id
stringlengths 30
34
| text
stringlengths 0
68.5k
| industry_type
stringclasses 1
value |
|---|---|---|
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/1669 | Farming theories to be tested in Ariz.
By The Associated Press & Herald Staff | Saturday, March 30, 2013 12:26 PM
SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. Nearly 1,400 acres in Cochise County has become an experimental farm, substituting for parts of Africa where deserts, hot temperatures and little rainfall create agricultural challenges.The only thing Arizona has, which most parts of Africa doesnt, is frost, said Howard Buffett, whose foundation has been working in different parts of the world to increase agricultural output. Hes the eldest son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett.Noting that his foundations work is being done in 78 nations, of which 41 are in Africa, Buffett said the acreage near Willcox is a stand-in for other countries because of its similarities, which can be used to create theories and perform newer farming techniques. If successful, these techniques can be transferred to other areas around the globe.Buffett said he was flying over southern Arizona, when he looked down from the airplane and saw Cochise County, where the landscape reminded him of similar places in Africa.Willcox is the place you can both water-stress plants and drought-stress plants, which is what happens in large parts of the African continent, Buffett said.When it comes to most African nations, they do not have anything similar to the United States, with land-grant colleges and associated agricultural research services, Buffett said.He attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a new shooting range for the Cochise County Sheriffs Office, which he donated $900,000 for the facility.The range will be named in honor of the late Sheriff Larry Dever, who proposed the idea to Buffett several years ago. Buffett also supports many law-enforcement projects through his foundation.The Willcox property allows for center pivot, drip and furrow irrigation systems and allows for a better understanding of yield economics, Buffett said.Having the Willcox experimental property allows him to spend more time in the United States and still go to Africa and elsewhere to find solutions to the food issue in different parts of the world, where a majority of farmers are involved in subsistence agriculture in order to feed themselves and their families.Unlike the United States where about 10 percent of a persons money goes to purchasing groceries, in Africa it is between 60 and 70 percent, Buffett said.A benefit that results from the Willcox property is that surplus items, like pinto beans, go to a food bank in Tucson.Modernizing agriculture in other nations has to involve a sense of reality, according to Buffett.How Americans farm, with heavy mechanized equipment, isnt how most farmers in Africa do things.There, Buffett said animals pull plows and the majority of the seeding is by hand. On the Cochise County land there are two oxen used to test equipment that will be used in different parts of the world.One project is trying to develop a new system to plant seeds at the same time the land is being plowed using the oxen. That idea is still a work in progress, Buffett said, adding two other ideas were unsuccessful.Labor saving devices are as important as high-yielding crops when it comes to small farms, he said.And being able to ensure the land is productive means finding ways to end centuries-old ways of farming, when the old ways remove the natural nutrients to the detriment of the soil, Buffett said. | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/2420 | The Policy Centre
“If you owe your bank a hundred pounds, you have a problem. But if you owe a million, it has.” ― John Maynard Keynes
Agribusiness can help to unlock the true potential of Africa
The challenges faced by small farmers are similar across the developing world – pests, diseases and climate change. Yet in Africa the challenges are even greater. If farmers are to survive at current rates (let alone grow), they need to have access to high-yielding seeds, effective fertilizers and irrigation technologies. These issues threaten the region’s ability to feed itself and make business-growth and export markets especially difficult to reach. Other factors include the rise in global food prices and export subsidies for exporters in the developed economies, which leave African farmers struggling to price competitively.
Organizations such as The International Finance Corporation (IFC) provide and mobilize capital, knowledge and long-term partnerships in agribusiness. It has provided over $25 billion in financing, mobilized investments from partners and provided advisory services across the continent. Connecting the private sector with global and regional NGO’s and the public sector is one of the most important steps. Of the $3.7 billion invested in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2015 by the IFC, $1.8 billion came from other investors.
Modernization of technologies, innovative technologies and widening access to markets is central to turning such huge sums of money into results. In Kenya, a mobile app called M-Farm allows farmers to directly send messages requesting guidance and data on crop prices. It also helps farmers to connect directly with food suppliers; thus reducing reliance on middlemen and market buyers. Cutting costs in this way can go some way to mitigating the impact of subsidized exports from the developed economies.
In Ethiopia, access to simple market knowledge has also helped small food manufacturers grow. AfricaJUICE is the first Fairtrade certified fruit juice in sub-Saharan Africa and it has been able to expand through the provision of technical expertise and understanding global markets and industry practices. This assistance came from the World Bank, alongside equity financing of $6 million.
Agribusiness is growing fast, yet the true potential is stymied by limited mechanization, fragmented markets, price controls and poor infrastructure. For a sector that contributes 25% to Africa’s overall gross domestic product (GDP) and accounts for 70% of all employment, it is an industry that presents enormous opportunities to investors.
A woman farmer who works in the maize fields on the Canhumbuca Farm in Huambo, Angola. © Anita Baumann
For policymakers and investors, one of the hurdles is knowing how to find and identify those small-scale farmers or food manufacturers that have really strong commercial potential. In Angola, this challenge has been met by the creation of a state-backed organization called Fundo Activo de Capital de Risco Angolana (FACRA). It is a public venture capital fund that supports Angolan SME’s in agribusiness and other sectors in building, innovating and expanding their existing business. It opens doors for businesses that have the potential for growth and makes it significantly easier for investors to enter the Angolan market.
Aside from providing growth opportunities and support for market-entry, organizations such as FACRA also have a role to play in helping Africa to become self-sufficient in food and become a regional exporter. With 70% of the workforce already working in the sector, Africa already benefits from having a mobilized workforce. Honing in on communities that have such strong potential is one way of helping to support economic growth.
Like so much in Africa, things have to happen from the ground up, through investing in small projects and local communities. The financial and administrative burden for such initiatives very often fall on the government but the private sector has the ability to get involved at a local level too, if it can take a long-term view and work in partnership. The introduction of world-class machinery and support for the type of infrastructure needed for rural communities to succeed are two areas where foreign investors can take a stake through public-private partnerships (PPP’s) or direct investment.
Direct investment brings with it a range of financial incentives for foreign investors. Infrastructure linking rural communities to markets is much-needed. Mechanization is also particularly important in achieving greater production and capacity and so too are storage facilities and modern irrigation and water conservation technologies. These are all areas where investors can bring capital and technical expertise to an industry sector that has enormous economic potential.
As African economies continue to work against the tide of low oil and commodity prices, there is determination regionally and on the national level to achieve diversification and economic growth within the SME sector, not only in agriculture but all burgeoning sectors.
Agribusiness is especially important because of the scale of opportunity and the important role that it plays in supporting a wider value chain, job growth and economic diversification. Now is the right time for all African stakeholders, global bodies and private investors to come together and create an environment that helps Africa to feed itself and deliver economic growth for ordinary people, national economies and investors.
ngubia m.g
Disruptive innovation: The most viable strategy fo...
Agribusiness can help to unlock the true potential...
How can we help smallholder farmers seize opportun...
Nairobi, Rosslyn, Kenya
market, street based pragmatic pedagogy
The 6 Core Economic Principles
1. People Choose: We always want more than we can get and productive resources (human, natural, capital) are always limited. Therefore, be...
excerpt from Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins P R O LO G U E Quito, Ecuador’s capital, stretches across a volcan...
Agro-based industries and growth: prospects for Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa’s share in world agricultural trade remains low. Exports of high-value added agricultural or agro-based goods are still m...
How ‘economic hit men’ conspire to impoverish the Third World with aid
How ‘economic hit men’ conspire to impoverish the Third World with aid By JOHN MBARIA As Kenyans enter into a national dialogue on...
New railway is not value for money
So far, the raging debate on the proposed standard gauge railway is focusing on dodgy procurement. There are also questions about the co...
Decentralizing Kenya: Four Paradoxes
These lessons are important for Kenya as it embarks on a massive decentralization program— Devolution will reshape the country’s inst...
Corruption; the Necessary evil.
I learnt of the term necessary evil way back in high school in a biology exam; in fact my biology teacher had to crack its meaning; I cou...
right to comment..........
an interative forum, its better said than swallowed;
Scratch underneath the surface
On a man made lake there’s a sheet of the ice Unskilled skaters can’t figure it twice….. And that’s Kenya; We are all skati... | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/2968 | Garden-Variety Giving: How One Mom's Garden Feeds a Community
The first time she tried growing vegetables, Amy Grey ended up with way too much lettuce. A trip to the food bank to donate the surplus led to a program that's feeding families in need.
By Sondra Forsyth Previous
Surveying her backyard in Moscow, Idaho, Amy Grey feels a rush of satisfaction. Raspberries and strawberries are ready for picking, pole beans and plump tomatoes ripen on trellises, and there's row after row of carrots, squash, spinach, pumpkins, and more. Her plantings yield more than 1,000 pounds of fresh produce annually—not bad for someone who was all thumbs, none of them green, when she started gardening a few years ago. "I grew up playing in the alleys of Chicago and pretty much have always lived in cities," she says. "Until I moved to Idaho, I'd never grown anything in my life."
These days Amy, a 41-year-old freelance graphic designer, is reaping record crops for Backyard Harvest, the innovative program she founded in 2006 to feed the hungry. Every May to October, Amy and other hardworking volunteers plant, pick, and deliver some 20,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables to food banks in Moscow and nearby Lewiston, as well as in Washington State. The project has been so successful that two branches recently sprouted in California. "We've found a way to help others—and it's right outside our doors," she says. "With all our baskets and bushels of homegrown produce we're contributing to the health and well-being of thousands of people by tapping into a spirit of self-reliance and living off the land. And we're creating a more tightly knit community in the bargain."
An Unexpected Community Garden
As Amy likes to tell it, Backyard Harvest started serendipitously. She and her husband, Mark, moved to Moscow from Cincinnati in 1998 when he was offered a position to teach archaeology at the University of Idaho. After sons Tom and Sam were born, the family bought a 1948 clapboard house on three-quarters of an acre with views of the fertile, rolling hills known as the Palouse. "During our first spring there in 2005, I decided that having a garden would be fun for all of us," Amy recalls. "But I was a total novice, so I let the boys plant the whole packet of seeds, and we ended up with 200 heads of lettuce. We had friends, but we didn't have that many friends."
She contacted the Moscow Food Bank and asked if they'd accept fresh produce. "They said yes, and it turned out people really wanted it, because the lettuce was gone in a flash," says Amy. "I remember thinking how ironic it was that Idaho is one of the greatest agricultural states in the nation, but people had been leaving the food bank without a single apple or bunch of carrots. It got me thinking that there must be a way to get wholesome food onto people's tables."
Amy began planting as much as her backyard could grow and enlisted neighbors to do the same, telling them she'd cart the bounty herself to the food bank. Some people had fruit trees, so Amy soon added apples, pears, apricots, plums, and cherries to the haul. She also did a little research and learned that Moscow and Lewiston have a high percentage of seniors on limited incomes, and that 14 percent of area households face some degree of food insecurity, a number that exceeds the national average. "I wanted not only to turn this project into a nonprofit but also to set up a corps of 'garden mentors' to teach people how to grow food and can it themselves," Amy says. "I remember being fascinated as a child when my mom told me stories about my great-grandmother making preserves. This charity was in me all along."
Finding Community Partners
She turned to Tom Lamar, founder and executive director of the Palouse Clearwater-Environmental Institute (PCEI), which supports local, organic farming, for help filling out applications and writing grant proposals. Using her graphic design skills, Amy set up a Web site so she could launch a donation drive. "PCEI had generously agreed to be our fiscal sponsor, which meant that until Backyard Harvest was legally established, any funds I raised would be donated to the institute, and it deposited the money in an account for us," she explains.
Once Backyard Harvest was up and running last year, Amy began offering free gardening kits to new members who contributed $25 or more. "We have about $14,000 in the bank," says Amy. "It may not sound like much, but our expenses are low. I'm still a volunteer, as are all our gardeners, who use their own cars and pay for their own gas. We have just two paid staffers, including one we call the Gleaning Coordinator, who takes all the requests for pickups and organizes who goes where."
Amy still gets a helping hand from her family. When a call comes in from someone with trees bursting with cherries or a patch full of pumpkins, "we all pile in the car," she says. "Tom and Sam, who are now 9 and 6, love seeing new places and meeting new people. Mark and I might sit and have coffee with an elderly couple before we pick the peaches in their backyard and the boys will play with their kittens. They'll feed apples to the horses on a farm near an orchard that gave us several bushels. Or we'll just sit right down and eat some of whatever we've picked. I have a picture of Sam totally covered in cherry juice and looking really happy!"
The kids still tend their own garden, a popular field trip destination for their teachers and classmates. "The students might harvest berries, plant cucumbers, prepare boxes for the food banks, or do crafts, like carving dried gourds into bird houses," says Amy. "They also love making worm bins by putting shredded paper into wooden crates. We feed them scraps and then use their waste as fertilizer—a great firsthand lesson in ecology. But just seeing plants grow can be a real learning experience. One little boy was amazed to find out that peas come from a pod and not a frozen dinner!"
Spreading the Bounty
With recent requests from Portland, Oregon, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for information on starting local chapters of Backyard Harvest, Amy hopes that communities from coast to coast will follow suit. The group has also partnered with the city of Moscow to allow families to use food stamps at the area farmers' market to purchase fresh produce. "When times are tough—and they certainly are right now—there's no easier way to give people nutritious meals and let them know someone cares," she says. "There's a special look in people's eyes when they receive food from others who've planted and harvested it with their own hands. I was dropping off produce at a food bank once when a woman came up to me and said, 'This makes me feel loved.' I told her it goes both ways. And believe me, I get more than I give."
The blessings extend to her whole family. "Mark and I were a couple of city kids with no idea what to expect when we got here," she says. "Now we feel we belong. In fact, we raved about Idaho and the Northwest so much that when my parents retired last year, they moved from Chicago to Spokane, Washington. They help out with the harvest when they visit, right alongside their grandsons. We've all become friends with many of our neighbors in need who we'd never have met otherwise. They'll be in our hearts forever."
Calling All Cooks
Know how to make a delicious zucchini casserole that even the kids love? Have advice on preparing rutabaga or storing peas? Backyard Harvest is putting together tips and recipe cards to accompany produce donations. Go to backyardharvest.org to e-mail your ideas—or to make a contribution online. You can also send a check to Backyard Harvest, P.O. Box 9783, Moscow, Idaho 83843.
Originally published in the August 2009 issue of Family Circle magazine.
Read about other women whose gardens changed lives | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/3372 | Tobacco purchasing should be based on value, not price Apr 03, 2017 Some Georgia growers wanted to talk soybean weed control, most didn’t Apr 10, 2017 Caledonia: Where prisoners have grown their food for 125 years Apr 04, 2017 How a blueberry family won and lost against a punishing situation Apr 05, 2017 Soybean checkoff preserves $700 million market
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated that trans fats must appear on a product’s Nutrition Facts label, the United Soybean Board (USB) and the soybean checkoff, along with its industry partners, launched a long-term strategy to develop new healthier soybean traits. The results of these checkoff-funded efforts have lessened the blow many in the agriculture sector have felt by companies rushing to reformulate products to reduce or eliminate trans fat content. “The soybean industry created a soy-based trans fat solution (called low-linolenic soybean oil) that changed the face of the market, and protected American livelihoods while delivering a healthier future from farm to table,” notes Chuck Myers, chairman of USB and a farmer from Lyons, Nebraska. Myers explains, “Without it, our economic analysis shows that food companies would have reduced their need for soybean oil by 894 million pounds, soybean production would have dropped by 25 million bushels, and farmers would have earned 10.8 cents less per bushel. The analysis shows we prevented a cumulative lost income for U.S. soybean producers of $703.2 million.” The loss would have affected not only farmers, but also the seed sector, grain elevators, edible oil processors and refiners, food manufacturers and many other aspects of the food industry. Food companies needed to take the trans out, and thanks in part to USB’s leadership and the foresight of the industry, most products today are labeled with zero grams of trans fat. Richard Cristol, president of the National Association of Margarine Manufacturers adds, “Soybean oil is a natural plant oil that is very important to the margarine industry. While the margarine industry began removing trans fats from its products well before the FDA labeling requirement, USB has been and continues to be a valued partner in developing and promoting Myers describes milestones in USB’s trans fat leadership over the years, including: “Understanding trans fats’ effect on human health”: USB was a significant contributor to early studies defining trans fats’ effect on health, through research performed at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Participating as a founding member of the Trans Fat Coalition”: From 1994 to 2006, this group invested in new science, communicated findings to the public and provided timely information to government agencies, such as providing comments to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committees and responding to the FDA’s requests for comment. “Mapping the soybean genome”: As early as 1995, USB funded research to map the soybean genome and use advanced techniques to improve the bean’s fatty acid profile to produce oil without partial hydrogenation (the process that creates trans fats). “Working with the whole value chain to identify desirable traits for the future”: USB assembled experts from all aspects of the industry in 1998 to get input on solutions that would meet their needs. A platform called QUALISOYTM emerged to accelerate the development and commercialization of enhanced trait soybeans in the research pipeline. As a result, food companies today can use low-linolenic soybean oil in light frying, sauces, rolls and pizza dough. Companies are also testing the next generation — increased-oleic soybean oil — for use in crackers, baked goods, margarines and shortenings. Beyond trans fat solutions, lowering saturated fat will support heart health and cholesterol reduction. USB’s value chain analysis estimates high-oleic soybean oils to supply a $780 million average annual return in income throughout the industry. Soybean farmers stand to gain nearly $1.2 billion per year from the introduction of mid-oleic/low-saturate soybeans. After first turning its attention to trans fat in the 1990s, USB continues to offer resources for a range of improvements from flavor and shelf stability to health benefits for the consumer. Food companies can take advantage of USB’s online offerings and e-mailed newsletters for regular updates, visit USB at industry events such as tradeshows and conferences or even request USB deliver an oils expert to their corporate headquarters for an individualized consultation. USB is made up of 68 farmer-directors who oversee the investments of the soybean checkoff on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers. Checkoff funds are invested in the areas of animal utilization, human utilization, industrial utilization, industry relations, market access and supply. As stipulated in the Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soybean checkoff. | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/3699 | Agweb HomeDrovers HomeNewsStorm Seen Easing Drought for Moisture-Starved U.S. Wheat
Storm Seen Easing Drought for Moisture-Starved U.S. Wheat
Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) -- The second major snowstorm in a week for the southern Great Plains is delivering moisture to U.S. wheat crops that went dormant in November in the worst condition since at least 1985 because of a drought.
More than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow was expected to fall in parts of the region, four days after a storm brought as much as 20 inches, National Weather Service data show. The precipitation may boost crop prospects in areas where fields have deteriorated after the most-severe drought since the 1930s, said Kim Anderson, an agronomist at Oklahoma State University.
"It won’t break the drought, but this storm will be enough to get wheat that’s established up and out of the ground and set it up for the rest of the year," Anderson said in a telephone interview from Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Many areas of the Plains face exceptional-drought conditions, which signal crop losses and water emergencies, according to the government. Winter wheat, a variety that accounts for more than 70 percent of total U.S. production, has been dormant since about November and will resume growth in March and April. The crop is mostly harvested in June. Prices surged 19 percent last year.
Since the end of December, wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade have dropped 9.4 percent. The price for May delivery fell 1.9 percent to settle at $7.0525 a bushel after touching $7.04, the lowest for a most-active contract since June 25.
Crop Conditions
Wheat conditions in Kansas improved in February because of snow, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said today. The crop was rated 23 percent good or excellent as of yesterday, up from 20 percent at the end of January.
Each foot of snow means about an inch of moisture for plants, according to Kansas State University agronomist Jim Shroyer. The storms will improve prospects for hard-red winter wheat, grown from Kansas through Texas and used to make bread, said Bryce Anderson, a senior agricultural meteorologist at Telvent DTN in Omaha, Nebraska. Soft-red winter varieties used in cakes and cookies are planted in the eastern Midwest.
More rain will be needed in March and April to boost plants, Anderson said. Today’s snow may be the last major storm for the region through April as forecasts call for conditions to be drier than normal, Anderson said in a telephone interview.
"They’re going to need more spring precipitation to truly improve things because the wheat in the southern Plains went into the winter on the dry side," Anderson said. "For the next month to two months, it still looks like they’re going to be on a below-normal tract on the moisture scene."
Cattle Risks
The latest storm poses a risk for livestock because freezing weather and strong winds can kill young animals, said Jason Britt, the president of Central States Commodities Inc., a brokerage in Kansas City, Missouri. Cattle futures rose 0.2 percent today on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
"The cattle guys are pretty nervous because they’ve lost some calves," Britt said in a telephone interview. "Most of the time the cattle can handle it, but they don’t do too well with a foot or two of snow."
As much as 40 percent of crops in some southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma fields didn’t emerge from the ground after planting because of the severity of the drought. High winds that accompanied the dry weather caused blowing dust and closed roads in scenes reminiscent of the 1930s Dust Bowl era.
The prospect of water from the snowstorms has made farmers more optimistic for improved yields, Britt said.
"It’s not going to alleviate all concerns that the drought is over, but you have to wonder when you get these back-to-back storms if the weather patterns aren’t changing," he said. It’s not a cure-all because some of the wheat isn’t coming back, but it’s definitely beneficial."
--Editors: Patrick McKiernan, Thomas Galatola
To contact the reporter on this story: Tony C. Dreibus in Chicago at [email protected].
Major Storm Denting Drought on the Plains 2/21/2013 7:00:00 AM Blizzard Warnings for the Plains, Midwest 2/25/2013 1:00:00 PM Comments | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/4749 | Longtime volunteers help Expo
Volunteers like Brad Hoyt and Bill Nelson return to the Spokane Ag Expo each year to help keep things running smoothly.
Matthew WeaverCapital Press
Matthew Weaver/Capital Press
Longtime Spokane Ag Expo volunteer Brad Hoyt finds value in supporting farmers and his local community.
SPOKANE — Longtime volunteers like Brad Hoyt and Bill Nelson are among the many people who keep the Spokane Ag Expo running smoothly.Brad Hoyt has volunteered for the Spokane Ag Expo for roughly 30 years.A certified financial planner for Hoyt, Lewis & Associates in Spokane, he grew up on a farm, and wanted to support Greater Spokane Inc.Bill Nelson has volunteered for roughly 20 years. He also grew up on a farm, and helped on his uncles farm when he moved to Davenport, Wash., in 1956, while working for the local grain supply. He rented a farm for three years before going to work for Calkins Manufacturing for 35 years.He was part of the first expo, selling farm machinery for Calkins. Several years later, a departing board member recommended Nelson as his replacement.Hoyt primarily runs move-in and move-out of the expo, and then helps run the show, coordinating the movement of large equipment.“If they have a question, comment or something that needs to be fixed, I’ve been there, done that,” he said. “Usually I can help with solving the problem or know who to contact to solve the problem.”Nelson primarily works to help load and unload machinery during the expo. During the week he works at the front gate.Nelson said he enjoys interacting with former customers and people he used to see while he was working.“Being retired, it’s a way once a year I can still talk to my farmer friends,” he said. “It’s part of my blood, it’s something I enjoy doing.”Some of Hoyt’s clients are farmers, but that’s not his primary objective of his job, he said.“I don’t look at it as trying to get business there, (I’m) trying to help the community,” he said.He takes off the week of the expo to volunteer.“It’s not really a vacation, but it’s something different,” he said.Hoyt enjoys talking with people he’s gotten to know over the years, including manufacturers.“I enjoy seeing the farmers come to town and enjoy their time here,” he said. “We try to make it so their visit to the expo is worthwhile. We’re always looking for new products, new ideas, new things that are happening in the farming community to bring to their attention.” | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/6740 | What do we really learn from a crisis? The 1980's farming bubble taught some hard truths. Did they stick? By
Richard Mertens, Correspondent
Doug Harford drives his combine as he harvests corn on his farm in Mazon, Ill. Mr. Harford is one of a generation of farmers who learned a conservative economic approach from the disastrous farming bubble of the 1980s. Stephen J. Carrera/Special to the Christian Science Monitor View Caption About video ads
of Chicago — Douglas Harford had no crystal ball. He had no special insight into exotic mortgages or the shaky securities that backed them. But from his corn-and-soybean farm in Mazon, Ill., he saw the housing crash coming.
He could see it because, as a young farmer in the 1970s and early ’80s, he had seen firsthand the twin temptation of easy money and soaring real estate prices, the giddy expectation of unrelenting prosperity, and the bust that follows boom. “The best learning experience I had was the 1980s,” says Mr. Harford.
Scarcely remembered in the rest of America, the ’80s farm crisis is seared into the memories of older farmers and rural lenders. It taught hard lessons about prudence, restraint, the dangers of debt, and the importance of sticking to old principles of thrift and caution even when everyone else is profiting by abandoning them. Many in farm country say the crisis of the ’80s has made agriculture stronger today.In the coffee shops and bankers’ offices, co-ops and equipment dealerships of rural America, many people see in today’s economic troubles a reflection of that crisis a generation ago. They wonder if Americans will learn the lessons that they learned then. But they also know that even lessons painfully learned are easily forgotten. That was another lesson of the ’80s farm crisis. How long, some ask, will the lessons of America’s “great recession” stick around before they, too, begin to fade?Lesson 1: Everything comes and goes.
Young and ambitious, Harford and his wife borrowed in the mid-1970s to buy 60 acres of farmland, the first ground they had ever owned. A few years later, as land values rose, they sold the 60 and bought 160. They also bought several tractors and other farm machinery to cultivate their expanding acreage. Inflation was so high that equipment bought one year was often worth more the next.
The Harfords had one advantage: They listened when a banker friend warned them to be careful. “He said, ‘Pull up. This is going to end badly,’ ” Harford recalls. And it did. When the Federal Reserve clamped down on the money supply in order to stop high inflation, interest rates soared and land prices plummeted. The Harfords managed to keep their farm and pay their debts, but it wasn’t easy. The land they bought in 1979 cost $3,500 an acre and seemed cheap at the time. Eight years later, similar land in their area cost a third of that – a price plunge as yet unmatched by today’s debacle in residential real estate. Harford says the ’80s farm crisis taught him to be “more deliberate.” It taught him more rigorous accounting. But more than anything else, it taught him that farming was as much about managing risk as it was coaxing corn and soybeans from the rich prairie soil of Illinois. Even a reckless farmer could do that. “In economics, everything comes and goes,” he says. “The economy looks to me like a roller coaster.” Lesson 2: Resist temptation.
Even when it’s hard. The farm crisis was set off by its own peculiar set of events: soaring inflation, big increases in interest rates, and the fizzling of an export boom. Moreover, it was limited mainly to farms and farm communities; it barely touched the rest of the country. But many in farm country see uncanny parallels in the present crisis, both with the freewheeling years of the ’70s and the suffering and retrenchment of the ’80s. For Harford, those parallels helped illuminate, if not predict, the housing bubble and its collapse. “You could see it was coming,” he says. “But you had no idea how long it was going to be.”
One thing in particular farm people say they understood is how easy it is to throw off caution and to imagine that the old rules no longer apply. At farm auctions in the late ’70s, lenders lined up to offer loans on terms that many farmers found hard to resist. “Most farmers had never really borrowed money until then,” Harford says. “And everyone was borrowing money. You can only sit and watch that for so long.”Alan Tubbs, a banker in Maquoketa, Iowa, says he tried to resist the “inflationary psychology” of the time. His two rural banks lost customers to lenders who were willing to offer terms he considered too risky. “We felt bad at times, but as you look back it was the right thing,” he says. When it was over, there were fewer banks, fewer farms, and fewer farmers.“That was painful emotionally on both sides,” he recalls. “I think people who went through that vowed they were not going to do that again.”
Lesson 3: Be careful. Be thrifty. “It just comes back to being fiscally conservative,” says Donna Jeschke, who also farms in Mazon and serves on the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. “Maybe we all don’t have to have everything now. None of us is entitled to everything.”
That lesson is not new, and it can be traced back further than the ’80s farm crisis. Many older farmers have parents or grandparents who endured the Depression and tried to impart its lessons to their children.
“My father was born in 1909,” says Ms. Jeschke. “We had a lot of those Depression discussions. The two things he imparted to us were: You have to work hard and be conservative in your spending; and also, you have to be diversified. He felt it was important not to have all your financial eggs in one basket.” In the ’70s, many farmers forgot those admonitions. Urged on by experts and public officials and encouraged by the soaring price of grain, they got rid of their livestock and concentrated on corn, soybeans, and wheat. Indeed, the secretary of Agriculture urged them to plant fence row to fence row to supply newly opened export markets. Convinced that demand would continue to boom, farmers boosted production and bid up land prices to unprecedented heights. When demand fell and crop prices plummeted, farmland values fell like a stone. Many farmers ended up owing more than their farms were worth. Twenty years later, the farm was a house.
Lesson 4: New generations forget. The recession has largely spared the farm economy. Several years of high crop prices and decades of more cautious borrowing have put most farms on a solid footing. In contrast to the years preceding the ’80s farm crisis, most farmers have low debts. “I think the reason we didn’t get into the same trouble now is that we’ve got people still in business who still remember that,” says Michael Duffy, an economist at Iowa State University in Ames. “It didn’t let us get as much exposed. As a result, we haven’t got hit as hard.”
Nevertheless, farmers haven’t been immune from the economic troubles. Lower demand has meant that the prices for many crops, including corn and soybeans, have sunk far below the record levels of last year. Indeed, the corn that Midwestern farmers are harvesting this fall may have cost them more to grow than it will fetch at the local grain elevator. Livestock and dairy farmers are in much deeper trouble: They’ve been losing money since last year.
“It’s been two generations since we’ve seen anything as difficult as we’re seeing now,” says Shelly Mayer, a dairy farmer in Slinger, Wis., and executive director of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin. “Our families are struggling.”
Economists don’t expect to see a collapse either in crop prices or land values anytime soon. Still, farmers are increasingly anxious about the financial risk of commodity agriculture. Farms are less diversified than ever and more and more dependent on one or two crops. The cost of land, machinery, fertilizer, and fuel has been rising, and with it the cost of putting in a crop. Profits are higher, but so is the potential for loss.
At the same time, Neil Harl, a retired Iowa state economist with long experience in government and academia, worries that the restraint learned in the ’80s may be disappearing. The high commodity prices of recent years encouraged more aggressive lending and borrowing than he liked.
“I’ve been distressed,” he says. “I was beginning to see in the last five or six or seven years that the lessons learned in the ’80s were not as much remembered as I thought they would be.” To some who have witnessed both the downturn of a generation ago and the one now unfolding, the most troubling lesson is the seemingly unlimited capacity of humans to forget.“When you pass a generation or more from those crises,” says Mr. Tubbs. “It almost seems you’re doomed to experience it again.”
As America proceeds through a national economic crunch, the lessons of past struggles might head off more pain. Continue the conversation by connecting on Twitter. Next up
Ten ways to support the next generation of farmers
The Undercover Economist Strikes Back
How robots will revolutionize farming | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/6774 | Devil’s Claw
Proboscidea altheaefolia and Proboscidea parviflora
Most commonly known as "devil’s claw," this desert hitchhiker is also called "elephant tusks" or "unicorn plant." Each name refers to the plant’s seed pod. The first two names allude to the woody capsule, which splits open at one end into two curved claws or horns. Before the pod splits, the green, fleshy fruit superficially resembles a unicorn’s horn. The generic name "Proboscidea" comes from the Greek word "proboskis," a term for an elephant’s trunk, literally meaning "a way to provide food." Altheaefolia refers to the leaves, which are similar to the marshmallow plant. Parviflora means small flowered.
Two species grow in this region, the perennial P. altheaefolia, and the annual P. parviflora. Two-inch long, bright yellow flowers grace the perennial species. They protrude above the large (two-inch wide), sticky shiny green leaves. Plants hug the ground and emerge from a tuberous root.
The annual variety has pinkish-purple flowers and similar leaves, which are both sticky and stinky. In contrast, the smaller flowers are more hidden by the large (up to three inches wide) foliage. Devil’s claw flowers are similar to those of the snapdragon.
Both species possess the characteristic fruit, which starts as a fleshy green, somewhat banana-shaped structure, but soon dries to produce the clawed, woody capsule, which is generally less than five inches long. Upon splitting, the capsule begins to release black seeds, which can take several years to germinate. Seeds are rich in oil and protein and are edible, as are the fleshy fruits, which some folks pickle.
Habits/Habitats
With such large flowers, the perennial species is generally pollinated by big bees, like carpenter and bumble bees, but a small bee, Perdita hurdi, also gets in on the act, in a most provocative manner. Females land on an unopened flower, crawl under the corolla, cut open a wee hole, clamor in, and obtain pollen. She then goes in search of a open flower to find nectar, and often, she encounters what could be described as a randy male Perdita hurdi. When she lands, he pounces upon her and copulates with her. During the frenzy, her pollen may brush the flower’s stigma and complete the pollination process.
Warm weather triggers growth of both species of devil’s claw. They bloom in summer, although P. altheaefolia does not flower every year. Devil’s claw leaves are heliotropic (sun tracker). During the morning, leaves may be flaccid but soon become turgid and turn toward the light. As the day progresses, leaves will turn a complete 180 degrees, following the sun.
Seed capsules such as those of the devil’s claw evolved as a way for the plants to spread their seed. Hooves of large grazing animals provide the perfect "foothold" for the claws. Cattle eat the fleshy fruit.
Devil’s claw grows across the Sonoran desert, from southern California into Texas and south into Mexico. They occur most often in disturbed soils and may be common in agricultural fields or alongside roads. Due to its fleshy taproot, the perennial species is less water dependent than the annual.
The Tohono O’odham of southern Arizona have cultivated a variety of devil’s claw, P. parviflora var. hohokamiana, that possesses several unusual characteristics. Instead of black seeds, the plants produce white seeds, which germinate more quickly than the wild species. In addition, the dried capsules are longer, up to 15 inches, and more flexible than non-domesticates.
Ethnobotanists believe that this domestication is one of only a handful that occurred for wild native plants north of Mexico. Furthermore, it appears that women were responsible for this process. When cattle became widespread in the desert, O’odham women, who used the pods in their basketry, started to plant devil’s claw in protected areas to prevent livestock consumption. Over time, they chose seeds that produced the longer capsules and seeds that germinated faster. Gary Paul Nabhan, writing in his fascinating Gathering the Desert, calls this domestication "plant wifery."
This cultivar is so important for basket making that it has spread to over 25 native cultures, many far beyond the feral plant’s original range.
In the July 1908 issue of Technical World (now Popular Mechanics), one Harry Dunn fancifully described a rootless cactus, which rolled about the desert for eight to nine months of the year before it took root and sent out shoots. New growth exactly resembled the parent. He wrote: "When the damp season is over these roots shrivel up and finally fall off the parent cactus, [which] dying from the constant sapping of the circle of young ones around it, leaves this circle a hedge of thorns."
When legendary desert botanist Forrest Shreve saw this article and the accompanying photos he quickly realized that Dunn had in fact described "a bunch of fruits of the unicorn plant [while] the reckless disregard of truth displayed by the author excites admiration." This appeared in the September 1908 issue of Plant World.
David B. Williams | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/8343 | Report provides a roadmap for food security and agricultural investment, revealing 15 high- and low-tech solutions that are helping to reduce hunger and poverty in Africa New York, New York (12 January 2011)--Worldwatch Institute today released its report State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet, which spotlights successful agricultural innovations and unearths major successes in preventing food waste, building resilience to climate change, and strengthening farming in cities. The report provides a roadmap for increased agricultural investment and more-efficient ways to alleviate global hunger and poverty. Drawing from the world's leading agricultural experts and from hundreds of innovations that are already working on the ground, the report outlines 15 proven, environmentally sustainable prescriptions. "The progress showcased through this report will inform governments, policymakers, NGOs, and donors that seek to curb hunger and poverty, providing a clear roadmap for expanding or replicating these successes elsewhere," said Worldwatch Institute President Christopher Flavin. "We need the world's influencers of agricultural development to commit to longstanding support for farmers, who make up 80 percent of the population in Africa." State of the World 2011 comes at a time when many global hunger and food security initiatives--such as the Obama administration's Feed the Future program, the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)--can benefit from new insight into environmentally sustainable projects that are already working to alleviate hunger and poverty. Nearly a half-century after the Green Revolution, a large share of the human family is still chronically hungry. While investment in agricultural development by governments, international lenders, and foundations has escalated in recent years, it is still nowhere near what is needed to help the 925 million people who are undernourished. Since the mid-1980s when agricultural funding was at its height, agriculture's share of global development aid has fallen from over 16 percent to just 4 percent today. In 2008, $1.7 billion in official development assistance was provided to support agricultural projects in Africa, based on statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)--a miniscule amount given the vital return on investment. Given the current global economic conditions, investments are not likely to increase in the coming year. Much of the more recently pledged funding has yet to be raised, and existing funding is not being targeted efficiently to reach the poor farmers of Africa. "The international community has been neglecting entire segments of the food system in its efforts to reduce hunger and poverty," said Danielle Nierenberg, co-director of Worldwatch's Nourishing the Planet project. "The solutions won't necessarily come from producing more food, but from changing what children eat in schools, how foods are processed and marketed, and what sorts of food businesses we are investing in." Serving locally raised crops to school children, for example, has proven to be an effective hunger- and poverty-reducing strategy in many African nations, and has strong parallels to successful farm-to-cafeteria programs in the United States and Europe. Moreover, "roughly 40 percent of the food currently produced worldwide is wasted before it is consumed, creating large opportunities for farmers and households to save both money and resources by reducing this waste," according to Brian Halweil, Nourishing the Planet co-director. State of the World 2011 draws from hundreds of case studies and first-person examples to offer solutions to reducing hunger and poverty. These include: In 2007, some 6,000 women in The Gambia organized into the TRY Women's Oyster Harvesting producer association, creating a sustainable co-management plan for the local oyster fishery to prevent overharvesting and exploitation. Oysters and fish are an important, low-cost source of protein for the population, but current production levels have led to environmental degradation and to changes in land use over the last 30 years. The government is working with groups like TRY to promote less-destructive methods and to expand credit facilities to low-income producers to stimulate investment in more-sustainable production. In Kibera, Nairobi, the largest slum in Kenya, more than 1,000 women farmers are growing "vertical" gardens in sacks full of dirt poked with holes, feeding their families and communities. These sacks have the potential to feed thousands of city dwellers while also providing a sustainable and easy-to-maintain source of income for urban farmers. With more than 60 percent of Africa's population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, such methods may be crucial to creating future food security. Currently, some 33 percent of Africans live in cities, and 14 million more migrate to urban areas each year. Worldwide, some 800 million people engage in urban agriculture, producing 15–20 percent of all food.
Pastoralists in South Africa and Kenya are preserving indigenous varieties of livestock that are adapted to the heat and drought of local conditions--traits that will be crucial as climate extremes on the continent worsen. Africa has the world's largest area of permanent pasture and the largest number of pastoralists, with 15–25 million people dependent on livestock.
The Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) is using interactive community plays to engage women farmers, community leaders, and policymakers in an open dialogue about gender equity, food security, land tenure, and access to resources. Women in sub-Saharan Africa make up at least 75 percent of agricultural workers and provide 60–80 percent of the labor to produce food for household consumption and sale, so it is crucial that they have opportunities to express their needs in local governance and decision-making. This entertaining and amicable forum makes it easier for them to speak openly.
Uganda's Developing Innovations in School Cultivation (DISC) program is integrating indigenous vegetable gardens, nutrition information, and food preparation into school curriculums to teach children how to grow local crop varieties that will help combat food shortages and revitalize the country's culinary traditions. An estimated 33 percent of African children currently face hunger and malnutrition, which could affect some 42 million children by 2025. School nutrition programs that don't simply feed children, but also inspire and teach them to become the farmers of the future, are a huge step toward improving food security. The State of the World 2011 report is accompanied by other informational materials including briefing documents, summaries, an innovations database, videos, and podcasts, all of which are available at http://www.nourishingtheplanet.org/. The project's findings are being disseminated to a wide range of agricultural stakeholders, including government ministries, agricultural policymakers, farmer and community networks, and the increasingly influential non-governmental environmental and development communities. In conducting this research, Worldwatch's Nourishing the Planet project received unprecedented access to major international research institutions, including those in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research(CGIAR) system. The team also interacted extensively with farmers and farmers' unions as well as with the banking and investment communities. Posted by
10 Reasons We Don’t Need GM Foods
10 Reasons to Buy (Eat, Grow, and Be) Organic | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/8603 | Pesticides get bad rap, expert says
Pesticides are an essential tool in production agriculture yet often get a bad rap, particularly when it comes to pesticide residues in food, an expert says. In reality, pesticide use is heavily regulated and allowable residue levels are so low that the issue of safety is insignificant.
Carol Ryan DumasCapital Press
TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The dangers of pesticides are exaggerated by the media and special-interest groups, an expert says, but the truth is they are an essential tool in production agriculture, are heavily regulated and pose an insignificant risk to food safety.One of the claims against pesticides is that they “kill things.” That’s true, they kill pests — such as insects, weeds and fungi — that harm crops, said Sherman Takatori, program manager for pesticide applicator licensing and training with Idaho State Department of Agriculture.When synthetic pesticides first came on the scene in the 1940s and ’50s, the ag industry would have been a lot better off to call them “plant medicines,” he said during an educational workshop at Agri-Action in Twin Falls on Thursday.Despite all the hype about agricultural pesticides, use in commercial agriculture is only about 12 percent of total U.S. pesticide use. The largest use by far — at over 50 percent — is for water treatment, followed by wood preservatives at about 20 percent, he said.Yet agricultural pesticides, particularly pesticide residues in food, garner a huge amount of unwarranted, negative attention, he said.A 1996 Environmental Protection Agency review of pesticide residues on produce in California found 63 percent had no residue, 36 percent were within tolerance levels and only 1 percent was at violative levels — 60 percent of which involved pesticides not registered for use on the crop, he said.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s ranking of food dangers puts food-borne diseases, nutrition imbalances and malnutrition at No. 1. Environmental hazards, such as lead, mercury and arsenic, come in second but at 1,000 times less than the danger of food-borne illness. Pesticide residue and additives come in third but at 100,000 times less than food-borne diseases, Takatori said.“In reality, it (pesticide residue) is not really a concern,” he said.In addition, toxins occur naturally in foods. It’s the plant’s natural defense to protect itself. For example, potatoes, eggplants and tomatoes all contain glycoalalkaloids to protect against insects and fungi. Plant stress from infection, insects and bruising increases glycoalalkaloid levels. Pesticides to protect the plant decreases stress and those levels of naturally occurring toxins, he said.Pesticide residue standards are set much lower than toxic levels that cause disease and in most cases, residues in food are insignificant compared with naturally occurring toxins in food, he said.“The dose makes the poison. Pesticide residues cannot even be construed as a significant safety issue,” he said.Negative hype about pesticides has fueled the organic food market, but no commercial food is 100 percent pesticide-free. Consumers might be able to find a limited amount of pesticide-free produce locally, but if an organic grower is going to ship produce to commercial outlets, he’s going to wash it with something that takes off pathogens and inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungus, he said.Groups and individuals discouraging consumption of commercial produce are doing a disservice to consumers who will lose out on the health benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables, he said.Pesticides are an essential tool in high-yield, high-production agriculture, and an abundant supply of safe, wholesome food would not be possible without it, he added. | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/8607 | Industry Commentary: Meat grower’s guide to hogwash and B.S.
By Greg Henderson, Drovers
July 19, 2011 | 5:33 pm EDT
Consciously limiting your carbon footprint has become quite trendy among many young, urban Americans. It’s a practice I whole-heartedly support – it’s just that their ideas to achieve their goal are often way off the mark. This week produced another round of anti-meat chatter with the release of the “Meat Eater’s Guide to Climate Change and Health” by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a Washington-based non-profit “organization that advocates on Capitol Hill for health-protective and subsidy-shifting policies.”
The research by EWG examined every stage of food production, processing, consumption and waste disposal, and determined that if everyone in the U.S. eliminated meat and cheese from their diet just one day a week for a year, “the effect on greenhouse gas emissions would be the equivalent of taking 7.6 million cars off the road.”
The report found that traditionally raised lamb has the worst carbon footprint, followed by beef, cheese, pork and fish. EWG also made recommendations for people who choose not to give up eating meat. For beef eaters the suggestion is to eat grass-fed beef because it is “lean and healthiest.” It was also recommended that you choose “certified humane.”
From agriculture’s perspective, the “Meat Eater’s Guide” provides plenty of fodder for criticism. For instance, the report criticizes both antibiotic and hormone use by livestock feeders with unproven claims about the safety of those products. It’s also suggested that “pasture raised” animals are treated more “humanely” than traditionally raised livestock.
More important is the fact that this new EWG report provides new material for a host of writers and bloggers who have miniscule understanding of either economics or agriculture. Susie Middleton, a food writer for the Huffington Post, used the report as the basis of a column that listed 10 strategies for eating less meat.
Susie, like a lot of trendy food writers, quickly grabs the sensational tidbits of misinformation spewed out by the anti-meat crowd, such as: “We need big change fast: The latest studies estimate that our current system of intensive livestock farming is responsible for 51 percent of greenhouse gases.” Fifty-one percent? Susie, have you ever been fishing? Because that’s a whopper.
Like many other trendy food writers, Susie also says, “I want to support small farmers.” She encourages her readers to buy locally produced food from “small diversified family farms” as a way to reduce their carbon footprints.
That’s admirable, Susie. A worthy goal and one you obviously can afford. Reality is that even if every American could afford the luxury of eating only locally, naturally-produced meats and vegetables, small, diversified farmers couldn’t begin to meet the demand.
ewggreenhouse gasescarbon footprintbeef About the Author:
Greg Henderson, Drovers | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/9240 | Land degradation
Water pollution from agricultural runoff
Overview Malawi is a small landlocked country in sub-Saharan Africa, bordering Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique. It covers an area of 118,500 km2 and has an estimated population of 14 million. The country is defined as low-income and ranks 171 out of 187 countries in the 2011 UNDP Human Development Index. Over 40 percent of the population live on less than US$1 per day (2010 Government of Malawi MDG Report). Landholdings are generally small, particularly in the densely populated south, leading to the over-use of marginally productive agricultural land, causing soil erosion and nutrient depletion. More than 40 percent of rural households cultivate less than half a hectare, mainly devoted to maize production. Large parts of Malawi are expected to suffer from food insecurity this year. Agricultural production estimates for the 2012 harvest season show a decrease in maize production by as much as 40 percent in some areas, following poor onset and erratic distribution of rains in the country. Combined with the impact of high food prices, the Famine and Early Warning System Network (FEWSNET) suggests that a food emergency could start as early as July 2012 and last for 9 months. These problems, in combination with other structural causes of food insecurity in Malawi, have exacerbated vulnerability in rural and urban areas. Roughly one million people could require emergency assistance to meet basic food needs. In April 2012, Joyce Banda became Malawi’s first female president and only the second woman to lead a country in Africa. In May 2012, the Malawi kwacha was devalued by 49 percent. The devaluation, coupled with soaring inflation of 12.4 percent (as of May 2012), has produced precipitous increases in the price of basic goods and services. A report from the Centre for Social Concern indicates that the cost of living in urban areas has increased by nearly 50 percent from January 2011 to January 2012. Retail prices for the staple, maize, were higher in March than last year and the 5-year average by 40 percent. The stunting rate for children under 5 is 47 percent, while the wasting rate is 4 percent (Malawi Demographic Health Survey, 2010). An estimated 27,000 people in the country are infected with TB. Since 1990, Malawi has hosted an average of 14,000 refugees, mainly from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Rwanda at Dzaleka refugee camp. Malawi faces a host of food-related challenges. These include chronic food insecurity among poor and vulnerable households, some of them refugees; recurrence of natural disasters such as drought and floods; high cost of living; high prevalence of chronic malnutrition and widespread micronutrient deficiencies; high rates of dropping out, repetition and absenteeism among primary school children from food-insecure households; and low income for smallholder farmers due to poor agricultural market structures and policies.
Country Programme (2012 -2016) CP 200287
The Country Programme (CP) started on March 1, 2012 and will be operational until February 2016. The overarching objective of the programme is to strengthen national capacity to improve primary education outcomes, reduce malnutrition among vulnerable groups, and improve food security of communities living in disaster-prone areas and build their resilience to shocks. The CP aims to achieve this through its three components: Support to Education, Nutritional Support, and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) for Food Security. Through the CP, WFP intends to develop the capacity of more than 2,000 government staff and some 3,600 local community members, in-line with WFP's shift from food aid to food assistance. A total of 122,948 metric tons of food is scheduled to be distributed to some 1,926,400 beneficiaries over a five-year period at an estimated total cost of US$109,893,112. WFP will procure most of its food assistance in the local markets, thus supporting the local economy, including smallholder farmers. Assistance to Food Insecure People Suffering from the Effects of Natural Disasters (PRRO 105860)
Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) estimates show that as many as one million beneficiaries may require food assistance during the 2012/2013 food consumption year. An assessment of the rural food security situation by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) took place between 27 May and 1 June, and the results will be officially presented at the end of June. This assessment will determine the exact need for any WFP and Government emergency food assistance in rural areas. The PRRO was due to end in February 2012, but was extended until December of this year. WFP is extending the emergency window of this operation so as to be able to jump-start an emergency response.
Assistance to Refugees (PRRO 200087)
The current refugee project started on 1 January 2010 and will be operational through December 2012. The project provides assistance to 14,000 refugees through general food distributions in the Dzaleka refugee camp and at the Karonga refugee transit shelter. The refugees’ movement and local integration is limited, making them heavily dependent on WFP food assistance to meet their basic food needs. The overall goal of the operation is to help achieve and maintain food security among refugees living in officially-designated camps while protecting the environment and livelihoods of the surrounding communities. Purchase for Progress (P4P) WFP is working to connect farmers in Malawi to markets through its Purchase for Progress initiative. Purchase for Progress, a five-year pilot which started in 2008, aims at linking small- scale farmers to markets. P4P Malawi aims to improve smallholders' agricultural productivity and the marketing of staple crops while boosting domestic production. In 2011, WFP distributed 23,500 metric tons of assorted commodities (cereals, pulses and corn-soya blend) in country. Approximately half of those (11,202 MT) were procured locally. Read more on WFP Malawi Operations Brief (2009). | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/10225 | The seed emergency: The threat to food and democracy
Photo from http://ncnblogger.wordpress.com/ Patenting seeds has led to a farming and food crisis - and huge profits for US biotechnology corporations.
By Dr Vandana Shiva
From AlJazeera.com http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/02/201224152439941847.html
New Delhi, India - The seed is the first link in the food chain - and seed sovereignty is the foundation of food sovereignty. If farmers do not have their own seeds or access to open pollinated varieties that they can save, improve and exchange, they have no seed sovereignty - and consequently no food sovereignty.
The deepening agrarian and food crisis has its roots in changes in the seed supply system, and the erosion of seed diversity and seed sovereignty.
Seed sovereignty includes the farmer's rights to save, breed and exchange seeds, to have access to diverse open source seeds which can be saved - and which are not patented, genetically modified, owned or controlled by emerging seed giants. It is based on reclaiming seeds and biodiversity as commons and public good.
The past twenty years have seen a very rapid erosion of seed diversity and seed sovereignty, and the concentration of the control over seeds by a very small number of giant corporations. In 1995, when the UN organised the Plant Genetic Resources Conference in Leipzig, it was reported that 75 per cent of all agricultural biodiversity had disappeared because of the introduction of "modern" varieties, which are always cultivated as monocultures. Since then, the erosion has accelerated. The introduction of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement of the World Trade Organisation has accelerated the spread of genetically engineered seeds - which can be patented - and for which royalties can be collected. Navdanya was started in response to the introduction of these patents on seeds in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade - a forerunner to the WTO - about which a Monsanto representative later stated: "In drafting these agreements, we were the patient, diagnostician [and] physician all in one." Corporations defined a problem - and for them the problem was farmers saving seeds. They offered a solution, and the solution was to make it illegal for farmers to save seed - by introducing patents and intellectual property rights on those very seeds. As a result, acreage under GM corn, soya, canola, cotton has increased dramatically.
Threats to seed sovereigntyBesides displacing and destroying diversity, patented GMO seeds are also undermining seed sovereignty. Across the world, new seed laws are being introduced which enforce compulsory registration of seeds, thus making it impossible for small farmers to grow their own diversity, and forcing them into dependency on giant seed corporations. Corporations are also patenting climate resilient seeds evolved by farmers - thus robbing farmers of using their own seeds and knowledge for climate adaptation.
Another threat to seed sovereignty is genetic contamination. India has lost its cotton seeds because of contamination from Bt Cotton - a strain engineered to contain the pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis bacterium. Canada has lost its canola seed because of contamination from Roundup Ready canola. And Mexico has lost its corn due to contamination from Bt Cotton.
After contamination, biotech seed corporations sue farmers with patent infringement cases, as happened in the case of Percy Schmeiser. That is why more than 80 groups came together and filed a case to prevent Monsanto from suing farmers whose seed had been contaminated.
As a farmer's seed supply is eroded, and farmers become dependent on patented GMO seed, the result is debt. India, the home of cotton, has lost its cotton seed diversity and cotton seed sovereignty. Some 95 per cent of the country's cotton seed is now controlled by Monsanto - and the debt trap created by being forced to buy seed every year - with royalty payments - has pushed hundreds of thousands of farmers to suicide; of the 250,000 farmer suicides, the majority are in the cotton belt. Seeding controlEven as the disappearance of biodiversity and seed sovereignty creates a major crisis for agriculture and food security, corporations are pushing governments to use public money to destroy the public seed supply and replace it with unreliable non-renewable, patented seed - which must be bought each and every year. In Europe, the 1994 regulation for protection of plant varieties forces farmers to make a "compulsory voluntary contribution" to seed companies. The terms themselves are contradictory. What is compulsory cannot be voluntary.
In France, a law was passed in November 2011, which makes royalty payments compulsory. As Agriculture Minister Bruna Le Marie stated: "Seeds can be longer be royalty free, as is currently the case." Of the 5,000 or so cultivated plant varieties, 600 are protected by certificate in France, and these account for 99 per cent of the varieties grown by farmers.
The "compulsory voluntary contribution", in other words a royalty, is justified on grounds that "a fee is paid to certificate holders [seed companies] to sustain funding of research and efforts to improve genetic resources".
Monsanto pirates biodiversity and genetic resources from farming communities, as it did in the case of a wheat biopiracy case fought by Navdanya with Greenpeace, and climate resilient crops and brinjal (also known as aubergine or eggplant) varieties for Bt Brinjal. As Monsanto states, "it draws from a collection of germ-plasm that is unparalleled in history" and "mines the diversity in this genetic library to develop elite seeds faster than ever before".
In effect, what is taking place is the enclosure of the genetic commons of our biodiversity and the intellectual commons of public breeding by farming communities and public institutions. And the GMO seeds Monsanto is offering are failing. This is not "improvement" of genetic resources, but degradation. This is not innovation but piracy.
For example, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) - being pushed by the Gates Foundation - is a major assault on Africa's seed sovereignty.
AgribusinessThe 2009 US Global Food Security Act, also called the Lugar-Casey Act , "A bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to provide assistance to foreign countries to promote food security, to stimulate rural economies, and to improve emergency response to food crisis, to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and for other purposes".
The amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act would "include research on bio-technological advances appropriate to local ecological conditions, including genetically modified technology". The $ 7.7bn that goes with the bill would go to benefit Monsanto to push GM seeds.
An article in Forbes, titled "Why Uncle Sam Supports Franken Foods", shows how agribusiness is the only sector in which US has a positive trade balance. Hence the push for GMOs - because they bring royalties to the US. However, royalties for Monsanto are based on debt, suicidal farmers and the disappearance of biodiversity worldwide. Under the US Global Food Security Act, Nepal signed an agreement with USAID and Monsanto. This led to massive protests across the country. India was forced to allow patents on seeds through the first dispute brought by the US against India in the WTO. Since 2004, India has also been trying to introduce a Seed Act which would require farmers to register their own seeds and take licenses. This in effect would force farmers from using their indigenous seed varieties. By creating a Seed Satyagraha - a non-cooperation movement in Gandhi's footsteps, handing over hundreds of thousands of signatures to the prime minister, and working with parliament - we have so far prevented the Seed Law from being introduced. India has signed a US-India Knowledge Initiative in Agriculture, with Monsanto on the Board. Individual states are also being pressured to sign agreements with Monsanto. One example is the Monsanto-Rajasthan Memorandum of Understanding, under which Monsanto would get intellectual property rights to all genetic resources, and to carry out research on indigenous seeds. It took a campaign by Navdanya and a "Monsanto Quit India" Bija Yatra ["seed pilgrimage"] to force the government of Rajasthan to cancel the MOU.
This asymmetric pressure of Monsanto on the US government, and the joint pressure of both on the governments across the world, is a major threat to the future of seeds, the future of food and the future of democracy.
Dr Vandana Shiva is a physicist, eco-feminist, philosopher, activist and author of more than 20 books and 500 papers. She is the founder of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, and has campaigned for biodiversity, conservation and farmers' rights, winning the Right Livelihood Award [Alternative Nobel Prize] in 1993.
State of the Organic Union (Toronto)
The seed emergency: The threat to food and democra... | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/10535 | Industry Turley is new chairman of the Texas Agriculture Council
By Texas Farm Bureau
September 19, 2012 | 5:14 pm EDT
Darren Turley, Texas Association of Dairymen executive director, has been elected chairman of the Texas Agriculture Council (TAC), a coalition of 70 Texas agricultural organizations. “Educating Texas lawmakers about agriculture will be more important than ever during the 2013 legislative session,” Turley told the Stephenville Empire-Tribune. “A large majority of those who set and influence public policy in Texas do not understand how food gets from the farm to the fork. We must show them that Texas agriculture, which currently is facing some tough challenges, not only helps feed the state and the world, but is also an important contributor to local economies.”
TAC’s mission is to promote discussion of political, legislative and regulatory issues that affect Texas agriculture.
Turley has been executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen since December 2010. He is a graduate of Dublin High School and received a bachelor of business administration from Tarleton State University in 1990.
texasdairybeefagriculture About the Author:
Texas Farm Bureau | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/11199 | Napa County farm, wine grape values jump 33 percent Apr 19, 2017 Arizona tree nut plantings on the fast track Apr 18, 2017 California State Water Project boosts irrigation allotment Apr 18, 2017 Even with effective synthetic alternatives Sulfur remains a relevant tool for controlling powdery mildew Apr 12, 2017 Crops>Rice Ducks Unlimited addresses rice wetlands issues
Texas leads the nation with the most hunters and anglers (2.6 million), the most money spent by sportsmen and women ($6.6 billion), the most jobs supported (106,000) and the highest tax revenue generated ($1.3 billion) each year by outdoor recreation in any state. Logan Hawkes | Jun 28, 2012
As Mid-Coast rice farmers in Texas continue to suffer through a year without water releases from two Central Texas lakes, they are getting unexpected support from conservation giant Ducks Unlimited.
Todd Merendino, manager of conservation programs for DU’s Texas field office, appeared before the Lower Colorado River Authority’s Water Operations Committee June 19 and briefed the group on the importance of coastal wetlands and the role they play in the state’s economy.
Merendino was asked to appear before the Committee to discuss the impact of LCRA’s new water policy as it relates to wildlife and wetlands in the Texas Mid-coast region.
Merendino, citing a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report, told the group that Texas leads the nation with the most hunters and anglers (2.6 million), the most money spent by sportsmen and women ($6.6 billion), the most jobs supported (106,000) and the highest tax revenue generated ($1.3 billion) each year by outdoor recreation in any state. He told the LCRA Committee that wintering water fowl represent a substantial segment of that revenue, and rice wetlands surrounding the Colorado River have traditionally offered up to 50,000 acres of prime habitat for migratory birds.
In addition, Merendino says, according to a Texas AgriLife report, on average rice agriculture contributes $374.3 million and more than 3,300 jobs annually in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties alone. Those numbers don't include rice farming's substantial contributions to the revenue and jobs generated from waterfowl hunting and other outdoor recreation in the state. Waterfowl hunting alone contributes $204 million to the Texas economy each year.
Importance of rice agriculture
"DU appreciates the opportunity to discuss the importance of rice agriculture to waterfowl," Merendino told the committee. "We understand difficult decisions must be made in current extreme drought conditions. However, nearly 2 million wintering waterfowl and millions of other migratory birds and wildlife depend heavily on the managed wetlands associated with rice agriculture in the Texas Mid-Coast region for habitat and food resources.”
Merendino told Farm Press that in reviewing LCRA’s decision to limit releases of water from Buchanan and Travis Lakes near Austin, no consideration was offered to its impact on wildlife or waterfowl.
“Given the importance of the Texas Mid-Coast to waterfowl and the related economic impacts of hunting and other wildlife-associated recreation in the area, this absence is very disappointing," he said.
But he described the meeting with the Committee as cordial and professional and said he believes the group is taking a serious look at the issue in light of the new information he provided.
“It was a very positive presentation and well received. A drought like we experienced last year is a serious development for everyone in the state and LCRA’s action reflects the serious measures that are necessary to deal with such a widespread problem,” he said. “But the Committee admits it was unaware of the waterfowl and wetland issue posed by that decision and was responsive to the presentation.”
He said the Committee suggested that conservation groups and property owners along the lower Colorado River could opt to purchase water from the river to maintain wetlands, but said that water must come from the natural flow of the river and not from dam releases at Highland Lakes.
“DU has been working for 20-plus years in developing partnerships with private property owners to work toward better conservation efforts, and the Committee thought purchasing river water would provide one alternative to help with the problem, and it might,” he said.
But he was quick to point out that over the last 20 years DU’s efforts in the partnership program have added about 60,000 acres of new land earmarked for conservation while LCRA’s decision to limit lake water effectively took away up to 50,000 acres of land that served conservation efforts.
“The Committee was very responsive to the news and is dedicated to looking at other long range solutions. But in a serious drought, measures must be taken to protect water rights, and not a lot can be done about that until the rains fall again,” he added.
He said there is a chance that federal grants or loans could help, pointing to a National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) program that has helped farmers protect the environment in the past.
“Whether those funds are still available or if the scope of this project would qualify, I can’t say. But we should open all the doors we can as we search for ways to better protect wildlife and the benefits that provides as we move forward,” he said. “There’s only so much water and the needs of people come first, and we understand that. But I think now LCRA realizes there is a lot at stake in terms of conservation and hopefully they will be able to assist in helping Texas conserve all of its natural resources when developing future policies.”
RelatedGowan Company’s new Butte herbicide approved for California riceApr 25, 2017Could California weather damage cause lower almond yields?Mar 02, 2017‘Reminding Trump about rural America’ to be USA Rice goalFeb 03, 2017Exchange rates helping keep lid on U.S. crop pricesJan 12, 2017 Load More | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/11232 | Livestock ConservationYou are here:HomeLivestock Conservation
Heritage Breed Livestock Conservation
Many people are aware of endangered species in the wild, such as sea turtles or spotted owls, very few realize that domesticated livestock species are also threatened. The livestock seen grazing in the fields, cooling in the shade, or lazing about in the barnyard paddocks at Piscataway Park are rare breeds of animals that no longer conform to the needs of modern agriculture. These breeds were imported to the U.S. around the time of colonial settlement and are an essential part of the Accokeek Foundation’s historical programming. More importantly, they are preserved to promote sustainable agriculture and genetic diversity. The Accokeek Foundation works to increase awareness about special breeds of endangered domesticated livestock by promoting and preserving heritage breeds through a managed breeding program, demonstration, and education. HERITAGE BREED GALLERY
Milking Devon cattle
American Milking Devons are a tri-purpose breed with a ruby red coat with black-tipped white horns. Devons come from the southwestern peninsula of England, where the breed was developed over several centuries. Devons are valued for the production of high quality beef and rich milk.The American Milking Devon breed is now distinct from other Devon populations in the world and closest to the breed’s original type, and is unique to the United States. With the exception of one bull, all of the Milking Devon cattle in our pastures are breeding cows.
Hog Island Sheep
Two hundred years ago, a flock of sheep was established on Hog Island, a barrier island off the eastern shore of Virginia. Hog Island sheep evolved to become foragers, showing excellent reproductive ability and hardiness in their harsh environment. They vary in physical appearance; most of the sheep white, though about twenty percent are black. Newborn lambs are frequently spotted over the body, but the spots usually disappear as the lambs mature. The face and legs of these sheep can be speckled brown, white, and black, or have black faces and legs. Ewes may be horned or polled and rams may have horns or are somewhat polled, with only small scurs on their heads in the place of horns.
Ossabaw hogs
A feral breed found on Ossabaw Island off the coast of Georgia near Savannah, Ossabaw hogs are said to have been brought to America by the Spanish during early American settlement. They are typically black, although some are black with white spots, white with black spots, or rarely red. Ossabaw are unusual and important for three reasons. First, its history as an isolated island population has meant that the Ossabaw is the closest genetic representative of historic Spanish stock. Second, the presence of pigs on Ossabaw Island provides scientists with an exceptional opportunity to study a long-term feral population that is well-documented. Third, the Ossabaw breed is biologically unique, having been shaped by natural selection in a challenging environment known for heat, humidity, and seasonal scarcity of food. They are able to store astounding amounts of body fat in order to survive. This biochemical adaptation is similar to non-insulin-dependent diabetes in humans, making the pigs a natural animal model for this disease. Ossabaw hogs are also found to be particularly well suited for sustainable or pastured pork production.
The mixed flock of chickens and turkeys at Piscataway Park demonstrate backyard chicken keeping for any farmer, homesteader, or hobbist looking for a more sustainable lifestyle. The breeds selected provide a colorful array of eggs which are sold at markets and in the Visitor’s Center.
View the Gallery of all of our Beautiful Heritage Breeds!
HERITAGE BREED GALLERY | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/11584 | Compare All New Zealand Declares Largest Drought In 30 Years
By NICK PERRY CARTERTON, New Zealand (AP) â¿¿ Dairy farmer John Rose has sent more than 100 of his cows to the slaughterhouse over recent weeks as a severe drought browned pastures in New Zealand's normally verdant North Island. He had to thin his herd so the remaining 550 cows have enough to eat, and he's supplementing their diet with ground palm kernel as the grass in his fields withers. "We try and make sure they've got water and shade during the day and do the best we can for them," he said. "It's very hard to remember when the last rainfall was." The drought is costing farmers millions of dollars each day and is beginning to take a toll on New Zealand's economy. On Friday, the government officially declared its most widespread drought in at least 30 years. Parts of the North Island are drier than they've been in 70 years and some scientists say the unusual weather could be a harbinger of climate change. There has been little significant rainfall in the northern and eastern parts of the country since October. Still, some are finding the dry, sun soaked days a boon. Vintners call the conditions perfect. And city dwellers are reveling in eating lunch outdoors or spending evenings at the beach in a Southern Hemisphere summer that never seems to end. Farmers estimate the drought has so far cost them about 1 billion New Zealand dollars ($820 million) in lost export earnings with the damage rising daily as they reduce their herds, which in turn reduces milk production. Farming, and dairy cows in particular, drives the economy in the island nation of 4.5 million and the drought is expected to shave about a percentage point off economic growth. New Zealand's last significant drought was five years ago and also cost farmers billions of dollars. Prev | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/11942 | Home > Fellows GANESH PANGARE
Economic DevelopmentSectors: Citizen/Community Participation, Natural Resource Management, Water ManagementTarget Population: Communities, Ecosystems, Farmers/Sharecroppers Indian Network on Participatory Irrigation Management
Ganesh Pangare is creating a national and regional framework for farmers to begin managing the public irrigation systems that water their land, thereby replacing ineffective government management with citizen ownership of a vital public service.
prepared when Ganesh Pangare was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2002.
Ganesh is restructuring the way farmers and the state interact over the crucial matter of waterspecifically, the maintenance, management, and financing of irrigation systems. For decades the government, through its irrigation department, was solely responsible for building and servicing agricultural waterways, yet the quality of service was poor, and many farmers did not get the water they needed. Ganesh is steering a meaningful transfer of power away from the dysfunctional irrigation bureaucracy and toward citizens by helping state governments design new systems and at the same time working with farmers to create democratic water users' associations. By providing detailed implementation plans to state governments, forging agreements with irrigation authorities, and helping farmers form effective groups, Ganesh is in effect guiding large parts of rural India through a major economic and political transformation. But Ganesh's vision for the network extends beyond setting up local water boards and helping them to manage user fees. He sees the emergence of the users' associations as an opportunity to engage Indian farmers in larger issues of natural resource management. In fact, by sharing his experiences and fostering similar efforts around the world, Ganesh hopes to position farmers in the growing world dialogue on water management.
Indian farmers need waterthis fact that has not changed much in the 50 years or so since India's federal government embarked on major projects to build dams, dig canals, and carve out irrigation ditches to supply water to the nation's farmers. But many other things have changed, such as the growth of the citizen sector and the state of natural resource management as an essential area of public action. In the changing landscape of watershed management, in which water has steadily become a subject of complex economic, political, and cultural conflict between people and the state, there is a great need for practical systems through which the country can manage water as a public resource and water users as the public.
India's irrigation systems have run into fundamental operational problems, including maintenance and operation of waterways, fair distribution of water to large and small farmers, and financing of regular maintenance. Canals have filled with silt, reducing water flow, particularly to smaller farmers at the "tail" of the system. Owners of larger farms served directly by the main channels at the "head" of an irrigation system are likely to divert the most possible water from the stifled canals. The federal and state irrigation departments have proved inefficient in serving this infrastructure. Eighty percent of their budgets go to salary, including wages ostensibly paid to seasonal workers to clear blocked waterways, yet much needed water only trickles and floodgates are commonly rusted shut from neglect.
Meanwhile, global trends in the privatization of water management, though yet to touch India directly, are affecting the ways that multilateral donors like the World Bank attempt to guide macroeconomic policies. Whatever soundness and rationale privatization may have in theory, hasty implementation has often created turmoil by introducing high fees (or any fees, where water had been "free" from the user's perspective), establishing new corporate bureaucracies, and exacerbating tensions between the average water-using citizen and the new water-owning oligarchieswho are already in conflict over a host of other social and political issues. THE STRATEGY
Ganesh's strategy is to work with states and farmers to implement the transition to farmer-managed irrigation, then to support and develop the users' association so that it can influence national and international natural resource management policies.
Successful implementation involves, at the outset, approaching the right politicians and bureaucrats to win them over to the idea of participating in the program. Because the government receives funding from the World Bank, because farmers generally approve, and because the irrigation bureaucracy does not protest (it is not dismantled, just relieved of some of its major responsibilities), many of these decision-makers want to pursue the program. Ganesh's role then becomes working with state officials to create plans and frameworks for implementation. Because he is a well-known environmentalist with a record of achievement in watershed management, Ganesh is also able to approach citizen sector organizations to secure their buy-in. Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashstra are three large states in which agreements have been reached and implementation is underway.
