Agriculture Trading

Agricultural Economics

2010-08-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Agricultural Economics (2nd Edition)
Product Description

For one-semester, introductory courses in Agricultural Economics or Environmental Economics. This innovative text provides a broad view of the food system, with its emphasis on the links among financial institutions, the macroeconomy, world markets, government programs, farms, agribusinesses, food marketing, and the environment. Taking a macro-to-micro approach, the text introduces "high interest" topics students can relate to first, using them to capture student interest before introducing microeconomics topics. It illustrates the six economic concepts which form the foundation of the economist's decision-making process including supply and demand, opportunity cost, diminishing returns, marginality, measuring costs and returns, and the externalities of transactions. Presented in a non-threatening conceptual framework, the material covered in this text maintains a strong attachment to the application of agricultural economics to the real world.

From the Inside Flap

PREFACE

This text is designed for a one-semester (or two-quarter sequence) introductory course in agricultural and environmental economics. Many texts view agricultural economics in a rather narrow context of the profit maximizing farm business. We prefer a broad view of the food system that emphasizes linkages between and among financial institutions, the macroeconomy, world markets, government programs, farms, agribusinesses, food marketing, and the environment. The objective of this text is to cover many topics lightly rather than any one or two topics in depth. The text is designed to allow a maximum of "skipping around" rather than requiring a strict sequential ordering of the chapters.

Economics is about decision making. It deals with how decisions are made under varied conditions and situations. It also deals with the evaluation or implications of alternative decisions for a given situation. Since decisions are a fact of everyday life, economics is with us in most of what we do. Even monks in a monastery who sell fruitcakes to support their spiritual endeavors make economic decisions when they decide what ingredients to buy and what price to ask for their product.

You, the college student, are surrounded by economic decisions as you pursue academic success at the institution of your choice. Several of the economic decisions you must make will be discussed briefly to introduce you to six economic concepts that will recur throughout this book. These concepts form the foundation of how economists approach decision making. SUPPLY AND DEMAND

There is probably no better known (and more poorly understood) concept in economics than supply and demand. Supply and demand are the central nervous system of the economic organ: they are the key to price determination. One decision that each college or university student must make is, What am I going to major in? The specific answer to that question depends upon the criterion used by the individual student to make a choice.

A student who bases his or her choice of a major on potential income is certainly into the use of supply and demand. In today's market we all know that computer engineers earn more than high school teachers. Why is that? It is a simple matter of supply and demand in the determination of the price for computer engineers and for high school teachers. In Chapter 2 the basic foundations of supply and demand will be examined in detail. OPPORTUNITY COST

A second fundamental concept of economics is the concept of opportunity cost. Whenever a resource is employed in one activity, that means it can't be used in another. Something must be given up to do something else. The value of what is forgone is the opportunity cost of doing something else.

A relevant economic question that each college student should ask is, What does it cost for me to attend the university? Most students will think of "costs" as tuition, residence hall fees, meals, and the like. From the economist's point of view, probably the single biggest cost (if you are in a public university) is the opportunity cost of the student's own time. By attending college you are forgoing the income you would earn flipping burgers at the Burger Barn. Full-time pay at minimum wage (which is probably what you would make as a high school graduate) is about $12,000 a year. Therefore, $12,000 is your annual opportunity cost of attending the university. DIMINISHING RETURNS

A basic concept in economics is that as you add more and more of something while holding everything else constant, the additional benefit from each additional unit eventually begins to decline. That is, the benefits increase at a decreasing rate. This we call diminishing returns.

In the context of the university student this is illustrated by asking a familiar question: How much should I study for the next test? Initially, you might think the answer is "as much as possible," but closer examination will show that after some point the additional benefit associated with each additional hour of study will begin to decline and eventually fall so low that you are probably better off to get some sleep rather than pulling an all-nighter.

Diminishing returns are something we find in all kinds of economic activity. Eating, sleeping, fertilizing house plants, and exercising all exhibit diminishing returns—eventually. MARGINALITY

The discussion of diminishing returns unwittingly introduced you to the concept of marginality. The margin in economic terms refers to the "next additional" unit. So in the above example, when we spoke of "an additional hour of study," we could equally have said "a marginal hour of study." In most economic analyses it is what happens on the margin that dictates decision making.

A question many postsecondary students ask is, Should I get a two-year associate's degree or a four-year bachelor's degree? The economist would evaluate this question by asking what the marginal costs and marginal returns are of the extra two years. That is, assume you have the two-year associate's degree, and then base your decision on the costs and returns of the additional or marginal two years to the bachelor's degree.

