. "There's a lot of money poured into stores directly from blueberry producers and the way it is now they're not going to have the money to spend.' Gibson said $1.05 a pound is at the high end of the scale, but he agrees 35 cents is at the very low end. John Bragg, the president of Oxford Frozen Foods, said there is no easy answer to why prices are the way they are. "It's very complicated with many, many factors," said Bragg, who owns the largest processor of wild blueberries in North America. "There are a thousand factors that go into the mix, but it all comes down to supply and demand." The last year or so have been good ones for blueberry crops with some producers harvesting as much as 50 per cent more blueberries. Production in some areas appears to be up again this year, but consumption is not. [email protected] Facts about blueberries - Nova Scotia's provincial production is over forty million pounds. - The wild blueberry is the number 1 fruit crop in acreage export sales, and value. - Oxford is the wild blueberry capital of Canada. - Wild blueberries are high in antioxidants which have many health benefits including anti-aging effects, cancer inhibiting properties, heart health, urinary tract health, vision health. - Nova Scotia wild blueberries are exported to the United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom and other countries. - Harvesting of wild blueberries begins in August and continues until late September. (Source: Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia) Daily News, Oxford Frozen Foods Geographic location: Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, North America Oxford Canada United States Japan Germany United Kingdom 1 January 18, 2010 - 11:22 just take a good look in collingwood and oxford and the growers will see why they are not getting good prices for there blues you have to pay for all them new homes i know i worked for them for 20 some years a bunch of scammers leave your berries in the feild for a year then see what happens then January 18, 2010 - 10:52 I'd say the issue should be taken up with the growers association, not the buyers. Set the price at $1 a pound and refuse to sell for less. That's what a producer's association is for, just like the milk industry. Saying *We don't know what the price will be* should be all the indication you need that your association is the weak link. You should KNOW what the price will be, because you are the ones who should SET it, not buyers. Buyers are the ones squeezing you, don't look to them for help. That's business 101. Better get your ducks in a row for next year, you have nobody to blame but yourselves. January 18, 2010 - 10:47 I purchased a ten pound box of blueberries yesterday from a blueberry producer and paid $25.00...this figures out to be $2.50 a pound!!! amherstguy January 18, 2010 - 10:44 Sad, because someone is making losts of money. I bought a small bag of froozen Blueberries, yesterday, from SuperSore and I was forced to pay $5.49. Too bad more of this couldn't go to the farmer. Hard work for 35cents a pound. I think that i would leave them in the field. Powered byCareerBeacon.com Retail Sales Representative Personal Banking Representative Shunt Truck Operator Chevrolet Impala 2014 Amherst, Nova Scotia Chevrolet Orlando 2012

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Master Equine Manager New FDA Produce Safety Rule Exemptions Submitted by wklein on Thu, 04/11/2013 - 08:02 AMES, Iowa – The Food Safety Modernization Act signed into law in January 2011 addressed improvements needed to the U.S. food supply. One proposed section to the law addresses the safety of fresh produce by defining new produce standards for foods often consumed in raw form. “Also identified by the Food and Drug Administration in this section are foods not typically consumed in raw form such as eggplant, lentils or sweet potatoes,” said Catherine Strohbehn, food safety specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “These standards are in addition to the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 which continues and requires food facilities to follow preventative control rules and register with FDA.” New definitions in proposed regulations Under these new proposed regulations, growers need to be aware of new definitions, said Strohbehn. The proposed rule would define “farm” to mean a facility in one general physical location devoted to the growing and harvesting of crops, the raising of animals (including seafood) or both. “Farm” includes (i) facilities that pack or hold food, provided that all food used in such activities is grown, raised, or consumed on that farm or another farm under the same ownership; and (ii) facilities that manufacture/process food, provided that all food used in such activities is consumed on that farm or another farm under the same ownership. A broad definition of food is used – thus any item grown or produced on a farm that is ultimately intended for human consumption is considered a food. "This includes seeds, soybeans and livestock, not just produce sales," said Angela Shaw, extension food safety specialist. "This also includes prepared foods such as pies and cookies that might be sold with farm-grown produce at a roadside stand." Three categories of farm exemptions are defined. These exemptions apply to very small and small businesses. When estimating a farm’s average annual sales, farmers must include ALL defined food sources. Farms with three-year average annual sales for all defined food types going to any vendor of $25,000 or less are exempt as they are considered very small businesses. Those farms with $300,000 or less with defined food types going to any vendor are exempt also as they are classified as small businesses. For example, a soybean grower for human consumption (annual sales of $300,000) with a small produce road side stand ($10,000) would total all the sales amounts ($310,000) and would no longer be exempt from this proposed ruling. The third category of exemptions applies to whether a qualified end-user is sold the product during the previous three-year period preceding the applicable calendar year: The average annual monetary value of the food sold directly to qualified end-users during such period exceeded the average annual value of the food sold to all other buyers during that period; AND The average annual monetary value of all food sold during such period was less than $500,000, adjusted for inflation. A qualified end user is defined as (a) a consumer of the food or (b) a restaurant or retail food establishment located within the same state as the farm that produced the food or not more than 275 miles from such farm. For example, a farm operation in Iowa selling a three-year average of $300,000 dollars’ worth of food to a restaurant or food establishment less than 275 miles from the farm and which also sold $100,000 at farmers’ markets would be exempt (combined annual monetary value is less than $500,000 and all sales to qualified end user). It must be noted that such farms exempted under the new Produce Safety Ruling are NOT exempt under the adulteration provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which requires production of fruits and vegetables that are free of biological, chemical and physical contamination. Produce Safety Alliance housed at Cornell University has provided additional information on exemptions of the ruling at http://producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu/psa.html. Comments on proposed ruling can be expressed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=FDA-2011-N-0921. Specific questions about the proposed ruling can be emailed to [email protected]. Master Equine Menu Equine Extension For Staff | State & National Extension Partners | Website Log In

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Chapter 5 - The case study of Chile Planning for controlling the quality of irrigation water destined for vegetable production in Chile Planning for controlling the quality of irrigation water destined for vegetable production in Chile The outbreak of cholera in Chile in April of 1991 made it urgently necessary to control the use of contaminated irrigation water used on vegetable crops that are normally eaten raw. The Ministry of Health began a major programme to restrict such production in heavily contaminated areas. This increased the urgency for the Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG) of the Ministry of Agriculture to evaluate the extent of irrigation water contamination and to develop methods to promote production in safe areas. FAO together with SAG developed a one-year international project (Oct 1992 - Sept 1993) to evaluate the impact of microbial contamination in irrigation water. The project counterpart was the Department of Natural Resource Protection (DEPROREN) of SAG. The principal objectives of the project were to evaluate the existing levels of contamination, develop a database that could be used as a basis to control contaminated water use in vegetable production and to propose a certification system that could be used to promote safe production areas for both internal and international markets. The project was operated in three distinctly different phases: Phase 1 (Water Quality Monitoring Phase) In developing and conducting the water quality monitoring, the project reviewed whether the procedures had national and international recognition, formed a legal basis for follow-up actions and whether SAG could use the procedure and results to promote safe production. Monitoring was conducted in only two pilot areas; the Metropolitan and V Regions of Chile. These areas represented 50 percent of the population and 49 percent of the total vegetable production in the country. In addition, the two Regions contain 80 percent of the production of the 14 crops identified by the Ministry of Health as high-risk crops. The project used faecal coliform count as the contamination indicator. This indicator is recognized internationally by WHO, PAHO and other organizations in Latin America. Faecal coliform count is also used in regulations in Chile that deal with wastewater and how it can be used on crops (NCh 1333/1978) and is within the capability of all public and private laboratories in Chile to determine on a routine basis. The project recommended the continued use of this indicator until changed by the Ministry of Health. TABLE 14: Distribution of faecal contamination in irrigated areas of the Metropolitan and V Regions, Chile Faecal contamination level (Faecal coliforms/100 ml) % of the 120 000 ha sampled in the Metropolitan Region % of the 80 000 ha sampled in the V Region The analytical method used by the project was the multiple-tube fermentation technique. This method was recommended for future programmes within Chile but the project felt strongly that SAG, the Ministry of Health and the University of Chile should attempt to adapt the membrane filtration method to use with Chilean irrigation waters. This would give SAG and others much more flexibility in sampling in remote rural areas and responding to emergency situations throughout the other regions. The project used the University and Public Health Institute (ISP) laboratories for analytical work. The main reason for using these laboratories was the lack of capabilities within SAG laboratories and the need to demonstrate a high level of credibility during the monitoring programme. The project recommended that SAG continue to strengthen its ties with the ISP laboratories until capabilities within SAG laboratories could be established. Two contamination sources were considered in setting the water quality monitoring sites: primary contamination that occurred in the rivers before the water is diverted into the irrigation system and secondary contamination that occurred within the irrigation system. The project developed guidelines for selecting monitoring sites based on these two contamination sources and complying with existing regulations as defined in NCh 1333/1978. The guidelines emphasized only monitoring potentially clean areas to promote safe production. This approach avoided using financial resources to monitor heavily contaminated areas that have little potential for future production of vegetables. The monitoring network set out by the project divided the Metropolitan Region into five irrigated zones. From December 1992 to March 1993, a total of 604 samples were collected from 120 sites within these five zones which cover approximately 120 000 hectares. The V Region was divided into seven irrigated zones. From January to April 1993, over 750 samples were collected from 150 sampling sites within the seven zones that cover approximately 80 000 hectares. Phase 2 (Data Analysis Phase) Based on the monitoring results, the project was able to make the estimates shown in Table 14. In order to evaluate the project results, the project assessed primary contamination. This contamination was generally due to discharges of untreated urban wastewater in amounts that were so large that often there was not sufficient natural river water to dilute the discharge to bring the faecal coliform levels below the 103 FC/100 ml standard designated in NCh 1333/1978. The project also assessed secondary contamination. Some of the causes of secondary contamination have been identified as discharges directly to the irrigation canals of domestic household wastewater and from animal confinement facilities. The choice of monitoring sites focused on detecting the presence of secondary contamination in channels that initially showed low levels of contamination at the river intakes. The selection of sites followed the guidelines shown in Figure 7. As shown in Table 14, the Metropolitan Region had the highest level of bacterial contamination. The main cause was the direct discharge of untreated urban wastewater to natural waterways before the water was diverted for irrigation (primary contamination) but secondary contamination sources did play a role. This results in only 8 percent of the irrigated area with a high potential to participate directly in a programme of water certification for safe vegetable production. Because of the extent of the primary contamination from discharges to the river, it is unlikely that the area available for vegetable production could increase significantly until the treatment works are in place for the urban wastewater. Because of the high initial levels of contamination, secondary contamination in such channels did not appear to be a significant factor with the exception of zones irrigated with well water or in areas not affected by large urban discharges. It can be seen in Figure 8 that 37 percent of the irrigated area of the Metropolitan Region initially was below the maximum defined in NCh 1333/1978 but this dropped to only 8 percent after secondary sources of contamination were examined. This decrease was followed by a rise in the percentage of area found in the intermediate range (103-104). The increase in percentage of the area contaminated was due to discharges directly to the canal system downstream of the intake. Figure 8 also shows that the percentage of area affected in the heavily contaminated areas (>104) did not vary significantly. These areas are affected by heavily contaminated discharges that were external to the irrigation system (primary contamination) and these high levels did not drop significantly as the water passed through the irrigation channels. In the V Region, almost 1/3 of the irrigated area tested had a high probability for direct participation in a certification programme for safe production areas. The most important cause of contamination in the V Region was secondary contamination. An additional 63 percent of the irrigated area tested could participate in a certification programme if the direct discharges to the canals were eliminated (Figure 16). Secondary contamination discharges were found to prevent a significant amount of the total irrigated area from immediately participating in a water certification programme. The sampling points for this programme were chosen to represent a large irrigated area and, as such, samples were often taken at intermediate points in the irrigation system. The extent of irrigated area that moves from the low (<103) to the intermediate range (103-104) or higher is likely to increase as water samples are collected closer to the individual fields. Thus solving the secondary contamination problem should not be overlooked as it may be a major constraint in developing safe (clean) production areas. FIGURE 16: Changes in the extent of faecal contamination in the irrigation water of the V Region of Chile as a result of discharges into the irrigation system as compared to the initial level of contamination in the source of water used in the irrigation system (Source: FAO, 1993) The project recommended that SAG work with the Ministries of Health and Public Works to seek international assistance in developing and implementing methods to reduce or eliminate secondary contamination from areas showing high potential for safe vegetable production (areas <5000 faecal coliforms/100 ml). Phase 3 (Crop Certification Phase) The water quality data from Phase 1 and 2 were used to develop the concepts of a crop certification programme. The strong cholera eradication programme already instituted resulted in a heightened awareness of product quality by the consumer. The result was a number of labels used by producers that emphasize to the consumer the safety of the water used in production. In order to implement this programme, SAG needed to be prepared to develop and operate a nation-wide water quality monitoring programme to assess the extent of irrigation water contamination. To carry out this programme, it was recommended that SAG develop a staff who can plan, execute and interpret a water quality monitoring programme. The procedures used in this project were recommended for use as the guidelines for conducting such a programme. The project developed a five-step process for certifying clean production areas. The first three steps focus on water certification. The final two steps shift the focus of SAG to developing and applying a SAG label to vegetable production originating in safe production areas. The procedure for controlling the labelling of safe vegetable production was reviewed. It was recommended that, if resources are available, the certification of the water and the application of a SAG label should be controlled by direct contact with each producer. Control at this level ensures that certified water and safe production practices are used. Alternative and less intensive approaches considered were issuing labels on an area-wide basis or allowing groups of producers to control the labelling in SAG certified areas. The project also recommended that SAG and the Ministry of Health strengthen the role of the certification programme by using public education techniques to emphasize to consumers the need to buy only SAG certified produce. The scheme laid out by the project was considered a concept. The actual certification programme must consider several factors. There are four factors the project felt were extremely important to the success of any programme: that all public agencies agree that only one label is recognized as certifying production in safe areas. The use of alternative labels must be dealt with decisively and quickly; that SAG is prepared to apply the programme uniformly and nation-wide as producers from other zones of the country will want the same economic advantages in selling their produce; that SAG is prepared to operate the programme fully in order to maintain a high level of credibility with both the producer and the consumer; and developing and operating a certification programme must be done with high standards and a high degree of credibility.

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Coffee drinkers savor Yirgacheffe PERC Report: Volume 26, No.1, Spring 2008Author: Linda Platts Starbucks celebrated the year-end holidays by introducing an espresso blend that includes Yirgacheffe coffee beans from Ethiopia. The new blend was a hit with customers, giving the Seattle-based company an incentive to strengthen its relationship with this East African nation. Plans are in the works to build a farmer support center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city.The center will work with farmers, exporters, and others to improve the quality of their coffee, helping to insure that Starbucks will continue to buy from them. An agronomist will be available at the center as well as other personnel to help farmers meet the C.A.F.E. standards that Starbucks follows. C.A.F.E. stands for Coffee and Farmer Equity practices and require not only high quality beans, but also set certain social and environmental standards. The farmers benefit from Starbucks’ assistance by having a guaranteed market for their coffee as well as by receiving above-market prices for meeting C.A.F.E. standards.The Seattle Times reports that Starbucks buys most of its coffee from Latin America, opening its first farmer support center in Costa Rica in 2004. The company’s current objective is to expand to new regions such as East Africa and countries in the Asia-Pacific region to secure its future coffee supplies. The company is also courting customers who enjoy experimenting with new coffees from different regions. In addition to Ethiopia, both Burundi and Rwanda are growing coffee varieties of great interest to Starbucks, says Scott Martin, director of coffee and tea education and green coffee sustainability. By the end of 2008, the company plans to double its purchases from East Africa, pleasing both producers and consumers. Type: Greener Pastures Linda Platts Linda is responsible for the PERC web sites, media relations, the national journalism conference, and the media fellows program. She is author of Forest Fires, part of a series of environmental education books for high school students. She also wrote and produced Square One, a newsletter that introduced grassroots environmentalists to market... Read More > More Articles by Linda Platts > View the discussion thread. Coffee of the Highest Standard A Taste Of Mexico Fair-trade coffee producers often end up poorer Green-Washing Energy Efficiency Record Shows Profit-Seeking Drives Green Innovation Donate PERC's Blog PERC Fellow Jonathan Adler Blogging for Washington Post Bringing Bison Back to the Badlands Celebrating Aldo Leopold's 127th Birthday If you've enjoyed reading this article, please consider making a donation. © 2014

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Free Newsletter Login / Register Home / News / Crops news / Foul planting weather to persist Foul planting weather to persist Freese-Notis Weather, Inc. Being seven percent done as of April 17 with corn planting doesn't seem like much, especially when you consider that we had more than double that done by that same date last year, but take note that we actually had LESS than seven percent of the corn crop in the ground by April 17 in 2007, 2008, and 2009. In two of those years though we saw better weather for the remainder of April, and thus in both 2007 and 2009 we had about 30 percent of the corn crop in the ground by May 1. In 2008 we had only 20 percent of the corn in the ground by May 1, and it looks like we are going to see a pace more similar to that this year...or even worse. With regards to getting fieldwork done in the Midwest for the rest of this month, this upcoming weather pattern is about as bad as it can get. Basically the entire Corn Belt is going to see another two inches of precipitation over the next ten days, but that does not accurately tell the story for especially the southeastern half of the region as rains there in that period will be in excess of four inches and some places in that time frame may see upwards of eight inches. One still has to consider the likelihood that snow will be falling at times in the northwestern Corn Belt, given that temperatures there will be running a good distance below normal through at least early next week (while at times running a good deal above normal in far southern and southeastern parts of the Nation; that contrast in temperatures largely explains why so much precipitation is going to be falling). I would look for the corn planting pace for next Monday's report to show that 8 to 10 percent of the Nation's corn crop to be planted as of April 24, which would compare to 46 percent on that same date last year and a five- year average of 23 percent done. It would be slightly faster than the pace of 2008 when we were 7 percent done as of April 24. Other comparable years would be 1999 and 1995 (with the slowest pace ever for April 24 set in 1993, when corn planting was four percent done). Given the continued wet out look for next week, I think that it is entirely possible that under 20 percent of the Nation's corn crop will have been planted this year by May 1. Freese-Notis Weather, Inc. Des Moines, Iowa Copyright 2011 - All Rights Reserved add comment + MORE FROM FREESE-NOTIS WEATHER, INC. more + Rainfall Dotting Corn Belt, Southern Plains… By: Freese-Notis Weather, Inc.06/09/2014 @ 7:30am Most of the Midwest is quiet this morning as a slow moving disturbance remains nearly stationary… 0Comments Reply PRISM: New-Generation Weather Mapping By: Freese-Notis Weather, Inc.06/06/2014 @ 8:02am With Successful Farming's Tools of the Future Tour beginning on June 12 in Urbandale, Iowa… 0Comments Reply Big Rains Fall in the Plains; Corn Belt Rain… By: Freese-Notis Weather, Inc.05/27/2014 @ 7:54am Over the weekend, rainfall was most widespread across the southern Plains where central Texas saw… 0Comments Reply MEDIA CENTERmore + This container should display a .swf file. If not, you may need to upgrade your Flash player.

