UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences sees increased enrollment

Agricultural departments at universities across the nation have seen a rise in both undergraduate and graduate enrollment.

The number of undergraduate students enrolled in agriculture programs nationwide has risen more than 17 percent since 2006 and continues to increase, according to the Food and Agricultural Education Information System database.

In the fall of 2011, there were 3,265 students enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the UA, an increase of more than 1,000 students from 2006, according to the UA Office of Institutional Research and Planning Support.

The agriculture college at the UA is promoting the growth in enrollment by adding multiple program specialties and facilities.

The UA has four Tucson Area Agricultural Centers that provide students with a location to research and study food production, greenhouse production and breeding. There is also a 50,000-acre range outside of Tucson that is used for research studies and several direct internships that are available to students to help increase the appeal of the program and promote a higher standard of education in agriculture.

“It is absolutely critical that farmers stay highly educated and proactive in increasing productivity on their farms in an efficient manner,” said Steve Husman, director of UA’s Tucson Area Agricultural Centers. ”There is absolutely no question that agriculture production is going to be as important, if not more so, in the future from the challenges relative to population increase.”

Husman said the rise in the number of students going to college to study agriculture is thought to be a product of technological advancements in the industry.

“Farming has become an increasingly high-technology based operation,” Husman said.

With the invention of genetically modified organisms and other advances in efficient productivity, agriculture has become increasingly science based. Farming is no longer thought of as a profession that does not require a college degree, according to some.

“When people think agriculture, they think sows, plows and cows,” said Andie Tanner, a senior studying agricultural technology management and education. “Agriculture isn’t that way anymore. 

Agriculture is science and people forget that.”

Some believe students are attracted to the industry because it demands innovation and creativity to thrive, and with the combination of potential profitability and rapid development of the agricultural business, it can lead to a secure and successful career.

“The future of farming is very positive and the reason is really quite simple; it’s all based upon supply and demand and world population,” Husman said. “The farmers are challenged to find more efficient ways to produce increasing amounts of food and fiber for the population of the world.”

The youth movement has already begun in the community with large farms encouraging the involvement of young people. RichCrest Farms, located in Cochise, Ariz., promotes youth participation by partnering with programs that bring children to the farms to experience what it has to offer.

“A lot of people in their 20’s, they don’t look at being a farmer as a career. I think if more people came to the farmers’ markets and the U-pick’s and stuff like that, then the youth will see that there is a career in that,” said Josh Dumas, a farmer from RichCrest Farms.

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Conservation: Answer to farming woes

It would seem efforts by the government and other stakeholders to make available inputs in a desperate bid to boost the agricultural sector in the country have all but gone to waste.

Column by Chipo Masara

With the exception of the tobacco industry which has been on an upward trend, there has been very little productivity, leaving millions of people in Zimbabwe in dire need of food assistance.

What boggles many is how in just over a decade, Zimbabwe has gone from being a major food exporter to being a country dependent on hand-outs to alleviate its people’s hunger.

It is continually becoming clear that simply providing agricultural inputs will not be enough to ensure food security in the country. What is clearly required to revive agriculture, which is clearly the panacea to acquiring a food security status, is a proper turn-around strategy.

Many factors have played a part in seeing the agricultural sector crumble, some factors being natural and beyond the farmers’ control, while some, the farmers have brought on themselves.

It is now undeniable that the climate has indeed been changing, which has given much credence to the climate change and global warming phenomenon. In what many scientists believe to be the culmination of the phenomenon, there has been a major shift in the country’s rainfall patterns, something that has left many farmers unsure as to when exactly to start planting.

When the rains finally come, they are often followed by long dry periods characterised by intense heat, which has in most instances ravaged the crops, making replanting a necessity. And then there are times, as is presently happening in most areas, when the rainfall is too abundant and damages the crops in the end.

The Herald of Wednesday 16 January had a story entitled “Wet spell triggers widespread leaching” which talked about how “low-lying areas are now so waterlogged that crops such as maize and cotton are suffering from stunted growth.”

Ecological balance has been upset

The wanton cutting down of trees by some so-called farmers has upset the ecological balance that once existed, destroying wildlife habitat and leaving the country facing serious deforestation. So, in a nutshell, years of inappropriate agricultural practices have had an adverse impact on agriculture.

It has resulted in land degradation and decline in soil fertility, pollution of water and air, and loss of wildlife, among other woes.

Many conservationists believe it is time more efforts were put, not so much in gathering inputs (as these would still come to waste if present conditions still prevail), but in helping farmers adapt to new farming practices that have been proven to work, even under the country’s current climatic conditions.

Time to adopt sustainable farming methods in Zim

Besides natural disasters that have rendered farming a mammoth task, most farmers have not made matters any easier on themselves. Most of them, mainly owing to clear ignorance, have not been practising good farming methods.

They have for some time employed tactics that they believed minimised operating costs, like slash and burn, which have degraded the soil, making it infertile and as a result yielding very little. The overdependence on pesticides and other chemicals has only served to tire the soils even further.

The adoption of conservation farming by every farmer is long overdue.

Conservation farming has been described as “any system or practice which aims to conserve soil and water by using surface cover (mulch) to minimise run-off and erosion and improve the conditions for plant establishment and growth”.

Conservation farming is a system that is designed to use the mulch cover to reduce soil erosion and land degradation, reduce soil temperatures and conserve moisture for plant growth, increase organic matter levels and improve soil structure and fertility.

This is meant to achieve viable and sustainable productivity.

It also includes components and practices such as zero tillage, agro-forestry, alley cropping, integrated pest management, organic farming, crop and pasture rotation and contour farming, among many others.

For those with a profound interest in farming and would want to know more about conservation farming, there will be a follow-up article next week that simplifies the different components of this type of farming, describing in detail what it involves.

Zimbabwe has the potential to not only revive the agricultural sector and ensure food security for its entire people, but to once again become the bread basket of southern Africa, and beyond.

What is required is for farmers to realise that it is no longer business-as-usual and that with a change in strategy, they can make the present conditions work for them.

It is time to adopt sustainable farming practices.

Original Article Here

New agriculture laws will now end colonial-style farming

BY STAR REPORTER
President Kibaki’s assent to three key agricultural bills sets the stage for the most far-reaching changes in the sector since independence.

