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News

Texas Wheat Harvests at Risk

Cows grazing on a productive Texas wheat pasture
Courtesy Todd Baughman/Texas AgriLife Extension Services
In past years, when Texas was not experiencing drought, wheat fields were more productive.

While states along the East Coast are recuperating from storm and flood damage caused by Hurricane Irene, states farther west, like Texas, are still trying to cope with devastating drought conditions. After the failure of many summer crops due to drought, farmers now have good reason to worry that they won’t make a winter wheat crop either, according to experts at the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

“There are some real concerns right now, not only about potentially getting the crop up in the future, but about what kind of yield potential we are going to have with the crop if we do,” says Dr. Todd Baughman, AgriLife Extension agronomist for Texas’ Rolling Plains region.

The concern focuses on soil-moisture reserves, as the bulk of winter wheat is planted during September and October, Baughman says. Without better soil moisture, the crop will not even emerge.

The need for better soil moisture is felt not just for grain production, but for livestock forage production, too, as winter wheat is also commonly relied upon for fall grazing, he says. And wheat producers have reason to be concerned throughout most of Texas.

“If you don’t get it up and growing, that’s going to limit your fall grazing, which is really going to hurt you from a cattle-performance standpoint,” Baughman says. “That’s probably the No. 1 fear that we’ve got right now.”

But for those who need grain production, the lack of soil moisture is causing a lot of anxiety, as well.

“If we don’t build up some soil moisture to grow this crop, there’s concern that it’s going to run out of water just like the cotton crop has done this year because it won’t have any real deep moisture to help with the yield potential,” Baughman says.

Many farmers plant wheat for both grazing and grain production, pulling cattle off fields in time for the crop to make grain. But wheat for grazing is an even higher priority this year because the drought has caused summer grazing to become non-existent and continued feeding has exhausted hay supplies.

“Typically, what you’ll see is that somewhere between mid-September to the middle of October is the prime planting time for grazing,” Baughman explains. “Of course, we would really like to be planting right around the first of October. For our grain guys, most planting will start somewhere in the middle of October to Thanksgiving. That would be the prime time that we would like to plant the crop as a grain-only crop.”

But even those planning wheat as a grain-only crop could run into trouble this year, he says. This is because November typically signals the start of a drier time of year for most of the state’s wheat-growing regions. If moisture reserves aren’t already built up before winter, the chances to make a good grain crop will be greatly diminished.

“The driest months, if you look at historical weather records, will be December, January and February,” Baughman says. “November will be slightly behind those, so if we don’t get any rainfall from now through the first of November, then the chance of actually building that deep moisture up is limited even in a normal year.”

And this has been far from a normal year, he says.

Categories
Urban Farming

FoodCorps’ First Crop

kids with small plants

Photo courtesy of Hemera/Thinkstock

Hoping to make a dent in the childhood-obesity epidemic, FoodCorps will teach kids how to garden and eat nutrition-packed meals.

Paid a small stipend and aligned with partner organizations, the first crop of FoodCorps service volunteers kicked off a one-year term on August 15, 2011.

Tasked with seeding and harvesting schoolyard gardens from scratch, a total of 50 volunteers serve 139 schools with one goal in mind: to not only teach kids how to garden and eat nutrition-packed meals, but to also make a serious dent in the country’s childhood-obesity epidemic.

Many of the projects serve public schools where half or more of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunches. “We’re focused on communities that may not have had access to programs like this before,” explains Program Director Cecily Upton, a co-founder of FoodCorps along with Curt Ellis (co-creator of the film King Corn) and Debra Eschmeyer (former director of outreach and communications at National Farm to School Network).

When Upton’s childhood science teacher arranged for her class to farm on nearby land, it forever changed the way Upton viewed food. “It was a turning point for me to learn how food is grown,” she says.

While many schoolyard gardens are already in place, the problem has been keeping the momentum going, Upton says. A lot of times, one volunteer takes on the project for a season, but no one resumes it the following year. “If there isn’t someone to really shepherd the program, often times, the school garden may lay fallow. If you allow it to die and sit there unattended, it becomes a sore spot. People see an abandoned garden and think that nobody cares.”