The obstacles at this point are technical. What should the pricing structure be? How will irrigation officials manage the transfer of responsibility and budgetstheir entire operations and maintenance budgetsto the new users' associations? What will the reporting and accountability relationships be between the village-level users' groups and their counterparts at the subdistrict, district, and state levels? All these details must be addressed in order to implement successfully. For example, Ganesh often recommends a percentage distribution of user fees from the local level outward in a 50-30-10-10 formulai.e., half goes to the local association and the rest is spread upward. Because water travels downstream, some portion of fees paid at the tail must travel upstream, so to speak, to maintain the head of the system properly. All this requires training and capacity-building of these new entitiesthe water users' associations. Ganesh's organization provides the materials and expertise to help both irrigation officials and nongovernment organizations take on the training role. To date, this work has set up over 10,000 functioning users' associations in Andhra Pradesh alone.
The real culmination of the idea for Ganesh, however, comes at the point when a large number of users' associations can be linked in an overall federation. The federation is particularly important because it, not the users' associations, is the point of entry for farmers whose operations are rain-fed and thus off the irrigation system. Ganesh's goal is greater farmer participation in water management policy. Because most farmers still rely on the monsoon floods, rather than dikes and ditches, to water their crops, any attempt to influence policy must include them as well. And there are practical linkages as well as political ones: rain-fed agriculture relies as much on the water table underground as on rain from the sky. As irrigation systems become more efficient, they preserve the water table and allow water tables and wells to recharge more quickly. This implies a secondary market between users' associations and their rain-fed neighbors. Managing these relationships successfully will create opportunities for these different categories of farmer to gather around a livelihood issue of mutual concern.
Born in a lower-middle-class farming family, Ganesh spent his childhood in Pune. While in school, he earned his pocket money by participating and working as a guide for wildlife treks, conservation crusades, and nature clubs. His interest in wildlife continued, and during his college years he conducted group tours along the Shivaji Fort trail and in the Annamalai and Madhumalai regions.
As a college student, Ganesh visited Ralegaon Siddhi, the village where renowned environmental activist Anna Hazare worked. Ganesh apprenticed himself to Mr. Hazare and began working in India's watershed protection and management movement. His work on the Ideal Village program involved transferring the success of a particular watershed, the Ralegaon Siddhi, to more than 300 villages in Maharashtra. At a certain point, however, Ganesh saw that the movement was heading toward confrontation with the authorities and further away from innovation in the ideas and practices of implementation. "Alternatives," he recalls, "not agitation," were needed to reduce the violence and animosity mounting around the Narmada River dam project.
He decided to step back from the forefront of the watershed movement and devote himself to an issue where it would be possible to detach the issues of water management, for which the great demand for innovation had been unanswered, from its close connection to the struggle for land rights that made cooperation between the state and citizens increasingly difficult. Realizing that most citizen sector energy had gone into rain-fed areas, and that the nation's irrigation system desperately needed restructuring, Ganesh founded the Indian Network on Participatory Irrigation Management. Ganesh lives in Delhi with his wife and two sons. He is a keen wildlife photographer, and has coauthored many books and articles on water management.
Kalyan Paul
Kishor Rithe
Suprabha Seshan
Laxman Singh
Santosh Ragunath Gondhalekar
Raveendran Kannan | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/12856 | U.S.|In North Dakota, New Concerns Over Mixing Oil and Wheat
https://nyti.ms/18qWNy9
U.S. In North Dakota, New Concerns Over Mixing Oil and Wheat
By JOHN ELIGONOCT. 17, 2013
Mike and Kim Sorenson with their children on their farm in Ross, N.D. The Sorensons are fighting a relative’s offer to lease his land to a company that wants to build an oil drilling waste dump.
Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times ROSS, N.D. — While three generations of the Sorenson family have made their livelihood growing wheat and other crops here, they also have learned to embrace the furious pace of North Dakota’s oil exploration. After all, oil money helped the Sorensons acquire the land and continue to farm it.But more oil means more drilling, resulting in tons of waste that is putting cropland at risk and raising doubt among farmers that these two cash crops can continue to coexist.A private company is trying to install a landfill to dispose of solid drilling waste on a golden 160-acre wheat field across the road from Mike and Kim Sorenson’s farmhouse. Although the engineers and regulators behind the project insist that it is safe for the environment, the Sorensons have voiced concern that salt from the drilling waste could seep onto their land, which would render the soil infertile and could contaminate their water, causing their property value to drop.“I’m concerned not if it leaks, it’s when it’s going to leak over there,” Ms. Sorenson, 42, said. Continue reading the main story
Oil companies in North Dakota disposed of more than a million tons of drilling waste last year, 15 times the amount in 2006, according to Steven J. Tillotson, the assistant director of the Division of Waste Management for the state’s Health Department. Seven drilling waste landfills operate in the state, with 16 more under construction or seeking state approval.
Landowners who lease their acreage see a reward, while neighboring farmers often protest the potential harm to their pastures. Farmers here complain that state officials promote policies that help the energy sector grow rapidly with little regard for the effect on their livelihoods.“I don’t think they’re very concerned about the farmer," Mr. Sorenson, 41, said.His 36-year-old brother, Charlie, who farms with him, added, “There’s just more effort put on where the bacon’s coming from, I guess.”Few would argue against the benefits of the energy industry, which has made North Dakota the second-largest oil producing state in the country and helped it build a surplus of more than $1.6 billion.“I wouldn’t say that production agriculture is being forgotten because everyone understands that it always has been and always will be the backbone of the economy of North Dakota,” said Dave Hynek, one of five commissioners in Mountrail County, where the landfill is being proposed. “However, the tremendous amount of money coming into the state coffers from the oil industry at the present time has overshadowed that.”
Halle Sorenson, 10, helps out at the farm.
Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times Without the oil industry, Mr. Sorenson said, he might not even be farming.His grandfather worked in the oil fields in Montana in the 1940s to earn the money to buy the land where Mr. Sorenson and his family live. In the late 1990s, Mr. Sorenson worked in the North Dakota oil fields for five years to make enough money to farm full time.“I’ve worked in the oil industry,” Mr. Sorenson said. “That’s kind of how I got all my stuff.”The Sorensons receive royalties from oil that is produced on their land and from allowing drilling, which accounts for about 10 percent of their income, Mr. Sorenson said.“I’m fairly neutral on the drilling,” he said, though that did not lessen his concern over the possibility of a landfill across the street. “This most certainly affects me negatively.”
Ms. Sorenson said she was more worried about the environmental risk of living next to a landfill, like runoff seeping into their well water, and what that could mean for their five children.“We’d love to see our grandkids and further generations be able to be a part of this land, also,” Ms. Sorenson said.
The Sorensons, who have hired a lawyer, are especially sensitive to the landfill proposal because the property owner offering to lease the land for the project is a second cousin of Mike and Charlie Sorenson. The cousin, Roger Sorenson, did not respond to messages seeking comment.Most drilling waste, usually chunks of earth slathered in chemicals and petroleum, is disposed of at the drilling site. About a year and a half ago, the state passed a regulation requiring drilling companies to dry the waste before burying it on-site to address concerns about runoff and leakage. More companies have since turned to landfills to dispose of waste.Industry experts argue that landfills are built with better technology and safeguards to prevent environmental hazards than dumps at drilling sites. And it is safer to have a few central dumps that are monitored than a waste pit on each of the thousands of drilling sites throughout the Bakken shale field, said John McCain, the executive vice president and principal engineer at Carlson McCain, the engineering company designing the landfill proposed in Ross.
Only a road separates the proposed landfill site from the Sorensons’ property.
Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times “I think that landfills carry a negative connotation with them,” Mr. McCain said. “But that negative connotation comes from the old dumps, and the public hasn’t really been educated on new landfill technology.”Mr. McCain argued that the environmental concern over the proposed waste site in Ross is unwarranted because the soil and liners would protect against leakage.Those assurances ring hollow to environmental activists in the state, who say they have seen too many drilling-related spills, though not necessarily from landfills.“We’re not in any way, shape or form against oil,” said Don Morrison, the executive director of the Dakota Resource Council, an environmental group. Later, he added, “The pace of development is the problem and the fact that there are laws on the books that are not being implemented to protect people’s water and land and livelihoods.”
Over the past five years, Mr. Tillotson said, contamination from landfills has occurred only twice, and the companies responsible were fined.“Environmental releases, whether they are on a well site or off-site, or even at a landfill we regulate, is an issue that we take extremely seriously,” Mr. Tillotson said in an e-mail.For the landfill near the Sorensons to be built, the Mountrail County Commission must rezone the land from agricultural to industrial.Mr. Hynek said he was unsure whether he would support the landfill. He understood the environmental concerns, he said, but added that those needed to be balanced against the likelihood of a problem and the benefit of oil exploration.Mr. Hynek, who farms for a living, said he shared one major concern with his neighbors: the increasing conversion of farmland into drilling land.“This country has always been ag country as far as raising crops and livestock,” he said. “And once this mineral is depleted — and it will be some day — it will go back to being ag land, and I don’t believe it will ever be as productive as it originally was.”
A version of this article appears in print on October 18, 2013, on Page A14 of the New York edition with the headline: In North Dakota, New Concerns Over Mixing Oil and Wheat. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/13096 | Napa County farm, wine grape values jump 33 percent Apr 19, 2017 Arizona tree nut plantings on the fast track Apr 18, 2017 California State Water Project boosts irrigation allotment Apr 18, 2017 Even with effective synthetic alternatives Sulfur remains a relevant tool for controlling powdery mildew Apr 12, 2017 Management Negotiators pass measure to House and Senate
Forrest Laws | Oct 21, 2000
$3.6 billion farm aid bill gains House and Senate negotiators approved a Fiscal Year 2001 agricultural appropriations bill that provides $3.6 billion in emergency relief for U.S. farmers and ranchers and some relief on reopening trade with Cuba. The $3.6 billion is an estimate of how much crop loss and disaster assistance farmers will need to help them recover from severe drought conditions this summer. The funds will not be pro-rated among farmers as in previous years. "The farmers of this country continue to work hard to provide a safe and abundant food supply while battling difficulties on every front," said Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., who, as chairman of the Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee, wrote much of the language in the conference report. "This bill will respond to their needs by providing emergency assistance to compensate for losses, including those farmers in Mississippi who have suffered from drought problems this year." The House and Senate were expected to vote on the conference report as soon as they returned from the Oct. 9 Columbus Day recess. If they approve, it would be sent to the president for his signature. Farm organizations applauded the conference report and singled out Cochran, House Ag Appropriations Chairman Joe Skeen, R-N.M., and Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas, for praise for their work on the legislation. "Producers in many areas of the Cotton Belt have had disastrous weather again," said National Cotton Council President Robert E. McLendon. "Their costs are higher, yields have been cut and the overall quality of their crop will be poorer than normal. This assistance will allow many producers to operate next year." McLendon, a producer from Leary, Ga., said the Council is pleased that Congress had provided sufficient funds so that quantity and quality losses could be covered with out another pro-ration of benefits. Producers will also be allowed to apply for assistance for 1999 crop quality losses. Crop loss requirement For 2000, as in previous years, growers must have experienced crop losses of at least 35 percent to qualify for the assistance payments. FSA officials were unable to give an estimate of how soon those payments might be available. Earlier, Congress approved supplemental Agricultural Market Transition Act or AMTA payments totaling $5.5 billion to help compensate for market losses in 2000. But Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman told a House Agricultural Committee hearing in late September that farmers could sustain weather losses of more than $2.2 billion in 2000. Besides the $3.6 billion for crop losses, the bill includes $490 million for assistance to livestock producers and $473 million for dairy assistance. "The quality provisions in this bill are designed to more accurately measure the actual income losses sustained by producers," said McLendon. "This is a new approach that should be welcomed by producers and the industry's infra-structure for its recognition of the financial losses of producers who harvest their crops." USDA's Farm Service Agency is expected to develop procedures for filing for the new disaster assistance program and for determining quality losses in the next several weeks. The appropriations bill also provides $50 million to help FSA deliver the assistance. The bill also contains language sponsored by Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark., and Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., that raises the per person limit on marketing loan gains from $75,000 to $150,000. And conferees inserted a one-year moratorium on enforcement of a debt collection provision that affected eligibility for loans and other program benefits. Of special interest to cotton producers is a provision that provides $78 million in federal cost share funds for the Boll Weevil Eradication Program. Although $59 million of those initially were designated as emergency spending, the bill adds that amount to the budget baseline for federal programs. Much of the $59 million will be used to help states that have had cost overruns in their eradication programs because of a series of mild winters that have led to little, if any, overwintering mortality for the pest. Other spending in the bill includes: $873 million for conservation programs at USDA, an increase of $69 million from last year. The bill authorizes the enrollment of an additional 100,000 acres in the Wetlands Reserve Program and authorizes the secretary of agriculture to continue the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. $1.88 billion for agriculture research, education and Extension programs, an increase of $104 million over last year. USDA's Agriculture Research Service will receive $898 million and the activities of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service are funded at $981.6 million. $3.09 billion in authorized loan levels for agricultural credit programs for farmers, a $14 million increase over last year. $5.07 billion for rural housing loans and $680 million for rural housing rental assistance. In addition, rural economic and community development programs will receive $644.4 million for loans and grants for rural water and sewer facilities. $696.7 million for the Food Safety and Inspection Service, an increase of $47.6 million from last year and $8.5 million more than the president's budget requested. Sanctions debate Although the bill contains significant funding increases in emergency assistance and other programs, those were overshadowed in the days leading up to passage of the conference report by the debate over ending trade sanctions on Cuba. While a number of farm-state congressmen had made sanctions reform a top priority this year, the House Republican leadership threw up obstacles to prevent the restoration of normal trade relations with Cuba. Reps. Emerson, Berry and George Nethercutt, R-Wash., and Sen. John Ashcroft, R-Mo., spearheaded the efforts to lift the sanctions and allow cash sales of U.S. food and medicine to embargoed countries, including Cuba. Although House leaders inserted language in the bill barring financing of sales to Cuba by U.S. lending institutions, pro-Cuba trade legislators were able to work out a compromise measure allowing financing by third country lenders. A spokesman for the USA Rice Federation said that sales of U.S. rice to Cuba could be made as early as 120 days after the legislation is signed.
RelatedKey tools to maximize pistachio production in ‘trickier’ saline soilApr 19, 2017Reduce canker damage in almond with proven management tipsApr 19, 2017Monsanto launches ‘National Agronomy Week’ April 3-7Apr 03, 2017Researchers ramp up releases of tiny wasp to improve biological control of the Virginia creeper leafhopperMar 22, 2017 Load More | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/13151 | AfricaRice to boost rice R&D capacity in Eastern and Central Africa
Posted by AfricaRice ⋅ April 22, 2014 ⋅ Leave a comment
Filed Under Adama Traoré, Africa Rice Congress, Africa's Rice Sector, AfricaRice, ARICA, boost rice, Center Development Plan, Eastern and Central Africa, Papa Abdoulaye Seck, Peter Matlon, Strategic Plan The Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) Board of Trustees has approved the Center’s Development Plan for 2014-2020, which proposes a stronger presence of the Center in Eastern and Central Africa in response to the growing demand from its member countries to enhance rice research and development (R&D) capacity in the two sub-regions.
“We approve the systematic expansion of AfricaRice’s operations in Eastern and Central Africa for effective implementation of its Strategic Plan 2011-2020,” the Board stated at its recent meeting in Cotonou, Benin. “The Center will continue to maintain an important presence in West Africa, while building up critical research mass in Eastern and Central Africa.”
AfricaRice is one of the 15 international agricultural research Centers that are members of the CGIAR Consortium. It is also an intergovernmental association of 25 African member countries. Its temporary headquarters is based in Cotonou, Benin; research and support staff members are also located in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The Center Development Plan, which is a companion document to the AfricaRice Strategic Plan 2011–2020, is based on the principles of decentralized mode of operation, long-term stable funding, strengthened capacity of AfricaRice scientists and national partners, and efficient support services.
The Plan anticipates that over the period 2014 – 2020, AfricaRice would return its Headquarters to Côte d’Ivoire and establish three Regional Centers, each focusing on specific groups of countries and rice environments and consisting of one or more stations, as follows:
Headquarters: Abidjan office and M’bé Station, Côte d’Ivoire
West Africa Regional Center: Ndiaye Station, Senegal (will host the regional representative); Cotonou Station, Benin; Ibadan Station, Nigeria; M’bé Station, Côte d’Ivoire
East and Southern Africa Regional Center: Dar es Salaam Station, Tanzania (will host the regional representative); Madagascar Station (exact location to be identified); Uganda Station (exact location to be identified).
Central Africa Regional Center: Location(s) under study with partners
The Center Development Plan is expected to improve operational efficiency and develop greater cohesion of AfricaRice’s activities, most of which will continue to be conducted under the umbrella of the CGIAR Research Program on Rice, known as the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), led globally by the International Rice Research Institute, with AfricaRice leading GRiSP activities in Africa.
“The Center Development Plan is a living document that will be reviewed regularly to ensure that AfricaRice can respond in a timely manner to new strategic choices and regional and global developments,” the Board observed.
The Board reiterated its pride in the appointment of the former Director General Papa Abdoulaye Seck as the Senegal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment in September 2013. Thanks to him, AfricaRice has become a catalyst behind the remarkable visibility of the rice sector in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Board commended the Interim Director General Adama Traoré for ensuring a smooth transition with the support of AfricaRice Management and staff. In line with the resolutions of the 29th Session of AfricaRice Council of Ministers, the new Director General will be selected in September 2014 and will be in place by January 2015.
The Board was pleased with the successful organization of the 3rd Africa Rice Congress in October 2013 in Cameroon, which was attended by about 650 participants from 60 countries (including 35 African countries). The Congress issued a clarion call to increase investments in Africa’s rice sector as well as in rice-related research, extension and capacity building so that the continent can realize its rice promise.
Research program: The Board appreciated the strong pace of implementation of theAfricaRice Strategic Plan, which is nested within GRiSP. It took note of several key achievements in 2013/2014, which include the following:
Launch of a new generation of high-performing rice varieties under the ARICA(Advanced RICes for Africa) brand; to date 11 ARICAs, including climate-smart rice varieties, have been identified for the main rice ecologies
Release of a new reference book, “Realizing Africa’s Rice Promise,” which provides a comprehensive overview of Africa’s rice sector
Development of an automated monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system to help researchers track progress of R&D activities, outputs and outcomes
Development of decision support and diagnostic tools for rice extension workers and farmers
Establishment of the Africa-wide Rice Mechanization Task Force
Setting up of 68 Rice Sector Development Hubs across 24 countries to concentrate R&D efforts and connect partners along the rice value chain
Technical support provided to several member countries to operationalize their national rice development strategies
Launch of the Rice eHub for stimulating knowledge exchange in and beyond the Rice Hubs
Financial management: The Board was pleased with the continued improvement in the financial health and stability of the Center. It commended the Management for the sound and prudent management of the Center’s resources.
Planning for return to Côte d’Ivoire
The Board approved the Center’s plan for a phased return to Côte d’Ivoire in keeping with the resolution of the Council of Ministers. It noted that progress had been made in the discussions with the Ivorian Government.
Board matters
The Board extended a warm welcome to new Board members: Lala Razafinjara, Director General, Centre national de recherche appliquée au développement rural (FOFIFA), Madagascar; Sylvie Mbog, Chair, Organisme de développement d’études de formation et de conseils (ODECO), Cameroon; and Gordon MacNeil, Chair, XCG International Consulting Group, Inc., Canada.
It bade a fond farewell to Yo Tiemoko, former Board Vice Chair; Barbara Becker, former Board Program Committee Chair; and Fatouma Seyni, former Board member, thanking them for their outstanding services to the Board and the Center.
“For AfricaRice, the period has been one of growth and landmark achievements,” the Board Chair Peter Matlon said at the end of the meeting, thanking the Management and staff for their dedication. “We are also very grateful to all our donors and partners for their continued support and commitment to improving the lives of resource-poor rice farmers in Africa.”
Related links :
AfricaRice Center Development Plan 2014–2020
Boosting Africa’s Rice Sector: A research for development strategy 2011–2020
Realizing Africa’s Rice Promise
A clarion call to increase investments in Africa’s rice sector
Automated M&E System of AfricaRice
Rice experts roll out new stress-tolerant rice varieties for Africa under ARICA brand
AfricaRice is a CGIAR Research Center – part of a global research partnership for a food-secure future. It is also an intergovernmental association of African member countries. View all posts by AfricaRice » « AfricaRice renforce la capacité de R & D en Afrique de l’Est et du Centre
Nomination de Dr Harold Roy-Macauley comme nouveau Directeur général d’AfricaRice » | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/14503 | Maintaining cotton's momentum in the Mid-South Apr 21, 2017 As farm income drops, young farmers take hit Apr 14, 2017 John Bradley: Still leading the innovation charge Apr 13, 2017 This Week in Agribusiness, April 22, 2017 Apr 22, 2017 Rice check-off money and lawyers
David Bennett | Jun 06, 2003
It isn't their only grievance with the rice powers, but it's the biggest. In a newsletter last year, the USA Rice Council said it had spent in excess of $500,000 of rice farmers' check-off money in defense against a Mexican dumping charge. This admission, to farmers who have contacted Delta Farm Press, was the initial smoke signal from a torched pile of misspent money. Some rice producers worry they are paying for attorneys that should rightly be reimbursed by mills. “Hey, farmers had nothing — nothing — to do with the charges in Mexico,” says John Alter, a producer from Dewitt, Ark. “That was the processors all the way. What they did or didn't do has nothing to do with any farmer. Yet, we're the ones footing the bill for their lawyers. Now, you've got these processors claiming big profits every year and farmers going out of business left and right. But (through check-off funds) we're still paying for their attorneys! What's wrong with this picture?” Dwight Ellis, president of the upstart Arkansas Rice Growers Association (ARGA), is of the “firm conviction” that the way rice farmers' check-off dollars are spent needs more scrutiny — at least when looking at the funds spent on things other than research. “The research side of the check-off funds is just doing a wonderful job,” says Alter. “I don't think you'll find a soul that's unhappy with the results of those research dollars. “However, we've got serious questions — as every farmer in the state should — about how the promotion side of our check-off money is being spent.” It grates, says Ellis, that the USA Rice Federation has “spun paying these attorneys with check-off money as ‘defense of the industry.’ However, farmers weren't polled or asked if our money could be funneled for that purpose. It's my firm belief that most farmers aren't even aware of what has happened to their money. This has been kept under the radar. Most farmers have been too busy trying to scrap a living.” Growing membership? Asked if ARGA's concerns could be an attempt to gain members through stirring up dissent, Ellis insists it isn't. “This isn't about accusing anyone of bad faith or actions. This is simply an attempt to gain fairness for farmers,” he says. “I want to take the high road here. I want to do my level best to get the (rice-growing) states back together to pull growers out of the dumps.” That's one of the reasons ARGA (which is now three years old and represents some 26 percent of Arkansas rice acreage) came about, says Alter. “For too long, we've allowed someone else — i.e. the rice mills — to take care of our business. We started requesting information from the U.S. Rice Council last June. They never engaged our questions. Instead, they sent us to a law firm. We've been corresponding with that law firm ever since. That raised all kinds of red flags,” says Alter. “We want to know where our money is going and how much is being spent. In one instance, they told us they'd released in excess of $500,000 (for legal fees). Well, what does that mean? That could be $1 over that or an infinite amount. “ARGA isn't against or fighting against rice mills. However, my first obligation is to feed my family and sell my product in any forum that the market wants — not with a bias towards milled rice. The way things are now, there is a bias. It's not the farmers' job to keep rice mills afloat.” What happened But, of course, there's another side to the story. It doesn't call for a cake and balloons, but fast approaching is the one-year anniversary of the Mexican government's placement of duties on imports of long-grain milled rice from the United States. It is those duties (announced last June 5) that the disputed check-off funds were spent fighting. It started earlier, though. In December 2001, in a petition to the Mexican government, American exporters were accused by the Mexican Rice Council of selling Mexico milled rice for less than it was sold for in the United States — a practice commonly called “dumping.” U.S. companies make fairly wide use of anti-dumping statutes themselves. There is also an anti-dumping provision provided for in the World Trade Organization (WTO), an entity both Mexico and the United States are members of. So the fact that Mexico has anti-dumping laws is not surprising. What is “very surprising,” to Bob Cummings, USA Rice Federation vice president of international policy, is the way Mexico has employed them. Fill this out In late 2001, when Mexico announced the initiation of an investigation, it sent questionnaires to American exporters of long-grain milled rice. It was at the discretion of the exporters as to whether they'd fill out the questionnaires. It wasn't an easy call: the queries are laborious and expensive. In gathering needed data, mills perused records on a sale-by-sale basis, paying close attention to the sales/prices of rice sent to Mexico and rice deals made domestically. This was done in an attempt to compare the two to show one market wasn't exploited illegally. The companies that participated were: Riceland Foods (Arkansas), The Rice Company (California), and Farmer's Rice Milling (Louisiana). “When I spoke with these companies during their filling out of the paperwork (which also entails being audited by the Mexican government when finished) people were working overtime and weekends because the process was so intense,” says Cummings. Coming to the defense The USA Rice Federation believed the anti-dumping investigation was an industry-wide threat that demanded an industry-wide response. That response cost money. “We received a small amount of initial funding for this through a USDA program,” says Cummings. “That's important because we made an argument to the U.S. government that this investigation had the potential to threaten our market access in Mexico. They agreed and provided us with some money to defend the rice industry.” But the USDA money wasn't nearly enough and the federation decided to dip into funds it controlled to pay attorneys. There were no questions raised about the fund tapping in August 2001, when the Mexican government issued its preliminary findings. To those in the U.S. rice industry the determination was welcome news: the Mexican rice industry had suffered no injury because of U.S. long-grain milled rice prices. And because no injury was suffered there was no need for anti-dumping duties on U.S. rice. “We were very happy to hear that because it corresponded to the U.S. rice industry's protestations that there'd been no dumping,” says Cummings. But the ruling was only a preliminary one. In June 2002, the Mexican government published its final determination. That document turned the tables almost 180 degrees. “They found injuries, anti-dumping penalties were assessed and we were dumbfounded,” says Cummings. “The way anti-dumping duties work is they're assigned to individual exporters who submit questionnaires. Those who don't submit the documents are lumped together under an ‘all other’ duty. I find it very interesting that the two companies that submitted questionnaires (Riceland Foods and Farmers Rice Milling) had zero duties assigned them. The third company, The Rice Company, had a duty rate of 3.96 percent assessed it. That's very low.” The “all others” rate, however, was 10.18 percent. That rate was to be applied to all U.S. companies that ship long-grain milled rice to Mexico. That duty held even when the exporter had never shipped such rice in the past. “In the petition that the Mexican rice industry sent to their government, they alleged the rate of dumping was 10.18 percent. How they came up with that number was they said U.S. companies were selling rice to Mexico that was for 10.18 percent less than they sell it for in U.S. markets. We, quite frankly, couldn't believe what had happened. We saw no basis for that rate,” says Cummings. Rolling back NAFTA? Many are convinced the duties were slapped on rice not because of dumping but in an effort to torpedo the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Cummings claims the duties struggle must be viewed in a NAFTA context. Why? Because American commodities besides rice were subject to either anti-dumping investigations, safeguard investigations (which is yet another way to keep out imports), reference price schemes or other things. All of these investigations were denying market access to U.S. agricultural exports. Other U.S. commodities affected include: apples, high fructose corn syrup, pork, live hogs, beef and dried beans. “We believe this is an obvious effort by the Mexican government to turn back NAFTA. On Jan. 1, 2003, according to NAFTA, all the duties on U.S. rice going to Mexico went to zero. Except for the anti-dumping order, there are no more rice duties.” But before zero rice tariffs could take effect, last summer Mexico's final determination was released. When the shock wore off a bit, the main players in the U.S. rice industry decided to do two things. One, “we decided to file an internal appeal within the Mexican administrative structure. Our attorneys advised us that there were several technical flaws in the way the Mexican government carried out their investigation, and, therefore, they were liable to have their decision overturned on those technicalities. So we went down that road,” says Cummings. Second, rice brass decided to get political. “We said, ‘this is no longer simply a legal issue. It's now a political issue and it's clear that, for whatever reason, the Mexican government is responding to their domestic industry and providing protection where it's not warranted.’ So we (along with the aforementioned commodities) engaged in an information campaign with the Bush administration and Congress to get political response.” In addition to the internal appeal, the rice federation thought it important that the U.S. government bring a WTO case against Mexico. “We don't think Mexico is living up to its legal obligations under the anti-dumping code of the WTO.” The U.S. government has yet to go to Geneva and file a WTO case (which, once filed, normally takes 18 to 24 months to complete). However, says Cummings, “we've gotten very favorable responses from our government about the merits of our case. With rice, we have one of the clearest examples on how the Mexicans haven't followed their own laws or international obligations. The Bush administration is now seeing a pattern in many commodities where Mexico is attempting to turn back NAFTA.” The U.S. government is apparently paying attention. In a meeting with his Mexican counterpart recently, Secretary of State Colin Powell reportedly brought up access problems that Mexico has put in the way of U.S. agricultural exports. Back to the money When the rice federation had good reason to think the anti-dumping case was indeed coming — “say, the fourth quarter of 2001” — representatives went to both the USDA and USTR (U.S. Trade Representatives) to sound the alarm bell and protest innocence. At that time, Cummings says the U.S. government (beyond the small, aforementioned amount given by USDA) had nothing to offer the rice industry, “until we could go to them and say, ‘Mexico is either not living up to their own legal requirements or are violating their WTO agreements.’ Essentially, the U.S. government told us what Mexico was doing was legal and the rice industry needed to defend itself. They said, ‘If you have problems after the process is over, come back and if your complaints are valid, we'll help you.’” Cummings says the rice industry — the Rice Council and the Rice Millers Association (RMA) as charter members of the federation — then had discussions in committee (which, says Cummings, included farmers) about the importance of the Mexican market and what signals would be sent if Mexico was allowed to turn the clock back on NAFTA. Also broached: would other Latin American countries follow suit with tariffs if Mexico succeeded in putting on “bogus” anti-dumping duties? “Plus, we were innocent. There was no dumping,” says Cummings. “So the decision was made to defend ourselves and we went through a very open process in selecting an attorney. More than five attorneys bid for the job.” Over time, in a series of meetings of both the RMA and Rice Council, committee members were asked for funding to pay legal expenses. Cummings says that on at least two occasions, the two entities were presented with information on the status of the case and estimates for the legal fees. They agreed to provide funding at about 76 percent Rice Council with the balance paid by millers. Cummings says the reason for that percentage breakdown is it represents the ratio of reserves held by each group at the federation level. Was there any inkling that farmers might be unhappy at having their check-off dollars spent in such a way? “There was active discussion,” says Cummings. “What are we spending the money on? Why are we spending the money? What're the lawyers saying? Other options? As to what other farmers were saying, I don't know. Those are fairly representative bodies. We sent out correspondence to Rice Council members explaining and educating them about where the money was going.” Warning lights Fifty percent of the U.S. rice crop is exported. The extent that Mexico, the largest U.S. export market, is putting up barriers to American rice, “should set off warning lights to the entire industry,” says Cummings. And, he points out, this happened at just the time when all the tariffs were set to expire. Historically, tariffs in Mexico on milled rice have been larger than on rough rice. Cummings claims that's a protectionist measure to buffer Mexican mills. “In January 2003, we finally got to zero tariffs. So now, our sales in Mexico will be based on the economics. If I'm a Mexican importer, I'll buy rough or milled not based on a tariff level but on what makes the most sense economically. Most folks in the industry see the market continuing as a substantially rough one.” If the United States files a WTO case against Mexico and wins, is there a chance to recoup any of the check-off funds? “I don't think there is,” says Cummings. “But should the U.S. government take our case to the WTO, they'll fund that effort. Up to now, the industry has defended itself. From here on, it'll be a government lawyer that deals with the case.” Right now, it's important to understand that this isn't just a rice story, insists Cummings. “In the larger picture, it isn't just rice. This is apples, beef, pork, beans and other things. While we're focusing on rice, this shows a pattern of Mexico trying to turn NAFTA back. If they succeed the implications are very bad.” Check copies Finally, after nearly a year of correspondence and Freedom of Information Act requests, Alter has copies of checks in hand. They show that, indeed, just over $500,000 of rice check-off money was spent on legal fees. “It doesn't mater if they spent $10 or $10 million over the $500,000,” says Alter. “Either way, it isn't right. That's what's important. Farmers' money that was for the sole purpose of promotion has been used to pay lawyers defending a Fortune 500 company. “Farmers are drowning in debt and aren't being represented well. We've got to stand up and do for ourselves. Obviously, no one else is going to. It's time for someone to start asking questions.” e-mail: [email protected]. | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/14600 | > At the Trading Post
Kinze Manufacturing Unveils First Autonomous Row Crop Technology
Tags: Kinze, farm equipment, Kinze Autonomy Project, Jaybridge Robotics, Press Release, Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. today unveiled an innovative solution to increase productivity on the farm – the Kinze Autonomy Project. The technology, which is the first of its kind in row crop production worldwide, utilizes autonomous agricultural equipment to complete many tasks on the farm with minimal direct human input."We're excited to introduce the first truly autonomous row crop solution in the world on this scale," said Susanne Kinzenbaw Veatch, vice president and chief marketing officer at Kinze. "This technology could be used to do a variety of tasks, including planting, nourishing, maintaining and harvesting crops." As a project more than two years in the making, Kinze performed extensive obstacle detection testing to ensure the accuracy and safety of the autonomous equipment. Beginning in a laboratory environment and then in the field, Kinze engineers simulated real-world scenarios to ensure the equipment would detect objects often encountered in the field, such as fence posts, stand pipes, farm animals and other vehicles.Similar autonomous technology has been used since the 1990s in many other industries, including mining, construction and the military. "Some simple forms of autonomy are used in rice production and orchard operations," Veatch explains. "However, until now, no other manufacturer associated with row crop production has offered truly autonomous technology like this." The Kinze Autonomy Project is designed to reduce the need for skilled operators by taking the human element out of the tractor cab. Kinze will market this technology to help growers increase their productivity by allowing them to focus their time and attention elsewhere while performing cursory monitoring of the Kinze autonomous equipment. "It's our goal to help reduce grower fatigue and help them make the most of their harvest," says Veatch. "As growers ourselves, we know how crucial it is to be productive during the short planting and harvest windows. With this technology, producers can set the equipment to run all night if necessary."The technology was originally developed in a laboratory setting using computer simulation. Kinze engineers partnered with Jaybridge Robotics, a firm in Cambridge, Mass., to bring that technology from the lab to the field, and to test and refine the work. Kinze demonstrated the technology for their dealers today and is developing plans for the commercial launch to the market.This press release is presented without editing for your information. GRIT does not recommend, approve or endorse the products and/or services offered. You should use your own judgment and evaluate products and services carefully before deciding to purchase. Older | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/15201 | Interaction of economic growth and technological advancement
09 Mar 2017—Government and Law Essays
The Western civilization has continued to evolve to be what it is today tracing its roots back to the fall of the Roman Empire. Western civilization has continued to flourish up to the present era in the whole of Europe, New Zealand, North America and Australia. The years between 1300-1500 are always classified as the Late Middle Ages and Early Renaissance. One memorable phenomena of this era was the “Black Plague” or Black Death, a bubonic plague outbreak that wiped close to a 1/3 of Europe’s population. The plague was rated as one of the most deadly pandemics in the history of mankind. This is because almost 75million people across the world lost their lives with the biggest number of victims being found in Europe where close to 50 million people died. (McKay, Hill, Buckler, 2003). The results of the plague encouraged a radical transformation of the economy and the European society at large. There was an obvious shortage of labor providing a fertile ground for economic diversification and innovation in technology. This period was a very tough period in Europe; there was famine and pestilence, which would lead to the capital accumulation intensification in the urban areas, stimulating the growth of trade and industry (McKay, Hill, Buckler, 2003).
The Protestant Reformation played a very important role in the transformation not only on the dominance of the Catholic Church but the whole of Europe as well. The Reformation came about because the Catholic Church then, wielded so much power that it had become so wealthy and corrupt. This made the likes of Martin Luther revolt in1517 against this authority. His ideas would spread so quickly fueling the flames of Protestantism across Europe, which would eventually bear the fruits of the nation-state. Leaders like Henry VIII used these ideas to break away from the yoke of the Catholic Church (McKay, Hill, Buckler, 2003)..
The invention of the movable type by Johannes Gutenberg in 1450 enable the ideas to be printed ant transmitted much faster than before greatly influencing the printing of the Bible and would help the development of academic freedom. (McKay, Hill, Buckler, 2003) During the 14th century the influence of feudalism system was declining giving way to the influence of the middle class in Europe. The middle-class was normally defined as the social class that fell between the nobility on one hand and the peasantry on the other. This class consisted of people with some form of economic independence, and included professionals and merchants some farmers, skilled workers and bureaucrats. This class lacked great social and political power. (McKay, Hill, Buckler, 2003)
The rise of the middle class directly influenced the growth of towns and cities and went on to influence the growth of Europe economically. Subsequently the renaissance a new cultural movement in the West started taking shape. Renaissance began in Italy because Italy was generally dominated by city-states. The city-states were to some extent part of the Italy Roman Empire and were overseen either by the Pope of some wealthy aristocrats. It was during the renaissance period that a new age was ushered in, the age of scientific and intellectual inquiry. (McKay, Hill, Buckler, 2003)
This era was characterized greatly by various discoveries and technological advancement. Notable examples included Nicolaus Copernicus, the first to discover that planets revolve around the sun as opposed to the geocentric model of the universe as was previously believed, Galileo developed the telescope and Sir Isaac Newton pioneered physics. All this experiments and discoveries would eventually lead to the scientific revolution. Many other changes were taking place in Europe including the reformation, which marked the changes in the Christianity world. (McKay, Hill, Buckler, 2003)
Previously Europe was easy target to invasions from areas like Africa, Asia and other non-western regions in Europe, this played a big role in technological backwardness. However this was to change, by 1500 when Europe was soon to overtake the rest of world technologically.
A combination of trade and technology would lead to the unprecedented growth of the Western civilization. Europe had come of age and was now a “master of the globe” the change in Europe was the precursor to the beginning of globalization and modernization. (McKay, Hill, Buckler, 2003)
Agriculture was the predominant economic factor in the 1500s and this progress took shape in 2 forms:
-Technical innovation and
-Agricultural progress
This two were interconnected because of the raise of the city-states, agricultural activity became intensified because there existed an incentive to produce more; the large population in urban centers greatly boosted the expansion of agricultural activity. This in turn led to the development of better farming techniques, which included improved drainage, better pasture and the increase in animal population. Agricultural advancement would eventually have serious implications of the reorganization of land from small to bigger farms. The decline in the number of small farm holders led to employment of wage labor and spurred the machinery advancement. (Spielvogel, Jackson J. 1994)
Because of the increased methods of food and animal production the food became surplus and new markets for the produce had to be found. Partly this is one of the factors that led the western world to look further a field for not only new markets but resources as well. Western explorers who include such names as Christopher Columbus, James Cook, Ferdinand Magellan and Vasco Da Gamma laid the groundwork for the discovery of new lands. (Spielvogel, Jackson J. 1994)
It was Portugal that can be credited with the inventiveness for the exploration of the Atlantic. Riding on the zeal of the Christian missionary plus the thirst for wealth and the thrill for new discovery saw the likes of Prince Henry the Navigator heading and directing major explorations. Through such explorations, new frontiers were opened up. China and Indonesia were reached by 1514 by the Portuguese and by 1542 Japan was already experiencing the Catholic missionary activities. The Portuguese exploration prowess was soon to attract new-comers like the Spanish whose Ferdinand Magellan is credited for sailing the globe in 1519 and laying claim to places like the Philippines.
The evolution of new and lethal weapons like muskets and cannons greatly facilitated the imperial expansion both on sea and land by the West, which also included the Ottoman Turks. The new technology was also very instrumental in other empires like the Qing Chinese, Persian and Russian Empires. These empires were to be known as the “gunpowder states”. (Spielvogel, Jackson J. 1994)
The gunpowder states continued to conquer new lands and the relations between states and merchants was soon to replace the role of intermediaries that nomads played. There was also a major transformation of the labor systems because of the growth of slavery and serfdom. Because of these and various other changes it saw an increase in wealth and cultural contacts which increased the number of new opportunities across every field, thereby fueling the Western Civilization. It was during this time also that rapid changes in the environment occurred brought about by the movement of food and animals and with it diseases. (Spielvogel, Jackson J. 1994)
This was the beginning of the “age of discovery” or “the age of exploration” because of the increase in population in Europe. Because of the improvement of technology there was a need to establish new trading routes. Another driving force for these explorations was the search for gold silver and spices that were more or less trading commodities.
The renaissance era had brought with it new technologies and new ideas. This greatly improved navigational skills, cartography, firepower and shipbuilding. This was the beginning of over sea trade, which would eventually lead to slave trade.
The greatest initiative during the 16th century that can be said to have contributed to the Western Civilization is the Renaissance that brought with it the improvement in navigational skills. Motivated by the quest to search for new trade routes, Portugal and Spain led the pack in Europe by opening up virgin frontiers that would later pave the way for the colonization of new lands. However, Western civilization also brought with it the spread of diseases, slave trade and exchange of food crops across the continents in what was to be later called the Columbian Exchange. (Spielvogel, Jackson J. 1994)
McKay, Hill, Buckler, (2003): A History of Western Society Since 1400, 7th ed,
Spielvogel, Jackson J. (1994): Western Civilization: Volume I: To 1715. Second edition. St. Paul: West Publishing Company,. | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/15964 | traditional floor malting & neolithic grain barns
The first malting floor that I saw was about 200 years old and made of local clay. It was at the Corrigal Farm Museum on Orkney, a late 19th Century farm with stables, two fine stone built barns, one for the animals and the other for processing and storing the grain. It has a threshing and malting floor, good dry storage and a grain dryer. We had visited Orkney in the summer of 1996 to see Skara Brae, the stone circles and other neolithic sites. The visit to the farm museum was a significant day in our understanding of traditional grain processing techniques - threshing, winnowing and making the malt. The curator at the time was Harry Flett, a
man with plenty of experience
of farming, malting and brewing. He talked to us about the traditional way that grain, usually bere barley, was turned into malt and how the grain barn worked. It gave us an insight into how the "first farmers" of the Neolithic would have processed the grain they grew - it is not just about grinding the grain into flour for bread or making some kind of gruel or porridge. Grain can also be malted. Corrigall Farm, Orkney - the grain barn, with drying kiln Malt is the main ingredient for ale and beer. It is the source of sugars for fermentation. The brewer takes the malt, crushes it lightly, mixes it with hot water in the mash tun to make a sweet liquid, the wort. After the wort is boiled with herbs or hops, it can be fermented by the addition of some barm, the yeasty froth from the previous brew.
Harry Flett said he would make some bere malt in the barn for us, so that we could
brew a traditional Orkney beer. He was as good as his word. Some time later, back in Manchester, we received an 18 kg sack of malt from him, in the post. This was the last batch of malt to be made in the Corrigall barn.
Graham used it to make an ale, adding a few ounces of dried meadowsweet flowers instead of hops. There was three times more draff or spent grain than you get from modern barley, but only half the potential sugars. This is because bere is an older strain of barley, much skinnier than the barley that is grown today.
threshing & winnowing
The earth and clay floor of the grain barn is ideal for threshing. A stone floor would break the flail and damage the grain. Working the flails requires skill, team work and care. The barn has two opposing doorways, so that you can winnow indoors in bad weather. Winnowing separates the grain from the chaff. The principle is simple. You throw the grain up into the air on a windy day. The grain falls to the ground.
The fine chaff blows away.
Today, the whole job of threshing and winnowing is done by combine harvester, so a grain barn is not needed any more.
All a grain barn needs: opposite doorways for winnowing, a clay floor for threshing and malting, a malt shovel and a grain drying kiln. It is not possible to dry grain or malt on the floor of the barn.
The grain and malt bruiser is on the right of the kiln entrance. making the malt
Harry told us that, traditionally, a sack of bere barley was left in a shallow stream for a few days. There is a convenient stream just behind the Corrigall Farm. Steeping is a specific process, as the grain awakens from dormancy it needs oxygen as well as fresh water. A shallow, fast flowing, tumbling brook is perfect.
The clay floor is used for malting. When the grain has been steeped for 3 or 4 days, it is then heaped onto the floor, where it can drain a little. It is then gradually spread out, as it warms up, into a layer a few inches deep as germination progresses. Making the malt requires skill, knowledge, time and patience. There are a few historical accounts of how the malt was traditionally made. John Firth, in his book Reminiscences of an Orkney Parish (1920), writes that every farmer was his own maltster. The bere would lay on the floor for several days, by which time it had begun to germinate, or "show twa taes". This refers to the rootlet and shoot. Next the grain was rubbed or trampled to remove them and to prevent further growth. It was then piled into a 'sweet heap', covered with sacks and straw insulation and left for a few days. This seems to be a particularly Orcadian tradition of making the malt, and the effect is that the heap heats up and the enzymes in the green malt begin to digest the starches. This makes a very characteristic aroma, and a sweet liquor begins to ooze from the heap. What green malt is not used immediately is dried gently in the kiln so that it can be stored for future use.
Traditional malting, then, involves mimicking the natural conditions in which grains grow. This is done by laying the steeped grain on a smooth, well maintained floor surface in a dark, well ventilated building, such as a barn, until the process of germination is visible. Then it is called 'malt' and it is dried, slowly and gently, in a grain drying kiln.
The kiln fire is not situated directly beneath the malt, rather it is set to one side. There is a flue which takes the warm air to the bowl shaped base of the kiln, and which will hopefully lose any sparks on the way. The bowl has a ledge, and a lattice of sticks is spread over this ledge and a
central shaft, called a kiln lace. Straw is spread over this, and the damp green malt spread over that. It takes a long time for the malt to dry, and the fire must be tended with care. Towards the end, when the malt is dry the underlying wood and straw is very dry, and prone to ignition. If this occurs the kiln lace is withdrawn and the assembly falls to the bottom of the bowl, and hopefully extinguishes.
Many malt barns have been known to burn down. left to right: the fire hole, the drying kiln, a mash paddle and malt shovel and the malt, grain or oats mill, used to bruise or lightly crush the malt. The grain drying kiln at Corrigall is the best preserved on Orkney, but there are lots of other traditional grain barns that are still standing. The Scapa Flow Landscape Project has recorded some of them, and you can read more details of how to dry the malt, the oats and the grain here. Scientists have only recently begun to understand the biochemistry of malting. Maltsters have known the techniques for thousands of years. Once known as the 'ubiquitous craft', there were maltsters in every town and village, large households and farms. Most farmers knew how to make their own malt. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the improved transport and communications, malting became more centralised and larger. For example, Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd of Chesterfield is built on the banks of the canal, and
the later railway passes close by. Eventually small scale malting ceased except in the more remote rural communities like Orkney.
Below, a photo of the Kirbuster Farm Museum, with buildings ranging from early Medieval to Victorian. The grain barn has lost its' roof, but the grain drying kiln is mostly intact. The nearby clear, bubbling stream is not seen on this photograph. Kirbuster Farm grain drying kiln see here
We can summarise the necessary features that a Grain Barn requires:-
... it must be close to a reliable source of fresh, running water
... a dark, well ventilated building
... a smooth, regularly repaired, well maintained floor made of beaten earth or clay ... a way of drying the malt by gentle heating
... dry storage facilities
... people who have necessary skill and knowledge - a maltster
neolithic grain barns, malting floors and kiln fires
The "first farmers" of the British Isles began to grow and process grain about 6000 years ago. They lived in circular houses, such as the ones that have just been built at the new Stonehenge Visitor Centre. They also built structures that archaeologists call 'rectangular timber buildings'. These vary in size, from the huge hall at Balbridie, Fife, Scotland, to much smaller structures, such as the one dated to the early neolithic which was recently discovered at the Braes of Ha'Breck, on the island of Wyre, Orkney. These two buildings were clearly involved in grain processing and storage. Thousands of carbonised grains of wheat and barley were found at both sites. Balbridie was completely destroyed by fire and Wyre was partly damaged. The timber building at Wyre appears to have been re floored, re built and used again after the fire. Current archaeological theory suggests that these buildings were deliberately burned down, perhaps as a kind of special memorial event for the community. It has even been interpreted as a 'ritual event', one that would have been spectacular and visible for miles around.
Most of the early neolithic rectangular timber buildings in Ireland were destroyed by fire. Between fifty and sixty rectangular timber structures have been identified so far in Ireland. Carbonised grain, spikelets, glumes and other indications of grain processing activity have been found in many of these excavations. I suggest that it is far more likely that these buildings were destroyed or damaged by an accidental kiln fire, caused by the drying of the grain or the malt when it went very badly wrong. Fires at Maltings have been a common event throughout the years, even in the 20th century. The photo below was taken in the 1990s and shows the kiln fire at the Maltings in Newark. kiln fire, Newark Maltings, 1990s, photograph thanks to Ivor Murrell, retired maltster. There are so many rectangular timber buildings of Neolithic date that have burned down that it is not practical to name them all. In future posts, I shall be looking in more detail at the excavations of some of the more interesting ones. Sadly, as a rule, floor surfaces rarely remain in good condition in the archaeological record.
Lough Gur, Building A
There is one notable exception. At Lough Gur, a neolithic and bronze age site in Ireland, a timber building, rectangular in shape with a well preserved beaten earth floor was excavated in the late 1940s. The Lough Gur excavations were published in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Volume LIV, Section C, Number 2, 1951. I had to get special permission to access this volume from the stacks at John Rylands University Library, in the final months before the submission date for my Master's Thesis. It was well worth it. This building is a very good candidate for a grain barn, with facilities for winnowing, a threshing area, a malting floor and evidence of a hearth, or grain drying area. The image below is from one of my, as yet, unpublished papers. Horton
Recent excavations at Kingsmead Quarry, Horton, Berkshire, England, have revealed the archaeological evidence of four Neolithic buildings as well as a rich female beaker burial, dated to the Bronze Age, which I discussed in an earlier post. Two of the buildings were rectangular and carbonised grain was found at one of them. This shows that grain was either being stored or processed there in the early neolithic, around 6000 years ago. There is an unusual feature that seems to be associated with this particular "neolithic house". a neolithic building was excavated at Horton - what is that pile of fire reddened stones on the left?
We were curious about this pile of reddened stones in the corner, behind the house. We could find no mention of them in the online reports. They look rather like bricks, but appear to be a part of the neolithic feature, contemporary with the "house". We find this feature very puzzling. Graham managed to make a larger image of these stones.
is this the remains of a trough, with fire cracked stones? Given the early neolithic date of some recently discovered burnt mound troughs, with fire cracked stones, in Northumberland, England, at a site called Bradford Kaims, it must be considered a possibility that this little rectangular timber building had a trough at the back of it. Not every neolithic building was a house. Some of them were used as barns - something that would have been very useful for those 'first farmers' of Neolithic Britain.
further reading The Craft of the Maltster a paper that should be published very soon, the result of my presentation at the Food in Archaeology Conference, Exeter University, April 2010.
John Firth, Reminiscences of an Orkney Parish
originally published in the 1920s, re published in 1974
and finally, here is a page from Firth, with a ground plan of traditional Orkney farm buildings, showing the grain drying kiln, flue and more. ... breaking news!
6000 year old "house" discovered in Yorkshire, England
http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/localnews/11301773.Archaeology_students_find_6_000_year_old_house_remains_at_Yarnbury_Henge__Grassington/
Corrigal,
first farmers,
Horton,
Lough Gur,
maltster,
thresh,
The origins of the Viking bathhouse myth
We have spent some 10 years arguing that that the "first farmers", the Neolithic culture that brought cows, crops and ceramics to Britain 6000 years ago, possessed the material culture necessary for turning cereals into ale, and that there is sufficient archaeological evidence to merit investigation. Nobody in the archaeological community could be convinced. It is still considered to be a controversial theory. We have no idea why. Maybe it is a paradigm shift too far for some archaeologists to bridge, that cereals were initially cultivated for their potential sugars, a status crop, and not for their starches, a staple crop. So we considered investigating an era in which there should be no controversy.
We visited the island of Wyre in Orkney, and inspected "Cubbie Roo's" castle. This was built by Kolbein Hrugr, hrugr means "heap", he was a big man. It is mid 13th Century and one of the older mortar and stone built castles extant in Scotland. It is a fascinating site on one of the now remoter islands of Orkney. We were surprised, amazed and overwhelmed to find a stone built "mash oven" in an outbuilding round the back. Our excitement was because this could be the oldest mash oven in Europe. This building has a stone bench, perfect as an ale store, and drains. It would be very suitable for making ale, but so far archaeologists have interpreted this as just an ordinary oven.
Cubbie Roo's mash oven, Wyre, Orkney.
the medieval brewer, stirring the mash
We are lucky on Orkney to have well preserved Viking sites. A friend and neighbour suggested that we might like to look at the drains at the site on the Brough of Birsay.
Birsay is the late 10th Century base of Sigurd the Stout and his son Thorfinn. In the Orkneyinga Saga they are renowned for their hospitality. We can imagine the great feasts they had there. This might even be the site of Sigurd's Yule Feast, where Kari slew Gunnar Lambi's son in front of King Sigtrygg of Dublin ( pp xxvii-xxviii, Orkneyinga Saga, edited by Joseph Anderson.)
Drains are significant for brewing installations. The mashing process makes sugars from the malt and these are very sticky and messy. Any spillage or accidents have to be washed away, and the brewing equipment has to be kept clean. A brewery cannot function without effective drains.
one of the massive stone lined drains at Birsay
There is a massive drain running down the middle of what I think is the head of the Viking causeway, most of which has been eroded by the sea. To the right of this causeway, looking back to the mainland, is the so called "Viking Sauna" (see photo below) with stone slabs on edge, supposedly to support wooden benching. I heard an expert on TV saying that "they poured hot water down the drain under these benches, to keep their bums warm". I think it's far more likely to
be the brew house and ale store.
not the sauna - this is the brew house and ale store
On the left of the causeway, looking towards the mainland, is a building interpreted as a "Bathhouse or Sauna", in the photo below. It looks more to me like a mash house. It
has a bench and a large hearth and drains along the wall. One end has been lost to the sea, and it is thought that there was a large hall or langskaill further out to sea.
the mash house, with large stone shelf & several drains
I was puzzled. These installations are little different to the Orkney Brewery, which is just down the road at Quoyloo. Rob Hill's Swannay Brewery, also on Orkney, uses the same installations - a mash tun and fermenting vessels. How on earth could anyone think that these buildings were a Bathhouse and a Sauna? Maybe they knew absolutely nothing about how beer is made.
When I get puzzled by archaeology, I like to read the original excavation reports. This tells me what came out of the ground and there are usually nuggets of really useful information that are lost or not mentioned in summaries.
The earliest reference to 'Viking Bathhouses or Saunas' that I could find came from Dr Alexander Curle's excavations at Jarlshoff, Shetland, published in 1935, in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (PSAS 69). He wrote that "...the presence of such a drain, and the condition of the ash deposited
within it, suggest the possibility of the remains of a bath-house existing nearby." (page 284).
Curle explains that this is the first Viking settlement excavation in Britain, and that his interpretations are based upon the work of Thorsteinn Erlingsson, who wrote about Icelandic settlements. In his book Ruins of the Saga Time, published in 1895. Erlingsson describes the components of the traditional farmstead house, including the bath-stofa or bathroom. He describes it as being part of the main structure and it is not a separate building.
Jarlshof, Shetland - is this the bath house, hof, a religious building or a brewhouse? The structure in question at Jarlshof (see photo above) was beneath a mausoleum and it was not excavated until the 1950s by JRC Hamilton. Alexander Curle did not actually excavate it. In the foreground is a large longhearth and a substantial drain. To the rear of the building there is what looks to me like the bowl or footings of a grain drier. So how on earth could Dr. Curle know that it was a bath-house, other than making the assumption that it was, because of the drains and and a means of heating water? This remained a mystery to me until I stumbled across Dr. Alexander Curle's excavation report for another Viking age site, at Freswick, Caithness, Scotland, published in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries in 1939, see PSAS 73 . In this, he describes a feature that, at first sight looks very much like a small Roman style bath-tub, with a large hearth and drains. I was devastated, despite the complete absence of any mention of bath-houses in the Sagas, here was an archetypal bath-house. The Sagas describe the practice of bathing in streams, lakes and rivers. There were even open-air hot baths in Iceland, thanks to the natural hot springs there. Otherwise the Vikings habitually bathed in tubs of hot water in the andyri or porch. Even the King of Norway took his bath in a tub. reconstruction of Snorri Sturlussun's 'bath house' makes use of a hot spring, it is in the open air and is nothing like the buildings at the Brough of
Birsay & Jarlshof. Then one day I re-read "The Vikings in Scotland" by James Graham-Campbell and Colleen E Batey. On page 198, the Viking settlement at Freswick is discussed:
"... as part of the re-examination of this building through the surviving records, several problems became clear, the most significant being the complete stratigraphical separation between the secondary structure and the underlying drain. These could never have been associated and thus the secondary building is unlikely to have been a bath-house."
It was now obvious to me. Dr Alexander Curle was already aware of Freswick when he excavated Jarlshof, and this had influenced his interpretation. It has also influenced the interpretations of Viking sites for many other excavators and archaeologists since then. Whenever they find drains and a means of heating water, they interpret it as a "bath-house", even though the original archetype has been found to be wrong.
Interestingly the Brough of Birsay was excavated under the direction of Dr Curle's daughter-in-law, Cecile Curle, so she would have followed the family tradition and their interpretations. In short, most archaeologists do not know how to make beer from the grain. They certainly drink it, and they may even have made beer from kits, but they do not understand the processes, and so they do not recognise the installations in any era up until the late Mediaeval when monasteries brewed.
What a sad loss.
We presented a poster at the 7th Experimental Archaeology Conference, Cardiff University. It can be downloaded here: Where were the Viking Brew Houses? more reading (added June 25th 2014) We wrote a paper for the EXARC Journal, it has been peer reviewed and it is currently on the member's only section of the Journal. It will be released for everyone to access, download and read in the near future, probably later this year. In the meantime, here is a shorter version of that paper, published in the Orkney Archaeological Society Newsletter. We called it 'Where did the Vikings make their ale?'. Update
Lars Marius Garshol has been studying Norwegian Farmhouse brewing for a long time and is an expert in this field. The methods and equipment that he describes seem to us to have changed very little, if at all, from those of the 10C.
For anyone who wishes to understand or recreate Viking style brewing his work is an invaluable resource. Here is his Blog.
Lars' Blog
Graham Dineley
Alexander Curle,
drains,
Snorri Sturlesun,
Ale or mead - a numerical and functional analysis
Mead is frequently mentioned in the early Germanic literature, more so than ale. This, together with the Saxon mead halls of the poetry, gives the impression that mead was widely available. Everyone drank mead
because honey was widely available. However, a functional and numerical
analysis does not support this.
ferment into alcohol. Mead is made from honey and ale is made from malt
sugars. These malt sugars are made in the mash tun by heating crushed malt with hot water, 65C, for about an hour for the malt enzymes to convert the malt starches into sugars. In both cases the relative amounts are about the same:
2 to 3lbs of honey to make 1 gallon (Imperial) of Mead
2 to 3lbs of malt to make 1 gallon of Ale or Beer, or approximately 1kg to 3 litres.
Prior to 18th Century, bee keeping was unscientific and honey gathering was a destructive process. Thomas Wildman in 1768 describes these improvements. Traditionally bees were kept in voids of many sorts, skeps, hollow logs, and clay jars.
a traditional skep details here The bees created their own combs inside, often cross attached. The only way to get the honey was to destroy the colony.
In 1860, L.L. Langstroth developed a design for hives with exchangeable combs and it was now possible to harvest honey without damage. Before then honey was a scarce and valuable commodity, and highly prized.
Langstroth hives - a Victorian invention details here
However malt is readily available. All that is needed is a crop of grain, preferably barley, and a malt barn to process it in.
Today honey is about 10 times the cost of malt, weight for weight. In mediaeval times it may well have been even dearer.
barley is an early, primitive but very vigorous strain that was certainly grown by the early Viking farmers in Orkney and is still grown to this day. It is the only arable crop that will grow in the far North in places like Iceland. Gordon Childe noted that the impression
of a grain of Bere was found on an Unstan Ware pot in Orkney, dating from the 4th Millennium BC.
Bere is a "skinny" grain. It does not
contain as much starch as modern barley varieties. So to make ale from Bere malt the ratios will be more like 3-4 lb of crushed malt to make one gallon of ale
Svein
Asleiferson was a renowned Viking warrior. He is mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga. He was also known to be a fastidious farmer. He would spend the spring personally supervising the sowing of his crops, then spend the summer on
raiding trips. When he returned in autumn he would again supervise the harvesting of his crops, and again go raiding until the start of winter,
when he would return and spend the winter on Gairsay together with his 80 fighting men. They would probably not stay loyal and remain with him,
unless he could provide some sort of hospitality for them.
suggest that he was growing his grain to make malt and ale and not for bread, gruel or porridge. I estimate that the warriors and retinue would drink the ale from about 4 tons of malt in this time, about 2,200 gallons or 30 barrels. This could easily be grown on 2 or 3 acres of good land, according to yield figures from Orkney Agronomy Institute. Finding 2 or 3 tons of honey on Orkney would not be easy.
is interesting that the Viking poetry refers predominantly to mead, with very little mention of ale, whereas the Viking Sagas refer to ale far more than mead. I suggest that mead was quite scarce and highly prized, fit for the Kings and Gods. Ale was for the warriors and mortals.
this post was written by Graham
further reading Eva Crane, The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting
Eva Crane, The Archaeology of Beekeeping
The Bee Hive: a history of beekeeping
Svein Asleiferson,
malt is a confusing thing
It seems that malt is a very confusing thing. The word 'malt' means different things to different people. Some people immediately think of malt whisky - a single malt or maybe blended malts. Others might think of a malted milky bedtime drink, like Horlicks. Other brands are, of course, available.
a sticky sweet spoonful of malt extract (photo: healthysupplies.co.uk)
a modern product Or is it that sticky, viscous, sweet, dark brown syrup like stuff that you get in a tin in your beer kit? The stuff that you mix with water and boil? No, that is malt extract.
Malt extract is considered to be very good for you - it's an added ingredient in many breakfast cereals. When I do demonstrations, I always take a jar of malt extract for people to taste. They are reminded of their childhood, and of eating a spoonful every day, for the B Vitamins. Malt extract is made by boiling wort in a vacuum and the technique was only discovered in the late 19th Century AD. Oh, and there is malt vinegar as well. And malt loaves. Many brewers use a liquid or a dry malt extract. Known as LME and DME, it's a main ingredient of beer kits in the 21st Century. Malt extract is also important to the modern food processing industry, particularly so in the USA it seems.
Prohibition forced maltsters to think of a different way to process and sell their malt, other than as alcoholic drinks, like beer and whisky. Prohibition was the death knell to many American breweries in the 1920s. It's no wonder that so many people are confused about malt.
malt whisky. nice but not neolithic
I had a conversation about the archaeological evidence for malt with a fellow tour guide a few months ago. I thought we had a strange exchange of views, but it was only when they turned to go and mentioned that they were very surprised that the neolithic folk knew all about distillation. Did they use the pots for distilling? I realised that they thought I was talking about malt whisky manufacture in the neolithic. For this person, the word 'malt' meant whisky and nothing else.
malt on a traditional malting floor
For me, 'malt' means partly germinated grain which has been carefully dried for further processing by brewers and/or distillers. It is traditionally made on the malting floor. The grain has been steeped and aerated, then it is spread out on the floor in a cool, dark, well ventilated building to begin to grow. Once the rootlet and shoot begin to show, it is gently dried in a kiln. We had been talking about two very different things. As part of writing this blog, I checked the Encyclopedia Britannica for its' descriptions of what malt is, how it is made and what it is used for.
Much of the detail is correct, but there are a few salient details omitted. For example, there is no mention of the air rests that are an essential part of the steeping process. If you just leave the grain to soak or steep without air rests, then the grain will be killed. It will, effectively, drown. Ancient and traditional techniques include leaving the grain in a bag in a shallow stream. This provides the essential oxygen and water for the germination process to begin. Modern methods use huge steep tanks. Grain needs both water and oxygen to begin germination. If the steep is not aerated, then it will not take long for the water and grain to smell horrible and for the grain to be bad. It will not begin to germinate, you will not have any enzymes to convert starch into sugars and you will not be able to make ale. Or beer. Or whisky.
In the first stages of germination of any grain - wheat, barley, oats or rye - the enzymes necessary for the conversion of starch into sugars are liberated, and then the growth
begins. If this continues, starches are used up, so it
is important to stop the growth as soon as the shoot and root appear amongst most of the grains. This is usually when the acrospire (rootlet and shoot) are one third the length of the grain. Often, descriptions in the archaeological and anthropological scholarly literature of how to make malt are not accurate. Some describe malt as 'toasted barley sprouts'. Anyone who says that malt is like toasted, sprouted barley, suggesting that it is something like dried bean sprouts, have obviously never handled proper malt. It is very important to talk to a maltster to understand how to make malt, to ask the practitioners, the skilled people who make it. Craftsmanship not scholarship.
Graham brings a 25 kilo sack of crushed malt from the brewing suppliers into the house. Then he makes beer with it, using basic equipment - a mash tun, a boiler and fermenters. Lots of people have tried Graham's home brewed beer and it is considered to be top quality, good and tasty.
What is this crushed malt in the sack?
Where does it come from, who makes it and how?
As I was doing the mashing experiments in the garden, using beeswax sealed earthenware bowls as mini mash tuns, I became more and more interested in the malt and how it was made. I studied the science of grain germination physiology, learning about what happens inside the grain as it begins to grow. It is fascinating and complex, worthy of a blog post of its' own. this post was co written by Graham and Merryn | 农业 |
2017-17/1182/en_head.json.gz/16045 | Looking at Climate Change through the Gender Lens March 7, 2017 by Janna de la Paz On March 8, 2017, the world celebrates International Women’s Day—a day dedicated to raising awareness on the importance of achieving gender parity in the working world. To understand women’s role in agriculture and to close the gender gap in agricultural production, the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) research has been examining gender differences within rural households and communities for over 25 years.
One challenge that both men and women face is increasing resilience to growing climate threats. Gender-disaggregated data from a study in Bangladesh, Kenya, Senegal, and Uganda, which was conducted in partnership with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), showed that men and women respond differently to climate change given considerable variations in perceptions, preferences, needs, and priorities. Women often lack access to information and resources needed to adapt to perceived climate changes. Therefore, closing the gender gap in agriculture would enable women to contribute to making agriculture and rural livelihoods more resilient.
Another research based on a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) survey and conducted Key Informant Interviews (KII) with practitioners in Africa south of the Sahara found that many agencies and organizations working in climate change adaptation and mitigation were not adequately integrating gender into the design, implementation, and assessment of policies, programs, and projects. In addition, many organizations lack training on gender issues, have limited context-specific and gender-disaggregated data, and faced cultural barriers restricting women’s participation in adaptation projects and leadership roles.
The survey and interview tools provided such valuable insights into the gaps and opportunities to make policies and programs inclusive that it caught the attention of other institutions beyond Africa. The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) used similar tools to assess the capacity needs of policy makers working on climate change adaptation in Latin America. In 2015, the analysis of the survey and interview data assisted IICA to add a gender lens into its activities.
Because men and women deal differently with climate change, integrating gender into climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, programs, and projects is essential to strengthen the resilience of all smallholder farmers in developing countries. To support gender integration, IFPRI has also developed useful tools to ensure gender inclusivity in climate change programs and activities.
Click here to download or print this story.
Filed Under: Bangladesh, Building Resilience, Kenya, Outcome Stories Homepage Feature, Senegal, Uganda Tagged With: CCAFS, climate change, Gender, IICA
The Outcome Brochures show how IFPRI’s food policy research has contributed to reducing poverty and improving food security for the world’s poor in a number of key areas. With a focus on a particular country, region, or donor organization, the brochures highlight the outcomes, use or influence of the IFPRI’s research programs.
As part of IFPRI’s 40th Anniversary celebration, 12 stories were published that reflect on the Institute’s work on key issues, such as social protection, gender, nutrition, and partnerships with key countries, including Bangladesh and Ethiopia.
Impact Assessment work examines the policy and development outcomes and contributions to impact of IFPRI's research. | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/4331 | Other Free Encyclopedias » Science Encyclopedia » Science & Philosophy: Condensation to Cosh
Corn (Maize)
crop plant american world According to Native American legends of the American Southwest, the Indian people have occupied four (some say five) worlds since the creation of man. The present world is the fourth world and each of the three former worlds lies under the one succeeding it. Some legends say that maize, or corn as Europeans came to call it, was already present in the first world, at the time the first humans were created. The first people are said to have relied on maize for nourishment, and to have thought of the corn plant as a second mother (the first mother being the Earth Mother). Whenever a child was born, custom required that the Corn Mother—a perfect ear of corn with a tip ending in four full kernels—be placed beside the child, where it would remain for 20 days. The Corn Mother was also present at the naming of the child, and remained the child's spiritual mother for the rest of her or his life.
These myths attest to the profound importance of corn for many of the native peoples of the Americas, where corn originated—an importance comparable to that of rice for the peoples of Southeast Asia or of potatoes for the ancient peoples of the Andes Mountains in South America. Today corn is an important crop worldwide, but some rural Native American and Latin American farmers—especially in the highlands of Mexico and Guatemala—still have a special relationship to corn. Hundreds of genetically distinct varieties of corn are cultivated by small farmers in that region. The industrialized world relies on a few, genetically similar varieties of corn planted in very large, uniform fields, which renders its corn crop more vulnerable to weather changes and to blights (such as the virus that destroyed 15% of the U.S. corn crop in 1970); the genetic diversity preserved by the small, rural farmers of Central America is thus a unique asset, the "world's insurance policy," according to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
Science debates the origin of corn, species name Zea mays. Although some paleobotanists believe that corn developed from a grass known as teosinte in the vicinity of the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico more than 5,000 years ago, most believe that teosinte was itself an offshoot of a wild corn and another species of grass. Other discoveries suggest that corn did not develop in Mexico at all, arguing instead for a South American origin. The prevalent botanical theory today is that corn was domesticated from a wild, now-extinct, corn-like plant. Analyses of what appears to be wild-corn pollen found about 200 ft (60 m) below modern Mexico City have led some paleobotanists to conclude that the pollen came from an extinct wild corn that existed 25,000–80,000 years ago.
The corn plant is uniquely adapted for high productivity for two reasons: it has a very large leaf area, and it has a modified photosynthetic pathway that allows it to survive extended periods of drought. Known as the C4 syndrome, the modified pathway for photosynthesis provides a highly efficient way for the plant to exchange water vapor for atmospheric carbon dioxide.