By consenting to The Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Authority Bill 2012, The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Bill 2012, and the Crops Bill 2012, he now sets the stage for the consolidation of functions of a number of allied ministries, the scrapping or merging of non-core state corporations and the commercialisation of profit-making ones.

His signature has unified the 131 laws that have governed the sector and essentially removed from the law books the ubiquitous Agriculture Act, an 80-year old piece of legislation long blamed for the dismal performance of agriculture. The colonial regime created the statute to promote European farming at the expense of indigeneous Kenyans.

The new laws, passed by Parliament during its final sittings, seek to transform farming into a professional, well-paying, internationally competitive and attractive to the youth. The agricultural sector is to drive Vision 2030.

Depending on the preference of the next Government in setting its Cabinet, the ten allied ministries can now be collapsed into one or two, as envisaged in the initial drafts by the Agricultural Sector Coordination Unit , a multi-ministerial agency that has overseen reforms in the sector.

The ten subsectors are: Agriculture; Livestock; Land; Fisheries Development; Environment and Mineral Resources; Water Resources and Irrigation; Regional Development Authorities; Cooperative Development; Forest and Wildlife; and Development of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Areas.

Among parastatals facing the axe is the 63-year old Cereals and Sugar Finance Corporation. It is in debts, and its operation has often been questioned by Parliament. In fact, its liquidation has been inexplicably pending for over ten years.

Others are Sisal Board, Cotton Board, National cereals and Produce board, Coffee Board, Tea Board, Kenya Sugar Board, Pyrethrum Board, and Coconut Development Authority, Kenya Plant Plant Health Inspectorate Service, and Horticultural Crops Development Authority.

Their functions will be taken over by a new powerful body, the Agriculture, Livestock and Food Authority. The Dairy Board, Kenya Meat Commission, Pig Industry Board, Pests Control Board, Kenya National Artificial Insemination Centre, will collapse into a Livestock Authority.

The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute will merge with other research institutions, including Kenya Triponomias Research Institute, Kenya Forestry Research Institute , Coffee Research Foundation, Tea Research Foundation, Kenya Sugar Research Foundation to form The Kenya Agricultural Research Organisation.

The agricultural sector comprises over 60 parastatals. Already, reforms implemented in the last ten years have seen about 20 parastatals scrapped. “Some of the parastatals reproduce the work of others,” says Dr Sally Kosgei, Minister for Agriculture.

Take the example of the Cereals and Sugar Finance Corporation; established by Parliament to raise money to lend to Government agencies for the purchase and production of grains and cereals. It is still in business despite the fact that the Government declared it insolvent about ten years ago.

“The corporation is dormant and technically insolvent,” said the Auditor General’s report 2008/9. As early as 1976, Parliament had singled it out among the corrupt parastatals.

According to the new laws, profit-making parastatals will run as companies. “Every (parastatal) that carried out any commercial activity with the objective of making profit have twelve months to transform into a company and be registered as a company under the Companies Act so as to enable (it) carry on commercial activity.”

The new law s discount any fears about job losses. “Any person who, at the commencement of this Act, is a member of staff of a former institution shall, on the appointed day, become a member of staff of ALFA on the same or improved terms and conditions of service as may be specified by the Cabinet Secretary”, the Act states.

Original Article Here

Editor who played major role in agriculture sector

2013 Farming dominated Paddy O’Keeffe’s life so it was fitting that his memorial service was held in Cork Marts’ Corrin Event Centre this week.

The former Irish Farmers Journal editor, who has died aged 89, was a major figure in the agriculture sector. He was involved in the establishment of FBD and organisations such as the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, the Irish Grassland Association and the Guild of Agricultural Journalists.

O’Keeffe was born in Fermoy, Co Cork. He studied agricultural science at UCD before becoming an agricultural instructor in Louth in 1946. A year later he began working as an adviser at Portrane hospital’s farms and was later promoted to agricultural superintendent.

‘Farmers Journal’ 

But it was not until 1951 that he entered the public consciousness with his appointment as editor of the Irish Farmers Journal. The newspaper had been established by Macra na Feirme some years earlier but there was little funding to develop it and circulation was just 2,000 copies. Meath farmer John Mooney bought it with the plan of establishing a farming newspaper that would be strong in technical capacity and supportive of farm development.

Ten years later, Mooney and O’Keeffe established the Agricultural Trust. This arose after Mooney was offered £100,000 for the newspaper by Lord Thompson, who was expanding his media empire in Britain.

To protect the newspaper’s future, Mooney decided it should be owned by a charitable trust, with profits used to develop the newspaper and support farming.

By the time O’Keeffe retired as editor in 1988, the weekly newspaper was selling 70,000 copies a week. He continued in the role of chief executive until 1993 and wrote a weekly column until his death. It was often a platform for his uncompromising views on issues such as the welfare state, environmentalists and what he described as “the Dublin media”.

O’Keeffe had a passion for science and progress and believed in the adage that knowledge was power. His energy was legendary and he was always seeking the next challenge.

Back when air travel was less bureaucratic, colleagues recalled that when he was running late for a flight he would ask his secretary to ring Aer Lingus and request that they delay the flight until he got there.

Long past retirement age O’Keeffe was still a familiar figure on the back of Farmers Journal courier Larry Nolan’s motorbike, as he hitched a lift to the train station or airport.

The newspaper’s writers were among the best-travelled journalists in Ireland during O’Keeffe’s editorship as he sent staff all over the world to report on best practice in areas such as dairying, tillage and beef. They included Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness, who said he had a generous spirit that encouraged and supported young people and gave them the leeway to develop their potential.

Establishment of FBD 

O’Keeffe was also the founding chairman of the Farmer Business Developments (FBD) insurance company more than 40 years ago. Its chairman, Michael Berkery, described O’Keeffe as “the outstanding man of 20th-century agriculture”. He said the idea behind FBD was to raise money from farmers to provide affordable insurance for the farming community. O’Keeffe oversaw the listing of FBD Holdings on the stock exchange in 1989 and retired as chairman in 1996.

In other roles, he served as chairman of the Agricultural Institute, a precursor to Teagasc, in the 1970s. He was also on the board of Bord na gCapall and a member of the RTÉ Authority.

He was intrinsically linked with Teagasc’s dairy facility at Moorepark in Cork, and in December Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney unveiled the new Paddy O’Keeffe Innovation Centre at Moorepark.

President Michael D Higgins expressed his sadness at O’ Keeffe’s death and said his dedication to the farming community would always be remembered.

