- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that 162 recipients in 40 states and Puerto Rico will receive $22.7 million through the Value-Added Producer Grant program. Part of the USDA’s rural development mission, the Value-Added Producer Grants, are used for planning activities or to provide working capital to market value-added agricultural products and farm-based renewable energy projects. Value-added products are created when a producer takes an agricultural commodity and processes or prepares it in a way that increases its value to consumers. Among the grant recipients is Orlicek Farms, Stuttgart, Ark. which will receive $98,500 to determine the feasibility of marketing biofuels from a facility in Arkansas.
- Monsanto will deploy two first-of-their kind Crop Analytics Mobile Labs (CAML’s) this harvest season to measure the linolenic acid content of Vistive™ soybeans delivered to processing facilities. Vistive low-linolenic soybeans typically contain up to 3 percent linolenic acid as an oil component, compared with 8 percent for conventional soybeans. This low-linolenic alternative enables food processors to use Vistive oil to reduce the need for hydrogenation, which creates trans fats in processed soybean oil. The new mobile labs, 28 feet long and staffed by one or two GC experts each, will utilize new Fast Gas Chromatography technology developed by Monsanto (patent pending). The Fast GC technology provides a very accurate result in about 10 minutes, according to Joel Ream, Commercial Analytics Lead – Crop Analytics Monsanto. For 2007, Vistive growers will earn an average premium of 55 cents to 65 cents per bushel. The mobile labs will be stationed throughout the harvest season at select crushing plants participating in the 2007 Vistive program and will also help support the network of surrounding grain elevators.
- The National Integrated Pest Management Center, USDA/APHIS, National Plant Diagnostic Network and USDA CSREES have issued a joint National Pest Alert warning of a pest thrips species “Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood” also known as chili thrips, castor thrips, assam thrips, yellow tea thrips and strawberry thrips. The list of possible host plants and the full alert can be downloaded here.
- The Texas Department of Agriculture awarded more than $280,000 to cotton research in the state during a Sept. 10 ceremony at Lubbock. Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples announced more than $1.2 million in grants to five Texas universities to fund 39 research projects designed to “bolster and enhance the state’s food and fiber industry.” The grants were awarded through TDA’s Food and Fibers Research Grant Program. Each project is required to leverage about $2.75 for each dollar received from the state, bringing the total amount of research to more than $3.3 million. More details on these Texas Department of Agriculture grants are available online.
