There is a group of indigenous people in Honduras that live off an average of $300 a year… less than one dollar a day. At least two months out of every year they starve. That’s the reality as Billy Collins sees it. Billy has been working with the Chortí Maya, the direct descendants of the Mayan Indians, for five years.
I met Billy in Copán Ruinas, a charming town in Western Honduras not far from the Guatemalan border. The small, cobblestoned town is “base camp” so-to-speak for visiting Honduras’ famous ancient Mayan ruins. That’s why I am here: to see the ruins. But, it’s been three days and I have yet to explore them. Instead, I’ve been exploring the harsh realities of the Chortí Maya, realties that Billy, his wife Mary and a handful of others are committed to changing. And, they’re making those changes largely through agriculture. I spent an entire day with Billy touring villages of adobe huts with straw roofs, bumping and bouncing along dirt roads consistently washed out by the wet season’s frequent rains to get to them.
While Billy and his wife are involved in more than a handful of projects with the Chortí, their SALT project, or Sloping Agricultural Land Technology, is among one of the biggest. It’s a project that’s aimed at training the indigenous people how to cultivate their rolling, mountainous lands more efficiently and successfully. Through a double hedgerow terracing technique, Billy says the Chortí Maya can double, even triple their current crop yields.
“We give them enough to plant like a half acre, enough seeds,” Billy said. “I’m talking about seeds for their terracing. We use leguminous seeds to terrace. We use the A-frame to mark out how terraces should go and then they plant it… We want to stop water long enough to let it drop the soil, let plants get taller, this soil will get higher and they’ll have good soil. In three to four years, if they do this right they can double their harvest.” (more…)
Willie Nelson is sending out pleas for help. He’s calling for donations to help family farmers that are being devastated by severe weather and flooding in the Midwest.
Severe weather in nine Midwestern states is devastating family farmers. Disastrous floods in Iowa and Wisconsin have hit farmers especially hard–more than 30 counties in Iowa alone have already been declared federal disaster areas. More areas are expected to be threatened by rising flood water in the next few weeks.
Farm Aid is working now with local farm groups, churches, and rural organizations to get emergency funds out quickly to flooded farmers. This week, we made our first grant of $10,000 to a local Iowa farm organization to provide emergency assistance to farmers in need right now.
Farm Aid has a long history of helping farm families survive disasters — but we need your donation to do it. Can you help by making a tax-deductible donation of $25, $100, $500, or $1,000?
When major disasters like this strike, desperate farmers and farm organizations call Farm Aid. With your help, Farm Aid can help by providing emergency funds for families to buy food and cover living expenses and by supporting emergency hotlines and organizations that provide legal, financial and emotional counseling to farm families in need.
Please make an emergency contribution to Farm Aid’s Family Farm Disaster Fund right now and we will rush your funds to the stricken area.
Stay Strong and Positive,
Willie Nelson
Deere equipment isn’t the only thing that’s green about John Deere. The ag company has announced its plans to reduce its total global greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent per dollar of revenue from 2005 to 2014.
The company has committed to the reduction goal in conjunction with its participation in
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program, which Deere joined in
2007.
John Deere locations worldwide will implement energy-saving projects to meet the target. Climate Leaders is a voluntary industry-government partnership that works with companies to develop long-term comprehensive climate change strategies. Participants set a corporate-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal and annually report their progress to the EPA. Through program participation, companies create a credible record of their accomplishments, reduce their impact on the global environment, and identify themselves as corporate climate leaders.
John Deere’s energy management program began in 1973 and requires company operations to implement energy-conservation initiatives and track energy use. In response to international global-warming concerns, Deere added a worldwide greenhouse gas emissions inventory program in 2003.
Deere says its direct greenhouse gas emissions come from operations such as foundry, heat-treat, painting, powerhouse, and testing. Indirect emissions, Deere says, result from demand for electricity or steam.
San Francisco is hosting the largest celebration of American food in U.S. history. Slow Food Nation is expected to attract tens of thousands in an experience that highlights the connections between plate and planet. The celebration is scheduled for Labor Day weekend, August 29 through September 1, 2008.
The majority of Slow Food Nation’s events will be free and open to the public; certain events are ticketed. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 4 at http://www.slowfoodnation.org/.
“Slow Food Nation will catalyze a huge shift in how Americans perceive and prioritize food. Through the four-day event, we hope to build momentum and demand for an American food system that is safer, healthier and more socially just,” said Anya Fernald, Executive Director of Slow Food Nation.
