 |
|||
 |
" I heard it |
||
June 22, 2011
· Paradigm shift for American agriculture
· Inside the ‘Dirty Dozen’ produce debate
· Farm provides prisoners a place in the sun
· Bioenergy crops could lower surface temps
· Amvac, Monsanto enter crop protection deal
Paradigm shift for American agriculture
(AFBF) – With the 21st century a little more than a decade old, it is readily apparent how this century will be different from the last one for American agriculture. The major difference has nothing to do with organic farming, biotechnology or biofuels. It’s not about new forms of agriculture or new markets. The difference has nothing to do with climate change or water resources; it’s even broader and more fundamental than that.
The paradigm shift for American agriculture is the disappearance of chronic farm surpluses caused by excess capacity. Demand for farm products has caught up with supply and it is unlikely there will ever again be extended periods of overproduction.
The end of chronic surpluses is a profound change from the last century. After World War I, perennial surpluses of grains, cotton, meat, milk, eggs and vegetables became the number one problem facing American agriculture.
Surplus control legislation was the major farm policy issue for many years in Congress. Early attempts in the 1920s involved setting up an export corporation to purchase basic farm commodities to support domestic prices. The commodities were then sold overseas at a loss.
Acreage controls and the slaughter of piglets to reduce the
swine herd were part of
Later, potatoes were purchased by the government, dyed blue and given back to farmers for livestock feed or fertilizer. Millions of pounds of frozen butter, processed cheddar cheese, nonfat dry milk and dried eggs were stored in limestone caves and warehouses until sold or given away by the government.
Periods of drought in the 1970s and ‘80s and grain deals
with the
Excess capacity and surpluses were very detrimental to rural
Consumers showed concern for the plight of family farmers, but they also began to take food for granted, particularly as few had family connections to farms or ranches. Food prices were generally low, except following occasional bouts of inflation or bad weather.
A Life magazine article in 1950 called farm surpluses “The
Great Glut” and characterized
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stewart Truelsen is a
regular contributor to the Focus on Agriculture series and is the author of a
book marking the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 90th anniversary, Forward
Farm Bureau.
Inside the Dirty Dozen produce debate
(Chicago Tribune) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture says, "Make half your plate fruits and vegetables," in its latest dietary guidelines, but a just-published list of the 12 most pesticide-laden produce could confuse those deciding what is both healthful and safe to eat.
Topping the "Dirty Dozen" for 2011 are apples, celery and strawberries. Data for the list came from produce sampled between 2000 and 2009 from both domestic and imported sources and from around the country. Though the amounts of pesticides are well below established limits, analysts with the Environmental Working Group, who compiled the list, say they're too high.
"It only means the pesticide levels are within legal limits. It does not mean they are safe," Sara Sciammacco, of the Environmental Working Group, said, citing recent studies linking childhood pesticide exposure to problems with brain development, lower IQ and increasing incidence of ADHD.
But Holly Herrington, a registered dietitian at
A study published earlier this year in the peer-reviewed Journal of Toxicology, using the same USDA data from 2004 to 2008, said scientists found the levels of pesticides in 90 percent of cases from the 2010 Dirty Dozen were at least 1,000 times lower than the chronic reference dose — the concentration of a chemical a person could be exposed to on a daily basis throughout life before risking harm.
A person would need to eat "so much (of the produce on
the Dirty Dozen) you can't even imagine," said Dr. Marion Nestle, author
and professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at
Still, for those trying to limit their exposure to pesticides, the Environmental Working Group recommends choosing organic produce whenever possible.
But Herrington points out that organic does not necessarily mean pesticide-free. The USDA allows pesticide use on organic crops, though "the pesticides in organic agriculture are mostly natural, meaning they are found in nature and less toxic," Nestle said.
Here are some questions and answers from experts on pesticide exposure:
Q: Will washing remove pesticides?
