Author: Brian

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds communities, farmers and ranchers, families and small businesses in the path of Hurricane Dorian that USDA has programs that provide assistance in the wake of disasters. USDA staff in regional, state and county offices stand ready and are eager to help.

In a continuing effort to serve the public, USDA partnered with FEMA and other disaster assistance organizations and created the Disaster Resource Center website, located at www.usda.gov/topics/disaster. This central source of information utilizes a searchable knowledgebase of disaster-related resources powered by agents with subject matter expertise. The Disaster Resource Center website and web tool provide an easy way to access USDA disaster information and assistance.

USDA also developed a disaster assistance discovery tool specifically targeted to rural and agricultural issues, at www.farmers.gov/recover/disaster-assistance-tool#step-1. The tool walks users through five questions that generate personalized results identifying which USDA disaster assistance programs can help them recover from a natural disaster.

Severe weather forecasts often present the possibility of power outages that could compromise the safety of stored food. USDA encourages those in the path of Hurricane Dorian to take the following precautions to protect the safety of their food:

• Place appliance thermometers in both the refrigerator and the freezer to ensure temperatures remain food safe during a power outage. Safe temperatures are 40°F or lower in the refrigerator, 0°F or lower in the freezer.
• Freeze water in small plastic storage bags or containers prior to a storm. These containers are small enough to fit around the food in the refrigerator and freezer to help keep food cold.
• Freeze refrigerated items, such as leftovers, milk and fresh meat and poultry that you may not need immediately—this helps keep them at a safe temperature longer.
• Consider getting 50 pounds of dry or block ice if a lengthy power outage is possible. This amount of ice should keep a fully-stocked 18-cubic-feet freezer cold for two days.
• Group foods together in the freezer—this ‘igloo’ effect helps the food stay cold longer.
• Keep a few days’ worth of ready-to-eat foods that do not require cooking or cooling.

Owners of meat and poultry producing businesses who have questions or concerns may contact the FSIS Small Plant Help Desk by phone at 1-877-FSIS-HELP (1-877-374-7435), by email at infosource@fsis.usda.gov, or 24/7 online at: www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulatory-compliance/svsp/sphelpdesk.

Helping individuals recover after disasters:

In the aftermath of a disaster, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) works with state, local and nongovernmental organizations to provide emergency nutrition assistance – including food packages and infant formula – to households, shelters, and mass feeding sites serving people in need. Upon request from states, the agency also provides emergency flexibilities in the administration of its nutrition assistance programs and works with local authorities to provide Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) benefits. Once the disaster recovery efforts begin, emergency nutrition assistance and flexibilities requested by states and approved by FNS will be posted to the FNS Disaster Assistance website.

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides support for disaster education through the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN). EDEN is a collaborative multi-state effort with land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension Services across the country, using research-based education and resources to improve the delivery of services to citizens affected by disasters. EDEN’s goal is to improve the nation’s ability to mitigate, prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from disasters. EDEN equips county-based Extension educators to share research-based resources in local disaster management and recovery efforts. The EDEN website offers a searchable database of Extension professionals, resources, member universities and disaster agency websites, education materials to help people deal with a wide range of hazards, and food and agricultural defense educational resources. Resources for disaster feeding partners as well as available FNS disaster nutrition assistance can be found on the FNS Disaster Assistance website.

Helping producers weather financial impacts of disasters:

When major disasters strike, USDA has an emergency loan program that provides eligible farmers low-interest loans to help them recover from production and physical losses. USDA’s emergency loan program is triggered when a natural disaster is designated by the Secretary of Agriculture or a natural disaster or emergency is declared by the President under the Stafford Act. USDA also offers additional programs tailored to the needs of specific agricultural sectors to help producers weather the financial impacts of major disasters and rebuild their operations.

Livestock owners and contract growers who experience above normal livestock deaths due to specific weather events, as well as to disease, may qualify for assistance under USDA’s Livestock Indemnity Program.

Livestock, honeybee and farm-raised fish producers whose mechanically harvested or purchased livestock feed was physically damaged or destroyed; or who lost grazing acres or beehives due to an extreme weather event may qualify for assistance. Producers who suffer losses to or are prevented from planting agricultural commodities not covered by federal crop insurance may be eligible for assistance under USDA’s& Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program if the losses were due to natural disasters and if coverage was previously purchased for the current crop year.

Orchardists and nursery tree growers may be eligible for assistance through USDA’s Tree Assistance Program to help replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes, and vines damaged by natural disasters.

In the event of an emergency evacuation, producers are encouraged, to the extent possible, to gather all crop and livestock related records (i.e. herd records, inventory records, etc.) that may be required when filing a notice of loss for disaster assistance program benefits.

For more information on disaster recovery programs offered through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), visit fsa.usda.gov.

Visit USDA’s disaster resources website to learn more about USDA disaster preparedness and response. For more information on USDA disaster assistance programs, please contact your local USDA Service Center. To find your local USDA Service Center go to offices.usda.gov.

International vegetable handling equipment specialist Tong Engineering is celebrating one year of successful business since the opening of its Tong USA spares, service and sales facility in Fremont, Michigan.