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You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Committee Publications > All Select Committee Publications > Commons Select Committees > Welsh Affairs > Welsh Affairs Select Committee on Welsh Affairs Minutes of Evidence Examination of Witnesses (Questions 120-134) MR HUGH RICHARDS, MRS MARGOT BATEMAN, MRS MARY JAMES, MR BRIAN WALTERS, MR TERRY BAYLISS AND MR SIOÔN ARON JONES 120. Has that differential diminished or expanded over the last five years? (Mr Richards) The differential has diminished in the big way. I read the daily industry newsletter and it is a collapsing market. They were talking of taking off, two or three pence again on 1 November. (Mr Walters) My organic milk price for November is 25 pence, I was 281/2 all summer. (Mr Bayliss) When the transitional period ends and the farmers stop having the grants to transfer into organic, the big danger then is having had to reduce his livestock to not so intensive because of the nature of organic, he is not going to be able to survive because he is not deriving enough from the market again to survive from this. We have had inquiries about killing organic lambs because they are having a struggle getting them killed and the problem is the rules and regulations which once again the Soil Association set which make it too expensive to be able to go into it, so I wonder whether the food that is coming from abroad is produced up to the standards we are expected to do in this country. (Mr Richards) One of the dangers is we have a gold-plated scheme in the United Kingdom that does not apply in Europe. I met a collection of organic producers over from Holland at a function some two years ago and they call it "biological farming" and I thought to myself, "Hello, is he getting round this one?" They were still using sprays and every sort of thing. Mr Caton 121. Just quickly on this. I take your point that percentages are being picked out of the air but there does seem to be a very real and growing demand for organic produce and a large part of that market is being filled by imports at the moment. I think the Soil Association but I may be wrong, certainly some people in the organic sector are arguing that instead of just having a transitional subsidy to shift from traditional methods to organic there should be an on-going subsidy to create that level playing field with organic producers in some other countries. How do you as organisations that represent both organic and traditional farmers feel about that sort of proposal? (Mr Walters) We are in a disadvantage there in relation to Europe because most of Europe's organic farmers are getting aid twice, not only in the conversion but on-going aid. I am on a five-year scheme and once that scheme finishes, under the present system, there will not be any more aid coming to me as an organic farmer. (Mr Jones) That is where the market return is the key for the industry. I think that is an important point to make. The industry will react to a market which offers a high level of income or a premium on their produce but that should not mean a detraction from subsidy to other farmers. (Mrs James) I think we have all seen as a result of WTO the pressure that there is on subsidies and on support. Every single farmer would far prefer to get his realisation from the market-place and not from a subsidy which clearly makes you vulnerable. Mrs Williams 122. Can I go on to foot and mouth. Is the FUW saying in their memorandum (para 14) that supermarkets have profited out of the foot and mouth outbreak with lower prices to the farmer and increased meat prices in the supermarket? (Mr Jones) We question what exactly is the basis of arguments to change the price of lamb, beef, bacon, and other products, in response to a situation which arose in the UK which was the foot and mouth disease crisis which struck the industry. It says very clearly that the prices quoted to farmers were in many instances lower than they were prior to the FMD outbreak, however, subsequently imports were sucked in on the basis of price. We just question what is the basis of the argument of the move that took place, the fact which we can relay to you about the change in prices, and what is the basis of that change in price that the consumer was asked to pay? (Mr Richards) The big problem is—and we go back to our structure—we are price takers and not price makers. The only way we can become price makers is to collaborate, work together, to become bigger selling groups. However big you are, Mr Tesco and Mr Sainsbury are very big out there, so we have to be in formidable groups to be able to offer commodities to them. Chairman: There are also economies of scale, they want deliveries in large numbers anyway, there is a point about that. Mr Williams 123. Since 1997 the Welsh agri-food strategy and agri-food partnership have been in existence. How effective do you think they have been in achieving their aims? (Mr Jones) It has been a first step on the ladder. We were obviously involved in the establishment of the agri-food partnership and in supporting the Welsh food strategy per se. As I mentioned earlier, we are in an evolving situation whereby we are now taking steps to assist both the primary producers and processors to add value to the products which we have in Wales. In the past we have stopped at the farm gate. No marketing or very little marketing has taken place but there has been a great change within Welsh agriculture and also within the Government of Wales to recognise the need for farmers to become part of the food chain and to add value to their products. (Mr Richards) As far as I am concerned, the jury is still out. When I see value being added back to a price that the producers gets that is when I will judge it because at this point in time it is not coming through. The reaction I am having from producers whenever I go to functions or the launch of a flagship here or a launch there, it is people in grey suits turning up employed by these agencies and they appear to be very good but what we have seen is the price of our basic raw materials going down constantly and that is what I mean all the time, it goes back to my opening speech, we have got to find a way of giving us a fair return. I do not see the housewife paying more, it is a fair return to the producer that has got to be part of it. 124. Since 1997, as Mr Williams was just referring to, have Government policies helped or hindered progress toward that level and fairer playing field that you are looking for? (Mrs James) We have been through Agenda 2000, one of the conditions of which was that we were supposed to be simplifying the CAP. There has been a determination on the part of the Government to simplify and reduce red tape and bureaucracy in the industry, but I have to say with every inch of red tape that is removed we seem to get another two inches at the other end in its place with the result we never seem to be making any real progress in simplifying the situation. (Mr Richards) I quote a small example to do with foot and mouth, it is something that came to me last night. Somebody phoned me last night and wanted to take 50 lambs from Llanpumpsaint to Llanybydder to Oriel Jones, he could not take them all in one box, he had to use two separate boxes. He had to have it sealed first of all, took 25 in, and he had to have it resealed then. It cost him 60 quid just to have it sealed twice. I know it is an effect of foot and mouth but that is the sort of bureaucracy where farmers come to me and say, "What the hell are you doing about this. Look at the costs you are adding to our industry." I know it is a foot and mouth effect but that is symptomatic. (Mr Bayliss) We are back, Mr Caton, to what I said early days about practical people and having people on the ground that understand the farmers' situation. It is a rather different industry to others. It is not nuts and bolts where we can say we are going to charge ten pence a piece for them, and we know we are going to make a penny profit. We cannot say we are going to make them in July and August. We are controlled by the weather, controlled by the seasons and controlled by the bureaucrats. I think the seasons are easier on us than bureaucrats. We need less red tape. 125. That is another thing that worries me. I realise you are busy people but if you felt able to and if you want to give us some hard and fast examples of red tape being taken away with one hand and added to in the other, I think that would be useful for us when we take this up with Government. (Mr Walters) I can give you an example of taking cows into OTMS now. I am taking them just to a local market collection centre and I have got about 15 forms for three cows and they are all going for burning and I have to have a slaughter licence—I know it is in relation to foot and mouth but, still, they are not going into the food chain. 126. I think if we could put foot and mouth on one side because obviously that is under review, but do you think there is anything the Government could do to help raise farm gate prices? (Mrs James) Sorry to keep plugging it but the fundamental problem is the value of sterling against the euro. I say no more, we have rehearsed it. (Mr Bayliss) We could also go back to helping us to get closer to the housewife by supporting us, even if it is only on a loan basis, to be able to put up our own processing plants to be able to process this product properly for the supermarkets. To give you an instance of the supermarkets in a product we are trying to bring in, they are demanding 40 per cent profit out of that product and we cannot make that sort of profit. (Mrs James) Perhaps I could add one thing and that is about the issue of procurement, the Ministry of Defence, public services, etcetera, should be supporting local production. Chairman: Good point. 127. We have touched upon my last question to you really off and on throughout the discussion this morning. What further policies would you like to see the Government pursuing in relation to the retailers? (Mr Jones) We once again reiterate the point with regard to a review of the supermarkets and their dominance in the market. We believe that the Code of Conduct has been watered down and is ineffective in assisting suppliers to make a reasonable return which they can then pass further down the food chain. I think that the dominant theme is that we in Wales have started to change as an agricultural food supply industry and we have quoted different scales of food suppliers in our evidence, but we need the assistance to enable us to progress further up the ladder to large scale co-operatives which will be able to compete with the supermarkets on a level basis. (Mrs James) We agree. 128. What do you think the Assembly could do to encourage the public sector in Wales to source locally and what sort of reductions in bureaucracy would you like to see? I agree with Mr Caton that it would be helpful if you went away and thought a little bit about that and gave us a list. It is easy to say there is too much red tape. What we want to hear from you is how do we reduce this. We would welcome a memorandum on that from both organisations. (Mr Jones) The National Assembly and MLC have recently undertaken a campaign with regard to local authorities and with regard to the Prison Service and the Health Service and the Ministry of Defence that Mary was referring to, in order to try and persuade them in favour of Welsh products. There was a recent announcement that the Ministry of Defence have procured 25 tonnes of Welsh lamb but we are talking of a drop in the ocean compared with what the Government could be doing in supporting farmers, which I believe the Prime Minister once said that he wished to do. This is a perfect example of how Government could support local produce and Welsh produce in particular. We would be more than willing to supply you with the information which you require. 129. What are you doing yourselves by way of lobbying the MoD, local government departments within Wales, health trusts? (Mr Jones) We are constantly in contact with local authorities and both the FUW and NFU wrote a letter to local authorities in support of the MLC's recent campaign. We are also constantly, in support of the MLC, meeting with the Ministry of Defence to try and persuade them through their suppliers 3663 to support Welsh produce. Therefore we are trying to work on all fronts in order to try and persuade the procurement departments of the various government departments to work together and to take an approach in favour of Welsh produce. (Mrs James) You referred, Mrs Williams, to the Carwyn Jones' initiative. During the foot and mouth disease epidemic, Mr Carwyn Jones made an appeal to all local authorities by video link and CD-rom to try and get them to procure products. Only three out of 22 local authorities in Wales actually took that up. 130. I was aware of what the Assembly were doing. I wanted to know what you yourselves were doing. (Mrs James) We are in constant dialogue with the local authorities, with the Ministry of Defence. Having said that, the progress we are making, I am afraid, as Siôn has said, is very limited. (Mr Richards) We look at the flagship building in Wales, the National Stadium, and there is no Welsh product being sold there. They turn round and tell you for the simple fact they have these long-standing contracts. You talk to local authorities and they come back with this phrase "best value". We talk to the MoD. We have been up to see Lewis Moonie and everybody that has been involved there. It is all best value. I had a talk a fortnight ago with the Brigadier in Brecon. We are doing all we can to support you. "All we can"? We are looking for these markets. We are desperate for these markets yet we are prevented because of sterling and also because of various practices. (Mr Walters) There is a good example of First Milk. They have been involved in putting milk bars in schools. They have got 1,100 of them in Scotland. They have started doing that since they joined with Axis, and I should say that as a Union we are supporting that. I will not say the local authorities are opposing it but it can be very difficult at times to get these milk bars into schools. It is wonderful opportunity. We are selling more milk. There was an example of one school where only two pints a week were out and then it shot up to 70 pints a week. I do not know how big the school was or anything. It is self funding and also it is helpful to the health of children. Young children need the calcium in the milk and it is certainly better than other fizzy drinks that are available. 131. I was interested in Hugh's comment that the best value framework may be impeding local procurement because of course that is a government responsibility. Are there specific examples where a local authority may be minded or indeed a public sector organisation may be minded to source locally but is prevented from doing so by the fairly rigid framework of best value? (Mr Richards) All local authorities that you have an opportunity to talk to will tell you that they will support you but when it comes to the world of contracts you lose out due to the simple fact you cannot compete. You are at a disadvantage immediately once you start going into the competitive straight out costs. (Mrs James) The only way round it is to build assurance requirements into the protocol, and that is certainly something that we have been looking to introduce protocols that we can fulfil that others cannot clearly would enable us to get into these outlets. 132. Of course, the framework was deliberately aimed at best value because it was an attempt to move away from simple cost/price decisions. Would it be possible to build in some proxy indicators for things like sustainability and of course the environmental value of local production for local consumption? (Mrs James) That is what I had in mind in terms of the protocols. (Mr Jones) We are in support of that but we have to be very careful as an industry because we are very concerned in health terms that the meat products which are currently being provided to our school children may put them off meat for the rest of their lives. That is where best value is a laughable situation in the way we consider it. We believe we have got the best produce and best value to us is high quality produce which has animal welfare conditions, traceability and farm assurance conditions associated with it. Whether they are soldiers or our children, they deserve the best and we believe that we can supply it at a competitive price, bearing in mind all those issues which are associated with the quality of the product. 133. Any more questions from my colleagues? Is there anything we have not covered?. (Mr Bayliss) How long do you want to stay? (Mr Richards) How long do you want to go for? 134. I do not want to talk about foot and mouth but if there is anything on a specific issue about the Competition Commission that you would like us to mention, succinctly, is there anything we have not touched on? (Mr Richards) Both organisations will be in contact with yourselves with the extra evidence you have asked for4. Chairman: Thank you very much indeed for your time. Like you, I would rather have been in Wales today as well but unfortunately we are stuck here in murky London. I think we have learned a lot about what we need to ask the Competition Commission. 4 See supplementary notes pages 39 and 42. Prepared 5 August 2002

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10/12/2016 Africa’s farming potential hinges on infrastructure boost Agriculture & Food Africa’s farming potential hinges on infrastructure boost Home | Agriculture & Food | News By Sarantis Michalopoulos | EurActiv.com 20-04-2016 ) By Sarantis Michalopoulos | EurActiv.com 20-04-2016 ) Farming in Malawi.[Find Your Feet/Flickr] Farming in Malawi.[Find Your Feet/Flickr] Print Comments This article is part of a special report series: Sustainable farming Africa’s huge agricultural potential holds the promise of covering much of the planet’s nutrition needs, but the continent is hampered by lack of infrastructure and intricate local politics. In an effort to respond to the global food security issue, agribusinesses have expanded their activities in the developing world, with a special focus on Africa’s rich soils. The move is seen with suspicion by environmental campaigners, which warn that turning to a Western type agri-food production model will only increase farmers’ dependence, leading them to long-term deadlock. Declining poverty and rising population The economy of the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region has seen remarkable improvements over the past decades. World Bank figures show that the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day, has declined by 23% between 1993 and 2015. According to the latest estimates in the 2015 State of Food Insecurity in the World, hunger in the region declined by 31% in the period 1990-2015, by no means a small achievement. Today, approximately one out of four persons in SSA is estimated to be undernourished, considerably less than in the 1980s. But the food and farming conundrum in Sub-Saharan Africa is far from being solved. First, the region is challenged with rapid population growth which affects the ability to ensure stable supply and access to food. Second, Sub-Saharan Africa’s current population is 800 million and its economy remains deeply rooted in traditional farming. Agriculture employed 62% of the population and generated 27% of GDP in the region in 2005. Smallholders dominate Smallholder farms, defined as being two hectares or less are dominant in the region’s agriculture model. According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), 80% of farmland in sub-Saharan Africa is managed by smallholders working on up to 10 hectares. The issue does not only concern Africa. On a global level, the UN says more than 90% of the 570 million farms worldwide are managed by an individual or a family, producing more than 80% of the world’s food. Scientists have warned that in order to prevent a food crisis, pre-emptive measures should be taken to make these small-scale farms sustainable while avoiding intensive resource use. Africa’s “green” revolution To help meet those goals, the 10-year-old Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) focuses on smallholder farms to meet the various environmental challenges of the region, like seed production and soil health. A further objective is to open up a rich agriculture market which has been neglected all these years. It brings together public and private sector working directly with African farmers, businesses, and governments. AGRA argues that it has helped African farmers increase their production, resulting in direct household consumption and surpluses for the market. According to AGRA’s 2015 report, in 2015 smallholder households produced about 3.4 million additional metric tons of cereals, soybeans and groundnuts for their own consumption as well as 1.5 million metric tons surplus for the market. “Over the past nine years, AGRA and its partners have worked across 18 sub-Saharan African countries to deliver a set of solutions that have reached 18.2 million farm families,” AGRA’s Dr Richard Jones told EurActiv.com. However, many challenges still lie ahead, mainly on a logistical level. According to Dr Jones, the rapid population increase and high rates of urbanisation have exacerbated the need to increase local production through increased productivity. “Local growth and development will come about not only from production but from aggregation, transport and value addition. The volumes required to meet the growing food requirements cannot be met by imports alone for the simple reason that the existing infrastructure is already challenged,” he stressed. He added that the large numbers of widely-dispersed smallholder farmers who are poorly organised make it hard to deliver services and productivity-improving technologies on the input side. “The costs of aggregating small quantities of surplus production from these widely dispersed smallholder farmers is logistically challenging,” he said, adding that the high costs of transport often make locally-produced grain more expensive than the imported one. Another problem for smallholder farmers is the lack of access to productivity enhancing technologies such as quality seeds of superior varieties, mineral fertilisers, and crop protection products. “The limited number of commercial seed companies, inappropriate government policies hindering the release of farmer-preferred varieties, lack of enforcement in quality control, and limited support for commercial distribution systems are some of the reasons,” he noted. Tanzania’s agricultural “corridor” Attempts to overcome these myriad of local obstacles have focused on the creation of local transportation and distribution corridors. One of them is the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT), an agricultural multi-stakeholder partnership between the Tanzanian government, agri-corporations, donors, and NGOs. Its main objective is to develop the region’s potential including productivity, food security and livelihoods and achieve a “Green Revolution” in Tanzania. Initiated at the World Economic Forum Africa summit in May 2010, several stakeholders try to go beyond raising agricultural productivity and attract investments in several areas – roads, electricity, policy reform – to create an efficient and well-functioning agricultural chain. Oslo-based fertiliser company Yara recently invested $25 million in a terminal in Tanzania and wants the country to become a national and regional hub for fertiliser distribution. Yara currently supplies 120,000 tons of fertiliser annually to the East African region, including through a network of distribution outlets across Tanzania. Environmentalist NGOs, however, are concerned about such activities in Africa. Increasing farmers’ dependence Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director Marco Contiero told EurActiv that G8 governments’ investments in developing countries’ agriculture, such as via the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in Africa (NAFSN), have indicated that they operate in close contact with the private sector. “This has, for instance, led country beneficiaries of international funds to modify or put in place biosafety legislation to set up the right legal framework allowing agro-chemical companies to market their patented seeds.” He said that instead of external inputs such as seeds, chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilisers, the focus of governments should be on the actual needs of the population, “namely building infrastructures, storage facilities and irrigation systems”. “These countries do not need (GM) seeds, even if it is true that they have very poor quality seeds, but their problem is that they don’t have silos to store their harvests, nor streets to bring their harvest to the market, nor functional markets where to sell their products”. “This sends a very worrying signal,” the Greenpeace activist said, underlining that focusing Africa’s development on input-dependent agriculture is the “opposite of sustainable”. The agri-food industry’s activities in Africa often come under environmentalist NGOs scrutiny. One recent example is the British company Agrica which received millions in support from international aid donors to establish an industrial rice plantation in Tanzania as part of a SAGCOT project. According to a research by The Oakland Institute in collaboration with Greenpeace Africa and Global Justice Now, the project had a devastating impacts on local communities. “Although Agrica is portrayed as a responsible investment venture, its takeover of fertile land has brought misery to local communities,” Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director of the Oakland Institute said. She claimed that smallholders were forced off the land, received meagre compensation for their losses, and had to face debts resulting from doing business with Agrica. An official response was sent by Agrica, denying the accusations. UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, said: "True progress demands new food systems that focus on health, protect the environment, promote social justice, empower women and advance development in communities. These food systems should give opportunities to young people and support smallholder farmers." Brandon Mitchener, Public Affairs Lead for Monsanto Europe, said "Europe can’t compete with South America and Africa on some commodity crops such as soybeans, certainly not as long as it refuses to embrace GM seeds and the economic, environmental and social benefits they offer to farmers who grow them." “The EU is already a significant net importer of agricultural commodities, principally soybeans and other oilseeds. A recent study on the economic, social and environmental value of plant breeding in the EU found that EU soybean imports are equivalent to around 13 million hectares in ‘imported’ agricultural,” he told EurActiv. Commenting on the agri-food industry’s activities in Africa, Marco Contiero, Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director, told EurActiv: “Six multinationals control 75% of the global agrochemical business and three of them own 56% of the seed market. Making farmers in Africa dependent on patented seeds and chemicals won't solve their fundamental problems. "What small farmers in developing countries need is access to land, storage facilities, transport infrastructure and fair access to markets where they can sell their products.” “We already produce enough food to feed the world’s population now and into the future. Scaling up industrial farming won't help address the real causes of malnutrition, like poverty, waste and food distribution. What the agri-business wants is to profit from sales of seeds and chemicals, which damage our health and the environment,” he added. In 2015 the UN General Assembly set 17 measurable Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ranging from ending world poverty to achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls by 2030. Nine of these goals are directly or indirectly connected with farming, conferring a special multidimensional status to agriculture. Faced with a growing global population, food insecurity and climate change, agriculture has a leading role to play. FAO: Regional Overview of Food Insecurity- Africa FAO: The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 AGRA Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania Greenpeace: Aid donors' flagship investment deal causing hardship and displacement in Tanzania By Sarantis Michalopoulos | EurActiv.com Print Comments Related Tags TopicsAfrica agriculture & food FAO fertilisers Food chain sustainability Global Europe Greenpeace infrastructure Monsanto pesticides smallholders sustainable dev. Syngenta United Nations LocationsAfrica Sub-Saharan Africa Tanzania PeopleBan Ki-Moon SectionsAfrica Agriculture & Food Food chain sustainability Global Europe Section Supporters Safeguarding the future by bringing together young people and technologyEurope, US trade officials lobby China on food safety rule'TTIP may come back from the dead,' warns expertThe EU adopts a global fishing authorisation systemEU decides against tinkering with flagship nature directives Comments

