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2017-04/3223/en_head.json.gz/19736 | “Big 6” Pesticide Corporations Top the List of Food Labeling Opponents
Paul Towers, Pesticide Action Network
916-216-1082, [email protected]
World’s six largest pesticide manufacturers and genetically engineered seed corporations donate more than $20 million to oppose Prop 37 labeling measure Sacramento, CA — According to filings released by the California Secretary of State this week, the world’s six largest pesticide corporations, or “Big 6”, are now the six largest funders of opposition to Proposition 37. Collectively they have contributed more than $20 million to oppose the measure that would label genetically engineered food, including an intensive advertising campaign over the past two weeks.
“Pesticide corporations like Monsanto continue to enjoy unfettered and unlabeled access to the market, while consumers are left largely in the dark,” said Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, PhD, senior scientist at Pesticide Action Network. “Despite the best efforts of the Big 6 to confuse and distort the issue, Californians have a right to know what’s in their food and how it’s grown.”
Monsanto and five other corporations — BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont and Syngenta, collectively known as the “Big 6” — dominate the world’s seed and pesticide markets and actively oppose the measure. In filings released this week, each of the Big 6 made contributions of at least $2 million, with Monsanto’s contribution alone totaling more than $7 million. To date, the opposition to Proposition 37 has raised more than $35 million, spending about $19 million with Sacramento public relations consultants, aggressive television advertising, and paid mailings.
A comprehensive study released last week provides insights into the Big 6 interest in defeating Proposition 37, highlighting the fact that genetically engineered crops drive up the use of pesticides and open markets for these corporations’ products. The study, conducted by Dr. Charles Benbrook and based on federal government data, shows that genetically engineered crops have increased pesticide use by over 400 million pounds in the United States over the past fifteen years. Increased pesticide use has led to greater and greater weed resistance. In turn, this has let to more applications of pesticides — as well as use of more hazardous pesticides — in agricultural fields, putting rural communities and farmworkers at the greatest risk of harm due to pesticide exposure. The control of both seeds, and the ever-increasing use of pesticides, has benefited giant corporations at the expense of consumers. "The Big 6 chemical and seed companies are working diligently to monopolize the food system at the expense of consumers, farmers and smaller seed companies," said Philip H. Howard, an associate professor at Michigan State University and an expert on industry consolidation. Monsanto alone controls 23% of the world’s seed market, and Bayer controls 20% of the global pesticide market. | 农业 |
2017-04/3223/en_head.json.gz/19828 | HomeAct: Inspiration Thinking outside the (neoclassical) economic box – March 19
By Staff, originally published by Energy Bulletin March 19, 2012 Greeks ditch middleman to embrace ‘potato revolution’ Mark Lowen, BBC news The crowds keep building: hundreds of Greeks are queuing up to take part in what they’re calling the “potato revolution”.
It is a simple idea with simple products.
Thousands of tonnes of potatoes are sold directly from the farmer to the consumer, cutting out the costly middleman and so slashing prices by more than half.
The seed of the potato movement was planted in northern Greece a few weeks ago and is proving so successful that it’s now come down to Athens, growing ever more popular as Greeks struggle with the worst recession in modern history.
“Salaries are very low, taxes are very high and the price of products doesn’t seem to follow,” says Sofia Manidou, one of those waiting in line.
“We have to pay a lot of money for basic products like potatoes. This is the potato revolution and we hope to see revolutions of other types of food too because we are in great need of this.”
And that now seems likely, with similar schemes in the pipeline for rice, flour and olive oil. It’s a movement that benefits both sides, with farmers earning for what they produce, without paying large intermediary fees to wholesalers.
Some supermarkets have been forced to reduce their prices in response… (15 March 2012)
International Conference on Degrowth in the Americas Staff, Conference blog Twenty years after the Earth Summit in Rio, the linkage of sustainable development to economic growth requires profound rethinking. It has not offered a convincing solution to one of the most dramatic crises in history: how to avert ecological collapse while enhancing social justice and improving life’s prospects. In advance of Rio plus 20, our Conference seeks to challenge and move beyond the sustainable development agenda. A degrowth perspective will help us visualize and build towards a truly prosperous world.
Drawing from previous degrowth conferences in Paris and Barcelona in 2008 and 2010 respectively, the Montreal conference will focus on the particular situations and dynamics of the Americas. What does degrowth mean for our Hemisphere with its rich geographical, cultural, social and economic diversity? How can degrowth models apply to different contexts from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego? What does degrowth mean for the indigenous peoples of the Americas and their aspirations for their lands and peoples? How can degrowth concepts be made audible, understandable and acceptable to rich North Americans?
This gathering will bring together academics, activists, environmentalists and indigenous peoples to discuss our needs and hopes for diverse and more equitable societies in the Americas, on a post-growth healing earth.
The Organizing Committee of the Montreal International Conference on Convivial Degrowth in the Western Hemisphere has begun planning for an exciting “slow” conference to be held in Montreal during mid May 2012. The conference will bring together participants from throughout the Americas as well as Asia, Africa and Europe to look at the theory, practice, necessity and challenges of building a post growth world. In this first degrowth conference in the Americas, there will be special emphasis on responses from the Americas to the economic growth paradigm.
The current degrowth discussion focuses on five main areas: (i) injury to and loss of ecosystems and human livelihoods and communities due to human activities; (ii) the rebuttal of the idea that human-made capital can substitute for the loss of natural capital; (iii) commodification of interhuman and human-Earth relations and values ; (iv) a critique of growth as a social, economic and political imperative and of over-reliance on technology and industrialization to address ecological pressures; and (v) an examination of global and historical distributional inequalities through social justice perspectives.
To facilitate discussion of the above main areas, the following six proposed themes are envisioned to help advance the convivial degrowth debate from an Americas perspective. Submissions, academic or artistic, individual or collective, received in response to the call for proposals will be assessed by open review panels and sorted according to these themes. Thematic working groups will be convened and discussions will proceed in three stages. First, thematic working groups will address sub-themes. Second, panels composed of participants from different working groups will be formed to lead discussions within each theme. Last, panels composed of participants within each theme will be formed to lead cross-theme plenary discussions…
Grounding. What is a flourishing Earth and what worldviews enable it?…
Knowing. How can the physical, biological and social sciences help us in understanding how to enhance the flourishing of the Earth’s life systems?…
Relating. What means of relationship and exchange can help enhance the continual flourishing of the Earth’s life systems?…
Consenting. How can the major political, economic, development, social, technical, and scientific priorities of society be developed with broad and informed public dialogue and consent?…
Sharing. How can the radically unjust inequalities between people be eliminated; and how can the human fair share of the Earth’s life support systems be defined and achieved?…
Experiencing. What would a flourishing society look and feel like for individuals and collectives at various temporal and spatial scales?… (May 13-19, 2012)
New Currency Brings Hope to Debt-Stricken City Simon Broll, Der Spiegel Can a new currency help a debt-stricken community get back on its feet? A Hamburg-based theater group is hoping to do just that in the German city of Oberhausen. Locals will be able to earn “coals” through voluntary work and exchange them for goods and services.
All around Europe, governments are cutting back on spending in reaction to the euro crisis. But in one small city in Germany, locals are bucking the trend. Fed up with austerity, they are planning to spend more, not less, money — and they are making it themselves.
The city of Oberhausen, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, is broke. With debts of €1.83 billion ($2.4 billion) the future of the city, best known internationally as the home town of Paul the psychic octopus, is uncertain. But now a Hamburg theater group has come up with a radical solution to reverse the city’s ailing fortunes.
This Friday, at a premiere organized in the town, performers of the Hamburg “Geheimagentur” (“Secret Agency”) theater group will launch a new currency for the inhabitants of Oberhausen as part of a performance called “Schwarzbank” (“black bank”). The new money is named the Kohle, literally the German word for coal, but also slang for money and a reference to the city’s location in the mining heartland of Germany.
For two weeks, locals will be able to use “coals” to pay for goods and services in over 50 businesses which have agreed to take part in the project. Those wishing to spend the newly issued “coals” can choose from a range of goods and services, including specially developed confectionary treats, tattoos, a new hairstyle, cinema tickets, tours of the town and tickets for a football match.
Residents who want to earn “coals” can do so by engaging in activities which may be considered useful to the community. “We will finance ‘unpaid’ hours of work,” says one member of the group, whose policy is not to have its members identified by name. “People can suggest to us things that they do in their free time, or things that they’ve always wanted to do but never got the chance.” Participants will receive 20 “coals” in return for every act that benefits the community. It’s a fair price, considering that most of the goods and services on offer only cost five “coals.”
According to organizers of the “Schwarzbank,” the aim is not to replace the euro. Instead, the “coal” is intended to complement the existing currency and create a sense of community. “Poverty makes people lonely,” says one performer. “It makes one unable to take part in society.” The groups hopes that the new currency will promote a “stronger group dynamic.” (16 March 2012)
A Global Redesign? Shaping the Circular Economy(pdf) Felix Preston, Chatham House Summary points
A fundamentally new model of industrial organization is needed to de-link rising prosperity from resource consumption growth – one that goes beyond incremental efficiency gains to deliver transformative change.
A ‘circular economy’ (CE) is an approach that would transform the function of resources in the economy. Waste from factories would become a valuable input to another process – and products could be repaired, reused or upgraded instead of thrown away.
In a world of high and volatile resource prices, a CE offers huge business opportunities. Pioneering companies are leading the way on a CE, but to drive broader change it is critical to collect and share data, spread best practice, invest in innovation and encourage business-to-business collaboration.
Policy-makers should focus on accelerating transition to a CE in a timescale consistent with the response to climate change, water scarcity and other global challenges. Smart regulation can reward private-sector leadership and align incentives along the supply chain – for example, to deliver a step-change in remanufacturing rates.
Resource consumption targets that reflect environmental constraints should be considered at a global level. Coordination of national policies would help create a level playing field across major markets, easing competitiveness concerns and reducing the costs of implementation.
In the run-up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June 2012, there has been a renewed focus on pursuing meaningful action to reduce resource and environmental pressures. Even though many countries, including emerging economies, can point to impressive environmental improvement in the past two decades, the overriding global patterns of production, consumption and trade remain dangerously unsustainable.
There is increasing recognition that resource efficiency and security are critical to future economic competitiveness and resilience – for countries and companies alike.
This requires a fundamental rethink on the role and function of resources in the economy. According to McKinsey, cheap resources underpinned economic growth for much of the 20th century, but in the last eight years prices have returned to heights not seen since the 1900s – and barring a major macroeconomic shock, they are expected to remain high and volatile for at least the next 20 years.1 To meet this new resource price reality, new forms of value creation must be developed if the world is to maintain and increase prosperity.
This paper explores the potential of a circular economy (CE) as a model for industrial organization that will help de-link rising prosperity from growth in resource consumption. Central to the CE is the idea that open production systems – in which resources are extracted, used to make products and become waste after the product is consumed – should be replaced by systems that reuse resources and conserve energy. The paper explores the concept of a CE, its key components, challenges and opportunities, and the importance of international cooperation.
Moving towards the CE will require a paradigm shift in the way things are made – putting sustainability and closed-loop thinking at the heart of business models and industrial organization. This has profound implications for society, since ‘how we make things dictates not only how we work but what we buy, how we think, and the way we live’.2
The 20th century witnessed two great shifts in systems of production. After the First World War, Ford Motor Company and General Motors led global manufacturing away from centuries of craft production into the age of mass production. After the Second World War, Toyota and other Japanese firms pioneered ‘lean manufacturing’ systems and the just-in-time business model: the ‘flexible production’ approach that rapidly became a defining characteristic of the global economy… (March 2012)
A new economic narrative: Industrial revolution 3.0 Jeremy Rifkin, Making It Magazine Internet technology and renewable energies are merging to create a powerful new infrastructure. Jeremy Rifkin explains how the five pillars of a third energy-communications revolution will create the foundations for the next great wave of economic growth
Our industrial civilization is at a crossroads. Oil and the other fossil fuel energies that make up the industrial way of life are dwindling, and the technologies made from and propelled by these energies are antiquated. The entire industrial infrastructure built on fossil fuels is aging and in disrepair. The result is that unemployment is rising to dangerous levels all over the world. Governments, businesses and consumers are awash in debt, and living standards are plummeting everywhere. A record one billion human beings – nearly one seventh of the human race – face hunger and starvation.
Worse, climate change from fossil fuel-based industrial activity looms on the horizon. Our scientists warn that we face a potentially cataclysmic change in the temperature and chemistry of the planet, which threatens to destabilize ecosystems around the world. We may be on the brink of a mass extinction of plant and animal life by the end of the century, imperilling our own species’ ability to survive. It is becoming increasingly clear that we need a new economic narrative that can take us into a more equitable and sustainable future.
A new convergence of communication and energy
By the 1980s, the evidence was mounting that the fossil fuel-driven industrial revolution was peaking and that human-induced climate change was forcing a planetary crisis of untold proportions. For the past 30 years, I have been searching for a new paradigm that could usher in a post-carbon era. I came to realize that the great economic revolutions in history occur when new communication technologies converge with new energy systems. New energy regimes make possible the creation of more interdependent economic activity and expanded commercial exchange, as well as facilitating more dense and inclusive social relationships. The accompanying communication revolutions become the means to organize and manage the new temporal and spatial dynamics that arise from new energy systems.
In the 19th century, steam-powered print technology became the communication medium to manage the coal-fired rail infrastructure and the incipient national markets of the First Industrial Revolution. In the 20th century, electronic communications – the telephone and later, radio and television – became the communication medium to manage and market the oil-powered auto age and the mass consumer culture of the Second Industrial Revolution.
…The five pillars
The establishment of a Third Industrial Revolution infrastructure will create thousands of new businesses and millions of jobs, and lay the basis for a sustainable global economy in the 21st century. However, let me add a cautionary note. Like every other communication and energy infrastructure in history, the various pillars of a Third Industrial Revolution must be laid down simultaneously or the foundation will not hold. That’s because each pillar can only function in relationship to the others. The five pillars of the Third Industrial Revolution are:
shifting to renewable energy;
transforming the building stock of every continent into micro-power plants to collect renewable energies on-site;
deploying hydrogen and other storage technologies in every building and throughout the infrastructure to store intermittent energies;
using Internet technology to transform the power grid of every continent into an energy-sharing intergrid that acts just like the Internet (when millions of buildings are generating a small amount of energy locally, on-site, they can sell surplus back to the grid and share electricity with their continental neighbours); and
transitioning the transport fleet to electric plug-in and fuel cell vehicles that can buy and sell electricity on a smart, continental, interactive power grid.
(14 February 2012) This one just reeks too much of “I desperately wish it could be so” to me. -KS
Tags: Building Community, Culture & Behavior, Media & Communications, Politics Staff Related Posts Which species are we sure we can survive without?
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2017-04/3223/en_head.json.gz/20369 | GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems
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Cameroon activist takes on land grabber from Wall Street, now faces imprisonment
Author: GRAIN
Translations: Français
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This is the first of a series of interviews about resistance to the expansion of industrial oil palm plantations in West and Central Africa.
Members of communities affected by these monoculture plantations and civil society organisations from Africa, Europe, the Americas and Asia met in Calabar, Nigeria from 2–5 November 2013. They shared testimonies and analysis of the consequences of the rapid and brutal expansion of monoculture oil palm plantations by multinational companies in different communities and countries.
Nasako Besingi is a land grabber's nightmare. The community organiser and director of Struggle to Economise Future Environment (SEFE) has made a mess of a US company's plans to grab a huge chunk of land in Cameroon's southwest to produce palm oil.
Herakles Capital is a venture capital firm based in New York City that is pursuing the acquisition and development of oil palm plantations on over 80,000 ha in West and Central Africa. Nasako has worked tirelessly to investigate and expose the company's project in Cameroon since the moment he learned of it, and helped local people to understand what its plans are all about. Resistance to Herakles is now widespread, but it's come at a high price for Nasako.
"I first heard about the plans for a plantation in our area from a government agent back in 2009," he says. "I was shocked. I told him, 'But there are no available lands in our area.'"
Later that year, at a local meeting of the ruling political party, chiefs from the area were asked to sign a blank piece of paper in exchange for 10,000 FCFA. "None of them knew what they were signing," says Nasako. "We only found out later that the paper was used as proof of local consent for the proposed oil palm project."
By 2010, the government and the company had gone public about the deal. But it was not clear who was behind the project. "They would refer to the company as Sithe Global, which is a US company, when they were talking about it locally and then SCSOC, a company registered in Cameroon, when it came to official communications. To me it seemed like they were hiding the real identity of the company," says Nasako. Only later would it become clear that the company was owned by US hedge fund manager Herakles Capital, which also owns Sithe Global.
An inside source gave Nasako a copy of the Establishment Convention between the company and the government.
"The convention does not specify the amount of lands or the location of the lands involved in the project," says Nasako. "But when the company came to the area, they said that the lands had been allocated by the government."
SEFE organised a meeting in August 2011 to get clarity on the proposed project. They invited all of the affected villages, the government and the company. But the company refused to participate.
"It was then that we realised that this company did not want to negotiate, that they were shunning us," says Nasako. "So we decided to take them to court."
SEFE brought charges against the company for violating national and international environmental and human rights laws to the High Court. The court ruled in its favour, concluding that Herakles did not have permission to operate in the area, but this did not stop the company.
"The company ignored this decision from the court because they had the blessing of the Prime Minister," says Nasako. "We looked at this and said, 'If this company is going to ignore the court, how can we, as villagers, expect them to listen to us?'"
SEFE stepped up its awareness raising work. It organised another major meeting in July 2012 in the village of Meangwe 2. In the days leading up to the meeting, company agents went into the villages warning residents not to attend.
"They told the villagers that it was an illegal meeting, that SEFE was an illegal organisation, and that people would be arrested if they attended the meeting," says Nasako. "But this didn't stop people from coming. It was the rainy season and still over 300 people turned up for the meeting from all the affected villages. For many, it was the first time they had learned about the proposed project and the company."
Nasako's efforts nearly cost him his life. A month after the meeting, he was travelling by motorbike to a village that had asked him to talk to them about Herakles' plans when he was ambushed by a group of men.
"They pulled me off the bike and started punching me," recounts Nasako. "They were yelling at me, saying I was to blame for standing in the way of the company. I recognised all of them as junior managers with Herakles Farms."
Luckily a team of French journalists happened to be trailing Nasako that day. When their truck appeared, the men let Nasako go and fled.
Tensions between the company and the villagers continued to escalate. But the company and the government were still claiming that the local people were in favour of the proposed concession and spreading this misinformation in the national and international media.
"The vast majority of the local people are against what Herakles is doing, and we wanted to show this to the world," says Nasako.
At the request of the community, SEFE came up with a plan. In November 2012, they produced hundreds of T-shirts reading: "No plantations on our land. Herakles out". They provided these to the villagers to wear to an installation ceremony for a new senior divisional officer in the area to make visible their opposition to the Herakles plantations. But, prior to the ceremony, a large contingent of police and soldiers invaded the SEFE offices and arrested Nasako and 5 villagers.
"They were trying to intimidate us and to provoke the people into violence," says Nasako. "But we insisted that this was a peaceful protest, and we urged people not to engage in any physical resistance because that would serve as an excuse to make further arrests and charges."
Despite the intimidation, around 400 people collected t-shirts. On their way to the ceremony, however, they were violently attacked and molested by the police and military and prevented from entering with their t-shirts on.
Nasako is still awaiting summons from the court to find out what he's been charged with. The other five who were arrested were charged with taking part in the organisation of an undeclared public meeting.
Meanwhile Herakles has filed a separate case against Nasako, accusing him of defamation and suing him for damages. He's awaiting a summons for that case too.
"I won't have the money to pay the damages if I lose," says Nasako. "So this would mean that I would have to go to jail."
Neither the possibility of going to jail nor the threat to his life deters Nasako. He believes that the communities are winning their struggle. Herakles Farms now seems to be in financial trouble, and the government has forced them to scale down their project plans to 20,000 ha.
But that's not enough for SEFE and the villagers. They want the project cancelled.
"We need to continue with the resistance. You never know if the current silence from the company is just a strategy," warns Nasako. "We cannot rest until there is an official announcement that the contract has been cancelled. And other companies are coming in. We know that Cargill is collaborating with the international NGO Proforest to acquire land in a neighbouring area, just to the south of the Herakles proposed project."
Nasako and his organisation SEFE need international support to help in their court cases and in their local work. Those wishing to find out more about how they can help, can contact Nasako at [email protected].
Calabar Declaration
Members of communities affected by monoculture plantations and civil society organisations from Africa, Europe, the Americas and Asia met in Calabar, Nigeria from 2–5 November 2013. They shared testimonies and analysis of the consequences of the rapid and brutal expansion of monoculture oil palm plantations by multinational companies in different communities and countries.
Read about community organiser Nasako Besingi's experience of being beaten, arrested and sued for supporting villagers in Cameroon defending their lands from US hedge fund Herakles Capital.
In Nigeria, Wilmar, the world's largest palm oil processor, is building a massive plantation on forest lands illegally gifted to the country's former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. The local community wants these lands back.
Trade deals threaten peasant farmers' stewardship of seed biodiversity
Grow-ing disaster: the Fortune 500 goes farming
Comic book: Together we can cool the planet!
Together we can cool the planet - with Arabic subtitles
Big business in Marrakech: fertiliser industry and finance dominate COP22
The latest from the bulletin board
The RCEP, IPRs and the threat to traditional farming
Zimbabwe unlikely to ratify controversial seed treaty
Modern agriculture cultivates climate change – we must nurture biodiversity 10 January 2017
Tanzanian farmers are facing heavy prison sentences if they continue their traditional seed exchange
Hacking, wiretaps, slavery and money laundering: how agents and indigenous people busted a massive Bad Ag gang in Brazil
Other websites that GRAIN is involved in:
bilaterals.org ("everything that's not happening at the WTO")
biodiversidadla.org (Latin American site on biodiversity and food sovereignty)
farmlandgrab.org (food crisis and the global land grab)
soberaniaalimentaria.info (Spanish magazine on food sovereignty)
You can read this site in English, Spanish or French by selecting the appropriate language at the top of the page. The site also contains some materials in a number of other languages:
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2017-04/3223/en_head.json.gz/21231 | Search Center for Rural AffairsA leading force engaging people and ideas in building a better future for rural America. AboutValues & MissionAnnual ReportStaffBoardJoin Our TeamAward WinnersMediaPressYour StoriesReports & PublicationsEventsSmall BusinessRural Enterprise Assistance ProjectBusiness Start-up ChecklistLoan ProductsApply for a LoanTraining EventsSmall Business PolicySmall TownsCommunity DevelopmentRural HealthCommunity FoodRural GroceryFarm & FoodNew FarmersFarm FinancesHigh Value MarketsFarm to SchoolCrop Insurance ReformFarm PolicyEnvironmentClimateClean EnergyWaterDonateGive OnlineEndowmentEvergreen SocietyStore Speakers Bureau
Chuck Hassebrook
Chuck Hassebrook is Executive Director of the Center for Rural Affairs of Lyons, Nebraska.
The Center is a nationally recognized research, advocacy and development organization that supports small communities, small business and family farming and ranching. Hassebrook has served 35 years with the Center, winning changes in federal tax, farm, conservation and rural development policy.
Hassebrook has served for nearly 18 years University of Nebraska Board of Regents, including two terms as chair. He also serves on the board of the USDA North Central Region Rural Development Center. He previously served on the Nebraska Rural Development Commission, US Department of Agriculture National Commission on Small Farms, USDA Agricultural Science and Technology Review Board and the Board Bread for the World.
Chuck is a University of Nebraska graduate and a native of Platte Center, Nebraska, where his family has been engaged in farming for more than a century. He lives with his wife Kate in Lyons, where they are active in Bethany Lutheran Church. They have two sons, Anton and Peter, both students at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Chuck Hassebrook can speak about: A new vision for a strengthening rural America through entrepreneurship, local initiative, and policy reform. He is an expert on rural policy.
Brian Depew
Brian Depew is the Assistant Executive Director and Director of Policy Advocacy & Outreach at the Center for Rural Affairs. He works primarily on federal health, small business, farm and energy policy and organizational leadership.
Brian has appeared widely in the media on rural issues in the region and nationally including the Des Moines Register, the Omaha World Herald, the Washington Post Online and the New York Times.
Brian holds a master's degree in philosophy from Colorado State University and completed additional graduate work at Michigan State University. He is a native of rural Iowa where his family still farms.
Brian Depew can speak about: The impact of federal health, small business, farm and energy policy on rural communities, nonprofit advocacy, and related topics.
Jeff Reynolds is the Assistant Director of Finance and the Rural Enterprise Assistance Program Director at the Center for Rural Affairs. He leads the Center's microenterprise and small business development programming and oversees all accounting and financial management. Jeff serves as a board member for the Southeast Nebraska Development District.
He is most noted for his work with the Center’s Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP). Joining the program as a field specialist in 1994, Jeff became REAP Director in 2000. Under his guidance, REAP total lending surpassed $7,000,000 in 2012.
REAP provides essential services for startup and existing small businesses in rural Nebraska. These include business training, one-on-one technical assistance/counseling, networking opportunities, micro-lending and loan packaging services.
Jeff Reynolds can speak about: Microenterprise/entrepreneurship, small business development, financing and loan packaging and related topics.
Jon Bailey
Jon directs the Rural Research and Analysis Program at the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, Nebraska. Jon is a native of Sterling, Colorado, and a 1980 graduate of Creighton University with a B.A. in Political Science and a 1983 graduate of the Creighton University School of Law. Jon practiced law for 12 years in Sterling, Colorado, including four years as the elected District Attorney for Colorado’s 13th Judicial District.
In 1996 he received a Masters in Public Policy from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Jon was awarded a 1996 Presidential Management Intern award and served as a Special Assistant to the Associate Commissioner for Policy at the Social Security Administration in Washington, DC. In 1997, he became a Legislative Fellow for United States Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota. Jon came to the Center for Rural Affairs in 1998. Jon and his wife Ginger live in Bancroft, Nebraska.
Jon Bailey can speak about: Rural asset and wealth building, including rural development policy; Rural poverty, and Rural demographics.
Dena Beck
Dena Beck is a REAP Business Specialist and serves the Southwest and Central regions of Nebraska encompassing 16 counties providing micro start-ups and existing micro businesses with technical assistance, small business loan opportunities, networking and training events.
Dena came to REAP from the Minden Chamber of Commerce and Kearney County Economic Development Agency where she served as Director for 5 years.
She has a B.S. in Horticultural Therapy from Kansas State University and graduated from Heartland Economic Development Course. Dena also has a Masters of Science degree in Organizational Management from Peru State College with minors in Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.
Dena Beck can speak about: Small business development, generational differences, alternative financing and business transition.
Traci Bruckner
Traci is Assistant Director of the Rural Policy Program at the Center for Rural Affairs. Traci is a native of rural Nebraska. She is a graduate of Wayne State College, with degrees in political science and rural sociology. Traci leads the Center’s work on conservation policy and beginning farmer and rancher policy. She serves on the USDA Advisory Committee for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers.
Traci Bruckner can speak about: Payment limitations, Conservation programs, Beginning farmer issues, Family farm issues, and Sustainable agriculture in relation to federal policy and the polices that support sustainable farming systems/family farms
John Crabtree
John is the Media Director at the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, Nebraska. A native of Iowa, John has devoted his professional and personal life to strengthening rural communities throughout the Midwest.
A diverse background enriches John’s work. John has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry with minors in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Iowa. He has served as a community development specialist in North Dakota, run grassroots political campaigns throughout the region, and has led the development and media teams at the Center for Rural Affairs since 2005 after previously serving for four years as an organizer and public policy analyst for the Center for Rural Affairs from 1996 to 2000.
John has testified before the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on several occasions. He worked with members of Congress and 11 state legislatures on development and passage of legislation relating to livestock concentration and market competition policy. John has served on numerous policy and advisory committees, including Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack’s advisory committee on agriculture.
John Crabtree can speak about: Competition and market concentration in agriculture, Media and how to use it for your cause, and Development related issues.
Wyatt Fraas
Wyatt has helped beginning farmers and ranchers find information for their businesses for over 10 years through his work with the Center for Rural Affairs. His background includes work in wildlife management and natural resources in several western states, as well as managing a ranch for several years. He now helps farmers and ranchers with alternative marketing and production practices. He and his wife raise a few sheep for wool and meat near Coleridge, Nebraska.
Wyatt Fraas can speak about: Beginning farmer issues, Risk management, Farm transitions, and Alternative crops and marketing.
Steph Larsen
Steph Larsen is a Rural Policy Organizer with the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, Nebraska. Before coming to the Center she worked as a policy organizer and policy director for the Community Food Security Coalition in their Washington, D.C. office. Steph also brings experience in environmental and labor organizing to her work. Her work falls at the intersection of policy, grassroots organizing and on-the-ground practice.
Steph earned her BS in geology from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, and her master's degree in geography from UW-Madison. She completed her master's research in Mexico on sustainable agriculture and corn agrobiodiversity. Steph was born and raised in northwest Wisconsin.
Steph Larsen can speak about: Nonprofit policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and farm and rural policy
Janelle Moran
Janelle, a native of Tecumseh, Nebraska, received her BS in Business Administration Management from Peru State College. Janelle spent the first 9 years of her career working at Peru State College and Southeast Community College, where she most recently was the Director of Admissions and Recruitment at Peru State until June, 2005.
Janelle joined the Center for Rural Affairs staff in June of 2005 as a REAP Business Specialist in Southeast Nebraska. Janelle serves counties in that region, providing micro start-ups and existing micro businesses with technical assistance, small business loan opportunities, networking and training events. Janelle works from her home based office located outside of Tecumseh.
Janelle Moran can speak about: Microenterprise, Small business development, and Business transition.
Eugene Rahn
Gene has been with the Center for Rural Affairs Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP) for many years working with small business owners in Nebraska. A home office located in Atkinson is the base for serving the counties in north central Nebraska.
Gene has worked at building collaborative lending partnerships with banks, development districts, revolving loan funds and other lenders. Collaborative lending provides additional available capital for small business owners to start or expand their businesses in rural Nebraska.
Additional lending and economic development activities present and past include serving on the Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District Loan Board, member of the Nebraska Economic Development Corporation, Nebraska Enterprise Opportunity Network, and Nebraska Development Network.
Gene Rahn can speak about: Microenterprise, Small business development, and Business financing. Make a donation!
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2017-04/3223/en_head.json.gz/21487 | ApplesFRUITSPlantingResearchSweet Corn Orchard Management
Sally Colby
— February 1, 2013
Harmonized GAP Standards
Consumers who are asked about their priorities when selecting fresh produce often place food safety at the top of the list. “You can have a quality fruit that isn’t a safe fruit,” said Dr. Chris Walsh, professor of horticulture at the University of Maryland. “When you’re dealing with quality, visible attributes like size and color are visible and make fruit salable, but there are also hidden qualities such as firmness and sugar content. Also, are there any foodborne illnesses or chemical hazards in the fruit? It’s possible to have something that meets USDA-AMS [U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service] marketing standards for being a quality product, but it may not be a safe product.”
Contact water includes water used for irrigation and should be potable.Photos by Sally Colby.
Walsh, who has been involved in postharvest for close to 40 years, says that the 1990s brought a shift from using more chemicals in agriculture to using fewer. However, some of the changes in practices led to more contamination in fruit. “We had problems with organic apple juice that was contaminated with E. coli O157:H7,” he noted, “and raspberries that were contaminated with cyclospora, a human parasite, coming in from Guatemala.”
Audits are becoming more widely used to address these issues and to monitor food safety in all aspects of production.
“Everything that everyone does in food safety goes back to a document created by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1998 – a guide to minimize foodborne illness contamination in fresh fruits and vegetables,” Walsh explained. “Everything we do ties back to that guide, including the words good agricultural practices (GAP).”
Walsh noted that over the past 14 years, numerous third-party auditing companies have been developed to determine whether products are up to certain standards. The top three private auditors include ., PrimusLabs and the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). Government audit programs include the USDA-AMS and the new USDA Harmonized GAP audit.
The development of USDA harmonized standards is a direct response to audit fatigue – the result of larger growers having to go through multiple audits to meet standards. Walsh explained, “The USDA Harmonized audit is a system that puts all of the guidelines together. In the older audits there was a point system. What we learned from the Jensen Farms melon problem is that you could pass an audit and still have things that need to be corrected.”
One of the components of harmonization is moving away from a point system and toward corrective action. “If you’re being audited, you still have to have a passing grade for each section on the audit,” said Walsh, “but it’s based on passing a certain number of questions. For the question[s] that you don’t pass, there are corrective actions required or immediate action needed. For noncompliant areas, they’ll come back and make sure you correct and document it.”
The harmonized standards include two sections: production and harvest, and postharvest farmgate. They also require a mock recall and a plan to move toward GFSI certification.
Growers could fail the old USDA audit in several ways, but now the list includes nine specific infractions. Automatic failures on a harmonized audit include: falsification of records; no written food safety plan; no one to oversee the written plan; presence of an immediate food safety risk; presence or evidence of excessive pests (rodents, insects); and unsafe employee practices – all of which were failures on the old audit.
New infractions include: lack of traceability program in place; no demonstrated (mock) recall program; and not making required corrective action. Walsh said, “Corrective action required (CAR) means that you’ve passed the audit, but we see something that needs to be corrected. Immediate corrective action (ICR) means that the audit is not passable because something must be done immediately. The auditor will not tell you how to correct it; they’ll just tell you that it has to be corrected.”
New harmonized USDA standards include planning and implementing a mock recall.
Walsh says that one of the newest aspects of food safety inspection includes microbiological testing, specifically water testing. “The FDA says, ‘water should be appropriate for its intended use.’ There’s no more frustrating statement,” he said. Testing focuses on determining the presence of the non-environmental, generic form of E. coli that is in the intestinal flora of warm-blooded animals.
When it comes to water testing, Walsh said that it’s important to understand the definition of contact water, which is water that actually touches the crop. “Contact water might be what’s in the dump tank at the packinghouse, overhead irrigation for crops, or water that is mixed with pesticides. In general, contact water should be potable, or drinkable, water. That’s tricky, because in many cases you’re using surface water that isn’t potable,” he explained.
Water samples are easy to collect, but must be sent to the lab within 24 hours of collection. “E. coli will multiply in warm water,” said Walsh, “so your numbers may be worse if the sample remains at room temperature. Refrigeration won’t kill the bacteria; it will stop the bacteria at whatever the number was at collection.”
For water sampling, use a sterile 100-milliliter bottle to collect the sample, complete the label, refrigerate if there will be a delay in sending, and send as soon as possible.
To collect a well water sample, allow the water to run for about five minutes prior to collection. For a pond water sample, stir the water gently to mix the warm surface layer with the cooler lower layer, but don’t disturb the bottom mud. Always take care not to touch the inside of the container or the cap, which can contaminate the sample.
Wells should be tested once at the beginning of the year. Surface water should be tested three times: at planting (to determine baseline numbers), at peak use and at harvest. Farms that use city water can obtain current water records from the municipality.
The overall goal of improving GAP standards is to reduce audit fatigue so growers can concentrate on achieving food safety, rather than worrying about passing an audit. For more information on the program, visit www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/GAPGHPAuditVerificationProgram.
The author is a frequent contributor and freelance writer who farms and raises Great Pyrenees in south-central Pennsylvania. Comment or question? Visit www.farmingforumsite.com and join in the discussions.
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Sally Colby is a frequent contributor and freelance writer who farms and raises Great Pyrenees in south-central Pennsylvania. Comment or question? Visit http://www.farmingforumsite.comand join in the discussions.
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2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/5015 | Organics “Thrown Under the Bus” in Farm Bill Extension, Say Industry Advocates By
Cookson Beecher | January 6, 2013
“We’ve been thrown under the bus.” That’s how some organic farmers and advocates are describing the government’s “eleventh-hour” decision on Jan. 1 to extend the 2008 farm bill for 9 months instead of enacting a new 2012 farm bill.
Their dismay is based on how organics fared when the 2008 farm bill was extended until September 2013 (Section 701). Pure and simple, mandatory funding for a variety of organic programs written into the 2008 farm bill didn’t qualify for automatic inclusion into the farm bill extension.
That outcome is in contrast to the proposed Senate and House versions of the 2012 farm bill, hammered out last summer, that had included funding for all of the organic programs (except for one in the House version).
One reason for extending the 2008 farm bill was that there just wasn’t enough time to enact a 2012 farm bill, especially in light of all of the frenzied work Congress was putting into keeping the nation from toppling over the tax side of the fiscal cliff. The other factor was that House leadership worried about possible infighting over cuts to food stamps and subsidy programs.
Lost programs
Among the organic programs that weren’t included in the extension of the 2008 farm bill are those that fund organic research and extension, cost share to become certified as organic, and an organic data collection system — the same sort of data collection system that has long been a mainstay for conventional agriculture and that qualified to receive continued funding.
Organic farmers say that these programs have helped them be more productive and better at marketing their goods to meet the growing demand for their crops, milk, meats and other products.
“This is a huge loss for the organic sector,” Barbara Haumann, spokesperson for the Organic Trade Association, told Food Safety News. “The cuts are severe. It will impact farmers who use safer practices and could discourage some farmers because of the loss of cost-share for certification.”
USDA’s cost-share programs make certification more affordable for small- and mid-sized organic farmers and handlers by reimbursing them for as much as 75 percent—up to a maximum of $750 a year—for their certification costs. Eligible costs include application fees, inspection fees, travel for certification inspectors, and even postage.
Created in 2002, the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program was designed, in part, to recognize the public benefits of organic agriculture to environmental stewardship, according to the USDA. The program received $22 million in mandatory funding over 5 years in the 2008 farm bill.
Turning to research, Haumann said that the 2008 farm bill marked an important step forward for organic research. She called the loss of that funding “a real blow.”
“Cooperative Extension (a nationwide network that operates through certain universities in each state to provide research-based information to agricultural producers, among others) was working with organic farmers,” she said. “It wasn’t that long ago, that there was no funding for organics. We don’t want to lose ground.”
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the federal partner in the Cooperative Extension System, provides federal funding to the system.
In the 2008 farm bill, the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative was funded at $18 million for fiscal year 2009 and $20 million for fiscal years 2010-12, plus a $25-million-per-year authorization for appropriations
According to the National Organic Coalition, USDA research programs have not kept pace with the growth of organic agriculture in the market place. Compared to the amount of research dollars going to other sectors of the industry, organics gets significantly less proportionately when looking at the nearly 4 percent of total U.S. food retail market it represents.
“As our economy struggles to rebuild, organic agriculture is a bright spot that is clearly part of the solution,” said Steven Etka, legislative coordinator for the National Organic Coalition.
Organic farmer Anne Schwartz, owner of Blue Heron Farm in Western Washington, told Food Safety News that Washington State University alone has 150 research projects focused on organic and sustainable farming, including a 30-acre showcase organic farm.
“We’ve made an impact,” she said, referring to strides organic producers have made. “But right now research is funded at the federal level. When we lose federal funding for that, we’re in trouble, and they know it.”
Pointing to another program that lost funding in the 9-month extension, Haumann said that the Organic Production and Marketing Data Initiative has been “a wonderful help” for organic farmers and businesses because it helps keep track of what organic crops or livestock are being raised and where and what their costs are.
“It helps producers and buyers make business decisions across the board,” she said. “And it helps encourage investors when they see how much organics is growing.”
The 2008 farm bill provided $5 million in mandatory funding for the collection and publication of the data.
As far as Haumann is concerned, organic agriculture “is not getting its fair share in the extension of the 2008 farm bill to encourage good practices that produce food that many families want to buy.”
“A slap in the face and anti-people,” said Schwartz referring not just to what the loss in funding means to the organic sector but also to the general public, which benefits from the environmental stewardship and the boost to regional economies, biodiversity, and food security that organic agriculture offers.
Ironic twist
Instead of reforming U.S. agricultural policy, as had been proposed in the Senate and House versions of the 2012 farm bill, the 9-month extension of the 2008 version includes $5 billion for subsidies and direct payments. These are payments typically doled out, farm bill after farm bill, to certain farmers (among them corn, soybeans, wheat and rice farmers).
In contrast, the House and Senate versions of the 2012 farm bill had called for eliminating the subsidies. The reasoning behind that proposed change was that the commodity farmers were doing well financially and didn’t need them. Apart from farm policy, proposed cost-cutting measures in the farm bill were seen as a way to help fix the nation’s budgetary woes. For example, the Senate bipartisan version of the 2012 Farm Bill called for cuts of $24 billion in spending.
After the 2008 bill was extended, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, made it clear that she wasn’t pleased with the outcome, describing it as “a partial extension that reforms nothing, provides no deficit reduction, and hurts many areas of our agriculture economy.”
As for why some of the organic programs weren’t included in the extension of the 2008 Farm Bill, it all comes down to something called the “budgetary baseline.” According to a Congressional Research Service Report, 37 programs that received mandatory funds in the 2008 farm bill weren’t eligible to continue receiving them because they didn’t have what is referred to as a “budgetary baseline” beyond FY2012. If policymakers want to continue these programs in the 2012 farm bill, they will need to find offsets to pay for them.
No easy task, say organic advocates, who point out that any requests for new appropriations will be part of the national debate on spending cuts, entitlement reform and the debt ceiling. In addition, the 2012 farm bill will need to go through committee mark-up and onto the House and Senate floors before it can be enacted into la
Even so, the Organic Trade Association has vowed to lead the direct-advocacy effort for these critical programs, according to a news alert sent out to members.
What about food safety?
Although food safety is generally thought of as keeping food free of dangerous pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella, or Listeria, organic farmers and consumers view food safety from an additional perspective. For them, for food to be safe, it must also be free from pesticide residues and genetically modified organisms and cannot be raised using synthetic chemicals, compost that contains pathogens, or sewage sludge. Or, in the case of meat, poultry and fish, the animals, or fish, can’t be treated with antibiotics or growth hormones.
These are just some of the standards that organic producers must meet to qualify for certification under USDA’s National Organic Program, which allows them to sell their products bearing the agency’s official organic seal. That seal gives them an important boost in the marketplace, where some consumers are more than happy to pay higher prices for food that has been raised organically.
Lisa Bunin, organic policy director for The Center for Food Safety told Food Safety News that organically grown food is the only food that is legally mandated to safeguard natural resources such as the soil and water, human health, animal welfare, and the environment.
As an example of that, a legal guide by the National Agricultural Law Center about the National Organic Program points out that legislation specifically says that the plant and animal materials must be managed by the producer “to maintain or improve soil organic matter content in a manner that does not contribute to contamination of crops, soil, or water by plant nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or residues of prohibited substances.”
According to a fact sheet from the Organic Farming Research Foundation organic agriculture —a $29 billion industry in the United States in 2010 with more than 14,500 organic farmers in its ranks — is one of the fastest growing sectors of U.S. agriculture. For 10 years, the industry grew at an enviable average annual rate of 20 percent, and even during the recent recession, continued to enjoy positive growth.
It rankles
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, which represents family and smaller-sized farmers, rankled at the decision to extend the 2008 farm bill.
“The message is unmistakable — direct commodity subsidies, despite high market prices, are sacrosanct, while the rest of agriculture and the rest of rural America can simply drop dead,” said the organization in a statement.
For Mark Kastel, co-founder of The Cornucopia Institute, a populist farm policy research group, the loss of funding for some critical organic programs in the extension of the 2008 farm bill goes beyond whether organic food is safer or more nutritious than conventionally grown food. While that debate is important, he pointed out that there’s also this economic reality to consider: It (the extension) flies in the face of the free-market system the United States’ economy is purportedly based on.
“It (the 2008 farm bill extension) undercuts where markets are going,” Kastel told Food Safety News. “Instead, with this extension, we have the government giving more money (in direct payments) to commodity farmers even though they don’t need payments now because they’re doing well. They’re ignoring what the consumers are voting for in the marketplace. It’s assbackwards. It’s undermining our capitalistic structure and free markets. We’re having the government pick and choose the winners.”
Kastel also pointed out that what organics receives in federal support is “peanuts” compared to the subsidies and other support that conventional agriculture typically receives through the nation’s farm bills and agricultural policy.
More Headlines from Food Policy & Law »Tags: Farm Bill, organic, USDA | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/5552 | South Carolina cotton, peanut meetings set for Jan. 24, 26 Jan 12, 2017 Should we rethink fertility for new, higher-yielding cotton varieties? Jan 12, 2017 Big farm-related tax changes proposed by Republicans, Trump Jan 10, 2017 Peanuts versus enough off-target dicamba can cost yield, timing matters Jan 10, 2017 JACQUELINE BURNS heads research at the University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center at Lake Alfred, where a major focus is on finding ways to deal with citrus greening disease.
Crops>Orchard Crops All-out effort seeks solutions for citrus greening disease
CHARLES JOHNSON | Jan 13, 2012
Visit the University of Florida’sCitrus Research and Education Center at Lake Alfred, and you encounter a group of scientists running hard to catch up with citrus greening disease — Huanglongbing, also known as HLB — the exotic Asian bacteria that has infested trees throughout the state’s production areas.
Since Florida’s greening disease problem first appeared in Miami-Dade County in August 2005, researchers at the center have completely retooled their programs to focus on it.
“HLB now involves about 90 percent of the effort here,” says Jacqueline Burns, the center’s director. “Growers are depending on us to find a solution to the HLB disaster, and they have made a tremendous investment of their own money to help research move forward.”
All 31 scientists here were asked to determine how their work could contribute to defeating the disease.
“The question is, How can I use my expertise to help inform the project on HLB?” says Burns, whose academic specialty is in post-harvest citrus handling and mechanical harvesting.
“It’s difficult to quickly change research like that,” she says, “but our scientists have expertise in citrus and are applying what they know to the problem. We’ve done things like asking the ag engineer to think about how to develop sensing technology to help growers detect HLB in the field. We’ve asked the irrigation specialist to think about how to more efficiently apply, in a sustainable manner, the nutrients that help the trees deal with the bacteria.
“We’ve asked the food scientist who analyzes juice quality to look at how HLB affects juice and how it might be more efficiently blended to minimize the flavor impact. With the levels of infestation we’re seeing, down the road will we even have healthy juice to blend? HLB does affect taste, and we’re going to have to deal with it.”
Of course, many research projects have a more obvious tie to the disease.
“One of the biggest projectsdeals with the question of how to bring young trees into production in the midst of an endemic HLB infestation,” Burns says. “How do we quickly get young trees into production when they’re infested? That’s a major concern. If the trees get it in year one, then decline and go down in year three, the grower has wasted time and money. It’s a huge problem, to have growers planting only to end up throwing money down a hole.”
Since some growers now try to minimize the effects of greening disease with an intensive nutrient program, that concept gets a close look at Lake Alfred.
“What’s the most appropriate nutrient cocktail?” Burns asks. “Should we standardize that? I’d say, yes. The application of fertilizer should be informed by leaf, soil and water analysis so you can come up to a standard of what the tree needs rather than making assumptions about what will help the problem. Growers who just apply nutrients without doing that may waste money — they may apply too much of this or that, or even not enough of something else.”
In addition, scientists are trying to determine if the micronutrient cocktail approach is just a short-term solution.
“Trees on these enhanced nutrition programs are still productive and not declining,” she says, “but the reality is that they could go down at any time. How long can they make it even though they are infected with HLB? We’re looking at that, as well.”
Developing disease-resistant varieties is the long-term answer. Turning out new genetic lines cannot happen overnight, however. That means the scientists look at short-term, intermediate-term and long-term solutions for greening.
“The short-term approach focuses on pest control,”
she says. “How do we deal with the psyllid, the vector for the bacteria?
“A tremendous amount of work is being done on pesticides. We’re looking at how the psyllid feeds and how that informs the selection of pesticides. We’ve learned from other countries, like Brazil, that area-wide management programs are the only way to defeat the problem in citrus.
“The psyllid flies around. It moves, so it can be controlled much better on a large scale. The short-term solutions involve how to better control the pest and how to maintain productivity until we get a long-term solution.”
Using micronutrient cocktailsalso fits the short-term approach, Burns says.
“We are absolutely in line, step-by-step, with the growers on this. It’s good to boost the health of the trees, even though they’re infected, with macro- and micro-nutrients. It helps sustain production in the short term.
“The troubling thing is, are we just allowing inoculum to build up and stay out there? Even one psyllid can do some damage. Do we really want those psyllids moving around and doing their thing? What we’re doing with the nutrient program is a tradeoff. We’re boosting short-term productivity and trading that for a psyllid buildup.”
Plus, the enhanced nutrient program greatly increases costs, she says.
“On the 400 acres we manage here at the center, our production costs have gone from $1,000 an acre to $1,800. It isn’t uncommon to hear growers talking about per acre costs of $1,500 or $1,800. Yes, you’re maintaining the tree and keeping it in production — but that’s still a significant cost.”
Intermediate-term solutions attack the problem in a different manner.
“These involve a modified genetic solution, where we’re allowing trees to carry peptides to harbor the disease for a short period of time. It will allow healthy growth and kill the bacteria on the tree for a short time,” Burns says.
“We are also looking at an antibiotic treatment that will kill the bacteria. We’re making a significant effort to disrupt the bacteria — you name it, we’re trying it. We don’t have a lot of information on the interaction of the vector with the bacteria. In a perfect world we would look to rid the U.S. of the psyllid.”
Burns and her colleagues hope development of trees that are resistant or at least tolerant to the disease will provide long-term answers. But, that will take time.
“We can’t plant a tree and hope to get an answer in one or two years,” she says. When working with citrus genetics, scientists have to consider many things ranging from taste to shelf life, along with developing disease resistance. All that gets boiled to a tree we take for granted.
“Traditional breeding is off the tablebecause of the peculiar way citrus reproduces, so our focus is on non-traditional breeding. An answer may come from outside the citrus genome, but putting that into the tree is difficult to accomplish — it requires knowledge of the citrus genome. Identifying a characteristic is the easy part; the hard part is getting it into the plant.”
Even though a genetic answer to greening may be distant, Burns thinks it will one day be available.
“We believe we can introduce a tree targeted to resistance or tolerance. We have thousands of trees at various levels of research right now. We have to look at thousands to understand which ones are promising — and we do have promising materials.
“We are getting these plants out there. The challenge is that if we say this particular plant is the one we want to move forward with, and it has a bad characteristic in something like taste, that sets us back. Getting a tree to market requires another whole layer of costs and approvals.”
In the scientific world, the six years since greening was discovered in Florida represents a mere blink of an eye. Some of the most basic aspects of research on the disease still have not been conquered.
“Every day since the disease was foundin 2005, one of our scientists here at the center has been trying to culture this bacterium so we can work with it in the laboratory,” Burns says.
“He is yet to find a culture medium where it can reproduce. We can’t get it to live in a test tube — that has eluded us so far. It’s just an example of the things we have to learn to do in order to deal with the disease.”
Burns, who was named director of the center in August 2011, after a couple years serving as interim director, came here in 1987 with a Ph.D. from Penn State and undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas. As director, she oversees 225 employees and coordinates research with other research stations and state and federal agencies.
“Since HLB came along, it’s no longer us against them in a competition for grants and funding,” she says. “It’s all of us against this disease — we’re fighting for sustainability and the productivity of the industry, to continue doing what all of us involved with citrus love doing. The citrus industry needs that boost from finding solutions.
“We still have to maintain our core capabilities in disciplines like horticulture, engineering, agronomic principles, water relationships, and irrigation timing and scheduling,” Burns says. “We have to keep all those going in the face of the HLB disaster. We can’t push everything else aside, because we never know when some new disease or production situation is going to develop, and we need to be ready.” | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/5554 | Cattle markets adjust to larger supplies: Outlook Jan 13, 2017 Crop protection industry needs to stay united to protect products Jan 12, 2017 OUTLOOK 2017: Ag economists explore the best options for producers Jan 12, 2017 Texas Ag Commissioner hopes to talk trade initiative with Israel Jan 10, 2017 House approves $3.7 billion disaster bill
Forrest Laws 1 | Apr 05, 2007
The House passed a $124 billion supplemental appropriations bill that includes $3.7 billion in disaster assistance for farmers who experienced crop and quality losses due to adverse weather conditions in 2005, 2006 or 2007. Most of the supplemental bill's funding - $100 billion - will go to pay for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the measure faces an almost certain veto because of the disaster assistance and other add-ons and because it sets a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq by 2008. House leaders said the additional funding is necessary and that much of it, including the disaster relief, should have been passed when Congress was controlled by Republicans. The Senate was scheduled to debate and vote on a version of the bill that imposes fewer restrictions on the Bush administration's conduct of the war. “This disaster package will finally provide some relief to farmers and ranchers who have been waiting for Congress to act for more than a year,” said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., who had asked for $4.3 billion in disaster aid. That was down from the $6.5 billion Democrats sought last year. “I told farmers And ranchers across the country that a Democratic Congress would make this a high priority, and this vote demonstrates our commitment to making good on that promise. A House ag committee press release said Peterson worked closely with House leadership to create a program that was “disciplined and fiscally restrained.” Farmers can apply for a payment for only one of the three years and, for the first time, only farmers with crop insurance are eligible. The disaster relief program would operate as it has in previous years if it passes muster in the House and Senate and is signed by the president. The bill would cover losses that exceed 35 percent of a producer's normal yield at two-thirds of the average commodity price. It would also contain compensation for livestock losses. A coalition of more than 30 farm organizations, including the National Cotton Council and American Farm Bureau Federation, has been urging Congress to pass disaster assistance to help farmers recover from the hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, heat waves, blizzards and freezes that caused serious damage to the full gamut of U.S. crops. Senate Democrats have passed several versions of disaster assistance bills since the fall of 2005 but ran up against White House opposition. USDA officials have been quoted as saying they thought the legislation was unnecessary given the farm program payments made to farmers under the 2002 farm bill. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., who now chairs the Senate Budget Committee, has pledged to renew his fight to enact such legislation in the current session of Congress. | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/5766 | Home > News > US grain ag sectors reasses security after terrorist attack
U.S. grain, ag sectors re-asses security after terrorist attack
- by Emily Wilson
U.S. grain and agricultural interests have joined other Americans in re-examining domestic security issues in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Although few observers or analysts think U.S. grain handling and processing facilities are necessarily targets for future attacks, vigilance has become the watchword, industry representatives say.
U.S. agriculture experienced an immediate repercussion in the days after the attack when officials grounded crop dusters, the planes that spray herbicides and other chemicals over field crops, based on indications some of the Sept. 11 terrorists had attempted to purchase or learn to operate such planes. The grounding had little impact on major grain crops, given the season, but it was a reminder that agriculture is not immune to the changed circumstances.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also told food processing companies to increase security measures to prevent possible deliberate contamination of food supplies. The U.S. food processing industry is diverse and geographically dispersed, mitigating against widespread problems, but large plants could be vulnerable, USDA said.
USDA officials noted that food processors already tested for contamination, but that such efforts should be intensified. Other recommendations included conducting employee background checks, especially for seasonal or part-time workers, and limiting access to critical parts of processing plants.
Many grain handling and processing companies indicated that while they did not fear attacks on their individual facilities, they were taking some precautions nonetheless. Most asked their workers to "be on the alert," but few, if any, had hired additional security personnel.
Many observers said the biggest threat to the U.S. grain handling and processing system would be a breakdown in nationwide rail or truck transportation. Such a development would wreak havoc with grain and other raw materials shipments, exports and product distribution, they noted. Overall, analysts indicated that an attack on U.S. agricultural interests probably would not hit field crops, grain storage or food processors, but more likely could come through "bio-terrorism" against livestock and poultry. Because cattle, hogs and chickens are raised on compact feedlots or in poultry houses, diseases could spread quickly.
U.S. officials noted that in the wake of other countries’ experiences, notably this year’s foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the U.K., U.S. federal and state officials already had developed emergency responses and programs, even before Sept. 11, to contain such diseases and minimize their effects. Despite existing programs, at least one major U.S. agricultural organization urged the U.S. government to implement additional measures to help "safeguard agriculture and the U.S. food supply from terrorism." In a letter to President George W. Bush, the American Farm Bureau Federation in early October asked that a special high-level staff position focusing on the prevention of agro-terrorism be appointed to serve under Tom Ridge, head of the new U.S. Office of Homeland Security.
"An attack aimed at the safety of our food supply and agricultural infrastructure could cause widespread and long-term damage," Bob Stallman, AFBF president, said in the letter. "We must continue to increase surveillance and ensure that adequate USDA resources are available to combat any posed biological threat or mobilize against any occurrence."
In other grain-related developments, officials at the three principal U.S. exchanges for wheat and other agricultural futures and options said the attacks had prompted a re-examination of their security precautions. The three exchanges were closed Sept. 11-12 after the attacks and the closing of financial markets in New York.
While the grain exchanges occasionally have had to interrupt trading because of electronic problems or weather, the September trading suspension was the most significant disruption since President Jimmy Carter in January 1980 imposed an embargo on the shipment of U.S. grain to the Soviet Union. Carter imposed the embargo on Jan. 4, 1980, in response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, and the grain exchanges canceled trading on Jan. 7-8, 1980, as directed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the market’s regulator.
The September exchange closings did not shut down cash grain movement or trading, though transactions mostly were made using basis numbers with actual pricing delayed until the resumption of futures buying and selling, according to grain merchants and flour millers.
Melissa Alexander,
World-Grain.com online editor | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/7281 | PURCHASING SEMINAR REPORT: PEDv continues to impact meat industry
Industry economist points out trickle-down affect virus has on industry and consumers.
MeatPoultry.com, 6/3/2014
by Kimberlie Clyma
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – When discussing the supply of meat and poultry in the United States, many topics come to mind – rising meat prices, consumer demand and drought concerns — but according to Steve Meyer, Ph.D. and president of Paragon Economics Inc., the one topic everyone wants to talk about is the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) that’s wreaking havoc on the US pork supply. Meyer discussed the topic and how it’s impacting the US meat industry with attendees of Monday’s protein-supply session at the 2014 Sosland Publishing Purchasing Seminar held this week in Kansas City.
The PEDv outbreak is rampant in the US where it is thought to have infected about half of all hog herds, but also has been detected in Canada, Mexico, Japan and South Korea. According to Meyer, the rule of thumb with this disease is that if a farm’s pigs get infected, it will lose 2.3-3.5 pigs per sow. So far, 8 million pigs have been lost since the onset in May 2013, Meyer said.
PEDv has been confirmed in 30 states and accelerated early in 2014, according to the US Dept. of Agriculture. With the lack of a vaccine, the pork industry is combating the disease through enhanced biosecurity measures, care of affected piglets and controlled exposure of not-afflicted hogs, the agency said. Processors are also increasing the weight of market hogs to offset supplies.
Meyer optimistically said he think PEDv will cause a 10 percent reduction in slaughter by this fall; Rabobank is predicting 20 percent lower slaughter by this September.
However, the economic burden of this disease is falling on the consumer not on the producer, Meyer said. Meyer explained that producers are losing animals from the disease, but they are able to make up for the losses because of the increase in meat prices. “Consumers will pay the price for PEDv,” he said. Consumers will continue to feel the impact as supplies are affected in the upcoming months. “I see the supply situation with pork getting very tight as we go through the summer,” he added.
The silver lining with PEDv is that it’s a virus that is not a threat to human health or other animal species, and it is not a food-safety issue. Because of this, demand has not suffered in the US, as is usually the case when there’s a disease outbreak, Meyer explained.
“Demand for meat has remained remarkably strong,” Meyer said. All four demand indices for all four species were up over the past year.
What’s driving meat demand? Meyer said, “In this case, I think it is consumer tastes and preferences. Preferences for meat over the past few years have been quite positive,” he explained. “Over the past few years, there has also been more interest in dietary protein.”
But retail prices across the board are on the rise. “They have set records on the beef side since last year, and set a record for pork prices and I think we’ll break that several more times in the summer,” he added. The good news: High prices do not reduce demand, they reduce the quantity demanded, Meyer said. “The fact that we’re consuming less doesn’t mean demand is less — it all depends on pricing,” he said. | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/8638 | RELEASES Options available for reducing impact on wildlife during hay harvest (April 27, 2012)
Hackberry Flat Day offers southwest Oklahoma family fun
Searching for the scissortail (April 13, 2012)
Controlled Hunts application online now (April 11, 2012)
Oklahoma Lesser Prairie Chicken Conservation Action Plan draft available for public review and presentation
Last chance for teens to apply for Wildlife Department Youth Camp
Northwest Oklahoma wildlife habitat to benefit from Quail Forever donation (April 6, 2012)
Hummingbirds coming to a feeder near you (April 5, 2012)
March produces second black bass state record (April 5, 2012) Options available for reducing impact on wildlife during hay harvest (April 27, 2012)
A long and mild spring is producing healthy, early hay crops for landowners this year, and biologists with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation are encouraging them to walk out their fields or use a flusher bar on farming equipment before cutting hay to help flush nesting or bedded down wildlife from the area.
"This has been a great season for vegetative growth, which is what wildlife needs after last year's horrible drought," said Mike Sams, private lands senior biologist for the Wildlife Department. "And it's what farmers needed as well. But every year we have farmers call in to report having hit a fawn during the hay cutting process. So this year, we're reminding farmers early to take a few precautions."
Sams works with landowners across the state who are interested in improving wildlife habitat on their property. Some of them are farmers, and Sams says something as simple as walking out their fields before going back over them with heavy equipment could encourage any wildlife in the area to leave.
"Nobody wants to accidentally kill or injure an animal during the farming process, and these simple steps can help avoid it," Sams said.
In Oklahoma, most hens are nesting this time of year, and most fawns are born in May and June. Log on to wildlifedepartment.com for more information about wildlife conservation in Oklahoma. See the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service's fact sheet at http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2696/NREM-5006web.pdf for more information about reducing the mortality of grassland wildlife during hay and wheat harvesting. To reach Mike Sams, call (405) 590-2584. -30-
Walking out fields before cutting hay is one way to help avoid injuring wildlife such as nesting birds or bedded down deer fawns. Hackberry Flat Day offers southwest Oklahoma family fun
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and Friends of Hackberry Flat are offering a fun-filled day for the entire family on Saturday, April 21st from 9 am to 3 pm at the Hackberry Flat Center located near Frederick in southwest Oklahoma.
Activities on the Hackberry Flat area include a morning birding tour for intermediate and advanced birdwatchers from 8:30 a.m. until noon. Birding tours for beginners and families are offered four times on Saturday: 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. New this year, the first 25 families to sign up for and take the tour will receive one bird field guide/family. To make reservations for a bird tour, send an e-mail to [email protected] specifying which of the four time slots are preferred as well as the number of people in the group. Visitors may also sign up for a tour when upon arrival at Hackberry Flat Center, but each tour is limited to 20 people. A waiting list will be maintained.
Families also can try archery and shotgun shooting for both skilled and beginning shooters, crayfish hunting, and close-up observation of the sport fish of Oklahoma in the Wildlife Department's large aquarium.
