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September 6, 2007
·
Offshore rivals give Monsanto food for thought
·
Growers look to robots to replace human labor
· Much maligned iceberg lettuce turns over a new leaf
· UK, Kenya wrangle over food miles for organics
· Carolina man grows square tomato
Offshore rivals give Monsanto food for thought
(Financial Times via
MSNBC.com) – Monsanto, the world's largest biotech seed producer, said emerging
rivals in India and China would provide its fiercest competition as the two
countries tackle the challenge of surging food demand.
The prediction reflects a
shift in the focus of global food production, as well as the broader trend seen
in other high-tech sectors such as aerospace, where emerging market companies
are moving quickly up the value chain.
"My long-term
competitors are going to be from
US-based Monsanto is the
global leader in the supply of genetically modified seeds for corn, soybeans
and other crops which are more resistant to drought and pests. GM supporters
argue the higher yields from the seeds will negate the battle for crop acres
between food providers and the fast-growing biofuels sector.
"We think we can
double yields over the next 25 years," Mr Fraley told the Financial Times,
noting that new "traits" in soybeans would see the grain capture the
level of yield gains seen in recent years from corn.
While Monsanto and rivals
such as Dow Chemical, DuPont and Syngenta are active in
US agricultural exports
are expected to reach a record $79bn in fiscal 2007, but Mr Fraley said the
industry's focus is shifting from North America and western Europe to South
America and central
The recent switch by US
farmers from corn to soybeans in the wake of the biofuels boom has made South
Monsanto operates in 25
countries, but GM providers still face widespread environmental opposition, and
the changing geographical focus of global agriculture has also created battles
over the intellectual property of high-tech seeds.
While GM seeds are used
for most of
Growers look to robots to replace human labor
(AP) – With authorities promising tighter
borders, some farmers who rely on immigrant labor are eyeing an emerging
generation of fruit-picking robots and high-tech tractors to do everything from
pluck premium wine grapes to clean and core lettuce.
Such machines, now in various stages of
development, could become essential for harvesting delicate fruits and
vegetables that are still picked by hand.
"If we want to maintain our current
agriculture here in
More than half of all farm workers in the
country are illegal immigrants, according to U.S. Department of Labor
statistics.
Last year, amid heightened immigration
enforcement,
"There's a lot of very nervous people
out there in agriculture in terms of what's going to be available in the labor
force," said Robert Wample, viticulture and enology program director at
Mechanized picking wouldn't be new for some
But the fresh produce that dominates the
state's agricultural output and that consumers expect to find unblemished in
supermarkets is too fragile to be picked by the machines now in use.
The new pickers rely on advances in computing
power and hydraulics that can make robotic limbs and digits operate with
near-human sensitivity. Modern imaging technology also enables the machines to
recognize and sort fruits and vegetables of varying qualities.
"The technology is maturing just at the
right time to allow us to do this kind of work economically," said Derek
Morikawa, whose San Diego-based Vision Robotics has been working with the
California Citrus Research Board and Washington State Apple Commission to
develop a fruit picker.
The process involves sending a mechanized
scanning unit into orchards and orange groves. Equipped with digital-imaging
technology, it creates a three-dimensional map displaying the location,
ripeness and quality of fruit. A robotic picker then follows the maps, using
its long mechanical arms to carefully pluck the ripe produce.
A prototype was tested last month, but it is
still a few years from being ready for widespread commercial use, said Ted
Batkin, a grower and president of the citrus board.
A set of scanning and harvesting units will
likely cost about $500,000 when the equipment reaches market, Morikawa said.
Elsewhere, a team led by wine specialists at
Growers of low- and mid-grade wine grapes
already use mechanical harvesters, but picking and sorting premium grapes still
requires a human touch.
The new technology includes a device called a
near-infrared spectrometer, which measures the sugar levels and chemical
content of grape samples before they are picked, Wample said. The data is then
plotted to a global positioning system map, which a mechanical harvester uses
to navigate the vineyards and pluck specific bunches at ideal ripeness.
The system has been under development for the
past four years and is being tested in vineyards. The approximate cost of the
two components is $230,000.
Salinas Valley-based Ramsay Highlander sells
machines that partially automate lettuce picking by using band saws or water
knives to cut the lettuce from the earth and convey it into bins for cleaning
and processing.
The company is nearing completion on a new
model that picks, cleans, cores and packs lettuce and other greens, chief
executive Frank Maconachy said. It will likely cost between $250,000 and
$400,000, he said.
"Because of the immigration issue,
migrant workers are becoming a difficult entity to find," Maconachy said.
"If growers have a crop that needs to be harvested and there aren't the
people to do it, they'll need to find a mechanized way to do it."
Philip Martin, an agricultural economist at
the
And the number of variables involved makes it
difficult to determine how much, if anything, growers could save by switching
to automated systems.
But some growers are excited by the prospect
of having robots and a few trained technicians who know how to operate them
replace the droves of manual laborers they currently depend on.
"It will open up a lot of opportunity
for better paying jobs in the agriculture industry and perhaps get us out of
the mentality that being a farm worker is a dirty job," said Batkin, the
citrus farmer.
Much maligned iceberg lettuce turns over a new leaf
(dailybulletin.com) – Although it has gotten a bad rap,
iceberg lettuce is as popular as ever. While it's not laden with nutrition like
some of its greener counterparts, it has a home on restaurant menus in wedge
salads, chopped salads, tostadas, lettuce wraps or cups, on top of tacos,
pizzas and more.