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Advertisement Home > North Carolina testing soy-based fuel North Carolina testing soy-based fuel Cecil H. Yancy Jr. Farm Press Editorial Staff | Southeast Farm Press EMAIL Comments 0 The tanker of soy-based fuel that rolled into Aurora, N.C. in mid-February carried with it big-time promises for boosting the farm economy, and giving farmers a say in value-added bio diesel production. Grain Growers Cooperative (GGC) used the arrival of the tanker to kick off its effort to build a plant to produce soy diesel fuel, as well as soy meal. The tanker's arrival here at Speed Grain represents a “real opportunity and a landmark event in the state of North Carolina,” says Sam Lee Jr., GGC chief operating officer. The 20,000-gallon tanker filled with 100 percent soy diesel pulled into eastern North Carolina two weeks after it left West Central Soy, an Iowa farmers cooperative which is the second largest manufacturer of soy diesel in the nation. Potter Oil of Aurora, N.C., will market the fuel in blends from 2 percent to 20 percent, which could produce as much as 40,000 gallons of biodiesel. The co-op plans to build a $40 million crushing and soy diesel plant in eastern North Carolina. The co-op, which has an investment commitment of $10 million from the Golden Leaf Foundation, is currently developing a business plan and could announce a location for the plant in eastern North Carolina later this year. Meanwhile, the group is hoping a new national energy bill will provide incentives for the production of soy-based fuels. It's also urging legislators at the state level in North Carolina to support soy diesel production. Soy diesel burns cleaner than petroleum and other alternative fuels, experts say. At the Speed Grain railroad spur in Aurora, the importance of the occasion wasn't lost on the farmers in the crowd, as they talked of the hard economic times in the North Carolina agriculture sector over the past several years. “The tobacco program has become unstable, and we've lost our premiums in the grain market,” Lee says. That was precisely the thinking of a handful of farmers who came together in eastern North Carolina three years ago to form GGC, says Earl Hendrix, a Raeford, N.C., farmer, and chairman of the group. “North Carolina was an auction system for years because of tobacco, hogs and chickens,” Hendrix says. “In the past, we had lots of local markets, but now that's all gone to contracting. We got together to give ourselves the opportunity to be able to call a few of our own shots. Where you don't have the opportunity to add value to the products you produce, you're at the mercy of other people.” Charles Davenport, a farmer from Greenville, N.C., and also a co-op member, said forming the co-op was “the only way we saw we might be able to stay in business.” The potential of soy diesel could add dollars to the pockets of economically strapped farmers. According to a USDA study, a million-gallon demand for soy-based fuel would increase soybean prices 14 percent. Low-level blends, such as the ones planned for the first shipment of soy diesel, would drive up prices 3 percent. “This is the first step that will allow farmers to participate in ownership,” says Mark Sorrells, vice president of programs for the Golden Leaf Foundation. “Everyone here is aware of the absolute benefits of this project,” says Meg Scott Phipps, North Carolina commissioner of agriculture. “The Grains Growers Cooperative had the vision to tackle a huge project.” Phipps says the project goes a long way toward reducing dependence on foreign oil. “The impact of this one project is worldwide.” Federal and state governments have mandated the use of alternative fuels in government vehicles. “This project allows our farmers to take ownership from the ground up and put profits in their hands,” Phipps says. “It's a great day for the Grain Growers Cooperative and for all North Carolina agriculture and the state's citizens.” e-mail: [email protected] Print Please Log In or Register to post comments. Advertisement Related ArticlesVariety Data from the Official Variety Tests Conducted by the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service North Carolina offers seed testing services North Carolina implements new agronomic testing fees North Carolina sites announced for aflatoxin tests Tests confirm H1N1 in North Carolina pigs Advertisement Connect With Us TwitterFacebookRSSPodcast Hot Topics

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Major Massachusetts Supermarket Chain Participates in Partners with Nature Program September 18, 1997 Contact: AMHERST, Mass. - Shaw’s Supermarkets, which operates 25 stores in Massachusetts, has become a participant in the Partners with Nature program, a state certification program that recognizes growers who use integrated pest management (IPM) techniques to cultivate their crops. IPM is a method of farming which reduces pesticide use by making crops less inviting to pests, by encouraging natural predators and parasites, and by carefully monitoring pest populations so that crops are sprayed only when pests are present in damaging numbers. Partners with Nature, the first IPM certification program in the country, is a joint program between UMass Extension, the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. Crops grown according to specific IPM standards are certified by the state as "IPM-grown" and qualified growers may use the Partners with Nature logo in marketing their produce. This year, 44 farms across the state are participating in the Partners with Nature program, which includes eight crops: strawberries, sweet corn, tomatoes, potatoes, cole crops (such as broccoli and cauliflower), peppers, pumpkins, and winter squash. "We commend Shaw’s for featuring Partners with Nature produce this season," says Jonathan Healy, Massachusetts commissioner of food and agriculture. "They recognize both consumer demand for environmentally friendly products as well as the efforts of Partners with Nature farmers to produce high-quality products while protecting our environment." Shaw’s will display the Partners with Nature logo for produce supplied by participating growers. Informational brochures provided by UMass Extension will also be available. UMass has pioneered new methods of replacing pesticides with less expensive and more environmentally sound alternatives since 1978. As a result, Massachusetts growers have reduced their use of pesticides by 25 to 75 percent. Shaw’s Supermarkets, founded in 1860, currently operates 121 stores at locations throughout New England and is a wholly owned subsidiary of J Sainsbury’s of London, England.

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Animal Welfare: a Win-Win Opportunity Experts, academics, small-scale farmers, civil society and intergovernmental organizations came together today at the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre 2012 to discuss the importance of introducing better animal welfare systems and supporting small-scale farmers in their implementation. With the proliferation of animal welfare standards set by the private sector, small-scale farmers risk not being able to stand up to the competition in terms of resources, technology and knowledge and seriously risk being increasingly marginalised. The speakers of the conference, jointly organized by Slow Food and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), collectively raised a voice in favour of making farmers the protagonists of this moment in which animal welfare is progressively being recognized as a common good and its benefit for farmers, animals and citizens alike are being understood. Speakers included top animal welfare expert Mateus Paranhos Da Costa, who spoke about the importance of training programmes and how they can significantly improve the conditions of farm animals. Speaking about the situation of animal welfare in Brazil, Mateus underlined the importance of changing the focus from pointing out what is wrong to understanding how to solve the problem. Richard Haigh from the Zulu Sheep Presidium contributed to the meeting with his practical experience raising sheep and underlined that farming must revolve around responsibility, relationships, attitudes and legacy. Aurelia Maria Castellanos Quintero, of the Cuban Association of Animal Production emphasized the importance of spreading good practices of farmers through effective communication. FAO data indicates that around 1 billion people depend on animals as a source of income, food, cultural identity and social status. It is estimated that 60% of families that live in rural areas keep animals. Animal welfare is of crucial importance to these communities, due to the fact that a secure supply of food depends on the health and productivity of animals, and these in turn depend on the care and nutrition that animals receive. The livelihood of farming families and the link with animal welfare will therefore be an issue of attention in 2014, the UN declared International Year of Family Farming. The conference Animal Welfare: a Win-Win Opportunity for Animals, Farmers and Consumers, set the basis for a collaboration that will lead to an in-depth analysis of the links between animal and food security and safety, human and animal health, protection of biodiversity, economical and environmental sustainability and the livelihood of small-scale farmers. The collaboration will also target young farmers and leverage their high sensibility on these issues. Photo: © Kunal Chandra

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Experts, academics, small-scale farmers, civil society and intergovernmental organizations came together today at the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre 2012 to discuss the importance of introducing better animal welfare systems and supporting small-scale farmers in their implementation. With the proliferation of animal welfare standards set by the private sector, small-scale farmers risk not being able to stand up to the competition in terms of resources, technology and knowledge and seriously risk being increasingly marginalised. The speakers of the conference, jointly organized by Slow Food and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), collectively raised a voice in favour of making farmers the protagonists of this moment in which animal welfare is progressively being recognized as a common good and its benefit for farmers, animals and citizens alike are being understood. Speakers included top animal welfare expert Mateus Paranhos Da Costa, who spoke about the importance of training programmes and how they can significantly improve the conditions of farm animals. Speaking about the situation of animal welfare in Brazil, Mateus underlined the importance of changing the focus from pointing out what is wrong to understanding how to solve the problem. Richard Haigh from the Zulu Sheep Presidium contributed to the meeting with his practical experience raising sheep and underlined that farming must revolve around responsibility, relationships, attitudes and legacy. Aurelia Maria Castellanos Quintero, of the Cuban Association of Animal Production emphasized the importance of spreading good practices of farmers through effective communication. FAO data indicates that around 1 billion people depend on animals as a source of income, food, cultural identity and social status. It is estimated that 60% of families that live in rural areas keep animals. Animal welfare is of crucial importance to these communities, due to the fact that a secure supply of food depends on the health and productivity of animals, and these in turn depend on the care and nutrition that animals receive. The livelihood of farming families and the link with animal welfare will therefore be an issue of attention in 2014, the UN declared International Year of Family Farming. The conference Animal Welfare: a Win-Win Opportunity for Animals, Farmers and Consumers, set the basis for a collaboration that will lead to an in-depth analysis of the links between animal and food security and safety, human and animal health, protection of biodiversity, economical and environmental sustainability and the livelihood of small-scale farmers. The collaboration will also target young farmers and leverage their high sensibility on these issues. Photo: © Kunal Chandra

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Economics Research International Economics Research InternationalVolume 2013 (2013), Article ID 154928, 3 pageshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/154928EditorialEconomics of BioenergyAmani Elobeid,1 Miguel Carriquiry,2 Silvia Secchi,3 and Tun-Hsiang (Edward) Yu41Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1070, USA2Facultad de Agronomía, Univeridad de la República, Avenue Eugenio Garzón 780, Montevideo 12900, Uruguay3Department of Agribusiness Economics, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-4619, USA4Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-4518, USAReceived 7 November 2013; Accepted 7 November 2013Copyright © 2013 Amani Elobeid et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.There has been worldwide support for the production and use of renewable energy sources, especially through major policy initiatives relating to climate change and bioenergy. These policies include the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) and the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) of 2009 (H.R. 2454), Brazil’s 2009 National Climate Change Policy, Canada’s 2006 Renewable Fuels Regulations, and the European Union’s 2009 Energy and Climate Change Package. The rationales behind these policies have been multifold, ranging from less reliance on imported fuels, reducing energy prices, and improving the rural economy to mitigating climate change. Some have argued that bioenergy has not delivered on its promise of energy security and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, especially in the case of field crops utilized to produce biofuels, bioheat, and biopower. The economic and environmental consequences of this bioenergy expansion have not been fully understood, primarily because bioenergy markets are not well developed and are still in flux. The main objective of this special issue is to better understand the emergence of bioenergy markets and explore the direct or indirect consequences of the expansion of this alternative energy source on the economy, energy, and commodity markets and associated environmental impacts at the country, regional, or global level. The broad range of environmental and economic impacts of biofuel production as well as their dependence on specific feedstocks and landscapes is reflected in the articles of this special issue.Y. W. Zhang and B. A. McCarl analyze the effects of autonomous adaptation-adjusted climate change and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) on US agriculture. For this analysis, the authors use the agricultural component of the FASOMGHG model, which models land use allocation within the US agricultural sector. The results show that while the impacts of climate change and RFS2 act in opposite directions, there is a net positive effect on agricultural consumer welfare and agricultural producer income. The results also suggest that, for RFS2 biofuel production, climate change promotes the use of crop residues and energy crops (other than switchgrass) for cellulosic ethanol production.F. Taheripour and W. E. Tyner use a multiregional computable general equilibrium model (GTAP-BIO), modified to include second-generation biofuels, to evaluate induced land use change (ILUC) emissions for alternative biofuel pathways in the United States. They calculate the ILUC emissions using four existing major emission factors and examine the uncertainties related to these factors and their consequences for the estimated ILUCs. The results show that the production of biofuels from dedicated energy crops shifts existing marginal cropland-pasture to crop production and also causes moderate deforestation. The largest land use change is generated from growing switchgrass as a biofuel feedstock while the lowest land use change is generated from Miscanthus for bio-gasoline production. This result is mainly due to the assumed yields for the two crops. However, biofuel production from crop residues, such as corn stover, does not significantly affect land use. The authors observe that calculated ILUC emissions are subject to uncertainties in emission factors based on the inclusion or exclusion of cropland-pasture, changes in soil carbon sequestration due to changes in land cover vegetation, and the wide divergence among emission factor sources, especially for dedicated crop conversion to ethanol.A. Elobeid et al. present the impact of two emissions-mitigating policies, a US fertilizer tax and a policy incentivizing afforestation, on both US and world agricultural markets. Both policies are aimed at mitigating the adverse environmental effects of the expanding production of agricultural crops used as feedstock for biofuels. The authors use the FAPRI-CARD agricultural modeling system, which is a set of multimarket, partial-equilibrium, and nonspatial econometric models, for this analysis. The study also evaluates the impact of these policy scenarios on global agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using a model that accounts for GHG emissions from agriculture. Results show that a US tax on fertilizer reduces the production of nitrogen-intensive crops. However, the impact on GHG emissions is muted as the lower fertilizer use in the USA is partially offset by higher fertilizer use in the rest of the world, which expands crop production in response to higher prices. A policy that shifts cropland to forestland (afforestation) also results in an unintended increase in global GHG emissions. Crop production shifts from high-yielding land in the United States to low-yielding land, and probably native vegetation in the rest of the world. Thus, the study shows that unilateral policy changes implemented by a large agricultural producer like the United States can have fairly significant impacts on the aggregate world commodity markets. This analysis highlights the importance of internationally coordinated action in order to avoid the unintended consequences of inadvertent increases in global greenhouse gas emissions.T. A. Maung and C. R. Gustafson analyze the impact of harvest field time on the potential profit of supplying corn residues (cob or stover) by farmers for biofuel production in North Dakota. As the harvest window for crops is relatively short in the north-central United States due to the weather, the variation in available field time is likely to affect the volume of corn and the residues collected by farmers and their profits. The authors apply mathematical programming models to analyze three harvest options in this study including (i) corn grain only harvest, (ii) simultaneous corn grain and cob harvest in a one-pass operation, and (iii) separate corn grain and stover harvest in a two-pass operation. By simulating the availability of the fall harvest field times, results show that the available time to collect corn and residues is very influential to the net profit of corn producers. Also, allocating time to collect either cob or stover by farmers would result in less time for corn harvest and potentially lower net profit for the producers. Thus, the study suggests that it would be more economically efficient to have a professional entity to collect the residues.D. Brent and S. Rabotyagov examine the land use impact of producing biofuels from forest residues in Washington State given that converting land to different uses could create diverse impacts on the environment. Applying a random utility maximization model to a spatially explicit parcel database, the decision of land use change is analyzed. Based on the estimated landowner’s decision model, the potential impact of two hypothetical biofuel policies on land use change in the state is then simulated. When assuming higher forest returns due to increasing use of forest residues for biofuel production, the increases in forestland range between 0.1 and 1%. In addition, the area of forestland increases by 0.1–0.5% assuming the development of a conversion facility in the state. The potential expansion in the use of forestland for biofuel production implies a net reduction in atmospheric carbon, which is in contrast to the experience of corn-based ethanol.B. C. English et al. assess the economic impact of growing switchgrass, a native perennial, for second-generation biofuel production in Eastern Tennessee linking a mathematical programming model of lignocellulosic biomass feedstock supply chain to a regional scale Input-Output model. The study adds to the literature by including a wide range of remote sensing and spatially explicit information such as crop yields, soil types, real road networks, and land ownership type into the determination of the optimal location of a second-generation biorefinery. The authors then estimate the effects of this optimally located biorefinery on the local economy, including the one-time investment activities associated with the establishment of a perennial grass and the construction of the biorefinery and the ongoing operation of the plant, with its associated supply chain. The study considers the sensitivity of the results to several harvest technology and storage scenarios, and the authors conclude that the biorefinery would be a net benefit to the local economy, partly because the opportunity costs of the production of switchgrass, pasture, and hay are associated with an industry in decline in the region. This study illustrates the importance of incorporating spatially explicit information in the analysis of logistics of biofuels and the value of incorporating full supply chain information for the industry. It provides the type of information that is critical to private sector investors, policy makers, and farmers.E. Affuso and L. M. Duzy study another set of important issues associated with land-based biofuel production, namely, their impact on the environment. The authors integrate a stochastic discrete model of profit maximization incorporating climate information with a widely used water quality model to determine the environmental impact of first-generation ethanol and biodiesel production in northern Alabama. The authors specifically focus on the potential role of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle in the farmers’ choice of crops and the impacts of these choices on nutrients losses in surface waters. Crop yields are stochastically dependent on the ENSO phase. The authors examine two biofuel levels production scenarios associated with meeting different levels of the Renewable Fuel Standard mandate and associated crop prices to assess long term expected production levels and nitrogen losses. They find that as corn production increases to meet the mandate, nitrogen losses increase, albeit less than proportionally. This is consistent with the findings of previous literature. This study links a globally important weather phenomenon—the ENSO cycle—with individual farmers land use choices given large scale policies and their impacts on environmental variables. It adds to the literature by illustrating the importance of including weather-related uncertainty to individual choices and their impact on the environment.Amani ElobeidMiguel CarriquirySilvia SecchiTun-Hsiang (Edward) Yu