Activities continue inside the Center with viewing wetland wildlife in the wetland classroom presented by Quartz Mountain Nature Park and the OK Wildlife and Prairie Heritage Alliance, as well as an interactive exhibit about bats in Oklahoma by Alabaster Caverns State Park. Participants of the Hackberry Flat Day activities are exempt from possessing a hunting or fishing license or conservation passport normally required when entering most wildlife management areas.
All activities will begin at the Hackberry Flat Center, a facility that provides wetland classroom experiences for school groups, programs on wildlife and wildlife-related activities as well as meeting facilities for resource-oriented programs, workshops and meetings. More information as well as directions to Hackberry Flat can be found at http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/education/hackberry_flat.htm.
For more information about other attractions in and around Frederick, call the Frederick Chamber of Commerce at (580) 335-2126. For more information about the Hackberry Flat Center, call Melynda Hickman, Wildlife Diversity biologist for the Wildlife Department, at (405) 990-4977.
Now is the time to start searching for the scissor-tailed flycatcher on its way north from the tropics to spend the summer in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is one of only seven United States in which the bird nests. "Scissortails are neo-tropical migrants, which breed in North America in the summer and winter in Central and South America or the Caribbean islands," said Rachel Bradley, wildlife diversity information specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "People will begin seeing them in Oklahoma any day now and they'll inhabit the state until late October."
The birds are easily identified by their long, scissor-like tail that is seen outstretched during flight. Scissortails can often be seen perching on fences and telephone wires along open prairie roadsides watching for food. According to Bradley, the scissortail's diet consists largely of insects.
Landowners may make their land more attractive to scissor-tailed flycatchers and certain other bird species by planting and maintaining scattered shade and shrubs to add perching and nesting sites.
Wildlife enthusiasts who are not landowners can still benefit scissortails and other wildlife by supporting the Department's Wildlife Diversity Program, which is committed to species not hunted or fished. They can aid the Wildlife Diversity Program by purchasing a Wildlife Conservation license plate, a Wildlife Department publication or by donating directly to the Wildlife Diversity fund. For more information about the Wildlife Diversity Program, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's popular controlled hunts program is open to online applicants now.
The controlled hunts program offers once-in-a-lifetime elk and antelope hunts, highly sought-after buck hunts, and a range of other quality deer and turkey hunting opportunities through randomized drawings that only cost sportsmen $5 to enter. Opportunities offered through the program include hunts on Department or other government-owned or managed lands where unrestricted hunting would pose safety concerns or where overharvest might occur.
The online application process takes just a few minutes and must be completed through the Wildlife Department's website at wildlifedepartment.com. Applicants have until May 15 to submit their applications.
"You just can't beat $5 for a chance at an Oklahoma big game or gobbler hunt in the unique areas offered through this program," said Melinda Sturgess-Streich, assistant director of administration and finance for the Wildlife Department. "Whether you want to hunt a bull elk in the Wichita Mountains, an antelope in the Panhandle or a trophy buck at locations across the state like the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, the controlled hunts program is one of the best things going in Oklahoma hunting."
All applicants, including lifetime license holders, must pay the $5 application fee to enter the controlled hunts drawings. The fee is paid only once per person per year regardless of the number of categories entered.
Applications are offered online through a secure process that only accepts applications once they have been filed correctly, and a print-out confirmation page is available for sportsmen to document their submitted application.
Log on to http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/controlledhunts.htm for complete application instructions, including tips on enhancing chances of being selected as well as a full listing of available hunts for elk, deer, antelope and turkey. -30- Oklahoma Lesser Prairie Chicken Conservation Action Plan draft available for public review and presentation (April 10, 2012)
The public is invited to provide comments on a draft conservation plan for the Lesser Prairie Chicken in Oklahoma. The first draft of the Oklahoma Lesser Prairie Chicken Conservation Action Plan (OLEPCCP) is now available for public review and is posted on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's website at (www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/lepc/action_plan.htm). Comments on the draft plan will be accepted until May 4, and the public is encouraged to attend an evening public meeting April 25 in Beaver or April 26 in Woodward.
The draft OLEPCCP identifies management strategies to increase the lesser prairie chicken (LEPC) population in Oklahoma through habitat improvements. The plan emphasizes tools and incentives to encourage landowners and others to partner with agencies in conservation efforts while also achieving their land use needs. The Oklahoma House of Representatives adopted a concurrent resolution in April 2011 directing ODWC to coordinate development of the LEPC conservation plan to "protect, enhance, and restore [LEPC] habitat while also addressing other factors leading to their decline." The plan is intended to benefit the people, economy, and wildlife resources of Oklahoma by providing a framework for effective LEPC management and habitat improvement that will facilitate population increases.
The LEPC is a North American grouse species that historically occupied sand sagebrush, shinnery oak, and mixed grass vegetation types of the southern Great Plains. LEPC and the habitat upon which they depend have diminished across their historical range by about 90%. In 1995 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) determined that the LEPC was warranted for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. Unless populations sufficiently increase, the species may be listed in the future, resulting in potential federal regulation of some activities and developments within its range.
Public meetings to present the draft OLEPCCP and to hear public comments will be held Wednesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. at the Beaver County Fairgrounds Pavilion Building, Douglas Ave. in Beaver, and Thursday, April 26, 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. at the City of Woodward Pioneer Room, 1219 8th St. in Woodward. Written public comments should be sent to [email protected] 114 S. Franklin St., Ste. 203, Juneau, AK 99801 by Friday, May 4.
The OLEPCCP is being prepared by a consulting team led by the Ecosystem Management Research Institute (www.emri.org), assisted by Jan Caulfield Consulting. For more information, contact Dr. Jonathan Haufler, Ecosystem Management Research Institute (406) 677-0247.
-30- Last chance for teens to apply for Wildlife Department Youth Camp (April 10, 2012)
April 13 is the application deadline for teenagers hoping to attend the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's annual Wildlife Youth Camp slated for June 24-29 at Oklahoma University Biological Station at Lake Texoma.
According to Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in Choctaw and Bryan counties and coordinator for the camp, the camp is geared toward youth interested in the outdoors and careers in wildlife management.
"We urge anybody between the ages of 14 and 16 that's interested in hunting or fishing or a career with the Department to apply," Harvey said.
The free camp increases awareness of conserving and managing Oklahoma's wildlife resources through courses on wildlife-related career opportunities, rifle and shotgun training, archery, wildlife identification, wildlife law enforcement, fishing, fisheries management, ropes, swimming and turkey and waterfowl hunting, management and law enforcement.
"Anyone interested in coming should note that the camp is being held in June this year instead of July like the last three years," Harvey said.
To attend youth camp, applicants must be Oklahoma residents and must turn 14 prior to June 24, 2012, and be no older than 16. To attend, prospective campers must fill out an application form and write a 75-word essay describing why they want to attend the camp, why they should be selected and what they expect to learn. Additionally, they must provide a letter of recommendation by someone other than a family member and a photograph from a recent outdoor-related event or activity. Application forms are available online at http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/education/youthcamp.htm. The page also includes additional information about the camp and photographs from previous years.
The camp will be open to a maximum of 35 youth, and applications will be accepted through April 13, 2012.
-30- Northwest Oklahoma wildlife habitat to benefit from Quail Forever donation (April 6, 2012)
At its April meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission accepted a donation from the 89er Chapter of Quail Forever to benefit quail habitat in northwest Oklahoma.
The donation includes specialized equipment for conducting prescribed burns to be used on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Beaver River Wildlife Management Area in northwest Oklahoma. For years, wildlife professionals have promoted the benefits of prescribed fire to wildlife habitat, particularly as it pertains quail. The equipment donation will help improve habitat through prescribed burns that eliminate brushy overgrowth and promote new growth of beneficial native vegetation.
According to Alan Peoples, chief of wildlife for the Wildlife Department, newly acquired portions of Beaver River WMA stand to benefit from prescribed burning because of heavy overgrowth. "As a matter of fact, its so thick you can't find the fence in a lot of that pasture," Peoples said. Though prescribed fire is an important tool for wildlife management, Peoples said the risk of burning away too much vegetation is one of the challenges of prescribed burning in northwest Oklahoma. When excessive burning is combined with the lack of rain and high winds common to the region, the area's sandy soils can shift too easily and inhibit further vegetative growth. Peoples said the Wildlife Department's personnel have the experience to conduct prescribed burns on the WMA effectively and safely and in a way that will benefit wildlife.
Additionally, the portions that will be burned in rotations over the course of four years are uniquely situated with borders formed by highways to the north and east, the Beaver River to the south and additional WMA property to the west.
Current research on Beaver River and Packsaddle WMAs in partnership with Oklahoma State University is focused on causes of quail decline, and the Department is currently using radio technology to track the movements and mortality of 69 quail on Beaver River WMA and 44 quail on Packsaddle WMA. According to Peoples, 11 of the quail being tracked on Beaver River WMA are scaled quail, also known as blue quail. The units worn by the quail aid in tracking the birds and notify researchers when a bird stops moving for an extended time period. The research taking place on the WMAs will also use weather stations to track localized weather events and their effects on radio-tracked quail and will focus on the effects of grazing and burning techniques. Researchers hope to learn more about the causes of quail mortality and population declines as well as help identify beneficial management techniques. In other business, the Commission voted to increase the Wildlife Department's fiscal year 2012 budget in the amount of $73,750 for the construction of a personnel residence on the newly acquired Cross Timbers WMA; $34,200 for windmills, solar wells, fence materials and building roof materials on the Beaver River WMA; $14,405 for the removal of eastern red cedars, treatment of salt cedars, burning and planting of cottonwood trees on Packsaddle WMA; and $1,000,000 for the fourth and final acquisition of property comprising the new Cross Timbers WMA.
The Commission heard a presentation from Melinda Sturgess-Streich, assistant director of administration and finance for the Wildlife Department, on the agency's plans to host the 2013 annual conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA). The organization is made up of fish and wildlife agencies across the southeast United Stated responsible for the management and protection of fish and wildlife resources in 15 states, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. Members of the association meet annually to discuss and collaborate on the latest research, management techniques and state of fish and wildlife affairs in the region.
Additionally, the Commission approved several recommended policy changes to the Department's employee handbook. The Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Wildlife Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the Wildlife Department and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.
The next scheduled Commission meeting is set for 9 a.m. May 7, at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters (auditorium), located at the southwest corner of 18th and North Lincoln, Oklahoma City.
-30- March produces second black bass state record (April 5, 2012)
Just days after Poteau angler Benny Williams, Jr. landed a new state record largemouth bass from Cedar Lake in southeast Oklahoma, an angler in the opposite southern corner of the state has reeled in a new state record smallmouth bass.
Ryan Wasser of Pocasset was fishing March 31 at Lake Lawtonka in preparation for an upcoming local tournament when he hooked a fish that he knew was special. "The fish came to the top where I could see it, and I knew that I had a potential record type smallmouth on," he said. And a record smallmouth it was. At 8 lbs. 7 oz., the fish outweighs the previous record smallmouth by four ounces.
Wasser caught the bass on a ¼ oz. shakyhead lure from Flatlands Custom Tackle rigged with a finesse worm and 10-lb. test line. He was using a Shimano reel on an Abu Garcia rod. The fish measured 23 1/8 inches in length and 18 inches in girth.
"I was fishing in less than five feet of water when the bass bit," Wasser said.
He said the drag on his reel was too loose at first and that he had to slowly adjust it to gain on the fish.
Wasser was fishing with his mother and his six-year-old son when the fish hit.
"He was just as amazed as I was," Wasser said of his son's reaction to the fish. "He hasn't seen many smallmouth, and none of us have seen one even close to that big."
And most Oklahoma smallmouth anglers won't.
"Definitely more than a dream-come-true experience that none of us will ever forget," Waser said. The fish's weight was certified by Ryan Ryswyk, southwest region fisheries biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. According to Ryswyk, the bass caught by Wasser and the state record largemouth caught March 23 are just two examples of why now is a great time to be fishing in Oklahoma.
"This is a great time of year to be out on the water. The fish are biting and the weather has been beautiful," said Ryswyk. "Two new bass records have been set in the past few weeks, but don't forget about the crappie and saugeye action that is heating up as well. You can catch fish even without a boat. Bank fishing, float tubing, or wading shallow water are other good options for people who don't own a boat. With many reservoirs, ponds, rivers, and creeks within our state, Oklahomans shouldn't be too far from a fishing spot in any part of the state."
According to Gene Gilliland, assistant chief of fisheries for the Wildlife Department, Lake Lawtonka was one of the first lakes in the state to be stocked with "Tennessee strain" smallmouth bass, which grow larger and are seemingly more adaptable to large lake environments than the state's native strain of smallmouth bass that inhabit the many Ozark and Ouachita streams and rivers of eastern Oklahoma.
"An 8-lb. smallmouth is huge anywhere in the country," Gilliland said. In addition to Lawtonka, Oklahoma is home to several outstanding smallmouth fisheries including Eufaula, Texoma, Skiatook and Broken Bow lakes. In manmade lakes, smallmouth seek clear, clean water usually with a rocky substrate. Weedy areas along the shoreline, flats off channels and shelves are all good areas to find smallmouth. In streams, smallmouth anglers should look for riffles, pools and the shallows above rapids. Food sources include crayfish, small fish, insects, worms, frogs and tadpoles. Currently all but one of the Oklahoma state record black bass in the books - which include smallmouth, largemouth, spotted and hybrid black bass - have been caught during the month of March. The three main species are similar, but can be easily identified. The most objective way to tell them species apart is by the relationship of the eye and the mouth hinge. On a smallmouth bass, the mouth hinge vertically lines up in front of the back edge of the eye, whereas on a largemouth bass the mouth hinge vertically lines up behind the back edge of the eye. The mouth hinge on a spotted bass lines up vertically with the back edge of the eye. Coloration is also a good indicator of species but can be unreliable because water clarity can vary from lake to lake. Anglers who believe they may have hooked a record fish must weigh the fish on an Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture certified scale, and a Wildlife Department employee must verify the weight. For a complete list of record fish and the procedures for certifying a state record, consult the current "Oklahoma Fishing Guide" or log on to wildlifedepartment.com. -30-
If you haven't already, now is the time to hang those hummingbird feeders. Hummingbirds are one of the most sought after birds in Oklahoma during the spring and summer months. Hummers are seen beginning in early April, and you can help the Wildlife Department's Wildlife Diversity Program monitor populations this year by participating in the 2012 Hummingbird Survey. Hummingbirds are one of the most enjoyable birds to watch because they fly backwards and upside down while their wings pump 70 times per second. The most common species seen is the ruby-throated hummingbird, but eastern Oklahomans may also spot the black-chinned hummingbird. "It's fairly simple to attract hummers to your backyard," said Rachel Bradley, wildlife diversity specialist for the Wildlife Department. "Hummingbirds take to sugar water mixtures (one part sugar to four parts water) in a hummingbird feeder and bright, tubular plants such as trumpet creeper vines and petunias."
Hummingbirds are also attracted bee balm, salvia, trumpet creeper vines, lobelia, phlox, four-o-clocks and penstemons. Hummingbirds feed by sight rather than smell and often visit plants with vibrant colors and tubular shapes.
"As long as your hummingbird feeder has red on it, it is not necessary to use red food coloring in the sugar water mixture," said Mark Howery, wildlife diversity biologist for the Wildlife Department. "Be sure to clean the feeders about every five days in cool weather and every two or three days in warm weather to ensure they don't become contaminated with yeast and bacteria."
Hummingbird feeders should be placed outside in early April. Visit wildlifedepartment.com's Wildlife and Land Management Citizen Scientist page to download the Wildlife Department's Hummingbird Survey complete with instructions.
This citizen scientist survey is a project of the Wildlife Department's Wildlife Diversity Program. The Wildlife Diversity Program is committed to species that are not hunted or fished. For more information, visit wildlifedepartment.com. | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/8933 | Pigposium III slated for Feb. 28 in Forrest City Jan 18, 2017 2017 Farm and Gin Show: A first look at all that’s new Know cost of growing a bushel ‘to the cent’ Jan 13, 2017 Tips for negotiating new farmland leases Jan 12, 2017 Interstate 69 to avoid Pecan Station
The LSU AgCenter Pecan Research-Extension Station in Shreveport, La., will not be affected by the alignment of Interstate 69 in southern Caddo Parish after all, according to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). LSU AgCenter officials received the word through a letter signed by Richard Savoie, deputy chief engineer of DOTD. He said his department and the Federal Highway Administration have met with LSU AgCenter representatives and “after hearing their concerns, have engaged our consultant to develop an alignment that will avoid any required right-of-way from the facility.” The new alignment misses the southeast side of the Pecan Station by approximately one-tenth of a mile, said Randy Sanderlin, research coordinator at the station. The route is just north of the Caddo-Bossier Port Commission docks, he said. “The original route would have destroyed this station and the pecan groves that took years to develop,” said David Boethel, LSU AgCenter vice chancellor for research. “We want to thank all those who supported us in getting this route changed. The station has served the commercial pecan industry for 79 years, the last 36 years under the leadership of the LSU AgCenter.” “Our research and Extension programs are not only important for Louisiana producers, but also pecan producers throughout the Mid-South. The AgCenter is the only institution in the region conducting pecan research,” said Patrick Colyer, LSU AgCenter Northwest Region director. “This was a team effort,” Colyer said. “We had support from the growers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. We also want to thank Dr. Mike Strain, commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation, state legislators, the Louisiana Farm Bureau and Dr. William Ankner, secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development, for recognizing the importance of this program to the state.” The commercial pecan industry represents an annual value of about $300 million to the nation, Sanderlin said. The average annual value to the Louisiana economy is approximately $15 million, which ranks about fourth in the nation. | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/9012 | Fire fails to dent farm optimism
COURTNEY WALSH
Waroona producer Steve Pinzone.
ALMOST a year ago to the day, Steve Pinzone's entire Yarloop property burnt to the ground. Every fence needed replacing, sheds needed to be rebuilt and stored feed had gone up in smoke. Almost 80 hectares of the 115ha property had to be dragged and re-seeded and 16 of the 80 heavily pregnant Angus-Friesian breeders on the farm that day had to be put down due to smoke inhalation and burnt feet. But a year on, the ryegrass is high, the clover looks fantastic, there is a surplus of hay and silage and you wouldn't know the calm cattle in the paddock had lived through the trauma of the fire which decimated the town of Yarloop only six kilometres away. The Pinzone family has been farming in the Yarloop and Waroona area for the past 48 years. After making the move from dairy to beef 11 years ago, Steve said the Angus-Friesian cross breeders were the starting point. "We run two properties, my parents' place in Waroona, where we run 50 purebred Angus breeders and here in Yarloop, where we run about 70 head of Angus-Friesian breeders," Steve said. "The Angus-Friesians are mated to Charolais bulls which I source from the local bull sales when I need. "At the moment we have two Charolais bulls and they're working really well. "The Angus-Friesian cows have a big frame and plenty of milk, so I didn't want to use Angus bulls over them and get a small calf. "The idea was to make them work a bit harder to rear the bigger calves a Charolais bull throws. "The results have been good and we haven't had any problems with calving. "I reckon we're getting probably at least an extra 20 kilograms out of them." Proving the resilience of the cattle in his herd, Steve said the 2016-drop was in good condition and well raised by the breeders that had been amid the inferno only a month earlier. "After the fire I brought the vet out to the property to have a look at the cows," he said. "It was pretty traumatic to see what had happened to the cattle that had been burnt. "But after the ones that were hurt were put down it was much easier. "Because I had steel yards we were able to load the cattle and within a week they were all headed to agistment at various properties where they were really well looked after." The clean up effort lasted a month and it took another month to get the property re-fenced. While the cattle were gone, Steve took the opportunity to rebuild everything with a few changes here and there. "I was pretty happy with my paddock configuration but I did add in some more gates in strategic positions," he said. There's also a bigger and better hay shed, a new driveway and electric fencing - all changes made in order to make operation of the farm easier and more efficient. "I think I could have just done the bare minimum to be able to get the stock back on the property as soon as possible and chipped away at rebuilding jobs for the next few years," he said. "But I decided I'd rather get it all done at once, and wanted to have everything finished by the time our second child arrived in May." The cattle returned to the property in mid-April. "I couldn't believe Mother Nature," Steve said. "After the fire, there was absolutely no grass and we had to re-sow the majority of the property, but it all germinated incredibly. "I don't know if the fire played a role in that or if it was due to the regular rain we had every week from the start of April until mid October, but this has been our best ever grass-growing year. "I put out fertiliser and lime but I wasn't expecting it to go so well." On the back of fantastic growing conditions, Steve has been able to completely restock his hay and silage stores with pastures to spare. "Normally I only cut about 50 acres, but this year I cut about 100 and I still have too much grass," he said. "The cows are due to drop again next month and I'm going to have to put them on a diet so they're in good calving condition." Steve sells his calves as vealers to Woolworths and occasionally via the Boyanup saleyards. "Prices have been fantastic so we're seeing good returns from what we're selling," he said. "In 2016 we had an order for 44 vealers and they ended up averaging 243 kilograms with a Meat Standards Australia (MSA) index score of 68. "I was really happy with that result and it was a nice follow up to being made runner-up WA MSA Producer of the Year in April." For herd replacements, Steve said he normally buys in 10-15 either purebred Angus or Angus-Friesian heifers each year. "Actually, on the day of the fire, Errol Gairdner from Landmark was supposed to be buying me some PTIC Angus heifers at a sale in Boyanup," Steve said. "The phone lines weren't working so we were out of touch but he ended up buying me 16 at the sale that day. "Two hours later the farm burnt down and we lost 16. "But later on in the year I bought a few more because I ended up with so much grass. "So it could have been much worse for me. "Luckily the water tanks didn't burn down, luckily the yards stayed standing, luckily the only shed that didn't burn down was the one with my tractor in it. "I didn't have insurance on my cattle, so it was hard to lose the ones I did and it was hard to lose the other farm equipment that was destroyed, but I could have lost more. "It was a terrible experience but it certainly could have been worse and now look at this place - only the burnt trees would tell you there's been a fire here." So keep an eye out for the smiles in 2017, because fire-affected farmers like Steve Pinzone have bounced back and they're ready for the New Year. Page: 123single page | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/9125 | Lake Stevens farmers recognized as Centennial Farm Family
Wed Aug 27th, 2014 9:15pmNews By Kari Bray Herald Writer
LAKE STEVENS — The verdant green fields along the Pilchuck River, crowned by a big red barn, have been farmed by the Schwarzmiller family since 1903.
It’s challenging to keep a family farm going, but the Schwarzmillers have pulled together to bring their piece of Snohomish County history into a new generation.
They were recognized as the 2014 Snohomish County Centennial Farm Family at the Evergreen State Fair. Each year, the county honors a farm that has been family-owned and continuously operated for a century or more.
Renee Schwarzmiller and husband Jeff Fjeld hope to set the 82-acre farm up for another 100 years of operation.
Farming means constantly adapting to changing demands, Renee said.
Past generations of her family have tried raising dairy cows, growing oats, and wheat, and apples. Lately, they switched from raising dairy cows to beef cattle, and began growing hay to feed their herd.
Renee and Jeff hope to find a way to make the farm pay for itself so future generations won’t struggle to keep it going. “I feel like it’s our turn,” Renee said. “They’ve handed it to us, so we need to get it ready for the next generation.”
Renee, 47, is the fifth generation of Schwarzmillers on the farm.
“And generation six is around,” she said. “They come help out.”
The youngest member of the sixth generation is a 20-month-old niece.
“We make sure she experiences the farm whenever she’s out,” Renee said.
Judd Schwarzmiller, Renee’s father, handles day-to-day upkeep on the farm. He’s the glue that holds it all together, Renee said. He tackles whatever problems need solving and takes care of basic chores, from feeding and checking on the animals to repairing fences and maintaining equipment.
The Schwarzmillers produce more than 2,000 bales of hay a year and have 29 cows on the farm. They’re also starting to raise sheep.
A longtime family friend nominated the Schwarzmillers as the centennial farm, Judd said.
After learning about the award, Renee spent nearly two months researching her family’s genealogy and digging into the history of the farm.
“It’s interesting and fun to see the evolution,” Renee said.
The family started out producing lumber as they cleared the land in the early 1900s. After the trees were cut down, they grew grain in the low, flat areas near the river. The Schwarzmillers have tried their hand at raising pigs, growing potatoes, milking dairy cows and gathering chicken eggs.
Renee’s grandfather was also an accomplished blacksmith. The family still has the equipment he used.
Evelyn Schwarzmiller, Renee’s grandmother, married onto the family farm and has been there for about 70 years. She’ll be 90 next week.
“It’s peaceful, it’s quiet, but it’s busy,” Evelyn said. “We did a lot of work on it, that’s for sure. We had to all work together.”
She remembers the toil, cleaning out the milk tank and gathering eggs. She also remembers the joy. The family held barn dances, some to benefit the American Legion and others just for fun.
Now, Evelyn can sit with family in front of her house overlooking the fields and enjoy a sunny afternoon swapping stories with four generations of Schwarzmillers.
Zach, 27, is part of the youngest generation. He recently got married on the farm, a family tradition. He works in real estate but tries to help with the hay and animals when he can. The best part is the fresh food, particularly the steaks, he said.
Renee and Jeff enjoy the sense of accomplishment they feel after finishing a project, whether it’s putting up a new fence or making it through calving season to see all the clumsy young cows rambling across the fields.
“They all band together,” Jeff said. “It’s just this band of hooligans.”
Their accomplishments are tempered by challenges. Despite constant hard work, it’s nearly impossible to get a family farm to be self-supporting, Judd said.
It’s difficult to spend enough time on the farm.
“You’re not going to make enough money to make a living, so you have to have a day job,” Jeff said. “You have to have at least one person off the farm to pay for the farm.”
Jeff and Renee work as denturists in Snohomish.
But Renee said she’d like to focus more on the farm. She and Jeff aim to set things up so it pays for itself.
They plan to create a largely in-house operation by growing all of the hay for their animals, butchering the beef cattle and selling directly to private buyers. They already sell most of their beef directly to people who hear about the farm through word of mouth.
“We want to create a business that can keep on going,” Renee said. “But you have to change, just like all the changes that have happened since 1903, so that in 100 years, we’ll still be here.”
“Yeah,” Jeff agreed. “It’ll be generation 12 by then.”
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; [email protected]. | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/13559 | Pacelle: Projecting a Moderate Face on Animal Rights
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Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, recently took a break from his long-running battles with livestock producers to set up a new branch of the Humane Society in India, an occasion that included the presence of the Dalai Lama. But having Pacelle on the other side of the world — about as far away from Capitol Hill as possible — still gives the U.S. farm lobby reason for heartburn. Beyond India, Pacelle has his eyes on establishing similar organizations in other countries that are major agricultural producers and markets for U.S. exports, including Brazil and Russia. That puts the beef, pork and poultry industries squarely in the cross hairs of consumers around the world concerned about the treatment of animals bred and raised for food.
“They are going to these other countries to also add that international pressure on producers in the U.S.,” said Kay Johnson Smith, president and CEO of the Animal Agriculture Alliance, a livestock industry group. “It’s the same tactic, just a difference audience that they’re trying to approach,” she said.
Under Pacelle’s leadership, the Humane Society has used a powerful combination of ballot initiatives, social media, undercover videotaping and corporate arm-twisting to force some of the biggest players in the meat industry to end farming practices the producers maintain are sound and ethical.
The pork industry was essentially forced to phase out the use of tight-fitting stalls to confine sows after McDonald’s and Safeway announced plans to phase out purchases of pork produced in those stalls. Meanwhile, the egg industry is asking Congress to do what would be unthinkable for many industries: impose the very regulations sought by its critics. The United Egg Producers, stung by the Humane Society’s ability to pass state laws regulating livestock housing — including a 2008 ballot measure in California — reached a deal with the society to set national standards for cages that will force farms to end the use of the small “battery cages” that have long been the industry standard. Animal rights supporters say larger “enriched” cages, which would be mandatory under the proposed national standards, give hens space to perch, nest and move around.
Pacelle has been able to convince the egg industry that things could get worse if it doesn’t get behind the new regulations. According to the United Egg Producers, a proliferation of state standards is creating chaos for producers, who often ship throughout the country. The Humane Society agreed to stop pursuing additional state measures as part of the deal with the egg producers. But, if federal standards are not enacted, the deal is off. Then, as happened with pork producers, pressure is likely to increase on the egg industry from retailers and restaurants.
“If this agreement in Congress is not codified, you will likely see efforts in the food retail sector that mirror those on the pork issue,” Pacelle said. “We would be forced to resume that effort.”
Producer Backlash
Cattle and hog producers fear hen standards would set a precedent for regulating their industries, too. Federal law is largely silent on how livestock is treated, except for regulations requiring that hogs and cattle be slaughtered humanely, and those industries are fighting the egg producers over standards for hen housing. Egg producers must still get Congress to write the standards into law, and so far they’ve had little success. The effort is likely to resume next year, assuming Congress doesn’t pass a farm bill in the lame-duck session.
Democratic leaders wouldn’t allow the standards to be proposed as an amendment to the Senate-passed farm bill (S 3240). Egg producers then pinned their hopes on getting the standards debated on the House floor as an amendment to the House Agriculture Committee’s farm bill (HR 6083), but that measure won’t be brought to the floor now. House and Senate Agriculture committee leaders now are trying to write a compromise bill behind closed doors that could be passed as part of an agreement to avert the fiscal cliff. In the event that happens, there is unlikely to be any chance to add the egg standards, a prospect that would be just fine with other livestock sectors. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, sees the standards as giving in to the Humane Society even though egg producers in Iowa want them: “It comes down to, ‘Do we want the animal rights activists telling the food producers how to produce food?’” The egg industry remains unbowed.
“Whether it’s now — during the lame duck — or whether it is next year due to an extension of the farm bill, we’re absolutely, 100 percent committed to getting the egg bill passed,” said Chad Gregory of the United Egg Producers.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., have introduced bills (S 3239, HR 3798) that would amend federal poultry law with the provisions of the agreement reached between the egg producers and the Humane Society. No action has been taken on either bill, although Senate Agriculture did have a hearing on Feinstein’s bill in July. “This legislation protects restaurants, bakers, food processors and American consumers from unnecessarily high egg prices. It protects egg producers from having eggs they can’t sell,” Feinstein said in a floor speech in May. “This legislation is a reasonable, widely supported solution to a real, costly and growing problem.”
Meanwhile, Pacelle, as the India trip shows, sees no end to his group’s influence. Pacelle took over the Humane Society of the United States in 2004, ramped up its fundraising and gave the animal rights movement a moderate face that had been lacking under the leadership of groups such as PETA that relied on the campy and outrageous to gain attention.
He is particularly interested in expanding to countries where sufficient money can be raised to support operations. India is one of those. “I do believe that every country should have a group,” he said. Get Permissions | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/13703 | Your browser does not support iframes. Read a digital copy of the latest edition of The Springfield Sun online. Alpacas growing as part of local agricultural scene
-A A +A By The Staff Monday, October 27, 2008 at 7:00 pm By Jimmie Earls
Sun Staff Writer
When it comes to raising livestock in Kentucky, one thinks primarily of horses, cattle, sheep and pigs. But few people know that Kentucky is fast becoming known as a place to raise alpacas.
Two types of alpaca are raised for their fleece. The fleece of the huacaya breed has a tight crimp, similar to that of merino sheep, while the suri breed is more like a dreadlock style. Alpaca fleece is warmer than sheep wool and it contains no lanolin, which makes it hypoallergenic, and it also maintains its elasticity better than wool. | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/13966 | Share This! March 15, 2010
USDA scraps NAIS, plans to develop state-based tracing system
Agency cites resistance to voluntary federal program in changing approach By Greg CimaPosted March 1, 2010 Agriculture officials are replacing the national program to trace animal origins during disease outbreaks with a state-administered system. The Department of Agriculture announced Feb. 5 the agency would take a different direction than was charted through the National Animal Identification System. The new system is expected to leave identification and tracing programs with the states and tribal territories rather than with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The new program will apply only to animals moving in interstate commerce into marketing channels, with disease traceability required for those animals, USDA information states. States and tribal nations will determine how to meet minimum traceability requirements. The federal government had already spent more than $120 million on the nationwide program, but only 36 percent—or about 500,000—of U.S. animal producers were participating, according to the USDA. The agency hosted public meetings on the NAIS across the country in spring and summer 2009 and indicated that most participants were "highly critical" of the program.
"Some of the concerns and criticisms raised included confidentiality, liability, cost, privacy, and religion," USDA information states. "There were also concerns about NAIS being the wrong priority for USDA, that the system benefits only large-scale producers, and that NAIS is unnecessary because existing animal identification systems are sufficient."
Joelle Hayden, a USDA-APHIS spokeswoman, said her agency would adapt as many NAIS elements as possible for use in state systems—particularly information technology infrastructure and animal identification tags.
"However, it will be up to the states and tribal nations to decide how they want to use them, if at all," she said.
The USDA first announced in late 2003 the agency would implement a system to rapidly trace the origins of animals exposed during disease outbreaks and identify the facilities they were from, and the agency implemented components in subsequent years. The three-part system involved registration of production and other animal-holding facilities, registration of animals individually or in lots, and the use of scanners or readers where animals were sold.
In encouraging animal producers to participate in the NAIS, the USDA previously noted investigators spent an average of 199 days tracing the origins of each of 27 bovine tuberculosis cases discovered between October 2005 and August 2007 and that investigators were not able to find the origin of a cow in which bovine spongiform encephalopathy was diagnosed in 2006.
Dr. W. Ron DeHaven, AVMA CEO and former administrator of the USDA-APHIS, has advocated for implementation of a strong, mandatory trace-back system. In March 2009, he testified for the AVMA before the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry that full producer participation in the NAIS could save millions of animals and billions of dollars by providing the ability to quickly contain and eradicate diseases.
Following the Feb. 5 APHIS announcement, Dr. DeHaven expressed concern about the decision to create a new disease traceability system. He said the USDA developed a solid framework for the NAIS, and the new proposal amounts to starting over from scratch.
"If each state is allowed to develop and implement its own program, important questions arise concerning communication and coordination between the states and tribal nations," Dr. DeHaven said. "Is it feasible to have 50 or more different programs at the state level and still have a coordinated disease response as animals move interstate throughout the country?
"Clearly the USDA must create a system that allows for quick and accurate trace back across state borders in an animal disease emergency, or there is no point in the new system."
Dr. John Clifford, deputy administrator for the USDA-APHIS Veterinary Services, said in a conference call with some stakeholders that the new program is intended to have more flexibility for states and tribal nations to meet local needs, incorporate low-cost identification means, create less intrusion by the federal government, and allow for adoption of systems with more producer accountability.
The cost of the new system was not immediately available, but the USDA indicated it will work with existing disease-control programs and allow identification means such as branding, metal tags, and radio frequency identification tags. The agency will work with states, tribal nations, industry, and the public to set minimum requirements that would still allow for efficient movement of animals.
USDA officials had previously hoped the NAIS would help investigators trace the origins of all animals exposed to an outbreak of disease within 48 hours.
Dr. Clifford said the new system would not focus on speed but on effectiveness and thorough implementation. He said the speed of any tracing would depend on the sophistication of systems adopted by each state.
Hayden said the USDA will strengthen its defenses against foreign animal disease by developing a rule to prevent highly pathogenic avian influenza from reaching the country, updating an analysis on how animal diseases reach the U.S., improving response capabilities, and working with states and industry to improve collaboration and analysis of disease risks.
The AVMA cannot consider endorsing the current plan until more information is available, Dr. DeHaven said. He noted that implementation of the new program is estimated to take between 18 months and five years, and he is concerned the nation will be vulnerable during that time.
"Our lack of animal traceability for disease control and eradication purposes not only has huge economic implications, it can also increase animal suffering exponentially if we are not able to quickly contain a disease outbreak," Dr. DeHaven said.
He also said it is critical that veterinarians be involved in development of the new system to ensure it will work in the field. | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/14454 | Home Drew Goodman, Earthbound Farm
Return to Cultivating a Movement project home
Read the full text transcript (PDF) and listen to the audio of the oral history with Drew Goodman.
Transcript and full audio. Audio may be accessed through the "Supporting Material" tab at the bottom left of the page. University of California Escholarship site. Drew Goodman. Photo by Tom O'Neal.
Transcript (25 pp) and Audio Clip: Overcoming the Divide between Small and Big Organic Farms (3:10). UCSC Library Digital Collections.
Drew Goodman is CEO and co-founder, with his wife, Myra, of Earthbound Farm, based in San Juan Bautista, California. Two years after its 1984 inception on 2.5 Carmel Valley acres, Earthbound became the first successful purveyor of pre-washed salads bagged for retail sale. The company now produces more than 100 varieties of certified organic salads, fruits, and vegetables on a total of about 33,000 acres, with individual farms ranging from five to 680 acres in California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Mexico, Canada, and Chile. Earthbound Farm currently distributes its products to more than seventy percent of all US supermarkets—among them Costco, Wal-Mart, Safeway, and Albertsons—and to some international markets.
In a single year, by Earthbound’s reckoning, organic production on this scale averts the use of more than 305,000 pounds of toxic and persistent pesticides and 10.3 million pounds of synthetic fertilizers, conserving about 1.6 million gallons of petroleum and significantly reducing the company’s carbon footprint. Through other conservation measures, Earthbound estimates that it also diverts more than a million pounds of solid waste from landfills annually, in addition to saving trees, water, and energy and avoiding thousands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Drew and Myra Goodman grew up in the same Manhattan neighborhood, but made their first significant connection at a Grateful Dead concert while they were both attending college in California. Drew majored in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz, while Myra earned her bachelor’s degree in the political economy of industrialized societies at UC Berkeley. After graduating, the couple embarked on what they envisioned as a single year of farming in Carmel Valley—before moving on, or so they thought at the time, to other careers.
The story of the Goodmans’ whirlwind journey from novice backyard raspberry farmers to leaders of the world’s largest grower and shipper of organic produce has been widely reported. In this interview, conducted on April 22 (Earth Day), 2009, at Earthbound’s marketing and communications office in Carmel, California, Sarah Rabkin asked Drew Goodman to talk about some less publicized aspects of his career and philosophy, including his experiences at UC Santa Cruz and his thoughts about the benefits and drawbacks of large-scale organic production and distribution.
Links: Earthbound Farm website: http://www.ebfarm.com/
Regional History Project Find HistoriesOral History Primer | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/15104 | PlantsFlower BulbsFlower Bulb Basics Meaning of an Amaryllis
Meaning of an Amaryllis
The amaryllis is a flowering bulb which originated in the subtropical regions of the Americas. Also known as belladonna and Naked Lady, its botanical name is Hippeastrum. Amaryllis blooms in warm seasons, producing stalks ranging from twelve to twenty-four inches tall. The stalks each have up to six flowers which can be red, pink, white or variegated.
The amaryllis was discovered in Peru in June of 1867. The flower captured the attention of florists because of its large, broad petals which, when fully open, display a symmetrical face. Further attractive qualities of Amaryllis are its deep, vibrant colors, and the well-defined star displayed at the center of certain species.
Of Greek origin, amaryllis means fresh or sparkling. Other meanings are pride, determination, splendid beauty, radiant beauty and worth beyond beauty.
The Greek story of Amaryllis reveals her as a shepherdess who loved a shepherd possessing the strength of Hercules, and the beauty of Apollo. He was called Alteo, and he loved only flowers. He desired a woman who would bring him a new flower. Amaryllis, in an effort to capture his love, appeared at Alteo's door each night for thirty days, dressed in white. With each appearance she pierced her heart with a golden arrow. On her final appearance, Alteo at last opened his door to find a beautiful crimson flower, created from the blood of Amaryllis's heart.
Amaryllis has many common names. In the UK it is called the belladonna lily. It is known as Naked Lady in the United States. March lily is its name in South Africa, and in Portugal the amaryllis is commonly referred to as St. Joseph's Staff.
As a baby's name
Although Amaryllis is not included in the top one thousand most popular baby names, it still is the chosen name for many an infant girl. Most often its meaning in this case is sparkling eyes. There are several variant forms of the name Amaryllis. Ama, Amarilla, and Amarillis are a sampling of a Polish and Latin variation.
amaryllis meaning, meaning of flowers, amaryllis belladonna About this Author
Lisa Larsen has been a professional writer for 18 years. She has written radio advertisement copy, research papers, SEO articles, magazine articles for "BIKE," "USA Today" and "Dirt Rag," newspaper articles for "Florida Today," and short stories published in Glimmer Train and Lullwater Review, among others. She has a master's degree in education, and is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
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What Do I Do With My Azaleas in Winter? | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/16491 | Agricultural Cooperatives Critical To Fight Hunger
World Food Day Observed In 150 Countries
16 October 2012, Rome - Agricultural cooperatives, already enriching millions of small-scale farmers, could expand and make an even greater contribution against poverty and hunger, if they were given the right support by governments, civil society and academia.
That is the key message of this year's World Food Day, observed today in 150 countries. The theme this year focuses on "Agricultural cooperatives - key to feeding the world" and coincides with the International Year of Cooperatives. World Food Day also commemorates the date when FAO was founded in 1945. The fight against hunger was given new impetus last week with the release of figures showing that, despite there being 132 million fewer hungry people in the world compared to 20 years ago, there are still nearly 870 million people who go without enough food every day, WFD ceremony Pope Benedict XVI said in a message for World Food Day that given the human dimension, agricultural cooperatives are able to favour economic development that meet the most pressing local needs. "Agricultural cooperatives have an alternative vision to those economic models that seem to have as their only goals, profit, the interests of the markets, the use of food crops for non-food purposes and the introduction of new food production technologies without the necessary precautions," the Pope said. "The presence of cooperatives can put an end to the trend of speculation in essential food commodities intended for human consumption, and reduce the large-scale acquisition of arable lands that in many regions forces farmers off their land because by themselves they are too weak to defend their rights," he said. The Pope's message was read by Archbishop Luigi Travaglino at a ceremony at FAO headquarters attended by dignitaries, heads of Rome-based UN agencies and special guests. Appeal to governments FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva emphasized the need to work for the total eradication of hunger, adding that many countries, in South America, Africa and Asia, are proving that it is possible. Graziano da Silva threw his weight behind cooperatives as a major way to lift small-scale farmers out of poverty and hunger. Although they produce most of the food in many countries, he said small-scale farmers had poor access to markets to sell their products, lack of bargaining power to buy inputs at better prices and a lack of access to financial services. "Agricultural cooperatives can help smallholders overcome these constraints," he said. "Cooperatives play a crucial role in generating employment, reducing poverty, and improving food security, and contributing to the gross domestic product in many countries." The FAO chief urged governments to do their part and "create conditions that allow producer organizations and cooperatives to thrive". Message from UN Secretary-General UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a messge to World Food Day that agricultural cooperatives would be crucial in meeting the Zero Hunger Challenge that he launched at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June. "The great expertise of agricultural cooperatives will be invaluable in achieving one of the initiative's primary aims: doubling the income and productivity of smallholder farmers," he said. IFAD and cooperatives President Kanayo F. Nwanze of the International Fund on Agricultural Development told the ceremony that the Fund works closely with cooperatives worldwide. "From tea growers in Rwanda to livestock resource centres in Nepal, there are many examples of how cooperatives better support smallholder farmers to not only organize themselves, but to collectively increase their opportunities and resources," he said. "Our experience at IFAD working with farmers has proven time and time again that cooperatives are critical to reach these objectives," he said. "This is why we place a lot of emphasis on cooperatives and continue to enhance our work with them." WFP chief on hunger In her address, the World Food Programme Executive Director Ertharin Cousin spoke on the need for social safety nets for those who could barely feed themselves. "In our world, too many still struggle to find their next meal. Social protection and safety net programmes enable the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, to lift themselves out of hunger and poverty," she said. "These programmes provide a cushion that is otherwise unavailable and build resilience against economic and environmental shocks." | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/17426 | Environment|Widespread Drought Is Likely to Worsen
http://nyti.ms/NXfvz8
Environment Widespread Drought Is Likely to Worsen
By JOHN ELIGONJULY 19, 2012
David and Arlan Stackley inspected parched corn on a farm near El Dorado, Kan. The drought is expected to worsen.
Mashid Mohadjerin for The New York Times KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The drought that has settled over more than half of the continental United States this summer is the most widespread in more than half a century. And it is likely to grow worse.The latest outlook released by the National Weather Service on Thursday forecasts increasingly dry conditions over much of the nation’s breadbasket, a development that could lead to higher food prices and shipping costs as well as reduced revenues in areas that count on summer tourism. About the only relief in sight was tropical activity in the Gulf of Mexico and the Southeast that could bring rain to parts of the South.The unsettling prospects come at a time of growing uncertainty for the country’s economy. With evidence mounting of a slowdown in the economic recovery, this new blow from the weather is particularly ill-timed.Already some farmers are watching their cash crops burn to the point of no return. Others have been cutting their corn early to use for feed, a much less profitable venture.
“It really is a crisis. I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like this in my lifetime,” Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois said after touring ravaged farms in the southern part of the state. Continue reading the main story
The government has declared one-third of the nation’s counties — 1,297 of them across 29 states — federal disaster areas as a result of the drought, which will allow farmers to apply for low-interest loans to get them through the disappointing growing season.
Frank Harper said his well in El Dorado, Kan., would dry up if there is no rain soon.
Mashid Mohadjerin for The New York Times “It’s got the potential to be the worst drought we’ve ever had in Arkansas,” said Butch Calhoun, the state’s secretary of agriculture. “It’s going to be very detrimental to our economy.”What is particularly striking about this dry spell is its breadth. Fifty-five percent of the continental United States — from California to Arkansas, Texas to North Dakota — is under moderate to extreme drought, according to the government, the largest such area since December 1956. An analysis released on Thursday by the United States Drought Monitor showed that 88 percent of corn and 87 percent of soybean crops in the country were in drought-stricken regions, a 10 percent jump from a week before. Corn and soybean prices reached record highs on Thursday, with corn closing just over $8.07 a bushel and soybeans trading as high as $17.49.As of Sunday, more than half of the corn in seven states was in poor or very poor condition, according to the Department of Agriculture. In Kentucky, Missouri and Indiana, that figure is above 70 percent. Over all, only 31 percent of the nation’s corn is in good to excellent condition, compared with 66 percent at the same time last year.“We’re expecting significant reductions in production potential yield, potential for corn and soybeans in particular,” said Brad Rippey, a meteorologist with the Department of Agriculture.The withering corn has increased feed prices and depleted available feeding land, putting stress on cattle farmers. A record 54 percent of pasture and rangeland — where cattle feed or where hay is harvested for feeding — was in poor or very poor condition, according to the Department of Agriculture. Many farmers have been forced to sell their animals.Because feed can account for nearly half of a cattle farmer’s costs, consumers could see a rise in the price of meat and dairy products, experts said. The high sustained heat has led the key components in milk, like fat and protein, to plummet more than usual, said Chris Galen, a spokesman for National Milk Producers Federation.
“This is due to cows eating less dry matter, and drinking more water ... which tends to thin out the resulting milk output,” he said in an e-mail. “So, if you’re a cheese maker, you need to use a little more milk to get the same volume of cheese output.”
The Platte River near Louisville, Neb., offered scant relief from the heat this week.
Nati Harnik/Associated Press Still, this year’s drought is not expected to be as rough on Midwestern agriculture as the one in 1988. Corn yields were 22 percent under trend that year, and this year the Department of Agriculture is projecting yields 11 percent under trend — “though that could change in August,” said Joseph W. Glauber, the department’s chief economist.Many also believe that farmers are better situated this year to handle the impact of a drought than they were two decades ago. More than 80 percent of corn and soybeans are estimated to be insured, Mr. Glauber said.Last year, crop insurers paid a record $11 billion in indemnity payments, and that “should serve as a good model for what farmers can expect this year,” Tom Zacharias, the president of National Crop Insurance Services, said in a news release.
But the impact of this drought has extended beyond farming. In Missouri, the torrid conditions have sparked forest fires that resemble the types of wildfires seen in the West. Already, 117 wildfires have burned in Missouri’s Mark Twain National Forest, a record-setting pace. Conditions have been so dry that there was a report of hay in a barn combusting on its own.Meanwhile, water levels are falling in town reservoirs as well as major waterways like the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Barge and towboat operators have been reducing the size of their loads because of the low water, said Ann M. McCulloch, a spokeswoman for the American Waterways Operators. This means shipping operators, who transport a variety of goods from crops to gravel, have had to take more trips, increasing transportation costs that could be passed on to consumers.Officials in Augusta, Kan., estimate that they have 110 days worth of water that they can draw from a nearby reservoir. The primary reservoir used for their municipal water supply dropped too low last year, the result of a drought in the area that started two years ago, said Josh Shaw, the assistant to the city manager. Indianapolis has put restrictions on water use; south of the city, Johnson County banned smoking at the county fair.In Colorado, there is concern that the drought could damage forage that deer, elk and other game feed on in the fall. But the state also has seen advantages from the drought. Lower water levels have been helpful for fly fishing, and, with fewer places for animals to drink water, they will likely gather in concentrated areas, making conditions better for hunting.And one Indianapolis painter is making the best of the situation, according to The Indianapolis Star, by starting a new arm of his business: painting brown lawns green.
Correction: July 24, 2012 A picture caption on Friday with an article about the severe drought settling over more than half of the continental United States misstated the surname of the two men shown on a farm in El Dorado, Kan. They are David and Arlan Stackley, not Tackley. Monica Davey contributed reporting from Chicago, Mashid Mohadjerin from Augusta, Kan., and Joanna M. Foster from New York.
A version of this article appears in print on July 20, 2012, on Page A11 of the New York edition with the headline: Widespread Drought Is Likely to Worsen. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
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2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/18026 | A helping hand to rural farmers in Nepal
Case studies and Hunger and malnutrition in developing countries
How a community support programme is improving the lives of the poorest
Santa Rani Chaudhari pictured near her vegetable plot. Picture: Robert Stansfield/DFID
Santa Rani Chaudhari, 30, a farmer living near Nepalgunj, in Western Nepal, has seen her life transformed. A mother of 2, she’s been given help to buy better seeds and advice on how to plant and grow vegetables and fruits through the UK aid supported Community Support Programme (CSP).
Smarter farming
Santa barely grew enough food to feed her 12-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter before she was given support to buy seeds and trained in growing crops. She now uses half her plot of land to grow vegetables and the other half for cereal crops.
“My husband is a driver but he does not make much money. We needed what I grew to feed the family but we were often hungry,” says Santa.
“I had to borrow money for my children to go to school. The interest rates were very high and I feared getting behind in my payments. I was always worried I would lose everything but I thought education was important. They would come home from school and help me in the fields because I had no one else to help me.”
But now, thanks to the UK aid funded Community Support Programme, Santa is making enough money to feed her family and send her children to school without any worries.
“Everything we grew was for us, but I have now made 30,000 rupees (about £200) in 3 months from selling crops. My children still help me but I hope soon I will make enough to employ someone else instead so they can just work on learning,” says Santa.
Better prospects, better living
Farmers across Nepal have been given help buying seeds, offered advice on growing vegetables and helped to build wells to irrigate their crops. These farmers are from isolated communities where 38% of people live below the poverty line and are often forced to walk more than two hours to their nearest paved road.
The Community Support Programme is now in its tenth year. It provides a life line for rural people – allowing them to grow and sell crops to feed their families, send their children to school and for those living beyond the reach of the government’s free healthcare programme, to pay for healthcare and the cost of transport to reach it.
Santa isn’t an exception. Many more farmers are telling the same story.
Thirty-eight-year-old Daya Ram Tharu, a father of three, used to earn 5,000 rupees per 3-month season from growing rice and maize on his small patch of land. But now, thanks to the CSP he has also managed to increase his earnings up to R33,000 from more expensive crops such as cabbages and tomatoes.
Daya Ram Tharu stands near his cabbage plot. Picture: Robert Stansfield/DFID
“We used to make very little money and all my children worked in the fields because I could not afford to give them an education,” says Daya.
“Without this help, I would still be a very poor man. I now make enough to pay for my children to have English language lessons. I don’t want them to be poor farmers like me. I want them to get jobs away from the village.
“I am also paying in instalments for a pumping system to get water from the ground to irrigate my crops. This will mean I can grow fruit and vegetables all year round and can afford to run my farm without help.”
The CSP’s priorities are set by the communities themselves. It is part of a larger programme that is bringing services to communities across Nepal.
Facts and Stats
As well as help in growing crops, through the Community Support Programme families are being given support to set up and grow their own businesses and 1,000 youngsters are being trained so they can find a job.
More than 2,800 communities have already benefitted from improved school facilities with more than 1,000 other earthquake resistant community buildings also due to be built.
The programme has already helped 11,000 families improve their earning potential with training. Another 1,500 poor households are currently being helped to earn money.
It has created about 20,000 fulltime jobs in some of the poorest districts of Nepal.
Irrigation facilities supported by CSP are benefitting 65,000 homes.
CSP makes funds available direct to communities and helps them decide what to spend them on.
From: Department for International Development
Hunger and malnutrition in developing countries | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/18246 | BUY CRS-SUPPORTED COFFEES FROM COLOMBIA'S BORDERLANDS The Blogview all A Little Perspective on the Scope of the Problem
2015-12-15 Coffeelands
When we learned more than two years ago that Brazil’s government had cited 15 coffee farms for profiting from modern slavery, we asked our partner Repórter Brasil to help us understand whether those farms contained the full universe of cases of modern slavery in the country’s coffee sector, or whether they were representative of a broader number. Their answer was something like, “We don’t know.”
What we do know is that our collaboration with Repórter Brasil found no evidence to suggest that there is an epidemic of modern slavery in Brazil’s coffee sector. When we turned elsewhere for insight, we did find evidence to suggest that Brazil has the lowest incidence of modern slavery and the best record of fighting it of any coffee-growing country in the world (outside the United States).
One case of modern slavery in the coffee is too much to bear. By trying to put the 15 cases on Brazil’s Dirty List into some perspective we are not apologizing for the practice—we believe zero-tolerance is the appropriate approach to labor conditions that undermine the human dignity of workers. We are trying to estimate the scope of the problem as part of a diagnostic process: to see whether the proper prescription for the labor ills that ail Brazil’s coffee sector look more like an ounce of prevention or a pound of cure.
A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE: THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM IN AGRICULTURE
Coffee is hardly the only agricultural supply chain that relies on shameful labor conditions. Modern agribusiness is a low-margin affair that relies systematically on low-wage labor and working conditions that are questionable if not criminal. But coffee is far from being the worst offender. Just over two years ago, The Los Angeles Times published this searing expose of wretched labor conditions on produce farms in Mexico exporting fresh tomatoes, eggplants and chiles to leading U.S. supermarket chains. It describes conditions very similar to those we found in our research into labor conditions on coffee farms on Brazil’s Dirty List. The difference is that our research is identifying these conditions in coffee for a U.S. audience for the first time, whereas campus campaigns for farmworker justice involving the Coalition of Immokalee Workers have been going on since the early 1990s. In other words, labor activists and organized workers have been decrying the labor conditions in tomato fields for decades. If conditions were as bad in coffee supply chains as they are in produce, investigative journalists would certainly have picked that low-hanging fruit years ago.
Even in Brazil, where coffee has appeared on the list of supply chains implicated in modern slavery for many years, it has been at or near the end of a long list of agricultural products employing slave labor. The worst offenders in Brazilian agriculture? Livestock/cattle ranching. Soy. Cotton.
A LITTLE MORE PERSPECTIVE: THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM IN COFFEE
Our research estimated of the number of coffee farms in Brazil at over 360,000. Of those, 15—four one-thousandths of one percent of all farms—were on the Dirty List. We suspect the labor practices on those farms are more widespread than the Dirty List suggests. After all, the country’s inspection agencies are understaffed and underfunded, meaning the low number of coffee farms cited is, at least in part, a function of limited capacity for inspection in coffee-growing regions.
But we did not find any evidence to suggest that these 15 cases are part of a slavery epidemic in Brazil’s coffee sector. In fact, many people we spoke with in Brazil who participate in the campaign to eradicate slavery were surprised to learn it was happening in coffee at all. Furthermore, the high rate of participation of Brazilian coffee farms in certification schemes—including UTZ Certified, 4C and Rainforest Alliance, each of which monitors compliance with labor standards—likely contribute to lower rates of slavery in coffee than in other agricultural products with less investment on certification and sustainability.
STILL MORE PERSPECTIVE: THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM IN BRAZIL
For some perspective on how Brazil stacks up against other countries in terms of the prevalence of modern slavery, we turned to Walk Free’s Global Slavery Index for 2014, arguably the most comprehensive resource on the issue. What did we find?
That on a scale in which 1 is the highest prevalence of modern slavery (Mauritania, where 1 in every 25 people is enslaved) and 167 is the lowest (Ireland and Iceland are tied at 7 in every 100,000), Brazil ranked 143d. It had a lower rate than any other coffee-growing country in the world, with the exception of the United States.
How does it compare to other coffee countries?
According to Walk Free, people in Kenya were almost twice as likely to be enslaved. In Colombia, almost three times more likely. Four times more likely in Vietnam. Five times more in Ethiopia. In Rwanda, slavery is more than nine times as prevalent as in Brazil.
A low rate of prevalence in a country with a population as large as Brazil’s, however, still leaves the number of people there who are living in conditions of modern slavery unacceptably high. The index estimated that there were 160,000 people enslaved in Brazil in 2014.
EVEN MORE PERSPECTIVE: RATING BRAZIL’S FIGHT AGAINST MODERN SLAVERY
The Global Slavery Index also rates every country in the area of “government response,” and that’s where Brazil really blows the competition away.
Walk Free awarded just one AA rating (Netherlands), one A rating (Sweden), and 11 BBB ratings (the United States and 10 others). Brazil earned a BB rating—a rating it shares with countries like Canada. Denmark. Germany. No other major coffee-growing country earned a similar rating.
The Government Response rating is divided into five different categories: support for survivors; criminal justice; coordination and accountability; attitudes; social systems and institutions; and business and government. In this last category, Brazil scored better the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. In fact, for engaging the private sector, the only country out of the 167 surveyed that scored better than Brazil was the United States.
Tomorrow we look at Brazil’s fight against slavery in more detail to better understand why it earns such high marks.
<< Previous: This is What Modern Slavery Looks Like
Next: Brazil’s Fight Against Modern Slavery >>
This post is the fourth in an eight-part series on the CRS Coffeelands blog about modern slavery in Brazil’s coffee sector. The series draws on research coordinated by CRS and conducted by Repórter Brasil with the generous support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and allies working in the coffee sector, including: Allegro Coffee Company, CRS Fair Trade, Fair Trade USA, Equal Exchange, Keurig Green Mountain, Lutheran World Relief, the Specialty Coffee Association of America, United Farmworkers, UTZ Certified and others. The views expressed in this series are those of its author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the companies or organizations that provided financial support for the research that informed this series.
Categories: Coffee Research, Farmworkers, Markets, Policy
Tags: Allegro, Brazil, CRS Fair Trade, Equal Exchange, Fair Trade USA, Global Slavery Index, Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Keurig Green Mountain, Lutheran World Relief, modern slavery, SCAA, Utz Certified, Walk Free | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/18403 | California Drought Has Wild Salmon Competing With Almonds For Water By editor
A young Chinook salmon, called a smolt, near Vallejo, Calif., on April 24, 2014. North Coast tribes and environmentalists fear that the smolts and Chinooks may not survive this year's low river flows and warm water.
Rich Pedroncelli
Gill rot in a dead fish taken from the Salmon River, a tributary of the Klamath River in California, on July 23, 2014.
Courtesy of Melanie McPherson/Salmon River Restoration Council
A field of almond trees is reflected in an irrigation canal in Firebaugh, Calif., in the San Joaquin Valley in 2009. The Almond Board of California says that in the past two decades, the industry has reduced its water consumption by 33 percent per pound of almonds produced.