Participants will savor food from across the U.S. at Taste, a 50,000 square foot pavilion; meet farmers and producers at a marketplace surrounding a 10,000 square foot newly-planted urban garden in the heart of the City; and learn from visionary speakers. Slow Food Nation will also feature a music festival, workshops, films, dinners, hikes and journeys.
Slow Food Nations is a part of the international Slow Food movement. The movement says it is dedicated to creating a framework for deeper environmental connection to our food. It aims to inspire and empower Americans to build a food system that is sustainable, healthy and delicious.
This is just too good to pass on letting you in on it. Carbon Belch Day. I love it. I know you may think it’s a little over the top but then how would you describe what the whacko climate change alarmists, who’s real goal is to control society, are doing? Let’s have a little bit of balance. One of the things I like best on their site is that you can buy “Carbon Debits.” I’m sure they’ll do as much good as carbon credits.
Why Carbon Belch?
In this world of carbon credits and endless “Green” propaganda, why would we encourage tens of thousands of people to increase their CO2 output on Carbon Belch Day?
Because Al Gore’s “planetary emergency” is a bunch of hot air…
Because shrinking your “carbon footprint” is not going to save the world from doom…
Because CO2 isn’t even a pollutant — life needs CO2…
Because energy is the fuel of human progress and man is not the “bad guy”…
Because the real “planetary emergency” is the coming $1.2 trillion Carbon Tax…
And because it’s fun and your Carbon Belch might actually do some good!
Being fueled by GrassFire.org. Thanks to Laura for bringing it to my attention. I’m definitely going to grill some beef that day and schedule my neighbor kid to mow my lawn.
The 2008 Washington State Tree Farmer of the Year goes to David Robbins of The Hama Hama Tree Farm. The Washington Farm Forestry Association says the award is meant to recognize David’s exceptional commitment to enhance his forest land.
The tree farm is mostly composed of Douglas-fir with scattered stands of alder, hemlock and cedar, and supports a sustainable harvest of 1.4 million board feet per year. The careful stewardship of the water, soil and timber resources directly benefits another portion of the family business — the Hama Hama Seafood Company, which supplies oysters and clams to the area.
Certified tree farmers must manage their forest land in an environmentally sound manner in accordance to the standards and guidelines of the American Forest Foundation.
It has been a beautiful weekend in Missouri. Time to get some herbs and vegetables planted and enjoy some relaxation. On Saturday this little piggy went to, not the market, but the party at Derry Brownfield’s cabin. Mmm, mmm, good. We had quite a crowd out there.
I thought you might enjoy an editorial in Hernando Today, a Tampa, FL area newspaper on “Ecophobia: Environmentalist on the New Environmental Disaster.” It was sent in by Heather, an alert AgWired reader. Here’s an excerpt:
I am an ecophobe: I imagine environmentalists creating catastrophes all the time all over the world. I see great floods, famine, disease and death and behind each is the same thing: A grinning environmentalist reveling in the mayhem as if it were magic.
It’s a good one and worth a moment to read.
The state of sustainable agriculture in developing countries will be one of the main issues addressed at the BIO International Convention this summer. The Biotechnology Industry Organization is hosting the convention in San Diego from Tuesday, June 17 through Friday, June 20.
Biotechnology leaders from around the globe will be descending upon San Diego, one of the leading biotech hubs in the world, to discuss the most pressing issues and share their unique perspectives. In addition, there will be a total of 36 regional and country pavilions within the BIO Exhibition with several new pavilions, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Dubai, and South Africa.
This years convention will focus on the promise of biotech innovation to heal, fuel and feed the world. International case studies on biofuels, biomanufacturing, research funding, and international collaborations will focus on examples from Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, North America, Singapore, and Sweden. Two additional breakout session tracks will focus on doing business globally and global health. A session entitled, The Dynamics of a Globalized World and the Future of the Biotechnology Industry, will feature international public officials sharing insights on the evolving business landscape.
This years keynote speakers include Gen. Colin Powell, J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. (more…)
No, not the color green. Environmentally green. Parducci Wine Cellars says its the first winery to go carbon neutral. And, the winery is now operating on 100 percent solar and wind power.
