Minnesota Court of Appeals Rules Chemical Pesticides Drifting from Conventional Farm to Organic Farm May Constitute Trespass!

Johnson vs. Paynesville Farmers Union Cooperative Oil Company (Case No. A10-1596 A10-2135)

The ruling of the court in this case (Johnson vs. Paynesville Farmers Union Cooperative Oil Company) is that chemical pesticide drifting from one farm to another because of errant overspray may constitute trespass. Under a similar analysis, I can imagine that an organic farmer will be able to sue (and potentially prevail against) a conventional farmer whose GMO seeds contaminate an organic farmer's land. This intrusion onto the organic farmer's land would be a trespass by GMO seeds under the analysis used by this Minnesota court.

The Court of Appeals overturned the lower court ruling which had denied relief to the Johnsons. The facts of the case at hand involves an alleged trespass by chemical pesticides from one farm to another:

In the 1990s, Oluf and Debra Johnson began the three-year process of converting their conventional family farm to a certified-organic farm to realize the higher market prices for organic produce and seeds. Oluf Johnson posted signs at the farm’s perimeter indicating that it was chemical free, maintained a buffer zone between his organic fields and his chemical-using neighbors’ farms, and implemented a detailed crop-rotation plan. He also notified commercial pesticide sprayer Paynseville Farmers Union Cooperative Oil Company of the transition. He specifically asked the cooperative to take precautions to avoid overspraying pesticide onto his fields when treating adjacent fields.

Despite the Johnsons’ requests, in 1998, 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2008, the cooperative sprayed pesticide and herbicide on fields adjacent to theirs in a manner that violated Minnesota law, causing chemicals to land on the Johnsons’ farm. Oluf Johnson complained to the cooperative after the 1998 incident, and it apologized, promising to “make it right.” But when the Johnsons gave the cooperative an invoice documenting their losses from the overspray, the cooperative refused to pay.

Oluf Johnson complained to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) after the 2002 overspray. The MDA investigated and determined that the cooperative illegally sprayed herbicide, causing visually apparent tainting of the Johnsons’ crops consistent with drift. Johnson sold his herbicide-tainted crops at lower, nonorganic prices and, as required by federal regulation, removed the tainted field from organic production for three years. The Johnsons settled their losses with the cooperative for that incident.

Under that settlement, the cooperative paid damages and agreed to give the Johnsons 24 hours’ notice before it sprayed in any adjacent field.

The cooperative oversprayed adjacent fields again in 2005 and the Johnsons again contacted the MDA. The MDA investigated, found drift, and instructed the Johnsons to burn their contaminated alfalfa. In addition to losing the tainted alfalfa, the Johnsons could not grow anything on the burn spot and took the contaminated field out of organic production for three years.

The cooperative again oversprayed in 2007. Johnson again contacted the MDA, and after investigating the MDA required Johnson to plow under a 175-foot wide strip of soybeans running the entire length of his field. He was also told by the state’s organic certifying agent that if any pesticide residue was detected, he must take the field out of organic production for three years. The MDA detected pesticide residue, and so Johnson took the field out of organic production.

Johnson again notified the MDA in 2008 about the cooperative’s spraying in July and August. He smelled chemicals in the air over his field, leaving him with “cottonmouth, headache and nausea” and his wife a headache and nausea. The MDA investigated and again cited the cooperative for illegally spraying, and the Johnsons again took the affected fields out of organic production for three years. He plowed part of the alfalfa field under because it was “becoming choked with weeds and the alfalfa was very sick and poor.”

In January 2009, the Johnsons sued the cooperative for the 2005 and 2007 incidents. They asked the district court to enjoin the cooperative from spraying within one-half mile of their farm and for damages based on common-law theories of trespass, nuisance, negligence per se, and battery. In June 2009, the district court granted a temporary injunction, prohibiting the cooperative from spraying within one-quarter mile of the Johnsons’ farm and requiring it to give notice of its spraying activities in the area.

In April 2010, the Johnsons moved to amend their complaint to include damages from the 2008 incidents.

The district court granted summary judgment in the cooperative’s favor and dismissed all of the Johnsons’ claims. It concluded that the claims arising from the 2005 overspray are time barred. Regarding the 2007 overspray, the district court dismissed the trespass claim because it concluded that “trespass by particulate matter” is not recognized in Minnesota; it dismissed the nuisance and negligence-per-se claims because the Johnsons presented no evidence that the cooperative’s spraying caused damages; and it dismissed the battery claim for lack of evidence of intent. The district court also denied the Johnsons’ motion to amend their complaint, reasoning that the claims arising from the 2008 overspray would fail for the same reasons the 2007-overspray claims failed. The district court consequently denied the Johnsons’ request for permanent injunctive relief. The Johnsons appeal.

U.S. Department of Transportation To Require CDL License(s) to Operate Farm Machinery?

