10000 times stronger killer of CANCER than Chemo

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"10000 times stronger killer of CANCER than Chemo".. do share it.. can save many lives, fill up hopes and build confidence in the patients...

The Sour Sop or the fruit from the graviola tree is a miraculous natural cancer cell killer 10,000 times stronger than Chemo.

Why are we not aware of this? Its because some big corporation want to make back their money spent on years of research by trying to make a synthetic version of it for sale.

So, since you know it now you can help a friend in need by letting him know or just drink some sour sop juice yourself as prevention from time to time. The taste is not bad after all. It’s completely natural and definitely has no side effects. If you have the space, plant one in your garden.
The other parts of the tree are also useful.

The next time you have a fruit juice, ask for a sour sop.

How many people died in vain while this billion-dollar drug maker concealed the secret of the miraculous Graviola tree?

This tree is low and is called graviola ! in Brazi l, guanabana in Spanish and has the uninspiring name “soursop” in English. The fruit is very large and the subacid sweet white pulp is eaten out of hand or, more commonly, used to make fruit drinks, sherbets and such.

The principal interest in this plant is because of its strong anti-cancer effects. Although it is effective for a number of medical conditions, it is its anti tumor effect that is of most interest. This plant is a proven cancer remedy for cancers of all types.

Besides being a cancer remedy, graviola is a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent for both bacterial and fungal infections, is effective against internal parasites and worms, lowers high blood pressure and is used for depression, stress and nervous disorders.

If there ever was a single example that makes it dramatically clear why the existence of Health Sciences Institute is so vital to Americans like you, it’s the incredible story behind the Graviola tree..

The truth is stunningly simple: Deep within the Amazon Rainforest grows a tree that could literally revolutionize what you, your doctor, and the rest of the world thinks about cancer treatment and chances of survival. The future has never looked more promising.

Research shows that with extracts from this miraculous tree it now may be possible to:
* Attack cancer safely and effectively with an all-natural therapy that does not cause extreme nausea, weight loss and hair loss
* Protect your immune system and avoid deadly infections
* Feel stronger and healthier throughout the course of the treatment
* Boost your energy and improve your outlook on life

The source of this information is just as stunning: It comes from one of America ‘s largest drug manufacturers, th! e fruit of over 20 laboratory tests conducted since the 1970's! What those tests revealed was nothing short of mind numbing… Extracts from the tree were shown to:

* Effectively target and kill malignant cells in 12 types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer..
* The tree compounds proved to be up to 10,000 times stronger in slowing the growth of cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug!
* What’s more, unlike chemotherapy, the compound extracted from the Graviola tree selectivelyhunts
down and kills only cancer cells.. It does not harm healthy cells!

The amazing anti-cancer properties of the Graviola tree have been extensively researched–so why haven’t you heard anything about it? If Graviola extract is

One of America ‘s biggest billion-dollar drug makers began a search for a cancer cure and their research centered on Graviola, a legendary healing tree from the Amazon Rainforest.

Various parts of the Graviola tree–including the bark, leaves, roots, fruit and fruit-seeds–have been used for centuries by medicine men and native Indi! ans in S outh America to treat heart disease, asthma, liver problems and arthritis. Going on very little documented scientific evidence, the company poured money and resources into testing the tree’s anti-cancerous properties–and were shocked by the results. Graviola proved itself to be a cancer-killing dynamo.
But that’s where the Graviola story nearly ended.

The company had one huge problem with the Graviola tree–it’s completely natural, and so, under federal law, not patentable. There’s no way to make serious profits from it.

It turns out the drug company invested nearly seven years trying to synthesize two of the Graviola tree’s most powerful anti-cancer ingredients. If they could isolate and produce man-made clones of what makes the Graviola so potent, they’d be able to patent it and make their money back. Alas, they hit a brick wall. The original simply could not be replicated. There was no way the company could protect its profits–or even make back the millions it poured into research.

As the dream of huge profits evaporated, their testing on Graviola came to a screeching halt. Even worse, the company shelved the entire project and chose not to publish the findings of its research!

Luckily, however, there was one scientist from the Graviola research team whose conscience wouldn’t let him see such atrocity committed. Risking his career, he contacted a company that’s dedicated to harvesting medical plants from the Amazon Rainforest and blew the whistle.