By partnering with organizations located in the same state, these projects have a higher chance of succeeding.

When President Barack Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act two years ago, Upton and the other founders knew the timing was right to get FoodCorps off the ground. “There were thousands of young people out there looking for a job that would hold an entry point into a career in public health, education or the food system.” she says.

Within 10 years, FoodCorps aims to have 1,000 service volunteers out in the field. “We want to be the Teach for America of Slow Foods,” Upton says.

FoodCorps is funded by a three-year grant from AmeriCorps as well as financial support from private donors and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Categories
Urban Farming

Figs Gone Wild

sweet, brown fig

Photo by Rick Gush

This is one of the many wild figs growing along the roadside in Italy.

Lately, I’ve been eating many figs found alongside roads. There are fig trees planted all over the place around here, and they have produced enough for a good harvest in the last week or so.

There are three main types of figs that grow in these parts. Some are small, sour, black figs that seem to be wild. I don’t think anybody plants this variety; it may have been a grafting rootstock. At one point in time, there were wild figs growing in the Mediterranean area. It would be interesting to know if this fig variety is perhaps an authentic wild species.

The next type of fig grows wild and is brown, small and very sweet. I think this is the oldest planted variety — sort of like a Mission fig. I have one of these growing in a cleft in the cliff, where my garden is built. I treat myself to handfuls of these abundant producers when I’m working in the garden.

The chartreuse fig is the third type of fig that grows around here. This large variety is a local-market favorite. All the small farmers grow this variety because, not only does it sell the best, the crop also matures progressively in such a manner that there is a crop of new, ripe fruits every day for several weeks. My wife prefers this type, and it always amazes me how she peels each fig before eating it.

Shown is one of the sweet, brown figs that I’ve been able to dry nicely. (Large, green figs are too moist for drying purposes and will just end up rotting.) One of these years, I’m going to start a big fig-drying project. I’ll bet I will be able to collect more than 100 pounds of figs to start with because there are so many unharvested fig trees nearby.

It is apparently an old Genovese tradition that every family plants a fig tree in one of the rock walls in their home. This seems to be true because I hardly ever see figs growing on a piece of flat ground.

Some of my friends rebuilt an old abandoned home a few years ago. Their neighbors were a bit skeptical of the americani at first, but then when they planted a fig tree in one of the rebuilt rock walls, everybody seemed relieved that they were in fact proceeding in the correct manner.

I am of the opinion that figs were probably the first domesticated plant, having been domesticated about 10 or 15 thousand years ago, when humans were first figuring out agriculture. I think this is because one can simply break off a fig-tree branch and shove it into the ground to make a new tree. You can’t do that with an apple or a peach branch.

Date palms, which are perhaps even easier to propagate, may have been one of the first horticultural plants, but they take years to produce fruit. A new fig tree, however, can produce fruit during its first year after being propagated. The first agricultural revolution was probably the discovery of the technology of seeding large areas with grain plants, such as rice and wheat, but I believe that had to happen after the fig tree had been propagated.

Read more of Rick’s Favorite Crops »

Categories
Urban Farming

Welcome to Transition, Turkey

Transition town

Photo courtesy Lisa Munniksma

Gerri Smyth trains volunteers in Turkey on responding to climate change and building stronger communities.

This week, Turkey joined the growing list of countries with communities signing up to become part of the Transition movement.Transition trainer Gerri Smyth came from Gilford, England, to lead the 21 participants from western Turkey, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the United States through a two-day seminar on how communities can respond to climate change by moving away from fossil fuels and building stronger, more resilient communities.

Smyth explained that the Transition Network philosophy stems from the idea of permaculture — a sustainable-living approach modeled after nature — which is appropriate, because the training session was held at Pastoral Vadi, a permaculture-based eco-resort near Fethiye, Turkey. Pastoral Vadi — translated as idyllic valley — has been working with area farmers to help them convert to organic production over the past 10 years.