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Prairie Fire, Now and Then Listen to the commentaryReal Audio : MP3 download[Note: A technical glitch kept this spot from airing on WILL at 4:45 on March 30, so it is set to run at 4:45 and 6:45 on April 6.]On a recent Sunday afternoon, I joined up with thirty other volunteers to set a fire. Our goal was to burn three years worth of dried growth on part of a restored prairie owned and managed by the Barnhart family south of Urbana. [Click to visit the Barnhart Prairie website.] Actually, it took only one person armed with a kerosene drip torch to light the fire; the rest of us spread out along the line where he passed. Our job was to make sure no flames or sparks crossed the mowed path that served as a break to contain it. The vegetation we were burning was dry as could be, and a steady breeze pushed the fire along right where we wanted it to go. Where the plants lay down the fire rippled over the ground like waves on a burning lake. Where the dry stalks stood upright the flames roared skyward, a tower of heat and light. In the wake of the fire, the smoke cleared quickly, and the thin layer of ash that remained smoldered very little. Looking on the newly cleared ground was like looking at a newly planted garden, with all of the hopeful anticipation that involves. What the Barnharts are working to restore is tallgrass prairie, a relatively small patch of the ecosystem that dominated central Illinois from about eight thousand years ago until the coming of European settlers and the advent of modern agriculture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Since the 1820s, more than ninety-nine percent of Illinois’ prairie has been converted to cropland or urban uses. [To learn more about prairies, visit The Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois by Ken Robertson, botanist with the Illinois Natural History Survey.]Historically, the flora of the tallgrass prairie was characterized by a tightly packed mixture of more than three hundred species of grasses and flowers, many of which grew ten feet tall, or more. In combination with climate and grazing, fire was one of the primary factors that accounted for the existence of prairies where forests might otherwise have dominated the landscape. Sometimes caused by lightning and other times ignited by Native Americans, prairie fires are estimated to have burned any given parcel of land once every one to five years.Prairie fires moved quickly, so their heat did not penetrate deep into the soil. Thus they killed the saplings of encroaching trees, and favored instead the growth of herbaceous perennials, plants that die back and store their energy below the ground in winter. By removing thatch and speeding the return of nutrients to the soil in the form of ash, prairie fires enabled dormant seeds to germinate. The spring and summer following a burn were marked by a profusion of flowers and reinvigorated forage. Prescribed burns are used now in the management of prairie remnants and restorations to achieve similar effects.Although fire has proven an effective tool in efforts to maintain and restore prairies, it should be emphasized that we’re still learning how best to use it. For example, some seventy-five percent of all the species of organisms found in a prairie are insects or their close relatives. Many of these creatures overwinter in the dead stems of prairie plants, and are thus wiped out in a burn. This loss may not have constituted a disaster back when the size and make-up of prairies guaranteed sufficient insect populations to re-colonize burned areas. But in today’s highly fragmented landscape, where prairie remnants and restorations are small and disconnected, it takes careful planning to ensure that there are bugs enough nearby to truly bring a prairie back to life. And bringing the prairie back to life—even if it’s in a small way—is the goal of the prairie fires we set today. Rob Kanter Urbana's Big Grove Oaks Listen to the commentaryReal Audio : MP3 downloadWhen we think about the landscape of central Illinois prior to European settlement we tend to think “prairie:" tall grasses and wild flowers adapted to life in unevenly drained soil subject to burning on a fairly regular basis.And prairie is most of the story. But it is not the whole story.Groves of trees intruded on the prairie here and there, especially on the eastern edges of rivers and streams, which created natural breaks to prairie fires driven by winds from the west.Such groves were dominated by fire-resistant species of oak, and interspersed with hickory, ash, walnut, sugar maple and linden trees as well.Prairie groves were quite hospitable to humans compared to the prairie itself, offering game, shelter, and respite from some of the discomforts of life in the open. They were preferred sites for Native American villages, and the first places to be settled by Americans of European descent coming from the east.One of the largest of these timbered areas in our region was called by settlers of the early nineteenth century the Big Grove.As it was mapped in the original survey of the area in 1821, the Big Grove covered about 10 square miles. Its western edge roughly paralleled the Saline Branch, the stream that drops into Urbana from the north and runs through Busey Woods and Crystal Lake Park before turning east toward St. Joseph. Along its southern edge the Big Grove extended to about where Urbana’s Main Street runs today.If you’re familiar with Urbana and the locales just north and east of the City, you know there’s no forest left that would merit the name, “Big Grove,” most of the wood from those trees having gone into houses, fences, farm implements and fires long ago.But here’s the cool thing. Some trees that began life in the Big Grove still stand in Urbana today.You can touch them. Heck, you can hug them. They’re the kind of trees that elicit that response from people.Near the corner of East Main and Maple Streets, a Bur Oak that predates the Declaration of Independence rises more than eighty feet from the yard outside Long’s Garage. This tree’s limbs spread as wide as it is tall, which tells us that it grew up in a relatively open area, the meeting zone between woodland and prairie.Farther from the center of town on East Main, a still larger Bur Oak can be seen on the eastern edge of the site of the Quaker Meetinghouse that was completed last year. We know this tree to be roughly two hundred forty years old now, based on calculations made in 1976, when the International Society of Arboriculture recognized it as a “bicentennial tree.”The “bicentennial tree” and the oak at Long’s Garage are both commemorated with stone markers and plaques that were set up by the Urbana Tree Commission in 1976.Greater numbers of oaks that predate European settlement can be seen—and hugged—at Urbana Park District sites. The oldest and largest trees in Crystal Lake Park and Busey Woods are relics of the Big Grove, as are ten or so of the trees at Weaver Park, now being developed on East Main.Special thanks for assistance with today’s piece to Bob Vaiden of the Illinois State Geological Survey, Derek Liebert of the Urbana Park District, and Mike Brunk, City Arborist for Urbana. East Central Illinois Is an Active Place in Early Spring (But It's Not Florida) Listen to the commentaryReal Audio : MP3 downloadThe past couple of years I’ve spent spring break with my wife and children at state parks on the Florida Gulf Coast. There we’ve enjoyed fantastic birding, pretty good fishing, and the opportunity to explore the seemingly infinite life of tidal areas. This year, however, we’ll be sticking closer to home, which has gotten me thinking about the outdoor attractions our part of the world has to offer at this time of year. When you stop consider it, early spring really is an active time here.It is the time of year to find members of the mole salamander family above ground. These are creatures that live most of their lives farther down in the soil, but that travel overland in early spring, to and from the seasonal ponds where they breed. You can often find such salamanders by rolling over decaying logs in the vicinity of vernal pools, like the ones at Busey Woods in Urbana, or Kickapoo State Park in Vermilion County. Vernal pools, which are defined by the fact that they dry up completely later in the year and thus do not hold fish, are also home to quite a bit of other activity in March. This activity is signalled by the calls of spring peepers, wood frogs, and other amphibians out to reproduce. And it’s evident in the graceful movement of fairy shrimp, inch-long crustaceans that row themselves along with eleven delicate pairs of legs. A dip net and a plastic pan are all the equipment you need to spend an afternoon exploring a vernal pool. A mid-March walk in the woods provides a great opportunity to witness the early development of spring wildflowers, which have to make the most of this time before the trees leaf out and block the sunlight. Bluebells and spring beauties have already begun to emerge, as has bloodroot, which may even be blooming next week. Perhaps a hike along the Sangamon River at Allerton Park near Monticello is in order.March means “move” for a lot of birds, and that opens up myriad possibilities for birdwatchers. You can see more waterfowl than you can count along the Illinois River right now, but you may also see a surprising variety of ducks and geese on just about any body of water at this time of year. Large impoundments like Clinton Lake, Lake Decatur and Lake Vermilion offer great possibilities. But so do subdivision detention ponds, farm ponds, and flooded fields. If you’re up for a day trip, there are still some seven to eight thousand northbound sandhill cranes stopping over at the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area in northwest Indiana. The sight of these magnificent birds coming in to roost can be well worth the two-and-a-half hour drive from Champaign-Urbana. March is also the time to witness the mating display of the male American woodcock, a long-billed, stout-bodied oddity of a bird who performs twice a day, at dawn and dusk. You can see his highly choreographed mix of strutting, sound and flight at any natural area with the right mix of open ground and brush, including Meadowbrook Park in Urbana and the Homer Lake Forest Preserve, near Homer. Now, don’t get me wrong, even with all of the spring activity there is to enjoy in our part of the world, I still wouldn’t mind a March trip to Florida. But with a break or two in the weather, we’ll get by here, won’t we? Keeping Bighead and Silver Carp Out of the Great Lakes Listen to the commentaryReal Audio : MP3 download[Click this link to see Illinois Natural History Survey video of silver carp leaping out of the water in response to boats.]You know that old story of the Dutch boy who stuck his finger in the dike to prevent a flood? Well, his task was easy compared to the task facing researchers from Illinois and neighboring states who are trying to prevent an invasion of the Great Lakes by two species of carp native to Asia, the bighead and silver carp.This story dates back to the 1970s, when bighead and silver carp were imported to the southern United States from China in order to control aquatic vegetation and plankton blooms in fish-rearing ponds. Whether they then escaped during floods or were released intentionally, they began showing up in the Mississippi River Basin by the early 1980s. Since then, bighead and silver carp have made their way steadily north, up through the Illinois River system toward the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Created in the late 1800s to divert sewage from Chicago, the twenty-eight mile long canal provides the only direct aquatic link between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins. Blocking passage of the carp through the canal is a crucial element of the fight to keep them out of the Great Lakes.The first defense against the movement of bighead and silver carp into Lake Michigan has been an experimental electric barrier, which was constructed near Romeoville, and began operation in Spring of 2002. This barrier uses electrodes deployed in a cross-section of the canal to create a wall of electric current. The electricity irritates fish as they approach and causes them to turn around. A new, more permanent barrier using two electric arrays is in the final stages of installation, and should be fully operational this summer. Working with funding from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, researchers have also been investigating the potential for using an acoustic barrier to prevent the movement of fish through the Chicago Canal. The system they have developed uses sound projectors that emit chirping noises which repel fish, combined with an air line that generates a wall of bubbles. The bubble-wall amplifies the projected sound and causes additional disturbance to fish. The design for the acoustic barrier is relatively simple, which means it might be an affordable way to augment the electric barrier. In addition, since it requires little electricity it could be run with a generator during a power outage.Of course effective barriers can only stop fish from swimming into the Great Lakes on their own. It is equally important that people, especially anglers and boaters, not move invasive species from one body of water to another. This is a great concern with bighead and silver carp, since the young of both species closely resemble gizzard shad, a native North American fish commonly caught for use as bait. If you fish or boat I would encourage you to check out the educational materials Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant puts out on invasive species, to help ensure you don’t inadvertently contribute to the problem. [Scroll down to the "Featured Products" section at this Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant link.]Researchers are still assessing the impact of bighead and silver carp on ecosystems and fisheries in the Mississippi River drainage, and it is hoped that the high productivity of that system will blunt the damage they cause there. There is little hope that Lake Michigan would fare so well, since it is a less productive system to begin with, and it has already been hit hard by zebra mussels and other invaders. By committing resources to stop the spread of bighead and silver carp now, we can prevent one nightmare from becoming a reality for the Great Lakes.A special thanks to Irene Miles and Pat Charlebois of Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, and Phil Moy of Wisconsin Sea Grant for help with this program. Peregrine Falcon(s) in Champaign-Urbana Listen to the commentaryReal Audio : MP3 downloadPost Script: The following is from an e-mail received from Diana Grunloh, who works on the UIUC campus, the day after this story ran.It is rare indeed for me to have what I call a "Marty Stauffer Moment" and then have it confirmed on radio. This happened last evening as I was leaving work at the Illini Union. While walking down the Quad I saw what appeared to be a falcon fly into an oak tree there. I really did not believe my eyes, so I moved closer to see...YES a Peregrine Falcon sitting on a low branch preening his feathers. I snapped many "not really close enough" pictures (see below right) to compare with my Audubon Guide at home. And then, an even more amazing thing...on my drive home what should come on AM 580 but Environmental Almanac and you, sir, talking about the very falcon I had just seen.If you think of wildlife as something that exists “out there,” away from buildings and streets and the bustle of human activity, I’d like to call your attention to a bird that might prompt you to reconsider.It’s a peregrine falcon, for my money, one of the coolest birds in the world. This is the bird that reaches speeds of up to two hundred miles an hour in its spectacular hunting dives.And let me clarify here, I don’t just want to introduce you to peregrines by telling you some interesting things about them as a species, although I am going to do that. I want to introduce you to an individual peregrine that many listeners should be able to see without going far out of their way.Back in late November, birders in and around Champaign-Urbana began spotting a peregrine, mostly as it hunted pigeons near the U of I South Farms. (I first saw it there on Thanksgiving Day with my brother, who introduced me to birding twenty years ago, and who was visiting from New Hampshire. Thanks, John.) More recently, birders who work on the U of I campus have noticed a peregrine, presumably the same one, which shows up pretty regularly at a highly visible, central campus location.If you’d like to look for the peregrine yourself, here’s what you need to know: late in the afternoon, he often perches on the cross atop the spire of the Wesley United Methodist Church, at the southeast corner of Green and Mathews. (Photo above by Greg Lambeth, birdman extraordinaire, taken February 5, 2006.) He usually arrives sometime between 4:15 and 5:00 o’clock, and stays for anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour or more.The bird you’re looking for is perhaps sixteen inches long from bill to tail tip, and the spire he perches on stands a hundred eighty four feet tall. When he’s up there, you can tell from blocks away. But to see any detail on our peregrine you will need to be much closer, and to use binoculars.In good light you should be able to make out the dark, helmet-like markings on his head, and the wide lines that extend down over his cheek like exaggerated sideburns. People with better eyes than mine are able to see a green leg band, which indicates this peregrine comes from a breeding program.As you may or may not remember, peregrines were extirpated from most of their range in the United States by the pesticide DDT, before it was banned in 1972. They were protected under the Endangered Species Act until 1999, when, thanks to extensive breeding and reintroduction programs, their numbers had recovered to sustainable levels.The peregrine’s robust recovery depended on its tolerance for life among people, a trait not shared by some other endangered birds. Prior to urbanization, most North American peregrines nested on cliffs. But they now also thrive in habitat created by humans, nesting on the ledges of tall buildings and bridges, even in densely populated cities.Of course there’s no guarantee that the U of I peregrine will show up at his late afternoon perch on any given day—and I’m a little anxious that he’ll never be seen again, now that I’ve talked about him on the radio. But he has been observed fairly regularly since December, and I urge you to keep an eye out for this magnificent bird.Note: After this story was recorded for radio I learned of another peregrine (or peregrines) spotted in Spring 2005 and again this winter at the Presidential Tower, 302 East John Street in Champaign. The photo right was taken last April by Jackie Roy, who works in the State 4-H office, looking south from the 19th floor. The bird in the photo is an adult, so it's not the same as this year's spire bird, which is a juvenile. Do you have a question about the natural world or about research on environmental questions? Email it to [email protected] . Environmental Almanac is a service of the University of Illinois School of Earth, Society, and Environment. You can help support production of Environmental Almanac with an online donation through a secure link at the University of Illinois Foundation website: click here to donate. To receive EA posts via email, enter your address below. (Your address will be used for no other purpose.) EA airs Thursdays on WILL-AM 580 at 4:45 pm and 6:45 pm central time. To listen live via the internet, use one of the Live Stream links from the WILL-AM 580 website. In the Champaign (Illinois) News-Gazette EA runs as a column in the front page section on Sundays East Central Illinois Is an Active Place in Early ... Keeping Bighead and Silver Carp Out of the Great L...

