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December 28, 2009
· Food tastes, issues mark the foodie decade
· Urban farms may jump start the Motor City
·
World Ag Expo to explore international issues
· Biodiesel fuel system a success for military use
· Hopes wane as Zimbabwe farm mayhem spreads
Food tastes, issues mark the foodie decade
(AP via DailyWorld.com) – Want an easy way to sum up how Americans ate during the first 10 years of the new century? Three words should do it.
Sushi at 7-Eleven.
For this was the decade of the gourmeting of America, an era when cola wars and burger battles made way for artisanal sodas and grass fed beef, when coffee went from a cup of joe to a double shot-half-caff-soy-latte, ethnic was de rigueur and local became the new global.
It was a fine time to be a foodie.
Not that everything exactly whet the appetite. Contaminated produce and soaring food prices turned our stomachs. And we lost some of the luminaries and institutions — Julia Child and Gourmet magazine — that had worked so diligently to brighten our meals.
More than ever before, issues long treated as the mushy peas on the collective American dinner plate — organics, local and sustainable agriculture, animal welfare — were getting sirloin-style treatment, sometimes in the least likely of places.
Walmart embraced organics — a $21 billion industry, up from $3.6 billion in 1997 — a decision that broadened access, but that critics feared would dilute the industry's standards. And the home of the Egg McMuffin said it would study how to raise chickens without cramped cages.
Meanwhile, books and movies that tore into big industry food and would have been relegated to the granola set a decade earlier — Morgan Spurlock's 2004 film Super Size Me and Michael Pollan's 2006 tome The Omnivore's Dilemma — pervaded the popular consciousness.
Eating became a political act. Whether prompted by concerns
about the quality of school lunches, climate change or worker conditions in the
Slow Food, a highly politicized Italian-born movement
dedicated to preserving artisanal and sustainable foods, made its first major
foray into the
Speaking of voting, it says something about our appetite for
good food when the most-watched kitchen is at
Following the ketchup-as-vegetable Reagan years, the
no-broccoli-allowed Bush Sr. years, eight years of Bubba's burger fixation, and
finally the fake turkey faux pas of Bush Jr.,
Everything from the peach cobbler President Barack Obama ate
in
Food also had a lighter side. We were primed by the Food Network (whose viewership jumped 392 percent from 1999 to 2009) and other channels to treat what we eat as entertainment.
The era of Child's behind-the-stove television was fading, replaced by an army of reality programs with screaming chefs, cooking throw downs and towering cake creations. Good luck if you just wanted to learn how to make beef bourguignon.
For that, you'd have been better off tuning out and logging on. The Web exploded with food-driven content, much of it fed from social networks and blogs. Even Martha Stewart got in on it, using Twitter to send 140-character recipes.
By the middle of the decade, we'd pretty much given up demonizing carbs. And though our waistlines continue to expand, Americans haven't latched on to any one diet since. We do, however, fret over gluten and trans fats, neither of which seems to be in anything anymore.
Weight problems be damned. Eating became ever more ubiquitous. The food industry sought to maximize our so-called eating opportunities. And so we were able to buy soda alongside our staples at the office supply store and candy with our kitty treats at the pet store.
As part of that, on-the-go grub got a serious upgrade.
Convenience stores morphed into mini grocers. Nearly 1,700 7-Elevens now sell
sushi. Wondering which Slurpee flavor pairs best with
And that's because store brands have become the new must-have (non)label. Thanks mostly to the sagging economy — but also to sharp spikes in quality and marketing — so-called private labels have become an $88 billion industry.
The economy also made us get old school in the kitchen. Sales of home canning supplies shot up and — especially after the first lady planted her kitchen garden — we all reached for our spades and seed catalogs.
Perhaps you ordered some bok choy and tomatillo seeds, because mainstream American food got seriously ethnic. It's partly because we are an increasingly ethnic (and especially Hispanic) nation. But it's also thanks to the growing ranks of young, adventurous eaters.
Sushi? Sorry 7-Eleven, that's so '90s. Young people today are eaters-without-borders and are forever on the hunt for new and more intense flavors. Vietnamese, North African, Indian and South American flavors are where it's at.
Which explains the explosion of food trucks. The trucks themselves aren't new, but the attention they got from serious foodies is. It's also a credit to their inventiveness, quality and deeply ethnic roots. It helps that food trucks are cheap, both to operate and eat from.