O’Keeffe’s interest in scientific developments continued until the end and he requested that his body be donated to science.

O’Keeffe was predeceased by his first wife, Anne, and is survived by his second wife, Jane, his children, Margaret, Josephine, Elizabeth and Patrick, their spouses, his 12 grandchildren and sister, Joyce.

Original Article Here

Local Non-Profit To Host Eco-Agriculture Conference

Want to know more about what the Farm Bill means to consumers, how to butcher your own meat, or ways to better market your organic products?

The local Ecological Farming Association is hosting the oldest and largest ecological agricultural gathering in the West from Jan. 24 to 26 in Pacific Grove in Monterey County. 

The 33rd Annual EcoFarm Conference – this year with the theme of ‘Feed the World You Live In’ – will be filled with four days of workshops on production, marketing, business, ecological conservation and social issues such as the GMOs and biodynamic farming, according to the event organizers.

The conference is supported in part by Watsonville's Driscoll's. 

With over 1,500 participants, EcoFarm will host artisanal food tastings, live entertainment, and an Exhibitor Marketplace showcasing over fifty organic and ecologically-based businesses and organizations.

There will also be farmer mixers, an awards ceremony, farmer roundtable discussions, and office hours giving farmers and ranchers the opportunity to discuss their challenges one-on-one with experts and non-profit organizations.

Participants can also register for a pre-conference session on Jan. 22 on Butchery Skills, hosted by master butchers Rian Rinn of Wyeth Acres and Loren Ozki of Flea Street Café/CoolEatz.

The conference has counted 72,000 participants over the past 32 years, according to organizers.

To register, visit the conference's 2013 website. 

Original Article Here

Mapping Urban Agriculture From the Sky

Our best estimates of the scale of urban agriculture typically come from self-reported lists and non-profit groups trying to keep tabs on shared community gardens. These lists are, like the gardens themselves, informal. One frequent estimate floating around Chicago for several years figured there were maybe 700 food-producing plots in the city.

But when researchers from the University of Illinois tried to visit some of them, they more often found planter boxes or ornamental gardens, nothing that could truly be considered part of the city’s food supply. It then occurred to John Taylor, a doctoral candidate in crop sciences at the university, that Google Earth images might reveal what ground-level surveys of the city had not: the true extent of its urban agriculture.

Taylor spent some 400 hours twice poring over aerial images of every corner of the city. "And lo and behold," he says, "it’s possible to tell whether or not the gardens had vegetables based on these visual indicators."

A vegetable plot in fact has a distinct fingerprint – apart from neighborhood parks and plain old backyards – that’s visible even from thousands of feet overhead. Witness the telltale linear geometry of these sizable gardens on vacant lots in what appear to be railroad rights-of-way on either side of these tracks:

Taylor and collaborator Sarah Lovell, who’ve published their findings in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning, ultimately discovered that many of the city’s suspected community gardens weren’t producing food at all. But it turned out that backyard farmers all over Chicago – the keepers of "invisible" gardens no one sees from the sidewalk – may be seriously supplementing communities’ food supply in a way that researchers and advocates haven’t recognized before.

Of the 1,236 documented "community gardens," recognized by various groups throughout the city, it turned out only 160 – or 13 percent – were really growing food (according to aerial images from June of 2010). But trolling over the city, frame by frame on Google Earth, Taylor found what looked like 4,494 possible sites of urban agriculture, many of which appeared to be small residential gardens. Their total mass adds up to 264,181 square meters of urban agriculture, much of it on the city’s South and West sides and far northwest where minority and immigrant communities are located.

"There is often this idea that urban agriculture is something that’s new and sometimes perceived to be trendy," Taylor says. "But of course it’s just been going on for generations in people’s backyards and in these interstitial spaces, like right-of-ways and vacant lots. Across the city, there are lots of folks who are doing this on their own, or with support from their neighbors."

One garden in the city’s South Shore neighborhood has even been continuously cultivated since it was first planted as a victory garden during World War II. In other neighborhoods, particularly around Chinatown and in Eastern and Southern European communities of the northwest side, nearly every backyard viewed through Google Earth appears to be growing something.

A neighborhood on Chicago's far northwest side. LPG, MPG and SPG are large, medium and small private gardens.

Chicago's Chinatown.

These types of backyard growers seldom figure into public discussion and policy debates about urban agriculture. We more often focus on community gardens. But these images suggest we might think instead about urban agriculture, food deserts and neighborhood sustainability with an eye toward a network of smaller growers rather than a few epicenters.

Taylor followed up on his aerial tours with some “groundtruthing,” by visiting some of these neighborhoods and peering through alleys to ensure that he saw on the ground what Google Earth seemed to be suggesting from above. Some images from his verification:

Large multiplot vacant lot garden on the far South Side.

A backyard garden on the South Side.

A front yard garden with tropical corn and cucumber in a Mexican neighborhood.

Automated technology hasn’t yet reached the point where a computer program can find vegetable patterns in aerial imagery so that a human researcher doesn’t have to. But for now, Taylor’s technique is replicable in other cities, if anyone has the patience.

"Community groups could use it," Taylor says. "And there also may be opportunities for crowdsourcing of this kind, using social media to get multiple people involved so that it’s not just one lone graduate student sitting in a darkened room for 400 hours."

All images courtesy of John Taylor.

Original Article Here

Pair talks agriculture to community

By Tammie Gitt The Sentinel 

Last year, a farming family lost its silo. No one called the family to ask what they could do to help. Neighboring farmers just showed up and did what needed to be done, said Jason Nailor of Mechanicsburg.

“It happens like that a lot,” his wife, Sherisa, said. “It‘s a testament to the profession and industry itself.”

It‘s a testament to the Nailors‘ love of the farming community and their efforts to promote it that earned them the 2012 Young Farmer and Rancher “Excellence in Ag” Award from the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.

“For us, it was an easy decision to get involved,” Sherisa said. “The thought of raising our kids in farming life was attractive.”

Though Jason grew up on a farm, Sherisa came to the farming community through high school agricultural science classes.

“That‘s where I met Jason,” she said. “It was always his dream to have a dairy farm, so when we had the chance, that‘s what we did.”

Jason operates a 100-cow dairy farm, where he grows 40 acres of corn and 25 acres of hay to feed his cows. He is active in the Cumberland County Farm Bureau, serving on the board of directors, Young Farmer and Rancher Committee and the Local Affairs Committee. Like Sherisa, he is active with the FFA Alumni.