Miracle unleashed
When researchers at the Health Sciences Institute were alerted to the news of Graviola,! they be gan tracking the research done on the cancer-killing tree. Evidence of the astounding effectiveness of Graviola–and its shocking cover-up–came in fast and furious….

….The National Cancer Institute performed the first scientific research in 1976. The results showed that Graviola’s “leaves and stems were found effective in attacking and destroying malignant cells.” Inexplicably, the results were published in an internal report and never released to the public…

….Since 1976, Graviola has proven to be an immensely potent cancer killer in 20 independent laboratory tests, yet no double-blind clinical trials–the typical benchmark mainstream doctors and journals use to judge a treatment’s value–were ever initiated….

….A study published in the Journal of Natural Products, following a recent study conducted at Catholic University of South Korea stated that one chemical in Graviola was found to selectively kill colon cancer cells at “10,000 times the potency of (the commonly used chemotherapy drug) Adriamycin…”

….The most significant part of the Catholic University of South Korea report is that Graviola was shown to selectively target the cancer cells, leaving healthy cells untouched. Unlike chemotherapy, which indiscriminately targets all actively reproducing cells (such as stomach and hair cells), causing the often devastating side effects of nausea and hair loss in cancer patients.

…A study at Purdue University recently found that leaves from the Graviola tree killed cancer cells among six human cell lines and were especially effective against prostate, pancreatic and lung cancers Seven years of silence broken–it’s finally here!"
(TIME FOR LEARNING)

Agriculture university to establish plant diagnostic window

The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau International (CABI) have inked a memorandum of understanding to establish a plant diagnostic window to provide quality information and analyse plant diseases, pest management and nutrient deficiencies for the farming community.

A ceremony was organised in this regard by the Department of Entomology at the UAF. UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan and CABI Regional Director Dr Muhammad Shafiq signed the agreement.

Faculty of Agriculture Dean Professor Dr Muhammad Arshad, Entomology Chairman Professor Dr Jalal Arif, Professor Dr Anjum Sohail and Director External Linkages Professor Dr Ashfaq Chatha were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that UAF’s Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Institute of Soil will work together to extend the diagnostic services to the farming community in the form of mobile and stationed plant health clinics.

He said the agrarian productivity can be boosted manifold by transferring modern technologies to the small farmers comprising 90% of the farming community in Pakistan.

He said that a lab for animals was already working at the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences. He called for stepping up efforts to educate the masses about better management to increase their income in particular and to enhance the country’s agricultural production in general.

He said that Pakistan was losing 25% to 40% of its crops in the post-harvest process. Keeping this in view, it is the need of the hour to educate the farmers about latest practices to combat the food security challenges.

Faculty of Agriculture Dean Dr Muhammad Arshad said that the university will make all out efforts to address the productivity issues of the farming community.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2013.

FIRB method of planting

By Hadi Laghari

FIRB System: Furrow irrigated raised bed (FIRB) system of planting developed in Yucatan Valley of Mexico is being adopted by farmers only recently. In this method, raised beds (37.5 cm) alternating with furrows (30 

cm) are prepared and 2-3 rows of wheat are planted on the bed. The crop is irrigated in furrows. An economy in water with similar wheat yields is the main reason of its adoption. 

FIRBS is the way towards nutritional security and economic growth

of the farmers large number of technological optional for crop diversification are available which need kind attention of the extension agencies for their dissemination and acceleration of adoption

at farm level.

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)

Original Article Here

Cuba to increase biofertilizer production

Havana, Sep 29 (IANS) Cuba has approved an investment programme to build several plants to produce biofertilizers and biopesticides, as part of its efforts to revitalize the depressed agricultural sector, a senior official said.

Attending an international forum "Labiofam 2012" which closed here Friday, Minister of Agriculture Gustavo Rodriguez said they would establish the new plants in a three-year period, reported Xinhua.

Labiofam is Cuba's most important group devoted to the production of biotechnological products for agriculture and medicine.

Besides providing farmers with biofertilizers and biopesticides, the project aims to maintain yields, import substitutes and protect the environment.

Rodriguez said scientists were seeking nutritional alternatives for the soil to reduce the use of high doses of mineral fertilizers.

Cuba has some 350,000 farmers engaged in food production for a population of 11.2 million.

Cuba imports each year 80 percent of its food, with a bill fluctuating between $1.5 billion and $2 billion.