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Schoff Farms named national leader Published: Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 1:54 p.m.�CDT • Updated: Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 1:55 p.m.�CDT CaptionJames SchoffJames Schoff is the fifth-generation farmer of nearly 3,000 acres in Bureau and Lee counties. He was nominated by his local Ag View FS retailers for The Pursuit of 300: The Road to Higher Yields, a program developed by The Mosaic Co. The Pursuit of 300 is following the Schoffs and five other farmers in the Midwest through the end of the 2013 harvest. Each of the six Pursuit Farmers will work with their local agronomists and The Mosaic Co. to improve practices on approximately 100 acres in order to boost yields. The program provides a digital hub at www.Pursuitof300.com and a magazine, Unfenced, featuring the latest information on corn yield improvements as well as updates on each of the Pursuit Farmers’ operations.Schoff spent 18 years working at Ag View FS, where he was responsible for the precision ag team as well as managing a crop scouting business. Schoff utilizes his expertise and data-driven strategies to continually improve practices at Schoff Farms. He has also been implementing many precision ag technologies and techniques to enhance efficiencies and boost yields, including choice of seed varieties most likely to succeed on each acre, and closely managing inputs to increase grain quality and return on investment.“I feel there is always a better way of doing things,” Schoff said. “I want to find new ways of generating higher yields for our crops today, so that my family can still farm this land tomorrow.”Kevin Kimm, senior director of marketing at The Mosaic Co., is overseeing the Pursuit of 300 initiative.“James Schoff is exactly the type of farmer we had in mind when we established this program,” Kimm said. “He is using new technology to improve precision and efficiency, is grounding his choices in data, and is committed to helping build the future of agriculture for the sixth generation of his family, and beyond.”Schoff Farms has selected the 100 acres it will study with the Mosaic agronomy team in 2013, and finalize its crop plan over the winter months.To learn more about Schoff Farms’ pursuit of 300 bushels per acre, or to request a copy of Unfenced, visit www.Pursuitof300.com.Learn more about The Mosaic Co. at www.mosaicco.com.

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admin - March 11, 2010 Ohio governor, challenger address 300 farmers at OFBF’s Ag Day Leave a Comment Buckeye Farm News Many farmers aren’t happy with the move of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to overturn the will of Ohio voters. Neither are Gov. Ted Strickland and his 2010 Republican gubernatorial opponent John Kasich, who both addressed a crowd of approximately 300 farmers during OFBF’s Ag Day at the Capitol in Columbus. Before lawmakers had a chance to establish the details of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, HSUS launched a ballot campaign that would force the board to adopt the policies of the Washington, D.C.-based animal rights group. “If we want to eat, and if we want access to affordable and inexpensive food, it is important for the agricultural community within our state not to be hamstrung and to have their hands tied behind their back by those who do not fully appreciate the value of what happens on our farms,” Strickland said. “(The HSUS ballot initiative) is unnecessary and I will oppose it.” Kasich referenced HSUS’s “extremism,” saying the initiative is about regulations. “No outsiders ought to come in here and try to destroy our farms…I’m stomping with you. It is wrong.” The candidates also laid out their individual platforms for the upcoming gubernatorial race. Strickland said Ohio can be the center of advanced energy solutions and that agriculture can be instrumental in this effort. He stated that in 2007, no ethanol was being produced in Ohio, but now there are four functioning facilities annually producing 295 million gallons. “It is better to depend on the Midwestern farmer for energy than Middle-Eastern oil barons,” he said. Strickland described Ohio as “the polymer state,” and that it is the ideal location for advanced polymer research and development. He also noted that Ohioans spend $43 billion per year on food, with only 3 percent of that going to products grown on Ohio farms, an equation he wants to work to change. Kasich, who focused on fixing the state budget, referred to his experience as U.S. Budget Committee chairman in 1995, where he headed up the only U.S. budget surplus since 1969. “You hold yourselves accountable (fiscally) and you should hold legislators just as accountable,” he said. He said the Third Frontier Program needs more agriculture inclusion. “You’re in the business of alternative fuels and bioproducts, and doing remarkable things,” he said. “This program can help you be prosperous, and (in a Kasich administration) you’ll be included.” “Agriculture is exciting, valuable, and it works,” Kasich said. Farmers also shared lunch with their legislators and visited them in their offices at the Statehouse. Allen County Farm Bureau President and hog farmer Troy Ernest, who made the trek to visit his lawmakers, said it’s important to voice opinions on everyday issues in person. “It’s extremely important for them to see faces from back home. It helps them realize the issues are more localized than they might think,” he said. “The fact farmers are willing to come to Columbus and take part in the policy process shows the strong grassroots component of our organization,” said OFBF Director of Legislative Relations Chris Henney.

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Related Program: All Things Considered on HPPR Here's How Young Farmers Looking For Land Are Getting Creative By Daniel Charles Dec 31, 2013 Related Program: All Things Considered on HPPR TweetShareGoogle+Email View Slideshow Chris and Sara Guerre are among a growing number of farmers who have made the choice to rent land to farm instead of buy because of increasing property values. Zac Visco for NPR Chris and Sara Guerre are among a growing number of farmers renting land to grow local food to sell. They've been at the Maple Avenue Market Farm on rented land in Great Falls, Va., for five years. Guerre has made a number of improvements to the farm. He has built a new chicken coop and turned an old milk room into a washroom for vegetables. Sara Guerre fills the chicken coop's water feeder. The Guerres installed an aquarium heater to prevent freezing throughout the winter months. Guerre built this greenhouse out of recycled materials like old windows and doors. Guerre breaks open a dried red kidney bean stalk. Chris and Sara work together to repair a section of fence that protects the crops from deer. The Guerres grow and harvest crops every week of the year at the Maple Avenue Market Farm. Guerre has nearly finished building his new chicken coop. The old one, on the left, has seen better days. Chris Guerre has made a number of improvements to the farm while he has lived there including repurposing an air compressor to force water up from the properties well and building a new chicken coop. View Slideshow Chris Guerre and his wife, Sara, repair a fence at their farm in Great Falls, Va. Originally published on December 31, 2013 3:02 pm Across the country, there's a wave of interest in local food. And a new generation of young farmers is trying to grow it. Many of these farmers — many of whom didn't grow up on farms — would like to stay close to cities. After all, that's where the demand for local food is. The problem is, that's where land is most expensive. So young farmers looking for affordable land are forced to get creative. Lindsey Lusher Shute, executive director of the National Young Farmer's Coalition, says that her organization conducted a survey of 1,000 farmers in 2011, and "land access came up as the No. 2 challenge for farmers [who were] getting started." It came in right behind not having enough financial capital. Put simply, in areas close to major cities, especially on the East and West coasts, farmers can't pay nearly as much for land as people who would build houses on it. In fact, it's not a new problem. Several decades ago, state and local governments, and nonprofit organizations, began attempts to preserve farmland that was threatened by urban sprawl. They set up programs that give farmers cash in exchange for a legally binding promise that their land can only be used for farming, forever. As a result, farmers don't have to compete against developers for that land, making the land cheaper. Shute says these programs are great — but insufficient. When she and her husband tried to buy land in the Hudson River Valley for their own farming operation, they found that even this permanent farmland was too expensive for normal farmers to buy. Their farm, Hearty Roots Community Farm, grows mostly high-value vegetables. "We're making, per acre, just about as much as you can," says Shute. "And still, this conserved land was really out of reach." They realized that they were facing competition of a different kind: wealthy people who wanted farms as country estates, bidding up the price. They were allowed to buy the preserved farms because they were not subdividing the property and developing it, but they were not really using the land as a working farm. So Shute and her young farmers coalition are pushing for an extra level of farmland protection. Under these rules, people would be allowed to own conserved farmland only if they actually earn most of their money from farming. This kind of program already exists in Vermont and Massachusetts. But it, too, has limitations. Robert Wagner, a senior adviser for the American Farmland Trust, says Massachusetts and Vermont recently looked at who's buying this relatively cheap land. "What they found is that these properties — when they sell — are being sold to other farmers who are adding these operations onto their farms," says Wagner. Young farmers, just starting out, typically can't compete for this land against established farmers who want to expand. So many young farmers aren't taking the traditional route. They aren't buying land at all, but renting instead. Sometimes, they are forming partnerships with older farmers who are leaving the business but don't want to sell the family land. Chris Guerre is an example. To get to his land, you drive down a long lane, past million-dollar homes on multiacre wooded lots, in the wealthy community of Great Falls, Va., just outside Washington, D.C. Then, unexpectedly, you come to an old barn, a couple of chicken coops, and 2 1/2 acres of vegetables. During the winter, the vegetables are covered by a kind of blanket, to keep them from freezing, that still lets water and sun through. "We're one of the few farms left in the county, let alone one that grows and picks every week of the year," Guerre says. "Every week, even in winter, I'm growing and picking crops. Guerre didn't grow up on this farm, or on any farm. About five years ago, before he arrived at this spot, he ditched what he calls his "career job" to grow and sell food. He and his wife expanded their garden; they started selling vegetables at a farmers market and opened their own store selling food grown on other local farms. One day, at the farmers market, a woman came up to them. "She approached my wife, and wondered if we might be interested in living on her family's farm. There was room to grow vegetables, or have animals. And we said, 'Yeah!' " recalls Guerre. It turned out to be this farm. Guerre and his wife moved into the house. They're renting the land, and there's no guarantee that the family that owns it won't someday decide to sell it to a developer. But Guerre doesn't seem worried. "They've been just very kind to us, and very encouraging, and helped us get to where we are," he says. Guerre has built a new chicken coop; fixed roofs and plumbing; turned an old milk room into a washroom for vegetables. He says, even if they did have to move someday, and leave all this behind, it wouldn't be the end of the world. He's pretty sure he could find land somewhere else. "If you walk a couple of miles in any direction, there's hundreds of acres." In fact, he says, "Acquiring land is honestly probably the easiest part of doing all this. It's the commitment, the stamina, learning how to do it and doing it every single day: That's the hard part." If you're ready to do all that, he says, you really can make a living. As for finding land, start hanging out with farmers, ask questions, and chances are you'll eventually hear about places where you can grow some food and start your own farming business.Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. TweetShareGoogle+EmailView the discussion thread. © 2017 HPPR

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Beef leaders push for check-off increase Earlier this summer, in a closely watched move, the Texas cattle industry came together to approve a one dollar increase to the existing dollar-per-head beef check-off. By Candace KrebsContributing Writer Earlier this summer, in a closely watched move, the Texas cattle industry came together to approve a one dollar increase to the existing dollar-per-head beef check-off.“The way we did it is we brought everybody in early and built a consensus,” said Pete Bonds, a third generation rancher from Saginaw, Texas, the current president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. “I just wish it was $5.”The erosion in the value of the dollar coupled with declining cattle numbers has raised concern among supporters of the check-off, which is now almost 30 years old. The national beef promotion budget for 2014 is $40.7 million, down 5.6 percent from the previous year and well below peak revenues of $49.7 million in 2000.With cattle prices surging to record highs, many supporters believe it’s a golden opportunity to seek more beef promotion money. Still, garnering support to double the national assessment has proven controversial.Producers and staff walking the halls at the cattle industry summer convention, held recently in downtown Denver, speculated on what Texas’ successful campaign means for the future.“It’s a big momentum swing,” said Michael Kelsey, executive vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association.How Texas won support could offer lessons for other states, including Colorado and Oklahoma, which are in the early stages of seeking their own increases.Still, success is far from assured.In April, Minnesota beef producers voted against establishing a voluntary state check-off in addition to the federal check-off that all producers must pay. “We’ll try to do it again,” said Dar Geiss, an Angus breeder from Pierz, Minnesota, and president of the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association. “But the next time around we’ll be working more closely with the groups that opposed it the last time.” Specifically, he named Farmer’s Union as well as some “land and stewardship” groups.Beef producers in California attribute a failure to marshal support for an increase to the state’s large dairy contingency.Testing the waters has also proven discouraging in Nebraska and Wyoming, where Niels Hansen, a rancher from Rawlins, said the idea had been “coolly received.”“You have a lot of communication to do anytime you talk about raising money,” he said.Ohio producers, on the other hand, voted in favor of an increase last spring.On the surface, building a consensus would seem challenging in Texas, a large and geographically diverse state where the Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas, a nonaffiliated state group that pre-dates the check-off, often takes political positions at odds with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.But Bonds said leaders in the state were motivated by the imperative to “lead, follow or get the hell out of the way,” as he put it. He was less surprised that it passed and more perplexed that fully a third of the state’s cattlemen voted against it, despite a refund clause.“To me, it was a no-brainer,” he said. “They can write in and get their money back and let me pay to promote their beef.”Chuck Kiker, a member of Texas’ independent cattlemen’s group and a one-time president of R-CALF USA who went on to help found the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, said in fact the state is unique for having a long history of gathering all cattle groups around the same table.“Everybody has seats on the beef board, and everybody communicates and talks,” he said.The state has formed a new Beef Promotion and Research Council to administer the additional check-off funds. Bruce Dopslauf, a cow-calf producer from LaGrange, Texas, who was named to that board by Ag Commissioner Todd Staples, said they would meet in Austin in August to finalize more details, including how the new money will be allocated. (The existing $1 check-off will continue to be split 50-50 between the Texas Beef Council and the national beef promotion board.)“This is breaking new ground,” Dopslauf said.State-by-state approach debatedThe idea of increasing the check-off state-by-state had its origins in the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court challenge in 2005, at which time the mandatory check-off was deemed government speech, according to Bob Drake, an Angus breeder from Davis, Oklahoma. The ruling saved the check-off but also tied it to the federal government in a way that causes many cattlemen boot-shuffling discomfort.“Do we want to give another dollar for USDA’s oversight?” Drake said, expressing frustration with the current administration that was widespread among producers in Denver. “If we raise it on the state level, the Oklahoma Beef Council will have complete control, and they do a really good job of managing the funds. They can choose to fund national promotional efforts without going through the beef board.”Dee Likes, the executive vice president of the Kansas Livestock Association, had a different view. While the dollar today has only 40 cents of the purchasing power it had back when the check-off was first enacted, he said there are currently no discussions under way in Kansas to push for a state increase.“There is a need for an increase, but we need to be prudent about it,” he said. He would rather see a favorable consensus form at the national level, adding there was a lot of support for the check-off but resistance, too.“It’s not so much the check-off, it’s more of an anti-establishment mentality,” he said.Perry Owens, of Minneapolis, Kansas, said it wasn’t fair to ask businesses in one state to collect an additional fee but not those in another. In the past, his feedyard lost customers over an agricultural sales tax in Kansas that is no longer being collected.“It’s just one dollar, but it makes a difference,” he said.Most of the proposals allow producers to request a refund, but the money is collected upfront first. There is also typically a clause inserted to prevent a double whammy if a national increase is eventually approved.“I just think it’s better to do it on the national level,” Owens said.

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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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EPA Approves Clean Water Program to Oklahoma Department of ... EPA Approves Clean Water Program to Oklahoma Department of Agriculture DALLAS -- The Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it is approving Oklahoma’s request for issuing agriculture-based Clean Water Act discharge permits to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF). Oklahoma will take over responsibility to implement the Agriculture Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AgPDES) program covering discharges associated with concentrated animal feeding operations, the application of biological or chemical pesticides, discharges from forestry activities, and discharges of storm water from agricultural activities. “Oklahoma has shown it’s prepared to take on this important Clean Water Act program,” said Regional Administrator Ron Curry. “We look forward to working with our co-regulators in Oklahoma as we ensure a smooth transition for the benefit of the both the business community and the people of Oklahoma.” The EPA and Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry both agree that states are best equipped to administer our environmental programs. The Oklahoma legislature first proposed the delegation of authority from EPA to ODAFF in 1994 and the state is pleased that it has finally come to fruition. Oklahoma has a proven track record of meeting and exceeding standards that ensure agricultural operations are adhering to guidelines that protect natural resources. Oklahoma removed more streams from the EPA impaired stream list than any other state in 2011 Oklahoma has been a leader in the region of successfully removing waters from the impaired steams list and has removed a total of 19 streams from the list in the last two years. “We look forward to taking on the responsibility of the AgPDES program,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Jim Reese. “We plan to continue to exceed expectations in protecting our natural resources in Oklahoma.” The Clean Water Act of 1972 created the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program under which the EPA may issue permits for the point source discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States. The Act requires the EPA to authorize a state to administer an equivalent state program upon the Governor’s request, provided the state has the appropriate legal authority and a program sufficient to meet the Act’s requirements. On August 16, 2012, the Governor of Oklahoma requested NPDES permit program approval and submitted a Statement of Legal Authority, copies of applicable state statutes and regulations, and a Memorandum of Understanding to be approved by the EPA Region 6 Regional Administrator and the Commissioner of Agriculture for the ODAFF. More about activities in EPA Region 6 is available at http://www.epa.gov/region6/newsevents/index.html More about the Clean Water Act is available at http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/cwa.html. agriculture chemical tracking agricultural cover agriculture cover biological agriculture agriculture regulation forestry operation agricultural water Pentair and Water Sector Groups Collaborate to Advance Sustainable Water Reuse in Agriculture The WateReuse Association, Water Environment & Reuse Foundation, and Pentair, a global leader in creating sustainable water solutions, have come together to help advance the development of sustainable agricultural practices by highlighting innovative farming approaches using water reuse technologies in a new video released in conjunction with the 20th Annual WateReuse Research Conference in Denver, CO. “Seventy percent of the world’s water is used for agriculture. As the world’s population... UF/IFAS hosting Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference in January Florida agriculture and food industries are among the largest economic contributors in the state. Agricultural producers manage 9.5 million acres, growing more than 300 commodities, including everything from citrus and cows to peanuts and potatoes. Agricultural products are shipped to national and international markets. On January 28, some of the state’s top agriculture thinkers will gather at the University of Florida’s Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka for the Florida Agricultural... No comments were found for EPA Approves Clean Water Program to Oklahoma Department of Agriculture. Be the first to comment!