Sherisa is an agricultural science teacher at Big Spring High School who worked to broaden the program and increase the number of students participating in FFA. In the past six years, enrollment in the agricultural science classes increased by 35 percent and FFA membership at the school nearly doubled.

She credits growth in the program to the variety of skills taught by its teachers. Students appreciate offerings that include mechanics, masonry, welding and biotechnology, among others.

“Once they‘re hooked on agriculture, they‘re hooked,” Sherisa said. “There‘s so much out there that they don‘t know that everything seems to spark their interest.”

Big Spring School District is largely rural but nationwide, this is becoming less of the case as students are further removed from farms that produce their food.

“I think that kids get involved in FFA for the leadership, and what they learn about agriculture and food supply is a secondary bonus,” Sherisa said.

Some students are the second, third or fourth generation removed from farming, she said. Many know the farm makes food but don‘t understand the consequences of farmland decreasing as the population expands.

That‘s where Jason‘s work with the farm bureau comes in. Many of the meetings discuss ways to grow more food on less acreage, he said.

Agriculture remains Pennsylvania‘s number one industry and Cumberland County has a strong base of young producers who want to do better than the generation before them, Sherisa said. They‘re alert to what is happening in the legislature with farming issues.

Jason finds the mind-set of younger farmers broader and more accepting of technology that enables them to do twice as much as before.

One problem with attracting money to farming programs is that so many programs fall under the Department of Agriculture. The department regulates everything from dog registrations to puppy mills to gas pumps — even casinos.

“Everything is underfunded and understaffed,” Sherisa said. “Everyone wants a piece of the budget.”

Even if students don‘t enter agriculture-related fields, they will become educated consumers, knowing the steps food takes from farm to table and understanding how the cost is determined.

“A lot of the last food (price) increases we saw were due to the fuel,” Jason said.

Original Article Here

A four-pronged approach that addresses three types of farms and their complementarities is proposed.

1. Small scale subsistence farmers are chronically poor and risk-averse smallholders and wage labourers. They mainly produce for their own subsistence. Policies should help move them to higher-risk/higher-return activities through insurance programmes, input subsidies and improved regulations to protect wage labourers.

2. Small investor farmers have better access to assets, are less restricted by their production environment and produce for the market as well as for their own consumption. Policies should facilitate these farmers to engage more in high value agriculture through the expansion of local and regional markets; they should empower farmers’ organizations, provide training in new technologies and improve access to finance.

3. Large scale farmers have access to assets, are situated in a favourable production environment and produce mainly for the market. Policies should ensure that the wealth created by these farms is widely shared. This means ensuring that investors’ proposals are consistent with local visions, that local land rights, particularly those of women, are secured, that land suitable for these farms is mapped together with local actors, that land acquisitions are transparent, that local governments can tax this land, that human rights are respected during land acquisition and that labour standards and sensible environmental safeguards are in place.

4. Policies should moreover build on the complementarities between large and small scale farms through for example inclusive out-grower schemes.

“The key question is whether large and small farms can build on complementarities instead of one displacing the other.” This is a good starting point for further debate, as well as for building new practical experience in inclusive agricultural development.

by Hadi Laghair 

Mechanicsburg couple aims to educate students, community on agriculture

Last year, a farming family lost its silo. No one called the family to ask what they could do to help. Neighboring farmers just showed up and did what needed to be done, said Jason Nailor of Mechanicsburg.

"It happens like that a lot," his wife, Sherisa, said. "It’s a testament to the profession and industry itself."

It’s a testament to the Nailors’ love of the farming community and their efforts to promote it that has earned them the 2012 Young Farmer and Rancher “Excellence in Ag” Award from the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.

“For us, it was an easy decision to get involved,” Sherisa said. “The thought of raising our kids in farming life was attractive.”

While Jason was born and raised on a farm, Sherisa came to the farming community through high school agricultural science classes.

“That’s where I met Jason,” she said. “It was always his dream to have a dairy farm, so when we had the chance, that’s what we did.”

Jason operates a 100-cow dairy farm, where he also grows 40 acres of corn and 25 acres of hay to feed his cows. He is also active in the Cumberland County Farm Bureau, serving on the board of directors, Young Farmer and Rancher Committee and the Local Affairs Committee. Like Sherisa, he is active with the FFA Alumni.

Education

Sherisa is an agricultural science teacher at Big Spring High School who was worked to broaden the program and increase the number of students participating in FFA. In the past six years, enrollment in the agricultural science classes has increased by 35 percent while the FFA membership at the school has nearly doubled.

Sherisa credits the growth in the program to the variety of skills taught by its teachers. Students appreciate the variety of offerings that include mechanics, masonry, welding and biotechnology, among others.

“Once they’re hooked on agriculture, they’re hooked,” Sherisa said. “There’s so much out there that they don’t know that everything seems to spark their interest.”

Big Spring School District is still largely rural, but nationwide, this is becoming less and less of the case as students are further removed from the farms that produce their food.

“I think that kids get involved in FFA for the leadership, and what they learn about agriculture and food supply is a secondary bonus,” Sherisa said.

Some of the students now are the second, third or fourth generation removed from farming, she said. Many of them appreciate that the farm makes food, but don’t have an understanding about the consequences of farmland decreasing as the population expands.

Industry

That’s where Jason’s work with the farm bureau comes in. Many of the meetings discuss ways to grow more food on less acreage, he said.

Agriculture is still the number one industry in the state and, compared to other counties, Cumberland County has a strong base of young producers who want to do better than the generation before them, Sherisa said. These young farmers are also alert to what is happening in the legislature with farming issues.

Jason agreed, adding that the mindset of the younger farmers is broader and more accepting of the technology that allows them to do twice as much as before.

“We are going to need help in the future if we’re going to continue to feed the world,” Sherisa said.

One of the problems with attracting funding to farming programs is that so many different programs fall under the realm of the Department of Agriculture. Everything from dog registrations to puppy mills to gas pumps are regulated by the department. Even casinos fall under its purview.

“Everything is underfunded and understaffed,” Sherisa said. “Everyone wants a piece of the budget.”

Even if Sherisa’s students don’t go into agriculture-related fields, they will become educated consumers, knowing the steps food takes from the farm to the table and understanding how the cost is determined. Eighty percent of the cost of food comes after leaving the producer, Sherisa said.