Pastoral Vadi’s manager, Nebi Cihan Gankaya, organized the first-ever Transition training in Turkey to “learn how to solve problems in the community.” Gankaya recently received a grant from the Turkish government for the Sustainable Live Model in Yaniklar Village, a project that will improve the area’s sustainability through eco-tourism and develop a biogas energy-production facility.

Transition training participants expressed their interest in finding common ground to work with people who have different attitudes toward sustainability, to live in more natural communities, and to work toward communities that are not oil-dependent. The workshop led everyone through exercises for the two components of the Transition Movement — Outer Transition (the issues of Peak Oil, climate change and global equity) and Inner Transition (an introspection that examines how and why fossil fuel-dependent, consumerist societies have developed) — and gave them basic information they could take home and work on with community members.

Smyth provided examples of communities undergoing the Transition process and those who have been successful in already making the change, such as Heathrow and Totnes, England. Even Pastoral Vadi’s sustainability initiatives, including eco-architecture, permaculture growing systems, traditional wood-fired cooking techniques, and use of local and organic foods, make it an example of a Transition experiment. “This is a Transition project, whether it’s called one or not,” said Smyth.

This workshop was just a small piece of what participants need to make the Transition movement a reality in their towns. “We need to communicate beyond the usual suspects, beyond the green bubble. We need to make the movement inclusive and accessible to people who might not have gotten involved in an alternative movement before,” said Smyth.

“My hope is they received encouragement for being a part of the Transition movement and for starting their own Transition,” Gankaya said.

Freelance writer and UF contributing editor Lisa Munniksma is spending six weeks in Turkey as part of her round-the-world journey to learn about agriculture, food systems and sustainable living everywhere. Follow her trip at www.freelancefarmerchick.com.

Categories
Crops & Gardening

First-Day-of-School Blues

Garden blogger Jessica Walliser with dad and son on a farm
Courtesy Jessica Walliser
It seems like just yesterday, my dad and I were taking my son, who could barely walk, out to our old farm. Now he’s in school!

I just put my son on the bus for his first day of kindergarten. As is probably the same with all other mothers, my head is filled with mixed emotions. Part of me is so very proud of him, as he stepped onto that big bus like he owned the joint; another part is so sad to be loosing my best bud. No more weekday trips to the zoo or the playground. No more fascinating lunch conversations over grilled cheese and peanut butter carrots. No more lazy mornings, cuddly afternoons and spontaneous adventures. I’m the one going through withdraw—I think he’s going to be just fine.

And so, after the bus pulled away, I walked home and into the backyard. I fed the chickens and stared at the garden for a while, thinking that now that my real baby is off to school, I can return to my first “baby,” the garden, for some therapy.

For many years, before my son arrived, my garden was a child of sorts. I put all my nurturing, all my worrying and all my energies into it. Granted, it was a different garden then, at a different house, in a different town, but I feel like it’s going to happen again now. At least for the next few weeks, anyway, I’ll return to the garden and plunge into it, trying not to miss having my boy next to me, planting seeds, digging holes and playing pretend. 

« More Dirt on Gardening »

Categories
Urban Farming

Northern Okra

okra

Photo courtesy iStockphoto/Thinkstock

I find Indian-style curry to be the perfect match for okra.

About three weeks ago, one of our garden coop plots was weed-ridden (again), so a couple of us waded in. I climbed behind a trellis of spent pea vine to pull them out. Among the weeds, I saw a row of what looked to me like prehistoric plants: sturdy red stems, deeply cut reddish-green leaves and spectacular white flowers with big garnet-red centers, like a rose of Sharon or a hibiscus.

My garden mate identified them for me as the okra she had planted as seedlings. This Northern okra was a beauty. The three varieties there — slim and green, chunky and green and some with skinny, red pods — soon began to distinguish themselves, too.

I’m kind of shy about cooking okra; it doesn’t come naturally to me. If I cook it too long, it becomes slimy. If I pick it when it’s too big, it’s “corky” and too tough to eat, and making a big-deal gumbo with it seems like a production.

