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Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
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Southwest Florida Vegetable Newsletter
November — December 2001
Jan. 18 - Feb. 3, 2002
South Florida Fair
West Palm Beach.
Contact: Buck Christian, (561) 790-5230, web site, http://www.southfloridafair.com
February 12, 2002
Training in the Production and Utilization of Compost for Horticultural
Cropping Systems
SW Florida Research and Education Center
Immokalee, Florida
Contact Dr. Monica Ozores-Hampton at 941-658-3400.
February 15 - 18, 2002
United 2002 Convention
Orlando, Florida
For more information go to http://www.uffva.org
December 8-12, 2002
Cucurbitaceae 2002
Naples Beach and Golf Club
Naples, Florida
Contact Don Maynard at 941-751-7636 ext 239 or dnma@mail.ifas.ufl.edu
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Gene McAvoy
Vegetable Extension Agent II Hendry County Extension Office PO Box 68 LaBelle, Florida, 33975 863-674-4092 |
As we move forward full of hope for the future, it is difficult to avoid mention of the tragic events that shook the nation on September 11. Beyond the unspeakable devastation and horrific loss of life, the economic repercussions resulting from this cowardly act combined with the general economic slowdown impacted every facet of the national economy and affected all of us at many levels.
At the local level, the impact to the state budget has been dramatic with over one billion dollars in cuts in special session with promise of even further cuts to come in the next budget. In this process, many of us in the vegetable industry were shocked to hear about the proposed closure of several University of Florida/IFAS research centers around the state including the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center at Bradenton. Although public outcry and last minute legislative action kept Bradenton open, several other sites have been closed with more projected to follow suit if projections for the upcoming budget don’t change radically in coming months.
To an industry that has been rocked by a number of challenges including environmental concerns and foreign competition during the past decade this is not good news. Change within the industry is inevitable, we are farming differently now and will be farming differently ten years from now. Agriculture in general and the vegetable industry in particular are dependent on research to solve grower’s problems and allow them to maintain their technological advantage in these dynamic times.
Vegetable growers along with everyone else in the industry need to ask themselves a few questions. Will the industry’s research needs continue to be met in the future? Who will do this research and how will the needed research be financed?
These are tough questions with no clear answer given the current economic environment. Growers and industry representative should give these questions careful thought and take the necessary steps to ensure that their needs are met. Call or write your elected officials and make sure they are aware of the importance of agricultural research to your business and the state economy.
The activities of the more than 40 members of the Southwest Florida Vegetable Research Investment Fund over the past two years to support vegetable research might also provide model for ensuring continued funding for practical research critical to the vegetable industry. This year the research fund’s grower and industry partners have raised over $40,000, which has been awarded to support six research projects in areas ranging from water and fertilizer management to further work on methyl bromide alternatives.
Although no one is certain what the New Year will bring, one thing is clear – the times they are a changing and the vegetable industry must be prepared to change with it and take the necessary steps to ensure it’s future prosperity.
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Conventional vs. IPM Programs in Greenhouse Tomatoes in Spain |
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The results were predictable; high whitefly and virus populations in summer when some farms were finishing up and others planting. Vents open trying to cool things down, so not much to stop a whitefly. Enough seem to find a way through even the tightest greenhouse to touch off a TYLCV explosion. Some of the spray programs are outrageous (example below), but there is just no amount of insecticide, not even Admire, that will stop virus in susceptible varieties at that time of year. In fact, there is surprisingly little Admire used, the general consensus being that it doesn’t work anymore.
Given this scenario, the only solution is tolerant varieties, which this year constituted the majority of early plantings. Note that the term “resistant varieties” is no longer used because (unlike the demonstration we had at SWFREC in spring, 2000), plants still express some symptoms. They also produce virus that can be spread by whitefly, although supposedly less than the susceptible varieties. Unfortunately the quality of these tolerant varieties is still not there, and the market has responded with low prices. The seed companies are promising some better varieties next year, and it looks like they will be planted extensively. Tolerant varieties and insecticide resistance are creating an opportunity for biological control in tomato. All that’s required is (snap your fingers and) make it work. With two kinds of whiteflies, two of leafminers (“submarinos”) red spider mites and even tomato russet mites, it takes as much art as science to pull this off. Fortunately, Koppert (Biological System, the Dutch company I’m working with) can count on a cadre of battle-hardened scouts to make things happen. Although each greenhouse and year are different, there hasn’t (knock on wood) yet been a failure this season among the 10 “IPM” tomato greenhouses we’re running as demonstrations all along the coast and in the Canaries.
In each area, one of the demonstrations includes for comparison a “conventional control” greenhouse owned by the same company and managed by the grower. The Koppert scout monitors the crop weekly, basing pest numbers and disease incidence on 96 observations of plants and 16 sticky traps. He orders natural enemies and recommends sprays. In some cases, the grower prefers soft chemicals and the spray programs in the two greenhouses are not too different, although one gets natural enemies and the other one doesn’t. In other cases, the grower really prefers hard chemicals but has been convinced to try IPM/biological control for its market advantages (better prices, easier sales, demands of the clients). It may be hard to get this grower to slow down in the IPM greenhouse, or even to take care of it like he does the others.
A pair of such greenhouses close by belong to Jose X. The house under chemical control is about 2.25 acres and the IPM house about 0.9 acres. Both were planted on 17 Aug with a tolerant tomato variety. Below is a table of treatments made from 17 Aug through 6 Dec using common names since trade names and formulations often differ from those we use. In addition, the IPM house received 7 releases of parasitic wasps (Eretmocerus) for whitefly, 8 of predaceous mites (Physeiulus persimilus) for spider mite and 3 releases of Diglyphus wasps for leafminers.
