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Whole Foods launches ‘food choices’ campaign

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Whole Foods Market, which describes itself as “the nation’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods”, has launched a campaign called “Let’s Retake our Plates”.   

The company says the campaign, which will feature the showing of 15 food-related films in cities across the U.S., will help consumers understand how the food choices they make have an impact on health and the environment.

Included in the campaign are the controversial films Food Inc., King Corn and Big River.  Those films are critical of modern agriculture and food production.

Whole Foods has developed a web site to support the initiative at letsretakeourplates.com.

Filed Under: Crops, Events/Organizations, News Tagged With: , ,

Midday cash livestock markets

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Barrows and gilts in the Iowa/Minnesota direct trade opened 2.53 higher at 68.57 on a carcass basis, the West is 2.60 higher at 68.48, and the East is .22 lower at 64.34. The Missouri direct base carcass meat price is st to 1.00 lower at 62.00. Pork trading at midday is slow to moderate, with light to moderate demand and offerings. Pork carcass cutout value on Monday closed at 71.94, up $1.18.

The cash cattle trade is typically slow on Tuesday with packer bids like to be few and far between.  The new show lists are priced around 97.00 to 98.00 in the South and 155.00 plus in the North.  Choice boxed beef at midday was up .01 at 163.70, and select is 1.08 higher at 161.59.

Feeder cattle receipts at the Sioux Falls Regional Livestock Market at Worthing, SD totaled 2269 head on Monday, on limited comparable sales with last week’s smaller run, feeder steers and heifers were mostly 2.00 to 5.00 higher. The exception being 650 to 700 pound steers 9.00 higher. Feeder steers medium and large 1; 178 head averaging 667 lbs traded at 119.64 per hundredweight. 158 heifers weighing 618 pounds brought 113.38 at Worthing.

Filed Under: Livestock, Markets Tagged With: ,

Hats off to the organic committment

March 30, 2010 By 2 Comments

Commentary

When consumers buy Certified Organic farm products, they can be certain that the farmers have voluntarily accepted strict Federally-regulated standards.

It is my opinion that farmers who grow organic products should receive a higher price for their vegetables. Here’s why: have you ever grown zuchinni? Have you ever fought squash bugs? I cannot imagine how in the world you could ever keep the squash bugs out of the zuchini without using a pesticide. My hat goes off to anyone who is committed enough to the organic standard to fight an enemy with such tenacity and perserverance as a squash bug.

AUDIO

Filed Under: Feature Programs, Two Cents Tagged With: , , ,

Reducing the risk of ear molds and mycotoxins

March 30, 2010 By 2 Comments

Ear molds, like Gibberella ear rot that significantly impacted last year’s corn crop in parts of the Midwest have a nasty habit of sticking around, in fact, Peter Thomison an Ohio State University Extension corn agronomist says that technology and crop management might be creating more opportunities when it comes to ear molds and mycotoxin development, but Thomison says there are some production practices to reduce the risk.

AUDIO: Peter Thomison, Ohio State University (3:00 MP3)

Filed Under: Feature Programs, Managing for Profit Tagged With: , , ,

Gestation stalls–a pork producer’s point-of-view

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The use of gestation stalls in hog production has come under heavy attack from the Humane Society of the United States.  HSUS has been successful in getting gestation stalls banned in several states.  We recently discussed the issue with Shane Meyer of Exeter, Nebraska, who is a supervisor at a 2,800 sow, farrow-to-finish operation near Dorchester in southeast Nebraska.

AUDIO: Shane Meyer (3 min MP3)

Filed Under: Feature Programs, Rural Issues Tagged With: , , ,

Brighter outlook for pork producers

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Purdue University economist Chris Hurt says hog profits could average about 18 dollars per head this year, compared to an average loss of 20 dollars per head in both 2008 and 2009.

Hurt made his forecast following the recent hogs and pigs reports, which surprised many analysts.  Among other things, it showed a four percent reduction in the nation’s breeding herd from one year ago.  Hurt says the smaller breeding herd means farrowings will be down about four percent this spring and about three percent this summer.  And pork production is now expected to drop by about three percent for the year.