Robyn Beck
Originally published on August 25, 2014 12:55 pm The ongoing California drought has pitted wild salmon against farmers in a fight for water. While growers of almonds, one of the state's biggest and most lucrative crops, enjoy booming production and skyrocketing sales to China, the fish, it seems, might be left high and dry this summer—and maybe even dead. Thousands of adult king, or Chinook, salmon are now struggling to survive in the Klamath River of northern California, where waters are running dangerously low and warm due to diversion of river flows into the Central Valley, an intensely farmed agricultural area. If more water isn't let into the Klamath River within the coming days, the salmon, which are migrating upstream toward their spawning grounds, could succumb to a disease called gill rot. The disease, which played a role in the 2002 Klamath die-off of tens of thousands of Chinook, flourishes in warm water and is already creeping through the salmon population. Frankie Myers, a member of the Yurok tribe, a Native American group that lives in the Klamath River basin, tells The Salt about 1,000 salmon have already died this summer in a 100-mile stretch of river. Now, the remaining fish, which cannot survive in water much warmer than 70 degrees, are clustering in dense schools around the mouths of cold tributary streams, seeking relief from the sun-warmed river. Members of local tribes have pleaded with government officials to step in and help by releasing cold water from the federally managed Trinity Lake, a reservoir upstream of the salmon. This would chill the river, stop the disease in its tracks and allow the salmon to continue their spawning migration. The problem is, most of Trinity Lake's water has been promised by government water managers to other users, including cities and industry. On Tuesday, members of Klamath basin tribal groups convened in Sacramento to rally officials to save the Klamath's Chinook salmon. "For us, salmon is life," Chook-Chook Hillman, a 30-year-old tribesman who was at the rally, tells The Salt. "Without salmon, we'd might as well just pack it up as a people." Hillman says the regional director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages much of the state's water, promised in a private meeting that his agency would decide sometime Thursday whether or not to give the Klamath salmon more water. The Klamath River flows into the Pacific Ocean near Oregon and is naturally separated from the interior regions of California by a coastal mountain range. But in the 1960s, the Bureau of Reclamation built an 11-mile tunnel connecting Trinity Lake to the Sacramento River basin to send Klamath-basin water to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley. Today, the arid valley is a major producer of the world's almonds, as well as other nuts and stone fruits, grapes and alfalfa. But the North Coast tribal people question the fairness of a system by which crops hundreds of miles away depend on their river water at the expense of salmon. "It's not our fault they have orchards to water in the desert, and it's not the fish's fault, either," Hillman says. "We shouldn't have to pay for that." While the BOR technically has not allotted any water to farmers this year due to drought, producers in the valley whose supplies have been cut may still purchase water from others who didn't experience cutbacks. Others may tap into the state's shrinking groundwater reservoirs. One way or another, most fruit orchards receive the water they need each year. Almonds are one of California's most important crops. The state produces 80 percent of the world's almonds, according to the CA Department of Food and Agriculture. Jenny Nicolau, a spokesperson with the Almond Board of California, says 68 percent of the state's almond crop is exported. Most of those almonds go to China. From 2004 to 2013, California's almond harvest exploded from a billion to 2 billion pounds and record high production is forecasted for this year, in spite of ongoing drought. Jenny Nicolau with the Almond Board of California says almond growers have learned how to use water more efficiently. In the past two decades, she notes, the almond industry has reduced its water consumption by 33 percent per pound of almonds produced. And while production has increased, the industry's water use has remained about the same for at least a decade. She says agriculture uses less than 50 percent of the state's water. But David Zetland, a water policy analyst and author, says this is a distortion of facts. He tells The Salt that of all the state's water that is diverted from rivers and reservoirs, 80 percent ultimately lands in fields and orchards. Decades ago, dams built to create reservoirs for agricultural use dented or killed most of California's salmon runs. Relatively healthy runs of Chinook salmon still spawn in the Sacramento and the Klamath rivers, though sustaining them involves a complex life-support system of hatcheries, transporting migrating fish in trucks and boats and constant monitoring of water supplies. As of Aug. 20, the BOR was pumping about 2,100 cubic feet per second of water from Trinity Lake into the Sacramento River system, leaving just 430 cubic feet per second flowing into the Trinity River, a major tributary of the Klamath. Many of the salmon currently at risk are stranded below the confluence of these two rivers, which means higher releases from Trinity Lake could save them. Janet Sierzputowski, a BOR spokeswoman, says the water currently being diverted from the Trinty-Klamath system is intended to benefit the Sacramento River's own salmon. After all, two of the Sacramento's four distinct salmon runs — the spring Chinook and the winter Chinook — are on the endangered species list. But Zeke Grader, a board member of the Golden Gate Salmon Association, an environmental group, says the Bureau's claim is "nonsense." He explains that, by this time of year, the Sacramento's threatened spring run and endangered winter run Chinook are already too far upstream to reap any of the benefits of the cool Trinity Lake water, which flows into the Sacramento downstream of where Grader says the fish are now spawning. "They're not [transferring Trinity water to the Sacramento] for the salmon," he says. "They're doing it for the almonds." In a statement released on Aug. 19, the Bureau of Reclamation's regional director David Murillo said conditions affecting the health of salmon in the Klamath system would be "monitored on a real-time basis" and, if necessary, addressed with more water released into the river. But real-time may not be fast enough. That's because it takes three to four days for water to flow from Trinity Lake to the region where the salmon are currently holding, according to Craig Tucker, the Karuk tribe's natural resources advocate. "They're telling us they'll let water go once they see dead fish," Tucker says. "But once an epidemic starts, it's hard to stop." For Myers, the government's reluctance to save the salmon his tribe depends on comes as yet another blow to their embattled traditions. "Not only are they asking the Native Americans to sacrifice their culture, but we're doing it so we can sell almonds to the Chinese," he says. UPDATE, Saturday, Aug. 23: The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced Friday it would increase the amount of water released from Trinity Lake into the Trinity River, a Klamath tributary, from 450 cubic feet per second to 950 cfs. On Monday morning, the flows will be elevated again to 2,500 cfs and maintained at that level until at least mid-September, according to a statement from the BOR. Water diversions from Trinity Lake into the Sacramento River basin will not be reduced, however, the BOR said. That means Trinity Lake's already diminished water supply will disappear rapidly this summer and fall. If the current drought persists, there may not be enough water in the reservoir next year to both satisfy farmers and sustain salmon runs. Alastair Bland is a freelance writer based in San Francisco who covers food, agriculture and the environment.Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. TweetShareGoogle+EmailView the discussion thread. © 2017 KCBX Privacy Policy | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/18543 | Posted April 17, 2013 10:29 pm - Updated April 18, 2013 12:36 pm By Dan Schwartz Peninsula Clarion Room to grow
Agriculture community looks for land Clarion file photoGerry Tullos walks through windrows of freshly cut hay September 5, 2008 at Tullos Funny Farm near the end of Funny River Road. Kenai Peninsula residents want more agricultural use out of their public lands, according to a recent Kenai Peninsula Borough land use survey.
Of the 1,172 surveys the borough received, 158 residents responded that they wanted public lands to be allocated for agriculture uses, said Marcus Mueller, borough land management officer.
“It’s very significant,” Mueller said.
Mueller spoke at Saturday’s Kenai Peninsula Ag Forum about what the survey’s findings could mean for the Peninsula’s farming community. At the forum, hosted by the Kenai Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development District, farmers, city officials and state agencies looked at methods to foster greater agriculture development and how to market farm produce on the Peninsula.
“I think if we had more agriculture land, that would be great,” said Michelle Lavigueur, manager of O’Brien Gardens & Trees.
Lavigueur said more agriculture land would benefit everyone. It would generate more locally produced food for an area that relies heavily on outside avenues, she said.
Also, it encourages a healthy lifestyle, she said. “I enjoy farming and I know it’s a good down to hearth thing to do,” she said.
As the borough finalizes its land grants through its municipal entitlement program, Mueller said it will need to form a comprehensive plan to address how it will divide the land’s uses. Currently, the borough does not have such a plan, he said.
The program entitles the borough to 10 percent of the state lands, or 155,780 acres, within the borough’s boundaries, he said. But the state grants the land in stages. The borough is in its 40th year in the program and has a final 27,000 acres to receive, he said.
“It’s like the chicken and the egg,” he said. “We get the land first and then figure out what we do with it.”
The borough is currently speaking with the public and state agencies as how best to allot the lands, he said. The borough assembly will take action on a proposal addressing the issue in July, he said. It will also update its Comprehensive Plan in 2015.
At the forum, Mueller gave some recommendations to help the agriculture community voice its message.
He said it is critical that the community explain why agriculture is important to the Peninsula.
Also, he said, the goal of public policy is to achieve goals, so “refine those goals to their least common denominator.” For example, he said, if a community wants chickens within city limits, they could remove roosters from the request for a more effective message.
Now, he said, is a good time for the agriculture community to advocate for their slice of public lands.
“People relate to them, people rely on these lands and people have a lot to say,” he said.
But there is a challenge, he said: the majority of land in the borough is not available to the borough.
About 65 percent, or about 6.8 million acres, of borough land is federal land, and another about 21 percent, or about 2.2 million acres, is state land, according to the borough’s comprehensive plan. The borough cannot regulate the use or management of those lands, according to the plan.
The majority of the remaining land is privately owned, according to the plan. That is where the borough and its residents can find leeway, Mueller said.
For example, he said, there is a “considerable amount” of vacant private lands. He said neighbors can make agreements with the owners of those lands to lay down a field or plant crops, for instance. Private land owners can also lease the land to those seeking farm land, he said.
A stipulation, however, is that Peninsula farmers may need to redefine “farming,” he said.
In the 1950s and 1960s homesteading era, when large lots were common, growing hay or raising cattle on 160-acre lots was possible, he said.
“Now we’re seeing vegetable growing and things like peonies,” he said. Small-acreage farming is a more likely definition for most Peninsula farming, he said.
Dandelion Acres Co-owner Steve Albers said there is a market for more produce on the Peninsula, but currently there are not the grounds to boost production.
But “I do think that there’s the potential,” Albers said. “There’s a lot of people that don’t necessarily have the means to acquire property.”
Dan Schwartz can be reached at [email protected]. Advertisement | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/18760 | About Awards and Events Board Members Historic Tree Trail News and Articles Parks & Recreation Tree Ordinances Tree FAQs Tree Links Tree Planting Tree Books
Tree Commission
Toomer's Corner oak seedlings are available for sale
The College of Agriculture sells Auburn Toomer's Corner oak seedlings online through Tiger Rags. The trees sell for $60 each and are direct descendants of the two oaks at Toomer's Corner. The trees come with a certificate of authenticity, which tells the history of the Toomer's Corner oak trees, planting instructions, a tree ID tag and a roll of Auburn toilet paper. All proceeds from the trees are divided among the Forestry Club, the Wildlife Society and the Toomer's Oak Leadership Endowment for scholarships.
Common Diseases And Insects Found In Landscape Settings
Published by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System; prepared by Scott Enebak, Assistant Professor, and Kathryn M. Flynn, Extension Specialist, Associate Professor, both in Forestry at Auburn University.
:: Click here to read this document.
City of Auburn Tree Planting Agreement
Auburn Protects Old Oaks Associated Press
Copyright © 2007 Alabama Public Radio
AUBURN, AL (2007-08-13) The live oaks of Toomer's Corner, frequently festooned with toilet paper after Auburn University victories, are enduring landmarks. But how long they will endure is an open question.
They breathe a constant cloud of car exhaust. The trees' roots are covered by pavement and compacted soil. Their branches are regularly blasted with high-pressure hoses to remove the dangling paper. The trees, believed to be well over 100 years old, suffer regular abuse at their post at the entrance to the campus at Magnolia Avenue and College Street.
In recent years, a chunk was taken out of one of them by a truck that was fleeing police. Then there was the time someone lit the toilet paper on fire.
"It turned into a big burning bush," said Scott Enebak, a plant pathologist in Auburn's School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences.
Enebak makes a monthly check on the trees. They're showing signs of decline, particularly the tree closest to Magnolia, with some limbs dying out, he said.
"It is hard to say how long they will live, it could be another 50 years or they could die in the next five," Enebak said. "The trees are fine considering what they've been through. They are in pretty good shape considering what happens to them each fall."
Live oaks are more often found closer to the coast and can grow much larger and live longer there, Enebak said. "They have some live oaks on the coast 300-plus years."
While not much can be done about the conditions the trees live under, Enebak says the pressure-washing after games causes limbs to break and will hasten the trees' demise.
"The blasting is going to shorten the life of the tree," Enebak said. "I wish they would stop."
There is another option, which Enebak said he does not endorse. "Auburn could stop winning and that would help."
Who planted the oaks at Toomer's Corner is lost to history. "The oldest picture they've found is from 1910 in which the trees look to be about 20 years old," Enebak said.
The toilet-paper rolling of the area around Toomer's corner probably began in the early 1960s and used to be performed only after victories in away games. But now every victory merits a rolling of the trees at the corner.
John Mouton, senior adviser to the president for campus planning, said the pressure-washing of the trees will continue unless another way to clean off the toilet paper can be found.
"I don't disagree that it is not healthy for the trees to do the power-washing, but the alternative is to leave the toilet paper on the trees. We've tried to use soaker hoses and that didn't work," Mouton said. "If someone has a suggestion, we would try alternative methods."
Both the School of Forestry and the university are exploring ways to replace the trees if they die. In 2003, members of the forestry school planted 20 trees grown from acorns from the oaks.
"It'll be another five years before someone looking at them would say that is a tree," Enebak said. "And it will be another 10 to 20 years before they look like a nice-looking live oak.
"If this plan works, we will be able to replace the trees on the corner with their own children, so to speak."
If death comes sooner, rather than later, the university is looking into the availability of more mature oaks that could be planted in their place.
Each year, the Auburn Forestry Club gathers acorns and grows seedlings, which it sells to the Auburn faithful for $50 a tree. The sale generates money for scholarships to the School of Forestry. The club usually sells 400 to 500 a year, Enebak said. It will have another batch of 800 ready for this season. More articles and news items will be posted soon. For more information, please contact us at
[email protected] | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/18938 | http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Easton-farms-cultivate-broader-appeal-1758.php
Easton farms cultivate broader appeal
By Susan Silvers, STAFF WRITER
EASTON -- Sherwood Farm blends so perfectly with the local landscape that even a lot of locals aren't aware of it. When passersby happen upon the shop, next to a house and in front of fields tucked off Sport Hill Road across from Helen Keller Middle School, they often are amazed.
"We've been here 300 years," said Tom Sherwood, a 17th-generation farmer whose forebear, Matthew, was granted land in Fairfield and Easton from an English king back in the Colonial era. Even so, getting out the word about his farm, which includes Sherwood's own property as well other leased fields where he grows crops like corn, celery and broccoli, can be difficult. "We can't put billboards here," he observed of the town's zoning regulations designed to safeguard its rural character.
To the rescue: a group of civic-minded residents who want to cultivate an appreciation -- and business -- for Easton's farming heritage. They've organized a self-guided farm tour to take place Saturday.
More than a dozen local farms are featured on the tour, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Those taking the tour can follow the red tomato signs to pick up free maps at Fireman's Green, at the corner of Center and Sport Hill roads, about 2.2 miles north of exit 46 off the Merritt Parkway. The signs will also help point tourists to their destinations, which are offering incentives.
For example, Sherwood is offering two free ears of corn. The organic Sport Hill Farm is giving 10 percent off produce purchases.
At Maple Row Tree Farm, one-hour hayride/farm tours are available at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., the Pee Wee Horse Farm is offering pony rides and Silverman's plans tractor rides to the orchard for pick-your-own fruit buyers.
The tour is being organized by the Citizens for Easton and the Easton Garden Club, whose members say it's high time Easton touted its highlights, much as big cities do.
While out-of-towner visits to enjoy fall foliage and to purchase Christmas trees are common, day-to-day farming doesn't get the attention its fans would like.
"Agri-tourism is the number one business in Easton but Easton doesn't have an economic development committee," said Gail Bromer, one of the organizers. "Easton doesn't think of itself that way."
Yet she said that the farms, which play an important regional role, need support so they can thrive and continue to lend the town that special rural flavor. "I want to make sure they work so they stay in Easton," Bromer said. "If they're not economically viable, they move out."
Even though she has lived in town since 1983, and has a history of involvement in local land preservation efforts, Bromer admitted she wasn't so knowledgeable about the farms either. "Until I started to put this farm tour together, I never walked onto Tom Sherwood's property," she said.
She does patronize Sport Hill Farm, whose crops include swiss chard, eggplant, cucumbers and squashes. "When I go to Patti Popp's," Bromer said, referring to the owner, "she may pick it while I'm there. You don't get much fresher than that."
Popp herself said she was surprised -- and pleased -- when she heard about plans for a tour. "I think it's awesome," she said. "This group of people are doing it because they such a passion the save the farmland in Easton," she said.
Sherwood agreed. "I think it's a great idea," he said. "I hope it's gonna generate some new customers." | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/19513 | Why Fruits Ripen And Flowers Die
Best known for its effects on fruit ripening and flower fading, the gaseous plant hormone ethylene shortens the shelf life of many fruits and plants by putting their physiology on fast-forward. In recent years, scientists learned a lot about the different components that transmit ethylene signals inside cells. But a central regulator of ethylene responses, a protein known as EIN2, resisted all their efforts.Finally, after more than a decade of constant probing, a team of researchers led by Joseph Ecker, Ph.D., a professor in the Plant Biology laboratory and director of the Salk Institute Genomic Analysis Laboratory, successfully pinned down the elusive protein. Turns out, the presence of ethylene stabilizes the otherwise ephemeral EIN2 allowing it to gather up enough strength to pass on ethylene's message.Their findings, published in the Feb. 15, 2009 edition of the journal Genes and Development, are an important step toward defining EIN2's role in growth and development and modifying key processes to improve agriculture, preventing crop losses due to ethylene related processes."Ethylene is involved in a wide variety of processes and we knew from genetic experiments that EIN2 is right at the center of ethylene signaling pathway, but for the longest time we were unable to figure out how it is regulated," says Ecker. "Now that we know that EIN2 is negatively regulated by protein degradation, we can begin to understand how it triggers all these different ethylene responses in plants."All aspects of a plant's life are influenced by ethylene: It induces seed germination and the so-called triple response in seedlings, which helps them to push past obstructions. It regulates root hair growth in general and nodulation in nitrogen-fixing legumes. It stimulates fruit ripening, floral fading and abscission, which allows plants to drop fruits, leaves and flowers. But it also protects against pathogens and environmental stress.While ethylene's power has been harnessed since the ancient Egyptians discovered that scoring figs hastens the ripening process, it also causes significant losses for florists, markets, suppliers and growers. A single rotting apple's ethylene production will accelerate the ripening process in nearby apples causing them to spoil as well. Stress during shipping and handling increases ethylene production in cut flowers inducing premature floral fading."Ethylene plays a big role in our daily life and ethylene overproduction causes huge economic losses every year," says first author Hong Qiao, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Ecker's lab. "Once we fill in the gaps in our understanding of the ethylene signaling pathway, we can use this knowledge to improve pathogen or drought resistance in plants."In the absence of ethylene, a protein called CTR1"”short for constitutive triple response 1"”shuts down the ethylene pathway through the repression of a protein known as ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 2 or EIN2. As soon as ethylene binds to its receptors, though, CTR1 looses its paralyzing grip on EIN2 and EIN2 becomes active. But nobody knew how.Since the activity of the gene, which was isolated in Ecker's lab in 1995, doesn't change, Qiao took a closer look at protein levels. It quickly became clear that EIN2 is a short-lived protein that is constantly recycled. When she treated the plants with ethylene, however, EIN2 was no longer degraded and started to accumulate.Further experiments revealed that two so-called F-box proteins, ETP1 and ETP2 (EIN2 targeting protein 1 and 2), flag EIN2 for degradation when it is not needed for signal transmission. In the presence of ethylene, both F-box proteins are inactivated and EIN2 is no longer sent to the cell's recycling plant."Protein degradation is an emerging theme in plant biology and has been linked to several signaling pathways," explains Ecker. "This type of regulation is like having your foot on the accelerator and the brake at the same time, then letting up on the brake. It allows cells to respond quickly to incoming information."When Qiao inactivated both ETP1 and ETP2 the ethylene signaling pathway was permanently active. When she increased their levels above normal the plants did not respond to the presence of ethylene at all because they couldn't shake off ETP1 and ETP2. "It really confirmed the central role of EIN2," say Qiao. "Now we can follow this route and fill in the gaps between EIN2 and downstream components of the pathway."--------On The Net:Salk Institute Advertising | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/19926 | Regional Gardening Reports :: National Gardening Association
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Learning about Healthy Foods with Food Corps
What is one of the best ways to help adults stay healthy? Helping children develop good nutritional habits early on goes a long way towards assuring not only a healthy childhood, but a healthy adulthood as well.
That's the idea behind Food Corps, a new national service organization whose volunteers will address the problems of obesity and diet-related disease by delivering hands-on nutrition education to children in limited-resource communities, helping to build and tend school gardens in these communities, and through farm-to-school programs, bringing high quality local foods into school cafeterias. This new program, which is a partner of the successful AmeriCorps service program that annually sends more than 85,000 volunteers out into communities nationwide, recently sent out its first 50 fellows to 41 host sites in 10 states. These 50 volunteers were selected from among the 1229 people that applied, which FoodCorps co-founder and program director Debra Eschneyer noted made it more competitive than admission to Harvard! The hope is that, beyond their direct impact in the schools and programs they reach in their year of service, these young leaders will go on to become farmers, chefs, educators, and public health leaders who will continue to spread the message of good nutrition to a wider audience.
An example of one of FoodCorps programs is at the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health in Arizona. Native American communities have high rates of diet-related type-II diabetes in adults and even children. Four FoodCorps service members, some of whom have been recruited from the tribal communities they are serving, are helping to improve community nutrition and health by promoting native gardens and helping schools source food from tribal farmers.
To find out more about FoodCorps, including information on applying to serve, supporting their work with sponsorships and donations, volunteering alongside service members in the field, mentoring service members for careers in food and health, or applying for a garden grant for a project in your community, go to: FoodCorps. Is Fall Foliage Falling Back?
We're all used to setting back our clocks in late autumn to "fall back" from daylight savings time. Now, scientists are investigating whether we need to start resetting our "leaf peeping" clock as well. Studies in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. indicate that climate changes due to global warming may be delaying the onset of the changing colors of fall foliage. The appearance of the bright reds, oranges, and yellows of fall leaves as the seasons change comes about as cooling temperatures, decreasing daylengths, and changes in soil moisture levels cause the green chlorophyll in leaves to break down, unmasking the autumnal hues. The timing and intensity of this color change varies with year-to-year fluctuations in fall weather, as well as fluctuations in the growing conditions earlier in the season. So it is hard to know for sure how climate change and fall foliage are related.
Still there are indications that climate change is having an effect. In Vermont, state foresters at the Proctor Maple Research Center found that seven out of the last ten growing seasons ended later than the statistical average. And satellite data from NASA showed that in the period from 1982 to 2008, the end of the growing season lengthened by six and one-half days. There may be economic as well as ecological ramifications to changes in the fall foliage show, if later or less colorful fall foliage reduces the numbers of leaf-peeping tourists in areas like New England.
The study of timing in nature is called phenology and much of the basic data collected for research in this field comes from interested citizen scientists recording their observations of seasonal changes. The USA National Phenology Network is composed of citizen scientists, government agencies, non-profit groups, educators, and students working together to monitor the impacts of climate change on the plants and animals in the U.S., collecting and sharing information to provide researchers with much more information than they could collect alone. To read more about the scientific efforts to document later fall foliage colors, go to: Burlington Free Press. To find out more about participating in the USA National Phenology Network, go to: USANPN.
Roundup All Around
New research has come to the disquieting conclusion that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup, the world's most-used herbicide, is present in significant levels in our air and water, far from the points of its application.
According to Paul Capel, an environmental chemist at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which conducted the research, glyphosate was found in every water sample taken from streams in Mississippi over a two year period and in many of the air samples as well. Similar results were obtained from samples taken in Iowa. Both these states have extensive agricultural acreage with farmers using large quantities of this herbicide to control weeds in farm fields. It is also widely used on golf courses and in residential landscapes. According to the USGS, in 2007 more than 88,000 tons of glyphosate were used in the U.S., up from 11,000 tons fifteen years earlier. The research did not look at the impact of such widespread exposure to glyphosate, but according to a Reuters article on the subject, other studies have raised concerns about the development of glyphosate-resistant ″super weeds″ and the effect of the herbicide on soil and animals. The Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing the registration for glyphosate with a decision deadline set for 2015. To read the USGS Technical Announcement, go to USGS. To read the Reuters article, go to: Reuters.
The Politics of Climate Change
If you are expecting to hear some climate-change realism from the crop of Republican presidential candidates, you may have a long wait. In an October 4, 2011 Time Magazine website article, Bryan Walsh points out that belief in the science of climate change was not such a political issue as recently as the 2008 presidential election. But it sure is now. No current major Republican presidential candidate will stand squarely behind the findings of climate science. Instead we have candidates like Rick Perry stating that he doesn't think that ″manmade global warming is settled in science enough.″ As former president Bill Clinton pointed out recently, this puts the U.S. at odds with most of the rest of the international community or, as he bluntly put it, our denial of science makes Americans ″look like a joke.″
How did we get to this point? According to Walsh, ″belief in climate science has become less about the science than about establishing a cultural identity -- you're a denier or a believer depending on whether you're a Republican or a Democrat...It's insanity as a basis for a complex public policy.″ Riley Dunlop and Aaron McCright, sociologists who authored a chapter in the recently published The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society, suggest that climate denialism has occurred in part because of a ″long-term, well-financed effort on the part of conservative groups and corporations to distort global-warming science,″ similar to the tactics employed by the tobacco companies to dispute the health dangers of smoking, by maintaining that the science is ″unsettled″ and more research is necessary before any action is taken.
But Bryan also points out that even those who acknowledge the science may still be deniers when it comes to accepting the changes that need to be made in order to deal with the threat that climate change poses. Just like losing weight or planning for retirement, he says, it is easy let immediate desires overwhelm long-term benefits. To deal with the enormous threat that global warming and climate change poses, we need to insist that our political leaders keep politics from distorting science so we can all face up to the big challenges ahead.
To read the entire article, go to Time Magazine.
— ADVERTISEMENTS — | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/20757 | By: Kevin Spafford is Farm Journal’s succession planning expert for the Farm Journal Legacy Project. He hosts the nationally-televised ‘Leave a Legacy’ TV, facilitates an ongoing series of workshops for farm families across the U.S., and is the author of Legacy by Design: Succession Planning for Agribusiness Owners.
From One Generation to the Next
From Legacy Moment (06/15/2012).
Please join us for future issues, delivered via email each Friday.
Wes Kerr is a well-spoken young man. As a dad, son and farmer, he’s qualified to offer some perspective as we head into this Father’s Day weekend. I had the privilege of getting to know Wes and the Kerr family this spring. As featured guests on "Leave a Legacy TV," the Kerrs were warm and welcoming. Like many farm families, they live a heritage that has been passed from one generation to the next. And, not unlike every other farm family, their road has not been a straight line. Through trial and error, the family and Kerr Dairy have grown to become a shining example of what most aspire to achieve.
In the interview with Wes, he said, "We need to be innovative and look at new ways to do things all the time. Not forgetting the old ways – the things that my grandfather was doing to make him a successful farmer." Wes explained, "It’s a combination of both, and they’re both equally important." Looking back on the accomplishments of the family dairy founder, Wes asked, "What did he do to enable the farm to be passed down to me? And, what can I do to be able to further think ahead and pass the farm down to our kids?" Answering, he concluded, "I think we’re gonna deal with many, many more things that my grandfather didn’t necessarily have to deal with…we’re just gonna have to have our A-game the whole way!"
News & Resources for You:
Learn more about the Kerrs’ successful succession story on "Leave a Legacy TV."
Worth a second look: In 2010, father and son John and Aaron Phipps spoke candidly about the adventure of working together as partners on the farm.
Learn how to talk to dad: It’s about family – first, foremost and always. Photo courtesy of the Kerr family photo album (shows Bill with a young Wes). | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/20884 | Obama offers California farmers money but no water
President Obama promised monetary aid to California farmers and ranchers suffering from drought, but no water. The president made it clear he'd veto any bill that reduce allocations to endangered salmon and smelt.
Our ViewPresident Obama visited drought-stricken California last week and promised Golden State farmers and ranchers millions of dollars in aid, but not a drop of water.In an event with farmers and other ag interests near Fresno, Obama on Feb. 14 promised $100 million in livestock-disaster aid. He also offered $60 million to support food banks, and $13 million for conservation projects and assistance to rural communities.California farmers said the money is appreciated, but what’s wanted is more water — water now allocated to endangered salmon and smelt.The drought is real, but California’s long-term water woes are as much man-made calamity as natural disaster. The demands placed on California’s water resources are a human construct.In the long run, California farmers and ranchers need more storage capacity, and want some of the water now diverted for endangered species to fill new reservoirs for use in future droughts.Last month farmers learned they wouldn’t be getting their allocations from the State Water Project. It’s unlikely they’ll get much, if any, from the federally operated Central Valley Project.As a result, California farmers are expected to leave fallow up to 500,000 acres this season. Producers will use what water they do have on the most high-value crops.Obama acknowledged the politics are difficult.“We’re going to have to figure out how to play a different game,” Obama said. “If the politics are structured in such a way where everybody is fighting each other and trying to get as much as they can, my suspicion is that we’re not going to make much progress.”Environmental interests, part of the president’s base, litigate any and all attempts to reduce allocations for endangered species. Obama has signaled his call for compromise doesn’t extend to changes in environmental policy.Earlier in the week the White House said Obama would veto a bill passed by the House of Representatives that would relax environmental protections for the endangered fish and provide more water for farmers.We agree with the president that the California drought will have implications across the country. Any national concern for California’s water woes are more hyperbole than reality at this point. But consumers will take notice when their favorite foods become more expensive, or are increasingly imported from South America. Will they see the value in allowing the nation’s salad bowl to wither?California farmers have made great strides in water conservation, and have demonstrated every interest in pushing further. They’re also willing to look at every proposal, and hammer out a deal that saves a $30 billion industry while serving other interests. Obama says it’s time for a different game in California. He’s right. But that means everything has to be on the table, including the water allocations for endangered species. | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/22330 | Agriculture and Fishing
Persian Gulf States Table of Contents The government's economic development policy emphasizes the expansion
of such non-oil sectors as agriculture, fishing, industry, and mining in
its bid to diversify the economy and diminish its dependence on oil
exports. The goal is to establish a sustainable economic base in
preparation for the time when hydrocarbon reserves are depleted. The
government launched several economic campaigns, naming 1988 and 1989 as
Years of Agriculture and 1991 and 1992 as Years of Industry. Through
these campaigns, the government has encouraged private-sector investment
by allocating generous amounts of cash support for private industry to
be disbursed mainly through official development banks. For example, the
Oman Bank for Agriculture and Fisheries, created in 1981, extends loans
at concessionary rates to individuals for whom farming or fishing is the
principal activity. The bank acts as a distributive institution,
receiving an interest subsidy from the government. In 1990 there were
1,308 loans, totaling RO4.7 million. Development programs also
incorporate the government's policy of indigenization, with a large
component of funds
Oman has five distinct agricultural regions. Going roughly from north
to south, they include the Musandam Peninsula, the Al Batinah coast, the
valleys and the high plateau of the eastern region, the interior oases,
and Dhofar region, along the narrow coastal strip from the border with
Yemen to Ras Naws and the mountains to the north.
In the early 1990s, interior farming areas accounted for more than
one-half of the country's cultivated land. Rainfall, although greater in
the interior than along the coast, is insufficient for growing crops.
Most of the water for irrigation is obtained through the falaj
system, in which a vertical shaft is dug from the surface to reach water
in porous rock. From the bottom of this shaft, a gently sloping tunnel
is dug to tap the water and allow it to flow to a point on the surface
at a lower level or into a cistern or underground pool from which it can
be lifted by bucket or pump.
A falaj may be many kilometers in length and require
numerous additional vertical shafts to provide fresh air to the workers
digging the tunnels and to permit the removal of the excavated rock and
soil. A falaj requires tremendous expenditure of labor for
maintenance as well as for construction. Because private maintenance
efforts during the 1970s and early 1980s proved inadequate, the
government initiated repair and maintenance of the falaj system
to increase the quantity of water available to cultivated areas.
The cooler climate on the high plateau of the Al Jabal al Akhdar
enables the growing of apricots, grapes, peaches, and walnuts. The Al
Batinah coastal plain accounts for about twofifths of the land area
under cultivation and is the most concentrated farming area of the
country. Annual rainfall along the coast is minimal, but moisture
falling on the mountains percolates through permeable strata to the
coastal strip, providing a source of underground water only about two
meters below the surface. Diesel motors are used to pump water for
irrigation from these shallow wells.
By the mid-1980s, the water table along the Al Batinah coast had
dropped to a low level, and salinity of the wells had increased,
significantly reducing the water quality. This was caused by the
combined effect of cultivating land too close to the sea and pumping
more well water than was being recharged by nature, thereby permitting
seawater to encroach.
Overfarming and attendant water problems caused the government to
establish the Ministry of Water Resources in 1990 with the mandate of
limiting water consumption and improving irrigation. A freeze on new
wells was imposed in addition to delimiting several "no drill
zones" in areas where groundwater supplies are low. The ministry is
also considering the installation of water meters. Recharge dams are
designed to hold rainwater in the wadis for a period of time to
facilitate the trickling of water down into the ground; replenishing
aquifers have been built mainly in the northeastern Al Batinah region,
where the groundwater levels are up to five meters below sea level.
Apart from water problems, the agricultural sector has been affected
by rural-urban migration, in which the labor force has been attracted to
the higher wages of industry and the government service sector, and by
competition from highly subsidized gulf producers. As a result,
agriculture and fishing have declined in relative sectoral importance.
In 1967 the two sectors together contributed about 34 percent of GDP; by
1991 they accounted for 3.8 percent of GDP. The government encourages
farming by distributing land, offering subsidized loans to purchase
machinery, offering free feedstock, and giving advice on modern
irrigation methods. As a result, the area under cultivation has
increased, with an accompanying rise in production. But extensive
agricultural activity has also depleted freshwater reserves and
underground aquifers and has increased salinity.
The area under cultivation increased by almost 18 percent to 57,814
hectares over the period from 1985 to 1990. Fruits were grown on 64
percent, or 36,990 hectares, of the area under cultivation in crop year
1989-90. Dates accounted for 45 percent of the total area, or 70 percent
of the area under fruit cultivation. Grains such as barley, wheat, and
corn accounted for 19.2 percent, or 11,092 hectares, and vegetables
accounted for 16.8 percent, or 9,732 hectares, of the total area under
In the same five-year period, overall agricultural production
increased by 3 percent to 699,000 tons. Field crops, largely alfalfa,
accounted for more than one-half of total production, or 354,300 tons, a
40 percent increase in the five-year period. Fruit production (including
dates and limes) was 182,400 tons, up from 154,500 tons. Vegetable
production totaled 162,300 tons, an increase of almost 50 percent.
Historically, fishing was second only to farming as an economic
activity in pre-oil Oman. Both the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea
offer a variety of catch, including sardines, bluefish, mackerel, shark,
tuna, abalone, lobsters, and oysters. Fishermen harvest their catch in
the waters near the coast, using the traditional, small seagoing canoe,
to which an outboard motor has been added.
The fishing sector (along with agriculture) is considered one of the
most promising areas for commercial attention and accounts for the
highest non-oil export revenue. However, sales in 1990 totaled RO17.3
million, dwarfed by oil export earnings of RO1.9 billion. The GCC
provided the largest fish export market. The fishing sector also
provided employment opportunities to 19,296 fishermen registered in
1990, of whom 18,546 were employed in traditional fisheries and 750 in
industrial fisheries. Like agriculture, fishing has been affected by the
diminishing number of people employed in the sector. As increasing
numbers of fishermen turn to more remunerative employment, there has
been a gradual decrease in the amount of fish caught.
The government has stressed modernizing and expanding the fishing
industry and developing its export potential. The Joint United
States-Oman Commission funded the Oman Fisheries Development and
Management Project to strengthen the technical, administrative, and
management skills of the Directorate General of Fisheries Resources
(DGFR). In strengthening the DGFR, the government hopes to increase
private-sector confidence in the fishing industry and, in the long term,
to create private-sector- led development of the industry.
The government is following a dual strategy--internally, to improve
the capacity of the DGFR to manage Oman's fishing resources and,
externally, to provide incentives for fishermen to remain in their
occupations. The government provides subsidies to purchase fiberglass
boats and outboard engines; to construct workshops, cold storage
facilities, and jetties along the coastline; and to establish companies
to market fish both domestically and internationally. | 农业 |
2017-04/4174/en_head.json.gz/23034 | An orchard specializes in pawpaws Save for later
The pawpaw, the largest edible fruit native to the United States, is gaining a new interest among chefs and the local food movement. By
Carrie Ann Knauer, Carroll County Times/AP
Jim Davis surveys his pawpaw trees on his five-acre Deep Run Pawpaw Orchard in Union Mills, Md.
Ken Koons/Carroll County Times/AP View Caption About video ads
of UNION MILLS, Md. — The air at Deep Run Pawpaw Orchard carries the faint aroma of banana and mango. Inside the walk-in cooler where the harvested pawpaws are stored, the scent is much stronger, sweeter — so powerful that you can almost taste their tropical flavor, reminiscent of banana, mango, pineapple, and custard.Hidden in the hills of northern Westminster, Jim and Donna Davis have 5 acres with about 1,000 pawpaw trees, making them one of the largest, if not the largest, pawpaw orchard in the country.Many people may have never heard of a pawpaw, but it is the largest edible fruit native to the United States, Mr. Davis says. It was cultivated by American Indians, nourished early settlers and passed down through generations of some families, he says, but it is gaining a new interest as well among chefs and the local food movement.
"People either like them or they don't," Ms. Davis says. "But the people who like them are passionate about them, I suppose because it takes so much to grow them, and they have that delicate flavor. It's kind of a cult thing."
Jim purchased the farm in 1996, and was introduced to the idea of a pawpaw orchard by former county extension agent Tom Ford. Mr. Ford put him in touch with Neal Peterson, a plant geneticist enthralled with pawpaws who was looking for different sites to do some experimental plantings and data collection using multiple pawpaw varieties."I've always been interested in plants and horticulture," Jim says, so he was excited to give them a try. Mr. Peterson was able to offer some guidance, but much about the fertilizing, pruning, and irrigation needs of the plant are still being discovered, he notes."We're kind of like pioneers in this," Jim says. "The whole process is in its infancy."The varieties of pawpaws grown at Deep Run Pawpaw Orchard average 10 to 12 ounces, more than double the size of wild pawpaws, Donna says. Breeders are also trying to minimize the size of their seeds to have a higher flesh to seed ratio, she says. Pawpaws have 10 to 14 seeds, which are black and resemble lima beans.But one of the biggest hurdles is trying to create a fruit that can be picked earlier and withstand shipping.Pawpaws must be picked at their peak, or just a day or two in advance, Jim says, because they do not ripen properly on the shelf. And not all pawpaws, even within the same bunch, ripen at the same time. As a result, he and Donna check each fruit several times a week during harvest season, trying to catch the peak picking time, not too early and not so late that they fall off the tree."You have to pick them just at the right time," Jim says. "It's been a learning process."The level of attention to detail required for the harvest would make it very difficult to train other workers, he says, and so he and Donna work exhausting, sometimes 12-hour days in September, harvesting their fussy fruit.The harvested pawpaws are stored in the cooler and shipped out twice a week to buyers. Some go to Mackintosh Fruit Farm in Berryville, Va., for retail sale, some to other farms, and others are sold to the websites www.earthy.com and www.heritagefoodsusa.com, where they are marketed as a gourmet delicacy for $10 a pound.Jim says that with this being a hobby business, it is too much trouble for them to try and sell the fruits directly to customers themselves. But when buyers contact them looking for more than just a couple of fruits, sometimes they are able to work out a deal.Bud's at Silver Run in Silver Run, Md., for example, purchased some of the pawpaw ice cream made from the Davises' fruit and served it in their restaurant last year, Donna says.Nancy Hagerty, general manager of Bud's at Silver Run, says the ice cream was a big hit."We used pawpaw ice cream for one of our wine dinners, and we flambéed it," Ms. Hagerty says. "We really liked it a lot."Some of the Davises' pawpaws will be made into ice cream again this year by South Mountain Creamery, a Middletown, Md., dairy that produces homemade ice cream, Donna says.Pawpaws may never make it to be a grocery store fruit, Jim says, because the labor-intensive harvesting process and narrow window of ripeness. But he could see them becoming a more popular orchard fruit, being sold at more farmers markets."You're pretty much learning as you go and collecting the data to help other people," he says. "Every year there seems to be more interest in this fruit."Editor’s note: For more on pawpaws, read an article about America's forgotten fruit in the Christian Science Monitor.For more on gardening, see the Monitor’s main gardening page, which offers articles on many gardening topics. Also, check out our blog archive and our RSS feed. You may want to visit Gardening With the Monitor on Flickr. Take part in the discussions and get answers to your gardening questions. If you join the group (it’s free), you can upload your garden photos and enter our next contest. We’ll be looking for photographs of fruits. So find your best shots of summer’s blueberries, peaches, plums, etc., and get out your camera to take some stunning shots of early fall apples. Post them before Sept. 30, 2009, and you could be the next winner.
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2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/739 | Diverted by Terror Concerns, U.S. Let Destructive Insects, Plant Infections Slip Into Country
By TRACIE CONE | October 10, 2011 | 3:10 AM EDT Agriculture specialist John Machado, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, uses a knife to sift through an opened bag of rice during an inspection in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday Aug. 23, 2011. Dozens of foreign insects and plant diseases slipped undetected into the United States in the years after 9/11, when authorities were so focused on preventing another attack that they overlooked a pest explosion that threatened the quality of the nation’s food supply. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Dozens of foreign insects and plant diseases slipped undetected into the United States in the years after 9/11, when authorities were so focused on preventing another attack that they overlooked a pest explosion that threatened the quality of the nation's food supply.
At the time, hundreds of agricultural scientists responsible for stopping invasive species at the border were reassigned to anti-terrorism duties in the newly formed Homeland Security Department — a move that scientists say cost billions of dollars in crop damage and eradication efforts from California vineyards to Florida citrus groves.
The consequences come home to consumers in the form of higher grocery prices, substandard produce and the risk of environmental damage from chemicals needed to combat the pests.
An Associated Press analysis of inspection records found that border-protection officials were so engrossed in stopping terrorists that they all but ignored the country's exposure to destructive new insects and infections — a quietly growing menace that has been attacking fruits and vegetables and even prized forests ever since.
"Whether they know it or not, every person in the country is affected by this, whether by the quality or cost of their food, the pesticide residue on food or not being able to enjoy the outdoors because beetles are killing off the trees," said Mark Hoddle, an entomologist specializing in invasive species at the University of California, Riverside.
Homeland Security officials acknowledge making mistakes and say they are now working to step up agricultural inspections at border checkpoints, airports and seaports.
While not as dire as terrorism, the threat is considerable and hard to contain.
Many invasive species are carried into the U.S. by people who are either unaware of the laws or are purposely trying to skirt quarantine regulations. The hardest to stop are fruits, vegetables and spices carried by international travelers or shipped by mail. If tainted with insects or infections, they could carry contagions capable of devastating crops.
Plants and cut flowers can harbor larvae, as can bags of bulk commodities such as rice. Beetles have been found hitchhiking on the bottom of tiles from Italy, and boring insects have burrowed into the wooden pallets commonly used in cargo shipments.
Invasive species have been sneaking into North America since Europeans arrived on the continent, and many got established long before 9/11. But the abrupt shift in focus that followed the attacks caused a steep decline in agricultural inspections that allowed more pests to invade American farms and forests.
Using the Freedom of Information Act, the AP obtained data on border inspections covering the period from 2001 to 2010. The analysis showed that the number of inspections, along with the number of foreign species that were stopped, fell dramatically in the years after the Homeland Security Department was formed.
Over much of the same period, the number of crop-threatening pests that got into the U.S spiked, from eight in 1999 to at least 30 last year.
The bugs targeted some of the nation's most productive agricultural regions, particularly California and Florida, with their warm year-round climates that make it easy for foreign species to survive the journey and reproduce in their new home.
A look at the damage:
— No fewer than 19 Mediterranean fruit fly infestations took hold in California, and the European grapevine moth triggered spraying and quarantines across wine country.
— The Asian citrus psyllid, which can carry a disease that has decimated Florida orange groves, crossed the border from Mexico, threatening California's $1.8 billion citrus industry.
— New Zealand's light brown apple moth also emerged in California, prompting the government in 2008 to bombard the Monterey Bay area with 1,600 pounds of pesticides. The spraying drew complaints that it caused respiratory problems and killed birds. Officials spent $110 million to eradicate the moth, but it didn't work.
— The sweet orange scab, a fungal disease that infects citrus, appeared in Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, which all imposed quarantines.
— Chili thrips, rice cutworms and the plant disease gladiolus rust also got into Florida, which saw a 27 percent increase in new pests and pathogens between 2003 and 2007.
— The erythrina gall wasp decimated Hawaii's wiliwili trees, which bear seeds used to make leis.
— Forests from Minnesota to the Northeast were also affected by beetles such as the emerald ash borer, many of which arrived in Chinese shipping pallets because regulations weren't enforced.
In all, the number of pest cases intercepted at U.S. ports of entry fell from more than 81,200 in 2002 to fewer than 58,500 in 2006, before creeping back up in 2007, when the farm industry and members of Congress began complaining.
Once the pests get established, costs can quickly spiral out of control. The most widely quoted economic analysis, conducted in 2004 by Cornell University, puts the total annual cost of all invasive species in the U.S. at $120 billion. Much of that burden is borne by consumers in the form of higher food costs and by taxpayers who pay for government eradication programs.
For instance, if the destructive infection known as citrus canker were to become established in California, which produces most of the nation's fresh oranges, consumers would pay up to $130 million more a year for the fruit, according to an ongoing study by scientists at the University of California at Davis.
"It's all about early detection, and it wasn't their priority at the time," said A.G. Kawamura, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture from 2003 through 2010, who was sharply criticized for the spraying in Monterey Bay.
And it's not just humans who pay the cost. Wildlife and beneficial insects die when fields are sprayed.
The problems began when the Homeland Security Department absorbed inspectors who worked for the Department of Agriculture. The move put plant and insect scientists alongside gun-toting agents from Customs and Border Protection and resulted in a bitter culture clash.
Agriculture supervisors were replaced in the chain of command by officials unfamiliar with crop science. Hundreds of inspectors resigned, retired or transferred to other agencies. Some of the inspectors who remained on the job lost their offices and desks and were forced to work out of the trunks of their cars.
It took authorities years "to learn there's an important mission there," said Joe Cavey, head of pest identification for a USDA inspection service. "Yeah, maybe a radioactive bomb is more important, but you have to do both things."
At the time of the merger, at least 339 of 1,800 inspector positions were vacant. By 2008, vacancies had increased to 500, or more than a quarter of the original workforce.
The effect of the exodus was profound. One East Coast port director told a congressional investigator that she was left without a single agriculture inspector. An airport technician in Bangor, Maine, said there wasn't one within 50 miles for two years.
One agriculture inspector who defied authority was demoted, despite being credited with saving California's citrus industry from the potentially devastating effects of canker.
While working at an international mail center outside San Francisco, the inspector found a package destined for Ventura labeled "books and chocolates." Inside were 350 citrus cuttings from Japan that were infested with canker, which has killed more than 2 million trees across Florida but does not exist in California.
He showed it to a supervisor, who, according to the Congressional Record, replied: "Look, we are here to protect the country from acts of terrorism. What do you expect me to do?"
The inspector sidestepped the supervisor and called the USDA. The resulting investigation ended with arrests and the incineration of 4,000 potentially infected trees that had been growing at an unregistered nursery in a prime citrus region.
But within a month, the whistleblower was demoted to search through the dirty laundry of passengers returning from foreign trips.
Government officials now acknowledge the problems and say they began taking corrective steps after Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California threatened in 2008 to propose a bill that would move inspectors back to the USDA and increase their numbers.
"That was a huge moment for everybody," said Kevin Harriger, Custom and Border Protection's acting executive director of agriculture programs. "We took it on the chin and said, 'You're right. We heard you. We've been remiss in several key areas.'"
Critics in Congress say serious damage has already been done. Sen. Daniel Akaka, a Hawaii Democrat and member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, said the improvements aren't happening fast enough. He's asked the Government Accountability Office to reopen an investigation.
"When change like this happens, you hope people get it right the first time," said Rep. Dennis Cardoza, a California Democrat who also investigated the problems. "But if they don't, it's not them who pay the price. It's society that does."
Associated Press Writer Rick Callahan in Indianapolis contributed to this report. Printer-friendly version | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/3015 | Oyster harvests at historic low
Commercial oyster harvests in important fishing grounds east of the Mississippi River have reached historic lows, state wildlife officials said.
Nikki BuskeyStaff Writer
Commercial oyster harvests in important fishing grounds east of the Mississippi River have reached historic lows, state wildlife officials said.Those grounds typically provide almost 50 percent of the state’s oyster harvest. But crops were wiped out after the BP oil spill in 2010, and unsuccessful reproductive cycles since then have failed to replenished stocks, worrying state wildlife officials and the oyster industry.The oyster industry is producing about 35 percent of the oysters it would during a normal year, officials said.“These are the most productive public grounds in Louisiana. I’d say they’re some of the most productive oyster grounds in the world,” said Mike Voisin, owner of Motivatit Seafood oyster company in Houma and a member of the state’s Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. “It’s a cause for concern, and we have to look closely and figure out why this is happening.”Oysters are not only of culinary and cultural importance in Louisiana; the state’s oyster industry employs about 3,500 Louisianans and has an estimated $300 million annual impact on the state economy.Fifty percent the state’s oyster grounds were wiped out during the BP oil spill. Many oysters were killed when the state opened up freshwater diversions on the Mississippi River to push oil out of wetlands. Oysters need salty water to survive. A river flood in 2011 devastated even more oyster grounds.Though oysters in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes are still faring well, most oyster grounds impacted by the spill have not recovered. Oyster harvests east of the Mississippi River were near historic highs in 2009, but a dramatic decrease in spat sets and adult oysters have public officials concerned. Scientists have been trying to understand why there have been no successful reproductive cycles, called spats, when larval oysters attach to the hard bottom and begin to grow.Only after Hurricane Isaac did scientists begin to see some growth again, Voisin said.“We are monitoring the conditions as we have historically done and have seen the amount of harvestable sack-sized oysters decrease over the last few years,” said Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham. “The science is consistent with what we have heard from some oyster fishermen and dealers in anecdotal reports. Despite some claims that have been made publicly, the oyster industry has not been made whole. We have a long way to go before we know the full scope of impacts in the Gulf, but what we are currently seeing worries us.”Wildlife and Fisheries officials say data gathered through biologists’ observations confirms ongoing issues with oyster stocks, but a direct cause is not evident. Scientists are also studying the spill’s impact on oysters through the Natural Resources Damage Assessment, a legal process that seeks to document all damage caused by the disaster. That information is used to create a restoration plan aimed at bringing the Gulf back to pre-spill conditions.That study is ongoing, and results are not available.Voisin said oyster population crashes like this have happened before, including one he could recall during the 1980s. But the fishery recovered and a few years later oysters came back in record numbers.“We’ve seen ups and downs in this area before,” he said. “The question everyone asks is it’s Deepwater Horizon. The timing is odd but the science will tell us if there’s a direct correlation.”In the meantime, he said, industry officials are moving forward with new farming techniques that may help the industry recover. New regulations will allow for off-bottom growth of oysters on private farms, which can produce oysters faster.In addition, the state has rehabilitated oyster grounds with cultch, limestone or shell material placed on the bottom to create a hard surface for oyster larvae to attach to.“We’re putting things in place that will allow us to overcome this,” Voisin said.Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or [email protected]. | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/5238 | You are hereMP018: Leyland Steam Mower
MP018: Leyland Steam Mower
The Leyland was one of the first motorised lawn mowers. It was produced for just a few years at the end of the 19th and start of the 20th centuries.
Before this time, small mowers were pushed by the operator. Medium sized machines relied on two people (one pushing, one pulling). The largest machines were pulled by ponies or horses or other types of animal.
Keeping a pony or horse to pull the mower was not always practical or economic and by the end of the 19th century a number of designers were looking for a mechanised solution. Small but powerful steam engines were available at a reasonable price and it was only a matter of time before someone tried to produce a steam powered mower.
That person was James Sumner of Leyland, Lancashire. In 1893 he designed the world's first practical steam powered lawn mower. The design was modified in the next few years although there is very little evidence that many examples were ever made. One that does survive can now be seen at the University of Reading.
The mower was little more than a horse mower with a steam engine mounted on top and a simple arrangement of gears to transmit power to the rear roller. Unusually for the period, the engine was fuelled by oil rather than coal.
In theory the steam mower offered a number of advantages. It could be operated by one person and did not need to be sheltered and fed like a horse or pony. It was suitable for large areas such as sports grounds but was expensive to buy and difficult to operate.
Sumner renamed his company the Leyland Steam Motor Company in 1895. This company became synonymous with the British car industry and eventually became British Leyland.
Alexander Shanks of Arbroath and Thomas Green of Leeds produced rival steam powered mowers soon after the Leyland but none of these machines was a commercial success. The introduction of compact internal combustion engines at the start of the 20th century provided mower manufacturers with a more convenient power source. When Ransomes produced its first petrol engined mower in 1902 it signalled the end of the brief steam mower era.
Steam mowers are extremely rare. Apart from the example at the University of Reading no others are known. There is a replica of this mower in a museum in Coventry made by British Leyland apprentices some years ago. | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/6378 | Approaching elver season fans debate over tribal licenses
by Edward French With the elver fishery in Maine set to begin near the end of March, the debate over the number of licenses issued by the Passamaquoddy Tribe is expected to heat up. Many people want to get into the lucrative fishery, with the price jumping to $2,600 a pound at the height of last year's season and the $40 million fishery now being second in value only to the lobster industry. While the state awarded just four new elver licenses this year, with more than 5,000 Maine residents applying for one, the tribe has no limit on the number of licenses it issues. However, the tribal government last week adopted other management measures to conserve the eel population.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) has submitted a bill that, as written, would limit the tribe's issuance of elver licenses to eight. Last year the tribe issued 236 licenses. The bill will be the subject of a legislative public hearing on March 6. Meanwhile, the Passamaquoddy Joint Tribal Council, at a February 13 meeting at Indian Township, approved the eel management plan that was drafted by the joint council's Fisheries Advisory Committee. According to Jeff Nichols, communications director for the DMR, the department has not yet received the final version of the Passamaquoddy eel management plan and has no comment on an earlier draft.
Fred Moore of Pleasant Point, a spokesman for the Passamaquoddy fisheries committee, says, "Our approach to management is very different from other jurisdictions. It's not accurate to simply look at the number of permits that are issued for determining the impact on the eel population."
"We don't limit the number of permits, because the fishery is an inherent right of tribal members," he says. Instead, the tribal plan restricts the method of taking glass eels. For instance, the minimum distance between tribal fyke nets is at least three times greater than the state's minimum distance. "Under the state's rules, people could fish three times as much gear on the same river," Moore says. Also, tribal members are not allowed to dip eels within six feet of a fyke net, while he says the state has no such restriction.
Moore says, "Our management approach goes across the entire resource, instead of placing a limit on licenses for a particular life stage of the eel." Mature eels, elvers and glass eels are all considered in the eel management plan, with the plan prohibiting the taking of any eels longer than 4" in length, except for ceremonial and sustenance use and educational purposes. Both the sustenance and ceremonial uses have strict limits, Moore notes. Permits for taking eels for educational purposes are allowed so that the tribe "can teach our youth about this culturally important resource."
Under the management plan, tribal members can obtain a commercial dip net permit for $50, a fyke net permit for $100 or a combination dip/fyke net permit for $150. The management plan does not allow for any recreational fishery for eels, Moore also points out, while some states do allow a recreational fishery.
Under the plan, the open season aligns with the state's season, which is from March 22 to May 31. The plan also includes mandatory minimum fines and provisions for license suspension for certain violations. It also requires the Fisheries Advisory Committee to annually assess the eel resource and determine whether changes are needed to the management measures.
Moore says the plan was adopted through culturally based deliberations that were inclusive and transparent, with eight public meetings held at both reservations. "I think we're accomplishing a balance of the cultural interest with the health of the resource," he says. "We believe it balances the interest of tribal members of today and that of future generations, and we have placed the environment and the resource between the two."
However, he says that the tribe would make changes to the plan if recommendations that make sense are suggested. The tribe and the state have been in discussions about elver management, and Moore says, "We look forward to being jointly able to manage the resource with the state." He adds, "There's an opportunity for the tribe and the state to learn from one another and work together. We understand our responsibility to be stewards of the resource."
He believes both tribal and non-tribal members need to be educated about the resource. "We have a spiritual connection to the environment and a cultural connection to the resource," he says.
The DMR wants to address elver fishing limits during the legislative session to ensure that Maine does not exceed the allotted amount of gear allowed through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Fisheries Management Plan for American eel. If Maine is out of compliance, the federal government could end the sale of Maine elvers. Also, the DMR fears that an increase in elver fishing effort might influence the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision on a petition seeking to list the American eel as threatened or endangered, which would end elver fishing.
Under the 1998 Passamaquoddy fishing law, members of the tribe are exempted from state licensing when taking marine resources, but they are subject to the state's marine resource laws and enforcement. When the legislation was signed into law, the state's elver fishery did not have a limited entry system, and no action was taken since then to place a cap on the number of tribal licenses that could be issued. The state does now have a cap of 407 state licenses, with new licenses issued only through a lottery system.
The legislature's Marine Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the DMR's bill on Wednesday, March 6, at 1 p.m. in room 206 of the Cross Building. Nichols says the number for any cap on licenses issued by the tribe will be decided by the legislature. He notes that there will continue to be ongoing discussions between the commissioner of marine resources and tribal leaders to negotiate over a possible cap, with the decision ultimately being made by the legislature. February 22, 2013 (Home) . www The Quoddy Tides article search | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/6786 | Pigposium III slated for Feb. 28 in Forrest City Jan 18, 2017 2017 Farm and Gin Show: A first look at all that’s new Know cost of growing a bushel ‘to the cent’ Jan 13, 2017 Tips for negotiating new farmland leases Jan 12, 2017 Alternative fuels take spotlight in energy bill
Andrew Bell Farm Press Editorial | Jun 10, 2005
Makers and users of various alternative, home-grown fuels are anxiously awaiting passage of a proposed energy bill channeling its way through Congress. In late May, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved a comprehensive energy bill — legislation that Senate leaders say could be brought before the full Senate in the very near future. Also in May, the Senate adopted a measure in the version of its bill that calls for an 8-billion gallon renewable fuels standard by 2012. That amount is significantly higher than the 5-billion gallon fuel standard called for in the House version of the bill, which passed last month. But two senators, Democrat Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Republican Jim Talent of Missouri, both on the Energy Committee, expressed confidence that a final bill would outline standards closer to the Senate's version. Johnson noted that the production of ethanol, which currently amounts to the largest percent of renewable domestic energy, peaked in 2004 at 3.45 billion gallons. “I do expect an energy bill to pass in the Senate this time around,” Johnson said. Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation said the standard “raises the bar.” “If enacted, an 8-billion-gallon renewable fuels standard would not only benefit the environment, but also provide substantial market growth opportunities for traditional ethanol, cellulosic ethanol technology and biodiesel,” he said. A comprehensive energy bill has been delayed in the Senate because of debate over the cost of the legislation, in addition to the provision that permits oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Final legislation is expected to cost more than $8 billion. The recent spike in gasoline prices has enhanced the national interest in becoming more dependent on energy sources other than traditional crude oil, as well as depending less on fuel from overseas countries. Of the 20 million barrels of crude oil the United States consumes daily — one-quarter of global consumption — 65 percent is imported. e-mail: [email protected] | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/7227 | You are hereMower Makes » Atco Help » Atco Mower Dates
Atco Mower Dates
It is not easy to date Atco mowers made before 1939 with any precision. The company does not appear to have numbered its mowers or used any systematic dating process. There were relatively few Atco models and it seems that the company was able to run its extensive service operations by simply knowing the type of mower and the cutting width. From this could be determined the spare parts required and there was no need for any further complications.
All Atco motor mowers produced during this period had either Villiers two-stroke or JAP four-stroke engines. Both engine manufacturers numbered their engines and it is often possible to date a mower from these, bearing in mind that the original motor could have been replaced at a later date. The numbering and dating of JAP engines is covered by this list of JAP engine dates and this alternative list of JAP engine dates. Dating Villiers engines is slightly more difficult for two reasons. First, it seems that engines were supplied in batches. Second, many engines were supplied with a special number prefix which denoted their use on lawn mowers but offered few clues to their date. For example, many Atco Motor Mowers (The Atco Standard) from the 1920s have Villiers 147cc engines with "H" prefixes to the numbers. Later, and into the 1930s, smaller Villiers "Midget" engines have CY or similar prefixes that also seem to be mower specific.
For these reasons it is normally only possible to date Atco mowers to an approximate age within the known production period. Experienced collectors and enthusiasts can often give an assessment of a mower's age based on small variations in design.
Like many other manufacturers Atco ceased mower production during the Second World War to concentrate on other products. When mower production resumed around 1947 the company adopted a systematic approach to numbering its machines using a small detachable brass plate on the frame. This was typically located at the end of a frame cross-piece and held in place between the nut and frame. All mowers were given a basic identification number with the format AABB/C where AA is the cutting width in inches and BB is the last two digits of the year of production. So, for example, 1247 would indicate a 12 inch mower made in 1947.
The final number after the / is not always present and there is some debate among collectors over its significance. When it is present it is typically one higher than the second "B", for example 1455/6 or 1754/5. The most likely explanation is that it was used to signify that the mower was made or sold at the beginning of the season and hence followed the same design as the preceding year. Occurrences appear to support this theory.
Atco used the same numbering system across it complete range. As with pre-1939 machines there was little need for a more complicated system as the company produced a relatively small range of standardiused designs. However, it should be evident that the basic numbering system did not allow differentiation between different models (or completely different types of mower) with the same cutting width. For example, the company made 12 inch conventional, rotary and battery mowers at the same time and needed to make a distinction between each. The simplest solution was to use a series of suffixes to the main numbering system.
This numbering system appears to have fallen out of use by the late 1960s and, as far as is known, no mowers produced after 1970 were supplied with these designations.
Atco made relatively few different designs at any one time so simply knowing the size and year would be enough to identify the specification of the machine and which spares might be needed to repair it. When rotary mowers were introduced by the company in the late 1950s they were designated with a similar number followed by an "R" - for rotary - to avoid confusion with conventional machines.
One consequence of this numbering convention is that it is possible to find very many mowers with seemingly the same serial number.
The Atco instruction booklets supplied with the mowers used the same coding system with one minor difference. For mowers with a different cutting width but otherwise identical specification the manual would have carried what might be called a compound number, for example 14172055 to designate the booklet for the 14inch and 20 inch models from 1955.
It seems that Atco began to emply a longer serial numbering system from the late 1960s onwards. We do not have any details of this at present.
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2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/7417 | Scientific winemaking contribution 'rewarding'
CHLOE WINTER
DEREK FLYNN/FAIRFAX NZ
LOOKING BACK: Plant&Food Research senior scientist and research leader Mike Trought, liaison scientist Rob Agnew and research associate Sue Neal with the Marlborough Research Centre flag. Relevant offers
As Marlborough's wine industry continues to grow into an internationally recognised force, there is one organisation that has been quietly working away in the background, supporting winemakers on their journey.
The Marlborough Research Centre, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last month, was set up in 1984 to undertake research that could help the region's primary industries.
Founding member and Plant & Food Research senior scientist and research leader Mike Trought says the centre would not be where it was today without the fast-paced growth of the wine industry.
The organisation was originally set up by Bob de Castro, Maf, DSIR and Marlborough United Council. Once based out of a small building in Grovetown with minimal staff and limited resources. Fast-forward three decades and all that has changed.
The organisation now works out of a purpose-built building with more than 14 staff who are mainly dedicated to researching the region's wine industry.
"If you look at the photograph of the vineyard in the 1980s and look at the difference today, it's huge. It was irrigated once a week, cultivated between the rows and it was not trimmed," said Trought.
While their surroundings have changed greatly, the goal hasn't: "We look down the track at how the [wine] industry might change over the next so many years . . . we might get it right, we might get it wrong. [But] if you don't test the boundaries and accept failure and learn from failure then you don't go forward," Trought said.
Plant & Food Research liaison scientist Rob Agnew, who had been involved with the centre since 1986, said the "rapid increase" in the wine industry had forced them to focus more on grapes.
The research centre had "lifted the profile of New Zealand's wine industry," he said.
"There have been quite a number of programmes in recent years that have benefited the industry . . . I get a real buzz out of projects which have a practical use for the industry.
"With the wine industry being very young, especially in Marlborough, they are rapid adopters of new technology and new research."
Part of Agnew's research involved monitoring 10 weather stations on vineyards throughout the region.
"Marlborough's definitely got the best access to weather data and lots of people in the wine industry use the summaries which are readily accessible, which you wouldn't find in other regions," Agnew said.
Plant & Food research associate Sue Neal said co-ordination and co-operation with wine industry companies had helped them get to where they were today.
"We couldn't do what we do without their help and support . . . we are really grateful."