This is just another example of the government over-regulating everything in peoples' lives. Is it really necessary to require farm workers to get CDL licenses to operate farm equipment? On many of these farms, young children and elderly family members work and operate the machinery. How are family farms going to survive this requirement?

The time-honored initiation into working the family farm could one day be a thing of the past, with discussions underway in Washington to require operators of farm equipment to have a commercial driver's license, or CDL...

..."The vast majority of our farms are family farms, operators of equipment are usually family members, and if [those changes] were to take place, that would eliminate some of the family participation in the farm operation."

Source: KXXV-25

FLASHBACK: Why Did U.S. Government Secure Crop Technology Patent for Aluminum Resistant Genes? (2009)

Why is the United States' government developing aluminum-resistant genetics? The patent (US# 7,582,809) says that the purpose of the technology is to aid in areas where soil has been contaminated with aluminum. I personally think that this seed technology might also used for "chemtrail" fallout - fallout that is alleged to contain aluminum. Aluminum toxicity would decimate the organic markets, because organic seeds will not contain this aluminum-resistance gene. If aluminum toxicity increases, then it might be required of farmers to license this genetic technology in order to plant seeds that will survive in the aluminum-rich soils.

The technology appears to use cloned sorghum to create the necessary genes for geneticists to modify other food crops to be aluminum resistant.

This invention relates to a major aluminum tolerance gene, SbMATE (for Sorghum bicolor ember of the multidrug and toxic compound extrusion transporter family), that is responsible for AltSB locus (for aluminum tolerance in Sorghum bicolor), cloned from sorghum along with its native promoter and regulatory regions, a construct containing a gene and a constitutive promoter, a vector containing the construct, and a method of transforming a plant utilizing the construct and vector, and plants, including staple crop plans, transformed with the gene construct having increased tolerance to aluminum toxicity.

I didn't know what SbMATE was, but a little research revealed a typical story of the Western World allegedly stealing rights of the Third World. In this case, it is patent rights derived from a gene in sorghum, a crop in Tanzania. For further reading, check out The SbMATE Patent: American Ingenuity or Looting of a Tanzanian Resource?

Sorghum bicolor major aluminum tolerance (SbMATE) gene
• Isolated from sorghum
• Enables plants to grow normally in aluminum‐ rich soil, which is normally toxic to crops
– aluminum toxicity is one of the primary limitations for crop production in developing countries
– crops such as wheat, rice, and maize are unable to grow in aluminum‐rich soil because aluminum in such soil takes a chemical form that is toxic to them

If you want to read the full government file on this patent (including file wrappers), click here for the USPTO link. If that link is not working, then simply do a search on this page for patent #7,582,809.

See also: Cloned gene being used to develop aluminum tolerant crops, Kochian says at AAAS

Source: Google Patents / US Patent # 7,582,809

Pecan Industry in United States Faces Serious Challenge to Satisfy Increasing Export Demands

I may have grown up in the South, but I have never liked pecans. Nevertheless, I do know many people who love them, so any potential lack of supply will make them sad. According to Texas AgriLife Communications, the U.S. pecan industry may be facing tough times as the industry cannot keep up with increased demands from foreign Nation States such as China.

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October 11, 2010

AgriLife Extension economist says U.S. pecan industry at crossroads

Expert: Industry must meet challenge of increasing export demand

By: Paul Schattenberg, 210-467-6575
Contact(s): Joe Pena, 830-278-9151, JPena@ag.tamu.edu
Dr. Larry Stein, 830-278-9151, LStein@ag.tamu.edu

View All Media/Resolutions

UVALDE – Even with the Texas pecan harvest under way and promises of excellent off-year yields from this state and others in the nation’s pecan belt, the pecan industry is at a crossroads, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist.

"The pecan harvest in Texas began recently and continues to gain momentum," said Jose Pena, AgriLife Extenion economist-management at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Uvalde. “But while it’s seeing above-average crop production throughout the pecan belt this year, the U.S. pecan industry has a serious challenge that needs to be addressed. Right now, it is at a crossroads.”

Pena said the industry’s challenge is to be able to meet the increasing demand for pecans, particularly export demand from China, while continuing to provide adequate supplies for domestic consumption.

“The Oct. 8 official U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate of the nation’s pecan crop at 271.3 million pounds is just 20.5 million pounds lower than 292 produced last year,” Pena said. “Together with the estimates of ‘carry-in’ pecan supplies at about 92 million pounds, this would make the estimate of available pecans at about 363.3 million pounds.

"But even though this reflects above-average production, especially for an off year, the overall supply its still down about 26.5 million pounds from last year.”

Pena added that pecan imports from Mexico also will be less than last year since 2010 is similarly an off year for pecan production there, and this will further lower the aggregate supply of pecans available.