The grower is clearly spending a lot more in the conventional house than in the IPM house, even for fungicides and nutrients. This may reflect his attitude that IPM probably won’t work since the scout has requested the nutrient sprays. The insecticides used in the IPM house are pretty much directed against particular pests, whereas most of those used in the conventional house were broad-spectrum though probably intended to control whitefly for the most part. Yet, counts of Bemisia were not significantly different between the two houses.
This trial could hardly be chalked up as a resounding success for biological control. Problems were encountered establishing natural enemies for spider mites and leaf miner, possibly because of pesticide residues. Nevertheless, it does demonstrate that many more pesticides are often used than necessary to control whitefly here. Personally, I believe most pests problems can be managed with natural enemies with little or no help from pesticides inside a good structure that prevents mass immigration.
Next installment I will describe a replicated experiment run in a compartmentalized greenhouse that demonstrates the capacity of the soon to be available parasitic wasp Eretmocerus mundus to control Bemisia in both pepper and tomato.
Happy Holidays to all.
Phil Stansly
Comparison of Conventional versus IPM Spray Programs
| “Conventional” | IPM | |
| Spray Applications over 116 days | 22 | 13 |
| Methomyl | 18 | - |
| Endosulfan | 8 | - |
| Malathion | 5 | - |
| Bt | 5 | 4 |
| Methamidophos | 4 | - |
| Hexythiazox (miticide) | - | 3 |
| Fenbutatin (miticide) | - | 3 |
| Buprofezin | - | 3 |
| Fenpropathrin | 3 | - |
| Soap | - | 2 |
| Cypermethrin | 2 | - |
| Pyriproxyfen | - | 1 |
| Cyromazine | 1 | 1 |
| Abamectin | 1 | - |
| Fungicides | 15 | 7 |
| Nutrients | 9 | 3 |
| Total products | 71 | 27 |
| Bemisia adults/leaf | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| Bemisia nymphs/leaf | 1.1 | 2.0 |
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Sales of Asian specialty vegetables back then were ,mostly restricted to just a few items, including Bok Choy and Napa Cabbage.
With the influx of Southeast Asian refugees over the last few decades in the United States, there has been a growing demand for a host of different Asian specialty vegetables, not only among the Asian population but also in mainstream America, said Steve Goodrich, salesman at Natt Feinn & Son, Fresno, Calif.
Goodrich attributes some of the increased demand for Asian vegetables, with the surge in home cooking shows on food channels that have piqued the interest of consumers for trying new things.
Since consumers are being encouraged to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables than ever before, they're also looking for more diversity in the produce aisle at their supermarkets, Goodrich said.
Among the 30-plus different Asian vegetables Natt Fein offers, Bitter Melon, Fuzzy Melon, Chinese Broccoli, Daikan, and Gai Lon are just a few of the items that have become commonplace in larger metropolitan areas, according to Goodrich.
“As people get’ more exposure to Asian vegetables, they're becoming more mainstream and more supermarkets are carrying them,” Goodrich said.
Chefs, especially those in upscale restaurants who are creative by nature, are always looking for new ways to incorporate produce items into their menus, Goodrich said. More upscale restaurants these days are using Japanese Eggplant instead of the traditional American variety for their grilled vegetable entrees, he said.
Chinese Long Beans are also finding their way into some of these upper scale restaurants, since chefs find their brighter green color and different texture and taste more appealing than traditional American green beans, Goodrich said. More Asian produce is also making its way into more middle level restaurants and retail stores. The influx of different ethnic groups into the United States; many of whom use Asian vegetables in different applications, have also spurred the demand for Asian produce, Goodrich said.
Robert Schueller, spokesman for Melissa's World Variety Produce, Inc., Los Angeles, said that Asian vegetables comprise 10% of the company's business, and every year, the demand grows.
Ginger, Sno Peas, Daikon, Sugar Snap Peas, and Baby Bok Choy are some of Melissa's biggest Asian vegetable sellers, Schueller said. In the last year, there has been an increase in demand of 38% for Bok Choy; 16% for ginger, and 22% for Sugar Snap Peas over the 1999 season, according to Schueller.
While there’s no doubt that Asian vegetables are growing in popularity throughout the country, it seems that the bulk of Asian vegetables are still grown by small Southeast Asian family farmers on small plots of land ranging from one to live acres.
Asian vegetables are extremely labor-intensive crop, so they seem to lend themselves more to small family farmers rather than larger-scale farming operations.
Since many Southeast Asians come from farming backgrounds, farming in the United States was a logical choice for refugees; many of whom migrated to the United Sates within the last 20 years, said Chukou Thao, director of the Hmong American Community, Inc., Fresno.
“It's a way for many of the refugees who don't know English to get jobs and try to make more than minimum wage,” Thao said. Many Asian refugees also have large families who can help work the land, Thao said.
There are about 1,200 Hmong farm families in the Fresno area who farm about 10,000 acres of Asian specialty vegetable crops and mainstream American row crops. Wameng Lee, and his family who are from Laos, have been farming in Fresno for the last 20 years. The Lee family grows Bok Choy, Lemon Grass, okra, and cherry tomatoes.
Similar to many mainstream American vegetable crops, Asian vegetables are very labor intensive, although. some of them offer their own unique challenges, Lee said.
Lemon Grass, which is one of the most popular Asian vegetables grown in the valley, is planted in March and harvested in November and December.
Unlike other row crops, such as Bok Choy, tomatoes, okra or peas, which have 30-45-day growing periods, Lemon Grass, is an all-year crop, and requires a greater investment of time, money and energy from farmers who hedge their bets that they'll make enough money to justify tying up large chunks of their land for so long.
When harvesting Lemon Grass, farmers normally throw away the outer three or four leaves, and harvest the middle part of the plant, saving about half of it to plant for the following year and half of it to go to market.