Hurt says profits for hog producers are expected to peak this spring and summer at about 25 to 30 dollars per head, and then moderate seasonally to about ten dollars per head in the late fall and winter.  And, Hurt says, at this early point, prospects appear to be very favorable for 2011 as well.

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, Livestock, News Tagged With: ,

Solar roofing featured at WPS Farm Show seminar

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

One of the educational seminars at the WPS Farm Show this week will feature building-integrated PhotoVoltic roofing panels.  Bob Kulp with Kulp’s of Stratford says it is a new type of solar panel that integrates into a steel or membrane roof so you don’t have those big, heavy traditional panels.  “It’s a multi-skin laminate” says Kulp, “there are two leads that come out of the top of every panel that we run into the ridge cap, run it through a disconnect switch, then through an inverter and then into the power grid.”  If your building takes more power than generated by the roof, it slows the meter down, if it produces more energy than used, the meter runs backward.  Kulp says there are a number of grant programs and tax credits available to help pay for the panels.  “A typical payback on a residential or relatively small project you would be looking at a payback somewhere in that ten-to-twelve year period.”

The session will be 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

AUDIO: Bob Kulp talks about the solar roofing

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, News Tagged With: , ,

CWT accepts cheese export enhancement bids

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It was just over a week ago that the Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) program announced they were reactivating the export assistance program with a focus on selling Cheddar cheese. The first group of bids has been accepted for export, four bids from Darigold and two bids from Foremost Farms to sell a total of 959 metric tons (2.1 million pounds) of Cheddar to the Middle East. The product will be delivered in April and May, CWT will pay the export bonuses when delivery is verified.

CWT targeted Cheddar cheese because of the large amount of cheese in storage right now and the idea sales of that inventory would prompt the fastest response in farm milk prices.

Filed Under: Dairy, News Tagged With: ,

Judge asked to reconsider premises registration case

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Clark County, Wisconsin District Attorney Darwin Zwieg has filed a motion for reconsideration in a premises registration case. On March 9th, Clark County Circuit Court Judge Jon Counsell ruled an Amish farmer did not have to register his premises under Wisconsin law due to religious beliefs and because the state had not proved there wasn’t a better way to trace animals in case of a disease outbreak.

The Amish oppose premises registration on the grounds it will ultimately lead to numbering of animals which they say is against their religious beliefs. The state contends that with USDA abandoning its plan for a national animal livestock identification system, premises registration would not lead to animal registration and therefore the court’s decision should be reconsidered. Arguments in the Clark County case were heard before USDA dropped its national plan.

Zwieg is asking the court to amend 20 findings in the decision and has requested a hearing on May 7th. If the court does not reconsider, the state may file an appeal of the ruling.

Filed Under: News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , , ,

The 50th WPS Farm Show this week

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The 50th Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show is this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the Experimental Aircraft Association grounds in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A lot of farm shows have fallen by the wayside in the last 50 years yet this one is bigger than ever. Rob Juneau with WPS says the exhibitors tell them the key is that they have kept it a farm show, it hasn’t become a lawn & garden show like others have.

While the show started out in Green Bay, the move to the E.A.A. grounds more than a decade ago really was a good move as it made the show more centrally-located for some of the largest farm areas in the state. The grounds are located right along Highway 41 which means four-lane access from Madison to the show. Juneau says it did make for a longer drive for those from the Upper Peninsula but they still come.

There are some special events scheduled this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary including a visit from Wisconsin Ag Secretary, Rod Nilsestuen on Tuesday. The show will also feature educational seminars at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day plus the kiddie pedal-tractor pull on Wednesday and the FFA Silent Auction all three days.

The show runs 9 to 4 Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 to 3 on Thursday and the forecast is for sunshine and highs in the 60’s and 70’s.

AUDIO: Rob Juneau talks about the show

More details, schedules and maps here:

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, News Tagged With:
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