Whilst the leading UK manufacturer has been exporting equipment to the USA for many years, the new office has strengthened Tong’s position in the US vegetable market, whilst bringing US growers and packers a dedicated division for more streamlined communication and quick turnaround on spare parts and support.

Charlie Rich, Head of USA Sales at Tong Engineering said: “The past 12 months have been very exciting; building relationships with new and existing Tong customers, resulting in a very positive first year for Tong USA.”

“Tong is very highly respected as a worldwide leader in quality designed and manufactured handling equipment, and our Tong USA office ensures our expanding USA customer base receives the very best customer service every step of the way. Even the simplest things like being in the same time-zone as our customers, allowing us to respond immediately to their requirements, has made such a big difference to how we do business in the USA.”

“We have had a great response from USA growers and packers looking for advanced, custom built vegetable handling solutions, with new sales ranging from individual machines such as our industry leading box and bin filler, the EasyFill, to complete turnkey grading and washing lines.”

One grower in Pennsylvania, Nate Richards of Scattered Acre Farms, appointed Tong USA to supply their new potato washing facility, which was commissioned in June and now sees the farm washing up to 30 tons of crop per hour.

“We traditionally sourced our handling equipment from US manufacturers, but when we went into bin storage and handling two years ago, we researched the market and found Tong Engineering’s range of advanced bin handling equipment would best meet our requirements,” explains Nate. “We worked closely with Tong and their east-coast US dealer Modern Produce Equipment, and they designed a custom-built bin handling system which included the Tong EasyFill bin filler and heavy duty bin tipping equipment.”

“I was very pleased with the equipment from Tong; the system works great, so when specifying our new potato washing line, we were very keen to work with Tong again, and utilise their expertise to achieve an equally efficient handling system that integrated well with our current Tong equipment. Having the Tong USA office on hand this time round made the process from initial specification to installation and commissioning even easier.”

The new washline at Scattered Acre Farms features an infeed elevator designed to receive crop from Semi trucks, before Tong’s industry leading EasyClean separator ensures effective dirt elimination prior to washing. Tong’s next generation washer with integrated destoner gently washes crop before it passes to a sponge dryer, followed by a Tomra Sentinal II for optical sorting.

“We’re delighted with our new washline from Tong,” says Nate. “We’re now operating an advanced potato washing facility that features the latest technology and optical sorting, which makes the whole operation much more productive. Tong’s HMI touch screen controls and diagnostics features have transformed our control capabilities and are dramatically reducing our downtime for maintenance.”

For more information on Tong’s complete range of vegetable grading, washing and bin handling equipment visit www.tongengineering.com.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee will hold a meeting Aug. 14-15, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Va.

The committee will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 14, and from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Aug. 15. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is coordinating the meeting which is open to the public.

Agricultural labor, production, food safety, and trade matters are among topics to be discussed. Meeting details are available in the Federal Register published July 22, 2019.

Members of the public who wish to submit written comments related to the fruit and vegetable industry should do so on www.regulations.gov. If you wish to speak at the meeting or arrange for special accommodations, contact Designated Federal Officer Darrell Hughes at (202) 348-2576 or SCPFVIAC@ams.usda.gov. Comments and registrations to speak must be submitted by July 31, 2019.

Information about the meeting and the committee is available on the AMS Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee web page.

USDA established the committee in 2001 to examine the full spectrum of issues facing the fruit and vegetable industry and create a forum to provide suggestions and ideas to the department on ways to improve programs to meet the changing needs of the produce industry. Committee members represent a broad cross-section of the industry.

Fox Packaging, is pleased to announce the hire of Jasper Trujillo as business development manager.

Trujillo joins the Fox Packaging team with a background in economics and business consulting where he helped to create standard operating procedures and measured competitive analyses for previous clients. In his new role, Trujillo will be responsible for the development of an effective marketing and sales strategy that is centered around metrics-based performance. Trujillo will also work in tandem with the finance team to create a more concise reporting structure for business and product category performance.

“We’re looking forward to having Jasper on the team, as his unique approach to business development and sales strategy are attributes we know are important for this particular role,” said Aaron Fox, Executive Vice President at Fox Packaging. “We look forward to introducing him to the industry and our customers at Fresh Summit in October.”

Fox Packaging highly values the personal relationships it has built within the fresh produce industry for the last 50 years. Hiring Trujillo is an extension of the Fox family’s promise to provide top-quality and personalized service.

“Jasper’s role is critical to strengthen and enhance our systematic sales strategy to better support the team as well as enrich our customer experience,” Craig Fox, Executive Vice President at Fox Packaging.

To learn more about Fox Packaging, please visit www.foxbag.com or contact Jasper Trujillo directly at jasper.trujillo@foxbag.com.

