" I heard it through the AgLine"

October 4, 2011

 

 

·       Vets learn the art of veggie farming

·       Deere to build two factories in Brazil

·       New insight into plant immune defenses

·       Benefits of locally grown potatoes told

·       Hawaii seed crop industry hits $247M

 

 

Vets learn the art of veggie farming

 

(NBC LA) – Cory Pollard says some of his friends laugh at him when he tells them.

 

He doesn't care. He actually really likes farming.

 

"When people think farmers, they think you're going to be out there in the sun wearing overalls and straw hat, juggling dirt and stuff like that, but I like it out here and that's what matters," said the US Army veteran.

 

Pollard works alongside Carlos Rivera, another vet.

 

"We served in the same unit. We went to Iraq twice together," Rivera said.

 

Pollard and Rivera were infantry men and part of the initial push into Fallujah.

 

Brothers on the battlefield, they now work in fields of kale and lettuce. They work at a small organic farm -- and at a time when unemployment continues to be high, farming is a good option for many returning vets.

 

Industry experts say that there are eight times as many farmers over the age of 65 as under. Simply put, the need for young farmers is tremendous.

 

Colin and Karen Archipley believe veterans can fill that need, so they founded Archi's Acres in Escondido, Calif.

 

"We're not training people to be out in the field picking cherries," Colin said. "We're training people to be business owners and managers."

 

The Archipleys believe vets have valuable skill sets and a strong work ethic. Vets are team oriented and believe in completing whatever the mission may be.

 

For their organic farm, they hire veterans like Edgar Hercila, who says the transition from soldier to farmer makes sense.

 

"Coming out, you still have that calling of service," Hercila said. "It's natural."

 

But aside from being patriotic, working a small farm makes good business sense. Archi's Acres used hydroponics for its crops. The farmers grow their basil and lettuce without soil.

 

Walking around the main greenhouse Hercila explains, "This greenhouse, which is a tenth of an acre, can produce 800 basil plants a week. Normally you turn a crop approximately 17 times in a greenhouse condition as opposed to conventional farming, which is about seven times."

 

Archi's Acres' basil is now sold to nearby Whole Foods Markets. Colin said "the bigger companies are looking for the locally produced stuff because that's what the consumers want."

 

Colin's success did not come easily. They went through multiple "heartaches" when developing their small business. But as a marine, Colin is not one to give up.

 

"We don't know how to surrender," he said. "When we see a challenge we go into it. When we get fired upon, we move into the fire."

 

Colin served three dangerous tours in Iraq, including combat in Baghdad and Fallujah. When he returned from his final tour, members of his unit reenlisted. Marines are very team oriented. They pride themselves on looking out for each other.

 

Colin was tempted to re-enlist once again.

 

But Karen wanted her husband home. She wanted him safe.

 

"I said, 'No, that's not OK with me. No more deployments,'" Karen Archipley said.

 

So, the couple came up with a way to serve their nation at home.

 

"That's how we stumbled upon creating the Veterans Sustainable Agricultural Training (VSAT) program," Karen Archipley said.

 

Now, Karen and Colin run the six-week training program to give veterans skills in both business and agriculture. As part of the graduation criteria, students present a business pitch to venture capitalists.

 

Agriculture is the work veterans want to do. It is physical work and it happens outdoors. Many veterans cannot see themselves working in cubicles and some have difficulties dealing with people when they return from combat. Farming provides them with a sense of calm and purpose.

 

Carlos Rivera says working with plants gave him a patience he didn't have before.

 

"Out there (Iraq), not to be cruel, but they're teaching us how to kill people, but out here, it's the opposite," Rivera said. "We're learning how to plant living things and watching them grow instead of ending life."

 

The ultimate goal of the VSAT program is to get these veterans work.

 

"I've already talked to two markets who told me that if I can get a place to grow, they're willing to buy basil and do small time," said Robert Caudill, a sergeant in the Marine Corps.

 

Karen and Colin believe in taking care of troops and home. For them, it is both a duty and an honor.

 

"It's not even pride so much as it's a privilege," Karen Archipley said. "We have the privilege to participate in the lives in our returning military."

 

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Deere to build two factories in Brazil

 

(WQAD.com) – Deere & Company announced Monday plans to build two new factories in Brazil in order to meet the growing market demand for its construction equipment products in South America.

 

Deere is investing $124 million in this $180 million project. The company has partnered with Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. The two already have a joint venture in the U.S. to manufacture excavators as well as a marketing agreement.

 

“Brazil is one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for construction equipment,” says Samuel R. Allen, chairman and chief executive officer of Deere & Company. He continues, “Today’s announcement represents another step in our strategy to serve construction equipment customers in key markets around the world.”

 

Deere plans to build the two factories in Indaiatuba and Sao Paulo. Of the two factories, Deere will be the sole owner of one, to manufacture backhoe loaders and four-wheel-drive loaders. For the second factory, Deere plans to partner with Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. to manufacture excavators.

 

Michael Mack, president of Deere’s Worldwide Construction & Forestry Division, says, “There are significant opportunities to serve customers with Deere construction equipment in this region of the world. We believe Deere can gain momentum by leveraging the considerable assets and capabilities that Deere has already established in the region.”

 

According to Deere, the product line manufactured in Brazil will be supplemented with imports from other factories. The company also plans to establish a distribution network to sell and service the equipment.

 

Deere already has a strong presence in South America. The company currently has three manufacturing facilities targeted towards the agriculture and forestry equipment markets, a parts distribution center, a bank, a water facility.  John Deere Water is currently one of the world’s largest irrigation companies.