Parducci effectively transferred all of its energy needs to non-polluting, renewable sources by supplementing its on-site solar power with Green-E(R) certified wind energy purchased from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. The annual positive environmental impact of the winery’s 100% green power use is equivalent to:
— removing 172 cars from the road for a year, or
— planting 242 acres of trees, or
— not driving a passenger vehicle 2,171,450 miles.
The oldest family-owned winery in Northern California’s Mendocino County, Parducci Wine Cellars is committed to responsible land stewardship, sustainable viticulture and green business practices that yield superior wines while protecting the environment.
In 2007 Parducci received the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, California’s highest environmental honor, for the company’s efforts to combat climate change. In addition to buying grapes from local family farmers, Parducci uses sustainable farming practices including bio-diesel tractors in the vineyards and 100% green power as well as earth friendly packaging at the winery. Parducci’s respect for the land yields quality wines as evident by recent 90+ point scores in several national wine publications.
Pennsylvania is honoring a family farm operation that has developed a new “manure digester.” The farm developed the new system in collaboration with NativeEnergy. The project is meant to help residents will breathe easier with cleaner air.
High quality carbon offsets provider NativeEnergy is proud to announce the Brubaker Farms’ family dairy farm methane project, a new anaerobic digester/generator system built in reliance on carbon offset funding provided by NativeEnergy and grants from the State of Pennsylvania and U.S. Department of Agriculture. During the official dedication ceremony at Brubaker Farms on April 16th, Pennsylvania Senator Mike Brubaker*, along with representatives from the PA Department of Agriculture and Environmental Defense, will acknowledge the importance of investing in new family farm energy projects. The day’s events will include tours of farm facilities, which illustrate the collaboration of resources essential to the renewable energy project’s success.
“Investing in the construction of high quality, family farm renewable energy projects is a powerful step in the fight against global warming that more and more people can support through our carbon offsets,” says Tom Boucher, President and CEO of NativeEnergy. “Since methane has 21 times the global warming impact of carbon dioxide, new family farm projects represent real, effective solutions to the climate crisis.”
Today, with it’s new anaerobic digester the 1,500 acre family farm is producing enough energy to power and heat most of its operations; reducing the family’s reliance on grid-supplied electricity and propane, and the environmental impact of fossil fuel sources.
Kansas State University wants ranchers and livestock owners to keep the cattle clean and healthy. The university is hosting the Beef Cattle Welfare at its Beef Cattle Institute May 28-30.
Animal welfare is one of the fastest growing concerns among consumers throughout the country, according to Dr. Dan Thomson, a Kansas State University veterinarian and expert on the impact of beef cattle production practices on cattle well-being and health.
The Beef Cattle Institute at K-State will conduct an International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare, May 28-30, on the K-State campus.
“The symposium is designed to provide a venue in which all stakeholders in beef cattle production can meet and discuss the many welfare-related topics concerning the raising, feeding and harvesting of beef cattle,” Thomson said.
Speakers at the symposium will include producers, ethologists, nutritionists and veterinarians who will address current welfare-related issues facing the beef industry. The speaker list also includes people in policy-making positions within the federal government, professional societies and industry commodity groups.
More information on the symposium, including how to register, is available at the Beef Cattle Institute Website.
Last year, California orange growers sustained a crippling freeze and lost 40 percent of their crop. But, this year California citrus growers are reporting healthy, plentiful crops.
Call it global warming or just a freak of nature, but last year’s crop of California oranges weathered a forty percent decrease because of a devastating freeze. Thanks to good planning and a little help from mother nature, this year’s California orage gorwers are back in full swing with the promise of more than 86 million cartons of oranges just one year later.
MIKE GEORGE, CALIFORNIA CITRUS GROWER:
“My family and I have been in the farming industry for three generations and working with Mother Nature can be tricky. A difference of a few degrees can change everything. This year the sun has been shining on us and this season’s crop is plentiful and sweet.”
Oranges can be a nutritious addition to any diet. One medium size orange is an excellent source of vitamin C and can provide up to 130 percent of the daily recommended value while helpilng the body figh toff illness and keep the immune system healthy.
More chefs are unleashing the tasty zest of American produce. The Culinary School of the Rockies is responding to the market for “sustainable cooking” with more courses involving the local flavor.
Call it farm to table, seed to fork, farm to fork, or sustainable kitchen — by any name, diners in today’s top restaurants are demanding locally grown seasonal food.
Whether in response to increasing concern for the environment or simply a desire for the delicious, restaurants around the country are finding ways to source local ingredients, even in bustling urban areas such as Manhattan, Houston, Seattle, Cleveland, Atlanta and Denver.
