" I heard it through the AgLine"

August 19, 2009

 

 

·        Many share common dream of being a farmer

·        ‘Killer’ spices are often eco-friendly pesticides

·        Rutabaga as biofuel may be no pie in the sky

·        Taiwan launches first public veggie dispenser

·        EU organic farms lure traveling backpackers

 

 

Many share common dream of being a farmer

 

(Associated Press) WEST DES MOINES, Iowa  -- They are lawyers, factory workers, insurance adjusters, even an accountant and a dentist. All share the same dream: They want to farm.

 

And all have applied to a special Iowa program that tries to link aspiring farmers with seasoned landowners who are looking toward retirement -- or just planning for the future.

 

The younger folks, mostly in their 20s and 30s, all have their reasons: a love of the outdoors, a yearning for independence, fond memories of riding a tractor with a grandfather long ago.

 

Rick Shafer, who at 50 is an exception -- he's decades older than most applicants -- is trying to return to a world he left behind. He had farmed with his dad in the 1980s, but when high interest rates, low prices and massive debt forced thousands into foreclosure, he quit, thinking he'd return in a few years.

 

The opportunity never came.

 

Shafer went on to work as a bank loan officer, farm machinery salesman, real estate appraiser and stock, bond, insurance and commodities broker. He's now a county conservationist for the Agriculture Department.

 

"Some people think I'm an absolute blithering idiot to try this because I have such a good job," he says. "Others think it's very logical. You reach a certain point in life and you see your mortality on the horizon and say: 'Should I play it safe and never achieve my life's dream or am I at the point here that I go for broke and can say at least I have the guts to try?' "

 

Shafer's hungry for a second chance and even at middle age, he points out he's "still a kid" to 70- and 80-year-olds tooling about the back roads on their combines.

 

About two-thirds of those looking for a match in the Iowa program have some farm experience.

 

Among them is Adam Klein, a 31-year-old Minnesota dentist, whose grandparents raised cattle in South Dakota. He worked on farms in college and is almost giddy describing how he helped a neighbor during harvest time, sleeping in the basement, hanging on to the farmer's every word.

 

"Some guys like to play golf," he says. "I just like to farm. ... It's hard to put the words together to really express the excitement of sitting on a tractor in the field with the sun beating down on you."

 

He's now looking for an older partner, but even if he gets one, he'll also continue his dental practice. "It's just a way to learn more about it and get involved without breaking the bank," he says. "This is what I want to do. It's as simple as that."

 

Nate Litwin, a Tennessee lawyer, is ready to move to Iowa or any place he can farm with his wife, Karen, also a lawyer, and raise their 5-year-old daughter, Lucy. He recently visited three farm families in Iowa. He, too, plans to continue his legal work.

 

"A lot of people say, 'Are you sure you want to do this?' I say, 'We definitely do,"' he says. "They say farming is a tough life. At the same time, they tell me about all the great times they had growing up. I was speaking to one farmer who said equipment is so much money and it's a lot of work. .... I said, 'You've been doing it 30 years. Why not quit?' He stopped in his tracks."

 

Dave Baker, the designated matchmaker at the Beginning Farmer Center, tries to get veteran farmers to think about their futures long before they're on the verge of retirement.

 

One who has, Keith Van Waardhuizen is just 50, but already is eyeing a potential younger partner. "I don't want to wait until I'm 65 and get an 18-year-old and feel like I'm baby-sitting the kid," he says.

 

He's far from ready to call it quits, but is receptive to giving someone a start. "If you can work at a factory and own it by time you're 50," he says, "that's a pretty good deal, isn't it? ... If a young kid wants to make it work, I won't have a problem letting them take over."

 

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‘Killer’ spices are often eco-friendly pesticides

 

(redOrbit.com) – Mention rosemary, thyme, clove, and mint and most people think of a delicious meal. Think bigger…acres bigger. These well-known spices are now becoming organic agriculture's key weapons against insect pests as the industry tries to satisfy demands for fruits and veggies among the growing portion of consumers who want food produced in more natural ways.

 

In a study presented here today at the American Chemical Society's 238th National Meeting, scientists in Canada are reporting exciting new research on these so-called "essential oil pesticides" or "killer spices." These substances represent a relatively new class of natural insecticides that show promise as an environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional pesticides while also posing less risk to human and animal health, the researcher says.

