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February 8, 2011
· Analyst: Contamination from GM alfalfa certain
· Asparagus growers get trade compensation
· Former field hands becoming farm owners
· Fresh produce is a real bargain – PMA study
· Mob accused of running Italian tomato market
Analyst: Contamination from GM alfalfa certain
(AP
via Yahoo! News) DES MOINES,
Many farmers had been pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to approve the use of genetically modified alfalfa. Monsanto developed the seed to resist the weedkiller Roundup, allowing farmers to use the two together to save time and labor on weeding. Supporters also say the use of the genetically modified seeds lets farmers grow more alfalfa on each acre and helps keep food prices low.
Opponents, many of them organic farmers, say widespread planting of genetically modified alfalfa will result in pollen from those plants contaminating organic and traditional crops, destroying their value. While alfalfa is mostly used as hay for cattle, some consumers don't want to eat foods, such as milk or beef, from animals that have consumed genetically modified plants.
Alfalfa is grown on about 20 million acres in almost every
state in the
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision late last month to deregulate genetically modified alfalfa was the latest step in a long court fight over its use. A federal court barred its planting in 2007, saying the USDA had not given enough consideration to the effects it could have on the environment and human health. The U.S. Supreme Court lifted the ban last year, saying the lower court's decision had gone too far. It kicked the matter back to the USDA.
In announcing the agency's decision, Vilsack said steps would be taken to ensure genetically modified alfalfa wouldn't cross-pollinate with organic and unmodified crops. USDA officials declined to answer questions about what those steps would entail, pointing to a document posted on the agency's website.
The text of Vilsack's announcement
says the agency plans include expanding a program in
It also says crop geneticists have been told to identify ways to protect unmodified alfalfa from genetically engineered varieties, like they are doing for corn. And, Vilsack has proposed research to improve detection of modified genes in alfalfa and hay. He also promised $1 million for research on the flow of pollen to better determine how big buffer zones between modified and unmodified fields must be to prevent contamination.
None of that will be enough to prevent contamination, said
Jeff Wolt, an agronomist with
"Some degree of cross-pollination will occur regardless of what mechanism is going to be put in place," he predicted.
A perennial, alfalfa doesn't need to be planted every year, but the plants are typically rotated with other crops every few years. Alfalfa's pollination process is more complex than in crops such as corn, with insects playing a big role. But even if insects don't carry pollen from modified to unmodified plants, contamination could still happen if seed stock was accidentally mixed or a genetically modified plant popped up in a field that had been replanted with something else, Wolt said.
The main thing for consumers to remember, he said, is that genetically modified alfalfa doesn't present a threat to human health. Instead, the problem for farmers is that some buyers might not accept a contaminated crop.
Unmodified corn, soybeans, canola and rice all suffered
contamination after genetically engineered varieties were introduced, said
Kristina Hubbard, director of advocacy for the Organic Seed Alliance in
"It seems backward to initiate those measures after the decision has been made," Hubbard said.
Her group's biggest concern now is making sure farmers who plant organic or non-modified crops don't lose money because of contamination. It wants farmers who plant genetically modified seed to pay for any losses, and Hubbard said the group isn't interested in talking about ways the two groups of farmers can co-exist until farmers using modified seed agree to pay.
Monsanto spokesman Tom Helscher said farmers and seed companies successfully co-existed "long before the introduction of biotech crops and continue to do so today."
"Since the advent of biotech crops, both biotech and organic production have flourished," Helscher said. "We have no reason to think that will not continue to be the case."
Todd Streif, who grows alfalfa in
northeast
"I think (the USDA) was probably wrong for not doing
the environmental study in the first place, but in the end what did it
prove?" said Streif, who farms near
Streif said 60 of the 300 acres of alfalfa he plants this spring will be genetically modified. He doesn't grow any organic alfalfa and said he wasn't worried about cross-pollination between his modified and unmodified plants. The nearest organic farm is several miles away.
Fred Kirschenmann, who manages a
farm near
There needed to be two miles between fields to reduce the risk of cross-pollination and "so much Roundup Ready came into the area, there was no way to find a way to put in a field that was at least two miles from a field with the GMO crop," Kirschenmann said.
He still raises other organic crops, including alfalfa, and said he's worried about how genetically engineered alfalfa will affect it.