A comfort food of sorts, iceberg is simple, reliable and has been a culinary
icon for more than 100 years - since it was introduced by the W. Atlee Burpee
Seed Co. in 1894. "Many people damn it, but it adds good flavor and a
wonderfully crisp texture to a salad," noted the late James Beard.
"Iceberg is all about the crunch and the versatility," says Rick
Antle, CEO of Salinas-based Tanimura and Antle, the largest independent grower
of iceberg lettuce, with iceberg accounting for about 60 percent of its total
lettuce production (the company also grows romaine, leaf and artisan lettuces).
A great canvas for a wide range of ingredients, iceberg can be fashioned and
dressed in numerous ways.
California produces about 72 percent of all iceberg grown in the United States
(followed by Arizona at 25 percent), with about half of it used by consumers at
home and the other half used in everything from fast-food places to
white-tablecloth restaurants, notes Antle.
Iceberg lettuce became popular after World War II. The name iceberg comes from
the way the lettuce was packed and transported on ice in rail cars in the '40s
and '50s, making the heads look like icebergs. "When opening the doors
there would literally be an iceberg of lettuce," says Antle.
Americans consume more iceberg than any other lettuce - about 22 pounds per
person, followed by romaine at 8 pounds out of a total per capita lettuce
consumption of 34 1/2 pounds in 2005, according to the Economic Research
Service, USDA.
Iceberg accounts for 70 percent of the lettuce grown in California - and takes
anywhere from 60 to 110 days from planting to harvest, adds Antle, noting that
iceberg is grown from seeds on top of the ground (and there is only one crop
per plant) in the Salinas Valley, the salad bowl of the U.S., and elsewhere in
the state.
Once harvested, a whole head can last a month under proper refrigeration, but
figure a head purchased in a supermarket will last one to two weeks in the
refrigerator, stored in a plastic bag to prevent dehydration, until ready to
use, advises Antle.
Just before using, remove the core, discard unwanted leaves, tear or cut the
lettuce into desired size pieces, place in a colander and rinse with lukewarm
water to loosen any dust or dirt (the pores will absorb some of the water).
Drain, place in a stainless-steel bowl and refrigerate an hour. Place any
leftovers in a plastic bag, seal, refrigerate, and use within two to three
days. When comparing prices, figure a whole head will yield 18 to 20 ounces of
usable product, adds Antle.
A medium head of raw iceberg lettuce has about 70 calories and is an excellent
source of vitamin K.
UK ,
Kenya
(allAfrica.com) –
Lord Peter Melchett, a policy director at the Soil
Association, which certifies organic foods in
"In a world where climate change is going to be the dominant situation,
developing more environmentally friendly products is a must," he told
Business Daily. "In the next 20-30 years there are going to be curbs on
air travel. If governments decide to get airlines to pay for their
environmental costs then it's going to be uneconomical to fly fresh
produce," Lord Melchett said.
Air travel has come under heavy criticism in recent months for its high rate of
carbon dioxide emissions. And although air-freighted fresh produce only
accounts for a tiny percentage of the total pollution caused by food
production, air freight has become the fastest growing means of food transport,
leading to calls for taxes on its use.
Kenyan officials in the
"Farmers may be doing good business now but a look into the long-term
future reveals that it would be very misleading to base business growth on a
system of transport where costs are high and bound to increase," he said.
"The problem with air travel is that it has to be tackled globally. So it
won't be one rule for the
The air freight debate has not yet had a noticeable impact on consumer
purchasing but consumers of organic products appear to be more sensitive to
environmental issues. New figures out last week showed that sales of organic
products delivered in boxes from local growers grew more than twice as fast as
supermarkets sales last year.
"The staggering 53 per cent growth in sales through box schemes and other
direct routes confirms strong public support for local, seasonal and organic
food that provides a fair return to farmers and growers, boosts the local
economy, and also reduces your carbon footprint," said Helen Browning,
Soil Association director of food and farming.
The Soil Association is currently discussing whether it should even certify
organic suppliers that fly their produce to the
Such moves could have a major impact on African producers of organic
vegetables, a sector that is increasingly popular because of the strong demand
from
"We're not against imported products at all," explained Lord
Melchett. "Bananas coming by sea from the
Other African countries are developing products to bring to the northern
hemisphere by sea, added Lord Melchett, and Kenyan growers should follow this example.
They should also develop local markets to protect against the threat to
exports.
"My advice would be to stick to organic. It's clearly the way the global
market is going to go. But I would also urge all farmers, wherever in the world
they are, to look at the long-term security of their markets."
Carolina
(thetimesnews.com) – You’ve probably heard of people
battling it out for the honor of growing the first tomato of the season, the
biggest tomato, or the tallest plants.
Walter Stuka may have one-upped them all by growing square tomatoes. 
Stuka, who lives near Gibsonville, got the idea after hearing about people in
The square watermelons fit more easily into refrigerators and are easier to
slice.
Stuka grew square tomatoes for the first time last year and did it again this
year. He used two plywood boxes one of his friends, Ralph Thompson, made for
him.
“When it gets to be a certain size, you just put this around it,” he said,
holding up a box. “When they grow, they just square up.”
One box has a raised “W” carved in it to represent his first name, but Stuka
said it didn’t work too well in imprinting the initial on the tomato.
Stuka is 80. He’s grown tomatoes off and on since he was 10.
“I usually plant about 100 (tomato plants),” he said. “But this year, since I
can’t get around too good, I just planted 30.”
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