Neal, who has been involved since 1986, said research had evolved in hand with the industry.
"It's great to see an immediate use for the work that you are doing - that's the satisfaction."
The centre was led for decades by late Blenheim businessman John Marris, who served as a chairman for 30 years.
The centre last month launched an award to celebrate 30 years in operation.
The inaugural award was presented to the Marris family, in recognition of John's contribution and "forward-looking, innovative projects.
- The Marlborough Express
Is the region better served by having multiple events over one weekend or spread out throughout the year?
Multiple events
Spread out over year | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/7798 | BLM>Wyoming>Field Offices>Casper>Grazing>Taylor Grazing Act
Casper Field Office
The Taylor Grazing Act BackgroundTaylor Grazing Districts in 1937 (Opportunity and Challenge: The Story of BLM.DOI, BLM, 1988. Washington: GPO.)The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 (43 USC 315), signed by President Roosevelt, was intended to "stop injury to the public grazing lands [excluding Alaska] by preventing overgrazing and soil deterioration; to provide for their orderly use, improvement, and development; [and] to stabilize the livestock industry dependent upon the public range" (USDI 1988). This Act was pre-empted by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA).IntroductionApproximately 80 million acres of land valuable for grazing and forage crops were available to be placed into grazing districts authorized by the Taylor Grazing Act. To administer these grazing districts, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes created a Division of Grazing with Farrington Carpenter, a Colorado rancher, at the helm. Carpenter held a series of meetings with ranchers and state officials to determine grazing district boundaries. The first grazing district (Rawlins), was established in Wyoming on March 20, 1935; others soon followed. By June 1935, over 65 million acres had been placed in grazing districts. All the established grazing districts are still in effect today.Secretary Ickes fired Carpenter in 1939 and replaced him with Richard Rutledge. With a new director, the Division of Grazing was renamed the U.S. Grazing Service. Rutledge wanted to establish an effective conservation agency. In order to achieve this, he laid out rules of conduct for his employees. Today, these standards are still the foundation of the Bureau of Land Management's mission. On July 16, 1946, the Grazing Service and the General Land Office merged to form the Bureau of Land Management. Following are some of those principles.Self Reliance: There is often the tendency upon receiving a tough assignment to push it aside and wait until you can ask the boss a lot of questions concerning the way he wants the job done. This results in procrastination and in a leaning [sic] attitude on the part of the doer. Stand on your own two feet and take responsibility.Organizational Attitude: No organization can be successful if cliques or jealousies exist. These things tend to retard and to break down the spirit of the organization. Likewise, feuds and personal fights are extremely detrimental and are bound to react upon someone. Troublemakers have no place in the organization. Rating officers must take recognition of such things. The ability to get along with and work with others, and the attitude toward others, are important factors in efficiency determination.Public Service: Let's get firmly fixed in our minds at the outset that we are public servants, employed by the public and paid by the public from funds provided by taxation in some form. We are responsible to the entire public and are not bureaucratic bosses to work our will upon the public as we see fit.Sharp Practices: There can be no place in the administrator's thoughts or actions for anything that approaches sharp practices. Stockmen are usually not as well informed as the administrator. Many times they are trusting, depending upon the administrator. There should be no tendency toward scheming or taking advantage of lack of information or ignorance. Your actions should always be square, with equity and fairness.Mixing: This is somewhat akin to friendliness, although it goes farther. It is very necessary that an administrator mix with or contact all kinds of people, meetings, associations, church groups, and others. Be a part of the community.Self-Justification: One of the very worst habits that an administrator can fall into is that of trying to justify his actions under all circumstances. If an administrator had made a mistake, the thing to do is to face the situation and correct the action. An administrator can lose the respect and confidence of his users very quickly by adopting an attitude of self-justification.Capriciousness: The administrator should avoid actions which might be termed capricious. Any funny notion or foolish idea, or snap judgement, may take the turn of capriciousness. Keep your feet on the ground and remember that you are business men [sic], doing business.Under the current grazing regulations (43 Code of Federal Regulations Part 4100), there are four differences in BLM's administration of livestock grazing on section 15 leases and section 3 permits.Section 3 of the ActSection 3 of the Taylor Grazing Act concerns grazing permits issued on public lands within the grazing districts established under the Act. It gave leasing preference to landowners and homesteaders in or adjacent to the grazing district lands. Permits were issued for not more than 10 years.Base Property Requirements: Base property is land, owned or controlled by a BLM permittee, which serves as the permittee's base for a livestock operation. The land must be capable of producing crops or forage that can be used to support livestock for a specified period of time. Under a section 3 permit, the base property does not have to adjoin the public lands being used for grazing livestock.Domestic Use Grazing Permits: Section 5 of the Taylor Grazing Act and the grazing regulations made provision for the issuance of free subsistence grazing permits on public lands inside a grazing district. There was no similar provision for free domestic use or subsistence grazing on the section 15 lease lands.Distribution of Grazing Receipts: Receipts from grazing on section 3 lands are distributed three ways: 50% goes to range betterment projects, 37½% remains in the US Treasury, and 12½% is returned to the state. In Wyoming, the 12% is administered by thegrazing advisory boards established under Wyoming Statutes 9-571 and 9-572.Section 15 of the ActSection 15 of the Taylor Grazing Act concerns issuing grazing leases on public lands outside the original grazing district boundaries. It states that "The Secretary of the Interior is further authorized, in his discretion, where vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved lands of the public domain are so situated . . . . to lease any such lands for grazing purposes, upon such terms and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe . . . ."Base Property Requirements: As described under "Section 3" above, base property is land, owned or controlled by a BLM permittee or lessee, which may serve as a base for a livestock operation. The land must have the capability to produce crops or forage that can be used to support the livestock authorized for a specified period of time. The base property supporting a section 15 grazing lease must adjoin the leased public lands unless no applicant owns adjoining lands. In most cases, the base property for a section 15 lease adjoins, surrounds, or is intermingled with the leased public lands.Preference Lease Rights of Isolated Tracts: The Taylor Grazing Act and the current regulations provide for giving a preference to applicants having base property which adjoins or corners the public lands they apply to lease. The preference right to lease the whole tract is given where the public lands consist of isolated tracts embracing 760 acres or less. This lease preference is available for a period of 90 days after the tract has been offered for lease.Domestic Use Grazing Permits: Under Section 15, no provision for free domestic use or subsistence grazing on the section 15 lease lands is made.Distribution of Grazing Receipts: The receipts from grazing on section 15 public lands are distributed two ways: 50% goes to range betterment projects and 50% is returned to the state. In Wyoming, the portion returned to the state is distributed back to the counties in which it originated under state statute 9-570.From 1934 to 1968, grazing use on the 16 million acres of Section 15 public lands was authorized under 10-year leases. Grazing fees were assessed on an acreage basis. Lessees were required to pay the lease regard-less of whether or not they actually had livestock on the leased lands. No provisions were made for refund or nonpayment due to drought, fire, or other factors.In August 1968, regulation changes were implemented to place the Section 15 public lands under "multiple use management" (43 CFR 4125.1-1). Key changes made to the regulations are as follows.Allowed for joint use of the leased area by two or more lessees.Prohibited locked gates or other actions by the lessee to prevent or interfere with lawful public use of the public land.Established a framework for cooperation between BLM and lessees to develop allotment management plans aimed at improving resource conditions.Established construction standards for fences and other projects constructed by the lessees to assure multiple use objectives were met.Changed grazing fee charges from an acreage basis to payment for forage consumed as measured by animal unit months (AUMs).Federal Land Policy & Management Act of 1976The Federal Land Policy and Management Policy Act of 1976 (FLPMA) was passed to establish policy for managing BLM-administered public lands. To ensure long-term stability and use of BLM-administered public lands by the live-stock industry, FLPMA authorized 10-year grazing permits and required a two-year notice of cancellation. The Act also directed grazing advisory boards (formed under the Taylor Grazing Act) to guide the BLM in develop-ing allotment management plans and allocating range betterment funds.Unlike the Taylor Grazing Act, FLPMA did not distinguish between grazing permits and leases. In sections 401 through 403 of FLPMA, which deals with grazing management on the public lands, the term "permit or lease" appears over 25 times together and never as only "permit" or "lease." The clear intent of Congress is that BLM's grazing administration on all public lands be consistent for both permits and leases.The BLM's grazing regulations were changed in July 1978 to eliminate separate sections addressing admin-istration of section 3 permits and section 15 leases. This made the regulations consistent with the language of FLPMA in that no distinction is made between permits and leases.Selective Management PolicyThe BLM's selective management policy is used extensively in administering grazing leases. The selective management policy requires that BLM apply its limited workforce and budget to those lands providing the greatest potential for improvement and public benefit. Grazing allotments are separed into three management categories: "I" (improve), "M" (maintain), and "C" (custodial). Generally, leases consisting of small, iso-lated tracts of public lands are managed custodially. BLM's major emphasis on the custodial leases is with var-ious administrative actions such as billings, lease renewals, and transfers. On the larger blocks of public land that offer the best opportunity for multiple use management initiatives, BLM works with the grazing lessees to take actions or authorize uses to achieve various resource management objectives. In other words, the BLM's management and administration of custodial or "C" category allotments is similar to the old (pre-1968) section 15 leases. Administration of grazing on the larger blocks of public land in the "I" and "M" categories is similar to administration of section 3 permits.Standards & GuidelinesStandards for Healthy Rangelands and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management became effective August 21, 1995 in accordance with the Department of Interior's final rule for grazing administration. The development and application of these standards and guidelines are to achieve the four fundamentals of rangeland health outlined in the grazing regulations (43 CFR 4180.1). Those four fundamentals are: (1) watersheds are functioning properly; (2) water, nutrients, and energy is cycling properly; (3) water quality meets state standards; and (4) habitat for special status species is protected.Standards address the health, productivity, and sustainability of the BLM administered-public rangelands and represent the minimum acceptable conditions for the public rangelands. The standards apply to all resource uses on public lands. Guidelines provide for, and guide the development and implementation of, reasonable, responsible, and cost-effective management practices at the grazing allotment and watershed level. The guidelines are management practices that will either maintain existing desirable conditions or move rangelands toward statewide standards within reasonable timeframes.The standards for Wyoming were developed in cooperation with the Wyoming Resource Advisory Council, the State of Wyoming, and BLM staff. The BLM's current selective management policy serves as a base for the allotment review along with other allotment priorities. Over time all grazing allotments will be addressed for standards and guidelines.Grazing Regulation ChangesOther changes that became effective August 21, 1995 that occurred with the Department of the Interior's final rule for grazing administration are:Management of the public lands in section 3 and section 15 are now the same.The distribution of grazing fees remains the same as it was under the Taylor Grazing Act.Leases are issued for section 15 and permits are issued for section 3.Livestock being leased from/or pastured for someone else are subject to a surcharge. | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/8558 | Agweb HomeMyMachinery.com HomeNewsInsect Pests Add to Problems for Farmers
Insect Pests Add to Problems for Farmers
Crops, already stressed by drought and heat, are under attack by insects.
By Debbie Johnson, University of Missouri
Producers need to scout for both the usual and unusual suspects.
"We do have several different treatments that take care of certain pests, but this year we have lots of pests that aren’t usually seen in this part of the world," said Wayne Bailey, entomologist for University of Missouri Extension.
A leafhopper, normally found in Texas, went after Missouri wheat. The redheaded flea beetle is showing up on corn.
"They’re clipping silks on corn this year," Bailey said. "That’s something I haven’t seen in my 28 years with the university."
Typical pests are out there too. Japanese beetle numbers are high in some areas, Bailey said. They will go after both corn and soybeans. Spider mite numbers could explode because they love dry conditions, and we have lots of dry.
"What you’ll see is an off-color in the field, often in spots along the edges," Bailey said. "In dry, dusty conditions their populations can double every seven to 10 days."
Bailey said to take a white piece of paper into the field. Place the paper under a leaf and tap the top of the leaf. The spider mites will look like light brown, tan, yellowish or red dots crawling on the paper.
"If you have them, you need to do something pretty quick," Bailey said.
If you have soybeans that are flowering, be on the lookout for the spotted cucumber beetle or the southern corn rootworm beetle, Bailey said. They’re the same insect, just two different names.
"It’s a yellow beetle with black spots and it’s feeding on soybean flowers," Bailey said. "We’re seeing many more of them in soybean fields where they are either defoliating or going after flowers or both."
Another problem is the striped blister beetle. Bailey said this beetle’s numbers tend to coincide with grasshopper populations. Last year we had high numbers of grasshoppers. It’s found on both soybeans and alfalfa, but it’s a severe problem in alfalfa.
"They can be in second- and third-cutting hay, and if a horse eats more than a hundred blister beetles it will kill the horse by sloughing off the intestinal tract," Bailey said.
Horses exposed to a toxic number of blister beetles show an unusual symptom.
"They’ll blow bubbles in water tanks," he said. "It’s a strange behavior, but it’s an early warning that they’ve eaten blister beetles."
Blister beetles can be controlled, but use care because even dead, they’re still toxic, he said.
"Spray in the evening and hopefully any beetles on the alfalfa will drop to the ground. Then you can come through and pick up the hay without picking up the beetles," Bailey said.
Bailey said he’s not surprised that some unusual insects are showing up. Agronomy practices, like seed treatments and breeding for specific pest control traits, can change the dynamic of crop pests.
"What we’ve seen in the last five years is that other pests that have been secondary, or maybe not a pest at all, are filling where we’re knocking out that major pest," Bailey said.
Drought can also change the number and type of insects on crops.
"Certain insects like drought, others don’t, and those that benefit from drought often become a pest," he said.
According to Bailey, producers need to be scouting to make sure there isn’t something out there eating the flowers, pods or ears of corn.
Find more resources and information about controlling pests with AgWeb's 2012 Pest Watch. Related Audio Report:
This "off kilter" year makes it hard to speculate about what problems insects might cause later in the season, says Ron Hammond, Extension entomologist with The Ohio State University.
11 Crop Diseases that Occur during Hot, Dry Weather 5/25/2012 6:30:00 AM Insects on an Accelerated Calendar 6/6/2012 5:52:00 AM Stop Pests in Their Tracks 6/9/2012 11:09:00 AM Key Pests to Monitor in the Coming Weeks 6/26/2012 4:14:00 AM Comments
Flea extermination has become big business in recent times as many people now have pets in their homes and fleas usually live and grow within the warm and moist animal hairs on the body of a dog or cat for example. When you let your pet run around outside you can be quite sure that your home will be infested with fleas and it's not that easy to get rid of them.
rentalprotectionagency.com | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/9056 | Farmers Won't Deliver Fruits and VegetablesFor the first time in the history of the State of Israel, the farmers will hold a three-day strike next week, withholding all fresh produce.
Hillel Fendel, 18/11/10 18:49 | updated: 19:40
Sample vegetables
For the first time in the history of the State of Israel, the farmers will hold a three-day strike next week, withholding all fresh produce.
At present, it appears that the strike will begin Monday morning at 11:00, and will last until Wednesday evening. The farmers say the drastic step is necessary to express their protest and outrage at the “unjustified cut in the number of foreign workers and the persecution of the growers by levying a new employers’ tax and additional fees.”
The farmers say these steps will lead to significant jumps in the prices of fruits and vegetables.
The government decided to reduce the number of foreign workers in agriculture – mostly from Thailand – to 22,000. The farmers say that the agreed-upon number was 26,000, and they demand that the “missing” 4,000 be restored. They say that they pay them minimum wage – an amount for which Israelis are unwilling to perform this difficult labor.
“Just like when I was a child, we complained but we worked,” one farmer said, “because we had no other choice, the same with the Thais. No one is forcing them to come here, but if they are here, it means that it’s in their interest – so let no one say that we are taking advantage of them. Nor are they taking jobs from Israelis.”
Meir Yifrach, one of the organizers of the struggle and the strike, says, “We can no longer remain silent. We will show that we know how to unite and act, even when it costs us or the public.” He says that if the three-day strike does not yield the desired result, it could be extended or repeated.
In a letter to their fellow farmers explaining the purpose of the strike, the leaders of the Farmers Association, the Moshavim Movement, and the Israeli Agriculturalists Association write: “We demand the restoration of agriculture’s honor. Unlike other sectors, we have to deal with the forces of nature – and the State, instead of coming towards us, adds extra fees, cuts our working hands, restricts our water, and causes many farmers to abandon their lands. Instead of ‘redeeming the land,’ the opposite is happening, damaging national security, the value of settlement, the maintenance of the rule of law and of Israeli sovereignty over national lands.”
Tags:farmers, IFFRelated StoriesFarmers: Government is destroying agricultureFarmers launch tractor protests against free tradePolice: Farmer who killed Palestinian fired in self-defense'Security forces need to change priorities in farming areas''If the State doesn't defend me, I must defend myself'2,700-year-old farm found in Rosh Ha'ayinThe Israeli App that Will Help Farmers Around the WorldReport Indicates Milk Consumers Are Being MilkedPrayer Session for Rain at Western Wall, on Fast of EstherIsrael Faces Almost Unprecedented Water Crisis | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/10634 | Top Chef Masters ·
Top Chef Masters: "Everything Old Is New Again"
Find Shows Top Chef Masters: "Everything Old Is New Again"
Myles McNutt@memles
"Everything Old Is New Again"
When Top Chef Masters premiered last week, it was like reviewing a new show. Major format changes, a new host, and a new judge created a lot of “big questions” that I spent a fair bit of time investigating. As someone who tends to view weekly writeups as more “review” than “recap,” it was only natural for me to focus more on what the “new and improved” Top Chef Masters meant for the franchise than on the minutiae that comes with every Top Chef premiere. However, now that we’re transitioning into weekly coverage, I am aware that not everyone is looking for Top Chef: Treatise. Admittedly, I am very interested in the form of reality television and do intend to discuss the ongoing results of the merger of the basic Top Chef structure with the Masters element of the program, but for now our focus shifts to the week-to-week.
Of course, part of the challenge of “Everything Old is New Again” is that it first needs to entirely undo the results of last week’s episode. With John Rivera Sedlar leaving due to an “emergency,” Hugh Acheson and his uni-brow return to the competition for an opportunity at redemption. In some ways, it’s the ideal scenario: Because of his elimination, we got to learn a fair bit about Hugh, whereas I had no recollection of John at all. It’s a nice jump start into the episode, a boost of narrative interest that is sustained throughout this very solid outing.
A lot of this has to do with the rather wonderful combination of professionalism and utter contempt for the competition that was on display in the Quickfire (and which sort of extended into the Elimination Challenge). On the one hand, the chefs handled the actual challenge (cooking a meatball they ground themselves) without much problem: Sure, a few people couldn’t get the grinder attached to the table, but everyone served a dish and they generally seemed to be executed as their creator had imagined them. No one lost their cool, no one made something entirely terrible, and no one got into a fight in the process.
However, during the judging, the chefs had to suffer the indignation of Kelis (yes, the “Milkshake” Kelis) pretending to be a food critic. Now, Kelis is apparently a trained chef, but I have to agree with the contestants that something about it just seemed strange. It wasn’t that she was entirely wrong with her opinion: after all, we have no way of knowing what they tasted like, and she has every right to that opinion. The issue was that she was trying way too hard: Faced with George’s Chicken and Short Rib meatball, she suggested “froth, to me, is always a little show-offy.” Please note that she didn’t seem to be talking about that froth, but rather froth in general. Most judges come in with preferences, or tastes, but she seemed to be trying extremely hard to establish a sense of authority, and I personally wasn’t buying it.
While there are disadvantages to the Masters being unable to take part in the tasting (as we saw when Floyd couldn’t tell Kelis to eat his meatball like a sandwich, as he had intended), the advantage is that they don’t have to hold back their absolute contempt for the singer critiquing their food. I believe it was Hugh who suggested that “it’s just pointless criticism,” and it doesn’t matter if he’s right or wrong; All that matters is that we got to see the chefs clearly not caring what Kelis thought of their food. Whether you consider it a sign of a collective superiority complex, or simply a natural response to a silly reality show conceit, it showed the chefs seeming decidedly human. They made terrible jokes (some involving milkshakes), they got pissed off at the judging, and John won for his Vietnamese Chicken meatball — an effective and entertaining quickfire, if not necessarily a particularly complicated or interesting task.
Coming off of Top Chef All-Stars, where the challenges seemed more inventive than usual, tonight’s challenges were almost quaint. It’s understandable, really: Given that we already knew the All-Stars from their previous seasons, they had to wow us with new and exciting challenges, whereas this time around they’re able to use our unfamiliarity with the chefs to drive the story. Outside of Floyd’s absolute disbelief that Ambrosia Salad is a thing that existed (and probably even still exists - any defenders?), the challenge of revamping 60s dishes for a cocktail party hosted by Mad Men star Christina Hendricks and Body of Proof star Geoffrey Arend seems pretty simple for these chefs.
What made it so compelling, though, is that the cooking conditions were a variable that should have created absolute chaos. A small cooking space meant that there wasn’t enough room for everyone to cook at once, leaving Suvir and Sue kitchen orphans as everyone else marked their territory. If things had been truly organized, the people cooking last would have been the ones initially orphaned, but that’s not how it worked out, and there’s certainly no prerequisite for such organization. The other chefs had every right to leave Sue and Suvir out in the cold, just as Sue and Suvir had every right to drive in to help their fellow chefs in order to get access to burners/prep space more quickly.
The result was certainly quite hectic, and it sends an important message to Suvir and Sue about the value of philanthropy on Top Chef: There is none. Sue didn’t finish her plating (even with the help of some of those who she assisted earlier), and Suvir’s decision to use the only available cooking space — the deep fryer — for his take on Veal Oscar resulted in what the critics deemed “shoe leather.” And yet, it never devolves into interpersonal squabbling — Sue is actually unwilling to blame anyone but herself, with Suvir needing to interject with the critics twice to explain that she had been helping other chefs and had been pushed out by so-called “Divas.” In a regular season of Top Chef, one feels that we’d be pulling out other chefs from under the bus left and right, but on Top Chef Masters that just isn’t how they roll. Sue goes home because she didn’t finish the challenge, an unfortunate casualty of a tough situation and an inability (or unwillingness) to assert herself, but she leaves with a fair bit of integrity intact.
What I liked about this development is that it had nothing to do with a twist, left instead to a combination of working conditions and subtle interpersonal dynamics. The issue wasn’t that there was some sort of feud with another chef: rather, Sue is simply less assertive than her fellow competitors, and seems to be one of the youngest as well. She wasn’t exactly bullied into that position, but Suvir’s comment about “divas” does suggest a hierarchy among the chefs which could prove interesting in the weeks ahead. At the end of the day, though, these are professionals, so Alex provides only a confirmation of a bit of (naturally) territorial behavior while Sue ultimately takes full responsibility for her failure to properly plate. It’s dramatic without being melodramatic, edifying without becoming exploitative, and snobby without feeling distancing or unprofessional.
I’m still not entirely sold on the format change, but I found this a major improvement over the premiere. Without the forced drama of Restaurant Wars, we got to see more of how these chefs handle challenges simply related to cooking in more difficult conditions than they might be used to. Mary Sue got an opportunity to push herself after last week’s near-exit on a safe cupcake, and ended up with the win for her Japanese take on Deviled Eggs. Last week’s winner, Alex, chose to take the safe route this time around, and nearly went home for his lifeless bread pudding.
It was a good spotlight for the newly added opportunities for redemption and growth within the competition, as the contestants start to learn the difference between being a great chef and being great at Top Chef. Sure, it wasn't exactly the most exciting episode in Top Chef history, but I think subtle is a better way to start a new season of the show, and I find myself liking both the chefs and the format more than I did a few hours ago.
Suvir is an absolute favorite for me. Between the shoes, the pants, and the general philosophy, he’s just an ideal Top Chef contestant, which is why I was pretty terrified that he might go home. His willingness to call out some other chefs at Critics’ Table was also refreshing: it didn’t feel like he was stirring up drama, but he was embracing his position as an outsider, and that brief interstitial of everyone ogling his pants and imagining his rural existence made it seem like the other chefs might not take him very seriously. He’s a great character, and I do hope he sticks around for a very long time.
Yes, Christina Hendricks is attractive. Yes, Geoffrey Arend failed to land a single successful line all episode. Yes, my opinion of Arend's humor is probably blinded by jealousy.
Apparently, Michael Gladis (who we all know as Paul Kinsey from Mad Men) is not famous enough to deserve a chyron — poor Kinsey.
You would swear based on the editing — “Mad Men is such a fabulous show!” — that AMC was in some way affiliated with Bravo or NBC Universal. It’s not, of course, but that just goes to show you how much pop cultural cachet Mad Men had gathered despite the fact that more people probably watch Top Chef Masters (live, at least).
I enjoyed Naomi’s brief observation that she’s become the dessert chef — she chose dessert the first time around, and nearly won for it, but here she got saddled with it. It seemed like a decent fit, given that she seems more proficient with dessert than some other chefs, but it's tough to be typecast this early on.
Sad that we appear to be heading towards absolute madness, based on the preview for next week - seems both elimination and quickfire are built around twists, which just isn't where this show is going to be at its best in my eyes (even if the spectacle might be worth it). Still, we shall wait and see - we're taking this week-to-week, after all.
TV, Top Chef Masters
Top Chef Masters: "Restaurant Wars"
Top Chef Masters: "Diners To Donors" | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/12671 | 4-H, DuPont partner in rural Africa By CHERYL TEVIS 10/17/2011 The National 4-H Council and DuPont announced a partnership at the World Food Prize Symposium to strengthen youth development in rural African communities. A $2 million initiative over the next two years will be used by the global 4-H network to assist in developing sustainable livelihoods and improving household food security.
A pilot program earlier this year in northern Tanzania was the model for the new initiative in Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Ghana. “Youth development is the world’s best long-term solution to ensure food security and global economic stability, said Donald Floyd, Jr., president and CEO of National 4-H Council. “4-H’s 100-year history in agricultural innovation and youth skill-building in more than 70 nations, uniquely positions it to equip millions of young people in developing nations with the skills needed to build a sustainable future.” A Leadership Institute for 4-H leaders and volunteers will be launched in January 2012 in Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Ghana. They will be trained in agricultural innovation and farm methods, and learn about research-based tools and resources available at the local level.
Floyd praised the work of Millicent Obare, a youth 4-H leader in Kenya who presented at the World Food Prize Symposium. Obare has led 4-Hers to plant trees to replace trees used for firewood, and convert manure into methane for heating and cooking needs. | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/13910 | Review finds U.S. animal disease control system adequate, but needing improvement
By R. Scott Nolen
Posted Jan. 15, 2002 A review of the nation's ability to protect livestock and poultry against foreign animal diseases describes the state of disease control as adequate and, at times, "heroic."
But accelerated agricultural trade and personal travel, combined with emerging animal diseases, threaten to overwhelm the system in its current form, necessitating increased federal funding in several areas, including staffing, surveillance, and border security.
The Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service commissioned the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in November 2000 to review the capabilities of U.S. and state governments, foreign governments, and the livestock industry to protect domestic livestock and human populations from animal diseases.
A review panel and four committees comprising state animal health officials, university and private animal health specialists, and livestock producer groups conducted the audit during an eight-month period. The findings were released by the NASDA in October 2001, and will substantially shape the nation's animal health policy. Two AVMA entities—the Animal Agriculture Liaison Committee and the Council on Public Health and Regulatory Veterinary Medicine—will review the report when they meet in February and March, respectively.
Animal agriculture in the United States is a multibillion-dollar industry that can be damaged, and even destroyed, by animal diseases. There are also public health risks: people who come in contact with some of the infectious agents could become ill and even die. The panel concludes that it is of the utmost importance to prevent the spread of animal-borne diseases by maintaining a robust national disease control system.
In its report, the panel praised the Veterinary Services program within APHIS for successfully carrying out its mission to protect the health and marketability of U.S. animal agriculture. Performance has been "adequate in handling most assigned roles, and even heroic in some historical efforts to eradicate diseases that have infected U.S. livestock," stated the report.
But the report goes on to state that increased trade and global economic interaction have created a situation when the APHIS-VS could be a "victim of its own success."
The review panel's task was unique because it examined all of the animal health programs within APHIS. Previous reviews looked only at specific segments. "This is the first time we've had a complete review of our activities, and I think, most significantly, is it was a review by an independent organization that has quite a bit of credibility," said Dr. Gary Brickler of APHIS-VS, who chaired the APHIS steering committee that assisted the review panel.
Dr. Brickler has been temporarily reassigned from his duties as veterinarian-in-charge of Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington to oversee the steering and implementation phases of the review. The report is "excellent," he said, and highlights areas in APHIS that could be strengthened and restructured.
"I was happy that it did not come up with any major, gaping holes in our safeguarding system, but it sure has given us a lot to work with," Dr. Brickler said.
The report explains that a number of factors—increased trade, new technologies, and expanding agriculture industries—have engendered so many new opportunities for the industry and related operations that APHIS-VS is stretched thin. As such, four major needs were highlighted.
Infrastructure inadequacies are so endemic that the system cannot appropriately respond to a severe animal health crisis.
Improved communications—including the creation of an Emergency Operations Center—is critical for acquiring and sharing animal health information, and attention to advanced technologies is necessary.
A National Surveillance System and National Response Plan must be created to monitor and respond to animal health emergencies.
There is a need for expanded applied research and for diagnostic laboratories, both focused on animal health matters.
In light of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the report emphasized the need for a national strategy in which federal, state, and local resources can respond together to any animal health emergency, including the introduction of exotic animal diseases and bioterrorist attacks.
The APHIS committee has developed an action plan based on the panel recommendations. After further review, a final implementation plan will be drafted. "Then the real work begins," Dr. Brickler said.
Some recommendations are similar to initiatives currently under way at APHIS; others will be implemented within the year, whereas ones that fundamentally alter the way APHIS and VS operate could take years.
The NASDA review is available at www.aphis.usda.gov. | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/14990 | Trade issues up in the air as new administration takes office Jan 23, 2017 New farm bill: unforeseen issues, new actors Jan 23, 2017 This Week in Agribusiness, January 21, 2017 Jan 21, 2017 Will agriculture get the attention it deserves? Jan 20, 2017 Trump said to nominate Sonny Perdue as Agriculture Secretary Jan 19, 2017 Featured
Pigposium III slated for Feb. 28 in Forrest City Jan 18, 2017 2017 Farm and Gin Show: A first look at all that’s new Know cost of growing a bushel ‘to the cent’ Jan 13, 2017 Tips for negotiating new farmland leases Jan 12, 2017 Mike Johanns next USDA secretary
President Bush announced he will nominate Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns to be secretary of agriculture. If confirmed by the Senate, Johanns, 54, will succeed outgoing Secretary Ann Veneman. Johanns, the son of Iowa dairy farmers, is expected to continue the focus on trade issues that was begun by his predecessor. Veneman started her USDA career in the Foreign Agricultural Service, moving up through the ranks to become deputy secretary and then secretary in President George W. Bush's first term. As governor of Nebraska, Johanns has led trade missions across East Asia to find new markets for his state's manufacturing and farm products. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., the chairman of the Senate Committee on Nutrition Agriculture and Forestry, applauded the nomination. “I think Gov. Johanns is a good choice for this job. His executive experience as governor and mayor will be a valuable asset as well as his firsthand knowledge of what it is like to live on a farm,” said Cochran. “If he is confirmed, I look forward to meeting with Gov. Johanns as soon as possible to discuss Arkansas' agricultural needs,” said Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark., who issued a statement on Johanns' nomination. “I am hopeful that whoever becomes the new secretary takes a balanced approach to addressing the agricultural issues facing us today. America's farmers are too important to the economic stability and security of this country for us to turn our backs on any of them — regardless of where their farm may be located.” Farm groups were quick to congratulate Johanns. The American Farm Bureau Federation released a statement by President Bob Stallman, a farmer from Texas. “As lead governor for agriculture for the Western Governors' Association, Gov. Johanns helped lead the way for the re-authorization of the 2002 farm bill,” he noted. “Presiding over the fourth largest agricultural exporting state, Gov. Johanns recognizes the importance of opening up new export markets for U.S. agricultural products, as reflected in his many agricultural trade missions he led as governor. “A past chairman of the Governors' Ethanol Committee, Gov. Johanns understands the importance of furthering the use of ethanol as a renewable fuel. His understanding and support of other important agricultural issues — such as acceptance of biotechnology and homeland security measures to protect the nation's food supply — and his experience growing up on a dairy farm, will serve him well in his new position. National Cotton Council leaders also hailed the Johanns nomination although the Sun Belt once again was passed over in the search for a new secretary. “Governor Johanns knows the challenges facing U.S. agriculture and is keenly aware of the importance of trade to our nation's food and fiber producers,” said NCC Chairman Woody Anderson, a Texas cotton producer. “Farm and trade policy stand shoulder to shoulder for agriculture's economic stability, particularly cotton. “His experience in leading trade delegations will be important to production agriculture as those areas intersect in the future.” Anderson noted that Johanns has a proven record of promoting rural economic development, understands the importance of homeland security and has proven to be a strong leader not afraid to make tough choices. “The U.S. cotton industry looks forward to working with this well-qualified candidate and strengthening its partnership with the U.S. government, including moving forward on the recently-initiated e-gov initiative,” Anderson said. Johanns was educated at St. Mary's College in Winona, Minn., and earned a law degree from Creighton University in 1974. Johanns then clerked for Nebraska Supreme Court Judge Hale McCown before joining a law firm. Prior to being elected Nebraska governor in 1998 (and again in 2002) he served in a variety of state government jobs, including a stint as mayor of Lincoln. Although Veneman appeared to be interested in serving in the second Bush administration, she submitted her resignation on Nov. 12 along with Secretary of State Colin Powell and Education Secretary Rod Paige. Veneman has not announced her future plans. | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/16468 | Mission trip inspires couple to start beef farm Friday, August 7, 2009 at 12:00am By
Bennett Davidson
Doug and Sue Bagwell turned their dream of owning a farm into a reality, and have thrived as cattle producers with the help and advice of their rural neighbors. As a child, Sue Bagwell dreamt of living on a farm. But before she knew it, she was all grown up, working as a nurse and living with her husband Doug (an engineer) in a house that overlooked an unkempt neighbor’s yard in a dreary suburb. Finally, though, a mission trip to Kenya inspired the Bagwells to make a change. “We helped build a church and a school, and we also worked to provide famine relief,” Sue Bagwell said. “This was the first trip we went on [to Kenya] together, and the gracious people led rural lives that we wanted to experience ourselves. We wanted to get closer to nature.”
So, despite the reactions of friends who sang the “Green Acres” theme song upon hearing the couple’s announcement, the Bagwells decided to flee the suburbs in search of flowing fields and scenic settings. In 2003, they purchased Walnut Hills Farm — 50 acres in Bethpage, Tenn. — and today, they’re not just farm dwellers; they’re masters at producing all natural, grass fed beef without hormones, steroids or artificial additives. But that, of course, didn’t happen overnight. “Growing beef was just going to be a hobby, a little business,” Sue Bagwell said. “We didn’t know if we’d make any money in it or not. We thought we could make use of our new land and do something productive with it for the people.”
And even though they’d found their quiet piece of land, they were still new to farming. But as luck would have it, Doug Bagwell found a farmer in Sumner County who was willing to teach him everything he knew. “The man had been farming all his life and had a wealth of knowledge to share with us. It was a great situation, an ideal situation,” Sue Bagwell said. Before long, the Bagwells were benefiting from their unique tutor, and though they started with about six cows in 2003, they now have about 40. “Our bulls are bulls, we don’t add anything to try to make them steers,” Sue Bagwell said. “We finish our beef with nice hay, oats and soy, and that gives the beef a great flavor without adding any unhealthy fat. This process also adds Omega 3 acids to the beef.
“Even if people don’t buy our beef, we want them to know the difference between our grass fed and unhealthy corn fed beef. If the fat is a nice creamy tan color, that’s evidence of grass fed beef. If you see a piece of meat and you see a very white colored fat, that is evidence of corn fed beef. I like to pull out a rib eye steak and show a customer so they can see the difference. Everyone always sees those white globs of fat in the grocery store, but we have a nice straw color to our fat, and our cows are much leaner than other cows.”
On Saturdays, the couple sells their beef (and occasional goat meat — they also own South African Boer goats) at a stand (with a full freezer) at the Nashville Farmer’s Market. They are also a part of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in Tennessee, which brings the farmer and consumer together. Walnut Hills Farm dishes out just about any cut of meat you can imagine. In addition to their goat meat, they provide steaks, roasts, short ribs, brisket, London Broil and even organ meat. Bagwell said their most popular cuts of meat are the filets and rib eyes, which always sell out quickly. Trendy steaks like a Del Monica or a petit tender are also very popular. “A lot of people ask us if they can get our beef at the store, but we really enjoy selling it to the public and meeting people at the Farmer’s Market,” Sue Bagwell said. “We like helping them find something that they like and know is healthy for them; it is very gratifying for us.” After all, it’s a new way of life and a dream come true. Delicious
Tagged: doug bagwell | green acres | kenya | mission trip | Sue Bagwell | Sumner County | walnut hills farm
1 Comment on this post:
By: skybolt
I am so glad to see this! I have been buying their meat for some time, and even belong to the CSA, and the product is absolutely wonderful! Could not be happier! If you haven't tried pastured, grass fed beef, you don't know what you are missing! | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/16722 | Agweb HomeMyMachinery.com HomeNewsBiofuels Provisions Now Part of Tax Cut Plan
Biofuels Provisions Now Part of Tax Cut Plan
Biofuels backers probably have a little spring in their step today as provisions have now been tucked into the tax package worked out between President Obama and Republican congressional leaders which would extend ethanol and biodiesel incentives.
Here's where things stand as the Senate launches into consideration of the package:
Ethanol: The volumetric ethanol excise tax credit (VEETC) or blenders' credit, would also known as the blenders’ credit – will continue at its current level of 45 cents through Dec. 31, 2011. The tariff on imported ethanol will continue at its current level of 54 cents. The "Section 1603" grant program, a program from the 2009 economic stimulus law which allows companies to claim a grant instead of an existing investment tax credit, would be extended for a year.
The VEETC and the import duty had been scheduled expire at the end of 2010.
Biodiesel: The $1 per gallon biodiesel tax credit would be made retroactive to Jan. 1, 2010, and would continue through 2011. The plan would also continue the small agri-biodiesel producer credit of 10 cents per gallon. The bill also extends through 2011 the $1.00 per gallon production tax credit for diesel fuel created from biomass.
The biodiesel tax credit lapsed at the end of 2009 and lawmakers could not agree on a plan during 2010 to revive it.
Alternative fuels credit. The bill would extend the $0.50 per gallon alternative fuel tax credit through 2011. The bill does not extend this credit any liquid fuel derived from a pulp or paper manufacturing process (i.e., black liquor).
And folks like the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA)are pretty happy this morning. "Continuing to invest in our domestic ethanol industry is a proven method to create jobs and spur innovation and economic opportunity all across America," said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. "While this legislation is not as long as we had hoped, it is a common sense approach that will ensure American ethanol production continues to evolve and new technologies commercialized. We urge Congress to move expeditiously to pass the legislation. Then, honest and good faith discussions about how we reform all energy tax policy -- including for all oil and ethanol technologies -- can occur."
Meanwhile, House Democrats opted Thursday to vote as a caucus against the tax package that President Obama worked out with Republican congressional leaders. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) signaled they would continue to work on the plan before it came up for a vote in the House.
"In the caucus Thursday, House Democrats supported a resolution to reject the Senate Republican tax provisions as currently written," according to a statement released from Pelosi. "We will continue discussions with the president and our Democratic and Republican colleagues in the days ahead to improve the proposal before it comes to the House floor for a vote."
One of the main provisions irking House Democrats are details of the estate tax plan in the package. The agreement included a setting the estate tax at 35% on estates beyond $5 million per person ($10 million per couple) for two years. Democrats say that's too generous and want the provision scaled back to the marks that were in effect for 2009 -- a 45% rate on estates beyond $3.5 million per person ($7 million per couple).
Should they be successful in getting the estate tax details changed, key will be whether Republicans would go along with any such shift.
So next week looms large once again for the fate of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts that were to expire at the end of this year. And now, biofuels incentives are part of the package as many had expected to be the eventual case.
God help us...........................You are all killing the livestock industry and the voter. I think we all should make it our mission to. Tell me how we continue to buy corn that we subsidize so that it is so high to put ourselves out of business. Until these fuels are cost effective we don't need them.
Smallest dairy farmer...... Have you ever heard of expansion. THe more cows you have the more money you make. Dont be the "smallest dairy farmer" anymore. So let the grain farmer make a litle money along with the livestock and dairy farmers. Wow, quit being so damn greedy. Facebook | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/16979 | Home Articles Staff Sponsors
New Sight
Midnight Matador
Ready for the Unthinkable
Food from the Soul
Keeping Traditions Alive
Behind Agriculture
The Newsom Generation of Viticulture
Following in Family Footsteps
51 Years and Counting
End of a Dirt Road
Dedication is Spelled F-R-A-Z-E
Red Hot Dream
Quail Population in Danger
Learning From a Distance
Hogfestation
Surviving Freshman Year
Born to be Wild
Piercing the Campaign World
Road to Success
More Than Pals
Strive for Honor
Scoopin' Out no Regrets
Changing the Industry
Pushing the Envelope Farming + Technology
Researching Water
From the Field to the Glass
Going to the Grapes
Taking Pride in Texas Cotton
Story and Photo by Nickelynn Bays
The dusty, dirt roads that farmers and ranchers travel each day rarely cross the minds of Texans living in the most populous cities of the state. Thankfully for these agricultural producers who provide the nation with food, fiber and energy, the Texas Department of Transportation Commission is making the transportation of these commodities an easier task. A local resident is making sure it stays that way.
Fred Underwood was born and raised around farming and ranching. He knows all too well how important it is to maintain the roads which farmers and ranchers use daily. Underwood is also a commissioner of the Texas Transportation Commission, which oversees statewide activities of the Texas Department of Transportation. Underwood was appointed commissioner by Governor Rick Perry January 8, 2007.
As a young man, Underwood worked for his father's business, Trinity Cotton. Trinity is a cotton bale storage facility that offers storage to farmers, and provides a system to track and identify each bale.
Trinity has been in the Underwood family for more than one hundred years. The company started in East Texas, but as cotton farming became less popular in that region, his family moved to Lubbock, Texas.
Underwood said he recalls working for Trinity meant doing anything and everything for the business. He said he has gone from cleaning toilet bowls to now being the president and CEO of the company. "I may have been born with a silver spoon in my mouth," Underwood said with a grin, "but my dad jerked it out before I had teeth." Underwood said because of his background, he not only represents Lubbock on the commission, but also represents the rural areas of Texas. Each member on the commission is from and represents a highly populated city in Texas, except Underwood. Underwood said it is important for the Texas Department of Transportation to maintain the roads in major cities such as Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. "Texas has been growing about half a million per year and 83 percent of the people are moving to the major cities," Underwood said. Underwood said it is equally important to maintain the roads in rural areas of Texas to secure the transportation of agricultural goods.
"We want rural areas to get out of the mud and onto the pavement," Underwood said, "so we can bring the least expensive food, fiber and multiple energy sources to market."
Norma Johnson, vice president of legislative affairs at the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, said since bringing the railroad to Lubbock in 1913, transportation has been a major priority for the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce. While other areas of the state suffer from congestion issues, ensuring transportation connectivity is just as important in terms of getting agricultural and energy resources to consumers in other parts of the state and nation.
"Having Fred Underwood from Lubbock on the Texas Department of Transportation Commission is a huge help to those of us in the less populous, but vitally important agricultural and energy corridors of Texas," Johnson said.
Underwood is very humble when people credit him with the work the department has done. The people of rural Texas may think Underwood is a knight in shining armor to the farming and ranching communities, but he insists it is a group effort. He said he is just thankful he is able to work with an outstanding group of individuals who ultimately want to achieve the same goals. "It's not me," Underwood said, "it's all of these men and women at the Texas Department of Transportation working together."
© 2012 Texas Tech Department of Agricultural Education & Communications | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/17165 | Farm Horizons, December 2013
Raising bison is a growing trend in Minnesota
By Starrla Cray
They’re not exactly snuggly, but bison are becoming an increasingly popular livestock choice for area farmers. “They’re kind of unique. I just wanted something a little bit different,” said Bob Elliott of Triple J Farm southwest of Hutchinson, who started his herd about five years ago. Bison (often called buffalo) are extremely hardy they don’t require a barn, and they can thrive in most landscapes.
According to the Minnesota Buffalo Association, many farmers manage their herds while working off the farm or engaging in other agricultural pursuits.
“The actual time involved in daily care is very minimal. They take care of themselves,” said Elliott, owner of Town and Country Auto and Tire Repair in Hutchinson. Before purchasing his initial herd (one bull and four cows), Elliott visited several bison farms throughout the state.
He quickly learned that good fencing is one of the most important aspects of caring for these powerful animals. His fence features high electric current strong enough to “knock you to your knees” if touched.
A well-constructed enclosure isn’t everything, however.
“My biggest fear was that the bull would get out and that happened this summer,” Elliott said. On that day, Elliott had driven his skid loader into the pen, and didn’t close the automatic gate quickly enough. The bull slipped through, and ventured into a bean field across the road.
When Elliott grabbed his four wheeler, the bull challenged him, lowering its head to the ground and slinging dirt into the air.
“We went up and down the road, and I got him pretty worn out,” Elliott recalled.
After about 45 minutes, the bull had enough, and went back into its pen. “That’s the only time he’s been out of my little perimeter,” Elliott said. Most of the time, Elliott says buffalo are easy to have around. He feeds them in the mornings before heading to work, and checks on them again at night.
For water, Elliott installed an underground system that automatically re-fills when it gets low.
“They drink a tremendous amount of water,” Elliott said.
Five calves were born on his farm this year, bringing the herd size up to 18.
Elliott butchers a few each year, and sells the meat at his auto repair shop (100 Washington Ave. E, Hutchinson). “The meat is very healthy, and it doesn’t taste gamey at all,” he said. Cuts of meat are similar to beef (steak, roast, ground, etc.), and Elliott describes the flavor as “a little sweeter.”
Compared to beef, pork, and chicken, a serving of buffalo meat has more iron and vitamin B-12, and fewer calories. Due to the lack of fat, cooking time is about a third less than beef.
Bison meat is usually harvested when the animal is about 2 years old. According to the National Buffalo Association, a buffalo is weaned when it’s about 6 months old. The average lifespan is 20 to 25 years.
For Elliott, who grew up on a dairy farm in southwest Minnesota, raising buffalo is a satisfying hobby. “I like to have animals,” he said. “When you go out there in the morning, they’re always glad to see you. They never yell at you, and they never complain.” Farm Horizons: Main Menu | 2013 Stories
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2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/17917 | < Horticulture
Tree-of-heaven
Binomial:
widely adapted, growing in all but wet soils, sun to light shade
Seed Dispersal:
wind, but also water and equipment
Ripe Seed:
Seed Banking:
Vegetative Spread:
suckering
Allelopathy:
Allelopathic to both softwood and hardwood tree species
Ailanthus altissima (Tree of Heaven or Ailanthus) is a member of the quassia family, Simaroubaceae, native to northeast and central China, but now present as an invasive weed throughout much of the world. It is a deciduous tree which grows rapidly and can reach up to 25 m tall, rarely 35 m, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter, rarely 1.5 m diameter. The common name is a direct translation of the Indonesian name ailanto for a closely related species in the same genus. Other common names include china sumac, copal tree, stinktree and ghetto palm.
The tree is occasionally planted in heavily polluted areas as it is tolerant of both particulate and chemical pollutants, as well as saline soils. Outside those areas, it should never be planted due to its invasive nature.
The bark of the tree is smooth and light grey, while the stems are reddish or chestnut. Its large, compound leaves are arranged alternately on the stem, and can be 30-60 cm long (occasionally up to 1 m long on vigorous young sprouts) and contain 11-33 leaflets, occasionally up to 41 leaflets. Each leaflet has one to three teeth on each side, close to the base. This helps distinguish it from sumacs (Rhus spp.).
The flowers are small, yellow-green to reddish, produced in late spring to mid summer in panicles up to 30 cm long. It is dioecious, with trees being either all male or all female. The seed is 5 mm diameter, encapsulated in a samara 4 cm long and 1 cm broad; the samara is twisted, making it spin as it falls, assisting wind dispersal. Female trees can produce more than 300,000 seeds in a year. All parts of the tree produce an unpleasant odour, suggestive of rancid cashews, with male flowers having the strongest smell.
In overall appearance, it is somewhat similar to some species of sumac; Staghorn Sumac Rhus typhina can be distinguished by sumac's red and slightly hairy stems, as well as leaves that are serrated, instead of having the base teeth of A. altissima. Smooth Sumac Rhus glabra, also lacks the base teeth of A. altissima. Ailanthus also grows much taller than all sumac species. Seedlings of the Black walnut (Juglans nigra) can also sometimes be mistaken for this plant, but their trunks are more slender as a sapling.
Ailanthus is an opportunistic species, thriving in full sun and in disturbed areas. It does, however, exhibit some shade tolerance. It spreads aggressively both by seeds and vegetatively, through root sprouts. It can resprout rapidly after being cut. Ailanthus is among the most tolerant of all tree species to pollution, including sulfur dioxide, and high soil acidity such as that from acid mine drainage (as low as pH 4.1). It has been noted as drought-tolerant, storing water in its root system. It is frequently found along highways and railroad tracks, in abandoned lots in cities, on abandoned mining sites, and in other areas where few trees can survive. Along highways it often forms dense thickets in which few other tree species are present.
Ailanthus produces allelopathic chemicals, which inhibit the growth of other plants. Resistance in various plant species has been shown to increase with exposure; populations without prior exposure to the chemicals are most susceptible to them. A few plants are resistant to these chemicals and form associations with Ailanthus in areas where it is dominant, such as along highways.
People have suggested many factors to Ailanthus' success at naturalising, including the absence of insects eating the plant, lack of exposure of native plants to the Ailanthus' allelopathy, and the widespread human disturbances which favour the tree. Regional variation has begun to show throughout its range, with trees in the colder northern regions producing heavier seeds than those in warmer regions.
Tree of Heaven is a popular ornamental tree in China, valued for its tolerance of difficult growing conditions, and its uses in Chinese traditional medicine. The bark is used to treat dysentery and other bowel ailments. A tincture of the root-bark has been used successfully in cardiac palpitation, asthma and epilepsy. The leaves are also used to feed silkworms of the moth Samia cynthia, which produces silk that is stronger and cheaper than mulberry silk, although with inferior gloss and texture. There are also records of the wood from this tree being used in China. Under the synonymous name "A. glandulosa", an extract of the bark is sometimes touted as an herbal homeopathic remedy for various ailments. However, taken in large doses, the bark extract is highly toxic.
It was first introduced to Europe (France and England) by a French Jesuit priest returning from Nanking in 1751. It was brought to the United States by William Hamilton, a gardener in Philadelphia in 1784 and soon became a favoured ornamental tree in parks and gardens. By 1840, it was available in many nurseries and was planted as an ornamental. The tree arrived in the Western U.S. with the Chinese immigrants who worked the gold mines in California. To this day many abandoned mines have large colonies of it.
In the landscape these trees can cause problems because of their aggressive nature and weak branching habits. As a rule, they should not be planted outside of their native range, and female trees should be killed or kept cut to the ground to prevent further seed production. Male trees can be grown as a fast-replenishing postwood crop or hedge by coppicing at the ground every few years.
Control[edit]
Tree-of-heaven has become a problematic invasive species in many areas with warm temperate climates, especially in North America, due to its aggressive spread, vigorous growth and allelopathic chemicals. It often grows directly up against a building or structure, where the roots can damage sewers and housing foundations. The trees grow rapidly and produce many offspring in their root vicinity. They also shed many small branches at regular intervals. It is an agricultural pest as well.[1] These undesirable qualities often lead land and business owners to eradicate the plant.
Many different methods of control have been attempted and the best involve prevention as well as eradication. Means of eradication can be physical, thermal, managerial, biological, or chemical. A combination of these can be most effective, though they must be compatible. Physical methods are desirable due to their high selectivity, but are very labour intensive and thus more expensive. Hand-pulling is a highly effective way to remove young seedlings before the development of a tap root, but thereafter it is ineffective. Cutting and hand digging are options for larger trees, but the former will produce stump sprout which will need to be controlled later and the latter is very time consuming and is only practical for small infestations. Girdling, the removal of the cambial tissue with a hand axe or machete, is effective for very large trees, though re-sprouting often occurs. Thermal control, i.e. controlled burning, is also effective at removing the visible portion of trees, but sprouts will occur shortly after. These methods can be counter-productive if not performed regularly. On their own they are most effective in places with small infestations or in areas with fairly strong shade or competition.[1] The root systems will eventually become exhausted and die if mechanical or thermal control is done thoroughly and consistently, though this may take several years.
Managerial control is not effective with controlling ailanthus as native trees cannot compete easily with the tree and it is unpalatable to animals that could potentially graze on it. Biological control, the use of insects or diseases, is also not in use for ailanthus eradication. Chemical control, however, is quite successful, especially when combined with mechanical methods. Foliar herbicide sprays are very effective when plants are in full leaf, but are difficult to use when desirable plants are in the vicinity. Also very large trees will be out of reach. Herbicides for this use include the non-selective glyphosate, though care must be taken as it is mildly toxic to animals and especially to aquatic life. Its trade names include Accord and Roundup, though the latter contains other harmful surfactants which may be more toxic than the herbicide itself. Triclopyr is another option and is selective for woody plants, making it a better choice for sensitive areas. It is also non-toxic to fish, though it can be toxic to waterfowl. It is sold under brand names such as Garlon. Foliar applications of glyphosate have been shown to be slightly more effective than triclopyr. Dicamba, imazapyr and metsulfuron methyl are also effective, but have not been tested extensively with ailanthus.[1]
Other chemical methods for controlling ailanthus include a basal bark application of oil-soluble triclopyr in late winter or early spring. This method requires no cutting, but is only effective on trees with a diameter of 15 cm (6 inches) or less. For larger trees, an effective method is to cut off strips of bark at the trunk during the summer and spray a 100% concentration of triclopyr, only about 1 or 2 ml per cut, within a few minutes. The tree should not be cut all the way around in a ring, but rather only a ring with 3 to 6 cm (1 to 2 inch) pieces of living bark in between each cut. Cutting a full ring will kill the upper part of the tree and cause root suckers to sprout. Lastly, trees can be cut down and the stump treated with any of the above herbicides, though they must be applied immediately after cutting. This is most effective during the growing season.[1]
Mowing: As with most trees, mowing of seedlings is quite effective
Girdling: Girdling is effective for killing the tops, but the plant will resprout
Coppicing: Coppicing of female trees is a good method for preventing seed production. This needs to be done fairly often, as the resprouts quickly grow strong enough to begin production
Grinding: Sprouts from the outer root system are common, if possible the area should be mowed for at least 1 year after grinding.
Pulling: Seedlings and saplings pull easily due to the shallow root systems
Flame: Controlled brush fires will girdle at the ground.
Systemic herbicides (synthetic): Glyphosate is effective both as a spray and as a stump treatment, but reapplications may be necessary.
Biocontrols (microorganisms): Verticillium can kill the plant, but would be inappropriate as a biocontrol due to it's long life in the soil.
Biocontrols (animal): Several insect species are being considered as biocontrols.
Grazing: Goats will strip the bark, including the bark of large trees. Cattle will eat the seedlings. Deer do not provide control.
Disposal: All parts can be composted, including seeds, since they have a short-lived dormancy. The resinous sap may pose a problem for small chippers.
↑ a b c d Swearingen, Jil M.; Pannill, Phillip (2006). "Tree-of-heaven". Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/aial1.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-05. Flora of Taiwan: Ailanthus altissima var. tanakai
Heisey, R.M. (1990). Allelopathic and Herbicidal Effects of Extracts from Tree of Heaven. Amer. J. Bot. 77 (5): 662-670.
Hoshovsky, M. (1988). Element Stewardship Abstract for Ailanthus altissima. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, USA.
Lawrence, J. G., Colwell, A., & Sexton, O. J. (1991). The Ecological Impact of Allelopathy in Ailanthus altissima (Simaroubaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 78 (7): 948-958.
Woodworker's Website Association: Ailanthus altissima Wood
Introduction of Non-native plants to Massachusetts
National Park Service fact sheet
U.S. Forest Service Database entry on distribution and occurrence
U.S. Forest Service database page with details on invasiveness and control
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2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/18777 | Strawberry Season Looking Good So Far By Jeremy Loeb
Mar 24, 2011 TweetShareGoogle+Email Credit NC Strawberry Association The North Carolina Strawberry Association is optimistic about the upcoming season for growers. The weather has been ideal lately and growers are hoping there won’t be extreme temperatures in the coming months. The Association’s Executive Secretary, Debbie Wechsler, says a few farms are already growing: "It’s kind of a wave that goes across the state, so it’ll start in the Sandhills in the Coastal Plain, and then around the Raleigh area and the western Piedmont and then in the mountains. And so it’s very hard to say when the season is going to start. But sometime in the next few weeks a lot of farms will be opening up and so far what we’re seeing is the plants look really good." Wechsler says a typical season lasts about 5 to 7 weeks per farm. She says most strawberries grown in North Carolina are sold directly to consumers at farms, roadside stands and in the supermarket. "You know, they’re fresh, they’re local. If you go to a farm and pick them yourself, you know they’re absolutely fresh. If you pick them up at the farm, you know, pick them up at a farm stand, more than likely they were picked that morning. And there’s a lot to be said for that kind of freshness in terms of preserving the nutrients and the quality." The state's strawberry crop is worth more than $20 million a year according to 2008 USDA figures. Tags: AgricultureFruitTweetShareGoogle+EmailView the discussion thread. Related Content
Forum To Discuss State Of NC Agriculture
By Gurnal Scott
Jan 30, 2013 www.ncagr.gov Farmers and many of those they do business with will gather at the State Fairgrounds Thursday for the annual Ag Development Forum. State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler will begin his third term in office by discussing the state of the industry. Ag Department spokesman Brian Long says the meeting will be about much more than just tending crops and animals. It's about the process of getting the goods to your home. NC Agriculture Exports Hit Record $3.75 Billion
By Leoneda Inge
Dec 4, 2012 North Carolina Agriculture products are in growing demand around the world according to new numbers from the US Department of Agriculture. The USDA reports North Carolina agriculture exports hit 3.75-billion dollars last year. That makes the state 11th in the nation for overall ag exports. The latest export numbers also set a record for North Carolina. Peter Thornton is an International Marketing spokesman for the state ag department. North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC is created in partnership with: | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/18804 | Ag committee chairmen say they're strong on conservation By Agriculture.com Staff 1/22/2007 The new Democratic leaders of the ag committees in Congress agreed on the need for stronger federal programs to move the country toward ethanol production with switchgrass and other soil-conserving crops in a joint appearance at Pheasants Forever's Pheasant Fest held over the weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.
They also pledged to not lower commodity price supports and cast doubt on whether Congress would approve a new World Trade Organization agreement soon.
Conservation programs, especially the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) that has shifted about 36 million acres of erosion-prone cropland into grass and trees, are strongly supported by the hunters' organization which also raises funds for private wildlife conservation efforts. About 12% of Pheasants Forever members are also farmers. And with corn-based ethanol driving land prices and rents upward, there's concern in this group that farmers will shift land out of the CRP as contracts expire, or that Congress will spend less on CRP. Livestock groups and grain exporters have already expressed concern about the effects of high corn prices on their businesses.
"The first bulwark you've got against reducing the conservation reserve program is Collin Peterson and Tom Harkin," Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Tom Harkin told an overflow crowd of more than 350 at a farm bill forum Saturday. Representative Collin Peterson, the new chairman of the House Agriculture Committee was on the panel, along with Representative Leonard Boswell (D-IA) another Ag Committee member.
Peterson said he's hearing from people who want to reduce CRP acres in order to grow more corn. But out of 36 million acres in the CRP, only 5-6 million could be planted to crops without erosion problems, he said.
"I'm not interested in planting more acres that are going to cause us more crop insurance and disaster problems," he said.
Still, Peterson and Harkin acknowledged some challenges for conservation programs. Peterson said the biggest hurdle will be the budget.
"We are in a new world, at least in the House. We have re-established pay-go rules," he said, referring to pay-as-you go requirements that the cost of any new programs be offset with cuts to other programs or with tax increases. "That's probably going to hit us hardest in agriculture."
Harkin said that he's trying to convince the Senate Budget Committee and the White House to commit new budget resources to producing energy crops such as switchgrass. His goal is to add back about $20 billion for the next five-year farm bill. That includes about $16 billion not spent on commodity programs as was expected when the last farm bill took effect in 2002, and about $4 billion that Congress cut from the Conservation Security Program, a new program for working farms and ranches.
In a speech to Pheasants Forever members last Friday evening, Harkin suggested that support for cellulosic ethanol will be a big part of his next farm bill.
"We see a lot of interesting forces at work here folks. I'm not going to lie to you. The single most important thing we can do for our country is to become energy independent," he said.
"I'm committed this year to putting in our farm bill the strongest provisions I can that we move toward cellulosic ethanol," he said in his speech. Using grasses to produce ethanol will provide energy and maintain wildlife cover, he said.
At the farm bill forum, Harkin and Peterson seemed to differ slightly on exactly how the nation would move toward cellulosic ethanol production. Harkin said that Conservation Security Program funds might be used to make transition payments to farmers experimenting with switchgrass and other crops for cellulosic ethanol. Along with potential payments from cellulosic ethanol plants, it might be incentive enough to keep some higher quality CRP land from going into corn when those contracts expire, he said.
Peterson seems to favor a new program that would create additional acres outside of the CRP for experimentation. "What I'd like to do is add acres on top of CRP to do some experimentation," he said. He also said that acreage might have to be concentrated in one or two locations in a state, because of the cost of shipping biomass to an ethanol plant.
Peterson said one difference between him and Harkin is his view of the conservation security program. He said he'd like to see more conservation improvements on farms and ranches in order to get CSP payments. CSP was a program that Harkin championed in the 2002 farm bill. Harkin said that the law's original idea was to move producers enrolled in CSP through three levels of improvements, or tiers. As more improvements are made, farmers would advance from Tier I to II, to III. But USDA has administered the program to start payments to farms in Tier III, the highest level of the program, first.
When asked about price support levels for commodities in the next farm bill, Peterson and Harkin said it's too early to be specific.
"We're never going to go down," Peterson said. "We will look at that, but from my point of view we are not going to reduce the safety net. We might look at rebalancing."
Several commodity groups, including those representing wheat and soybeans, had said that current price support levels encourage planting of other crops.
On World Trade Organization negotiations, Harkin and Peterson expressed doubt that the current round of negotiations will succeed.
"I just think this WTO agreement is dead in the water," Peterson said.