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Kansas Highlights UAS Use for Agriculture Visit http://www.k-state.edu for further information Kansas State University demonstrated how unmanned aircraft can benefit agriculture 07/02/13, 11:52 PM | Industrial Robotics Officials from Kansas State University demonstrated how unmanned aircraft can benefit agriculture, flying two types of UAS that can be used for crop monitoring, pest evaluation, rangeland assessment and harmful algae blooms. The demonstration, held 2 July, was conducted at the state's Crisis City facility near Salina, which has various manmade and natural disaster scenarios and is used for first responder training. The KSU officials flew a homegrown fixed-wing aircraft the school is developing as a commercial product for farmers and an off-the-shelf Aeryon Scout quadrotor. KSU also demonstrated another student-developed aircraft. As AUVSI's recent economic forecast indicated, UAS are expected to have a huge impact in the world of agriculture, which is expected to be the largest commercial market for the systems. Kevin Price, professor of agriculture, nature resources, remote sensing and GIS at the KSU Department of Agronomy and Department of Geography, says it makes sense to develop low-cost systems aimed at farmers because of the efficiency and cost savings they can provide. Such systems can be used to not only evaluate crop yields but also do so much faster than traditional methods. "We can tell them [farmers] which plots are going to be their best-yielding plots" so they can focus on those and not waste time on the others, he said. Evaluating crops by foot can take 1,500 hours, whereas the Zephyr II flying-wing UAS the school has developed can cover hundreds of acres in minutes, while costing as little as $5,000. Deon van der Merwe, head of the Toxicology Section at the College of Veterinary Medicine and a radio controlled aircraft hobbyist, modified a commercial RiteWing UAS aircraft for agricultural use. It employs a commercial point-and-shoot digital camera, modified to shoot infrared imagery, and a GoPro video camera. "Our goal here is to build as inexpensive aircraft as possible … so that farmers can get aircraft to monitor their fields," Price said. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran later joined KSU leaders and AUVSI President and CEO Michael Toscano to highlight the demonstrations and the impact unmanned aircraft are expected to have on the economy of Kansas. Moran said Kansas is both the aviation state and "the state that feeds the world," and noted that these two attributes come together in the form of unmanned aircraft. He noted that he co-chairs the Senate Hunger Caucus, which advocates for food programs, particularly in emergencies, "but mostly my interest is how we apply technology to increase the production of agriculture, which is already very productive," he said. "What can we do to feed and provide energy and clothing to a hungry world?" He said one of his last earmarks in the Senate, before such practices fell out of favor, went to KSU to help develop the unmanned aircraft program. Moran said he hopes it will help train young technologists who can then keep their skills in the state. The afternoon session included another demonstration of the Aeryon Scout, which flew a crop monitoring pattern at 150 feet altitude. Mark Blanks, the UAS program manager for KSU's Applied Aviation Research Center, noted that about 20 acres were imaged a very high resolution in just a few minutes, with little drama. "The point was, it is non-spectacular, and I'm proud of that," he said. BitFlow Introduces 6th Generation Camera Link Frame Grabber: The Axion BitFlow has offered a Camera Link frame grabbers for almost 15 years. This latest offering, our 6th generation combines the power of CoaXPress with the requirements of Camera Link 2.0. Enabling a single or two camera system to operate at up to 850 MB/S per camera, the Axion-CL family is the best choice for CL frame grabber. Like the Cyton-CXP frame grabber, the Axion-CL leverages features such as the new StreamSync system, a highly optimized DMA engine, and expanded I/O capabilities that provide unprecedented flexibility in routing. There are two options available; Axion 1xE & Axion 2xE. The Axion 1xE is compatible with one base, medium, full or 80-bit camera offering PoCL, Power over Camera Link, on both connectors. The Axion 2xE is compatible with two base, medium, full or 80-bit cameras offering PoCL on both connectors for both cameras. The Axion-CL is a culmination of the continuous improvements and updates BitFlow has made to Camera Link frame grabbers. More Hot Products

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Cultivating Healthy Communities UVM Extension Agricultural Business ManagementAgricultural EngineeringCrops, Soil and PastureFarm Health & SafetyFarmworker ResourcesLivestock & PoultryPest ManagementSustainable AgricultureVegetable, Fruit & Berry ProductionNews & Events Support UVM Extension Bobolink Project Seeks Contributions to Protect Nesting Habitats on Farms By Lisa Chase Photo Credit: Bobolink at Lake Woodruff, Andrea Westmoreland, Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0 Burlington--Songbird populations have been declining in recent years due to threats to their nesting habitat. To help reverse that trend, the Bobolink Project uses community contributions to compensate farmers for adopting haying practices that protect nesting habitats of grassland birds. One species of special concern is the bobolink, which in the past four decades has experienced a 75 percent decrease in population in the Northeast. Providing a financial incentive for farmers to delay mowing their hayfields until after the bobolink-nesting season ensures greater survival rates for bobolinks and other ground-nesting species including the eastern meadowlark and savannah sparrow. In 2013 the Bobolink Project, a collaborative effort of University of Vermont (UVM) Extension, UVM's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and the University of Connecticut (UConn), raised more than $31,000. The contributions helped protect nesting habitat on 200 acres of hayfields in Addison and Chittenden Counties. The amount of acreage protected this year will depend on the number of pledges received by April 21. Anyone interested in contributing can learn more about the project and how to pledge at www.bobolinkproject.com. Thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant that covers research and administrative costs, all of the money pledged by Vermonters goes directly to Vermont farms such as the Wagner Ranch, a third generation-owned and operated family farm in Bridport. Owner Phil Wagner, who grows hay and corn for his beef operation, first heard about the Bobolink Project from a neighbor last year. "It seemed like a way to make our farm more financially solvent as well as a good thing to do for the songbird population and the environment," he says, "so we participated." Wagner Ranch plans to do so again this upcoming season, along with a number of other farms in western Vermont that are home to critical nesting habitat for bobolinks and other migratory songbirds. The Bobolink Project began in 2007 in Jamestown, Rhode Island, as a way for residents to work together to protect habitat of the bobolinks that nest in the hayfields. It later was expanded beyond Jamestown into other parts of Rhode Island. Vermont became involved in 2011. For more information, visit the web site (www.bobolinkproject.com) or contact Stephen Swallow at (860) 486-1917 or [email protected].

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CCFN Welcomes European Commission’s Clarification on Generic Terms and Geographical Indications The Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) is encouraged by clarification made by the European Commission (EC) in a recent statement that the terms "mozzarella," "brie", "gouda", "edam" and "cheddar" are indeed generic, and will not be confiscated solely for the use by certain European producers – a fate that other widely used cheese names such as feta and parmesan have already suffered in the European Union (EU). This clarity is a welcome development for producers of these products around the world. However, that clarification is just the tip of the iceberg on what CCFN believes is needed from the EC. The CCFN hopes that the EC will extend that reasonable assessment to other generic names as well such as “havarti”, “parmesan”, “prosciutto”, “provolone”, “salami” and to commonly used adjectives such as “fine” and “vintage” on wine labels. “One of the problems with the EC system is its arbitrariness,” said CCFN Executive Director Jaime Castaneda. “Unless the system explicitly designates a term as generic, we have to assume the scope of protection is extremely broad. “It is time to develop a clear and reasonable scope of protection for geographical indications, something we believe the CCFN, the EU and others can all work on together,” he added. “Our goal is to work with leaders worldwide in agriculture, trade and intellectual property rights, and to foster adoption of high-standard and model geographical indication guidelines throughout the world.” The CCFN agrees with the EC that there is a place for protection of distinctive foods from distinct regions, such as Napa Valley wines or Camembert de Normandie cheese from France. One aspect of a logical model for geographical indications is that they include the name of the region or sub-region where the product is produced. The EC itself recently provided a good example of the proper approach. When the EU registered “Edam Holland” and “Gouda Holland” as geographical indications, the official decision made clear that the protection applied to the full compound term, and that producers outside of the protected region could continue to use the common names “edam” and “gouda.” This approach allowed the Netherlands to successfully register these two important geographical indications while preserving the rights of producers worldwide to continue using the generic names in good faith, thereby avoiding negative trade impacts. CCFN believes that “feta” should have been protected in a similar fashion, as “Greek Feta”. Adoption of this model is logical and respects the rights of both the GI holder and other producers of the product, thereby creating a win-win outcome for all involved. But the EC has pushed the bounds of geographical indication protections to unreasonable levels, Castaneda said. For example, because of the EC’s aggressive efforts in its free trade agreement with Korea, world suppliers — including those from developing countries, will no longer be able to sell “asiago”, “feta”, “fontina” or “gorgonzola” in Korea — at least not under those names. “No one country or entity should own common food names,” said Errico Auricchio, CCFN chairman and president of BelGioioso Cheese. “If such efforts are successful, consumers will no longer recognize many of their favorite foods. Producers around the world will be forced to consider relabeling potentially billions of dollars’ worth of food products.” The EC is also working with a number of countries around the world to strongly encourage development of geographical indication systems or outcomes on particular product names that align with EU views. These countries include Canada, China, and Japan, as well as many throughout Latin America and Asia. In a particularly alarming development, the EU is also processing applications to provide geographical indication protection to two cheese names common in large parts of the world (danbo and havarti) that have long had standards that were developed by the Codex Alimentarius, one of the leading international standards setting bodies. Actions that limit the use of generic names may protect a few food producers, but will do more harm than good to growth in the marketplace, and needlessly confuse consumers who are used to choosing these popular products by their common names. “Italian, Swiss and Danish immigrants brought to our land their knowledge, traditions and names of food products,” said Miguel Paulón, president of the Argentine Dairy Industry Federation, which supports the CCFN’s efforts. “Many of the cheese names we use have become protected geographical indications in Europe, despite the fact that these names were established here for more than a century as generic names, or have become part of trademarks that identify local producers. Moreover, several of those terms were also adopted many years ago by the international food standards Codex program.” See the Consortium for Common Food Names’ website for more on CCFN’s positions regarding specific issues at stake in the discussion of common names.

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COTTON SPIN: Will the boom in U.S. cotton exports continue? Apr 21, 2017 USDA announces 2017 cotton loan rate differentials Apr 18, 2017 Conservation cropping systems, crop rotation focus of Rolling Plains study Apr 24, 2017 2020 Strategic Plan Positions Peanuts for Optimistic Future Apr 19, 2017 Boll weevil eradication: Texas BWEF designs new department The recent addition of three new areas to the boll weevil eradication effort in Texas has prompted the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation to create a new department designed to increase communication and service to cotton producers. The foundation will conduct operations on more than 6 million acres of cotton this growing season. With such a large operation, foundation officials wanted to make sure the organization maintained a personal touch with Texas cotton producers and established a Producer Relations Department. Members of the department will be available for presentations to growers, grower organizations, service clubs and other groups. They will also be actively involved in educating the public about the foundation's mission. In addition, the department will work with state and federal agencies and legislators to communicate the program's goals and objectives. Rachael Neagle, formerly assistant communications director, has been tapped to head the department. Melissa Pierce, producer relations specialist, will work with Neagle and concentrate primarily on the Southern High Plains and Northern High Plains zones, anchored by Lubbock and Plainview, where more than a third of the states cotton is grown. Pierce, a Plainview native, is new to the foundation and brings a strong background in agriculture to her position. As a member of a family who farms cotton near Petersburg, she has been involved in agriculture her whole life. She attended Texas Tech University. Before joining the foundation Pierce worked for the Quixote Group, a marketing-based public relations firm located in Greensboro, N.C. The Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation seeks to maintain Texas' position as the nation's leading cotton producer by eliminating the damage caused by the crop's most consistent threat. The foundation operates 11 eradication zones that cover most of the state.”

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Hard work and integrity bring in the green CHRISTY SWIFT/Will Nugent began working at Bethel Farms as a laborer in 1982, when his father-in-law Walter H. Bethel owned the company. Nugent is now president of the sod farm, which also has cattle and citrus. By Christy SwiftCentral Florida's Agri-Leader Published: January 15, 2014 When Will Nugent came to work at Bethel Farms in Arcadia in 1982, it was a cattle ranch and poultry farm that was just starting into the sod business. His father-in-law, company founder Walter H. Bethel, hired him to start learning the business from the ground up, but when Bethel and his wife died suddenly in 1990 and 1992, respectively, Nugent and his wife Kim eventually found themselves in charge of the family business. "They both died at a young age, 48 and 50," Nugent remarked. He and his wife were "thrown into it" early, at about 30 years of age. It was a decent-sized company then, according to Nugent, but looking at it today, "the company has grown probably 10 times," he said. At first, Kim's three siblings were involved with Bethel Farms, but eventually the business came totally under the Nugents' control. Now, the poultry and cattle business that was dabbling in sod owns over 2,000 acres of turf farm in Florida, employs 150 workers, and is the only sod supplier in Home Depot and Lowes across the entire nation. They also sell about a million grass plugs a year. Bethel Farms has its own transportation company, has branded the name Harmony Sod, and contracts with turf growers across the U.S. to supply the big box behemoths. They even have their own sawmill onsite for making pallets. What's the secret? "I just love working," Nugent said. He said early on the business was willing to do things that others weren't - such as making smaller deliveries and taking on the challenges of large clients like Home Depot and Lowes. It didn't happen all at once. Nugent said when the big stores wanted them to expand into different areas or do more, the company took it one step at a time. "We didn't have a plan to sell sod in 48 states," he explained. They just didn't back down from the challenge. He also credits a company culture of integrity. "The biggest thing is we do what we say we are going to do," Nugent said. "We like to try to do what's hard, what nobody wants to do." Bethel Farms has incorporated many technological innovations to keep it competitive, including a drain tile system for irrigation. Plastic pipes placed underground replace the need for ditches. It keeps water from evaporating, frees up more land for growing sod and doesn't encourage weed growth the way ditches can. "You use a lot less water," Nugent added, making it an eco-friendly move as well. The farms in Florida also have a telemetry system that alerts farmers via mobile device whether humidity readings, rainfall and/or temperature might put the crop at risk of a freeze or fungus. The technology allows the growers to "stay ahead of the game," as Nugent put it. They are also using a piece of technology that is popular up north, but not so much in Florida - a machine that cuts sod in a big roll instead of the typical rectangles Floridians are used to seeing. The appeal for the businessman is that one man can run the machine instead of several. The appeal to the installer is fewer seams in the lawn for a better aesthetic and easier install. After 30 years on the job, this Arcadia native who studied business for three and a half years, then worked with Florida Power & Light in Bradenton before joining the Bethel clan is still loving growing grass - "the legal kind," he joked. Besides the Harmony line of turfgrasses being sold in Lowes and Home Depot, this year Bethel Farms is also expanding a lawn maintenance pilot project it has been running out of Palmetto for the past three years. "We're the sod farmer, so we believe we can do it better than other," said Nugent about the lawn care company, Harmony Care, which will be franchising this year. In addition to Nugent and Kim, who is mostly retired now, the couple's three children also work in the family business. Jason Nugent works in sales. His twin sister Ashley Utter is manager of the transportation leg of the business. Tyler Nugent, the youngest, is the Arcadia production manager at the age of 23. The Nugents also enjoy being grandparents to Balin Utter, 6, and Jocelyn Utter, 4. Plans for 2014? They have a few. But most of all it's to keep on being a company who does what they say they are going to do. "I think that's why we've succeeded," explained Nugent, "You don't need to tell people you have integrity - it's just shown." Authorities seek tips from the public on shooting Woman accused of beating pregnant teenager Most stores checked pass underage alcohol check Agri Leader Off the beaten path Gardening from the get-go Blueberry season crops up in April It’s a bird, it’s a plane...no, it’s a drone

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Home Projects Proposed Projects By Tranche By Implementing Entity Guidelines Documents Calendar Project Code 06/07I Executing Entities ECA US$ 410,000 Duration 2006-2009 Theme Sustainable development, human settlements, social development and social integration Status Development Account Projects Sustainable modernization of agriculture and rural transformation in Africa Background: Agricultural development is of fundamental importance for the achievement of sustainable development and broad-based economic growth, directly linked to food security and poverty reduction in Africa. Africa is the only continent where rural poverty has been increasing and per capita food production has been declining over the last two decades. The Green Revolution of the mid-1960s, which brought increases in food production and rural incomes and the sustainable modernization of agriculture and rural transformation elsewhere in the world, largely missed Africa. The Green Revolution did not take hold in Africa largely because it was not designed for the continent’s diverse agro-ecological zones, farming systems and sociocultural contexts. However, the need for African countries and their global partners to promote a Green Revolution in Africa so as to help the continent move towards self-sufficiency in food, reduction of hunger and eradication of poverty is more urgent than ever. An African Green Revolution may be an important vehicle for attaining sustainable modernization of agriculture and rural transformation. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development, through its Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme and its science and technology platform for agriculture, offers broad policies. Several countries, notably Uganda and Ethiopia, have declared ambitious plans for modernization of agriculture, while Kenya has indicated that it will use the Green Revolution for social transformation. The African Union, the Southern African Development Community and the Economic Community of West African States have made commitments to support the sustainable modernization of agriculture and rural transformation (SMART). The indicators involved relate to the status of national farming communities, their natural resource endowments and agricultural management capacities, and the national/regional SMART driving forces of technology, infrastructure, institutions and policies (TIIP). The project is designed to assist selected countries in applying the knowledge gained in these areas and will be executed by ECA, in collaboration with ESCAP, ECLAC and ESCWA and with national and international researchers and institutions. Objective: To enhance member countries’ knowledge and capacity for the design of sustainable modernization of agriculture and rural transformation to help Africa move towards self-sufficiency in food. Expected accomplishments: Increased knowledge among member countries of SMART and TIIP indicators of readiness and potential Enhanced awareness of best design practices of SMART and TIIP Improved national capacity for SMART and TIIP design in member countries Implementation status: Overall, the implementation of the project was successful.The project framework recognized (i) the critical importance of raising awareness of the existence of many agricultural success stories/good practices in Africa, (ii) the need to carry out field assessment studies on these stories and to share the lessons learned throughout Africa and (iii) the need to encourage the adaptation, replication and or up-scaling of the good practices. The success of the training workshops as recognized by the participants attest to the goodness of the underlying framework. The long-term field impact will, however, depend to the extent to which countries use effectively the knowledge they acquired through the project. Project Resources: http://www.uneca.org/fssdd/smart-agr/ © 2011 United Nations Copyright Terms of use Privacy noticeContact us