Come November and December, if prices don't justify the cost of harvesting, farmers may opt to hold their crop until the market improves, Lee said. The risk in holding the crop, which can last for up to two years, is that in order to avoid the risk of freeze damage, farmers need to be careful to cover their Lemon Grass with plastic from November until February or March. This can cost farmers $500 to $600 per acre to cover their fields, Lee said.
If farmers wait too long to harvest their Lemon Grass, it also becomes harder to cut and takes more time to harvest, Lee said. Ideally, Lemon Grass, should be harvested sometime between one to one-and-a-half years after planting, Lee said.
The Lee family also grows cherry tomatoes, which they, grow, pick and pack themselves. In the summer, time they harvest the fields every two to three days. The most difficult part in handling cherry tomatoes is that they have to be sorted by size and color before local packinghouses will buy them, said Lee's daughter, Jany.
“We have to sort the tomatoes by all different
colors of red, yellow and orange, and it can be very tiring by the end
of the day. If we send the tomatoes to a packinghouse and they don't have
the right matching col ors, we have to redo the boxes, otherwise they won't
take them. When that happens, we lose a whole day's labor,” Jany Lee said.
Many Southeast Asian farmers care for their
fields by hand, using shovels, hoes, and hand tractors to cultivate the
land. They come from farming backgrounds where they grew staples
such as rice, corn and ginger. Since there was little pest pressure
and ample rainfall in their home countries of Laos, Thailand and Vietnam,
most Southeast Asian farmers grew their crops organically without having
to worry about irrigation.
Here in the United States, it has taken some time to come to grips with various pest pressures, said Richard Molinar, farm adviser with the University of California cooperative Extension service in Fresno.
Molinar, who works with small Asian farmers, said that nematodes and fungal rust are common problems, especially with Bitter Melon and Lemon Grass crops. Southeast Asian farmers also have problems with white flies and aphids in their Cinqua, Moqua, Doanqua, Bok Choy, and Napa Cabbage, Molinar said.
Many of these specialty Asian crops don't have registered pesticides, so farmers sometimes have to find alternatives to traditional sprays. “We try to help them with picking pest resistant varieties, or we conduct research to find chemicals that they can use,” Molinar said.
Some farmers have had some success in their tomato fields against nematodes by covering their soil with clear plastic before they plant. These farmers generally cover their fields in July or August for four to six weeks in order to let the soil cook. This process drives nematodes deeper into the ground, leading to better yielding crop's.
Since many of the farmers have limited English-language skills, they sometimes unwittingly violate government regulations by misapplying a pesticide or doing a burn. without a permit. They can end up paying fines ranging from $500-$10,000, Molinar said.
In addition to the language barriers, one of the main challenges Asian farmers face is marketing their crops. For the most part, farmers have channeled their produce through larger packinghouses. But with falling commodity prices, more will be direct marketing their produce through the Hmong American Community cooperative to buyers in major cities, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.
This year, the co-op also plans to help farmers plan their crops so they don't plant too much of one commodity. A few years ago, Lemon Grass was in high demand and sold for $110 per box. Farmers over planted, and prices plummeted as a result.
This year, Thao said he wants to focus on obtaining long-term contracts for farmers so they know how much they're going to sell of what and for what prices before they plant.
In this way, farmers can budget for the future and expand their businesses slowly over time, Thao said.
The Vegetable Growers News
November 2001
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Citrus & Vegetable Magazine
November 2001
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Potatoes the color of purple, red and orange might score high as novelty items. Research is under way to see how they rate in health benefits, too.
Charles Brown, a geneticist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, has made dozens of breeding crosses to examine additional health benefits in colored potato varieties.
The pigments that produce the colors also may function as antioxidants in the human diet, Brown says. Scientists believe antioxidants can aid in preventing certain cancers and types of blindness and can improve cardiovascular health.
Brown has developed orange-fleshed potatoes with up to four times the anti-oxidants zeaxanthin and lutein as white potatoes. The red-fleshed and purple-fleshed potatoes he has developed have more than four times the antioxidant potential than current commercial varieties.
The Grower
December 2001
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The product, marketed by Valent USA Corporation, provides protection against yield-robbing plant parasitic nematodes. DiTera WDG is made via fermentation of a naturally occurring microorganism—Myrothecium verrucaria.
DiTera WDG provides long-term benefits to the soil health and root protection from plant parasitic nematodes in tree crops. It leaves nematodes that are good for the soil unharmed.
For more information about DiTera WDG, call 800-682-5368 or visit the Valent Web site at www.valent.com.
Citrus & Vegetable Magazine
November 2001
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The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences received the grant and will use it to provide research expertise and education for the new Florida Organics Recycling Center for Excellence.
“We are going to create new types of designer compost,” says Everett Emino, professor of environmental horticulture with IFAS. “By controlling what goes into the process, we can be very specific regarding the final product to meet the demands of end-users, which range from home gardeners to commercial farmers.”
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will administer the grant. The plan calls for building a compost digester, an office, a laboratory and a demonstration farm on the site at the Sumter County Solid Waste Facility in Sumterville.
A portion of the 40-acre site will include an irrigation system for field experiments and technology demonstrations. Emino says Florida’s portion of the organic waste stream can provide products such as mulches, composts, growing media and soil amendments.
Issues of water use, improve water-holding capacity and nutrient retention will be studied during the five-year project.
The Grower
December 2001
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Cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelons and other melons, cucumbers, squash and pumpkins can be treated with Cabrio, a quick-acting, broad-spectrum fungicide from BASF. Treated cucurbits and tomatoes outperform those treated with competitive Products, according to the company.