The revival of agriculture to increase food production on the island is considered an "urgent challenge" and a matter of "national security", Rodriguez said.

Original Article Here

Plant Based Nutrients vs Animal Based Nutrients

Many people think that eating solely plant based food is not healthy and are still convinced that meat, dairy, fish and eggs are necessary part of our diet. Often when they learn that somebody is vegan; the immediate reaction is to question how on earth they get their nutrients from plants. Infact eating varied diet containing plenty of fruites, vegetables, nuts and seeds and wholegrains, it is extremly easy  to get all the nutrients we reqired and more goodness besides with added bonus that plant based food contains no saturated animal fats, no cholestrol and none of acidifying effects of animal derived food. It is very easy to get equal, and often better sources of all vitamins, minerals and proteins; that are found in animal derived products, from plant based food.

• Vitamin A

100g of Butter will provide 684mcg of Vitamin A.

But an equal weight of raw Carrots contain a whopping 836mcg of same

vitamin.

• Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)

100g serving of Meat will provide 1.2mg of vitamin B1.

But equal weight of Sunflower Seed contains more than 1.9mg of B1.

• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

One Egg will provide 0.23 mg of Vitamin B2.

But just 100g of Brown Mushrooms contains nearly double at 0.4mg of B2.

• Vitamin B3 (Niancin)

100g of Mackerel will provide 6 mg of Niacin.

But 100g of Peanuts contain more than double at 12.9mg of B3.

• Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

100g of roasted Chicken will provide 0.9mg of Vitamin B5.

But just one cup of Soy Milk will provide exactly the same.

• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)

100g of Beaf Liver provide 1.03mg of B6.

But 100g of Roasted Pistachios contains more than 1.7mg of same Vitamin.

• Vitamin B12

A single Hamburger Patty will provide 1mcg of B12.

But just one four gram serving- enough for one slice of toast- of Meridian

Yeast Extract contains double at 2mcg.

• Vitamin C

100g of Roasted Meat contain 1mg of VitaminC.

But 100g of Roasted Soyabin contains more than double at 2.2mg.

and just one cup of Strawberies contains an amazing 84.7mg.

• Vitamin D

An adequate amount can be odetained from exposure to Sunlight.

• Folic Acid (Folate)

Two Fried Eggs will provide 50mcg of Folic Acid.

But just a half cup of Chickpeas contains nearly three times, 141mcg.

• Pottasium

1 Cane of Tuna provides 407mg of Pottasium.

But a single Banana Contain more at 450mg.

A 100g of dried Appricots contain a whopping 1380mg of pottasium.

• Selenium

100g of Pink Salmon will provide 57.2mcg of Selenium.

But just 100g of Nuts contains huge 1917mcg.

• Megnisium

125g of Youghurt will provide 18.8mg of Megnisium.

But one cup of cooked Spinach contains a lot more at 156.6mg.

• Zinc

100g of Lamb will provide 8.1mg of Zinc.

100g of Pumpkin or Sesame Seed contains more at 10.3mg.

• Iron

100g of Beaf Pieces will provide 1.66mg of Iron.

But an equal weight  of Dark Chocolate (80% Cocoa Solids) contain 11.90mg.

• Calcium

A glass of Cow's Milk will provide approx. 300mg of Calcium.

But one cup of cooked Coolard Greens contains more at 357mg.

• Phosphorus

100g of Chicken wiii provide 190mg of Phosphorus.

But an equal weight of delecious Macadamia Nuts provides same amont.

• Iodine

A half cup of Cottage Cheese will provide up to 60mcg of iodine.

But a single sheet of Kombu Seaweed contains double at 150mg.

• Protein

A 100g serving of Sirloin Staek will provide 23.5g of Protein.

But an equal weight of cooked Edamame Beans contains more at 39.6g.

Half a cup of Tofu contains double the protein of a half cup of Cow's Milk.

(Tofu is totaly free of Cholestrol)

Other excelent sources of proteins are Nuts, Beans, Lentils, Wholegrains and many vegetables such as Spinach and Broccoli; all of which also provides

Dietary Fibers, which is necessary to maintain a healthy body.

Animal Derived food contain no fiber.

ALL PLANT PROTEINS BLOCK CANCER AND ALL ANIMAL PROTEIN PROMOTES CANCER.