I’m learning though; especially from Rainbeau Ridge’s Georgia-born assistant cheese maker, Blair, who grew up eating okra and knows all about it. She recommends giving the small pods a quick stir-fry, a method that produces okra that’s both crunchy and yummy!

Indian-style curry (or Thai) is a perfect match for okra and is typical of that cuisine, too, where the long, elegant pods are called lady fingers.

To add it to a mix of vegetables, I cook it separately, usually before the rest of the vegetables, so the okra keeps its firm texture and doesn’t become glue-like. Simply add it back into the mix when the other vegetables are ready.

I also learned to lightly pickle the okra: to cut and clean it, then blanch and brine it. Along with pickled peppers, pickled okra became a family favorite last winter.

Like creamy fava beans, smooth and dusky kale, olive-shaped Mexican gherkins, and other “What the heck are those?” vegetables I helped tend this summer, okra is a full-fledged addition to my vegetable repertoire. You don’t have to have deep Southern zones to grow it, and you don’t need a drawl to cook and enjoy it. In fact, here’s my friend Wendy’s curried okra recipe — she still has her Aussie accent!

Recipe: Curried Okra

“I added garlic and sliced summer squash to the onions and served it with brown rice. The okra wasn’t slimy at all,” says Wendy.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups okra, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Place the okra in a large, microwave-safe dish; cook in microwave on high for six minutes.

Heat the olive oil and cumin seeds together in a large skillet over medium heat until the cumin seeds swell and turn golden brown. Fry the onions in the heated oil for three minutes. Add the tomatoes to the mixture and cook another three minutes. Stir the okra into the mixture; season with the curry powder and salt. Cook and stir the mixture until hot, about three minutes more.

Serve hot.

Read more of The Hungry Locavore »

Categories
Animals

5 Rabbit Illnesses to Know

Brown and white rabbit sitting in hay
Courtesy iStockphoto/Thinkstock
To keep your pet rabbits healthy, learn the signs and symptoms of common rabbit illnesses.  

Thankfully, rabbits are generally happy, hardy and healthy animals. But even if all of your rabbits are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the moment, take some time to acquaint yourself with five illnesses that can affect your farm’s pet rabbits. Remember to always seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian with regard to medical ailments in rabbits; Rabbits USA magazine maintains a state-by-state list of rabbit-savvy veterinarians, or you can ask for recommendations from other rabbit owners in your area.

1. Pasteurella (Snuffles)
More commonly known as snuffles, pasteurella is generally characterized by the presence of nasal discharge, watery eyes, matted paws and sneezing. Caused by Pasturella multocida bacteria, this illness tends to manifest itself during or after stressful situations, so in addition to feeding rabbits a healthy diet and maintaining a clean rabbitry, prevention can include minimizing stress for your rabbits.

For affected individuals, treatment with antibiotics is sometimes recommended, though the efficacy is not guaranteed, as is often the case with chronic infections, where the bacteria have become entrenched in the rabbit’s bodily systems. More advanced forms of the disease might be treated with other medications or surgery. Snuffles can be easily transmitted from one rabbit to another; therefore, isolation of the infected rabbits is imperative to stop the spread of the illness.

2. Sore Hocks
Although most commonly seen in large or giant rabbit breeds, sore hocks can be problematic for any rabbit breed housed in less-than-sanitary conditions or kept in a hutch with a wire floor. Sore hocks is an infected ulceration of the foot pad, often caused by prolonged pressure of the rabbit’s feet against the cage floor. The problem can be prevented by providing floor mats, resting boards or nest boxes so that your rabbits have a comfortable place to rest. Additionally, toenails should be clipped short and hutches should be kept clean. Treatment for sore hocks can include antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medications, but you can consult a veterinarian about the possible use of foot wraps, calamine lotion or ointments, such as Neosporin or Preparation H.