“Also, even with good overall growing conditions over most of the pecan belt during the past year, many producers still experienced lower-than-average yields due to crop stress this summer,” he said.

But in spite of some summer stress, pecan production for Texas this season appears to be excellent, said AgriLife Extension horticulturist Dr. Larry Stein.

Stein, who primarily works with pecan producers in South Central Texas, said last fall’s rains, as well as the more recent warm days and cool nights, have spurred production.

"The rains last fall actually had a somewhat negative impact on pecan quality last year, but having that moisture in the soil really helped this year's pecan production, contributing to positive growing conditions this fall," he said.

The Oct. 8 estimate by the USDA for this year’s pecan crop in Texas is 70 million pounds, up 10 million from last year, Pena said.

“We’re expecting to have an above-average yield and very good nut quality this year,” said Tim Montz, owner of Montz Pecan.

Montz plants on about 1,000 acres of irrigated, improved and non-irrigated orchard land in North Central Texas near Wichita Falls. Although one of his orchards was badly damaged by hail, the remainder of his orchards produced well and compensated for the loss. Last year was the first year Montz Pecan conducted business with China.

“(In 2009)Chinese buyers bought about 25 percent of my crop,” Montz said. “And this year, I’ve already gotten lots of calls (from prospective buyers)and am seeing a good amount of interest in this crop. I expect to do as much or more business with China this year as last.”

“In 2009, between 80 million and 100 million pounds of U.S. pecans were shipped to China,” said Cindy Wise, executive vice president of the Texas Pecan Growers Association. That was about 25 percent of the entire pecan production of both the U.S and Mexico, and some of that supply carried over into cold storage.”

Wise said China’s near-term demand would largely depend on what portion of that supply has been used up now and how much will be used during January’s Lunar New Year celebrations.

“China has major celebrations in September and January, during which many pecans are used and consumed,” she said.

Wise explained that a major reason exportation to China has been a boon for pecan growers is Chinese buyers typically purchase the product in-shell.

“The Chinese usually buy directly from the grower and require they provide them with larger in-shell nuts, so the product usually doesn’t go through the shelling process before it’s exported.”

Pena, however, expressed his concern that exportation of premium pecans to other countries makes fewer high-quality pecans available to U.S. consumers and “applies upward pricing pressure” on pecans used for domestic consumption.

“It’s a matter of the industry finding the right balance between domestic and export demand and working to ensure there are adequate supplies of quality pecans to meet both,” he said. Wise noted that while exports to China more directly benefit the larger growers who sell to them, they also provide a benefit to smaller growers.

“The pecan market has been strong for the past several years and producers will continue to receive higher prices for their product,” she said. “It’s also likely that prices paid to growers this year will be the highest they’ve ever been.”

Pena said he hopes the U.S. pecan industry will be able to continue to meet the growing demand for its product and that American consumers will continue to have access to high-quality pecans.

-30-

Is Poultry Industry's Use of Roxarsone Polluting Fields with Arsenic Runoff?

Based on the below press release, the answer to question in the above title is yes.

Click here for further information on:
4-Hydroxy-3-nitrobenzenearsonic acid a/k/a Roxarsone.

###

News Releases

American Society of Agronomy
5585 Guilford Road • Madison, WI 53711-5801 • 608-273-8080 • Fax 608-273-2021
www.agronomy.org
Twitter | Facebook | RSS News Release Feed

NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Sara Uttech, American Society of Agronomy, 608-268-4948, suttech@agronomy.org

Arsenic in Field Runoff Linked to Poultry Litter

Arsenic in food supplements passes through chickens, then passes through the field

Measurement numbers were incorrect in the summary provided to us and were correced in this News Release on 8/19/2010

MADISON, WI, August 16th, 2010 - Fields amended with poultry litter can accumulate significant levels of arsenic, according to studies by USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and associates. These findings provide key information about the agricultural pollutants that can build up in agricultural soils over time—and possibly migrate into nearby streams and rivers.

Poultry producers have sometimes supplemented chicken feed with roxarsone, a compound containing arsenic, to control parasites and promote weight gain. Most of this arsenic is excreted by the birds and then becomes mixed in with sawdust and other litter materials used in poultry houses. Farmers typically use the litter as a nutrient-rich—and free—fertilizer for amending their crop soils.

Chemist Clinton Church, who works at the ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit in University Park, Pa., led this research. His partners included University Park soil scientist Peter Kleinman, support scientist Lou Saporito, research leader Ray Bryant and University of Maryland Eastern Shore scientist Arthur Allen.

For two years, the team measured arsenic levels in runoff that flowed from farm fields into seven drainage ditches in the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) Peninsula, an area dominated by large-scale poultry production for decades. Runoff measurements indicated that annual arsenic losses from these fields could range from 0.004 kilograms per hectare to 0.071 kilograms per hectare. Runoff with the largest arsenic loads was recorded in a ditch closest to a main point source of the contaminant—a shed where litter was stored.