Original article Here

Ag Dept unveils new steps to stop food stamp fraud

The Agriculture Department says it is going to impose tougher penalties on stores that violate food stamp rules and give states new tools to root out applicants who are ineligible for the benefit program that now covers about 1 out of every 7 Americans.

The move to shore up integrity in the program comes as Congress struggles to pass a $100 billion-a-year bill that will fund food stamps and determine farm policy for the next five years. Some 80 percent of the money in the farm and nutrition bill goes to the food stamp program.

Department Undersecretary Kevin Concannon stressed that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program already has one of the best track records among federal programs in fighting violations, with a trafficking or abuse rate of only about 1 percent of total transactions.

But in a program where even a small amount of abuse can amount to millions of dollars, “we are very mindful of public confidence” that only those who qualify for benefits will receive them, he said.

That confidence is particularly important now because of growing pressure on Congress to pass a farm bill that includes the food stamp and other nutrition programs.

The farm bill, which sets policy on crop subsidies and conservation, has made it through Congress in the past because the link with food stamps has made it popular for lawmakers with both rural and urban constituents. With the current bill set to expire at the end of September, The Senate passed a new bill in June and the House Agriculture Committee approved a similar version in July.

But House GOP leaders have declined to bring the bill to the floor for a vote, fearing that disputes over food stamps would lead to its defeat. The House bill would cut current food stamp spending by about 2 percent, or $1.6 billion, a year, mainly by cracking down on policies making it easier for states to bestow benefits. But House conservatives are demanding further cuts in the program while some Democrats say they are excessive, resulting in several million people being removed from food stamp rolls. The Senate-passed farm bill reduced food stamp spending by about $400 million a year.

The food stamp program has seen participation climb from 28 million at the start of the recession to 46 million today and has become a focus of fiscally conservative lawmakers critical of government spending.

The new sanctions announced by the Agriculture Department on Thursday would allow the department to both disqualify a retailer who traffics and assess a monetary fine proportional to the amount of business the store does with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Currently the department cannot do both and too often the penalties “may have been viewed as a slap on the wrist,” Concannon said.

Original Article Here

Need for integrated nutrition policy stressed

The two-day Sindh multi-sectoral nutritional workshop concluded on Tuesday with an emphasis on integrated nutrition policy, political commitment, uninterrupted flow of funds as well as strong monitoring and evaluation arrangements to tackle the issue of malnutrition.

Participants in the forum, organised by the Sindh planning and development department and Save the Children, agreed that the education, agriculture, social security and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for All (WASH) were required to be made more active in terms of province-specific planning, capacity and productivity, while addressing the aspects of nutrition and under-performance, particularly in case of children under five years and women.

In his opening remarks, deputy country director of Save the Children Dr Amanullah Khan said that undernourishment and its impact on children’s performance and work productivity was one of the many development challenges Pakistan and Sindh were faced with.

“Addressing the problem would only cost a small fraction of the GDP amount being lost due to malnutrition in Pakistan,” he said, adding that there was a need to make the private sector more productive, innovative and accountable while motivating them for playing their due role in human development.

Later during a sector-wise group presentation session, speakers were unanimous in their view that the sectors concerned lacked relevant policy guidelines, financial resources, equipment, expertise and workforce to achieve the nutrition-responsive goals.

They highlighted the need for having baseline data and research and development initiatives to know the tasks or inputs required from them and the difference they could make in tackling the issue of malnutrition, in addition to updating of the staffs and public awareness campaigns.

Toufiq Shah of education group called for inclusion of chapters on nutrition in academic courses particularly for adolescent girls. Besides, he said, incentives such as food or cash would encourage enrolment and attendance.

He added that efforts were needed to mobilise donors, private and government resources to meet the financial crunch.

Representing health group, Dr Durre Shahwar referred to the human resource and demanded appointment of nutritional assistants at primary health care units. She also called for baseline survey and information researches, inclusion of nutrition in the medical curriculum and regulation of the private health care settings as well.

The food and agriculture group leader demanded that a policy for fortification of food at the national level be evolved and a clearly defined policy on distribution of land resources and agriculture inputs be announced to ensure fair opportunities to small-scale farmers and tenants in the province.

He also called for enhancing the scope of the ongoing integrated pest management programme, control of fluctuating food prices in local market, and availability of fortified food in rural and urban markets at subsidised rate.