One deal-killer could be the expiration of President George W. Bush's Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) on June 30. That authority limits congressional debate on the details of any trade agreement, in effect, giving the Administration the authority to negotiate a trade treaty before Congress has the chance to accept or reject the whole agreement.
"In the Senate, we're not going to extend TPA in the manner it is right now," Harkin said.
Added Peterson, "The House won't either."
The new Democratic leaders of the ag committees in Congress agreed on the need for stronger federal programs to move the country toward ethanol production with switchgrass and other soil-conserving crops in a joint appearance at Pheasants Forever's Pheasant Fest held over the weekend in Des Moines, Iowa. | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/19821 | Nutreco Global
University of Alberta, Canada
Dr Michael Steele was born and raised on a Holstein dairy farm in southwest Ontario. After completing a Masters in Animal Nutrition at the University of Guelph in 2003, Steele worked for a year as a consultant in the Chinese dairy industry, and then two years as the head dairy nutritionist for Masterfeeds in Canada. Steele then returned to academics and completed a PhD that focussed on characterising how the rumen epithelium adapts during grain-induced ruminal acidosis in cattle for three years followed by a one year post-doctoral fellowship; all with Dr Brian McBride at the University of Guelph (2007-2012). Through the course of his PhD he established productive research collaborations with professors throughout Canada, USA, New Zealand and Europe resulting in over 20 peer-reviewed publications.
After his postdoctoral fellowship, Steele worked for Nutreco Canada Agresearch as research scientist for two years, where he supervised undergraduate and graduate students and conducted research in the field of gastrointestinal health and function of the calf and lactating dairy cow. In 2014, he took up his current position at the University of Alberta, where he supervises undergraduate, MSc, PhD, postdoctoral fellows and research technicians. Over the last five years, he has published 28 peer-reviewed publications, 31 conference publications and has given 34 presentations to scientists, industry and producers.
Nutritional Regulation of Gastrointestinal Development
Dr Michael Steele of the University of Alberta, Canada, spoke during the morning session on the second day of the international symposium that marked the official opening of Trouw Nutrition's new Calf & Beef Research Facility in April, 2016.
His presentation focused on the nutritional regulation of gastrointestinal development of rearing calves and included a discussion of trends in calf management as well as a thorough examination of the pre-weaning period, including both immediate neonatal needs and the effects of elevated feeding planes through the first few months of life.
He went on to share an in-depth analysis of best practices and strategies in weaning, and concluded with a brief but important look at post weaning feed efficiency. Ultimately, Dr Steele's desire is to integrate both the pre and post-weaning planes of nutrition, to assist in creating seamless gastrointestinal development and encourage greater lifetime performance.
Calf management trends
Dr Steele began his presentation by outlining several general trends in calf management. He emphasized that in early life, especially during the pre-weaning phase, calves are quite efficient, and that even though the cost of feeding can be high, early dietary regimes strongly influence lifetime milk production. On the other hand, he touched upon how antibiotic overuse can and does have an adverse impact on lifetime milk production. Dr Steele also discussed that high mortality rates during the pre-weaning period, mostly due to scours and other gut health issues, mean that we must address the link between neonatal nutrition and gut health, to decrease morbidity and mortality.
Pre-weaning nutrition and gastrointestinal development
A great deal of gastrointestinal development happens prenatally. Even so, says Dr Steele, immediately after birth there is rapid microbial colonization of the rumen. Therefore, how a calf is fed in the first few hours of life can have a tremendous impact on microbiota and gut function. Colostrum, therefore, is essential in so many ways. Yes, passive transfer of IgG is indeed important.
But, as Dr Steele makes clear, there are other components in colostrum such as prebiotics, probiotics and other bioactives that should also factor into the colostrum equation. Therefore, Dr Steele makes clear that it is not a good idea to only feed colostrum in the first meal (or from the first milking), but to continue to feed it through the first week of a calf's life while transitioning to whole milk or CMR. Doing so, especially when heat-treated, says Dr Steele, can have significant long-term positive impact on gut health and overall lifetime performance.
In terms of feeding plane, the pre-weaned calf has tremendous capacity. In fact, they can consume 12 litres per day at day 4! Therefore, as Dr Steele notes, it is not a good idea to restrict calves, even in the first week, especially since research shows that calves that consume more milk have better health and growth throughout the pre-weaning phase. While feeding larger meals 2 times per day can increase the risk of milk overflow into the rumen which could negatively influence the gut, Dr Steele explained that calves have an amazing ability to adapt as evinced by slower abomasal emptying with larger meal size. Therefore, elevated planes of nutrition can (and should) be fed early in life!
As the rumen grows tremendously during weaning, it is important to remember that weaning includes quite a transition in gut function and metabolism. As research shows that when feeding high planes of nutrition, early and abrupt weaning can impact performance, Dr Steele advises later weaning with a smoother, step-down method. He explained that a smoother transition increases gain and decreases morbidity and mortality. While in nature calves would drink milk for up to 8 months and so in the dairy industry it is always early and abrupt by comparison, Dr Steele pointed to research by Eckert et al. (2015) which clearly showed that weaning at 8 weeks is more advantageous for gut function than at 6 weeks and to his own research, also from 2015, which shows that gradual, step-down weaning is better than abrupt weaning. He posited that decreasing total meal size may be better than simply eliminating a meal for gradual weaning.
Step-down weaning
Metabolizable energy intake
As there is an enormous shift in dry matter intake in just a couple of days with the weaning transition, Dr Steele indicated that calves simply aren't ready to consume the greater amounts of starter (they shift from 500g to 2000g per day). While step-down is better, he notes that there is still much left to learn and understand. His own research shows that calves have bigger forestomachs and more rumen fill with step-down weaning, but that there's little difference in the papillae as calves adapt very quickly, post weaning. While the emphasis has been on ADG during the weaning period, Dr Steele believes that more needs to be studied in terms of gut function as it, too, is changing quite a bit!
Post weaning nutrition
Dr Steele feels that more also needs to be studied in terms of post weaning nutrition. He explained that feed efficiency can be quite high and that after weaning calves also have enormous capacity. Therefore, by restricting the post weaned calf, he believes that we are not maximizing their potential. He emphasized that the dairy industry has a huge opportunity to take advantage of feed efficiency post weaning, and that we should therefore integrate the pre-weaning plane of nutrition with the post weaning plane of nutrition to optimize growth, health and production.
Watch this interview of Dr Michael Steele
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2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/20477 | President Mori Visited Pilot Project Farm In Madolenihmw
Palikir, POHNPEI (FSM Information Service): November 6, 2008 - On November 01, 2008, President Manny Mori and members his Cabinet visited the FSM Pilot Farm in Pohnlangs, Madolenihmw at the invitation of Her Excellency LEU Fei, Ambassador of People's Republic of China to the Federated States of Micronesia.
The farm is funded by the Government of China. It covers an area of 80,000 square meters. Half of it is designated for traditional local crops like sakau, yam, taro, banana and others. The other half has been brought under cultivation of vegetable consisting of 5,928 square meters canopy, and 2,000 square meters newly-completed open area for various kinds of vegetables. Melons have been and will be grown on it. The farm also has two pig houses and two chicken houses, and the 5,000 square meters farm is yet to be exploited.
The Project has successfully grown over 40 vegetable varieties and have trained about 600 local farmers and technicians.
The President and his cabinet toured the farm especially the nurseries and the green houses. The President was brief about the farm's current development, including vegetable and fruits it produced, and how they made use of the organic fertilizer to build and ecological farm.
Ambassador LIU welcomed President Manny Mori and his cabinet members to the farm, and thanked them for the visit, "This is the honor of the farm for the senior leaders to visit the farm to support the project", said the Ambassador.
She stated that the Chinese technicians also put a lot of effort in participating in the whole process of vegetable production including a great deal of labor work besides their own responsibilities.
She also noted that after the visit the project may adopt new methods that will really move the farm forward and make it more useful and more beneficial.
Secretary Lorin Robert on behalf of President Mori thanked Ambassador Fei for the kindness and hospitality extended to the President and his cabinet members.
He noted that agriculture is one of the development objectives of the FSM besides tourism and fisheries. So we will continue to look to your country for support. He also made mention of the other projects specifically for the vessels in Chuuk and in Yap that the Chinese are willing to refurbish at their own costs. | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/21228 | Regional GardeningGardening RegionsLower South Gardening The Best Hedge Plants to Grow in Augusta, Georgia The Best Hedge Plants to Grow in Augusta, Georgia
The Best Hedge Plants to Grow in Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia, is located in the eastern part of the state adjacent to the South Carolina border. Nicknamed the "Garden City," Augusta lies in USDA hardiness zones 7b and 8a, which means the minimum average temperature ranges from zero to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Native shrubs--such as winterberry, small anise tree and Southern wax myrtle--are the best plants to use for hedges in Augusta, because they are adapted to the local climate.
The winterberry is a member of the holly family and native to Georgia. You can plant winterberry shrubs next to each other to create a hedge. The winterberry is deciduous with green to dark green leaves in the summer, turning yellow-green with a purple tint in the fall. The shrub tolerates all types of soil and is not tolerant to drought. The shrub ranges in height from 6 to 10 feet with a spread of 5 to 10 feet, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The shrub has a rounded, vase shape and a slow growth rate. The twigs are resistant to breakage. The white flowers bloom in the spring. The berries are green during the summer, turning red in October. The berries stay on the shrub well into the winter and attract birds.
Small Anise Tree
The small anise tree, also called the yellow anise, is classified as an evergreen shrub or tree. A native of Georgia, the small anise tree is used as a hedge plant and will grow denser if planted in the sun, according to the University of Georgia Horticulture Department. The plant prefers sandy, wet soil. The small anise tree has a moderate to fast growth rate and ranges in height from 8 to 15 feet and a spread ranging from 6 to 10 feet. The tree is pyramid-shaped. The leaves are light green, spear-shaped and smell like root beer when crumpled. The yellow-green flowers bloom in June and are 1/2 inch wide. The star-shaped fruit is green.
Southern Wax Myrtle
The Southern wax myrtle is an evergreen shrub native to Georgia. Part of the bayberry family, the wax myrtle is also known as the Southern bayberry or the candleberry. The shrub is used as a hedge plant and ranges in height from 6 to 20 feet with a spread of 15 to 20 feet. The shape of the plant is round or oval. The smooth bark is generally gray, although it is white on some plants, according to Wildflower.org. The leaves are gray-green to olive-green in color and are aromatic when crumpled. The green flowers bloom in the spring. The berries are pale blue and appear in the winter.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Ilex verticillata Winterberry
University of Georgia Horticulture Department: Small anise tree
Wildflower: Morella cerifera
native Georgia plants, Augusta, Georgia hedges, Georgia hedge plants About this Author
Caroline Fritz has more than 18 years of writing and editing experience, mainly for publications in Northwest Ohio. She is currently an editor for a national technical magazine focusing on the construction industry. She has a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.
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2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/21502 | February 17, 2011 One unhappy night in 1992, 40-year-old Timothy Pigford, a fourth-generation black farmer having a terrible time of it trying to grow soybeans in North Carolina, sat in the living room of the house he was barely holding on to and drew up the outline of a lawsuit against the federal government. It was a decision more than 15 years in coming, ever since the first of the many times he’d been denied a USDA loan because — he was convinced — of the color of his skin. Before all was said and done, he would spend 20 years of his life trying to convince government officials, members of Congress, judges, and even the president that the USDA had ruined him even as it had given similarly situated whites the credit and support they needed to thrive as farmers. He’d go bankrupt in the process — losing his farmland, his home, and the 1990 Toyota he would put 350,000 miles on traveling up I-95 to Washington to press his case — while his relationship with his wife and two teenage sons would be stressed to the breaking point.
But eventually, he’d win.
And in finally securing justice for himself and the few hundred farmers who first joined his class-action suit, he’d unwittingly set off an injustice greater than the one he sought to rectify: one that would involve the waste of billions of dollars, systemic fraud implicating top federal officials, the unseemly electioneering of two presidential campaigns — even murder.
Timothy Pigford’s discrimination case looks plausible. In an extensive 1998 profile in Business North Carolina magazine, Pigford spoke at length about his upbringing in the segregated South, where goodly white farmers sometimes let his father bundle his tobacco crop with theirs so the white auctioneers would give him a fair price. A college dropout, Pigford rented and farmed a small tract of land, and paid for a John Deere by working the night shift at a chemical plant. In 1976, after three years of putting in 100-hour weeks to bolster his operations, he submitted an application for a $110,000 loan through the county representative of the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA), a descendant of the New Deal that gave credit and grants to rural farmers for homes, capital investments, irrigation, and disaster relief. Pigford wanted to own the land he worked.
His loan was denied.
He got other loans from the USDA, including $21,500 to buy a home later that same year, short-term loans he repaid when he sold his crops, and disaster relief when Hurricane Diana struck in 1984. But he was convinced he wasn’t getting a fair shot at success, even as white farmers who worked nearby land were getting loans to expand their operations.
In 1984, a fed-up and indebted Pigford testified before a House committee investigating USDA loan practices, a move he says made him even more of a target for the USDA reps back home. Denials of debt-restructuring and operating loans followed. By 1992, $55,000 behind on $200,000 in loans, Pigford drew up his suit and began lobbying his congressman to take up his cause — and that of other black farmers in the district, who Pigford believed were subject to the same discrimination.
On its own, Pigford’s case was probably a coin flip. On one hand, a 1986 USDA inspector general’s report shows that two white farmers named by Pigford received better treatment from FmHA officials, getting large loans quickly despite problems with their applications. On the other hand, the local FmHA officials who handled Pigford’s loan applications were cleared of wrongdoing by a separate internal probe: They said they had denied the loan because financing costs, on top of the fact that Pigford’s tract was already losing money, made his plan uneconomic.
It’s unclear whether the facts would have cohered into a “preponderance of the evidence” — the standard required to prevail in civil suits — for Pigford. But there is statistical evidence of USDA discrimination against black farmers through the 1980s. According to a USDA report, in several southeastern states it took an average of three times as long to process successful loan applications from blacks as from whites — and in a field as time-sensitive as farming, such delays were often disastrous. By contrast, loan denials and foreclosures came quicker for blacks than for whites. The USDA office that investigated such complaints was closed down in 1983, leaving farmers two possible channels of recourse: the same FmHA boards that they believed had discriminated against them, or the federal courts.
Pigford fought his way up the bureaucracy, securing meetings with high-level USDA officials, and even one with President Clinton. By 1997, the Clinton administration was offering ten-cents-on-the-dollar settlements to Pigford and his relatively small cohort of black farmers, in the interest of healing (and avoiding a messy lawsuit). And Pigford might have been ready to settle. But unwittingly, by building momentum for his cause, Pigford — who had been begging attorneys to take up the case for years — had drawn the attention of the sharks.
Enter Al Pires, a trial lawyer and former Justice Department hand who had helped break up AT&T before going into a lucrative private practice. He agreed to take up the cause of as many as 2,500 black farmers, turning their discrimination cases into a class-action suit seeking as much as $3 billion in damages from Uncle Sam. He promised not to accept a cent in legal fees until the farmers got their awards. Pigford and the others signed on. Within months, Pires had the Clinton administration admitting that there had been costly discrimination over the last two decades, and a trial date was set for Pigford v. Glickman.
The government hoped that mediation would keep the case out of the courtroom. Pires wanted the opposite, government lawyers say, and launched a campaign to sabotage the negotiations. He eventually prevailed, and the defeated government offered him terms he could live with. There were unsubstantiated grumbles, then and now, that the timing of the settlement had something to do with Al Gore’s desire to compete with George W. Bush in the rural South. Whatever the merits of those claims, there can be no doubt that the Clinton administration’s new conciliatory tone affected the tenor of the negotiations — a 1996 public apology offered by Clinton secretary of agriculture Dan Glickman was seen by all as having been a turning point in the legal battle.
On Jan. 5, 1999, a federal district court in Washington, D.C., approved a preliminary consent decree — essentially a seal of approval for a settlement — granting class-action relief for a wide swath of black farmers. Give or take an unseemly lawyer, it looked like the angels had won. It was a victory bipartisan in the making: Speaker Newt Gingrich had helped push through legislation waiving the statute of limitations for discrimination complaints, allowing the suit to clear a crucial legal hurdle. But the story was far from over, and Pigford v. Glickman would prove the settlement that launched a hundred thousand frauds.
The “Pigford class” — the range of individuals eligible to claim settlement money — originally was defined as
all African-American farmers who (1) farmed between January 1, 1983, and Feb. 21, 1997; and (2) applied, during that time period, for participation in a federal farm program with USDA, and as a direct result of a determination by USDA in response to said application, believed that they were discriminated against on the basis of race, and filed a written discrimination complaint with USDA in that time period.
Both sides acknowledged that the class size wasn’t likely to exceed 2,500. But the seeds of abuse were already sown. Despite the fact that the class was at first strictly limited to those who had “filed a written discrimination complaint” with the USDA, the settlement crucially allowed that most members of the class lacked any documentation of these complaints, purportedly owing to poor record-keeping by the USDA. So the resolution mechanism offered potential claimants two “tracks” toward settlement money. Track B required a higher bar for evidence — the “preponderance” standard traditional in civil actions, demonstrated during one-day “mini-trials” before court-appointed arbitrators — but it came with no cap on potential awards. Track A provided, in the words of the case’s judge, “those class members with little or no documentary evidence with a virtually automatic cash payment of $50,000, and forgiveness of debt owed to the USDA.” Track A claimants would also get their taxes on that debt paid directly to the IRS for them, and priority consideration on their next USDA loan application.
To get their checks, Track A claimants were required to show court-appointed facilitators “substantial evidence” that they had had “communication” with the USDA, a member of Congress, the White House, or any federal, state, county, or local official regarding a discrimination complaint. How “substantial”? According to the consent decree, “something more than a ‘mere scintilla’” — in practice, as little as the corroboration of one’s story by a single individual who was not immediate family. The definitions of “communication” and “complaint” were stretched as well: Under the agreement, even participating in a “listening session” with USDA officials was as good as filing a discrimination complaint. And in cases where there was no documentary evidence whatsoever of communication with the USDA, a popular defense was for claimants to explain that USDA officers would not even give them the forms and applications they requested — in one fell swoop both demonstrating the discrimination and accounting for the lack of a paper trail. Thus could blacks who had never cultivated land they’d owned or rented — who in point of fact might never have mown a lawn or tended to a shrub — claim that systemic racism thwarted their farming careers before they ever started. Such claimants came to be known as the “attempted to farm” class, and by some estimates as many as 92 percent of all Pigford filers marched under their banner.
What followed was a feeding frenzy of claimants egged on by fee-seeking tractor-chasers. The original 400 members of the Pigford class had swelled to 14,000, and a total of $1.25 billion had been paid out. The largest single settlement — some $13,000,000 — went to a communal farm in Georgia called New Communities, Inc., headed by Charles Sherrod and his wife, Shirley, who would be hired by the USDA, where she would gain a measure of notoriety, just three days after she received her settlement.
Even after the deadline for submission passed in 1999, claims kept — and to this day, keep — pouring in, such that the number of claimants now stands at nearly 100,000. But there is a curious thing: A 1997 agricultural census found only 18,500 black farmers nationwide, and even the most liberal third-party estimates suggest that there never were more than about 33,000 at any point during the period of eligibility between 1981 and 1996. Even if you accept as sound the decree’s reasoning that persons are entitled to compensation for “attempting to farm,” the numbers force the conclusion that for every black farmer actually working the land there were four or five who’d been prevented from speeding the plow.
If the queerness of those numbers doesn’t stand out on its own, consider that while the USDA’s credit and benefit programs are federally funded, decisions on individual applications are made at the county level, usually by small committees of local farmers and ranchers elected by their peers. The Pigford settlement would have you believe that racism was universal, not just inside the institution of the USDA but across all those semi-autonomous county offices: even in places like Jefferson County, Ark., where numerous discrimination claims came in despite the fact that all the supervisors at that office were black.
Parsimony demands a simpler explanation: that the majority, even the vast majority, of Pigford claims are frivolous at best and fraudulent at worst. That is the case being made by perhaps the loudest critic of Pigford: journalistic gadfly Andrew Breitbart.
Though Breitbart says the biggest revelations are yet to come, he has coauthored a report detailing some of the crime that has been directly tied to Pigford. The most sensational example comes from 2006, when a Mississippi couple was sentenced to life in prison on conspiracy charges in the murder of Clovis Reed, who had plotted with the couple to make fraudulent Pigford claims and who they feared would testify against them in court. The year before, two college administrators in Arkansas were convicted of attempting to fraudulently claim $400,000 after they attended a meeting whose organizers told them the settlement was a “veiled way to collect reparations for centuries-old grievances.”
The government is not unaware of the widespread fraud. According to an anonymous FBI source quoted in Breitbart’s report, a preliminary investigation into Pigford suggested that at least half the claims filed had been falsified — but the investigation never went anywhere, because federal prosecutors had no taste for the racial politics that would have attended it.
The USDA itself appears to have turned a blind eye to blatant irregularities. One USDA employee with firsthand knowledge of the claims process told Breitbart et al.:
We saw claims come in from affluent areas. There were claims from Palm Beach and Palm Springs, and they said they were black farmers. One applicant said the Chicago USDA office discriminated against them. There is no USDA office in Chicago. They got paid anyway.
Others went on record. John Stringfellow, a farm-loan supervisor covering six Arkansas counties, called Pigford “the largest scam against federal taxpayers in the history of the United States,” saying that among the 800 or so claims he personally received, over 80 percent had never applied to USDA assistance programs, nor farmed at all.
But even the largest scam against taxpayers eventually runs its course. By 2007, with every filing deadline having passed, the consent decree in mothballs, and tens of thousands of unpaid claimants lingering on the rolls, Pigford advocates knew they needed new judicial action, or help from Congress, to get paid. They got the latter in the form of the Pigford Claims Remedy Act of 2007, which came, as so much legislative mischief does, as an amendment to that year’s farm bill. It had a single sponsor: Sen. Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois (where, incidentally, only 98 out of 77,000 farms are operated primarily by blacks). The bill, which became known as Pigford II, extended the filing deadline by more than ten years, through June 19, 2008. It also continued the Track A and Track B routes, appropriated an additional $1.25 billion for payouts, and added a provision that prevented claimants’ homes from being foreclosed on while their cases were being adjudicated.
It came after Gary Grant, president of the influential and Pigford-evangelizing Black Farmers & Agriculturalists Association, had written Obama a letter promising him all the financial and ballot support the BFAA could marshal in the rural South in exchange for his continued work on the plight of the black farmer. Grant had told Fox News he didn’t care whether all the Pigford claimants were really farmers, since “if you are an African American, you deserve $50,000, because your roots are in farming, and your folk have already been cheated.” Claimants, according to Grant, were “collecting what [their] grandparents didn’t have the opportunity to.”
Obama’s championing of Pigford II was seen by some as part of an effort to run up the score against Hillary Clinton with rural black voters in tough southern primaries. Whatever its purpose, the bill languished in committee through the 110th Congress. But Obama didn’t forget. As president, he signed the Pigford II legislation, and charged agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack and attorney general Eric Holder with negotiating a new settlement for unpaid claimants. It came in February 2010, with Vilsack’s announcement that the federal government would no longer stand vis-à-vis Pigford claimants “as an adversary, but as a partner.”
The settlement made use of $100 million in funds already available for unsettled claims, and in December 2010, Congress added substantially to the kitty, appropriating $1.2 billion after a last-minute blitz by Vilsack to wring votes out of a reluctant lame-duck session.
Meanwhile, the gravy train shows no signs of slowing down. Many of the few hundred farmers who composed the original Pigford class have wound up like Timothy Pigford himself — driven out of farming altogether — or like Willie Head.
Head, a 58-year-old, third-generation farmer and rancher who produces melons, corn, soybeans, and livestock on the southwestern Georgia parcel he bought from his father in 1980, was one of the first Pigford plaintiffs. Throughout the early 1980s, many of the loan applications he filed were rejected with little cause, and those he was granted were placed in bank accounts jointly operated by USDA supervisors, a condition to which no similarly situated white farmer was subject. By 1984, Head had gone bankrupt, taking writedowns that have to this day precluded him from asking for any further USDA loans.
He says that when the consent decree was approved, he initially intended to file for broader compensation under Track B, but was pressured by lawyers like Pires to take the sure $50,000 promised by Track A.
“We were drowning,” he says, “and we took whatever rope we could get, no matter who it was that was handing it to us.”
Head used the money he received to buy a used pickup truck to haul his produce and to fix his rundown tractor. But he also waited nine years for the debt relief promised in the original settlement, relief that never came. Had he known, he says, he would have spent differently.
Head says Pigford “did more harm than good” for black farmers “who are still out here, working the land,” because accepting the settlement meant being “shut out for life” from further compensation.
Head is still farming, “with what I can scrape and can scoop,” but he can afford to work only half his land, and imagines he’ll eventually sell it to the white farmer who owns an adjacent plot. His daughter has passed away, and his son has seen too much to have any interest in carrying the family tradition through a fourth generation.
At a December 8 signing ceremony, President Obama heralded Pigford II as the close of “a long and unfortunate chapter in our history.” In a way, one hopes the president is right — that the credulity, or perhaps the shame, of the American government and its taxpayers cannot be strained to accommodate the petty greed of more than 94,000 phantom farmers, and that the con will finally have run its course. But that is unlikely. Two Pigford-style class-action suits — one for Hispanic farmers, another for women — with the potential to dwarf current settlements are working their way through the courts. Like so many Pigfords to the trough.
— Daniel Foster is NRO’s news editor. This article first appeared in the Feb. 21, 2010, issue of National Review. | 农业 |
2017-04/4175/en_head.json.gz/21825 | Tomatoes Florida growers allege Mexico's dumping tomatoes By Tom Burfield
A request by the Maitland-based Florida Tomato Exchange for the federal government to end its tomato suspension agreement with Mexico has drawn the ire of many Mexican greenhouse grower-shippers and sparked the interest of some California tomato growers.
The Florida group cited unfair trade practices in June as it asked the U.S. to end the agreement reached in 1996, when Florida growers accused their Mexican counterparts of “dumping” tomatoes in the U.S. below their cost of production.
In exchange for suspending an investigation into the charges, Mexican growers agreed to abide by a floor price for tomatoes exported to the U.S. The agreement was revised in 2002 and 2008.
The current floor price is 17.2 cents per pound from July 1 to Oct. 22 and 21.69 cents per pound from Oct. 23 to June 30.
Not playing fair
Reggie Brown, vice president of the exchange, said Mexican growers have not been playing fair, and he said the organization has filed documents with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission requesting withdrawal from the anti-dumping duty petition, which would end the suspension agreement.
Brown said the reference prices cited in the agreements did not reflect the true production costs in Mexico.
“There are concerns that the market is being unfairly traded and dumping has been taking place, even under the agreement,” he said. “The domestic industry is concerned about that issue.”
There are trade laws in the U.S. that protect domestic industries from unfair trade practices, including dumping, he said. And there are procedures for industries to use those laws.
“Those are being very carefully examined,” he said.
Support for the action also comes from West Coast growers.
“California Tomato Farmers supports the withdrawal of the suspension agreement,” said Chris Zanobini, president of the Sacramento-based grower cooperative. “Our members also have weighed in on the subject.”
Reasoning questioned
Brian Bernauer, director of sales and marketing for Fresh Pac International, Oceanside, Calif., which sources tomatoes from Baja California, said his feelings about the agreement remain unchanged.
“I hold the same opinion I had when they decided they needed the suspension agreement,” he said. “We’ve been a (signatory) since the first time it became legislation.”
Bernauer said he does not understand the reasoning of the Florida organization.
“We’ve had no problem with (the suspension agreement) at all,” he said.
Several Mexican growing organizations decried the recent petition in a joint news release issued in July.
“We are disappointed,” Rosario Beltran, Commission for Research and Defense of Horticultural Products chairman for CAADES — the Confederation of Agriculture Associations of the State of Sinaloa — said in the release.
“This agreement has worked well for 16 years, bringing stability to the market and settling one of the largest bilateral trade disputes between the U.S. and Mexico,” Beltran said. “If these Florida growers are successful in reigniting this trade war all over again, it will have an enormous negative impact on industries on both sides of the border, and prices will increase significantly for U.S. consumers.”
Fried DeSchouwer, president of Greenhouse Produce Co. LLC, Vero Beach, Fla., said U.S. growers are complaining that they can’t compete with their Mexican counterparts, but he said it’s not the fault of Mexican growers if U.S. growers have to use more fertilizer to treat their land or hire more expensive labor.
Some U.S. growers have complained that Mexican producers don’t have to comply with the strict food safety regulations that are in effect in the U.S., but DeSchouwer said Mexican product typically is third-party- and Global GAP-certified and also is certified locally and checked by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when it is shipped to the U.S.
Chris Ciruli, a partner in Ciruli Bros., Rio Rico, Ariz., doesn’t see a need for a change in the agreement.
“We have had stability since the agreement was in place for the last 19 years,” he said. “I believe that’s a great track record.”
Both sides should keep lines of communication open, he said.
Mike Aiton, marketing director for Prime Time International, Coachella, Calif., which sources some of it product from greenhouses in Mexico, favors the suspension agreement as it stands.
“I think it’s been a good program, and one that should remain in place,” he said.
He does not expect to see changes anytime soon, he said.
request to end its tomato suspension agreement with mexicoflorida tomato exchange About the Author:
Tom Burfield
, Western Correspondent
Tom Burfield has been Western correspondent for The Packer for more than 20 years, and he also writes for Produce Retailer magazine and has contributed to several other Farm Journal Media publications. View All Posts | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/1403 | MENARD COUNTY, ILLINOIS - 1905
Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
J. C. SHORT. One of the valuable farming properties for which Menard county is noted is in possession of J. C. Short, the most enterprising agriculturist and one whose success is well deserved, for in him are embraced the characteristics of an unabating energy, inflexible integrity and strong purpose. He is, moreover, one of the oldest native sons of this part of the state, his birth having occurred May 17, 1824, upon the farm where he now resides. He is a son of William B. and Tabitha (Manner) Short, both of whom are natives of Kentucky. The father spent his early life in that state, was reared to the occupation of farming and always followed that pursuit as a life work. He left Kentucky in order to become a resident of Illinois, settling in St. Clair county, where he remained for a year and a half and then he removed in 1819 to a farm now occupied by his son J. C. Short. Upon this place he lived until his death and when he was called away it bore little resemblance to the tract of land which came into his possession. His farm was at first a wild and unimproved region, hardly a furrow having been turned when it came into his possession, but soon the track of the shining plow was seen across the fields and in due course of time the planting of the seed was followed by the gathering of rich harvests. Mr. Short was a man of more than average education for his day and because of his intellectual force and his high character worth he exerted strong influence in his community, which was always given in behalf of justice, truth and improvement. He was numbered among the more highly respected of the old settlers of Menard county and his death, which occurred in 1865, was the occasion of wide-spread and deep regret in this part of the state. He married Miss Tabitha Manner and they became the parents of four sons and three daughters, all of whom are deceased with the exception of J. C. Short and his brother William P., who is now living at the age of eighty-five years in the enjoyment of good health, making his home upon a farm in Mason county, Illinois.
In the early district schools of Menard county J. C. Short obtained his education and when he had put aside his textbooks he continued upon the farm with his father until he had reached the age of twenty-six years. He then made preparation for having a home of his own and was married on the 27th of December, 1849, to Miss Eliza Wilcox, who was born October 17, 1817. The young couple removed to Mason county, where Mr. Short carried on general farming for fourteen or fifteen years. They then returned to Menard county and purchased the old Short homestead, upon which he yet resides. He is one of the honored pioneer residents of the county and is a great friend of Jeff Johnson, another venerable citizen of this part of the state. They were schoolmates and playmates in youth and as they grew up became partners in many business enterprises, buying stock in the north which they drove to this county. In business as well as in social life their relations have continued mutually pleasant and agreeable and few men are better informed concerning pioneer history in this part of the state than Mr. Short and Mr. Johnson.
Mr. and Mrs. Short became the parents of three children, but none are now living. John C., who was born in 1851, died in 1853, and one son died in infancy. The daughter, Mary Clarinda, born August 22, 1852, married Joseph Kincaid and removed to California, where she died January 10, 1900. She had three children, two sons, Harry E. and D. Roy, and a daughter, Ruth Eliza. The sons are now identified with the mining industry of the west and the daughter is visiting Mr. Short, having come from California at his request, he desiring that she should make her home with him in his declining years, for in 1900 he lost his wife who, on the 18th of October of that year was called to her final rest. They had long traveled life's journey together with marked devotion to each other and a most congenial companionship existed between them.
Mr. Short has frequently been solicited to accept public office by his fellow townsmen who have recognized his worth and ability, but he has always declined to serve, preferring to do his duty as a private citizen. Although he has reached the eightieth milestone on life's journey he is still a hale and hearty old man. Old age need not suggest as a matter of course helplessness or want of occupation. Mr. Short is still deeply interested in affairs concerning his county and its welfare and throughout the long years of his manhood has endorsed every measure which he has believed would contribute to general progress and improvement. His business affairs have been capably managed and he now owns a fine farm, although at a recent date he suffered the loss of his large barn and cribs through fire. He still, however, has a valuable property and it is the visible evidence of his life of thrift and energy.
Return to 1905 Bio. Index
MAGA © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2002. | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/1450 | California’s New Groundwater Legislation Is Unfair. The Governor Should Sign It Anyway.
SlateFuture TenseThe Citizen's Guide to the FutureSept. 3 2014 1:00 PM
By Eric Holthaus
A sign is posted near an almond farm in Turlock, California. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images In California, the score is now: Drought 1, Farmers 0.
After years of shockingly dry conditions, fallow fields, freeloading salmon, and forced livestock sales, the state’s legislature has finally taken action.
Advertisement On Friday, California lawmakers approved a historic measure that would regulate groundwater for the first time in state history. California was the only Western state without controls on the amount of water taken from wells. Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to sign the legislation later this month.
The legislation, which is really three separate bills, intends to limit overpumping by directing local agencies to construct their own “groundwater sustainability plans,” with fines for violations. There are also provisions for the state to usurp local plans if they continue to result in groundwater depletions after 2025. A $7.5 billion water bond, another major effort at expanding the state’s already vast water storage and delivery infrastructure, was previously agreed upon and will be placed in front of voters on the November ballot.
The measures were passed hours before the legislative session came to a close, drawing the ire of state agricultural interests, which will likely be most affected by the new rules. The contentious final votes came not along Republican-Democratic lines but a rural-urban divide, with a bipartisan contingent from the agriculturally rich Central Valley staunchly opposed. In California, farmers use more than 80 percent of the state’s water. They’re also the most productive in the nation, leading the way in growing everything from asparagus to walnuts. Farmers there deserve to get the majority of the state’s water, a resource they’ve molded into a multibillion dollar industry that feeds each of us every day. The problem is, there’s currently no real incentive to save dwindling aquifers there, as huge subsidies continue to tempt big agriculture into water-intensive crop choices. Last week’s actions by the state legislature are an attempt to change that.
Despite what essentially amounts to an unjust loss of water rights for Central Valley landowners, the bill should be celebrated. Without a legislative step of this magnitude, it’s only a matter of time before agriculture in its current form becomes impossible in California. Farmers must adapt to a future with less water, and there’s no time like the present.
Advertisement Earlier this year, I wrote extensively about California water issues in a Slate series called the Thirsty West. On my drought-themed road trip, I met rancher and Tulare County Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Gavin Iacono and Central Valley almond farmer Benina Montes. This week, I spoke with both of them again by phone to gauge their initial reaction to the new regulations.
Iacono says the Central Valley has turned into an arms race of drilling for water. “It's amazing in just my commute each day, how many well rigs I see out and around. It's a one- to two-year wait to get a well crew in. I know people that are on a waiting list for four or five different well companies.”
According to Montes, the new rules may help make things fairer. As it is currently, he says, “If you've got more money, you can go deeper. It’s like, ‘Great, you win.’ ”
The drought has hit Iacono hard. This year, he sold his cattle herd because there was no hay left to feed them. Friends are starting to talk about leaving. "More and more, we've thought of it, too,” he says.
Advertisement He’s worried—with good reason—that the drought in California may just be getting started. New research led by Cornell University calculated up to a 50 percent chance of a 35-year megadrought later this century. Lead author Toby Ault told the university’s press office that “with ongoing climate change, [the current drought in the West] is a glimpse of things to come. It’s a preview of our future.” Said Iacono, “If that's true, none of us will survive out here.”
Still, Iacono says he has mixed feelings on the new rules. “If they limit how much [groundwater] you can use, that will dictate what crops you can grow. It's going to lower your property value, and potentially your ability to use the land.” He continued, “When you're legislated out of something that's been in your family for generations, it's hard to stomach when you have other people telling you what you can and can't do.”
In the meantime, farmers like Montes are flying a bit blind. Montes pumps vast quantities of water each year for her family’s almond orchard, but has taken steps to try to be as efficient as possible, using drip irrigation and organic management methods. The new legislation should help encourage more farmers to adopt water-saving practices like these.
Montes repeated a groundwater analogy she overheard at a recent Farm Bureau meeting: “Right now we have a bank account, but you don't really know how much is there. We can’t keep making withdrawals forever.” She continued, “It's hard, because nobody likes being told what to do, but we gotta protect it.”
Eric Holthaus is a meteorologist who writes about weather and climate for Slate’s Future Tense. Follow him on Twitter. | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/4427 | 1930 Oscar Will Seed Company Catalog Back Cover SHSND# 10190Onions were classed by color. Beets were identified as table beets, sugar beets, or mangels/wurzels, and carrots were identified as table carrots or (live)stock carrots. But potatoes enjoyed particularity not attached to other vegetables. Perhaps this represents the enormous importance placed on potatoes by early residents of ND. As can be seen in the drought of the 1930s, a failed potato crop could be disastrous for a farm family. Another interpretation might be reflected in the efforts of the vegetable breeders in the state to locate vegetables that were early, hardy, and drought resistant. A trial of potato varieties through the unscientific, but highly popular venue of a county or state fair, suggests a means of distributing information about successful varieties of potatoes quickly through the gardening population. For all of the interest displayed by the NDAC/NDAES horticulturists and seedsmen such as Oscar H. Will in corn and tomato varieties, there is little evidence of similar interest at the fairs. Tomatoes come close to such divisions only with color (yellow or red) and some qualities (preserving) to classify the entries, but few are named by variety. This may suggest the long years of failure of gardeners to raise tomatoes successfully and reliably, and also the late or early date of most of these fairs. The Fargo/Cass County/State Fair was usually held in July. Others were in September or October. It was either too early or too late for tomatoes. However, in 1910, the Fargo fair offered a substantial prize ($10 worth of garden seeds) for the best exhibit of six Thornber tomatoes. No reference to Thornber tomatoes has been found elsewhere. There was also a prize for “The Big 4” varieties of tomatoes which included Thornber, Yakima, Dakota Farmer, and Early June.
Fairs: 123456 7 89101112131415
Return to Themes Intro | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/5558 | Mr. Paterson: My right hon. Friend touches on cash flow, which is surely the most pressing issue facing those businesses. In the equestrian sector, a large riding school in my constituency, with 70 horses, has no cash flow at all. The arrangements for rates will be helpful down the road, but such businesses need a cash injection fast.
Mr. Curry: I agree with my hon. Friend. We have seen well publicised stories of riding establishments having to 25 Apr 2001 : Column 352
slaughter their horses because they cannot afford to maintain them. That is particularly telling in an epidemic in which the images of lambs in the mud, and calves, have featured so prominently.
Above all, we need the restoration of normality as fast as possible. However, we need to look beyond that, at the exit strategies from the crisis. There will have to be a recovery strategy. In agriculture, the costs of stock replacement may exceed the levels of compensation paid for stock. There will be a period before farms can be restocked, in which farmers must have a livelihood.
A great deal of nonsense has been and will be spoken about the impact of all this on the common agricultural policy. The Liberal Democrats' Ruritanian naivety--cliche-ridden naivety at that--was a singular non- contribution to this debate.
Diseases such as BSE and foot and mouth will push agriculture further in the direction in which it already knows that it must go. It must move into the environmental market, it must move into the recreational market, and it must move upstream and produce more quality food. In other words, the task of public policy makers is to define what those public goods are and how we pay for them, so that we are not dependent upon contradictory policies that promote production while also seeking to promote and support policies that militate against production.
When we come to that debate, I hope that people will show some sense and realism about the directions in which agriculture must go, and will not chase some new form of Elysian dream that will not have the faintest bearing on reality. In the meantime, very many businesses are suffering acutely. They will continue to do so for the rest of this year and beyond, and the aid must stretch to them while the crisis lasts.
Mr. Ben Bradshaw (Exeter): I am pleased to follow the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry), who as usual spoke a great deal of sense--if he does not mind my saying so. I was also pleased that he broadened the debate a little beyond the immediate impact of foot and mouth. The debate is on the rural economy, and if we were not holding it against the backdrop of that disease it might be rather different. For example, in my part of the world--Devon and Cornwall--unemployment is at a record low, whether in urban or rural areas. There is still big migration from urban to rural areas--those people are not moving to rural areas because life there is intolerable, but it is understandable that we are holding this sad debate against the backdrop of the current crisis; I shall restrict my remarks to that.
I was pleased with what my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, said about the trends of the outbreak. However, I am slightly puzzled by the approach of the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo), who constantly lectures the Government that they need to learn the lessons of 1967. I fear that he may have to eat his words. According to the current epidemiological projections, if the present trend continues, this outbreak will have been far more successfully and quickly contained and eradicated than the 1967 outbreak, which went on for eight months with far more cases. The hon. Gentleman should be more careful when he draws parallels with 1967.
25 Apr 2001 : Column 353
There seems to be some general confusion in the House about the meaning of the term "under control". My understanding is that the scientific definition of a disease being "under control" is when one outbreak generates fewer than one further outbreak. Under that definition, the disease has been under control for at least two weeks--even in somewhere like Devon--contrary to the suggestion made by the hon. Member for South Suffolk.
That is not to say that we do not have enormous problems. My right hon. Friends the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and the Minister for the Environment will be aware of the particular problem in Devon of carcase disposal. However, although the hon. Member for South Suffolk says that he has visited Devon, he does not seem to have learned very much. He displayed the most extraordinary ignorance of our geology and of the fact that, after the wettest year for 300 years, our water table is at a record high. In the constituencies that are most badly affected, such as that of the hon. Member for Torridge and West Devon (Mr. Burnett), there is the highest proportion of people with private water supplies. All the experts and the Environment Agency say that the suggestion made by the hon. Member for South Suffolk for on-farm burial is the worst possible environmental solution to the problem. I do not know where he gets his ideas.
During this crisis, most Members have learned that often there are no simple solutions and no easy answers. I know that, in Devon, the Army and MAFF have been working around the clock to try to find appropriate disposal sites. It has been incredibly difficult. We have not had the luxury of the large disposal sites in Cumbria. Sites have now been found, but as the Government and authorities have--rightly--listened to the concerns of local people, there has been a delay in the sites coming on-stream.
I associate myself with the suggestion made by the hon. Member for Torridge and West Devon that the Government should consider the possibility of taking away some of our carcases. I realise that Ministers would tell me, "You would say that, wouldn't you?", but there is now spare capacity in other parts of the country. The hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff), who, sadly, is no longer in the Chamber, seemed rather reluctant to receive any of our carcases. I point out that, during a large part of the outbreak, we in Devon were taking carcases from his area into our rendering capacity, so there could be a generous quid pro quo. I urge the Government to consider that proposal. The situation is terrible. Human health problems could arise--as they have already done in some cases--with all those undisposed carcases left in the Devon countryside.
The crisis has been devastating and distressing for the farming community. It has also been hugely devastating for other industries--especially tourism, as has already been said. I am especially sorry for the small tourism industries in the areas most immediately affected and on Dartmoor, which do not automatically receive compensation. They face going out of business during the next few weeks unless more is done.
We were fearful about the Easter holiday. However, I am glad to say that we had a far better Easter than we had originally expected--partly thanks to some of the 25 Apr 2001 : Column 354
initiatives taken by the Government before Easter to encourage people to visit Devon and Cornwall and return to the countryside. In fact, takings in Devon were between 80 and 90 per cent. of those for the previous Easter. That is phenomenal achievement, given the terrible backdrop--[Interruption.]--although, as my hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean (Mrs. Organ) points out, the good weather helped.
That relative success masks a huge disparity. In cities like mine, Exeter, takings were up on the previous Easter; indeed, during the Easter weekend, one of the hotels had to send away 30 couples because it was full. The coastal resorts did extremely well. I spent much of the recess walking around the coastal path, where there were crowds. However, on Dartmoor and in the rural areas immediately affected by the disease businesses had a terrible time.
I associate myself 100 per cent. with the suggestions made by my hon. Friend the Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours), who, as usual, made a wholly constructive speech. It was full of practical, constructive suggestions, which I hope the Government will take on board. If they do not do so, some excellent tourism businesses on Dartmoor and in the rural areas of Devon will go to the wall. We have built up a high quality tourism industry during recent years; it brings enormous benefit not only to people from outside the region, but to people who live in cities such as Exeter, who like to go out and enjoy the countryside.
Those businesses will go to the wall unless they are offered some short-term help. More than anything, businesses want their customers back; they must get their customers back. We need a vigorous and well-funded marketing campaign for the rest of the year. Easter may have been better than we anticipated, but another bank holiday is coming soon, with another one after that. One swallow does not a summer make.
We need a vigorous marketing campaign--we also need access. I spent some time during the Easter recess trying to walk in Devon. I say "trying" because far too many footpaths and public rights of way are still unnecessarily closed--as is too much of our woodland. I implore the Government to step up pressure on local authorities, the National Trust and the Forestry Commission--or Forestry Enterprise, as it has been renamed--to open much more land to public access. That must happen in time for the May day bank holiday weekend in 10 days time. The limited reopening of footpaths just before Easter was crucial. If that had not happened in Devon, we would have experienced a far worse Easter and everyone would have gone to Cornwall or Dorset instead. I am sure people in those counties would have been pleased, but we would not have been.
I implore my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment to keep up the pressure on the Department of Trade and Industry for at least one extra bank holiday--preferably in the autumn. I know that it is not on the Government's agenda--as he repeats each time I ask him--but will he tell the DTI that we in Britain have fewer bank holidays than people in any country in the European Union except the Netherlands? Furthermore, our workers take less holiday--by an average of about a week. It is a complete myth to suggest that giving people more holidays makes them less productive; the opposite is the case. All the research shows that productivity is associated far more with investment in technology and training than with holidays. A work force who are not 25 Apr 2001 : Column 355
well rested and who are stressed perform far worse. As well as a much-needed fillip to our tourism industry, an extra bank holiday would go down extremely well with the public at large. That should be in our manifesto, as the Fabian Society suggests.
The medium and long-term situation also needs to be addressed. At present, I think it is too soon to put a price tag on how much the crisis will affect us. Two conflicting reports have been produced by universities in Devon. The first was issued by the university of Exeter early in the outbreak--when we all thought that it would be far worse than it probably will be--and suggested that it would cost the county 10,000 jobs. Since then, research has been carried out by the university of Plymouth, which is much less pessimistic. However, I urge the Government to make a close study of what they think the impact will be, and to listen to the suggestions made by my hon. Friend the Member for Workington.
I am sure that on both sides of the House we all hope that the medium and long-term impact of the disease will not be as bad as we feared at the beginning. It is very good that the disease has been brought under control and eradicated more quickly than many of us--even the most optimistic--expected two or three weeks ago, but we are certainly not yet out of the woods.
May I make a plea for a couple of things? The first may not be popular in the countryside, but we need to hold such debates openly during times of crisis such as this: we need planning in rural areas. It is extraordinary that 75 per cent. of our land is in agricultural use, but accounts for only 1 per cent. of our gross domestic product--as the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon pointed out. Yet there is a housing shortage. It is not a popular thing to say, but we need more homes. Ministers may be aware of the storyline on the BBC Radio 4 programme, "The Archers", in which there is a big debate about a new housing development in Ambridge. I am with Roy and Hayley on this one. They are a young couple who are about to get married and desperately need a home, but the NIMBYs in Ambridge are trying to stop them getting one.
Our rural economy would be helped if we could have more homes. Farmers would also be helped if they were allowed to build two or three homes on their land. They would not then need taxpayers to compensate them for some of the losses that they have incurred. I hope that Ministers will take that on board. I know that it is a controversial suggestion, but we should debate such things; we should not be shut up by organisations such as the Council for the Protection of Rural England.
We need to restructure the Departments. That is not a slight on the work done by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, nor on that done by the Ministry. She is absolutely right--her staff have been working absolutely tirelessly in incredibly difficult conditions. They have worked miracles and, with hindsight, they will be judged much more fairly and favourably than they are currently being judged in the media.
It seems to be nonsense that a Department is dedicated to an industry that is responsible for just 1 per cent. of our gross domestic product, whereas tourism, which is far more important economically, is the responsibility of a small part of another Department, with no budget and very little clout. I hope that the Government will grasp that 25 Apr 2001 : Column 356
nettle after the next election. I am not sure what the answer is, nor whether I agree with the Liberal Democrat party's recommendations, but we need to consider that matter extremely seriously.
Finally, on the reform of the CAP, all power to my right hon. Friend's elbow. I agree with her that the change of Minister in Germany is hugely important. I know Renate Kunast from my time as the BBC correspondent in Berlin. She is a very sensible woman, and I am sure that the Minister can do business with her. If we can get the Germans on board for a radical reform of the CAP, despite all the clouds and the gloom of this crisis, there could be a very bright silver lining. | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/5683 | ADVERTISEMENT This May 2012 file photo shows dairy cows on the Meyer farm in Chilton, Wis. As the nation inches toward the economic fiscal cliff, anxiety is growing in farm country about a separate looming deadline, one that reaches into the dairy industry and, indirectly, into the household budgets of consumers who buy milk and cheese. Carrie Antlfinger, ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP
Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune file
Prices for dairy products may soar Article by: JIM SPENCER
WASHINGTON - Among the twisted consequences of Congress' frayed fiscal cliff negotiations is the possibility of dramatically higher prices for dairy products.
Without an update to the nation's milk program, the country would revert to a 1949 pricing system that would force the government to buy and store vast quantities of milk, butter and cheese, cutting supplies and pushing up prices.
Estimates of the effect on prices run to 50 percent higher or more. Meanwhile, the government's tab to take dairy products out of supply could run into the billions.
"It would not be out of the question for a large proportion of domestically manufactured dairy to head into ... storage," said Scott Brown, an agricultural economist at the University of Missouri.
Congress could have headed off this scenario by passing a new farm bill or extending the current one, but that hasn't happened. Rep. Collin Peterson, a farm-policy expert who represents Minnesota's Seventh Congressional District, hoped to attach an extension to a fiscal cliff bill.
Failing that, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must begin in January to buy dairy products and store them. "If they don't raise the price [of dairy products], they can be sued by dairy farmers," Peterson explained.
But that increase could be delayed by the sheer novelty of the situation. Peterson, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, said that there is no mechanism in place for the USDA to start buying up milk and that it's unclear how quickly that would happen.
A delay might allow the 2013 Congress to take remedial action before consumers and taxpayers suffer too much financial pain.
The stakes are enormous. Brown said government outlays for the program would total in the billions of dollars annually, with $15 billion to $25 billion "not out of the question."
High prices could cut demand
Even some milk producers who stand to profit mightily in the short term have misgivings. Bob Lefebvre, executive director of the Minnesota Milk Producers Association, said the group's 1,600 members are hoping for a congressional fix by New Year's Eve.
"From a dairy farmer's standpoint, the price going up is good. But at some point, consumption goes down," Lefebvre said. "You want people to keep drinking milk and eating dairy products. The bottom line is we need a farm bill."
Minnesota produces 9 billion pounds of milk per year, 5 percent of the nation's total.
Peterson said milk producers' opposition to production quotas in the 2013 farm bill the Agriculture Committee passed had held up action in the House. The Senate has already passed a new five-year farm bill.
50 percent price hike possible
Limiting milk production remains a sticking point for many dairy farmers.
However, Lefebvre now says his group would prefer quotas to archaic financial supports that eventually price customers out of the market.
Ryan Miltner, an Ohio lawyer who represents dairy producers and co-operatives, called the pending milk pricing situation "a double-edged sword."
"In the short term, it will be fantastic" for producers, he said. But once price increases work their way through the retail chain, "people can expect the price on the shelf to rise 50 percent." At that point, buyers will begin to think twice.
Brown, the agricultural economist, said government purchases of butter and nonfat dry milk would come first and "could happen very quickly."
Economists believe it will take several months for price increases to filter their way through the retail chain to consumers. Whether that gives Congress enough time to head off what most experts consider a self-inflicted economic crisis is unclear.
Some still cling to hope of action in the next 10 days. "I wouldn't say we have plenty of hope," the milk association's Lefebvre said. "But we're more than 50 percent sure they'll do something."
Jim Spencer • 202-383-6123 | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/7495 | Maple syrup production is down in Northeast Ohio due to colder weather
By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
The delay in the arrival of seasonal weather, let alone above average temperatures, is putting the hurt on area maple sugaring operations.
So much so that local maple sugaring experts are concerned that this year's production will mirror that of 2010 rather than what flowed in 2012.
A total of 65,000 gallons of maple syrup was produced statewide in 2010. Yet, just one year later, a total of 125,000 gallons sweetened the efforts of producers.
Even last year when a short blitz of a season occurred in late January and early February, a total of 100,000 gallons of maple syrup was made.
"It's been tough, though it did look promising the last week in January when some producers made some good syrup and some good quantities, too," said Les Ober, agent with The Ohio State University's Geauga County Extension Service.
Ober is the service's go-to expert on maple syrup production.
That very brief and encouraging early run teased tappers but then the weather tossed a curveball. And the weather continues to throw more strikeouts than home runs, says Ober.
"We may be well into March before we can see much production," he said.
Perhaps, however, 2011 and 2012 were the anomalies and not the norm.
If so, then "maybe we're going back to, and what everyone is hoping for, is a more normal season when March is the prime tapping period," Ober said.
Then again, if the cool to cold weather continues, expect Northeast Ohio to experience a New England-style of maple syrup
production, which typically runs from mid-March to mid-April, he said.
"Who knows? Maybe we'll be tapping in April, which is what usually happens in Quebec," Ober said.
What a delay or even a bust in Northeast Ohio maple syrup production won't do, however, is balloon the cost of maple syrup, which already is expensive because of the labor-intensive requirements to collect, boil and bottle it, he said.
"Some tappers are going to always do well, and we'll just have to import more from New England and Quebec," Ober said. "Really, at least 50 percent of the syrup sold in Ohio is actually imported anyway, and most of that comes from New England."
Though the starting gun to begin the race to produce maple syrup sounded at Lake Metroparks Farmpark, the effort is more of a jog thus far than a sprint, said Andy Baker, the park's administrator.
"It's been chilly, but we have done some tapping and even have boiled twice, producing maybe some of the finest that we've ever had," he said.
And though the Farmpark's maple syrup production is off, the to-date effort has still yielded about 95 gallons, Baker said.
Part of the reason the Farmpark has managed to tap about 1,000 maple trees and boil the sap down to syrup is because a vacuum pumping system is employed to extract the sap even on days which are cloudy, he said.
"That is, if it warms up enough so that the sap starts to flow better than if we were to depend on gravity alone," Baker said. "It really helps out in marginal times like when it's warm but not sunny."
The Farmpark's maple sap collecting and boiling is still behind schedule. And with only marginally fair weather in the forecast over the next several days the Farmpark's maple syrup production operation won't improve a whole lot, Baker said.
"At least we were able to pull off some demonstration opportunities, and hopefully we'll have enough to sap to boil this weekend for public demonstrations," he said. "We should have something for folks to see and even taste."
The annual "Maple Madness Tour" is set for March 9 and 10, and 16 and 17. Sponsored by the Ohio Maple Producers Association, the Maple Madness Tour is a drive-it-yourself exploration of maple producers throughout Ohio.
In all, there are 41 stops in 17 counties. About one-half of these stops are scheduled for Northeast Ohio.
There will be 16 stops in Geauga, seven stops in Ashtabula County and one at the Farmpark.
For further information, visit www.ohiomaple.org.
URL: http://www.news-herald.com/general-news/20130301/maple-syrup-production-is-down-in-northeast-ohio-due-to-colder-weather | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/11150 | FAO HomePlant Production and Protection HomeThematic sitemapInformation ResourcesPublicationsAGP in ActionInterdisciplinary WorkAGP in KeywordsAGP Project WorkNetworksContacts AGP - News
Integrating agricultural issues in National Biodiversity Strategies FAO paves the way towards mainstreaming ecosystems services and biodiversity into agriculture 25-26 May 2016, Nairobi – Biodiversity and ecosystem services are at the heart of many solutions to sustainable increase in agricultural productivity. They not only deliver better outcomes for food and nutrition security but also reduce negative environmental externalities of production.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the Nature Conservancy (TNC) organized a regional policy dialogue on the role of ecosystem services and biodiversity in agricultural production. This came close to the heels of this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity (22 May) and within the context of the United Nation’s Environment Assembly in Nairobi (23-27 May) whose overarching theme was Delivering on the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The event – organized under the EU-funded project “Capacity Building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries Phase 2 (ACP/MEAs 2)” and the FAO Programme on “Incentives for Ecosystem Services in agriculture (IES) ” - brought together some sixty key national and regional stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, the Pest Control Products Board, Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization, non-governmental organizations and research institutions. The meeting was officially opened by Robert Allport, FAO Kenya’s acting Representative. He emphasized the relevance of the meeting towards achieving a sustainable approach to agriculture, “ that recognizes and rewards the vital role that other elements of the ecosystem – from broad water catchments to pollinators and earth worms – provide to both local agricultural systems and to other sectors of society, through reduced soil erosion, clean water, biodiversity protection and carbon sequestration.”
Ecosystem based solutions that benefit production and beyond
Approaches that can address both the negative externalities of conventional production systems and assist resource-poor farmers in overcoming sustainability challenges have a central common thread: they recognize that agriculture and food systems are biological and social systems. They can be designed to build upon and harness the forces of biodiversity and ecosystem services to underpin sustainable agricultural production - soil fertility, natural pest and weed control, pollination, water retention – so that these are optimized and encouraged.
The Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity Dr. Braulio Dias pointed out the need to build agricultural landscapes and food systems able to face, and to be more resilient to increasingly frequent extreme weather events. He highlighted that a key strategy that should be promoted to achieve this goal is sustainable ecological intensification of agriculture, which includes reduced reliance on agrochemicals for increasing and improving yields, and instead, reliance on ecosystem services and biodiversity.
Supporting the integration of agricultural issues in the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs)
The two-day workshop revolved around a newly released technical guidance document by FAO and the CBD which aims to mainstream biodiversity and ecosystem services into country National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The document has been prepared as part of FAO’s Major Area of Work on Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity (MAW-ESB), whose goal is to demonstrate the importance of Integrated Landscape Management in the protection and enhancement of ecosystem and biodiversity for Sustainable Food and Agriculture. The guidance document provides insights on the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and their relevance to agriculture. The Aichi Biodiversity Targets are form the core of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 as an overarching framework on biodiversity for the entire United Nations system and all other partners engaged in biodiversity management and policy development. The guidance document comprises seven technical papers from leading experts on managing ecosystem services and biodiversity to reduce the use of agrochemicals, focusing on natural pest control; water; soil; pollination; indigenous knowledge; crop-livestock integration and weed management. The document also includes a section on policy measures, from Kenya and other regions of the world, that offer examples of entry points for harnessing synergies between sound chemical management and biodiversity conservation. The identification of key contributions of ecosystem services and biodiversity to Kenya’s agricultural sector was instrumental in the deliberations held. Kenya’s NBSAP revision is scheduled to start later in 2016. Recommendations towards mainstreaming an ecosystem-based approach to the country’s agriculture were gathered during the meeting. Other examples of initiatives that assist farmers in overcoming adoption barriers to best practices, by linking them with public and private initiatives were also shared. Case studies from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda showed examples of collaboration between research, environment, agriculture development and private sector companies. These examples of Incentives for Ecosystem Services (IES) from agriculture reveal that there are abundant resources available to offer farmers an integrated support package, capable of supporting a lasting transition to sustainable agriculture. In a bid to improve coherence in these investments, an ecosystem services and biodiversity mainstreaming task-force was assembled from the Kenyan participating institutions. FAO Kenya will reconvene the task-force in the coming weeks to further define the work plan and joint fund-raising priorities that will enable them to better bridge the gaps between environment, food security and better rural livelihoods.
FAO Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity portal: www.fao.org/ecosystem-services-biodiversity
Livia Loy Donà, Operations and Communications Consultant (AGPM)
Email: [email protected] Ruth Njeng’ere – Communications Officer
Email: [email protected]
<//span>Road mapping pesticide risk reduction for the Pacific region 12 August 2014, Rarotonga, Cook Islands - Mrs Topou Heather, family farmer, produces various vegetables and fruits for market.In the Pacific Island countries and territories, the consequences of the rising use of chemical pesticides, including but not limited to misuse, are a threat to the health of both humans and ecosystems. Adverse impacts range from contamination of the natural resources to increased incidence of pesticide poisoning cases. Of particular concern is the use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), and the overall poor management of pesticide products from their point of entry into the country, through to their use, and until their end of life
For reducing such risks, key stakeholders from 12 Pacific Island countries and territories (Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea) gathered in Suva, Fiji from the 10 to 12 September 2014 for an inception workshop. The objective of the workshop was to foster the integration between the agriculture and biodiversity sectors to strengthen capacity for the sustainable intensification of crop production.
The workshop led to the development of an action plan to address the following regional priorities: The harmonization of national pesticides legislation and registration systems The piloting of a pesticides container management scheme;The development of trainings and training materials on Integrated Pest Management (IPM), organic agriculture and ecosystem and biodiversity management;The integration of agriculture into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and addressing Aichi Targets 7, 13 and 14The awareness raising and public education on pesticide risk reductionThe ratification and implementation of the Rotterdam ConventionTo facilitate communication and information sharing among pesticides regulators the workshop participants agreed to the set up of a Pacific Pesticide Management Committee. Additionally, one workshop day was dedicated to the Rotterdam Convention. It provided an opportunity for all participants (countries that have ratified the Convention as well as those that have not) to share their experiences for complying, ratifying and implementing the Convention whilst setting the stage for further collaboration.