A: The Dirty Dozen list came from produce that was washed for 10 seconds under cold water. "The USDA always recommends people wash their fruits and vegetables," said spokesman Michael T. Jarvis. Herrington said washing produce can remove "some but not all of the pesticides."
Q: Should produce be peeled to eliminate pesticides? Will this reduce the nutritional value?
A: "If the amount of pesticide is so small that it can barely be measured, it really doesn't matter much," said Nestle. "If people are concerned, they should scrub the apple or peel it."
Herrington said no nutrition is lost in peeling an apple. "The inner part of the apple is still very healthy for you," she said. "You can throw away the outer leaves of a leafy vegetable and wash it."
Q: Should families give up the worst produce?
A: "No. The amounts of pesticides are usually small and people who eat fruits and vegetables, with or without pesticides, are healthier than those who do not," Nestle said.
"If the choice is between a bag of potato chips and a conventional apple, we advise consumers to go with the apple every time. The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure," said Sciammacco.
Herrington said: "Americans are just not getting enough fruits and vegetables. Eating four to five servings of conventional produce with pesticides is still better than not (eating any) at all."
Farm provides prisoners a place in the sun
(McClatchy)
Wait. A prison farm?
Believe it or not, an ecologically responsible one.
Carefully screened volunteer inmates from
Last year more than 80,000 pounds of produce grown by
prisoners went to help feed the needy throughout the greater
Joe Mason,
By law, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons cannot use federal money
for community programs. But Mason had an idea that made the farm possible. He
designed it to be funded by outside donations and brought the idea to Brian
Habjan, a
Habjan, seeing the potential benefit for the community, became head of fundraising for the farm. He also researched its history.
"The prison had a sustaining farm that went back to the turn of the century," Habjan said. "It produced dairy and vegetables. They did that until somewhere in the '80s, then it went away. Farming became hard, and there were some drought years.
"One warden didn't feel it was a program they should continue. But four years ago they started growing food again for the prisoners. It went so well they decided to expand the program."
Virtually all equipment used for the farm is donated or is
free government surplus. The seeds are also donated by a
"What they produce is phenomenal," Weaverling said. "We're so happy to be part of the program."
The way Mason sees it, a prison farm just makes sense.
"Everybody wins," he said. "The environment wins. The institution wins. The inmates win. The community wins. Everybody's winning here."
The prison composts food waste. Then, through an inmate-run system known as vermiculture (or worm farming), that compost is eaten by thousands of red wiggler worms. The worms, through natural processes, then change the waste into rich, organic soil and liquid fertilizer that Mason calls "black gold."
"If you were to buy that on the street, you're talking 30 bucks a quart or more," Mason said.
Last year the prison captured 700,000 gallons of rainwater to use on the farm.
The produce feeds the entire prison population. That's money that doesn't have to be spent buying food elsewhere. The farm provides healthful activity while giving inmates a chance to give back, and it doesn't cost the prison a thing.
Mason set up the prison's horticulture apprenticeship program so that inmates can receive education credits through the Department of Labor. He is passionate about helping them rebuild their lives.
"(Most people) have a perception that it's just lock 'em up and throw away the key," he said. "I don't look at it like that. I think we should train these inmates. Give them skills. Let them take them with them, and not come back."
For two inmates who finished the horticulture program and have now been released, that's exactly what has happened.
"One's in
John Groves, a former prison employee, now coordinates the pick up and delivery of the produce to food pantries and other agencies as a Salvation Army volunteer.
He has seen the effect the food has had for the needy.
"Fresh produce at the grocery store is very expensive," he said. "We've had ladies who have come (to pick up free produce) and said they didn't know what they would do without this program.
"You see people come down in wheelchairs or walkers, or with friends who help them carry the vegetables back to their apartment. They can take as much as they want until it's gone. It's making a huge difference in their lives, because they probably wouldn't be getting fresh produce otherwise."
Bioenergy crops could lower surface temps
(PhysOrg.com) -- Converting large swaths of farmland to perennial grasses for biofuels could lower regional surface temperatures, according to a recent Stanford study.