Representing social protection group, Iqbal Ahmed Detho said the government and civil society should collaborate in planning and synergies. He also called for addressing the issue of inadequate political will and interest, inadequate institutional capacity.

Leader of the WASH group said that there was no water policy and a lot was still needed to be done on the sanitation side. He laid emphasis on treatment of all sorts of sewage.

Other participants suggested constitution of a steering committee with focal persons from various sectors. They said a policy should be made for the entire province and public awareness built on this policy.

They called for focusing more on preventive measures for addressing malnutrition. It was said that food security and nutrition objectives be given due priority while conceiving and implementing projects in the agriculture, irrigation, water and drainage sectors.

Some of the participants were of the opinion that nutrition problems could be addressed adequately only through long-term strategies instead of short-term policies.

Unicef’s chief nutritionist Silvia Kaufmann said that a draft of the policy guidance notes and strategic and operation plan would be finalised by September, following which a series of consultative workshops would be held till November, while a final discussion would be held involving the stakeholders for endorsement and launching latest by December 2012.

Sindh Health Director General Dr Feroze Memon, Dr Luc Laviolette, Dr Rozina Mistry and Arshad Mahmood of Save the Children also spoke.

Original Article Here

Agriculture Department head works to boost food industry

DAVID RUNK

DETROIT (AP) — The new head of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is moving forward with efforts to boost the state’s agriculture exports, encourage job-creation in the food industry and make sure farmers get the support they need amid this year’s extreme weather.

Jamie Clover Adams notes, however, that ensuring food safety remains at the core of the department’s mission. With more funding for the coming budget year approved by the Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder, she said, the department is stepping up those efforts as well.

“It’s kind of like one of those invisible things that folks don’t really think about,” Clover Adams said in a recent telephone interview. “But we are definitely focused on that because that is the core and the underpinnings to the success of the entire sector.”

The new budget increases spending for the department to about $70 million and includes nearly $6 million for initiatives supporting increased on-farm environmental protection, food safety and opportunities for regional economic growth. There’s also $600,000 for additional staff to work on rural development efforts, assist with economic growth work and support export expansion.

One notable change will be dairy inspections, Clover Adams said, which previously were turned over to industry field representatives in nine central Michigan counties. With about $300,000 in additional funding, a total of 17 state dairy inspectors will be available to inspect all dairy farms and processing plants, the department said.

“We’re bringing that back in house,” she said. “We’ll have the state inspection personnel but we’ll also have the industry folks who are still out there.”

The focus on food safety makes business sense. Leslie D. Bourquin, a professor and food safety specialist with the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University, said ensuring food safety is crucial — particularly if the agriculture sector wants to expand trade.

“It’s non-negotiable” Bourquin said.

Clover Adams came to the agriculture department this month from the state Department of Environmental Quality, where she was its policy and legislative affairs director. Her experience also includes four years as director of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, from 1999-2003, and she has been drawing on that experience as she gets settled in Michigan’s department, which has an expanded economic, social, and educational focus.

“It is about more than just agriculture and food,” Clover Adams said. “It’s about many other things. And how do we expand on that.”

Original Article Here

House Agriculture Committee unveils its farm bill, calls for bigger cuts to food stamp program

By Associated Press

The House Agriculture Committee on Thursday unveiled its approach for a long-term farm and food bill that would reduce spending by $3.5 billion a year, almost half of that coming from cuts in the federal food stamp program.

The legislative draft envisions reducing current food stamp spending projections by $1.6 billion a year, four times the amount of cuts incorporated in the five-year, half-trillion-dollar farm bill passed by the Senate last month.

Food stamps, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, look to be the most contentious issue when the Agriculture Committee begins voting on the bill Wednesday and when the full House begins debating it in the future.

Conservatives in the Republican-led House are certain to demand greater cuts in the food stamps program, which makes up about 80 percent of the nearly $100 billion a year in spending under the farm bill. Senate Democrats are equally certain to resist more cuts in a program that now helps feed 46 million people, 1 out of every 7 Americans.

“Underfunding this critically important program when families temporarily rely on it to put food on the table in a tough economy is irresponsible and inhumane,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., a food stamp advocate in the House. The Agriculture Committee said its bill would strengthen the program’s integrity while better targeting assistance to those in need of it.