As the trend grows, so do help-wanted signs in these “sustainable” restaurants. Culinary education, primarily focused on classical training, has not kept up with the trend that requires chefs to know more than just the “back of the house.” Today, chefs are routinely unloading vegetables fresh from the farm — rinsing off dirt rather than unwrapping cellophane. Culinary School of the Rockies (CSR), located in Boulder, Colo., is the first private culinary school in the country to organize a culinary externship dedicated to the sustainable food movement. Called “Farm to Table,” the experience gives aspiring cooks and chefs the chance to gain both culinary know-how and a deep understanding of ways to source and use local ingredients. (more…)
Florida’s Natural Growers are getting more from the bright, Florida sun than just oranges. The association is also harnessing solar energy to power their visitor center.
The bright Florida sunshine that goes into every glass of Florida’s Natural(R) Brand Orange Juice is now helping power the Florida’s Natural Growers Visitor Center on Highway 27 North in Lake Wales. The Florida’s Natural Grower’s Cooperative just installed solar panels on the 5,000 square foot facility as part of their continuing effort to promote and utilize renewable energy sources.
The solar panels are estimated to supply 30% of the power needed to operate the Visitor’s Center and are being used as a test case by the Cooperative to explore more sources of renewable energy.
This could be the breakthrough farmer´s across the country have been looking for: a super fertilizer of rhino poop! Nah, probablz not. But, I couldn´t pass up throwing up a post about the debut of rhino poop for this holiday season.
We swear we’re not making this up. For the first time in history you may find rhino poop under your Christmas tree. This year the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) is auctioning off endangered feces — poop from endangered rhino species. It’s all part of an effort to save one of Earth’s most recognizable, but most threatened wild animals.
That’s right, actual rhino poop will be an auction item on the popular Web site eBay. The rhino poop auction will begin Friday, November 30, 2007 and can be accessed by searching for “rhino poop” at www.eBay.com or by visiting www.endangeredfeces.org.
“Everyone knows about rhinos, but not everyone knows that they are disappearing from the Earth,” says International Rhino Foundation Executive Director Dr. Susie Ellis. “It might sound silly, but the money raised by the rhino poop auction will benefit conservation programs, raise awareness, and help us to save rhinos.”
Four separate pieces of rhino dung, representing the four species of rhino living in the United States, will be up for auction on eBay - including the White Rhino, the Black Rhino, the Sumatran Rhino and the Indian Rhino. The Javan Rhino, the only species not represented, is so rare that obtaining dung was not possible. The opening bid for each item will depend upon the rarity of the species.
The IRF also suggests its Adopt-A-Rhino Program as another holiday gift idea.
A new Beef Eco-Report suggests that “green” food isn´t necessarily organic food and conscious consumers might have to start choosing between the two. Analysts at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Food Issues say that beef produced with grains and growth hormones produces 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions and saves two-thirds more land for nature as compared to organic grass-fed beef.
To reach these startling conclusions, analysts at the Hudson Institutes´s Center for Global Food Issues used beef production models from Iowa State University’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and greenhouse gas emissions estimates from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UN IPCC).
More than 95% of beef produced in the United States is raised on grain-based diets in feedlots, using supplemental growth hormones, both natural and synthetic. The report details the extensive human and environmental safety requirements for the use of supplemental hormones on feedlots, as well as the growing body of environmental monitoring studies showing no significant negative impacts from their use. Instead, the data show major environmental benefits of this production system: Saving 2/3 more land for nature and producing 40% fewer greenhouse gas emissions per pound of beef produced.
(more…)
Farming is hard, rewarding work and Growing Home Inc. is giving Chicagoans in search of a job a chance to reap the rewards of work in the field. But, this field will be farmed in the city.
Hoop houses are erected on the site and collards, kale, mustard greens, salad mix and spinach are a good example of the crops that will be grown year round. Graduates from the job training program are working on site.
Growing Home is a six-year old certified organic agricultural business with a social mission of providing transitional employment for homeless and low-income adults. Program participants are difficult-to-employ people, most of whom have criminal backgrounds. Growing Home also operates a 10-acre farm 75 miles southwest of Chicago at Marseilles, Illinois and a half-acre urban farm on the south side.