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Advertisement Home > Livestock > Cow-Calf > Opinion: A Time Of Dramatic & Predictable Change Opinion: A Time Of Dramatic & Predictable Change Troy Marshall EMAIL Last November, I sat in on several presentations that discussed what the new administration and new Congress would mean to Advertisement Last November, I sat in on several presentations that discussed what the new administration and new Congress would mean to agriculture. The first answers were obvious and have been borne out in terms of more taxes, more regulation and less of a free-market bent. But the scope of change has been more dramatic than anyone had anticipated back then. The Obama administration has been driving the political debate with cap and trade, nationalized health care, unprecedented spending, and government intervention in industries ranging from the auto industry to the financial sector. These changes because of their scope and speed appear to be a severe departure from the past, but I question whether that is truly the case. Perhaps circumstances have merely unleashed forces that had been building for quite some time. Friedrich von Hayek, in the book “The Road to Serfdom,” eloquently talks of the never-ending urge for government to dominate. Looking back at world history, it’s easy to find examples of where governments far outspent their means with little concern from the populace. These governments achieved this by creating an illusion, or perhaps delusion – people don't understand how much they pay, where the money goes, and what the long-term costs will be. All one has to do is look at Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid to understand how cap and trade and national health care is being marketed and sold. Amity Shlaes, a Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow in economic history, described FDR's New Deal as a decade-long contest between an ambitious public sector and a dazed private sector. Acting in a time of "emergency," FDR took over the currency by eliminating private ownership of gold, and took over the most promising industries, such as utilities. In the last few months, we’ve seen the federal government use AIG's monumental failure to usurp regulatory power from the states. It’s also taken over corporate management of the majority of U.S.-based auto companies. In doing this, it superseded foundational laws that guaranteed secured creditor rights and, in the process, increased the value of government bonds relative to others. The financial crisis was used to increase regulation of finance and even as a basis for extending its reach into health care. Of course, global warming and global events are also being used to create a crisis mentality that hopefully will smooth the way for cap and trade, and social justice by way of income distribution. Those prone to a conspiracy mindset also point at how the government, knowingly or not, drove down shares of a major bank (Citigroup), and then went in to purchase good equity at significantly reduced prices. History also tells us that this type of consolidation of power is virtually impossible to rescind and hard to slow down. The time to stop power grabs is before the power is actually obtained, not after the fact. My sense is that it’s become increasingly difficult for the administration and Congress to sell the crisis mentality that requires immediate and drastic action without debate. People are now looking back at the financial crisis and understanding that the economy is beginning to recover, and doing so without all these far-reaching changes having taken effect and with trillions of stimulus dollars still unspent. They’re also looking back to see what it is they actually bought with these emergency provisions. This is the attitude that has put the government’s takeover of health care in question. The environment, which includes global climate change, remains the one crisis that seemingly has staying power and widespread acceptance. This is one issue upon which governments can continue to base their drive for power. More than any other, this issue reflects the view that man can’t be allowed to exercise individual choice or freedom; rather, government must intervene to protect everyone. It also explains why governments have been such willing advocates of the movement. With government already claiming responsibility for averting the supposed financial crisis, that particular issue’s ability to leverage government’s reach is now limited. Thus, government must rely on the crisis that keeps on giving and is all-encompassing – climate change and environmentalism. Cattlemen proudly proclaim they are the original environmentalists. And why not? After all, it’s true, and it’s tempting to embrace the movement; everyone is for a healthy planet. The problem is that environmentalism and the environmental movement sport two distinctly separate world views and two distinctly different agendas. It is vitally important that we understand that distinction, and understand how dedicated the movement is to blurring that distinction. It is akin to how HSUS utilizes commercials depicting animal shelters and pets, yet those disturbing and/or fuzzy images are entirely separate from its actual agenda. Similarly, environmentalism today has very little to do with protecting the environment, even though it derives its moral authority by claiming otherwise. The environmental movement will remain the vehicle for driving social change because it not only offers up the crisis mentality that beckons for government action, but it also claims the moral high ground. Thus, it allows the movement to impugn the motives of anyone who questions the results or implications of its prescribed actions.-- Troy Marshall Print Advertisement Related ArticlesOpinion: Industry Buzzes Over U.S./Brazil Cotton Deal Is This A Time For Optimism, Pessimism Or Realism? Times Are Great – Time To Change! Stimulus Package Is Bad News For The Economy Propagating The Keynesian Myth! 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GLADSTONE LAND ACQUIRES ITS 24TH FARMJun. 19, 2014Source: Gladstone Land news release It is seldom that we hear about investor acquisitions of agricultural land in the U.S., but some investment companies, including Gladstone Land Corporation, have acquired large volumes of production agriculture land. Gladstone Land Corporation announced that it has acquired a 145-acre farm in Watsonville, Calif., for $5.9 million. Across the country, Gladstone Land now owns 24 farms. The latest acquisition in California has water on site and has been farmed for row crops, fruits and vegetables for decades. In connection with the acquisition, the company assumed a lease on the property with 28 months remaining with a large farming operation as the tenant. "We are pleased to add another first-rate farm in California to our portfolio and partner with the existing farmers on a long-term basis. Our objective is to be a strategic real estate partner for farmers so they can secure their land for the long haul," said Bill Frisbie, director at Galdstone Land. "We now own 24 farms across the U.S. that produce a variety of high-value fruits and vegetables." "We are excited when an opportunity arises to add prime strawberry land to our existing farmland in the Watsonville region, and we will always maximize our efforts in attempting to complete such deals. We have great relationships with growers here, and we will always do what we can to provide our services to them in order to support a healthy industry," said Bill Reiman, managing director at the company. Gladstone Land officials explained that it is a company seeking to be a real estate investment trust that pays monthly dividends to its stockholders, and the company intends to report the current value of its farmland on a quarterly basis. Gladstone Land invests in farmland located in major agricultural markets in the United States that it leases to corporate and independent farmers. The company currently owns 6,345 acres in five different states across the U.S., appraised at an aggregate value of approximately $129 million, the company claimed.Tweet

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About SOIL Become a SOIL Cultivator Give a Unique SOIL Gift Grant a Wish Visit SOIL The SOIL Guide to EcoSan SOIL Workshops SOIL Consultancies Press Release: SOIL is a Semi-Finalist for the Land for Life Award Leah Page May 25, 2012 No comments 15 Semi-Finalists Announced for first Land for Life Award UNCCD PRESS RELEASE 24/05/2012 Bonn, Germany – From turning human waste into organic fertilizer to scientific breakthroughs reversing desertification, the 15 semi-finalists of the Land for Life award find innovative and inspiring ways to restore degraded land. Launched by the UNCCD for the first time in 2011, the Land for Life Award will recognize efforts that promote the natural health and productivity of the earth’s soils. Three winners will share a prize fund of up to 100,000 USD. They will be announced on 17 June, the World Day to Combat Desertification in Rio de Janeiro as part of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+ 20. More than one hundred applications were received from 52 countries. The competition was open to individuals, NGOs, governments, business, media and others that could demonstrate contributions to sustainable land management. The winners will be selected by a Jury of ten experts from the field of sustainable land management. The jury includes personalities like Dr. Vandana Shiva, a renowned seed sovereignty activist from India, Ms. Yolanda Kakabadse, President of WWF International and Dr. Camilla Toulmin, Director, International Institute for Sustainable Development as well as other respected experts from government, the UNCCD, civil society and academia. The fifteen semi-finalists are: Alan Savory, Zimbabwe A lifelong champion of sustainable land management, Alan Savory has pioneered the concept of holistic land management, promoting sustainable grazing particularly in the grasslands of Africa. Chifeng Muncipal Government, China In the arid lands of Inner Mongolia, the government of Chifeng faces a serious fight of desertification, which threatens nearly 30 percent of the total region. Through scientific policy planning and mass mobilization, Chifeng has rehabilitated three-quarters of a million hectares of degraded land, and on average each hectare of shelterbelt forest prevents 10 tons of soil loss each year. Community Efforts for Community Development (CECOD), Uganda More than 85 percent of Ugandans live in rural areas, making their livelihoods from the land. But over the years the school system has become increasingly academic. Concerned with increasing knowledge of sustainable development, CECOD has turned children into agents of change in rural communities through creating a network of eco-schools, training of over 7,500 teachers and involving 34,700 children in micro projects, such as organic farming and water harvesting. DeCo! Ghana Farmers in the savanna region of Ghana have low yields as result of poor soils. DeCo! provides low cost organic fertilizer through a sustainable business model, collecting local waste, fruit, vegetable and other biomass residues to produce rich compost. DESIRE-WOCAT, The Netherlands A research network connecting people from local to global levels worldwide, the DESIRE-WOCAT project has expanded the knowledge available about land degradation and desertification by collecting case studies, establishing indicators, and conducting trainings. Dr. Liliya Dimeyeva, Kazakhstan Working across borders and cultures, Dr. Dimeyeva has dedicated her scientific research to creating green sea beds in the dry Aral Sea, an important scientific breakthrough in an area facing severe land degradation. Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE), Nigeria Faced with advancing sand dunes in Northern Nigeria, FADE has planted a wall of trees and conducted creative awareness raising about combating desertification in Nigeria, including a reality TV show called Desert Warriors. Grupo Ambiental para el Desarrollo (GADE), Argentina In Colonia El Simbolar in Northern Argentina, farmers struggled to make ends meet, and large amounts of land were abandoned. GADE has led the community to plant resilient native trees, Algarrobo Blanco, which can be used for wood, flour and honey. The reforestation of nearly 7,000 hectares has increased incomes of struggling farmers, and mobilized the community, especially youth, to protect the environment. The Great Green Wall, Korea & China Set on the border between Korea and China, the Great Green Wall runs 16 hectares, and is surrounded by the Save the Earth Eco-Village. A collaboration between students, governments, NGOs and businesses led by Future Forest, the wall has succeeded in halting desertification and preventing the encroachment of sand dunes. Dr. Goaming Jiang, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Where many efforts to reverse desertification in northern China have failed, Professor Jiang has proven that by ending the grazing of large livestock and providing the community with alternative livelihoods, land can be naturally restored. Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL), Haiti Working in some of the poorest areas of Haiti, SOIL has developed an integrated approach to the issues of inadequate sanitation, declining soil fertility and extensive erosion. Through community driven ecological sanitation, SOIL helps restore soils and improve agricultural yields, at the same time improving the dignity and health of people without sanitation. Mr. Tie Shunliang, the Director of Forestry and Environment Protection Bureau, China Dedicating his career to afforestation and combatting desertification in the tough conditions of western China, the efforts of Mr. Shunliang have led to the restoration of nearly 25,000 hectares of degraded land. He also pioneered wolfberry cultivation, with benefits to the environment and additional incomes for 30,000 people, most of whom are women. Terraprima, Portugal Through technological innovation including an innovative use of legumes, Terra Prima reduces costs for farmers for fertilization, land maintenance and animal feeding. The project potentially improves the soil health of 1 million hectares of land, at the same time offering opportunities for large-scale soil carbon sequestration. Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion (TEMA), Turkey The largest environmental NGO in Turkey, TEMA has mobilized people across civil society, from children to farmers, gathering one million signatures supporting a law for soil protection, as well as providing practical leadership in the field for holistic land management. Wand Foundation, Philippines Many poor farmers in the Philippines lose their land in local mortgage schemes known as prenda. The Wand Foundation helps farmers reclaim their land, and increase soil fertility through providing fertilizer produced by ecological sanitation. www.unccd.int/en/programmes/Event-and-campaigns/LandForLife About the Land for Life Award The 2012 Land for Life award is a collaboration between the UNCCD and the Korea Forest Service, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Global Environment Facility, International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Qatar National Food Security Programme, the Business Forum in Korea and the Elion Resources Group, China. About the UNCCD Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity, were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment, development and the promotion of healthy soils. The Convention’s 195 signatory parties work to alleviate poverty in the drylands, maintain and restore the lands productivity, and mitigate the effects of drought. 00 No Replies to "Press Release: SOIL is a Semi-Finalist for the Land for Life Award" Got something to say? Cancel reply SOIL's mission is to promote dignity, health, and sustainable livelihoods through the transformation of wastes into resources. Search Join Us @SOILHaiti Facebook Useful Links Donate Financial Information and Annual Reports

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Over £30M Investment to Drive Economic Growth from UK Agri-Science Published: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 Last Updated: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts has announced over £30M of investment in the latest boost for UK research and innovation campuses. The announcement was made by the minister during the launch of the Government's Agri-Technology Strategy. The new investment, from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), is aimed at creating an environment on each campus where unique facilities and world-leading agri-science can be accessed by private enterprise.The BBSRC investment will see new facilities created across the UK in four different campuses, at some of Britain's most renowned and well-known agricultural research institutes. The investment projects will facilitate economic growth, job creation and wellbeing by nurturing innovation and the translation of excellent agri-science into real life applications.The BBSRC funding is for the development of UK research and innovation campuses at Easter Bush (Edinburgh), Aberystwyth and Rothamsted (Hertfordshire). Funding has also been provided to further develop the Norwich Research Park. Each campus is centred on a critical mass of world-leading bioscience, strategically supported by BBSRC, providing a unique environment where growing bioscience-based companies can access specialist facilities and exchange ideas with leading researchers.Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, said: "Britain has the potential to be world-leading in agricultural science and technology, yet our productivity growth has dropped significantly in the past 30 years. These leading edge campuses will help reverse that trend by getting our researchers and businesses working together to commercialise their ideas. This is vital for our economy and future food security which is why we are launching the Agri-Technology Strategy."BBSRC Chief Executive, Professor Douglas Kell, said: "Research and innovation campuses are hot spots - for world-class research, training, facilities, infrastructure and innovation. BBSRC investment in the campuses, alongside our partners, provides the means for start-up companies, SMEs and industrial partners to access our science and equipment and to forge links with researchers and other companies. Through building unique environments at each campus we are supporting research institutes and private enterprise to grow companies and generate new jobs.""This latest round of investment builds on successful campus projects, worth £70M, at the Babraham Research Campus and a first phase at the Norwich Research Park. Substantial previous investment at the Pirbright Institute is also creating the potential for future campus-type developments there as well."I am pleased that on the day the Government launches the Agri-Tech Strategy that we are able to invest in campuses associated with some of our leading agricultural research institutes - Rothamsted Research, The Roslin Institute at Easter Bush, IBERS at Aberystwyth and the John Innes Centre and the Institute of Food Research at Norwich."

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Farm income improving According to the new Rabobank U.S. Farm & Ranch Survey, year-over-year income for U.S. farmers and ranchers has improved significantly over findings in the previous two surveys. “What’s happening on U.S. farms and ranches mirrors the global economy – we’re beginning to see improvement,” said John Ryan, president and chief executive officer for Rabo AgriFinance. “That improvement translates into some encouraging – albeit patchy – signs of recovery.” The Spring 2010 Rabobank U.S. Farm & Ranch Survey results show that U.S. producers report a 24 percent improvement in income since Fall 2009 while about half of U.S. producers state that their income was worse when compared to last year. For example, in the North Central Region in Spring 2010, only 58 percent stated their income is worse. In Fall 2009, 82 percent of respondents said the same thing, demonstrating a 24 percent improvement – and highest regional improvement. Future income expectations show the highest index value since the inception of the Rabobank U.S. Farm & Ranch Survey in 2008. Producers expect equal amounts of income improvement and income deterioration in the next 12 months. Despite optimistic perspectives on increasing income, profits may lag. In fact, the survey found that 43 percent of participating producers reported a decline in profitability. Approximately 20 percent more producers reported higher input or “cost of doing business” costs than lower costs. “U.S. agriculture has always been resilient in the face of many challenges,” Ryan said. “Producers are accustomed to the cyclical nature of agriculture and are able to better manage their operations by thinking long term and adapting their operations for the future.” In addition to providing a snapshot of producers’ income, the semi-annual Rabobank U.S. Farm & Ranch Survey also looks at the agriculture industry’s economic and financial concerns, measures Rural Confidence, and investigates expansion plans. Agricultural economy and financial concerns The ag economy remains a concern for 94 percent of producers nearly equally divided by amount of concern – extremely (34 percent), very (30 percent) or somewhat (32 percent) concerned. These concerns vary little regionally. However, the survey results indicate there has been improvement in the ag economy in the South and West, while those in the North Central states are more concerned than they have been in the past. Looking ahead, more farmers (51 percent) still expect the ag economy to deteriorate compared to improve (17 percent). Rural Confidence Index A key measurement of this survey is the Rural Confidence Index, which is calculated as the percentage of producers who believe the ag economy will improve in the next year less the percentage who consider it will get worse. Since the last survey in Fall 2009, the Rural Confidence Index has improved slightly by three percentage points, standing at -34. While no significant differences are seen between types of farm, farm sizes or regions, the survey shows considerable differences in the Rural Confidence Index within producer groups. Expansion plans increase significantly The number of producers planning to purchase, rent or lease new land in the coming year is two and a half times higher than in previous years. While most producers remain cautious in their plans to hire staff to work that land in the coming year, larger producers plan to employ slightly more people compared to smaller producers, who are still planning to shed labor in the coming year. Additionally, little change has occurred in plans for equipment purchases, with slightly less than one third of farmers planning to make a new equipment purchase in the next year. According to the survey results, however, the most significant changes have been in the decisiveness of producers’ intentions. “Producers are much clearer in whether they are going to purchase a new or used piece of equipment,” Ryan said. Part of this translates into a new high in intentions to purchase new equipment since the first survey. Bigger is better — sometimes The Spring 2010 Rabobank U.S. Farm & Ranch Survey takes a general pulse of agriculture in the United States. Several survey items illustrate larger farms enjoy economies of scale, which tend to make them more optimistic. “As with any business, there are benefits and challenges at any size and industry – agriculture is no different,” Ryan said. “Every farmer or rancher has unique needs and business considerations. The key is finding the right balance for each operation.” In the North Central and Southern Regions, the larger farms ($1 million to greater than $3 million gross farm income) and those with more than three employees were the most optimistic about future income. Additionally, cost improvements were larger in those North Central Region farms with $1 million to greater than $3 million gross farm income, which suggests economies of scale help producers keep their costs in check. Larger producers are the most active group in respect to land purchases, where 20 percent of producers plan to purchase with 11 percent planning to sell land. Additionally, larger producers plan to employ slightly larger numbers than lose personnel, compared to the smaller producers who were still planning to shed further labor in the coming year. However, producers with the perceived most difficult jobs are those operating larger units and those who employ more workers. Methodology Insights from agricultural producers – communicated in the Spring 2010 Rabobank U.S. Farm & Ranch Survey – were gathered by Kaliber Americas using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews. Nearly 600 interviews were conducted in the last two weeks of March and early April. The sample group had a gross farm income of more than $250,000 with further splits for higher income groups in the three major U.S. agricultural regions. A copy of the survey as well as regional and further information is available at www.rabobankamerica.com/survey. Source URL: http://westernfarmpress.com/markets/farm-income-improving