At a biochemical level, carbon dioxide is converted into a molecule containing four carbon atoms in C4 photosynthesis, whereas in conventional photosynthesis carbon dioxide is converted into a molecule containing three carbon atoms (C3 photosynthesis). Thus C4 photosynthesis permits the corn plant to make more efficient use of carbon dioxide to build the carbon compounds needed to sustain plant growth than can be made by conventional plants. As a result, the corn plant can produce more dry matter (i.e., various combinations of carbohydrates, proteins, oils, and mineral nutrients) per unit of water transpired (released to the atmosphere) than can plants endowed with the conventional C3 photosynthetic pathway. The amount of grain produced by the plant depends upon the rate and length of time of this dry matter accumulation.
Successful cultivation of corn requires proper fertilization during the early stages of corn plant growth. The final size of the leaves, ear, and other plant parts depends largely upon maintaining an adequate supply of nutrients to the plant, especially during this time. Regionally adapted hybrids can be selected to accommodate local growing seasons and particular needs, and to make efficient use of specific types of land. Planting time should be carefully gauged. The highest yields are obtained only where environmental
Corn piled high outside of grain elevators, Magnolia, MN. Photograph by Jim Mone. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.
conditions are most favorable to growth. Weeds, diseases, and insects all reduce crop yield.
In recent years, genetically engineered (GE) varieties of corn have swiftly become a major fraction of the U.S. corn crop. In 2002, 34% of the corn grown in the United States (most of which was grown for the manufacture of corn syrup for human consumption) was genetically engineered. The most common variety of GE corn is Bt corn, a product of the Monsanto Corporation. Bt corn resists the corn borer, a common insect pest, by producing insecticide in its own tissues. Critics are concerned that Bt-corn-produced insecticide may linger in soil and sediments, threatening nontarget insect populations, and that genes from GE corn may contaminate non-GE varieties with unpredictable consequences. The discovery in 2001 that genes from GE corn (transgenes) had in only a few years' time managed to insinuate themselves into traditional maize varieties in Mexico has enhanced global concern about GE corn and other GE crops. The European Union and Zambia have both refused to accept the importation of GE corn from the United States because of concerns that the genetic changes made to the corn may produce unforeseen health effects. Many scientists argue that such concerns are unfounded, and that the benefits of genetic engineering outweigh the risks; others argue that the risks are too high, and that yields for genetically modified crops have not actually been greater than for traditional varieties.
Many historians believe that the course of American history was shaped more by corn than by any other plant. Their argument derives largely from the observation that for more than 250 years after the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, corn remained the staple crop of about 90% of all European-American farmers. Not until 1979 did soybeans surpass corn as the United States' most important crop, and then only temporarily. Currently, more bushels of corn are produced in the United States each year than of any other grain crop. (One bushel = 35.24 L.)
Corn is grown on every continent except Antarctica. This is possible because scientists have developed diverse hybrid varieties of corn that suit growing conditions and locations worldwide. In 1999, the United States led the world in corn production, with a crop valued at 9,437 million bushels. In second place was China with a crop value of 5,039 million bushels, followed by European countries with a crop valued at 1,457 million bushels.
Although U.S. citizens today eat much less corn than they did historically, large amounts of corn are consumed indirectly in the form of products derived from livestock fed a diet rich in corn, including beef, pork, poultry, eggs, milk, and many other food products. Eighty percent of the U.S. corn crop is fed to livestock. As a point of reference, one bushel of corn—56 lb (25 kg)—produces approximately 5.6 lb (2.5 kg) of beef.
Corn is still used for many traditional purposes (e.g., meal, corn on the cob, corn-cob pipes). However, new markets have developed for corn byproducts, including the manufacture of fiberboard panels, nylon products, furfural (used in plastics and solvents), and ethanol as a renewable vehicular fuel. In fact, more than 3,500 different uses have been found for corn products. Some of the more innovative uses include a basis for vitamins and amino acids; a substitute for phosphate for cleaning; a packing-peanut material; an ink base to replace petroleum ink bases; and an absorbent material for diapers and for automobile fuel filters. Resources
Associated Press. "Zambia Bars Altered Corn From U.S." New York Times August 18, 2002.
Dalton, Rex. "Transgenic Corn Found Growing in Mexico." Nature 413 (September 27, 2001): 337.
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). Apartado #370, PO Box 60326, Houston, TX 77205. (650) 833 6655 (in U.S.). <http://www.cimmyt.org/> (cited May 25, 2003).
Randall Frost
Larry Gilman
[back] Cormorants
Cancel or over 6 years ago
the article is exciting and explicit it is educating please keep me posted on new findings thanks
bnf l,jhngfjy
kjuhnypj'kpjfvbiyfgnl,kjnmuryvcdthjkn yfvhmnu,kjhnytvde ycyhbj vesfhjnjk,lkmnygbrvbjnmlkj,jh bfccvubnh v festycvrbuik,;jli,uiht7bryhjp[khygfrdsazyfv n;kl,jnb5redhryjkl;;myhr5vbnmkmygbv dguihm l,mknhyuecyuiklm;ojmgyuvrdtxsrdvftbyiuinom,ohvvddvb nkj,ljhtyfy drtfy o my tdcghbjgy inhjgfren7 | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/4550 | Meat Market Update | Grilling demand pulls prices higher Apr 20, 2017 Prime and Choice producing more dollars Apr 17, 2017 2017 Feed Composition Tables: Use this to mix your cattle feed rations Mar 21, 2017 2017 Parasite & Pest Management Product Listing Apr 18, 2017 Brazil Looks North
You'll probably never meet Marcos Minghini, Liza de Paulo or Joo Vinicis Pratini de Moraes. But, the trio represents a looming competitive threat to U.S. beef producers. Minghini is a Brazilian cattle farmer, while de Paulo is a scientist for a large Brazilian agribusiness. Pratini de Moraes is Brazil's agriculture minister and may be the most powerful, yet underrated, agripolitico in the world. Already Clint Peck Senior Editor | Jun 01, 2002
You'll probably never meet Marcos Minghini, Liza de Paulo or João Vinicis Pratini de Moraes. But, the trio represents a looming competitive threat to U.S. beef producers. Minghini is a Brazilian cattle farmer, while de Paulo is a scientist for a large Brazilian agribusiness. Pratini de Moraes is Brazil's agriculture minister and may be the most powerful, yet underrated, agripolitico in the world. Already boasting the planet's largest commercial cattle herd, Brazil is clearly a formidable player in today's international beef market. But, with 165 million cattle currently grazing 370 million acres, Brazil could put another 180 million-200 million acres into production — “without cutting down a single tree,” as Pratini de Moraes says. These areas of undeveloped savanna equal the size of France and Germany — or Texas and New Mexico. The Brazilian beef story grows more ominous. Production costs are a third to half of what American ranchers face. Brazil's costs are better compared to Australia's grass-fed beef system, however, but even then, Brazil wins out — at a 15% lower cost of production. Brazil is close to removing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) as an export impediment. Its economy and political system are relatively stable. And recently, Brazil has filled the beef production void left after Argentina's economy and political system crashed last fall. Beef exports, along with sugar, orange juice, coffee, soybeans, poultry and pork, are seen as Brazil's pass into First World status. “Europe is our biggest trade partner, and we will do everything possible to grow those markets,” says Pratini de Moraes. “But, we also know there are other areas where we can gain markets for our beef and other agricultural commodities.” He's talking about the U.S., and the Brazilian agriculture minister has been in close dialog with U.S. agricultural and trade officials on market access, gradual elimination of export subsidies and revision of internal supports where they affect external markets. How all this bodes for U.S. beef producers is becoming very clear. “We can compete very well with any beef producers in the world,” Pratini de Moraes says. “Agriculture will be a focal point of all world trade negotiations in the next few years — and we know we have a strong position from which to negotiate.” Pratini de Moraes believes improving the income of rural-based people and keeping them from moving into the already over-crowded cities is critical for his country's advancement. And, he believes that agricultural development must come via market channels, not at taxpayers' expense. “We're not going to reach those goals through artificial methods,” he says firmly. “We do not subsidize farming,” he adds, though admiting some “family farmers” receive special tax credits to adopt certain state-of-the-art practices, but the credits have to be re-paid. “In today's world, the competition is no longer between farmers — the competition is between treasuries,” says Pratini de Moraes. “Our treasury cannot compete with the U.S. treasury or the European treasuries.” Agricultural subsidies are not only expensive, he says, but harmful to farmers in all countries. “Every country should protect its agriculture,” he says, “but we think it is wrong when the form and level of support depress international prices.” Pratini de Moraes is especially critical of export subsidies, which he says distort international trade and carry “an enormous social impact on people of the world.” He points out that last year the U.S., Japan and the European Union combined to dole out more than $1 billion/day in agricultural subsidies. “If the rich countries would give 10% of what's spent in subsidies to help feed the world, there would be no more hunger on Earth,” he says. It's a sentiment widely held by Brazilian beef producers. For instance, Marcos Minghini, a medium-sized beef farmer (300 cows) from the southern state of Paraná, has a hard time understanding why he should be asked to compete against producers in subsidized countries. Like American producers, Minghini says he's wants a level playing field. “If other countries would reduce their barriers and subsidies, we could compete on the same basis,” he says. “We could compete against anyone if it were simply a matter of markets.” Francisco Luiz, president of the Sociedade Rural do Paraná — a group similar to a state farm bureau — understands why Europe and America subsidize their food systems. “We understand these countries think it is necessary for national security. What we can't understand is why they impose quotas, tariffs and unscientific sanctions that rob others of the opportunity to compete in international markets,” he says. Packers And Production Alliances Export competition isn't the only thorn in the sides of Brazilian beef producers. They also deeply distrust meat packers, who they view as an impediment to competition. About 90% of all market cattle are sold directly to Brazilian slaughterhouses, the majority of which are small and inefficient by U.S. standards. In Paraná, for example, 33 facilities kill an average of 200 head/day. Another 81 kill 60 head/day. Paraná also has some larger “conglomerate” slaughterhouses — but they're few and far between. Beef farmer Edson Gaudêncio, Santo Antonio, Paraná, says this packing structure catches most Brazilians between a rock and a hard place. “With the small slaughterhouses, you never know when you will get paid,” he says. Cattle checks often take more than a month to be delivered. “And the bigger slaughterhouses that can guarantee payment sometimes form cartels to develop one price among them,” he adds. Gaudêncio and his neighbors are trying to find other routes to domestic and international markets. They're selling custom-processed beef directly into retail outlets. Last year, 10% of Gaudêncio's production from his 400 cows was sold through the international Carrefour® supermarket chain. “This concept is new to us, and we're still working to make it better,” he says. “Maybe someday it will allow us to get around dominance by the big slaughterhouses and the uncertainly of payment from the small slaughterhouses.” The Brazilian cattle industry is based on “natural” production. Loosely translated, cattle are grown with no added hormones. But natural production goes a step further at Fazenda São Miguel, one of southern Brazil's showcase cattle farms. Part of the family-owned Independência agricultural company, São Miguel has become a model for large-scale, organic beef production. About 12,000 of São Miguel's 65,000 head grown each year are “fattened” organically on its lush grasslands. The organic beef, along with most of São Miguel's traditional production, is exported to Chile, Argentina and Europe. No fertilizers, antibiotics or vaccines are used in these organic operations. And, it's working better than anyone at São Miguel expected. “To our surprise, we've found it's easier and more economical to raise beef organically,” says João Mella, a cattle buyer for Independência. “We're also receiving 25% better prices in the organic beef market.” Mella says he passes 10-12% in added profits back to the organic calf producers he buys from. Key to this system is biochemist Liza de Paulo. She makes sure strict international organic production rules are followed at São Miguel. “We are constantly testing our production — and we are watched closely by our customers to be sure we produce to their standards,” she explains. And because Independência's operations also include a slaughterhouse, fertilizer plant and tannery, de Paulo and her lab mates continually monitor virtually everything produced and discharged by Independência factories. “We must also follow very strict environmental laws to avoid polluting the water and soil,” says de Paulo. “This is my responsibility, legally and morally, and I take it very seriously.” Next month: A closer look at Brazilian beef production practices and how U.S. trade officials are addressing competition from Brazil. | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/4557 | Starting at $3.00/Week Keep Berkshires Farming seeks to boost agriculture in the area
The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission says the county is currently sectioned into five areas for Keep Berkshires Farming, each of which will have its own working group. Posted
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 10:27 am
By Jenn Smith, Berkshire Eagle Staff
PITTSFIELD -- The local farming movement is offering you a seat at the table.
Today, an initiative called Keep Berkshires Farming will kick off its Central Berkshire County campaign at a 6:30 p.m. event at the First Baptist Church of Pittsfield.
Keep Berkshires Farming is a group of volunteers working to understand the region's food system and to collect data and find ways to strengthen the local agricultural economy and markets, while increasing everyone's access to local food.
Originally initiated nearly two years ago by the Great Barrington Agricultural Commission, Keep Berkshires Farming is now extending its efforts through the entire county, with support from the Glynwood Center, a nonprofit in Cold Spring, N.Y., and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.
The Keep Farming movement began nearly 10 years ago in New York's Hudson Valley, and a pilot study was performed in Chatham, N.Y., in 2003.
Virginia Kasinki, director of community-based programs for the Glynwood Center, said the goal was "to find a way of getting the community more engaged with agriculture and getting people to understand the impact agriculture has on the community -- not just in terms of food, but in terms of space, health and the economy."
Kasinki said the Keep Farming strategy enlists interested volunteers to engage farmers, residents and elected officials in working together to use surveys to identify a community's agricultural and food needs and produce data-driven programs to fill the gaps.
Melissa Adams serves as a regional representative from Glynwood on the project.
According to a Keep Berk shires Farming flier, one in five families with children struggle with hunger and food insecurity in the Berkshires. More than 60 percent of adults in Western Massachusetts are considered overweight -- the highest in the state.
The flier also states that most of the region's food is transported almost 1,500 miles before reaching local tables versus being sourced within the county.
Amy Kacala, senior planner with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, said the county is currently sectioned into five areas for Keep Berkshires Farming, each which will have its own working group.
The Great Barrington region and northern Berkshire region have already surveyed their communities and are in the process of identifying needs.
Central Berkshire will commence its work at tonight's event at the First Baptist Church. The goal is to have the rest of the county surveyed by the end of 2013.
Kacala said at tonight's meeting, people can learn how to volunteer for the project and will be given data collection materials.
Ultimately, the county's survey results will be folded into the new regional development and sustainability plan being formulated for the Berkshires. | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/5078 | Successful peanut weed control requires ‘all-in-effort’ Apr 25, 2017 COTTON SPIN: Will the boom in U.S. cotton exports continue? Apr 21, 2017 Landmark environmental book influences scientists 55 years after its release Apr 26, 2017 Senate confirms Perdue for agriculture secretary, farm groups respond Apr 24, 2017 Arkansas congressman calls for state-mandated biofuel blends
Forrest Laws | Apr 05, 2007
Members of Congress rarely dabble in state politics. But Congressman Mike Ross, D-Ark., has begun telling audiences in and out of Arkansas that its General Assembly should pass legislation mandating the use of renewable fuels in the state. Ross, a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, says renewable fuel use and state legislation requiring the blending of ethanol and gasoline or biodiesel and regular diesel seem to go hand in hand. “You can talk about incentives and loan guarantee programs until the cows come home,” he said, “but if you look at states that have a 10 percent requirement that all gasoline be ethanol or a 5 percent requirement that all diesel be biodiesel that's where you will find the majority of the country's ethanol and biodiesel plants.” Ross cited Minnesota, the home of House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, as an example of positive impact blended fuel mandates can have on renewable fuel production and consumption. “Twenty years ago, Minnesota did not have a requirement for their gasoline to contain a 10 percent ethanol blend,” he said, speaking at an Energy Outlook Seminar at the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show in Memphis, Tenn. “And they had zero ethanol plants. Arkansas still doesn't have any.” Arkansas has two biodiesel refining plants, both of which have small capacity compared to plants in states that require a 5 percent or 10 percent blend of biodiesel with regular diesel. Minnesota recently passed a law increasing the requirement from a 10 percent to a 15 percent ethanol blend in gasoline, “and they now have 18 ethanol plants, all employing 35 to 40 people, making $45,000 to $60,000 each,” said Ross. “You can't drive around the state of Minnesota without seeing corn growing and growing in places where it used to not grow. Not only can we do this with corn, we can use rice hulls, woody mass, slash, treetops, and tree limbs. There's a lot of stuff we could be doing this with, but we're not in most states.” Several Mid-South legislatures have considered laws requiring ethanol or biodiesel blends, but only Louisiana has enacted such a mandate. In Louisiana, the minimum percentage of ethanol or biodiesel blends increases as the state's renewable fuel production capacity rises. Increasing the production of biofuels provides an “amazing” opportunity to change the face of the farming industry and trigger an agricultural revival, while improving national security, said Ross, who represents most of South Arkansas in Congress. The Congressman said he can't say with certainty to dependence on oil is 5 percent, 10 percent or 50 percent of the primary reason the United States went to war in Iraq. “The truth is that across the country and here in the Delta Americans are paying the price for a failed energy policy.” Currently, the United States consumes 21 million barrels of oil a day, of which 12 million barrels are imported. That means the country is 60 percent dependent on foreign oil. Further, only 2 percent of the world's oil reserves are located in the United States.” Critics have said that blends of ethanol and gasoline and biodiesel are expensive and would not be competitive with straight gasoline or diesel without the tax incentives provided by the federal government. Ross disagrees. “I do know that we're sending $12 million an hour of your tax money to Iraq at the same time that they're telling you that we have to shave back the 2007 farm bill,” he said. “Furthermore, if we're spending $3 a gallon for gasoline like we were in August, but we're sending $12 million an hour to Iraq, where they're sitting on the second largest oil reserves in the world, how much are we really paying per gallon? “I don't know, and I don't think any of us do. But I believe it is an important reason why we must reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and one of the ways we do that is by investing in alternative and renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel.” Reducing dependence on foreign oil is more than an abstract issue to residents of rural Arkansas, some of whom drive 50 miles or more a day to get to work and back. Others are having difficulty paying this winter's high utility bills. “I have a difficult time explaining this to members who represent districts that have mass transit systems,” said Ross. “I've told them that mass transit in southwest Arkansas is hitching a ride on a log truck.” Writing the 2007 farm bill could be the next step in accomplishing America's energy independence on its farms, said Ross, who served on the House Agriculture Committee before moving to Energy and Commerce. “The 2002 farm bill created programs to help farmers, ranchers and small businesses invest in biofuels, wind and solar power and energy efficiency programs,” he said. “Chairman Peterson and I agree the 2007 farm bill should continue these and contain funding increases for research, development and production of biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel.” Among those are the Section 9006 Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program, the Section 6401 Value-added Producer Program, the Section 9008 Biomass Research and Development Program and others. “While I support increased funding for the energy title of the farm bill, I also believe we must carefully examine the costs and benefits associated with any increased demand for feedstocks to minimize negative effects on producers and consumers,” he said. The administration's farm bill and budget proposals include $1.6 billion in renewable energy funding, including $500 million for an agriculture bioenergy and biobased research initiative, $500 million for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements and $100 million to support producers of cellulosic ethanol. “All of these efforts are steps in the right direction, but I believe much more can and should be done. That is why I am writing legislation to put our nation on a path to energy independence.” His plan, he said, will focus on investing in alternative and renewable fuels such as cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel, increasing the domestic energy supply and supporting research and development for advanced technologies such as nuclear, clean coal and hydrogen power. “We must create and extend tax credits for ethanol and biodiesel to encourage increased production of home-grown, American-made biofuels and expand the number of ethanol and biodiesel pumps at gas stations. We must also increase the number of flex fuel and hybrid vehicles and provide consumers with incentives to invest in these technologies.” The United States must also allow more domestic and offshore oil drilling in places such as the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and the outer continental shelf and using the revenues to fund alternative energy initiatives. We've heard that Brazil became energy independent last year due, in part, to ethanol production,” Ross noted. “However, they also increased their domestic drilling nine times. We don't have any plan to accomplish that in the United States.” | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/7079 | Archive Pig Farmers Take Measures To Prevent Flu 07 May 2009
Pig Farmers Take Measures To Prevent Flu
Sixty-eight-year-old farmer Nov Bay stands as far from a pigpen as possible as he pours food into troughs for his 25 swine. He is, he says, aware of the H1N1 virus and wants to prevent an outbreak. “Having heard about the outspread of swine flu, I try to feed the pigs from far away because of the fear the virus would infect me,” he says. Nov Bay is one of many pig farmers in Dey Eth-Kosh Posh village of Kandal province, about 30 kilometers from Phnom Penh, who say they are taking similar measures to prevent illness from the virus. Sometimes called “swine flu,” the H1N1 virus emerged in cases around the world in recent weeks, raising concerns of a global pandemic. Mexico, thought to be the epicenter of the disease, closed down all but the most essential functions last week, while nearly 300 guests and staff were quarantined at a hotel in Hong Kong. No cases have been reported in Cambodia, but, thanks to experience with SARS and bird flu, the population is acutely aware of the dangers of spreading epidemics. Rushing into a light rain beneath a thundering sky, Meas Thon pulls a blue covering over his 350 pigs, fearing they could become infected by H1N1. He has begun spraying an anti-viral drug on his pigs four times a week, he says, four times more than normal. “Now I have to be more careful,” he says. “I am so worried, as I have only one job. Without pigs, everything is over.” The nature and severity of the virus remain a mystery, as world health experts continue to track and test the disease. Officials say there is no reason to believe eating pork will lead to infection, and Cambodia has not restricted the import of pork. Michael O’Leary, the World Health Organization’s Cambodia representative, said that although the virus is passed human to human, pig farmers should take care of their animals for general health concerns. “It’s a time for alert, concern, cooperation,” he said, urging no-nonsense measures to disease prevention, “such as hand washing and covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.” | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/7885 | A Sad Tale
Cherries are legend here in these valleys. Back at the turn of the century, and when I say that, I still mean the one before last, the cherries grown here were reported to be as large as plums and equally sweet and juicy. They were famous for being the best in all of North America, even better than the Okanagan which now grows many of our cherries. They were famous right across the country. J.T. Bealby, a Nelson fruit rancher, was quoted as saying:"One of the most wonderful sights in a British Columbia orchard, and more especially a Kootenay orchard, is the cherry-trees when laden with their snow-white blossoms. Every branch, from its divergence from a large limb or the main trunk, right away to the outermost twig, is thickly feathered with clusters of blossom, and tufts of bloom cling even to the main trunk and large limbs. This is true of every variety of cherry alike, sour as well as sweet. The crops are, as a rule, enormously heavy -- so much so that the trees, and this applies to apples, pears, and plums, as well as to cherries -- have to be well supported with props to prevent them from breaking down under the loads they carry, and even then it is not an unusual thing for one or more branches to split off before the fruit can be gathered."Indeed that bit about props is true. My parents have two very old apple trees in their yard (well over 100 yrs by now...they were put in shortly after the house was originally built) and last year that is essentially what happened. One of the branches on one of the trees was so heavy with fruit that the branch broke and my father had to prop it up and mend it hoping to save the apples on that particular branch long enough for them to ripen. But it is an old tree, so some years it takes a rest, but then there are years like last where there is a real bumper crop. Not bad for an old tree whose trunk is almost completely hollow that it totally baffles us that there is any fruit at all. But back to the story of the cherries.Unfortunately, about 1933 a mysterious cherry disease hit destroying the thriving industry. The first symptoms were noticed at Willow Point, just around the bend from where I live. At the time, it was called, "Little Cherry Disease." Most disheartening was that infected trees only became obvious about two weeks before harvest. By this point, the damage was done, the cherries were small, lacked taste and sweetness, and were for the most part wormy. Once a tree was infected, there was nothing to be done but to cut it down, as the cherries from then on would be as such. By about the 50's the disease had decimated the industry and all cherry trees were ordered to be cut down to try to stop the spread which by now was determined to be transmitted by infected insects.At the time, the source of the outbreak was not known, but it has since been determined that Japanese Ornamental cherries were carrying the disease in symptomless form. There were three specimens of these trees growing not far from the original outbreak on the property of Selwyn Gwillym Blaylock, the rich vice-president and general manager of a mining smelting company which later became known as Cominco (this property is just a ways down the road in the other direction from me). He had a passion for gardening and had beautiful grounds surrounding his estate. The grounds purportedly featured one of every species of tree native to Canada as well as many other ornamental trees and flowering shrubs. Blaylock encouraged frequent guests, including foreign dignitaries to bring gifts of trees and shrubs from their native land to add to his collection. But this was not how he had acquired the particular trees in question. They had been imported by Blaylock himself. He had officially inquired about the importation of Japanese Ornamental Cherries and had been told that the trees were diseased and not to be imported. He decided to smuggle them in anyways.So thus is the story of cherries in the Kootenays. Infected trees were to be removed, but it was tough as there were and still are so many wild cherries growing out in the woods which of course, by this point has probably also been diseased. Cherry orchards have since been re-established around Creston, the far end of Kootenay lake, and indeed the cherries are good. But the industry has never gone back to what it once was. Posted by
Environmental Issues,
Kootenays,
Local Delights,
This cute, thieving little bandit decimated my tulips a couple weeks ago. I apologize for the photo...but dusk had already fallen when I took the snap, so I had to lighten it, giving it a rather grainy texture. Animals are quite abundant at this time of year. As soon as spring hits, they make their way down the mountain side looking for some tasty morsels after the bland winter fare. One evening I came home to find three in my yard, or rather on the outskirts. This one was a loner who was quite startled when I opened the door to try to get a shot...shot with my camera that is. He immediately took off at a trot, but not before he had bitten off almost all of my tulip heads. Tulips are apparently quite sweet. Ironically, they never touch the daffodils. I have a ton of them. Deer aren't the only beasts lurking about in the spring. Last week a bear took apart my compost box trying to find a good feed. I didn't actually see the spectacle as occurred, but witnessed the mess later. Luckily a kind neighbour put the box back together for me. There was a Grizzly just this past week who was wandering about a neighbourhood just a few miles out the lake. A conservation officer had to be called in as apparently nothing was scaring this fellow off. These aren't overly common occurrences, but do occur regularly in the spring.
Easter weekend I received a call from a good friend, and in the spirit of Easter, she ended our telephone conversation with, "may all your sins be forgiven." I can't recall anyone ever having said that to me before and I've never known this girl to be at all religious, so initially, I was a little taken aback. However, the more I thought about it, the real message of Easter is the hope we have of experiencing the grace of forgiveness, and certainly, there is not much that is more freeing than being forgiven and being able to forgive.Forgiveness is a lesson that took me a long time to learn, not that I didn't want to forgive, but that I didn't truly understand it. Forgiveness is not at all for the transgressor but rather the person who is doing the forgiving. Forgiveness is the act of untying oneself from the thoughts and feelings that bind us to the acts committed against us. It is a conscious decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge and to move on with one's life. It is the ability to pick up our shattered self and move beyond in a quest to find that centre of peace which makes us whole again.Forgiveness, however, does not mean that one denies or condones the wrong committed against them or others. Forgiveness also doesn't guarantee reconciliation nor does it absolve the transgressor from restitution. Reconciliation is a much larger process of which forgiveness plays but one small part. Now that last point is probably where my confusion began. At one time, I believed my forgiveness was what was needed to bridge the chasm created by the transgressor. But alas, it was the responsibility of the transgressor to rebuild that bridge. In the process, I've learned to listen to actions rather than words, as for some, sickly lies come easy, but the body always reveals its true intent.Undoubtedly, you have now realized that the threads of another story are quietly weaving themselves within the layers written upon this page. Now is not the time for me to go into all the lurid details, however, know that the road is never smooth when one is called upon to proclaim the truth in the shadow of her tormentor. These coming days are gray and I cannot yet see beyond the bend in the road, so if you can find it within yourself to say a prayer on my behalf or throw a positive thought in my direction, I would be most appreciative.
We do not keep the outward form of order, where there is deep disorder in the mind.~ William Shakepeare | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/9021 | Home > News > Franz Fischler EU Commissioner of Agriculture
Franz Fischler, E.U. Commissioner of Agriculture
- by Teresa Acklin
In March, all 20 members of the European Commission, in- cluding Franz Fischler, the Commissioner of Agriculture, resigned in the wake of the release of the Report on Allegations Regarding Fraud, Mismanagement and Nepotism in the European Commission. That report, by five outside experts, portrayed an organization where no one took responsibility. While no decisions have been made as to successors, strong indications were that Mr. Fischler may be among those reappointed. A month after his resignation, Mr. Fischler gave his fifth interview for World Grain. He sat down with Tom Sewell, consultant to the international grain trade and a World Grain contributor, to discuss issues ranging from the euro's affect on the Common Agricultural Policy to the growth of E.U. exports, the Asian situation and trade disputes between the European Union and the United States. WG: How has the launch of the euro at the start of 1999 affected operations of the Common Agricultural Policy? Has the euro affected the way the Commission administers the program, how decisions are made about intervention and export restitutions, or the way expenditures are managed on agricultural programs? MR. FISCHLER: The introduction of the euro as common currency among 11 of the 15 member states has not brought substantial changes in the way measures under the Common Agricultural Policy are managed or decided. The only significant difference has been the abolition of the “green rates.” This mechanism, originally introduced to adjust national agricultural prices to currency fluctuations over time, lost its raison d'etre. Since the member states using the euro no longer have varying exchange rates, there is no need for institutional green rates. The previous common currency unit, the ecu, used by the European Commission for the fixing of prices and of all other common currency values, was replaced at a parity rate by the euro: one old ecu is equivalent to one new euro. Since Jan. 1, expenditures are managed in euros for the participating member states and converted into national currencies for the non-participating member states. WG: Have there been any special difficulties in adopting the C.A.P. to the non-euro countries, notably the United Kingdom? Do you see different impacts in the euro and non-euro countries as encouraging the latter to accept the euro? MR. FISCHLER: The green rates I mentioned were part and parcel of an “agrimonetary system,” applicable solely within the C.A.P. In the framework of the agrimonetary system, the green rates were allowed to follow the fluctuations of the respective national currencies, but within upper and lower limits in order to help maintain their stability. The main difference between the current situation and the old is that in the revised agrimonetary system, operators within the countries that have not adhered to the euro are paid according to the rate of the euro on the day of the operative event usually the day on which the economic purpose of the operation is attained and not on the actual day of payment. This means that operators and administrators have had to adapt their procedures relating to transactions registration and payment. But this has not caused particular problems that I am aware of. Adopting the euro as a national currency is as much a political choice as an economic one. According to European legislation, any member state of the E.U. complying with the “Maastricht criteria” price stability, with inflation rates close to those in the participating member states; low public deficit; limited currency fluctuations; and long-term interest rate stability can autonomously decide whether to apply for adoption of the euro. As the euro positions itself on currency markets and the non-participating member states witness the advantages of a common currency, they will hopefully be attracted to “join the club.” For the time being, non-participating member states can, in any case, pay their farmers and operators in euros. Should the U.K. decide to take it up, the modalities can certainly be worked out. In general, I believe that the euro should lead to greater market transparency and, therefore, more convergence in prices for farm outputs and inputs. WG: How do you view the heads of state conclusions on C.A.P. reform? MR. FISCHLER: The heads of state conclusions on C.A.P. reform are unfortunately less ambitious than those of the Council of Agriculture. I believe political and budgetary considerations, together with the fact that many prime ministers had other important priorities, had an important determining influence on that outcome. There have been reports that reform is postponed, but this is incorrect. The reform is still very radical. Ultimately, we still largely end up at the same point as we would have under the Agriculture Council agreement, but a little later. How serious this will be for farmers, traders and interventions stocks depends largely on the degree of market balance and buoyancy, internally and externally. This is especially the case for cereals, given that we will initially reduce prices by 15% rather than 20%. In other words, we need a more positive trend in world market prices to ensure exports without refunds than would have been the case if a 20% price cut had been agreed from the outset. Similarly, the decision to apply milk reform from 2005 only will make it harder to maintain our market shares. WG: Agenda 2000 was proposed as a means of bringing E.U. crop prices into line with world markets. The latter have fallen since your proposals came forward. Do you now expect your market to be at the level of trade in export transactions without restitutions? Are you still optimistic that E.U. grain exports are positioned to enjoy demand growth, which means a rising share of global trade? MR. FISCHLER: Following the political compromise reached at the heads of state summit, it is now clear that cereal prices will be reduced by 15% rather than 20% as proposed by the Commission, and in two steps instead of one. I truly believe that the competitiveness of E.U. grains on world markets will strongly increase and can reasonably be expected to benefit from increased world demand, particularly as far as wheat is concerned. The export subsidy limits agreed during the Uruguay Round will be valid until 2001, thus allowing still a number of years for markets to recover. Our aim for the subsequent years is to export grains as far as possible without subsidies and enjoy the freedom of placing ourselves on the world market free from World Trade Organization (W.T.O.) commitments and limitations. WG: American wheat farmers have reacted to weak prices by three straight years of reductions in wheat plantings. In that same period, E.U. area has been relatively stable. What trend do you anticipate in E.U. wheat area once Agenda 2000 has been approved? MR. FISCHLER: One of the reasons for the stability in European wheat production has been, and will continue to be, the strong demand for this product in the E.U. Approximately 80% of E.U. wheat production is for internal use. In recent years, for example, animal feed choices have moved toward an increase in consumption of local cereals, notably wheat, because of their price competitiveness, with consequent lower imports of manioc and corn gluten feed. Over the short term, strong developments in feed demand forecasts point toward a 0.7% annual increase in pig meat production and between 1.7% and 2.1% annual increase in poultry meat production are expected to further increase feed use of cereals, with wheat expected to win the lion's share of this development. Wheat also enjoys a strong position in E.U. production choices. When a positive rate of set-aside is in force, as permitted under the arable crops regime, the E.U. traditionally witnesses a drop in the production of coarse grains, but a maintenance of wheat area. The current set-aside rate is 10% for the 1999-00 marketing year, compared with 5% during the 1998-99 marketing year. Following this, the reform of the sector calls for a continued set-aside rate in 10% for the following six marketing years. Given the traditional production choices, I expect this to sustain wheat production and maybe increase it. Finally, the global 15% reduction in cereal prices will lead to a differentiation of grains prices, as is normal in a strong market. Wheat should then regain a higher price by comparison to other grains, thus consolidating its attractiveness for producers. Over the longer term, European interests lie beyond the E.U. Current forecasts for the short term are not particularly enchanting as both prices and demand are quite low. I expect, nonetheless, that the situation will improve as the crises that have hit Southeast Asia, Russia and the financial markets in South America come to an end. This will inevitably lead to a recovering of prices and of demand. All leading forecasting bodies point toward an increase in demand for wheat-based foods and for wheat for feed purposes. This will be due partly to the natural increase in world population and partly to evolving dietary patterns in developing and Asian countries toward more western-style diets. By lowering its prices by 15% and continuing to improve the quality of its output, I trust the E.U. will be able to position its wheat on new markets. WG: Of course a surge in global exports could change this outlook, but so far the Asian economic crisis has brought about a sharp curtailment in consumption and a leveling off in demand in contrast with forecasts of a continuing upward trend. How do you view the Asian situation as changing, and do you see an immediate large increase in import demand? MR. FISCHLER: There is no reason to believe that the crisis that hit Asian markets over the past years will continue to deepen. On the contrary, I think we can expect Asia to move from the crisis situation at the turn of the century and recover economic stability. It might still take some time before there is a large increase in import demand, but there will be increases. By the same token, I trust that the crises that have hit other parts of the globe, such as Russia and South America, will also soon come to an end, reestablishing or even increasing trade volumes for cereals. These crises have, in fact, affected E.U. exports in the same way as the Asian crisis. WG: While there is always reason to hope that trade disputes between the U.S. and the E.U. will lessen as a result of the W.T.O.'s new authority, that never seems to happen. The banana brouhaha in the past year is just another example of how the W.T.O. process does not seem to be working. How do you assess the outlook for future trade disputes being resolved more amicably than in the past, and what suggestions would you make for modifications in the current process? MR. FISCHLER: Both the E.U. and the U.S. have been the driving force behind many of the tenets of the W.T.O. Together, we have invested much effort in building an efficient and effective W.T.O., notably with regard to the dispute settlement procedure. The E.U.'s steadfastness on the reform we implemented in the banana sector does not stem from an unwillingness to comply with international trade commitments. It is based on the belief that the reform is in line with W.T.O. requirements and that should there be any contrary advice on the matter, the issue must be settled through W.T.O.-established procedures. Not least because dispute settlements are compulsory procedures. No W.T.O. member has the right to make unilateral determinations on the lack of conformity of other members' policies or measures, let alone simply proceed to impose sanctions. Unilateral determinations are explicitly prohibited by the W.T.O. We have given the U.S. every opportunity to resolve the banana dispute rapidly, in the appropriate manner and in full respect of the W.T.O. rules. The choice of the U.S. to shun the multilateral path is regrettable, not only because it jeopardizes several aspects of our mutual trading relations but, more importantly, because it endangers the W.T.O. trading system as a whole. Contrary to your suggestion, however, I am positive that the W.T.O. processes do not need to be modified. The instruments exist that can make the W.T.O. an effective international system for managing international trade. What is clearly lacking at present is a correct application of the existing rules. We cannot allow this to happen. If the U.S. were allowed to impose retaliatory measures, it would amount to the W.T.O. approving unilateral approaches. This would represent nothing less than a major defeat for the W.T.O. system. (Editor's note: Since Mr. Fischler's interview, the W.T.O. ruling on the banana dispute in favor of the U.S. has been received and the E.U. has said it will take the necessary steps to comply. The procedures should be completed by next January, according to an April 19 statement by Roy Abbot, E.U. ambassador to the W.T.O.) WG: As enlargement of the E.U. comes closer and closer, what preparations is the Commission making for agricultural programs in the countries that will be new members? These nations all have the potential of being producers of surplus wheat and other crops that will seek outlets in western member nations. Are the changes offered by Agenda 2000 sufficient to handle the adjustments that will be necessitated by community expansion? MR. FISCHLER: In Agenda 2000, the Commission proposed to strengthen pre-accession efforts. The PHARE program, set up in 1989 to support transition toward a market economy, will remain a key channel for E.U.'s financial and technical cooperation with the candidate countries. Under Agenda 2000, PHARE is set to continue with a budgetary allocation of 1.5 billion euros, although it will focus primarily on institutional building, such as technical assistance, training and exchange of experts, and help in the adoption of the community's underlying legislation, known as the “acquis.” Agricultural projects are also eligible for funding, for instance in the veterinary and phytosanitary sector or in creation of appropriate land registers. A special accession program for agriculture and rural development has also been proposed for the years 2000 through 2006, with an annual budget of 500 million euros. The program would provide for a variety of measures, including the improvement of holdings, measures in the processing industries and helping quality products find outlets on the market. The community would furthermore work closely with candidate countries to establish development programs, which would then form the basis for discussions prior to the Commission's approval of a program for rural development. Finally, a pre-accession instrument for structural policies, with a budget of 1 billion euros per year, would finance up to 85% public expenditure into large-scale transport infrastructure and environmental projects. Regarding your fears of surplus grains flooding onto western markets, it is true that current data indicate that arable production in the candidate countries is rising. In applying to become members of the E.U., the candidate countries have committed to adopting E.U. legislation, including regulations governing agricultural markets. When these countries join the E.U., we will have to manage their production alongside that of the other member states, in respect of international trade agreements and of our export capability. Producers from future member states will be faced with the same production choices and the same market regime as the other E.U. member states. WG: As gene-modified organisms (G.M.O.'s) account for a growing share of U.S. crop production, with only minimal concern among consumers and environmentalists, the potential for sharp conflict with the E.U. on this issue intensifies. Do you have any recommendations for a process by which this new technology could win the favor of the Commission and of consumers in Europe, or are you satisfied with just trying to keep these products out of the European food supply? MR. FISCHLER: We see the use of modern biotechnology in crop improvement, as in other areas, as an extension of previously evolved skills. Modern biotechnology alone will not produce better plants. But combined with knowledge from other plant science and microbiological disciplines, biotechnology will develop techniques that could be very powerful in improving agriculturally important crops. But we also see a growing concern worldwide on the use of G.M.O.'s and possible adverse effects on human health and the environment. In the E.U., the application of the precautionary principle for the placing of G.M.O.'s on the market is ensured by a thorough, scientifically based risk assessment to confirm the safety of a product for human health and the environment. The Commission shares the view to fully apply the precautionary principle. It is aware of the growing public concerns about G.M.O.'s and addresses these concerns by increasing transparency, proposing harmonized risk assessment and allowing public participation in the decision-making process. In order to speed up the process in the future, risk assessment evaluation both for safety to human health and the environment and the authorization for the marketing of genetically engineered varieties of plants would be done within the framework of the seed legislation, such as implementing the “one door, one key” principle. Once consent has been granted for a product at the European community level, the Novel food legislation foresees that the final consumer is informed of the presence of an organism genetically modified, as well as of the food characteristics that may have implications for the health of certain sections of the population, such as allergies, or which give rise to ethical concerns. Then it is up to the consumer to make the choice. The labeling of genetically engineered food is also necessary to fulfill what has been called the consumers' “right to know,” as recognized by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its Guidelines for Consumer Protection. The European Commission has set a framework legislation to facilitate the evolution of new technology, but the risks of this new technology must be identified and effectively managed. Failure to exercise caution could lead to serious environmental, economic and social problems. Although momentum is building for immediate results, the impact of potential problems on public confidence could delay or even jeopardize, drawing the potential benefits of biotechnology. WG: The E.U. has parliamentary elections this year. How do you view the role of the Parliament in setting agricultural policy and do you think that the time is at hand for change? MR. FISCHLER: In recent years, with the introduction of the Maastricht Treaty and the ratification of the Treaty of Amsterdam, the role of the European Parliament in policy formulation has grown considerably, moving more and more toward a co-decision authority in conjunction with the Council. Indeed, a number of areas that have come under co-decision have a significant impact on the C.A.P., for example, environmental policy, health and consumer affairs. Regarding the agricultural policy process, it is the plenary session of the E.P. that undertakes readings, debates and, when it feels necessary, recommends amendments to C.A.P. legislative proposals. Specialized committees are responsible for reporting to the plenary session their analysis and opinion of the proposals before the plenary votes upon the recommendations. The Council must wait to receive the recommendations of the E.P. before adopting the proposed legislation. Moreover, the agriculture committee can also produce reports under its own initiative, reports which are then submitted to the Commission and the Council. Furthermore, the E.P. plays a unique role in the procedure for the adoption of the budget, where it shares its powers as budgetary authority with the Council. It is the president of the E.P. who adopts the budget of the European Union. In regard to the coming elections, I trust that the close working relations the Commission currently enjoys with the E.P. will continue in the future with the new members of Parliament. | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/10424 | Food Encyclopedia
Tea is native to China, where it grew wild until the Chinese determined that the leaves helped flavor the flat taste of the water they boiled to prevent getting sick. Tea plant cultivation in China began about 4,000 years ago but it wasn't until the 8th century A.D. that outsiders (the Japanese) discovered it. Europeans were finally introduced to tea during the 17th century and the British (who were the true tea lovers) spread its use by implementing new growing areas such as India. In fact, the English so enjoy their tea that they developed a meal around it, high tea. Tea also played an important role in the development of the United States its taxation led to the Boston Tea Party, one of the issues that triggered the War of Independence. Americans further influenced tea use both by inventing tea bags and by starting the practice of drinking iced tea at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. The word "tea" can refer to the beverage, the leaves used to make the beverage and the magnolia-related evergreen shrub from which the leaves come. All tea plants belong to the same species but varying climates, soils, etc., combine in different ways to create a plethora of distinctive leaves. The processing of those leaves is responsible for the individual characteristics of each tea. Leaves are sorted by size those that are young and tender are superior to older, coarser leaves. Black, green and oolong tea are the main types produced during processing. Black tea comes from leaves that have been fermented before being heated and dried. Such leaves produce a dark reddish-brown brew. Black teas are graded according to the size of the leaf; orange pekoe describes leaves that are smaller than the medium-size coarser pekoe leaves. Although black tea flavors vary, most are more assertive than those of green or oolong teas. Among the more well-known black teas are darjeeling, English breakfast and lapsang souchong. Green tea, favored among Asians, is produced from leaves that are steamed and dried but not fermented. Such leaves produce a greenish-yellow tea and a flavor that's slightly bitter and closer to the taste of the fresh leaf. Two of the more well-known green teas are tencha and gunpowder. Scientific studies have shown that black and green teas increase the body's antioxidant activity by up to about 45 percent. They are also said to have antibacterial powers against cavities and gum disease. Oolong tea is produced from leaves that are partially fermented, a process that creates teas with a flavor, color and aroma that falls between black tea and green tea. The best known oolong is formosa oolong, from Taiwan. In addition to these three main types of tea there are specialty teas. Such teas are flavored with various floral or spice additions such as jasmine or chrysanthemum blossoms, or orange or lemon peel. Instant tea, which dissolves quickly in cold or hot water, consists of brewed tea that is dehydrated and granulated. It often contains sugar or sugar substitutes and other flavorings such as cinnamon or lemon. Herb tea is not a true tea based on tea-shrub leaves, but rather an infusion of various herbs, flowers and spices. Both black teas (in leaf and tea-bag form) and instant teas are readily available in most supermarkets. Other teas can be found in great variety in natural food stores, Asian markets and stores specializing in tea and coffee. From The Food Lover's Companion, Fourth edition by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. Copyright © 2007, 2001, 1995, 1990 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. Keep Reading | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/10690 | Parliament home pageParliamentary businessCommitteesCommittees archiveEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs CommitteeEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
UK SHOULD PRODUCE MORE FOOD, MORE SUSTAINABLY, SAYS SELECT COMMITTEE Securing food supplies up to 2050: the challenges for the UK-Report published
The UK has a moral obligation to contribute to the global challenge of securing future food supplies, concludes the EFRA Committee in a report published today.
“If people go hungry then political stability goes out of the window. This is a key lesson that Defra must learn from last year’s food price hike when some countries ran short of food. What happened showed just how fine the line is between full supermarket shelves and empty stomachs,” said Committee Chairman the Rt Hon Michael Jack MP.
The Committee wants the UK to make the most of its temperate climate and the natural advantages this gives it for producing food. In contrast, it does not favour targets for food production and recognises that Defra cannot command farmers to increase output of specific commodities. MPs urge Defra to provide clear leadership, and guidance on the nature and size of the challenge. The report says that the Department must concentrate on building capacity in the food and farming industries so that they can respond to market signals in ways that will reduce the risk of food shortages. “The UK can play a leading role both in Europe and globally in making sure that our farmers and food industry can contribute effectively towards meeting the challenge of a world that will need to double its food output by 2050 whilst coping with the pressures of climate change as well as global plant and animal diseases. Every region of the UK has a contribution to make,” adds the Rt Hon Michael Jack MP.
The report emphasises that producing sufficient food is only part of the challenge. How food is produced is equally important. The Committee notes that increases in production will have to take place in the context of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the food system, reducing reliance on fossil fuel-derived inputs, and conserving soil and water. Consumers are increasingly interested in how their food is produced. The report says that consumer engagement will be vital if Defra is to achieve its vision for the UK food system.
The report does not advocate food self-sufficiency for the UK and emphasises the importance of strong trading relationships with a variety of countries. It notes that Defra’s response to the challenge of securing food supplies must take place in a European and global context. It calls for the focus of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy to be on sustainable food production, whilst encouraging European farmers to make their contribution to meeting the world’s future food demands. The Committee also highlights the development of “food colonialism” or “land grabbing”-a phenomenon that involves the large-scale acquisition of land overseas by wealthy investors in order to grow food for people in the investor country. The Committee is concerned about the pressure this could place on the global food system over time and believes that Defra must take the implications of this phenomenon seriously.
The report says that, as well as providing long-term leadership, Defra must tackle existing weaknesses in the UK food system. In particular, it calls for an urgent increase in spending on public-sector food and farming research. Chairman of the Committee, the Rt Hon Michael Jack MP said: “The long-term securing of the UK’s food supplies is a fundamental responsibility of Government. In addressing this challenge DEFRA must ensure that the nation’s farmers have the support and resources they need to secure long-term sustainable increases in agricultural production.
“This challenge will not be met unless DEFRA properly safeguards our world-class agricultural science base. It must heed the words of Professor Kell, the Chief Executive of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and put in an extra £100 million.
“A clear plan of action is needed now, not the formation of ever more Government-run committees. Defra must show real leadership in ensuring that all parts of Government play their role in meeting this challenge. It will take national, European and global co-operation-not confrontation-if the world is to feed itself sustainably in the future.” NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. Further details about this can be found at the inquiry webpage:
Securing food supplies up to 2050: the challenges for the UK
Media Enquiries: Hannah Pearce: Tel: 020 7219 8430,
Committee Website: w
ww.parliament.uk/efracom
Publications / Reports / Reference Material: Copies of all select committee reports are available from the Parliamentary Bookshop (12 Bridge St, Westminster, 020 7219 3890) or the Stationery Office (0845 7023474). Committee reports, press releases, evidence transcripts, Bills; research papers, a directory of MPs, plus Hansard (from 8am daily) and much more, can be found on www.parliament.uk. | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/11647 | 2010 Beet Season in Full Swing, But Future UncertainSan Francisco--Farmers can plant roundup-ready genetically modified sugar beets this year, that’s the word from California Federal Court.Judge Jeffrey White of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled against a temporary injunction filed by organic farmers out of Oregon. The ruling in effect allows farmers to plant, without further delay of the 2010 season."This ruling provides clarity that farmers can plant Roundup Ready sugarbeets in 2010," said Steve Welker, Monsanto Company's sugarbeet business manager. Back on March 5, Judge White held a hearing to decide if preliminary injunctive relief was appropriate, pending completion of the case later this summer. "Farmers have planted Roundup Ready sugarbeets for the past four years," added Welker. He stressed that the in the next phase of this case, Monsanto will demonstrate that a broad permanent injunction is not appropriate. More than 95-percent of the nation's sugar supply comes from GMO beet seed and had the injunction been successful there wouldn't have been enough conventional seed for a full crop this year, according to court records. Beet industry insiders say the economic loss of the ban could have topped $1.5 billion.But White did warn farmers and seed companies to not become too dependent on GMO seed."The parties should not assume that the court's decision to deny a preliminary injunction is indicative of its views on a permanent injunction," wrote White. White added that until the U.S. Agriculture Department completes its court-ordered re-evaluation of the beets' environmental effects, White suggested that companies "take all efforts, going forward, to use conventional seed.""We will prevail," said Idaho Beet Farmer Mike Garner. "We have a real good case, 95 percent of the industry switched to Roundup and had the injunction been successful it would have been catastrophic, food prices would skyrocket, no one is comfortable with that, nor wants it."Sugarbeet growers say that Roundup Ready sugarbeets reduce impacts on the environment and make their operations more efficient and productive. Alternative technologies require more applications of pesticides, with greater impacts on the environment and lower productivity on farms.More than 1 million acres of Roundup Ready sugarbeets were planted in 10 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. In North America last year, almost all sugarbeet acreage was safely planted with Roundup Ready seed. at | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/12231 | Equity markets turning bullish, grain markets basing Apr 25, 2017 Rice: Global geopolitical uncertainties weigh heavy on prices Apr 23, 2017 Land Bank Chairman: 'Save money, protect equity' Apr 21, 2017 As farm income drops, young farmers take hit Apr 14, 2017 brought to you by
At 150 years, nation’s Land Grant system’s influence still far-reaching Hembree Brandon 1 | Mar 12, 2012
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Land Grant system of colleges and universities — more than 100 educational institutions across the country that have played a key role in securing the nation’s leadership in research and technology.
“Residents of our farm states know the importance of their contributions to the development of the U.S. agriculture industry, which is today one of America’s largest employers, with more than 2 million farmers and about 19 million people in allied industries generating a $1.8 billion foreign trade surplus,” Mark Keenum, president of Mississippi State University, and John Carlin, former Kansas governor and a visiting professor and executive in residence at Kansas State University, have written in observance of the milestone.
“Land Grant institutions apply agricultural and scientific expertise to better the lives of Americans in many ways,” they note. “And the influence of these institutions extends well beyond our borders to address major food security and environmental challenges around the world.”
During the past century and a half, they point out, Land Grant institutions have been instrumental in advancing U.S. agriculture, making U.S. farmers leaders in agricultural efficiency and productivity.
And on the international scene, the knowledge and techniques developed by these colleges and universities is helping farmers in poor countries to better deal with pests, bad weather, and other problems, and to take advantage of new markets for biofuels.
“Under a U.S. Agency for International Development program, a Mississippi State University food scientist is bringing important know-how to the food canning industry in Malawi, helping local producers increase the quality and marketability of their products,” Keenum and Carlin note. Other programs by other institutions are helping livestock herders in Kenya and agricultural Extension in Afghanistan.
But, they say, while they have helped address many historical and modern agricultural and scientific challenges, the Land Grant system itself now faces “enormous challenges.”
Federal funding, essential to keeping agricultural research programs on the cutting edge, has been flat for many years “and in this difficult economy is constantly under threat of drastic cutbacks,” they say. “Hard-pressed state governments are cutting education funding, leading some state universities to close or sharply reduce their agriculture schools or departments.
“In some cases, the private sector has stepped in to fill the funding gap, but while these investments can stimulate valuable activities, they cannot be relied on to help the Land Grant institutions continue their legacy of basic scientific research.
“Such cutbacks in capability could not come at a worse time. Amid intensifying global economic competition, environmental challenges and concerns about the food supply, the scientific research and other activities of Land Grant colleges and universities are needed now more than ever.
“With a track record like this, and so many challenges before us, now is the time to reinvigorate our support for America’s Land Grant colleges and universities. They have served the county and the world well for the past 150 years. Let’s give them the capacity to lead for the next 150 years.”
TAGS: Legislative 0 comments Hide comments
RelatedExtension's role adapts to changeJan 28, 2011Mississippi producers continue to rely on Extension for broad range of assistance Mar 08, 2012 Load More | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/12411 | Q&A: EU to Focus on Small Farms for Long-Term Gains
Claudia Ciobanu interviews DACIAN CIOLOS, EU Commissioner for Agriculture
RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 22 (TerraViva) The EU’s “agriculture minister” tells TerraViva that in Europe, the push for food security made at Rio+20 will be continued with a future European development policy centred on this issue.
Dacian Ciolos. Credit: Claudia Ciobanu/IPS
Q: How do you evaluate the final Rio agreement?
A: Even if generally the European Union thinks that the final Rio document could have been better as regards agriculture and food security, I think the document is consistent enough.
Our objectives are in there, for example, the value of small-scale farming for global food security is properly recognised. Improving productivity of small farms both helps increase overall food production levels and contributes to poverty alleviation.
Technology and innovation transfer to small farmers has been acknowledged as important here in Rio and the EU’s development policy, particularly in relation to Africa, will reflect this. The document recognises the negative impacts of food price volatility on the livelihoods of smaller farmers and it has been agreed to improve transparency in food markets.
Q: Many voices say that Rio will not have any practical impact. What impact can Rio have when it comes to food security?
A: Food security cannot be dealt with unilaterally, by only one institution. It is also a problem that cannot be solved without looking at it simultaneously from the economic, environmental and social point of view.
The Rio agreement acknowledges this and it is a step towards finding the complex answer to the complex food security question. From now, when decisions will be made about financing or about social support measures, agriculture will be considered central.
In the next couple of years, we will need to think up an international framework that can address the issue of food security in its multidimensionality.
Q: What are the next steps you will take in Europe to follow up on Rio?
A: The European Commission is now working on applying our experience from the Common Agricultural Policy (i.e., the farming policy of the EU which offers financial support for European farmers and is now undergoing a “greening” process) to our development policy.
In the future development policy of the EU (2014-2020), we are focusing on two core dimensions: sustainable energy and food security. We intend to offer not only financing for these two areas but also offer knowledge.
Mind you, we do not want to provide models, but we rather want to support our partners in developing countries to elaborate their own development models. In Europe itself, the next farming policy will change to be more sustainable.
Q: Everyone speaks now about supporting small farmers to achieve food security. Is it enough to offer support to small farmers or do some other measures need to be taken to limit the negative impact that agri-business can have on sustainability?
A: Large-scale farming makes more sense than small-scale ones in some areas because of relief, climate and soil conditions, for example, when it comes to cereal and oil production. But what is important to watch is the behaviour of agri-business in the market: they should not be allowed to take over land artificially when proper land tenure and market management are lacking.
It is also important to ensure that investments in farming do not just go for those enterprises that bring short-term profits, which are agri-businesses, but also significantly towards the model that brings long-term gains, which according to me is smallholder farming.
Because private banks usually steer away from offering financing to small farmers, public policies should support investments in this sector. And public support is also needed for the organisation of small farms and simply for balancing the development of the agri-business sector and the smallholder one.
Q: How difficult it is politically to shift investments towards small farms?
A: It is a matter of political will. If you want to obtain medium and long-term results which make sense both socially and economically, then you are interested in supporting small farmers.
Categorized | Agriculture, Development, English, Food Security, Governance, Headlines, Interviews, Poverty, Sustainability
Tags | Claudia Ciobanu, Common Agricultural Policy, Dacian Ciolos, EU Download PDF File POPULAR | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/12797 | Category: Environment
What Is a Carrot Fly?
The carrot fly, or psila rosae are a garden pest that attacks mainly carrots, parsnips, celery and parsley.
B. Chisholm
The carrot fly, or psila rosae are a garden pest that attacks mainly carrots, parsnips, celery and parsley. It is their larvae which cause the damage, beneath the soil, making it difficult to detect their presence before pulling up the crop, although the leaves above ground may become discolored. The carrot fly may have up to three life cycles each season.
The carrot fly lays its eggs in the soil next to the growing carrots. The first laying occurs in early spring and the larvae hatch within ten days. Initially they feed on the roots of the carrot but then burrow into the actual vegetable, creating little burrows which then allow mold to enter and make the whole carrot rotten. The larvae then develop into the tiny black carrot fly which flies very close to the ground. The whole process is repeated midsummer, and again in late autumn and the larvae remain in the ground, overwintering, during the winter months. The main problem with carrot fly is that it often goes undetected until the vegetable is pulled up to eat. Many methods to prevent an infestation have been tried. The carrot fly is attracted by the scent of carrots, which it can detect from a large distance away. To prevent attracting them to the crop, carrots should be well spaced when planting, thus minimizing the need for thinning out. When harvesting the crop, carrots should be pulled at dusk, preferably on a windless evening, as the carrot flies are only active during the day.
Due to the fact that the fly can only fly about two feet (61 cm) from the ground, covering the plants with a protective mesh or two-foot high barrier around them, or planting them in pots which are kept high on a table, may be effective. Timing the planting of carrots to miss the three active periods of the carrot fly larvae may also help. Various methods of inter-planting with other crops, such as onions, have been suggested, but the efficacy of this has not been proven. It is thought that planting strong-smelling plants may make it more difficult for the fly to detect the presence of carrots.
When carrots have been attacked by the larvae, the leaves may turn an orange color, and then yellow. In many cases, though, the effect is only seen on the carrot, when picked. The carrot may be disfigured and the end often has little holes, or burrows, in it and may have turned black, due to mold. Some carrot varieties are more resistant to carrot fly than others. Ad
What is Natural Pest Control?
What are the Different Tomato Pests?
What are the Different Types of Garden Pests? | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/14559 | Trump's trade rhetoric sends Mexico searching for new trading partners Apr 26, 2017 FieldNET by Lindsay adds irrigation management tool Apr 26, 2017 Leaving NAFTA is terrible idea, corn and soybean farmers tell Trump Apr 26, 2017 How late is too late to treat wheat scab with fungicide? Apr 26, 2017 Breeding a better stevia plant for the Southeast Apr 26, 2017 Featured
A new way to make machinery Apr 19, 2017 Tobacco purchasing should be based on value, not price Apr 03, 2017 Some Georgia growers wanted to talk soybean weed control, most didn’t Apr 10, 2017 Caledonia: Where prisoners have grown their food for 125 years Apr 04, 2017 AFBF supporting GREEN Jobs Act
The American Farm Bureau Federation says it supports the Grow Renewable Energy from Ethanol Naturally (GREEN) Jobs Act of 2010 (S. 3231). The legislation, introduced April 20 by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), would bring the nation one step closer to energy independence. The bill would extend the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit and the Small Ethanol Producers Tax Credit for five years through 2015. These two provisions are set to expire at the end of 2010. In addition, the bill extends the Cellulosic Ethanol Production Tax Credit for three years, through 2015, and the secondary tariff on ethanol that offsets the benefit received by imported ethanol. “Clean, renewable, domestic energy will help America achieve long-term economic growth, create a cleaner environment and shield our economy from unreliable foreign energy sources,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “American farmers and ranchers are playing a bigger role in supplying our nation with the energy it needs through the production of agricultural-based, renewable energy resources. Tax incentives play a key role in the development and production of renewable energy.” Farm Bureau supports the extension and expansion of existing renewable energy tax incentives and supports new incentives to expand the production of cellulosic fuels, cellulosic generated power and the production of biogas. New and expanded incentives that encourage a more diverse feedstock base for cellulosic fuels are needed to reduce price competition for crops that can serve as energy sources and as food and feed. “The successful development of our nation’s ethanol industry stands as a testament to the effectiveness of tax incentives for renewable energy,” continued Stallman. The industry, which was launched with the aid of tax incentives during the 1980s, now has the capacity to produce more than 10 billion gallons of fuel. Tax incentives also have proven valuable in promoting the production of biodiesel made from oilseed crops and animal fats. Unfortunately, says AFBF, existing renewable energy tax incentives are temporary with varying expiration dates. Long-term extensions are needed to boost renewable technologies and support development of the market infrastructure necessary to make these technologies more competitive. In addition, the long-term extension of renewable energy credits will ensure industry stability and attract the capital necessary to realize the benefits of long-term planning. S. 3231 is companion bill to H.R. 4940, the Renewable Fuels Reinvestment Act, introduced earlier this year by Reps. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.).
TAGS: Management 0 comments Hide comments | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/14759 | Daylong conference to explore hot topics in nutrition
Have you ever wondered how much of the food you eat is genetically engineered or how eating probioti
By Joanne E. McFadden/For The Daily Gazette
Have you ever wondered how much of the food you eat is genetically engineered or how eating probiotics can improve your health? On March 19, the Nutritional Concerns Conference, produced by the Cornell University Cooperative Extension offices from Schenectady, Saratoga, Rensselaer and Albany counties, invites a group of experts to address those questions as well as explore other issues in nutrition and health. The conference, in its 35th year, is open to the public as well as professionals in the nutrition, dietetic and education fields. “It provides high-quality education to attendees and keeps them updated on hot topics in the nutrition arena,” said registered dietitian Sandra Butts of the Extension’s Schenectady County office. She is chairwoman for this year’s conference. The keynote speaker is farmer and author Shannon Hayes, who raises grass-fed lamb, beef, pork and poultry alongside three generations at Sap Bush Hollow Farm in Schoharie County. Hayes will talk about the history of consumerism, agricultural history, the food systems in the United States and the overall health of the country. Nutritional Concerns ConferenceWHERE: Century House, 997 New Loudon Road, LathamWHEN: 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 19; deadline for registration is FridayHOW MUCH: $85, including lunchMORE INFO: 885-8995, www.ccesaratoga.org Reclaiming old skills “As our food system has become more and more industrialized, the food that’s available on the supermarket shelves has become more and more nutrient-deficient,” Hayes said. As the nation industrialized, people stopped growing their own food and became dependent on industry for their food. What Hayes has examined in some of her books, which include “Radical Homemakers” and “Long Way on a Little,” is how people are trying to regain some of the skills that were lost with industrialization and lessen their dependence on the national and global economies. “We’re reclaiming skills from historical traditions because there’s a lot of wisdom that we’ve lost from industrialization — we’re reclaiming it but applying it in a modern situation,” Hayes said. She says that industrialized food is going to become less and less viable due in large part to the cost of fossil fuels and climate change. “We need to figure out how to be economically independent in our region — to be well fed and have a good quality of life.” El Paso, Texas-based registered dietitian Bridget Swinney, author of “Eating Expectantly: Practical Advice for Healthy Eating Before, During and After Pregnancy,” will be getting people to think about how to talk to mothers to improve the health of their families. “Moms are busy,” Swinney said. “They’re on information overload. Their minds are going in a thousand different directions.” What gets put down on the table for dinner may not be the highest priority considering everything else they have to juggle. In her talk, “Mom Talk: How to Communicate with Moms So They Will Listen and Take Action,” Swinney will discuss how to get the attention of those busy moms via a variety of means, including different counseling styles, motivational interviewing and also short messages crafted by borrowing techniques from social media and advertising. “Moms are the gatekeepers of the food supply in the home,” she said. “If you can get to the mom, you can change the whole family.” Benefits of probiotics One healthful option for a family’s diet is food that contains probiotics, and registered dietitian Eileen FitzPatrick, a faculty member of the Sage Colleges in the nutrition science department, will present the talk, “Probiotics: Beneficial Bugs for your Belly and More.” Probiotics are bacteria that have health benefits when they’re consumed. They come from fermented products like yogurt, kefir, kimchi and soy products. Eating probiotics enhances the performance of the bacteria that live in the large intestine, decreasing the impact of disease-causing bacteria. “I think there are a lot of autoimmune type diseases that are existent and increasing in our population, and there is some evidence to show that maintaining your gut health can decrease your likelihood of developing some of these autoimmune diseases,” FitzPatrick said. Genetic engineering Rounding out the program is Margaret Smith, a professor and corn breeder in the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She will give a talk called “Who Put Those Genes in My Food? Facts and Myths About Genetically Engineered Crops.” More than 90 percent of U.S. field corn and soybean crops, as well as a large percentage of the cotton crop, are genetically engineered varieties, Smith said. “It’s a good thing for people to be aware that a lot of the packaged foods in the grocery stores have ingredients from crops that are genetically engineered,” Smith said. While it is good to have this awareness, Smith notes that she has seen no evidence that there are hazards to people’s health or the nutritional values of these foods. Crops have been genetically engineered to be resistant to insects and drought, and scientists are working on nutritional modifications, including research on how crops can be produced to make oil with less saturated fats. Scientists are also researching how to grow crops to make oils with higher levels of “good cholesterol” versus “bad.” These developments are in the research stages and not in commercial production. View Comments
Eva Mendes, clip from 'Pines' on Letterman
Stick helps Levin create new sounds
Proctors to unveil 2013-14 Key Private Bank Broadway Series
Making the most of matzo
Easter is sweet with this fresh sorbet
Saratoga Film Forum meeting postponed
'Price is Right Live!' coming to Palace
Matchbox Twenty, Goo Goo Dolls at SPAC on June 26
Scotia-Glenville Pipe Band members come from far and wide
People remember loved ones with personalized tattoos
Email Address Most read in Local Life
PYX 106's ‘Uncle Vito’ retires
Collector traces of past in bottles he finds in attics, dumps
Risque business: Store associates help men shop for lingerie
Canoe Island Lodge a favorite vacation spot for decades
Q & A: Being on stage is ‘Old Love’ for actor-director Neil Akins | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/16573 | A 'short and sweet' season for strawberries
Allison Nowicki, 1, of Tolland stops Saturday to enjoy a fresh strawberry as families take advantage of warm, sunny weather to pick their own at Scott's Yankee Farmer in East Lyme.
Published June 16. 2013 12:01AM By Judy Benson Day Staff Writer
Strawberry season in Connecticut never lasts long, but this year it may be even shorter than normal."The strawberries are taking a hit," said Teri Smith, co-owner with her husband Joe of Smith's Acres in East Lyme, which sells strawberries grown on its fields at its Niantic farm stand and at local farmers' markets. "Enjoy them while you can."In a year of perfect strawberry-growing weather conditions, she said, picking starts around Memorial Day and extends through July 4. In more typical years, the season is about three weeks. This year, picking started last weekend, a bit later than normal, and heavy rains over the last week are leaving many strawberries vulnerable to fungus.At Scott's Yankee Farmer in East Lyme, co-owner Karen Scott said the pick-your-own field off Chesterfield Road fared better than two other fields elsewhere where strawberries are grown for sale in the Boston Post Road farm stand. While many ripening berries have been lost to rot, there are still lots of good ones to be had, she said.The season this year, she said, will be "short and sweet."Hours at Scott's pick-your-own fields were extended this weekend after heavy rains this week kept many away. The pick-your-own field, which opened June 9, is normally open from 8 a.m. to noon on weekends, but is staying open until 2:30 p.m. to give its customers more time to take advantage of the weekend's good weather.On Saturday, the pick-your-own field was busy with strawberry fans of all ages, who all seemed to be finding plenty of perfect red berries to fill their baskets.Over the past few days, about 3 to 4½ inches of rain fell in southeastern Connecticut, drenching fields still drying out from the June 7 downpour.Rainfall totals from the June 7 deluge through Friday ranged from 7½ to 8½ inches at various locations in the region, according to The Weather Center at Western Connecticut State University. In the Connecticut River valley, flooding of farm fields damaged vegetable and tobacco crops, said Linda Piotrowicz, spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture."A lot of fields have to be replanted, but there is time to replant," she said.She added that the river had not yet crested as of Friday afternoon, so the full extend of the flooding and the damage isn't yet known.While some strawberry growers around the state are reporting damage, she said others weathered the heavy rains well, and are hoping for an influx of customers."They need lots of people to come and pick," she said. "They did a good job protecting what they have."Smith said other than the damage to strawberries, crops at her 35-acre farm came through the heavy rains relatively unscathed. The only effect, she said, is that fertilizer has to be reapplied to corn and tomato fields, because most of it washed off the fields before it could soak into the soil.Other than the losses in the 5 acres of strawberries at Scott's, corn and other vegetable crops at the farm are showing no ill effects from the rains."Everything else looks good," Scott said. "We needed the rain. Now we need some sun."At Maple Lane Farms in Preston, owner Allyn Brown said his blueberry, raspberry and black currant bushes were undamaged by the rain, and his Christmas trees "love the moisture.""Other than being behind in my work, it hasn't hurt us too much," he said. The five irrigation ponds at the farm are full."It's good to be going into the summer months with the ground saturated," he said.The farm plans to open for pick-your-own blueberries, raspberries and black currents by July 4 weekend, Brown said.“We're hoping the fields will all be dry by then," he said.Holmberg's Orchards in Ledyard is also planning on an early July opening for its pick-your-own blueberries, owner Rick Holmberg said. Tomatoes and new fruit trees planted this year are all growing well, he said. Holmberg's raises peaches, apples and nectarines."Other than getting mud on our shoes and having to work in the rain, we're in good shape," he [email protected] | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/17936 | Cattle ranching moves north, west amid drought
By the Associated Press | February 1, 2013 | 8:30 PM EST WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The severe drought that scorched pastures across the Southern Plains last summer helped shrink the nation's herd to its smallest size in more than six decades and encouraged the movement of animals to lusher fields in the northern and western parts of the U.S., a new report shows.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Friday that the U.S. inventory of cattle and calves totaled 89.3 million animals as of Jan. 1. That was down by 1.5 million cattle, or 2 percent, compared with this time a year ago.
