- 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.
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Resigns
Here in Japan the turmoil at their Ministry of Agriculture precluded our being able to meet with their Minister. Back home it looks like we’ve got a little turnover going on too. I just learned that Mike Johanns has resigned as our Ag Secretary. The picture of him here is from the recent Farm Progress Show. I’ve always been a big fan of Mr. Johanns since I first met him as Governor of Nebraska. I’m betting he’ll continue to be a political force in that state. President Bush has appointed Deputy Agriculture Secretary Charles Conner to take over as acting secretary.
Here’s his letter of resignation as shared by USDA:
Dear Mr. President,
It has been a great honor to serve you and the American people as Secretary of Agriculture for nearly three years. After careful thought and difficult deliberation, I am writing to inform you that I have decided to pursue a new opportunity to serve this great Nation. Please accept my resignation effective today, September 19, 2007 and my gratitude for the distinct privilege to serve in your Cabinet.
Under your leadership and vision, American agriculture is stronger than ever before in history. Your presidency has had a profoundly positive impact on the lives of Americans in both rural and urban communities.
Farm equity, now at $2 trillion, has increased $200 billion per year for the past several years. The debt-to-asset ratio is the lowest in more than 45 years. Projected 2007 net cash income is a record high $86 billion. The average farm household income is projected at $81,500 this year, nearly $20,000 above the average household income in the U.S. Overall farm balance sheets reveal a strong and growing farm economy. Read More
Official IFAJ Congress Blog
There is an official IFAJ Congress Blog. The coordinating organization for the event is the Japanese Agricultural Journalists Association.
Make sure you stop by for a visit.
IFAJ Congress 2007 Photo Album
AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2007 is sponsored by: 
Learn About Japanese Agricultural Cooperatives
We started out a very long day of activities here at the IFAJ Congress with a sort of a press conference at the “Imagine” studio of the Japan Broadcasting System, NHK. You can see the title on the glass wall of the studio here with the activities going on inside. I don’t have the information on what the building is but I’m sure someone can supply it. Apparently they had to acquire the rights to the name from Yoko Ono. The words to John Lennon’s song are also on the wall and there’s a plaque inside explaining this.
Anyway, we heard from several people including the director of agricultural policy for the Japanese Agricultural Cooperative system.
He included a very well done video explaining how and why the system came into being and how it has evolved over the years. There are about 9.9 million cooperative members with almost half of them being classified as associate members.
You can listen to his remarks here: ifaj-07-cooperatives.mp3
IFAJ Congress 2007 Photo Album
AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2007 is sponsored by:
Sake On My Mind
Have I mentioned sake yet? This is sake country and at one of our receptions in Tokyo I think we had at least 13 companies exhibiting with sake tasting galore.
Cindy and Diane Johnson, LPC, were certainly enjoying the sake tasting. A couple of my favorites were the champagne sake and red rice sake. Cindy likes a white zinfandel when it comes to wine so the red rice sake was one of her favorites too.
I was having the jet lag catch up by the time we hit this reception so I stopped after sampling about 6 (or was it 9) different kinds. One thing was obvious to me and that was that the sake you find in most American restaurants does not even come close to comparing with what’s available.
IFAJ Congress 2007 Photo Album
AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2007 is sponsored by:
One Way to Cook Rice
I’m starting to get caught up on my posting here in Japan. As you’ve been able to see, Cindy has certainly found time to do some editing of content from her trip to Germany last week!
I posted a picture from our reception in Tokyo the other night and now I’ve got a video clip to go with it. Cindy picked up a flyer that describes this. It’s pon-gashi which is basically a snack made from grains like rice and corn. You can call the rice version, kome-haze.
IFAJ Congress 2007 Photo Album
AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2007 is sponsored by:
auf Wiedersehen!
Here on a rooftop overlooking the research facility is where we said auf Wiedersehen to BASF at Limburgerhof before we headed off to Brussels, so this is where my coverage of that event comes to a close.
However, I will be posting some more from that trip on Domestic Fuel, since biofuels were a major topic there and in Brussels, as well as here in Japan.
To our BASF and Quarry friends, I say “Danke, dank.”
BASF Germination Lab
Before those treated seeds can be planted in a farmer’s field, BASF has to make sure they will germinate and grow successfully, and that is the job of Dr. Michael Merk – just call him “the Germinator.”
“We test all different seeds in terms of germination,” he says. “The germination is very important to see if there is any damage in terms of germination on the roots or any delays.”
Merk says doing the germinating in the lab as opposed to in the field speeds the whole process because it can be done quickly and at any time of the year.
Listen to my interview with Dr. Merk here:
basf-merk.mp3
View the Flickr Photo Album from BASF in Germany and Brussels
BASF Seed Treatment
Our final stop at the BASF research facility last week was the seed treatment center where we heard from Dr. Andreas Landes who is in charge of the center.
“Our goals here are the development of products which are easy to use,” said Dr. Landes. “Seed treatment is one of the most target oriented crop protection measures you can imagine.”
Like everything else in BASF product development, quite a bit of work goes into creating treated seeds. “We are involved from the early development stage, from the research phase,” he said.
The result of their efforts is a rainbow of seeds carrying chemicals right on them to make crop protection easier, safer and more effective for farmers.
Listen to my interview with Dr. Landes here:
basf-landes.mp3
View the Flickr Photo Album from BASF in Germany and Brussels
BASF Ecotoxicology
Okay, so if Dr. Speakman was excited about fungi, Dr. Christoph Kunast is simply buggy about insects.
Kunast’s job with BASF is ecotoxoxicology, which he explains “is the science of side effects of chemicals against living organisms.”
“What we must ensure for registration purposes is that these side effects are acceptable,” said Kunast. What that means is politically driven to some extent, he says, and can be some what of a moving target as the criteria keeps getting more stringent.
Dr. Kunast spent some time talking about Colony Collapse Disorder and its effects on his honey bee friends and what might be causing it. He also showed us his little hissing cockroach friend – a short video we’ll post here soon.
Listen to Dr. Kunast’s opening monologue about ecotoxicology here:
basf-kunast.mp3
Post Update: Here’s that video.
View the Flickr Photo Album from BASF in Germany and Brussels