“A lot of the last food (price) increases we saw were due to the fuel,” Jason said.

Funding

That’s not to say the producer doesn’t confront high costs. Recently, agricultural preservation funding came under scrutiny during the Cumberland County budget debate. The program protects land from being used for non-agricultural purchases, keeping prices down.

Jason warned against removing such funding from the budget.

“You will see farms disappear right and left in Cumberland County,” Jason said.

Jason said he was recently looking at land priced between $25,000 and $30,000 an acre.

“You’d never get out of the mortgage,” he said.

Plus there’s the equipment cost. When a friend told him that he bought a house for $200,000, Jason told him that amount wouldn’t even buy a combine.

Still, Jason and Sherisa are willing to help those interested in getting into the business.

“We want to help people get back into it,” Jason said. “If you have the love for it, it’s rewarding.”

They aren’t the only ones. A lot of farmers are willing help new farmers strategize and share equipment.

“We just need a better way to connect them with those who will help or pass on the torch,” Sherisa said.

Original Article Here

New Agriculture Committee Post will benefit Arkansas

Agriculture is the number one industry in Arkansas. Our congressional district is home to a great variety of agricultural interests. The Mississippi River Delta produces cotton, rice, corn, soybeans, wheat and even peanuts. In contrast to the Delta, stand the Ozark Foothills where we have poultry, cattle, dairy and timber producers. More rice is produced in our congressional district than any other district in the nation. In fact, our district is responsible for half of all rice produced in the United States. For farm families in our state to thrive, strong representation in Congress is essential.

This week I was honored to have House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas ask me to serve as the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development and Credit in the 113th Congress. While I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the subcommittee, I know much work must be done to ensure mid-South producers can stay in business.

My new subcommittee will have jurisdiction over: livestock, dairy, poultry, meat, seafood and seafood products, inspection, marketing, and promotion of such commodities, aquaculture, animal welfare and grazing, rural development, farm security, family farming matters, and agricultural credit. No other subcommittee better reflects the diversity of our region's agricultural-based economy.

Serving as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development and Credit will give me a larger platform to advocate for farm families in Arkansas and across the country. As Chairman of the Subcommittee I will be able to call Congressional hearings on issues critical to producers and craft common-sense policy that gives farmers the chance to continue producing the safest, most abundant and affordable source of food on the planet. I also want shine light on federal programs that can be run more effectively and efficiently.

Annually, agriculture in Arkansas has a $16 billion economic footprint and employs over 260,000 Arkansans. Of all the members on the House Agriculture Committee, I am the only representative from the mid-south. With my new leadership position, I hope to be an even stronger voice for the concerns of mid-south farmers and I will work to educate members of the committee from other regions about the challenges our producers face.

Original Article Here

Afghanistan agriculture

For many years Afghanistan was known for its vigorous agricultural production. The country grew more wheat and fruit than it could consume and exported the surplus.

Terrible changes began in 1979, with Soviet helicopters thundering across the sky and mortar fire shattering the peace.

The Soviet invasion triggered years of terrible upheaval that destroyed not only much of the agricultural infrastructure but also the knowledge that provided its foundation. Afghan agriculture was bludgeoned back to primitive conditions.

This reversal has been so great that in 2012, most Afghan farmers “are barely subsistence farmers,” said Lt. Col. Lynn Heng, commander of a 58-member Nebraska Army National Guard unit — Agribusiness Development Team No. 2 — that spent nine months in Afghanistan during 2011-12.

“When you have 30 years of war and lose a couple of generations of farming knowledge, this is what happens,” Heng told The World-Herald last April, when his team returned from their mission to help Afghan farmers.

Now, more than three decades after that period of turmoil began, Midlanders are among the Americans who have been helping the Afghans slowly regain farming knowledge. A new report from the Pentagon looks at the range of conditions in Afghanistan, and the section on agriculture describes the importance of the farm sector to Afghanistan’s well-being.

“Approximately 80 percent of Afghans’ livelihoods are directly linked to agriculture,” the report says. “Agribusiness development is a key driver to increasing overall economic growth and per capita gross domestic product of the rural population of Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan has been fortunate this year that above-average precipitation has helped boost crop yields significantly, the report says. As a result, the country has greatly reduced its cereal imports.

There’s been progress on other ag fronts too. Afghanistan this year has achieved “an increase in livestock births, greater milk production, enhanced food security and improved household nutrition.”

Among the issues that Americans have been helping Afghan farmers with, the report says, are wheat and vegetable production, orchard and vine crops, grain storage trials, productivity improvement, marketing and post-harvest storage.

U.S. support has helped Afghans establish more than 211,000 orchards that have exported 120 tons of fresh fruit.

One of the main obstacles to further progress is limited access to credit. And an inadequate supply of water, the report says, is “the major limiting factor in Afghan agricultural production.” More efficient use of water is a major focus of U.S. advisers.

There’s an odd omission in the Pentagon report: It speaks at length about the activities in Afghanistan of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but it fails to mention the ag-related work by National Guard teams such as those from Nebraska and Iowa.

These Midlanders have focused on many of the problems highlighted in the Department of Defense report. Since 2009, Nebraska has sent three National Guard teams to Afghanistan as part of the ag-support effort. Assistance from Iowa’s Army and Air National Guard has included the Guard’s 734th Agribusiness Development Team.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln helped out, too. Its agricultural extension agents helped train the Guard team, and UNL Extension educator Vaughn Hammond went with Heng’s team to Afghanistan, helping with issues including beekeeping, fruit production and composting.

Last spring, Heng, Hammond and their colleagues returned home from their mission. Gov. Dave Heineman told them, “Your mission helped ensure the stability of a country and its people that have seen difficult days.”

The governor’s words ring true. Midlanders can take pride in helping plant these seeds of knowledge. May their fruit continue to yield progress in that troubled land.

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Africa: Charting the History of Agriculture and Climate Change

A new info graphic that maps the progress of the agricultural sector in addressing climate change throughout the history of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations has been launched on the sidelines of this year's climate summit in Doha.

Launched ahead of Agriculture, Landscapes and Livelihoods Day 5 on December 3, The Story of Agriculture and Climate Change: The Road We've Travelled highlights significant events in the international calendar, such as the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the initiation of REDD in 2005 and the first ever Agriculture and Rural Development Day in 2009.