They team also tracked phosphorus runoff, as it are known to interact and compete with arsenic. During storm events, both pollutants exhibited similar behavior. However, their concentrations differed significantly between ditches and showed no seasonal patterns. This suggests that management practices for phosphorus are unlikely to be applicable to arsenic.

This study highlights the importance of controlling point sources of arsenic and other chemicals and suggests that management practices—such as properly storing dry litter and controlling litter spills outside storage facilities—can help protect local regions from the migration of arsenic and other agricultural pollutants.

Results from this research will be published in the November/December 2010 issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality, a publications of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America.

The full article is available for no charge for 30 days following the date of this summary. View the abstract at https://www.soils.org/files/publications/jeq/abstracts/39-6/q09-0210-abstract.pdf.

The Journal of Environmental Quality is a peer-reviewed, international journal of environmental quality in natural and agricultural ecosystems published six times a year by the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). The Journal of Environmental Quality covers various aspects of anthropogenic impacts on the environment, including terrestrial, atmospheric, and aquatic systems.

The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) www.agronomy.org, is a scientific society helping its 8,000+ members advance the disciplines and practices of agronomy by supporting professional growth and science policy initiatives, and by providing quality, research-based publications and a variety of member services.

Montana Faces Worst Grasshopper Infestation in Twenty-Five (25) Years

This blog entry about grasshoppers in Montana is a follow-up to two (2) articles I wrote earlier this year about grasshopper infestation in the Western United States. Will the damage caused by these grasshoppers cause our food prices to increase?

1. Grasshopper Infestation Swarm Could Destroy Western USA Crops (March 31, 2010);

2. America's Western States Poised for Worst Grasshopper Swarms in Thirty (30) Years (June 2, 2010);

Across 17 Western states, the USDA this year forecasted the worst grasshopper infestation in 25 years, with crop and range damage in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The forecast was based on an abnormally high number of adult grasshoppers laying eggs last fall in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and South Dakota.

The infestation has been bad for farmers like Hjorth, who watches as grasshoppers chew through a wheat crop that had record-harvest potential.

Source: The Billings Gazette

USDA Testifies There is a Clear Link Between Use of Antibiotics in Livestock and Drug Resistance in Humans

I am not surprised by this revelation, but I am surprised that the USDA stated it in testimony.

In testimony to a House committee on Wednesday, even the Agriculture Department, which livestock producers have traditionally relied on to advocate for their interests, backed the idea of a link between animal use of antibiotics and human health.

The Agriculture Department "believes that it is likely that the use of antimicrobials in animal agriculture does lead to some cases of antimicrobial resistance among humans and in animals themselves," said John Clifford, the USDA chief veterinarian.

Source: The Des Moines Register

Why Did Seven (7) Members of U.S. Congress Spend Independence Day Weekend Placing Seeds in a Sub-Zero Arctic Doomsday Vault in Norway?

It makes no sense for a Congressman (let alone 7 of them) to spend his 4th of July weekend in Norway at some seed vault unless the powers-that-be know something that we don't know.

Why are our congressman spending their fourth of July weekends in the frozen arctic tundra putting seeds in a Doomsday Vault? Does this further the assumption of a new world order/global conspiracy? This vault rarely gets any attention by the mainstream media, but the leaders of many countries seem to frequent the location. Why has the doomsday vault been such a top priority recently?

Instead of placing seeds in the vaults, why doesn't Congress do something about the GMO seeds and varieties that are contaminating organic and non-GMO seed stocks all over the world?