The economic theory of the firm is based on marginal revenues and marginal costs. The economic theory of the consumer is based on marginal utility and marginal cost. The investment decision of two more years of higher education is based on the marginal returns and marginal costs (including opportunity costs) of that investment. In pollution control, the decision about more abatement depends on marginal benefits and marginal costs. In other words, it is safe to say that in economics all the action is on the margin. COSTS AND RETURNS

As illustrated above, most of economics deals with the trade-off between costs and returns. Measuring the costs and returns associated with some economic activities can be a little tricky. Identifying the costs associated with most economic activities is usually fairly straightforward once the concept of opportunity cost has been mastered.

The nature of economic returns to an economic activity is a little less cut and dried. We use different terms to refer to returns in different situations, but nonetheless they are all returns. In the theory of the firm we call returns "revenue." In the theory of the consumer we call returns "utility." In investment analysis we call returns "returns." And finally in resource and environmental economics we call returns "benefits." Estimating returns often involves making a number of assumptions. While some would argue just the opposite, the economist contends that by making appropriate assumptions about economic behavior we can strengthen our understanding of it.

For example, what is the return to a bachelor's degree? The main return is that a B.S. graduate earns more than a high school graduate. The salary difference between the two at the present time at different age levels is easy to measure. But will those salary differences still be the same when you reach those age levels? If we assume that they will remain the same, then we can easily calculate the lifetime earnings difference attributed to the B.S. degree. But there are probably other important returns to education that can't be measured, such as the pleasure one receives from being a college student and the networking initiated during the college experience.

What is critical is that we evaluate alternatives by comparing the costs and returns of a marginal decision. That is what economics is all about. EXTERNALITIES

Finally, economists talk about economic activities in terms of transactions. A typical transaction involves a seller and a buyer making a trade. A college student attending the university to increase his or her earning power is an economic transaction.

Frequently, the parties to a transaction do not bear all the economic costs of that transaction and/or do not receive all the economic returns of that transaction. When that happens, we call the costs not borne or the returns not captured externalities of the transaction.

The economics of attending college is full of externalities. On the cost side, much of the cost of attending is not borne by the student but by state government and/or the university foundation through gifts and grants. On the returns side, society captures some returns because a college graduate will presumably be a better citizen and will be less likely to become a burden on society as a prison inmate. These are benefits society receives from your education that you do not directly capture. Hence they are externalities. A FINAL WORD

Economics is frequently called "the dismal science." It is our fervent hope that your study of economics and the reading of this book will not be a dismal experience. In fact, we hope it will be an enlightening and enjoyable one. In an effort to keep a potentially ponderous text somewhat light, we occasionally poke fun at one target or another. Rest assured, our intention is to amuse and not offend. If you feel offended by anything in this text or have any other comments about the text, please drop us a note at the website for this book.

We would like to thank the following reviewers for their valuable input: Delmy Calderon-Salin, Texas A&M University-Kingsville; Bert Greenwalt, Arkansas State University; Robert N. Shulstad, University of Georgia; Larry Eichmeier, North Iowa Area Community College; and Kenneth Pippin, Arkansas Technical University

DEERE SUPPORT INNOVATIVE OPERATOR TRAINING

2010-08-20T20:01:00.003-07:00

For many years, the UK forest industry has suffered from a lack of skilled operators coming into the industry and the lack of a suitable training course to hone the skills of suitable candidates. One of the main obstacles in the past has been the inability of forest colleges to have access to the latest in harvesting technology. Following a successful pilot course two years ago, the first Forest Machine Operator Skills Development course has just been completed at Barony College, Dumfries. The pilot course and subsequent course has been highly supported by John Deere Forestry who have supplied the college with machinery which has allowed the course to progress.

Candidates on the eight week course are first trained using the latest John Deere harvester & forwarder simulators and also learn site planning, risk assessments & pollution control before undergoing basic technical training on electronics & hydraulics by specialist John Deere tutors.

Following this introduction the candidates are introduced to the machinery on a live working site where they then accumulate a full six weeks of machine operation both on harvesters & forwarders thus allowing them to grow closer to a commercially accepted standard of operation. The latest course has been a complete success with all four candidates passing the FMOC assessment for machine operation.