"Agriculture is already being hard hit by climate change and the outlook is even worse. However there are many options for adaptation, and some of these even bring mitigation co-benefits," said Bruce Campbell, Director of the CGIAR Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security research program.

Agriculture supports over 1 million of the world's rural poor, yet is responsible for 80% of overall deforestation and an estimated 31 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing agricultural yields and improving farming techniques are just some the way that the sector could help reduce its overall contribution to climate change.

As such negotiators at COP18 in Doha must "support the unique role of agriculture in the global climate change response", argues Tracy Gerstle, co-Chair of Farming First.

The infographic features a call-to-action from 19 of the world's leading agricultural organisations, calling for the creation of a Work Programme on Agriculture under the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technology Advice (SBSTA) - a scientific advisory group to the UNFCCC.

It is hoped that a new SBSTA work programme would document and share knowledge of improved agricultural practices to inform decision-making around agriculture and climate change to the UNFCCC's Conference of the Parties as they prepare national strategies to address climate change.

"Now is the time to act. Farmers around the world are experiencing the impacts of climate change today and they need support if they are to adapt. Farming can also become part of the solution, given the potential of agriculture to mitigation," added Gerstle.

The infographic was created by Farming First, a coalition of farmers associations, engineers and scientists, in partnership with the CGIAR Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security research program (CCAFS) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

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Climate Conversations - Infographic: Charting the history of agriculture and climate change

DOHA, Qatar (28 November 2102)_A new infographic that maps the progress of the agricultural sector in addressing climate change throughout the history of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations has been launched on the sidelines of this year’s climate summit in Doha.

Launched ahead of Agriculture, Landscapes and Livelihoods Day 5 on December 3, The Story of Agriculture and Climate Change: The Road We’ve Travelled highlights significant events in the international calendar, such as the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the initiation of REDD in 2005 and the first ever Agriculture and Rural Development Day in 2009.

“Agriculture is already being hard hit by climate change and the outlook is even worse. However there are many options for adaptation, and some of these even bring mitigation co-benefits,” said Bruce Campbell, Director of the CGIAR Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security research program.

Agriculture supports over 1 million of the world’s rural poor, yet is responsible for 80% of overall deforestation and an estimated 31 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing agricultural yields and improving farming techniques are just some the way that the sector could help reduce its overall contribution to climate change.

As such negotiators at COP18 in Doha must “support the unique role of agriculture in the global climate change response”, argues Tracy Gerstle, co-Chair of Farming First.

The infographic features a call-to-action from 19 of the world’s leading agricultural organisations, calling for the creation of a Work Programme on Agriculture under the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technology Advice (SBSTA) – a scientific advisory group to the UNFCCC.

It is hoped that a new SBSTA work programme would document and share knowledge of improved agricultural practices to inform decision-making around agriculture and climate change to the UNFCCC’s Conference of the Parties as they prepare national strategies to address climate change.

“Now is the time to act. Farmers around the world are experiencing the impacts of climate change today and they need support if they are to adapt. Farming can also become part of the solution, given the potential of agriculture to mitigation,” added Gerstle.

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Zimbabwe: E-Vouchers Boost Access to Agricultural Inputs

Goromonzi — Johnson Mhaka, 50, an agro-dealer based in Goromonzi, about 40km southeast of the capital Harare, is enjoying robust 2012-13 sales thanks to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) innovative electronic voucher system, which is helping communal farmers access agricultural inputs.

Mhaka, who used to stock mostly groceries at his rural store, has become an authorized dealer in maize seed, fertilizers, agro-chemicals and farming tools such as wheelbarrows, ploughs and hoes.

"In the past two years, when farmers from this area started using vouchers to buy farming inputs, I have been recording relatively high sales and have made it a point to adequately stock my shop at the beginning of the farming season," Mhaka told IRIN.

Food security

"Even though I have always sold agricultural inputs, particularly maize seed and fertilizer, before registering as an agro-dealer with the FAO, the stocks were small because not many farmers came to buy," he said.

The farmers were deterred by the inputs' high prices, as Mhaka bought his wares from Harare and then added his own mark-up.

But the initiative makes inputs and tools more accessible to cash-strapped small-scale farmers. In the "market-based input assistance initiative", farmers are each given US$128 in e-vouchers, with beneficiaries additionally contributing $32.

The system is designed to improve food security among vulnerable households through crop and livestock production, said the FAO in a statement. It also aims "to resuscitate the fragile rural agricultural input supply chain through re-engagement of markets, provision of subsidized inputs... [and] farmers' timely access to inputs".

"Through the voucher system, many more farmers are coming to buy from here," Mhaka said. His client-base has increased from about 90 people - buying mainly 50kg bags of fertilizer and maize seed - to more than 300 this year.

The initiative receives financial and technical support from the UK's Department for International Development (DfID), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the European Union and Zimbabwe's agriculture ministry, which also provides extension and training services.

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Fly ash can help increase agricultural produce

In a major agricultural advancement, soil scientists at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV), Raipur have developed a technique to improve soil quality and production of various crops, fruits and vegetable by using fly ash. 

The solution discovered by the scientists of IGKV will simultaneously resolve the storage problem of fly ash and also increase the agricultural production by many folds, claimed Dr KK Sahu, principal scientist and public relation officer of the university. Fly ash is one of the residues generated as a by-product after combustion of coal and lignite in thermal power plants. Fly ash is slowly emerging as serious threat to human health and environmental hazard due to the absence of proper storage facilities, believe environmental experts.

Fly ash being discharged by about 11 power plants in Chhattisgarh is calculated as 9.7 million tonne per year which could raise storage problem in the country in coming year, said Dr Sahu, adding that use of fly ash in agriculture field concurrently resolve storage problem and also improve soil health.

Speaking about the benefits of using fly ash in cultivation of different crops, Dr Sahu, said fly ash contain various nutrients to nourish plants, elaborating that fly ash not only improve soil quality but also act as fertiliser. Use of the industrial residue along with nitrogen, phosphorus, potash and other requisite things in recommended quantity will greatly help the farmers to increase their production by many folds, asserter principal scientist.

Application of fly ash in farming will be emerged as boon for farmers of Chhattisgarh because its use in the field helps to lower the acidic nature of soil, informed the principal scientist of IGKV and further informed that about 60 per cent land area in the State is acidic in nature. Several parts of Korba are highly acidic in nature, he added. Besides improving soil quality and chemical properties of soil, the use of fly ash in the field will also improve production of various crops, vegetables and fruits, he claimed. With the application of fly ash, fertility of entisols (weekly developed soil) could be improved, said Dr Sahu.