The new fungicide provides excellent control of most diseases that plague tomatoes including early and late blight, spetoria leaf spot, anthracnose and powdery mildew. The new fungicide also provides superior control of most diseases that plague cucurbits, including gummy stem blight, powdery mildew, downy mildew and anthracnose, according to the company.
“What really set Cabrio EG apart from the competition is its impact on the bottom line,” say Jerry Minore, BASF manager of market strategy for fungicides. “It will provide economical broad spectrum control that maximizes yields while producing high-quality cucurbits and tomatoes. It is more effective on more diseases than any other fungicide for cucurbits and tomatoes.”
The product is the first new fungicide for the cucurbit and tomato markets with the active ingredient F 500 fungicide. This highly effective compound is expected to be registered on more than 100 crops. F 500 has been shown to be active on the four classes of fungi. It will control 49 diseases, and it is crop and applicator friendly.
“The proof of any fungicide is in its ability to protect yield potential,” say Minore. “Controlling disease is vital if a grower is going to maximize quality and yield; cucurbits and tomatoes treated with Cabrio EG will simply outperform those treated with competitive products when it comes to yield and quality,” he said.
Steve Broscious, BASF technical market manager for fungicides, said that tomato and cucurbit growers will appreciate how quickly the product moves into the plant. “Carbon 14 studies have shown that within 30 minutes of application, Cabrio EG has moved into the leaf and can be detected on the lower, untreated surface,” Broscious said. He said Cabrio EG is a flexible tool for growers because it will control all the major diseases in cucurbits.
“Until now, growers had to use a number of different products to deal with various crops and changing conditions,” he said.
Cabrio EG is also user-friendly. F 500 has been classified as a reduced-risk candidate by the EPA and it is also easy to mix and apply. The water dispersible granules in Cabrio EG mix quickly in the spray tank, dispersing the active ingredient throughout the spray solution. Tests indicate that efficacy is unaffected by either high or extremely low temperatures.
“Cabrio EG should be used preventively as part of an overall resistance management program and rotated with products with different modes of action,” says Broscious. He said the company recommends growers limit Cabrio EG to four applications per season for cucurbits and five applications per season for tomatoes, alternating each application with a fungicide with another mode of action as part of their overall resistance management program.
The BASF Agricultural Products business in North America, Crop Protection Products Department, markets a range of innovative crop protection materials and systems that enable growers to increase their cost-efficiency as well as their crop yield potential. Base in Research Triangle Park, N.C., it is a unit of the BASF Global Agricultural Products Division located in Mount Olive, N.J.
For more information about Cabrio EG contact your local dealer or representative or visit www.agproducts.basf.com
The Vegetable Grower News
November 2001
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The proposed new rules will affect vegetable growers including those who grow dry and fresh peas, brussel sprouts, potatoes and sweet potatoes. The biggest proposed change will effect potato growers who would no longer be able to use Guthion.
Generally, Imidan will face a change in its re-entry
interval for peas, sweet potatoes and potatoes. The re-entry period
for those crops will rise from 24 hours to five days. The products
are still governed under workers’ protection regulations, which offers
exemptions for scouting and also for non-contact activities such as opening
flood irrigation gates, according to Gowan.
EPA is accepting public comments on the
impact of the proposed measures on growers over the next 60 days.
Comments can be made online at www.epa.gov/pesticides.
Overall for Imidan, three uses are being voluntarily cancelled, nine crops are being authorized for use under specific terms for five years and 33 crops are being approved for continued use. A group of nine crops will be authorized for use for five years under specific terms: apples, apricots, blueberries, crab apples, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums/dried plums.
For Guthion 28 crop uses are being canceled, seven uses are being phased-out over four years and eight crop uses will be al lowed to continue with “time-limited” registration for another four years. Prior to the expiration of the four-year period, the EPA will conduct a comprehensive review of these eight crop uses, based on the latest scientific information, to determine if registration will be allowed to continue.
The crop uses being phased out in four years include those for almonds, tart cherries, cotton, cranberries, peaches, pistachios and walnuts. The crops with time-limited registrations include apples/crab apples, blueberries, sweet cherries, pears, pine seed orchards, brussel sprouts, cane berries and the use of Guthion by nurseries for quarantine requirements.
“Bayer contends that EPA’s proposed action would unnecessarily take away from farmers, or too severely limit their use of, a valuable product they need for their crops,” the company said.
The Vegetable Grower News
November 2001
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Bjorn Lomborg, a young statistics professor and
political scientist at the University of Aarhus in Denmark, knows all about
the enduring appeal - for journalists, politicians and the public -- of
environmental doomsday tales, having swallowed more than a few himself.
In 1997, Lomborg -- a self-described left-winger and former Greenpeace
member -- came across an article in
Wired magazine about Julian Simon, a University
of Maryland economist. Simon claimed that the “litany” of the Green movement
-- its fears about overpopulation, animal species dying by the hour, deforestation
-- was hysterical nonsense, and that the quality of life on the planet
was radically improving. Lomborg was shocked by this, and he returned to
Denmark to set about doing the research that would refute Simon.
He and his team of academicians discovered something sobering and cheering: In every one of his claims, Simon was correct. Moreover, Lomborg found on close analysis that the factual foundation on which the environmental doomsayers stood was deeply flawed: exaggeration, prevarications, white lies and even convenient typographical errors had been absorbed unchallenged into the folklore of environmental disaster scenarios.
Lomborg still feels at one with the basic sentiments that underlie the Green movement: that we should strive toward a cleaner, healthier world for everyone, including animals (he’s a vegetarian with ethical objections to eating flesh). But his aim in this new catalogue of environmental issues is to counter the gloom with a clear, scientifically based picture of the true state of the Earth and to take a rational view of what we can expect in the next century.