The agency says this is the lowest January cattle inventory since 1952. It does two counts per year, in January and July. The January report had been anxiously awaited because it shows the impact of the drought as it spread across the nation last summer and provides a state-by-state breakdown documenting the shift of animals north.
Texas, the nation's largest cattle producing state, saw its herd shrink 5 percent to 11.3 million head amid a multi-year drought. Nebraska's herd shrunk 2 percent to 6.3 million animals as the drought spread north this summer. In Kansas, another hard hit state, the number of cattle shrunk 4 percent to 5.8 million animals as ranchers sold off animals as pastures dried up and the price of hay skyrocketed.
By contrast, North Dakota ranchers expanded their herds by 6 percent to nearly 1.8 million head, while South Dakota's cattle numbers grew 5 percent to 3.8 million head. Montana, Idaho and Washington also boosted the size of their herds.
Glenn Tonsor, an Extension livestock specialist at Kansas State University, said the shift away from drought-stricken areas only makes sense.
"It doesn't surprise me that the southern Plains continue to have a pullback in the number of cows, and it doesn't surprise me that the Northern Plains has been increasing," he said.
The growth in the north didn't make up for losses elsewhere, however, and the repercussions are being felt in the meatpacking industry. Cargill Beef, one of the nation's largest processors, announced in January that it will idle its slaughterhouse in Plainview, Texas, and lay off all 2,000 workers because there's less work.
For consumers, fewer cows will mean less beef and higher prices down the line, particularly as demand from overseas increases, Tonsor said.
As "the United States and global population continues to increase ... There is less beef around for them to argue over, bid for," he said.
Among those already feeling the pain is Kansas rancher Nathan Pike, who has sold off 600 cows over the past couple of years. With just 130 pregnant cows left, he considered trying to buy back a few animals this winter in the hopes of better weather next spring, but cows cost significant more now than when he sold his animals because there are fewer left.
"We are gambling," said Pike, 80. "We are just trying to figure out a way to make a living."
In New Mexico, cattle numbers are down for the third straight year and the number of ranchers looking to sell off their herds and get out of the business continues to grow. The overall herd is down to 1.3 million animals, the fewest since 1991.
"It's trite, but it is the perfect storm," said Caren Cowan, executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association. "We have no rain, there's no feed readily available, what is available costs too much and the cost of transportation has increased. We're just in a bad place."
Despite the hardships many ranchers are facing, Cowan said the selling off of herds by longtime ranching families could open an opportunity for younger ranchers who can't afford to buy land to work with those who still own property.
"We continue to look for the silver lining," she said.
Associated Press writer Susan Montoya contributed to this report from Albuquerque. | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/18475 | Limes Produce sales challenging in land of sunshine
By Doug Ohlemeier
TAMPA, Fla. — Produce sales in the Sunshine State have been anything but rosy.Though the state attracts visitors from throughout the world, produce distributors said the economy has affected travel, yielding sub-par sales much like those of the state’s real estate market.MiamiThe international city of Miami, and the other cities that constitute south Florida’s largest metropolitan region — Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach — haven’t been sheltered from the national economic malaise.“As a businessman in south Florida, the economy is bad,” said Bruce Fishbein, a partner with The Produce Connection Inc., Miami.“The restaurant industry is suffering and there are way less people going out to eat. However, I would say it is better than the year before, but only because there are not as many companies going out of business.”Talk of any economic slowdown hasn’t affected the many clubs on Miami’s South Beach, however. Fishbein said businesses there — which purchase many cases of lemons and limes — remain vibrant.“I don’t know where all these poor people are, but they aren’t on South Beach on Friday or Saturday nights,” Fishbein said.“The top ones are jam-packed and have one- to two-hour waiting lines to get into them.”Supermarkets also appear to be surviving.Marshall Glantz, director of business development, exports and executive director for American Fruit & Produce Corp., Opa Locka, said he hasn’t seen any big letdown in business.“It has slowed a bit as far as them growing, but I don’t see them hurting,” he said. “I don’t see people as aggressive in their growth plans but I guess they’re waiting to see what happens with the government and coming out of this recession.”Glantz characterizes south Florida’s economic conditions as stagnant.TampaFewer tourists, some of whom were scared away from the state’s beaches after news of the Gulf oil spill, have visited the state, said distributors in Tampa, the leading market on Florida’s west coast.“The produce economy and the Tampa economy overall are very slow,” said James Killebrew, vice president of Tampa-based Baird Produce Inc.“Everyone, even the people still here, the regulars, it’s not moving at near the volume it normally would. The volume is considerably down.”Killebrew said he knows many people are unemployed and said the longer they stay out of work, the worse off the economy remains.Wholesalers in the Tampa region characterize the economy as weak.“The economy overall is not very strong,” said Louis Garcia III, salesman and buyer for Crews & Garcia Inc.“Everyone I talk with tells me that business is still slow. People have to eat but everyone’s definitely cutting back on everything.”Roy Kane, vice president and managing partner of Coosemans Tampa Inc., said the region is showing signs of strength.“Obviously, unemployment is high and people are struggling, but we’re starting to see an uptick,” he said.“Things are starting to get a little better. In talking with local restaurant and hotel people, they are seeing a decent market as far as their increases in day to day business.”OrlandoOrlando, known for Mickey Mouse, numerous other attractions like SeaWorld and Universal Studios and its booming convention business hasn’t been immune from the economic slowdown.U.S. Foodservice Inc., Rosemont, Ill., serves the magical city’s many attractions, hotels and restaurants through operations in nearby Port Orange, Fla., and Lakeland.Robert Ondrus, U.S. Foodservice’s director of category management, said the theme parks do a lot of business and it’s business earned because families save for years to make the trip to Orlando and research other activities available in the region.“We are seeing some positive trends (in Orlando),” he said.“It has been a fairly decent market for us this year. We are looking at some upward trends in the area and see no problems.”Ondrus said 2010 foodservice sales were higher than they were in 2009.JacksonvilleJacksonville, northern Florida’s largest metropolitan area, is poised for an economic comeback, said Larry Movsovitz, chairman and managing director of Produce Distribution Center LLC, Jacksonville.“The general wholesale business is slow,” he said.“But it seems like people are out shopping and are going to restaurants. We are getting many business people into Jacksonville. That is helping fill 75% of the restaurants’ business. If and when the economy could turn around, this town is going to be a boom town.”Though unemployment remains high, Movsovitz said moderately priced restaurants are doing satisfactory sales compared to the 50% to 60% of sales they did in 2009.“The restaurants are holding pretty well while the beach resorts are hurting pretty bad,” Movsovitz said.Jacksonville residents aren’t spending as much money as they could, he said.Movsovitz said smaller and independent retail chains are selling about half as much produce as they could be selling compared to the larger national and regional chains.
produce sales challenging in land of sunshine About the Author:
Doug Ohlemeier
Doug Ohlemeier, who has written for The Packer since 2001, serves as eastern editor, a position he has held since August 2006. He started at The Packer as a staff writer after working for nearly a decade in commodity promotion at the Kansas Wheat Commission, where he was a marketing specialist.
Doug worked in radio and television news writing, producing and reporting for seven years in Texas, Missouri and Nebraska.
He graduated from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, in 1984, with a bachelor of science degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in history. He earned a master’s in corporate communications from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, in 1991. In college, he served as a news editor of the daily O’Collegian newspaper and interned in radio and television news departments. View All Posts | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/19972 | “A terrific book from the sustainability pioneer Lester Brown.” —Bill Hewitt, FPA's Climate Change Blog
Outgrowing the Earth: The Food Security Challenge in an Age of Falling Water Tables and Rising Temperatures
“In recent months, rising oil prices have focused the world’s attention on the depletion of oil reserves. But the depletion of underground water resources from overpumping is a far more serious issue,” says Lester R. Brown in his new book, Outgrowing the Earth: The Food Security Challenge in an Age of Falling Water Tables and Rising Temperatures. “Excessive pumping for irrigation to satisfy food needs today almost guarantees a decline in food production tomorrow.” “There are substitutes for oil, but there are no substitutes for water,” said Brown, President and Founder of the Earth Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based independent environmental research organization.
The growth in world population since 1950 exceeds that during the preceding 4 million years. Perhaps more striking, the world economy has expanded sixfold since 1950. As the economy grows, its demands are outgrowing the earth, exceeding many of the planet’s natural capacities to provide food, water, and the basic needs of daily living.
Evidence of these excessive demands can be seen in collapsing fisheries, shrinking forests, expanding deserts, rising atmospheric CO 2 levels, eroding soils, rising temperatures, disappearing species, falling water tables, melting glaciers, deteriorating grasslands, rising seas, and rivers that are running dry. Nearly all these environmental trends affect world food security.
Two of the newer trends—falling water tables and rising temperatures—are making it far more difficult for the world’s farmers to adequately feed the 76 million people added to our numbers each year.
Brown notes in Outgrowing the Earth that humans drink nearly 4 quarts of water a day in one form or another, but the food we consume each day requires 2,000 quarts of water to produce, or 500 times as much. Agriculture is the most water-intensive sector of the economy: 70 percent of all water pumped from underground or diverted from rivers is used for irrigation. Twenty percent is used by industry and 10 percent goes to residences.
Water tables are now falling in countries that contain over half the world’s people. While numerous analysts and policymakers are concerned about a future of water shortages, few have connected the dots to see that a future of water shortages means a future of food shortages.
Of even more concern, the vast majority of the nearly 3 billion people to be added to world population by mid-century will come in countries where water tables are already falling and wells are going dry. Historically it was the supply of land that constrained the growth in food production, but today the shortage of water is the most formidable barrier.
Rising temperatures are the second big threat to future food security. During the last few years, crop ecologists focusing on the precise relationship between temperature and crop yields have found that each 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature during the growing season reduces the yield of grain—wheat, rice, and corn—by 10 percent.
Since 1970, the earth’s average temperature has risen nearly 0.7 degrees Celsius (1 degree Fahrenheit). The five warmest years during 124 years of recordkeeping began in 1880 occurred in the last seven years.
In 2002, record-high temperatures and drought lowered grain harvests in both India and the United States. These reduced harvests helped pull world grain production some 90 million tons below consumption, a shortfall of more than 4 percent.
In 2003, it was Europe that bore the brunt of rising temperatures. The record-breaking heat wave that claimed 35,000 lives in eight countries withered grain harvests in virtually every country from France in the west through the Ukraine in the east. The resulting reduction in Europe’s grain production of some 30 million tons was equal to half the U.S. wheat harvest.
Although climate change is now widely discussed, we are slow to grasp its full meaning for food security. Everyone knows that the earth’s temperature is rising, but commodity analysts often condition their projections on weather returning to “normal,” failing to realize that with climate now in flux there is no “normal” to return to.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of some 2,000 eminent scientists, projects that the earth’s average temperature will rise during this century by 1.4-5.8 degrees Celsius (2-10 degrees Fahrenheit). Young farmers now on the land face the prospect of higher temperatures than any generation of farmers since agriculture began.
Higher temperatures in mountainous regions alter the precipitation mix, increasing rainfall and reducing snowfall. The result is more flooding during the rainy season and less snowmelt to feed rivers during the dry season. In Asia, for example, this shift is affecting the flow of the major rivers that originate in the vast Himalayan-Tibetan region, including the Indus, Ganges, Mekong, Yangtze, and Yellow.
“The world has been slow to respond to these new threats to food security,” says Brown. In four of the last five years the world grain harvest has fallen short of consumption. As a result, world grain stocks are now at their lowest level in 30 years. Another large world grain shortfall in 2005 could drop stocks to the lowest level on record and send world food prices into uncharted territory of rising food prices. Among the three grains that dominate the world food supply—wheat, rice, and corn—the supply of rice is likely to tighten first simply because it is the most water-dependent of the three grains. Finding enough water to expand rice production is not easy in a world with spreading water scarcity. If rice supplies tighten and prices rise, the higher prices will then likely spread to wheat, the other principal food grain.
Perhaps the biggest agricultural reversal in recent times has been the precipitous decline in China’s grain production by 50 million tons between 1998 and 2004. Since 1998 China has covered this decline by drawing down its once-massive stocks of grain. Now stocks are largely depleted and China is turning to the world market. Its purchase of 8 million tons of wheat to import in 2004 could signal the beginning of a shift from a world food economy dominated by surpluses to one dominated by scarcity.
Overnight, China has become the world’s largest wheat importer. Yet it will almost certainly import even more wheat in the future, not to mention vast quantities of rice and corn. It is this potential need to import 30, 40, or 50 million tons of grain annually within the next few years and the associated emergence of a politics of food scarcity that is likely to put food security on the front pages of newspapers.
At the other end of the spectrum is Brazil, the only country with the potential to expand world cropland area markedly. But what will the environmental consequences be of continuing to clear and plow Brazil’s vast interior? Will the soils sustain cultivation over the longer term? And how many plant and animal species will Brazil sacrifice to expand its exports of soybeans?
“World food security is a far more complex issue today than it was a generation ago,” says Brown. “In earlier times, if world grain supplies tightened, the United States simply returned some of its idled cropland to production, quickly expanding the harvest and reestablishing price stability. That commodity set-aside program was phased out in 1995, depriving the world of this ready reserve of cropland that could be quickly brought into production.” Today food security—once the exclusive province of agricultural ministers—is a far more complex issue. It is perhaps a commentary on the complexity of our time that decisions made in ministries of energy can have a greater effect on future food security than those made in ministries of agriculture. Policies formulated by ministers of water resources can also directly affect food production and food prices. And with irrigation water availability per person shrinking for the world as a whole, ministries of health and family planning may also have a greater effect on future food security than ministries of agriculture.
The three principal steps needed to secure future world food supplies are worldwide efforts to raise water productivity, cut carbon emissions, and stabilize population. If countries do not act quickly to raise water productivity, falling water tables could soon translate into rising food prices. Given the effect of rising temperatures on crop yields, the urgency of cutting carbon emissions sharply cannot easily be overstated.
Fortunately we now have the technologies to do this. For example, if the United States over the next decade were to shift its whole automobile fleet to highly efficient gas-electric hybrid engines with efficiencies comparable to today’s Toyota Prius, the country could easily cut gasoline use in half.
On the supply side, the potential for cutting coal use and carbon emissions by developing wind resources to generate electricity has enormous potential. In Europe, which is leading the world into the wind era, and where coal mines are closing, some 40 million Europeans now get their residential electricity from wind farms. By 2020, half of Europe’s 400 million people are projected to get their residential electricity from wind.
These are but two of the hundreds of steps that can be taken worldwide to cut carbon emissions and stabilize climate. Ironically, given the role of automobiles in raising the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels that drive climate change, the fuel efficiency of the vehicle we drive to the supermarket may affect the price of the foodstuffs inside the supermarket.
“Many Americans see terrorism as the principal threat to security,” said Brown, “but for much of humanity, the effect of water shortages and rising temperatures on food security are far more important issues. For the 3 billion people who live on 2 dollars a day or less and who spend up to 70 percent of their income on food, even a modest rise in food prices can quickly become life-threatening. For them, it is the next meal that is the overriding concern.” | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/20499 | Onions Sweet Onion Festival celebrates Washington’s state vegetable
By David Mitchell
June 11, 2014 | 10:37 am EDT
The Walla Walla sweet onion is Washington’s official state vegetable, and on June 21-22 the city will celebrate its famous product with its 30th annual Sweet Onion Festival.
Kathy Fry-Trommald, executive director of the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee, said the event attracts more than 5,000 attendees each year to the town of 31,000, which has been named the country’s friendliest small town by USA Today and Rand McNally.
“I have people call in from all the other states,” Fry-Trommald said. “We have people come from Canada each year. We’re a relatively small town. When people come here they realize what a cozy little community this is. It’s become well known.”
The seed that started the Walla Walla onion industry was imported from Italy more than 100 years ago. Fry-Trommald introduced a grape stomp to the festivities last year as a nod to the industry’s Italian roots. There are more than 100 wineries in the area.
“The Walla Walla sweet onion industry was started by the Italian community,” she said. “A lot of the producers in our industry are still Italians. I’m trying to bring back that connection. It was a lot of fun last year.”
New events this year include a road race — the Funion Runion 5K — and a baby photo contest. Other events include an onion-eating contest, cooking competitions (including contests that involve incorporating sweet onions in salsa, baked goods and side dishes), cooking demonstrations, live music, a dance and a car show.
walla walla onionswashington producesweet onion festivalwalla walla sweet onion marketing committee About the Author: | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/20549 | J Morris Hicks
Published in Food, Green, Health
Fish-Farming -- A sad "solution" to an unnecessary problem
Read More: bill clinton fish, fishing unsustainable, j. morris hicks
Time reports on the "last wild food" of the human race.
A little longer than our short daily posts, this is one you need to read carefully. It's all about fish and how our appetite for them has damaged the fragile harmony of our planet. This post was inspired by this article:
The cover story of the July 18 issue of Time Magazine is all about FISH. The article by Bryan Walsh is entitled "The End of the Line" and is loaded with some compelling information about the rapidly declining availability of our " last wild food."
Mr. Walsh does a great job of describing a desperate situation of pollution, cost, and unsustainability...as the great minds of the Western world try to solve the problem of providing enough "healthy animal protein" for a growing, more affluent, human population. But like 95% of the writers, doctors and nutritional scientists in the Western world, this great writer misses the main point:
Humans do not "need" to eat animals or fish. In fact, that very "animal protein" that we think we "need," is killing us.
Our desperate search for protein should not be desperate at all; we can get all the protein that we need from whole plants -- while avoiding disease, nurturing the environment, saving fossil fuels, feeding more people on a fraction of the land acreage and ending the suffering of sixty billion animals a year that we think we "need" to eat for their protein.
But 95% percent of our population has not yet learned this well-proven truth. They still think we "need" that protein. Hence, the main thrust of the Time article is the conclusion that fish farms (aquaculture) is the ONLY solution for humankind in order to provide our "needed" protein. But there are a lot of problems with those so-called "farms." From the article:
Thousands of one-third-pound barramundi — an omnivorous fish native to Southeast Asia and Australia — swim in a 36-ft.-diameter tank (in Massachusetts) that resembles a supersize kiddie pool...The assembly line runs until the barramundi have been raised to market weight, about 2 lb., after which they're sent off to white-tablecloth seafood restaurants and sustainability-minded retail outlets across the U.S.
Bill Clinton making a point about his "plant-based" diet to Wolf Blitzer on CNN. You can see this video on the Video tab of this website.
All of this madness begins with our perceived "need" for animal protein -- despite overwhelming proof that we don't need ANY of it. On that note, let's consider:
We now have a former president of the United States who is consuming close to zero animal protein. Why is the news media not examining his diet and why are they not worried about his impending death from acute protein deficiency?
There are over ten million vegetarians in the United States who consume zero animal protein, yet we have never heard of a single one of them dying from a lack of protein.
Prominent physicians Caldwell Esselstyn of The Cleveland Clinic and Dean Ornish of UC San Francisco have proven that heart disease (our #1 killer) can be reversed in 95% of the cases -- without eating ANY animal protein. In fact, they say it's the animal protein that's causing the heart disease in the first place.
Many other medical doctors (included in our book) have had similar success in reversing over 90% of their type 2 diabetes cases -- again with ZERO animal protein in the diet.
Given all of the above, it is desperately frustrating to continue see brilliant people, like the many experts in this article, continue to be obsessed with solving a problem that never need exist. The great minds of the Western world continue blindly down the path of promoting the continuation of the most harmful, wasteful, and unsustainable diet-style in the history of the world.
Most people think of fish-farming as a "green" way to produce protein for humans; those people need to learn more about what's really happening.
A link to the full article appears below, but here are a few quotes (italics) that I pulled for your convenience. As you read through them, keep in mind that all of this madness is totally unnecessary: Overfishing, disruption of the fragile harmony of nature on our planet -- all so we can eat "animal protein" that we don't need: The U.N. reports that 32% of global fish stocks are overexploited or depleted and as much as 90% of large species like tuna and marlin have been fished out in the past half-century...A recent report by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean found that the world's marine species faced threats "unprecedented in human history."
Our global appetite for fish; the "big picture." The worldwide catch seems to have plateaued at about 90 million tons a year since the mid-1990s. That's a lot of fish, but even if those levels prove sustainable, it's not enough to keep up with global seafood consumption, which has risen from 22 lb. per person per year in the 1960s to nearly 38 lb. today.
Growing population, more people wanting to eat animal protein, over-fished oceans: With hundreds of millions of people joining the middle class in the developing world and fish increasingly seen as a tasty and heart-healthy form of protein, that trend will continue. The inescapable conclusion: there just isn't enough seafood in the seas.
In less than sixty years, fish-farming has grown over 50-fold: Global aquacultural production increased from less than 1 million tons in 1950 to 52.5 million tons in 2008.
Fish farms are nothing new; and they're a much bigger part of our food supply than most people think: Today about half the seafood consumed around the world comes from farms, and with the projected rise in global seafood consumption, that proportion will surely increase.
Because most of the farmed fish need to be fed other fish: By one count, about 2 lb. of wild fish ground up to make fish meal is needed on average to produce 1 lb. of farmed fish, which leaves the ocean at a net loss.
The author acknowledges that the era of eating wild fish may be over, leavingus "little choice" but to farm, which includes genetic engineering: And perhaps most of all, we need to accept that on a planet with a population of nearly 7 billion and climbing, we may no longer be able to indulge our taste for the last wild food. We've farmed the land. Now we have little choice but to farm the sea as well...We may even need to genetically engineer popular species to make them grow faster and bigger. Late in the article, the author reinforces our "need" for eating fish: At the same time, it's important to look at the big picture. For health reasons, most of us should be eating more fish. For its new dietary guidelines, the U.S. government just upped the recommended consumption of seafood to 8 oz. or more a week — which is more than twice what the average American eats — and 12 oz. for pregnant women. In conclusion, another "authoritative voice" weighs in on our critical "need" for having fish in our diet: In a report this month, the U.N. said global food production would need to increase by as much as 100% by 2050 to meet growing demand — and seafood, as a vital protein source, will have to be part of that. Farming is unavoidable. "There may be a price split between expensive wild fish and cheaper farmed fish," says Don Perkins, head of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. "But seafood consumption will spread because we need it for health reasons."
But all of this comes with a price: A badly run near-shore farm of 200,000 salmon can flush nitrogen and phosphorus into the water at levels equal to the sewage from a town of 20,000 people....As production pressures have ramped up, Chinese manufacturers have packed their ponds more tightly, leading to disease and pollution from fish waste. That waste can overload coastal waters with nutrients, causing dead zones that can strangle sea life. To fight the diseases worsened by crowding, Chinese fish farmers have liberally used antibiotics and other drugs, including malachite green, an antifungal agent and potential carcinogen that was banned by Beijing in 2002 but shows up periodically in exports. "It is still a problem," says Wong Ming Hung, a biology professor at Hong Kong Baptist University.
That last paragraph, and many more like it throughout the article, can literally make you sick -- especially when you can consider that all of the above is so unnecessary. After talking about more and more issues with aquaculture, things like the GMO "Frankenfish," carcinogens, pollution, dead zones, etc -- the article ends with this lame conclusion:
But if we're all going to survive and thrive in a crowded world, we'll need to cultivate the seas just as we do the land. If we do it right, aquaculture can be one more step toward saving ourselves. And if we do it well, we may even enjoy the taste of it.
J. Morris Hicks, "the big picture guy" ppromoting health, hope and harmony on planet Earth -- SO SIMPLE yet so DIFFICULT.
I say NO, NO, NO! All of the above is completely unhealthy, unsustainable and grossly unnecessary. I am reminded of the words of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn regarding another huge -- yet unnecessary -- problem that we humans have created,
"Heart disease is a toothless paper tiger that need never exist."
Likewise, we continue to wreak incalculable damage on ourselves AND our planet in our never-ending effort to provide that "vital animal protein" for the human race.
Want to be part of the solution? Please take a look at our 4-Leaf page, take charge of your own health and become an active participant in the grassroots revolution to end this madness -- before it's too late. For your convenience, here are two recent posts on this same topic.
FISH…the natural diet for humans? A “big picture” view
FISH — an unsustainable and unhealthy alternative to red meat
If you like what you see here, you may wish to join our periodic mailing list. Also, if you'd like to pre-order our book on Amazon, click here. Finally, for help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4-Leaf page. From the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.
—J. Morris Hicks…blogging daily at healthyeatinghealthyworld.com
PS: Occasionally an unauthorized ad may appear beneath a blog post. It is controlled by WordPress (a totally free hosting service). I do not approve or personally benefit whatsoever from any ad that might ever appear on this site. I apologize and urge you to please disregard. The End of the Line - TIME.
1 Comment | Leave a comment
I disagree with the thesis of your argument and I find your perspective limited in scope. Seafood is the original brain food and the long chain omega-3 fatty acids and other micronutrients contained in salmon and other fish and seafood are important, in fact essential, for good health. I would like to draw your attention to the work of Professor Michael Crawford, PhD CBiol, FIBiol, FRCPath, who is founder and Director of The Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/research-units/ibchn/index.cfm in London, UK. He is one of the world’s most eminent researchers into brain function and nutrition, with more than 300 publications. In the link provided, Professor Crawford discusses the vital role that seafood played in human evolution, the importance of seafood to human health, and the range of health problems, including an increase in brain disorders, caused by the decline in seafood consumption, see http://www.seafood.net.au/page/?pid=1003∋d=403
I hope you will modify your position based upon the science.
Posted by: Dave Conley | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/20782 | Global Farmer Network
By: Global Farmer Network
The Global Farmer Network are farmers committed to inserting their voice and perspective in the global dialogue regarding food and nutritional security.
Protectionism: An Economic Retardant
I've said it before and I will say it again - the climate-change legislation recently approved by the House of Representatives is a bad bill and it is forcing bad choices - including a ticking time bomb. It requires the United States to impose tariffs on countries that fail to restrict their carbon emissions by 2020.
Reasonable people can differ on global warming. Is it really happening? An even bigger question: Does human activity contribute to the problem? Can we do anything about it without strangling our economy?
On one subject, however, everyone should be in full agreement: This is a bad bill and adding protectionist policies will not help us achieve our climate-change goals.
President Obama was wise to criticize it. “At a time when the economy worldwide is still in deep recession and we’ve seen a significant drop in global trade, I think that we have to be very careful about sending any protectionist signals out there,” he said recently. “I think we’re going to have to do a careful analysis to determine whether the prospects of tariffs are necessary.”
Technically, Obama didn’t oppose the tariffs. But in the language of Washington-speak, he made a clear statement: Protectionism should play no part in any bill that emerges from the Senate.
On a superficial level, the goals of the protectionists are not wholly unfounded. They believe that if the United States imposes greenhouse-gas limits on its own energy-intensive industries, competitors in other countries with no such restrictions will enjoy an unfair advantage. Tariffs are supposed to level the playing field.
Tariffs as 'border adjustments' are never good. The House legislation attempted to address this problem by creating mechanisms to assist “trade-vulnerable industries” through special compensation. Is there something else that could be done to deal with this inequity? It's obvious that the tariffs were added late in the game for blatantly political reasons. They were inserted not to benefit ailing industries or to drive economic growth a decade from now, but to help a controversial bill limp across the legislative finish line.
Representative Tom McClintock of California has a name for the climate-change bill: “our generation’s Smoot-Hawley.” That’s a reference to the 1930 law whose increased tariffs is widely credited with turning a deep recession into the Great Depression. McClintock was referring to more than just the House bill’s protectionism. Even so, his comparison was both appropriate and compelling. The last thing we need right now is an economic retardant—an anti-stimulus that kills jobs, threatens exports, and shrinks consumer choice.
We’ve recently seen how a congressional flirtation with tariffs can spark a trade war. The so-called “Buy American” provisions approved earlier this year have led to retaliation from Canada. North of the border, American companies soon could be locked out of municipal construction projects.
This is a textbook case of unintended consequences. Perhaps Congress didn’t mean to damage U.S. business opportunities in Canada. But it neglected to remember that protectionism often follows one of the fundamental laws of physics: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
This will be no less true in 2020, if the tariffs included in the House bill become a reality. The United States will start slapping duties on a variety of products, especially imports from developing countries such as China and India. The theory is that if they don’t enjoy access to American consumers, they’ll cut back on their own carbon emissions. This is probably wrong. A more likely response is the one we’ve seen countries take time after time: retaliation. Rather than bending to our will, they’ll try to make us bend to theirs by restricting our access to their consumers.
Keep in mind that the economies of China and India currently service about 2 1/2 billion people. It would be a big mistake to let short-sighted congressional horse-trading in 2009 deny ourselves the long-term opportunity of selling them goods and services as they grow larger and wealthier.
Some climatologists think that global warming is a big threat. Others disagree. Think what you will about their predictions and agendas. Meantime, here’s a forecast in which we can place our total confidence: No matter what the weather is like in the future, protectionism will make the economy worse.
Dean Kleckner, an Iowa farmer, chairs Truth About Trade & Technology. www.truthabouttrade.org
it's true..
I agree..
I'm curious what the salary of Dean Foods chairman has to do with this subject ??
It has alot to do with this subject. If Dean Foods had not imported any MPC (milk protein supplement), then Dean Foods would not have made so much money and then the CEO who generaly gets a percentage of the income would not have made $121,000,000.00. The MPC imports also made a surplus of milk which lowered the price to the dairy farmers and Dean Foods ony paid minium price to the farmers while selling the milk at the regular price generating a huge profit. | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/20987 | Adjunct Associate Research Scientist
Bashir Jama is Director of Director of Soil Health at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). He is a soil scientist who leads a program to help increase food security and improve livelihoods among smallholder farmers in 17 sub-Saharan Africa countries by promoting the use of crop-boosting practices such as integrated soil fertility management. Previously, Jama was a policy advisor for Agricultural and Rural Development with the United Nations Development Program in New York. Jama also worked with the government of Kenya on renewable energy technologies and, for over 19 years, with the World Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi, Kenya as a principal scientist and regional coordinator for the eastern and central Africa region. He has also served on several international expert committees, most notably the U.N. Millennium Project Task Force on Hunger. Jama has conducted research and published extensively on agroforestry technologies, particularly on integrated soil fertility management strategies for smallholder, low-input systems in sub-Sahara Africa. He has also written about resource management and conservation strategies for drylands. Jama holds a doctorate in agroforestry from the University of Florida at Gainesville.
« Peter Grace
Molly Jahn »
About UsPeople At AgCenter | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/21033 | Impact of climate change on arid regions in India
Centre for Education and Documentation
India is one of the most drought prone countries in the world. Over 75% of the cropped area is in the semi-arid tropics in the country (131 million out of 174 million ha). Ninety-nine districts in 14 states are declared as drought prone districts by the Central Water Commission (2002). Most of them are concentrated in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Rajasthan, affecting 265 million people in the rural areas.
Low and erratic rainfall coupled with extreme temperatures and intense solar radiation makes these regions the most vulnerable regions in India (1).
Water sources in the arid and semi-arid regions
Water is scarce in these regions. The groundwater tables and rainfall are low, and the water run-off is high. Annual rainfall is between 100 and 400 mm or 400 and 800 mm.
The northern arid regions, comprising largely of the desert of Rajasthan, the Rann of Kutch and the semi-arid regions of Punjab and Gujarat, are entirely dependent on groundwater and above-the-ground tanks, ponds, other traditional stores of water. No rivers flow through these regions. The Southern peninsula, however, is fed by the peninsular rivers, mainly fed through groundwater discharges and supplemented by monsoon rains.
The main source of water throughout the year for these regions is through small and medium stored water. In many areas, the tank is the only water source to store rainwater (2). There are around 120,000 small-scale tanks, irrigating about 4.12 million ha., mostly in the semi-arid Southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Livelihood & Risk-coping Strategies
The arid and semi-arid regions face serious challenges due to lack of sufficient food security and/ or economic opportunity for the many people who live there.
Low productivity of lands and small land holdings have led to disguised unemployment, increasing the vulnerability of the region. Under current agricultural practices, many dryland farmers are unable to earn a year-round livelihood. For the pastoralists or the goat/cattle keepers water-scarcity, feed-scarcity, disease in animals, etc. are some of the major problems. Reducing pasturelands and common grazing lands create further pressure on the land.
Rural people often rely on a combination of rain-fed agriculture, livestock rearing and other income generating activities to sustain themselves. Families also create buffer stock of crops or liquid assets, and they use credit as means for survival during the lean times.
People are less able to insure themselves against aggregate shocks. Adverse weather, in the form of prolonged dry-spells or delayed have considerable negative effects on the harvest yield and impact the lives of the people much harder. These are shocks that affect everyone in the local environment and are therefore harder to diversify locally.
It would not be possible to talk of the arid and semi-arid regions without talking about migration. Keeping to the nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyles of people in the region, migration in its many forms and patterns – seasonal/distress, rural-to-rural, rural-to-urban – is common. The earnings from migration play a vital role in providing sustenance for the poor, and migration becomes a strategy for survival and livelihood, sometimes the dominant one.
Migration happens to other irrigated areas where agricultural wage labour is available or to the urban areas where employment is available - in wage labour (building/construction sector, canal and dam work, road-laying cable-laying, etc.), self-employment by artisans and skilled workers (building construction activities as masons, statue makers, mechanics, drivers, etc.) and contract employment (watchmen, servants and petty-jobs in business establishments and offices, etc.) (3).
In a study conducted in Andhra Pradesh by Priya Deshinger, Overseas Development Institute (4), 66% of the migrants were from remote, dry regions and they could get 55% returns from migration. Twenty-four percent of migration was from semi-arid regions connected to cities and they got a return of 22%. Very little migration took place from regions which were irrigated (8-10%) with a return of less than 10%. The least migration was from regions which were close to cities. Migration has thus been necessary for communities in arid regions to survive.
Bio-diversity & food security
Climate variability has been, and continues to be, the principal source of fluctuations in food production, particularly in the semi-arid tropics. In conjunction with other physical, social and political-economic factors, climate variability contribute to vulnerability to economic loss, hunger, famine and dislocation.
Bio-diversity and food security are directly related. An inter-cropped, traditional variety of crop has much more chances of surviving a bad and erratic monsoon and allows the farmer to be secure in basic food needs. Crop diversification and intercropping systems are a means to reduce the risk of crop failure due to adverse weather events, crop pest or insect attacks.
Morduch (5) presents evidence that households whose consumption levels are close to subsistence devote a larger share of land to safer, traditional varieties of rice and castor than to riskier, high-yielding varieties and spatially diversify their plots to reduce the impact of weather shocks that vary by location.
However, the deep concern is the trends that are taking place. Seed banks of traditional, hardy crops are slowly disappearing and giving way to monocropping of cash crops like groundnut, sunflower, etc. And a failure of one monocropped, high-yielding hybrid crop, could destroy the farmer and push them into debt. This has been evident in the many farmer suicides in central India where recovery from crop failures has been impossible (see infra the case-study).
Impact of Climate Change
Arid regions are expected to undergo significant climate changes, but there is considerable variability and uncertainty in these estimates between different scenarios. The complexities of precipitation changes, vegetation–climate feedbacks and direct physiological effects of CO2 on vegetation present particular challenges for climate change modeling of arid regions.
According to Mr. R.K.Pachauri from IPCC, the potential for drier conditions in arid and semi-arid regions is very high, leading to severe water shortages and leave the incomes of the vulnerable populations much lower and increase the absolute number of people at risk of hunger. He also emphasized the vulnerability of certain regions that will be double exposed to dangers of climate change and globalization. For eg. Karnataka will face water scarcity, the vulnerability being exacerbated by contract farming and cash cropping for exports.
Expected precipitation changes
A trend of increasing monsoon seasonal rainfall has been found along the west coast, northern Andhra Pradesh and northwestern India (+10% to +12% of the normal over the 100 years) while a trend of decreasing monsoon seasonal rainfall has been observed over eastern Madhya Pradesh, north-eastern India, and some parts of Gujarat and Kerala (–6% to –8% of the normal the 100 years).
Concentration of droughts is projected in Gujarat and Rajasthan, which are already drought-prone, and in Orissa, which is currently flood-prone.
Food security & Migration
Non-climate stressors are already affecting agrarian populations in the dryland regions. These will be further exacerbated by climate change effects. The population increase will further increase fragmentation of landholding. Reduced agricultural productivity due to rainfall and temperature changes will get exacerbated by fragmentation effects.
Decrease in precipitation, water scarcity, will further decline land productivity. This decrease will result in less food being produced. Food security will lead to more migration leading to loss of manpower to work on agricultural lands.
The already overflowing cities, would find it very difficult to cope with such influx of people from the rural areas. This will lead to all the stresses that the urban areas are likely to face due to climate change.
Pastoral Groups
According to the paper “Climate Change and Drylands” by International Institute for Environmental Development, pastoral groups that manage significant proportions of national livestock herds are particularly vulnerable to climate change. The paper indicates that the predicted changes in rainfall patterns will result in increasingly scarce, scattered and unpredictable pastures, resulting in access to pastures becoming more difficult, leading loss of livestock and of livelihoods. The number, distribution and productivity of permanent pastures and water points, which are so critical for livestock survival during the dry season, are bound to decline. Scarcer resources, coupled with current levels of demographic growth, are likely to lead to stronger competition and conflict between pastoral communities and between other groups.
In the longer term, pastoralists are likely to further diversify their livelihoods, both within the pastoral system (i.e. increasing reliance on more drought-resistant species such as camels) and out of livestock production. Over time, pastoral groups will shift out of drier areas that are no longer viable, to zones that are more humid and have more predictable rainfall patterns. Existing land tenure arrangements and services in these areas will come under increased strain, exacerbating relations between communities and fuelling conflict.
Dangers of wrong policies on already vulnerable areas: the case of Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh
Anantapur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh receives rainfall around 500 mm annually. The distribution of rainfall varies considerably from year to year and season to season. Prior to the 1960s, rainfed farming was primarily for meeting home consumption requirements of the farmer and demands of the local market for food and fodder. Minor millets was grown as the main crop in most areas. In small patches either pigeonpea, castor, sorghum or groundnut were grown as the main crops; whereas groundnut was used primarily as a condiment, oil was also produced using traditional bullock powered mills.
This complex cropping system had evolved over a long period and hence was presumably tailored to the climate variability of the region. The last three decades witnessed major changes in the cropping pattern as well as in the technological options. The variety of groundnut cultivated in the 1960s and early 1970s was a traditional runner variety, which required about 150 days for maturity. The variety TMV-2 was introduced in the region during the early 1970s. Gradually by the late 1970s, the bunch type had replaced the runner type completely. At present, groundnut (variety TMV -2) is the major crop cultivated in the rain-fed regions of the Anantapur District.
Such extensive monocropping of groundnut has emerged only in the last two decades. Hence farmers do not as yet have adequate experience of the impact of climate variability on different facets of crop growth, development and yield. The frequent droughts already cause drastic fall in the groundnut yield. During these times, the income level of farmers, particularly resource poor farmers, goes down and the debt levels due to high investment causes severe distress. Crop specialisation of this type in a low and variable rainfall region increases vulnerability of the farmers to droughts in the long run.
Development in the drylands depends on addressing degradation of the ecosystem, mainstreaming sustainable natural resources management and building upon the existing adaptive capacities of people and institutions. Actions tried in the past have not produced the expected results leading to international and national institutions choosing to invest in other ecosystems, considered better investments (the Indian ‘green revolution’ ignored dryland areas). Climate change will further challenge the livelihoods of those living in these sensitive ecosystems and may result in higher levels of resource scarcity.
It is thus necessary to ensure economic access to food, have contingency crop/fodder/drinking water plans, crop stabilization and watershed development programs, community based natural resource management practice, organic farming to increase land productivity, revitalization of traditional crops and practices to ensure food security, and revitalization of traditional breeds of livestock.
(1) See Vulnerability Assessment & Enhancing Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Semi-Arid Areas in India
(2) See V. ANBUMOZHI et al., “Towards improved performance of irrigation tanks in semi-arid regions of India: modernization opportunities and challenges”
(3) See Chandan K. SAMAL, « Remittances And Sustainable Livelihoods In Semi-Arid Areas », in Asia-Pacific Development Journal,Vol. 13, No. 2, Dec 2006
(4) See Priya DESHINGKAR, “Migration Of Labour In India: Distress, Accumulation & Policy Lessons”, Overseas Development Institute
(5) See J. MORDUCH,‘Income Smoothing and Consumption Smoothing’, in Journal of Economic Perspectives vol. 9(3), 1995
sécheresse, agriculture, agriculture et environnement, changement climatique
, Inde
L’Inde et le changement climatique
This article is available in French: Les conséquences du changement climatique sur les régions arides en Inde
Further readings:
Ashish KOTHARI, “Agro-Biodiversity The Future Of India’s Agriculture”, in Indian Explorations in Sustainable Development, 2008
Ritu KUMAR, Climate Change and India: Impacts, Policy Responses and a Framework for EU-India Cooperation, TERI Europe, 2008
Chandan K. SAMAL, “Remittances And Sustainable Livelihoods In Semi-Arid Areas”, in Asia-Pacific Development Journal, Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2006
Helene BIE LILLEOR et al., Weather Insurance in Semi-Arid India, 2005
A. Arivudai NAMBI, « Vulnerability Assessment & Enhancing Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Semi-Arid Areas in India », Discussion Paper, MS Swaminathan Foundation, September 2004
A.R. SUBBIAH, « Establishing common ground to bring together disaster reduction and climate change communities-Challenges and opportunities », presentation at UNDP experts group meeting on Integrating Disaster Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change, La Havane, 17-19 June 2002
J. MORDUCH, ‘Income Smoothing and Consumption Smoothing’, in Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 9(3), 1995
CED (Centre for Education and Documentation) - CED Mumbai: 3 Suleman Chambers, 4 Battery Street, Behind Regal Cinema, Mumbai - 400 001, INDIA - Phone: (022) 22020019 CED Bangalore: No. 7, 8th Main , 3rd phase, Domlur 2nd Stage, Bangalore - 560071, INDIA - Phone: (080) 25353397 - Inde - www.doccentre.net - [email protected], [email protected] | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/21888 | New project to record changes in farming
IT’S not just that farmers now wear more practical boiler suits instead of Tweed jackets that has changed over the years. Farming practices have adapted enormously, and a newly launched project aims to record those changes for future generations. Lesley Tate reports
THERE is no doubt farming methods over the years have helped shaped the countryside around us. There is also no doubt that methods have changed hugely over the decades and practices carried out back in the 1930s bear little resemblance to those carried out today.
Now, historical links between farming and the landscape in the Yorkshire Dales will be brought together in a new project aimed at creating a comprehensive record for future generations.
And members of the public are being asked to become volunteers to help in the long job of collecting written, photographic and oral information in the coming months.
The project – called Voices from the Land – Farming and Landscape in the Yorkshire Dales– has been launched by the Farmer Network thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund (SDF).
And it is to be headed by a couple whose similar project based on farming methods in upland Cumbria which was viewed by more than 40,000 people.
The volunteers will gather the material about farming practices and landscape features in the Dales and compare it to information gathered over the last century to highlight the historical link between the industry and the countryside.
Once the collection has been brought together, it will be made available through an exhibition at the national park authority’s Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes and it will also be added to the museum’s archived collection and stored for future generations.
Those interested, will also be able to access it on the national park's website, and buy a booklet.
The project – which received a £10,000 grant from the SDF and £17,500 from the HLF – will work with farmers, Leeds University research students and local volunteers gathering information about current farming practices and comparing these with historical records from the 1930s to 1980s.
Judith Donovan, CBE, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s member champion for promoting understanding, said: “The landscape of this beautiful national park is intrinsically linked with the farming community.
“For centuries it has been fashioned by the people who live and work here and its appearance owes much to them."
She added: “This is a fascinating project that will enable everyone who has a love and an interest in the land to be aware of and to understand what the changes are and how they came about. An added bonus is that the results of the project will be permanently stored in the authority-owned Dales Countryside Museum.”
The Farmer Network has appointed Rob and Harriet Fraser to head up the project - who have a track record of success from a previous project.
Farmer Network project manager Veronica Waller, said: “We have appointed husband and wife team Rob and Harriet to work on the project following the success of their Landkeepers exhibition, which documented and photographed upland farming in Cumbria from 2012 to 2014. This was viewed by over 40,000 people and we are hoping the Voices from the Land project will have a similar success in the Yorkshire Dales.”
Volunteers will be needed between October this year and next June and work will include
interviewing and photographing farmers, transcribing interview recordings and summarising recording held in museum archives.
An information and training day for potential volunteers will be held at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes on Monday, September 26 from 10am to 4pm.
Numbers are limited so anyone who would like to be part of the team should email Harriet Fraser to find out more at [email protected].
The Farmer Network is a non for profit organisation set up to help, support and guide famers in the Yorkshire Dales and in Cumbria. It is run by farmers, for farmers. To find out more, visit its website at thefarmernetwork.co.uk | 农业 |
2017-17/2016/en_head.json.gz/22050 | Informa Economics is part of the Business Intelligence Division of Informa PLC
Informa About Us
About UsAbout Us Contact UsContact Us Informa Economics is well known for its rigorous and thoughtful insight, analysis and expectations on the commodity markets, important issues and hot topics faced by today’s commodity producers and busy industry executives.
Now we bring you DataCenter, a quick, easy and cost effective way to access enhanced versions of the information you need. And it is now available when and where you want it.
Informa Economics is the world leader in commodity market analysis and commodity related business consulting. Founded in 1977 as Sparks Companies, Inc, the company is now a part of publicly owned Informa plc, a global business information group. Hundreds of firms and institutions worldwide now benefit from the services provided by Informa Economics, from its offices in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Brazil.
Informa Economics offers a comprehensive package of well-respected, timely and highly detailed commodity market information. In addition to monitoring and analyzing ongoing policy issues, Informa Economics constructs estimates and forecasts of U.S. and world acreage and crop production; weather, crop and livestock/meat supply; and demand fundamentals and prices. We also assess transportation and storage factors, energy and biofuel markets, and long-term agribusiness trends. The emphasis in all of the company’s commodity analysis work is to help the client understand the forces driving the markets relevant to the client’s business, and to skillfully develop and implement appropriate management programs in response to those market forces.
The Informa Economics Consulting Group provides management and economic consulting services to organizations in the agriculture, renewable fuels, food processing, food service and fiber sectors. Clients include corporations, cooperatives, trade associations and government agencies. Informa Economics advises clients on a broad range of economic, marketing, financial, strategic planning and regulatory issues.
Additionally, Informa Economics provides expert testimony for legal cases and government hearings.
Beef Production Analyst:Michael B. Sands, Vice President. Dr. Sands's responsibilities include coordinator of economic analysis for livestock, meat, poultry and dairy as well as continuing the role as senior cattle and beef analyst. Mike is responsible for forecasting the supply side of the cattle and beef markets, including animal inventories, weights, production, imports and exports. Prior to joining the company, he was project leader for the Western Livestock Marketing Information Project (WLMIP), Lakewood, Colorado, where he specialized in price analyses, strategic marketing and data development. Before joining WLMIP, he was an extension livestock marketing economist at both Kansas State University and Purdue University. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin, Platteville, and both his master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Illinois, all in agricultural economics. Dr. Sands joined Informa Economics in 1995.Beef Price Analyst:Dennis B. McGivern, Vice President. Mr. McGivern’s primary responsibilities include red meat analyses, meat-based project consulting as well as client service. Dennis is responsible for the demand side of the cattle complex with an emphasis on forecasting price levels for all beef items. He came to the company from XL Foods Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, where he worked for 16 years in the areas of economic and market analyses, long-term planning, boxed beef pricing, and sales and market strategy development. Prior to his work at XL Foods, Mr. McGivern spent three years as a market analyst for CANFAX (the market information division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association) and four years as territory manager for Shur-Gain Division, Canada Packers Inc. He received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences from the University of British Columbia and his master’s degree in economics from the University of Calgary. Mr. McGivern joined Informa Economics in 1999.Pork/Poultry Analyst:Joe W. Powell, Senior Analyst, Red Meat and Poultry. Mr. Powell's responsibilities include research and analysis on pork and poultry cuts and client service and consultation to participants within the meat supply chain. Mr. Powell came to the company from C&S Wholesale Grocers, Brattleboro, Vermont, the nation's third largest wholesaler. While at C&S, Mr. Powell's duties included customer account management, customer cost and retail price maintenance, independent customer advertising planning, lamb and veal procurement, and inbound quality control supervision. Prior to C&S, he was the operations manager and livestock buyer for Berliner & Marx, Edison, N.J. He received his bachelor's degree in animal science from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia.
For technical issues please contact our IT Department.
If you would like to subscribe, have any questions, or would like to set up an appointment for an online walk-through of the Data Center, please contact:
James Allwood
Rob Murphy
Informa Economics
[email protected]
[email protected]
For general comments or suggestions please fill out and submit the form below.
Informa Economics is part of Agribusiness Intelligence.
Informa Business Intelligence, Inc., a company incorporated in Massachusetts, USA under company number 042705709 with offices at 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10017. Informa Business Intelligence, Inc. is part of Informa PLC.
© 2010 - 2017 Informa Business Intelligence, Inc. Terms and Privacy. | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/87 | More Randalls in New Hampshire
Karen Downing of Ossipee, New Hampshire, is the latest Randall cattle owner, congratulations! Karen and co-worker Susan Junkins came to the farm and took home Randall heifers "Marissa" and "April" to be the start of Karen's new herd. Karen (in photo, R, with April) and Susan (in photo, L, with Marissa), work at The Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm in Tamworth, New Hampshire, where Karen is the Livestock Manager. Karen's own farm in Ossipee is already home to flocks of sheep and chickens, and a pair of working steers.
New barn roof!
Our cow barn is the third to stand on its foundation. The first survived from the early 1800's to the early 1950's, when it burned from a lightning strike. In the same decade, 1959 to be exact, it burned again at the hands of a farmhand smoking in the haymow. The first two structures were traditional post and beam, but the latest is a Gothic arch roof made with glued trusses with an entirely free span inside. Below is a slideshow showing before, after, and during the project. Larger photos can be found here.The new roof is this barn's third. Phil re-roofed it in the winter of 1978-79, when it was owned by his parents. In the last few years, shingles had blown off in spots, and an inspection revealed that repair would be costly and not extend the roof's life enough to justify it. So a decision was made to bite the bullet and have it re-roofed. The roofing job was completed by Gary Voelpel of Voelpel Brothers Roofing in Sherman, CT. Carpentry and painting was done by Transcend Carpentry of New Milford, CT.
A new Randall ox team
Congratulations to Elizabeth and Bradley Johnson, and their daughter Celeste, for being the new owners of the latest team of Randall working steers! Cynthia Creech supplied a calf from her herd, as did we, to make up the 5 week old pair. "Anders" and "Lars" headed off to their new home in Naples, New York this afternoon. This is a nice looking, well matched team, and we're sure that they'll make fine oxen! | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/1133 | Desertification in the Mediterranean
Maurizio Sciortino
Abstract. The desertification is a dynamic and complex system of land degradation. To understand its behavior it is necessary to identify the physical and anthropogenic process have acted on the land and their interrelations. The problem is one of multiple degradation processes overlapping at different temporal and spatial scales and over different systems. To understand the origins and evolution of the desertification in the Mediterranean, past and present natural and anthropogenic causes and processes are reviewed. They have acted on the land and caused extensive but spatially and temporally discontinuous degradation of the natural ecosystems. Soil erosion, flooding, deposition and climatic aridity cycles had taken place before human action started interfering with nature. Physical land degradation has been reversible and natural ecosystems re-established themselves during periods of climatic optima.
Actual causes and processes of desertification are described. Technological advancement, industrialization of agriculture and subsidy policies have accelerated the rate of land degradation during the last 50 years in the areas vulnerable to desertification. Mans actions can have positive effects on land if proper practices and policies are identified and applied. Key words: Desertification, land degradation.
Occurrence of desertification
The desertification has become a major environmental issue in scientific, political and even general public circles and the term captures a sense of moving deserts, drying lakes and starving people (Thornes, 1996). The international community has long recognized that desertification is the most important economic, social and environmental problem of concerning to many countries in all regions of the planet. The World Atlas of Desertification (UNEP 1997) which summarizes the current state of scientific knowledge on the dry lands of the globe, assesses that more than 6.1 billion ha, 47.2 % of the Earth's land surface, is dry land (Fig. 1). Nearly 1 billion ha of this area are natural1y hyper arid deserts, with very low biological productivity. The remaining 5.1 bil1ion ha are made up of arid, semiarid and dry sub humid areas, part of which have been degraded since the dawn of civilization while other parts of these areas are still being degraded today. These lands are the habitat and source of livelihood for about a fifth of the world's population. They are areas experiencing pressures on the environment caused by human mismanagement, problems that are accentuated by the persistent menace of recurrent drought. Desertification adversely affects nearly 3,100 million ha of rangelands (80 % of their total area in drylands), 335 million ha of rainfed croplands (60 % of their total area in drylands), and 40 million ha of irrigated croplands (30 % of their total area in drylands), in all, up to 3,475 million or 70 % of total area of drylands (Dregne, 1986, 1991). (From Dregne, 1986, 1991)Figure 1: A) The extent of arid , semiarid and subhumid lands in the world. B) Status of desertification Also Mediterranean Europe has been recognized affected by the desertification and by its environmental and social impacts. In Europe, desertification is widespread in the mediterranean semi-arid and dry subhumid regions (Perez-Trejo, 1994; Brandt & Thornes, 1996; Mairota et al., 1998). This includes the southern and eastern parts of the Iberian Peninsula, parts of Mediterranean France, most of the Mezzogiorno in Italy, Sardinia and Corsica and most of Greece, including the islands, especially Lesvos. Generally the most critical areas were identified as having less than 600 mm of rainfall per year, distributed over a few months, with a long dry hot summer. Most of the Mediterranean countries has been identified as having "very high", "high" or "medium" levels of soil degradation severity.
The United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification (http://www.unccd.int ) identified Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey as countries with a marked problem of desertification because of the occurrence of particular conditions over large areas: Semi-arid climatic conditions affecting large areas, seasonal droughts, very high rainfall variability and high-intensity rainfall.
Poor and highly erodible soils, prone to develop surface crusts.
Uneven relief with steep slopes and very diversified landscapes..
Extensive forest coverage losses due to frequent wildfires, Crisis conditions in traditional agriculture with associated land abandonment by rural populations and deterioration of soil and water conservation structures, Unsustainable exploitation of water resources leading to serious environmental demage including chemical pollution, salinization and exhaustion of aquifers.
Concentration of econonomic activity in coastal areas as result of urban growth, industrial activities, tourism ad itrrigated agriculture. Desertification according to the definition of the United Nations Convention is confined to areas affected by aridity. This definition is somewhat biased since the phenomenon may also take place under humid climates (as in Scotland and Iceland). Thus, desertification can be considered an extreme case of land degradation.Land degradation has no spatial and temporal confinement. It has taken place at various times and under a variety of physical conditions, with and without the intervention of man. Catastrophic degradation of land resources has taken place in all climatic regions of the Earth. History and development of desertification in the MediterraneanThe causes of desertification fall within two major groups: natural and anthropogenic. The history of desertification in the Mediterranean actually follows the course of evolution of these two groups of causes and of their interactions.In the course of times, in some occasions, land resources followed a declining path; in other occasions land resilience, positive feed back and self-reinforcing mechanisms interrupted the declining course and repaired the damages when critical thresholds have not been crossed. Intensive soil erosion episodes during the Quaternary denuded higher slopes but at the same time created colluvial and large alluvial deposits, which had much greater biomass productivity than the original sloping lands. These lands have supported the proliferation of the human communities. While desertification in the Mediterranean does not occur without irrational human activity, there are many cases where mans interference with nature has produced new socio-ecological systems that contribute to his welfare more than the natural ones. Such a case is the sustainable agriculture, which may have, through the ages, decreased biodiversity but it has provided livelihood for a greater number of inhabitants than the natural system. Evolution of the physical environmentClimatic fluctuations have always been changing the landscapes and the vegetation on Earth and geological evidence shows that these fluctuations occurred in periodic cold-warm an dry-wet cycles. As a result we see in a given point at a given moment a mixture of landscapes, the succeeding inheriting the preceded one, which are difficult to unriddle.The evolution of the physical environment in the Mediterranean has been examined by many authors such as Gilman and Thornes, 1985;Verheye 1991; Tzedakis, 1993; Runnels, 1995; Grove, 1996; several researchers of the ARCHAEOMEDES Project, 1998, (summaries by van der Leeuw; McGlade and van der Leeuw). The main physical events that occurred during the later period of Earths life in the European Mediterranean Region can be summarized as in Table 1. The descriptions indicate that natural events that could trigger physical processes such as soil erosion, sediment transport, gullying, cooling, aridification and biological changes, capable of extensive land degradation, have occurred even in the absence of human interference.Almost all of the Mediterranean region, during the cold stages of the Quaternary, was covered by an open low biomass producing steppe-type vegetation. This type of vegetation cover accounted for about 70% of the land for 2 million years and was associated with unstable landscapes and low rates of soil development, erosion and formation of colluvial deposits and large alluvial fans during the middle Pleistocene. The advance of forests, which occurred during the temperate interglacial times, interrupted the periods of land instability.It seems that soil erosion had been more intensive on the colluvial and alluvial deposits than on the higher slopes because the former were in the path of the waterways (Bailey et al., summary by van der Leeuw, 1998).
Decrease in rainfall intensity warmer temperatures and sea level rise contributed to higher rates of soil development. During the last 5,000 years, the Mediterranean climate became drier and an increase in the amplitude of its fluctuations increased the risks of soil erosion. Thus, weakly developed soils with high sensitivity to erosion predominated during this period. Human intervention, during this period became a significant factor, which contributed to the instability of the land systems. 5 million years BP. Salinity Crisis, sea level drop, closure of Gibraltar straits, Evaporation fault displacement, tectonic uplifting, exposure of Soft rocks, catastrophic erosion. 300,000-25,000 BP Sedimentation of basins during cold periods, formation of fluvial terraces in Greece. Southern Europe covered by Artemisia steppes with scattered forest stands.15,000 BP Glaciers retreated. Pine-Juniperus forest appeared followed by Oak forest.
11,000 BP Strong cooling, lower precipitation. Deposition of wind blown silt from Africa. Juniperus-Pinus-Amygdalus-Pistacea forest and steppe predominate.
10,000-0,00 BP Increase of temperatures and precipitation, arid conditions declined. Deciduous forests expanded, Appearance of wild olive tree. 10,000 and 8,000 BP Torrential rainfalls Around 8,500 BP Major dry crises 8,400-7,500 BP Climatic optimum
7,400- 0,00 BP High-level glaciers expanded in southern Europe. Climatic fluctuations until a few centuries ago (Little Ice Age) caused vertical shifts of snow and tree lines had no significant effects on the Mediterranean ecosystems. Major drought crises around 3, 500. Wild fires occurred also prior to agricultureTable 1: Chronological sequence of natural events. Human interventionMan has been on the Earth for about 1.6 million years. However, his actions started having marked effects on the European natural ecosystems since the Neolithic Age and became quite prominent during the Bronze Age. The human interference has not been linear. It shows maxima and minima that coincided with periods of population increase and decline respectively.The history of mans intervention on the land of the Mediterranean Europe suggests that human pressures have followed a non-linear increasing trend since the Neolithic Age with several interruptions. Periods of low human activities allowed the recovery of some natural ecosystems. These interruptions show spatial and temporal variability throughout the region. Human pressures have been enormously intensified during the last 50 years so that there are no remaining pure natural ecosystems in the Mediterranean Europe today.The study of the human activity on the Earth has provided substantial evidence of its periodic fluctuations. Population increases and decreases may be attributed both to physical changes of the environment and to mans own activities. An exponential increase in population has been taking place during the last centuries. At the same time the effects of the natural episodes on the human communities diminishes as technology advances. Whether we are at metastable equilibrium or not and what will be its duration will be seen in the future.There is no evidence in the Mediterranean Europe of physical degradation leading to desertification without human action. According to findings of the ARCHAEOMEDES project, land degradation is immediate when physical degradation is in phase with agro-pastural activities.On the other hand long time human impact fragilizes the ecosystem, so that minor oscillations in the physical parameters might bring about severe land degradation. Under these assumptions periods of possible desertification and resilience may be traced along with the history of physical and human evolution. The contemporary realityThe causes of degradation are variable and quite complex. A severe and permanent decline of lands productivity, that will result in the desertification and desertion of an area, requires a certain conjunction of natural and social circumstances (van de Leeuw, 1998). It occurs as soon as one or more variables accelerate or slow down out of proportion, not allowing the other ones to keep up with them, thus leading to different dynamic equilibria of the system. One may add that at the new equilibria, the life and diversity support capacity of the system may be diminished. The physical and socio-economic factors, which are responsible for this loss are described below.
Climate and its variability
The contemporary climate of the area follows a warming and drying path. Statistics indicate that a general warming trend started around 100 years ago and it has not been reversed (Berger, 1986). The period of 1931-60 had been one of the warmest in Europe during the last 500 years. There are also long periods of drought. Yearly rainfall is irregularly distributed, particularly in the drier zones. The variation increases with decreasing mean annual rainfall. From the climatic standpoint, the phenomena that most characterise the desertification process are aridity, drought, and the erosive action of rain.
Aridity is a climatic characteristic determined by the simultaneous scarcity of rain and high evaporation that subtracts moisture from soil. The method most used to detect arid zones is based on the assessment of the ratio of the climatic variables, creating a moisture deficit index called aridity index. To calculate the value of this index, it is necessary to compare the incoming moisture flow (rainfall) with the potential outgoing moisture flow (potential evaporation). While rainfall is a commonly recorded climatic variable, evaporation can be estimated only by resorting to empirical formulas proposed by various authors. On the basis of the ratio of monthly precipitation (P) to monthly potential evapotranspiration (PET), it is possible to assess the aridity index (P/PET). Index values lower than 1 indicate an annual moisture deficit and lower than 0.65 conditions of aridity.
Drought is a normal climatic feature of the Mediterranean countries that also strikes non-arid areas when precipitation is sensibly lower than normally recorded levels. Drought has no predictable patterns of occurrence and has serious ecological, economical and sociological effects. Drought may influence the degree of territorial degradation mainly by causing damage to agricultural and livestock production activities. In fact, natural ecosystems generally have the necessary resilience for withstanding periods of drought, while the productive sectors that depend on a constant water supply may be damaged. Drought in arid zones may break the fragile balance that exists between environmental resources and production activities, causing food crises, the abandonment of entire territories, and even migration and conflicts. For the identification of drought events, various indicators permitting the calculation of the length and intensity of the drought are used.
Rains erosivity is due to the intensity of the precipitation. When short but intense rain falls on soils unprotected by vegetation coverage, the impact of raindrops and the subsequent sheet and rill erosion removes the soils surface layer that is rich in organic material. Arid, semi-arid, and sub-humid areas are exposed to the risk of short but intense rains that, instead of mitigating the effects of the scarcity of rainfall, cause erosive phenomena, thus opening the way for desertification.
The future evolution of the climate, following the constant increase in the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen protoxide and others, discussed in the Framework Convention on Climatic Changes, will likely lead to a global temperature increase.
The scenarios regarding the future climatic changes, elaborated using general atmospheric circulation models, agree in indicating an increase in global temperature over the Mediterranean basin area, but do not yet provide a consistent picture of the precipitation and ground moisture trends. The most recent climatic simulations, with reference to the temporal horizon of 2025-2050, produced Mediterranean scenarios with temperature increases in the winter between 1.5° and 3.5° C, and in the summer from 0.6° to 1° C. There is not yet agreement as to the sign and the extent of the precipitation variations at the Mediterranean basin level because of the intrinsic difficulty in simulating the hydrological cycle on climatic time scales.
Geo morphological factors
Steep slopes characterize the present landscape of the Mediterranean Europe; man altered vegetation, and over-exploited soil and water resources. The above described physical conditions make a large part of the Mediterranean lands vulnerable to desertification. The primary processes are soil erosion by water, drought, and secondary salinization .Factors responsible for the high rates of soil erosion are those, which apply all over the World. Some of them are particularly adverse in the Mediterranean:
The steep slopes The insufficient protection of the land by a disturbed perennial plant cover and vegetation structure, and its low resilience in the desertification sensitive areas.
The low erosion tolerance of the prevalent litotypes (limestone, marls..)
The high erodibility of the soils ( particularly on Pliocene formations).
The high erosivity of rainfall due to its irregular temporal, spatial and intensity distribution.
The long history of intensive human interference.
High risk area
Moderate risk area
Low risk area
Excluded area
Km2%
EU (South)
(source CORINE, 1992)Table 3: Potential erosion risk in the southern EU countries. Table 3 shows that large sections in each of the EU Mediterranean countries are at high and moderate soil erosion risk. The total area at risk amounts to 66% of the total area that these countries occupy. Thus, if man does not restrain himself from irrationally interfering with the physical environment, land degradation and desertification, through soil erosion, will be extensive.The prevalent litotypes in the Mediterranean are limestones and marls. Irreversible desertification of limestone slopes is quite extensive, particularly in the eastern regions. Land on limestone is very vulnerable for the following reasons: The high permeability of the bedrock induces a more arid microclimate than other rock formations.Soils developed on this parent material are thin because the residue that remains upon its weathering is very small, usually less than 2%. Actually some of the soil material consist of wind blown silt from Africa. Such an extensive deposition occurred around 10,000 years before present and continues until today.These two conditions are responsible for the low erosion tolerance of the soils and the low rate of recovery of damaged vegetation. Thus land degradation and desertification proceed faster on the sloping limestone lands than on other landforms.Deforestation of coastal areas has been going for 4,000 years and has resulted in accelerated erosion on the limestone slopes, critical reduction of soil volume and in desertification. This is documented in Attica, Greece by Platos writings in Critias; "Soil has been carried to the bottom of the sea.. Earthy high mountains, that in the past carried tall forest and large pastures, have become rocky lands and look like the bones of a sick body... In the past rain water was utilized and did not run on the barren land to the sea as it does now. It infiltrated and was stored into the soil and it was distributed in springs, fountains and river streams". These processes continued to expand in the mainland until now desertifying a large portion of the limestone formations, especially on southern slopes of the semi-arid and dry-subhumid zones.Marly formations when undisturbed form deep fertile soils (Mollisols), characterized by a thick, dark, well structured and rich in organic matter surface horizon. Their productivity was early recognized and were intensively cultivated mostly with cereals until the Archaic times and then with vine, olive trees and orchards. In spite of their productivity, marly lands are sensitive to desertification because:a. They are hilly and therefore subject to water erosionThe texture of the parent material is silty and mostly structureless. Once the rich in organic material and well structure top soil is removed, the exposed underlying horizons acquire high rates of erosion because of their high erodibility.The surface crust that usually forms on the subsurface horizons reduces water infiltration, increases runoff and inhibits the emergence and the rooting of the young plants. The recovery of protective vegetation is very slow and erosion is further accelerated.Biomass production on these soils is very sensitive to soil moisture. It is high when the available soil moisture is sufficient, but drops quickly when it diminishes. Thus, under conditions of drought, these soils are more sensitive than even shallower soils on other parent materials.The above conditions prevail in the semi-arid and arid zones, where desertification is extensive on the marly landforms. It is particularly extensive in Southeastern Spain. DeforestationThe transformation of forest systems into agricultural ecosystems, often for animal husbandry purposes, and the excessive exploitation of forest resources and their destruction is causing an ever-growing area of land to be exposed to the risk of degradation.The consequences of deforestation are less severe in humid areas where forests, when there are no fires, re-grow in a relatively short time. Debrushing, often referred to as "cleanup", is still often carried out and considered useful for reducing the risk of fires and fostering the natural regeneration of the woods. In reality, this practice, which exposes the ground, accentuating erosion, altering the microclimate and damaging the fauna, is very harmful. It should also be kept in mind that where there is pasturing, the only chance for tree species to re-grow from seed lies in the possibility for the seedlings to grow sheltered by bushes, especially if the latter are thorny, thus managing to reach such a size that they are resistant to the gnawing of animals.Forests and shrublands, in arid and sem-arid areas, have been declining in recent years in favor of cultivated lands and pastures. The area covered by forests and brushes in the Guandalentin basin in Spain has declined by 50 % since 1947 ( Lopez-Bermudes et al. 1998). In other cases forest show a comeback trend to the abandoned and deserted lands. Wild fires have been causing an extensive damage to forested areas. They are detrimental in the sensitive climatic zones, especially when they are followed by grazing or if they re-occur before the trees reach the fruiting stage. Pine forest has been subjected to frequent and extensive fires, which show an upward trend during recent years. In Greece the burned areas show a general increasing trend in the last 20 years. A significant number of them (25%) have been intentional criminal acts, whereas negligence accounts for another 28%. The area of forest land that has been burnt in the last 25 years amounts to approximately 1, 500, 000 ha, which is almost 50% of the total forested area of the country.. Table 4, that shows the average annual number of forest fires occurred during the decade 1981-1990, confirms the gravity of the problem. Portugal
(Source: Eurostat, 1995)
Table 4: Average annual number of wild fires in the EU Mediterranan countries during the decade 1981-1990.
Forests have been expanding in parts of the countries of European Mediterranean, during the last decades. During the period 1965-1984, the total forested area of the region has grown by 6,462,000, which represents a 14% increase (Le Houérou, 1990). The advancing forests have occupied abandoned marginal agricultural lands and pastures. However, most of the naturally afforested areas are located in climatically favorable and moderately damaged lands. Natural afforestation of abandoned lands in the desertification threatened areas is not always possible because of climatic limitations and advanced degrees of soil degradation. Water resourcesUp to a few decades ago, in many areas of the globe the water resource was considered widely available and at very low costs. Only now the changes in climate, widespread pollution, and irrational use of underground resources have raised the water problem, also in relation to the increasingly burdensome cost for its supply.The water problem is most felt in arid geographical areas, which unfortunately are becoming more extensive because of global climatic changes and the excessive exploitation of the soils.In order to sustain the growth of the world population, which has already gone past the 6 billion mark, humanity must reckon with industrial development, coupled with a sharp increase in consumption and new social and economic needs.The WHO (World Health Organisation) has estimated that the consumption of 1000 liters of water per person per year is the limit below which it is impossible to have economic development and guarantee peoples health and wellbeing.In developed countries the daily per capita consumption for food uses is 3-4 litres, but hundreds of litres are also consumed for personal uses. This consumption must be combined with that necessary for food production and all industrial activities. To produce one kilogram of wheat, between 1,000 and 2,000 litres of water are used, while for one kilogram of meat, around 5,000 litres are necessary. The production of one kilogram of steel requires a consumption of 150 litres, a kilo of paper up to 300 litres, and a pair of leather shoes around 80 litres.Water resources considered at the country level, are at present sufficient in all the countries of the Mediterranean Europe, but there are asymmetries in their seasonal and spatial distribution in all of them. Serious supply-demand imbalances are the result of climatic irregularities, irrigated agriculture, urban sprawl in coastal areas and increase in tourism.In the semi-arid regions, the water cycle is discontinuous. As a result water channels and rivers may be dry for much of the year. There is a deficit between the locally available water and the consumption needs in the desertification sensitive areas. This deficit is growing as consumption increases, while available resources do not increase. It reached dramatic dimensions in the Guadalentin basin and in Murcia during this decade (Lopez-Bermudes, 1998). The negative gap between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration is very large. Consequently, the principal user of water is irrigated agriculture. The amounts of irrigation water that are consumed annually are given in Table 5.