Greatly impressed with the innovative research and positive results achieved by scientists of IGKV in using fly ash for agriculture purpose, General Manager of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Korba has assured to provide fly ash to farmers free of cost and also expressed his consent in providing transportation facility for the same. To spread awareness about the recent agricultural break through, IGKV in association with NTPC, Korba recently organised a day-long Farmer Fair at Lakhanpur, Katghora. Dr Sahu further informed that the fair was attended by scientists of IGKV along with general manager of NTPC, Korba, additional general manager, deputy general manager and other officials of NTPC, Korba. During the fair, the scientists threw light on the pros along with the cons of using fly ash on the agricultural fields. The fair was attended by over 300 farmers.

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Investments key for long-term resilience, rebuilding agriculture in Haiti – UN agency

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has stressed that investments are crucial to help rehabilitate Haiti’s agricultural sector in the wake of various natural disasters this year that caused colossal damage to the farming and fishing industries.

“If we don’t invest today, we will pay the price tomorrow,” said Director-General José Graziano da Silva.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Haitian President Michel Martelly at FAO Headquarters in Rome yesterday, Mr. Graziano da Silva pledged to support Haiti through interventions that address the country’s immediate crisis situations as well as the root causes of its food insecurity and poverty.

FAO and the Haitian Government are currently seeking $74 million over the next 12 months to help long-term resilience in the country. The funds would be used to rehabilitate irrigation schemes and rural access roads; restore local seed production; provide seeds, fertilizer and agricultural tools to small farmers; support inland fisheries; and vaccinate livestock, among other activities.

The funds would also go towards helping farmers plant crops for the next planting season which starts in December.

Mr. Graziano da Silva said the objective is “to make Haitians, especially farmers, more resilient to climate and other challenges.”

Last month, Hurricane Sandy caused significant damage to Haiti’s crops, land, livestock, fisheries and rural infrastructures. It killed 60 people and flooded, destroyed or damaged some 18,000 homes, as well as hospitals, schools and public buildings.

It was the third disaster to hit Haiti in the space of a few months. Between May and June, a severe drought struck at the beginning of the critical spring cropping season, and in August, Tropical Storm Isaac battered the country, displacing thousands of people. Together, the three disasters left two million Haitians at risk of food insecurity and resulted in losses of $254 million to the agricultural sector.

“If we don’t intervene quickly, over 60 per cent of the population deriving their livelihood from agriculture will be put at risk,” said FAO Assistant Director-General for Technical Cooperation Laurent Thomas.

Out of the $74 million sought, FAO has so far secured $2.7 million, with indications of a further $5 million-$6 million from different donors. The agency will also implement short- and medium-term projects in response to the current crisis, ranging from immediate relief activities to interventions that have a longer-term economic and environmental impact.

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Nevis Agriculture officials satisfied with progress of pilot fish farm

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture on Nevis Dr. Kelvin Daly has expressed satisfaction with progress made with the fish farming pilot project at the Government owned farm at Prospect.

The top Agriculture Official told the Department of Information in a recent update, the project had advanced in the area of excavation and the installation of pond liner about two months ago and had taken two days to full. Since then the pond had been stocked with between 1500-1600 young tilapia from the reservoirs at Spring Hill and the Cotton Ground ponds, about half an ounce to ounce in weight.

“By next year June, we should be starting harvesting at that point when they are three quarters of a pound to one pound. We are hoping to get them at three quarters of a pound because from the three quarter pound fish, you can get two four ounce filets. If persons prefer to buy them fresh, then they will have the whole fish to buy at a pound or three quarters of a pound. So the project is going nicely,” he said.

The fish receive two daily feedings which has been documented so at the end of the programme the cost of production of one pound of fish could be determined.

Meantime, Dr. Daly reiterated that the pilot project was the Ministry and Department of Agriculture’s intervention in aquaculture on Nevis to ensure that the availability of fish protein did not become a problem for the island in the near future.

“I think we are one of the last in the region to invest in aquaculture programmes. It’s big in Jamaica and Trinidad and the Windward Islands. Dominica of course has natural rivers and lakes so they have a natural system. We have to invest in manmade systems to afford this kind of technology but it is critical on several fronts.

“The first front of course, is trying to make sure that we have affordable fish protein for Nevisians to eat. Right now if you look at the price of pot fish, the prices have been going up dramatically over the years. Some of it is because of external forces gasoline and fuel prices, operating cost, supplies etc. has been going up,” he said.

He referred to the fish ponds as static systems with significantly lower investment. Once the pond was stocked it translated to minimal management and therefore fish produced from that type of programme would be cheaper to produce and purchase.

Dr. Daly linked the second reason for the project to the reduction of pressure being faced by the near shore fisheries and the third for a reduction in importation.

“We have an awful lot of fishermen out there who are going out on the near shore areas traditionally and we are trying to ease some of the pressure by offering an alternative source of fish protein. The third of course is to reduce the importation of fish, especially tilapia coming all the way from Vietnam and China,” he said.

According to Dr. Daly, the Ministry had the capacity to adequately produce quality and safer fish on Nevis and as such the pilot project would also assist with import substitution as well.

“This programme here is about import substitution also. I think last year we imported close to US$175,000 worth of fish. I think we can save that money right here on Nevis by doing it ourselves and so we launched this pilot project to show persons on Nevis exactly how simple it is.

“This is a large scale project even if it is a pilot project but the technology is transferrable to small ponds, raceways and even tanks in your back yard or in your garage to make it work and it gives you the opportunity to eat more fish,” he said.

Dr. Daly said it was hoped that families with young children who needed fish protein in their diet would look at that technology and start up small projects in their backyards.

Notwithstanding, he said he also hoped that in the future they would receive outside assistance from friendly agencies to expand the project.

“What we are hoping for in the future of course, with the Taiwanese help is to establish a small hatchery for persons on Nevis or even St. Kitts to source fingerlings so you don’t have to go to the ponds and capture them out of the natural environment.

“It would be easier for us to manage the programme with a hatchery and therefore we are hoping to get that started in the new year with the help of the Taiwanese Mission in Cades Bay,” he said adding that they continued to be excited about the project and expected more farmers would come forward to be a part of the project next year.