Which brings it back to sushi. At 7-Eleven. It was an on-the-go decade that favored ethnic and affordable. Whatever the economy does, and whether we eat at home or in restaurants (or even more likely in our cars), that's unlikely to change during the next 10 years.
Urban farms may jump start the Motor City
(latimes.com) – On the city's east side, where auto workers once assembled cars by the millions, nature is taking back the land.
This green veil is proof of how far this city has fallen
from its industrial heyday and, to a small group of investors, a clear sign.
"There's so much land available and it's begging to be used," said Michael Score, president of the Hantz Farms, which is buying up abandoned sections of the city's 139-square-mile landscape and plans to transform them into a large-scale commercial farm enterprise.
"Farming is how
The urban agricultural movement has grown nationwide in recent years, as recession-fueled worries prompted people to raise fruits and vegetables to feed their families and perhaps sell at local farmers' markets.
Large gardens and small farms -- usually 10 acres or less --
have cropped up in thriving cities such as
In
It is the size and scope of Hantz Farms that makes the
project unique. Although company officials declined to pinpoint how many acres
they might use, they have been quoted as saying that they plan to farm up to
5,000 acres within the
The project was launched two years ago by
It will start small. Next spring, the farm is expected to begin growing crops on about 30 acres of land, Score said.
Because it has been difficult for Hantz and his team to purchase large contiguous parcels, much of the acreage has been grouped into smaller "pods." Each will grow different crops, depending on the condition of the soil and what buildings remain on the land, Score said.
Hantz executives envision a city where green fields and apple orchards flourish next to houses and factories, and forests thrive alongside interstates and highways. The team is still figuring out what will grow where: Tree groves could be planted where the soil is too contaminated to grow food, and empty factory buildings may be converted to house hydroponic fields to raise specialty vegetables, fruit and cooking herbs.
"People look at these abandoned houses and think, 'No
one could live there. Let's tear it down," said Score, a former business
development consultant for
"I look at it and think, maybe we could grow mushrooms inside there."
The idea of turning this former American manufacturing capital into an agrarian paradise is not that far-fetched, at least not with history as a guide.
The city, one of the
In 1910, about 80% of the 396,800 acres of
Today, fewer than 21,000 acres are being farmed.
Local leaders say they are encouraged by the idea of farm
jobs coming to
But local officials put the number far higher: Mayor Dave
Bing recently said that nearly half of the city's workers are either unemployed
or underemployed. These officials support the effort to redevelop the estimated
one-third of
And in a city where there are no major grocery store chains, and more than three-fourths of the residents buy their food at convenience stores or gas stations, the idea of having easy access to fresh produce is appealing.
"There is real potential for this to work, because land
prices in
"The million-dollar question is whether that local-food trend is permanent," Knudson said. "If it is, then this plan works because you have more than a million consumers in the city and nearby areas to sell to. If not, you're going to have a hard time getting enough acreage put together to make the costs of running a commercial operation feasible."
City officials also remain cautious about the project. They point out that commercial farming brings with it numerous hurdles that other commercial projects don't.
Their concerns include figuring out who would pay for cleaning pollutants out of the soil and removing utility infrastructure, such as gas and sewer lines; how to rewrite the city's zoning laws; and how to adjust property tax rates and property values to allow for commercial farming.
"Urban farming will be part of
However, he added, "as a city built primarily for manufacturing and industrial production, preparing land for widespread agricultural purposes is a process that cannot occur overnight."
World Ag Expo to explore international issues
The Center for International Trade Development’s International Trade Symposium,
scheduled for Tuesday, February 9, 2010, will focus on preparing attendees for
the future in a global marketplace.
International
Trade Symposium Schedule
10
a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Green, Fair and Safe: Producing for the Global Supply
Chain
Green
initiatives, carbon offsets and environmentally responsible guidelines may
become the norm in retail sourcing and distribution. How can companies best
position themselves to meet new market requirements in a changing global
environment? Industry representatives will discuss trends within the global
distribution chain.
Moderator:
California Secretary of Agriculture A.G. Kawamura (Invited);
Panelists:
TBA
11:45
a.m. - 1 p.m.
With
President Obama’s recent declaration of “seeking a new beginning” with Cuba and
the Organization of American States looking to invite Cuba back into the fold
after a 47-year absence, new opportunities are on the horizon. Even under the
current trade limitations,
Panelists:
Paul Wenger, President,
1:30
p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Are Global Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures
Distorting International Trade?