 

"We are exploring the potential use of natural pesticides based on plant essential oils — commonly used in foods and beverages as flavorings," says study presenter Murray Isman, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia. These new pesticides are generally a mixture of tiny amounts of two to four different spices diluted in water. Some kill insects outright, while others repel them.

 

Over the past decade, Isman and colleagues tested many plant essential oils and found that they have a broad range of insecticidal activity against agricultural pests. Some spiced-based commercial products now being used by farmers have already shown success in protecting organic strawberry, spinach, and tomato crops against destructive aphids and mites, the researcher says.

 

"These products expand the limited arsenal of organic growers to combat pests," explains Isman. "They're still only a small piece of the insecticide market, but they're growing and gaining momentum."

 

The natural pesticides have several advantages. Unlike conventional pesticides, these "killer spices" do not require extensive regulatory approval and are readily available. An additional advantage is that insects are less likely to evolve resistance — the ability to shrug off once-effective toxins — Isman says. They're also safer for farm workers, who are at high risk for pesticide exposure, he notes.

 

But the new pesticides also have shortcomings. Since essential oils tend to evaporate quickly and degrade rapidly in sunlight, farmers need to apply the spice-based pesticides to crops more frequently than conventional pesticides. Some last only a few hours, compared to days or even months for conventional pesticides. As these natural pesticides are generally less potent than conventional pesticides, they also must be applied in higher concentrations to achieve acceptable levels of pest control, Isman says. Researchers are now seeking ways of making the natural pesticides longer-lasting and more potent, he notes.

 

"They're not a panacea for pest control," cautions Isman. Conventional pesticides are still the most effective way to control caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles and other large insects on commercial food crops, he says. "But at the end of the day, it comes down to what's good for the environment and what's good for human health."

 

The "killer spices" aren't just limited to agricultural use. Some show promise in the home as eco-friendly toxins and repellents against mosquitoes, flies, and roaches. Unlike conventional bug sprays, which have a harsh odor, these natural pesticides tend to have a pleasant, spicy aroma. Many contain the same oils that are used in aromatherapy products, including cinnamon and peppermint, Isman notes.

 

Manufacturers have already developed spice-based products that can repel ticks and fleas on dogs and cats without harming the animals. Researchers are now exploring the use of other spice-based products for use on fruits and vegetables to destroy microbes, such as E. coil and Salmonella, which cause food poisoning.

 

Other scientists are currently exploring the insect-fighting potential of lavender, basil, bergamot, patchouli oil, and at least a dozen other oils from exotic plant sources in China. Funding for this study was provided by EcoSMART®, a botanical pesticide company based in Alpharetta, Ga.

 

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Rutabaga as biofuel may be no pie in the sky

 

(Associated Press) – Researchers at Michigan State University are working to turn the rutabaga into an oil-producing powerhouse that could make the turnip-like vegetable a better source of biofuel than other food crops.

 

The idea is that the rutabaga, which stores oil in its seeds like some other biofuel crops, could be genetically modified to churn out more oil and store it throughout the plant.

 

"If we could make it in the green tissues, like the leaves, stems or even underground tissues like storage roots, then we think we can make a lot more," professor Christoph Benning said.

 

The rutabaga hasn't had much presence on U.S. dinner tables, an advantage in using it for biofuel. The use of corn, soybeans and other food crops for fuel instead of food has raised the specter of shortages, and some blame the biofuel boom for pushing up food prices. Benning's research is one of many efforts nationally to get biofuel from sources other than major food crops.

 

Benning decided to focus on the rutabaga because the root vegetable already has the "machinery" of producing oil and it grows well in northern states. It's cold-resistant and, because of the way it flowers, he said, there's no threat of modified rutabagas becoming invasive.

 

Benning and his fellow researchers at Michigan State in East Lansing have inserted a gene into rutabagas to try to get them to accumulate oil instead of starch throughout the plant.

 

It took about a year to grow the first generation of genetically modified rutabaga in a university greenhouse, Benning said. The scientists will analyze seedlings from subsequent generations to see how oil production has been affected. Even if all works as expected, it could take 15 years before rutabaga biofuel becomes a reality, he said.

 

"It's not going to happen tomorrow, but the problem won't go away tomorrow," said Benning, who is part of Michigan State's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

 

Dan Gustafson, director of the Washington, D.C. liaison office of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, said it's important for researchers to look at different sources for biofuel -- in part because of the trade-off, for example, between producing corn for food and corn for fuel.

 

"Biofuel has some tremendous potential and opportunities for farmers, but there also are problems with food security," Gustafson said.