3. Ear Mites
If you find a crusty, scabby substance on the inside of your rabbit’s ears, this is ear canker and is caused by ear mites. Other symptoms can include head shaking and intense scratching; hair loss is also occasionally seen. Ivermectin is a common treatment option, so ask your veterinarian for advice regarding dosage and frequency of treatment. Mineral oil—a drop or two in each ear, once a month—is an option for preventing an infestation of ear mites. An underlying infection may often accompany ear-mite symptoms, so always consult your rabbit-savvy veterinarian about treatment.

4. Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is a dangerous problem for rabbits, particularly those housed outdoors. Rabbits are extremely sensitive to elevated temperatures, and your outdoor rabbits will need ample protection in order to stay sufficiently cool during periods of hot weather. Protection from the sun, of course, is paramount, but so is continual access to fresh air and water . You can provide frozen water bottles for rabbits to lay next to and absorb the cold on hot days and a fan blowing near (but not directly on) your rabbits to help circulate cool, fresh air. By keeping your rabbits cool and comfortable, you’ll help prevent heat-induced illnesses. For a rabbit suffering from heat stroke, an immediate reduction in body temperature is necessary. Spray the rabbit with tepid water and immediately transport it to a veterinarian, who may need to treat the rabbit with IV fluids.

5. G.I. Stasis
Essentially a slowdown or stoppage of the digestive tract, gastrointestinal stasis is a dangerous and often fatal illness. Signs can include the failure to produce fecal droppings, a lack of appetite, failure to drink, a bloated abdomen and general listlessness. If your rabbit exhibits these symptoms, it should be immediately evaluated by a veterinarian. A range of treatment options for G.I. stasis includes surgery, oral fluids, free-choice hay, abdominal massage, and simethicone drops or tablets. The course of treatment will depend on whether an intestinal blockage is involved.

Prevention of G.I. stasis in your rabbits is ideal. Providing a diet high in fiber—including plenty of hay and a high-fiber pelleted feed—along with an unlimited supply of fresh water will go a log way to prevent this illness. Fresh greens can also be a beneficial addition to your rabbit’s diet, but introduce these slowly in order to avoid enteritis, an intestinal inflammation that causes diarrhea. 

There are, of course, many other illnesses that can affect rabbits—mastitis, hutch burn, wry neck and coccidiosis, among others. It’s wise to acquaint yourself with the symptoms of a wide range of rabbit illnesses. By learning to recognize the symptoms of an unhealthy rabbit (lack of appetite, dull fur or fur loss, lethargy, increased respiration, teeth grinding, diarrhea, et cetera), you’ll be able to detect problems quickly and begin treatment immediately, giving your rabbits the best chance for recovery and a healthy, happy future.

About the Author: Samantha Johnson is the author of The Field Guide to Rabbits (Voyageur Press, 2008) and How to Raise Rabbits (Voyageur Press, 2009). She has been a rabbit enthusiast for nearly 20 years and resides in northern Wisconsin.

Categories
Equipment

When You Least Expect It …

The other day, I stopped by a local custom-jewelry store and bought a vise. The vise is a big, heavy-duty tail vise that looks more than a little tough. It has been used hard, but has a lot of work left in it.

As I wrote a while back, I had busted the vise I had used for years when I tried bending some cold rebar. I replaced it with a similar but slightly higher quality vise. I know it will do fine with the bulk of my light vise work. The problem is that sooner or later, I’ll start working with rebar again and bust it. That’s why I bought the new (old) vise this past week. I know it can handle most anything I throw at it.

Now, I have to admit, Crown Trout Jewelers was about the last place I expected to find an old machinist’s vise. The owner, Liz B., is more likely to be designing a high-end set of wedding rings or perhaps a Norwegian wedding crown. Her work is stunning, and she has a reputation to match. My wife and I had stopped by to pick up an old bracelet Liz restored for our daughter. While my wife was paying for the restoration work, I noticed this set of vises. Liz had three of them attached to a novel work platform.

I asked her about them, and she explained she had bought them from an older Amish farmer, but was no longer using them. I asked if she wanted to sell one, and she named her price: $110. I jumped at it! It just goes to show that when you least expect it, opportunities present themselves.