In a massive, meticulously presented argument that extends over 500 pages, supported by nearly 3,000 footnotes and 182 tables and diagrams, Lomborg revisits a number of heartening breakthroughs in the recent life of the planet. Chief among these is the decline of poverty and starvation across the world. Starvation still exists, but there is less of it than ever, as our capacity to produce abundant quantities of food continues to improve. Likewise with other dire scenarios of resource depletion: We are emphatically not running out of energy and mineral resources, the population bomb is fizzling, and, far from killing us, pesticides and chemicals are improving longevity and the quality of life. Neither need we fear anything from the genetic modification of organisms.
For a factual encyclopedia, the book has immense entertainment value, particularly in the way Lomborg traces the urban legends of the Green movement back to their sources. Consider the oft-repeated claim that 40,000 species go extinct every year. Such an annual loss of species, Lomborg points out, would be disaster for the future of life on earth, amounting perhaps to a loss of 25 to 50 percent of all species in the next half century. He manages, however, to locate the source of the story -- an off-hand and completely unfounded guess made by a scientist in 1979. It’s been repeated endlessly ever since -- and in 1981 was increased by arch-doomsayer Paul Ehrlich to 250,000 species per year. (Ehrlich also predicted that half the planet's species would be extinct by 2000.)
Lomborg brings these unhinged forecasts back down to Earth by reminding us that the only actual scientific documentation for species loss is in United Nations figures, which show an actual loss of between a tenth of a percent and 1% of all species for all of the next 50 years. This includes beetles, ants, flies, worms, bacteria and fungi, which make up 99 percent of all species, plus a small but unknown number of mammals and birds. Extinction, Lomborg argues, is a problem to be realistically faced and solved, not a catastrophe to be bewailed.
Or consider deforestation. It's been claimed that the world has lost two-thirds of its forests since the dawn of agriculture. The real figure, Lomborg shows, is around 20 percent, and this figure has hardly changed since the World War 11. Tropical forests are declining at a small annual rate of 0.46 percent, but this is offset by growth in commercial plantations, which should be encouraged, as their products take the pressure off the tropical forests. In fact, the world's wood and paper needs could be permanently satisfied by tree plantations amounting to just 5 percent of the world's forest cover.
Then there's waste disposal. Are we really running out of landfill space for our garbage? Lomborg shows how the entire trash-dumping requirements for the United States through the whole of the coming century (assuming the country doubles in population) could be met by a single landfill that measures 100 feet high and 18 miles square. That's a lot of trash, but as the total leavings of the increasing U.S. population over a hundred years, it is certainly not unmanageable, and if it's properly dealt with, it need pose no serious pollution threat to air or water.
Speaking of trash, Lomborg favors recycling, but only when it makes sense, and he gives a hilarious analysis of a scheme from Environment magazine to mail used toothbrushes to a plant where they could be recycled as outdoor furniture. This would cost $4 billion to implement for the U.S. population, and that's without taking into account the costs of the postal system handling a billion packages of new and used toothbrushes annually. The recycling cure can be worse than the consumption disease (though I can imagine the U. S. Postal Service might see this idea as a revenue opportunity).
Many well-intentioned environmental policies can have surprising outcomes: Suppose minute pesticide residues have the potential to cause cancer in a tiny number of cases -- one estimate would have it around 20 cases per annum in the United States (not very many in a country where 300 people drown in bathtubs every year). So we ban the pesticides. This in turn, Lomborg points out, would sharply drive up the price of cancer-preventing fruits and vegetables. By reducing consumption, especially among the poor, the pesticide ban in the end would cause more cancer (perhaps 26,000 cases annually) than the pesticides would have caused in the first place. Sometimes, as with toothbrushes, the best thing to do about a “problem” is exactly nothing.
Lomborg enjoys placing what look to be serious environmental issues in a comparative context, which can often cause them to diminish considerably in scale. The Exxon Valdez oil spill was portrayed as a disaster of unparalleled magnitude: For example, it killed 250,000 birds. He shows how the long-term effects of the spill were far less damaging than environmentalists predicted, and also puts the avian mortality claim in perspective: Some 300,000 birds are killed by mammals, mostly cats, in Great Britain every 48 hours, and 250,000 birds die from striking plate glass in homes and offices in the United States every 24 hours. How could he know that? I wondered myself, so here as elsewhere, I followed Lomborg's claims back through the footnotes, traced the sources for myself, and found them to be sound. In fact, since The Skeptical Environmentalist was published last month in Britain, an army of angry environmentalists has been crawling all over the book, trying to refute it. Lomborg's claims have withstood the attack.
The book's longest, most detailed chapter is on global warming and the Kyoto Treaty. Lomborg agrees that a warming trend is real but says that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change exaggerates the possible threats and present-day proportions of global warming, while neglecting the benefits of more carbon dioxide in the air and warmer nighttime temperatures. These changes would improve agricultural output in the U.S. and China, and make for vast increases in crop production for Canada and Russia. In any event, Lomborg is promoter of solar energy, which he believes will take over from oil as our major energy source in the next 50 years.
His most stunning conclusion: Even if the Kyoto treaty were fully implemented, it would stave off warming by only about six years -postponing it from 2100 to 2106. So what is the cost to the world economy of this almost invisible benefit we are to bestow on our great-great grandchildren? Anywhere from $80 to $350 billion per annum. Lomborg is very disturbed by these figures, since he sees health improvements as the greatest challenge now facing the human race - especially the enormous gains against disease and poverty that will come from increasing the supply of clean drinking water and the quality of sanitation in the developing world. The costs of Kyoto for one year could give clean water and sanitation to the whole of the developing world, saving 2 million lives, and keeping half a billion people from serious illness. For future, unknown and perhaps nonexistent benefits, Kyoto would squander money that should be applied right now to real, life-and-death human problems. Lomborg's calculations are meticulous, his argument compelling: Implementation of the Kyoto Treaty would be an unforgivable mistake.