The study, published online in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), comes on the heels of federal initiatives
to wean the
But concerns about the impact of corn ethanol on food prices, deforestation and global warming have raised interest in the cultivation of perennial grasses – such as switchgrass – as alternative sources of biofuel. Previous studies suggest that ethanol made from switchgrass emits less carbon dioxide than corn-derived ethanol and would therefore have less of an impact on global warming.
In the PNAS study, researchers found that widespread cultivation of perennial grasses could actually reduce the surface temperature of Earth at a regional scale.
"We've shown that planting perennial bioenergy crops can lower surface temperatures by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit [1 C] locally, averaged over the entire growing season," said study co-author David Lobell, assistant professor of environmental Earth system science and a center fellow at Stanford's Program on Food Security and the Environment. "That's a pretty big effect, enough to dominate any effects of carbon savings on the regional climate."
In the study, Lobell and his colleagues used a computer
simulation to forecast the climatic effects of converting farmland in the
"Locally, the simulated cooling is sufficiently large to partially offset projected warming due to increasing greenhouse gases over the next few decades," the authors wrote.
"A key issue remaining is whether the additional water being pumped from the soil gets fully replenished by rainfall, or whether in the long term the soil dries and can't support the same amount of crop production," Lobell said.
"More study is needed to understand the long-term
implication for regional water balance," added lead author Matei Georgescu
of the Center for Environmental Fluid Dynamics at
Amvac, Monsanto enter crop protection deal
(Wire Services) NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD - News) today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Amvac Chemical Corporation has entered into an agreement with Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON - News) to co-market its post-emergent corn herbicide Impact® as part of the Roundup Ready PLUS™ weed management platform.
Impact complements Monsanto’s Roundup PowerMAX® and Roundup WeatherMAX® herbicides by improving the control of a number of broadleaf weeds. Under this multi-year agreement, Impact will be listed as an endorsed product in the program and promoted by both companies as the qualifying post-emergent Roundup® agricultural herbicide tank-mix product supported by Monsanto’s extensive Corn Incentives Program in the United States.
Monsanto’s Roundup Ready PLUS platform allows farmers to fully utilize the benefits of their Roundup Ready® crops by using the best practice recommendations for weed management and receiving financial incentives for using many of the products in the program. The Roundup Ready PLUS platform is designed to provide recommendations of effective, economical and sustainable weed control products for farmers.
Weed scientists recommend that farmers use multiple mechanisms of action when managing weeds on their farm. Impact’s active ingredient, topramezone, is an HPPD inhibitor herbicide that provides an effective tool in weed resistance management.
Eric Wintemute, Chairman & CEO of American Vanguard stated: “We are very pleased to be partnering with the clear leader in glyphosate herbicides. This program will allow growers to preserve the moisture and nutrients in their soil that would otherwise be consumed by many of these hard-to-control / glyphosate resistant broadleaf weeds. This collaborative engagement provides Amvac with the opportunity for expanded sales of its high-performance Impact herbicide; provides Monsanto with even more effective and comprehensive herbicide control for its Roundup® brand herbicides; and most importantly, provides our mutual customers, the U.S. corn grower, with the potential for maximum yield enhancement.”
“We are pleased to announce the addition of Impact as a post-emergent corn herbicide to our Roundup Ready PLUS Corn Incentives Program,” said Tyler Hackstadt, Monsanto’s Selective Chemistry Portfolio Manager. “This agreement creates value and choice for farmers using the Roundup Ready PLUS system by offering another tool to effectively manage weeds on their farm. We believe this partnership further confirms our commitment to offer the best weed management recommendations to growers that will help them proactively use residual herbicides and multiple modes of action, and at the same time, optimize their potential for weed control and achieve maximum yield.”
Under the agreement, Monsanto will license its Roundup Ready PLUS trademarks for use on Impact and co-market Amvac’s post-emergent corn herbicide Impact as part of the Roundup Ready PLUS weed management program. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
End Transmission