The House proposal, like the Senate measure that passed on a bipartisan 64-35 vote, also does away with the much-criticized direct payment system whereby farmers get federal assistance even when they don’t plant a crop. Both put greater emphasis on crop insurance to help farmers get through natural disasters and falling prices.

The House bill differs, though, in giving farmers a one-time choice between a revenue loss program to cover shallow losses before insurance kicks in and a new target price program to see producers through deep, multiple-year price declines. The Senate bill contains only the revenue loss program, overriding the objections of Southern rice and peanut growers who have traditionally relied more heavily on price support programs.

The two chambers are in a race to reach a compromise before Sept. 30, when the current farm bill expires.

House GOP leaders have shown little enthusiasm for taking up the farm bill because of resistance from conservatives to the bill’s price tag, but the Agriculture Committee’s chairman, Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., and top Democrat, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, stressed its importance.

Lucas said the bill, the result of two years’ work, “is reform-minded, fiscally responsible policy that is equitable for farmers and ranchers in all regions.” Peterson said that by failing to act before the September deadline, “We jeopardize one of the economic bright spots of our nation’s fragile economy.”

The bills, in addition to setting commodity support and nutrition policy, also authorize conservation, trade, foreign food aid, rural development, forestry and energy programs.

While the bills cover five years, the Congressional Budget Office measures their effects over 10 years, and in that time period the House bill would save taxpayers more than $35 billion, the Senate bill $23 billion. The House savings come from trimming about $14 billion in the commodity support programs, $6 billion by consolidating 23 conservation programs into 13 and $16 billion from food stamps. Savings in the Senate bill are similar for commodities and conservation but $12 billion less from food stamps.

The Senate derives its food stamp savings mainly by cracking down on fraud and on a practice of some states of giving households as little as $1 a year in heating assistance, even when they don’t directly pay for heating, to make them eligible for increased food benefits. The House also stops this practice while restricting a system wherein states can provide food benefits to those whose assets exceed legal limits for food stamps as long as they receive some other welfare benefit. It ends Agriculture Department bonus payments to states that increase food stamp registrations.

The Congressional Budget Office, in its analysis of the Senate bill, estimated that the $4.5 billion saved over 10 years by curbing the heating assistance link to food stamps would result in nearly 500,000 households each year having their monthly food stamps reduced by an average of $90, nearly one-third of what they receive.

“America’s children, seniors and 1.5 million veteran households facing a constant struggle against hunger deserve better from Congress,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who led Senate efforts to block food stamps cuts, said of the House bill.

The House measure, like its Senate counterpart, leaves intact a program that protects sugar producers from foreign competition and creates a new subsidized insurance program for cotton. It does not include several amendments attached to the Senate bill, including one that required those getting subsidized crop insurance to comply with conservation requirements and another that reduce by 15 percentage points the share of crop insurance premiums the government pays for farmers with adjusted gross incomes of more than $750,000. Currently the government bears an average 62 percent of crop insurance premiums.

The House bill also contains a provision, passed separately by the House last year, that eliminates a requirement that farmers obtain additional pesticide application permits under the Clean Water Act.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Original Article here

Small farmers creating a new business model as agriculture goes local

The cultivated rusticity of a farmers market, where dirt-dusted beets are status symbols and earnest entrepreneurs preside over chunks of cheese, is a part of weekend life in cities across the nation as the high days of the summer harvest approach.

But beyond the familiar mantras about nutrition or reduced fossil fuel use, the movement toward local food is creating a vibrant new economic laboratory for American agriculture. The result, with its growing army of small-scale local farmers, is as much about dollars as dinner: a reworking of old models about how food gets sold and farms get financed, and who gets dirt under their fingernails doing the work.

“The future is local,” said Narendra Varma, 43, a former manager at Microsoft who invested $2 million of his own money last year in a 58-acre project of small plots and new-farmer training near Portland, Ore. The first four farmers arrived this spring alongside Varma and his family, aiming to create an economy of scale — tiny players banded in collective organic clout. He had to interrupt a telephone interview to move some goats.

Economists and agriculture experts say the “slow money” movement that inspired Varma, a way of channeling money into small-scale and organic food operations, along with the aging of the farmer population and steep barriers for young farmers who cannot afford the land for traditional rural agriculture, are only part of the new mix.