The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), which hosted the event, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment (SPREP), expressed their commitment in the work ahead to assist the Pacific Community in improving human and environmental health. The FAO-led workshop was supported by the EU funded programme “Capacity building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements in ACP Countries - Phase II" (MEAs Phase II), the objective of which is to support and strengthen institutional and national capacity-building for the synergistic implementation of the target MEA clusters. MEAs are the international treaties and conventions on the environment. They address environmental issues of global concern in such areas as climate change, biological diversity, sound management of harmful chemicals and hazardous wastes, and coastal and marine environment among others. They include binding instruments as the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions and the Convention on Biological Diversity as well as voluntary instruments as the FAO/WHO International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) among others, providing a sound framework for pesticides and biodiversity management. 10 September 2014, Suva, Fiji – Workshop participants at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) FAO helps reduce risks from pesticides in the Caribbean17 June, Bridgetown - From 10-14 June, national delegates from 15 Caribbean countries attended the 18th Meeting of the Coordinating Group for Pesticide Control Boards of the Caribbean (CGPC) in Trinidad and Tobago, to decide on action to reduce risks from pesticides. At the Opening Ceremony, Head of the Insect Vector Control Division in the Ministry of Health of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Clyde Teeluckdharry, said “We need to balance the risks to humans, plants, animals and the environment posed by the presence of pesticides and toxic chemicals against the benefits to society, and this can only be achieved primarily through the development of a robust legislative framework and public education.” The CGPC meeting endorsed a 4-year work plan that FAO experts will help facilitate. The plan covers setting up regional schemes to evaluate and register pesticides and share information among countries; assistance to farmers to find the safest methods for controlling pests and diseases in their crops; helping countries to deal with empty pesticide containers; and training for medical professionals to recognize and treat cases of pesticide poisoning.With financial support from the European Union (EU), FAO has been helping Caribbean countries to address priorities in pest and pesticide management including the safe disposal of obsolete pesticide stocks that have lingered in the region for up to 30 years; finding the safest methods for controlling pests in agriculture and homes; reducing risks from pesticides to the environment and the health of both local populations and tourists; and communicating with farmers, politicians and the general public about pesticide dangers and the positive actions that can be taken.So far, with FAO support, Caribbean countries have located nearly 300 tons of obsolete pesticides that include some of the most dangerous chemicals that have been banned internationally such as dieldrin and heptachlor. This information is being used to plan a clean sweep of the region in order to safely dispose of all existing obsolete pesticides at an estimated cost of US$ 2 million.Overall, FAO is hoping to mobilize about US$ 8 million to support this work over the course of the programme which started in 2009 and will continue until 2017.For more information:
Vyjayanthi Lopez: Plant Production and Protection Officer, FAO Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean, Barbados [email protected] Davis: Senior Officer-Pesticides Management, FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy [email protected] The 2012 Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR)The annual Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and the WHO Core Assessment Group on Pesticide Residues was held in Rome, Italy, from 11 to 20 September 2012. The FAO Panel of Experts had met in Preparatory Sessions from 6 to 10 September 2012. The Meeting evaluated 31 pesticides, of which 7 were new compounds, and 7 were re-evaluated within the periodic review programme of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR). The Meeting established acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) and acute reference doses (ARfDs).
The Meeting estimated maximum residue levels, which it recommended for use as maximum residue limits (MRLs) by the CCPR. It also estimated supervised trials median residue (STMR) and highest residue (HR) levels as a basis for estimation of the dietary intake of residues of the pesticides reviewed. Application of HR levels is explained in Chapter 7 (7.3.) of the FAO Manual on the submission and evaluation of pesticide residue data for the estimation of MRLs in food and feed (2009). The 2012 JMPR Report is available at the FAO website: click here to access the JMPR webpage for downloading the 2012 JMPR Report.
Joint Meeting on Pesticide ManagementThe 5th FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management (JMPM) and 7th Session of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Management was held at FAO Headquarters in Rome, from 11 to 14 October 2011.
The FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Management is the official statutory body that advises FAO on matters pertaining to pesticide regulation and management, and alerts it to new developments, problems or issues that otherwise merit attention. The Panel in particular counsels FAO on the implementation of the revised version of the International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides. Members of the WHO Panel of Experts are drawn from the WHO Panel of Experts on Vector Biology and Control, or are academic or government experts invited to advise WHO on policies, guidelines and key actions to support Member States on sound management of pesticides. Click here to download the JMPM Report.
Regional Symposium on the Management of Fruit Flies in Near East Countries Globally, fruit flies (Diptera, Tephritidae) are one of the most agriculturally important families of insects. About 70 species of fruit flies are considered important agricultural pests, causing very high losses every year. Fruit flies attack fruits of many important crops, including for example citrus, mango, apples, peaches, apricots as well as some vegetables (especially Cucurbitaceae), seed crops and also many wild plants. The major fruit fly genera present in Near East countries are Ceratitis, Bactrocera, Dacus and Rhagoletis....[more] Training manual on evaluation of pesticide residues data for the estimation of MRLs in food and feedThe trial edition of FAO training manual on evaluation of pesticide residues data for the estimation of MRLs in food and feed has been developed and is available at the FAO website. The contents of the Training Manual reflect the sections of a typical residue evaluation, including pesticide identity and properties, metabolism, supervised residue trials, food processing and consumer exposure to residues. The Training Manual chapters include specify the purpose of the particular step in the evaluation process; make reference to the relevant chapters and sections of the FAO Manual; explain the process with practical examples illustrating the usual procedure and give examples for ‘difficult’ cases which require special consideration. Case studies are designed for exercises by the participants of training programs under the guidance of the trainers. Click here to access the webpage for download of the Training Manual. Regional Training workshops on pesticide residue risk assessment and Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) setting in Brazil and Ghana In collaboration with the Foreign Agricultural Service, United States Department of Agriculture, AGPMC held two regional training workshops on pesticide residue risk assessment and standard setting in Brazil and Ghana. The workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean was held in San Paulo, Brazil, from 16 to 20 May 2011. Twenty-one participants from twelve countries attended this training workshop. Participants came from Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Peru and Uruguay. The training for the Africa region was held in Accra, Ghana, from 6 to 10 June 2011, and twenty-two participants attended it. Participants came from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia. [more]
Pesticide Problem solved in ParaguayIn Paraguay a fire that took place in a site owned by the Oficina Fiscalizadora de Algodón y Tabaco (OFAT) in the city of Asunción in 2003 resulted in about 160 tonnes of damaged pesticides, contaminated soil and other contaminated materials being placed in hastily procured shipping containers where they have remained since. The site is close to the centre of Asunción, the capital of Paraguay and next to the site is a neighbourhood, a busy road and a river, so that health and environmental risks are extremely high. The Government of Japan agreed to allow income generated from agricultural equipment and inputs donated by Japan and sold locally to be used for the disposal of the obsolete pesticides from OFAT Asunción. [more]
Update version of The Manual on development and use of FAO and WHO specifications for pesticides The Manual on the development and use of FAO and WHO specifications for pesticide has been recently revised. The new revision (2010) has taken into account points reported by the 2006 and 2009 Open and Closed Meetings of the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Specifications (JMPS) and points suggested by the JMPS members, CIPAC and the industry. The amendments introduced in the 2010 revised Manual are highlighted and the revision is dated
The new Manual is available only at the FAO and WHO websites. Click here to access the webpage for download the revised Manual. Training workshop on the establishment of MRLs held in BudapestThe first FAO Training Workshop on the establishment of Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) and risk assessment of pesticide residue took place in Budapest, Hungary, from 8 to 12 November 2010. Fifteen trainees participated in the workshop, thirteen of them coming from developing countries. The workshop was opened by the FAO Assistant Director General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, ... [more]
Pest and Pesticide Management - HomeIPM - Integrated ManagementIPPC - International Plant Protection ConventionRotterdam ConventionPesticide Risk Reduction: Code of ConductGuidelines and toolsPesticide residues (JMPR)Pesticide specifications (JMPS)Obsolete pesticidesCore ThemesSustainable Crop Production IntensificationPest and Pesticide ManagementSeeds and Plant Genetic ResourcesBiodiversity and Ecosystem ServicesPlant Production and Climate ChangeHorticulture and DiversificationInternational Treaties, Conventions, Advisory Bodies
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2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/11627 | Wine2wine sheds light on the future of viticulture and wine making
The second edition of wine2wine, the two-day forum on the business of wine organized by Veronafiere in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), opened its doors today to more than 1,000 members of trade and press who came to attend a packed full program of events and initiatives aimed at supporting Italian wine producers in their activity in Italy and abroad.
A future where technology augments rather than replaces traditional wine growing skills
Verona, Italy (PRWEB)
More than 150 speakers, 40 sessions and 26 workshops divided into six thematic areas including marketing, law and finance, export markets and viticulture. The latter was the topic of one of the day’s opening sessions centred on the importance of vineyard management as the primary factor in producing a cost effective and saleable product. “Where is wine going? The future of viticulture and wine making” was presented by four influential researchers and writers who showed how both innovation and tradition will be shaping the future with technology improving the yield from vineyards and the quality of grapes. Ian D'Agata, Scientific Director of Vinitaly International Academy, showed specifically how the agricultural past can have a bearing on the future. "The rediscovery of indigenous varieties is not only of cultural and historical importance but also of economic value" he explained, going on to give examples from Italy and the rest of the world."
Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, Decanter WWA Panel co-Chair, took up this theme and together with Ian made predictions as to which wines would be commercially successful in the future, drawing on some current tendencies and tackling the issues of appellations of origin with classifications in a discussion on whether these were useful or not. He also identified wines from places with a story to tell as setting a trend, including so called "extreme" wines.
Returning to the field, Gurvinda Bhatia, Canadian wine columnist and editor of Quench magazine, spoke of how the future can reserve unpleasant surprises for those producers who allow their investments in the vineyard to be led by trends in the market. Mr Bhatia explained it like this: "The fact is that if wines are made according to trends, producers will always lag behind the market because by the time the wine is released, the trend will already be changing". Even if consumer tastes will inevitably move on to new varieties and styles, Mr Bhatia believes there are permanent changes, which will determine future markets. Citing his article entitled "Reserved no more" for Quench magazine he outlined the profile of a new generation of wine consumers unconcerned with pedigree and not caught up with pretence, eager to learn about wine rather than be intimidated by it and attracted to just those sorts of wines that have a sense of place and a story that can be shared.
Speakers agreed that as far as the business of wine production is concerned great wine comes from great grapes and the more attention given to viticulture the better the final product. Speaker Massimo Claudio Comparini, co-founder of an Italian wine and food magazine (Cucina&Vini) but also one of the country’s top space engineering experts illustrated how the wine grower's awareness and traditional expertise can be extended to systems of Precision Viticulture or PV. Satellite positioning and imaging systems together with sensors on the ground give the data to manage the vineyard as a whole. This supports decision making for variables such as rates of fertilizing, spraying, irrigation, and the precise timing of harvest. Mr Comparini provided some examples of ongoing experimentation and provided some insight about the satellite imagery and mapping in this interesting filed of research. Many PV research projects already exist in all the most relevant wine production areas of the world; including France, Spain, US, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Systems of this kind improve yields and quality at the same time as reducing environmental impact and costs and in line with the theme running through the session, a future where technology augments rather than replaces traditional wine growing skills was glimpsed by those attending. About:
Veronafiere is the leading organizer of trade shows in Italy including Vinitaly (http://www.vinitaly.com), the largest wine and spirits fair in the world. During its 49th edition Vinitaly counted some 4.000 exhibitors on a 100.000 square meter area and 150.000 visitors including more than 2.600 journalists from 46 different countries. The next edition of the fair will take place on 10 - 13 April 2016. The premier event to Vinitaly, OperaWine (http://www.vinitalyinternational.com) “Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers,” will unite international wine professionals on April 9th in the heart of Verona, offering them the unique opportunity to discover and taste the wines of the 100 Best Italian Producers, as selected by Wine Spectator. Since 1998 Vinitaly International travels to several countries such as Russia, China, USA and Hong Kong thanks to its strategic arm abroad, Vinitaly International. In February 2014 Vinitaly International launched an educational project, the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) with the aim of divulging and broadcasting the excellence and diversity of Italian wine around the globe. VIA has now also created its very first Certification Course with the aim of creating new Ambassadors of Italian Wine in the World.
Francesca de Stefani
Vinitaly International +39 +39 045 8101447
@MyOperaWine
Vinitaly International | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/14792 | Drought Could Drain More Than Brazil's Coffee Crop By Lourdes Garcia-Navarro
The ground outside Sao Paulo is cracked and dry. It was the hottest January on record in parts of Brazil, and the heat plus a severe drought has fanned fears of water shortages and crop damage.
Nacho Doce
/ Reuters /Landov
A photo taken on Jan. 31, 2014, shows a scale that measures the water level in the Jaguary dam.
Rahel Patrasso
/ Xinhua/Landov
Coffee trees are irrigated in a farm in Santo Antonio do Jardim, Brazil. January was the hottest and driest month on record in much of southeastern Brazil, punishing crops in the country's agricultural heartland and sending commodities prices sharply higher in global markets.
Paulo Whitaker
A view of drought-stricken Rio Jacarei in southeastern Brazil, where water levels were at the lowest level since 1974.
Luis Moura
/ DPA/Landov
Originally published on February 24, 2014 11:01 am Brazil, a country usually known for its rainforests, has been facing a severe drought in its breadbasket region, leaving people in the cities without water and farmers in the countryside with dying crops. Global prices for coffee, in particular, have been affected. Scientists in Brazil say the worst is yet to come — yet no one in the government, it seems, is listening. On a recent day, farmer Juliano Jose Polidor walks through the desiccated remains of his cornfields. What's happened to this crop, he says, is a total loss. And he's not alone: Drought has hit southeastern Brazil — where most of Brazil's food is produced — hard this season. Polidor has been a farmer since he was a teenager. His father is a farmer and so are his cousins and extended family. Last year, the river in the area flooded. This year, it's completely dried up. Extreme weather, he says, shaking his head. "All of us have never seen a drought that's been so prolonged and so aggressive as this one," Polidor says. "In 49 days, we got maybe 11 millimeters of rain." "Every day that goes by it's getting harder," he says. "I think that will only accelerate." What one farmer feels far into the Brazilian countryside is pretty much exactly what scientists in Brazil's cities are saying, too. Hilton Silveira Pinto is an agro-climatologist who has worked on a number of studies for EMBRAPA, Brazil's government agency for agriculture. "The regions where we plant coffee today, especially the ones on lower elevations, will be getting hotter," he says. "And many of the coffee plantations in these areas will probably have to be abandoned." Pinto says that will mean that Brazil could lose some 10 percent of its coffee crop by the year 2020. Brazil is the world's biggest producer of coffee; this recent drought has already sent coffee prices surging. Soybean and other crops are also parched. "By 2020, we will lose 20 to 22 percent of our soybean crop. It will also affect corn, cassava, many of our Brazilian crops," Pinto says. "All of them will suffer significant losses." All of this will happen, these scientists say, unless something changes — and quickly. Tercio Ambrizzi is a professor at the University of Sao Paulo's Department of Atmospheric Science. He also heads Brazil's climate change council and has worked on government studies. He says what's happening requires urgent attention. "We are going towards extremes," Ambrizzizi says. "We can have some periods with lots of rain and other periods with droughts. So we have to manage our dams in a way that we can save some more water, and we have to change ... our energy strategy in Brazil." Currently, hydroelectric power supplies 75 percent of Brazil's energy needs. Ambrizzi says the country needs to invest in wind farms and solar energy. As well, most of Brazil's farmers are small scale, he says, and they need access to better and heartier seeds and advice on what is happening and how to confront it. That's where the government comes in, but not enough is being done, he says. "We produce a lot of information ... data analysis and projections, and we don't see all this information being used by the government," Ambrizzi says. "Unfortunately in Brazil, the politics comes first." Agro-climatologist Pinto agrees. "The government is not giving any attention to global climate change and much less here in Brazil. They don't talk about it at all," he says. "All the presentations we do to senators and deputies, they do not have the desired effect." For example, he says, Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture's projections for 2020 do not take into account climate change. "We give them the studies, but they don't take heed," he says. Pinto says that everything that's happening is unequivocally due climate change. Some have raised the issue of the effects of El Nino or La Nina, but Pinto says there is no such cyclical weather phenomenon happening now and the drought in southeastern Brazil has been severe. But some of the people in the best position to help at-risk farmers say they don't believe what their own government scientists are telling them. Brazilian Sen. Jose Agripino Maia is part of the so-called rural bloc in parliament. "We don't know yet the causes of the melting of Antarctica, the long droughts in some countries, floods, tsunamis," he says. When asked if he'd seen the studies by Brazilian government scientists that show that climate change will fundamentally alter Brazil agricultural production in the next decade, he says no. And he admits there had been no discussion in the National Congress over the issue. Juliano Jose Polidor, the corn farmer in the Brazilian countryside, doesn't have strong political views and doesn't know much about the debate about climate change. He says he just knows what he sees. "I think we are getting to the hour where it's not just me who needs to be worried, but the whole world," says Polidor. "We will have to decide what to do about what is happening."Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. TweetShareGoogle+EmailView the discussion thread. Our Partners | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/14827 | The truth will get you fired at the USDA
Now that "Real Food" is making progress the inquisition is in full force.
Amplify’d from www.alternet.org
The free exchange of ideas is so essential to a healthy democracy, it was particularly disturbing to learn that Mark D. Keating was terminated as an Agricultural Marketing Specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program (NOP) for expressing personal opinions in communications with the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).
In an interview, Mr. Keating said the official reasons given for his termination were a "complete fabrication." He added, "I was the guy who knew too much."
Mr. Keating is convinced that it was the "political hierarchy" at the USDA rather than knowledgeable civil servants who were responsible for his termination. When asked whether powerful corporate interests had sought his dismissal, he said he had no evidence to support such a claim. He did say that giant agribusiness believes it has provided the "most abundant and cheapest food supply in the world" and the criticism leveled at it by sustainable farming advocates has led to "hurt feelings" in the industry.
Last September, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) published the results of a survey of USDA scientists and inspectors responsible for food safety. "Hundreds of scientists and inspectors responsible for food safety have personally experienced political interference in their work, and that's bad for public health," said Francesca Grifo, director of UCS's Scientific Integrity Program at the time. "Both the administration and Congress need to act."
Read more at www.alternet.org
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Posted at 07:16 PM in Food, Food and Drink, Food Systems, Great Disruption, Health, Inqusition, Local Resiliency, Messy World, Mindset, Organizations and Culture, Resilient Communities | Permalink
Saying Cows eat Grass is reason not to get hired in Iowa
This is what we are up against!
Amplify’d from www.utne.com
Cows eat grass. You wouldn’t think it’s a big deal to state this, but at Iowa State University a highly qualified job applicant who had the temerity to voice this simple biological fact was ejected from consideration for a post leading a sustainable agriculture program, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports:
Well, it sure did. Ricardo Salvador is a well-respected sustainable agriculture expert and a former professor at Iowa State—and a natural, many observers thought, to lead the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture as its new director. A finalist for the position, however, he didn’t get the post even when the top candidate turned it down. Apparently, his cow comment came back to haunt him:
The remark that may have sunk Mr. Salvador’s candidacy came 37 minutes into his on-campus presentation. While discussing a research project in New York State, he mentioned meat being “produced in the natural way that meat should be produced, which is on land suitable for grasses and perennial crops.”
If this were a TV game show, a loud buzzer would have gone off and Mr. Salvador would have been escorted from the stage that very moment. Because apparently he was supposed to say that cows should eat corn. Even if that’s not natural or sustainable, it’s simply how things are done in Iowa, a state built on big agriculture:
Corn allows cows to get fatter faster and be ready for slaughter sooner. But there are downsides, including the fact that cows have trouble digesting corn and must be fed antibiotics to prevent them from becoming ill. What’s more, the beef from corn-fed cows tends to have more fat.
The danger of the truth is so great that the Chronicle couldn’t even get Wendy Wintersteen, the dean of Iowa State’s agriculture school, to go anywhere near it. When asked whether cows evolved to eat grass, she replied, “I don’t have an opinion on that statement.”
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Posted at 09:13 AM in Food, Food and Drink, Food Systems, Great Disruption, Health, Inquisition, Inqusition, Local Resiliency, Messy World | Permalink | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/15230 | News Archive 2011
RSS Feeds News Archive
Earth Institute's Pedro Sanchez Receives MacArthur
Foundation 'Genius Award'
Dr. Pedro Sanchez, Director of Tropical Agriculture
at the Earth Institute. Photo by Bruce Gilbert.
Pedro Sanchez, director of tropical agriculture
at the Earth Institute and 2002 World Food Prize recipient, has
been named a MacArthur Fellow for 2004.
As the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
celebrates its 25th year of grantmaking, Sanchez is one of 24 people
to receive this honor, also known as a “Genius Award.” He
will receive $500,000 over the next five years to be used in an
area of his choosing. Since its inception in 1981, 659 people,
ranging in age from 18 to 82, have received the award.
“For over two decades the MacArthur Fellows
Program has been at the core of the Foundation’s efforts
to recognize and support individuals who inspire us,” said
Jonathan F. Fanton, president of the MacArthur Foundation. “The
new MacArthur Fellows illustrate the Foundation’s conviction
that talented individuals, free to follow their insights and instincts,
will make a difference in shaping the future.”
“I am extremely honored to have been
named a MacArthur Fellow, and will work doubly hard to research
every avenue, expend every effort, and develop every mean to alleviate
global hunger,” said Sanchez.
Sanchez is a soil scientist whose practical
and economical solutions to problems in land productivity in developing
countries have established him as a leader in world agriculture.
The practice of planting trees in crop fields to improve nitrogen-fixing
in crops – agroforestry -- has provided nearly 250,000 farmers
in Africa with a way to fertilize their soils inexpensively and
naturally. The improved crop yield subsequently raised many out
of hunger.
In addition to his work on tropical agriculture
at the Earth Institute, Sanchez advances the use of climate information
for sustainable agriculture, particularly rain-fed agriculture
at the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction
(IRI). Sanchez continues as co-chair of the task force
on hunger for the UN Millennium Development Goals, directed by
Jeffrey Sachs in his role as special advisor to UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan. Working in conjunction with the Earth Institute, the
Millennium Development Project’s mandate is to cut hunger
rates in half by 2015. Ultimately, the UN-backed Initiative will
strive to eradicate extreme global poverty, achieve universal primary
education, promote gender equality and ensure environmental stability
“In helping UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan reduce by half the number of malnourished people who do not
know where their next meal is coming from, Dr. Sanchez demonstrates
his devotion to enhancing sustainability, especially for the poor,” said
Sachs, Earth Institute director.
In March 2003, Sanchez served as a member of
an Earth Institute delegation to Uganda that met with President
Museveni. The mission resulted in a Declaration of Intent with
the Ugandan Government for the Earth Institute to conduct cross-disciplinary,
multi-sectoral, collaborative scientific and technological research,
development and education on the City of Kampala and its hinterland,
including Lake Victoria Basin. While in Uganda, Sanchez spoke about
strategies for improving agricultural production to an audience
of more than 300 policymakers.
Sanchez has spent much of his career in the
tropics. From 1991 to 2001 he served as director general of the
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya, with research
in 20 countries of Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. He
is also Professor Emeritus of Soil Science and Forestry at North
Carolina State University, where he led a project that helped Peru
become self-sufficient in rice production in only five years, and
helped Brazilian scientists turn more than 70 million acres of
infertile savanna soils in the Cerrado region into the breadbasket
of South America.
He pioneered the use of leguminous trees to
augment soil nitrogen content naturally in regions of east and
southern Africa; when supplemented by phosphate fertilization obtained
from local sources, crop yields increase from 200 to 400 percent.
This trial project virtually eliminated reliance on costly imported
chemical fertilizers for 250,000 subsistence farmers.
Pedro Sanchez (right) on site in Kenya with
Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs.
Photo credit: Lisa Dreier
The World Agroforestry Centre plans to extend Sanchez’s model
with the objective of reaching many millions of people over the next
decade. This program is particularly important in sub-Saharan Africa,
where people are severely vulnerable to malnutrition and starvation.
Sanchez is the author of “Properties
and Management of Soils of the Tropics,” as
well as numerous scholarly articles and policy analyses.
He is a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy
and the Soil Science Society of America, received
decorations by the governments of Colombia and Peru,
holds an honorary doctorate from the Catholic University
of Leuven, Belgium, and was anointed a Luo Elder
by farming communities in Western Kenya for his work
eliminating hunger from many villages in the region. Sanchez received his B.S. in
Agronomy and M.S. and Ph.D. in Soil Science from
Cornell University. A citizen of the United States,
he was born in Cuba, the son of an agronomist.
Sanchez joins 19 other Columbians
who have been named MacArthur Fellows over the past
two decades, more recently including: Caroline Walker
Bynum, Barbara Fields, Edward Hirsch, Richard Howard,
Sherry Ortner, Kara Walker and Patricia Williams. For more information on the work of Pedro Sanchez,
please visit our other Earth Institute links:
http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/cudkv/wssd/agricultural_productivity.html
http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/news/2002/story10-16-02.html
http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/library/videos.html#sanchez
The Earth Institute at Columbia University is among the
world’s leading academic centers for the integrated study of Earth,
its environment, and society. The Earth Institute builds upon excellence
in the core disciplines—earth sciences, biological sciences, engineering
sciences, social sciences and health sciences—and stresses cross-disciplinary
approaches to complex problems. Through its research, training and global
partnerships, it mobilizes science and technology to advance sustainable
development, while placing special emphasis on the needs of the world’s | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/17340 | PlantsTrees & ShrubsTree & Shrub Care How to Prune a Fig Fruit Tree
How to Prune a Fig Fruit Tree
Overview Fig fruit trees usually grow between 10 and 30 feet tall. They have muscular, twisting branches that tend to grow into a wide canopy. The wood can be weak, though, and becomes decayed quickly. The fig crop ripens twice a year--in the spring and the fall. Fig fruit trees can be trained into a tree with a low canopy, or a multiple-branched shrub. Pruning them in the early years is essential to successful growth. It also makes them healthier.
Prune fig fruit trees after the fruit is harvested. California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. suggests that if you have a late crop, you should consider pruning half the branches in the summer and the remaining branches the following summer. According to Brian's Garden and Wegman's Nursery, however, the trees can also be pruned in the dormant (winter) season.
Saw or clip off all branches, except for three or four, during the fruit tree's first year of growth. Leave behind lateral branches that face opposite directions on the trunk, about 6 to 12 inches apart, with angles greater than 45 degrees.
Cut branches where they connect to other branches or the trunk. Look for the collar, which is the flared-out section of bark at the base of the branch. This is where tissue will re-grow and heal the wound.
Clip off the top half-inch of growth on new branches that have grown too long. Pinch them back in the summer in order to promote branch development.
Remove damaged, diseased and broken limbs right away because they are blocking sunlight and air from getting to other branches inside the fig fruit tree's canopy.
Thin out crowded branches, crossing branches and those that are rubbing up against one another. Cut them at their point of origin.
Avoid heavy winter pruning because it will cause the loss of next year's crop.
Pruning saw
California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.
Brian's Garden
Wegman's Nursery
fig fruit tree, prune fig tree, prune branches About this Author
Kelly Shetsky has been a broadcast journalist for more than ten years, researching, writing, producing and reporting daily on many topics. In addition, she writes for several websites, specializing in medical, health and fitness, arts and entertainment, travel and business-related topics. Shetsky has a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Marist College. | 农业 |
2017-04/4176/en_head.json.gz/18713 | Related Program: Morning Edition Why Organic Food May Not Be Healthier For You By Allison Aubrey
Sep 4, 2012 Related Program: Morning Edition TweetShareGoogle+Email A shopper surveys the produce at Pacifica Farmers Market in Pacifica, Calif., in 2011.
Originally published on September 19, 2012 3:13 pm Yes, organics is a $29 billion industry and still growing. Something is pulling us toward those organic veggies that are grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. But if you're thinking that organic produce will help you stay healthier, a new finding may come as a surprise. A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds scant evidence of health benefits from organic foods. "There's a definite lack of evidence," says researcher Crystal Smith-Spangler at Stanford University School of Medicine, especially when it comes to studies of people. She and her colleagues collected 200 peer-reviewed studies that examined differences between organic and conventional food, or the people who eat it. A few of these studies followed people who were eating either organic or conventional food and looked for evidence that the choice made a difference in their health. One study, for instance, looked at whether eating organic food while pregnant would influence the likelihood of eczema and other allergic conditions among children, and another looked at whether eating organic meat would influence the risk of a Campylobacter infection, a bacterial food-borne illness. When the researchers looked at the body of evidence, they found no clear benefits. But they say more research is needed. It's important to note, though, that such studies have a really hard time uncovering subtle effects of our environment, or what we eat, on our health. Too many other powerful influences get in the way. Also, these studies only followed people for a very short time — about two years or less. That's hardly enough time to document any particular health benefit. Most of the studies included in this collection looked at the food itself — the nutrients that it contained as well as levels of pesticide residues or harmful bacteria. As you might expect, there was less pesticide contamination on organic produce. But does that matter? The authors of the new study say probably not. They found that the vast majority of conventionally grown food did not exceed allowable limits of pesticide residue set by federal regulations. Some previous studies have looked at specific organic foods and found that they contain higher levels of important nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. We've reported on one particularly ambitious experiment, which is supposed to go on for a hundred years, comparing plots of organic and conventional tomatoes. After 10 years, the researchers found that tomatoes raised in the organic plots contained significantly higher levels of certain antioxidant compounds. But this is one study of one vegetable in one field. And when the Stanford researchers looked at their broad array of studies, which included lots of different crops in different situations, they found no such broad pattern. Here's the basic reason: When it comes to their nutritional quality, vegetables vary enormously, and that's true whether they are organic or conventional. One carrot in the grocery store, for instance, may have two or three times more beta carotene (which gives us vitamin A) than its neighbor. That's due to all kinds of things: differences in the genetic makeup of different varieties, the ripeness of the produce when it was picked, even the weather. So there really are vegetables that are more nutritious than others, but the dividing line between them isn't whether or not they are organic. "You can't use organic as your sole criteria for judging nutritional quality," says Smith-Spangler. Of course, people may have other reasons for buying organic food. It's a different style of agriculture. Organic farmers often control pests by growing a greater variety of crops. They increase the fertility of their fields through nitrogen-fixing plants, or by adding compost instead of applying synthetic fertilizer. That can bring environmental benefits, such as more diverse insect life in the field or less fertilizer runoff into neighboring streams. But such methods also cost money. That's part of what you are buying when you buy organic. So if you really want to find the most nutritious vegetables, and the organic label won't take you there, what will? At the moment, unfortunately, there isn't a good guide. But a lot of scientists are working on it. They're measuring nutrient levels in all kinds of crops, and discovering some surprising things, as The Salt reported last week — such as supernutritious microgreens. They're trying to breed new varieties of crops that yield not a bigger harvest but a more nutrient-rich harvest. The problem is, farmers still get paid by the pound, not by the vitamin. And consumers buy their food the same way. What this really requires is a whole new food system that can track those extra-nutritious crops from farmer's field to consumer's shopping basket. Maybe, down the road, you will actually see signs in the supermarket that advertise, for instance, iron-rich beans. Maybe they'd be organic, or maybe not.Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. Transcript DAVID GREENE, HOST: This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene. STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: And I'm Steve Inskeep. Expensive though it may be, a lot of Americans buy organic. In fact, they spend an estimated $29 billion per year on organic food. Hardly a niche enterprise. GREENE: But here's a headline that might catch your attention. There's a new study from Stanford University concluding that there's hardly any evidence at all of health benefits if you choose organic. INSKEEP: Here to discuss this are NPR's food correspondents, Allison Aubrey and Dan Charles. Welcome to you both. ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: Hey there, guys. DAN CHARLES, BYLINE: Nice to be here. INSKEEP: OK. A lot of us assume that organic has to be better. Sounds good. Organic. How did the researchers come to the conclusion it makes no difference? AUBREY: Well, basically, you can look at this and measure this in a couple of ways. You can look at food and measure nutrient content, pesticide residue, that sort of thing. Or you can follow people - people who are eating organic compared to those who are eating conventionally grown food. So the researchers did both of these. They combed through all of the studies that have been done with people. There were about 17 of them. One of them looked at whether children eating organic had fewer allergies. Another one looked at whether organic would reduce the incidence of food-borne illness. And when they looked at the body of evidence as a whole, they didn't see any clear effect. GREENE: I feel kind of duped. I mean, I was in a grocery store and was seriously thinking about buying organic raspberries the other day because I figured that, you know, organic, it must be better. I mean, how did this industry explode and become this big without someone at some point earlier saying, you know, we don't know that this is any better. CHARLES: OK. So the starting point of the organic industry; it's a reaction to the dependence of agriculture on chemicals. And here is a clear difference. You can measure the food - this is the other thing you look at. There are lower levels of pesticide residues on the food when you're looking at organics. And if you're looking... GREENE: The assumption being that organic might be better if we don't have pesticides in it. CHARLES: Right. Than if you're looking at conventional... INSKEEP: And it certainly does feel creepy to be eating a lot of tomatoes with pesticides and thinking that it's building up in your body. But go on. CHARLES: Right. But here's the question. Does that matter? Does that matter to your health? And the researchers in this study said, no, because even with conventional food, the level of the residues, the amount of pesticides on the food is so low that as far as the scientists are concerned it probably is not going to harm you. But then there's this other part of it. That is the nutrients in the food. Is there any difference in that? AUBREY: Right. And in some instances they do document that organically grown food has more nutrients. For instance, we reported on a study that's being done at UC Davis. It's slated to last a hundred years. So far, they're 10 or 15 years into it. Ten years into it, what they found - they looked at levels of antioxidants, so certain compounds. One of them is called Quercetin. And they found, look, significantly higher levels of these compounds here. But what you have to remember is this is one study of one vegetable in one field. CHARLES: And here's the thing. So this study we're looking at today, they took all of these studies. And there are actually lots and lots of them. INSKEEP: It's a study of studies. CHARLES: Dozens and dozens of them. AUBREY: A meta-analysis. CHARLES: Right. And they looked at the levels of nutrients in all these different foods comparing organic to nonorganic. And the problem is, yes, there is healthier food, but it doesn't break down along the lines of organic, non-organic. There's huge variation. You go into the supermarket and look at a shelf of carrots. Some of those carrots may have two or three times as much beta carotene - that's the thing that gives you vitamin A - than another carrot. And the difference has to do with all kinds of things like what variety of carrot they grew or what the weather was like or when they harvested it. INSKEEP: Wait a minute. So organic labeling started as a way that it's supposed to be convenient for me as a consumer. I want to just make a quick choice, buy something. I'd like to pick organic perhaps, because I think that's going to be better. It turned out to be that that was just something that companies could charge a premium for. They can charge more for that. But in the end, it's not as simple as a label. It's hard to figure out which food is the very best for you. Is that what you're saying? AUBREY: Well, it actually does cost more to produce things organically. CHARLES: Yeah. I mean, there are other reasons why you might want to buy organic food. And here we get to sort of the environmental side. If you're the organic farmer, you're controlling your pests with different measures. You're rotating crops. You might be adding nutrients to the soil with different measures. You're putting compost in instead of commercial fertilizer that you buy. So the result is you might have more diverse insect communities in your field. You might have less runoff of fertilizer into neighboring streams. And that might be more expensive. And that, you could say, is what you're buying when you pay more for organic food. GREENE: You're buying organic, you're doing good for the world, if not getting a better health benefit. You have a study that you mentioned that is going on for a hundred years. We also talked about that organic doesn't have chemicals. I mean, even though we have this Stanford study, there may be reasons that some would say, I don't want chemicals and, you know, I'm going to wait until we get some final results. I feel better buying organic. AUBREY: Well, absolutely. This body of evidence is not robust. I mean, that would be a term that scientists would use. Meaning that, you know, we're asking questions that may take decades to answer. When these researchers at Stanford combed through all the literature looking for these human trials, as I said, they found 17. And the longest one in duration was two years. So there's a lot more to learn, I guess we should say. CHARLES: So, look, I mean, it's kind of a philosophical question you're posing because science will tell us, you know, what it can find out up to the limits of the science. But there is kind of a philosophical position that people will take. It says: I just don't like pesticides. And even though you can't show me evidence that that's going to be bad for me, I'm just not going to take that risk. And I think that is probably also, you know, one of the big factors behind the demand for organic food. INSKEEP: NPR's Dan Charles, thanks for coming by. CHARLES: Thank you. GREENE: And NPR's Allison Aubrey, thank you. AUBREY: Thanks, guys. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.TweetShareGoogle+EmailView the discussion thread. © 2017 KASU | 农业 |
2017-04/4177/en_head.json.gz/577 | Nebraska Reacts to President's Signing of Farm Bill
By Eamon O'Meara | Posted: Fri 9:47 PM, Feb 07, 2014
| Updated: Fri 10:03 PM, Feb 07, 2014 The President signing the long-awaited Farm Bill has many farmers and ranchers across Nebraska are happy to move forward. The bill is also intended to help those in the country not in the farming and ranching industry.
Grand Island Corn and Beans Farmer Phil Mader said Friday's signing of the Farm Bill is finally allowing him to prepare for the coming season.
He said, "Everything they do affects everything we do so we got to make decisions on what part of the program you you're in and insurance levels and all that stuff which has to be done shortly so it's good that it finally got passed."
The Nebraska Farm Bureau said they like the bill, but it has it's flaws.
Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson said, "No piece of legislation is perfect. This would be similar to that. There are things that we would have done differently of course and I'm sure that's true for lots and lots of people, but we worked for a long time to get to this point. So I think under the circumstances, it's a good Farm Bill and we're very pleased that it will be passed and we can work on implementing the provisions of the new Farm Bill."
Nelson continued that there are two key items in the bill that will directly affect Nebraskans.
He said, "I think 2 things for Nebraska. 1st of all it has to do with crop insurance. This provides the certainty that we have in the crop insurance program. And the 2nd thing I would talk about relates primarily to the livestock sector in that snow storm in 2013."
Mader said he doesn't like the high insurance rates but admits the insurance is necessary to farm these days.
"We're dealing with so many more dollars that 1 bad year could, even an established farmer could, wipe them out at most without the insurance," said Mader.
After years of fighting to get the bill passed, the Farm Bureau looks forward to the future.
"In some ways it's kind of anticlimactic, because we've done on so long working for it and we've been close, although not this close of course," said Nelson. "It's just really good to have it out of the way so we can concentrate on other things. But at the same time, we probably are never really far away from the next farm bill if you think about it."
And Mader said he knows just where they can start before the next farm bill.
"Big problem we're heading to is high property tax. Our taxes have gone up 50% - 60% just in the last 5 years," said Mader.
The message farmers are trying to spread was the passing of this bill is not just good for them, but everyone in the long run
Mader said, "15% - 20% of the actual farm bill is actually farm related. Most of it is other programs that they put in the farm bill."
"The farm bill really is not just for farmers and ranchers. It's what provides food security for our country. And in my mind that's only 2nd to the National Defense piece of National Security that we have. If we don't have food, we're going to have really serious problems," added Nelson.
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President Obama Signs Farm Bill | 农业 |
2017-04/4177/en_head.json.gz/1550 | Nutreco Global
Javier Martín-Tereso
Dr Javier Martín-Tereso
Manager Ruminant Research, Trouw Nutrition
Javier Martín-Tereso studied Agricultural Engineering in Madrid, where he specialised in Animal Science. In 2010, he obtained a PhD degree from Wageningen University with a thesis on dairy cattle nutrition. His studies included significant periods spent in Ohio, USA, and Ancona, Italy.
Tereso's professional career started in education; teaching science in Madrid and Spanish in Minnesota. In 2000, he moved to the Netherlands to join Nutreco's Research & Development team, where he has held a number of different roles. His research has mainly focused on health and efficiency in beef and dairy animals, and mineral nutrition across farm animal species. He has also held technical manager positions for feed additives and been a nutrition consultant for feed companies in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Since 2012, he has led Trouw Nutrition's Ruminant Research Centre, a team dedicated to dairy, beef and calf nutrition innovation. He has contributed to several scientific and technical publications, co-supervised Masters and PhD students from various universities, participated in international conferences, developed several products for the feed industry, and holds three patents.
Presentation abstract
Present and future opportunities in calf & beef nutrition research
Dr. Javier Martín-Tereso, Manager of Ruminant Research for Trouw Nutrition, was the final speaker on the first day of the international symposium that marked the official opening of Trouw Nutrition's new Calf & Beef Research Facility in April.
In looking towards the future of calf and beef research, the main thrust of his message was that this is a particularly good time for innovation on several fronts. He underscored the inherent efficiency of bovines in terms of how they turn resources into animal protein and the fact that we can and should do better in terms of ruminant health as well as with systemic inefficiency in the dairy production system. In referring to calves, he explained that what needs to be done now and in the future is to figure out how best to restore the natural production capacity of ruminants while keeping these factors in mind.
Bovines and extremely efficient! Let's build on that...
Dr. Martín-Tereso pointed out that while some people might claim that bovines are inefficient as they are slow to develop and have a low reproductive rate, and apparently inefficiently transform feed into animal protein, they actually have a potentially long lifespan, are highly adaptable to climate and geography and, most importantly, to feeds.
As Dr. Martín-Tereso put it, "Bovines are extremely adaptable. It's their niche in nature and production." He went on to say that evolution is merciless with inefficiency, and yet ruminants thrive as what they do best is to eat otherwise inedible resources, such as grasses and fibrous by-products, and turn them into edible foods! This fact alone makes ruminants incredibly efficient! If we use innovation to build on that efficiency, says Dr. Martín-Tereso, ruminant production will play an irreplaceable role in sustainable food production, in a future in which total resource efficiency will be critical to feed the world.
The need to do better in terms of health and systemic inefficiency
Additionally, Dr. Martin-Tereso decried the fact that intensive dairy systems annually cull 1/3 of animals due to disease and infertility and at the same time extensive beef systems only slaughter 1/3 of animals due to slow growth rates. In both cases, and for very different reasons, this is unacceptable in terms of efficiency and sustainability. He feels we need to sustainably intensify grazing beef systems to increase growth rates, therefore increasing the fraction of resources employed dedicated to growth instead of to maintenance. At the same time, he urged to reduce the incidence of production diseases in intensive dairy systems to improve parity structure, again directing resources employed towards milk production instead of to replacement stock. Dr. Martin-Tereso went on to point out that having to use milk or its by-products to feed young calves also contributes to cost and resource inefficiency, and future innovations in terms of calf nutrition could reduce this as well.
Ruminants are very efficient
Opportunities for the future
Dr. Martín-Tereso firmly believes that innovations in calf nutrition will lead the way into the future. For beef, he pointed to the challenge of finding additional, otherwise non-utilized sources of feed, such as increasing fibre utilization and exploring non-protein nitrogen use. For dairy calves, he stressed recent improvements in the understanding of metabolic programming that show that if a calf is treated well in the first few months of life, adult heifers can yield up to 1000 more litres of milk in their 1st lactation. He explained that while we do know this happens, the next step is understanding how this happens.
What is the mode of action? Once we know the answer to this, Dr. Martín-Tereso explained, then we can control the reproducibility of this effect!He emphasized, however, that the science of metabolic programming is not involved with creating an effect or merely increasing production, but that what they are looking to do is restore the production potential that is already inherent in dairy calves, but wasn't allowed to come to fruition previously due to the restricted feeding practices of the past.
Thus, Trouw Nutrition's LifeStart Program, which emphasizes neonatal nutrition for calves, is poised to make great strides in both metabolic programming and in calf milk replacers in the foreseeable future.
Watch this interview of Javier Martín-Tereso
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2017-04/4177/en_head.json.gz/1613 | Almond industry puts bee health front and center Jan 05, 2017 Duvall: Agriculture gains clout to address over regulation, labor needs Jan 10, 2017 Western food supply safer since 2006 E. coli outbreak in spinach Jan 04, 2017 New HLB positive tree found in urban Cerritos, Calif. Jan 02, 2017 U.S. launches West Africa Cotton Improvement Program
Forrest Laws 2 | Nov 30, 2005
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman announced the launch of the West Africa Cotton Improvement Program, an initiative aimed at shoring up U.S. relations with the cotton sectors of Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Senegal. They made the announcement during a stop in Burkina Faso where Johanns and Portman met with agriculture ministers from the C4 countries – Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali – plus Senegal to discuss the new program and other ways to help cotton producers there. Johanns said the program is based on an assessment conducted earlier this year by U.S. Agency for International Development and USDA specialists with experts from those countries on ways to improve cotton production, transformation, and marketing in the region. National Cotton Council leaders issued a press release commending Johanns and Portman for their efforts in developing a program to improve the conditions confronting West African cotton producers. African producers have criticized the U.S. cotton program, blaming it for contributing to poverty in those countries. “We are pleased to announce the allocation of $7 million – $5 million in fresh funding – to begin the work of this program,” said Johanns. “Because this program is a partnership between our countries, we have asked USAID to hold a conference in this region soon after the Hong Kong Ministerial to get countries’ input on the final touches of the program's design," said Johanns. Positive U.S. steps “The West Africa Cotton Improvement Program is one more way the United States is specifically addressing the needs of cotton dependent countries in Africa,” said Portman. "When combined with other measures like debt relief, eligibility for Millennium Challenge Account assistance, Administration efforts to end the Step 2 cotton program, and a bold proposal on agriculture in the World Trade Organization negotiations, the United States has taken real steps that can help West Africa, including its cotton farmers.” To complement this program, Johanns and Portman announced that the National Cotton Council, which will be a key partner in the WACIP, intends to provide assistance in West Africa during the cotton harvest on recommended measures to control insects and the application of biotechnology. The program results from more than a year of preparatory work involving the NCC, USDA, US-AID, several U.S. land grant universities and U.S. non-profit organizations, said Council Chairman Woods Eastland. “The West Africa Cotton Improvement Program is a practical, pragmatic plan that can make a real difference in these citizens’ lives,” he said. “It has the potential to improve the infrastructure that supports cotton production, ultimately returning a higher portion of sales proceeds to individual African cotton producers.” Since early 2004, the council has been involved in several outreach activities with the West African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali. Last summer, cotton classers from the C4 countries spent two weeks at the Cotton Engineered Fiber Conference and at the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Classing Office in Memphis, Tenn., learning about U.S. cotton classing. Later training Since then, specialists from the region have received training on cotton insect problems in Africa and shorter-term chemical and integrated pest management measures at a program conducted by the council with the assistance of USDA and US-AID on soil fertility at Tuskegee University in Alabama. “All of the U.S. cotton industry’s work has been in close cooperation with USDA and US-AID,” Eastland said. “The United States’ efforts will provide real and meaningful benefits for West African cotton producers. “However, I want to remind cotton producers around the world that the real challenge we face is to increase demand for our product. Aggressive advertising and promotion is needed to convince consumers of cotton’s benefits over synthetic fibers. The producer-funded campaign operated in the U.S. has helped increase demand in our retail market, but more promotion worldwide is needed.” Johanns said the West Africa Cotton Improvement Program represents only one part of the overall U.S. response that will help these countries address the development obstacles in their cotton sectors. Other measures include: -- Assistance through the new Millennium Challenge Corp. The development agency offers an opportunity for many key countries to address long-term development obstacles in cotton. “It will result in hundreds of millions of dollars flowing into the region in grant form in a way set by recipient countries,” he said. “Currently, Benin's proposal stands at $300 million; Mali's proposal at $212 million; and Senegal's proposal at $255 million. The MCC Board of Directors has also selected Burkina Faso as eligible to negotiate a compact with the MCC for a development program. -- The G-8 debt relief package will result in hundreds of millions of dollars in relief for Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal. This should free up resources for cotton. -- The U.S. will be doubling aid to Africa by 2010 under our G-8 commitment. These countries will benefit from this pledge. -- The new African Global Competitiveness Initiative, a $200 million, 5-year program, is being designed and will also help improve competitiveness and stimulate regional and international trade. Diversify trade “This new Initiative will be developed with our African counterparts,” said Johanns. “The program will help selected countries to diversify their trade and remove key barriers to expanding growth. Some of these reforms should have general benefits for a range of sectors, including agriculture and the cotton sector. -- US-AID will program $200 million a year over the next five years to support the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program, in which African Heads of State agreed to achieve and sustain a 6 percent annual agricultural growth rate. Eastland said the NCC is also working with USDA and US-AID to offer a cotton ginning “school” in West Africa. This facility would be fashioned after the ginning schools held annually at the three U.S. cotton ginning laboratories cooperatively with USDA and the National Cotton Ginners Association. Plans are under development for follow-up trips to West Africa by U.S. teams to continue training programs. NCC President and CEO Mark Lange reiterated the U.S. cotton industry’s commitment to share its knowledge and experiences with the West African producers. He also added that hurdles remain within these countries that will take time to overcome. “The lingering aftermath of French colonialism is evident,” Lange noted. “The continued reliance on a monopolistic, parastatal ginning and marketing system generates lower revenue to cotton farmers. Our efforts can improve the situation but internal reform is also needed.” During their stop in Burkina Faso, Portman and Johanns met with trade and agriculture ministers from the five countries, listened to their concerns, discussed the U.S. agriculture proposal, and explored ways trade capacity building can be helpful. The WACIP is a direct response to requests made in meetings of the "development track" to cotton at the WTO. Seven action focus Based on their assessment of the situations in the five countries, Johanns said the WACIP will focus on seven actions: 1. Reduce soil degradation and expand the use of good agricultural practices. 2. Strengthen private agricultural organizations. 3. Establish a West African regional training program for ginners. 4. Improve the quality of C-4 cotton through better classification of seed cotton and lint. 5. Improve linkages between U.S. and West African agricultural research organizations involved with cotton. 6. Improve the enabling environment for agricultural biotechnology. 7. Policy/Institutional Reform. e-mail:[email protected] | 农业 |
2017-04/4177/en_head.json.gz/1642 | Reducing the Vulnerability of Moldova’s Agriculture to Climate Change
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World Bank report takes an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities of climate change on agriculture
WASHINGTON, December 5, 2013 — Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors, and without a clear plan for aligning agricultural policies with climate change, the livelihoods of rural populations are at risk, according to the World Bank publication Reducing the Vulnerability of Moldova’s Agricultural Systems to Climate Change.
The book notes that in many countries, such as in Moldova, the risks of climate change are an immediate and fundamental problem because the majority of the rural population depends either directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods.
“The rural poor will be disproportionately affected because of their greater dependence on agriculture, their relatively lower ability to adapt, and the high share of income they spend on food,” said William Sutton, an author of the book and a Lead Agriculture Economist at the World Bank. “Climate impacts could therefore undermine progress that has been made in poverty reduction and adversely impact food security and economic growth in vulnerable rural areas.”
The study projects impacts of climate change on agriculture across Moldova’s three agro-ecological areas through forecast variations in temperature and rainfall patterns so crucial to farming. According to the report, over the next 40 years climate change will grow more severe in Moldova. Average warming will be about 2°C, compared with the less than 0.6°C increase in temperature observed over the last 50 years, and precipitation will become more variable.
The annual averages, however, are less important for agricultural production than the seasonal distribution of temperature and precipitation. Temperature increases are projected to be higher, and precipitation declines greater, during the crucial summer growing period. Summer temperature increases can be as much as 7°C in southern Moldova by the middle of the century. These conditions have been confirmed by farmers as already affecting their actions and production results. Farmers in Moldova are not suitably adapted to current climate. This effect is sometimes called the ‘adaptation deficit’, which in Moldova is large.
The direct temperature and precipitation effect of future climate change on crops in Moldova will be a reduction of most yields. The report authors also project water supply and demand in Moldova under a changed climate, and forecast substantial water shortages for the Raut and Nistru River basins in the future, meaning that there will be insufficient water available to irrigate crops. As a result, the total effects of climate change could lead to losses for farmers of from 10 to 30 percent for crops like maize, wheat, alfalfa and vegetables under the medium impact scenario. Fruit crops like grapes and apples will not be as severely affected, but they are still projected to suffer losses of from 0 to 10 percent if nothing is done to adapt.
Sutton added that “At the same time, climate change can also create opportunities, particularly in the agricultural sector. Increased temperatures can lengthen growing seasons, higher carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations can enhance plant growth, and in some areas rainfall and the availability of water resources can increase as a result of climate change.”
According to the publication, the risks of climate change to agriculture in Moldova cannot be effectively dealt with—and the opportunities cannot be effectively taken advantage of—without a clear plan for aligning agricultural policies with climate change, developing the capabilities of key agricultural institutions, and making needed investments in infrastructure, support services, and on-farm improvements. Developing such a plan ideally involves a combination of high-quality quantitative analysis, consultation with key stakeholders, particularly farmers and local agricultural experts, and investments in both human and physical capital.
"This book offers a map for navigating the risks and realizing the opportunities. It identifies practical solutions for introducing what is known as ‘climate-smart agriculture’ for farmers in Moldova," said Dina Umali-Deininger, Agriculture and Rural Development Sector Manager in the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia Region. "It demonstrates that the solutions are those measures that increase resilience to future climate change, boost current productivity despite the greater climate variability already occurring, and limit greenhouse gas emissions." Reducing The Vulnerability of Moldova's Agricultural Systems to Climate Change: Impact Assessment and Adaptation Options applies this approach to Moldova with the goal of helping the country mainstream climate change adaptation into its agricultural policies, programs, and investments.
“Reducing Moldova’s vulnerability to climate change is a top priority of World Bank Group support to the country,” said Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank Country Manager for Moldova. “Cyclical weather calamities are having debilitating effects on the country’s agriculture and people and we are working to address these challenges through enhancing disaster risk management capacity and boosting adaptation capacity to climate variations.”
This is one of four country studies that were produced under the World Bank’s program, Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change in European and Central Asian Agricultural Systems. The other countries included in this series are Albania, FYR Macedonia, and Uzbekistan.
The results from the four studies are consolidated in the book Looking Beyond the Horizon: How Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Responses Will Reshape Agriculture in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
All four studies, as well as the consolidated book can be found at the following link:
http://www.worldbank.org/eca/climateandagriculture
Media ContactsIn ChisinauVictor Neagu
Tel : [email protected]
In Washington, DCKristyn Schrader-King
Tel : [email protected]
FEATURE STORYLooking Beyond the Horizon: How Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Responses Will Reshape Agriculture in Eastern Europe and Central AsiaApr 04, 2013
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2014/ 231/ECA
Moldova Europe and Central Asia Climate Change Newsletters | 农业 |
2017-04/4177/en_head.json.gz/2900 | The work of FAO
Technical meeting on forest grazing
Technical assistance activities
Near East poplar conference Technical meeting on forest grazing
A Technical Meeting on Forest Grazing, the first of its kind to be organized, was held at FAO Headquarters in Rome from 29 March to 3 April 1954. A total of 41 representatives of 24 governments, 1 official observers from the Foreign Operations Administration (U.S.A.) and IUFRO, and several unofficial observers participated.
1 Austria, Burma, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Pakistan, Philippines, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, U.K., U.S.A.
The Meeting was opened with a welcoming address by the Director-General of FAO, following which the Director of the Forestry Division outlined the considerations which had led to the organization of the meeting.
Officers were then elected with J.F. Pechanec (U.S.A.) as Chairman, and R. Koblet (Switzerland) and A. Latessa (Italy) first and second Vice-chairman respectively. J.P. Challot (Morocco) was appointed as rapporteur.
In the report of the Meeting, available on request, delegates recognized that, in addition to land regarded by all as forest land, there are extensive surfaces that are of considerable concern to the forester even if trees are sparse or altogether absent, or if the stands are of relatively poor quality or even scarce or irregular; in using the terms forest range and forest grazing, reference to such lands is intended.
In certain countries of the humid-temperate zones where ecological conditions are particularly favorable and a-high degree of technical development has been reached, such land surfaces are being utilized intensively, sometimes with a complete separation of lands for grazing and of lands to be used for timber. Elsewhere these surfaces are generally utilized for extensive, and frequently indiscriminate and unregulated, grazing by cattle or wild animals. They should all be the object of a rational policy for conservation and utilization within the general framework of a national policy aimed at the best balance between crop-lands, forests and grazing lands for the whole of a country.
For any country there are certain basic principles which should govern the formulation and implementation of an adequate forest grazing policy, the Meeting drafted the principles which it considered should be recommended to governments and referred them for consideration to the regional Forestry Commissions of FAO.
Technical aspects
In order to protect and improve the production of timber, forage, soil and water, grazing of forest ranges must be managed on a scientific basis taking into account the requirements of the forage plants, the trees and the soil.
The Meeting was of the opinion that:
1. the grazing of forest range must be regulated to the extent required by the overall land use plan for the other resources;
2. fire can be a useful but also a dangerous tool in the management of forest grazing areas and must therefore be used with the utmost discrimination;
3. since forest grazing lands often make up a large proportion of important watersheds, the manner in which grazing is managed on watersheds has a definite effect on the quality, quantity and period of release of water that is delivered into the streams;
4. flock migration is often a desirable and necessary form of management in order to utilize the forages in the season in which they are most useful and available but that some means of administrative control may well be needed to prevent too many herds from moving into limited areas;
5. special measures might be justified to improve forest range lands, such as by reseeding, transplanting of plants or sprigs, applying fertilizers to the range, controlling competing and undesirable range plants, and control of insect and rodent pests;
6. in most regions of the world forest range can furnish only a part of the total yearlong forage requirements of livestock and considerable forage must be produced on other ranges, from improved pastures, and other forage and fodder crops;
7. herbivorous wild animals must be taken into account in range and forest management planning, and must be kept in balance with the forage available through regular harvest of the animals;
8. supplies of fodder from the foliage, flowers and fruit of trees by direct browsing, lopping or other ways is acceptable only if strictly controlled.
The range resource on government owned or controlled forest lands is a public trust which should be managed and utilized for the benefit of the country as a whole. The question of what lands are to be dedicated to forest range depends essentially on the outcome of government land-use allocation. This should be based upon a sound technical appreciation of the potentialities for grazing, timber, watershed, and other desirable values.
The administration of the forest lands in question should be by scientifically and technically qualified administrators.
The closer integration there is between the use of forest range and the grazing and fodder production of other lands, the greater will be the contribution of both to the welfare of the country. The objective of such integration should be to establish balanced economic livestock-producing units designed to obtain suitable returns from all the land and reasonable financial return to the owner of the livestock.
Co-operation should be maintained at all levels between the administrative organization and the users of the forage range. The collaboration of livestock owners using government forest range should be sought in the development and application of forest policy, rules and regulations and such individuals should be encouraged to recognize their role in the proper use of such lands.
It is important that administration be efficiently decentralized.
Research should be conducted by well-trained scientists and fully coordinated with other forest and agricultural research.
Where it is not possible for individual countries to undertake adequate research to meet their needs, it may be possible for several countries to unite in regional programs. Such regionalization should eliminate duplication and facilitate co-ordination in the development of improved practices.
It should be the policy of all research organizations to publish the results of their research promptly and to foster the interchange of information on programs.
In view of the lack of personnel specifically trained tin the field of forest range management, this subject is of particular importance.
Forest grazing programs can be efficiently developed only on the basis of fully trained personnel. The upper grades should have had a university or college education furnishing a sound background of understanding of forest range management. If facilities for teaching range management are not available within the country, it will usually be necessary to send promising young men to other countries having such facilities. Additional schools teaching forest range management are urgently needed in many parts of the world. Regional educational centers may prove more economic than to endeavor to develop educational facilities in each country.
For some time personnel necessarily engaged in forest range management and lacking adequate grounding must be trained while on the job and through special short courses.
There is a general need, moreover for training in extension method.
Every effort should be made to extend FAO technical assistance in forest range management to all interested countries. It was suggested that:
1. FAO forestry experts sent out under the technical assistance program be directed to give attention to the problems of forest ranges and to help governments set up policies applicable to those lands;
2. FAO forestry experts on range management be encouraged to extend assistance on range lands other than forests in countries where there is no FAO agricultural expert;
3. in the absence of FAO forestry experts on range management, forest services in interested countries be advised to seek close liaison with agricultural technical assistance experts dealing with the general aspects of pasture and allied problems,- such as water spreading, and to submit their particular forest range problems to those experts for consideration;
4. forest services be encouraged to send qualified representatives to regional seminars on range and pastures organized by FAO;
5. the subject of forest grazing policy be included in the programs of any forest policy seminars organized by FAO.Technical assistance activities
Over the past two years since the technical assistance program of the United Nations has been in full operation, forestry missions have operated in 35 countries and 97 experts have completed various assignments. Activities at present are on a somewhat reduced scale, due to financial stringency of, it is hoped, a transitory nature, but FAO still has more than 25 forestry specialists working in 15 countries. It is expected that these figures will increase substantially during the latter part of 1954 as the program is allocated more funds. The manner in which the whole program is now financed, on a year-to-year basis, is not a happy arrangement and ways are being sought of permitting; the program to operate with more flexibility and continuity.
Burma. Following the work of the initial mission on the development of new forest industries, an officer has been investigating how best to combine logging by elephants from the felling site with mechanized equipment used for later phases of extraction. An experimental and training logging unit is expected to be in operation this year. Trial operations of a pilot kiln drying and impregnation plant have started. Investigations continue on the behavior and durability under tropical conditions of the sample houses constructed of chip-boards made in Germany from Burmese secondary timber species (See "A contribution to Tropical Forest Utilization" by K. A. Miedler, Unasylva, Vol. VII, No. 1). Experience with these houses, shown in the photograph, will help determine whether mass production of such boards can be considered economically sound.
Figure 1 - Houses constructed of chip-boards made in Germany from Burmese secondary timber species
Paraguay. An officer continues to act as advisor on general policy and utilization matters. A number of developments are foreshadowed. Paraguay is prepared to take in a number of emigrants from Europe and possibly settlement may be combined with establishing new forest and agricultural industries.
Chile. A team of forestry experts has been making notable progress in Chile since 1951, advising on policy matters silviculture and management, and utilization. Its members have given instruction at the newly-established forestry faculty of the University of Santiago; one is in charge of the Llancacura logging and sawmilling training center established with equipment provided by FAO. The establishment of the Llancatura center, despite many difficulties, may prove one of more spectacular achievements of the mission. Figure 2 - Senior students of the School of Forestry, University of Chile, after a day's work in the forest, walking home by a partly constructed road passing through forest land partly cleared by smallholders in Llancacura Reserve 3 kilometers from the sawmill.
Libya. A preliminary survey for the purpose of establishing a forest policy was made in 1951. Since 1952 another specialist has been at work on afforestation problems, sand-dune fixation, roadside planting and general encouragement of tree planting. Soil conservation measures, fruit-tree cultivation and management of esparto grass resources form part of the expert's work. He is also giving help in the formulation of forest laws and regulations.
Ceylon. An FAO officer is advising on the use of mechanized equipment for the clearing of land for new plantations and on the layout of tree nurseries. Another specialist has organized a pilot sawmill and wood -working shop for the training of local personnel. Machinery for this plant was provided by FAO, the Ceylon Government and the United Kingdom under the "Colombo Plan". Figure - The saw maintenance and repair shop.