 

Deere expects factory construction to begin in early 2012 with product manufacturing starting in late 2013.

 

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New insight into plant immune defenses

 

(EurekaAlert.org) – Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), among others, have identified an important cog in the molecular machinery of plant immunity - a discovery that could help crop breeders produce disease-resistant varieties to help ensure future food security. There may also be implications for treating human immune-related disorders. The research, led by Professor Gary Loake at the University of Edinburgh with colleagues from Syngenta is published in the journal Nature.

 

Plants are under constant attack from disease-causing organisms and to protect themselves they have developed a simple immune system. One defence mechanism is to trigger threatened cells to die and so remove the food source from the invading pathogen. Professor Loake and his team have uncovered what is happening inside the cells to control this process and in doing so have put an enzyme called NADPH oxidase in the spotlight.

 

Professor Loake said "Plants generate a short, sharp shock that kills off the cells around where the pathogen is trying to invade and essentially starves it out. But we recognised that something must be going on to make sure that the plant doesn't go into complete meltdown."

 

When a plant is attacked by a bacterium or a fungus, for example, there are various ways in which they perceive this attack. One of the common responses is to trigger the production of a chemical called nitric oxide (NO) and a class of molecules known as 'reactive oxygen intermediates' (ROI's), which includes things like hydrogen peroxide and 'free radicals'. As well as being very toxic to the invading organism, NO and ROI's are key to encouraging cells to die if they are threatened. NADPH oxidase comes into the picture because it is critical for the production of ROI's.

 

The team has found that there is a feedback loop where as the levels of NO go up, NADPH oxidase is altered by the addition of an NO molecule to its structure so that it doesn't work so well. This causes the level of ROI's to drop and cell death tails off.

 

"This is really exciting!" said Professor Loake "We know that if a human being makes NADPH oxidase that doesn't work properly then they can suffer from an immune deficiency called chronic granulomatous disease or CGD. People with CGD have a particularly hard time fighting off bacterial and fungal infections and often suffer from pneumonia and abscesses.

 

"NADPH oxidase is really important in plant immunity as well, and we've been able to show how it is regulated in a normal immune response. We hope that plant breeders will be able to use this information to develop disease-resistant varieties. Our discovery might also open new opportunities to treat human immune disorders, such as CGD."

 

Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive, BBSRC said "If available nutrition cannot meet the rise in global population we will face a crisis. Anything that can be done to support the development of new disease-resistant crop varieties with excellent underpinning bioscience research is good news. We must find out as much as possible, through studies such as this one, about how plants deal with invading pathogens so that we can develop new strategies to reduce the impact of disease on yields."

 

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Benefits of locally grown spuds told

 

(Colorado State University) FORT COLLINS - A Colorado State University study that evaluated the effect of storage on antioxidants and anti-cancer properties in colored potatoes shows that while the amount of antioxidant properties increases, the anti-cancer properties of those antioxidant compounds are suppressed.

 

The research results might also apply to all produce, which shores up the argument for eating local, in-season produce that hasn’t been stored for a long period of time, according to the research team out of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Some fruits and vegetables are stored for up to 12 months before they appear in grocery stores, according to project researchers.

 

Potato antioxidants are active against colon cancer. These studies show that purple- and red-fleshed potatoes are higher in these beneficial antioxidants. In fact, the research showed that colored potatoes can deliver antioxidants in levels comparable to blueberries and grapes if they have not been stored for prolonged periods of time.

 

“If a consumer wants to maximize the health benefits of potatoes, they should shop for locally grown, in-season red- or purple potatoes,” said research project leader Jairam Vanamala. Vanamala is a professor and researcher in the department. The department is part of the College of Applied Human Sciences.

 

While white potatoes are a rich source of antioxidants, colored potatoes have higher levels of anti-cancer, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.

 

As an example of antioxidant properties in potatoes, one-half of a recently harvested, baked purple potato delivers significant amounts of compounds that fight colon cancer cells. To get the same level of similar compounds in other foods, one would have to eat three and a half recently harvested and baked white potatoes, 600 potato chips, 45 blueberries or 25 grapes.

 

The research has documented the cancer-fighting antioxidants of plant foods for several years. Vanamala said future studies should explore farm-to-fork operations on the health-benefiting properties of plant foods, with an aim to discover optimal conditions to preserve anticancer properties.

 

This study was funded by a National Research Initiative Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The results of this research project were recently published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, an American Chemical Society’s journal. Vanamala’s CSU lab team work on this project included Gaurav Madiwale and Lavanya Reddivari. David Holm, a CSU horticulture professor from San Luis Valley Research Center in Center provided potato cultivars for this study.

 

Vanamala is also a faculty member in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program, University of Colorado Cancer Center.

 

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Hawaii seed crop industry hits $247M

 

(Pacific Business News) – The value of Hawaii’s year-round seed crop industry has risen to $247 million, according to a recent report by the Hawaii field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

 

The report estimates that the value of the seed crop industry in Hawaii for the 2010-2011 season rose 5 percent from the 2009-2010 season.

 

The service estimates that seed corn accounts for $236.4 million, or 96 percent, of the industry in Hawaii. The other 4 percent is in seed crops such as soybeans, sunflowers, wheat and rice.

 

“Hawaii’s seed crop industry continues to grow even in this tough economy,” Fred Perlak, president of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, said in a news release. “As the No. 1 agricultural commodity in the state, the seed industry continues to be a stable source for tax revenues, employee salaries, jobs and community support.”

 

Hawaii seed companies employ more than 1,800 people at operations on Oahu, Kauai, Molokai and Maui, the association said.

 

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