Source: Freedom's Phoenix

###

Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin, Chairman Hon. Alcee L. Hastings, Co-Chairman For Immediate Release http://www.csce.gov/ July 11, 2010 RED HOT CHILE PEPPERS ARRIVE IN SUB-ZERO ARCTIC SEED VAULT Senator Cardin-led Delegation Delivers U.S. Seed Collection of Valuable Varieties of Chile Peppers and Hundreds of Sorghum Varieties, an Essential “Climate Ready” Crop From left to right: Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Rep. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Dr. Cary Fowler, Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ambassador Barry White, Rep. Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL), and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). SVALBARD, NORWAY (11 July 2010)—A new collection of some of North America’s hottest foods—an eclectic range of New World chile peppers—were delivered to the cool Arctic Circle environs of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault today, where their exotic tongue-scorching qualities can be kept safe for centuries. The seeds were delivered to the vault by a seven-person bipartisan delegation from the U.S. Congress, led by Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), and including Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL). The seeds were handed over to Dr. Cary Fowler, Executive Director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the institution that funds the operation and management of the seed vault, as well as the transport of unique seeds from collections around the world. The latest samples of seeds come from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) in Fort Collins, Colorado. Other members of the bipartisan delegation are: Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), the Helsinki Commission’s Ranking Republican; Commissioner Senator Tom Udall (D-NM); Commissioner Representative Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY); Commissioner Representative Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL); and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX). “The world is interdependent when it comes to crop diversity, the essential raw material needed for a healthy and robust food supply,” said Senator Cardin. “As we manage the impact of climate change and other natural and man-made disasters around the world, the seed vault in Svalbard will be the safety deposit box that ensures we can keep that food supply intact.” The so-called “doomsday” seed vault now contains seeds of more than 525,000 crop varieties, making it the most diverse assemblage of crop diversity amassed anywhere in the world. Overall, this week’s deposit consists of a total of 537 varieties of 13 crops. It includes Wenk’s Yellow Hots, a pepper that starts out yellow and hot and cools somewhat to red and medium-hot; Pico de Gallo or “Rooster’s beak,” a medium-hot salsa staple; and the unpredictable San Juan “Tsile,” a New Mexico chili still grown by elder farmers in a Native American pueblo that can be anything from mild to medium to hot. “In New Mexico, our distinctive red and green chile peppers not only define our cuisine, they also symbolize our state’s unique cultural heritage and the livelihoods of generations who have called it home,” said Senator Tom Udall. “I’m very pleased that we are saving New Mexico’s most deliciously famous crop in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.” The USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has sent tens of thousands of seeds from its National Plant Germplasm System to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault since January 2008. “Our goal, over the next 10 to 15 years, is to have the majority of the system's 511,000 collections represented in the Svalbard vault," said Edward B. Knipling, ARS administrator. He added, "While we've sent samples from some very familiar crop species, such as maize, soybeans, and peanuts, we're also sending more exotic germplasm, such as seeds of the wild strawberry Fragaria iturupensis, collected from the island of Iturup on the lower flank of the Atsunupuri Volcano in far eastern Russia. ARS has a strong commitment to sharing its crop diversity to ensure that Svalbard is well positioned to help protect the world's genetic diversity." In addition to the assortment of chile peppers, the Fort Collins collection also deposited in the vault this week melons, peanuts, beans, sesame, hibiscus, squash, gourd, and 448 different varieties of sorghum. Sorghum is a crop that is grown around the world and is a dietary staple for 500 million people in over 30 countries. It is getting renewed attention as a “climate change ready” crop due to its ability to withstand hot and dry conditions. “Sorghum is an amazingly versatile crop—it’s used for flour, bread, animal feed, beer and, increasingly, biofuels—and it’s likely to become ever more important to global food security given its drought tolerance,” said Fowler. “But production in many areas is threatened by insect pest and plant disease,” he continued. “This intensifies the need to conserve sorghum diversity so that plant breeders can find the genetic traits they need to equip this important crop for these challenges.” The seed vault was constructed deep in a mountain on a remote Norwegian archipelago near the North Pole as a fail-safe back-up to existing crop collections around the world. Collections are constantly under threat from wars and natural disasters but also small but important threats like lack of funding to pay for electricity to store seeds in refrigerators. The seeds in the vault are the property of the country or institution that sent them and are available in the public domain through these institutions. Crop collections around the world serve the daily needs of farmers and plant breeders in their work to find new traits that can boost yields or address problems posed by diseases, pests or shifting climate conditions. ### The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (www.csce.gov) The CSCE, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, is an independent agency of the Federal Government charged with monitoring compliance with the Helsinki Accords and advancing comprehensive security through promotion of human rights, democracy, and economic, environmental and military cooperation in 56 countries. The Commission consists of nine members from the U.S. Senate, nine from the House of Representatives, and one member each from the Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce. Svalbard Global Seed Vault (www.seedvault.no) The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is designed to store duplicates of seeds from seed collections from around the globe. If seeds are lost, e.g. as a result of natural disasters, war or simply a lack of resources, the seed collections may be reestablished using seeds from Svalbard. The seed vault is owned by the Norwegian government which has also financed the construction work, costing nearly NOK 50 million. The Global Crop Diversity Trust (www.croptrust.org) The mission of the Trust is to ensure the conservation and availability of crop diversity for food security worldwide. Although crop diversity is fundamental to fighting hunger and to the very future of agriculture, funding is unreliable and diversity is being lost. The Trust is the only organization working worldwide to solve this problem. The Trust is providing support for the ongoing operations of the seed vault, as well as organizing and funding the preparation and shipment of seeds from developing countries to the facility. The Agricultural Research Service is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For more information, please contact: Shelly Han at +1 202 351 1929 or shelly.han@mail.house.gov Jeff Haskins at +254 729 871 422 or jhaskins@burnesscommunications.com Sandy Miller Hays at ARS USDA +1 301 504 1636 or Sandy.MillerHays@ars.usda.gov For a full copy of the press release, please click here. Media Contact: Shelly Han 202.225.1901 # # #

Could Mystery Crop Damage in Millington, TN Be Caused by Lucite International Chemical Leak on May 25, 2010?