In 2007, Growing Home harvested fifty crops (130 varieties) and four animal products — honey, worms, worm castings, and eggs and had sales of over $70,000. Growing Home’s current customers include some of Chicago’s most well-known restaurants: Bistro Campagne, Lula Cafe, Blackbird, First Slice Cafe, Green Zebra, North Pond, Soundings, and Vie.
The U.S. organic sector is expected to grow from $13 billion in 2003 to over $25 billion in 2007. However, less than 3% of organic produce available in Chicago is grown locally.
Energy and fuels aren’t the only commodities America is becoming more environmentally conscious about. World-class chef and restaurateur Mario Batali is encouraging consumers to become eco-friendly with their food. Mario is working with the Earthlab Foundation in a campaign to promote environmentally friendly food options. The online segment at Earthlab.com features tips and insight into to making better food related choices for the environment, such as choosing locally grown products and fresh produce. The site also offers information about cooking and Italian cuisine.
Batali is continuing his green journey by joining the EarthLab community and creating his personal Earth Conservation Plan (ECP), which he can save and track over time to help lessen his impact on the earth. His ECP score is 269 and he outputs 9.1 tons of carbon per year, compared to the national averages of 349 ECP and 15 carbon tons.
Batali pledges to reduce his impact by 10 percent by the end of 2008 and he encourages others to calculate their score with EarthLab.
“EarthLab shares my passion and motivation for the environment and I am looking forward to working closely with the EarthLab Foundation and community to share my experiences and expertise, while also reducing my own impact,” said Batali. “I have been implementing earth-friendly changes in my restaurants, such as not using bottled water, but there is still a long way to go. Eating is something that we all do every day and there are small choices about what we eat, how we shop for food and cook that can help the environment.”
The Food & Mario Batali section of the website provides new resources such as recipe and wine selection, Mario’s favorite links, a featured region in Italy and more.
The Presidents of Iceland and Bangladesh, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Norman Borlaug and soil and crop experts are all slated to speak at the 2007 International Annual Meetings in New Orleans Next month. The American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) are hosting the international forum on food and sustainability, where more than 4,000 scientists are expected to attend.
What was the impact of Hurricane Katrina on agriculture? What’s the connection between soil and climate change? What types of biofuel will help America’s energy crisis? These topics and more will be discussed at the International Annual Meetings, Nov. 4-8 at the Morial Convention Center, New Orleans. The event marks the 100th anniversary of ASA.
Highlighted Speakers
— Nobel Peace Prize recipient Norman Borlaug, is joined by Rob Horsch, Gates Foundation, to discuss agricultural technologies to fight world hunger.
— Iceland President Olafur Grimsson comments via video on how Iceland can be a laboratory for climate change solutions.
— Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed presents a look at problems of global warming and Arsenic Poisoning.” A Q&A will follow.
— Henry Thompson, Cancer Prevention Lab, Colorado State University, presents ways to make crops healthier in the fight against chronic diseases.
— Mike Palmer, University of Oklahoma, and Ken Cassman, University of Nebraska, presents contrasting points of view on biofuels.
— Charles Groat, University of Texas; William Jenkins, Louisiana State University; and other speakers will review the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on soil and agriculture.
The construction of new headquarters for Novus International Inc. broke ground at Missouri Research Park in St. Charles, MO last week. The producer of animal nutrition and health products says its expanded headquarters adheres to sustainable design.
“Novus believes in creating environmentally sound, sustainable programs that enable health through nutrition for people and animals.” explained Thad Simons, President and Chief Executive Officer of Novus International, Inc. “Delivering on the Novus vision ‘To help feed the world affordable, wholesome food’ becomes possible when we look at each of our programs as a way to improve our business and world simultaneously. The Novus global headquarters will be our symbol to the world and an expression of our sustainable efforts.”
Recognized as a leader in the animal health and nutrition industry, Novus is expanding their current research facility with a $20 million investment. When complete, the 90,000 square foot structure will consolidate Novus’s headquarters and the Novus International Research Center. The structure is being designed within the environmentally-focused framework of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The highest level of LEED certification is platinum, and the Novus facility is designed to achieve this status.
Designed by Forum Studio, Inc. and Clayco, the St. Louis areas premier construction company, the global headquarters will accommodate many established and forward-thinking elements of sustainable design and construction.
Progress on the Novus International global headquarters may be viewed at www.clayco.com and clicking on webcams.
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Cool Interactive Ideas in new media was the topic of a NAMA Boot Camp presentation by Erin Holte, Martin Williams.