Lomborg's original inspiration, the radical Julian Simon, was just a bit too far ahead of his time. This bald, vaguely right-wing economist was on the money, but in the late 20th century, with Green mythology ascendant, no one wanted to know. Paul Ehrlich, as reward for being wrong in all his scary predictions about population and the environment, was showered with prizes, including a MacArthur “genius” fellowship. As Simon cheerfully remarked, “I can’t even get a McDonald's.” This irrepressible scholar did, however, provoke a young Dane into trying to disprove his claims -- a process that led to questioning the factual foundations of the environmental movement itself. Unlike Simon, Lomborg has the correct cultural aura: a young, left-wing European with the looks of a movie star. Simon, who died suddenly in 1998, would have loved to see how things are turning out.
Bjorn Lomborg's good news about the environment is bad news for Green ideologues. His richly informative, lucid book is now the place from which environmental policy decisions must be argued. In fact, The Skeptical Environmentalist is the most significant work on the environment since the appearance of its polar opposite, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, in 1962. It's a magnificent achievement.
By Dennis Dutton
Washington Post 2001
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The case originated when UP discovered that Micro Flo had registered with EPA, under Micro Flo's own name, various pesticides produced by UP in India. The EPA granted those registrations based on the analyses of UP’s active ingredients, and Micro Flo certified that those products would only contain UP’s active ingredients. However, extensive evidence provided to EPA showed that Micro Flo was importing millions of pounds of illegal, unapproved active ingredients from other foreign producers. EPA’s own investigation confirmed that Micro Flo smuggled those active ingredients into the U.S. by falsely claiming that they were registered with the Agency and approved by UP.
EPA’s action against Micro Flo sends a strong signal that the U.S. no longer will tolerate the widespread practice of importing and selling unapproved, counterfeit pesticides. According to UP’s attorney, “It is ironic that BASF's advertising slogan is: We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.” UP is pursuing a separate lawsuit against BASF and Micro Flo. That suit seeks $50 million in damages, based on the same conduct that EPA has now confirmed as illegal.
Chemically Speaking
October 2001
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A standard hay baler can compress plastic used for growing vegetables into a 4-feet by 5-feet ball, saving growers money in labor and disposal costs.
Ron Goldy Michigan State University Southwest district vegetable agent, piqued the interest of growers after he showed them baling techniques at six different farms in Southwest Michigan including a demonstration on Sept. 20.
When it comes time to discard the plastic, vegetable growers who use plastic face disposal costs of $300-$350 per large construction bin. Goldy said 270 pounds of plastic are used per acre. With 3,000 acres of plastic used in Michigan that's 810,000 pounds of plastic. Typi cally a grower piles up the plastic and loads it onto a construction bin before it is taken to a landfill. With the baler growers can compress four to five acres of plastic into a bale that they can lift with a forklift.
“This allows growers to haul the plastic themselves at about one-half the hauling costs,” Goldy said. Growers would only have to pay the approximately $25 per bale landfill charges. The savings doesn't take into account labor savings.
Goldy hit upon the idea for using a baler after attending a meeting of the American Plasticulture Society in Hershey, Pa. last year. He said the drawback in hauling agricultural films is that they need to be compressed.
“You need a full 40,000 pounds per truck to make it economical,” said Goldy. He originally thought about using a baler that is used for corrugated boxes and then brainstormed about using a standard hay baler. He investigated whether a baler had ever been used for plastic and found that Vriesland Growers Co-op in Hudsonville, Mich. had been using a baler for greenhouse plastic.
“They found a certain type of baler works best,” said Goldy. Vriesland rented their baler to Goldy so he could determine if it could be used to pick up and compress mulch film.
“When I tried it a couple days after I got it, it worked,” said Goldy. He noted that starting the bale is the most difficult step. “It has to have enough volume of material inside the baling chamber,” he said. This material is needed to start the tum bling action to pull the plastic in. The baler will roll up plastic sheeting and drip irrigation tape at the same time, he said.
“Growers can see the advantage of it,” Goldy said. One grower purchased a baler and another made arrangements to rent the baler from Vriesland.
He said the cost of a new baler is approximately $15,000, although a good used one can be found for half that amount. The 20 growers who have seen the baler demonstration represent about 2,000 of the 3,000 acres grown on plastic in Michigan.
“It takes a little bit of training to get crews to lay plastic the best way for pick ing it up,” Goldy said. This year 400 acres of plastic were baled, compared to last year when no acres were baled, according to Goldy.
Goldy stressed that not all hay balers are appropriate
for plastic. “It takes a certain kind of baler, where the baler chamber
starts out large and stays large. These start out large and compress
to produce a soft bale,” he said. Goldy said in the pickup mechanism
there has to be all tines. Balers with augers or other obstructions
can't be used since they can cause the plastic to snag.
He has tested a couple different companies
that sell balers appropriate for plastic, including Vicon and M&W.
He said he favors the M&W balers that use a different technology without
belts. It uses a chain with crossbars rather than belts on rollers.
Goldy said efforts are underway to find a place to recycle the plastic as one recycling company used in the past has enough plastic for now. One obstacle to recycling plastic is that it's dirty, often with vegetable material left in and it's black, not usually favored by recycling companies.