Back on May 25, 2010, there was a chemical leak at the Lucite International plant. I do not know if there is a connection between the leak and the reported crop damage, but the affliction affects all plants and kills baby birds, so the cause is likely to be a chemical as opposed to a disease.

Sulfur trioxide vapors were leaked at the plant. Sulfur trioxide is toxic, and I wonder what effect it has on plants and crops.

America's Western States Poised for Worst Grasshopper Swarms in Thirty (30) Years

I am more spiritual than religious, but there are things happening in the world that seem straight out of Revelations and other stories in the Bible. The waters in the Gulf of Mexico are blood red. Billions of people are starving throughout the world. Earthquakes and volcanoes are ravaging the countrysides.

And now, the proverbial locust/grasshopper storm is set to hit the States of the Western United States this summer. Let's hope and pray that the Rocky Mountain locust is indeed extinct and has not simply been sleeping underground for a 100 years.

A dramatic rise in the number of grasshoppers was found during a survey of the western states conducted last year, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). And while that may seem bad enough on its own, it's really the grasshoppers' kids that are the threat.

If last summer's adults were successful during mating season, then the worst grasshopper infestation in 30 years could strike ranches and agricultural land in the Great Plains states between late July and early August, said Roeland Elliston of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Fort Collins, Colo., who worked on the survey.

For further reading, check out Grasshopper Infestation Swarm Could Destroy Western USA Crops.

Source: Livescience.com

Scores of Dairy Farmers in NY & PA Rally in Support of the Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2009

Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2009 (S. 889)

This story is from The Evening Tribune.

A group of more than 150 dairy farmers, their family members, a handful of local officials, farmer union leaders and Congressman Eric Massa, D-29, addressed the audience and talked about the act. The proposed legislation [Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2009]...would change the amount farmers are paid for milk to the national average cost of production, eliminate reference to the Chicago Mercantile exchange in determining milk prices paid to dairy farmers...

Locust Swarm Destroys Fields & Crops in Australia (Video)

Oregon Farmers Experience Significant Crop Losses After Storm (One Farmer Reports a 'Total Loss' of Wheat Crop)

More scary news relating to the Nation's food. This time the story originates in the Klamath Basin of Oregon where its fields and roadways recently experienced large dust clouds caused by 60 mph winds and shifting topsoil. One farmer reported a total loss of his wheat crop.

That was case with Steve Kandra, a local farmer.

Kandra’s spring wheat cover crop was a total loss.

Source: Herald and News

2010 Arkansas Wheat Crop is the Smallest Since 1960s

The below article says that Arkansas' wheat crop is so small because of bad weather, lower grain prices and high input costs. Previously, Remixx World! reported on the stories that the American grain crops are also being shipped out of the country and how America planted the fewest wheat crop in nearly a century. No word on whether there is some type of connection, but it is alarming nonetheless that the crop yield is so low. People will ultimately have to pay the price at the grocery store.

Arkansas' wheat crop this year is the smallest since the 1960s, the result of bad weather, lower prices for grain, and high input costs.

About 200,000 acres of wheat were planted this year, down from 400,000 acres last year and 1 million acres the year before that.

"That's a big decline," said Jason Kelley, Extension agronomist, wheat and feed grains, for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. "It's been a long time since we've had acreage that low.

Source: High West Plains / Midwest Ag Journal

See also:

1. Is the United States Headed for a Major Food and Crop Crisis in 2010? (Over 50% of Midwest Counties are Primary Disaster Areas)

2. Record Numbers Go Hungry in the United States of America!

3. Illinois Corn and Soybean Harvests at Record Low Levels

4. HR 2749 - The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (Totalitarian Control of the Food Supply?)

5. The Federal Government Turns Off Water to Fresno and San Joaquin Valley Farmers (No Food for the Masses?)

6. (Internationally too) - Britain Warns of Shrinking Food Supply in Next 20 Years

7. Is America's Grain Being Purposely Off Loaded Overseas to Trigger Massive Food Shortage Due to No Strategic Grain Reserves?

8. US Farmers Plant Fewest Wheat Crop Acres in Nearly a Century

Grasshopper Infestation Swarm Could Destroy Western USA Crops

This sounds like a story from the Bible or other epic as farmers in the Western USA are expecting an imminent confrontation with grasshoppers expected to ravage crops. Let's hope and pray that these grasshoppers don't destroy too many food crops.

Farmers and ranchers across the West are bracing for a grasshopper infestation that could devastate millions of acres of crops and land used for grazing.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Image Source: Paul Anderson (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License)

Genetically Engineered Tobacco Plants Can Be Used to Grow Solar Cells Says University of California Scientists

Like something out of a crazy science fiction movie, the technology that is announced on a daily basis is quite astonishing. If it's not lightning control or energy teleportation, it is some type of genetic modification. This time the genetic modification holds the potential to alter the world's energy distribution system -- provided the modification is successful. Namely, scientists have discovered how to grow solar cells from tobacco plants!