Millions of hectares irrigated
% of total national farmland
Billions of m3/yr consumed
(source: Collin, 1995)
Table 5: Average consumption of irrigation water in four Mediterranean countries.
Over- pumping of water may have broad adverse influences on the land, because not only exhausts the underground aquifers but it also reduces channel flow and causes sea water intrusion in the former. In La Mancha, Spain , the extracted water is twice as much as the recharge. According to Chabart et al (1996), Spain will have consumed more than half of its water resources in 30 years. The accelerating effect of water over-pumping on the rate of desertification has been recognized and restrictions are being imposed by the states.There is a tendency for increased consumption also for the non-agricultural uses of water, such as urban, and industrial. The sharp increase in the influx of tourists, in the desertification sensitive coastal areas, poses a new serious threat to the water resources. It is expected that several hundred millions of tourist will arrive in the Mediterranean basin by the first quarter of the next century. Degradation processesDegradation processes can be divided into processes that determine the loss of soil fertility and processes that determine the loss of the soil resource, in terms of a reduction of volume and area. The first category includes a series of processes which can, in turn, be grouped together into chemical degradation processes and physical degradation processes. Among the chemical processes, there are those directly connected with desertification, such as salinisation and the loss of organic substance, as distinguished from those that are not, such as contamination from heavy metals, acidification and the spreading of organic wastes which, in the long run, cause in any case an impoverishment of the resource. This is true especially in certain contexts, which trigger, in turn, desertification processes.SalinisationSalinization and sodification of soils have been ongoing old natural processes that turn productive lands into deserts. It takes place in land depressions and coastal plains, where salts are transported by surface runoff and/or capillary rise of ground water. Land in the arid and semiarid zones with inadequate drainage are those that are mostly affected by this phenomenon. There are two paths followed by the processes of soil salinization:Addition of soluble salts to the soil by converging surface waters, by rising ground water and by irrigation waters.Distilative removal of soil water by evaporation. A desertification threat that dates back to 5,000 years BP in Mesopotamia and continues through contemporary time, is secondary salinization, which is caused by the irrational application of irrigation, such as the use of water with elevated soluble salt content and / or the failure to meet the leaching requirements. Modern technology leads to low rates of irrigation water application that does not meet the requirements of leaching the accumulated salts. Tricle irrigation poses greater salinization threat than surface irrigation (Yaron, et al.1973). Abstraction of ground water from coastal aquifers frequently results in the intrusion of seawater into them. The use of such waters has quickly damaged the soils and reduced their productivity on many occasions. Aru et al. (1996) has classified the coastal soils in Sardinia according to their salinization risk due to this phenomenon.Desertification due to soil salinization is not as extensive as that which is caused by erosion. The economical loss that it inflicts per degraded unit area is much greater, because it affects high valued productive land, whereas erosion affects mostly marginal lands. The continuing expansion of irrigated agriculture in the Mediterranean is bound to increase the salinization risk and deserves special attention. Loss of organic substanceThe loss of organic substance is considered by many as one of the most important indicators of desertification, in light of the primary role it plays in the processes that determine the fertility of land. Agricultural practices such as the elimination of vegetation residues from the soil surface, excessive mechanical crumbling, with the consequent spreading of the organic substance over a larger volume of land, excessive aeration of the surface layers of the soil, with the consequent oxidation of the organic substance and, lastly, the single-crop system reduced the soil content of organic matter. ContaminationThis aspect particularly concerns industrial areas, mining areas (particularly if abandoned), and major communication routes. Recent studies in abandoned mine areas in Sardinia have brought to light the serious problem of pollution from heavy metals such as lead, zinc, chromium, cadmium, etc. This contamination, found in the south-western part of Sardinia, where the largest mining basin of Italy and the Mediterranean is located, involves vast areas containing streams, aquifers, lakes, lagoons, soils and sea, reached by means of the action of wind and rain.The socio-economic context. The world is experiencing a dramatic increase of human interference with nature. This is mainly due to the rapid technological advancement, which enables man to inflict major changes on the natural systems in a short time. Desire for quick economical growth, policy regulations, trade expansion, population explosion in some places, large scale migration, tourism, urban expansion and land use competition are some of the driving forces, which are changing nature in increasing rates by the over-exploitation of its resources. Vegetation, soil and climate are the main components of the environment that are being affected. We are now living in era, during which man has for the first time succeeded in modifying the climate. The principal processes that are followed and the conditions that are conducive to the artificialization of the environment are:The low level of the perception by decision makers and the public about the processes and the impacts of desertification.The industrialization and mechanization of agriculture, which actually consumes more energy than it produces. This fact by itself, poses a question about the long-term sustainability of this human activity.The reduction in the quantity and diversity of natural vegetation by overexploitation and clear-cutting of forest lands, overgrazing the pastures, burning forests and shrublands.The overexploitation of the water resources and especially the groundwater of which the level has dropped significantly in the desertification sensitive areas.The soil sealing by urban expansion in to productive lands, which has acquired high rates in the recent years.The abandonment of marginal agricultural lands that had been brought by man to an unstable equilibrium. These are lands on sloping terrain, which were protected by erosion control structures and practices. Protection ceases and erosion accelerates when they are abandoned.The over-pumping of coastal ground water and improper irrigation practices that cause intrusion of seawater into the aquifers and secondary salinization of the soils. The tourist influx in sensitive areas has become a problem since it promotes urban expansion to the expense of natural landscapes and contributes to the overexploitation of the water resourcesThe emission of green house gases that generally increase temperatures and decrease rainfall in the sensitive areas of the Mediterranean.Remedial actions taken by governmental an non-governmental organizationsThe mechanization of agriculture has enabled the farmer to bring into cultivation sensitive sloping lands and enjoy a temporary profit from them. Technological advancement and subsidies are concealing the damage done to the land by organic matter loss and soil erosion, until a threshold is reached, after which desertification will becomes inevitable. The areas most vulnerable to degradation are the tertiary marly hills of the semiarid and dry sub humid zones.Abandonment Abandonment of marginal agricultural lands started during the decade of 1950 due to the industrialization of the countries involved, the increase in the cost of cultivation, the decrease of profits and the changes in the trade regulations among the countries. There have also been social incentives, which encouraged the farmers to move to urban centers, which are more attractive to them. By 1990 between 10 and 20 percent of agricultural land in the Mediterranean countries was abandoned (Grove and Rackham, 1996. Land abandonment has been considered as important cause of desertification, but in reality this is not always true, because in many cases recovery of the natural systems follows it. Whether an abandoned agricultural land will move towards recovery or desertification depends on the state of the land at the time of its abandonment and on what follows afterwards.The most vulnerable lands to further degradation are those on sloping terrain and shallow soils, which have been stabilized by erosion control terraces. These lands are at metastable equilibrium, which exists only as long as the terraces are attended and damages are repaired. Upon abandonment, terraces brake and accelerated erosion begins to remove the soil from them. Desertification may proceed on sloping land when intensive grazing follows agriculture. The grazing animals consume the vegetation that tries to establish itself on the abandoned fields, the soil is left unprotected and erosion degrades it rather quickly. The system moves toward desertification if the soil productivity and erosion tolerance is low, and the bioclimatic conditions do not allow a speedy recovery of vegetation.The degradation of abandoned agricultural land is most extensive and frequently leads to desertification on limestone slopes within the semi-arid zone and especially on southern and southwestern aspects. In cases where the landscape and climatic conditions are not severe, the system moves toward the recovery of the natural environment. ConclusionsDesertification assessments around the Mediterranean show the importance of the problem and the necessity of mitigating the environmental, economic and social problems. The threat of Climate Change and the indication of deeper and more sustained future droughts may make heavier the problem (Duplessy et.al., 1991; Fantechi et.al., 1991; Imeson et.al., 1992). Combating desertification is essential to ensuring the long-term productivity of inhabited drylands, but to do this it is necessary to know and to measure processes, and to carry out national, and regional action programmes. Combating desertification, is just a part of a much broader objective: the sustainable development of countries affected by drought and desertification.Remedial and preventive actions to combat desertification have been undertaken by all the Mediterranean countries. Some of actions had been taken before desertification was recognized as a threat to societies. They were technical and legislative measures that targeted toward the control of soil erosion, salinization, water supply, forest protection and reforestation. At the present, both governmental and non-governmental agencies are involved in the battle against desertification. Efforts are made both at the national and international levels. Actions taken could be classified into the following categories:Development of strategies through the formulation of the National Action Plans for Combating Desertification and the establishment of coordinating National Committees.Policy regulations towards the sustainability of the land resources.Legislative measures securing better protection of the environment in general.Public awareness activities aiming at improving the level of perception on the existing threat and at securing public consent and support for the action.Adoption of incentives for public participation.Technical actions such as soil and water conservation practices and works, forest protection and expansion, soil reclamation and irrigation, protection of natural ecosystems and drought mitigation.Research and development.It is worth mentioning the scientific research conducted by several multinational projects, supported by the European Commission. The results of these projects, that studied in depth the factors and the mechanisms of desertification, are available in numerous publications. ReferencesAru, A. (1996). Salt water intrusion, waste disposal. Field site Santa Lucia, Sardinia. MEDALUS II. Managing desertification, Final report. Medalus Office, 20a High str., Thatcham, Berkshire UK, 1-38Audouze,F., Argant, J. Ballais, J.-L., Beeching A, Bel, V., Berger, J.F., Bois, M., Brochi, J.L., Chouquer, G., Favory, F., Fiches J.L. Gazenbeek, M. Girardot, J.J., Jung, C., Mgnin, F., Meffre, J.Cl., Odiot, T., Raynaud, C. Thiebault, S., Tourneux, F.P., Tschanz, X., Verhagen, Ph. and Zannier, M.P. (1998). Land use, settlement pattern and degradation in the Ancient Rhone Valley (Summary by van der Leeuw). In: S.E. van der Leeuw (ed.) Archaeomedes.Understanding the natural and anthropogenic causes of degradation and desertification in the Mediterranean Basin. European Communities, EUR 18181 EN, Luxembourg.Bailey, G.N., Ioakim, Chr., King, G.P.C., Turner, C., Sanchez-Goni, F., Sturdy, D., and Winder, N.P. (1998). Norwest Epirus in the Palaeolithic. (Summary by van der Leeuw) In: S.E. van der Leeuw (ed.) Understanding the natural and anthropogenic causes of degradation and desertification in the Mediterranean Basin. European Communities, EUR 18181 EN, Luxembourg.Ballif,I., Bell, J.,Castro, P.V., Colomer, E., Courty, M. a., Deve, L., Escoriza, t., Fedoroff, N., Fernandez-Miranda, M. Fernandes Posse, D. Carcia, A, Gili, S., Girard, M.C.. Gonzalez Marcelen, P. Jones,M.K., King,G.P.C., Lopez Castro,J.L., Lull, V., Marlin, C., Martin, C. McGlade, J. Menasanch, M., Mico, R. Monton, S., Olmo, L., Rihuete, C., Risch, R., Ruize, M., Sanahuja Yll, E. and Tenas, M. (1998). The environmental dynamics in the Vera Basin (Summary by van der Leeuw). In: J. McGlade and S.E. van der Leeuw (eds.) The Archaeomedes project. Understanding the natural and anthropogenic causes of degradation and desertification in the Mediterranean Basin. European Communities, EUR 18181 EN, Luxembourg.Berger, A. (1986). Desertification in a changing climate, with a particular attention to the Mediterranean countries. In R. Fantechi and N.S. Margaris [Eds] Desertification in Europe, Com. Eur. Comm. D. Reidel Pub. Comp., Dordrecht, 15-34. Chabart, M., Collin, J.J. and Marshal, J.P. (1996). Modelling short-term water resources trends in the context of a possible desertification of Southern Europe. In C.J. Brandt and J.B. Thornes [Eds]. Mediterranean desertification and land use. John Willey and Sons Ltd., 398-429 Coccosis, H.N., (1991). Historical land use changes: Mediterranean Regions of Europe. In: F.B. Brouwer, A.J. Thomas and M.J. Chadwick (eds), Land use changes in Europe. Processes of change, environmental transformations and future patterns. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.Collin, J.J. (1995). Some aspects of desertification seen from the ground water viewpoint. In R. Fantechi, D. peter, P. Balabanis and J.L. Rubio [Eds] Desertification in a European context:Physical and socio-economic aspects. European Commission EUR 15415, 111-121.CORINE (1992). Soil erosion and important land resources in the southern regions of the European Community, European Commission, EUR 13233 EN, 96p.Dregne, H. (1991). A new assessment of the Wold status of desertification. UNEP, Desertification Control Buletin, 6-18.Enne, G., Mancini, F., Bullittta, P and co-wrkers. (1996). MEDALUS II, Research and policy interfacing in selected regions. Final report. Medalus Office, Berkshire, UK, 599-642.EUROSTAT, (1995). Europes Environment. Statistical Compendium for the Dobris Assessment. European Environment Agency, Copenhagen.Gilman, A and Thornes, J.B. (1985). Land use and prehistory in southeastern Spain. Allen & Unwin, London. Grove, A.T. (1996). The historical context: Before 1850. In: C. Jane Brandt and J.B. Thornes (eds) Mediterranean desertification and land use. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK.,13-28.Grove, A.T., and Rackham, O. (1996). Physical, biological and human aspects of environmental change. MEDALUS II. Final report. Medalus Office, Berkshire, UK, 39-64. Kosmas, C., Yassoglou, N., Moustakas, N. and danalatos, N.G. (1`996). Field site Spata, Greece. Basic field programme. MEDALUS II . Final report. Medalus Office, Berkshire, UK, 129-163.Le Houérou, (1990). Ecological guidelines to control land degradation in European Mediterranean countries. In Rubio. J.L.and Rickson, R.J. [Eds] Strategies to combat desertification in the Mediterranean Europe. Comm.Eur. Comm. EUR 11175 EN/ES, 3311-360.Llamas. M.R. (1997) Consideraciones sobre la sequia de 1991 a 1995 en Espana. Ingenieria del Aaqua 4, no1, 39-50.Lopes-Bermudes, F., Tobar P., Javier Pardo,F and Romero, A. (1998). Regional economic and social approaches to desertification. MEDALUS III Regional indicators, second annual report 65-80. McDonald, W.A. (1972). The problems and the program. In: W.A. McDonald and G.R. Rapp, Jr. (eds) The Minnesota Messinia Expedition. Reconstructing a Bronze Age regional environment. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis.Rubio, J.L. (1995). Desertification: Evolution of a concept. In: R. Fantechi, D. Peter, P Balabanis and J.L. Rubio (eds). Desertification in a European context: Physical and socioeconomic aspects.Runnels, C.N. (1995). Environmental degradation in ancient Greece. Scientific American, March: 72-75.Tzedakis, P.C. (1993). Long term tree population in northwestern Greece through multiple climatic cycles. Nature, 364: 437-40.UNCCD. (1997). United Nations convention to combat desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought an/or desertification, particularly in Africa. Secretariat of the Convention, Bonn, DPSD/CCD/97/1. UNEP (1997). World atlas of desertification, second edition, Arnold.Van Andel,T.H. and Runnels, C.N. (1987). Beyond the Acropolis. A rural Greek past. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.Van Wersch, HJ. (1972). The agricultural economy. In: W.A. McDonald and G.R. Rapp, Jr. (eds) The Minnesota Messinia Expedition. Reconstructing a Bronze Age regional environment. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis.Van Overloop, E. (1986). Comparison of climatic evolution during the post-glacial times in Greece, tropical and subtropical regions, in relation to desertification. In R. Fantechi and N.S. Margaris [Eds] Desertification in Europe, Com. Eur. Comm., D. Reidel Pub. Comp., Dordrecht, 59-72. Verheye, W.H. (1991) The role and impact of biophysical determinants on present and future land use patterns in Europe. In: F.B. Brouwer, A.J. Thomas and M.J. Chadwick (eds), Land use changes in Europe. Processes of change, environmental transformations and future patterns. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.Yaron, B., Shalvet, J., Shimshi, D. (1973). Patterns of salt distribution under tricle irrigation. In A. Haadas, D. Swartzendruber, P.E. Rrijtema, M. Fuchs and B.Yaron [Eds] Physical aspects of soil water and salts in ecosystems. Springer-Verlag, New York, 389-394. Yassoglou, N.J. and Nobeli, C. (1972). Soil studies. In: W.A. McDonald and G.R. Rapp, Jr. (eds) The Minnesota Messinia Expedition. Reconstructing a Bronze Age regional environment. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis. | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/1388 | Wild boar a success story gone too far as crops and farms raided
Wild boar are flourishing in Scotland, so much so that they are threatening crops and farms. Picture: Allan Milligan
Wild boar reintroduced to Scotland are flourishing too well - wreaking havoc to crops and farms. The animals were hunted to extinction 800 years ago after once roaming in woods and scrubland. The hogs were brought back to their native habitat seven years ago and it was feared they might not survive the harsh Scots winter weather. But in fact the opposite has happened - and up to 1,000 free roaming wild boar could be running loose throughout the country. Now conservationists are raising fears that the animals are causing damage to crops and farmland.READ MORE: Wild boar kills Princess Anne’s prized pigWild boar can “plough up” gardens and meadows while looking for food, making them unpopular with landowners. They weigh up to 50 stone, run at speeds up to 30mph and are found mainly in Lochaber and in the south-west of Scotland.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) says it has been left frustrated by a lack of guidance on how to cope with growing numbers of the hogs.A spokesman for the SGA explained: “There is a recognisable problem here, but no one wants to put a foot out of line because management of species has become a highly politicised issue.READ MORE: Wild boar breaks into children’s clothes shop“People need proper guidance as regards management of wild boar and they need to know what they should and should not be doing.”
Alastair MacGugan, wildlife management manager for Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), said: “It’s a complicated issue because some farmers may find them a nuisance if they cause agricultural damage, and they could also damage natural habitat by digging up bulbs or eating ground-nesting birds’ eggs.“The Scottish Government, SNH and other agencies are currently working together to assess the risks and benefits of having wild boar in the Scottish countryside and come up with a plan of what to do next, and get agreement on this plan.”Boars have no natural predators, except humans.Like The Scotsman on FacebookDOWNLOAD THE SCOTSMAN APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAY | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/1548 | Category: Industry
What is Modern Farm Life Like?
Life on a farm will consist of cleaning out stalls.
Farmers use tractors and other mechanical devices on modern farms.
Eggs are a common product sold by farms.
Modern dairy farms use milking machines to milk their cows.
Modern farms use computers to track production and financial data.
Modern farms work hard at producing large quantities of fruits and vegetables.
Keeping animals fed is an important aspect of farm life.
Some modern farms employ their own veterinarians.
Sheep may be raised on a farm that profits from selling wool.
Margo Upson
Visionsi, Valcho, Goodween123, U.s. Department Of Agriculture, Auremar, Marucyan, Azp Worldwide, Kadmy, Stefanholm Last Modified Date: 14 April 2017
Life on a farm is constantly changing. New technologies, along with a rising interest in healthier and organic eating, have had a huge impact on how many farms do business. At the same time, a growing population has put more demands on farmers, requiring many to find ways to increase their production levels. The small family farms that used to produce the majority of the produce, grains, and meat have been largely replaced by factory farms, and the majority of small family farms that are still operating are struggling to keep up.
Technology has made most aspects of farm life easier than it has ever been before. Bigger and more efficient equipment makes short work of tasks, like cleaning out stalls and plowing up fields, that used to take two or three times as long. Even milking has become an automated task, with milking parlors that are capable of milking dozens of cows in minutes, with very little human involvement. These advances have allowed farmers to work faster and more efficiently than ever before. Ad
One of the biggest focuses in farming is developing better ways to increase production while still maintaining high quality standards. In addition to newer technology, factory farms are allowing companies to produce a lot of product for less money than traditional farming would require. This style of farming has gotten attention from animal cruelty groups who say that the animals being raised in many of these farms are not being treated in a humane way. As more and more people become concerned about the treatment of animals and eating organic foods, many farms have changed the way they operate. There are a lot of traditional farmers who are embracing the organic movement. In many ways, it is a return to a simpler way of farming. Animals are treated better, and fewer chemicals are being used on produce and in livestock feed. Modern farm life, despite the introduction of new technologies and farming practices, has not changed much from what it has always been. Farmers still wake up early, and spend their days doing hard, generally labor-intensive work. There are still animal to feed, cows to be milked, and fields to be plowed, regardless of improvements to the equipment that helps to get the job done. Farm life still requires a lot of commitment and sacrifice. The main change in modern farm life is in the way farms, especially larger operations, are run. It is not uncommon for even small farms to have several hired workers, an animal manager, and maybe even a veterinarian on the payroll. Family run farms are becoming rarer, and factory farms, along with other larger farm corporations, are becoming the norm. Although there are still many traditional family farms, they are quickly becoming a dying breed as modern practices change farm life forever. Ad
How Do I Choose the Best Disc Harrow?
What is a Family Farmer?
What is Corporate Farming?
How do I Become a Dairy Farmer?
What Does a Dairy Farmer Do?
What are the Different Types of Farms?
What is an Irrigation Pump?
Animandel
Most of the old family farms have disappeared, but I am reading more lately about people coming together to start small, environment friendly farms that produce healthy produce. Some of these farms grow enough food to feed the group and to sell for profit at markets and produce stands.This may not be the traditional family farm, but I think these small farms may be as much a part of the future of farming as the large technology driven operations with the fancy equipment. Farm life is changing, but not all for the bad. Drentel
Sporkasia - I don't know whether small farmers so much had to be gotten rid of as they simply couldn't compete. The old methods of farming were no longer cost effective. The bottom line is that small farmers could no longer make a living, and when that happens it's time to move aside-- survival of the fittest. Farm life today looks more like a business than a family way of life. This is how is has to be if farmers are going to make money and people are going to have food to eat. Sporkasia
I understand the need to produce more food, and I understand that technology is changing farming as it has changed most professions. Technology filters into all our lives in numerous and remarkable ways. This being said, I still miss the old family farms and farm communities.
Were the old farm tractors and other farm equipment and methods of farming so inefficient that the small farmers had to be eliminated? Post your comments | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/2047 | Agronomic Information
Wheat Research
Archive of Research Projects
Markets and Weather
Wheat Seed Dealers and Distributors
Wheat Bulletin
California Wheat Statistics
Wheat Variety Survey
Certified Wheat Seed Buying Guide
Wheat ResearchThe primary mandate of the California Wheat Commission is to support research that improves California wheat quality and marketability. The Commission's partnership with University of California researchers has always been critical to the viability of the wheat industry in California.
UC DAVIS WHEAT BREEDING PROGRAMCalifornia is fortunate to have Dr. Jorge Dubcovsky leading the Wheat Breeding Program and Molecular Genetics laboratory at the University of California, Davis. You can view some of his lab's accomplishments on his website: http://dubcovskylab.ucdavis.edu/home.Dubcovsky, originally from Argentina, is a world-renowned wheat breeder. He is a member of the National Academy of Science, a recipient of the Wolf World Award in Agriculture, and the Project Leader of a five year, $25 million grant awarded by USDA's Competitive Grants Program. The Triticeae Coordinated Agricultural Project (T-CAP) is developing methods and new cultivars to minimize the damage of climate change on crop production. Their long-term objective is a 10% reduction in both nitrogen and water use in barley and wheat production through the development of improved varieties adapted to the climate of the coming century. TCAP is also helping to train wheat breeders in universities across the country.The California Wheat Commission was the industry partner for two 4-year grants awarded to Dr. Dubcovsky under the U.C. Discovery Grant program. The first 4-year grant, ending in 2010, was titled "Molecular tools to engineer California wheat varieties resistant to stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis)". The purpose of this grant was to use molecular markers to map stripe rust resistant genes and, as a result, several new genes for stripe rust were discovered. Most of the wheat varieties now marketed in California are resistant to stripe rust. This grant was matched dollar-for-dollar by the State, with $610,800 total funding for the wheat breeding program.The second 4-year project, which completed in 2014, was titled "Improving California Wheat Quality and Nutritional Value" and included research on reducing cadmium uptake in Durum wheat, increasing the concentration of resistant starch in the grain, and increasing grain protein concentration and quality. The Commission's total 4-year funding was $480,000 ($120,000/year) and was matched by $336,000 of additional funding from the State of California.With the end of the shared funding available under the Discovery Grant program, the Commission increased its funding for the wheat breeding program to $275,000 for FY14/15 and $325,000 for FY15/16. Funding decisions are made at the Commission's April meeting.UC VARIETY TRIALS AND COLLABORATOR PROGRAM
The University of California, Davis conducts regional trials in fourteen locations around the state to evaluate the agronomic performance of public and private small grains varieties. The results of these trials are summarized in the Commission's Certified Wheat Seed Buying Guide, but the details can be seen on the University's small grains page.The Small Grains page of the University of California's website has a wealth of information, including Agronomy Progress reports, a Small Grains Production Manual, Pest Management of Small Grains, Cultivar Descriptions, and Characteristics of California Cultivars.The California Wheat Collaborator Program provides an opportunity to evaluate wheat varieties being considered for release in the California market. Breeders are invited to submit their most promising varieties to be grown out in specific locations following agreed-upon agronomic practices. After harvest, Phil Mayo at UC Davis sends out samples to milling and baking quality labs around the country (including the Commission's lab) to be milled and baked into bread or made into pasta. Then, in the Fall, all interested parties in the wheat value chain gather in Davis to discuss each variety's performance. Agronomic data is also made available, but the focus is on end-use quality.
UC COOPERATIVE EXTENSION RESEARCH GRANTS AND MENTORSHIPSIn 2011, the Commission established a new competitive grant program to encourage UC Cooperative Extension specialists and farm advisors to conduct field-based research that would provide practical information for wheat growers. The program also provided funding for mentorships to encourage students to consider UCCE careers. Since its inception, the researchers have completed a range of research projects with over $275,000 in funding. Results of all the projects can be can be found in the Archive of Research Projects.In the fall of 2014, the Commission approved the latest round of projects and mentorships, including:Impact of N Fertilization Treatments on Residual Soil Nitrate Accumulation - San Joaquin Valley and N. CA - $9,000 - continuation of last year's projectSeeding Rate and Planting Date Effects on Yield - Siskiyou County - $6,700Evaluating Spring Wheat Variety Performance in Organic Environments - Mendocino - $5,242 - continuation of last year's projectPlanting Date and Cultivar Effects on Winter Wheat Yield - Siskiyou - $5,600Calibrating In-field Diagnostics Tools to Improve Nitrogen Management for High Yield and High Protein Wheat - Sacramento Valley - $9,828 - continuation of last year's projectMentorship for Eddie Padilla, who will work with Farm Advisor Steve Wright in Visalia - $5,000Mentorship for student to work with Sacramento Valley Farm Advisor Mark Lundy - $2,000. | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/2840 | Water to Flow in Klamath Basin
By Jo McIntyre and Scott Hogenson | July 7, 2008 | 8:19 PM EDT 5th add includes quotes from local agriculture businessmen and the Tulelake Irrigation District.(CNSNews.com) - Interior Secretary Gale Norton will order the release of irrigation water for parched farmland in the Klamath Basin, department officials said. Norton arrived in Portland, Ore. Tuesday to announce that U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has been authorized to release 75,000 acre feet of water into the Klamath Basin Irrigation Project, which irrigates land for about 1,400 farmers in the region. "The reason I am taking this action is because the Bureau of Reclamation has been taking measurements and has determined that Upper Klamath Lake is at a higher level than projected," she said in a statement. The water had been shut off since April following an Endangered Species Act lawsuit that kept the water from the farms. Local farm officials are expected to coordinate the water release, which could begin as soon as Wednesday, officials said. Norton said the water level in the lake was higher than projected because of conservation and recent "scattered thunderstorms that have provided much-needed rain to the area and the lake." About 10,000 acre feet of the release is needed just to recharge the irrigation canals, and Norton said the release will amount to about 25 percent of the normal amount of irrigation water farmers use during the season.The denial of irrigation water in the Klamath Basin, which has been made available to farmers there for nearly a century, is hoped to "save pastures, alfalfa and hay, or even row crops that have recently lost their well water supply," she said.Local residents in recent weeks have attempted to cause an unauthorized release of water for irrigation, but those efforts were met with federal agents who guarded the headgates of the dam holding back the water.According to Norton, the release is hoped to provide "a little relief to some desperate farm families during the remainder of this season," but the water supply is insufficient to service both farmland and adjacent national wildlife refuges.Norton's announcement follows a weekend request by Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger that the U.S. Park Police leave the headgates of the irrigation canals, which had been under guard to prevent unauthorized water releases."We don't know the community the way that local officials know the community," said Norton. "We want to provide the appropriate level of law enforcement and support."Some local residents resented the presence of federal law enforcement authorities, and Norton said, "We want to just insure that there are no future problems. We don't want to have any sorts of confrontations or problems."While there have been a number of demonstrations by local residents regarding the water issue, they have been peaceful.The announcement of the water release cames while Congress was in the midst of a partial effort to examine the situation and look for solutions.House members traveled to the Klamath Basin for hearing earlier this summer and heard testimony from local residents and officials, but substantive action has yet to be taken by Congress.In the Senate, the pace has been even slower. An official with the office of Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.), chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee indicating that hearings on the situation in the Klamath Basin would be held sometime before October."I think it is definitely a positive thing, but I'm hoping it is enough to help more than just a few people," said Jim Merrilees, owner of Merrilees Oil Co. in Merrill, Ore. He fears it could cause more divisiveness if there is not enough to go around.Determining where the 65,000 acre feet of water would go in the 200,000 acre Klamath Basin Project could be a problem. The water shortage "has cut our business down by at least half. It has taken some farmers out permanently that we won't get back," Merrilees said. Several bankruptcies and foreclosures mean that permanent damage has been done.Negotiations, or discussions, or a water fight, as one official terms the meetings, are going on right now among managers from 15 irrigation districts that make up the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Klamath Basin Project. They were busy discussing Norton's announcement Tuesday afternoon. The districts are in the process of finding out what it's like to apportion a minimum amount of water to a maximum amount of acres.Jerry Pyle, assistant manager at the Tulelake Irrigation District, in Tulelake, Calif., agreed it will be difficult to decide how to parcel out the water."It's not much water, but if we're going to get it, we're very grateful for that." The Tulelake ID has already put in some wells to pump water to local farms, but that hasn't made up for the lack of irrigation water from the Klamath project. "I think its great, but I wonder if it's too late. Some of our friends ? their wells have gone dry. That [water] would be a big help for them," said Michael Cheyne, former potato farmer and current employee at Merrilees Oil Company's service station.The service station, like many other local businesses, has seen a slowdown. Farmers aren't coming in for fuel and service as often as they used to do.The Cheyne family is still involved with farm services, so the water cutoff is affecting them, too. Sister Erika Cheyne is working for a local hay farmer and her hours have been cut. His mother, Mary Cheyne, works for Basin AgriServe, a soil and hay testing service that has seen its business slow down as well. FollowJo McIntyreBio | ArchiveMore from Jo McIntyre FollowScott HogensonBio | ArchiveMore from Scott Hogenson Printer-friendly version | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/3356 | A new way to make machinery Apr 19, 2017 Tobacco purchasing should be based on value, not price Apr 03, 2017 Some Georgia growers wanted to talk soybean weed control, most didn’t Apr 10, 2017 Caledonia: Where prisoners have grown their food for 125 years Apr 04, 2017 Promising materials
Paul L. Hollis Farm Press Editorial Staff | Apr 11, 2001
The “selective” insecticides now entering the cotton market offer new opportunities for growers, scouts and consultants. But more expertise will be required to use these products effectively and profitably, says Phillip Roberts, University of Georgia Extension entomologist. “Selective chemistry requires more expertise, especially when deciding how the use of a product will affect the ‘big picture’ of cotton production,” says Roberts. In recent years, several new insecticides have been introduced for cotton, he says. “We have new labels and several experimental insecticides that are currently under development by industry. Most of the chemistry being brought to the marketplace is very selective — it's specific to a group of insects or even individual insects. Also, these products are more expensive than our traditional pyrethroids,” he says. These new insecticides, he adds, have a “safe” environmental profile — a requirement before a new product to be brought to market. Before discussing the new chemistry, Roberts says there still are several “non-insecticide” tools available to cotton producers. “One of these is an egg identification kit. In certain areas of Georgia, it has become very important that we know which species are in the field. For example, we need to know if its corn earworm or tobacco budworm. We can get a good idea by looking at moths as we scout the fields. But these egg identification kits give us much better data,” says the entomologist. Opportunity for improvement Integrated pest management — or IPM — also offers many opportunities for improved insect control, says Roberts. “IPM is simple. It's just using all available control tactics, and putting them together so we can produce cotton as efficiently as possible. I like to look at IPM as being ‘informed pest management,’ or even ‘innovative pest management,’” he says. Georgia growers have been fortunate in recent years that they haven't had to treat for heavy insect pressure, he says. “But making the decision to treat and knowing which product to use actually has become more difficult. The ‘easy out’ is to just spray a field. Knowing when to hold back is much more difficult.” Cotton production in Georgia has been made easier by the elimination of the boll weevil, notes Roberts. “It is vitally important that we remain free of boll weevils. This past year, we had one small re-infestation of weevils in Dooly County. But only about 200 acres were treated, and that's very good. We've never gone an entire year without catching a boll weevil in Georgia. I would encourage growers to do everything possible to prevent bringing weevils into the state, including not bringing machinery in from infested areas.” Several new products have been introduced recently for use in cotton insect control, says Roberts. They include Confirm, Intrepid and Steward. “Confirm and Intrepid are sister products — they're both insect growth regulators. These products have very minimal impact on predators and parasites. They are very safe compounds for users, with a re-entry interval of only four hours. These are safe, selective compounds — the type we will continue to see being brought to market.” Confirm has been available for beet armyworm control under a Section 18 in Georgia since the mid-1990s, he says. “It's a good product for beet armyworms. It has a long residual action, and it's a slow-acting product. It's also labeled for fall armyworms, but that's a difficult pest to control, and we still need to do some work in that area.” Similar material Intrepid, which was labeled this past October, is very similar to Confirm, says Roberts. “It has a broad spectrum of activity over various caterpillar pests. It is labeled for beet armyworms, fall armyworms, soybean loopers, tobacco budworms and corn earworms. We'll be looking at using this product on the armyworm complex and loopers. At the rates needed for controlling tobacco budworms, it'll probably be too expensive to use this product.” Steward is a very selective product, he says, and is specific to caterpillar pests. It has a very small impact on predators and parasites. “The mode of action of this product is somewhat similar to a pyrethroid, yet it is different, so there's no cross resistance. If you have pyrethroid-resistant tobacco budworms, Steward would offer control of that population just as it would on a susceptible population. It is a new mode of action offering broad-spectrum caterpillar control. “It has minimal impact on big-eyed bugs and minute pirate bugs, but it does have activity on plant bugs. I wouldn't consider this a clean-up type treatment for major plant bug problems. There is some activity on stink bugs, but it's not the level of activity needed to control the pests. We'll learn more about this product as we get into larger fields this year.” The primary way for an insect to be affected by Steward is through ingestion, says Roberts. This puts a premium on coverage, he adds. “Coverage will be very important. It's not a cleanup treatment. These new products aren't like pyrethroids — you can't go into a field and kill large worms. You must use these products correctly, and they must be targeted against small worms if they are be successful.” Selective insecticides, he says, give growers the opportunity to preserve beneficials and to avoid flare-ups from other insect pests like aphids or beet armyworms. Growers must consider several factors when they incorporate selective insecticides into their management programs, notes Roberts. “In some situations, we'll have to deal with multiple pests, and we must think about the economics. This new technology will offer a lot of opportunities, but it'll require more expertise to get the most returns from these products. “We must continue to think about resistance management. It's critical to maintain the efficacy of pyrethroids on corn earworms. In areas, we now have multiple modes of action for tobacco budworms and corn earworms. We have an opportunity to truly practice resistance management in rotating this chemistry.” Roberts advises growers not to treat successive generations of insect pests with the same chemistry. “We have a generation of tobacco budworms every 30 days. We must position different products so that we can rotate them. The bottom line is that we need to fit these products into the system so we'll get the most return.” Scouts and consultants become even more important with the advent of selective chemistry, he says. “The best money you'll spend for insect control will be whatever you spend to hire a good scout or consultant. As we move toward selective chemistry, expertise becomes even more important. Pest management is more than just scouting — it's making difficult decisions.” e-mail: [email protected] | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/3909 | AboutAdvertiseContactEnews HomeNewsAgronomySoilTillageFertility and NutrientsSeeding/PlantingInsect PestsDiseasesWeedsStorageHarvestingPlant BreedingGenetics/TraitsIdentity PreservedCerealsCornSoybeansPulsesOther CropsIrrigationSeed/ChemicalSeed TreatmentInoculantsHerbicidesFungicidesInsecticidesFertilizerMicronutrientsDesiccantsHerbicide Resistance Summit 2016Business & PolicyBusiness ManagementMarketsImports/ExportsWorld OutlookConsumer IssuesEmerging TrendsMachineryTractorsCombines/HarvestersSprayersIrrigationStorage & TransportPrecision AgMaintenanceBioenergyBiodieselEthanolBiomassOther renewables SustainabilityCrop ChemicalsEnvironmentProductionField CropsSpecialty ProductionProtectionBiosecurityDiseasesEnvironment ProtectionPestsWeedsEquipmentHarvestingSeeding/PlantingSprayingTractorsResearchAgronomyEnvironment ResearchManure ManagementPlant GeneticsSpecialty ResearchBusiness/PolicyFuture PlanningGlobalHuman ResourcesProfilesPrograms, Grants & AwardsSuccess in AgricultureUnited States Subscribe to E-Newsletter Programs, Grants & Awards Proud to Bee a 4-H’er in third year Feb. 23, 2016 - 4-H Canada and Syngenta Canada are partnering for the third year on Proud to Bee a 4-H'er, an initiative where 4-H club members learn about bees and other pollinators by planting and tending pollinator-friendly gardens in their communities.
Participating 4-H clubs have the opportunity to create pollinator-friendly habitats using Proud to Bee a 4-H'er pollinator-friendly seed packets. This fun activity encourages 4-H members to learn all about the amazing and fascinating work of bees, get outside and enjoy nature, and raise funds for their local clubs. Approximately 80,000 seed packets have been distributed over the first two years of the program and the hope is that 2016 will see the total number move to over 100,000 packets distributed.
Syngenta support for Proud to Bee a 4-H'er is through its Operation Pollinator program, which is focused on research and other initiatives that contribute to enhanced biodiversity and habitat in support of healthy pollinator populations.
4-H clubs that register for the program receive Proud to Bee a 4-H'er pollinator-friendly seed packets, planting instructions and information about pollinator habitats. 4-H'ers can plant the seeds themselves or use them to support activities in their communities. This year, participating 4-H'ers will also have the chance to share their pride in taking part in this initiative by submitting a short video describing why they are #ProudtoBeea4Her. The winners will be chosen through public voting in late-summer 2016, with prizes to be awarded.
For additional information and resources on the Proud to Bee a 4-H'er initiative, visit http://4-h-canada.ca/proudtobee. To locate 4-H clubs near you, go to http://4-h-canada.ca/find-club.
Better soil health reduces fertilizer use and increases yield Feb. 17, 2016, Ontario – There’s nothing that makes Tyler Vollmershausen happier than sticking a shovel into a field to see what’s happening underground. Published in
Group promoting agriculture in northern and rural Ontario Feb. 12, 2016, Ontario – A new group has formed to celebrate the innovation and contribution provided by the agriculture and forestry sectors to the economy of northern and rural Ontario.
The group, Growing Ontario, will increase awareness of the important contributions of forestry and agriculture to the entire province, according to a press release. "By highlighting the history of responsible environmental stewardship, commitment to local municipalities and dedication to innovative solutions that provide sustainable prosperity, Growing Ontario will demonstrate the relevance these sectors have in the lives of Ontarians," the release says.
While farmers and foresters are providing sustainable management of our key natural resources, Growing Ontario will become the voice of their concerns and their achievements. The group will honour the best of these industries, raising awareness for the difficulties they face as well as showcasing the true impact they have on the province.
Initiated by the Grain Farmers of Ontario, the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities, the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and stakeholders from the forestry sector, Growing Ontario brings together voices that represent the interests of 28,000 grain farmers, 50,000 forestry workers and over 120 municipalities that rely on thriving resource sectors to survive. It is further supported by the Rural Ontario Municipal Association, the which represents the interests of rural and northern municipalities.
“Forestry and agriculture represent approximately $30 billion dollars in economic activity in the Province of Ontario and the are foundation of local economies in many community across our province. Foresters and farmers built our province and continue to contribute to it’s success today, and for that reason we felt it was important to work together with these economic sectors to highlight that contribution,” said Al Spacek, president of FONOM and the mayor of Kapuskasing, in the press release.
“In many respects, forestry and agriculture face many of the same pressures and will benefit from working together to raise awareness of our work so that Ontarians have a better understanding of what is actually going on in our forests and fields,” said Mark Brock, chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario, in the release. Published in
U of G offering IPM courses for corn and soybeans Feb. 8, 2016, Ontario – The University of Guelph's Ridgetown Campus is offering integrated pest management training for growers.
Anyone needing to buy and use neonicotinoid-treated corn or soybean seed must complete integrated pest management training and become certified, among other requirements, starting Aug. 31, 2016. Once completed, certification is valid for five years and a certified person can supervise up to seven people to help with planting. The course is free of charge if successfully completed by Aug 31, 2016.
The course covers topics such as IPM principles including corn and soybean pest identification, planting best management practices, the new regulatory requirements regarding Class 12 pesticides and pollinator protection from neonicotinoid exposure. The courses are taught by experienced instructors, many of whom are farmers. Courses take half a day in class, or over two days online where participants enjoy the convenience of learning at their own pace.
To register for one of the more than 600 courses offered in English or French across the province in the next few months, sign-up online at www.IPMcertified.ca or call 1-866-225-9020.
Soil health roadshow coming in March February 3, 2016 - In March 2016, Farm & Food Care Ontario will take an important soil health message to farmers across the Lake Erie and southern Lake Huron watersheds with its Soil Health Road Show.
Funded by the Great Lakes Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (GLASI), each of the six workshops will include presentations and demonstrations from members of OMAFRA’s soil team. Topics include soil fertility, organic matter and erosion control with a focus on cover crops and conservation tillage.
In each location, a panel of local farmers and crop advisors will also discuss their experiences and offer practical solutions to improving both soil health and water quality in their areas.Farmer participants will also learn more about cost-share opportunities for on-farm environmental projects through the GLASI program. They are also encouraged to bring recent soil test results to the workshop in order to take a deeper look with OMAFRA Soil Team members.
These workshops run from 9:30am to 3:30pm. They are free to the farming community and include lunch.
Space is limited to the first 50 people to register for the following locations:
Elmwood March 1
Brodhagen March 2
Delhi March 3Parkhill March 8
Thamesville March 9
Leamington March 10
To register, visit www.farmfoodcare.org/events or for more information, contact Melisa Luymes, Farm & Food Care's Ontario environmental coordinator via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 519-837-1326 x291 Published in
Saskatchewan pulse growers honour researcher Jan. 15, 2016 - Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG), in partnership with BASF, honoured Robert (Bob) Tyler Ph.D. from the University of Saskatchewan by presenting him with the Pulse Promoter Award at their annual general meeting in Saskatoon January 11.
Tyler was recognized for his contribution to the pulse industry through his work in the area of research and development (R&D), specializing in pulse ingredient utilization.
"Bob Tyler has been a long-time member on the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers R&D Committee," says Tim Wiens, chair of SPG. "He has provided assistance to SPG in the development of R&D priorities, and continually dedicates his time to review and evaluate research project proposals for alignment with our organization's goals."
Tyler, who is professor of food and bioproduct sciences, and associate dean of research and graduate studies in the college of agriculture and bioresources, has focused 35 years of research on the utilization of pulse crops, with a particular focus on peas. His research group has under taken projects on the modification of pea starch, the extrusion of pea protein concentrate from pea flour, and the manufacturing of pasta, snacks and breakfast foods from pulse flours, amongst others.
He is a long-time member of the pulse and special crops committee of the Prairie grain development committee, and currently serves on the board of directors for Ag-West Bio and the council of the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists, in addition to his role as the chair of the Saskatchewan Agri-Food Council.
Tyler's impact on the industry expands even beyond the organizations and the projects he is directly involved in," says Carl Potts, executive director with SPG. "He instills his passion for pulses in everyone he encounters, which has allowed the pulse industry to retain many of his former students who are now actively involved in the pulse research and innovation community."
DUC/CPS announce forage program Jan. 26, 2016, Camrose, Alta. - Last year's drought conditions in some areas on the Prairies had many farmers looking for greener pastures, and this year's forage program recently launched by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Crop Production Services (CPS) might be the perfect solution.
Available to agricultural producers in the three Prairie provinces, the DUC/CPS forage program offsets the cost of Proven Seed forage varieties when producers convert cultivated land to hay or pastureland. In Alberta and Saskatchewan, producers receive a rebate of $100 per 50 lb. bag of forage seed; in Manitoba, producers receive a rebate of $50 for every new forage acre seeded as part of the program.
The response to this year's forage program has been very positive, says Craig Bishop, DUC's regional forage lead, especially in light of recent economic and climatic conditions.
"Declining prices for wheat and other cereal crops, as well as a simultaneous increase in beef prices, are leading many landowners to seriously consider the move to increase their cattle herd," explains Bishop. "This, in turn, spurs a demand for increased forage. The drought of 2015, in particular, resulted in many poor hay crops in several areas and further motivated producers to convert additional land to forages. That year, we saw 25,000 acres of cultivated fields across the Prairies be put into grass with this program with CPS — a significant increase from previous years."
Bishop adds that reducing input costs, especially at a time when expenses are rising more quickly than revenues, makes a real difference to a farmer's or rancher's bottom line. "Offering an incentive to producers to convert their cultivation to forage is an extremely cost-effective means for increasing grassland and makes good agronomic sense. Essentially, the program covers approximately 40–50 per cent of the producer's seed investment."
In addition to helping cattle producers and their herds, more seeded forage acres also benefits waterfowl. Bishop explains that research shows that the level of waterfowl nesting and success is significantly higher in areas of perennial cover or grasslands than in cultivated fields. It also helps with other conservation measures such as critical wetland restoration efforts.
"The link between wetlands, associated grasslands and waterfowl productivity is well understood," says Bishop, "and initiatives like the DUC/CPS forage program ensures that farmers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba also receive the benefit from increasing their forage base."
The DUC/CPS forage program is best suited for producers in the parkland and prairie regions. Anyone interested in the program or who wants more information should contact their local CPS retailer or DUC conservation program specialist.
Alberta honours pulse innovator Jan. 27, 2016 - The Alberta Pulse Growers (APG) selected esteemed pulse researcher Ken Lopetinsky as the winner of the second annual Alberta Pulse Industry Innovator Award.
"Each year APG recognizes a person whose progressive thinking and tireless efforts helped build Alberta's pulse industry into the flourishing industry that it is today," said APG Chair Allison Ammeter. "I cannot think of a more deserving recipient for the award to be bestowed upon during the International Year of Pulses than Ken Lopetinsky. He is considered one of the fathers of Western Canada's modern day field pea industry, and influenced many of the researchers who continue to develop improved pulse genetics."
Lopetinsky was raised on a mixed livestock and grain farm near Star, Alta. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with distinction in 1973 at the University of Alberta, he joined Alberta Agriculture as a district agriculturist, and later as forage and special crops specialist, pulse and special crops specialist, and pulse research agronomist until his retirement in 2008. In 1976, Lopetinsky received education leave and completed his Master of Agriculture (soil science) in 1977. In 1983, Lopetinsky became involved with the Alberta Pulse Growers Association, which later became the Alberta Pulse Growers Commission.
Throughout his career, Lopetinsky worked closely with producers, industry representatives and other researchers on applied research projects including field pea and faba bean variety development, fertilization, herbicides, seeding depth, land rolling, crop rotations, direct seeding and the value of pulse crops in rotation. He co-authored and co-edited the publication Pulse Crops in Alberta, which was awarded a certificate of excellence by the American Society of Agronomy. Lopetinsky mentored numerous agrologists over the course of his career, and many still work in the industry today.
Lopetinsky said that he was honoured to learn that he was chosen as the recipient of the second annual Industry Innovator Award sponsored by ATB Financial.
"I am surprised and humbled to receive this award," Lopetinsky said. "I have to give a lot of credit to the team over the years because it has been said that 'you're only as good as your team'. The pulse industry came through with full support, and that was very, very rewarding."
The Alberta Pulse Growers Commission represents 5,000 growers of field pea, dry bean, lentil, chickpea, faba bean and soybean in Alberta. Our vision is to have Alberta pulses recognized by consumers as environmentally friendly, healthy, nutritious, and recognized by all producers as being an essential element in a sustainable cropping system.
Janet and John Parsons receive 2015 W.R. Motherwell Award Jan. 27, 2016 - Ontario farmers Janet and John Parsons were recently honoured as recipients of the 2015 W.R. Motherwell Award by Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) program. The Sturgeon Falls couple have been participating, innovating and promoting the agriculture industry since they bought a dairy farm in 1975.
Janet and John's involvement in OYF began in 1988 when they were selected as honourees for the Central Ontario region, and went on to win the national OYF title that same year, along with farm couples from Quebec and Manitoba. Their support of OYF blossomed after they became alumni of the program.
"The Motherwell Award is presented on behalf of the national OYF program to those who have unselfishly given their time and talents to promote the value of excellence and opportunity within Canadian agriculture," says Luanne Lynn, president of Canada's OYF program. "The Parsons have devoted more than 40 years to the industry at every level and in every way. They are part of an extraordinary group of people that exemplifies what OYF is all about. And the energy and ideas they have contributed, and encouraged in others, has made a lasting impact on our industry. OYF is proud to honour them with the 2015 W.R.Motherwell Award."
Janet and John worked side-by-side on their new dairy farm for five years. When John decided to become a certified general accountant, Janet became managing partner of the farm, operating it for the next 13 years with the help of Leona, her hired hand. After raising three boys, the Parsons have sold their dairy and crop farm to their oldest son James, and provide family support for the business. John continues to operate his accounting practice, working primarily for farm clients. Janet is a certified financial planner, working side-by-side with John once again.
The Parsons continued to support the OYF program after their national win. They produced the national OYF newsletter for five years, and helped establish an early database of members that is still used today. John has been a columnist since 1995, for Farm Business Journal and Ontario Farmer – and has been able to promote OYF alumni and the program through some of his writing. And John served as auditor for Ontario and national OYF program for several years.
Janet has served on several provincial agricultural boards including Farm Products Appeal Tribunal, Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario, Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and as chair of the Grain Financial Protection Board. John has been general manager of the West Nipissing East Sudbury Agricultural Support Projects – a non-profit corporation that supports large group projects in agriculture in the Districts of Nipissing, Sudbury and Parry Sound.
And their work to advance the agricultural industry continues. Janet and John have twice been awarded Ontario Premier's Awards – in 2007 for spearheading a service arrangement with a John Deere dealership 400 km away to service their remote community, and in 2012 for the development a Field Tracker Pro, an on-the-go crop recording app for farmers that they developed in a joint venture with two of their sons.
Dr. Motherwell, the namesake of the W.R. Motherwell Award, was born near Perth, Ontario in 1860. His leadership in Canadian agriculture spanned more than 50 years and he is regarded by many as the "grand old man of Canadian agriculture." His career highlights include minister of agriculture in Saskatchewan's first provincial government, and minister of agriculture for Canada in the 1920s. Having attended agricultural college in Guelph, Ontario, his move to Saskatchewan resulted in his instrumental role in establishing the agriculture facility at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Motherwell died in 1943 at the age of 83.
On the 25th anniversary of the OYF program, the W.R. Motherwell Award was established. The award is presented annually, on behalf of OYF alumni across Canada, to an individual or couple who has demonstrated excellence in leadership and dedication to both the OYF program and Canadian agriculture.
More information about the OYF W.R. Motherwell Award is available at www.oyfcanada.com under Scholarships. The deadline for nominations for the 2016 award is March 31, 2016.
Celebrating 36 years, Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers' program is an annual competition to recognize farmers that exemplify excellence in their profession and promote the tremendous contribution of agriculture. Open to participants 18 to 39 years of age, making the majority of income from on-farm sources, participants are selected from seven regions across Canada, with two national winners chosen each year. The program is sponsored nationally by CIBC, John Deere, Bayer, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through Growing Forward 2, a federal, provincial, territorial initiative. The national media sponsor is Annex Business Media, and the program is supported nationally by AdFarm, BDO and Farm Management Canada.
Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers for 2016 will be chosen at the National Event in Niagara Falls, Ontario from November 29 – December 4, 2016.
Alberta cereal researcher receives prestigious award Jan. 25, 2016 - Former Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AF) researcher Jim Helm, Ph.D., has been awarded the prestigious American Society of Agronomy Distinguished Service Award. This award is given only to highly distinguished nominees that have made a transformational contribution to the agronomy profession.
Helm spent over four decades as head of research at the Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC), located in Lacombe, and oversaw the release of 42 cereal cultivars bred specifically for conditions in Alberta and western Canada, including 32 barley varieties, nine triticale varieties and one winter wheat variety.
Born and raised in Washington state, Helm had the opportunity as a master's student to work with legendary Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug at Washington State University.
After obtaining his Ph.D. from Oregon State University, Helm found his way to Alberta in 1973 to become the sole worker at the brand new provincial barley breeding program, later known as FCDC.
Under Helm's leadership, the FCDC grew from its humble beginnings into a world class cereal breeding facility, with 10 scientists and over 30 staff working in pathology, biotechnology, quality and breeding labs. Initially focusing on feed barley, the FCDC's breeding programs have since expanded to include malt barley, spring and winter triticale, and wheat.
Helm prides himself on being a practical scientist for the practical farmer, and brought a common sense approach to the technical world of research. He retired from FCDC at the end of 2014.
Helm has also received the Canadian Society of Agronomy's Distinguished Agronomist award, the Alberta Centennial Medal for outstanding service to the people and province of Alberta, the Alberta Science and Technology Award for Innovation in Agricultural Science, and was inducted into the Alberta Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2002.
U of L team wins gold with Fusarium project Jan. 4, 2015 - The University of Lethbridge's incomparable iGEM program achieved a gold medal standing at iGEM 2015 recently, debuting a project that may soon eradicate a widespread agricultural problem.
It was the ninth time that a U of L team participated in the annual International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in Boston, Mass., which invites the world's brightest university and high school students to showcase innovative new biologically-engineered systems that solve real-world challenges. Over those nine years, the University has achieved eight gold medals, more than any other Canadian team.
"Given the fact that we are a small place without an engineering school, I think we're sitting in a very good spot in terms of our performance over the years," says Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden, chemistry and biochemistry researcher, Alberta Innovates Technology Futures Strategic Chair in Bioengineering, and iGEM supervisor. "I think we're in the top five per cent of all Canadian teams that attend iGEM, and worldwide, we are clearly seen as a contender. Nobody asks us where Lethbridge is anymore."
This year's project is especially intriguing in that it was arrived upon through consultation with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and tackles an issue of local, regional and global relevance – how to combat the fungal species Fusarium graminearum (Fg).
Affecting crops such as corn and wheat, Fg fungi infection results in millions of dollars in economic losses. Current methods of controlling outbreaks include the use of broad-spectrum fungicides, biological control agents, crop rotation and the planting of Fg resistant wheat strains. Each of these methods has its limitations, from building up resistance in Fg, to difficulties of application, effecting off-target species and bioaccumulation.
"Currently there are no really good treatments for it," says iGEM team member Graeme Glaister, a fourth-year neuroscience student who was competing in his third iGEM competition. "There is a fungicide but you can only spray it once per year because it builds up resistance and is extremely toxic, so you have to be a certain distance from bodies of water. We wanted to find a new approach to this that would not bioaccumulate like a lot of pesticides, and would be species specific."
The group looked to the insect world and the work that had been done developing RNA-based insecticides. In that instance, double-stranded RNA is introduced to insect species, with a goal of knocking down a specific essential gene within the insect. It's called RNA interference (RNAi) and allows the pesticide to be species specific, selectively taking out genes in the targeted insect. Its specificity means other insects, with a different RNA makeup, are not affected, nor are there toxicity or bio accumulation concerns.
"Based on that, we decided to see if we could expand on RNA-based insecticides and make it for fungicide use," says Glaister.
Targeting specific regions within an essential gene of Fg, the group was able to knock down the pigment they were aiming at, successfully proving the concept of their approach.
Part two of their project was to find a way to optimize the process and make it cost-effective to produce a fungicide using this technique.
"It's hard to make a lot of RNA, in fact it's far more expensive than making a pesticide because people generally just study RNA, so it isn't made in large quantities," says Glaister.
The group tackled this problem by developing a bacterial chassis (a harmless bacterial strain of E. coli) for expression of RNA, then created a novel purification scheme to harvest the product.
"We've shown it works, which is really cool, so now we need to optimize it and make it more efficient so that it actually reduces costs," says Glaister.
With funding from the University's new AGILITY program, designed specifically for enhancing innovation and entrepreneurship activities such as these, the team has the makings of a marketable product.
"What we're seeing here is a great example of how the innovation pipeline works. Knockdown and RNAi, we did not invent that, that was a basic researcher on a lab bench who discovered that machinery not too long ago," says Wieden. "But the knowledge transfer, that's for people like our students, that's why we have to expose them to the current developments in basic research so that they can pick these ideas up and then move them into the marketplace."
For team member Rhys Hakstol (BASc '14), a first-year master's in biochemistry student, the opportunity to take the group's lab work to market and benefit the local community is especially gratifying.
"With our local approach motivating this, we saw there was a problem facing farmers and were able to develop a potential solution to it," he says. "I think being able to take our research and potentially apply it in a real-world scenario in the future is super exciting for us as a team and also for the University."
Aside from the indispensible support of the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute at the U of L, Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, through its GeekStarter program, provides financial support for programs such as iGEM, helping to create future innovators and entrepreneurs who will drive the economic diversification of our province.
OSCIA hosting new workshops in 2016 Dec. 18, 2015, Ontario – Besides Environmental Farm Plan and Growing Your Farm Profits workshops, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association is now also offering biosecurity, food safety and traceability workshops.Workshops may be required in order to access cost-share funding. Be sure to review cost-share program details, also available on OSCIA's website.Biosecurity workshops In this free, one-day commodity-specific workshop, an experienced veterinarian or certified crop advisor will show you the benefits of having an on-farm biosecurity program, and identify key practices, which will help you in increasing the biosecurity on your farm. Having a biosecurity program in place helps to protect the investment of your farm business. Dairy biosecurity: Jan. 8, 2016, 10 a.m., WoodstockDairy biosecurity (French): Jan. 13, 2016, 10 a.m., CasselmanBee biosecurity: Jan. 19, 2016, 10 a.m., Ancaster Fairgrounds, JerseyvillePoultry biosecurity: Jan. 21, 2016, 10 a.m., ListowelGeneric livestock biosecurity: Jan. 25, 2016, 10 a.m., Thunder BayGeneric Livestock biosecurity: Jan. 26, 2016, 10 a.m., Rainy RiverCrop biosecurity: Jan. 28, 2016, 10 a.m., Carp (Eastern) Crop biosecurity: Jan. 29, 2016. 10 a.m., Thunder BayPoultry biosecurity: Feb. 1, 2016, 10 a.m., Thunder BayCrop biosecurity (French): Feb. 3, 2016, 10 a.m., Thunder BayCrop biosecurity: Feb. 11, 2016, 10 a.m., Lindsay
Traceability workshops: maximizing your traceability investment This free one-and-a-half-day workshop focuses on how you can gain a competitive advantage and improve your bottom line with your traceability system. Real life examples and business profiles focused on traceability best practices will be examined throughout the workshop. Jan. 22 and 29 2016, 10 a.m., RidgetownJan. 27 and Feb. 3, 10 a.m., ColborneFeb. 24 and March 2, 10 a.m., Simcoe (OMAFRA)Feb. 29 and March 7, 10 a.m., Sarsfield (French)March 3 and 10, 10 a.m., Spring Bay, ManitoulinMarch 17 and 24, 10 a.m., Elora
For more detail or to register for any workshop, visit: http://registration.wildapricot.org
Ontario crop farmer wins scholarship Dec. 3, 2015 – Mark Brock is the winner of the second annual Robert (Bob) L. Ross scholarship program. The Ontario crop farmer from Staffa, Ont., will receive free tuition to Agri-Food Management Excellence’s CTEAM program as well as up to $4,000 towards travel expenses. The scholarship is offered by Agri-Food Management Excellence in collaboration with Farm Management Canada, Family Farms Group and the Ross Family. The scholarship was created in 2014 in memory of Bob Ross, a dairy farmer and passionate farm business consultant from St. Marys, Ontario, who lost his courageous battle with cancer in March 2014. The scholarship was awarded at the recent Agricultural Excellence Conference in Regina, Sask. Brock farms with his wife Sandi at Shepherd Creek Farms Ltd. where they raise crops and sheep. They crop 1,500 acres of wheat, soybeans, corn, edible beans and hay as well as raise 500 breeding ewes.Brock is the chair of the board of Grain Farmers of Ontario and has been involved in farm organizations for several years. “I’m very honoured to receive the scholarship knowing how much Bob Ross has contributed to improving the financial skills and awareness for Canadian farm operators,” says Brock. “This scholarship has allowed financially for Sandi and I to both participate in CTEAM. We hope to come away from the program with a strategic plan and direction for our business built from a solid understanding of our financial situation and an awareness of the business environment in which we operate.” “The aim of this scholarship is to provide a Canadian farmer with the opportunity to continue on the path of farm management excellence, which Bob Ross was dedicated to,” says Heather Broughton, principal of AME. “We’re excited to have Mark in our next CTEAM class.” CTEAM is a program of Agri-Food Management Excellence which provides farmers and ranchers training on farm business management. Participants use their own farm data during the program. Eligible applicants must demonstrate a progressive operation and entrepreneurial spirit, passion for the industry, and how the value gained from the program will be used. Published in
Hay producers form forage co-operative Dec. 7, 2015, Ontario – The founding board of directors of the Ontario Hay and Forage Co-operative Inc. have formed Ontario’s newest producer co-operative. The co-operative’s goal is to increase the value of producers’ hay and forages by on-farm drying of hay which will then be compacted by the co-operative for sale to export markets. More than 50 hay producers turned out to the first public meeting of the co-operative held on Dec. 1 in Mount Forest.The Ontario Hay and Forage Co-operative is undertaking a comprehensive feasibility study to determine the economic viability of a major double-compacting hay facility in southern Ontario. A positive feasibility study would also determine the size, location, and type of facility to be built. The proposed hay compacting facility, currently planned to handle up to 100,000 tonnes annually and estimated to cost between $10 and $15 million, would target growing export markets for high quality hay, including markets in Asia, the Middle East and the European Union. The co-operative will be speaking about its plans at the Ontario Forage Council’s Forage Focus conference in Shakespeare on December 15 and in Winchester on December 16. Details can be found on the OFC’s website. Founding Directors of the Ontario Hay and Forage Co-operative are Fritz Trauttmansdorff (chair), Don Rowntree (vice-chair), Jonathon Blydorp (secretary-treasurer), André Larocque, Chris Martin, Chris Riach, and Larry Davis. The co-operative has retained the services of co-op business consultant George Alkalay of Northfield Ventures Ltd. to prepare the feasibility study and provide support with overall project development.
Ontario's Innovative Farmer of the Year Dec. 7, 2015, Paisley, Ont. – Vince and Heather Stutzki of ElmCrest Farms, sheep farmers in Bruce County, have been named this year’s Innovative Farmers of the Year by the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario. The Stutzkis use a system of rotational grazing, pasture remediation, manure and compost application, double cropping and minimum tillage. By building their soil, their 200 acre farm supports their large flock, and their family. The Stutzkis moved to their rolling property near Paisley in 1988 and there they raised a daughter and three sons, two of whom bought a farm down the road and farm with their parents. “When we came here the whole place was cropped,” says Vince. He recalls how he and Heather ‘fell into’ raising sheep: “One day, we had ten ewes and a ram that just showed up here because people wanted to get rid of them. We had an old bank barn with a roof that was leaking, the walls were collapsing.” In Ontario, there are about 4,000 shepherds and the average flock size is about 85. The Stutzkis are part of a loose network of large flock producers, numbering fewer than 50 in the province. They raise 850 sheep on 200 acres and lamb five times a year, shipping every two weeks into a value chain that brings lamb products to Metro shelves. The Stutzkis were early innovators with traceability technology, and give back to their industry through sharing data and mentoring young farmers. Vince is also a past director of the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency Board. For the Stutzkis, managing the risks of a fluctuating global market means creating cost and labour efficiency, and so they have designed their operation and crop rotation to the very last detail. And when it comes to innovation, they have had to look to other commodities for inspiration. “In the dairy industry, for example, there are lots of systems to look at and get ideas from but in the sheep industry, there’s not many places to look,” says Vince. The Stutzkis have been all across Ontario, Quebec and Michigan to see how others manage their livestock and pasture, and even made a trip to Scotland. They have plans for New Zealand next, as farmers there manage flocks in the tens of thousands of sheep. The Stutzkis rotate their flock on 36 acres of pasture located on the hilliest section of the property. They have subdivided this into 27 sections and use an innovative Spider fencing system imported from New Zealand to manage flock movement between pastures. Water lines are run to every section and the intensive rotational grazing keeps both the pastures and the sheep healthy. “Pasture is one of those things that is forgotten,” says Vince, who goes to great lengths to maintain soils in his pasture. The Stutzkis take four acre sections out of pasture on a rotational basis for two years to ‘renovate’ the soil. They use a crop of corn, sorghum sudan grass or mixed grains for the break year and they will graze it, followed the next year by a cover crop they will harvest for forage before planting the area back to grass, which they might even graze again that fall. On such hilly ground, they never plow and use a light disking if needed. The "renovation" is important not only for thistle and other weed control, but it also breaks the worm cycle, to control parasites and worms that can build up in a pasture that isn’t properly managed. Building soil health builds up pasture health which in turn builds the health of the animals. “There’s quite an art involved in managing the pastures,” says Vince. Vince and Heather have also had to be innovative with livestock mortality, as there are no deadstock services available for the sheep industry. A few years ago, they constructed a three-bin deadstock composting system behind the barn. The first two areas serve to alternate as the primary intake piles, with the start date marked on each and the third pile is for secondary aeration, at which point nearly everything is broken down. Soybean stubble serves as the substrate, though they use sawdust or corn silage in the winter because it will generate more heat. The manure storage was built to hold over a year’s capacity in order to give them flexible timing of application. The addition of manure and compost into a diverse rotation has helped to build soils on the Stutzki’s farm. Vince, Heather and the family are constantly learning, innovating and evaluating as they strive to farm in a difficult industry with limited marketing options and services available. At ElmCrest Farms, necessity is the mother of innovation. The Stutzki family will be recognized at the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario’s Conference on Feb. 23 and 24, 2016 in London, Ont. More details on the conference are available at www.ifao.com. Published in
Cynthia A. Grant Science Award recipient for 2015 Dec. 1, 2015 - The International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) has named Cynthia A. Grant, Ph.D., as the winner of the 2015 IPNI Science Award.
The IPNI Science Award recognizes outstanding achievements in research, extension, or education; with focus on efficient management of plant nutrients and their positive interaction in fully integrated cropping systems that enhance yield potential. A committee of noted international authorities selects the recipient. Grant receives a special plaque along with a monetary award of US$5,000.
Grant received her B.S.A. from the University of Manitoba in 1980; her M.Sc. from the University of Manitoba in 1982; and her Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba in 1986. Since 1986, Grant worked as a research scientist at the Agriculture Canada Research Station in Brandon, Man. She retired early in 2015.
Throughout her decades long career, Grant has earned respect and recognition from her colleagues and the industry for her valuable research on soil fertility, crop nutrition, as well as the trace element contaminant Cadmium.
Since the 1990s, Grant has worked to assess the usefulness of Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers (EEFs) in cropping systems and in Canada. She has published 17 scientific papers, two review articles, a chapter on EEFs, and has prepared dozens of technology transfer articles and presentations on the topic in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Grant also worked to develop and assess beneficial management practices (BMPs) for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur and chloride to improve nutrient use efficiency, becoming one of the first Canadian researchers supported by the international Fluid Fertilizer Foundation.
Grant has published 165 journal articles on nutrient management, co-authored chapters on soil fertility management in dryland agriculture and sulphur management and co-edited a book on Integrated Nutrient Management. Her research has been recognized with several awards including, the International Fertilizer Industry Association Award, The Robert E. Wagner Award, the Fluid Fertilizer Foundation Researcher of the Year Award, and the Manitoba-North Dakota No-Till Non-Farmer of the Year Award. She also served on the editorial board of several scientific journals and as Associate Editor of the Journal of Environmental Quality, Canadian Journal of Soil Science, and Canadian Journal of Plant Science.
Nutrient Management Specialist certification program to launch in 2016 Dec. 1, 2015, Ontario – The Ontario Certified Crop Advisor Association has partnered with industry to launch the Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) 4R Nutrient Management Specialist Certification in Ontario in early 2016. The 4R Nutrient Stewardship (Right Source @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place) framework incorporates the careful selection of best management practices validated by research in support of sustainable crop production. The pilot project, funded by an Ontario Memorandum of Cooperation between Fertilizer Canada, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ontario Agri Business Association (OABA) will incorporate a specialized CCA exam and study resource and will serve to meet the growing demand for qualified advisers with focused knowledge and skills in nutrient management. Local retail and agronomic providers are often a Canadian farmer's first choice for reliable resources and advice when making on-farm decisions. Providing formal, recognized training to CCAs will ensure that Ontario farmers receive trusted information about 4R Nutrient Stewardship. Published in
New inductees into Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame Nov. 27, 2015 - Six individuals will be inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame for 2016. Three inductees were announced at Canadian Western Agribition last week in Regina: Byrnne Rothwell, Florian Possberg and Barry Andrew.