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Business NEWS Concha y Toro buys largest organic and sustainable vineyards in the US The US$238 million acquisition of Fetzer Vineyards and its related brands will increase the Chilean producer’s land-ownership by more than 1,000 acres of vineyards. Thursday 03 March, 2011 | Tweet South America’s top wine producer, Chile’s Concha y Toro, has just announced one of the largest acquisitions in its nearly 130-year history. In a deal with the North American Brown-Forman Corporation, the Chilean company will acquire Fetzer Vineyards and its related brands based out of Mendocino, California for US$238 million. In the 2010 fiscal year, Fetzer Vineyards and their related vineyards – including brands like Bonterra, Cold Water Creek, and Little Black Dress – drew net sales of US$156 million. With sales of 2.2 million cases each year, Fetzer is one of the ten largest wine sellers in the United States by volume. The brand has also stood as a pioneer in sustainable agricultural practices for the past 20 years, making it one of he pioneers in the field of environmentally conscious wines. One of the subsidiary brands owned by Fetzer, Bonterra, is also the foremost premium organic wine producer in the United States, selling 300,000 cases annually, more than three times the amount sold by its nearest competitor. In total, the acquisition includes a portfolio of five brands and their related assets. These assets include more than 1,000 acres of vineyards in Mendocino, California, cellar space for 36 million liters of wine, and a bottling facility. These will be added to the more than 23,000 acres of vineyards already owned by Concha y Toro. With markets in 135 countries worldwide, Concha y Toro is already one of the 10 largest producers in the world and expects the acquisition of Fetzer Vineyards primarily to boost sales and market share within the United States, already the company’s largest international market, along with Canada and the United Kingdom. In an official press release from Concha y Toro, Chief Exectuvie Eduardo Guilisasti said, “we believe that this transaction opens additional growth opportunities globally, as well as in the American market, with its main brands Fetzer and Bonterra.” The transaction, according to the press release, is expected to close in April 2011. Chile’s Concha y Toro is the eighth largest wine company in the world Chilean vineyards represented in the United Kingdom Chilean wine brand Concha y Toro is world’s most admired

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photo courtesy of TopTropicals.com Annato seeds/Achiote Bixa orellana Bixaceae photo courtesy of TopTropicals.comAnnatto, or Achiote, as it is usually called in Latin American countries, is a relatively tropical shrub that can grow up to about 20 meters. The pinkish white flowers develop into bright red heart shaped, exceedingly bristly fruit, which is inedible. When ripe the fruit capsule breaks open and reveals an abundance of seeds embedded in orange-red pulp. The bush produces copious amounts of fruit: a single tree can yield up to 270kg. Annatto is widespread throughout the tropical regions of central and South America where it is native. It has also become naturalized in other tropical regions, such as the Philippines. History and Mythology The Latin name of this plant 'Bixa orellana' does not give much of a clue regarding its properties. The genus name is probably derived from the Portuguese 'biche' meaning beak which alludes to the beak shaped seedpods, while the species name is given in memory of Francisco de Orellano, a Spanish conquistador of the 16th century, who accidentally discovered the Amazon. Although the fruit of the Annatto tree are inedible it is often cultivated for its flowers and more especially for its seedpods. The pulp of the Annatto fruit yields a bright red dye, which has long been used both as a body paint and dye stuff for textiles or food. The ancient Maya and Aztecs regarded it as a symbolic substitute for blood and thus ascribed to it sacred connotations. It was also used to make ink and virtually all the ancient Maya scriptures were penned in annatto juice. The seeds also have a reputation as a female aphrodisiac and are believed to make bulls used for bullfighting more aggressive. The whole tree has a long history as a valued medicinal plant that has been used to treat a wide variety of conditions from fevers to cancer. Indigenous people still use the pulp for 'cosmetic purposes', as hair dye or lip stick, hence the English common name 'Lipstick tree'. The pulp is also said to repel insects and to protect against sunburn due to the UV-filtering properties of the carotenoid pigment known as Bixin. Its use as a food dye is just as ancient. The Aztecs were known to add Annatto to their sacred xocolatl brew and other foods. Its use as a food dye has persisted until today. Annatto is probably one of the most ubiquitous of all food dyes used by the food industry. It lends its reddish tint to cheeses, butter and spreads, candy and custards. It is also still used as a traditional food dye for meats. This use is most prevalent in the Philippines and in Central America and Mexico. (The bright red colour of Chinese poultry however is due to treatment with a caramelised malt solution.) The seed pods are processed by separating the pulp form the seeds, which are washed and used separately as a mild spice. A spice paste known as 'Achiote Recado' is a popular flavouring in Yucatan cuisine (southern Mexico). The meat is marinated in the paste and wrapped in banana leaves. Fish, chicken and especially pork or suckling pig can be treated this way. Even though Annatto is one of the most widely used food colouring substances of the food industry, some people appear to be highly allergic to it and lobby against the use of this additive. The way in which commercial annatto is processed as a dye involves hexane extraction, which just may possibly have something to do with these reported allergic reactions. Furthermore, the colouring agent, known as Bixin can now be produced by bio-engineering. Scientists have figured out the biochemical pathway and manipulated E.coli bacteria to produce Bixin. It might be interesting to conduct a comparative study of allergic reactions between, a) completely naturally processed annatto (see recado recipe below), bio-engineered bixin or commercially extracted annatto dye. Annatto dye is also used to colour hair-oils, shoe polishes, floor polishes, nail-gloss, furniture, brass-lacquer, soap, cosmetics and pharmaceutical ointments as well as textiles, wool, leather and calico. Medicinal uses: Parts used: Seeds, leaves, bark, roots, shoots Although commercially only the seed and seed paste are available, in tropical regions where Annatto is grown, other parts of the plant are also used for medicine. In particular the leaves appear to have wide ranging applications. The shoots and young leaves are used for feverish infections including gonorrhoea, dysentery and hepatitis. They are believed to protect the liver and reduce cholesterol. The leaves and seeds are also used to soothe an irritated stomach that is suffering from excessively spicy food. An infusion of the flowers are said to be a useful expectorant for new born babies. In some parts of the Amazon Annatto is used as a treatment for snakebites. Internally it is said to fight parasites and allies the pains derived from intestinal parasites. Externally the extract of the seeds wards off insects and protects the skin against the ultraviolet rays of the sun. It is also used as a general skin tonic and to heal skin conditions. The leaves have a marked effect on the urinary system and increase the volume of urine in cases of renal insufficiency or cystitis. They are also said to reduce benign prostate hyperplasia and generally reputed to have anti-tumor activity, which are thought to be due to the high anti-oxidant activity of the carotenoid compounds Bixin and Norbixin, which are also the source of the red pigment Annatto is known for. These carotenoides have also been found to lower blood sugar levels and have been used for the treatment of diabetes in traditional medicine systems. To obtain an orange-yellow food dye simply heat some cooking oil and stir in some annatto seeds. Remove the seeds from the oil before adding other foods for stir frying. While the seeds would not spoil the taste, by themselves they would not add much flavour either. For flavouring they are best when processed as a recado - see below: Achiote Recado This recipe is an adaptation based on the traditional recado recipe, which utilizes the juice of bitter oranges (Seville oranges) which are difficult to get, hence the improvisation. Achiote recado is a typical spice paste of southern Mexico which is used to marinade meats, poultry and fish. The finished product is available at most Mexican stores. Making it from scratch takes time and effort, but - taste the difference 2 tablespoons annatto seeds 1 teaspoon freshly ground allspice 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper ½ cup ancho chile powder 1 tablespoon toasted and ground 3 cloves garlic, whole, pan-roasted until brown and soft, then peeled ½ medium-sized white onion, thickly sliced, pan-roasted until brown and soft ¼ cup pineapple vinegar or apple cider vinegar 1½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice Makes about 2½ cups In a small saucepan combine the annatto seeds and water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to steep for 2 more hours or until soft. Discard excess water, place in a food processor along with the remaining ingredients. Whizz until smooth. Use immediately or cover tightly. It will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. To dye textiles For best results use oxalic acid or tartaric acid to get golden yellow with alum mordant, yellow ochre with copper mordant, brown with iron mordant, orange with tin mordant. Best on cotton, linen and other cellulose fiber. Fair light-fastness. Also known as Achiote, or Lipstick Tree. [Mexico] (SW: 4 oz)

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Back in the 1970s, I was driving along a freeway near Columbus, OH, in midwinter. The highway was covered with several inches of snow and the pavement under the snow was icy, so it was good to see a salt truck and snowplow working ahead of me on the road. The only problem was that the salt truck was in front and the plow in back. Perhaps the city was testing the effects of higher levels of sodium chloride on the grass along the freeways in the spring. Similar questions arise in my mind as I see the debate on the continuance of the Andean Trade Preference & Drug Eradication Act, which expires June 30. Ecuador now stands alone in the program: Colombia and Peru now have Free Trade Agreements in effect with the United States and Bolivia was already eliminated. As a U.S. citizen who has lived in Ecuador for nearly 25 years, and been involved in the floral industry there when it was only 4 percent of its present size, I am concerned that just as the salt that could have been so useful was plowed off the road, a program that has yielded tremendous benefits at a low cost to the United States may meet a similar fate. Why should ATPDEA be continued (or at least replaced by the General System of Preferences for roses)? There are three key reasons: • It works. The United States at its peak never reached 500 acres of greenhouse roses but Ecuador alone has 5,500 acres today and only supplies about 25 percent of the cut roses imported into the United States. Less than 25 percent of the farm price stays in Ecuador; the vast majority of value added is added in the United States. Without the volume and competition these flowers provide in the market, supply would shrink and prices would climb, putting further pressure on mass market and other retail floral sales. Estimates are that each cut-flower industry job in Ecuador and Colombia creates one U.S. cut-flower job. That means employment has grown here. The ATPDEA has curbed drug smuggling and illegal immigration from Ecuador. • ATPDEA is not a gift from the United States; it is part of a bilateral or multilateral trade relationship between countries. I work in part for the only remaining greenhouse rose breeders in the United States. We can import duty-free into Ecuador our mother plants, test codes, fertilizers, agricultural chemicals, plastics, etc. Although it is not a two-way agreement at the present time, there are parallel agreements providing reciprocal benefits. • Domestic production cannot meet the gap. There are now fewer than 185 acres of greenhouse roses in all 50 states (mainly in California) and they supply less than three percent of the market. Production cost and variety differences, head size and stem length limit U.S. greenhouse rose growers to niche markets, which they can continue to fill. California produces more than five times as many non-tropical flower species as Ecuador, and Ecuador cannot compete in the production of most of these species. Although work continues on ATPDEA renovation, prospects seem dim. The alternative, the Generalized System of Preferences, is a more complicated and general program, but may be the most viable option now. I hope voices of reason will prevail for the good of the entire flower industry in the United States and Ecuador. Let’s not plow our salt — and profits — to the side of the road. Dean E. Rule is general manager of Conectiflor in Quito, Ecuador, representing International Rose Breeders, Terra Nigra and Jan Spek Rozen. He has been involved in the cut-flower industry in Ecuador and the United States for 25 years. He can be reached at [email protected]. Videos

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Parliament home pageParliamentary businessCommitteesCommittees archiveEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs CommitteeEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs 17 January 2003 BADGERS AND BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee today announced a new inquiry into badgers and bovine tuberculosis. The Committee has decided that the terms of reference of the inquiry should be: "To review recent developments in the Government's TB control strategy and the ongoing scientific research into TB vaccination, disease spread and the Krebs trial. In particular it will address: the impact of the Government's autumn package of measures for the control of bovine TB in cattle on the spread of the disease and on farmers and farming; progress on the development of a vaccine; the implications of the delays to the Krebs trial; and the Government's response to the recommendations of the Agriculture Committee relating to badgers and bovine tuberculosis." The Committee will appoint a Sub-committee to undertake this inquiry. The Sub-committee will be chaired by Mr David Drew MP. Details of oral evidence, likely to be taken in February, will be announced in due course. Those who wish to make a written submission may do so by Friday 31 January 2003. It must be submitted in an electronic format, either on disk or preferably by e-mail. It should be in Word or WordPerfect. If sent by e-mail it should for this inquiry be sent to Richard Kelly. The e-mail must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. The e-mail should also make clear who the submission is from. Submissions should be as brief as possible, and certainly no more than 3,000 words. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and it would be helpful to include a brief executive summary. Those submitting evidence are reminded that evidence should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere. Once submitted no public use should be made of it, but those wishing to publish their evidence before it is published by the Committee are invited to contact the Clerk of the Committee to obtain permission to do so. Further details of the Committee, including its current membership, can be found on the Committee's homepage Information about the Committee can also be obtained from 020 7219 5774.

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Opinion Editorial: Weighing performance at weights and measuresPosted: June 17, 2013 - 8:28pm By The Capital-Journal It may be a bit late, to say the least, but the decision by the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Weights and Measures to get serious about ensuring the accuracy of heavy-capacity scales in use across the state is good news. Accurate weights are important to buyers and sellers of farm commodities, and it is unconscionable that state officials have been so comfortable for so long with a system that can’t seem to guarantee accurate weights at the scales. According to documents obtained by this newspaper, state inspectors found only 19 of the 72 heavy-capacity scales they checked between July 2012 and February 2013 could be approved. Some were rejected because they didn’t meet manufacturer specifications, which can include relatively minor shortcomings, but almost half were cited for not meeting accuracy standards. In addition to grain, the scales are used to weigh livestock, scrap metal, recyclables and other commercial goods. All those things represent big business, and accurate scales are necessary to ensure those on both ends of the transactions are getting fair treatment. Responsibility for the scales accuracy falls to the Division of Weights and Measures, which, with only three scale inspectors, appears to be grossly understaffed. It is the state’s practice of relying on private scale technicians who install the scales to also inspect them annually that appears to be at the root of the problem. Ensuring those technicians have the necessary knowledge and skill to properly inspect the scales and correct the scales has been problematic as the state’s testing and licensing procedures for scale technicians hasn’t been the most rigorous in recent years. Given that there are about 4,000 heavy-capacity scales operating in Kansas, it’s understandable the Division of Weights and Measures doesn’t have a staff large enough to inspect them all annually. But it then falls upon the division to ensure that those who are doing the job are doing it correctly and that those who can’t aren’t licensed. The Division of Weights and Measures has scheduled a meeting for June 26 at the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s headquarters at 109 S.W. 9th St. All scale service technicians have been asked to attend the meeting, which will focus on accuracy rates. One meeting isn’t going to correct the situation, but improvement has to start somewhere. It is the follow-up and additional steps that will show whether the division has decided to get serious about accurate weights and measures. Nursing home owed employees pay when it close... Shawnee Heights board bids farewell to one of... Text alerts: Sign up to get breaking news, weather alerts or sports updates on your phone

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Advisory council told popular russet Burbank potatoes use too much water, fertilizer Steve Sharratt Comments Montague Consolidated School student Isaiah Williams chows down on one of his favourite foods, french fries. Concern is being raised over whether the province should continue to grow the most popular potato used for french fries, the russet Burbank, because of the level of water and fertilizer this variety requires.Steve ©STEVE SHARRATT/THE GUARDIAN Most consumers have no idea what kind of potato makes a perfect french fry, but a public advisory group accepting input on the protection of the Island’s water supply has heard plenty about the spud. Known for its length, the russet Burbank is the holy grail of french fries because, according to consumer tests, they’re tasty, hang over the box just right and look good. But that thirsty tater is drawing attention for another reason when it comes to a new provincial Water Act. “If we are going to continue to grow potatoes, we need to look at other varieties than russet Burbank that can be harvested earlier (using less water) and don’t require as much fertilizer,’’ suggests the P.E.I. Watershed Alliance. It’s just one of the bevy of submissions presented to the Environmental Advisory Council calling for a water tax on heavy users, the appointment of an environmental ombudsman and even a ban on the russet potato. The hot potato issue of how to balance the ethical use and reasonable protection of P.E.I.’s water supply is in the hands of the council, which held public meetings throughout the winter. Those submissions are available online and will be compiled into a final report this spring. But turning the taps won’t be easy when the opinions run the gamut from endorsing organic farming and banning fall planting to calls for more deep water wells and a warning that the lack of water for irrigation puts Cavendish Farms, the province’s largest private-sector employer, in jeopardy. The Atlantic Salmon Federation calls for a water tax based on irrigation and agricultural use and funds used to pay for water protection officers. “As water becomes more limited due to climate change and increasing demands, every effort must be made to maximize this resource,” says the federation in its submission. A number of groups support the removal of the deep water well moratorium provided scientific data shows no negative impact. “We see benefits associated with the occasional need of extra water,’’ said John Hooper of the P.E.I. Soil and Crop association, referring to ponds. “Farmers who voluntarily want to irrigate on a monitored watershed . . . . should be permitted to irrigate.” Even P.E.I. Agriculture Minister Allan McIsaac weighed in, suggesting a minor, but consistent trend, is showing up in P.E.I. “Less rainfall during the early part of the growing season could cause an increase in demand for irrigation and slightly warmer winters have the potential to change precipitation from snow to rain….Quality water is essential for those involved in aquaculture, fisheries and agriculture.” In its submittion, the P.E.I. Potato Board says a lack of moisture reduces the marketable yield potential of the crop, and irrigation over several weeks, even in the driest years, would only require five inches of water. Meanwhile, the Kensington North watershed group calls for the deep water well moratorium to remain in place for 10 years while research on water trends is conducted. ×

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