Dragon's Blood Sedum - 100 Seeds

2010-08-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Dragon's Blood Sedum - 100 Seeds (GroundCover)
Product Description
Season: Perennial Zones: 3 - 10 Height: 3 - 8 inches Bloom Season: Early Spring to Late Winter Bloom Color: Red, Burgandy Environment: Full Sun, Dry/Moist but Well Drained

Tomato

2010-08-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

Tomato: A Fresh-from-the-Vine Cookbook
Product Description
There is nothing quite like summer's fresh, juicy, ripe tomatoes. Handpick them from a backyard garden, browse through the amazing displays at farmers' markets, pick up a full-to-bursting box as part of a CSA share, or stop at a roadside farmstand — excellent heirloom tomatoes are more widely available than ever before. Here are 150 tempting recipes, developed to celebrate heirlooms and highlight
their glorious flavors.

Featuring delicious recipes for everything from salsas, risottos, and Easy Curried Chicken to tarts, pizzas, and salads, this is the collection every tomato lover will be looking for come summer. There are appetizers, preserves, soups, salads, entrees, and even a few desserts to satisfy every tomato preference and craving. Sidebars on tomato lore, descriptions of heirloom varieties, chef profiles, and gardening tips provide a fascinating overview of one of our favorite garden foods.

Adding a taste of celebrity pizazz to the collection, chefs Alice Waters, Deborah Madison, Daniel Boulud, Rick Bayless, and Melissa Kelly, to name a few, contribute treasures such as Chilled Sun Gold Tomato Soup and Tomato- Rice Casserole with Poblanos, Beef, and Melted Cheese. All the preparations in Tomato: A Fresh from-the-Vine Cookbook elevate the tomato to new culinary heights. For tomato lovers everywhere, here is a book that is as essential to the kitchen as the tomato itself

Organic Carrot Seeds

2010-08-20T19:42:00.001-07:00

Organic Carrot Seeds Carnival Blend 1000 Seeds

Product Features

Fun sunny colors for children to eat.
These organic seeds grow unique
red, yellow, white and purple.
Carrots like the cool spring or autumn
Daucus carota var sativa

Salad Seeds

2010-08-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

Select Salad Blend Lettuce 3000 Seeds

Product Features

Classic lettuce types and textures in a range of colors
Matures in 45 to 50 days
Rich in color, flavor, and texture
1000 seeds

LUXS tractors from Slovenia

2010-08-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Summary:LUXS tractors from Slovenia

Detailed Description:Perkins engine, Carraro transmission, 90 hp, pws
http://www.tractorsandfarming.com

Planting Potato Seed

2010-08-06T18:28:00.001-07:00

Potato

When and How To Plant Potato Seed

Potatoes are grown from 'seed' potatoes which grow better if they are allowed to 'sprout' before planting. First purchase the seed potatoes in late January. These are available from seed catalogues or your local garden centre. Look for seed potato which is certified as free from disease and select healthy looking examples about the size of an egg.

In mid February, place the seeds in boxes (for small amounts, cardboard egg boxes are ideal) in a light airy position at a temperature of roughly 10°C / 50°F. See right.

The potato seed should be positioned so the the sprouts are uppermost and the 'stalk' end (where they were severed form the parent plant) is at the bottom. Sometimes this is a bit difficult to judge, but if you get it wrong, and the potatoes sprout from the bottom end, simply rub off the sprouts and turn the potato to the correct position. The picture below shows the stalk end of a potato which should be at the bottom when placed in the egg boxes.

As the potato seed produce sprouts, remove all but the topmost four to ensure that they receive all the goodness of the seed potato. The ideal sprout length at planting time is 2.5cm / 1in although this is not critical. What is critical, is that the sprouts are green and not white coloured. White sprouts are caused by not enough light. Click the picture to enlarge.

If the sprouts appear too early for planting the potatoes outside, simply rub them off cleanly and they will re-sprout in a couple of weeks time. Research has shown that the sprouts can be removed five times without any ill effect on the sprouts which will replace them.

Mid March is the ideal time to plant the sprouted potatoes in the open ground. Plant 'earlies' about 30cm / 12in apart from each other, in rows which are 60cm / 2ft apart. Plant maincrop potatoes about 35cm / 15in apart, in rows which are 75cm / 2ft 6in apart. Where you are planting more than one row, the rows should (ideally) run from North to South to allow each plant its full share of sun.

Dig a trench about 10cm / 4in deep, placing the potatoes in it with the sprouts pointing upwards. Hand fill the trench over the potatoes trying to avoid damaging any sprouts. Scatter bonemeal or similar long lasting fertiliser over the top soil and rake it in.

How to Grow Potatoes For Christmas Eating

In many areas it's quite possible to grow your own potatoes for eating in October through to Christmas. Potato plants produce good sized tubers in 65 to 100 days depending on variety. Click here for a separate page on how to plant potatoes in August.