Byrnne Rothwell: Byrnne spent much of his early life on the family farm gaining an appreciation for the value of family and rural life. After graduating from Ontario Veterinary College in 1964, he worked as a veterinarian in Mission, B.C. and Wakaw, Sask. before building a home and a clinic at Shellbrook, Sask. in 1970. In 1986-87, the practice was sold and Byrnne joined Agriculture Canada working in animal health, meat hygiene and food inspection in locations that included Moose Jaw and Saskatoon. He had a long history of volunteerism with organizations that included the Saskatchewan Horse Federation, Canadian Western Agribition and the Prince Albert Exhibition. He was highly respected across Canada for his dedication to equine welfare. Dr. Byrnne Rothwell passed away in January 2014.
Florian Possberg: Florian has been a tireless supporter and advocate for the hog industry in Saskatchewan and Canada. Together with his wife Betty, he started his farming career by building and managing a 60 sow operation near Humboldt in 1976. Florian was one of the founders of Big Sky Farms which grew to become the second largest hog producer in Canada. Big Sky Farms in now owned by Olymel, a large agricultural co-op based in Quebec. In 2009, he partnered with his son Brian to form B&F Polar Pork Farms Ltd. Darrel Possberg, another son, has joined the operation and the expanding farm now includes four of Florian and Betty's eight children. Florian has been a leader and an ambassador for the Canadian pork industry through Sask Pork, Canadian Pork Council and Prairie Swine Centre.
Barry Andrew: Barry, a grain and cattle producer from the Foxleigh district north of Regina, was a founding member and director of Canadian Western Agribition. He served as president in 1980 and 1981, and played a key role in lobbying all levels of government for funding of bulidings and for show promotion around the world. Barry served as president of both the Saskatchewan and Canadian Shorthorn associations. His Duncairn Shorthorns were promoted and sold across Canada and the U.S. for more than 40 years. From 1982 to 1990, Barry was program director of the provincial counselling and assistance for farmers program which was developed to assist producers struggling with high interest rates and difficult economic times. Barry Andrew passed away in December 2012.
The induction ceremony for these three new members, along with three that will be named in January at CropSphere in Saskatoon, will take place on Aug. 6, 2016. Published in
Canadian Weed Science Society annual award winners Nov. 27, 2015 - The Canadian Weed Science Society / Société canadienne de malherbologie (CWSS-SCM) honored several individuals for their extraordinary contributions to the field of weed science. The awards were presented during the organization's 69th annual meeting, held Nov 22-26, 2015 in Edmonton, Alta.
Excellence in Weed Science Award (sponsored by Dow AgroSciences): CWSS-SCM honored Stephen Darbyshire, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Ottawa, Ont. Stephen's research focuses on developing new information on the taxonomy, phylogeny, and distribution of weeds and invasive plants. He has collected approximately 10,000 specimens of plant, bryophyte, and fungal specimens, primarily from Canada. Darbyshire has served on the board of directors for CWSS-SCM and has held numerous leadership positions within the society, including publications director. He has published more than 95 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 50 monographs or book chapters, supervised and co-supervised several graduate students, and presented over 30 papers at scientific conferences.
Excellence in Weed Extension Award (sponsored by Valent): CWSS-SCM honored Danielle Bernier, a weed scientist and extension specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture in the Province of Quebec. Bernier has developed great expertise locally, and is well known across the country for her tireless efforts in extending weed science to growers and industry personnel. Bernier has made dozens of presentations each year to producers and at scientific meetings, has produced over 65 extension bulletins for the province of Quebec, as well as serving in various capacities within the CWSS-SCM.
Outstanding Industry Member Award (sponsored by CWSS-SCM): CWSS-SCM honored Mark Lawton, technology development lead with Monsanto, based in Guelph, Ont. Lawton is responsible for the team that provides technical support for current products and the development of new products within Monsanto. In addition to serving in this technical capacity, he has published 18 peer-reviewed manuscripts, given over 25 papers at scientific conferences, and has served on the committee of numerous graduate students at the University of Guelph.
Meritorious Service Award (sponsored by CWSS-SCM): CWSS-SCM honoured Ken Sapsford, an independent consultant from Kaleden, BC. Sapsford was formerly a research assistant at the University of Saskatchewan. Sapsford has been very active within the CWSS-SCM, serving on three local arrangements committees, and as a member of the board of directors for six years. Beyond his dedication to the society, he has been very active in extension to agronomists and growers throughout his career. Sapsford's research contributions include authoring or co-authoring five peer-reviewed manuscripts, 66 conference and workshop proceedings, 20 technical reports to industry, 106 extensions presentations, and over 65 media interviews.
Student Scholarships and Travel Awards
1st Place Award for a Ph.D. student (sponsored by Monsanto) was presented to Breanne Tidemann, from the University of Alberta. Tidemann's research focuses on the potential impact of collecting weed seeds at crop harvest on the contribution to subsequent populations. She is supervised by Drs. Linda Hall (University of Alberta) and K. Neil Harker (AAFC Lacombe, Alta.).
2nd Place Award for a Ph.D. student (sponsored by Syngenta) was presented to Charles Geddes from the University of Manitoba. Research by Geddes covers optimization methods to reduce populations of volunteer canola in subsequent soybean crops. He is supervised by Dr. Rob Gulden.
3rd Place Award for a Ph.D. student (sponsored by CWSS-SCM) was presented to Holly Byker from the University of Guelph. The work of Byker focuses on the biology and management of glyphosate-resistant common ragweed. Drs. Peter Sikkema and Darren Robinson are her supervisors.
1st Place Award for a M.Sc. student (sponsored by Monsanto) was presented to Katherine Stanley from the University of Saskatchewan. Stanley's work focuses on the potential of mechanical weed control in organic pulse crop production. She is supervised by Dr. Steve Shirtliffe.
2nd Place Award for a M.Sc. student (sponsored by Dow AgroSciences) was presented to Christopher Budd from the University of Guelph. Budd's work focuses on the control of glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane in soybean. He is supervised by Dr. Peter Sikkema.
3rd Place Award for a M.Sc. student (sponsored by CWSS-SCM) was presented to Amy Mangin from the University of Alberta. The work of Mangin focuses on optimizing the efficacy of pyroxasulfone on wild oat. Dr. Linda Hall is her supervisor.
Identity Preserved
Soil erosion tutorials available Nov. 27, 2015, Ontario – The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE2) is a software program designed to help farmers estimate the potential for soil erosion under different land management and cropping practices. The software overcomes many of the limitations of the previous USLE equation.
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has adapted the RUSLE2 for Ontario farmers by incorporating climate, soil and management practices common to the province.
Five interactive tutorials have been created to help you use RUSLE2 for Ontario. The easy-to-follow audio/visual guides give step-by-step instructions on using RUSLE2 to help you assess the cropping and tillage practices you use on your farm.
Find out how you can prevent soil erosion from your fields! Visit the OMAFRA website to watch the tutorials and to download RUSLE2.
For more information visit: ontario.ca/ce4i. Published in | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/4055 | Handouts to the Agriculture Industry Are Out of Control (Photo: Peter Elvidge/Dreamstime) Share article on Facebookshare
Daren Bakst April 13, 2017 4:00 AM Congress should cap its subsidies to big agribusinesses. Congress created two new massive handout programs in the 2014 farm bill. They are now projected to cost nearly double the original estimates — $32 billion over five years, instead of $18 billion.
But brace yourself for the big shock: Agricultural special interests are back, wanting these programs to pay out even more. The clamor for more agricultural handouts seems endless. The taxpayer doesn’t merely help farmers address the risks of farming their land. He also is forced to give handouts to large agribusinesses to address the ordinary risks of running their businesses.
For example, the 2014 farm bill’s two new major handout programs: Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) protect farmers — primarily large producers — if they don’t meet revenue targets or if prices are lower than anticipated. What business wouldn’t want such a sweet deal?
The cotton growers certainly do. Even though the farm bill created a special subsidy program just for them, they now want the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make them eligible for ARC and PLC as well. Giving these extra goodies to cotton growers would cost taxpayers an estimated $1 billion a year.
Congress came up with the new cotton program because existing cotton subsidies were violating World Trade Organization rules. The “new and improved” special program was supposed to address this anti-trade effect of cotton subsidies. It failed.
As a result, U.S. taxpayers are now being forced to pay $300 million to the Brazilian cotton industry. That’s on top of the cost of subsidizing U.S. cotton, but that’s what it takes to resolve Brazil’s legitimate claim against our subsidy schemes. If cotton is made eligible for ARC and PLC, it could threaten the existing agreement with Brazil and expose the United States to trade retaliation or possibly even higher reparations to Brazil.
Last year, the Obama administration and Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack rejected the cotton growers’ request to add them to ARC and PLC, correctly explaining that they had no authority to do so. But cotton interests are still trying to change the USDA’s mind, and now they’ve opened up a second front: asking congressional appropriators to cut them in for a piece of the ARC and PLC action.
This is not to pick on cotton (if you’ll pardon the expression). They’re just following the lead of the dairy industry, which also sought extra help from taxpayers beyond the existing farm-bill handouts.
Last year, the federal government bailed out the dairy industry by spending $20 million to purchase surplus cheese on two separate occasions. The point was to artificially raise milk prices, which had declined significantly since 2014, when they hit a record high. In 2016, the price of milk was just coming back down to the median price of the past 15 years. In effect, the big cheese buy forced taxpayers to bail out dairy producers because prices were returning to normal.
Congress needs to start considering the interests of taxpayers and not just those of big agribusinesses. But don’t expect that kind of behavior from the agriculture committees. Their current farm-bill hearings are devoted to listening to agricultural interests reel off their wish lists and then figuring out how to divert more taxpayer dollars to make the dreams of big agribusinesses come true.
There’s a better way: Get rid of these two programs. That should be a priority for the next farm bill, in 2018. In the interim, there’s a commonsense solution for appropriators and the Trump administration: Place a cap on the programs’ cost. Ensuring that ARC and PLC are not open-ended programs offers taxpayers at least a modicum of protection.
It can be done. An amendment to the original House farm bill that would have capped the ARC and PLC costs passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly, 267–156, with bipartisan support. The cap, included in the final House farm bill, was set at $17 billion. It would have saved taxpayers an astonishing $15 billion dollars, based on current projections. Unfortunately, this modest amendment was removed in the closed-door dealings of the legislators who came up with the final 2014 farm bill.
Congress needs to stop fleecing American taxpayers to further enrich large agribusinesses. It can start immediately with ending bailouts and limiting the exposure that taxpayers have in connection with these massive new farm-handout programs. That $15 billion should be in the pockets of taxpayers, not large agribusinesses.
— Daren Bakst is a research fellow specializing in agricultural policy at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Free Markets and Regulatory Reform.
Small Farmers’ Regulatory Burdens & Negative Stereotypes
End Farm Subsidies Now | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/4634 | July 3, Eat Beans Day
The nutrition information provided below is based on 1/2 cup cooked beans, prepared from dry beans. No salt has been added, therefore sodium levels are insignificant. Beans contain no cholesterol and a small amount of fat. Beans are a great source of fiber, high in potassium and contain many of the B vitamins. Beans also provide between 7% to 18% of one's daily iron needs.
All About Beans
US Dry Bean Council
The US Dry Bean Council (USDBC) is a private trade association comprised of leaders in the bean industry with the common goal of promoting the U.S. edible bean trade, both in the United States and abroad, and educating U.S. consumers about the benefits of beans. The USDBC gives a voice to the bean industry and provides information to consumers, health professionals, buyers, suppliers and the media about the good taste, nutritional value and versatility of beans.
The USDBC also is a resource for information on U.S. exporters, overseas importers, U.S. dry bean classes, trade policy issues and the role of U.S.-grown beans in international food-aid efforts. USDBC also publishes foreign language newsletters and other publications designed to help overseas importers, packagers and canners better understand and maintain contact with the U.S. dry bean exporting trade.
As part of USDBC’s mission, the organization collaborates with public health organizations, research centers, universities, and the entire supply chain, from seed suppliers to farmers, processors, wholesalers, distributors and transporters.
While the USDBC is privately funded, its representatives work closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in overseas markets, and often co-sponsors activities with the U.S. Government. These activities include hosting trade missions from foreign countries to visit U.S. production and processing facilities, participating in trade shows worldwide, coordinating trade missions of U.S. exporters and growers to visit overseas markets and producing education
The USDBC is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a marketing office in Pierre, South Dakota. In addition, USDBC representatives around the world facilitate activities and dialog between U.S. and overseas trade.
Unlike meat-based proteins, beans are naturally low in fat and are a cholesterol-free source of protein. Research shows that a diet including beans may reduce your risk of heart disease.
A nutrient-rich food, beans contain protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, antioxidants, and important vitamins and minerals, such as folate, B-Vitamins, manganese, potassium and iron. Folate, a vitamin very important for pregnant women and their unborn babies, is found in beans. During pregnancy, women need more folate. Expectant mothers who consume enough of the right nutrients can help reduce the risk of birth defects.
Beans are especially important for people with certain food allergies and intolerances. For example, some people can’t tolerate gluten, a natural protein present in wheat, barley and rye. Because beans don’t contain gluten, or major allergens found in various grains, substituting beans can help provide the fiber and other nutrients that people on restricted diets may be missing. Beans come in a variety of convenient forms (such as canned beans, bean flours and dehydrated beans) that can be used in place of allergenic and gluten-containing ingredients.
Bean Recipes
Black Bean Soup Garnished with
Black Bean Soup Garnished with Green Onions and Reduced-fat Sour Cream Served in a Sourdough Roll
kidney,
lima beans,
July is National Blueberry Month
July 29, National Lasagna Day Featuring Spinach ...
Today's Food Graphic celebrates the 23rd Anniversa...
July 26, National Coffee Milkshake Day July 25, Culinarians Day A Tribute to the Culina...
July 24, National Drive-Thru Day The Pros and Co...
July 23, National Hot Dog Day Regulations, Safety...
July, National Ice Cream Month Join Our Ice Cream...
July 20, Food Highlights Fortune Cookie Day and L...
July 18, Nelson Mandela International Day July, National Watermelon Month Recipes, Nutritio...
July 6, National Fried Chicken Day
July 5, National Graham Cracker Day
Happy Birthday America Healthy Red, White, and B...
July Health, Nutrition, and Food Events ► June | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/4724 | Meat Market Update | Grilling demand pulls prices higher Apr 20, 2017 Prime and Choice producing more dollars Apr 17, 2017 2017 Feed Composition Tables: Use this to mix your cattle feed rations Mar 21, 2017 2017 Parasite & Pest Management Product Listing Apr 18, 2017 Creating Premier Ranchers
The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, set to debut this fall, employs a unique curriculum to shape elite ranch managers. Stephanie Veldman Associate Editor | May 01, 2004
A new ranch management program will make its debut this fall at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management is a master's degree program designed to train students in all areas of ranch management — from range and wildlife management to finance and personnel management. “There are so many variables between the environment, the cattle production system, the rangeland resources, and on and on,” says Barry Dunn, the program's endowed chair and executive director. “The emphasis will be to turn out ranch managers who can manage rangeland landscapes, successful businesses, produce livestock and do it in all ways as to enhance wildlife habitat and production.” Several industry experts, including Paul Gehno, vice president and general manager of King Ranch, Inc., and Ronald Rosati, dean of Texas A&M-Kingsville College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, developed the concept for the Institute. It was brought to life with the first donation of $3 million, $1 million each from The Robert J. Kleberg Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation, the James H. Clement Sr. Family and King Ranch, Inc. More than $7.3 million of the $10 million goal has been raised. Dunn was hired to turn the concept into a workable program. He arrived in Kingsville in January, leaving his post as range livestock production specialist at South Dakota State University, Brookings. “Barry brings a unique perspective to the institute,” Rosati says. “He comes from a long tradition of successful ranch management and he personally managed a large, successful ranch for more than 17 years.” Dunn has been developing the Institute's curriculum, which will be tailored to strengthen individual students' weaknesses so they are well rounded in all areas. “This means that if the student is very interested in animal science, their curriculum won't be designed to strengthen their animal science skills, it will focus on strengthening their business skills, range management skills, and skills in managing wildlife,” Dunn says. “Traditionally, master's programs have narrowed the students down, focused them on a specific area of study — that is not what we are going to do. We are going to have them graduate with a very broad background.” Program Requirements The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management is a two-year, intensive study program, and includes two internships. Students will complete case studies on the most well-managed ranches in the U.S., and possibly international ranches. “Most graduate degrees are research degrees. This degree focuses on case studies where students will be functioning in a natural system,” says Gehno, a member of the Institute's management council. The management council is composed of ranch managers, wildlife research and management personnel and representatives of related disciplines. The council serves as Institute advisors and mentors for students. “The students will also be required to defend their case studies to the management council,” Gehno says. Dunn says the Institute's admission standards include a bachelor's degree in animal science, range and wildlife management or business, with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Candidates must take the Graduate Record Examination and submit 3 references. “We'd also like to see hands-on, real-life experiences. We think that is key for their success,” Dunn says. “That means some type of previous work experience on a ranch or farm.” Two students will be accepted into the school this fall. In fall 2005, Dunn says enrollment will be open for four additional students. “We are actively pursuing non-traditional type students — those who have been out in the workforce in some capacity and want to come back to get a master's degree,” Dunn says. “Those types of people will make excellent students.” | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/4780 | Industry Commentary: Eating is just too dangerous
Our food system is broken. It’s true. I read it on the Internet.
In fact, there are hundreds – if not thousands – of “experts” on the Internet more than happy to inform you that in this modern age of iPhones and iPads, eating is just too dangerous. Further, you should be aware that the food you’re eating is not just killing you and your family it’s killing the planet, too.
If you were hoping that 2013 might bring some sanity into the discussion about the safety and sustainability of the food American farmers provide, New York Times columnist - and self-proclaimed foodie - Mark Bittman dispelled such notions with his first column of the New Year.
“Heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes kill more than a million people a year – nearly half of all deaths – and diet is a root cause of many of those diseases,” Bittman wrote. “And the root of that dangerous diet is our system of hyper-industrial agriculture, the kind that uses 10 times as much energy as it produces.”
Wow. That part about agriculture using “10 times as much energy as it produces” without any attribution stopped me dead in my tracks. I guess folks are just supposed to swallow that whopper whole, but Bittman doesn’t stop with the criticism.
He says our food system has “been a major contributor to climate change, spawned the obesity crisis, poisoned countless volumes of land and water, wasted energy, tortured billions of animals…I could go on.”
There you have it – agriculture is the root of our nation’s health and environmental problems. If we believe half of what Bittman claims, those of us who have ever driven a tractor or bucked a bale of hay should feel guilty about contributing to diabetes, heart disease and the melting polar ice caps.
Bittman, however, cares not a whit about whether you or I feel guilty. His objective is to use half-truths, twisted logic and emotionally charged rhetoric to convince gullible Americans that our only source of salvation is to build an organic garden on the balcony of every high-rise in Manhattan, and start eating beef from 5-year-old steers that have been read a bedtime story every night. Livestock production is one of Bittman’s primary targets, as he calls on Americans to “un-invent this food system.” Specifically, he calls for a movement to improve the living conditions of livestock.
“Well-cared-for animals will necessarily be more expensive, which means we’ll eat fewer of them; that’s a win-win,” he wrote. “They’ll use fewer antibiotics, they’ll be produced by more farmers in more places, and they’ll eat less commodity grain, which will both reduce environmental damage and allow for more land to be used for high-quality human food like fruits and vegetables.”
Taking Bittman’s words at face-value – and many readers will – is so much easier than questioning them. The problem in debunking such emotionally charged prose is that the truth can’t be boiled down into a sound-bite. With just two sentences Bittman throws a blanket over animal welfare, rising food costs, antibiotics, grain production, environmental issues and the changing structure of agriculture in rural America.
Where do we start? How do we combat this charlatan’s blatant misinformation that is routinely fed to folks who sleep with a cat? And how do we hope to compete with a media Goliath such as The Times that seemingly has no interest in discovering the facts about modern agriculture?
Drovers/CattleNetwork has published many articles about the specific topics Bittman questions. In the coming weeks, however, we’ll examine these issues again in an attempt to provide you with useful information about the success of agriculture, why it offers hope for people and the planet, and how we must work to counter the propaganda distributed by our critics.
For clarity, we do not oppose alternative food systems such as local, natural, organic, grass-fed, etc. However, we acknowledge that such production systems are more expensive and that significant trade-offs result for both producer and consumer.
But we don’t have to abandon the science and technology that helps us provide safe, abundant and affordable food to folks from every walk of life.
mark bittmanfood systemfood safetysustainabilityagriculturebeef productionagriculture and the environmentfixing the food system About the Author:
Greg Henderson | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/4781 | Industry Vilsack announces help for farmers, ranchers impacted by drought By USDA
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced new flexibility and assistance in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's major conservation programs to get much-needed help to livestock producers as the most widespread drought in seven decades intensifies in the United States. Vilsack also announced plans to encourage crop insurance companies to provide a short grace period for farmers on unpaid insurance premiums, as some farming families can be expected to struggle to make ends meet at the close of the crop year.
"President Obama and I are committed to getting help to producers as soon as possible and sustaining the success of America's rural communities through these difficult times," said Vilsack. "Beginning today, USDA will open opportunities for haying and grazing on lands enrolled in conservation programs while providing additional financial and technical assistance to help landowners through this drought. And we will deliver greater peace of mind to farmers dealing with this worsening drought by encouraging crop insurance companies to work with farmers through this challenging period. As severe weather and natural disasters continue to threaten the livelihoods of thousands of our farming families, we want you and your communities to know that USDA stands with you."
The assistance announced uses the Secretary of Agriculture's existing authority to help create and encourage flexibility within four USDA programs: the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), and the Federal Crop Insurance Program.
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)To assist farmers and ranchers affected by drought, Vilsack is using his discretionary authority to allow additional acres under CRP to be used for haying or grazing under emergency conditions. CRP is a voluntary program that provides producers annual rental payments on their land in exchange for planting resource conserving crops on cropland to help prevent erosion, provide wildlife habitat and improve the environment.
CRP acres can already be used for emergency haying and grazing during natural disasters to provide much needed feed to livestock. Given the widespread nature of this drought, forage for livestock is already substantially reduced. The action today will allow lands that are not yet classified as "under severe drought" but that are "abnormally dry" to be used for haying and grazing. This will increase available forage for livestock.
Haying and grazing will only be allowed following the local primary nesting season, which has already passed in most areas. Especially sensitive lands such as wetlands, stream buffers and rare habitats will not be eligible.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)To assist farmers and ranchers affected by drought, Vilsack is using his discretionary authority to provide assistance to farmers and ranchers by allowing them to modify current EQIP contracts to allow for prescribed grazing, livestock watering facilities, water conservation and other conservation activities to address drought conditions. EQIP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers on their land to address natural resource concerns on agricultural and forest land.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will work closely with producers to modify existing EQIP contracts to ensure successful implementation of planned conservation practices. Where conservation activities have failed because of drought, NRCS will look for opportunities to work with farmers and ranchers to re-apply those activities. In the short term, funding will be targeted towards hardest hit drought areas.
Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)To assist farmers and ranchers affected by drought, Vilsack is using his discretionary authority to authorize haying and grazing of WRP easement areas in drought-affected areas where such haying and grazing is consistent with conservation of wildlife habitat and wetlands. WRP is a voluntary conservation easement program that provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers to restore and protect valuable wetland resources on their property.
For producers with land currently enrolled in WRP, NRCS has expedited its Compatible Use Authorization (CUA) process to allow for haying and grazing. The compatible use authorization process offers NRCS and affected producers with the management flexibility to address short-term resource conditions in a manner that promotes both the health of the land and the viability of the overall farming operation.
Federal Crop Insurance ProgramTo help producers who may have cash flow problems due to natural disasters, USDA will encourage crop insurance companies to voluntarily forego charging interest on unpaid crop insurance premiums for an extra 30 days, to November 1, 2012, for spring crops. Policy holders who are unable to pay their premiums in a timely manner accrue an interest penalty of 1.25 percent per month until payment is made.
In an attempt to help producers through this difficult time, Vilsack sent a letter to crop insurance companies asking them to voluntarily defer the accrual of any interest on unpaid spring crop premiums by producers until November. In turn, to assist the crop insurance companies, USDA will not require crop insurance companies to pay uncollected producer premiums until one month later.
Thus far in 2012, USDA has designated 1,297 counties across 29 states as disaster areas, making all qualified farm operators in the areas eligible for low-interest emergency loans. Increasingly hot and dry conditions from California to Delaware have damaged or slowed the maturation of crops such as corn and soybeans, as well as pasture- and range-land. Vilsack has instructed USDA subcabinet leaders to travel to affected areas to augment ongoing assistance from state-level USDA staff and provide guidance on the department's existing disaster resources.
To deliver assistance to those who need it most, the Secretary recently reduced the interest rate for emergency loans from 3.75 percent to 2.25 percent, while lowering the reduction in the annual rental payment to producers on CRP acres used for emergency haying or grazing from 25 percent to 10 percent. Vilsack has also simplified the Secretarial disaster designation process and reduced the time it takes to designate counties affected by disasters by 40 percent.
USDA agencies have been working for weeks with state and local officials, as well as individuals, businesses, farmers and ranchers, as they begin the process of helping to get people back on their feet. USDA offers a variety of resources for states and individuals affected by the recent disasters. For additional information and updates about USDA's efforts, please visit www.usda.gov/drought.
vilsackusda About the Author: | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/5217 | OEFFA News
Ecological Food and Farm News
HOME • JOIN • CERTIFICATION • GOOD EARTH GUIDE • EVENTS • STAFF
OEFFA Stewardship, Service, and Advocate Award Winners
The Stewardship Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the cultivation of sustainable agriculture, the Service Award recognizes outstanding service in support of sustainable agriculture, and the Advocate of the Year Award recognizes exceptional contributions to sustainable agriculture policy advocacy. The awards are announced each year as part of OEFFA’s annual conference. The following award winners have all played a vital role in advancing sustainable agriculture in Ohio.
2017 Stewardship Award
Mike Anderson, Delaware Co.
For 25 years, Mike Anderson of Delaware County has given his time and energy to Ohio’s organic farming community. He began his farming career at the Ohio State University demonstration farm, then housed at the Ohio Department of Agriculture, before managing vegetable production and field research for five years at the Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware. In 2001, he started Sundog Specialty Crops in Sunbury, a certified organic farm specializing in produce and cut flowers. Today, Anderson co-manages Whitebarn Organics, a certified organic farm in New Albany. Throughout his entire career, Anderson has generously shared his time and expertise with other growers and with OEFFA. He served on OEFFA’s Board of Trustees in the 1990s, coordinating procurement of local food for the annual conference and planning farmer training workshops. Later, he served on the board of directors for the Pearl Alley Growers Association, on the administrative council of the NCR-SARE program, and on OEFFA’s staff as a Sustainable Agriculture Educator, helping organic and transitional farmers with their certification, production, and marketing questions. Anderson has hosted numerous farm tours and has led many workshops at the OEFFA conference and other events to share what he knows with other farmers and grow Ohio’s sustainable agriculture community.
2017 Service Award
Holly Harman Fackler, Fairfield Co.
Holly Harman Fackler, a Fairfield County native who lived for 30 years in Richland County, was an important influence and leader in the early days of OEFFA, acting as the organization’s first paid newsletter editor and employee. During the late 1980s and 1990s, she stepped up to do some of the heavy lifting required to build the then-fledgling organization into the state-wide, 4,325 member educational network it is today. For several years, Harman Fackler’s home in Plymouth, Ohio, was OEFFA’s office and her phone was OEFFA’s phone. She wrote, edited, designed, and distributed OEFFA’s newsletter, labeling and bundling newsletters at the dining room table, often with a young one on her knee. In addition to her work on the newsletter, she built OEFFA’s first electronic membership database from paper files kept on index cards, responded to phone and mail inquiries, and networked with other OEFFA leaders. She served several terms on OEFFA’s Board of Trustees, helped organize OEFFA’s educational events, and took an active role in planning and preparing conference meals that reflected the values of the organization. Harman Fackler worked as a reporter, blogger, editor and online editor, retiring in 2015 from Media Network of Central Ohio. Now she works, gardens, and volunteers in her hometown of Baltimore, Ohio.
2017 Advocate of the Year Award
Alex Dragovich, Mud Run Farm, Stark Co.
Alex Dragovich of Mud Run Farm in Stark County has been a strong and guiding presence in OEFFA’s policy work since the program was formed in 2011, serving actively on OEFFA’s grassroots policy work groups and often speaking with the media and decision-makers about the impacts of fracking, climate change, food safety regulations, and genetic engineering on farmers. As a member of the fracking work group, which is focused on protecting farmers and our food system from the negative impacts of the oil and gas industry, Dragovich was literally the face of the issue when he agreed to work with a partner organization in representing farmers on a fracking billboard in southeast Ohio. He has experienced the issue first-hand; he has been approached by several companies with fracking lease offers, but has refused to sign a lease. As a member of OEFFA’s genetic engineering (GE) work group, which works to secure clear and transparent labeling for GE foods and protect farmers from GE contamination, he organized and hosted a showing and discussion of the documentary, GMO OMG, and made calls to Senate candidates about their stance on GE labeling. Since 1980, he has owned and operated Mud Run Farm, where he raises free-range chickens and eggs and grows vegetables, fruit, and small grains for local markets. His farm is powered mostly by horses, in part because he is concerned about climate change and wants to reduce his carbon emissions.
Jim Croghan, Croghan’s Organic Farm, Clinton Co.
A pioneer in the organic movement, Jim Croghan was one of Ohio’s first certified organic farmers. At Croghan’s Organic Farm, Jim and his wife Joyce produced organic corn, beans, spelt, hay, and other grains for domestic and international markets. He retired in 2009 after more than three decades of farming, but continues to garden and maintain an orchard. His quiet, behind-the-scenes leadership within OEFFA led to the creation of what is today the organization’s Grain Growers Chapter, which remains very active. Before the National Organic Program was established—which set federal standards for organic certification—Jim also served on OEFFA’s board and certification committee, including a term as chairman, helping to shape OEFFA’s organic standards. A steward of both the organization and his land, Jim has kept his farm in continuous organic production since the late 1980s. In 2010, organic farmer and OEFFA Little Miami Chapter president Jeff Harris began farming the land, growing organic alfalfa, yellow corn, soybeans, wheat, red clover, triticale, and rye.
Sylvia Upp and Steve Sears, Pike Co.
Sylvia Upp operated the OEFFA Certification program from 1991 until 2007, joined by her husband Steve Sears in 2003. Together, they managed the complex and challenging transition from the standards and processes developed by OEFFA’s grassroots certification program to federal oversight once the National Organic Program became effective in 2002. Their home and farm in West Salem, Ohio served as the headquarters for OEFFA’s Certification program, until it moved to a Columbus office in 2007. Prior to his certification role, Steve served on OEFFA’s board for many years, during a time when the organization was largely volunteer-run. During this time, Steve also operated a business called Ohio Farm Direct, one of the state’s first wholesale distribution services that delivered products from farms to consumers.
Bill Dix and Stacy Hall, The Brick Dairy Farm, Athens Co.
In 1992, Bill Dix and Stacy Hall started Big Rumen Farm, a 300 acre pasture-based dairy farm in Athens County with a small herd of Jersey heifers and a milking parlor. Bill and Stacy also purchased a second farm outside of Albany, called The Brick Dairy Farm, named for its red, clay soil which had been degraded after years of conventional production. By focusing on grazing rather than confinement, the couple has been able to build top soil and make the land productive. Smart business people committed to creating change in their local community and in the dairy industry, they worked with Warren and Victoria Taylor to create Snowville Creamery in 2007, a small-scale dairy processing plant located on The Brick Dairy Farm. Fresh, grass-fed milk from Bill and Stacy’s 250 cross-bred dairy cows is minimally processed and packaged on-site. Today, Snowville’s milk, yogurt, and other products are available in more than 125 retail locations.
John Sowder, Franklin Co.
Long-time OEFFA member John Sowder of Columbus served on OEFFA’s Board of Trustees from 1992 to 2015, including many terms as Treasurer. John helped to grow OEFFA, develop new administrative systems, and provided dependability and financial guidance during lean years in the organization’s history. He regularly lends his catering and event management skills to OEFFA, helping to organize farm-to-table events and OEFFA’s conference meals, which are locally sourced and made from scratch. He can be found each year in the kitchen at the OEFFA conference, where he helps to serve more than 2,000 meals to attendees. He has also helped encourage his peers within Ohio’s catering and food industry to serve more local food from Ohio producers.
Kip and Becky Rondy, Green Edge Organic Gardens, Athens Co.
Kip and Becky Rondy own and operate Green Edge Organic Gardens, a 120 acre certified organic farm in Amesville, Ohio. Migrogreens, salad mix, mushrooms, greens, and other produce are grown year-round using 10 high tunnels and sold at the Athens Farmers Market, two summer and winter community supported agriculture programs which serve more than 400 families, and at stores and restaurants in Athens and Columbus. The farm, primarily tended by hand, employs 13 people, in addition to interns. One of Ohio’s most successful year-round farms, Green Edge Organic Gardens has partnered with Rural Action to provide workshops on high tunnel operation and with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ohio University to develop designs for internal covering and venting systems in high tunnels.
Ed Perkins, Sassafras Farm, Athens Co.
Ed Perkins owns and operates Sassafras Farm in New Marshfield with his wife, Amy Abercrombie. They grow chemical-free vegetables, herbs, and berries on 2 acres, which are sold year-round at the Athens Farmers Market. A graduate of Ohio University with a Masters degree in botany, Perkins purchased his farm more than 40 years ago and has been an integral part of the Athens local foods community ever since. His regular Our Home column in The Athens Messenger has helped to educate thousands about environmental issues. As one of OEFFA’s most long-standing and active chapter presidents, Perkins hosted and organized local farm tours, potluck meals, and other chapter activities, helping to establish a strong link between OEFFA and the vibrant Athens local food movement.
Mardy Townsend, Marshy Meadows Farm, Ashtabula Co.
Mardy Townsend raises grass-fed beef cattle at Marshy Meadows Farm in Ashtabula County, near Windsor, Ohio. Marshy Meadow Farm’s land has been certified organic through OEFFA since 1996 and the beef herd is in transition to organic. Townsend graduated from Wilmington College in 1978 with a degree in animal science and biology and received a master’s degree in agronomy from Ohio State University in 1997. She was a horticulture agent at the OSU Extension Geauga County office from 1994 to 1996. Townsend has served on the OEFFA Board, along with two stints on the North Central-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program Technical Review Committee. She is a founding member of OEFFA’s Lake Effect Chapter and has hosted several OEFFA farm tours.
Rev. Charles Frye, Ashland Co.
Rev. Charles Frye served on the OEFFA Board for more than 30 years and has held both the President and Vice President offices. Frye is a retired United Methodist Church pastor who served local churches for 37 years. Frye began his involvement with OEFFA after spending seven years of his ministry life involved with the Rural-Urban Gardening Project, creating community gardens by encouraging collaborations between diverse communities. He and his wife, Rev. Nancy Hull live on 40 acres in Ashland County, which includes a garden and 40 heirloom fruit trees, blueberries, and asparagus plants. Frye and his wife are the parents of a blended family with nine living children and fourteen grandchildren. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Kent State University in 1955 and a master’s in theological studies from Perkins School of Theology in 1958.
Doug Seibert and Leslie Garcia, Peach Mountain Organics, Greene Co.
Doug Seibert and Leslie Garcia of Greene County have farmed organically at Peach Mountain Organics since 1992, growing certified organic mixed vegetables, microgreens, fresh-cut flowers, mushrooms, hay, and greenhouse plants. They sell their products at the Yellow Springs Farmers’ Market, local restaurants, and grocery and health food stores. Peach Mountain Organics has two farm sites and one half acre greenhouse location in Spring Valley, Ohio. Altogether, the operation is 43 acres, more than 25 of which are certified organic. Doug and Leslie have helped organize group seed and potato orders for other farmers and grown organic bedding plants for other growers, hosted farm tours, presented OEFFA conference workshops, and were involved in the creation of both OEFFA and the Federation of Ohio River Cooperatives.
Deborah Stinner, Wayne Co.
Edward Snavely, Curly Tail Organic Farm, Knox Co.
Dr. Deborah Stinner is a retired research scientist and administrative coordinator for the Organic Food and Farming Education and Research (OFFER) program at The Ohio State University’s Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster, Ohio. Stinner’s research specialty is organic farming systems, with a focus on specialty small grains for artisan bread and pasta products. She helped found the OFFER program in 1998 to provide science-based information to Ohio’s organic farmers. Today, OFFER is internationally recognized as a leader in organic farming research and maintains 50 acres of certified research land and 20 organic field experiments.
Ed Snavely owns and operates Curly Tail Organic Farm, a 114 acre farm in Fredericktown, Ohio. One of Ohio’s longest continuously certified farms, Snavely has been certified organic since 1989 and raises pastured pork and feed for livestock. Snavely has been a member of OEFFA since 1989 and currently serves on the Board of Directors as the Grain Growers Chapter Representative. He has served as President of the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) Ohio Chapter, and also as a former board member of OCIA. Snavely has hosted numerous farm tours; spoken as a featured presenter at OEFFA, OCIA, and American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) meetings; and has been an honored delegate at the first and second Slow Food Terra Madre conferences in Italy.
Mike Laughlin, Northridge Organic Farm, Licking Co.
Mike Laughlin and his family operate Northridge Organic Farm, a 20 acre certified organic farm, producing a variety of seasonal produce, specializing in heirloom tomatoes and Tunis sheep. Laughlin has been a part of OEFFA since the 1980s. He served as the certification committee chair for three years and helped write OEFFA’s first standards for organic certification. Laughlin founded OEFFA’s Heart of Ohio Chapter, and served as the chapter’s president twice. From 2005 to 2009, Laughlin served as President of OEFFA’s Board of Directors. Today, he serves on OEFFA’s Board as an At-Large Representative.
Rich Tomsu, Rich Gardens Organic Farm, Athens Co.
Rich Tomsu, with wife Ann Fugate, own and operate Rich Gardens Organic Farm. Certified organic since 1989, Tomsu raises a variety of vegetables, including garlic, using biointensive farming practices. He has been a vendor at the Athens Farmers Market since the 1980s and has been instrumental to its growth. In 2002, Tomsu received the Ohio Small Farmer Award from the Athens Soil and Water Conservation District for the conservation practices on his farm.
Stan Gregg, Gregg Farms, Knox Co.
Stan Gregg’s agricultural heritage stems from deep roots in Knox County where he and his wife Wilma are the sixth consecutive generation to steward the family plot. With the exception of three years during service in WWII as a Air Corps pilot, he spent his entire life on Gregg Road tending to diversified crop and livestock operations. Building and incorporating organic matter into the soil, and implementing corn, hay, soybean and small grain rotations with grazing lots for livestock, Gregg became certified organic in 1985. Gregg passed the farm to his son, Randy and wife Nancy, who maintain organic certification on one of Ohio’s first certified organic farms.
Molly Bartlett, Silver Creek Farm, Portage Co.
Mick Luber, Bluebird Farm, Harrison Co.
Molly Bartlett, and husband Ted, owned Silver Creek Farm, which was first certified organic in 1989. On this 75 acre farm, the Bartletts raised vegetables, blueberries, mushrooms, sheep, and poultry. Farm products were sold to restaurants and grocers, at farmers markets, and through a CSA Bartlett started in 1991. In 2007, the Bartletts retired to Florida and sold their farm to the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, ensuring the land will continue to be farmed sustainably. Bartlett has served as OEFFA’s Board President, helped create the OSU Sustainable Agriculture Team, and served on the advisory committee of USDA SARE’s Sustainable Agriculture Network.
Mick Luber of Bluebird Farm raises certified organic vegetables and flowers, specializing in lettuces and garlic. A long-time member of OEFFA, Luber served on OEFFA’s first Board of Directors and as President for two years. He purchased OEFFA’s first computer and published the organization’s first newsletter. He also helped write OEFFA’s first set of organic standards, years before state or federal standards were established. Luber continues to serve as an organic farm inspector.
Harv and Pat Roehling, Locust Run Farm, Butler Co.
Harv and Pat Roehling have raised certified organic vegetables on Locust Run Farm since 1987. The Roehlings have been actively involved in OEFFA for more than 20 years. During that time, Harv has served on OEFFA’s Board of Directors as Treasurer, President, and Vice President and Pat served as Secretary. The Roehlings were instrumental in forming OEFFA’s Miami/Oxford Organic Network (MOON) Chapter and Harv continues to serve as the chapter’s president. The Roehlings have led workshops at OEFFA’s conference and hosted farm tours. Additionally, the Roehlings were instrumental in forming the OSU Sustainable Agriculture Team, developing the Center for Small Farms at the Farm Science Review, and served as part of the farmer advisory group for the OFFER program at OSU. Pat Roehling passed away in 2008.
Rex Spray, Spray Farms, Knox Co.
Rex Spray was Ohio’s first certified organic farmer, and an early pioneer for sustainable agriculture, inspiring a whole movement of organic farmers in Ohio. Spray grew certified organic soybeans, corn, wheat, hay, and beef cattle on 680 acres. He also built a bean cleaner and grain cleaner, to prepare and bag beans for tofu, adding to the farm’s profitability. A tireless innovator and one of Ohio’s greatest examples of profitable, sustainable farmers, Rex Spray received the NCR-SARE 2006 Patrick Madden Award. He passed away in December 2011.
John Hirzel, Hirzel Farms, Wood Co.
John Hirzel was a firm believer in organic and sustainable cropping systems. He was president of Hirzel Farms, part of Hirzel Canning Company and Farms, from 1963 until his death in 2000. Hirzel began doing organic trials in 1978 and in 1982 he certified 450 acres of the farm. His organic farming grew to 820 acres in 1996, pioneering large-scale organic vegetable production in the state. He was one of the founding farmer advisors of OFFER and an important early supporter of the Agroecosystems Management Program (AMP).
March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 March 2011 January 2011 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 Newsletter Archive Pages OEFFA Stewardship, Service, and Advocate Award Winners
OEFFA/Countryside Conservancy Specialty Crop Project
Organic Farming Research Network
Organic Livestock and Poultry Health Series | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/5491 | Home > News > Provimi buys Russian feedmills
Provimi buys Russian feedmills
PARIS — Provimi has announced the acquisition of two complete feed businesses in Russia. Terms were not disclosed.
In the first transaction, Provimi purchased more than 75% of the shares of the Volosovsky Feed-Plant company, which is located near St. Petersburg. Provimi has also signed binding agreements to acquire more than 70% of the shares of the Hercules company, which has a feed plant in Klin, northwest of Moscow. The latter transaction is still subject to local regulatory clearance.
Volosovsky produces complete feed and will also be able to produce concentrates and premixes in the near future. The company currently employs 250 persons and produces around 90,000 tonnes of complete feeds on an annual basis for the St. Petersburg region.
Hercules, which employs 240 persons, produces around 55,000 tonnes of complete feed annually for the Moscow region. Additionally, the company has an oat flakes processing facility. Both companies have been privatized, and each has a regional market share of around 15%, with the potential to increase turnover by an estimated 20% in the next two years, Provimi said. These acquisitions are in line with Provimi’s strategy to expand in Russia, which the company views as a market with strong growth potential.
Provimi is already active in the country through Provimi Russia with operations in Moscow, Samara and Azov. Complete feeds and concentrates are produced at both the latter locations. Provimi sales in Central and Eastern Europe amounted to US$425.5 million in 2001, which represented 29% of the total group’s turnover. Most of Provimi’s markets in CEE, particularly in pet food, are expected to continue to grow in 2002.
The Provimi Group is active worldwide in all types of animal nutrition, manufacturing products and supplies and providing technical support for all species, including ruminants, poultry, swine, fish and pets. Excluding the Russian acquisitions, Provimi has 77 production centers in 28 countries and exports to more than 100. | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/6063 | The Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation was formed to purchase the Cranberry Research Station owned and operated by Washington State University.
When WSU decided to close the Station in 1992, cranberry growers formed the Foundation and purchased the Station and 40 acres of farmland. WSU continues to support the personnel, while growers join together in farming the bogs.
Cranberry farming in the SW corner of Washington State has a more than 100-year history. A Massachusetts visitor observed the native berries growing in the marshes and was impressed with the area’s resemblance to Cape Cod. Convinced that the peat soil could be successfully adapted to the cultivation of commercial cranberries, a partnership of 4 entrepreneurs purchased more than 1600 acres of Peninsula land between 1872 and 1877 for as little as $1 an acre.
The industry built between 1877 and the turn of the century, when it hit a period of stagnation. Cranberries weren’t sought after by Americans except during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and the established bogs on the East Coast already filled that market. To make matters worse, East Coast vines brought with them non-native pests, marketing West Coast berries was expensive due to its geographic isolation, start-up costs for the bogs was high, and taxes were frequently higher than profits.
A boon was experienced in the 1910s when syndicates purchased and sold several thousand acres of marshland. This increase in the number of farmers and bogs, combined with the still existing problems of the past ten years left the growers that survived in an anguished state.
Help arrived in the early 1920s in the form of J.D. Crowley. Conducting tests over a 30-year period at the Cranberry Research Station, Crowley was able to make recommendations to solve a number of pest, frost and other local problems.
Growers did not immediately adopt these recommendations. Combined with the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s, the industry whittled itself down to a few highly committed farmers. The next 40 years brought many changes to cultivation methods, increasing product yields and quality. A significant change during the 1940’s was the switch most growers made from dry to wet harvesting of the berries.
There are currently about 235 growers on the West Coast from British Columbia to Oregon. The industry is strong and stable as it enters the new millennium, with year-round demand for juices, canned goods and a variety of cranberry products. 99% of local growers are part of an Ocean Spray cooperative.
Many of the original “dollar an acre” bogs are still viable today. Not surprisingly, the cost of growing has increased substantially with raw land suitable for cranberries now costing over $5,000 an acre. Growers are challenged by falling crop prices and environmental regulations.
In spite of high costs, Cranberry farming on the Pacific Coast has a bright future. The creative, aggressive marketing by Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. has brought the demand for cranberries to an all time high.
Employees for the WSU Long Beach Research and Extension Unit include Kim Patten, Ph. D., associate horticulturist and station manager, who serves as an extension specialist and agricultural researcher.
There is also a research technician, and a three-quarter time secretary. Temporary personnel have included visiting scientists, post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, college interns, and summer students. | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/6387 | Progressive Control Pests refer to pests that are unlikely to be eradicated from a region because of their biological characteristics (such as long-term seed viability) but it is still feasible to reduce the density and distribution of the pest.
Choose a Progressive Control Pest from the list on the left to be directed to that page.
Get a version feed of this page Print this page Last Updated 04/01/2017 12:35pm | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/6862 | Published on Centre for Science and Environment (http://www.cseindia.org)
Home > Pesticide > Pesticide regulations > Pesticide regulations
By rawat
Pesticides are widely used in agriculture without paying much heed to the consequences of its unregulated and indiscriminate use . This fact has been known to our policy makers for nearly five decades. The government is atleast under law supposed to regulate its use. The Insecticides Act of 1968 is a key piece of legislation that is supposed to govern the use, manufacture, distribution, sale and transport of insecticides with a view to lowering risks to human and animal health. In practice this is rarely the case as the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) discovered nearly a decade ago.
Following public requests CSE investigated endosulfan residues in the environment and human blood in Padre village in Kasargode district of Kerala and found very high levels of contamination. This eye opening study led to an indepth investigation into how the Central Insecticides Board, a central government agency functions. CSE discovered to its astonishment that rules are bent right from the stage of registration of new molecules. Registering a new molecule requires the generation of studies — environment dependent data conducted under Indian agro-climatic conditions and environment independent data. To generate data, a company has the option of either going to a government lab or a government-approved private commercial labs. Companies typically prefer the later as they can generate desired results.
Endosulfan story is a classic case of the rot that has set into the pesticide regulatory system. But the story does not end their. A recent investigation by CSE into the contamination caused by Union Carbide factory at Bhopal tells a similar story of bad inventory and waste management. Wide scale contamination of ground water and soil samples was seen in and outside the factory premises.
The story of pesticide regulation can be stretched further to include India's lethargic approach to categorising certain chemicals like endosulfan as Persistent Organic Pollutants which are either restricted or banned. CSE has been engaging the government to strengthen regulatory controls.
Related Articles: View the discussion thread.
CSE Study
Source URL: http://www.cseindia.org/content/pesticide-regulations-1 | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/7352 | A new way to make machinery Apr 19, 2017 Tobacco purchasing should be based on value, not price Apr 03, 2017 Some Georgia growers wanted to talk soybean weed control, most didn’t Apr 10, 2017 Caledonia: Where prisoners have grown their food for 125 years Apr 04, 2017 Regulatory>Legislative Alabama congressman to retire
Paul Hollis | Oct 17, 2007
An Alabama congressman recognized by his colleagues as the nation's foremost advocate for peanut farmers has announced his retirement from the U.S. House. Rep. Terry Everett has represented Alabama's second district — including the state's peanut-rich southeast region — for 15 years. In announcing his retirement, Everett said serving in the House had been an honor, privilege and responsibility he had taken seriously. “I've worked hard at it, and hope my efforts to serve our nation, state and the second district have been well received,” he said. Coming on the heels of the resignation of USDA Secretary Mike Johanns, Everett pledged to continue work on finalizing a new farm bill. “I still have 15 months remaining in my term, so I intend to keep working hard for Alabama's second district, including: work on a new farm bill, my farm reservoir bill to combat drought, and my efforts on behalf of America's national security.” Everett's legislative career will likely be defined by his work on crafting national agricultural policy, especially for Southern commodities such as peanuts, cotton and corn, and his defense of the military installations in his district at Maxwell Air Force Base and Fort Rucker. Politically, he has always been considered a conservative on social and economic issues and has remained a defender of the decision to go to war in Iraq and the Bush administration's national security policies. His last margin of victory in Alabama's second district was by 40 points. In February, Everett will celebrate his 71st birthday. “While there remains much work to be accomplished by Congress, I made a difficult decision not to seek election for a ninth term. The decision was difficult because of my love for the people of my district, and my love for the work I do on my three committees. It had been my intention until recently to seek re-election, including a run for the chair or ranking member on the Committee on Agriculture. However, there is a season for all things and it is time for me to enter the next phase of my life, and pass the mantle to the next generation,” he said in announcing his retirement. Everett says his health has been good, but he has had two attacks of shingles in the past three years. “This resulted in nerve damage to my right foot that has not been completely restored, which causes a few problems.“While I have many people to thank, I must first thank my wife Barbara whose support, not only during these 15 years in Congress, but during the 38 years of our marriage, has made this possible. Also, no congressional office has had the outstanding staff that I have been blessed with all these years. What success my office has achieved is in large part due to their outstanding work. Finally, I will always be grateful to those who have voted for and supported me in Congress. This has been a wonderful opportunity to serve our nation that so few Americans have had,” said Everett.
RelatedTrump's trade rhetoric sends Mexico searching for new trading partnersApr 26, 2017Trump establishes ag task forceApr 26, 2017The good and bad of new executive order for agricultureApr 25, 2017With new farm bill looming, next agriculture census critically importantApr 17, 2017 Load More | 农业 |
2017-17/2017/en_head.json.gz/7515 | What Are the Causes of Scarcity?
Weather conditions can cause frozen crops leading to scarcity of oranges and other citrus fruits.
Hurricane preparation leads to rapidly increased demand for storm supplies thereby causing scarcity of items.
During times of war and political strife, food and other resources may be available but not accessible to people leading to scarcity.
Decreases in supply can happen without an increase in demand, such as in times of drought when farmers' crops fail.
Resource scarcities may be caused by natural disasters.
Ken Black
Edited By: Andrew Jones
The causes of scarcity can be due to a number of different reasons, but there are four primary ones. Poor distribution of resources, personal perspective on resources, a rapid increase in demand, and a rapid decrease in supply are all potential scarcity causes. The key is to determine what the causes are so that the situation can be corrected. In some cases, more than one cause may be causing a shortage of some things.
One of the main causes of scarcity is poor distribution of resources. Often, the resources are available to meet the needs of a certain population, but the problem is that they have no way of getting to the people. This may be because of war, political paybacks, or other such strife created intentionally by other human beings, usually as a way to assert authority. In some cases, humanitarian efforts can help to relieve these situations, but that might not always be possible. Even if humanitarian efforts help, it may not be enough to reach all the people in need.
Another one of the common causes of scarcity is when demand increases rapidly, and supply cannot keep up with that demand. For example, this is commonly seen when some locations prepare for a hurricane, and there is a run on supplies such as plywood and generators. While this scarcity does not typically last a long period of time, it does demonstrate how a rapid increase in demand can cause a situation to develop. Further exacerbating this problem is the reduced ability to get supplies to affected areas, which relates to distribution.
Somewhat related to increases in demand is a decrease in supply. Decreases in supply can happen, however, without an increase in demand. Rapid supply decreases could be due to natural disasters, such as droughts and fire. In these cases, the situation may only last as long as a season or a year, but that may cause a considerable amount of stress for those needing the resources.
In some cases, the causes of scarcity could be identified simply as those of personal perspectives. In other words, there may not be any shortage of goods and services at all. Rather, the problem may be that someone simply thinks there is a shortage and therefore, either tries to conserve more, or does not bother to find the resource. This might not be a common situation, but can be just as serious for those who have the perspective of scarcity. Ad
What Is Scarcity?
What Causes Scarcity of Resources?
What Is the Relationship between Scarcity and Choice?
What Are the Different Types of Scarcity Theory?
What Is the Difference between Scarcity and Shortage?
What Is Post-Scarcity?
What Is the Relationship between Scarcity and Opportunity Cost?
Distribution of resources is one of the more difficult issues in the modern world. People are used to having such a wide variety of goods in every supermarket, but that requires such a damaging distribution system (because it causes pollution). And yet, on the other hand, some say there is enough food in the world to feed everyone, it's just too expensive to ship it to the poor countries. croydon
@pleonasm - Yeah, the same sort of thing happened in New Zealand after the Christchurch earthquake. It damaged the only factory in the world that made Marmite, which is a spread that mostly only New Zealanders eat. Once news of the factory being down went out, there was a mad scramble to get the last jars. They called it "Marmageddon." I heard of boxes of jars going for thousands of dollars. Which is ridiculous, really, because the factory was only damaged, not gone forever. People tend to get a little bit nuts when they hear that something they like isn't going to be around for a while. pleonasm
You can create a scarcity out of thin air as well. I was reading a trivia site the other day and it mentioned one incident like this in history. Apparently Johnny Carson made a joke on TV about how the States was running out of toilet paper. It was referring to a different situation and had nothing to do with the actual supplies of toilet paper. But people thought it was a real problem and so they ran out to the supermarkets and stocked up on toilet paper. Which, of course, meant demand skyrocketed and caused an actual shortage of toilet paper, since they couldn't deliver it fast enough to keep it on the shelves. I don't even want to say that people can be idiots, because really, they had no way to check whether it was pure humor or a cynical comment on something that was actually happening. And it happened! Post your comments | 农业 |
2014-42/2555/en_head.json.gz/6628 | Volume 22 | Friday, October 1, 1999 | Number 19
Don Hanson has been Fermilab's buffalo herdsman for 16 years, although two parts of that statement are not entirely accurate.
First: strictly speaking, those aren't buffalo at Fermilab.
The term "buffalo" is commonly but somewhat inexactly applied to the North American bison (Bison bison), a hoofed, short-horned, hump-shouldered member of the cattle family that can reach a height of more than five feet and a weight of 2,500 pounds, give or take�and can run at a speed of 30 miles an hour, usually when in an ill humor.
Of the bison's grazing and cud-chewing cattle-family cousins, the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), native to Africa and Asia, has widespread, curving horns; the European bison or wisent (B. bonasus) is even bigger than the North American bison. For a little additional hide-splitting, the Fermilab bison are plains bison, distinguishing them from woods bison found farther north in Canada. Woods bison tend toward slightly smaller heads and humps than plains bison, though they can be equally disagreeable.
But accurate or not, buffalo is the name they'll go by. "Buffalo" lends itself to symbol, which is the role of the Fermilab herd: a symbol of the frontier, in this case the frontier of high-energy physics, and a link to the origin of the Lab's site as land of the great midwestern prairie. "Buffalo" speaks of a time of big sky, of thundering herds huge enough to shake the earth beyond the horizon, of Plains Indians and their ponies on the hunt, and of sharpshooting Buffalo Bill. ("Bison Bill?" Don't think so.)
As to the second part of that opening statement which is not entirely accurate, a herdsman is defined as someone who drives a group of animals.
"You absolutely cannot drive buffalo," Hanson says with a knowing shake of his head. "You have to kind of lead them. Coax them. Once they think you're trying to push them, they'll just start running like crazy and there's no controlling them whatsoever."
When Hanson slowly drives his truck out onto the 80-acre pasture to give a visitor a closer look at the herd of bulls, cows and calves currently numbering 76, "closer" ends up being 30 or 40 yards away. He describes the buffalo personality in one word: unpredictable. Then he expands on the idea: very, very unpredictable.
"They look so docile, you think you could get right up close and pet them," he says respectfully. "But they snap. One minute, you drive by with the truck and it's no problem, they just kind of look at the truck with curiosity. You can drive by a cow with a calf, and one moment she'll be fine, but the next�she comes at you and hits the truck. They're wild animals. You can't trust them."
There are two fences around the pasture for the herd. The outer fence keeps buffalo-watchers out, separated by about 12 feet from the inner fence, which keeps the buffalo in. The inner fence is electrified, although the buffalo are not completely sanguine about it and they do have horns. Inspecting the fence is a weekly responsibility, to check for breaks in the wire and for electrical insulators knocked off the fence posts. The grassy borderland between the fences makes up about an acre, and takes a full day to mow.
Fermilab purchased its first bull from a breeder in Cheyenne, Wyoming, adding six cows from another breeder Longmont, Colorado. Then in 1971, the herd made a big increase when the State of Illinois donated 21 head to the Lab. Since then, the herd's bloodlines have been augmented by rotating bulls, selling off the bulls and bringing in new blood lines every two or three years. By the age of six or seven years, the bulls get so big (well over a ton) that they're hard to handle. They also don't breed well. Cows, however, will produce calves throughout their lifetime of 20 to 25 years; by contrast, Hanson said, beef cattle produce calves for a maximum of about eight years. At 76, the herd is currently right at the edge of the density recommended by the State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources; that recommendation is one cow-and-calf unit per acre of the kind of grassland present onsite. The herd will be reduced in size with the sale of 36 or 37 head by sealed-bid auction in October, a change from recent years when the sale was an open auction. After the sealed bids, the animals sold are usually picked up and transported by the breeders through November.
Hanson said that running an effective open auction every other year means carrying over several buffalo through the winter, with the herd growing again when calves are born in the spring. With 30 new calves expected from a herd this size, the population would grow to over 100 and risk overgrazing. A yearly sealed-bid auction maintains the herd at a steady level.
Buffalo breeders are located all over the country; the last open auction drew bidders from 13 states, as far away as Florida. With the switch to sealed bids, bidders are concentrated in Minnesota, Wisconsin and southern Illinois. Mike Vogel, a regular bidder from Minnesota, is starting a second herd composed solely of animals purchased from Fermilab. Vogel supplied the tame bull used in one of the scenes of the film, "Dances With Wolves."
"They keep this huge bull separate from the rest, as a pet," Hanson said. "Mike's wife feeds it Oreo cookies."
It might be nice to think of buffalo leaving Fermilab to serve as symbols in other places, but breeding is a lucrative field with buffalo hides a popular (and pricey) source of clothing ranging from boots to jewelry. Buffalo meat is also marketed as a low-fat, low-cholesterol (but higher-priced) alternative to beef. Breeders and wildlife protective measures have brought the North American bison population back, from a low of about 600 in 1889 to current estimates of more than 200,000.
At Fermilab, the buffalo eat well. They graze during the growing season, and eat hay in the winter. Hanson and the Fermilab Roads and Grounds crews plant and harvest their own hay, from seed produced on the site. The crews cut and bale the hay and put it up in a barn for winter�about 4,000 bales, each weighing about 50 pounds. The buffalo are also fed a supplement of corn and protein, about eight pounds a day in summer and increasing to 14 pounds during the winter.
Before winter comes (and before the auction), the buffalo are "coaxed" into the three-acre corral area for inoculations, worming and ear-tagging. With cows and their calves staying together, they move on a circular route through a crowding system of corridors and alleys and end up in a restraining area. Here, cow and calf are separated, each in a stall that adjusts to the size of the animal. A veterinarian provides the inoculations called "Triangle 9," controlling nine different diseases. One shot goes into the shoulder, one into the rump. The inoculations clear the buffalo for shipping to any other state. A worming solution is poured on an animal's back, and absorbed through the skin. Hanson attaches an ear tag with a herd identification number and a state vaccination number for each buffalo, while they're pinned in the stall.
To accommodate the large, unpredictable buffalo, the gateposts in the corral area are 12"-by-12" and sunk into 30 inches of concrete; other posts are 8"-by-8" and sunk in limestone. Hanson adapted the design for the crowding system from standard methods in cattle-breeding, and from his own experience. He comes from five generations of farmers and livestock breeders and some of his favorite childhood memories are of long truck trips from Elburn, Ill. (not far west of the Lab site) to the stockyards on the south side of Chicago. The old family farm has been sold, but Hanson, who has been at Fermilab for 23 years, recently bought a spread in southern Illinois. When he retires, he and his wife will keep horses and breed livestock.
"Cattle," he says with a knowing nod. "Not buffalo."
last modified 10/1/1999 email Fermilab | 农业 |
2014-42/2555/en_head.json.gz/8579 | North Platte Bulletin - Challenging the decline of rural America
Challenging the decline of rural America
by J.L. Schmidt - 1/1/2013
I grew up in rural America. If you are reading this, chances are pretty good that you did too.You've got afacebook Request!CLICK HERE!So what does it mean that rural America is �becoming less and less relevant?� as Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, the former Democratic governor of Iowa, said recently at a Farm Journal sponsored forum.What is Rural America? It's home to about a sixth of the nation�s population. Just who they are and what that means depends on who is doing the statistical measuring and for what reason. The Associated Press says rural voters accounted for just 14 percent of the turnout in the November election, with 61 percent of them supporting Republican Mitt Romney and 17 percent Barack Obama. According to the AP, two-thirds of those rural voters said that government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals.Vilsack lays blame on Congress� inability to pass a farm bill and squabbling among groups in rural America. His department notes that 50 percent of rural counties have lost population in the past four years and poverty rates are higher there than in metropolitan areas. As the population shifts to cities and suburbs, the gap grows between people who care about a booming ag economy and those who just want food to eat.The Secretary says rural Americans need to be proactive instead of reactive. He suggests replacing complaints about EPA regulations on farm dust and labor rules on young people and dangerous jobs � neither of which materialized � with a positive focus on expanding global markets and better communication between the folks who grow food and those who consume it.Chuck Hassebrook, director of the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, NE, (pop. 851), says some of the problem in rural America can be traced to the decline of the family farm. Hassebrook said that increasing farm size and absentee ownership have caused �social conditions in the local community to deteriorate.� The large farms �have a few wealthy elites, a majority of poor laborers, and virtually no middle class," Hassebrook says. "The absence of a middle class has a serious negative effect on social and commercial service, public education and local government,� he said.Hassebrook said that rural America can�t turn back the clock and recapture the family farm communities of a generation ago, but communities can use that same pride of ownership and sense of responsibility to create new owner-operated rural business in areas from ecotourism to gourmet foods such as jams and jellies and salsa and dried meats. He calls these �new 21st century opportunities for rural Americans to own the fruits of their labor.�Vilsack said �It�s time for us to have an adult conversation with folks in rural America. It�s time for a different thought process here, in my view.�Mr. Secretary, might I suggest that you sit down and talk with Mr. Hassebrook. No squabbles. No political fights (you�re both Democrats after all). Just have that adult conversation. Soon.J.L. Schmidt covers the statehouse for The Nebraska Press Association | 农业 |
2014-42/2555/en_head.json.gz/9587 | A New China Syndrome?
by CORAXLast week we discussed some of the major threats -- both natural and cultural -- to the continued health of tea culture in east Asia. Contributors to the Comments section there have added some interesting and important data as well. In that essay, however, I barely touched on the horrific events in Japan, a truly cataclysmic collision of nature and culture involving an earthquake so powerful it 'appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis' (click here for details); a devastating tsunami that completely obliterated entire towns; and -- the incident that may turn out to have the most ominous and far-reaching implications, not only for Fukushima Prefecture, not only for Japan, but for the planet as a whole -- a series of nuclear meltdowns in several of the nuclear plants in Fukushima. As of this writing it is not known how far that damage will reach -- how many plants in all may be affected, how much nuclear fallout will spread into the environment, or what the longitudinal effects will be on earth, sea, sky, the food supply, or the gene pool. The first thing to do here is to echo the profound and sadly appropriate words of Cinnabar in her recent post at gongfugirl.com:It is not reasonable to post anything else about Japanese tea without first expressing the depth of sorrow over the devastation and aftermath that the country is experiencing right now. There is a little that can be said about the tragedy but to say that I hope that support can come from all of the places that can provide it, and that the work of recovering and rebuilding can begin, as the Japanese people – and the rest of the world in solidarity – mourn the tremendous suffering and loss. This is very well said, and -- alas -- all too true. We are still in shock, and the people (mostly but not all Japanese) in the thick of this crisis are struggling around the clock to contain the damage and secure the affected areas. I mentioned possible effects on the food supply. I find myself unable to stop wondering what the effects of this radioactive fallout might be on the tea crops of east Asia. Japan itself is first, of course. It appears (though I would welcome more expert information on all this) that the prevailing trade-winds at the moment are blowing eastward from the Japanese Archipelago over the Pacific Ocean; that is one of the broadest and deepest expanses of water on the planet, which from a dispersal standpoint might pass as good news. (The problem with that scenario, of course, is that the ocean is arguably the key element in the global ecosystem -- any serious threat to the ocean is eventually a threat to us all.) We are also told that substantial precipitation of rain or snow would bring the radioactive fallout more or less straight down to the ground in Fukushima -- where it would settle into the soil and water where it falls. If, on the other hand, the winds should change before the fallout is dispersed or precipitated, the results could be quite different: it could blow down to Tokyo, less than 150 miles to the south; or it could blow west, over and perhaps onto some of the principal agricultural regions of Japan -- thereby contaminating the existing food supply as well as the soil in which future crops ought to be grown. If the wind carrying such radioactive fallout should pass further into the west, it could conceivably reach the tea-growing regions of Korea, Taiwan, and the Chinese mainland. If this is what ensues, might the tea world find itself with a new sort of 'China Syndrome' on its hands -- tea crops that are irradiated and thus unsafe for drinking? Granted, the distance from Fukushima to (say) Wuyi Shan is between 1500 and 2000 miles; from Wuyi Shan to Kunming is another 1200 miles or so. Are any of those crops actually at risk?Again, at the moment of this writing, information (and misinformation and even disinformation) is swirling all around us; the situation in Japan is still unfolding; and we do not know exactly what is happening, by any means. Some news commentators this evening reported that the radiation levels in Tokyo were about 20 times above normal, but then opined that that is no more than what one is exposed to during an airplane flight from New York to Los Angeles. Is this in fact true? If so, does it say more about the dangers of air travel than about the current safety conditions in Tokyo? And: will it in any case change drastically over the next few days?It is worth underscoring that the threat to tea in all of this is much less than the imminent danger -- and the extensive damage already done, the loss of life, limb, and property already suffered in Japan. I almost said 'trivial by comparison'; but the threat is certainly not trivial to those tea farmers whose livelihoods depend on the ability to grow and sell their crops. By comparison to all of these threats, the possible resulting discomfiture to tea-drinkers is indeed trivial. So with the rest of the world, we watch, and wait, and hope.Some correspondents on the west coast of the USA (and of course in Alaska and Hawaii) have expressed concern about the possible health implications, should nuclear fallout -- whether wind- or water-borne -- reach our shores. A number of websites like this one make recommendations for dietary supplements to be taken prophylactically. Such recommendations might not be a bad idea (though CHA DAO of course does not purport to offer medical advice of any sort; consult your physician before undertaking any alterations to your dietary regimen). Others have asked what they can do to help. The simplest way, of course, is: send money. This handy link lists a number of ways to do just that, from anywhere on earth that you can get an internet connection (and if you are reading this essay, you probably already have one).Meanwhile -- on the infrastructural level -- I do venture to offer a modest (but not therefore less urgent) set of recommendation for all 50 of our United States, particularly California, Washington, and any others who may have nuclear plants situated on or very near major geological fault-lines: Take heed, beware, and do not put us in harm's way. George Santayana, in Reason in Common Sense (1905), famously said: 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' This is often misquoted as 'Those who will not learn from history ...' -- and maybe that non-verbatim version is the more apt here. Will we learn from these recent catastrophic events of history? How many warnings will we need before we realize that we have to be doubly and triply careful about something as dangerous as nuclear power? How many warnings, indeed, will we receive before it is too late for each of us?
Basil Hero
"Having been a journalist, I can tell you that government agencies never reveal the full extent of a developing catastrophe. Some of it is to avoid panic. I'm afraid the Japanese are in the midst of an historic tragedy whose downstream effects are as yet incalculable." Basil Hero
dogma_i
Hubris and atê...Though the human and economic consequences are in no sense comparable, one is reminded of the phylloxera blight that ensued when infected American vine samples were brought to Europe by well-intentioned botanists. When European vines were destroyed, viticulture was saved by the import of resistant American rootstock. Whether or not Old World wines were altered, and in what direction, is known only to the fortunate few who are able to compare surviving pre-1860s vintages with their later equivalents. Will we have a similar post-cataclysm distinction within Asian teas? A boom for pre-2011 Pu-erh and aged oolongs?The good news for tea-drinkers is that tea is probably not an efficient carrier for many of the scariest radionuclides, even if the fevered reactor cores really do send their effluvia up the stack and down the hole. The better news is that compassion and social consciousness are aroused and effective. The best news, since the OP seems to permit a slight political turn, would be our collective acceptance of this accident of nature's doing, and consequent disaster of man's, as an opportunity to scale back life-styles to where we do not need such machineries to enhance our innate ability to live and to enjoy life. Empty the cup, fill the heart.-DM
Angus Macdonald
Because of the grave potential consequences downwind, they are also semi-successfully fighting their own cultural instincts to couch the nuclear component of this crisis in secrecy. We need to help the Japanese much more aggressively than we have to date. Take the money financing Karzai's poppy fields and send it there!