Mexico. Following the completion in 1953 of the work of the original broad forestry mission, an expert has been assigned as forestry advisor to the Nacional Financiera on the surveying and planned exploitation of forests. This body is concerned with a number of forest industry projects, and first priority is being given to the development of a cellulose factory and integrated forest industries at Michoacan. Another FAO officer has recently completed an assignment on cellulose research.
Iran. Three specialists have completed their assignments in Iran. An officer is now helping with the final organization of the new forest products laboratory, and acts as general advisor on the wood-using industries, including sawmills, veneer and plywood plants, furniture industry, mulch factories and paper and paperboard industries. A diagrammatic map showing distribution and types of forest is shown.
Figure 3 - Map showing distribution and types of forest
1. Caspian forests of the northern districts (3.3 million ha.).
2. Limestone mountainous forests in the northeastern districts (Juniperus forests, 1.3 million ha.)
3. Pistacio forests in the eastern, southern and southeastern districts (2.6 million ha.).
4. Oak forests in the central and western districts (10 million ha.).
5. Shrubs of the Kavir (desert) districts in the central and northeastern part of the country (I million ha.).
6. Sub-tropical forests of the southern coast (500,000 ha.).
Thailand. A specialist in sawmill organization is assisting in preparing plans for a thorough modernization of state-owned sawmills in Bangkok. Time studies are being made aiming at increasing the productivity of existing equipment and personnel; new machinery is being selected and arrangements made for its delivery and installation. The expert is also assisting in the planning of a new large sawmill.
Ethiopia. Since 1951, an officer has been acting as general advisor on forestry matters. The nucleus of a Forest Service has been formed, students have been sent to Australia for training, and basic forestry legislation has been enacted. The expert's work has included studies of the climatic conditions with a view to the further introduction of exotic species.
Honduras. A news item on p. 93 records the setting up of a Forest Service with an FAO forester and a forester of the United States "Servicio Tecnico Inter-Americano de Cooperación Agricola" (STICA) acting in an advisory capacity, particularly on forest law, timber export control, forest reservation, forest survey, seed collection and resin tapping. The FAO expert has, in addition, participated in a United Nations survey of the development possibilities of the five Central American republics.
Indonesia. As a preliminary to a general survey of the possibilities for new forest industries in Sumatra and Borneo to be undertaken during the latter part of 1954 an officer is assisting the Forest Service in establishing logging plans for three selected, typical areas. Recommendations are being made on the most efficient use of the mechanized equipment which is already at hand, and advice will be given on types of material still to be purchased.
Brazil. The original FAO mission submitted a comprehensive report to the Government of Brazil in October 1953 on forest development in the Amazon Valley. A new mission has embarked on the work of following up some of the major recommendations. Training centers are being organized, including a demonstration logging center a sawmilling and saw maintenance and repair school and a workshop for machinery maintenance. At the same time, an expert is working on interpretation of aerial photographs of selected forest areas for planning purposes.
Syria. A general forestry advisor is maintained in Syria. It is possible that a regional research center and a regional training institute may be established in the country. Syria possesses some fine forest areas. The photograph shows one of the finest, the Latakia forest, which is now being clearly demarcated on the ground.
Figure 4 - The Latakia forestNear East poplar conference
Some 25 delegates attended a regional poplar conference at Damascus from 5-9 April, representing Cyprus, Egypt, France, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Netherlands, Spain, Syria, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The League of Arab States and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency also had observers present.
The Conference was opened at the Grand Sérail by the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Hassan Atrach, in the presence of the Minister of Economics and numerous officials of the Syrian Government. Mr. Atrach was elected Chairman and Messrs. Rachis Habbal (Lebanon) and Yacoub Salti (Jordan) first and second Vice-chairman respectively. Mr. Osman Badran (Egypt) was appointed general rapporteur. Mr. Ph. Guinier, President of the International Poplar Commission, was elected Honorary Chairman of the Conference.
The various delegations reported on the poplar situation in their respective countries, and the meeting was able to note with satisfaction the measures taken by several governments to aid the development of poplar cultivation. There was a continually increasing demand for softwoods for the manufacture of containers, sawn wood, rotary cut veneer and paper pulp. Poplars were also needed for windbreaks in irrigated areas to protect field crops, and to improve natural woodlands growing along watercourses. They provided additional income to farmers and helped relieve the few remaining natural forests from undue pressure by providing a source of wood outside the forest proper.
The Conference recommended that in land-use planning in each country, land should be set aside to be devoted to poplar growing either as regular plantations, shelterbelts, windbreaks or avenues. Natural poplar stands should be improved by the planting of suitably selected poplar types. Direct or indirect assistance should be provided to poplar growers, and information on the best techniques to be employed both in the nursery and in field planting should be made available to them.
It was agreed that a survey should be made of the various poplar species to be found of cultivated clones (cultivars), using an approved identification form. To facilitate identification, 'populeta' should be established in each country and perhaps a central 'populetum' for the whole region.
The present practice of taking cuttings and sets indiscriminately from any tree often leads to excessive pruning. Under no circumstances should more than two-thirds of the total length of the tree be primed. It was recommended that poplar should only be raised from selected material in specialised nurseries and distributed by duly recognized agencies. Such a varietal control, for whose implementation a regional agreement was thought essential, should also aim at introducing into the countries of the region only poplars of certified origin and well-known properties. This measure was considered to be of the highest importance for the control of pests and diseases.
The question of spacing was carefully studied. For the planting of traditionally cultivated poplar types on irrigated lands and in association with field crops, a minimum spacing of 1.50 m, between rows, and of 0.75 m, between trees in the same row, was recommended. Four years after planting every second tree should be thinned and the same operation carried out again after another four years. Should there be a demand for bigger size timber, a wider spacing should be used. Experiments should be continued or started on the optimum spacing, especially for recently introduced cultivars.
It was highly desirable to undertake a thorough study of the physical properties of poplars cultivated or growing naturally in each country of the region. Governments were requested to arrange for work of this kind to be started as soon as possible. It was extremely important to improve present cutting techniques, but this could not be brought about suddenly as it would go against long-established traditions and customs. Forestry schools and wood-using industries could contribute much to this end.
The field excursions which were arranged in the week after the Conference included the Wadi Barada, Ghuta and Latakia areas in Syria, Boharré and the Bequaa valley in the Lebanon, and the Trodos and Paphos forests in Cyprus. The excellent preparation of these excursions resulted in a very fruitful exchange of ideas both as regards poplar cultivation in particular and forestry in general. | 农业 |
2017-04/4177/en_head.json.gz/3260 | NewsFarming Simulator Harvesting North American Money Soon
Tri-Synergy has announced that it is bringing Farming Simulator to North America.The game lets players “experience the thrill of driving heavy modern farm equipment as you try and feed the world,” so we’re assuming that you either play as Bob Geldof in a tractor, or this is a game in which you’re an evil genius attempting to monopolise the world’s food supply. Despite that I’d like to take issue with the “thrill” of driving heavy modern farm equipment as I’ve done it and it was more loud and boring than thrilling, but different strokes, I suppose.Bob Geldof will start off with a sparsely-equipped farm house that barely has the resources to feed one country, let alone the world, so it’s all up to you to help him plan out the planting and cultivating, and then work hard to bring in the harvest. Then you can upgrade your farm and perhaps feed the continent, or something.The game features seven “beautifully detailed” tractors, four combine harvesters, and over 20 tools including a plough, seeder, baler, self-loading wagon, and many more “exciting” bits of farm machinery. Expect an open-ended career mode, authentic Fendt machines, detailed equipment, four different crops (barley, corn, canola, and wheat) and a day/night cycle with changing weather. Weirdly, though, we can’t find any mention of Bob Geldof. Maybe he’s not in it after all.Either way, it’ll be coming to the States soon, via Tri-Synergy. If you’re in the UK and are desperate for some farming goodness, then we think it’s already out over here under the name Farming Simulator 2009.Related to this articleComments | 农业 |
2017-04/4177/en_head.json.gz/3490 | Tomatoes AMHPAC girds for tomato battle By Mike Hornick
November 16, 2012 | 4:23 pm EST
In recent years La Asociación Mexicana de Horticultura Protegida (AMHPAC) has devoted its main energies to getting its own house in order.
Issues such as traceability, food safety and social responsibility were and remain priorities for the group.
But as winter approaches, AMHPAC is girding itself for battle in defense of the tomato suspension agreement between Mexico and the U.S.
In September, the Department of Commerce announced its preliminary decision to terminate a suspended antidumping investigation, basically killing the agreement. The Maitland-based Florida Tomato Committee had asked the department and the U.S. International Trade Commission to withdraw from a 1996 anti-dumping duty petition.
A final decision from the Department of Commerce could come anytime between November and April.
A changed industry
After the Florida request, Culiacan, Sinaloa-based AMHPAC turned to member growers to raise money.
“We put in a new assessment just for defense purposes,” chief executive officer Eric Viramontes said. “We saw the need to put in place a mechanism that would allow us to defend our industry and react every time we’re attacked.”
AMHPAC, which had levied assessments before for promotion and other purposes, hasn’t disclosed the amount of this one, saying only that it varies by grower size. AMHPAC has 369 members representing more than 8,000 hectares of protected agriculture.
AMHPAC frames its argument in terms of scope of impact and grower efficiency.
“What we’re trying to prove is how much the tomato industry has changed,” Viramontes said.
“The Florida growers are trying to say they have no interest in the 1996 dumping case, but they don’t represent anywhere close to 85% of the industry. There are so many more players in the game now. Thirty-four states produce tomatoes. A lot of that isn’t leaving each state, so it’s not being registered,” he said.
Retail, jobs are considerations
The broader impact of ending the agreement, as he sees it, would be on retail supply, border region economies and U.S. jobs in the tomato industry and industries that service it.
“It puts the consumer at risk of U.S. demand not being fulfilled,” Viramontes said. “You’d be increasing the price of tomatoes drastically, making them an unacceptable product.”
“If the tomatoes don’t come from Mexico and the U.S. is not capable of supplying the quality the population demands, they’ll come from someplace else,” he said. “So which door is being opened? Asia, other parts of the world? We don’t know who, but it would destroy jobs in the U.S. and give them to somebody else.”
Arizona, Texas and California might be hit hardest, he said.
“On the border, the whole microeconomy revolves around the inputs from Mexico, and one of the biggest items is tomatoes,” Viramontes said. “That’s what we’re trying to tell (the Department of) Commerce.”
That’s how AMHPAC is playing defense. On offense, it claims its growers’ increased efficiencies are the real cause of any pressures felt in Florida.
“In the last 10 years or so, we’ve just been pounded with so many different things,” Viramontes said. “Food safety, quality, security, responsibility. The only way to make that cost not affect the final price is to become more efficient, and we have.
“Florida still uses the same growing systems they had in place then. You don’t see greenhouses, shadehouses. Some growers there say they don’t invest because of the high risk of hurricanes. But we face that risk too on our coast; there are systems to deal with it,” he said.
In mid-October, representatives of Mexican growers met with Department of Commerce officials to propose raising the floor price of tomatoes 18% to 25%, depending on variety, and including all Mexican growers in the agreement.
It was not immediately clear whether that would move the dispute closer to resolution.
Reggie Brown, executive director of the Florida Tomato Exchange, told The Packer the suspension agreement was fundamentally flawed and biased.
la asociación mexicana de horticultura protegidaretail jobs are considerations About the Author: | 农业 |
2017-04/4177/en_head.json.gz/4808 | Solid beef prices pivotal for Nita Downs
JACINTA BOLSENBROEK
30 Nov, 2016 10:22 AM
Nita Downs station has successfully installed its first 40-hectare centre pivot, helping the station grow its first sorghum and Rhodes grass crop.
STRONG beef prices have allowed the Forshaw family, on the 210,000 hectare Nita Downs station 200km south of Broome, to diversify their business. They have established their first centre-pivot irrigation system with plans for five more. Damien and Kirsty Forshaw, who traditionally run Brahman cattle, see irrigation playing a big part in the northern cattle industry, helping grow extra fodder and putting extra weight on cattle. Following water approvals Ms Forshaw said they had successfully installed their first 40-hectare centre pivot which is helping them grow their first sorghum and Rhodes grass crop. "We have wanted to do this for a while as we want the extra weight on the cattle quicker and be able to turn them off earlier," Ms Forshaw said. "Any day now we will put cattle on there to fatten up. "Then we will then start on the next program." Apart from putting extra weight on the cattle the family said this would drought-proof its operations, "This is one of the main reasons, aside from the extra weight," she said. "If we have a bad wet season there is always a risk we won't be able to put the weight on the cattle. "With irrigation it will help, rather than taking handouts." Ms Forshaw said the beef prices had helped them get the project off the ground. "It was good timing for us," she said. "The cattle prices have been better, it is expensive to do so you need some good income coming in. "So those prices have helped." It has been a long time coming as government red tape and permit approvals made the process longer than expected. "It is a slow process," she said. Ms Forshaw said while they had a "few dramas", the clearing and scale of the development was only small scale by comparison. "What we are planning on doing has a lot of environmental benefits as we can manage the country better," she said. "At the moment we have all year-round grazing. "Irrigation will allow us to spell country and take country out of areas." The long-term plan is to have enough irrigation pivots to have year-round cattle supply from Nita Downs. "We just need to keep plugging away with the processes," she said. "We intend on having five centre-pivots, but we will definitely have another two in the short-term and that will allow us to manage the station better. "We have a few neighbours also thinking about diversifying, while some are put off by the work involved in establishing it." Mr Forshaw said if the Kimberley and the Pilbara positioned itself as competitors with other markets, like China, the region needed to "gear up for all year supply". "To be competitive globally with the emerging markets we need to gear up," she said. "We are in a blue tongue free zone, so that is a plus for us too." The region has boomed with a number of irrigation projects to the north and south of Nita Downs, including the government's Water For Food program. A number of cattle stations are also applying for permits to diversify into irrigated fodder production, which Ms Forshaw said was a benefit for the north. "The State government has spent about $5 million on the La Grange project identifying the areas that have good soil and water, which our area has," she said. "The State is heading in one direction, yet it is still difficult and needs to be a bit more of a smoother project for those now coming on board." Page: 12single page
is a senior journalist at Farm Weekly
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/farmweekly | 农业 |
2017-04/4177/en_head.json.gz/4857 | PlantsPerennial Plants & FlowersPerennial Plants List of Acid Loving Plants List of Acid Loving Plants
List of Acid Loving Plants
Acid-loving plants require rich, organic soil to grow and produce healthy-looking plants that live up to their full potential. Acidic soils tend to occur in moist climates, although one of the best ways to know if your soil offers enough acidity requires taking a soil test to determine the pH balance. For gardeners who need to improve their soil, a mix of Canadian peat moss, soil and sand works well to give the planting area the right acidity.
Rhododendrons (Rhododendron)
When it comes to choosing from a variety of acid-loving plants, rhododendrons fit the bill. The genus Rhododendron, consisting of both rhododendrons and azaleas, features more than 1,000 species of plants. Rhododendrons come in all sizes, shapes and blossom colors, with most of the plants blooming in late winter to early summer. Most rhododendrons thrive in moist, acidic soil where they receive dappled sun to full shade. The plants require protection from drying winds. Since flower buds start appearing months before actually blooming, some of the early-blooming rhododendrons may need protection from late spring frosts.
Northern Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica)
A native of the eastern United States and Canada, northern bayberry grows up to 12 feet in height and width. The slow-growing plant features glossy, dark-green leaves that release a pleasant aroma when crushed. The female plants produce clusters of bluish-black fruits with a waxy coating. The perennial plants prefer to grow in acidic soil in full sun to partial shade, although they tolerate a variety of soil and moisture conditions. The berries are used to make bayberry candles and soap. Birds also find the berries an attractive food source.
Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
Highbush blueberry thrives in wet or dry soil and full sun or full shade, as long as the soil remains acidic. This acid-loving plant grows up to 12 feet in height and width, producing blue fruits prized by wildlife and birds. In the spring, reddish-green spring leaves appear first, followed by white or pink bell-shaped flowers forming long dropping clusters. During the summer, the leaves turn bluish-green while the green fruit ripens into mature blueberries that bears, game birds, songbirds and other mammals use as a food source. Deer and rabbits also eat the twigs and foliage of highbush blueberry.
Scotch Heather (Calluna vulgaris)
For changing colors through the seasons, scotch heather works perfectly. In the spring and summer, the acid-loving plant features foliage in shades of silver, yellow, gray and green. New growth comes in shades of pink, yellow and orange. In the fall, the foliage changes to hues of red, orange, bronze and dark green. The flowers also add plenty of color, appearing in late summer and early autumn in long clusters of pink, purple or rose blooms. Scotch heather grows up to 3 feet in height and width, and prefers moist, very well-drained acidic soil in full sun.
Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service: Landscape Plants for Acid Soils
University of Illinois Extension: Selecting Shrubs for Your Home: Bayberry
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Vaccinium corymbosum
University of Connecticut Plant Database: Calluna vulgaris
American Rhododendron Society: Fundamentals of Rhododendron & Azalea Culture
acid-loving plants, rhododendrons, scotch heather About this Author
Nancy Wagner is a marketing strategist, speaker and writer who started writing in 1998. Her articles have appeared in "Home Business Journal," "Nation’s Business," "Emerging Business," "The Mortgage Press," "Seattle: 150 Years of Progress," "Destination Issaquah," and "Northwest," among others. Wagner holds a Bachelor of Science in education from Eastern Illinois University.
New in Perennial Plants
Intermediate Wheatgrass Identification
Plants & Seeds Development
Purslane Formation
Herbaceous Ornamental Plant Identification
Plant With White Flowers & Purple Stems
Different Carnivorous Plants
Information on Venus Flytrap
What Type of Plant Is an Orchid?
What Is a Lactiflora Peony?
Cutting & Growing Bamboo | 农业 |
2017-04/4177/en_head.json.gz/5096 | The maple leaf and the tiger
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz discusses Canada's recent wins in China.
MeatPoultry.com, 6/17/2014
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and his counterpart in China, Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu.
BEIJING – Bilateral meetings between Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and the Chinese government have delivered import market access for Canadian beef products, live cattle, swine and other commodities.
Ritz recently traveled to China with a delegation of 70 people representing more than 30 agricultural groups and four Canadian provinces on a mission to improve Canada's trade access to China and build research and science collaboration, among other initiatives.
"The expanded market access we agreed to will ensure our agriculture producers and processors are competitive in the lucrative Chinese market," Ritz said. "By promoting Canada's food and agriculture sector as a reliable and safe supplier of choice for Chinese consumers, we are making sure our agriculture industry will continue to drive the Canadian economy."
Following meetings with Han Changfu, China's Minister of Agriculture (MOA) and Wei Chuanzhong, China's Vice Minister of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), Ritz announced that China formally agreed to negotiate market access for Canadian bone-in beef from cattle less than 30 months of age in addition to access for live cattle. Industry estimates the Chinese market for Canadian beef will grow to $240 million annually once full market access is granted to bone-in beef from Canada.
Ritz and Wei signed agreements to modernize both countries' swine protocols to reflect recent animal health and disease control science-based approaches. The Canadian swine industry estimates the updated protocol will boost Canadian live swine competitiveness in China and generate sales of up to $11 million annually. Minister of International Trade Ed Fast said the Canadian government has prioritized market access and support for Canadian industry
. "Just last month, I led a trade mission to China and announced the forthcoming opening of four new trade offices, providing on-the-ground support and increased assistance for Canadian businesses as they explore new opportunities with Canada's second-largest single-nation trading partner," Fast said. "Deepening Canada's trade ties with large and dynamic countries such as China will lead to job creation and opportunities, growth and long-term prosperity here at home." | 农业 |
2017-04/4177/en_head.json.gz/8372 | Primer explains inexpensive solution for North Country farmers battling alfalfa snout beetle
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 - 2:38 pm There is a new, effective and inexpensive way for North Country farmers to control the alfalfa snout beetle, a crop pest that can destroy an entire field of valuable dairy and livestock forage in one season.
At 2013 crop meetings and agricultural events, farmers in the Northern New York region are receiving copies of the new Management of Alfalfa Snout Beetle primer on nematode control.
The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP), an agricultural research, outreach, technical assistance program for the six northernmost counties of New York state, provided long-term funding to develop a solution for ASB.
Cornell University entomologist Dr. Elson Shields conducted research into ASB, investigated potential control measures, designed a new greenhouse screening method, field-tested that protocol, and developed an easy-to-implement on-farm biocontrol protocol that uses nematodes native to New York to destroy the larvae of the ASB.
The seven-page primer farmers are receiving includes calculations of the cost of losing an alfalfa crop to ASB, which can be as high as $487 per acre plus the increased expense of buying feed to replace the lost forage, thereby increasing the cost of milk, beef, or livestock production.
To date, more than 72 farms in northern New York have applied the nematodes on more than 154 fields in the six northernmost counties of New York State. The new primer will encourage more farmers to adopt the practice.
The strategies section of the new primer includes information on how to successfully farm-raise the two types of nematodes that destroy the beetle in shallow and deep soil. A list of supplies is provided with how-to steps for rearing and applying the nematodes and timing their application to fields for maximum impact.
The primer also includes information on the ASB life cycle and a history of the battle to beat the beetle that was first detected in the U.S. at Oswego in 1896.
Treatment methods for ASB from 1939 to 1972 included use of poison bait and other insecticides. These methods were banned in 1972 due to environmental contamination concerns.
NNYADP-funded field trials have provided critical side-by-side comparison data for the year-to-year ASB-resistant varieties successive breeding efforts since 2008.
Farmers guiding the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, a research, outreach and technical assistance program for St. Lawrence, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, and Lewis counties, identified ASB for attention by Cornell researchers in 1990. Researchers saw the first substantive success with the nematodes application with a farm-wide ASB population crash at the John Peck dairy farm near Carthage in 2002.
The Management of Alfalfa Snout Beetle primer is posted online under Field Crops Crop Pests at www.nnyagdev.org. | 农业 |
2017-04/4168/en_head.json.gz/572 | Transpiration means to perspire and is common within plants. This is loss of water vapor through leaves and/or stems. Most transpiration occurs through the stomata. Why do plants lose such large quantities of water to transpiration? Do you know the answer?
To answer this question, let us look again at the function of the leaf. The chief function of the leaf is for photosynthesis, which is the source of all food for the entire plant body. The necessary energy for photosynthesis comes from sunlight. Therefore, for a maximum amount of photosynthesis to occur, a plant must have a maximum amount of surface area able to reach the sunlight.
In order for CO2 to enter the plant cell, it must go into solution. Why? Because cell membranes are almost impervious to gaseous CO2. Thus, there must be contact with a moist cell surface. Wherever water is exposed to air, evaporation occurs. Plants have developed a number of special adaptations for limiting evaporation. All the adaptations cut down the supply of CO2. Absorption by roots - the roots have two main functions, to anchor the plant in the soil and to meet the water requirements of the leaves. Note: Almost all the water that a plant takes from the soil enters through the younger parts of the root. Absorption takes place directly through the epidermis of the root, largely in the region of root hairs.
Transportation of water - water is transported from the root hairs to the cortex then to endodermis, next to the pericycle and last to the xylem. Once in the conducting elements of xylem, the water moves upward through the root and stem to the leaves.
Transpiration stream - (described above). In addition to keeping the leaves of the plant provided with water, it distributes mineral ions to the shoots as well. When transpiration is occurring, mineral ions are carried rapidly throughout the plant.
Root pressure - is the pressure developed in the roots as a result of osmosis. When transpiration is very slow or absent, as at night, the root cells may still secrete ions into the xylem.
Water transport - water enters the plant by the roots and is given off, in large quantities by leaf. You can trace this pathway in a simple experiment.
Put a cut stem in water colored with any harmless dye.
Cut the stem under water to prevent air from entering the conducting elements of the xylem.
Trace the path of the liquid into the leaves.
Trace the stain to the conducting elements of the xylem.
Regulation of Transpiration
Transpiration is extremely costly to the plant, especially when the water supply is limited. A number of special adaptations exist that minimize water loss while optimizing the gain of CO2. The cuticle and the stomata - leaves are covered by a cuticle that makes the leaf largely impervious both to water and carbon dioxide. By far the largest amount of water transpired by a higher plant is lost through the stomata. Stomatal transpiration involves two processes. The first is evaporation of water from cell wall surfaces bordering the intercellular spaces, or air spaces of the mesophyll tissue. The second is diffusion of water into the atmosphere by way of the stomata. Closing the stomata prevents the loss of water vapor from the leaf and prevents the entry of carbon dioxide into the leaf.
Humidity - water is lost much more slowly into air already laden with water vapor.
Air currents - a breeze cools your skin on a hot day because it blows away the water vapor that has accumulated near the skin surfaces, and so accelerates the rate of evaporation the same as plants.
Measuring Transpiration Transpiration can be defined as the process by which water is lost from plants to the atmosphere. It is the evaporation of water from plants and can be thought of as plants "breathing". While you cannot see transpiration taking place in the environment you can measure it by capturing the water loss of a plant inside a plastic bag placed around its leaves.
During a growing season, a leaf will transpire many times more water than its own weight. For example a large oak tree can transpire 40,000 gallons of water per year. About 10 percent of the earth's atmospheric moisture can be attributed to plant transpiration. The rest is supplied by evaporation and the water cycle.
Transpiration is a biological process necessary for plant life which uses about 90% of the water absorbed by the roots of the plant. Only about 10% of the water taken up is used for chemical reactions and tissue formation in the plant.
How Transpiration Occurs
Water is lost from the stomata of the plant. Stomata are pores found in the epidermis of the underside of leaves. They are located on the lower surface of leaves to reduce water loss due to minimized solar radiation. The moist air in these spaces has a higher water potential than the outside air, and water tends to evaporate from the leaf surface. The stomata act as pumps which pull water and nutrients from the roots through the rest of the plant to the leaves in a phenomenon known as transpirational pull.
Transpirational pull drives water flow in the plant. Water is absorbed by the root hairs of a plant and is passed through vascular tissues into the xylem where it is transported to the leaves and stomata. Vascular tissue is made ofm ore than one cell type and in plants consists of the xylem and phloem. These carry water and nutrients throughout the plant along vascular bundles of cells arranged end to end to form long, narrow conduits.
In the vascular tissue water molecules form a column. The uppermost molecule turns to water vapor and is transpired through the stomata. As a water vapor droplet evaporates the column of water forms a concave meniscus. The high surface tension of water pulls the hollow formation outwards generating force. The force provides enough pull to lift water through the vascular tissue of the plant to the leaf surface. In large trees, water may be lifted hundreds of feet from the roots to the canopy.
The actions of the stomata are closely related to the hydration of the plant. The stomata pores are regulated by surrounding guard cells which regulate the rate of transpiration. When guard cells become turgid they cause stomata to open allowing water to evaporate. When transpiration exceeds the absorption of water by a plant's roots a loss of turgor occurs and the stomata close. Guard cells loose water and become flaccid. This also occurs when the plant has become dehydrated or when the plant is not photosynthesizing such as at night. If a flaccid state continues the plant will wilt and eventually die. The shape of guard cells changes depending on the level of potassium which relates to the water potential of the cell. The rate of transpiration can be directly related to whether the stomata are open or closed.
When Transpiration Occurs
Transpiration occurs during photosynthesis when the stomata open for the passage of carbon dioxide gas. Carbon dioxide is a necessary component of photosynthesis that the plant must get from their environment. Water transported to the leaves is converted to a gas. As carbon dioxide is allowed into the leaf, water vapors escape through evaporation to the atmosphere. Plants lack membranes that are permeable to carbon dioxide and impermeable to water making transpiration an inevitable consequence of photosynthesis.
Why Transpiration Occurs
There are several reasons why plants utilize transpiration. The direct effect of transpiration is to regulate the temperature of the plant and to provide water for photosynthesis. It also serves to move nutrients and sugars through the vascular tissues of the plant. Transpiration also helps to regulate turgor pressure in the plant's vascular tissues.
Plants sweat through transpiration. The water that dissipates into the atmosphere pulls excess heat with it away from the plant. This reduces overheating and cools the leaves. Water is one of the substances needed for photosynthesis and must be pumped from the roots of the plant. The "engine" pulling water and nutrients up the plant is transpiration. Nutrients are absorbed from the soil and moved throughout the plant's cells by way of transpiration. The minerals distributed during this process are necessary for biosynthesis in the leaves.
Part 2: Environmental Effects | 农业 |
2017-04/4168/en_head.json.gz/4187 | « A-R Teachers Association req...
We got spirit»
Northwest Iowa land values continue to rise
From ISU?Extension ,
Save | Post a comment | It's no surprise to the locals in northwest Iowa. Farmland values are on the rise. But ISU Extension Farm & Agribusiness Management Specialist Melissa O'Rourke is happy to have the research in hand to back up the coffee shop talk. "We've heard about some fairly phenomenal sales recently in our northwest Iowa counties," says O'Rourke. "But I constantly respond to inquiries asking 'what's my land worth' by warning folks that these high dollar sales do not reflect the average farmland values in our region." Article Photos
County estimates of average dollar value per acre for Iowa farmland based on U.S. Census of Agriculture estimates and the Nov. 1, 2011, Iowa Land Value Survey conducted by ISU Extension and Outreach. The top figure is the estimated Nov. 1, 2011, value; the bottom figure is the estimated Nov. 1, 2010 value.
O'Rourke notes that in the 70 years of conducting the survey, "these results show the highest percentage value increase, and the highest land value, even when adjusted for inflation." O'Rourke focuses her analysis on the northwest Iowa region that she covers. "Of course I have particular interest in the land values that we're seeing in west and northwest Iowa." Most of the counties where O'Rourke travels are in the Northwest, North Central, and West Central crop reporting districts. These districts saw average land values increase by 31.2 percent, 28.0 percent, and 35.7 percent, respectively, for an overall average 31.6 percent increase. But even more noteworthy, says O'Rourke, is that "the two counties with the highest farmland values in Iowa are right in the center of my area of responsibility Sioux and O'Brien county. O'Brien County leads the survey for the second consecutive year with an average of $9,513 per acre a 33.1 percent increase from 2010. Sioux County is right behind with an average farmland value of $9,419 per acre a 33.64 percent increase. O'Rourke says that she is asked multiple times each week what's driving these farmland values? "And the next question is always is this a bubble that is going to burst?" O'Rourke agrees with other experts on several factors that have been driving these strong sales and higher land values. "There's no dispute that farm income is up" says O'Rourke. "We've had strong commodity prices along with increases in both net and gross farm income in recent years." "Think about it corn averaged $1.94 per bushel in 2005, and soybeans were $5.54. The November 2011 estimated price was $6.05 for corn and $11.40 for beans. I'm not a commodities expert, but projections for farm income continue to be strong." O'Rourke says that increased farm income has made more cash available for land purchases. "As farm incomes have increased, one of the first things farmers do is update what's in the machine shed, and we've had record farm machinery sales in recent years. After that, a current farmland owner or operator looks to increase the land base, if that's possible" O'Rourke states. In northwest Iowa, notes O'Rourke, "our high inventory of livestock feeding operations is definitely driving land prices. Livestock owners need control of acres to spread manure, and that factor comes into play when land is available." O'Rourke notes that there have been warnings that this is a speculative bubble and that a situation similar to the 1980s is on the horizon. "We constantly warn people to watch their debt levels. However, the data available does not show a significant increase in debt related to land purchases" O'Rourke notes. "In fact, many of the sales during the past year have been cash sales." That is a significant difference from the situation in the 1980s where farmers were taking on a high level of debt to finance land purchases. "And another factor related to that is our current low interest rates," says O'Rourke. "Interest rates in the 1980s were skyrocketing compared to what we have now some of the lowest interest rates since 1974. The ISU survey also shows that more farmland sales are being conducted by public auction. This is considered to have an impact on increasing prices. "When people don't know the value of a product in a volatile market, an auction is the way they go," says O'Rourke. "The auction sale price is the dollar value arrived at by willing buyers all interested in the land being offered by the seller on that day." "And I do emphasize just because you hear of a high sale price in a given county on a given day, don't assume that a similar piece of land down the road will go for the same price later that week." The other question O'Rourke gets asked is, "Will the prices go higher?" "We know they can go higher, but they can also go lower," says O'Rourke. "I'll just have to get my crystal ball shined up before I can answer that question." © Copyright 2017 Estherville Daily News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 农业 |
2017-04/4168/en_head.json.gz/5356 | Lessons For Produce On Beef RecallJim Prevor’s Perishable Pundit, June 12, 2007When ground beef started being recalled for E. coli 0157:H7 contamination by United Food Group, we ran a piece entitled, Another Unnecessary Beef Recall, pointing out that irradiation is approved for ground beef and that Wegmans has had great success selling irradiated ground beef.Now that recall has been substantially expanded. It included both branded product and product private-labeled for Kroger, Stater Bros., Trader Joe’s, Fry’s and Bashas. This is a Class I recall , which the USDA explains means:This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.Now during the spinach crisis, many in the industry, including the Buyer-led Food Safety Initiative, pointed to the beef industry as a possible model for the produce industry to emulate. And we analyzed that possibility in Pundit’s Pulse Of The Industry: Beef Industry Food Safety Council’s James Bo Reagan.Yet Bob Stovicek of the Primus Group saw the interest many in the produce trade were taking in the efforts the meat industry had made to improve safety and wrote to us with a warning, which we published under the title Pundit’s Mailbag — Beef Industry Not The Best Guide For Produce Food Safety.Unfortunately, Bob’s assessment was that the produce industry was more difficult to obtain food safety in than the beef industry — which is why this beef recall is so troubling.When Bill Marler, the food safety attorney who achieved fame because of his representation of plaintiffs in litigation against Jack in the Box, came to Salinas to do a presentation for the ag community, he entitled it “Put me out of business — Please.”The title was based on a line in an Op-ed piece that Bill Marler wrote for the Denver Post back in 2002, making the same plea in regard to the meat industry.Marler, like most food safety experts, including those at the CDC, FDA and USDA, have been under the impression that whatever the flaws in the food safety regimen for beef, very substantial progress has been made. Which is what was indicated in this press release and this government report from 2005:For the first time, cases of E. coli O157 infections, one of the most severe foodborne diseases, are below the national Healthy People 2010 health goal. From 1996-2004, the incidence of E. coli O157 infections decreased 42 percent….Several factors have contributed to the decline in foodborne illnesses. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service implemented a series of new recommendations beginning in 2002 to combat E. coli O157 in ground beef… these improvements likely reflect industry efforts to reduce E. coli O157 in live cattle and during slaughter.Yet now, Bill Marler is focusing on what he sees as unfinished business to make regulations on beef stricter and using his slogan “Put me out of business — Please,” he’s adding a 2007 spin back to the meat industry:From 2002 until a few weeks ago, I believed that … E. coli illnesses, especially those tied to red meat consumption, were down — way down. A report in 2005 released by the CDC, in collaboration with the FDA and USDA, showed important declines in foodborne infections due to common bacterial pathogens in 2004. From 1996-2004, the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 infections decreased 42 percent.Now that was, and still seems, significant. We saw the same results in our law firm. From 1993 (Jack in the Box) to 2002 (ConAgra), 95% of the cases in our office were E. coli cases tied to red meat consumption. After 2002, we saw an enormous drop in clients, and more importantly, ill people nationwide. Recalls fell to nothing. That is until six weeks ago. The last six weeks look like the late springs and summers from 1993 to 2002, when hamburger recalls and E. coli illnesses were a large part of every summer — much like vacations and baseball season. Now here is the concerning reality of 2007:At least 13 people have been confirmed ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections after eating ground beef produced by United Food Group sold in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Montana. Over 5,700,000 pounds of meat have been recalled.Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. recalled 40,440 pounds of ground beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7. No illnesses yet reported.Seven Minnesotans were confirmed as part of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that prompted PM Beef Holdings to recall 117,500 pounds of beef trim products that was ground and sold at Lunds and Byerly’s stores.Twenty-seven people have been confirmed ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections in Fresno County. The Fresno County Department of Community Health inspected the “Meat Market” in Northwest Fresno, the source of the outbreak.At least two people were confirmed ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections in Michigan after eating ground beef produced by Davis Creek Meats and Seafood of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The E. coli outbreak prompted Davis Creek Meats and Seafood to recall approximately 129,000 pounds of beef products that were distributed in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.Following reports of three Napa Valley children who became sick from hamburger patties sold at a St. Helena Little League snack shack, 100,000 pounds of hamburger (that was a year old) was recalled.Several people were confirmed ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections in Pennsylvania after eating E. coli-contaminated meat products at Hoss’s Family Steak and Sea Restaurants, a Pennsylvania-based restaurant chain that purchased its meat from HFX, Inc., of South Claysburg, Pennsylvania. As a result of the outbreak, HFX recalled approximately 4,900 pounds of meat products.I am not sure I know the reason for the new and ominous trend (these are the largest meat recalls in five years), but by anyone’s count these numbers are concerning. What I do know is that these recent outbreaks have all the ugly signs of another national emergency. As a nation — and that includes all federal and local government agencies as well as the private sector — we cannot let the positive trend of the past become another acceptable body count. We need to figure out why this has happened.My suggestion — if Congress was willing to drop everything in order to investigate the deaths of a dozen cats due to contaminated pet food from China — perhaps bringing all the executives of the companies responsible for this recent rash of outbreaks, recalls and illnesses to Washington for a few days of questioning (under oath) might help us get to the bottom of this.What does this sudden recurrence of recalls of beef due to E. coli 0157:H7 tell the produce industry? Well in a sense, it tells us that both Bruce Peterson, who has been arguing for an emphasis on traceability, and PMA and United, which have jointly endorsed mandatory federal food safety regulation, are correct.Despite all these problems with beef, the beef industry has not collapsed. Partly this is the nature of the problem, and even consumers who know about the problem and are concerned about it may feel that with thorough cooking they have the ability to apply their own “kill step.” But it is also because of better traceback than has been available in the produce industry (though Bill Marler argues it can be much better) and, especially because the government, perhaps because it regulates the beef industry and feels the need to defend that system, has reacted with moderation to the problems.Despite over 52 confirmed illnesses from a much wider group of sources than the spinach E. coli 0157:H7 situation, nobody is recommending consumers not eat beef or even just ground beef.This moderation on the regulatory side also indicates that the Western Growers Association’s desire to see whatever food safety regulation is adopted reside in the USDA rather than the FDA might work, although there is no question that consumer advocates perceive USDA as a captive of the ag industry. If E. coli 0157:H7 recalls continue, one can expect many calls to get FDA more involved.Yet the bottom line is that this beef situation is a time for produce industry executives to test their souls. Because the real issue we see here is the question of what our own bottom line is.The solution proposed for produce — mandatory federal regulation — is, exactly, what the beef industry has and, based on the public reaction to the E. coli 0157:H7 problem on beef this year, if the goal is simply to save the industry, we have a pretty good framework to work with.It seems like a regulatory structure for produce, similar to what exists for beef, will either increase regulatory confidence or co-opt regulators and, in any case, will lead to a much more reasonable food safety approach.But… it won’t mean that some consumer won’t die from eating fresh produce.With beef, to some extent, at least a cattleman could say that consumers were warned to cook the meat thoroughly and insist that restaurants do the same. Although that righteousness is mitigated by the fact that, in fact, very little labeling and promotion goes toward telling consumers to cook beef properly.In fact the Partnership for Food Safety Education, whose membership consists of 19 associations and non-profits and whose Chairman this year is none other than PMA’s Bryan Silbermann, has a glaring gap in its membership: The egg people are there, the dairy, deli, bakery people are there, the chicken, turkey, pork and produce folks, but there is no participation from the beef industry.This seems inexplicable, and one wonders if the beef people don’t want to spend money promoting the Partnerships’ recommendations which include:Cook ground meat, where bacteria can spread during grinding, to at least 160°F. Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) links eating undercooked ground beef with a higher risk of illness. Remember, color is not a reliable indicator of doneness. Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your burgers.If so, such a hesitancy to promote proper cooking of beef might be shameful but it wouldn’t be surprising. After all in promoting its irradiated fresh ground beef, Wegmans showcases its Vice President of Consumer Affairs on its web site explaining a major benefit of buying irradiated fresh ground beef:Wegmans Irradiated Fresh Ground Beef is here, only at Wegmans. And for those who remember what a good hamburger used to taste like, we are happily introducing this “cook it the way you like it” alternative to our standard ground beef line-up. In 2002, we were first in the country to introduce this product, but unfortunately the company that supplied the irradiation technology went out of business late in 2003, and left us searching high and low for a new supplier ever since. Thankfully, we have found one.As a reminder, irradiation is an added layer of protection against a dastardly bacterium called E. coli O157H7. We know that cooking to 160 degrees also protects us from the menace, but the bad news is that those of us longing for a “rarer opportunity,” or for that matter a “medium opportunity” are out of luck, because cooking to 160 transforms what used to be a juicy, flavorful, ground beef eating experience into a long, sad, tasteless chew.In other words, in a practical sense, the so called “kill stop” in ground beef may be overstated. We’ve put the labels of some of the recalled beef in to illustrate this story — you can see more of the labels and packaging here. Note that you don’t see any reference to the requirements for safe cooking of ground beef. If it is there at all, it is very obscure. This is probably not an accident.It is a recognition by the beef industry that if consumers really thought about having to cook their burgers so thoroughly and check them with a thermometer, they might buy a lot less of them.The shame is that with irradiation, there really is a practical kill step that could prevent people from getting sick or dying from E. coli 0157:H7.Although Bill Marler’s suggestion to drag everyone implicated in the beef outbreak to D.C. is interesting, it strikes us as only likely to produce, at best, incremental improvements in food safety. All we’d get is more inspections, more rigorous oversight, etc.Irradiation is still unapproved for food safety use on things like bagged spinach. But the beef situation should make the produce industry aware:Even if we have a great year this year with no known outbreaks, and even if that is true next year and the year after, the beef situation points out that we could have another spinach-like situation in 5 years. Because improved Good Agricultural Practices and improved Good Manufacturing Practices are not a guaranteed solution.It seems likely that such infrequent outbreaks, combined with industry efforts and a new regulatory structure, mean that the whole industry will not suffer in the future as it did in 2006.If we want more, however, if to the farmers and processors and retailers, just one guy dying or getting very sick every five years is unacceptable. Even if the industry would survive, then we have to become far more aggressive advocates of irradiation. Otherwise it is not a question of whether there will be a next illness or death caused by fresh produce; it is a question of when. We have to decide if that is acceptable to us or not. | 农业 |
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Friday, March 1, 2013 | Repost How Agroforestry Schemes Can Improve Food Security in Developing Countries Agroforestry has the potential to significantly improve food security in developing countries. Photograph: David J Slater/Getty ImagesCaspar van Vark / reprinted from Guardian Professional
Agroforestry – the integration of trees and shrubs with crops and livestock systems – has strong potential in addressing problems of food insecurity in developing countries. Done well, it allows producers to make the best use of their land, can boost field crop yields, diversify income, and increase resilience to climate change.
To date, the uptake of agroforestry has been constrained partly because it has lacked a natural 'home' in policy space, but that may be changing thanks to a growing body of evidence of what it can achieve, and how to make it work. The FAO last month published a guide to advancing agroforestry on the policy agenda with case studies of best practice, and is due to hold a conference on forests and food security and nutrition in May. "In recent years we've seen increasing interest in agroforestry as an important component of sustainable land use and development," says Douglas McGuire, team leader on the FAO's Forest Resources Management team. "The many advantages it offers are being better understood." Much of that new understanding has come from the FAO itself and from the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), which has built up a body of research on issues such as the use of particular tree varieties and how they can improve soil quality, complement specific field crops, and generate new income streams for smallholders. For example, one of the major potential benefits of on-farm trees is their ability to replenish nutrient-depleted soil, and the results of a 12-year study by ICRAF published in September 2012 showed how the planting of a particular tree variety – Gliricidia – as a fertiliser tree alongside maize improved the stability of harvests of this staple food crop in sub-Saharan Africa. The study, based on farming systems in Malawi and Zambia, found Gliricidia to be particularly effective at drawing nitrogen from the air and fixing it in the soil, reducing the need for large doses of manufactured nitrogen fertilisers. The leaves shed by the trees also replenish the soil, increasing its structural stability and capacity to store water. Another fertiliser tree – Faidherbia, an indigenous African acacia – has also been found to be useful in agroforestry systems thanks partly to its unusual phenology. Faidherbia goes dormant and sheds its nitrogen-rich leaves during the early rainy season, when crops are being planted, and resumes leaf growth in the dry season. That means it fertilises crops at a useful time, but doesn't compete with them for light, nutrients or water. Several studies have found Faidherbia-maize inter-cropping to increase maize yields, by as much as 400% in one area of Malawi. This doesn't mean that particular tree varieties should necessarily be pushed as "good" for all farming systems; rather, it's important to use the right trees in the right place. "There are often trade-offs involved, and these need to be carefully assessed and balanced, according to the objectives one is trying to achieve," says McGuire. "Soil fertility enhancement, erosion control, food production, wood production, and shading are all factors. Systems where wood production may be a main objective might not be the most favourable to enhancing soil fertility, but that may be an acceptable trade-off under the given circumstances." Even where certain trees can bring clear benefits, they are often a long-term investment. Resource-poor smallholders can be reluctant to allocate land to trees when it might take years to reap the rewards. But depending on the objectives, certain varieties or planting techniques can speed things up. "Calliandra and leucaena are two leguminous trees which are known to deliver relatively quick pay offs for use as fodder for livestock," says Frank Place, impact assessment adviser at ICRAF and co-editor of the FAO guide. "The fodder shrubs can be planted in blocks or along internal or external boundaries and are fully productive in less than two years. They are cut and the leaves fed to cows, and the trees regrow for subsequent rounds of feeding. We have found that 500 trees are enough to provide daily inputs of the high protein fodder to a dairy cow." Another potential way of encouraging farmer buy-in is the use of payment for environmental services (Pes). The FAO guide points out that "there is no agroforestry success story if incomes decrease considerably" and suggests that farmers introducing trees could be rewarded for the ecosystem services they provide. Costa Rica provides a case study in how Pes can be used as part of an agroforestry strategy. Through Fonafifo, its national forestry financing fund – which includes a specific agroforestry component – 10,000 contracts have been signed with smallholders over the past eight years, paying them to plant more than 3.5 million trees on farms. A 2010 study of the scheme found that 78% of farmer participants reported a rise in income levels as a result of taking part. Access to markets is also an important way of ensuring the sustainability of agroforestry schemes. Tree fruits and improved milk yields from feeding cattle can improve household food security, but better access to supply chains can help smallholders reap greater financial rewards from their improved productivity. "Tree products, apart from export crops like tea, coffee, and cocoa, do not enjoy the same level of investment in market information systems, market infrastructure or support in government programmes as do crops," says Place. "There are many indigenous fruits such as baobab with high potential demand but very poorly organized value chains." One recent exception to this has come from the Allanblackia tree, a native African tree whose seeds contain an oil which has been found to be useful in food manufacturing. The oil first came to the attention of Unilever in 2000, and since then a supply chain based on smallholder production has been built through the Novella project – a private/public partnership including the ICRAF, the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and Unilever.
Research by ICRAF on Allanblackia has enabled smallholders to grow superior varieties of the tree which fruit within four or five years, rather than the 15 or so years it would normally take for wild trees. The tree has also been found to complement existing cocoa field crops: while Allanblackia are growing, the cocoa trees provide the shade they need, and when they're grown, they in turn act as shade trees for cocoa. They also provide harvests at different times of the year, ensuring more regular income for smallholders. By 2009, around 10,000 smallholder farmers, mostly in Ghana in Tanzania, had planted 100,000 Allanblackia trees, and the project has expanded to Liberia, Nigeria and Cameroon. According to Icraf, the scheme could eventually generate $2bn (£1.32bn) a year for smallholders, about half the value of west Africa's cocoa crop.
The potential of agroforestry is well documented, though structural challenges remain. Issues of land tenure and forest codes, for instance, still discourage smallholder investment in trees in some places. The challenge for development actors is to ensure that the multiple benefits of integrating trees into land-use systems are heard in the food security debate, so that more of what we know can be put into practice
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2017-04/4168/en_head.json.gz/14888 | -A +A English
Facilitated by the
Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition
Hunger, food and nutrition security: towards a post-2015 development agenda Enlaces principales
Consulta electrónica
Acerca del proceso
Re: The e-Consultation on Hunger, Food and Nutrition Security
Braulio de Souza Dias Convention on Biological Diversity on Hunger, Food and Nutrition ...
11-01-2013 Contribution from the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity on Hunger, Food and Nutrition Security
The achievement of food security requires the sustainable increase of food production and access to food. More, and nutritionally adequate, food needs to be produced using less global inputs (land, water, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals) per unit of produce. This needs to be achieved in the face of dwindling resources and increasing competition for those resources, whilst simultaneously responding to the impacts of climate change on farming systems and natural ecosystems and reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment. The challenge is indeed significant but most commentators conclude that it can be met.
Biodiversity has a central role to play in meeting the challenge. Biodiversity underpins ecosystem services which are essential for sustainable food production at all scales, from industrialised to small-holder subsistence farming. Some key examples where significant progress can be made include:
• Reversing the degradation of soils, which underpin all agricultural production. Conserving or restoring soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions delivers multiple benefits including: improved nutrient cycling and availability for crops, hence improving fertiliser use efficiency on-farm and reducing off-farm impacts; restoring soil organic carbon content, with multiple on-farm benefits in addition to contributing to mitigating climate change; improving water cycling, including soil water storage, thereby improving crop-water productivity as well as increasing resilience to increasing climatic variation; improving nature-based pest and disease regulation, thereby improving integrated pest management and enhancing prevention of spread of invasive alien species. Practitioners can determine the most feasible approach based on local environmental and socio-economic conditions, but restoring soil health, and the biodiversity underpinning it, must be the cornerstone of any sustainable agriculture strategy. Much success is being achieved by the farming community and needs to be mainstreamed and upscaled. The International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Soil Biodiversity (http://www.cbd.int/agro/soil.shtml) was adopted in 2008 by the Parties to the CBD specifically to strengthen efforts in these regards. At CBD COP-11 Governments and international organizations launched the “Hyderabad Call for a Concerted Effort on Ecosystem Restoration” (http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/TEEB/Hyderabad-Call_vOct17-8am.docx-1.pdf);
• Genetic diversity is essential to maintain options for farmers, resilience of farming systems and productivity increases through improved breeds and varieties, particularly in response to increasing climatic change and increased variability. Maintaining the diversity of genetic resources available to farmers, preferably in-situ (landraces on-farm and wild relatives in natural ecosystems) but where necessary ex-situ, and including maintaining the cultural knowledge of farming, and the communities associated with this biodiversity, is an essential requirement for sustainable food security. We need to significantly strengthen support to the important efforts of the farming community, particularly small-scale farmers and indigenous and local communities, to conserve and sustainably use these critical genetic resources;
• Reversing the decline of pollinators, which are essential for sustaining crop productivity, as outlined further in the International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Pollinators (http://www.cbd.int/agro/pollinator.shtml);
• Recognising that the needs are not simply for food security in terms of minimum requirements of calories and protein, but for food security which includes adequate provision of vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients and other essential components of a healthy diet. A diverse source of foods, produced on healthy soils, is essential for food and nutrition security. Biodiversity has a central role to play in achieving a healthy diet, as outlined further in the Cross-Cutting Initiative on Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition (http://www.cbd.int/agro/food-nutrition/).
These, and other, needs and approaches are well captured in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011-2020) and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (http://www.cbd.int/sp/). The central purpose of this plan is to promote the contribution that biodiversity can make to achieving sustainable development. The plan and targets, therefore, are not just for the environment or biodiversity community but represent a framework for action for all interested in sustainable development. The contribution of biodiversity to achieving food security in a post-2015 world is one of the most significant areas in which progress can be made.
As indicated in the UN Rio+20 outcome document "The Future We Want", biodiversity has a critical role to play in maintaining ecosystems that provide essential services, which are the foundations for sustainable development and human well-being.
The UN General Assembly declared 2011-2020 the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, with a view to contribute to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets, decided in 2010 in Nagoya, Japan by the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the Convention. This Strategic Plan for Biodiversity considers biodiversity as an opportunity for human well-being and poverty eradication. That is why the 20 Targets to implement the Strategic Plan relate not only to conservation and sustainable use, but also relate to reducing direct pressures on biodiversity and, most importantly, addressing the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across all sectors of government and society.
Overall, the Targets aim to bring about a considerable change in our lifestyles, and particularly in our development paradigm – over the next decade we must move firmly away from unchecked consumption and towards sustainable use.
See the attachment: Message from the Executive Secretary on food security_rev.docx Sponsor ES
Este debate temático está dirigido por la FAO y el PMA, en colaboración con " The World We Want ".
La consulta en línea está facilitada por el Foro Mundial sobre la Seguridad Alimentaria y la Nutrición (FSN Forum)
Materiales de referencia
Issues Paper for the informal consultation with stakeholders of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS)
Marco integral de acción (ONU-HLTF)
Marco estratégico mundial para la seguridad alimentaria y la nutrición (CFS)
Imagining a world free from hunger: Ending hunger and malnutrition and ensuring food and nutrition security.
Segunda Conferencia Internacional sobre Nutrición (CIN2)
Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio 1 Realizing the Future we Want for All (Equipo de tareas de Naciones Unidas)
Rio+20 Hacia el futuro que queremos (FAO)
Documento de resultados de la Conferencia Río + 20 “El futuro que queremos” Declaración de Río+20 (Bioversity, FAO, FIDA y PMA)
Desafío Hambre Cero del Secretario General de la ONU
PNUD-España: Lecciones aprendidas del Fondo para el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (F-ODM)
© FAO 2013 | 农业 |
2017-04/4168/en_head.json.gz/17315 | Cornell’s Brad Rickard To Unveil Generic Produce Promotion Research Done By Cornell And Arizona State University At New York Produce Show And ConferenceJim Prevor’s Perishable Pundit, October 25, 2010
Last year the produce industry had a major discussion on the possibility of mandatory assessment to support a generic promotion program. We tried to access the most knowledgeable people in the field, having discussions, for example, here and here with Harry Kaiser, the Gellert Family Professor of Applied Economics and Management, Department of Applied Economics and Management, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University and the preeminent scholar in the field.
Yet, in the end, what we found was a paucity of knowledge on broad-based generic produce promotion in the United States. Everyone was left arguing by inference from milk or beef or by making assumptions regarding the relevancy of programs in Australia or elsewhere to the American environment.
The proposal for a mandatory assessment and the generic promotion that went along with it was put aside. Yet the debate over the proposal is beginning to bear fruit for the industry and the world in the form of better understanding of the way generic marketing can influence sales of fresh produce.
Harry Kaiser from Cornell, Tim Richards from ASU and Brad Rickard and Jura Liaukonyte from Cornell have been working on a project that uses experimental economics to examine consumer response to commodity-specific media advertising (e.g., apple ads) and broad-based media advertising for fruits and vegetables (e.g., the UK 5-a-day campaign); their objective has been to understand the relative economic implications of using these two types of advertising, as well as a third approach that combines the two types.
The approach of the scholars is very rigorous and quite innovative. There is little question that the results will be of interest to both academics and the industry.
As part of our efforts at The New York Produce Show and Conference to gather the intellectual resources of the region and bring them to a broader audience, we invited Brad Rickard to unveil this important research at the event. We asked Pundit Investigator and Special Projects Editor Mira Slott to get us a sneak preview:
Brad Rickard
Department of Applied Economics
Q: What sparked your interest in analyzing consumer response to commodity-specific and broad-based promotion programs for fruits and vegetables using experimental economics?
A: I was following this dialogue on generic promotions in the Perishable Pundit. An editorial in PRODUCE BUSINESS in 2009 did a good job questioning Got Produce?, the term referencing a proposed generic promotion expanding the five-a-day effort. There was a lot of uncertainty that needed to be resolved before asking producers to vote on something like this.
Q: Do you have a particular connection to the produce industry?
A: I’m from a fruit and vegetable farm in Canada, Ceresmore Farms. We’re a family farm up in Ontario, which over the years has grown processing vegetables, apples, pears and some field crops. It lends me a bit of credibility in studying this subject.
There was a pretty big push in Australia on a generic produce campaign a few years ago. A study written by some R&D folks showed the program was a success, but I have colleagues knowledgeable on that campaign that conducted their own analysis. A lot of money and effort was put into that Go for 2&5 promotion. This was a motivation for me, as generic promotions are an area of work economists haven’t weighed in on. We do things differently than R&D folks and psychologists.
Q: In what ways? How could research based on models of applied economics offer new perspective?
A: Jim Prevor laid out key questions needing more research to be done before producers and handlers could really vote on a generic promotion. We honed in on issues we felt were critical: First, what would be the difference between spending more money on commodity-specific promotions relative to a generic five-a-day program? And another very real question, if you’re doing something one way and you switch, what would be the impact, or what would happen if you did a combination of both efforts?
Q: Did you also consider money thresholds, number of times consumers need to be exposed to the ads, the scope of the promotion, etc., in weighing the impact of a generic campaign? Produce industry executives often lament that their promotional marketing budgets pale in comparison to big junk food manufacturers and other processed food conglomerates.
A: Out of English-speaking countries — Australia, the UK, Canada, and the U.S. — the U.S. is least funded on a per capita basis in this area.
Q: The Got Milk? campaign inundated consumers nationwide with clever ads repeatedly, promoting the message through famous people touting the attributes of drinking milk. Was that considered a success?
A: There are different ways to measure these things. Got Milk? was successful in getting a lot of advertising awards, but producers were concerned it wasn’t selling more milk. In a Supreme Court case, producers argued it wasn’t increasing their bottom line.
The difficult thing in some cases is the counter-factual effect: what would have happened otherwise? In the case of dairy, there was a declining trend in how much milk people were drinking. A lot of people argue the Got Milk? promotion didn’t increase demand for milk, but slowed the decrease in demand. If you just look at broad brush strokes, you’d think Got Milk? didn’t do anything.
Q: It reminds me of the economic argument related to the recent recession; that if we didn’t do the bailouts, the economic picture would have been significantly worse…
A: It’s a close analogy to Got Milk? and hard to isolate what would happen otherwise. That is a good segue to a generic produce promotion. We wanted to examine this question as economists. How can we account for these changing times and add an element of control into our analysis so we can say something meaningful?
At Cornell, we have a Lab for Experimental Economics and Decision Research — LEEDR is the acronym. It’s a sophisticated state-of-the-art lab with 24 stations, and several researchers on campus use it, those curious how consumers, producers or policy-makers respond to economic incentives or changes. We thought this would be one way to shed some light on Got Produce? — by looking at the consumer side, the producer side, and the general economy and policy stages, so we decided to approach this in three stages. The first stage was to get inside the consumer’s head, when he or she sees promotion efforts, how does it register?
We wanted to investigate one of Jim Prevor’s points: How would a five-a-day generic promotion compare to the status quo commodity promotions? And following that, the counter-factual question, in the absence of these programs, what would you see?
Q: How did you go about that in a lab setting?
A: We set up an experiment comprised of six sub-experiments, where we brought a bunch of people into the lab, and every case had auctions for 8 or 10 different fruits and vegetables. We’d talk about those items, a pound of potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and red peppers, counting tomatoes as a vegetable, and apples, bananas, oranges and grapes.
The auctions were conducted with 24 “consumers” at a time; done as a private affair, with housing around the cubicles. We ran an English style of auction, where the price started at 0, and as the price crept up, the participant when ready would click on their computer and submit their bid.
We wanted to try and make this feel somewhat real. We showed some short T.V. clips, and inserted promotional pieces. For three batches of people, we only showed the T.V. clips and no promotional pieces. For the other treatments, we’d introduce the participants in one instance to commodity-specific apple ads from New York and Washington State. And then there were another three batches of people that received an apple treatment and potato treatment with Idaho potato ads appearing. A third group had broad-based ads.
Q: Did you create a mock Got Produce? promotion for the purpose of the experiment?
A: Since we didn’t have U.S. generic produce ads, we took some from the Australia campaign Go for 2&5, and some from the UK campaign. We borrowed T.V. ads.
Q: By using UK and Australian promotions, wouldn’t your participants be struck by the different accents and cultural nuances? Were the campaigns similar in content and messaging?
A: The generic ads emphasized variety and health benefits rather than taste, and were colorful. The dialects were different but we don’t think this caused any problems. We had some treatments where we interacted with the groups and did a little broad-based generic, and a little commodity, which we called the hybrid affect.
Overall we did six separate treatments that ran through auctions during the different scenarios. There were different people in the different batches, which was an issue that we tried to account for. Say there were 72 different people, so 72 times six separate treatments, so roughly 400 people in total, and these are all different people in different batches, all exposed to media, some with promotion, some mixed.
Q: How did you account for the wide variety of people in your analysis?
A: After the experiment, we asked everyone to complete a survey to tell us about themselves, 30 different questions, their age, height and weight so we could come up with their BMI, income level, whether they were a vegetarian, female, male, how did you like the ads, etc. We tried to statistically control details about these people, and isolate all those effects to say something meaningful about the bids they were submitting into the computers.
Q: What if someone would never buy apples, regardless of how clever the promotion?
A: That’s a good question. One of the survey questions was, tell us your preferences. Then if a consumer made a particularly low bid for apples when he or she saw lots of apple ads, we could account for that.
Q: How did you recruit participants? Did you get a demographically diverse population?
A: Sometimes these experiments on university campuses are criticized because they are all students. We went out of our way to recruit staff, not students or faculty. They were all from Cornell, but could be an administrative assistant, a bunch worked as janitors, the hockey coach, we had a nice demographic. I have a chart of New York demographics and how our 400 people sample compared to New York at large. It’s impossible to get a cross-section that perfectly represents the population at large, or the New York population.
Q: What were participants told when they came into the room?
A: We paid participants $25 to come. To create an incentive-compatible experiment, we told them that at the end of the auction, people would randomly be chosen to have to buy their products. So they would either leave with $25 or a combination of money and produce.
We told them that if they see apple ads, they don’t know another group is not seeing any apple ads, or potato ads, etc.
Q: Did Phase 1 of your experiment lead to any significant findings?
A: We’re trying to understand what consumers are willing to pay for fruits and vegetables. We tried to simulate the noise we’re all subjected to.
In Phase 1, we wanted to explore whether consumers respond to these different kinds of ads. The punch line is we saw significant results for the way people filled out the survey and significant results on how they responded to the various ad approaches. These broad-based programs, or ones mixed in with some apple or potato ads, always seemed to increase their bids.
Q: How considerable were the differences?
A: We had a base line of a whole bunch of bids from our control group that didn’t see any ads. A phenomenon occurred where, for example, people bid $1.10 for apples, and when they saw the apple ad didn’t increase their bid, but if they were shown broad-based and commodity ads or just broad-based ads, their bid would grow significantly.
If you lump information together, there was willingness for people to increase their bid by 15 percent to 18 percent when watching just broad-based ads relative to the control group that saw no ads, which translates to a seven percent to eight percent increase in quantity purchased.