Caring for Your Potatoes

Frost damage is the first concern in the early stages. If shoots emerge above the soil level and frost threatens, draw a little soil from the bed edges over them.

In many areas, it's quite possible to plant potatoes in August. Depending on weather, you should be able to start harvesting your potatoes two to three months later. With a bit of luck you will also have potatoes on your Christmas table and a few weeks into the New Year. This is an easy guide with pictures showing exactly how to go about planting potatoes in August. We will add a final picture on the right when December 25th comes along and I harvest some of our potatoes on Christmas Day!

Order your seed potatoes from an online supplier, we ordered ours from Dobies. They supply potatoes which are ready to be planted immediately and require no special treatment.

We ordered the variety Vales Emerald but demand was too high and we actually received Maris Peer. This is a second early variety which is good for boiling, chips and wedges. It's also good cold for salads. Very tasty!

Clear an area of land from weeds and dig it over to a spade's depth. Draw furrows (three in the picture to the right) about 12cm / 5in deep and lay the potatoes (any way up will do) in the furrows at the recommended distance apart. We spaced our potatoes 38cm / 15in apart, with the furrows 50cm / 20in apart exactly as in the instructions. Planting distances vary with variety so read the instructions carefully.

Then simply cover the potatoes with earth and lightly firm the soil down. If conditions are at all dry water well.

Water is the key to August planted potatoes. If the weather delivers a dry spell, water the potatoes. By mid-September there should be enough rainfall to keep them happy.

We planted our potatoes on 4th August and this is a picture them three weeks later on 25th August, not bad progress by my reckoning!

Don't plant potatoes on land that has been used for potatoes over the past two years and if the soil is low in nutrients after growing a crop earlier in the year, apply some well rotted compost or general purpose fertiliser on the surface of the soil.

When the potato plants are around 25cm /9in high earth them up. To earth up potatoes, simply use a hoe or rake to pull up earth between the rows around the stems. No problem if some of the leaves are covered, the potato plant will simply grow through.

Here are the potatoes on 13th September, yes really only 6 weeks later!

It's all down to the soil which has been warmed by the last 2 months of summer. These potatoes are about a month from being ready for harvest. Our ambition of potatoes for Xmas may have been premature because the potatoes have actually matured even earlier than we expected!

Potatoes planted in August are prone to blight infection if the long periods of damp occur. This is a serious disease which can be avoided. First, pick a resistant variety. Avoid the following varieties if you can: King Edward, Arran Comet, Arran Pilot, Epicure, Foremost, Golden Wonder, Home Guard, Kerr’s Pink, Majestic, Sharpe’s Express and Ulster Chieftain. Varieties which have some resistance to blight include Cara, Estima, Kondor, Maris Peer, Pentland Crown, Valor and Remarka.

Second, spraying with Bordeaux mixture before the plants are infected provides a good degree of control. Note that tomatoes also suffer from blight so the same advice applies to them. If the weather is warm and damp for a few days, then start spraying with Bordeaux mixture, especially if the forecast is for more of the same weather. Spraying should occur at 14 day intervals or according to the instructions. If you see any leaves with brown freckles on them, remove and burn as soon as possible because they are infected with blight.

The potatoes should be ready for harvest when the plant stops increasing in size. At this time flowers or buds will normally appear. Harvest only those you need. Mature potatoes can remain in the ground for a month or more with no ill-effects

If a frost hits the plants, the tops will go brown and start to die. However, the potatoes under ground will still continue to grow although more slowly. Good luck with your potatoes, and hopefully a Christmas harvest will be yours

After the potatoes plants have grown to about 20cm / 8in pull up the soil in between the rows around the plants leaving a few centimetres still showing. Repeat the exercise in two to three weeks time. The diagram to the right shows the ideal end result

During the growing season, ensure that weeds are removed and apply some long lasting fertiliser again around mid-August. A month or so after planting, the dense foliage of the plant should then block out sufficient light to deter all but the most vigorous weeds.

As the potato plant grows, do not remove or 'stop' the foliage, it is supplying food to the tubers. However, remove any flower heads or buds which appear because these will produce potato seeds which will divert energy from the potato tubers

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)

2010-08-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Cucumber

The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd familyCucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon.

The cucumber is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up trellises or other supporting frames, wrapping around ribbing with thin, spiraling tendrils. The plant has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruit.