The Distant One
I really love this blog, generally. It's one of the best places to read about tea on the internet.But please, do not contribute to the FUD surrounding the nuclear issues in Japan. The reactors are by far the smallest issue facing the Japanese people right now, and are a minimal threat, at best, to the rest of the world.I would suggest reading about it in places where people are not busy trying to generate revenue by attracting eyeballs, and where actual experts are employed, such as here:http://mitnse.com/http://www.atomicinsights.blogspot.com/
We won't know for quite some time if the damage to the Fukashima plants will result in irradiated tea, but I think we can be confident that in time we will be able to find out what the full impact is, which is certainly important. I think we can also with full confidence say that the information that is being presented in the mainstream press is not coming from nor filtered through authoritative sources. Journalists who do not fully understand nuclear plant technology are not very good at explaining what happens when parts of it fail. But I think that even the degree to which the particular plants have failed is largely unknown at this point, especially outside of the Fukashima area, and perhaps even within the nuclear plants themselves, still immersed in the current emergency.Chernobl and Three Mile Island were not even close to major tea-growing regions, but Nagasaki and Hiroshima were. I wonder what the short- and long-term impact of that radiation fallout was, a mere 66 years ago. I think that's where to turn our attention if we want to try to anticipate the impact specifically on the tea industry.(And thank you for quoting me.)
UPDATE [Thurs 110317]: the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission projects that a radioactive plume from Japan's nuclear reactors could reach the California coast as soon as tomorrow. But the USNRC's chairman, Gregory Jaczko, opined that the levels of radioactivity would be too low to pose a health risk to people in America.
UPDATE [Fri 110318]: "The first readings from American data-collection flights over the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan show that the worst contamination has not spread beyond the 19-mile range of highest concern established by Japanese authorities." See NY Times article here
... and for radiation-level updates from Santa Monica, refreshing every 10 minutes, click here.
Many thanks, corax, for this post. Your stance and sensitivity are always admirable. I like tea people more than tea itself. Tea’s biggest benefit is friendship. I always find the chief charm in tea enthusiasm through associating—in person or by correspondence—with kind people around the world. New friendships in tea evolve into best friendships in a lifetime. No pursuit has been, for me, more innocent and enlightening. Through my tea enthusiasm I have to come know and admire people around the world and even visit them and host them in person. Only seven years ago I developed an interest in Japanese teas and soon Japanese tea became, quietly, the tea I reach for every day. I have dealt primarily with Ippodo for no other reason than familiarity and habit. The people in that company are professional and offer excellent customer service. But in these traits they are not unique. The vast majority of tea people are good people, in Japan, China, and elsewhere. More recently, I purchased sencha from Yuuki-cha. Short notes exchanged with first purchases become, naturally enough, longer notes: the turning of seasons, the challenges of our schedules, the characteristics of specific products. A name becomes a voice and the voice, a friend. Yuuki-cha’s blog, because of these exchanges, becomes much more salient. In this, of course, I am not alone. All of us experience this camaraderie. Tea broadens and deepens our lives. Our fear and shock and helplessness, therefore, are commensurately worse than if we were unconnected with the world. George Santayana and his paraphrasers are wise when they speak of history, memory and repetition. And John Donne also has it right in "Meditation 17" when he famously writes about islands and interconnectedness. He would not mind our inserting “Japan” for “Europe.” Donne writes of great waves in that piece: of people literally washed away and the land falling with homes into the sea. Since the tsunami, we hear the bell John Donne heard four hundred years ago ring day and night—for our Japanese neighbors, for ourselves, tolling in the heart: No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.Best always,~grasshopper
cherry blossomsshaken to earthwashed to seaat sendai
UPDATE [Tues 110412]: Well. 'Nothing to be concerned about,' they said. Now this:http://www.euractiv.com/en/health/radiation-risks-fukushima-longer-negligible-news-503947
For those interested in the consequences of radioactive outfall on teas from Japan, read these news articles:Radioactive substance detected in green tea leaves in Ibaraki townsJapan recalls tea over radiation fearsThe good news is that most high-end green teas that most of us drink are grown in Kyoto Prefecture, which is about 200km or so further to the southwest (i.e. downwind of the prevailing wind direction) of the tea fields that have been tested positively for radiation.
Blooming Tea
This is something that worried us. Here's an article I've found regarding this matter: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-18/radiation-s-effect-on-food-agriculture-questions-and-answers.html
Threats to Tea | 农业 |
2014-42/2555/en_head.json.gz/10004 | State Tightens Geese Laws
Posted on 04/24/2008 by Shawn J. Soper BERLIN – State officials this week announced modified regulations to help farmers and property owners cope with an increasingly larger population of Canada geese that have taken up residence on fields, parks and golf courses across Maryland including Worcester County.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) this week announced it was partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services on a plan to provide farmers and other property owners across the state with the necessary tools to manage the growing population of Canada geese. For years, local farmers and golf course superintendents have wages a battle against the pesky birds, which gobble crops and munch fairways and greens throughout the area.
Canada geese are largely migratory and typically make a brief stop in the area along their routes. However, because of favorable climate conditions and an abundance of food, many have taken up permanent residence in Worcester County and throughout mid-Atlantic area in recent years. DNR officials announced this week the state has taken steps to provide landowners with more weapons in their arsenal against the prolific birds.
“Maryland recently modified its regulations to help improve resident Canada goose population control efforts to make it more effective and user-friendly for landowners and managers,” said DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul Peditto this week. “We hope these programs will make it easier for Marylanders to resolve resident Canada goose conflicts.”
According to Peditto, past efforts have shown Canada goose depredation control is most effective when a combination of techniques is used in concert. Among the techniques laid out in the recently amended state regulations are expanded, but limited, hunting seasons, nest and egg destruction, non-lethal treatment methods, such as physically removing the geese and re-locating them to another area, and other lethal alternatives.
“As with most wildlife problems, an integrated approach using a combination of tools has proven to be the best way to deal with resident Canada goose depredation,” said Peditto. “In most cases, non-lethal methods work quite well. However, the special depredation orders provide an additional prescription that deals with persistent geese in chronic situations.”
To that end, several methods for handling chronic Canada goose problems were recently approved including the destruction of resident Canada goose nests and eggs. Private landowners and public land managers may now destroy Canada goose nests and eggs on the property under their jurisdiction between March 1 and June 30 if necessary to resolve or prevent injury to people, property, agricultural crops or other interests. However, before any goose nests or eggs are destroyed, landowners must register with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
While many of the new rules regarding the management of Canada geese are directed at agriculture, the same rules apply for golf courses in the area, which have long battled the pesky birds on the fairways and greens with varied results. Course managers and superintendents this week said the geese leave droppings all over the courses and often munch the grass right down to the nub. On top of that, the geese can be downright nasty to the golfers, especially during nesting time.
As a result, many of the courses have found creative methods for controlling the geese. One course in the area used to employ a border collie who roamed the grounds chasing the geese away. Another strings fishing line around the ponds on the course about six inches off the ground, and when the geese land on the ponds, they can’t waddle on to the fairways and greens.
Lighthouse Sound Superintendent Tom Akers said this week killing the birds or destroying their nests and eggs is a measure of last resort. Akers said at Lighthouse Sound, groundskeepers use “whistlers and bangers” to help keep the geese at bay. Whistlers are noise-makers fired from a pistol in the direction of the geese that make a whirring sound that drives the birds away. Bangers are essentially blanks fired from a shot gun, the loud noise of which sends the birds scurrying.
While certainly more humane, the deterrents do not always prevent the geese from returning, leaving Akers and other course superintendents in the area searching for more permanent alternatives. Akers said the new rules approved last week by the EPA and the DNR could help the situation, although he admitted an aversion to destroying their nests and eggs.
“The two biggest problems with them is that they munch the grass and leave their feces all over the place,” he said. “As golf courses, we always like to try to peacefully co-exist with nature but it isn’t always possible.”
Akers said many of the Canada geese in the area have taken up permanent residence. “Most of them used to be migratory and would stop by here at different times of the year, but now there is a large group that seems to live here all year round,” he said. “Usually, they aren’t out during the day and come out on the course at night, but even that seems to have changed.” | 农业 |
2014-42/2555/en_head.json.gz/10148 | Click here to print this page
JOIN THE OCA NETWORK!
NAFTA Commission Calls for Labeling of GE Corn Labeling of U.S. corn is sought
International panel responds to altered varieties in Mexico.
By Edie Lau -- Bee Science Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, November 9, 2004
An international review of a controversy over bioengineered genes in Mexican corn recommends that Mexico combat the biotech intrusion by requiring labeling or milling of kernels imported from countries such as the United States. The suggestion, made by a panel of scientists advising the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America, was not welcomed by the U.S. government, which offered harsh words after the report's official release on Monday.
"This report is fundamentally flawed and unscientific," said a statement issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"The authors acknowledge that no economic analysis of their recommendations was conducted, and that many of these recommendations are based solely on sociocultural considerations," the EPA complained.
The environmental commission was set up under the North American Free Trade Agreement and is composed of the heads of the environmental protection agencies in Canada, Mexico and the United States. None of the countries is obligated to adopt the recommendations. But objections by one country can't stop another country from acting.
A statement by the Mexican government last month in anticipation of the report's official release was much more receptive.
"There is no doubt that the recommendations ... will be beneficial for Mexico and its environment," a translated version of the response states.
The report and reaction reflect long-standing, sharply divided world opinions over the value and risks of agricultural biotechnology. The technology enables scientists to insert genes into plants and animals in ways not possible in nature.
The United States leads the world in introducing and adopting genetically engineered crops. Federal policy and industry similarly emphasize biotech's potential benefits, such as reducing reliance on chemical pesticides.
But countries in other parts of the world - most notably Europe and Japan - are concerned that the technology will cause environmental problems, such as the development of superweeds, or harm consumers' health.
In 2001, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, reported that they had discovered biotech genes in cornfields cultivated by indigenous farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico. The finding caused an international storm because it was viewed as evidence that the technology was out of control.
The discovery was all the more provocative because at the time, cultivating biotech corn in Mexico was illegal. (Limited experimental cultivation has since been authorized.) Like wheat in the United States, corn is the basis of many foods in Mexico. As such, it is given special consideration in that country.
The finding also had ramifications for the United States, because it's generally believed that the biotech genes originated from American grain imports.
Though the imports are intended as food, indigenous farmers often experimentally plant kernels they buy at the store.
Outraged, Greenpeace Mexico, along with a coalition of Mexican people representing affected rural communities there, petitioned the Commission on Environmental Cooperation to undertake a review.
The commission assembled a diverse team of scientists to produce the report. Among them was Norman Ellstrand, a geneticist at UC Riverside and an international authority on "gene flow" in plants - the movement of genes from organism to organism, be it by pollen dissemination, manipulation by people or other means.
Ellstrand said biotech genes, or "transgenes," do not travel in nature any more readily than naturally occurring genes. Still, the panel felt that the Mexican government should be allowed to evaluate the impact of the technology on its crop, just as the U.S. government now evaluates each biotech food crop before it is "deregulated" for release in this country.
"It's presumptuous to think that just because they've been deregulated here, it's OK there," Ellstrand said.
"What if there were transgenic seeds that the United States was receiving that had been deregulated in Cuba and not in the United States?" he asked. "How would the United States feel about that?"
The EPA singled out the suggestion to mill the corn as particularly onerous.
Such a requirement "would increase the cost of U.S. corn significantly, negatively affecting Mexico's livestock producers and consumers," states a letter to the commission from Judith Ayres, assistant administrator in the EPA's Office of International Affairs.
"Furthermore, the report does not consider logistical considerations, such as whether it is, indeed, feasible to mill at border facilities the roughly 6 million tons of maize that Mexico imports annually."
The response does not address the recommendation of labeling U.S. imports as potentially containing biotech genes, but federal policy has consistently opposed labeling, as well.
About the writer:
The Bee's Edie Lau can be reached at (916) 321-1098 or [email protected]. Home | News | Organics | GE | 农业 |
2014-42/2555/en_head.json.gz/11766 | It's Time to Make Your Own Vegetable Garden!
By Dr. Mercola Mercola.com, April 7, 2014 Straight to the Source For Related Articles and More Information, Please Visit OCA's All About Organics Page and our Organic Transitions Page.
In the US, backyard vegetable gardens are still viewed mostly as a hobby - an activity that you can engage in to get away from your daily grind, get your hands dirty, and spend some time in nature.
But this is rapidly changing, thanks to a growing movement of people who are not only in love with the process of gardening but also the literal fruits of their labor.
Yes, homegrown food is fresher, tastier and, often, more nutritious than produce shipped from across the globe. But gardening is much grander than that, as it puts you in control of a commodity that is, at its very essence, survival, freedom, and health. Growing your own food is the way of the future, ironically, by getting back to our foundational roots of self-sufficiency and oneness with nature.
It's Time to Start Planting Your 21st Century Victory Garden
During World War II, many foods, including butter, eggs, coffee, meat, and sugar, were rationed by the government. There were also labor and transportation shortages that made it difficult for enough fresh produce to be brought to the market. And so the government called on Americans to plant "victory gardens" in order to supply their own fruits and vegetables.
It's inspiring to look back on now, as close to 20 million Americans planted produce in every nook and cranny they could find, from rooftops and empty lots to their own backyards and they grew 40 percent of the produce in the US. Neighbors began to work together, planting varying crops and forming food cooperatives to share their harvests with one another.
Unfortunately, when the war ended so, too, did many Americans' gardening efforts. Today, Americans largely tend to their lawns - all 35 million acres of them. New York Times author Michael Pollan was one of the first to tackle the absurdity of the pursuit of lush green lawns. >>> Read the Full Article For more information on this topic or related issues you can search the | 农业 |
2014-42/2555/en_head.json.gz/11767 | OCA HomepagePrevious PageClick here to print this pageMake a Donation!JOIN THE OCA NETWORK! Brazil Asks WTO to Investigate Likely "Trade Illegal" U.S. Soybean Subsidies Latin America Brazil to Ask for WTO Probe of U.S. Soybean Subsidies (Update2) Feb. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Brazil, the world's second-largest soybean exporter, plans to ask the World Trade Organization to investigate U.S. soybean subsidies of more than $2 billion a year, stepping up its drive to lower agriculture trade barriers. Brazilian Agriculture Minister Roberto Rodrigues said he is in talks with farmers to seek a WTO probe, known as a panel. The U.S. spent $11 billion on farm subsidies last year to guarantee a minimum price for crops including soybeans, making it difficult for Brazilian farmers to compete, Rodrigues said in an interview in Brasilia. ``Farmers are thinking about asking for a panel, and we are encouraging them to do so,'' Rodrigues, 62, said. ``Developing countries simply don't have the means to compete with the U.S.'' Targeting soybeans represent an escalation in Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's strategy to use the WTO to force the U.S. and Europe to cut subsidies and help open up new markets for farming exports. Brazil pursued and won the first two WTO cases challenging subsidies for U.S. cotton farmers and European sugar producers. Rodrigues last month said Brazil wants to make such farm subsidies a focus of global WTO free-trade talks in December aimed at reaching an agreement in 2006. Rodrigues declined to say when Brazil may file a soybean case at the WTO. ``I am surprised they would do this because it be very expensive andprobably wouldn't be resolved until after the WTO agreement,'' said RonHeck, chairman of the American Soybean Association and a 3,600-acre cornand soybean farmer in Perry, Iowa. ``I think it's just posturing ahead ofthe talks.'' U.S. farmers consider Brazil's demands unfair because Lula's government helps producers with low-interest loans for crops and tractors, tax breaks for soybean exports, and incentives for buying new land, said Heck. U.S. payments to soybean farmers are allowed by the WTO because they aren't tied to production, he said. ``This kind of case would be without merit,'' he said. U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman Ed Loyd declined comment, referring inquiries to the U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick. Richard Mills, Zoellick's spokesman, reached by telephone from Washington, said he couldn't immediately comment. Brazilian soybean sales accounted for $10 billion of revenue, or about 10 percent of total exports last year, helping drive an expansion of South America's largest economy. U.S. farmers receive subsidies that guarantee them a minimum price for the crops, which has unfairly helped a 37 percent drop in soybean prices in the past year, Rodrigues said. Soybeans for May delivery slipped 1 cent, or 0.2 percent, to $5.355 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, close to yesterday's one-month high but almost half a 15-year high of $10.64 in April. Lula Challenge Brazil is the world's biggest producer and exporter of coffee, orange juice and sugar, and is second in terms of soybean exports after the U.S. Lula wants to take advantage of Brazil's relatively lower costs and unfarmed land to increase its share in the global food export market. Lula, 59, has rallied China, India and other developing countries to pressure for reductions in the $300 billion of annual aid that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says is given to farmers by governments in industrialized countries. In 2003, Lula formed a bloc of developing countries, known as the G-20, which scuttled WTO talks by demanding reductions in farm subsidies. Lula wants agriculture to help drive economic growth by having farmers expand. Brazil's agriculture ministry estimates there are 140 million hectares of fallow land and pastures that could be converted into crop land, more than double the current agriculture land in use and equal to 80 percent of all farmland in the U.S. To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Smith in Rio de Janeiro at [email protected] To contact the editor responsible for this story: Laura Zelenko in New York at [email protected] Home | News | Organics | GE | 农业 |
2014-42/2555/en_head.json.gz/12045 | Understanding the CAP
The process leading to approval of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Union’s system of agricultural subsidies and programs, is now in its final stage and its future shape should concern us all. The CAP is the instrument that will decide the future of our food. For 50 years the CAP has soaked up almost half the EU budget. Reforming it is an opportunity for a paradigm shift towards an agriculture that is less geared to production and more towards local areas, natural resources, farmers and citizens. So far preference has been given to agricultural practices that harm soil fertility, the environment, landscapes and biodiversity, with poor countries outside Europe also suffering from unjust treatment. The CAP is currently being reformed in a process involving European institutions and organizations in the agricultural sector, but it affects all of us. The results of the reform will have significant effects for our food, environment and health. Let us look in more detail at what has been happening at the European level.
At the end of January, the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) passed amendments to the draft CAP reform tabled over a year ago by the European Commission. It decided to water down or cancel some of the measures aiming to make our food production system more sustainable. The original proposal, though not perfect, seemed to be a good compromise, as it introduced significant new improvements. After the European Council, the ball will once again be in Parliament’s court and at its plenary session in March it will have the opportunity to correct the direction that COMAGRI wants to pursue in the reform process.
The European summit of February 7-8, in which European heads of state and governments agreed the budget for 2014-2020, saw a substantially unchanged commitment to Sustainable growth and natural resources. The section covering agriculture, rural development, fishing and partly environment, amounts to €373,479 billion, of which €277,852 was allocated to direct payments and market-related expenditure. The final declaration relating to agricultural policy revealed the increased importance of greening measures and ecological focus areas, though there were no indications of land percentages or mention of diversification and crop rotation. There is reference however to measures that must be applied by all farmers. So it would seem that this agreement still leaves room for significant reform of the CAP.
A more detailed examination of some aspects of the CAP:
The new CAP provides an opportunity to introduce “greening” measures. This would entail the direct payments to farms, which accounts for the largest proportion of subsidies (the so-called “First Pillar”). This thickest slice of the CAP cake has always been allocated according to farm size. Over the years, the system has ended up favoring the biggest land-holdings, which are not usually the ones showing most respect for environmental sustainability. In the proposed reform the greening measures, though not perfect, would be revolutionary: they would force the bigger farms to also bring in sustainable practices, such as crop rotation, maintaining pastures and areas having an ecological function. COMAGRI now claims it has made greening measures more flexible, but in practice it has taken them apart, one after the other, by introducing so many loopholes that they have been rendered useless.
The original reform proposal exempted farms of below 3 hectares from the greening measures in order to make things easier for small farmers, who in any case usually create proportionately less pollution than large farms. COMAGRI has raised the threshold to 10 hectares, which would exempt 82% of European farms from having to adopt greening practices. And for the largest farms many other loopholes have been introduced to get around what would no longer be a mandatory requirement. Moreover, while it was fair that certified organic farms were automatically ranked among the "virtuous" actors in the sector, it is much less fair for COMAGRI to argue that other “green” practices – but much less ecological ones – be equated with "organic" and so entitled to subsidies. In other words, those making most effort to implement sustainable practices are treated the same as those who do less or almost nothing. The situation is even more complicated with regard to direct payments: 70% of direct payments are supposed to be based on farm size and 30% on greening measures. If greening were to be voluntary, the 70% allocation would still be guaranteed on the basis of land size, providing an assurance of direct payments even to those not implementing any greening measures at all.
Double payments
With the introduced amendments it would now be possible for farmers to be paid twice for the same environmental service, determined by the first Pillar (another loophole, which is technically illegal). A farm can access two different pillars for the same measures, one for greening and one relating to the conditions for direct payments, as prescribed by the second Pillar. The European Parliament considers any certification as “environmental”, independently of the measures adopted by individual farmers. This system would therefore allow farmers to receive environmental subsidies without implementing the required measures.
EFA – Ecological Focus Areas
The requirement to allocate 7% of farm land as Ecological Focus Areas has been significantly reduced to 3%. These areas only have to be set aside by farms larger than 10 hectares, excluding from the calculation areas with permanent crops. Ecological focus areas can also be cultivated, providing that no pesticides or fertilizers are used.
Crop rotation will similarly not apply to farms with less than 10 hectares. On farms of between 10 and 30 hectares it will only be necessary to rotate between two crops (the EU Commission proposed three), while on farms over 30 hectares, three rotations will be required.
Funding ceiling
Subsidies have finally been capped at €300,000 for the largest landowners (as an example, Queen Elizabeth II has been receiving €8 million per year).
The proposal to use 2% of the CAP to encourage young farmers was adopted. Members of Parliament recommend that farmers under 40 years should receive a 25% bonus on their direct payments for the first five years they farm. But they capped the payment at 50 hectares, replacing the Commission’s plan for a limit based on the average farm size in each member state.
Active farmers
A better definition of “active farmer” was introduced to prevent non-farming organizations such as airports and golf clubs from receiving subsidies.
CAP decision-making process
For the first time the European Parliament has powers of “co-decision” over the CAP, or ordinary legislative procedure, giving it a crucial role. Ordinary legislative procedure gives the same weight to the European Parliament and the EU Council in a wide range of areas. The great majority of European laws are adopted jointly by the European Parliament and the Council. The Commission sends its proposal to Parliament and the Council. They consider it and discuss it on two successive occasions. If an agreement cannot be reached after the second reading, the proposal is brought before a Conciliation Committee made up of an equal number of representatives of the Council and Parliament. Representatives of the Commission also attend meetings of this Committee and contribute to the discussions. When the Committee has reached agreement, the agreed text is sent to Parliament and the Council for a third reading, so that they can finally adopt it as a legislative text. The final agreement of the two institutions is essential if the text is to be adopted as a law. Even if a joint text is agreed by the Conciliation Committee, Parliament can still reject the proposed law by a majority of the votes cast. So, providing that the reform process is not thrown into complete disarray by the European Council’s budget decisions, the European Parliament’s plenary session on the CAP from March 11 to 14 will be a historic opportunity to reverse the changes to the CAP wanted by COMAGRI and to reinstate desirable environmental measures.
What will happen at the March plenary session?
On March 12, 2013 a European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg will decide the fate of our agriculture for the next seven years. It will determine issues such as the permitted quantities of fertilizer, how many farms will survive until 2020 and what type of agriculture we want for the European Union. So it is a crucial vote and the last chance to defend greening against the watered-down proposals of COMAGRI. Below is a table comparing COMAGRI’S proposals and those of ARC2020, the Brussels-based organization representing over 150 associations, including Slow Food.
For the first time the European Parliament will be able to intervene in this negotiation and we must put pressure on our deputies so they do not make the mistake of supporting the old paradigm that, far from serving the general interest, has encouraged the worst methods of production. It is not fair to use public resources to promote the interests of a minority. A Europe-wide campaign called Go M.A.D. has been launched by various associations and networks, including Slow Food, as part of the Arc 2020 project. Information explaining more about the CAP reform can be found here to help people bring these issues to the attention of our parliamentarians. Citizens can get involved and must participate in the debate before it is too late. Find out more and take action. What is at stake is the future of our food, the places where we live, and our well-being. Sources: Arc 2020 Article by Carlo Petrini published in La Repubblica on January 29, 2013 | 农业 |
2014-42/2555/en_head.json.gz/12469 | Environment in Africa
End Date Document Type
Implementation Status and Results Report (1)
News & Views Feature Story (2)
Working to End Hunger, Now and in the Future
One in nine people suffer from chronic hunger, more than 1 billion people are undernourished, and 3.1 million children die every year due to hunger and malnutrition.Hunger affects poor people the most—both... Show More +
in the present and over the long term. When people are hungry and malnourished, they are less able to improve their livelihoods; adequately care for their families; live full and healthy lives and lift themselves out of poverty. Children are especially vulnerable—malnutrition in the first two years of life can result in physical and cognitive damage that diminishes future health, welfare and economic well-being.For developing countries, this is a drain on development with effects that can last for generations. Hunger impairs a person’s ability to be part of a productive workforce, and contribute to economic growth. In the short term, food shortages and rising food prices can widen inequality, and lead to conflict and instability.Feeding the world with sufficient, nutritious food is already a huge challenge in the present. The problem is set to intensify in the future, as the population grows, climate change affects food production and the natural resources that help feed the world are stretched even further. What is the World Bank doing to end hunger now and in the future? Show Less - Date: October 16, 2014
Language: English In Kaldi’s Footsteps: A Journey to the Birthplace of Coffee
Thus began the story of coffee in Ethiopia. Today, more than 1,000 years since Kaldi’s discovery, Ethiopia is among the top producers and exporters of Arabica coffee in the world. Recently a group of Colombian,... Show More +
Burundian and Rwandan experts, supported by the World Bank Group (WBG) with financial support from TerrAfrica and the South South Knowledge Exchange, took a journey to the land of coffee’s origin to learn from Ethiopia’s unique and extensive experience in cultivating this crop.The visit was the concluding part of the South-South Knowledge Exchange on a sustainable coffee landscape between these four participating countries, which started in Colombia in January. Visiting African countries provided the participants the opportunity to enhance community ownership, strengthen organizational skills and exchange lessons learned for implementing sustainable landscape management practices in the coffee regions.“This has been a particularly special activity,” said Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Manager for Rwanda. “First, taking the Africans over to Colombia where they had the opportunity to interact with Colombian coffee growers and the whole supply chain and see the shade grown coffee in the field. Then to bring Colombians up here to see what’s going on in East Africa, particularly Ethiopia, to look at how coffee is growing in the hills of Burundi and Rwanda and to offer first-hand advice.”Their journey began in Jimma, the heart of Ethiopia’s coffee production. After an eight-hour bus ride to southwestern Ethiopia, the group visited the Jimma Agricultural Research Center, a center of excellence for coffee research that is part of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research.Dr. Taye Kufa, the director of the research center, led a tour of the center and shared the history of coffee and the institute’s achievements. The tour included visits to testing fields and laboratories, where the group was able to see the entire cycle of coffee cultivation – from bean, to seedling, to tree, and back to bean – as well as the traditional roasting and brewing processes. The visit concluded with a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony during which the experts were served cups of aromatic, fresh Jebena-brewed Arabica coffee.Garden-grown CoffeeDuring the trip, the group visited sites with garden coffee production systems in Jimma, which accounts for about 50% of Ethiopia’s’ total production. In Ethiopia there are four ways that coffee is grown and produced; in forests, in semi-forests, gardens and on plantations. During a visit to the garden of Nasir, the group met a model coffee farmer who has been able to significantly increase his yield by carefully spacing the coffee trees, using organic materials as fertilizer and intercropping with avocado, banana and other shade trees.Joseph Bigirimana, a research scientist and the director of the Rwanda Agricultural Board’s Coffee Program, was inspired by the sustainable coffee production practices.“Strategies should be put in place so that lessons learned may be applied in our respective countries,” he said.The experts also took a two-hour journey to the Bonga in the Kaffa zone, which locals claim is the actual place where coffee was discovered. In Bonga, the group was able to visit forest coffee and semi- forest coffee production systems, and a visit to the Kafa Biosphere Reserve allowed the group to roam around the forest and identify different varieties of wild coffee trees growing under the shade of natural forest trees. The shade environment allows the coffee to develop resistance to diseases and keep the soil highly nourished. Although it only accounts for about 10% of total coffee production, forest coffee is internationally priced for its unique aroma as well as flavor.“I learned so much,” said Gilbert Nduwayo, head of the Coffee Research Program in the Burundi Institute of Agricultural Research. “I have many ideas to convince others to do shade-grown coffee, to do land management with connectivity and to produce shade-grown coffee guide.”The group also briefly visited the semi- forest production system in which farmers clear out some areas in the forest while balancing the coffee trees’ needs for adequate sunlight and shade. This type of cultivation accounts for roughly 35% of the coffee production.“As our learning journey continues, I have started to see coffee as ‘Green Gold,’” said Gayatri Kanungo, an environmental researcher with the World Bank Group TerrAfrica team. “Improving its quality and yield through coffee landscape management including use of shade grown techniques is well worth the effort!” Show Less - Date: October 7, 2014
Language: English Madagascar - Third Environment
Program Support Project : P074235 - Implementation Status
Results Report : Sequence 20
Language: English You are here
>Topics/Environment Home/ RESOURCES Civil SocietyConsultationsGovernmentClient ConnectionParliamentariansAccess to InformationFinancing & Risk ManagementBusinessesCorporate ProcurementOperational ProcurementInvestorsWorld Bank BondsJob SeekersJournalistsStudents | 农业 |
2014-42/2555/en_head.json.gz/12631 | print Belfer Center Home > Publications > Books and Book Chapters > Books > The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa
Email Print The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa
Author: Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project; Principal Investigator, Agricultural Innovation in Africa
Belfer Center Programs or Projects: Agricultural Innovation in Africa; Science, Technology, and Globalization; Science, Technology, and Public Policy
OVERVIEWAfrican agriculture is currently at a crossroads, at which persistent food shortages are compounded by threats from climate change. But, as this book argues, Africa faces three major opportunities that can transform its agriculture into a force for economic growth: advances in science and technology; the creation of regional markets; and the emergence of a new crop of entrepreneurial leaders dedicated to the continent's economic improvement. Filled with case studies from within Africa and success stories from developing nations around the world, The New Harvest outlines the policies and institutional changes necessary to promote agricultural innovation across the African continent. Incorporating research from academia, government, civil society, and private industry, the book suggests multiple ways that individual African countries can work together at the regional level to develop local knowledge and resources, harness technological innovation, encourage entrepreneurship, increase agricultural output, create markets, and improve infrastructure.The New Harvest is a product of the Agricultural Innovation in Africa Project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Integrates research and policy ideas from an international panel of some of the most influential thinkers on agricultural development
Presents enactable policy ideas for advancing agriculture throughout Africa, at the national and regional levels
Includes a wealth of case study material from Green Revolution and educational initiatives in India, China, and throughout Latin America
Download the entire book here: http://belfercenter.org/files/TheNewHarvest-rev.pdf
Individual�chapters are available for download below.
ChaptersIntroductionThe Growing EconomyAdvances in Science, Technology, and EngineeringAgricultural Innovation SystemsEnabling InfrastructureHuman CapacityEntrepreneurshipGoverning InnovationConclusions and the Way Ahead
Praise for The New Harvest
"Calestous Juma draws on a rich harvest of research to write a convincing analysis of the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in the agricultural sectors of Africa. Hopefully, it will be widely read by scholars and policy analysts across Africa as well as outside. It is a great book."�Elinor Ostrom, Professor of Political Science, Indiana University, and 2009 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences
"Calestous Juma has once again produced a book that will be an important reference for scholars, researchers and practitioners in their search for ways to break the persistent conundrum that is Africa's failure to properly exploit its huge agricultural potential. The book reveals his exceptional ability to express ideas that will be relevant to the emerging trends in Africa's agricultural and political economy."�Monty Jones, Executive Director, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, and 2004 World Food Prize Laureate
"This book presents a timely analysis of the importance of infrastructure in improving Africa's agriculture. Leaders at national and state levels will benefit immensely from its evidence-based recommendations."�Goodluck Jonathan, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
"This book is a forceful reminder of the important role that African women play in agriculture on the continent.is critical that they are provided with equal educational opportunity as a starting pointbuilding a new economic future for the continent."�Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia
"New technologies, especially biotechnology, provide African countries with additional tools for improving the welfare of farmers. I commend this book for the emphasis it places on the critical role that technological innovation plays in agriculture. The study is a timely handbook for those seeking new ways of harnessing new technologies for development, including poor farmers, many of whom are women."�Blaise Compaore, President of Burkina Faso
"The New Harvest the importance of global learning in Africa's agricultural development. It offers new ideas for international cooperation on sustainable agriculture in the tropics. It will pave the way for improved collaboration between Africa and South America."�Laura Chincilla, President of Costa Rica
Read "Africa Can Feed Itself in a Generation"�A policy brief based on The New Harvest�online: http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/20685
It has come to my attention that some sections of The New Harvest contain inadvertent errors of attribution. I take full responsibility for the errors and sincerely apologize to the original authors as well as my readers. I am contacting the original sources of the relevant information. I am also revising the book to rectify the errors. � Calestous Juma
Front Matter (91K PDF)Acknowledgments (29K PDF)Regional Economic Communities (RECS) (33K PDF)Decisions of the 2010 COMESA Summit on Science and Technology for Development (57K PDF)Footnotes (107K PDF)Index (62K PDF)Complete Text of The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa (747K PDF)
For more information about this publication please contact the STG Coordinator.
For Academic Citation:Juma, Calestous. The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa. New York: Oxford University Press, January 2011. Document Length: 296 pp. MOST VIEWED PUBLICATIONS Why the United States Should Spread Democracy
"Breaking Economic Barriers in East Africa"By Calestous Juma
"Africa: From Crisis to Opportunity Through Clean Technology"By Calestous Juma and Cindy Shiner
"Climate Change a Stumbling Block to Africa's Economies"By Calestous Juma
"Get Biotechnology on the Agenda for Africa"By Calestous Juma
Starved for Science: How Biotechnology is Being Kept Out of AfricaBy Robert Paarlberg | 农业 |
2014-42/2555/en_head.json.gz/13168 | TipSheet item
Publication date: May 21, 2008 FARM BILL LAUNCHES SWEEPING NEW SECRECY INITIATIVE New language added to the 2007/08 Farm Bill by conferees at the 11th hour could create a sweeping new secrecy mandate that would prohibit the Agriculture Department from disclosing almost any information about individual US farm operations.Just what the language means is unclear - because it is vaguely drawn, was never discussed in public before enactment, and leaves secrecy largely to the discretion of the USDA and the Agriculture Secretary.It says, in effect, that USDA is prohibited from disclosing "information provided by an agricultural producer or owner of agricultural land concerning the agricultural operation, farming or conservation practices, or the land itself, in order to participate in programs of the Department" or geospatial information it maintains on "agricultural land or operations." The prohibition is subject to certain exceptions.The term "agricultural operation" is not specifically defined in the bill. While the bill states that its meaning "includes the production and marketing of agricultural commodities and livestock," it leaves the definition open to include practically anything else.The bill allows exceptions to the disclosure ban for purposes of technical financial aid to farmers or in response to a disease or pest threat, if the Agriculture Secretary determines it appropriate. It also allows exceptions when disclosure of individual payment information is otherwise required by law, or when information has been aggregated into statistical form.The language, previously not considered by either chamber of Congress, was included in the version of the Farm Bill (HR 2419) agreed to by conferees. The conference report was agreed to by both House (May 14, 2008) and Senate (May 15). President Bush vetoed it May 21 because of the subsidies it contains, but both chambers are expected to override the veto.Adoption of the more sweeping secrecy language came after conferees dropped language that would have prohibited disclosure of simple "phone book" information about feedlots collected for the National Animal Identification System.Text of Sec. 1619 of HR 2419 (cleared by House and Senate and currently awaiting President Bush's signature).Previous Story: WatchDog of May 7, 2008.
The Society of Environmental Journalists
P.O. Box 2492 Jenkintown, PA 19046
[email protected]
© 1994-2014 Society of Environmental Journalists
The SEJ logo is a registered trademark ® of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Neither the logo nor anything else from the sej.org domain may be reproduced without written consent of the Society of Environmental Journalists. | 农业 |
2014-49/0452/en_head.json.gz/16527 | E-COMMERCE PROFILEFARMBID.COM: CREATING A ONE-STOP SHOPSandra SanchezMay 2000
With the farming industry valued at $825 billion and agriculture ranked as one of the top five business-to-business e-commerce opportunities, there is no wonder why farmers are looking to the Internet as a way of staying abreast of industry news, keeping in touch with peers, and finding new means to increase efficiency and productivity - without increasing overhead. And there's no wonder why farmbid.com is looking to satisfy those farmers.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service found that from 1997 to 1999, the percentage of farmers gaining access to the Internet leads or matches the general public in 40 states. Before the wave of the Internet, buying and selling farm equipment and products required travel to the nearest town. Today, farmers are increasingly turning to the Internet to cut deals and attend auctions. Auction categories on farmbid.com include tractors, parts, tools, technology, livestock, crops and forage, produce, country store and supplies. Discount drug brands from recognized companies may also be purchased. Due to the speed of the Internet, an extreme number of products can be sold within 30 seconds.
"Farmbid.com is to agricultural markets what eBay.com and Amazon.com are to the masses," said Ted Farnsworth, CEO and founder of farmbid.com. "It's a part of their life as they trade or sell items like tractors, combines and even livestock."
Bringing farmers together in a virtual community is another major feature of the Web site. The Community section features include discussion groups and chat rooms, a section for humor called 'Farm Jokes,' and a cookbook that lists mouth-watering recipes. Farmbid.com also offers a unique 'Wanted' section where farmers can post listings of items they are seeking. Updated daily, noteworthy industry news is featured on the site's home page, in addition to Department of Agriculture reports and news features relevant to large- and small-scale farmers. It also offers real-time, localized weather reports which are updated every twenty minutes. Farmbid.com was created to serve as a tool to keep farmers equipped with up-to-the minute news, weather, and industry information. To date, more than 90,000 farmers have registered with farmbid.com and 10 percent of the site's traffic is international." Farnsworth says, "By using these easily accessible services, farmers can stay informed and ultimately increase their farm's efficiency and profitability."
In order to make the site easily accessible to farmers, farmbid.com is continuously securing strategic partnerships. For example, last year farmbid.com announced a long-term sponsorship commitment with the National FFA organization. Recently, farmbid.com announced its partnership with Alliance Logistics, which facilitates the site to provide turnkey e-commerce and distribution logistics to animal health suppliers. Users will be provided with a viable and highly effective way to purchase health supplies via the Internet. Manufacturers of animal health supplies can reach farmers and veterinarians seamlessly through farmbid.com's comprehensive procurement solution. In addition, farmbid.com has been working closely with Rosenbluth International, a world-class customer-service company, to build a platform for top-of-the-range customer care for farmers. Farmers will benefit from this complete customer-service solution where both online and offline users can ask any technical-, functional- or product-related question by means that are most convenient and comfortable for them, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Through the Rosenbluth International partnership, farmbid.com will be working with Rosenbluth Interactive, an online affiliate of Rosenbluth International, to provide travel services to farmers using farmtravel.com. Farmtravel.com will provide farmbid.com users with customized, around-the-clock travel services using Rosenbluth Interactive's online and offline travel services. "The Internet is a valuable tool for farmers," says Farnsworth. "Farmbid.com is proud to be a major resource for farmers and is delighted to provide them with so many benefits." AM
Sandra Sanchez is an agricultural expert for L&L Communications in Deerfield Beach, Fla. | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/144 | - Visit our website - FarmAid.org
- Donate
- Get email updates
- HOMEGROWN.ORG
Farm Aid Stands With Farmers and Ranchers Opposing...
Win a $10,000 "Lift" for Your Farm!
A Tale of Neil Young Fans and Longtime Farm Aid Su...
Follow @FarmAid
Farm Aid on Youtube
Farm Aid Followers
Win a $10,000 "Lift" for Your Farm! I'm thrilled to be part of an exciting new opportunity for family farmers: the Mortgage Lifter project. Read on for a chance to win $10,000 for your farm.In 2013, Beekman 1802 co-founders Josh Kilmer-Purcell & Brent Ridge had a big idea. For years they'd struggled to grow their farm business enough for Josh to leave his job in the city so they could both live happily ever after as full-time farmers.So they decided to create a line of Pasta Sauces that would use a variety of tomato first bred in the 1930s with a funny, but appropriate name: "The Mortgage Lifter Tomato." (Find out how the Mortgage Lifter got its name.) If they could just sell enough jars, they could pay off their mortgage and Josh could move upstate permanently.Then, through a lucky twist of fate, the pair won "The Amazing Race," a television reality competition. Finally able to pay off their own mortgage, they thought: "Hey, wouldn't it be great if other small farms could catch a similar break?'"So they decided they'd pay forward 25% of the profits from their sauces to help promising small farms grow into medium-size farms. In 2013, they raised more than $13,000 for the project and now they're giving that money away to small farmers with big ideas.Mortgage Lifter sauces are produced from quality, non-GMO whole ingredients sourced from both small American farms and also larger American farms. They are prepared by a family-owned co-packer with the scale to supply larger grocery chains. This combination of efforts results in sauces that taste as homemade as they are, but can be competitively priced to appear on a grocery store shelf.But the best part is that 25% of the profits are then returned to small farms to help them grow larger.Find out more specifics about who is eligible for Mortgage Lifter Lifts and apply today! It's easy, just tell your story. See if your local farmer has applied for a "lift," and if not let them know about it! There are four prizes, and the top prize is $10,000. Winners will be announced on April 29.
by Jennifer Fahy
www.farmaid.org | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/464 | George Orwell Biography
Green tea leaves steeping in cup
Tea is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring boiling hot water over cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. It has a cooling, slightly bitter, astringent flavour which many people enjoy.
Consumption of tea (especially green) is beneficial to health and longevity given its antioxidant, flavanols, flavonoids, polyphenols, and catechins content. Tea catechins have known anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities, help to regulate food intake, and have an affinity for cannabinoid receptors, which may suppress pain and nausea, and provide calming effects.
Consumption of green tea is associated with a lower risk of diseases that cause functional disability, such as “stroke, cognitive impairment, and osteoporosis” in the elderly.
Tea contains L-theanine, and its consumption is strongly associated with a calm but alert and focused, relatively productive (alpha wave dominant), mental state in humans. This mental state is also common to meditative practice.
The phrase herbal tea usually refers to infusions of fruit or herbs made without the tea plant, such as rose hip tea or chamomile tea. Alternative phrases for this are tisane or herbal infusion, both bearing an implied contrast with “tea” as it is construed here.
Cultivation and harvesting
Tea plant (Camellia sinensis)
Camellia sinensis is an evergreen plant that grows mainly in tropical and subtropical climates. Some varieties can also tolerate marine climates and are cultivated as far north as Pembrokeshire in the British mainland and Washington in the United States.
Tea plants are propagated from seed or by cutting; it takes about four to 12 years for a tea plant to bear seed, and about three years before a new plant is ready for harvesting. In addition to a zone 8 climate or warmer, tea plants require at least 127 cm. (50 inches) of rainfall a year and prefer acidic soils. Many high-quality tea plants are cultivated at elevations of up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level: at these heights, the plants grow more slowly and acquire a better flavour.
Only the top 1-2 inches of the mature plant are picked. These buds and leaves are called “flushes”. A plant will grow a new flush every seven to 15 days during the growing season, and leaves that are slow in development always produce better-flavored teas.
Tea plantation in Malaysia
A tea plant will grow into a tree of up to 16 m (52 ft) if left undisturbed, but cultivated plants are pruned to waist height for ease of plucking.
Two principal varieties are used: the China plant (C. s. sinensis), used for most Chinese, Formosan and Japanese teas (but not Pu-erh); and the clonal Assam tea plant (C. s. assamica), used in most Indian and other teas (but not Darjeeling). Within these botanical varieties, there are many strains and modern Indian clonal varieties. Leaf size is the chief criterion for the classification of tea plants, with three primary classifications being: Assam type, characterized by the largest leaves; China type, characterized by the smallest leaves; and Cambod, characterized by leaves of intermediate size.
Processing and classification
Teas can generally be divided into categories based on how they are processed. There are at least six different types of tea: white, yellow, green, oolong (or wulong), black (called red tea in China), and post-fermented tea (or black tea for the Chinese) of which the most commonly found on the market are white, green, oolong , and black. Some varieties, such as traditional oolong tea and Pu-erh tea, a post-fermented tea, can be used medicinally.
Fresh tea leaves of different sizes. The smaller the leaf, the more expensive the tea.
After picking, the leaves of C. sinensis soon begin to wilt and oxidize, unless they are immediately dried. The leaves turn progressively darker as their chlorophyll breaks down and tannins are released. This enzymatic oxidation process, known as fermentation in the tea industry, is caused by the plant’s intracellular enzymes and causes the tea to darken. In tea processing, the darkening is stopped at a predetermined stage by heating, which deactivates the enzymes responsible. In the production of black teas, the halting of oxidization by heating is carried out simultaneously with drying.
Without careful moisture and temperature control during manufacture and packaging, the tea may become unfit for consumption, due to the growth of undesired molds and bacteria. At minimum, it may alter the taste and make it undesirable.
Blending and additives
Although single estate teas are available, almost all teas in bags and most other teas sold in the West are blends. Blending may occur in the tea-planting area (as in the case of Assam), or teas from many areas may be blended. The aim of blending is to obtain better taste, higher price, or both, as a more expensive, better-tasting tea may cover the inferior taste of cheaper varieties.
Some teas are not pure varieties, but have been enhanced through additives or special processing. Tea is highly receptive to inclusion of various aromas; this may cause problems in processing, transportation, and storage, but also allows for the design of an almost endless range of scented and flavored variants, such as bergamot (Earl Grey), vanilla, caramel, and many others.
Tea contains catechins, a type of antioxidant. In a freshly picked tea leaf, catechins can compose up to 30% of the dry weight. Catechins are highest in concentration in white and green teas, while black tea has substantially fewer due to its oxidative preparation. Research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has suggested the levels of antioxidants in green and black tea do not differ greatly, as green tea has an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of 1253 and black tea an ORAC of 1128 (measured in μmol TE/100 g). Antioxidant content, measured by the lag time for oxidation of cholesterol, is improved by the cold water steeping of varieties of tea.
Tea also contains L-theanine, and the stimulant caffeine at about 3% of its dry weight, translating to between 30 mg and 90 mg per 8 oz (250 ml) cup depending on type, brand, and brewing method.
Tea also contains small amounts of theobromine and theophylline. Due to modern environmental pollution, fluoride and aluminium have also been found to occur in tea, with certain types of brick tea made from old leaves and stems having the highest levels. This occurs due to the tea plant’s high sensitivity to and absorption of environmental pollutants.
Although tea contains various types of polyphenols and tannin, it does not contain tannic acid. Tannic acid is not an appropriate standard for any type of tannin analysis because of its poorly defined composition.
Origin and history
Tea plants are native to East and South Asia, and probably originated around the point of confluence of the lands of northeast India, north Burma and southwest China.
Although there are tales of tea’s first use as a beverage, no one is sure of its exact origins. The first recorded drinking of tea is in China, with the earliest records of tea consumption dating back to the 10th century BC. It was already a common drink during the Qin Dynasty (third century BC) and became widely popular during the Tang Dynasty, when it was spread to Korea and Japan. Trade of tea by the Chinese to Western nations in the 19th century spread tea and the tea plant to numerous locations around the world.
Tea was imported to Europe during the Portuguese expansion of the 16th century, at which time it was termed chá. In 1750, tea experts traveled from China to the Azores Islands, and planted tea, along with jasmines and mallows, to give the tea aroma and distinction. Both green and black tea continue to grow in the islands, which are the main suppliers to continental Portugal. Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II, took the tea habit to Great Britain around 1660, but until the 19th century, tea was not as widely consumed in Britain as it is today. In Ireland, tea had become an everyday beverage for all levels of society by the late 19th century, but it was first consumed as a luxury item on special occasions, such as religious festivals, wakes, and domestic work gatherings such as quiltings.
Several of the potential health benefits proposed for tea are outlined in this excerpt from Mondal (2007, pp. 519–520) as following:
Tea leaves contain more than 700 chemicals, among which the compounds closely related to human health are flavonoids, amino acids, vitamins (C, E and K), caffeine and polysaccharides. Moreover, tea drinking has recently proven to be associated with cell-mediated immune function of the human body. Tea plays an important role in improving beneficial intestinal microflora, as well as providing immunity against intestinal disorders and in protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage. Tea also prevents dental caries due to the presence of fluorine. The role of tea is well established in normalizing blood pressure, lipid depressing activity, prevention of coronary heart diseases and diabetes by reducing the blood-glucose activity. Tea also possesses germicidal and germistatic activities against various gram-positive and gram negative human pathogenic bacteria. Both green and black tea infusions contain a number of antioxidants, mainly catechins that have anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic and anti-tumoric properties.
Catechins in green tea possess anticancer properties against “cancer in various organs, including the colorectum and liver, and are known to exert anti-obesity, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory effects.” “Branched-chain amino acids in green tea may prevent progressive hepatic failure in patients with chronic liver diseases, and might be effective for the suppression of obesity-related liver carcinogenesis.”
Anticarcinogenic effects of tea polyphonols has been provided by numerous in vitro and experimental studies, which describe their action to “bind directly to carcinogens, induce phase II enzymes such as UDP-glucuronosyl transferase and inhibit heterocyclic amine formation.” “Molecular mechanisms, including catechin-mediated induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, inhibition of transcription factors NF-κB and AP-1 and reduction of protein tyrosine kinase activity and c-jun mRNA expression have also been suggested as relevant chemopreventive pathways for tea.” Protective effects from tea consumption are observed less frequently in populations whose intake of black tea predominates.
Numerous recent epidemiological studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of green tea consumption on the incidence of human cancers. These studies suggest significant protective effects of green tea against oral, pharyngeal, esophageal, prostate, digestive, urinary tract, pancreatic, bladder, skin, lung, colon, breast, and liver cancers, and lower risk for cancer metastasis and recurrence.
Possibly most noteworthy are human intervention studies that find consumption of green tea cuts the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers, and advanced prostate cancer by 50%.
Cholesterol and blood sugar levels are lowered significantly by drinking green tea. Drinking green tea is negatively associated with diabetes, possibly due to moderated oxidative stress on fats, which may reduce insulin resistance.
Consumption of green tea is associated with a lower risk of diseases that cause functional disability, such as “stroke, cognitive impairment, and osteoporosis” in the elderly. Specific to mental function, researchers in 2010 found people who consumed tea had significantly less cognitive decline than tea nondrinkers. The study used data on more than 4,800 men and women aged 65 and older to examine change in cognitive function over time. Study participants were followed for up to 14 years for naturally occurring cognitive decline. (AAICAD, 2010)
L-theanine in tea may reduce stress by inducing a calm but alert, focused, and relatively productive (alpha wave dominant) mental state in humans. This mental state is also common to meditative practice.
The word “tea”
The Chinese character for tea is 茶. It is pronounced differently in the various Chinese languages. Most pronounce it along the lines of cha (Mandarin has chá), but the Min varieties along the central coast of China and in Southeast Asia pronounce it like te. These two pronunciations of the Chinese word for tea have made their separate ways into other languages around the world:
Te is from tê in the Amoy dialect, spoken in Fujian Province and Taiwan. It reached the West from the port of Xiamen (Amoy), once a major point of contact with Western European traders such as the Dutch, who spread it to Western Europe.
Cha is from the Cantonese chàh, spoken in Guangzhou (Canton) and the ports of Hong Kong and Macau, also major points of contact, especially with the Portuguese, who spread it to India in the 16th century. The Korean and Japanese words cha come from the Mandarin chá.
The widespread form chai comes from Persian چای chay. This derives from Mandarin chá, which passed overland to Central Asia and Persia, where it picked up the Persian grammatical suffix -yi before passing on to Russian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, etc.
English has all three forms: cha or char (both pronounced /ˈtʃɑː/), attested from the 16th century; tea, from the 17th; and chai, from the 20th.
Languages in more intense contact with Chinese, Sinospheric languages like Vietnamese, Zhuang, Tibetan, Korean, and Japanese, may have borrowed their words for tea at an earlier time and from a different variety of Chinese, so-called Sino-Xenic pronunciations. Korean and Japanese, for example, retain early pronunciations of ta and da. Ta comes from the Tang Dynasty court at Chang’an: that is, from Middle Chinese. Japanese da comes from the earlier Southern Dynasties court at Nanjing, a place where the consonant was still voiced, as it is today in neighboring Shanghainese zo. Vietnamese and Zhuang have southern cha-type pronunciations.
Etymological observations
The different words for tea fall into two main groups: “te-derived” (Min) and “cha-derived” (Cantonese and Mandarin). The words that various languages use for “tea” reveal where those nations first acquired their tea and tea culture.
Portuguese traders were the first Europeans to import the herb in large amounts. The Portuguese borrowed their word for tea (cha) from Cantonese in the 1550s via their trading posts in the south of China, especially Macau.
In Central Asia, Mandarin cha developed into Persian chay, and this form spread with Persian trade and cultural influence.
Russia (chai) encountered tea in Central Asia.
The Dutch word for “tea” (thee) comes from the Min dialect. The Dutch may have borrowed their word for tea through trade directly from Fujian, or from Fujianese or Malay traders in Java. From 1610 on, the Dutch played a dominant role in the early European tea trade, via the Dutch East India Company, influencing other languages to use the Dutch word for tea. Other European languages whose words for tea derive from the Min dialect (via Dutch) include English, French (thé), Spanish (te), and German (Tee).
The Dutch first introduced tea to England in 1644. By the 19th century, most British tea was purchased directly from merchants in Canton, whose population uses cha, though English never replaced its Dutch-derived Min word for tea.
At times, a te form will follow a cha form, or vice versa, giving rise to both in one language, at times one an imported variant of the other.
In North America, the word chai is used to refer almost exclusively to the Indian masala chai (spiced tea) beverage, in contrast to tea itself.
The inverse pattern is seen in Moroccan colloquial Arabic (Darija), ash-shay means “generic, or black Middle Eastern tea” whereas at-tay refers particularly to Zhejiang or Fujian green tea with fresh mint leaves. The Moroccans are said to have acquired this taste for green tea— unique in the Arab world— for East Chinese green tea after the ruler Mulay Hassan exchanged some European hostages captured by the Barbary pirates for a whole ship of Chinese tea.
The colloquial Greek word for tea is tsáï, from Slavic chai. Its formal equivalent, used in earlier centuries, is téïon, from tê.
The Polish word for a tea-kettle is czajnik, which could be derived directly from chai or from the cognate Russian word. However, tea in Polish is herbata, which, as well as Lithuanian arbata, was derived from the Latin herba thea, meaning “tea herb”.
The normal word for tea in Finnish is tee, which is a Swedish loan. However, it is often colloquially referred to, especially in Eastern Finland and in Helsinki, as tsai, tsaiju, saiju or saikka, which is cognate to Russian word chai. The latter word refers always to black tea, while green tea is always tee.
In Ireland, or at least in Dublin, the term cha is sometimes used for “tea”, as is pre-vowel-shift pronunciation “tay” (from which the Irish Gaelic word tae is derived). Char was a common slang term for tea throughout British Empire and Commonwealth military forces in the 19th and 20th centuries, crossing over into civilian usage.
The British English slang word “char” for “tea” arose from its Cantonese Chinese pronunciation “cha” with its spelling affected by the fact that ar is a more common way of representing the phoneme /ɑː/ in British English.
Masala chai (literally “mixed-spice tea”) from the Indian subcontinent
Tea may be consumed early in the day to heighten alertness; it contains theophylline and bound caffeine (sometimes called theine). Decaffeinated brands are also sold.
While tea is the second most consumed beverage on Earth after water, in many cultures it is also consumed at elevated social events, such as afternoon tea and the tea party. Tea ceremonies have arisen in different cultures, such as the Chinese and Japanese tea ceremonies, each of which employs traditional techniques and ritualized protocol of brewing and serving tea for enjoyment in a refined setting. One form of Chinese tea ceremony is the Gongfu tea ceremony, which typically uses small Yixing clay teapots and oolong tea.
Tea is prevalent in most cultures in the Middle East. In Arab culture, tea is a focal point for social gatherings.
In Pakistan, both black and green teas are popular and are known locally as sabz chai and kahwah, respectively. The popular green tea called kahwah is often served after every meal in in the Pashtun belt of Balochistan and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is where the Khyber Pass of the Silk Road is found. In the Kashmir region of Pakistan, Kashmiri chai or noon chai, a pink, milky tea with pistachios and cardamom, is consumed primarily at special occasions, weddings, and during the winter months when it is sold in many kiosks. In Central and Southern Punjab along with metropolitan Sindh, tea with milk and sugar (sometimes with cardamoms, etc.), commonly referred as chai, is widely consumed. It is the most common beverage of working class and households. In the northern Pakistani regions of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan, | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/509 | From battlefield to farm, this soldier is making a difference
By ANN Marie O’PHELANCentral Florida’s Agri-Leader Published: June 18, 2014
During 2003-2004, when Adam Burke was in Iraq on a tour of duty as an infantry Army soldier (16-months), returning to the states to work in farming wasn’t what he had in mind.
“I went to college to prepare to work for corporate America, but I found myself drawn to my farming roots,” said Burke, the founder of Veterans Farm, in Jacksonville. Burke explained that although he was raised on a blueberry farm, and comes from a family of several generations of farmers, he was the first generation not to go directly into farming. “I joined the military to get away from it all,” added Burke.
Burke, a former Army sergeant, combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, was injured in a mortar attack in Iraq and became a victim of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Instead of letting the experience keep him down, he used it as a catalyst to dedicate his life to helping others. In 2009, Burke founded Veterans Farm to help disabled combat veterans reintegrate into society by way of agriculture. All told, this 19-acre farm has assisted 116 veterans. The farm provides a 6-month Beginning Farmer Fellowship Program, where veterans can learn the skills and gain the education they need to start their own farm or to work for a large farming organization. On-site, the farm grows and sells blueberries, herbs, vegetables and datil peppers (exceptionally hot) — all grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides. Two fishponds, goats for meat production and beehives are also found on the farm. For veterans who are coming in from out of the local area, housing is found for them.
When it’s blueberry season, the farm is a popular choice for the local general population. “On Saturdays, we can have upwards of 500 or more people visit the farm to purchase our products,” said Burke.
After completion of the fellowship program, veterans are further assisted. “In our post alumni program, we offer veterans additional training and match them with mentoring farmers,” said Burke, who explained that they also find resources for fellowship graduates, such as help in leasing land or with the expense of a start up.
In addition to farming opportunities offered through the fellowship program, Veterans Farm has also made donations to veterans. “We have donated several tractors, trucks, equipment, tools and seed money, as well as leased land for them.”
Although the fellowship is currently a six-month program, soon Veterans Farm will be offering an intensive three-month accredited program through partnership with the University of Florida. UF will teach all of the classes, in tangent, there will also be hands-on field production, and studies in agricultural management. Certifications will be offered to fellowship graduates in Organic Practices, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HAACP), a production-control system that is mandatory for meat, poultry and fish, and other foods, and is a voluntary system for produce. The training is designed to help beginning farmers and ranchers learn or increase their skills and education in farming and ranching. “We partner with several other local farms, as well those in other areas, to help provide training to our veterans,” said Burke. Burke explained that having a partner is key to learning as the farming partners bring experience and new farming techniques that they can teach to Veterans Farm’s fellowship students.
In 2012, Adam Burke was awarded a Presidential Citizens Medal by President Barack Obama. In 2013, he was recognized by 5-hour ENERGY’s Helps Amazing People program. In 2011, The Good People Foundation acknowledged him as a Good Person of the Year. Also, during 2011, Burke received the Star of Honor from Work Vessels for Veterans. Furthermore, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Mayor Alvin Brown of Jacksonville have all recognized Burke’s efforts.
Burke explained his choice in returning to his farming roots in order to help himself and other disabled combat veterans adapt and reintegrate into civilian life, “Coming from several generations of farmers, farming is in my blood.”
Veterans Farm
5571 Long Branch Rd
http://veteransfarm.org/
https://www.facebook.com/veterans.farm | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/1615 | Organic Dry Black Turtle Beans - 1 pound box Buy Online
Eden Organic Dry Black Turtle Beans are organically grown on Michigan family farms by farmers we know and trust. Eden Beans are pure and nourishing because they're grown in vital living soil, free of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers for decades.
Eden Organic Dry Black Beans are packaged in boxes made from recycled and recyclable paperboard, one of the most environmentally friendly packages available. According to the 100 percent Recycled Paperboard Alliance (RPA100.com), "Fourteen trees are saved for each ton of paperboard converted to 100 percent recycled paperboard. Trees are critical to the sequestration of CO2 (a greenhouse gas) in North America. For each ton of paperboard converted to 100 percent recycled paperboard, an equal amount of recovered fiber has been diverted from municipal landfills. Production of 100 percent recycled paperboard uses 50 percent less energy compared to virgin grades of paperboard, thus significantly reducing the greenhouse gases released into the environment."
The black turtle bean Phaseolus vulgaris originated in southern Mexico and Central America over 7,000 years ago according to archeological findings. It is one of more than 500 varieties of beans referred to as the 'common beans' that are related to the kidney bean. They were a staple food in the diets of Central and South Americans and supplied the missing amino acids in the corn based diets of these countries. Today its use has spread throughout the world but is most popular in Latin American countries, the Caribbean Islands, South America, and in the southern and southwestern United States. Other names for this bean are Mexican black, black Spanish, Tampico, Venezuelan beans, caviar criollo, and frijoles.
According to the FDA, "Low fat diets rich in fruits and vegetables (foods that are low in fat and may contain dietary fiber, Vitamin A, or Vitamin C) may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors." Also, "Diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of hypertension or high blood pressure, a disease with many factors." Eden Organic Black Beans are an excellent source of fiber with 64 percent daily value (DV) per serving, low fat, cholesterol free, and very low sodium. They are rich in protein, iron, thiamin B1, magnesium, and manganese, and a good source of folate B9 and zinc.
Beans are an important source of two essential amino acids not found in many cereal grains, lysine and threonine. Whole grains complement beans and together deliver complete protein. Enjoying a variety of beans with whole grain is a solid step toward a healthy life.
Enjoy Eden Organic Black Beans cooked with organic whole grains (especially delicious with brown rice, corn, cornbread, and polenta dishes), in soups, salads, dips, and in making refried beans for tacos and burritos. An essential to Mexican and Central and South American cuisine. We love them in salsa.
Place 3 cups of cold water per 1 cup soaked beans in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, boil uncovered for about 10 minutes, skim off and discard any foam that rises. Your favorite vegetables and spices can be added at this point if desired. In addition we recommend adding a one inch strip of Eden Kombu sea vegetable for each cup of dried beans to help soften and accentuate flavor. Do not add sea salt until 80 percent done. Salt added at the beginning of cooking prevents beans from fully softening. Reduce the flame, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, adding more water just to cover if needed. When 80 per cent done, season with about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Eden Sea Salt. Cover and simmer for several more minutes or until tender.
Wash and soak beans as directed. Place beans in cooker, add 2 to 2 1/2 cups of water for each cup of soaked beans. If making soup, add 3 to 4 cups water per cup of beans. Add all seasonings and vegetables except sea salt at the start of cooking. Cover the cooker and bring up to pressure. Reduce the flame to medium-low. Cooking times vary depending on the type of pressure cooker. Please follow your pressure cooker's suggested time. When done remove from heat and allow the pressure to come down. When all pressure has been released, remove the lid. Add sea salt and simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes. Buy Online | | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/1739 | Gardening Articles: Landscaping :: Yard & Garden Planning
Marc Cathey: The Zone Map Man
by Charlie Nardozzi
The next time you're using a plant's hardiness zone rating to determine its suitability to your garden, thank Marc Cathey. Marc has dedicated his life to the world of horticulture and making gardeners more successful. He worked for the USDA for 37 years researching the effects of light, temperature and chemicals on plant growth. He also has been the director of the National Arboretum in Washington, DC, for 10 years; president of the American Horticultural Society (AHS) from 1993 to 1997; and president emeritus of AHS since 1997. Marc has authored numerous books and appeared on national television shows, such as the Today Show and Good Morning America. Even with all his prestigious positions, however, Marc is best known for his work with plant zone maps.
USDA Hardiness Zone Map
Fifteen years ago Marc helped spearhead a movement to revise the USDA hardiness zone map. This essential map shows in detail the average annual minimum temperatures that can be expected each year in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and categorizes them into 11 zones. It hadn't been revised for 30 years, and several other hardiness zone maps were in use across the country. Using weather data collected between 1974 and 1986, Marc and his colleagues created the first standardized hardiness map that has gained widespread acceptance. Marc not only helped with the technical aspects of redrawing hardiness zones, he also assisted in securing funding to print and produce the map.
Although the 1990 Hardiness Zone Map has helped countless gardeners and nurserymen with plant selection, a few years ago Marc realized the map needed further updating. The last 10 years have been unusually warm, suggesting some zones should be shifted northward. The first draft of the revised map had the nursery industry uneasy because the changes were considered too dramatic.
"We've been working with the horticulture industry and USDA scientists to decide how many years of hardiness data should be used to redraw the new map," says Marc. "Now we're looking to include data from 8000 different reporting stations over the past 30 years instead of just the past 15 years. The resulting new map should look more like the 1990 map than the first draft," says Marc.
"An equally valid reason for retooling the hardiness zone map is to create an electronic version," says Marc. The 1990 map is widely available in print and online. "However, the new electronic version will be downloadable online," he says. "It will even allow gardeners to download the map by county, giving home gardeners a more accurate view of their hardiness zones." Marc believes the new hardiness zone map will be out sometime in 2005. AHS Heat Zone Map
Marc Cathey and the American Horticultural Society also led the charge to create a map that categorizes plants not by the absolute cold they can withstand but by the amount of heat they can survive. The AHS Heat Zone Map, published in 1997, has helped gardeners, especially in warmer parts of the country, understand which plants thrive in their summer heat. The 12-zone map indicates the average number of days with temperatures over 86° F (the temperatures at which plant cells suffer physiological damage). Since this map is relatively new, Marc doesn't have plans to revise it soon. "I'd say in 10 to 15 years we will have a new map," he says.
| 2 | Next
| [>>] | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/2506 | Independent Comment by Kurt Cobb on Environmental and Natural Resource News
Will GMO labeling have its day in court?
It appears as if organizers have gathered enough signatures to put an initiative on the November ballot in California which would require the labeling of genetically engineered foods. Of all the efforts to date to mandate such labeling, this initiative seems most likely to succeed in a state known for its health consciousness and its widespread organic agriculture (which doesn't permit genetically engineered crops).
But passage of the California initiative would almost certainly lead to a court battle as major producers of genetically engineered seeds seek to have the new law invalidated. We know this because the Monsanto Company, the largest purveyor of genetically modified seeds, threatened the state of Vermont with a lawsuit should its legislature pass a genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling bill. Though passed 9 to 1 by Vermont's House Agriculture Committee, the bill is likely to die because the legislature goes out of session shortly, too soon, it seems, for the full House to act. Next door Connecticut is moving a similar bill, the fate of which remains open.
Labeling is an existential issue for the GMO industry. Where labeling exists such as in Europe, there is virtually no demand for genetically modified foods. Consumers do not want them. Why? Because the industry cannot demonstrate any benefits for the consumer. The only benefits--large profits drained from farmers locked into the treadmill of buying new GMO seed every year--accrue to the companies. With no demonstrated benefits and lots of questions surrounding the safety of GMO foods, consumers are choosing to play it safe wherever they can knowingly make choices through labeling. It turns out that GMO labeling would be the equivalent of putting a skull and crossbones on a food package or piece of produce, and the companies know it.
That's why in any lawsuit aimed at striking down a GMO labeling law, the companies will seek to limit their argument to a procedural one, namely, that food labeling is the purview of the federal government. (They may also say such a labeling requirement violates their free speech rights. But I doubt if this will fly since governments, state and federal, already enforce many labeling requirements on food.)
The GMO companies will want to focus on the procedural issue of federal supremacy in food labeling for two reasons. First, those companies have a stranglehold on the U.S. Congress and know that it will never pass any GMO labeling requirements. Second, the companies desperately want to avoid any discussion of the substantive issue of "substantial equivalence," the notion, coined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that GMO crops are basically the same as conventional crops and therefore do not require any special testing for safety.
This is where it gets interesting because it is precisely here where the anti-GMO advocates find themselves on firmer ground. In any legal challenge to GMO labeling laws, those defending the laws could use a legal process called discovery to unearth documents and question officials and scientists at the various companies. What unreleased feeding studies might the defenders find in company files that would contradict the industry's claims? What failed research might they uncover that would shed light on the dangers of GMOs? In addition, there would be no reason why the defenders couldn't also call independent experts to testify about why GMOs really are different from conventional plants and animals, and therefore warrant a label. Who knows? We might even be treated to juicy testimony from an industry whistleblower about falsified test results. This is just the kind of high-profile discussion the GMO industry wants to avoid.
Here is a preview of what we might expect if such testimony were allowed:
When the question of GMO crops first came up at the FDA, the agency's scientists concluded that GMOs were, in fact, different enough that they should be tested in the way that new drugs are tested before approval. These scientists were overruled by the Clinton administration, and the widespread introduction of GMO ingredients into food began.
Since then, independent research has been hard to come by. The GMO companies fund much of the world's agricultural research and therefore can threaten to withdraw support from an institution whenever research--even that funded from other sources--might threaten the industry. In addition, the companies deny most researchers--read: those who can't be counted on to toe the party line--access to so-called "isogenic lines (conventional and Roundup Ready plant lines that are otherwise genetically identical)." Doing so would allow scientists to test whether the claimed benefits of the genetic alterations are significant or could possibly create drawbacks or dangers.
Despite this there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that, at the very least, GMO crops should undergo extensive safety testing before being released for use. And, there is further evidence that associated practices such as the profligate use of the pesticide glyphosate--known commercially as Monsanto's Ready Roundup used on genetically altered Ready Roundup tolerant plants to make chemical weeding easy--may be changing soil flora so that crops are much more susceptible to "sudden death syndrome," a fungal disease that rots the roots of plants. In addition, the pesticide may not be breaking down in the environment the way its maker says it does. Instead, it appears to linger and build up in the soil. Because glyphosate ties of up nutrients in the soil, it makes crops grown on land saturated with the pesticide less nutritious and more subject to the buildup of toxins.
It is difficult to say who would prevail in a court battle over GMO labeling, one that would almost certainly go to the Supreme Court. Although the current right-wing justices have shown deference to states in most of their opinions, they have also abandon principle whenever sticking to it would inconvenience large corporations--their love of which they announced most prominently in the so-called Citizens United case which has opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate money in politics.
When much of the world is essentially off limits to you because of labeling, when in the very large U.S. market more than 90 percent of the people say they want labeling, when a Google search for the industry's leading company, Monsanto, reveals "evil" as its first suggested additional search term, the only way you can win is to cheat. Buy state legislators, buy Congress, buy the courts (if you can), stack the government with former employees, lie to the public again and again.
The one thing that the GMO industry does not want is a discussion in the clear light of day of what it is doing and what it is suppressing. And, that is what the upcoming battle over the California GMO labeling initiative and, if it passes, the subsequent court case are going to provide.