Q: Since participants only had the choice of 8 or 10 produce items to bid on, wouldn’t that seriously distort results? What would have happened if they had the option to use their $25 to buy a candy bar or a roast chicken? Also, couldn’t the controlled setting and limited time-period impact preferences as well?
A: This represents an upper limit on the effects of advertising, understanding we were doing this in a lab, where there wasn’t someone also selling cookies or shoes. This is a good point and one that has haunted WTP [Willingness to Pay] studies for economists, especially those that interview consumers or perform choice experiments without compensating the subjects or forcing subjects to follow up on their bids.
The best answer here is that in our experiment we randomly ask subjects to follow up on their bids; half of the auctions become binding at the end and the highest bidder for these items makes the purchase and their bid is subtracted from the $25 they receive from participating. We hope that this feature encourages subjects to pay more attention to their bids and makes our experiment more in line with reality.
Since we paid our subjects $25 to participate in the experiment, and most of them left with $25, this money is thought to be used for other food products like steak and Twinkies. This isn’t perfect, but it is better than many other approaches out there. Furthermore, we thought that things might get out of control if we included more than 8 products in the experiment, or if the experiment lasted more than one hour.
Q: What did your experiment reveal about commodity-centered ads?
A: The more important part of Phase 1 is that we see the impact for the broad-based ads, but we don’t see it for commodity-specific ads.
Q: Is it correct that the commodity ads focused on specific state products, and if so, did the purchase alternatives include state identifiers?
A: The apple and potato ads were state-specific. We first decided to focus on apples and potatoes given that they represent important fruit and vegetable crops in the U.S. Then we went looking for ads and these were the best we could find. Three of the four apple ads were for New York apples. Although we didn’t explicitly auction “New York” apples or “Idaho” potatoes, we did introduce the products in a way that indicated they were similar to the ones shown in the ads, auctioning “Empire” apples and “Russet” potatoes.
Q: Why did you elect to use commercials from state-based programs rather than national programs such as those existing for watermelon and mango?
A: A national campaign would have been much better, but we were pretty set on apples and potatoes given their market share, and the fact that they are produced in many states in the U.S. Plus, we wanted fruits and vegetables that were often sold in a one-pound size in the range of one to three dollars. The regression analysis does control for the “quality” of the ads, so the WTP estimates should be free of any distortions concerning consumer response to the particular ad.
Q: Do you think the actual content of the ads played a role?
A: The broad-based ads emphasized health. What I think happens is that a broad-based ad is for a category, all fruits and vegetables. When advertising apples, we might see a little jump for apples, but a decline in another commodity. I think of a pie chart; if the apple group puts out an ad, it might be successful in increasing apple sales, consumers will buy less bananas or oranges. So by targeting a niche, the increase is at the expense of close substitutes.
The results from this study indicate that the nature of the advertising matters. If just advertising one thing, it substitutes away from something else in the category. If advertising a category, it is now competing against another category. It’s not necessarily a revolutionary discovery.
When the French put an ad in Wine Spectator, you won’t see a one page ad for a particular brand of champagne… you see a generic ad for French champagne; the higher tide lifts all the boats kind of thing. A clever broad-based ad has the ability to increase the category. Several commodity-specific ads end up competing against each other. It’s a destructive game of cross advertising where everyone is trying to grab a slice of the pie. Instead, the industry could be competing against junk food, or meat, or dairy. Generic ads, getting people to think of fruits and vegetables, could be a better strategy for the industry.
Q: How do you compensate for the limitations of a prefabricated lab setting to address the effects of real-world factors?
A: At least in the auction, we included money incentives compatible with purchasing something, mitigating that problem of consumers saying one thing and doing something else. We do ask participants things like how many vegetables they eat per week. Since they might be concerned about revealing certain information about themselves, we don’t take their names when accumulating survey results.
In Phase 2, we want to examine exposure issues; how much exposure to the ads do consumers need in the real world to get the results in the lab? How much of a budget is required, is it $3 million or $30 million? Those are things we can address in our lab using economics. Also, there are other financial questions we need to address. The produce category is made up of many different players. In a broad-based ad campaign, should strawberry people pay as much as broccoli people? Are strawberry people more likely to benefit? How do you determine relative costs across commodities? What are the different ways to think about this? We think we could simulate scenarios, a spectrum of possibilities. Is the consumer response to advertising strawberries more than to spinach or broccoli?
And then if you put ads together what attributes do you emphasize? If you’re doing an apple ad, it’s easy to pinpoint certain attributes, such as sweet and crunchy…for blueberries it could be antioxidants, and for baby carrots it might be kid-friendly or convenience. Imagine a broad-based program. Look at ones being used in the UK or Australia and what they emphasized, breaking down all the components… Do apples and strawberries chip into this program, or increase banana sales?
First we start with consumers and then we go to the producers. The third step is the market linkage; questions involving the retailers, producers, the consumer connection, different supply chains and how these would change results. Public policy comes into this if the scheme eventually ends up being funded by growers, handlers and packers with a matching program by government. We need to run through these scenarios and the distribution impacts.
Q: What you describe seems like a big leap from your initial lab research results…
A: Our research involves phases. We started with big broad brush strokes. We’ve done the first phase, written it up and it is under review by academic journals. As we explore answers to these questions, our research raises new questions.
Professor Rickard is part a generation of bright young economists who are transforming the field of what used to be called “agricultural economics.” Like his Cornell colleague Miguel Gomez — who, as we mentioned here, is also presenting at The New York Produce Show and Conference — these economists are approaching issues without fear or favor, looking to use innovative techniques in a quest for real knowledge and understanding.
It is not all about produce; in fact, we first read a paper by Professor Rickard when he made a slam dunk case that New York State ought to allow supermarkets to sell wine. And, as the authors acknowledge, the questions regarding generic promotion won’t be resolved by one simulation. But it is an important start.
We are especially thrilled that this research was undertaken because it is really what the Perishable Pundit and PRODUCE BUSINESS and the conference portion of The New York Produce Show and Conference are all about: Raising issues, identifying questions, creating an intellectual format, provoking better thinking, finding the path that will initiate industry improvement.
Obviously we look forward to additional phases. We are particularly interested in the rent-dissipation hypothesis, which we wrote about here and the differential impact on long-lead crops such as pears as opposed to row crops that can quickly be increased in volume.
We also have a suggestion for another application of this methodology. All over the country, many states have run programs such as Jersey Fresh to promote their own state’s product. The research we have seen over the years indicates that these programs, a variant of generic promotion, are quite successful, mostly within a given state’s population. So if only one state does this type of program, it will likely be very profitable because it will switch in-state buyers to that state’s produce.
What if, however, as has happened, other states launch similar promotions? If all these promotions were equally effective, we might, as a country, spend a lot of money on promotions that leave total consumption fixed.
On the specific study Professor Rickard is discussing at The New York Produce Show and Conference, we would also like to see an exploration of the degree to which the marketing creates short term purchasing changes as opposed to long term consumption changes.
This strikes us as a limitation on this methodology. Effective marketing may get one to stock up on apples or potatoes. This may, however, reduce purchases next week. Long term, consumers are unlikely to buy more produce unless they also eat more produce. It is not clear if the advertising will produce that kind of behavioral change.
This is important work, and it represents new ways of exploring for answers to important questions. We can’t wait to find out more. | 农业 |
2017-04/4169/en_head.json.gz/120 | BUY CRS-SUPPORTED COFFEES FROM COLOMBIA'S BORDERLANDS The Blogview all 362. Coffee rust and farmworkers
Our work in the coffeelands over the past 10 years has focused on small-scale family farmers, but we recognize that the seasonal laborers who pick coffee, often migrants, are arguably the most vulnerable actors in the coffee chain. And there are a lot of them. According to PROMECAFE data, more than 1.7 million people work on the annual coffee harvest in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The harvest is normally the most reliable and profitable source of work for unskilled labor in the coffeelands, but this year there wasn’t enough work to go around. Next year, by all accounts, it is going to be even worse.
As we plan a response to the coffee leaf rust crisis in Central America, we are working to get a better handle on a population we haven’t historically served, and a clearer sense of the impacts of the crisis on farmworker income.
The International Coffee Organization (ICO) released its report on the coffee leaf rust epidemic in Central America earlier this month, citing official (and updated) figures from PROMECAFE on the impacts of the outbreak. They include estimates of the number of jobs lost and the total economic losses to rust in the countries mentioned above (220,444 and $465 million, respectively), but there are no official numbers regarding the economic losses to farmworkers specifically.
Today, we advance some rough working estimates for the first time.
FARMWORKER EMPLOYMENT
According to the ICO and PROMECAFE, nearly a quarter of a million people were out of work this harvest in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, the four Central American countries where CRS is working in the coffeelands. This graphic shows the total number of coffee farmworkers in each country, the number who were displaced this year as a result of the coffee rust epidemic, and the percentage they represent of the total coffee work force.
Neither ICO nor PROMECAFE have advanced any projections for job losses during the 2013/14 harvest, but official data on coffee production seem to be converging around the idea that production losses next year will be twice what they were this year. Anacafé in Guatemala estimates losses for the 2012/13 harvest at 15 percent and has projected losses of 30-40 percent for the 2013/14 harvest. IHCAFE in Honduras also reports that its losses could double next year. With production losses doubling next year, we can expect to see demand for seasonal labor reduced by twice as much as it was this year. And indeed, FEWS NET is estimating labor demand will be down by as much as 30-40 percent for the next crop year after estimating a 15-20 percent reduction in labor demand during this harvest. In the CA4 countries mentioned above, it could look something like this.
FARMWORKER INCOME
So we have an idea of how many coffee pickers are struggling this year and a rough estimate of how many will be displaced next year if current projections for production losses and reduction in labor demand hold. But what does this mean in terms of lost income for coffee workers and their families?
Based on discussions with colleagues from Central America who work in the coffeelands, we estimate that under a “full-employment” situation, a coffee picker may work 90 days per year. With average daily earnings of coffee pickers in the region between $5-$6 a day, that is $450-540 a year per farmworker. In many households, 2 or 3 people may work on the harvest, meaning that coffee picking can mean up to $1,000 a year or more for households that may earn barely twice that amount in an entire year. Based on the assumptions of a $5 workday ($6 in Honduras) and 90 days of labor during a harvest season, and using the official ICO/PROMECAFE data, we estimate the economic losses to coffee laborers for the 2012/13 harvest at over $100 million.
Applying the same formula to income projections as we did to estimate job losses for 2013/14 doubles the value of the losses across the board.
These estimates are very rough. This is particularly true of the 2013/14 estimate, which assumes price levels identical to those that prevailed during the 2012/13 harvest. But in the absence of official data, these initial informed guesses can help us get a sense of what it may take to make farmworkers whole next year.
Categories: Climate Change, Farmworkers, Resilience
Tags: Central America, coffee leaf rust, El Salvador, Farmworkers, Guatemala, Honduras, International Coffee Organization, Nicaragua, PROMECAFÉ
P Baker says: 2013-05-29 at 05:29 Yikes!
Miguel Zamora says: 2013-05-29 at 12:10 Great point, Michael. This is a very critical situation.
The situation of farm workers in coffee is already precarious. Add to that a significant decrease in labor demand for next harvest and we have a potentially huge negative impact on one of the most vulnerable groups involved in coffee production. This needs to be addressed so kudos for including this in your work. We can’t have truly ‘sustainable coffees’ if we are not including farm workers in our sustainability efforts. Bringing awareness to this issue is the first step. Industry needs to play a part here too.
Kristin Rosenow says: 2013-05-30 at 10:58 Thank you Michael! This is a great start.
Matt Warning says: 2013-06-18 at 14:50 Yes, these graphics really bring the crisis to light. Thank you. | 农业 |
2017-04/4169/en_head.json.gz/2019 | What crops are grown in Rhode Island?
Crops grown in Rhode Island include potatoes, apples, hay, sweet corn and greenhouse/nursery products. Rhode Island is a small state without much arable land, but more than 50 percent of the state's agricultural income is from the sales of sod, shrubs, ornamental trees and plants. Sweet corn is responsible for about 6 percent of the state's agricultural revenue.
What are the cash crops of Maryland?
What are the crops grown in Colorado?
What crops are grown in New Jersey?
Other agricultural products of Rhode Island include livestock. Farmers raise beef cattle, chickens and hogs. Milk and other dairy products make up approximately 5 percent of the state's agricultural income, and the state also profits from the sales of chicken eggs and honey.
Learn more about Fruits & Veggies
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Where is Rhode Island located?
The state of Rhode Island is situated in the southern New England region of the United States. Neighboring Rhode Island are Massachusetts to the north and ...
The Northeast
What is Rhode Island famous for?
Rhode Island is most well-known for being the smallest state in the United States with a total area of 1, 045 square miles and a width of only 37 miles. It...
How big is Rhode Island?
Rhode Island is the smallest state in the United States, covering 1,214 square miles. The state is 48 miles from north to south and 37 miles from east to w...
Who founded Rhode Island?
The state of Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams in 1636. Williams created the first white settlement in Providence on land he purchased from the Na...
How nutritious is corn?
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Can you eat an avocado that has turned brown?
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Rhode Island History
Rhode Island Facts
Native American Tribes Found in Rhode Island
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What are some names of gourds? | 农业 |
2017-04/4169/en_head.json.gz/2486 | Germination A Blog by Maryn McKenna
Farm Antibiotics: Still Headed In The Wrong Direction
Posted Mon, 12/14/2015 Chickens in intensive confinement. Photograph via Google Images (CC).
New federal data released at the end of last week indicates that sales of antibiotics for use in food animals in the United States are still rising, despite public pressure to change the practice and condemnation by medicine that farm misuse and overuse is contributing to antibiotic resistance that threatens human health.
That’s not good. It’s especially not good because the numbers just released cover the year 2014—the first year in a voluntary three-year period, set by the Food and Drug Administration, during which use of farm antibiotics is supposed to be reduced. If agriculture and the veterinary pharma industry didn’t manage reductions in Year 1, they have a hard task ahead of them to create significant change in Years 2 and 3.
Here’s the short version of the news about the numbers:
The amount of all antibiotics sold for use in food animals in the United States (in 2014: 15.36 million kilograms, or 33.86 million pounds, or 16,930 tons) rose 4 percent between 2013 and 2014, and 22 percent from when the FDA began measuring in 2009.
The amount of “medically important” antibiotics—that is, ones that are also used in human medicine, which makes producing resistance against them doubly dangerous—rose 3 percent from 2013 to 2104, and 23 percent from when the FDA began measuring in 2009.
There are a lot of other details in the report—formally, the 2014 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals, and informally “the ADUFA report” for the legislation that created it—that are troubling and important. I’ll get to those in a minute. If you’ve been reading here for a while and know the basics, skip down to this paragraph. (If you’d like to catch up on your own, my past posts are here and here.) Otherwise, keep reading for a short course on why this is a big deal.
OK so: Whenever we give an antibiotic, we take the risk that resistance—bacteria’s ability to evolve molecular defenses against compounds sent to kill them—will result. Thus, in human medicine, we try to use antibiotics responsibly: giving them in the right dose, in the drug family that will work against the organism, and allowing for any resistance that has already developed. What we’re doing, when we tune antibiotic use in that manner, is balancing the benefit of achieving a cure against the risk that resistance will arise.
In agriculture, over decades, we’ve allowed that risk-benefit balance to tilt all out of whack. Only a small percentage of the antibiotics given to animals that will become food, in the US and worldwide, actually go to cure illness. Much larger amounts go either to prevent the possibility of illness—caused by the conditions animals are kept in, not by known disease in the flock or herd—or to improve the rate at which they put on tasty muscle mass. In other words, most of the use of antibiotics in food animals is all risk of resistance, without achieving the benefit of a cure.
(And resistance does arise, and passes from animals to humans. I’ve written many posts on this, but for a short version, see this recent one on a UK government-chartered report examining the evidence.)
To rectify that risk-benefit imbalance, the FDA created a voluntary program at the end of 2013 in which veterinary-antibiotic manufacturers were invited to change their drugs’ labels so that using antibiotics for one of those two risky uses—”growth promotion,” or encouraging weight gain—would no longer be legal. (The FDA made it voluntary because, for decades, Congress prevented the FDA from regulating farm antibiotic use.) The agency gave the manufacturers three years to change their labels, with the goal of squeezing growth promoters out of the market by the end of 2016. By mid-2014, all the veterinary-antibiotic manufacturers selling in the US said they would go along with the new policy. But based on the numbers just released, no one is moving very fast.
OK, we’re caught up. Here are the details of ADUFA 2014.
The first important point is the trend: more use when sales should be decreasing.
Sales of all antibiotics used in food animals (lower yellow box), and farm antibiotics that create resistance hazardous to humans (upper yellow box), are rising. Graphic from ADUFA 2014 report, table 10. Original here.
Second concern: How large a percentage is still going to growth promotion. Here the report shows how difficult parsing agricultural antibiotic use can be: Antibiotics being sold for animal use are listed as growth promotion (“production”) or growth promotion and also disease prevention (“production/therapeutic”). Overall, less than one-third of the antibiotics sold for animal use are going only for the treatment of an identified disease; the rest are going for growth promotion, or to guarantee that animals won’t be made sick by the conditions of intensive confinement, or both. (The messiness of these distinctions explains why, earlier this year, California banned any antibiotic use in livestock that is not treatment of a diagnosed disease.)
Only 29 percent of antibiotic sales (sum of the yellow boxes) go for disease treatment; 71 percent (sum of the orange boxes) go for disease prevention or growth promotion. Graphic from ADUFA 2014 report, Table 5; original here.
Another concern—or, maybe, question: If federal policy at last is focused on reducing antibiotic use on farms, why are these amounts and percentages still so high? This third chart from the ADUFA report explains it: Almost all of the antibiotics going for farm use in the United States are sold over the counter—that is, no one is involved in the decision to buy or use them but the farmer him- or herself.
Almost 99 percent (sum of the yellow boxes) of the antibiotics sold for use in food animals in the US are sold over the counter, that is, without a prescription. Graphic from the ADUFA 2014 report, Table 6; original here.
How antibiotics are acquired by farmers is supposed to change in the near future. Along with its policy on voluntarily relinquishing growth promoters, the FDA has also directed that antibiotics used in any other manner—to treat or prevent disease—must be ordered by a veterinarian. That change is meant to shut down over the counter sales, and it should take effect by the end of 2016. But, as these 2014 numbers show, over the counter sales are flourishing to this point.* (And as I’ve written elsewhere, other countries that attempted this distinction soon found that it created huge loopholes.)
To sum up: After decades of political interference, the FDA created a policy that should reduce unwise overuse of antibiotics in livestock raising. It gave manufacturers, and by extension producers, three years to get used to the idea. One year in, nothing in the numbers suggests that veterinary pharma, or agriculture, is moving quickly. This could be recalcitrance, refusing to cooperate; or it could be brinksmanship, waiting until the last moment before the 2016 deadline crashes down.
Until we get through 2016, we won’t know. But right now, the numbers don’t look good.
Here are what researchers and advocates on the issue had to say about the FDA report:
Laura Rogers, deputy director, the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center, George Washington University: “We’ve seen a lot of dire news lately on the crisis of antibiotic resistance, including the discovery of a dangerous new antibiotic-resistance gene that has spread from livestock to people in China and has just been found in Europe. This news underscores why in order to slow the spread of antibiotic resistance, we must reduce use in all settings, especially in animal agriculture, where the majority of drugs are sold for use… We need much greater reductions if we are truly going to protect human health and make headway in slowing the global threat of antibiotic resistance.”
Karin Hoelzer, veterinarian and microbiologist, The Pew Charitable Trusts: “This report shows a 23 percent increase in the amount of medically important antibiotics sold from 2009 through 2014, but it doesn’t tell us how or why these drugs are actually being used on the farm. It reinforces the need for additional data about how antibiotics are being used in animals – and the resources to collect that data.”
Avinash Kar, senior attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council: “We can no longer rely on the meat and pharmaceutical industries to self-police the responsible handling of these precious drugs. FDA must follow the lead of California and outlaw routine use of antibiotics on animals that are not sick in meat production nationwide. If we want to keep our antibiotics working for people when we need them, the agency must take urgent action.”
Susan Vaughn Grooters, policy analyst, Keep Antibiotics Working: “This troubling trend reaffirms that an approach based largely on voluntary industry reductions, is inadequate faced with the public health crisis of antibiotic resistance. There is no indication that FDA’s change in policy has yet resulted in any meaningful reductions on antibiotic sales and usage in food animal production. Over the counter sales clearly indicate that veterinary oversight couldn’t come soon enough.”
*Footnote: People often ask me whether it’s really true that antibiotics can be bought over the counter, without a prescription, for veterinary use. They assume it’s an exaggeration. As proof it is not: Here are 2 lbs of aureomycin (also called chlortetracycline), which I bought online without anyone asking me whether I was a veterinarian, or treated or possessed animals, or, well, anything at all.
Aureomycin (chlortetracycline) bought online. Photograph by Maryn McKenna.
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by Erika Engelhaupt About Maryn Maryn McKenna is an award-winning journalist and the author of two critically acclaimed books, Superbug (2010) and Beating Back the Devil (2004). She writes for Wired, Scientific American, Slate, Nature, the Atlantic, the Guardian and others, and is a Senior Fellow of the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University. At Germination, she'll explore public health, global health, and food production and policy: ancient diseases, emerging infections, antibiotic resistance, agricultural planning, foodborne illness, and how we'll feed an increasingly crowded world. More of her work is at MarynMcKenna.com, and she lives on Twitter at @Marynmck.
What Hillary Clinton Says About Aliens Is Totally Misguided Stravinsky’s Secret and the Art of Saying No How This Fish Survives in a Sea Cucumber’s Bum How Do Women Deal With Having a Period … in Space? Follow Maryn on TwitterMy TweetsWho We Are Phenomena is a gathering of spirited science writers who take delight in the new, the strange, the beautiful and awe-inspiring details of our world. Phenomena is hosted by National Geographic magazine, which invites you to join the conversation. Follow on Twitter at @natgeoscience. | 农业 |
2017-04/4169/en_head.json.gz/3674 | Holy Cow! India Is the World's Top Beef Exporter
India, homeland of the sacred cow, is on pace to become the world's leading beef exporter in 2012.This graph is based off data from the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. It forecasts that India, shown in blue, will be ship roughly 1.5 million metric tons of beef, passing reigning export champion Australia. It's a remarkable rise from just three years ago, when the famously bovine-friendly country exported less than half that amount. Here's how this has come to pass. Indian beef isn't really beef as we Americans know it. It's water buffalo, which the country's exporters sell at low cost to the meat-hungry but price-sensitive consumers in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. Indian federal law bans cow slaughter, as well as the killing of milk producing buffalo. But the males and unproductive females are still fair game for the abattoir. So we're not quite talking about American prime grade Angus here -- either from a gastronomic, or theological point of view. But the USDA still counts it all as beef, and economically, it competes in the same markets. Share
Jordan Weissmann is a senior associate editor at The Atlantic. | 农业 |
2017-04/4169/en_head.json.gz/4564 | I Went to India and Saw the Future of Climate-Smart Farming
Posted By Lisa Palmer on Dec 04, 2015
Damara Dhanakrishna/EyeEmEarlier this fall, I traveled to central Gujarat and northern Punjab, in India, to meet with rural farmers who were trying new techniques to combat climate change. Sitting under a mango tree, I spoke with 65-year-old Raman Bhai Parmar, who told me about his solar-powered irrigation pump that was whooshing with water, deep underground. Behind me, he said, a concrete tank was catching the water’s flow, holding it until the nearby fields of bananas and rice needed it again. Parmar’s solar pump is one of an entire system of adaptation measures being implemented in roughly 80 test sites, called climate-smart villages, across six Indian states. Currently 1,500 of these are planned: 500 in Haryana, 500 in Punjab, and as many as 500 others throughout the country. Much is riding on their success because, in view of the consequences of climate change, India’s future looks bleak. Farmers—both in India, where over 70 percent of the population still economically depends on agriculture, and the world over—can no longer idly depend, as they have been, on small breakthroughs: In India, neither breeding higher-yielding varieties of its dietary staples, wheat and rice, nor perfecting irrigation methods, will come close to sustaining the country’s growing population, projected to increase by another 346 million people—more than the current U.S. population—by 2050. Farmers instead must now be intimately in tune with their distinct ecosystems, to consider the local interconnectedness of weather, water, nitrogen, carbon, and energy. The organization responsible for this emphasis in general, and the solar-pilot project in particular, is the international agriculture research group CGIAR, whose program on climate change, agriculture and food security seeks to provide financial incentives for farmers to be more climate-clever; Parmer is one of them. With his solar pump, he can limit water pumping to what he needs and sell the excess energy back to the grid, relieving stress on depleted aquifers. As he and I looked at the rice paddy, an oxcart loaded with handpicked cattle fodder, tied with scraps of fabric in bundles, plodded by on a rutted dirt road. The presence of the solar array nearby deeply contrasted with these other aspects of rural life—but this imagery is now typical of the interventions and technologies being promoted to help Indian growers adapt to climatic risks. Growing food in the region will become increasingly punishing. Further north of Gujarat, in climate change hot spots like Haryana and Punjab states, studies indicate that yields of wheat—particularly vulnerable to heat stress—will decrease between 6 percent and 23 percent over the next three decades. Such unpredictability is persuading farmers to re-envision the business of their livelihoods. Joginder Singh, 68, of Noopur Bet in Punjab, for example, has started to adopt an entire system of new tools and sustainable practices. With his son, Singh uses laser-guided tractors that flatten his fields with precision and digital apps when applying fertilizer and water, improving irrigation and fertilizing efficiency, strengthening yields. He and his son also listen to voice messages of detailed weather forecasts delivered on their phones, prior to planting and throughout the season, to determine when the monsoon rains will occur—the timeframe for which is becoming, because of climate change, increasingly variable.Joinder Singh stands in his rice paddy near the village of Noorpur Bet, Punjab. He started practicing climate-smart agriculture this year. He doesn’t read or write, but he learned the methods after visiting a demonstration site.Lisa Palmer When, in July 2015, a third of the total rainfall the region typically receives in an entire season dropped over the course of a few days, many fields became water logged because the soils could not absorb the inundation. But because Singh didn’t burn or till the leftover residue from the wheat harvest, something farmers typically do to prepare for the next crop, the flood did no harm; he had seeded the rice directly into the field the month before. And because his fields included more organic matter, the soils absorbed the water and the crop survived. “I worried for a month until I saw the rice sprout,” he said. “It wasn’t until after the heavy rains that I knew the system would work.” The man leading the research on such climate-smart practices in India is Pramod Aggarwal, regional program leader at the International Water Management Institute. With colleagues at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center office in Delhi, India, he’s helping to bring climate-smart villages to South Asia and provide models for other countries whose food production is acutely vulnerable to climate change. Despite the threat it poses, they are optimistic in the project—especially Aggarwal who, when I spoke to him, seemed to be a scholar at heart, with a quick wit and a kind smile. Briefing world leaders on agribusiness developments one minute and joking with farmers the next comes easy to him. Success, he tells both, hinges on landscape-level interventions that resemble systems engineering. I watched as Aggarwal and his colleagues led farmers on tours to demonstrate the advantages of such an approach. He knows they are most of all businessmen, so he appeals to their economic sensibilities—and it works. They’re seeking to scale these new methods not just for the environment’s sake, he says, but because it makes fiscal sense. “It’s as simple as that.” It may seem reasonable that the same package of interventions could help climate-smart villages scale throughout the world, but the opposite is true. Villages elsewhere will take many other forms depending on livestock and cropping systems, natural resource constraints, markets, and social and gender dynamics. “The emphasis is always to dovetail with local conditions, local institutions, local governments. These are not discrete changes,” says Aggarwal. “Our key goal is to raise the capacity in agriculture—whatever developments are done should not lead to any maladaptation in the future.” “Crop yields,” he offers as an example, “should be able to be sustained and should not contribute to higher emissions.” The future of Aggarwal’s work in South Asia—and beyond—is promising. Already, leaders in the parched state of Bihar and the monsoon-dependent state of Karnataka are committing to more climate-smart villages. In early September, a group of 50 researchers, leaders, and policymakers from around the world gathered in Punjab to discuss how climate-smart villages in other developing countries can help meet the needs of farmers, including women and marginalized groups. Farther afield, 18 developing countries around the world are tailoring the climate-smart village concept to fit their locales. Their ultimate value, says Aggarwal, lies in raising “the literacy and capacity of farmers to address the complexity of climate change” and showing them “the solutions that are possible if they organize themselves as communities.”Lisa Palmer is a journalist and a fellow at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center. Travel funding for this story was provided by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.
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2017-04/4169/en_head.json.gz/7033 | Pigposium III slated for Feb. 28 in Forrest City Jan 18, 2017 2017 Farm and Gin Show: A first look at all that’s new Know cost of growing a bushel ‘to the cent’ Jan 13, 2017 Tips for negotiating new farmland leases Jan 12, 2017 U.S. to request panel on rice exports
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The U.S. government will request the establishment of a World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel on Mexico's imposition of anti-dumping duties on shipments of U.S. long-grain, milled rice. Rice farmers, industry leaders and rice-state members of Congress have been urging the Bush administration to counter Mexico's anti-dumping duties. Federation representatives said bilateral talks last month between the two countries failed to address U.S. concerns. “This step is very good news for the U.S. rice industry,” said USA Rice Federation chairman Gary Sebree. “It emphasizes the fact our government leaders believe we have a legitimate case that has a good chance of winning.” Sebree praised the work of U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Zoellick and the USTR's chief agriculture negotiator, Ambassador Allen Johnson. “They've been working hard on the resolution of this issue, and we'll support them in any way we can,” Sebree said. “These duties violate WTO rules and obviously go against the spirit of the NAFTA agreement.” The settlement panel could be formed as early as December, and the two countries will submit briefs shortly after the panel is formed. It will likely be mid-2004 before the panel renders a decision, Sebree said. Mexico is the number one export market for U.S. rice. Sales for the first seven months of 2003 totaled 485,000 metric tons. The Senate Finance Committee, meanwhile, held a hearing on “Unfulfilled Promises: Mexican Barriers to U.S. Agricultural Exports” that included testimony from Travis Satterfield, a rice producer from Benoit, Miss., for the Delta Council of Mississippi, the USA Rice Federation, and the U.S. Rice Producers Association. “It is important for us to point out that Mexico's decision to impose punitive anti-dumping duties on certain imports of milled rice from the United States is a serious blow which threatens to erode the full benefits of NAFTA to U.S. rice producers, millers and exporters,” Satterfield told the committee. Satterfield, who serves as chairman of the Delta Council Rice Committee, was asked to appear before the committee by Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., and a senate Finance Committee member. “We value Mexico as our primary market for rice, but in the spirit of enforcing existing agreements and obligations which are critical to maintaining open markets, we hope that the U. S. government will consider the recent imposition of anti-dumping duties on milled rice and other U.S. commodities as a very serious matter,” he said. According to Satterfield, U.S. rice farmers exported 730,000 metric tons of rice to Mexico in 2002. This number, he says, reflects substantial improvements from the period of the early 1990s when the United States was only exporting 146,000 metric tons of the commodity. “U.S. rice accounts for 92 percent of Mexico's rice imports, and almost one-half of all rice consumed by their population is purchased from the United States,” he says. “Since the per capita rice consumption in Mexico is extremely low, the U.S. rice industry anticipates that consumption will grow in Mexico as import duties on rice from the United States have ended. The anti-dumping penalties against the U.S. rice industry came at a conspicuous time, he notes, since import tariffs on milled rice were lifted Jan. 1, 2003 in concert with the terms of NAFTA. While rice growers are thankful that the Senate Committee on Finance is placing an emphasis on the importance of trade relations between the United States agriculture industry and Mexico, Satterfield says the rice industry is not backing down from its demands that Mexico cease its anti-dumping duty. He says the consequences of the anti-dumping penalties against U.S. milled rice are already registering problems, with a 34 percent decline in exports of U.S. milled rice during the first three months of 2003, as compared to 2002. “As farmers, and as a rice industry, we enjoy trade relations with Mexico which have resulted in Mexico becoming our primary rice customers. However, in response to the anti-dumping duty, which has been imposed on U.S. milled rice, our industry will continue legal action in the form of an appeal within Mexico, and we support a filing by the U.S. government for a dispute settlement case in the World Trade Organization. Since NAFTA agreements and obligations lifted import duties on all rice from the United States on Jan. 1, 2003, there has been great anticipation that the Mexican rice market would grow even more in years to come, Satterfield said. “However, almost simultaneous with the duties on U.S. rice being ended earlier this year, the Mexican Ministry of the Economy has imposed an anti-dumping duty on U.S. milled rice which we believe to be counter to any trade policies which have previously been agreed to between the two countries.” The Mexican Ministry of the Economy imposed an anti-dumping duty of 10.18 percent on imports of long-grain white rice and other rice mixtures in January of 2003, only weeks after import duties on all rice from the United States to Mexico were lifted under the terms of NAFTA. Although the anti-dumping action is restricted to milled rice only, as a component of total U.S. rice exports, the U.S. rice industry has expressed a concern that a pattern may be developing which would suggest that North American Free Trade Agreement partners might not choose to enforce the principles and obligations under the previously-ratified treaty. The U.S. rice industry, according to Satterfield's testimony, will continue legal action in the form of appeals to the Mexican Ministry of Economics. Also, Satterfield urged the Congress and the Administration to take the steps toward filing a dispute settlement case with Mexico in the WTO. | 农业 |
2017-04/4169/en_head.json.gz/7395 | Newsletter Videos Subscribe Contact Us Apps Resources The Agastache Family Guide
Anise hyssop and its relatives offer scent, color, taste, and splendor in the garden.
By Andy Van Hevelingen
I first encountered anise hyssop when I was a beekeeper. The attributes of Agastache foeniculum were legend in beekeeping circles: it was rumored to be so rich in pollen that bees would visit no other plant while it was in bloom. Perhaps that’s a bit exaggerated, but honeybees areextremely attentive during the lengthy bloom period. Honey produced from the plant is of good quality, light in color, and slightly minty in taste.My beekeeping days were more than twenty years ago—I quit as I found the bees liked me better than I them—but my fascination with the genus has never faded. I am always ready to show garden visitors my stately anise hyssop plant covered in bloom and bee from midsummer to the first frosts of fall. And if they are not familiar with this American native, I crush a leaf beneath their noses to release such a strong anise aroma that the experience is not soon forgotten.At the time of my introduction to agastaches, there were only two species commercially available—anise hyssop and an Asian relative known as Korean mint (A. rugosa). Today, there are many species and showy hybrids offered by local and mail-order nurseries. Herb growers and perennial gardeners alike are discovering the immense versatility of this genus in complementing and enhancing the garden.The genus name Agastache (I pronounce it ag-uh-STAH-kee; you pronounce it however you like) is derived from the Greek words agan, meaning “very much”, and stachys, meaning “spike”, and refers to the abundance of terminal flower spikes that bedeck the plant through much of the growing season. The genus belongs to the Lamiaceae (Labiatae), or mint family, and has squarish stems with opposite, serrated leaves and a creeping rootstock much like that of mints but without the same invasiveness. In fact, pulegone and menthone—two mint-scented chemicals—are common constituents of the essential oil of most of the twenty to thirty species in the genus. Like their mint cousins, agastaches die back in the late fall and go dormant until spring.The flowers vary from 1/4 to 11/2 inches long and are profuse along terminal spikes that range from an inch to as much as 24 inches long depending on species. The color spectrum includes the deep mauves, magenta, white, and greenish yellows of our native species to even more vivid reds, apricots, and hot pinks in the newer hybrids.In my Zone 8 garden, agastaches are dependable, aromatic upright perennials that when established are remarkably drought-tolerant. Their only pests here are two-spotted cucumber beetles, which nibble a bit on the foliage and occasionally congregate on the flower spikes. If grown in the greenhouse, agastaches are susceptible to green aphid. Surprisingly, slugs don’t seem to pay them much mind, possibly because of the strongly aromatic foliage. One reference mentioned powdery mildew as a problem in climates with hot, dry summers, but here I have seen it only once, on the species A. barberi.Most species of Agastache come readily from seed or can be divided early in the spring. A. foeniculum and A. rugosa have bloomed for me the first year from seed. I propagate A. cana, A. barberi, and certain hybrids from stem cuttings either in the spring or early fall to maintain the genetic line, although in the greenhouse some of them occasionally have self-sown. The Mexican giant hyssop (A. mexicana) shows wild variation in color and foliage fragrance (sometimes lacking any scent) among seed-grown plants. I suspect that most seed is collected wild from various altitudes and microclimates yet is mixed together in the same bag to sell. So it’s important when buying a plant of this species to make sure it has the fragrance or flower color you want. (At one nursery, I found three distinctively different plants from the same seed lot. I purchased one form that had excellent anise-scented foliage.)I have grown all of the following agastaches primarily in a sheltered, full-sun exposure on a south-facing site; most have survived to at least 15°F and some to 5°F or lower. The variability in winterhardiness depends on soil, drainage, snow cover, whether the plant is in a raised bed, whether it is established or newly planted, and other factors. When I mail-order a plant, I assume that the catalog’s hardiness suggestion is based on firsthand experience.Agastaches are highly ornamental plants that deserve a greater recognition and presence in the landscape, not only for the novel range of colors that they introduce into the herb garden but also for their extended bloom season at a time when much of the garden’s glory is beginning to fade. These are some of my favorites.Anise hyssop (A. foeniculum)The best known of the agastaches is anise hyssop, named for the exceptional anise scent and flavor of its foliage. Other common names include blue giant hyssop, fennel giant hyssop, and fragrant giant hyssop. I find it interesting that all the common names refer to another plant, hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), a Mediterranean herb with needlelike aromatic foliage that is nothing like that of the agastaches. However, the individual tubular flowers of both herbs are similar in having two pairs of protruding stamens, which may explain the association. The species name, foeniculum, means “fennel”, another herb that smells aniselike.Anise hyssop becomes a rather bushy 3- to 5-foot specimen. It is attractive to both bees and butterflies when it is covered with 3- to 4-inch terminal spikes of 1/4-inch dusky blue-violet flowers. It is native to north-central North America, hardy in zones 3 to 8, and happy in just about any soil. It prefers light shade when grown in hot climates, but full sun otherwise.The leaves and flowers may garnish fruit cups, iced beverages, or any other food to which you’d like to impart an anise flavor; they make a good herbal tea with a strong licorice flavor. Sprinkle the little individual flowers on a salad for a visual and tasty accent.The dried flowers and leaves are used to add bulk and scent to potpourri mixes. The fresh flowers hold up well in arrangements, and the dried seed heads are a good addition to dried arrangements. The dried spikes add interest to the winter landscape, too, and several species of birds visit them to pick out the seeds. Native Americans used the leaves as a sweetener and in beverage teas. A decoction made from the root was used to treat coughs and other respiratory ailments.The new foliage in spring has a purplish cast that serves as an excellent foil for white- or pale yellow-flowered companions or to echo the color of other purple-leaved plants. The foliage is the largest of any of the agastaches that I grow and a medium-textured element in the garden scheme. Place this plant in the middle or back of the border.A. f. ‘Alba’, sometimes called ‘Alabaster’, is very similar to the species but has white terminal spikes. The foliage never develops the purplish cast of the species, and it tends to be lighter green overall and not quite as bushy. The plant is perfectly hardy and grows to 3 or 4 feet, or slightly shorter than its purple counterpart. It would be a good plant for a white garden. The white anise hyssop comes true from seed, is easily propagated, and often self-sows.Korean mint (A. rugosa)Korean mint, or wrinkled giant hyssop (rugosa means “wrinkled” in Latin), is native to east Asia. In my garden, it is a denser, smaller version of anise hyssop; its 1/4-inch purple-blue flowers have a touch of rose in the center of the flower. It begins blooming a few weeks later than A. foeniculum, sometime in August here. It is hardy to Zone 8 and somewhat short-lived, but it does self-sow.The smell and taste are less like anise and more like mint. The leaves make a refreshing herbal tea and can substitute for true mint in flavoring dishes. In China, where it is known as huoxiang, it is used to treat stomach disorders, headache, fever, and heart problems, among other complaints.These two agastaches were the extent of my experience with the genus until about three years ago, when I discovered the hot-colored hybrids and species.Mosquito plant (A. cana)Mosquito plant, also called Rio Grande anise hyssop, is native to New Mexico and western Texas. It is less vigorous, growing only 2 to 3 feet tall. It has short, blunt terminal spikes to 12 inches long of deep rosy-purple inch-long flowers starting in early summer. The grayish leaves (cana means gray) have a good, minty fragrance that is reputed to repel mosquitoes when the leaves are rubbed on the forearms. (My wife, who is far more alluring than I, tried this and swears that a mosquito landed on her arm and immediately took off again.) The plant grows in any well-drained soil in full sun. It is hardy here in Zone 8 and may tolerate colder climates. The species is not common in the trade because it is difficult to propagate. It has never produced seed for me, so I rely on softwood cuttings to increase my stock.Mexican giant hyssop (A. mexicana)The Mexican giant hyssops comprise several forms that hybridize naturally. As I mentioned above, the seed from different forms is apparently mixed before it is sold, giving rise to a hodgepodge of seedlings. I would like to be able to buy seed unmixed and labeled as to collecting locale, elevation, or form. All of the varieties have slender, upright stems with light green foliage and long flower spikes. Most flowers are clear pink to pink with a purplish cast. I consider the Mexican giant hyssops to be tender perennials and pamper them accordingly. I treat them as annual color spots on the assumption that they will perish when winter comes. All are exceedingly attractive to butterflies—particularly the yellow swallowtails and Oregon monarchs—and any hummingbirds that happen to pass by.My favorite among the Mexican giant hyssops is A. m. ‘Toronjil Morado’, or giant Mexican lemon hyssop. (Toronjil morado means “purple balm” in Spanish.) The exquisite 11/2-inch-long, tubular fuchsia-pink blossoms appear densely on 18- to 24-inch spikes, and they taste divine. The entire plant has a lemon scent that rivals lemon verbena’s. Unlike its northern cousins, new flowers keep opening through the season until the first frosts. When I first planted this variety, I felt as if I were in the middle of Jack and the Bean Stalk: it just grew and grew. Planted in filtered light, it easily reached 7 feet tall and eventually became susceptible to wind damage. I recommend either staking it in a shaded exposure or finding a sheltered spot for it. I later placed a plant in full sun, where it attained a stately height of 6 feet. A very showy plant for the back of the border, giant Mexican lemon hyssop provides much-needed bloom from late summer to fall as well as a steady nectar source for butterflies and hummingbirds.Arizona giant pink anise hyssop (A. barberi)Arizona giant pink anise hyssop is one of the hardier agastaches, surviving into Zone 5. It is native to Arizona and New Mexico and has some of the most beautiful flowers of the genus. Its spikes of 11/2-inch-long dusky pink flowers start in midsummer and increase in number as the season progresses. Although the flowers have no taste, the scent of the foliage is reminiscent of catmint. A robust plant growing to about 31/2 feet tall, it prefers full sun with good drainage. This is the only species I’ve grown that has ever been afflicted with powdery mildew.A. ‘Tutti-Frutti’ (A. barberi x mexicana ‘Toronjil Morado’)Tutti-Frutti Mexican anise hyssop, a hybrid of two of my favorite agastaches, features striking 18-inch flower spikes packed with 11/2-inch-long raspberry purple tubular flowers. The flowers are quite tasty and very colorful in a flower salad. Like the foliage, the flowers blend mint flavor with a suggestion of citrus. My potted plant grows only 3 to 4 feet tall, although catalogs describe it as reaching 5 feet in sun, more in half sun. Unfortunately, the hybrid lacks winterhardiness, so I recommend that it not be exposed to temperatures below about 25°F.A. ‘Apricot Sunrise’ (A. coccinea x aurantiaca)Aptly named Apricot Sunrise, this choice hybrid features bright, showy, burnt-orange flowers packed tightly in spikes up to 18 inches long. Each flower is 11/2 inches long and a real showstopper for a hummingbird’s flitty temperament. The plant’s height is modest, reaching only 2 to 3 feet. The foliage is green with a distinctive grayish cast. Its slight fragrance resembles that of catmint. This is a good middle-of-the-border plant, although the color may be a challenge to fit into the general scheme of things as it really stands out among the more subdued colors of the herb garden.If you are too timid to try Apricot Sunrise, the orange-flowered anise hyssop (A. coccinea) pales in comparison but is still lovely. Although its flowers are sparser than those of Apricot Sunrise, they are less garish and may fit more easily into a garden’s color scheme. The foliage of this species is glossy green and serrated. Some say it’s scented, too, but I’ve never noticed; I’ve never gotten past the beauty of the flowers.A. ‘Pink Panther’ (A. coccinea x mexicana ‘Toronjil Morado’)This brilliant hybrid has 18-inch dense spikes of 11/2-inch dusky pink tubular flowers on 3- to 4-foot-tall stalks. Initially, the flowers have an orange blush, but this later turns to a deep pink that is slightly lighter than that of A. barberi. The foliage is a good green sometimes marked with a flush of purple, but it has no scent. Pink Panther is hardy to Zone 7. This plant is just as showy as giant Mexican lemon hyssop and only a bit smaller in stature.A. ‘Firebird’ (A. coccinea x rupestris)Firebird giant anise hyssop is reported to reach 4 feet in height, but mine has never surpassed 2 feet. Thanks to its parentage, the 18-inch flower spikes have 11/4-inch orange-salmon flowers that mature to a somber red. The leaves have a distinct minty fragrance. Firebird has a superior growth habit and is easy to propagate from cuttings. Though it is said to be hardy to Zone 6, it is one of the few agastache hybrids I’ve grown that has died over the winter here in Zone 8.I grow agastache species and hybrids mostly for their outstanding range of flower color, long blooming period, and undisputed attraction for butterflies and hummingbirds. They are excellent design plants, exhibiting a strong vertical accent with a medium to coarse foliage texture. Their foliage is a good foil for other herb plants. I take great delight in introducing their rare apricot and hot pink colors into the traditional classic herb garden, where bee balms once reigned unchallenged for spectacular color and showy flowers.They are among the most gratifying herbs I grow. I can pluck any one of the flowers, pop it in my mouth, and discover perhaps an initial citron flavor followed swiftly by a drop of sweetness. I hand one to a garden visitor to sample, and as I watch the expression of wonder that follows, I know I have won over another convert to the giant hyssop cult!Andy Van Hevelingen owns and operates an herb nursery in Newberg, Oregon.SourcesEach of the following mail-order nurseries carries a selection of agastaches.
• Canyon Creek Nursery, 3527 Dry Creek Rd., Oroville, CA 95965. Catalog $2. Plants.
• The Flowery Branch, PO Box 1330, Flowery Branch, GA 30542. Catalog $2. Seeds.
• Goodwin Creek Gardens, PO Box 83, Williams, OR 97544. Catalog $1. Seeds and plants.
• Sandy Mush Herb Nursery, 316 Surrett Cove Rd., Leicester, NC 28748-9622. Catalog $4. Plants.
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2017-04/4169/en_head.json.gz/7889 | Almond industry puts bee health front and center Jan 05, 2017 Duvall: Agriculture gains clout to address over regulation, labor needs Jan 10, 2017 Western food supply safer since 2006 E. coli outbreak in spinach Jan 04, 2017 New HLB positive tree found in urban Cerritos, Calif. Jan 02, 2017 Regulatory>Legislative EPA and agriculture engage in civil exchange
Terry Detrick, president of the American Farmers and Ranchers Insurance Agency, admitted that, “the EPA is our most feared agency. We are scared of what might come down the pike. We hate regulations.”
Detrick said agriculture and the EPA do have areas where cooperation has proven beneficial to both sides. Ron Smith 2 | Dec 06, 2012
The man from the EPA bore no resemblance to the villainous Simon Legree. He had neither horns nor a forked tail. He seemed an affable sort—young, intelligent, humorous at times and comfortable before an audience of folk who typically express disdain for his employer.
Yet his fellow panelist, Terry Detrick, president of the American Farmers and Ranchers Insurance Agency, admitted that, “the EPA is our most feared agency. We are scared of what might come down the pike. We hate regulations.”
Detrick and Josh Svalty, who works in the EPA’s Region 7 (Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri), squared off in something of a “point/counterpoint” discussion at the recent Rural Economic Outlook Conference on the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater.
The exchanges were civil and the discussion wide-ranging.
Detrick did admit that understanding the EPA’s mission offers insight into the decisions they make. “I didn’t realize until recently that at the beginning of the EPA development they had one thing in mind: if it deals with health matters, it falls under EPA. That sheds light on how the EPA has to approach issues.”
He said economics plays no role in EPA decisions.
Detrick also posed some questions to Svalty, including how recent Supreme Court decisions regarding Definition of Waters of the United States might affect farmers and ranchers. He asked how dust (particulate matter) regulations might affect agriculture. He also noted that “in the mind of many, EPA has a reputation for abuse. We are also concerned that EPA makes rules that are not legislated and that a ‘sue and settle’” situation often determines regulations.
“And we are concerned that with the recent election more ‘green thinking’ will be detrimental to agricultural production.”
Svalty gave EPA’s side.
“Dust is not as big an issue as last year,” he said, “but producers have been concerned. We want to help them realize that the EPA can’t differentiate agricultural dust from other dust.”
He said “ambient air quality,” is the issue. “We want to know what the air is like 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.”
Ag dust issue
Often, events from agriculture that stir up dust are short-term, occurring at grain harvest or planting times, and have relatively little effect on year-round ambient air quality. “Most often, these events don’t record trigger levels,” Svalty said.
Most particulate monitors are placed near urban areas with some located in rural locations, primarily to provide background information. “Monitors are set up by state agencies,” he said.
Recent emphasis on dust, he added, came from a mandate in the Clean Air Act that requires evaluation of particulate matter standards every five years. “Five years from now, we will look at particulate matter standards again. The Clean Air Act decrees that.”
He said two Supreme Court decisions regarding Definition of the Waters of the United States created confusion as to what bodies of water were included. “Farm ponds are nowhere near the Definition of Waters of the United States,” he said. Also, applying pesticides in fields “with puddles” will not trigger EPA action. He said the regulation concerns applications made specifically to water, such as for mosquito control. And applying pesticides to soil “is a FIFRA issue.”
Svalty also commented on controversial “fly-over” surveillance of livestock operations in Region 7 last year. “We took a lot of criticism for that, but what we do is rooted in logic.”
He said Region 7, particularly Nebraska and Iowa, includes a lot of large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO). The region also has impeded watersheds, he said.
“We have to figure out what causes the impediments. Two years ago, EPA determined that visiting each feedlot was not a good use of time. Most were not causing problems, and we don’t have the manpower to visit them all. And EPA inspections, even on the good operations, are not fun. We have used fly-overs for years to see from the air where over-filled lagoons are located.”
He said fly-overs are a “very effective tool that screens out the operations that are doing well from those that need attention. We are avoiding needless inspection of operations that are doing a good job.”
Detrick had also asked if EPA regulations had caused the U.S. fertilizer industry to move manufacturing off-shore. “The United States can be totally food-efficient, but we can’t produce food without nitrogen fertilizer,” he said. “Nitrogen fertilizer production has gone to China. In 2012 we depended on foreign sources for half of our nitrogen fertilizer. What difference does it make to the environment when we buy nitrogen from China and they emit emissions into the air? We have no bi-lateral agreement on a cleaner environment.”
Svalty said he had no data to show why nitrogen manufacturing has moved out of the United States.
He did reply to the “sue and settle” claim, however. “We get sued a lot,” he said. “We are often sued by environmental groups and we are also sued by agricultural advocates. That’s part of the legal process, and I don’t anticipate that it will change. The process will be used by both sides.”
Questions of apparent over-regulation can be addressed, in part, by improvements in science. “We understand better how things operate. The ability to measure adequately has improved. The science we use now is different than the science of 1971. But changes in regulations will be based on sound science.”
Detrick said agriculture and the EPA do have areas where cooperation has proven beneficial to both sides. He said section 319 of the Clean Water Act has been helpful in limiting non-point source pollution. “We have proven that we don’t have to go to court to solve problems,” he said. Funds available from the 319 program helped Oklahoma take nearly 30 streams off the contaminated stream list, Detrick said.
“When EPA’s budget was cut, we lost some of the 319 funds.”
Svalty also commented on the assumption that environmental regulations have increased over the past four years. He said a lot of regulations put into practice over the last few years actually were enacted prior to the Obama Administration.
“The backlog of regulations waiting to be initiated is exceptionally long,” he said. “Some have been in the works for eight to 10 years. It’s a long-term process. The idea that EPA has a closet full of regulations waiting to go is not the case.”
He said the recent election will not necessarily mean a rash of new EPA regulations.
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2017-04/4169/en_head.json.gz/9248 | NewsBBC Interview: Prof David Pink on UK horticulture
BBC Interview: Prof David Pink on UK horticulture
Professor David Pink
those students who go out to placement in horticulture growing businesses come back amazed."
The UK horticulture industry needs to improve its image in order to attract new entrants into the fruit and vegetable growing business, according to Harper Adams University College Professor David Pink, who was interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today this morning. Professor Pink was responding to comments by food policy Professor Tim Lang, who told Farming Today presenter Anna Hill that fruit and vegetable production – horticulture – in the UK was a “disgrace”. Professor Lang said: “The number one priority for me is growing plants. We tend to export alcohol, meat and dairy, when actually it is plants we need to grow, Plants are the foundation of human health…but our horticulture industry is a disgrace. “We need to be rapidly expanding it and rethinking how much horticulture we have, and the skills that are necessary for the jobs we could be creating.” Part of the problem, said Professor Pink, Professor of Crop Improvement at Harper Adams, is that horticulture has a bad image. “People associate the word horticulture with gardening, whereas in the UK we have some of the largest fruit and vegetable growers in Europe. These are international businesses, growing in the UK, Europe and North Africa and it’s actually quite a sophisticated business.” Responding to suggestions that students are simply “not interested” in horticulture, Professor Pink added: “Reading University closed it horticulture degree a couple of years ago because of a lack of students. Here at Harper Adams, all of our students go out on a year’s placement, and those students who go out to placement in horticulture growing businesses come back amazed. To quote one student who came back last year, he said ‘I’m never going to grow a wheat crop again, wheat is boring!’.” Quizzed as to why the UK needs to grow more of its own fruit and vegetables Professor Pink said: “A lot of people will think we can just buy it in, but one of the hot topics of conversation is global food security and most of the time, when talking about food security, they are talking about staple crops, wheat, maize and the carbohydrate crops that provide us with calories. But in terms of having a secure, healthy diet, fruit and vegetables are going to be incredibly important, and as I said, we can grow fruit and veg in this country and we ought to be maximising our output of the crops that we can grow well.” The story is available to listen to on the BBC iPlayer for the next seven days, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01cks45/ Share this article: Menu | 农业 |
2017-04/4169/en_head.json.gz/9576 | Sorghum: A Sweet Staple
The diversity of sweet sorghum may surprise you—not to mention its high nutritional value!
A tall cereal grass with corn-like leaves, sorghum (SOR-guhm) is a staple food of North Africa and India, where it's ground and used in porridge, flatbreads and the production of alcohol. It's the third leading cereal crop in the United States, but the vast majority is used as animal fodder. Those animals must be eating well, because sorghum is a nutritional powerhouse. It contains vitamins and minerals and plenty of antioxidants.
Believed to have been domesticated first in Ethiopia, sorghum spread along trade routes, reaching North America in the 17th century. A group of sweet cultivars became especially popular, not for their grain, but for the sap in their stems. The sap is squeezed and then evaporated to produce sorghum syrup, often referred to—incorrectly—as "sorghum molasses." (Molasses comes from sugar cane, but that's another story.) Sorghum syrup is especially popular in the South, where it functions much like the Northern Yankee's maple syrup. Sorghum-sweetened baked goods and sorghum-drenched biscuits are well-loved dishes.
With a consistency of molasses, sorghum can be used anywhere maple syrup, honey or molasses is. Look for 100 percent pure sorghum rather than sorghum-flavored table syrup, which is part corn syrup. Pure sorghum has a richer, more complex flavor.
Today, sorghum may be enjoying a comeback. Major U.S. breweries have launched sorghum beers for drinkers with wheat and gluten sensitivities. It's also a key ingredient in Guinness beer. Agriculturalists are singing its praises as a drought-resistant crop. And scientists both here and in India have discovered its value in the production of bio-fuels and are actively researching varieties best suited to energy production.
—By Jo Marshall, a food writer in Deephaven, Minn. | 农业 |
2017-04/4169/en_head.json.gz/10389 | All about agriculture
Local News Dec 5, 2013
At the 2013 Farm News Ag Show Wednesday, farmers heard:
They should expect another below-trend yield for Iowa row crops in 2014.
There is concern over market prices for corn if the U.S. produces another 14 billion bushel crop in 2014.
There are 10 common mistakes they make when planning farm successions.
That voluntary water quality practices does not mean optional, because demand to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus escaping into surface waters will not go away.
These were subjects covered by four speakers throughout the day, with another four speakers ready to address show attendees today.
This is the 12th year for the Ag Show, being held for the first time at Iowa Central East Campus, 2014 Quail Ave., on the east edge of Fort Dodge.
The show continues today from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. A total of 2,500 people are expected to walk through the trade show area during the two-day event, said Dana Lantz, Farm News ad manager and show organizer.
Bill Northey, Iowa secretary of agriculture, will be speaking at 7:30 a.m., followed by three presentations through the day, including David Kruse, president of CommStock Investments, of Royal, at 8 a.m.; Kelvin Leibold, an ISU farm management specialist, at 10 a.m.; and Matt Neal, an ISU entomologist, at 1 p.m.
A free pancake breakfast will be served to the first 525 visitors starting at 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m.
Visitors can also register to win a Kubota top and bottom set toolbox, provided by R&J Material Handling and Farm News, or a 1/16 die-cast metal replica of a Steiger Panther PTA 325 tractor, from Le Mars Toy Store. Register at the Farm News booth just inside the building entrance.
Dr. Elwynn Taylor, Iowa State University climatologist, told an audience of 90 during a morning presentation that as weather conditions are looking now, a fifth consecutive year of below-trend yields can be expected based on developing weather patterns.
Taylor said the Midwest is in its second year of a 20-year cycle of volatile winters, although the 2013-2014 winter may not be as cold as last year. He said the forecasted arctic breakout predicted to start last night will be the third arctic breakout already this season.
Concerning the 2014 growing season, he said predictions will be fine-tuned as the winter proceeds, but as of now he saw conditions favoring another below-trend yield year.
He went a step further, saying farmers will have to set their minds for managing low-yield risks for most of the next two decades.
This is due to 300 years of tracking weather patterns – a 40-year cycle of 20 mild and 20 volatile winters.
“We are at the beginning of 20 years of volatile winters,” Taylor said. That will culminate in volatile yields, he said.
“You’ll have to manage your risks.”
Farmers can best do that by watching the monthly production estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he said.
“Since 1956,” Taylor said, “the USDA has gotten estimates right just four times.
“And that’s good for you. USDA bases its estimates on perfect growing conditions. But you know the growing conditions for your fields, so you can manage your risk accordingly.”
IRNS
Dr. Matt Helmers, an ISU ag engineer, told a crowd of 45 that the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is a voluntary, but not optional, mandate on the state to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus leaching into surface waters.
Helmers explained the INRS is requiring the state to reduce nitrogen escaping into streams and rivers by 45 percent and phosphorus by 29 percent.
Although meeting the mandate is not a simple one, it’s also not impossible and not participating in the reduction strategy is not a real option for farmers, he said.
“If we don’t show progress,” Helmers said, “there will be regulations and there is already talk about lawsuits.
“The demand for reducing N and P will not go away.”
Reducing nutrients is designed to protect drinking water quality downstream and to keep lakes and streams cleaner.
Helmers outlined a number of nutrient management practices designed to keep nitrates from surface waters and erosion-preventing measures to reduce phosphorus escapes.
In both practices, he said, cover crops will play an important part in keeping nitrogen from dissolving in water and flowing out tile lines in heavy rain events, as well as hold soil in place, keeping phosphates out of streams and rivers.
The process of studying how nutrients escape into surface waters “has opened the eyes of those in the Environmental Protection Agency that this will not be a simple solution; and that it’s not caused by farmers’ incompetence, but due to the demand for grains and the land practices that are employed to meet the demand,” he said.
Chad Hart, ISU’s grain marketing specialist, said he is “short-term bearish and long-term bullish for agriculture.”
He’s bearish in the next year or two because of the growing corn and soybean production around the world competing with the U.S. exports.
“I’m really amazed,” Hart told 90 listeners, “that we just harvested a record corn crop and we are still at a breakeven price. That’s how much the 2012 drought affected us.
“But what happens if we produce another 14 billion bushels? How will we chew through all this corn?”
He is bullish for farming incomes on the long term since world population will continue to rise, demand for food will increase and there are only so many acres that will produce food crops.
“And we’re sitting in the middle of the largest of the four most fertile regions in the world,” he said.
Farm succession
Melissa O’Rourke, an ISU farm and agribusiness management specialist, outlined to 65 listeners the 10 common mistakes people make in farm succession planning. They include:
– Procrastination. Sixty percent of farmers have no plan in place and 89 percent have no farm transfer plan. “What kind of mess are you leaving for your family?” O’Rourke asked.
– Failure to plan, thinking they won’t die soon. Death is not the only worry, O’Rourke said. Farmers should have powers of attorney in place for business and heath care decisions in event they become incapacitated, such as being in a persistent vegetative state through illness or injury.
– Failure to communicate end-of-life and succession decisions. “There should be no secrets about the plan,” she said. “The earlier you communicate the plan, the better the family can work through the emotions.”
– Treating all heirs equally does not mean all are treated fairly. She said a child that remains to work and adds value to the farming operation may feel cheated if their share of the inheritance is the same as those who moved off the farm.
– Failure to coordinate estate plans with property ownership. “Give away as much as possible before death,” O’Rourke said. “Sell off what the heirs do not want.”
– Doing nothing because the estate’s worth is too little to generate taxes. With land values up, she said, “you need to fully understand the fair market value of all property.”
– Lack of liquidity. “Death is not cheap,” O’Rourke said. Heirs need to cash flow for ongoing farm operations, to cover health care bills, pay taxes and other expenses.
– Failure to maintain good records. Farmers need to be sure all records are accessible to people who need them. “A lot of records are kept in safes and online,” she said, “but it does nobody any good if they can’t access them.” She recommended that a hard copy of all electronic records be easily accessible to one’s estate executor.
– Doing estate planning “on the cheap.” She said although there are numerous estate-planning forms available online, she recommended forming a team of professionals to help in the planning to assure all decisions are clear, practical and accomplish one’s goals.
– Failure to update or review the plan. “Estate planning is never done,” she said, recommending annual reviews to address business and farm changes. | 农业 |