The fruit is roughly cylindrical, elongated, with tapered ends, and may be as large as 60 cm long and 10 cm in diameter. Cucumbers grown to be eaten fresh (called slicers) and those intended for pickling (called picklers) are similar. Cucumbers are mainly eaten in the unripe green form. The ripe yellow form normally becomes too bitter and sour. Cucumbers are usually over 90% water.

Having an enclosed seed and developing from a flower, botanically speaking, cucumbers are classified as fruits. However, much like tomatoes and squash they are usually perceived, prepared and eaten as vegetables.

Cucumber and cross section

Flowering and pollination

A few varieties of cucumber are parthenocarpic, the blossoms creating seedless fruit withoutpollination. Pollination for these varieties degrades the quality. In the US, these are usually grown in greenhouses, where bees are excluded. In Europe, they are grown outdoors in some regions, and bees are excluded from these areas. Most cucumber varieties, however, are seeded and require pollination. Thousands of hives of honey bees are annually carried to cucumber fields just before bloom for this purpose. Cucumbers may also be pollinated by bumblebees and several other bee species.

Symptoms of inadequate pollination include fruit abortion and misshapen fruit. Partially pollinated flowers may develop fruit which are green and develop normally near the stem end, but pale yellow and withered at the blossom end.

Traditional varieties produce male blossoms first, then female, in about equivalent numbers. Newgynoecious hybrid cultivars produce almost all female blossoms. However, since these varieties do not provide pollen, they must have interplanted a pollenizer variety and the number of beehives per unit area is increased. Insecticide applications for insect pests must be done very carefully to avoid killing off the insect pollinators

Taste

There appears to be variability in the human olfactory response to cucumbers, with the majority of people reporting a mild, almost watery flavor or a light melon taste, while a small but vocal minority report a highly repugnant taste, some say almost perfume-like. The presence of the organic compound phenylthiocarbamide is believed to cause the bitter taste.

Various practices have arisen with regard to how bitterness may be removed from cucumbers. Among these a very common practice popular in India includes slicing off the ends of a cucumber, sprinkling some salt, and rubbing the now-exposed ends of said cucumber with the sliced-off ends until it appears to froth. Another such urban legend states that one ought to peel a cucumber away from the end that was once attached to a vine, otherwise one risked spreading the bitterness throughout the cucumber.

Growing in your own Carrots's Garden

2010-08-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

There is something very satisfying about growing your own carrots. For a start it is very easy to have a supply of carrots for at least nine months of the year and even longer with a bit of luck and good management.

You will be pleasantly surprised by the flavour of home grown carrots. They might not be as unblemished as those supermarket types but they have a flavour that many modern mass market carrots seem to have lost. It should be no surprise that carrots are the second most popular vegetable in England after potatoes. The average person eats 13lbs a year. If more people realised the true nutritional value they would eat double this amount.
Golf ball-type carrots (Thumbelina) and the slightly longer Chantenays are good for containers and heavy soils. Short carrots also mature faster, shaving two weeks off the time it takes to put them on the table. Nantes, Imperator and Danvers (and Danvers Half Long) grow up to 7 inches long and are suitable for most other soils. If colour is an issue, Danvers Half Long and Royal Chantenay are bright orange, while Scarlet Nantes and Blaze (an Imperator) are deep orange, almost red.

Ferns and Cut Flowers

2010-08-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

Americans and Europeans have an enduring passion for flowers. Since the mid-1980s, growers in the tropics, from Latin America to Africa, have been increasing their production of roses, carnations and other blooms to meet the growing demand in the United States and Europe. Ninety percent of the cut flowers and ferns imported into the United States come from Colombia, Ecuador or another Latin American country, and Kenya provides one-quarter of the European Union's bouquets. Those roses you bought for your valentine were probably raised in a rainforest country, and many of the ferns which envelop flower bouquets are grown in Costa Rica and Guatemala.

The rapid growth of the floriculture industry has created welcome jobs in Latin America. Sales of the smooth, dark green fern known as "leatherleaf" bring $52 million annually to Costa Rica, where fern farms employ 6,000 people at salaries above the rural average. In Kenya, flower production has become the second largest source of foreign exchange, behind tea and ahead of coffee.

Flower cultivation has very often come at the expense of healthy ecosystems -- and the well-being of workers and surrounding communities.

Flower and fern growers tend to use liberal doses of agrochemicals -- and because flowers are not food, governments do not impose restrictions on pesticide use. With only weak government controls, pesticide and fertilizer use in flower farms can threaten the health of workers and neighbors as well as drinking water supplies. In many cases the governments of importing countries require extensive pesticide usage to ensure flowers are free of pests.