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Plan for hydroponic farming

The Agriculture Research Centre, Salalah is all set to launch hydroponic system of farming and promote it among the farmers after successful trial run to be held under the supervision of agriculture scientists.

In hydroponic farming, water is used as only medium to supply necessary nutrients to the plants. The infrastructure for the same is ready at the Research Centre compound.

Around 800 foam pots have already been installed in a greenhouse measuring 270 square metres.

In-charge of the project and Vegetable Crop Researcher, Basim Bashir Abiudoon, is beaming with confidence that the project would be successful and would offer a nice and more productive way of farming to the residents of Dhofar.

The farming technique, according to Basim, has great potential in Oman due to its geographical location and climate. Scarce water supplies have also led the Ministry of Agriculture to adopt policies that support the reduction of agriculture practices that require a high use of water or do not make the most efficient use of water.

Part of the ministry’s policy involves either refurbishing and modernising existing operations or relocating both green houses and high water use field crops to other regions of the country.

Basim (pictured) termed this to be a high technique with simple structure. “In hydroponic way of farming we do not have to face problems of soil like fungus, salinity, etc, as in this technique we do not use soil at all. In place of soil we use materials like vermiculate, barite or simple husk. We plant the seedling and all the nutrients needed for the plant are supplied through water,” he said.

Vermiculite is the mineralogical name given to hydrated laminar magnesium-aluminium-iron silicate, which resembles mica in appearance. Vermiculite is ideal for the germination of seeds, because its aeration properties combined with its water holding capacity make it a very suitable medium for direct contact with the seeds.

“When vermiculite is used alone, without compost, seedlings should be fed with a fertilizer solution for week when the first true seeds appear. Large seeds can be mixed with vermiculite in a small polythene bag closed at the neck, and kept in a warm place until the seeds just start to germinate. Then plant them singly in small pots or trays of potting compost. Vermiculite can also be applied to the outdoor seed bed where it will give improved emergence and less risk of capping.”

Barite and husk work as substitute to vermiculite and serve the same purpose of transferring useful nutrients to plants in the hydroponic system of farming.

/> The Salalah Agriculture Research Centre is planning to start this project with lettuce and cucumber.

Commenting on the feasibility of the system, Basim said: “In countries having scarce water and good quality soil, this system is very useful and tested and this has been successfully experimented at our Rumaish centre in Muscat. Due to it being a water efficient technique, it is generally called ‘close system’ in which water is reused many times.

The planning is done in such a manner that the nutrition mixed water runs from a big tank to the pots and then drains out and comes again to the tank. The same water can be used several times in the ‘closed system’ of irrigation.”

Contrary to it, in the open irrigation system, water can be used only once and consumption here is far more than the closed system, said Basim.

In terms of expenditure, the initial expenditure is slightly more in the hydroponic system, but the yield here is far more, said Basim when asked about the advantages of the hydroponic farming over greenhouse farming.

“The infrastructure cost for 270-square metre greenhouse farming comes at RO 3500, while same area in hydroponic system needs an investment of RO 5000. But the benefit lies in output. The product difference between hydroponic and greenhouse varies from 3.5-4 tonnes to 2.5 tonnes respectively in the same area,” said Basim

Plus the hydroponic is labour, soil and water efficient system, he said and added it is likely to suit Salalah and adjoining areas due to some soil related problems being faced by the farmers.

(Source:- Omanet)

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Student-led agriculture fair offers glimpse of community’s farming roots

BELLEVILLE — Pedaling with all his might in a miniature John Deere tractor loaded with cement blocks, Addison L. Zumbach, 5, received a round of applause as he crossed the finish line Saturday in the parking lot at Belleville Henderson Central School.

Organized by high school students in the FFA, the tractor pull for children is one of the traditions at the school’s longstanding annual Community Agriculture Fair. Looking on, Addison’s father, Brian L., said he was in high school when the competition was introduced at the fair in the 1990s.

“It started when I was too old to do it, because I remember watching my friends’ younger brothers and sisters compete,” the 1997 alumnus said. “The fair is great family fun and gives people a chance to learn about the farming community around here.”

Ninety students in the FFA club from grades nine through 12 spent several weeks preparing for the show, which kicked off Friday evening with a harvest parade featuring tractors and floats. Students from each grade hosted different activities to raise funds for their classes, including a pie throw, cake wheel and raffles. Other students participated in agriculture competitions that featured everything from rabbits and chickens to vegetables, eggs and artwork. All participants’ entries were tagged with blue and red prize ribbons rewarding their efforts.

High school agriculture teacher Tedra J. McDougal, who organized the show for her second year, said her mission is to get every student involved. Surrounded by farmland, the school takes its identity from its agriculture program, she said.

“The community here is largely centered around agriculture,” she said, adding that a good portion of students pursue careers in the industry. While most people tend to associate dairy farmers with agriculture, she said, “only one-fifth of the careers in agriculture are in production.” Careers in education, research, technology and other sectors give students a broad career menu.

Upper-class officers in the club organized the fair by recruiting vendors, sending out newsletters and setting up displays. Several of them plan to pursue college degrees in the agriculture field after discovering their interests during their years in the club. Senior Nicole E. Race, who as the reporter for the club creates newsletters, said she plans to pursue a career in environmental science. She is especially interested in agronomy — the study of plants, pests and farming technology that affect farms.

Miss Race and three other members of the school’s agronomy club competed in the Eastern States Exposition last weekend in West Springfield, Mass. After claiming first prize in the competition there, the club is moving on to a national FFA competition, representing New York in Indianapolis in October.

“Our goal has always been to make nationals,” she said with a big smile, explaining that the team just fell shy in the past three years. “I’ve gotten to know all of the plants and compete in environmental science competitions every year.”

Sophomore Danielle H. Simmons, who was appointed the dairy ambassador of the club this fall, will visit local schools to talk to young students about the history and importance of the dairy industry in Jefferson County.

“I’m going to talk to kids about what dairy products are healthy and how milk is produced,” she said.

Mingling with visitors to sell their products, about 30 local vendors joined students to fill the gymnasium at the fair. Rachel J. Zumbach, who was selling soap made from goat milk, said it was her second year with a booth at the fair. She said the soap, which comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, is produced using milk from 30 goats at her farm at 1085 Route 178, Adams.

“It’s healthier for the human skin than commercial soap you buy in stores,” she said.

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