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Categories
News

Online Network Links Ag Groups

Family planting crops in a farm garden
Courtesy Jupiterimages/Creatas/Thinkstock
Farm-related groups can share information via videos, email blasts and more online at the Alltech Ag Network.

Animal health and nutrition company Alltech has partnered with global online network iHigh for the creation of a web portal and streaming video channel specifically devoted to agriculture. The Alltech Ag Network will provide a platform for agriculture’s stories to be told, specifically through the live online broadcast of agriculture events.

The network’s features include live streaming, mobile broadcasting, unlimited photo uploads, email-blast functions and an event calendar. Since June 2010, there have been nearly 12 million video views and more than 46 million photo views on iHigh sites.

“Over the last several decades, we’ve seen our ever-growing population migrate to cities, away from the origins of their food,” says Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “At Alltech, we are committed to narrowing the gap between family and farm, and we believe the Alltech Ag Network on iHigh will further this mission as it highlights the world of agriculture.” 

Content on the Alltech Ag Network is user generated, allowing consumers to craft what they want to see and how they’d like to see it. Using iHigh’s unique content platform, organizations such as the National High School Rodeo Association, the U.S. Pony Club and school clubs are able to share their events in real time with a global audience who can access the streaming video on any computer or mobile device.

“As Internet use continues to grow, many affinity groups, especially ag-related youth groups such as rodeo, equine associations, FFA and others, are seeking methods to provide better exposure to their organizations and drive interest and membership,” says iHigh CEO Jim Host. “Through our partnership with Alltech, coupled with our feature-rich web platform, these affinity groups will now have a cost-effective means of sharing their content and letting the world know more about them.”

Categories
Urban Farming

School Garden Project Launches

children gardening

Photo courtesy Getty Images/Jupiterimages/ Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock

The School Garden Grant Program will provide hands-on gardening opportunities, as well as healthy-eating education, for students.

Whole Kids Foundation, in partnership with FoodCorps, is currently accepting online grant applications for its first major initiative: the School Garden Grant Program. Reflecting Whole Kids Foundation’s mission to support schools’ efforts to improve children’s nutrition, the program will promote students’ understanding of food and nourishment through gardening opportunities.

Up to 1,000 schools will be offered grants, along with curriculum, resources and mentorship.

“The School Garden Grant Program makes nutritious foods and healthy-eating education relevant and exciting for kids, and it extends learning outside the classroom,” says Walter Robb, Whole Foods Market co-CEO and Whole Kids Foundation board chairman.

From now until Sept. 30, shoppers can donate to the school garden project at all Whole Foods Market stores and online at wholekidsfoundation.org. All schools and garden-related nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for grants to support the launch or expansion of school gardens.

To apply, each school must secure a community partner that will help them sustain a long-term garden. The school must also provide basic background information, including a photo of its garden site, a proposed budget and timeline for the project, goals for the garden, and an explanation of how students will be engaged.

“FoodCorps is thrilled to partner with Whole Kids Foundation to provide more children [with] an opportunity to discover the joys of growing food, in turn establishing lifelong healthy-eating habits,” says Curt Ellis, executive director of FoodCorps.

According to research done at the UC Davis Center for Nutrition in Schools, access to a school garden:

  • Improves knowledge of nutrition, food preferences, and consumption of fruits and vegetables
  • Allows for the integration of multiple subject areas
  • Enhances overall academic achievement
  • Provides children with an understanding of agriculture and the environment
  • Improves life skills, self-esteem, social skills and behavior

“Gardens are such magical places. As kids see plants growing and coming to life, they’ll realize that food doesn’t come out of a box or off a truck, but that it comes out of the ground from a seed; it makes the relationship between food and nourishment real,” Robb says.

For more information on Whole Kids Foundation, ways parents can engage their schools and how to apply for a school garden grant, visit: www.wholekidsfoundation.org.

To learn more about FoodCorps, visit www.foodcorps.org.