P.S. One of the things the GMO lobby is going to claim in the California labeling fight is that requiring labels in just one state will drive up food costs. They will argue that this is because of the added costs of two labels for each product containing GMO ingredients and the costs of segregating properly labeled products bound for California from those going to the rest of the country. I have a simple fix for this: Put the California-compliant label on all products containing GMOs regardless of destination!
I'm preparing to be astonished should the food companies follow my suggestion.
Kurt Cobb is the author of the peak-oil-themed thriller, Prelude, and a columnist for the Paris-based science news site Scitizen. His work has also been featured on Energy Bulletin, The Oil Drum, 321energy, Common Dreams, Le Monde Diplomatique, EV World, and many other sites. He maintains a blog called Resource Insights.
Withdrawing from the global village
The world's elites don't want to admit it. But the kind of global village that they have insisted on building--a vast free-trade paradise run by an ever more complex and opaque system of logistics and finance--isn't working, not even for many of them. The cost of maintaining this brittle, complex system and keeping the huge imbalances it creates at bay is becoming dizzyingly expensive.
The consequences of those imbalances include heavily indebted countries such as Greece being driven into penury by the financial masters of Europe desperate to keep the Eurozone intact. They include an unsustainable system whereby the United States borrows from China to maintain U.S. consumption of cheap Chinese goods. (Most of that money has been recycled through mortgages on homes which were then used like ATMs in the past decade via waves of refinancing.)
The imbalances also include huge and growing inequality between the income and wealth of the few at the top and the rest of us. It's a truism in economics that if too much money gets concentrated into the hands of a few, precious little is left over for broad-based consumption by the mass of people except by means of greater indebtedness. And, that's what has happened. People have simply borrowed through the home mortgage machine and using credit cards to maintain their standard of living. Now, they've reached the maximum and are shedding debt. Deleveraging is what the economists call it.
The most obvious and dramatic cracks in the system are on display in Europe right now as it careens toward yet another financial crisis, this time involving Spain. The International Monetary Fund has solicited and received pledges for more than $400 billion in additional funds to address the emerging crisis in Europe. Already, trillions of taxpayer dollars have been spent or lent (often on poor collateral) to stave of the departure from the Eurozone of states that can no longer prosper under it. Expect trillions more to follow, all to satisfy ill-tempered investors who somehow thought buying government bonds from the likes of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Greece would be a risk-free venture.
As it turns out, those ill-tempered investors are mostly banks in more solvent Germany and France. The bailouts for Portugal, Ireland and Greece were really bailouts mostly for French and German banks. On the other hand, what is the point of having a system in which governments go to the private markets for loans if the banks they charter don't buy the bonds. Europe set up a system that was bound to fail. Germans export goods, lend money to Greeks, Italians, Spaniards and Portuguese to buy them, and fail to think about how these people are going to pay them back. Ditto France. The export model cannot be universally practiced. Somebody has to import stuff. It's a system that produces a kind of prosperity for all until it doesn't.
Now that that system is about the fall apart, preparations are being made. The European Investment Bank, the European Union's bank, is requiring currency clauses in loan agreements with firms in Greece, Ireland and Portugal, clauses that would force renegotiation of the loan terms should a new currency be issued by those countries. Insiders are convinced that there is a Plan B in European capitals for a Eurozone breakup and re-introduction of national currencies in some countries.
With a possible dissolution come new concerns about borders. France and Germany are about to broach the subject of reintroducing border controls in the European Union, something EU members have not had to deal with inside the EU territory since 1995. The excuse is that illegal immigrants are coming through porous places in the borders of such states as Greece. But it's no stretch to imagine that migration within the EU will become as big a problem when newly impoverished Greeks and Portuguese and soon-to-be impoverished Spaniards make their way to France and Germany looking for work.
In the United States economic distress has led to newly strident calls to build a fence from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas along the Mexican border. A world with free movement across borders when jobs are hard to find is no more appealing to Americans than it is to the French or the Germans. When it comes to trade, even free trade's friends have suddenly turned surly. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he wants to "designate China a currency manipulator and impose countervailing duties." Some might say that he doesn't mean it. On the other hand, in another environment he would never have even said it. In France, facing possible defeat at the polls by a socialist, free-trading President Nicholas Sarkozy has taken to ringing the protectionist bell as well.
The decision by the people of Iceland not to burden themselves with paying back European depositors who got stung when Iceland's banks failed strikes me as a nascent withdrawal from the constraints of the current global system. Iceland's decision seems premised on the notion that the integrated global financial system has benefitted only those at the top of financial institutions at great cost to Iceland and the poor European depositors lured there by high interest rates.
Ireland is the counterexample. The government there insisted that the people of Ireland take on nearly all of the country's failed bank obligations (owned mostly by nonresidents) which were far out of proportion to the size of the Irish economy. Ireland's decision to bear such a burden in order to stay within the Eurozone my prove pointless if Spain follows Greece into default and contagion spreads across the continent breaking up the Eurozone anyway.
Everywhere the costs of integration are starting to outweigh the benefits for the broad mass of people. Partly this is the structure of such integration which is designed to benefit the wealthy at the expense of the middle class and the poor. Partly such integration is fighting the tide of constrained energy availability. It is no accident that doubts about global integration are surfacing as oil prices hover around $100 a barrel. Cheap transportation is the backbone of global integration, and cheap transportation is fast becoming history.
Of course, at the level of local activists, there is a smorgasbord of efforts to make local resilience a priority in food, transportation, housing, education and commerce. But, not every aspect of the global village needs to be jettisoned. Ironically, the Internet has proven to be a powerful tool for sharing ideas across wide expanses about disengaging from an untenable global system. As our economic and resource difficulties intensify, look for more people calling for changes that disengage their countries and communities from the worst aspects of the global system.
When people at the very top of society begin to call for a withdrawal from the global system, even if only a partial one, you can be sure that many of the brightest and most energetic people down below have already figured out the advantages of doing just that. This is not really a call for complete isolation--just a call for a return to relations that are genuinely reciprocal and consistent with the energy limits which will govern our lives from now on.
The dumbest guys in the room: Is Cheniere Energy a contrarian indicator for natural gas?
Some people seem to have a knack for hopping aboard a trend just before it ends. Cheniere Energy Inc., owner of the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility in the United States, appears to be a case in point. In the world of finance, Cheniere would be what is called a contrary indicator, one that suggests that a trend is about to reverse.
In late 2004 when Cheniere received federal approval to construct a new LNG import facility at Cameron Parish, Louisiana, most experts believed U.S. natural gas production was already entering a long-term irreversible decline. Imported LNG would be needed to meet natural gas demand in the coming years. Named Sabine Pass, the facility received its first LNG cargo in April 2008 near the tail end of the last natural gas bull market. Prices peaked above $13 per thousand cubic feet (mcf) just two months later. It would have been a supremely good time to short everything related to natural gas. In the months that followed Cheniere's stock price collapsed.
Four years later U.S. natural gas prices hover around $2 per mcf due to a glut caused by a flood of new production from deep shale deposits. Domestic demand for high-cost imported LNG has evaporated. With Europeans bidding $12 for LNG cargoes and Asians bidding $16, there is simply no way for Cheniere to obtain LNG supplies that can compete with $2 natural gas.
So, Cheniere is reversing course. It is now building an export terminal at Sabine Pass and another one in Corpus Christi, Texas. Trying to put a good gloss on its wasted investment in import facilities at Sabine Pass, Cheniere tells investors on its website that it is "currently developing our proposed liquefaction project at our Sabine Pass terminal which would transform the terminal into a bi-directional LNG processing facility." Why anyone would simultaneously import and export LNG from the same facility is not explained.
The company's enthusiasm results from claims that the United States now has a 100-year supply of natural gas. That enthusiasm is shared by investors who seem unbothered by the actual data. The 100-year claim derives from an industry estimate of total resources, a significant portion of which will never turn into actual reserves. There is no evidence to suggest that all these resources will be both technically recoverable and economically profitable.
Proven U.S. reserves amount to only 11.5 years of consumption at 2010 rates. If we include proven and probable reserves, the number is 22 years, hardly a figure that inspires confidence that there will be adequate supplies available for export in the coming decades. In the same linked piece author Art Berman, a petroleum geologist and consultant who has carefully studied the state data for U.S. natural gas production, concludes that all major natural gas producing areas except Louisiana appear to be peaking in their rate of production. These include "Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf, and New Mexico [which] account for roughly 75% of U.S. natural gas supply and, therefore, provide a useful proxy for total U.S gas production."
It is worth quoting Berman at length to get the flavor of his analysis:For several years, we have been asked to believe that less is more, that more oil and gas can be produced from shale than was produced from better reservoirs over the past century. We have been told more recently that the U.S. has enough natural gas to last for 100 years. We have been presented with an improbable business model that has no barriers to entry except access to capital, that provides a source of cheap and abundant gas, and that somehow also allows for great profit. Despite three decades of experience with tight sandstone and coal-bed methane production that yielded low-margin returns and less supply than originally advertised, we are expected to believe that poorer-quality shale reservoirs will somehow provide superior returns and make the U.S. energy independent. Shale gas advocates point to the large volumes of produced gas and the participation of major oil companies in the plays as indications of success. But advocates rarely address details about profitability and they never mention failed wells.
Shale gas plays are an important and permanent part of our energy future. We need the gas because there are fewer remaining plays in the U.S. that have the potential to meet demand. A careful review of the facts, however, casts doubt on the extent to which shale plays can meet supply expectations except at much higher prices.(my emphasis)The entire piece should be required reading for anyone involved in energy policy or who is thinking about investing in anything related to natural gas. The upshot for investors is that natural gas prices are likely to recover much sooner than most analysts are predicting. Gas rig counts in North America tumbled from 906 during the first week of November to 624 last week. This is the lowest number of gas rigs deployed since 2002. As the count continues to fall, new production capacity will slip in the face of a 32 percent annual production decline rate. That's not a typo. The U.S. must now replace one-third of its natural gas production capacity each year just to stay even. Shale gas wells contribute to much of the problem with a first-year decline averaging 65 percent and a two-year decline rate around 80 percent. The rotary drills will only return to the shale gas fields when prices reach levels that are actually profitable which Berman estimates to be at least $4 per mcf for existing plays and up to $9 per mcf for some new ones. What this implies is much slower growth in supplies, something anticipated by the U.S. Energy Information Administration in its 2012 Annual Energy Outlook which projects that natural gas production will rise from 24.2 trillion cubic feet (tcf) in 2011 to 27.7 tcf in 2035, hardly a bonanza. Still, the EIA buys into the idea that the United States will become a net exporter of gas in 2021.
But Berman is skeptical believing that shale gas supplies will prove so challenging to extract that the country will find itself importing natural gas for a long time to come. If that's so, then we can look at Cheniere's decision to build natural gas export terminals as the perfect contrarian sign that U.S. natural gas prices are nearing their lows and will rise in the years to come.
The U.S. Congress and federal regulators may yet rue the day that they approved natural gas export terminals. Since such terminals typically enter into multi-decade contracts to ensure that they can recoup their costs, natural gas may be going out of the country just when domestic supplies are needed the most.
Cheniere expects its liquefaction plant, which liquefies natural gas by cooling it to -260 degrees F, to start operating in 2015. If that year marks the beginning of a sustained climb in U.S. natural gas prices brought on by increasing strains on domestic supplies, Cheniere will retain its usefulness as a contrary indicator. Increasingly expensive domestic gas may then result in small profit margins or even losses for exporters such as Cheniere. Between now and then, however, the hype surrounding U.S. natural gas supplies and LNG exports may help enrich a few Cheniere investors who are savvy enough to cash out before reality catches up with the company's stock price.
Disclosure: I have no investments related to Cheniere Energy Inc.
Should we care about the human future? If so, how much?
In virtually every institution in human society, we humans concern ourselves with the continuation of the species. We have children, we raise them in some sort of family, we educate them for the world of work and citizenship, and then we see them couple and start the cycle all over again. All the while we seek to defend ourselves from disease, violence, economic deprivation, in fact, anything that might cut short our lives or those of our children. It ought to be self-evident that human beings do care about the future. What I want to examine is whether they should and if so, how much.
For this I will need to take you through some simple thought experiments which will test just how much you might do for the sake of human continuity and just how far into the future you might project your own responsibility.
It is a truism that parents concern themselves with the well-being and happiness of their children and grandchildren (and great grandchildren if they live that long). So, a concern about the general state of human society will extend two or perhaps three generations into the future or roughly 50 to 75 years. After that, it's hard for us to put a lot of emotion into making things right for people we will never know.
But let's say you have an altruistic streak that transcends time. You actually believe that people you will never meet deserve your consideration now. You believe that you should leave them a society that makes a good life possible, however you conceive of that good life. How far into the future will this concern carry? 100 years? 1,000 years? 10,000 years? I sense your commitment fading the further out in time I go. After all, how can any of us possibly foresee what human life will be like in 10,000 years (assuming humans survive that long)? How can we even conceive of what a good life will look like then?
Now, let me throw a little cold water on your warm-blooded altruism. Let's say that today we as a global society decided to do everything we need to do to create what is roughly speaking a sustainable society. This would include ending our reliance on fossil fuels, adopting organic farming techniques, letting go of consumerism as an organizing principle, harvesting renewable resources only at the rate they can be renewed, gradually but drastically reducing population over time until it is below the Earth's carrying capacity for humans, and creating a cradle-to-cradle resource management system for all finite resources. Certainly, this list could be expanded. But the point is that the system we create could, in theory, be bequeathed to humans for as long as there is a planet Earth.
Now, what if at some point, say, 500 years into this grand experiment, a society arises that decides all these rules on what we can and cannot do should be repealed, especially the restriction on burning fossil fuels? So, today we make great sacrifices to move from a doomed society to one that is sustainable out of concern and respect for future generations. Then, some future generation blows it by undoing everything we've done. How's that for slap in the face? Except, of course, you won't be around to actually feel the slap. Still, this thought experiment forces us to confront a very ugly possibility and question how much we should sacrifice now for a potentially ungrateful and lethal generation in the future.
Now, let's go even further into the future. Let's say humans remain responsibly sustainable indefinitely. How long will that be? Well, the fossil record suggests that mammalian species such as humans have an average lifespan of 2 million years. So, if we date humans using the classification Homo sapiens, then we are a young species, perhaps 200,000 years old. If we date humans back to the beginning of the entire genus of hominids at least 4 million years ago, then humans are essentially in evolutionary overtime.
But no matter what time line you use, one thing remains true: The chances that we humans will defy the logic of the fossil record seem slim. Some 99 percent of all species that have ever existed on Earth have disappeared. We are very unlikely to evolve into some superior being that carries on the traditions and cultures of humans. We are much more likely to go extinct at some point no matter how sustainably we live as a species.
And finally, let's assume that somehow future humans evolve and adapt so well that they are alive billions of years from now. At some point, our Sun will expand as part of its death throes and consume the Earth. No more life at all on Earth at that point. (I know some of you are saying that perhaps humans will populate the stars. I see no realistic prospect that humans could actually do this even if they could find Earth-like planets. First, the distances would likely be so great that even highly advance spaceships would still take so long to reach such planets that the chance of survival would be small. Second, the Earth-like planet would almost certainly have micro-organisms that would kill humans almost as soon as they landed. Instead of the Andromeda strain coming to us, we would go to it.)
As I've lengthened the time line, no doubt you've found yourself wondering why any of us today should be concerned about the sustainability of human society in a future that is so vast that it is several orders of magnitude longer than human civilization has so far existed. Good question. The continuity of human beings simply cannot be guaranteed indefinitely into the future regardless of what our genes, our minds, or several hundred Star Trek episodes may tell us. We are largely powerless in that regard.
Now, I am not minimizing the impulse to make the world a sustainable place for our progeny. I recognize that as a very strong drive. And, it is one that is featured in countless environmentally-oriented appeals. But I am looking for bedrock here. Is there a way of thinking about sustainability that doesn't involve the inherently impossible task of seeking to assure human continuity indefinitely into the future? I think I have an answer.
Sustainable practices must be in and of themselves a path to a good life. If that's the case, then they are worth implementing simply because they lead to happier and more fulfilling lives. We can take a cue from the simplicity movement which embraced simple living as more fulfilling. Let me illustrate. I ride my bicycle for most of my errands and for exercise as well. Even if there were no climate change problem, even if there were no peak oil problem, even if there were no sustainability crisis, riding my bicycle would still enhance the quality of my life. I'm more fit. I'm more in touch with my physical surroundings. Typically, I'm still moving when traffic is halted. I can get closer to my destination. I pay no parking fees. I find myself now in a kind of universal brotherhood with every other cyclist on the road (a very underrated plus). I could go on. But I think it would be possible to say something similar about any practice that is truly sustainable.
I'm not suggesting that we give up on the rhetoric of creating a sustainable future for our children. But I am suggesting adding to that pitch that almost everything we call sustainable would make us happier even absent the problems we are trying to solve. That means people would ultimately have no regrets about adopting sustainable habits because, in general, they give us a fuller, more compelling life.
My 'Gasland' 'Tis of Thee
It is one thing to read about the fight over the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing or fracking that are associated with natural gas drilling in deep shale formations. It's quite another to see that fight captured on film. The documentary film Gasland provides a compelling, if one-sided, portrait of the devastation visited on the lives of those who live closest to the drilling.
What a huge mistake it was in retrospect for a natural gas driller to approach filmmaker Josh Fox with an offer to lease his land for drilling. Fox decided to look into the matter carefully, and his research led to the making of Gasland. "Know your audience" might have been a good piece of advice for the natural gas industry. Fox certainly knows his. His portraits of people whose health has been damaged and whose rural homesteads have been turned into houses of horror sited on nightmarish landscapes can only move viewers to pity and indignation. In keeping with the dictum that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the film has also moved the entire natural gas industry to rage.
No one from the industry agreed to be interviewed in the film; Fox gives viewers a long list of those who turned him down. I think they didn't trust him to be fair. But as any good public relations consultant will advise, that shouldn't have prevented the industry from making its case. It may have been that the industry feared it was running up against someone who actually knew what questions to ask.
As a close observer of the oil and gas industry, two things struck me about the film. First, the people most directly affected by natural gas drilling tend to be rural and of meager means. Because there are so few of them, they will never make up an electoral force on their own able to compel increased regulation of the industry. And, they have few options when their land, home and health are affected. Frequently, suing isn't one of them. Leaving is a difficult option since after their property has been stigmatized by the proximity of drilling, the land becomes more difficult to unload at any price.
Second, the film mentions the explicit exemption of hydraulic fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act, an exemption written into the 2005 Energy Policy Act. I've known about this exemption for a long time. And, obviously the exemption makes it cheaper to drill for shale gas since drillers are not obliged to follow federal water regulations. But the nature of those regulations as they relate to hydraulic fracturing was only made clear to me recently in a conversation I had with an environmental consultant to the oil and gas industry.
He said that one way to solve the controversy surrounding hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells would be to treat them as hazardous waste injection wells which for obvious reasons are subject to the toughest regulations of any kind related to drilling. Such wells are designed to inject liquid hazardous waste deep into the ground into strata far below any drinking water.
Watching the emissions and pollution resulting from the drilling and production operations shown in the film, I realized why the explicit exemption was inserted into the Safe Drinking Water Act. It occurred to me that the federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing operations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency might have resulted in the determination that fracturing fluids are hazardous waste. That would turn fracked natural gas wells into hazardous waste injection wells. Such a classification would make shale gas wells not just a little more expensive to drill, but tremendously more expensive to drill. And, that would mean that natural gas from shale would only come out of the ground at much, much higher prices.
The United States has based its power and economic vitality on cheap energy. The exemption was adopted to help keep energy cheap, knowing that it would not be if shale gas wells were extremely costly to drill.
Because most of us now live in cities, we may be unaware of the size of America's shale gas formations. Vast areas of Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio have shale gas beneath them. Large parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Colorado and Wyoming do, too. Gasland takes viewers on a shale gas roadtrip across the country to this new sub-territory within the country, a territory for which the rules that apply to the rest of us have been rewritten for the oil and gas industry. The people we meet have persistent headaches, breathing difficulties, newly acquired asthma, unexplained pain which now racks their bodies, and myriad other symptoms. Their ignitable water shoots flames when lit, the air smells of volatile hydrocarbons, and their animals, both household pets and livestock, don't always look so healthy.
Whether all of this is due to the pollution of their air, water and land by natural gas drilling and production cannot be easily proven. The shale gas boom hasn't been going on long enough for long-term studies to say for sure how serious the public health effects will be. Testing that is only now starting to be done suggests the effects will be profound. And, the damaged people whom we meet in the film give living witness to just such a possibility.
What America has done time and time again when it wants a valuable resource is convince itself that either its methods for getting it are surely safe or at least up to the industry standards, in other words, the best we can do. That then seems reason enough not to delay the profits that will follow. What is left behind is, in reality, a "sacrifice zone," an area and its people who are simply sacrificed for what is perceived as the greater good or sometimes just the greater greed.
Gasland is part of an American journalistic tradition of showing us this truth about ourselves. If you watch this movie and come out simply disgusted, you have missed the point. If you want to stop the devastation, you must take the first step yourself; you must turn down the gas. As long as we buy into the myth that we must have ever more energy to live well, we will be hostage to the energy giants who perpetrate this myth. Forcing them to extract natural gas and other fossil fuels more safely would be wise, but we should understand that it would mean smaller supplies and thus higher energy prices.
Ultimately, what we need to do is move away from fossil fuels altogether. After all, none of the people in Gasland would be suffering the maladies we witness if they were living next to solar panels or wind farms instead of shale gas wells.
INQUIRE ABOUT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND MEDIA APPEARANCES
PRELUDE, A PEAK OIL NOVELBY KURT COBB
Follow @kurtcobb
Bio & Email
VIEW COMMENTS POLICY
Why isn't the Keystone pipeline extension going to eastern Canada?
The one chart about oil's future everyone should see
Why the natural gas industry hates the movie 'Promised Land' so much
7 things everyone knows about energy that just ain't so (2013 Edition)
Energy transition: We need to do it fast and we're way behind
Ukraine, Russia and the nonexistent U.S. oil and natural gas "weapon"
A dramatic shift in the peak oil discussion: "You don't have to take my word for it"
Tar sands, oil shale, and heavy oil: Why the conventional wisdom about unconventional oil is likely to be wrong
The dumbest guys in the room: Is Cheniere Energy a...
Should we care about the human future? If so, how ...
Scitizen Columns
Time to Worry: World Oil Production Finishes Six Years of No Growth
The Road to Fukushima: The Nuclear Industry's Wrong Turn
The Electric Car Fetish
Fossil Fuels vs. The Public Interest
Global Coal Supplies: It Might Be Worse Than Anyone Thinks
Do Texas and the North Sea Foretell the Future of Oil Production?
Biophysical Economics: Putting Energy at the Center
Energy: The Achilles Heel of the Resource Pyramid
Energy and Money
The Energy Optimist's Lexicon
How Many Windmills Does It Take to Power the World?
More Columns...
The Best of Resource Insights
Are We Moving Toward a Fact-Free Future?
Suppressing Volatility Makes the World More Dangerous
Is Deception No Longer an Adaptive Human Strategy?
A Guide for the Perplexed Energy Policymaker
The Coolest Book I've Ever Read on Energy
Is Just-In-Time Nearly Out of Time?
Class Interests and the Future of Inflation
The Illusion of Individual Risk
Asymmetrical Accolades: Why Preventing a Crisis Almost Never Makes You a Hero
Making Society Forecast-Proof
The Trouble With Apocalypse
The Unfathomable Universe
The Big Question: What Do Generations Owe to Each Other?
The Unbearable Lightness of Information
Does Understanding Complexity Beget a Tragic View of Life?
Apollo 13: A Guilty Pleasure in the Age of Scarcity
The Overoptimized Society
The Net Energy Cliff
Manufactured Nightmares
The Pathos of Derrick Jensen
Unprepared
Deceptive Landscape
Copernicus, Darwin and the Cure for Autistic Economics
Attitude Adjustment: Facing Our Ecological Predicament
Apocalypse Always: Is the Peak Oil Movement Really Just Another Apocalyptic Cult?
The Illusion of Autonomy in the Fossil Fuel Age
Upside Down Economics
Peak Oil Sites
Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas (International)
Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas - USA
Hubbert Peak of Oil Production
Oil Depletion Analysis Centre
Grist Magazine
Copyright © 2004-2014 by Kurt Cobb | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/2533 | ContactJay Fletcher(202) 690-0498
Gail Bennett(304) 366-2921, ext. 214
AGRICULTURE SECRETARY ANNOUNCED FUNDING TO SUPPORT SMALL AND EMERGING RURAL BUSINESSES
Memphis, TN, Jul 31, 2013
-- @@ Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that projects in 30 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will be funded to support small and emerging rural businesses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. Today's announcement is one part of the Department's efforts to strengthen the rural economy. Rural Business-Cooperative Service Administrator Lillian Salerno made the announcement on behalf of Secretary Vilsack during a visit to highlight the activities of the Memphis Bioworks Foundation, Inc., regarding an ongoing project that was previously announced.
"The Obama Administration has been working to create economic opportunities in rural communities and bring well-paying jobs to the people that live there," Salerno said. "Strategic investments in rural businesses like the ones we are highlighting today not only help to deliver more products and services to local customers, they also contribute to rural revitalization and economic development in the small towns where these businesses are located."
The funding was made available through the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program, which promotes development of small and emerging businesses in rural areas. RBEGs may also be used to help fund distance learning networks and employment-related adult education programs. Eligible applicants for the program include public bodies, nonprofit corporations and federally recognized Indian Tribes. Since the beginning of the Obama Administration, the RBEG program has helped create or save more than 73,000 rural jobs, provided over $170.9 million in economic development assistance, improved manufacturing capability, and expanded health care and educational facilities, and has either expanded or helped establish almost 41,070 rural businesses and community projects.
Salerno visited the Memphis Bioworks Foundation to be briefed on progress of a $45,000 grant that is being used to expand the "Soldier to Civilian" (S2C) project. The S2C project was launched by the Crockett Policy Institute in rural west Tennessee to help veterans returning home find employment and meet the need for qualified agriculture workers in the area. Memphis Bioworks has teamed with the Institute on the S2C project, and the grant will enable the program to be extended to 110 counties in the Delta areas of Arksansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Today's announcement includes a complete listing of the 131 recipients receiving more than $6.5 million in USDA funding. The funding is contingent upon the recipients meeting the terms of the grant agreement.
The RBEG program finances a broad range of business projects. For example, an RBEG was approved in Ohio County, West Virginia, for West Liberty University Foundation, Inc., to provide resources and training to small businesses in Ohio County through the development of a modern business incubator. And, last year, USDA provided an RBEG to furnish a conference facility at the new terminal for Kaolin Field Airport in Sandersville, Georgia. According to Administrator Salerno, today's announcement is another reminder of the importance of USDA programs for rural America. A comprehensive new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill would further expand the rural economy; and she said that's just one reason why Congress must get a comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill done as soon as possible.
President Obama's plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President's leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way, strengthening America's economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA's investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values. President Obama and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack are committed to a smarter use of Federal resources to foster sustainable economic prosperity and ensure the government is a strong partner for businesses, entrepreneurs and working families in rural communities.
USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, has a portfolio of programs designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America. USDA has made a concerted effort to deliver results for the American people, even as the Department implements sequestration, the across-the-board budget reductions mandated under terms of the Budget Control Act.
USDA has already undertaken historic efforts since 2009 to save more than $828 million in taxpayer funds through targeted, common-sense budget reductions. These reductions have put USDA in a better position to carry out its mission, while implementing sequester budget reductions in a fair manner that causes as little disruption as possible. | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/3553 | Rails to the Future!HomeDonateFeed the TIGER!BackgroundWhy Now?EconomicsAttendee ListContact UsWheat Growers Hosting Patron/Grower Meetings in Lyman Countyon Sun Jun 22 2014, 10:12PM | by Kim(Aberdeen, SD) --- Patrons and growers are invited to a series of Wheat Growers meetings in Lyman County June 23 and 24. The meetings will focus on Wheat Growers commitment to build a facility in the area, as well as updating the status of the state of South Dakota’s plan to bring heavy rail service from Chamberlain to Presho. “We are moving forward with our plans to build a first-class grain shuttle facility and agronomy center in Lyman County,” Wheat Growers CEO Dale Locken said. “We’re eager to serve the producers in that area, most of whom are already Wheat Growers member-owners thanks to our existing agronomy and grain business. We want to gather input from citizens as we look to bring Wheat Growers service and greater access to reliable markets.” The first meeting will be June 23 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in Winner at the Holiday Inn Express. The first meeting on June 24 will be at the Reliance City Hall at 10:00 a.m., followed by a 12:30 p.m. meeting at the Kennebec Fire Hall and a 2:30 p.m. meeting in Presho, at the Presho Methodist Church. Locken praised the Rails to the Future organization and its members for their work in Pierre during the last legislative session, and also for stepping up to the plate and committing resources to help fund the project. Steve Halverson is Chairman of Rails to the Future. “We are excited that businesses such as Wheat Growers are stepping up to the plate to invest in Lyman County,” Halverson said. “We believe this railroad and its related businesses will be the largest economic development this area has ever seen, and will serve the citizens of central South Dakota for generations to come. The residents of the region saw this opportunity and invested in their future by supporting Rails to the Future.” “We appreciate the significant effort Rails to the Future has made in organizing and promoting this plan in Pierre and also raising over a million dollars that will be used to help build the heavy rail line and serve as matching funds in obtaining a TIGER grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation,” Locken said. “It shows the tremendous commitment that the producers, businesses and ag organizations in Lyman County have for this project. We’re patiently waiting the outcome of the state of South Dakota’s commitment to fund and build out heavy-rail service from Chamberlain to Presho.”Back to category overview Back to news overviewOlder NewsNewer News comment: 0Pledges to Rails to the Future | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/3869 | European Agriculture: Its Time for a Revolution
The hope for a form of European agriculture that is more attentive to the environment, both for taxpayers and for those who produce in a sustainable way, has recently suffered a setback. Last week Brussels took a definitive step backwards in the procedures that will give us the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2014, the instrument with which the future of our food will be decided.
It is not easy to explain to the common man what is happening, but it is fundamental to try. For the last 50 years the CAP has taken over almost half of the European budget, our money. Its reform is the chance to change a paradigm, towards a form of agriculture that is less oriented towards productivism and more respectful of territories, natural resources, farmers and citizens. To date, harmful agricultural practices that destroy the fertility of the land, the environment, the landscape, the intergenerational transmission and biodiversity have been favored, which is profoundly unfair toward the poorest third world countries. And thus Europeans have found themselves, many unconsciously, supporting harmful production methods for which they are paying twice: once for subsidies and again to repair the damages of these destructive agricultural practices. In short, the old CAP has been a disaster.
On January 23 and 24, the European Parliament’s Agricultural Committee (COMAGRI), voted on the amendments to the proposal for the CAP reform which was presented more than a year ago. They decided to block, impoverish or cancel the majority of measures which were put in place to improve the sustainability of our food production system. Now its up to the various governments which, in February, will decide the new budget dedicated to the CAP. More importantly, the European Parliament in March will still be able to correct the path that we have taken thus far, but they must act. For example, there is the possibility of introducing so-called “greening” measures, those dedicated to the environment. The largest part of the CAP’s budget has almost always been determined by a company’s surface area. Over time this has led to the rewarding of the largest companies that generally are not the most attentive to sustainability. Greening, on the other hand, would be revolutionary in its own small way: it would force even the largest companies to enact sustainable practices. Rather, with the amendments that were voted on last week they have made greening “flexible”, taking it apart piece by piece and thus creating so many loopholes as to render it useless. They have transformed greening into greenwashing: a mere cleaning up of the façade. With the new standards 82% of European companies would be exempted from these obligatory eco-friendly practices, and many other critical points as well. For example, companies would have the possibility of being paid twice for a single type of environmental measure, and the obligation to reserve seven percent of the company’s surface area for ecological purposes would be reduced to a mere three percent. In the end there are too many negative elements that outweigh the few good things that have been kept, like incentives for young people who decide to enter the agricultural business, the introduction of a cap of € 300,000 on subsidies for the largest land holders and a better definition of “active agriculture”, which helps to avoid the financing of places like airports and golf courses.
From March 11 to 14 the European Parliament will have the historic opportunity to reverse course and therefore we must put pressure on our deputies so that they don’t make the mistake of supporting that old paradigm that awards those who produce in the worst way and that is certainly not in our collective interests. It is not right to dedicate public resources to the benefit of the few. A European mobilization has begun, which Slow Food is a part of, named “Go M.A.D.”. Through this tool we can contact our members of parliament and explain to them how important the assembly in March will be. Citizens can become protagonists in this debate and it will be of the utmost importance for us all to participate. At stake is the future of our food, the places where we live and our very well being.
Slow Food President Article first published in La Repubblica on January 29, 2013. Photo: Alberto Peroli | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/3871 | Citrus Caviar and a Desert Nut
Two Australian endemic foods, from the remote Kimberley in the far north west and from the sub-tropical forests of the east coast, have been added to the Slow Food Ark of Taste. The Pindan walnut Terminalia cunninghamii and finger lime Citrus australasica are relics of Gondwana, the southern super-continent that broke apart millions of years ago and included what we know as the Australian landmass. Today, these bush foods remain of significance to Aboriginal people and have been listed on the Ark of Taste in a bid to stop them disappearing from local cuisines and cultures.
The Pindan walnut, which tastes of almond when eaten raw but of cashew when roasted, grows in Western Australia’s West Kimberley and north western coastal hinterland. It is known to the Jugun, Yawuru and Jabirr-jabirr mobs (people) who live in and around Broome as yarl-mang-ngurr or kumpaja, and more widely as the ‘Kalumburu almond’.
Cultivation trials have been carried out in the West Kimberley for the past 10 years and a training program with local people has led to the development of techniques to grow the tree. It is considered to be at risk from a greater incidence of wildfires and industrial expansion resulting from the search for minerals, oil and gas in its habitat.
Pat Torres from the Broome Aboriginal community is working on the establishment of a ‘bush orchard’ 150 kilometres north of Broome to cultivate many of the West Kimberley’s endemic fruit and nut trees. She said that she hopes the Ark listing of the nut will lead to greater awareness of the importance of the walnut and other traditional Aboriginal foods. The finger lime is endemic to rainforests in the eastern border region of New South Wales and Queensland, and is one of only six Australian citrus species. It is sometimes called “citrus caviar” after its pearl-like fruit that are housed in a cigar-shaped skin. Having no pith or segments like most citrus, it is particularly easy to eat. It is considered to be at risk from agricultural development in its habitat but a 15-member co-operative is now cultivating and harvesting the fruit.
With these two new additions, the Ark of Taste lists 13 foods in Australia and 1192 internationally. The only other endemic Australian food to be listed is the bunya nut from South East Queensland. The other Australia Ark foods were introduced with European settlement but are now at risk of loss or extinction in their place of origin. They include the Victorian Goldfields’ bullboar sausage, Kangaroo Island Ligurian bee honey, Tasmanian Leatherwood honey, Wessex Saddleback pig, Australian Dairy Shorthorn cattle and five varieties of Perry pear (Yellow Huffcap, Green Horse, Gin, Red Longdon and Moorcroft), which are used for making an alcoholic beverage.
For more information on the Ark of Taste and to find out how to nominate a breed, plant variety or product from your region please visit the website: www.slowfoodfoundation.org. | | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/4108 | Africa Gathering 2014 London: Special Edition
Africa Gathering 2014 London Tickets
Africa Gathering 2013 London 5th Anniversary
AG2013 Theme Announced
Speak at an Africa Gathering event
Africa Gathering Terms and Conditions
Twitter Stream G20 Summit Can Boost African Agriculture http://t.co/feuC3PMGVv #africa #G20BrisbaneRanked "Top Global Company for Leaders," GE Trains Young Africans http://t.co/BACOnQmp8h@BBCAfrica- BBC African Footballer list revealed, we are voting, who will you be voting for? http://t.co/Ld8bFqMLRL"We need to rethink our approach to education" Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves @IlvesToomas #globalagendaThis 13 Year Old Is So Impressive, Intel Is Investing Hundreds Of Thousands In His Startup for Blinds! http://t.co/gRD6sGUqRpVisit My Profile Flickr Stream
2012 Washington DC Speakers
Why should you come this November?
This year’s event, “Africa Unlimited” brings an exciting two-day program to Georgetown University’s ICC Auditorium. A brainstorming session with breakout groups co-moderated by local leaders and Georgetown students on Friday, November 2nd. This will be followed by a speaker series on Saturday, November 3rd. We are honored to introduced to you our lined-up speaker. close x
Solome Lemma is a philanthropist, activist, and organizer. She is currently a grantmaking program advisor at The Global Fund for Children (GFC). For over five years, she served as GFC’s Senior Program Officer for Africa, managing a large portfolio that included work with over 100 grassroots organizations in about 25 countries. Solome is also co-founder and coordinator of HornLight, an online platform that promotes diverse, nuanced, and dignified narratives on the Horn of Africa. She currently spends most of her time working to establish Africans in the Diaspora (AiD), a new organization that aims to unleash the philanthropic and intellectual capital of the Diaspora to advance sustainable development in Africa. In the past, Solome has worked with the UN Development Programme in Ethiopia, Human Rights Watch in New York City, and International Rescue Committee in Liberia. Solome received a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and an undergraduate degree in international relations from Stanford University.
Co-founder and Executive Director of Africans in the Diaspora (AiD)
Twitter: @InnovateAfrica
Web: www.africansinthediaspora.org
Edward is a tech entrepreneur who co-founded, Nandimobile.com, an award-winning Internet start-up in Ghana with two other co-founders after graduating from Ghana Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST). In Feb 2011, his company won the BEST BUSINESS Award at the Launch Conference organised in the Silicon Valley. He is also an Executive Member of BloggingGhana, Ghana’s biggest association of bloggers and social media enthusiasts. As a tech blogger, Edward has specific interest in Technology, Entrepreneurship and Capacity Building opportunities for young people. He currently sits on the Ghana Decides project as an adviser. With a young and vibrant team, Edward has organised over 15 Barcamp events in 7 out of 10 regions in Ghana.
Co-founder, Nandimobile.com
Country: Ghana
Twitter: @ttaaggooee
Web: www.nandimobile.com
Saran Kaba Jones is the Founder and Executive Director of FACE Africa, a Massachusetts based nonprofit that funds and supports sustainable clean water, sanitation and hygiene projects in Liberia. Since launching FACE Africa in January 2009, the organization has raised over $350,000 for clean water projects in Liberia. In recognition of her commitment to clean water initiatives that have benefited over 10,000 residents in Liberia to date, Saran was recently appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the county of River Cess, Liberia. In her new role, she will encourage and promote business and philanthropic investments throughout the county, beginning with FACE Africa’s ‘County by County’ Commitment, which will seek to construct 250 clean water wells in River Cess County by 2017. The initiative, scheduled to begin in the Fall of 2012, will provide complete water coverage to the county, benefiting over 60,000 residents, and will ensure that River Cess meets the Liberian Government’s 250 persons per safe waterpoint standard. A firm believer in the private sector as the best possible option for sustainable social and economic change in Liberia, Saran recently co-founded the Monrovia-based company, Empire Group, to create businesses in the areas of small-scale manufacturing, agriculture, and hospitality. In 2012, Saran was listed by Black Enterprise as one of 10 International Women of Power to Watch and by Daily Muse as one of 12 Women to Watch. In 2011, she received the Applause Africa “Person of the Year” award and was the Voss Foundation’s Women Helping Women Honoree. She was also a Huffington Post “Greatest Person of the Day,” and listed as one of Forbes Magazine’s 20 Youngest Power Women In Africa. Her work with FACE Africa has been profiled in the Boston Globe, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, ARISE Magazine, BBC Focus on Africa Magazine and InStyle Magazine.
Executive Director FACE Africa
Twitter: @sarankjones
Web: www.faceafrica.org
Abdi Latif Ega, a long-time resident of Harlem, New York and a Ph.D candidate and teaching fellow at Columbia University, who has had an abiding love for the history, literature, and research on Somalia and Africa in general. Influenced by writers of African decent from all corners of the world, Abdi followed his passion to write his first novel, in a series of novels from the medieval times to present day Somalia. His debut novel, “Guban” (meaning “burn” in Somali) should be read not just for its stunning imagery and language, but also for what it says about the human condition. The novel establishes context for Somalia that readers might be familiar with, all while challenging that very image.
Teaching fellow at Columbia University
Twitter: @Gubanburnt
Web: www.abdiega.com/
Bunmi John Oloruntoba holds a PhD. in Communication Studies from Regent University, where he taught has an adjunct professor from 2006 to 2008. In 2011, he started 3bute.com, a mashup image interaction platform that lets artists collaborate with writers on 3-page visualizations of their stories and journalism. The 3 page visuals produced become interactive virtual “bulletin boards” for readers to tag with multimedia context they think is relevant to the story. By combining the power of crowdsourcing with the 3-page visual adaptation of stories, 3bute’s goal is to bring the contextual world of African stories and news reports to life, helping a new generation of readers engage the continent in more immersive ways. Oloruntoba’s work on 3bute.com has appeared on Boing Boing, BBC Focus on Africa magazine, City Press newspaper, Drawn, The Future of Journalism project and Colorlines Magazine. In September 2012, 3bute, alongside Global Voices, won a Telkom-Highway Africa New Media Award for innovative use of technology for community engagement.
Founder 3bute.com
Web: www.bombasticelement.org & www.3bute.com
Twitter: @abombastice
Mohammed Touré is the founder and editor-in-chief of SEADiaspora, an online publication on African affairs, sharing diverse perspectives on Africa, from the continent and abroad, through the lenses of culture, economics, and politics. Mohamed is currently a business professional based in Maryland, in addition to serving on the steering committee of Alliance Guinea, an organization focused on human rights, democracy, and justice in Guinea. He is an associate at the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance. Mohamed also serves as a special advisor to the president of the Association of Guineans in the DMV. He graduated from the University of Baltimore with a B.S. in Business Administration and a concentration in International Business. His commitment to Africa’s development is rivaled only by his zeal as an A.C. Milan fan.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of SEADiaspora Twitter: @MohamedToure
Web: www.seadiaspora.com
Caitlin Kelley’s mission is to help people live their greatest potential and to shift the paradigm of how the West interacts with Africa. After studying African history at Northwestern University, the path to facilitate justice and self-determination wherever possible took her to Tanzania where she learned Swahili and worked at a grassroots NGO.While there, she saw the world of local NGO’s from the inside out and met many passionate, educated locals hungry to find lasting ways to make a positive impact in their country. In 2009 she and partner Jafari Msaki founded Africa Volunteer Corps, a service corps for Africans to work in African-initiated development projects. Currently in the pilot phase, Africa Volunteer Corps aims to foster home-grown leaders for African development and strengthen ground-up social change in Africa.
Co-founder Africa Volunteer Corps
Twitter: @KelleyCaitlin
Web: www.africavolunteercorps.org
Erika Freund, Owner/Designer of Mikuti, has been working in East Africa since 2009. Mikuti seeks to merge the world of jewelry, fashion, and economic development, by creating jobs, forming partnerships, and supporting existing workshops and employment chains in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Freund focuses on creating innovative designs and quality products using locally sourced materials, while harnessing existing trades and skills. The goal of the company is to be an active, positive participant in economic growth, job creation, producing and sourcing within the African continent. Mikuti jewelry has been featured at Mara Hoffman Resort Swim Show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Miami, London’s Fashion Week, Swahili Fashion Week in Tanzania and The Hub of Africa Fashion Week is Addis, Ethiopia. Freund holds a Master’s of Social Work with a focus on Economic and Social Policy from NYU, though creativity and fashion has always had a strong presence in her life. She draws her inspirations from love, music, art and spirituality, the vibrant colors of Africa, ancient traditions and symbolism, and indigenous cultures. She likes to create classic pieces with just the right amount of edge and statement.
Designer and founder of Mikuti
Twitter: @_Mikut
Web: www.mikuti.com
Kwame is a co-founder of Coders4Africa, an NGO with a vision to create and support a Pan-African community of competent, internationally certified professionals focused on developing the IT tools for African Agriculture, Business, Education, Health Care, Government and general Social needs. He currently works as a Manager of Digital Analytics for publishing company in New York. Prior to this, he worked with the US Department of Energy and Princeton University in marketing their academic competition software globally. He holds a BA in Management of Information Systems and a Msc in Internet Marketing. A passionate ICT4D enthusiast, father and musician, Kwame aims to unite Africans through technology and music.
Co-founder of Coders4Africa
Web: www.coders4africa.org
Twitter: @Coders4africa
Pauline Muchina comes from the Rift Valley Province in Kenya, where her family still resides. She came to the U.S. to study. When she finished her Ph.D. in 2000, she got involved in advocacy efforts to defend the rights of marginalized and poor communities around the world. Muchina joined UNAIDS in January 2006 as the Senior Women and AIDS Advocacy Officer. She is currently serving as the Senior Partnership Adviser for UNAIDS in Washington, DC. Previously, Muchina worked as the Global Health Council’s community and faith-based organization outreach coordinator and with the AIDSMARK team at Population Services International. Prior to moving to Washington, DC, Muchina worked for the AIDS Resource Center and World Council of Churches in New York. Muchina is a member of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, and has served on several advisory boards, including Christian Connection for International Health, Foundation for Sustainable Development and Women Deliver. In 2012, Pauline received the United Methodist Church Global AIDS Leadership Award. She holds a Masters in Divinity from Yale University Divinity School and a Ph.D. from the Union Theological Seminary in New York. Muchina believes in saving lives even if it means having the ability to save one at a time.
Senior Partnership Adviser at UNAIDS
Twitter: @muchinap
Web: www.unaids.org
Email: [email protected]
Thomas Debass serves as a Director for Global Partnerships in the Global Partnership Initiative, responsible for economic growth, global finance, and entrepreneurship; as well as leading the Department’s Diaspora engagement efforts. Prior to joining S/GPI, he was Lead Economist in the Office of Investment Policy with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) in Washington, DC. At OPIC he was responsible for economic evaluation and monitoring of OPIC-supported private investment projects in emerging and frontier markets. Thomas also served as a senior technical advisor in USAID’s Global Development Alliance (GDA) and Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade (EGAT) teams. In this dual role, Thomas designed and launched new and innovative partnerships around Diaspora-led activities; and also coordinated EGAT/MD’s work on microfinance’s transition to private capital, loan guarantees, and broader financial sector partnerships. Prior to his development finance career, Thomas worked as a consultant for an agricultural research project in East Africa; and served as research associate for USAID-supported Integrated Pest Management – Collaborative Research Support Program (IPM-CRSP) in Bangladesh and Uganda. Thomas is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a master’s degree in Applied Economics and a bachelor’s in Economics. He also has an Executive Certificate in International Business Management from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
Economist, Diplomat, and Developreneur
Twitter: @debass
Web: www.state.gov/s/partnerships
Dr. Zachary D. Kaufman is an attorney, political scientist, professor, author, speaker, and social entrepreneur. He currently practices law at the international firm of O’Melveny & Myers LLP while teaching on transitional justice and social entrepreneurship at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Dr. Kaufman has published two books: he is the co-editor (with Dr. Phil Clark) of After Genocide: Transitional Justice, Post-Conflict Reconstruction, and Reconciliation in Rwanda and Beyond and the editor of Social Entrepreneurship in the Age of Atrocities: Changing Our World. He is the founder, president, and chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Friends of the Kigali Public Library and an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Kigali-Virunga. Together, these organizations built the Kigali Public Library, Rwanda’s first-ever public library. Dr. Kaufman also serves on the Advisory Board of Indego Africa, a design-driven social enterprise connecting Rwandan women artisans with global markets and education. Dr. Kaufman received his DPhil (PhD) and MPhil degrees, both in International Relations, from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar. He received his Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Yale Law School, where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law & Policy Review. Dr. Kaufman received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Political Science from Yale University, where he was the student body president, co-captain of the wrestling team, and an All-American and Runner-Up National Champion in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association.
Author, Speaker and Social Entrepreneur
Twitter: @ZacharyKaufman
Web: www.zacharykaufman.com
Email: zachary.kaufman[at]aya.yale.edu
Follow Africa Gathering on twitter for updates! BE PART OF IT If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Copyright © 2013 Africa Gathering.
Designed by Brightspark Creative Developed by Kuldeepdaftary.com | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/4192 | Mural Elements
Bio Blog
Essays 2% Solutions The Carbon Ranch The Quivira Coalition
The Indelible West
Knowing Pecos
Grass, Soil, Hope
Age of Consequences
Prologue to Grass, Soil, Hope
This is the story of how I came into Carbon Country.
I’m a former archaeologist and Sierra Club activist who became a dues-paying member of the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association as a producer of local, grass-fed beef.
For a boy raised in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, during the heyday of sprawl, fast food, and disco music, this was a bewildering sequence of events. The closest I came to livestock were the horses my parents owned for trail-riding purposes. Cattle? Local food? I had no clue. Even when I became active with the Sierra Club after a move to Santa Fe, New Mexico, my conservation work was highly conventional.
This all changed in 1997 when I cofounded the nonprofit Quivira Coalition with a rancher and a fellow conservationist. I did it because the constant brawling between environmental activists and ranchers had dispirited me. With Quivira, my conservation work became highly collaborative, with a focus on improving land health, promoting progressive cattle management, implementing creek restoration projects, and repairing damaged relationships. My Sierra Club experience had taught me a hard lesson: environmental problems were as much about social and economic relationships as they were about nature, thus requiring economic solutions to go along with ecological ones.
The membership in the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association happened in 2006 when 124 heifers were delivered to Quivira’s 36,000-acre Valle Grande ranch, located on a national forest near Santa Fe. Our plan was to sell grass-fed beef in Santa Fe, joining the rapidly growing local food movement, and use the revenue to pay for conservation activities on the ranch. Shortly thereafter, an invitation to join the Cattle Growers’ arrived in our office. And just like that, this former Sierra Club activist became a dues-paying cattle rancher!
In 2007, our path took another twist when Wendell Berry said at our annual conference that “we are not walking a prepared path,” in response to a question about the difficulties posed by the twenty-first century. Realizing that the times were changing, we added the words “build resilience” to Quivira’s mission statement. In doing so, I was now a long way from the grazing wars of the 1990s—not to mention the suburbs of Phoenix.
There was a lot to learn in this new country. Take climate change. It wasn’t on our radar screen at all in 1997, but a decade later it had become a major concern. Something needed to be done, but what? An idea arrived in 2009 when a publication came across my desk from the Worldwatch Institute titled Mitigating Climate Change through Food and Land Use. Its authors, Sarah Scherr and Sajal Sthapit, wrote that the only possibility for large-scale removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is through improved ecosystem function, climate-friendly livestock practices, conserving land, and restoring degraded watersheds. That sounded like the work of the Quivira Coalition!
The miracle cure is called photosynthesis. As Scherr and Sthapit pointed out, plants naturally pull CO2 out of the air and convert it into soil carbon, where it is safely stored for long periods of time in the ground unless disturbed. This process has been going on for billions of years, and all it requires is sunlight, green plants, water, nutrients, and soil microbes.
Since two-thirds of the earth’s land mass is grassland, additional CO2 storage in the soil via better management practices, even on a small scale, could have a huge impact. Grasslands are also home to two billion people who depend on livestock—an important source of food and wealth (and culture) to much of the earth’s human population. Both these animals and their human stewards could be mobilized for carbon action.
This made huge sense to me, so I called Scherr and invited her to speak at Quivira’s conference in 2010, which I had titled “The Carbon Ranch.” The purpose of the event was to describe the many ways by which food and stewardship can be used to build soil, store carbon, and fight climate change. I was determined to explore this exciting country and spread the good news.
I also decided we needed a map. So I sat down one morning at my dining room table and began sketching on a sheet of paper. I drew every joyous, sustainable, resilient, regenerative, land-healing, relationship-building, climate-mitigating, local food–producing activity I could pull from my experience, putting them into a single mythical landscape. I knew a few things going in:
• Carbon is key. It’s the soil beneath our feet, the plants that grow, the land we walk, the wildlife we watch, the livestock we raise, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the air we breathe. Carbon is the essential element of life. A highly efficient carbon cycle captures, stores, releases, and recaptures biochemical energy, making everything go and grow from the soil up.
• We don’t have to invent anything. Over the past thirty years, all manner of new ideas and methods that put carbon back into the soil have been field-tested and proven to be practical and profitable. We already know how to graze livestock sustainably, grow organic food, create a local food system, fix creeks, improve water cycles, and generally build resilience into the land and in our lives.
• It’s mostly low-tech. It’s sunlight, green plants, animals, rocks, mud, shovels, hiking shoes, windmills, trees, compost, and creeks. Some of the work requires specialized knowledge and some of it has high-tech components, but most of Carbon Country can be easily navigated by anyone.
• Lastly, you’re on the map too. Everyone is, whether you live in a city, go to school, graze cattle, enjoy wildlife, grow vegetables, hike, fish, count grasses, draw, make music, restore creeks, or eat food—you’re on the map. You live in Carbon Country. We all do. It’s not a mythical land; it exists.
So, with my rough map in hand, I set out to explore this new land. Here’s what I discovered.
For more see: www.chelseagreen,com/bookstore/item/grass_soil_hope
~~~~~~~~~~~~
near Pueblo, CO
Nazareth, Texas
Carson National Forest, New Mexico
Centennial Valley, Montana
on Rowe Mesa, near Santa Fe, New Mexico
near Tombstone, Arizona
Drake's Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore, California
near Tucumcari, New Mexico
Diablo Canyon, Central California
near Colorado Springs, Colorado
near Quemado, New Mexico
near Crowell, Texas
near Cerrososo Creek, Carson National Forest
near Roswell, New Mexico
near Folsom, New Mexico
near Globe, Arizona
Jefferson County fairgrounds, Madras, Oregon
near Gulgon, New South Wales, Australia
Marin Carbon Project, near Nicasio, California
jQuery Slider Values by WOWSlider.com v2.9
BOOK NEWS:
Grass, Soil, Hope: a Journey through Carbon Country is available! Order a copy from Chelsea Green Press: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/grass_soil_hope
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Mural
"Murals are large-scale paintings or pictures using a solid structure, such as a wall, as a canvas and are considered public art as they are often placed on buildings or structures. A muralist must have a competent sense of scale and a strong vision in order to create a work of art with any coherence." - wisegeek.com
I am endeavoring here to create a portrait of this remarkable moment in history, largely by focusing on the working lands of the American West. The mural includes my conservation activities, writing endeavors, archaeological work, and a big photographic project. I hope it pleases! - Courtney
All Content Copyright © 2009 A West That Works, Inc. | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/5255 | Effects of Exchange Rate Misalignment on Agricultural Producer Support Estimates: Empirical Evidence from India and China
by Cheng, Fuzhi
There have been different degrees of exchange rate disequilibrium in the developing countries during recent transition or reform periods. The level of the exchange rate and its misalignment can have significant impacts on agricultural policy measures such as the Producer Support Estimates (PSEs). However, little efforts have been made to explicitly take into account the issue of exchange rate misalignment. In the conventional PSE studies the prevailing actual (nominal) exchange rates are usually used. There is general agreement that the use of actual exchange rates may introduce a bias in the PSE calculations, and that this bias can be substantial when the actual rates are significantly out of equilibrium, but there is much less agreement on the most appropriate alternative.
This dissertation proposes a theoretical and an empirical model for estimating equilibrium exchange rates. Within the context of these models, the equilibrium exchange rates are argued to be determined by a group of real economic fundamentals. These fundamentals within this study include technological progress (Balassa-Samuelson effect), levels of government expenditure, world interest rate, net capital inflows, terms of trade, and openness of the economy. Base on various time series techniques and using data from India and China, sensible long-run relationships are identified between the real exchange rate and these economic fundamentals. The long-run cointegrating relationships are used to derive the equilibrium exchange rates and to gauge corresponding misalignments for the currencies in the two countries.
The relevance and usefulness of the exchange rate equilibrium and disequilibrium in the calculation of the PSEs for India and China are then discussed. Results from the commodity-specific measures including the Market Price Support (MPS) and the PSE show that agricultural support levels are quite sensitive to alternative exchange rate assumptions. Specifically, exchange rate misalignments have either amplified or counteracted the direct effect on agriculture from sectoral-specific policies. With a few commodity exceptions such an indirect effect in both countries is relatively small in magnitude and dominated by the direct effect. This is also the case when the indirect effect rises substantially as a result of more misaligned exchange rates. Counterfactual MPS measure calculated assuming the exchange rate is in equilibrium with different exchange rate pass-through is also presented. It is shown that when no exchange rate pass-through to domestic prices occurs, the transfer of the indirect effect of exchange rate misalignment into the counterfactual MPS is full. But when there is exchange rate pass-through, even though partially, the transfer of indirect effect is significantly smaller.
Results based on the commodity-specific PSE show that the exchange rate effect also depends on the relative importance of different PSE components. In addition to a positive impact on the direct effects measured by commodity-specific PSE compared to those measured by commodity-specific MPS, the increasing share of budgetary expenditures in Indias agricultural support in recent years has resulted in more pronounced indirect effects. For China, the exchange rate effects are more similar between the PSE and the MPS measures at the commodity level because of the dominance of the MPS component relative to the budgetary payments in the PSEs.
Moving from commodity-specific to aggregate measures, one can observe a similar pattern of agricultural support. However, the exchange rate effect measured by the total PSE appears to be more important: it becomes several times larger in magnitude than the direct effect in periods of severe exchange rate misalignment. The exchange rate effect when the PSE is scaled up from covered commodities to an estimate for the total agricultural sector is also demonstrated even though the assumption imposed by scaling-up may be unrealistic if price support is concentrated among those products included in the analysis. Since the commodity coverage in both countries tends to be incomplete and the scaling-up procedure leads to a total MPS component of greater magnitude, larger exchange rate effects are found in the scaled-up than the non-scaled-up version of the total PSEs. The impact of scaling-up on the indirect effect is proportional to the share of covered commodities in the total value of agricultural production. Again for the PSEs at both the commodity and aggregate levels, the counterfactual measures indicate a full transfer of indirect effect of exchange rate when no exchange rate pass-through is assumed. A large portion of the indirect effect disappears when incomplete exchange rate pass-through is assumed resulting in a smaller transfer of the effect to the counterfactual PSEs.
Advisor:Dennis Yang; Richard Ashley; David Orden; Bradford Mills; Everett Peterson
School:Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
School Location:USA - Virginia
Keywords:agricultural and applied economics | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/5285 | Paynesville Press - Jan. 29, 2003
Oral History by Lloyd Peterson
Transcribed by Michael Jacobson Lloyd Peterson was born in 1919 near Canby in Yellow Medicine County. He attended country schools and graduated from Madison High School in 1937. He started at the University of Minnesota's agriculture school in the fall of 1937. He graduated in 1942 with a bachelor of science in agriculture education. He taught vocational agriculture in Harmony, Minn., for six months before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he became a Second Lieutenant. During World War II, he served on the West Coast and in Hawaii. He was discharged in 1946.
From 1946 to mid-year 1948, he worked for Cargill in Minneapolis.
In 1948, with two classmates/fraternity brothers from the University of Minnesota, he started a feed and seed business in Paynesville, buying the mill formerly owned and operated by Russell Portinga. In that same year, through Lloyd's contacts at Cargill, they purchased 800 eight-week-old turkeys that had been fed experimental rations at Cargill's research farm in Savage, Minn. In partnership with Don Sonstegard, a Paynesville resident and former classmate of theirs at the university, they raised these turkeys for 12 weeks (until they were 20 weeks old) near the northeast edge of Paynesville. Due to a shortage of turkey in 1948, the enterprise was "very profitable," earning $3 profit per bird.
Raising turkeys was a perfect complement to their feed and seed business, as they were able to grind and mix their own feed. In 1949, Peterson and his partners raised 3,000 turkeys. In 1950, they raised 9,000 turkeys. In 1951, they purchased the Bill Diekman farm on the west end of town (near the airport) and converted the dairy barn to a brooding/growing facility. In 1951, they raised 20,000 birds. "Our business grew as the years went by, and we bought additional farms." By the early 1970s, they raised two million turkeys per year, totaling 35 million pounds of live turkey. At the peak, they had 15 farms in the Paynesville area, six near Fergus Falls, and one by Wadena.
Peterson and his partners sold their turkey operation in 1978. The farms were subsequently sold to Jennie-O Foods of Willmar in 1983 and to Hormel in 1986. In 1990, the farms were part of Earl B. Olson Farms (EBO Farms), a subdivision of Hormel.
His two major partners were Oscar Thorbeck and Wayne Jimmerson. Junior partners included Louis Hedlund, Keith Langmo, and Bob Schaefer.
At Cargill, Peterson supervised the feed production at country elevators. During his two years with Cargill, he worked with turkey growers in western Minnesota, northwestern Iowa, and eastern South Dakota. He never taught in schools again. "I think the opportunities in the business world were better as far as my judgment was concerned than to continue to teach agriculture in high schools."
Their turkey operation was production only. They neither hatched turkeys nor processed them. They bought young turkeys (poults) from hatcheries throughout the state and sold the market-weight birds to processing plants throughout the Midwest.
Peterson saw lots of improvements in the turkey industry during his 30 years in the partnership. In the 1940s, they had only bronz turkeys, turkeys with dark feathers. Through breeding, in the 1950s, the dark feathers were eliminated, as white birds were more acceptable to consumers. Through breeding and better feeding, they were able to add more meat to each bird, raising the ratio of meat-to-bone. In his early years in the industry, it would take 25 weeks to produce a 25-pound tom (male turkey) and 20 or 21 weeks to produce a 13-pound hen. In 1990, he said it would take 19 weeks to produce a 26- to 30-pound tom and 12 or 13 weeks to raise a 13-pound hen.
Peterson maintained an office at the feed mill in Paynesville. Each turkey farm had a manager, and supervisors, reporting directly to Peterson, would be responsible for three to six farms. Peterson would visit each farm in the Paynesville area once a week and would make trips to Fergus Falls every week or every other week. At its peak, the business had 75 to 80 full- and part-time employees.
Improvements were made in the automation of equipment: from hand equipment and hand feeding to machines and automated systems; from hand ventilation in barns (opening windows) to automatic fans and thermostats, providing better climate control. And improvements were made against disease: through better genetics (breeding) and better medicines. Management practices improved immensely over his 30 years in the industry.
A typical farm (one capable of producing 100,000 birds per year) would raise three batches of turkeys per year. The first group would start in the brooding barn in February. By May, these birds would be ready for the range, and the brooding barn could be cleaned, disinfected, and a new batch brought in. The first batch would be ready for market in the summer, and the second batch would be ready for the range by July, when the third batch could be brought to the brooding barn after it was cleaned again. The third batch would be smaller, so when the weather got bad in the fall these birds could be brought inside the barns again and finished growing inside. The last batch would go to market in November or December. By this method, the barns would be utilized throughout the year, except for January. By the time of the interview, the trend in the turkey industry was to total confinement in the growing of turkeys.
In the 1950s, Peterson became involved with the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association. He served on the board of directors and was president in 1956. In the 1960s, he served on the board of directors of the National Turkey Federation, being president in 1970.
As president of the national turkey organization, Peterson had the opportunity to present a turkey to President Richard Nixon at the White House in 1970. The president of the NTF traditionally had the honor to present the president with a turkey for Thanksgiving. Two toms had been selected from the Peterson farms to present to the president. These birds were given special treatment and were older so they were prettier, shinier, and bigger. Peterson, his wife Ardyce, and their 12-year-old son Steve flew to Washington, D.C., bringing the turkeys in dog cages. They rented a station wagon and kept the turkeys in the back overnight. People who saw the birds remarked about the "big chickens." To get in the White House, they had to show identification, and Steve used his Boy Scout card. Due to security during the Vietnam War, only Lloyd actually met President Nixon. Ardyce and Steve got a tour of the White House while Lloyd presented Nixon with the turkeys in the Rose Garden. Lloyd had to wait for 15 minutes while Nixon conferred with the president of South Vietnam. He spent 10 to 15 minutes with the president, who was affable and inquisitive. California, Nixon's home state, is also a leading turkey producer. Also present were the secretary of the MTGA, the executive secretary of the NTF, the Secretary of Agriculture, and Congressman John Anderson of Illinois, who ran for president in 1980.
Around 25 or 30 photographers and reporters were allowed to watch the presentation, and the most popular photograph occurred when the turkey, which Peterson was holding to insure good behavior, flapped its wings in a "relaxing gesture." Peterson received 25 or 30 news clippings from around the country of his turkey with its wings in President Nixon's face.
Peterson noted that consumer acceptance of turkey and marketing improvements had helped the turkey industry. In 1948, he estimated that the per capita consumption of turkey was about five pounds. By 1978, it was nine pounds. By 1990, it was 17 pounds. One factor was that turkey meat is lower in cholesterol than red meat, he said. In marketing, Peterson said that in 1948 the market for turkeys was virtually exclusively for whole birds. Peak times for the industry back then were holidays: Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Now, through further processing, deboned turkey meat could be found in a hundred products, including sausage and wieners, and turkeys could be purchased in parts, rather than as whole birds. With more choices in size when purchasing, he estimated that 75 percent of consumption now occurred during non-holiday times.
In his retirement, Peterson operated a 1,000-acre farm in the Paynesville area, served the University of Minnesota as a member of the Board of Regents (1975-1981), served on the Institute of Agriculture's advisory committee (1981-1988), and on the board for the U of M Foundation. He also served on the boards for Camp Courage and Tentmakers.
As the youngest of eight children born on a farm to Swedish immigrants, Peterson and his wife did lots of travelling, through his involvement in turkey organizations and later in retirement. Peterson had five first cousins in Sweden, who they visited regularly. He and Ardyce also traveled to Africa, South America, Australia, the Soviet Union in 1977 (where they saw collective agriculture), and to China in 1978 (right after the country opened its borders to the west).
For more about the oral history project, read the Press article, Volunteers transcribing oral history for museum.
Contact the author at [email protected] Return to News Menu | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/7379 | » Spokane Ag Expo
Oregon, Washington pear growers expect near-record harvest
Published: October 9, 2013 11:14AM
Eric Mortenson/Capital Press
Maria Espinosa wraps pears for shipment during work at Duckwall Fruit in the Hood River Valley.
Buy this photo Eric Mortenson/Capital Press
Workers sort a bumper crop of pears at Duckwall Fruit in the Hood River Valley.
Buy this photo Good year for Oregon and Washington pear growers, but problems and prospects remain.
HOOD RIVER — Oregon and Washington’s combined pear harvest will approach a record this year, with growers and packers reporting a heavy yield of large, high-quality fruit.Estimates made in June, well before picking began, projected a fresh market harvest of 19.8 million 44-pound boxes, the standard measurement unit. The estimate was 4 percent larger than the five-year average, and would have made it the third largest crop grown by the Wenatchee and Yakima regions of Washington and the Mid-Columbia and Medford regions of Oregon.The record is 20.5 million boxes, set in 2011-12, with the 2009-10 harvest of 20.1 million boxes in second place. Since the June estimate was made for 2013-14, excellent growing conditions resulted in a bigger crop than expected.Some growers were hard-pressed to find enough pickers at peak harvest in mid-September, when the Hood River Valley alone employed about 1,800 pickers a day. The crunch has passed, however. Growers in the upper valley, where fruit comes on later than at lower elevations, will finish picking soon, said Jean Godfrey, executive director of the Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers in Hood River.“We have a very heavy crop, a beautiful crop, larger than normal,” Godfrey said.Nathan Duckwall, assistant production manager at Duckwall Fruit in Odell, said his company may pack 10 percent more boxes than last year.“We had really good growing conditions this year, a good hot summer,” he said. “The size of the fruit is really big, too.”The larger the pears, the fewer it takes to fill a box, which results in increased box production numbers.No matter the final production numbers, the harvest marks another good turn for Oregon and Washington pear growers.Duckwall, the third generation of his family involved in the company since it formed in 1919, said the industry “goes up and down with the economy of the world, just like anything else,” but has largely stabilized since the recession.About one-third of the crop that moves through Duckwall is exported. Top export markets include Mexico, Canada, Russia, Brazil, Colombia, Hong Kong and India. The latter is one of the strongest growth market for Northwest growers, according to Pear Bureau Northwest, a non-profit marketing firm that represents about 1,600 growers in Oregon and Washington.China opened its door to U.S. pears for the first time in February, and is projected to become a top 10 market for Northwest growers within three years, according to the Pear Bureau.Pears packed by Duckwall were the first into China, Nathan Duckwall said. He’s cautious about the future impact of that market, however.“I don’t think it will be that big,” he said. “It’s significant, but it’s not a game changer.”While market and growing conditions have been good recently, this fall’s temporary labor shortage is an on-going concern. Godfrey, of the Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers, said it is more difficult for pickers to enter the U.S. from Mexico. The federal government needs to simplify the work visa program, she said.“It’s becoming an annual problem, it’s tighter to find labor,” she said.In addition, farm laborers who immigrated a generation ago and stayed in the U.S. are reaching retirement age and are not being replaced. Their children, having grown up here, have other opportunities, Godfrey said.“That’s why people come to this country, to have a better life for their children,” she said. “We hear that from our workers, they don’t want them to have to do that heavy labor.“It is the American dream,” she said. | 农业 |
2014-49/0453/en_head.json.gz/9739 | Bramwell Hired as Santa Fe County Agent
Writer: D'Lyn Ford
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ LAS CRUCES - Christine Lee Bramwell began work Aug. 10 as a Santa Fe County 4-H agent with New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service. Bramwell, a native of Chromo, Colo., will provide leadership and guidance to Extension educational programs for 4-H youth, adults and special interest groups and work with community leaders and volunteers in Santa Fe County.
Bramwell attended Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo., from 1994 to 1996. She earned her bachelor's degree in agricultural and extension education from NMSU in 1999.
In 1998, Bramwell served as a communications intern for the New Mexico Beef Council in Albuquerque. She worked in video production and wrote news releases.
"This experience convinced me that I wanted to stay in New Mexico," Bramwell said. "The council is a small agricultural business, and I enjoyed working there."
A fifth generation rancher, Bramwell is no stranger to hard work. "On a ranch, you don't have time to get bored," she said. "We raised mostly cattle and some horses, so there's always something to do."
Bramwell says her new job has the right combination. She gets to work with youth and agriculture. "I want to give as many kids as possible the opportunities I had through 4-H, while expanding and maintaining agriculture projects." Bramwell's mother, Sandra Bramwell, was born and raised in Farmington. Her twin brother, Chris, now runs her grandfather's farm there. But it was her father, James Bramwell, who encouraged her to go to NMSU. "Dad had heard about NMSU's College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and asked me to come down and take, a look," she said. "The people were nice. I had warm feelings, and I knew it was where I- wanted to attend school."
Bramwell plans to start working on her master's degree this fall. In the meantime, she spends her spare time perfecting her new hobby -- team roping. "It's in my blood," she said. Online Publications | 农业 |
Subsets and Splits