Aflatoxin…Mad
Cow Disease…Medfly…Melamine— these, and hundreds more, have caused markets to
shut down around the world. Broadly referred to as Sanitary or Phytosanitary
(SPS) barriers to trade, they cause governments to restrict imports in the name
of human and environmental safety. But are SPS barriers always justified? Or do
some countries use them as an excuse to stop imports, thus protecting their own
producers? Many
Speaker:
Dr. Isi Siddiqui, Ag Negotiator, U.S. Trade Representative’s Office
(Invited)
2:45
p.m. – 4 p.m. Global Recession: How Are World Markets Recovering?
While
the Federal Reserve has declared that
Speaker:
Oliver Flake, Agricultural Economist, USDA-Foreign Agriculture Service
The 43rd annual World Ag Expo 2010, powering global
agriculture, will run February 9–11 at the International Agri-Center show
grounds in
Online attendee registration is now open at WorldAgExpo.com.Those who register online through Feb. 1
will save time at the gate, $2 off daily admission, and be automatically
entered to win a Yamaha Rhino and other registration prizes. World Ag Expo
tickets are $10 online if purchased before Feb. 1, or $12 at the gate.
Attendees who pick up their badges at the onsite registration center also will
receive a complimentary admission to West Coast Nationals on the same day. For
more information about West Coast Nationals, go to westcoastnationals.com.
Biodiesel system proves successful for military use
(Wire Services) -- PORT HUENEME,
ARIES is the culmination of more than six years of research, development, demonstration and validation by the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (NFESC) and Biodiesel Industries. The addition of Aerojet's expertise in integrated system design, fluidic management and control systems development, coupled with decades of experience in chemical formulation processes has allowed the partnership to make extraordinary strides in the last 12 months.
"Aerojet and the Navy are the perfect partners for this endeavor," explained Russell Teall, president and founder of Biodiesel Industries. "For the past 15 years we have been developing proprietary technology for modular multi-feedstock biodiesel production. Combining NFESC's specialization in energy and environmental systems with Aerojet's history of advanced systems controls, enabled the implementation and first public demonstration of Biodiesel Industries' ARIES platform. We are excited to see this technology emerge as the result of the Navy's long-term commitment to utilize renewable fuels. As the world's largest consumer of diesel fuel, the implications for the Navy and the DoD are clear: energy self-sufficiency is not only a matter of national security, but also provides tremendous environmental and economic benefits."
A key issue with biofuel production has been the ability to access inexpensive feedstocks that do not compete with agricultural land use or the production of food. The ability to use locally available non-food feedstocks for biodiesel requires a flexible production process and technical expertise and control not easily associated with small- scale facilities. However, with ARIES, one data and process control center has the potential to remotely operate hundreds of scalable facilities integrated with next-generation feedstock cultivation, producing millions of gallons of biofuel per year.
"Biodiesel Industries' years of advanced work with jatropha, algae and other biofuel feedstocks are critically important to the ARIES platform. In the coming months, we expect to announce several new developments with our proprietary methods of feedstock cultivation that make the ARIES system an ideal solution for the Navy with significant implications in the commercial sector as well," according to JJ Rothgery, Chairman of the Board of Biodiesel Industries.
"Aerojet is excited to be a part of this visionary team and looks forward to contributing to our nation's goal of energy independence," said Scott Neish, president of Aerojet. "As Aerojet expands the energy management capabilities we developed from decades of work in aerospace and defense into new markets, collaborating with Biodiesel Industries is a perfect fit. This collaboration has allowed us to leverage our experience with the pioneers of this field, significantly enhancing the production of biofuels as we know it today."
ARIES incorporates Aerojet's systems control technologies to provide real-time sensing and management of key chemistry and processing parameters. These technologies, coupled with Biodiesel Industries' 10-year production database, allow automation of the entire process, resulting in enhanced yields, reliable quality control and personnel safety assurance. Remote sensing also enables monitoring and operation from a single data and process control center for biodiesel production facilities in numerous locations around the world.
Following the recent successful demonstration of ARIES for
the U.S. Navy, additional capabilities are now being installed and the unit
will be moved to the National Environmental Test Site at
About Biodiesel Industries, Inc.: Biodiesel Industries is a privately held company which builds, owns and operates biodiesel production facilities, conducts research and feasibility studies, and collaborates with strategic partners to implement new initiatives. The company and its management have been pioneers in the industry for the past 15 years, with an emphasis on using advanced technologies for the multi-feedstock modular production of next generation biofuels.