Tobacco plants could help wean the world from fossil fuels, according to scientists from the University of California, Berkeley.

In a paper in the journal ACS Nano Letters, Matt Francis and his colleagues used genetically engineered bacteria to produce the building blocks for artificial photovoltaic and photochemical cells. The technique could be more environmentally friendly than traditional methods of making solar cells and could lead to cheap, temporary and biodegradable solar cells.

Source: Discovery News

University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture: $397 Million Crop Loss in the State for Year 2009

The full report may be downloaded HERE.

In the News - January 2010
U of A Division of Agriculture pegs 2009 crop loss at $397 million

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Economists with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture on Tuesday pegged the 2009 crop losses at $397 million, resulting in an estimated loss of nearly 3,700 full- and part-time jobs at a cost of $102 million in wages and salaries.

Wayne Miller, U of A Division of Agriculture professor of agricultural economics, said the losses are estimated to have reduced value-added by $202.7 million. Value-added encompasses soy, corn and rice processing, cotton ginning and reduced household spending by Arkansans whose incomes are tied to agriculture.

Record rainfall throughout the summer and fall turned fields into lakes, bogged down the harvest and encouraged insects and disease. Rainstorms caused some crops to lodge, seed heads to germinate and discolored and damaged cotton bolls.

"Cotton and sorghum are estimated to have experienced the largest negative impact per acre, but total loss is greatest for soybeans, at $204 million, and cotton and cottonseed, at $120 million," said Eric Wailes, professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness for the U of A Division of Agriculture.

The crop loss estimate report was created by Wailes, Miller, Scott Stiles, instructor of agricultural economics; Brad Watkins, associate professor of agricultural economics; and Jeffrey Hignight, a program associate at the Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart.

The report was based on yield and price data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, as well as quality loss estimates from local elevators and fieldwork estimates from extension specialists with the U of A Division of Agriculture.

Here is a crop-by-crop look at the damage:

• Corn - Poor harvest conditions added up to a nearly $14 million hit to corn producers from yield and quality loss plus additional fieldwork. The September yield estimate from the NASS of 153 bushels per acre was reduced to 148 bushels per acre in the January 2010 report. The decrease in yield reduced revenue by $7.2 million.
  
• Cotton - Arkansas cotton producers have been hit the hardest as a percentage of gross receipts compared to the other crops. The economic losses from acreage, yield and quality, plus additional fieldwork costs on cotton and cottonseed combined is estimated to be a $120 million reduction in gross receipts. The September NASS yield estimate was 1,056 pounds per acre, but the January estimate was reduced to 797 pounds per acre. It was estimated that 15,000 acres were completely destroyed by poor weather conditions. Together, yield loss and destroyed acres reduced revenue from lint and seed by $100 million.
  
• Soybeans - It is estimated that Arkansas soybeans producers lost nearly $204.2 million from decreased acreage, yield, quality, and additional fieldwork. The September NASS yield estimate of 38 bushels per acre was reduced a half-bushel per acre in January. It is estimated that 100,000 acres were destroyed from the poor harvest conditions. Combining losses from destroyed acres and yield loss, revenue was reduced by $52.9 million. The largest portion of losses in soybeans was from deterioration in quality.
  
• Sorghum - Arkansas sorghum producers saw a loss of approximately 41.2 percent of their gross receipts from reduced acreage, yield, quality and additional fieldwork from poor conditions. The estimated loss in gross receipts from reduced yield, quality, and additional fieldwork costs is $4.5 million.
  
• Rice - Rice producers in Arkansas saw moderate losses from poor harvest conditions, varying from none to substantial, depending on location. Gross receipts are estimated to be reduced by nearly $46.3 million from acreage, yield and quality losses, plus additional fieldwork costs. The September NASS yield estimate of 152.2 bushels per acre was reduced to 151.1 bushels per acre in the January report. It is estimated that 10,000 acres were destroyed by poor weather at harvest. Combining losses from destroyed acres and yield loss, revenue was reduced by $18 million.
  
• Grass Hay - Hay producers lost an estimated $7.8 million from poor conditions throughout the growing season. Estimates come from the Oct. 9 crop production and crop prices reports released by NASS. It is estimated that there were 1.4 million acres of grass hay with a normal yield of 2.2 tons per acre. The weather reduced yields by approximately 4 percent according to unpublished estimates from the Arkansas Farm Service Agency. Losses on hay pastures are concentrated in the south and southwest part of Arkansas.

The report is available at http://division.uaex.edu/.

The Cooperative Extension Service is a part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

January 26, 2010

By Mary Hightower
U of A Division of Agriculture

Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu

Related Links

• University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
• Arkansas Agriculture

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FLASHBACK: U.S. Grain Supply is Being Strained by Demand (Food Prices to Increase?)