A looming shortage of migrant workers, with fewer Mexicans coming north in recent years, could create a kind of rural-urban divide if it continues, with mass-production farms that depend on cheap labor losing some of their price advantages over locally grown food, which tends to be more expensive. From the vineyards of California to the cherry orchards of Oregon, big agriculture has struggled this year to find willing hands. Local farm sales are becoming more stable, predictable and measurable. A study last fall by the Department of Agriculture said local revenues had been radically undercounted in previous analyses that mainly focused on road stands and markets. When sales to restaurants and stores were factored in, the study said, the local food industry was four times bigger than in any previous count, upward of $4.8 billion.

More predictable revenue streams, especially at a time when so many investments feel risky, are creating a firmer economic argument for local farming which, in years past, was more of a political or lifestyle choice.

“How you make it pay is to get closer to the customer,” said Michael Duffy, a professor of economics at Iowa State University, capsuling the advice he gives to new farmers in the Midwest.

Labor, as it has been for generations in the United States, is still the big wrinkle for local growers. But in many cases, experts like Duffy say, the local food system is increasingly going its own way, differentiated from the traditional labor pool of migrant workers that the United States’ mainstream produce system depends on. Many larger local farms hire Hispanic workers, but at more farm stands and markets, buying local also means, in subtle or not so subtle ways, buying native.

“A byproduct of local food is that local hands are more likely to be producing, harvesting, packing and marketing it, especially for new farmers on small-scale farms,” said Dawn Thilmany McFadden, an agricultural economist at Colorado State University who is part of a leadership team for a training program for beginning farmers.

In other instances, Hispanic entrepreneurs who had worked as low-wage laborers are now becoming entrepreneurs. A 3-year-old nonprofit group north of Seattle, Viva Farms, specifically aims to help Hispanic farmers get started, with assistance in language training and in understanding the vagaries of the marketplace.

“We work harder now,” said Misael Morales, 35, describing the main difference between life as a farm laborer and as an entrepreneur.

Morales came to the U.S. from Oaxaca, Mexico, as a teenager, and last year he started, with his brother, Salvador, 32, a 1-acre plot at Viva Farms. They mainly grow lettuce for markets and restaurants in Seattle.

“Early or late, when something has to get done, you do it,” he said.

Viva Farms’ director of business and organizational development, Ethan Schaffer, said former wage workers like the Morales brothers are often shocked when they realize the prices and profit margins that local organic produce can fetch — something, he said, that rarely penetrates down to the daily life of a migrant picker.

“They get the ag part, and once they realize how the market works, they’re off and running,” Schaffer said.

Other new farmers, like Christopher Brown, 26, a former Marine infantryman who worked his first day last month at Grow Washington, an organic farm north of Seattle, have more complex motives. Taking a break from the carrot-cleaning table, he said he dreams of building an organization to help bring other veterans into local farming.

Other urban-focused farms, including one in Oregon City, Ore., called C’est Naturelle, are offering, starting this month, one-stop shopping services: community-supported agriculture subscriptions to supply a family a full diet of food from one place, from eggs and butter to beef and greens.

Varma’s project near Portland, called Community by Design, was inspired, he said, by the Slow Money movement, which has emerged in recent years as a vehicle for financing local, organic food production through groups like Slow Money, a nonprofit based in Boulder, Colo., that connects investors, entrepreneurs and farmers. Of $18 million raised in the last two years by Slow Money, $4 million — the biggest chunk — landed here in the Pacific Northwest, said Woody Tasch, the group’s chairman.

But the economic path forward for local food is still in many ways difficult.

The federal farm bill, passed by the Senate last month, has provisions to support farmers’ markets. But in Washington state, a program aimed at helping growers build direct marketing relationships with grocers or restaurants died last year in a round of budget cuts.

For Jenny and Alex Smith, both 25, a couple since they met in college — now first-year farmers on a tiny plot about an hour north of Seattle — the economic equation comes down to lowering one’s costs and needs.

They live in a recreational vehicle with no television or Internet service, and they hope to break even this year, earning perhaps $1,600 a month through farmers’ markets and subscriptions for weekly produce packages, so far mostly from friends and family. But they say a farming life still feels, to them, full of promise. They had boring office jobs in Seattle, they said, and now they have a farm dog named Banjo.