Cultivating Earth-Friendly Flowers

Through a four-year-long process of research, experimentation and field trials, the Rainforest Alliance and its partners in the Sustainable Agriculture Network, a consortium of nine leading environmental groups in Latin America, developed standards for responsible flower and fern farm management.

The standards protect ecosystems and wildlife habitats, conserve water and soil, promote decent and safe working conditions and ensure that the farms are good neighbors to rural communities and wildlands.

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao)

2010-08-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

Farmed on over 18 million acres (7.5 million hectares) of tropical land, cocoa (Theobroma cacao) provides a means of livelihood to an estimated 40 million people, including five million farmers, 90 percent of whom are small holders, laborers and employees in processing factories. Like coffee, cocoa can be cultivated under the shade of native canopy trees and maintain a landscape similar to natural forest. This helps conserve the habitat of threatened plant and animal species, protect natural pollinators and predators of cocoa pests and creates biological corridors that maintain large-scale ecological and evolutionary processes.

Shade trees in an agroforestry system often include other species of economic value, which can reduce farmers' risks connected with growing a single crop. However, many farmers have cut forest to open up new fields and grow cocoa more intensively without shade. This approach has short term benefits on yields and is suitable only for hybrid plants that are increasingly replacing native cocoa. Unfortunately, these hybrid plants require the application of agrochemicals and grow in open fields, which leads to increased erosion and run-off, reducing soil fertility and contributing to water contamination and health problems.

The Rainforest Alliance, in partnership with cocoa and chocolate companies, public institutions, local organizations and farmer associations, encourages cocoa farming practices that are sustainable over the long term by maintaining a healthy environment and decent working conditions.

Partnerships at Origin

Ecuador: The Rainforest Alliance and its partnerConservación y Desarrollo (C&D) have worked to restore Ecuador's native cocoa heritage since 1997. With support from the German government's GTZ and other donors and in partnership with Kraft Foods, more than 3,000 cocoa growers in six communities have strengthened their organizations, improved their farming practices, upgraded their drying and fermenting technology and sold Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa at a premium price. The success of the partnership has boosted the revival of traditional practices, which had been in decline since the introduction of hybrid plants grown under sun.

Farmers have learned to properly sort, dry and ferment the beans using a cooperative processing facility, which reduces the number of defective and rotten beans, and also happens to preserve the chocolate's anti-oxidant properties as well as its potassium content. Drying their cocoa using solar rather than gas powered dryers and selling their product through a cooperative, with technical assistance from C&D, these farmers have increased their production and lowered their costs, resulting in better living conditions for their families

Transforming the Banana Industry

2010-08-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

Bananas are the world's most popular fruit -- and with a market of nearly $5 billion a year, the most important food crop after rice, wheat and maize. They are an economic pillar in many tropical countries, providing millions of jobs for rural residents. But for much of its history, the banana business was known for widespread deforestation, poor waste disposal, the pollution of coral reefs and nearby watersheds and the excessive use of toxic agrochemicals.The Rainforest Alliance first began working with banana farms in 1990, when production of the fruit was increasing in the American tropics and rainforests were being cut down to expand cropland. Banana plantations were infamous for their environmental and social abuses, which included the use of dangerous pesticides, poor working conditions, water pollution and deforestation. Pesticide-impregnated plastic bags, which protect bananas as they grow, often littered riverbanks and beaches near banana farms, while agrochemical runoff and erosion killed fish, clogged rivers and choked coral reefs. The proximity of housing to banana fields, coupled with lax regulations for pesticide handling, led to frequent health problems among workers and people who lived near farms.

Today, more than 15 percent of all the bananas in international trade come from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. All of Favorita's banana farms in Ecuador and all of Chiquita's farms in Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama are Rainforest Alliance Certified.

Better Conditions for Workers and Wildlife

To achieve certification, Chiquita reinvented its century old banana farming techniques. Chiquita,Favorita and the many small, independent banana farmers in the program planted millions of trees and bushes on the farms to create natural buffers along public roads and waterways, and around housing and offices. The growers eliminated the use of the most dangerous pesticides and implemented rigorous rules for the application of the pesticides they continue to use, such as mandatory protective gear, showers at the end of the work day and closing areas where pesticides have been applied for 24 to 48 hours. The producers recycle thousands of tons of plastic bags and twine per year and reuse the wooden pallets that banana boxes are stacked on, which saves tens of thousands of trees each year.