Personally, I love writing on this blog, because it forces me to research issues that I may otherwise miss and to focus on what I feel is important in the overall scheme of things. In 2009, the main theme of this blog was the H1N1 "swine flu" hype and vaccination program followed by cybersecurity issues.

As 2010 rolls along, food is an early leader for the 2010 theme of the year followed by global resource wars. Only time will tell, but here is an article from Farm Futures in 2008 that shows this country may be headed for a food crisis in the middle of an economic crisis.

U.S. Grain Supply is Being Strained by Demand

According to Chris Hurt, a Purdue University agricultural economist, with global demand for grain and oilseeds at record levels and a weak U.S. dollar, foreign buyers are outbidding domestic buyers for American grain. While the higher commodity prices are good for crop agriculture, there are some worrisome downsides.

"Food consumers worldwide are going to have to pay more," Hurt says. "We ended 2007 with our monthly inflation rate on food nearly 5% higher. I think we'll see times in 2008 where the food inflation rate might be as much as 6% (note: the food index rate rose 5.9% in 2008 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

This same BLS report says the food index rate decreased in 2009, so perhaps things are not so dire, but I am not so confident as the government.

For More Information:

1. Is the United States Headed for a Major Food and Crop Crisis in 2010? (Over 50% of Midwest Counties are Primary Disaster Areas)

2. Record Numbers Go Hungry in the United States of America!

3. Illinois Corn and Soybean Harvests at Record Low Levels

4. HR 2749 - The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (Totalitarian Control of the Food Supply?)

5. The Federal Government Turns Off Water to Fresno and San Joaquin Valley Farmers (No Food for the Masses?)

6. (Internationally too) - Britain Warns of Shrinking Food Supply in Next 20 Years

7. Is America's Grain Being Purposely Off Loaded Overseas to Trigger Massive Food Shortage Due to No Strategic Grain Reserves?

8. US Farmers Plant Fewest Wheat Crop Acres in Nearly a Century

US Farmers Plant Fewest Wheat Crop Acres in Nearly a Century

The last time America's farmers planted as few wheat acres as they did this season, it was 1913 - the year before World War I. I do not know if this record low crop planting will lead to the food crisis that I am seeing being predicted by more and more people, but it will certainly not help to have less wheat than normal.

The Agriculture Department reported Tuesday that the total acres of winter wheat for 2010 is 37.1 million acres, down 14 percent nationwide from last year.

The agency blames poor weather, low prices and the late row crop harvest for the decrease.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

USDA Approves First UHF RFID Tag for Animal Identification System

The Animal Identification System appears to be moving along according to the government's master plan to tag every single farm animal. The press release below describes the recent USDA approval of the first RFID animal tag.

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USDA approves eTattoo™ as First Official UHF Indentification Device

LEROY, Minn. (December 28, 2009)—Eriginate™ Corporation announced today the approval of its eTattoo™ tag by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The approval marks the first ultra-high radio frequency identification tag (UHF RFID) and the first non-low frequency tag (LF) to be approved for use with the “840” Animal Identification Number (AIN).

“We’re very pleased that the USDA has provided approval for eTattoo™ to be used as an official identification device in USDA’s animal health programs,” says Bob Baarsch, CEO of Eriginate™. “Animal identification plays an important role when animal disease events occur, and we are proud to be able to offer our technology to enrich this effort.”

eTattoo™ is the first and only cattle management system to utilize UHF RFID, operating at 915 MHz. The tag allows users to collect data from individual animals housed in large pens or across groups of pens in a fraction of a second, even while animals are moving. The read range is optimized to allow producers to collect data from either the front or back of the animal at a distance of up to 25 feet using a fixed reader or up to 15 feet using a handheld device.

eTattoo™ is a panel-style tag that incorporates both visual and electronic identification, enabling management information to be printed on the tag and alleviating the need for separate visual and RFID tags. Because of the enhanced performance of the eTattoo™ technology, the tags and readers can be quickly incorporated into existing cattle handling systems without the need for costly infrastructure changes.

Animals that move individually through the production and processing chain can be identified with an official AIN tag or device. Only approved manufacturers are authorized to produce AIN devices, and eTattoo™ is the first UHF RFID ear tag to be authorized as an official AIN device. UHF-RFID is a global standard used throughout the world for asset tracking. The eTattoo™ tag is compatible with all ISO 18000-6C / EPCglobal Gen 2 readers and equipment.

eTattoo™ tags and readers are available exclusively from Eriginate™ Corporation. For more information on eTattoo™ and to order a kit or tags, call Eriginate™ customer service at (507) 344-8005

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Additional Reading:

1. Wisconsin Judge Orders Beef Rancher to Register Premises Under State's Livestock Premises Registration Law