A video on the baler will be shown by Goldy during the plasticulture session at the Great Lakes Expo that takes place Dec. 4-6 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
For more information contact Goldy at (616) 944-1477, goldy@pilot.msu.edu
The Vegetable Growers News
November 2001
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Numerous universities have studied the effects of using highly reflective mulch. The results have ranged from control of cucumber beetles in squash crops (Virginia Tech) to advancing yields of radicchio by two weeks (Cornell) to reducing thirps populations and the reduction of tomato spotted wilt virus (University of Florida). UF's studies revealed: “Highly UV reflective aluminum (metalized) mulch is effective in reducing primary infections of TSWV. We showed during five years of research (1996-2000) that using metalized mulch reduces thirps populations and subsequent virus incidence about one half to two thirds in replicated field experiments (J. Funderburk, S. Olson, J. Stavisky and TMomol, unpublished data). Better results were obtained in commercial tomato fields during the spring of 1999 and 2000.” (2000 Tomato Institute Proceedings)
Highly reflective mulch has also been shown to attract certain beneficial insects, while at the same time repelling pest insects (University of Tennessee). By reflecting the sunlight which is normally lost into the soil back up into the plant, photosynthesis is increased, adding vitality to the plant, and the increase of sun light input creates an inhospitable environment which destructive pest insects avoid.
Goodling Enterprises offers Good ReSun highly reflective agmulch in roll sizes of 100 feet, 500 feet and 1000 feet. Also available are 2000 feet and 4000 feet rolls for commercial sized growers, which are marketed for Clarke Ag Plastics through Goodling Enterprises.
Contact Goodling Enterprises, 172 Englande Rock Rd., Afton, VA 22920, 866-686-6853, Web site www.goodresun.com.
Citrus & Vegetable Magazine
November 2001
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While chlorine is currently the predominant method used by packinghouses to sanitize water systems, the EPA has approved other antimicrobial chemicals for contact with food products.
Chlorine
Although chlorine is available in three forms - sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, and chlorine gas - it is the resulting hypochlorous acid (HOCI) in aqueous solutions that, is primarily responsible for killing pathogens. In high pH solutions, most of the HOCI disassociates to form hypochlorite ion (OCI-), which is much less effective at killing pathogens than HOCI. Chlorine solutions with pH above 8 are relatively ineffective against pathogens. Free chlorine testing kits measure both HOCI and OCI. For this reason, both pH and free-chlorine must be measured in order to know the sanitizing strength of a chlorine solution. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences recommends maintaining 100 to 150 parts per million (ppm) of free chlorine and a pH in the range of 6.5 to 7.5.
The main advantages to using chlo rine are that it is effective at killing a broad range of pathogens and is relatively inexpensive. It also leaves very little residue or film on surfaces. On the other hand, chlorine is corrosive to equipment, and water pH must be monitored and adjusted often to maintain chlorine in its active form. Continual addition of chlorine without changing the water can result in the accumulation of high salt concentrations that may injure some pro duce. Further, chlorine can react with organic matter to form small amounts of different trihalomethanes (THMs) that are thought to be carcinogenic. However, the relative risks from chlorine-generated THMs on the surface of fresh horticultural produce are extremely low.
Chlorine Dioxide
Chlorine dioxide is a synthetically produced yellowish-green gas with an odor similar to chlorine. CI02 is typically used at concentrations between 1 and 5 ppm. It usually must be generated on site since the concentrated gas can be explosive and decomposes rapidly when exposed to light or temperatures above 50°C (122°F). These concentrated gases also pose a greater risk to workers than sodium or calcium hypochlorite. Noxious odors from off-gassing can be a common problem, especially at higher concentrations, which restricts the use of CIO2, to well-ventilated areas away from workers. Unlike chlorine, CIO2, does not hydrolyze in water, is virtually unaffected by pH changes between 6 to 10, and does not react with organic matter to form THMs. However, some generators produce free chlorine in addition to CIO2, which may form THMs. CIO2, may produce other potentially hazardous byproducts (e.g., chlorate and chlorite). One additional drawback is that simple assays to monitor chlorine dioxide concentration are cur rently not available.
Peroxyacetic Acid
Peroxyacetic acid (e.g., Tsunami) is a strong oxidizer formed from hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid. The concentrated product (40% PAA) has a pungent odor and is highly toxic to humans. PAA is very soluble in water with very little off-gassing and leaves no known toxic breakdown products or residue on the produce. Unlike chlorine and ozone, it is stable in water containing organic matter, which can greatly increase the longevity of the sanitizer, and it is not particularly corrosive to equipment. PAA is most active in acidic environments (pH 3.5 to 7), but activity declines rapidly at pHs above 7. High temperatures and metal ion contamination will also reduce PAA activity.
Ozone
Ozone is a gas formed by splitting O2 with electricity or UV light that reacts to form O3. Ozone gas is one of the strongest oxidizing agents and sanitizers available and is high ly corrosive to rubber, some plastics, and fiberglass equipment. It is approved for food contact applica tions. Although ozone is not particularly soluble in water (30 ppm at 20°C), concentrations as low as .5 to 2 ppm are effective against pathogens in clean water with no soil or organic matter. In practice, concentrations as high as 10 ppm are difficult to obtain, and concentrations of 5 ppm or less are more common. There have been reports that ozone may induce resistance to subsequent fungal attacks in some horticultural products.
Ozone decomposes quickly in water with half-life of 15 to 20 minutes in clean water, but less than a minute in water containing suspended soil particles and organic matter.
Thus, ozonated water should be filtered to remove these particulates. Cooler temperatures of hydrocoolers may also extend ozone’s half-life. The antimicrobial activity of ozone is stable between pHs of 6 to 8, but decrease more rapidly at higher pHs. Ozone breaks down to oxygen, and no toxic byproducts have been reported. Ozone efficacy is diminished when dissolved iron, manganese, copper, nickel, hydrogen sulfide, or ammonia is present in the solution.
Because of its strong oxidizing potential, ozone is toxic to humans and must be generated on site. Prolonged exposure to more than 4 ppm ozone in air can be lethal. Ozone has a pungent odor that can be detected by humans at .01 to .04 ppm. OSHA has set worker safety limits in air of .1 ppm, exposure over an eight-hour period and .3 ppm over a 15-minute period.
