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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 India and China," Robb Fraley, Monsanto's chief technology officer, said. "They are putting in massive research and development investment."

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 India and China, the emergence of home-grown rivals is expected to shape the increasing battle for crop acres at a time when global stocks of some grains, notably wheat, are at historic lows.

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 Europe. Both regions are becoming important suppliers to India and China, and the emergence of new biotech groups is expected to shape the type of crops planted.

The recent switch by US farmers from corn to soybeans in the wake of the biofuels boom has made South America the focus of future bean supplies.

China's soybean imports are equivalent to total ex-ports from Argentina, while there is a brewing battle in Brazil's upcoming planting season between beans and sugarcane, which is used in ethanol production. Mr Fraley predicted that Romania and Bulgaria could become major suppliers of biofuels to the European Union.

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 Argentina's bean crop, Monsanto has struggled to collect royalties because of a dispute with the government. "We have had a significant challenge in capturing the value," Mr Fraley said.

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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 California, that's where mechanization comes in," said Jack King, national affairs manager for the California Farm Bureau.

California harvests about half the nation's fruits, nuts and vegetables, according to the state Food and Agriculture Department. The California Farm Bureau Federation estimates that the job requires about 225,000 workers year-round and double that during the peak summer season.

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, California's seasonal migration was marked by spot worker shortages, and some fruit was left to rot in the fields.

"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 California State University, Fresno.

Mechanized picking wouldn't be new for some California crops such as canning tomatoes, low-grade wine grapes and nuts.

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 California State University, Fresno, is working on an automated picker to further mechanize the wine-grape business.

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 University of California, Davis, said it was still unclear if heightened immigration enforcement would drive away enough workers to justify huge expenditures by growers on new machinery.

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.

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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.

 

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UK, Kenya wrangle over food miles for organics


(allAfrica.com) – Kenya's fresh produce sector must invest in more environmentally friendly methods of transport to maintain its grip on the valuable European markets, one of the UK's influential speakers on farming has warned.

 

Lord Peter Melchett, a policy director at the Soil Association, which certifies organic foods in UK, says only long term approach to ongoing air freight debate will prevent a possible erosion of the country's valuable European marketshare.

"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 UK have sought to counter arguments against air-freight by demonstrating the country's environmentally friendly methods of production, typically using natural sunlight to generate energy. Lord Melchett urged Kenyan government and fresh produce farmers to thinking ahead despite the possibility of winning the climate change debate.

"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 UK and one for Kenya. Measures will affect everyone."

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 UK. Its decision, due next month, may lead to similar labels to those introduced by Tesco and M&S to highlight air-freighted goods or it may even ban certificates on any suppliers using air freight.

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 UK consumers and the higher margins for growers. The Soil Association certifies around 75 per cent of organic products on the UK retail market, and has a strong reputation because of its high standards.

"We're not against imported products at all," explained Lord Melchett. "Bananas coming by sea from the Caribbean have a very low carbon footprint. But the environmental impact of air freight is growing so fast that it will soon contribute more than livestock production."

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." Britain's organic food and drink sales reached the £ 2 billion mark for the first time in 2006, with a sustained market growth rate of 22 per cent throughout the year.

 

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Carolina man grows square tomato

 

(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 Japan growing square watermelons. Online news accounts say farmers grow the fruit in glass squares to make it assume the unnatural shape.

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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