"There are so many avenues for contamination to happen," Kirschenmann said. "It has to be managed extremely carefully, but in the long-term I think there's going to be a problem."
Asparagus growers get trade compensation
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says in the announcement
that an increase in asparagus imports led to lower
Top asparagus producing states include
The money was authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill.
Applications for the Asparagus Revenue Market Loss Assistance Payment Program will be accepted starting Monday and taken through April 8. The Commodity Credit Corporation will provide $7.5 million for payments for asparagus marketed as fresh and $7.5 million for processed asparagus.
Former field hands becoming farm owners
(Orlando
Sentinel)
If one fell behind cutting leaves, the other pitched in so they could make baseball practice, said Baca, who still recalls working in cold, damp clothes after Florida's heavy rains. During summers, he says, the black shades that protect ferns from the sun intensified the humidity underneath.
"It was so humid, you immediately started to sweat. It was so hard to breathe," Baca, 31, said.
These days, the men's sweat is plowed into their own
agricultural businesses. Baca and Ramos are among a growing number of Hispanics
in the
In 2005, Ramos, 31, started a small nursery in Pierson, where he sells hedges and shrubs to landscaping companies and wholesalers.
"There are a lot more [Hispanic owners] out there than people realize," said Ramos, who last fall unsuccessfully ran for Pierson Town Council — historically populated by white fernery owners.
Faces of farming have changed
Hispanics claim the highest rate of new farmers in the
nation, followed by Asians, said Tirso Moreno,
general coordinator for the Farmworker Association of Florida.
Florida has more than 3,100 farms and agriculture-related business where Hispanics are the principal operators, making up almost 7 percent of the 47,500 total, according to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, the most current report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The number of Hispanic farms likely increased because of an increase in the Hispanic population, said Sterling Ivey, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture. Hispanics make up about 21 percent of the state's population, compared with 15 percent a decade ago.
Many immigrant families, especially from Central America and
Meanwhile, the number of Florida's white farmers who traditionally controlled the agriculture industry declined by 10 percent from 2002 to 2007 — many retiring or selling their businesses to large corporations. Their children no longer want to carry on the family business and instead are moving to urban areas to attend college and get higher-paying jobs.
"That's opened an opportunity for Hispanic
immigrants,"
Hispanics are playing an important role in strengthening and
diversifying the country's farm sector, said Mickie
Swisher, an associate professor in the Sustainable Agriculture Department at
the
"It's part of the American tradition, having many choices," she said.
Chili peppers, red turnips and greens
Minority farmers have even introduced new fruits and
vegetables to the
Swisher, director of UF's Center
for Organic Agriculture, conducted a study for the USDA on small-scale Hispanic
farmers and ranchers and their needs. It focused on
While the farmers were mostly second-generation Hispanics and spoke English, Swisher said, they were unaware of grants and other government resources available.
Several programs are available for Hispanic farmers, Ivey said, including the Hispanic American Outreach Program run by the USDA Farm Service Agency to help farmers and ranchers with disaster recovery and loan opportunities.
The federal government hasn't done a good job informing Hispanics about farm loans, crop insurance and other resources that help start, expand or keep their businesses afloat, said Rudy Arredondo, president of the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association.
His decade-old organization, started after the nation's number of Hispanic farmers jumped by 52 percent, is trying to change that. He helped write the 2008 Farm Bill, which added money for outreach and grant and loan programs for minority farmers. In November, the USDA awarded his association a grant for more than $300,000 to improve Hispanics' access to federal programs and help them succeed.
Baca and Ramos weren't aware that financial help was available.
Baca raided his savings and maxed out his credit cards to launch his irrigation businesses.
Tony Ramos got private bank loans to start his nursery business, on 2 acres owned by his father. His nursery has doubled to 4 acres.
Ramos, who has a political-science degree from
Baca and Ramos said the strong work ethic they gained as children prepared them for a successful future in agriculture. They hope other Hispanics will continue to start their own businesses.
"I'm glad the people that have been doing it for so long finally realize they can do it on their own and don't have to do for someone else," Ramos said.
Fresh produce is a real bargain – PMA study
(Produce Marketing Association) – Fresh produce is not only good for you, but it’s a great bargain too, reports new research from Produce Marketing Association (PMA).