Favorita created a foundation that now supports more than 30 schools near its farms, benefiting more than 3,000 children. Chiquita has donated dozens of sports facilities, schools and clinics to communities, and has donated or sold hundreds of houses to workers for very low prices. Both companies protect significant patches of tropical rainforest: Favorita at its Río Palenque Science Center, and Chiquita at the 100-hectare Nogal Nature Reserve, in Costa Rica, which it manages together with the Swiss supermarket chain Migros. Both of those conservation projects include environmental education for farm workers and their families, which is yet another goal of certification

Biologically Active Natural Products: AgrochemicalsBiologically Active Natural Products: Agrochemicals

2010-07-24T03:26:00.001-07:00

Biologically Active Natural Products: Agrochemicals Biologically Active Natural Products: Agrochemicals
Natural products that have both plant growth regulatory properties and pharmaceutical properties are examined in this book. This is the first and most up-to-date text linking agrochemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry in an easy to read presentation for practitioners in both fields. Due to the intense and widespread attention being given to the undesirable side-effects of commercial herbicide products such as residual contamination, resistance, ecosystem impairments, and waste generation, the discovery of new, natural herbicides that are biologically safe will prove to be significant and profitable. Featuring over 200 tables, Biologically Active Natural Products: Agrochemicals is very useful to those in the agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries, as well as those in biochemistry, plant pathology, and natural products study and development.

Iranian Round' Big Cherry Chilli

2010-07-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

This chilli is nice and early with loads of heat. We bred this hot cherry pepper ourselves, from an early fruiting variety collected in Iran in 1944.
The tall plants soon set lots of spherical bright red fruit about an inch across - just the size of a cherry tomato - but much, much spicier. Ideal for using fresh or drying.
The original seed collected in 1944 was supposedly sweet - but when we grew it out, we had a real shock when we munched the first one as they were ALL ferociously hot. It was a very good chilli pepper, just mis-labelled on the original collecting expedition.
We liked the round ones best, so selected for that shape, carried on breeding, and ended up with this variety. (We have also learnt to nibble cautiously on any new, so-called 'sweet' pepper we try out!)
Very prolific - bushy 2' tall plants soon set lots and lots of 1" diameter chillies

Vegetable Project : Breeding of Tomato

2010-07-24T02:49:00.000-07:00

Our on-going 'super-early-tasty-tomato' breeding project is now in its 5th year with some excellent vine tomatoes being multiplied up for us by Tony Haigh. It appears that our particular selection is now stable for 'vine' type and we just need to settle on the final flavour we prefer.
We'll lay them all out on the table and let our friends decide in a grand tomato-tasting session. Those will be the ones we sow from next year.
In the past, every gardener was a plant breeder. So we also made seed from these breeding lines available on our website last year and an astounding 368 of you are also joining in - having requested seed of either the Vine or Bush breeding lines.

This is a great parallel-breeding project and by now we think you should all have big plants with lots of very early green tomatoes set on them. But every one will taste and grow a little differently from the others. . .
Remember, you need to taste & evaluate all the plants you grew and save seed from just 1 tomato from your one favourite plant. Do this for 3 or 4 more years and you will have your own super-early tomato

Seed Collection 2010 vegetable trials

2010-07-24T02:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are new to us, each year we collect and try out all sorts of new vegetable varieties to find good new things to add to the catalogue. Only if something meets our simple but strict requirements does it get added:
it has to be really easy to grow,
it has to give a good yield,
and it has to taste great.
Anything that can't live up to these 3 premises will be thrown away!
This year we are trying out several new things that you may (or may not) see in 2012 onwards:

Our oriental greens are always very popular, especially for summer and autumn sowing, as they are so easy and productive. This year we're trying out a whole selection of brand new varieties. Vivid Choi and Purple Rapa are already living up to their names and looking very colourful - we'll be sowing those plus a whole lot more at various times throughout the season to find out if and when they do well.

We've also been trialling a number of vegetable varieties originally from the Czech Republic. Over the years we've grown many excellent vegetables from eastern Europe that do really well in British conditions, including our Kaibi and Napia sweet peppers from Bulgaria.

Scientist leading GM crop test defends links to US biotech giant Monsanto

2010-07-24T02:11:00.000-07:00

The scientist in charge of a taxpayer-funded trial that may determine whether genetically modified crops will be grown in the UK has been attacked for his close links to the US biotech giant Monsanto.
Professor Jonathan Jones, head of the Sainsbury Laboratory at the John Innes Centre, the UK's leading plant research centre, has shrugged off the controversy, insisting he has never tried to hide his business relationship with Monsanto or the GM industry.