 

Scott Faber, a lobbyist for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, said it's important when looking at biofuel crops to examine how they will affect the cost of food. Even if rutabagas aren't widely grown in the U.S. for people to eat, rutabagas for biofuel could edge out other food crops.

 

"If you were to dedicate hundreds of thousands of acres to produce rutabaga for the biofuel sector, in all likelihood farmers would be changing what crops are currently being cultivated on those lands," Faber said. "That is one of the sort of hot-button issues, a central focus of the biofuel debate."

 

A goal, Benning said, is to grow rutabagas two or three times as efficient at producing oil as canola, a major biofuel crop. That could make it a "game changer" in the biofuel industry, he said.

 

The parts of genetically modified rutabagas that aren't harvested for oil could be used for animal feed, Benning said. He doesn't think the rutabagas would be unsuitable for human or animal consumption, but that would need to be studied. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture would have to approve their use.

 

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Taiwan launches its first public veggie dispenser

 

(earthtimes.org) – Taipei – After dispensers that offer cold and hot drinks and newspapers, Taiwan now has its first vegetable dispenser. The dispenser in Kaohsiung, south Taiwan, supplies several kinds of green vegetables to customers 24 hours a day, cable TV channel Nownews reported.

 

The inventor, identified only by his surname Chen, has claimed that his vegetables can remain fresh for a week because the roots of each bundle of vegetables are wrapped in water-soaked sponge.

 

To prevent the vegetables leaves from being damaged, Chen has also covered the edge of the mouth of the dispenser with sponge.

 

Some Kaohsiung residents said the price of the vegetables in the dispenser is higher than the market price, but they think it's acceptable because one can buy vegetables from the dispenser at night or during typhoon weather, Nownews reported.

 

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EU organic farms lure traveling backpackers

 

(AP via The Seattle Times) – Backpackers pining for European adventure have discovered life on the farm — shoveling manure, feeding pigs and making butter — as a recession-beating way to sate their wanderlust.

 

Their ticket to an earthy taste of the Old Continent is an innovative Web site that connects travelers with a network of organic farms stretching from Portugal to Turkey and around the world.

 

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), an organization founded in Britain, has been around since 1971, but has lured many more volunteer farmhands in recent years as hard economic times forced people young and not so young to seek a cheap way to take a European vacation.

 

This year 15,700 of them are scattered across Europe getting their hands good and dirty, compared to 6,400 in 2004, WWOOF says.

 

The number of hosts is up, too, roughly doubling to 2,240 in that same time span.

 

The organization also offers farm stays around the world, in North America, South America, Central America, Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.

 

For a few hours of work a day — other chores include milking goats, collecting honey and making compost — volunteers get a place to stay and fresh food to eat.

 

"I didn't have enough money to stay on any other way," said Alex Mansfield, 21, a guitar-toting philosophy student from Massachusetts who traded in the city life of his study-abroad experience in Salamanca, Spain, for a few weeks on an isolated farm.

 

Along with three other Americans and an Argentinean, Mansfield spent part of this summer on an ever-changing volunteer force at Centro Ammehula, a hamlet transformed into an organic farm, tucked away in Spain's northwest Galicia region.

 

The setting was scenic but the accommodations modest: several metal trailers and tents surrounding a bonfire area, all of it 9 miles from the nearest supermarket.

 

But the volunteers, feasting on fresh lettuce and lip-staining strawberries from the farm, don't seem to mind.

 

"It feels so good to be right near the food you're about to cook," said former New York schoolteacher Talia Kahn-Kravis, 23, as she squirted milk from a goat's udder into a plastic bucket.

 

Centro Ammehula's owner, Martin Verfondern, 51, said WWOOF is not just about growing fresh produce. More importantly, he says, it fosters cultural understanding.

 

"WWOOF is the perfect anti-discrimination device," said the Dutchman born in Germany, who has lived on the Spanish farm for 11 years.

 

"We have Germans and Israelis sitting at a table together without problems. It's a really great way of getting to know more of a country than only the national prejudices."

 

Recent graduates and college students make up a significant portion of volunteers, although farmhands come from walks of life, said Chemi Pena, spokesman for WWOOF in Spain.

 

Julie Bateman, a mother of two, packed up her 10- and 13-year-old children and left her home in Charleston, S.C., for a volunteer farming stint in Italy this summer.

 

"WWOOFing with the two children is certainly a twist on normal travel," said the 42-year-old Bateman.

 

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