Specifically, it costs U.S. shoppers on average only $2.18 to get the recommended nine daily servings of fruits and vegetables – 28 cents for a serving of fruit and 21cents for a serving of vegetables. The value-conscious consumer can get that nine-serving cost down to 88 cents – positioning fresh produce as the affordable, natural “value meal.”
The PMA-commissioned study by The Perishables Group provides the produce industry with the facts and figures needed to correct consumer misperceptions about produce prices. Findings published in The Cost of the Recommended Daily Servings of Fresh Produce confirm fresh produce is a good buy year-round, while also packing a nutritional punch.
“We’re thrilled that our industry can help shoppers understand
that eating healthfully can be cost-effective, even on a budget, thus driving
demand for fresh produce,” said PMA President & CEO
This first national study of its kind reviewed retail sales data to calculate average consumer costs across the country and throughout the year to achieve the nine servings per day recommended for an average adult. Researchers determined that consumers buying produce at everyday prices spent a national average of $2.18 per day to purchase five servings of vegetables (2.5 cups) and four servings of fruit (2 cups). Savvy shoppers can do even better: Budget-minded consumers shopping sales and promotions can save nearly 60 percent (spending only 88 cents for nine servings).
Researchers analyzed point-of-sale sales data for all fresh fruits and vegetables at the store level, by week and by item during third and fourth quarters of 2009 and the first and second quarters of 2010. The study’s findings report on average prices for the total U.S, and east, central, south and west regions. Actual prices could be even lower, researchers report, depending upon where consumers are shopping. These prices were fairly consistent across seasons and regions.
The study found that many of the most common fruits and vegetables are good buys; six of the top 10 most common fruits appeared in “value shopper” baskets, and nine of the top 10 most common vegetables. Nationally, the least expensive fruit servings were watermelon, bananas, apples, pears and peaches, averaging less than 28 cents per serving. Cabbage, potatoes, eggplant, lettuce/salad, prepared cooking greens, cauliflower, summer squash and carrots rung up less than the average 21 cents per serving for vegetables.
“This research is a boon for our industry on many levels, giving us a platform to talk to consumers and policy makers about the value of healthful fresh produce,” said Kathy Means, PMA vice president of government relations and public affairs. “We’ll certainly be using this research in PMA’s work with legislators, regulators, administrators and public health influencers. In fact, USDA recently released research that mirrors PMA’s own. However it covers all forms of fruits and vegetables, not just fresh produce.”
The PMA report’s detailed information gives produce suppliers and retailers a bounty of new fact-based outreach and promotional opportunities to help consumers shop and prepare meals affordably and healthfully with fresh fruits and vegetables – for example on websites, in social media forums, on packaging, in point-of-sale materials, in store and on ad.
The full report is available free to members on PMA’s website.
Mob accused of running Italian tomato market
(Sydney
Morning Herald) – An Italian television presenter has infuriated government
ministers by telling viewers to boycott one of
Alessandro Di Pietro, who appears on daytime consumer shows on the state network RAI, called for the boycott of the Pachino tomato, the small, sweet variety grown around the Sicilian town of the same name.
By controlling the distribution of the tomatoes to shops up
and down
Advertisement: Story continues below Stefania Prestigiacomo, the environment minister, who hails from nearby Siracusa, asked RAI to "retract this absurd and damaging accusation", warning that it risked destroying the livelihoods of 5000 producers "who have made their cherry tomatoes synonymous with quality around the world".
A junior minister, Gianfranco Micciche, who is also Sicilian, called the idea of a boycott "frightening."
Di Pietro's claim is backed by
police investigations into mafia-backed freight companies that dominate the
distribution of fruit and vegetables in
Investigators who arrested suspected mobsters in the fruit trade last year said that the Sicilian, Neapolitan and Calabrian mafias who had teamed up to control the business were also using produce trucks to smuggle weaponry.
Mafia clans are also profiting from the recruitment of illegal African immigrants to work off the books as fruit and vegetable pickers.
The raids last year focused on the wholesale market at Fondi, south of
"The Casalesi clan, part of the Naples Camorra, has now eased the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta out of the running of the market - which has an Euro 800m annual turnover - with the Sicilian mafia supplying them with produce," said Peppe Ruggiero, the author of The Last Supper, a book about the mafia's control of Italy's food chain.
Suspecting mob links with local politicians in Fondi, investigators asked the Italian government for permission to dissolve the local council in 2008, but were refused.
End Transmission