About Aerojet: Aerojet, a GenCorp Company (NYSE:GY) , is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company's excess real estate assets.
Hopes wane as Zimbabwe
(AP via The Seattle Times) – Rainbow's End got its name from its bumper crops of grain, fruit and vegetables. But now the pot of gold is empty. Most of the land is derelict and cut off by a collapsed bridge.
Once one of the most productive farms in this troubled southern African nation, Rainbow's End will have very little to harvest next season, even as farmers' organizations forecast huge crop shortfalls and the U.N. says 2 million Zimbabweans - nearly one-fourth of the population - will need food aid in January.
President Robert Mugabe's campaign to run
Since the coalition was formed in February, at least 100 more white farmers have been driven off their land. Of about 300 still farming, more than half have been served official eviction notices. Since August, Thomas Beattie, who farmed near Rainbow's End, has been under siege by militants and men he calls hired thugs, and was forced to leave his home in November at the height of the planting season.
"The attitude on the ground is still that white farmers
need to go. That is the reality," said Deon Theron, head of the Commercial
Farmers'
Mugabe, in power since
Under the land seizure program he launched in 2000, more
than 11 million hectares (25 million acres) of commercial farmland have been
seized from thousands of whites. But their new occupants often are chosen not
for their farming skills but for being party loyalists, and they have failed to
replicate the highly efficient, mechanized farming system that made
According to satellite surveys, as much as 80 percent of former prime land lies uncultivated.
It already includes much of Beattie's original farm, 100
kilometers (60 miles) southwest of
Power outages are frequent, and trees and brushes have been denuded for firewood. Glum and menacing occupiers barricade the farm gate but let in Beattie's wife, Sue, to feed the dogs.
"It's so sad. Sometimes the dogs don't seem to recognize us anymore," she said.
This district has seen some of the worst farm attacks this year, with assaults on farmers and a homestead burned down.
Sue Beattie describes the tactics assailants used to force them out: They burned tires on the porch and hurled blazing wood at the windows; she was assaulted and threatened with an iron wrench, though neither she nor her husband suffered serious injury; trucks surrounded the front garden and loud reggae music was blasted at the house at night.
Although they had a court order to stop their eviction, police repeatedly ignored calls for help, she said.
Thomas Beattie, 67, says he developed his farm on virgin land during nearly 50 years to produce livestock, grain, citrus, milk and soya.
"It was a 24/7 job. Now we've got zero," he said.
Of his 1,400 workers, most of them black, about 150 are left to look after a few pigs and 500 cattle grazing on the lush wet-season fields, down from the original herd of 3,000.
Had he been able to plant wheat this year, his record of past yields indicates he likely would have grown 5,000 tons, in a country dependent on imported wheat.
The farmers' union estimates the nation will reap 500,000 tons of corn next year against annual consumption of 1.8 million tons.
Outside Chegutu, the town nearest to Rainbow's End, Jacob Desa trades a bag of peanuts for soap at a store. He has a small plot and no money for seed or fertilizer this season.
Mugabe's party is distributing subsidized fertilizer, but Desa doesn't qualify because he doesn't have a ZANU-PF membership card and is therefore presumed to be in sympathy with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party in the coalition. Tsvangirai's party controls the Finance Ministry, which blocked ruinous farming subsidies doled out in the past to Mugabe loyalists.
This year, farms, ranches and privately owned nature reserves have been targeted for seizure in the south, west and east. The Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union says up to 60,000 of them have been displaced along with their families.
Justice for Agriculture, a farmers' support group, says many are migrant workers from neighboring countries who now roam the bush without money or documents to get them home.
The plantation workers' union runs a program to help farmhands, many of whom were assaulted and tortured by militants who took over their workplaces. The farmers' group offers trauma counseling to former landowners who lost all their property in arrests and violent assaults. One reported being beaten, tied up and urinated on by a police commander.
Others lost all their pension benefits in
"We are prevented from doing what we know best, producing food," said John Worsley-Worswick, head of the support group.
In its heyday, Rainbow's End produced about eight tons of corn per hectare (more than three tons per acre); next harvest they are expected to yield less than an eighth of that volume to the few women and children hoeing isolated patches of land.
"We are growing grass and weeds," said Desa.
End Transmission