But as the scientist overseeing the first UK trials of a GM potato, Jones has found himself at the centre of a storm after anti-GM campaigners used social networking sites such as Twitter to highlight the close links between a company he founded, Mendel Biotechnology, and Monsanto.
Mendel's website states: "Mendel's most important customer and collaborator for our technology business is Monsanto, the leading agricultural biotechnology company in the world."

Jonathan Matthews, spokesman for GM Watch, which campaigns against the technology, said: "The frontman for the latest GM push in the UK is being portrayed as a dedicated public servant doing science in the public interest, but it now appears he not only has vested interests in the success of GM but even commercial connections to Monsanto."

Helen Wallace, of GeneWatch UK, a scientific campaign group critical of Monsanto, said the US company's "PR strategy relies on seemingly independent scientists making empty promises about the future benefits of GM crops".

Jones made no reference to the links in an article he wrote recently for the BBC website that attacked anti-GM campaigners as "fussy eaters". He wrote: "Some fear the domination of the seed industry by multinationals, particularly Monsanto. We need smart, sustainable, sensitive science and technology, and we need to use every tool in our toolbox, including GM."

In a statement to the Observer, Jones insisted: "It is not true to suggest I have attempted to hide my role as co-founder and science advisory board member of Mendel Biotechnology, which has contracts with Monsanto, Bayer and BP. The information that I am co-founder… of Mendel has been in the public domain on the Mendel website for at least 10 years." He also defended the GM trial in Norfolk, aimed at creating varieties of potato that would not need to be sprayed with fungicides to protect them from blight.

Critics claim the trial, the results of which are likely to be used to "sell" GM technology to the British public, is a waste of money because blight-resistant potatoes have already been produced through other techniques. "Given the availability of viable alternatives, the GM potato trial increasingly looks like nothing more than a PR stunt," Matthews said.

But Jones said it would be for the government to decide whether the trial had been a success. "At the end of the trial we will be able to tell you whether the blight resistance genes we are trialling work," Jones said. "I will not be (and do not want to be) in a position to dictate whether or not that affects UK policy towards the technology."

Friends of Jones said that it was unfair to attack him for not stating his links to the GM industry. "If he doesn't restate any links every time he writes a piece, that doesn't mean he hasn't highlighted them," said one, pointing to the close links between the organic food lobby and anti-GM campaigners. "It is frustrating for scientists that journalists only look at scientists' links and don't look at other vested interests."

Experts said there was little alternative for those researching GM crops to work with the likes of Monsanto because the Plant Breeding Institute, the public body that used to research new crops, was privatised under the Thatcher government, meaning scientists working in the field had to develop relationships with the private sector.

It has been claimed that the first GM potatoes could be available to commercial UK growers within five years, if the Norfolk trial is successful

Agriculture

2010-07-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

Agriculture is the production of food and goods through farming. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants (i.e. crops) creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and stratified societies. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science. Agriculture is also observed in certain species of ant and termite.

Agriculture encompasses a wide variety of specialties and techniques, including ways to expand the lands suitable for plant raising, by digging water-channels and other forms of irrigation. Cultivation of crops on arable land and the pastoral herding of livestock on rangeland remain at the foundation of agriculture. In the past century there has been increasing concern to identify and quantify various forms of agriculture. In the developed world the range usually extends between sustainable agriculture (e.g. permaculture or organic agriculture) and intensive farming (e.g. industrial agriculture).

Modern agronomy, plant breeding, pesticides and fertilizers, and technological improvements have sharply increased yields from cultivation, and at the same time have caused widespread ecological damage and negative human health effects.[3] Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry such as intensive pig farming (and similar practices applied to the chicken) have similarly increased the output of meat, but have raised concerns about animal cruelty and the health effects of the antibiotics, growth hormones, and other chemicals commonly used in industrial meat production.

The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods, fibers, fuels, and raw materials. In the 2000s, plants have been used to grow biofuels, biopharmaceuticals, bioplastics, and pharmaceuticals. Specific foods include cereals, vegetables, fruits, and meat. Fibers include cotton, wool, hemp, silk and flax. Raw materials include lumber and bamboo. Other useful materials are produced by plants, such as resins. Biofuels include methane from biomass, ethanol, and biodiesel. Cut flowers, nursery plants, tropical fish and birds for the pet trade are some of the ornamental products.

In 2007, one third of the world's workers were employed in agriculture. The services sector has overtaken agriculture as the economic sector employing the most people worldwide.