On May 1, 2019, Dr. Richard Lamar joined Bio Huma Netics, Inc. (BHN) as Senior Director of Humic Research. He brings a tremendous amount of skills, experience, and knowledge of humic substances to BHN. Dr. Lamar has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Miami, a M.S. in Forestry from Mississippi State University, and a Ph.D. in Forestry from North Carolina State University, with minors in Chemistry, Plant Physiology, and Soils, respectively. He has many years’ experience as a scientist, and 22 years’ research experience in the biosolids and humic industries, including as a Research Director for the EarthFax Development Corporation. Dr. Lamar has collaborated on more than 50 publications and 3 patents for bioremediation methods and methods for quantitation of humic substances. BHN Chief Executive Officer Lyndon Smith commented, “We are pleased to have Dr. Lamar leading the Humic Research Team for Bio Huma Netics’product lines. Along with extensive experience in soil bioremediation and pollution treatment technologies, he has in-depth knowledge of soil microbiology and an excellent understanding of humic and fulvic chemistry. In addition, Rich displays the professionalism and integrity that we value at BHN. With his background in agricultural and soil sciences, he will be an invaluable addition to our Research Team.” The Bio Huma Netics crop nutrition and protection lines include more than 15 humic and fulvic acid products for restoring and enhancing soil fertility, and more than 150 products in the categories of macronutrients, micronutrients, soil fertility, growth managers, organic acids, and crop protection—all based on our proprietary Micro Carbon Technology^® nutrient carrier that enables growers to accomplish more with less product.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) invites you to a live, interactive webinar on lessons learned in becoming an approved USDA Foods vendor. Each year, AMS purchases over 300 different food products to feed millions of school children, families, and other qualified individuals through USDA’s nutrition assistance and international food aid programs. Find out how your company can participate in these purchases that support American agriculture. The webinar is FREE. However, registration is required and space is limited.

Register

Areas covered in the webinar include:

• Steps to become an “approved vendor”
• System for Award Management (SAM) Tips to Register
• Guide through our Commodity Procurement website
• Frequently Asked Questions

Andrea Lang, New Vendor Coordinator, AMS Commodity Procurement Program will be your speaker.

More details are available on our website, Become a USDA Foods Vendor.

President Donald J. Trump has proclaimed today as National Ag Day. This year marks the third year that the administration has publicly recognized National Ag Day as a salute to the contributions of America’s farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses. “On National Agriculture Day, we acknowledge the immeasurable value farmers, ranchers, growers, producers, and foresters contribute to our Nation.  America’s agriculture families and communities lead the world in producing food, feed, fuel, and fiber.  Today, we pay tribute to the men and women who expand opportunities for prosperity, economic development, and food security by cultivating the land across our country.” To read the full proclamation click here.

Seedway has acquired the vegetable seed business assets of Champion Seed Company. Champion will operate and market vegetable seed products under the Seedway brand. Headquartered in Hall, New York, Seedway is a full-line seed company, marketing vegetable seed from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast and the southern provinces of Canada.

Seedway expects no changes to the Champion Seed Company sales, field and clerical staff. In addition, Seedway will maintain Champion Seed Company locations in McAllen, Texas; Uvalde, Texas; Coachella, California; Bakersfield, California; Tifton, Georgia; Nampa, Idaho and Celaya, Mexico.

Certis USA has built a new azadirachtin formulation and packaging facility in its factory in Wasco, California. The construction expands the company’s capacity for its neem seed-based bio-insecticide Neemix 4.5. The expansion also establishes a vertically integrated in-house production system for Certis’ neem bio-pesticides, from its joint-venture company in India that performs seed sourcing, cleaning, extraction and processing, to its dedicated neem oil and azadirachtin purification, formulation and packaging facility in California.

Neemix 4.5 is an insect growth regulator used to control pests including weevils, leafhoppers, nematodes and cutworms.

Story and photos by John Stolarczyk, World Carrot Museum

 

There are several carrot festivals around the world, from New Zealand to Europe to California, and as the curator of the World Carrot Museum, I have visited them all at least once. The last visit to the Bradford Carrot Fest in Ontario, Canada, was in 2006, so the time was right to re-visit and see how it had changed over the years.

 

 

The small town of Bradford West Gwillimbury comes alive once a year to produce its Carrot Fest street festival, celebrating the area’s agricultural heritage and the role carrots play in the economy and the community. The Holland Marsh at Bradford is one of Canada’s biggest carrot producing areas, with an annual value of the carrots grown in the Marsh estimated at $130 million. Carrots are grown in the area for 11 months of the year.

The Bradford Carrot Fest has been celebrated for 20 years and was voted as one of the top 100 events in Ontario by Festival & Events Ontario for the last eight years. During opening ceremonies, city and province leaders praised local residents and farmers for putting the town on the map as the vegetable basket of Ontario.

 

 

The Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, representing the major growers in the area, handed out free bags of Holland Marsh carrots to visitors. At the local farmers market, located just a short walk from the festival, people could buy fresh local produce and sample carrots of every color, which are ever increasing in popularity.

The event attracted 30,000 attendees and more than 200 vendors. Musicians, street performers and a kid zone added to the festivities.

Overall, the festival was a lot more carrot related than my previous visit, but it could be more carrot themed and perhaps, like many other “carrot towns,” it would benefit from the construction of a significant carrot focal point such as a carrot statue, mural or informational plaque about the town and its carrot history.