Posted by Ed Levine, April 30, 2008 at 8:30 AM
©iStockPhoto/SilviaJansen
A piece in the New York Times today (part of the brilliant, groundbreaking Food Chain series that looks like it's being positioned for the Pulitzer Prize) explains in crystal-clear fashion how the high cost of fertilizer and its limited supply are contributing mightily to both the high cost of food in general and the devastating food shortages in many parts of the world.
Because certain kinds of fertilizer containing nitrogen create dead zones where rivers meet the sea and kill marine life, environmentalists are demanding changes that will limit the use of chemical fertilizer. Recently a United Nations panel recommended that farmers use increased crop rotation with legumes because legumes are natural nitrogen carriers.
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"Scientists are testing a plan to train fish to catch themselves by swimming into a net when they hear a tone that signals feeding time. If it works, the system could eventually allow black sea bass to be released into the open ocean, where they would grow to market size, then swim into an underwater cage to be harvested when they hear the signal... Even if only half the fish come back after reaching market size, the operation would be more profitable than current methods."
Posted by Melissa Hall, February 22, 2008 at 9:45 AM
Southern Foodways appears on Fridays as part of our collaboration with the Southern Foodways Alliance, an organization based in Oxford, Mississippi, that "documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South." Dig in!
Georgia Organics is hosting its 11th annual conference, Quantum Leap: Taking Food & Farms Back...to the Future, February 28 to March 1 at the North West Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Dalton, Georgia.
Listen and learn as we imagine a future where farm, family, and community values merge with sustainable innovation—where thriving family farms connect with consumers at school, at work, at play. At this conference, you’ll gather the knowledge, tools, and connections needed to take your food and farms into that future. Learn about organic production, marketing, pastured livestock, local food systems, farm-to-school activities, and more from leaders in sustainable agriculture and foods.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, February 21, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Learn how to keep your pigs and sheep bruise-free with this instructional comic about how to best handle livestock. It may have been written in the 1940s-50s, but that doesn't mean the advice is outdated; you probably shouldn't drop lambs or or force them to jump from upper decks, lest you want to lose profit on bruised meat. Check out Comics With Problems for more examples of serious issues being illustrated in less than serious ways. [via bb]
Oahu's last dairy will be closing on February 15, causing all the island's residents to rely on imported milk. After its closing, Hawaii will only have two dairies, while as recently as 1980, Hawaii had two dozen dairies and was totally self-sufficient in milk production. "The decline in Hawaii's dairy sector and livestock industry in general comes amid rising feed, shipping and land costs, urban encroachment, environmental regulations, and stagnant sales."
Posted by Robyn Lee, January 17, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Researchers at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have developed a robot farming "exoskeleton" suit designed to help aging farmers lift heavy objects and perform manual tasks more easily. The current cost for each suit is about 500,000-1,000,000 yen ($4,500-$9,000) but may drop to 200,000 yen ($1,800) when they aim to mass produce it in four years. [via Boing Boing]
In 2010 Las Vegas will become home to the world's first vertical farm. The 30-story farm will cost $200 million and grow about 100 crops, enough food to feed 72,000 people. [via Coldmud]
Posted by Jamie Forrest, January 7, 2008 at 3:15 PM
Photograph from RobRyb on Flickr.com
If bacon is the gateway meat for vegetarians, then veal is certainly the same for omnivores. For despite its incredible taste and unique texture, it can't be denied that the most veal is raised in a way that is inhumane. Veal is a byproduct of dairy production, and most American producers routinely separate calves from their lactating mothers soon after birth, house them individually in tiny, dark crates to restrict movement, and feed them milk replacer until they are slaughtered at 3-14 weeks. However, the American veal industry has also made many positive strides in recent years, and these days it is even possible to find humanely raised veal that has had some access to pasture.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, August 7, 2007 at 6:00 PM
- Caffeine may bolster women's memories. [cbsnews.com, via Yumsugar]
- FDA drops ball, allows one million pounds of suspect Chinese seafood go unscreened. [International Herald Tribune]
- In agriculture, the serious money is in specialty work such as inseminating cows, trimming hooves, sheering sheep. [Boston Globe]
- Grocery stores installing recipe kiosks. Scan an item, and the machines spit out possible preparations, wine pairings, and more. [BakingBites.com]
- Amazon now selling fresh food online. Don't click away just yet, though. It's only available to residents of Mercer Island, Washington. [Slashfood]
Posted by Adam Kuban, July 10, 2007 at 11:45 AM
Small sensors "the size of a fly's wing" could help farmers save on irrigation costs and reduce impact on the water supply:
Clipped permanently to a leaf during the growing season, the sensor would monitor moisture content and chemical signatures that can indicate when the plant is undergoing water stress. The chemical signs, such as an increase in salt and sugar content in the cells, occur much earlier than physical signs, such as drooping leaves, that many farmers rely on now.
Posted by Robyn Lee, June 26, 2007 at 3:00 PM
Although carbon emissions, water use, and waste stream are probably rampant in NYC, there's actually a place within the city where food is being grown without any of those elements. This place is on the Science Barge, a sustainable urban farm created by New York Sun Works that is powered by solar, wind, and biofuels, and irrigated by rainwater and purified riverwater. The farm uses recirculating greenhouse hydroponics to grow lettuce, cucumbers, and peppers. Why should New Yorkers care about the farm?
Unless we become a more sustainable city, we can expect prices for food and energy to continue to rise, we can expect traffic congestion and air pollution to get worse, and we will have to deal with more and more garbage traveling through our streets.
Their goal is to design the growing systems for rooftops since, "Studies suggest there could be enough rooftop space in New York City to grow all of our fresh vegetables." Green-filled rooftops would certainly look nicer than the mostly blank ones we have now.
You may currently visit the barge an Pier 84 in Hudson River Park, at the west end of 44th Street. The barge moves to different locations throughout the year, so check the schedule to make sure you don't miss it.
Posted by Robyn Lee, June 25, 2007 at 9:30 AM
If you hold a New York farmer close to your heart, nominate them in the I Love My NY Farmer contest! You have until November 30 to nominate a farmer, whether they produce milk, harvest vegetables, cultivate honey, or grow flowers. Read the submission guidelines at NY Farms! and help give recognition to those who produce our food.
Posted by Nathalie Jordi, January 25, 2007 at 4:37 PM
Let the speculation begin: Japan has confirmed an H5 bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm in Miyazaki. They're not yet sure whether it's H5N1, but 1,000 birds have already died. Thankfully, as yet no people.
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 5, 2007 at 12:46 PM
Blur bassist Alex James, who now owns and lives on a farm in the English countryside, in a piece he wrote for the Daily Mail:
Chopping up my first lamb stayed vividly on my mind for a few days. The anatomy of a sheep is pretty similar to our own, really. I couldn't scratch my ribs without the image of that immaculate carcass springing to mind. I thought about it involuntarily as I lay in bed at night. But, boy, those chump chops were good.
Mr. James also touches on sustainable agriculture, the state of agriculture in England, as well as the moment he truly assumed his agrarian role, when faced with an overpopulation of birds:
Killing rooks is not nice at all. There are no neat boxes for exterminating them; shotguns are the only thing that work and it's a pretty medieval and messy business, which I don't enjoy.
But I felt I was acting for the greater good. It was a hard decision for a vegetarian to make, and the moment I made that decision was the moment I became a farmer.