At concentrations in water above 1 ppm, off-gassing can result in concentrations in the air that exceed OSHA limits of .1 ppm.
Florida Grower
November 2001
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Attorneys for Florida tomato growers filed the necessary papers on behalf of U.S. tomato growers and packers to continue investigating on whether the agreement is still needed.
If U.S. importers and Mexican exporters provide sufficient data, the ITC will conduct a yearlong investigation to determine if Mexican tomatoes are a threat to U.S. tomato growers and packers.
Brown said he would like to see U.S. Customs more aggressively enforce violations. Brown said he believes the presence of Robert Bonner, former judge and U.S. attorney from California as new commissioner of the Customs Service should help address enforcement problems.
The Vegetable Growers News
November 2001
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The Senate has moved its version of the Farm Bill out of committee on Friday, Nov. 16. The full Senate is now expected to take up the measure during the week of November 26 following the Thanksgiving holiday schedule.
Major provisions included in the Senate farm bill according to the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association include:
Country of Origin Labeling - A provision allowing for country-of-origin labeling for fruits and vegetables was retained after being stripped earlier. The House version of the Farm Bill also has this provision.
Specialty Crop Purchases - Beginning in
FY 2002, $100 million will be used to purchase specialty crops for federal
nutrition programs. This funding will be increased up to $170 million
in FY 2006. Out of this funding, at least $50 million per year must be
used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. The total direct funding
for this purchase program will be $580 million.
Fruit and Vegetable Domestic Promotion Program
- A $125 million has been allocated to a fruit and vegetable domestic promotion
program which will be used to carry out demonstration projects to increase
the consumption of fruits and vegetables. This will be a cost-share
program and will target 15 states in which the production of fruits and
vegetables is a significant industry.
Free Fruits and Vegetables in Schools - A pilot program which includes 25 elementary or secondary schools from four states will allow for the availability to all students free fruits and vegetables throughout the school day. This opportunity will be available in a cafeteria, student lounge, or other designated room of the school.
Agriculture Quarantine Inspection (AQI) Service Provision Eliminated - A provision that would have restricted funding was stripped from the bill allowing for an additional $100 million per year to be dedicated for federal and state pest and disease exclusion activities.
Food Stamp Double Coupon for Fruits and Vegetables Program - Creation of a new pilot program to allow for the expansion of incentives under the Food Stamp Program such as “double coupons” which will encourage increased fruit and vegetable consumption is included.
Tree Assistance Program Extended - Extension of the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) to cover retroactive losses up to $100,000 per person after January 1, 2000.
Between the House and Senate farm bills, almost $1 billion in funding has been dedicated directly to the fruit and vegetable industry to address several overarching policy initiatives that the produce industry supports. In addition, the provisions contained in both versions supports the work of the industry’s Farm Bill Working Group which advocated policies that promote the consumption and demand of fruits and vegetables while developing tools for the industry that will drive utilization of these important commodities.
“We are extremely pleased that both bills address key policy areas including international market access, nutrition development, pest and disease prevention initiatives, research priorities, and domestic promotion,” said Donna Denison, Director of Government Affairs for United. “These policy initiatives will go a long way to ensure the future viability of the U.S. produce industry.”
For further comment, please contact Duke Hipp with United at (703) 836-3410.
http://www.vegetablegrowersnews.com/pages/news
11/20/2001
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Florida received $16.9 million in fruit and vegetable assistance funding, second only to California's allocation of $63 million. Research for methyl bromide alternatives, citrus processing, and canker eradication are among the worthy projects expected to receive support in’ Florida. Most notably, at the request of state industry organizations, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson recommended that 10%, or $1.69 million, be allocated for the 5-A-Day program. His decision is a solid endorsement of the program’s performance in improving the diets of Americans and ensuring the prosperity of fruit and vegetable producers.
When you consider the program typically operates with an annual budget of less than $3 million, an additional $1.69 million constitutes a very real shot in the arm, and yet it is still far short of where its budget should be.
This fall, FFVA led a national initiative to secure additional funding from other states that received significant assistance money for fruit and vegetable producers. California and Washington are among the states where producer groups have joined with Florida to invest in the 5-A-Day program. The money from each state individually may seem like a small contribution, but collectively it represents an outstanding opportunity to make 5-A-Day a reality for millions of consumers.
Florida Grower
November 2001
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Two old guys, Abe and Sol, are sitting on a park bench feeding pigeons and talking about baseball, like they do every day. Abe turns to Sol and says, “Do you think there's baseball in heaven?”
Sol thinks about it for a minute and replies, “I dunno. But let's make a deal: if I die first, I'll come back and tell you if there's baseball in heaven, and if you die first, you do the same.”
They shake on it and sadly, a few months later, poor Abe passes on.
One day soon afterward, Sol is sitting there feeding the pigeons by himself when he hears a voice whisper, “Sol... Sol…”
Sol responds, “Abe! Is that you?”
“Yes it is, Sol,” whispers Abe's ghost.
Sol, still amazed, asks, "So, is there baseball in heaven?”
“Well,” says Abe, “I've got good news and bad news.”
“Gimme the good news first,” says Sol.
Abe says, “Well...there is baseball in heaven.”
Sol says, “That's great! What news could be bad enough to ruin that!?”
Abe sighs and whispers, “You're pitching on Friday.”
Zookeeper and Three Boys
A zookeeper approaches three boys standing near the lions' cage and asks them their names and what they're up to.
The first boy says, “My name's Tommy and I was trying to feed peanuts to the lions.”
The second boy says, “My name's Billy and I was trying to feed peanuts to the lions.”
The third boy says, “My name is Peanuts!”
