Wednesday, 8 April 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ Chinese Insurers Dumped On

CATCH THE BUZZ

Class Action Against Bond Insurers for a Billion Dollars because of Dumped Chinese Food.

Special to Bee Culture by Alan Harman

Five American food product producers file a $1-billion lawsuit seeking class-action status against a handful of major insurance companies and the U.S. government for alleged damages caused by dumped Chinese food products.

   The five producers are Sioux Honey Association, Adee Honey Farms, Monterey Mushrooms Inc., The Garlic Co. and Beaucoup Crawfish of Eunice Inc.

   The Dow Jones news service reports the complaint alleges the insurers’ negligent issuance of customs surety bonds, and the subsequent refusal to pay under the bonds, allowed the sale of “huge amounts of competing food imports” from China at below cost, or “dumped” prices.

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“The dumping of these imports forced the domestic producers to significantly lower the prices for their competing products, causing the producers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars,” lawyer Michael Coursey of Kelly Drye & Warren LLP tells the new service. The company is representing the producers.

   Customs bonds, required on all commercial imports entering the U.S., are contracts used for guaranteeing a specific obligation will be fulfilled between customs and an importer for any given import transaction.

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The complaint alleges that for eight years, the insurers negligently issued hundreds of customs surety bonds that guaranteed the payment of any dumping duties the government might determine were owed by U.S. importers for the specified Chinese goods.

   The lawsuit also claims the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Commerce Department failed to enforce four antidumping orders issued to protect domestic producers from dumped Chinese imports.

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The defendants include Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., Kingsway Financial Services Inc. unit Lincoln General Insurance Co., Swiss Reinsurance Co. Washington International Insurance Co. and American International Group Inc. unit American Home Assurance.
This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping  www.BeeCulture.com

 

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Tuesday, 7 April 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ AIA Takes Survey, Again.

CATCH THE BUZZ

Apiary Inspectors take annual survey, again. But Hurry.

What happened to the APHIS survey that was supposed to be funded? Or is this it?Maybe this year they won’t miss the colonies buried in the snow up north, eh?

The Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have asked that we fill out the following questionnaire. The information you provide will be entered into a spreadsheet and will not be attached to your name or address in any way. In addition to this e-mail survey, you may be contacted by phone and asked the same questions.  Please provide answers to both if you are asked to do so – but mention to the phone interviewer that you have already answered the questions via email.

Find out what's new at Mann Lake www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html

The results of this survey will be compiled and published so that everyone can see how bees are doing in the United States.  These results, along with those from the past two years, will be used to secure research funding and assistance for Bee health.  You can see the full report of losses over the winter of 2006-2007 as published in the ABJ at http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/CCDPpt/CCDJuly07ABJArticle-1.pdf and the losses from 2007-2008 at http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0004071

For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and the world see www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/

To have your event listed send a message to info@BeeCulture.com

Please complete the survey below.  The survey will be conducted between March 30 and April 17 2009.  If possible pass along this message to your association members, other beekeepers you know or put on your web page or in your newsletter. The more information the better.

1.      In what state(s) and county(s) do you keep your hives? If you keep hives in more than one state or county, please answer questions 2-9 separately by location.

2.      How many hives did you have alive in September 2008?

3.      How many hives are alive now (March/April 2009)?

4.      How many splits, increases, and/or colonies did you make/buy since September 2008?

5.      What percentage of loss, over this time period, would you consider acceptable?

6.      What percentage of your hives that died had no dead bees in the hive or in the apiary?

7.      To what do you attribute the cause of death for the hives that died?

8.      What percentage of your hives did you send to CA for almond pollination?

9.      How many times, on average, did you move your colonies last year?

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Please reply/forward the responses of this email to beeloss@gmail.com.

NOT back to CATCH THE BUZZ!

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping

www.BeeCulture.com

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Sunday, 5 April 2009

CATCH THE BUZZ Healthy Food, and now Bees

 

CATCH THE BUZZ“If you don’t plan to plant a garden in Lake Wobegon in the spring, it means you plan to be planted yourself.”

By Mike Stones

From FoodNavigator-USA.com

It’s an affirmation of life and fresh food from novelist Garrison Keillor that found favour on both sides of the Atlantic recently and one that carries potent messages for food manufactures and retailers.

Last week Michelle Obama, aided by local school children, dug up a patch of the South Lawn to create the first vegetable garden at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden, planted in the Second World War. The organic garden will provide fresh vegetables for the first family’s meals and for formal dinners but its most important role will be to educate children about eating fresh vegetables and fruit.

Taking pride of place in the White House’s 18 vegetable beds will be peppers, peas and spinach, berries and herbs, according to a report in The New York Times. But there will be no beets - apparently the President does not like them.

Mrs Obama’s not-so-secret garden is a very public commitment to healthy eating. It’s a superb way of persuading more Americans to eat fresh fruit and vegetables at a time when life-style related illnesses and obesity have become quiet killers in US communities across the country.

Find out what’s new at Mann Lake www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html

Food retailers and processors

It’s an initiative that could have powerful implications for food retailers and processors. If thousands or indeed millions of Americans develop a new taste for fresh local fruit and vegetables, apart from saving billions of dollars in healthcare, it could send seismic shock waves through the food industry. It could radically change the eating habits of a generation with obvious benefits to human health but less obvious negative impacts on the companies which produce and sell convenience foods.

Mrs Obama was clear where the drive to eat more healthily should start. “You can begin in your cupboard,” she told The New York Times, “by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables.”

It’s a powerful message that US consumers could take if not to their gardens, then at least to the shops. You don’t need to grow fresh vegetables in order to eat them. Under the spotlight of presidential patronage, fresh fruit and vegetable sales could rocket.

Also, this could be an opportunity for food manufacturers and processors. They could respond by incorporating healthier ingredients in their food products.

Yes, the Obamas’ garden could be dismissed as tokenism. But it is unquestionably a powerful token which others will be tempted to emulate. Already Unilever’s Haagen-Dazs has pledged to distribute two million bee-friendly flower seeds this year aimed at encouraging other American families to plant vegetable and fruit gardens and help bees to pollinate them. Many others are likely to follow the Obamas’ lead.

But why did they choose to plant an organic garden? Despite exhaustive studies no-one has ever proved that organically produced fruit, vegetables and meat are intrinsically better for human health than non organic foods. They are certainly less demanding of scarce resources but not necessarily healthier.

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Industrialized farming

Some believe the decision to make the garden organic was intended to send a signal about the need to reduce reliance on modern, industrialized farming with its colossal thirst for fossil fuels for power, for fertilizers and pesticides and for transport. It will be interesting to see if the Obamas’ private interest in organic food production will be matched by public policy commitments.

Meanwhile, the recent emphasis on growing your own fruit and vegetables is not confined to North America. Earlier this month one of Britain’s biggest landowners, the National Trust, pledged to create 1000 new allotments on its land over the next three years to allow local communities the opportunity to grow their own fruit and vegetables. Reflecting both economic and health interests, more and more people want to grow their own food with more than 100,000 people on allotment waiting lists.

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The new allotments could be used to grow up to 2.6m lettuces a year, or 50,000 sacks of potatoes or mixed produce with a value of up to ₤1.5m, according to the National Trust.

The last time so much public land was devoted to allotments was when the nation’s parks were converted to vegetable beds during the Second World War.

Perhaps, then, it’s not too fanciful to think of the White House vegetable garden and the National Trust allotments plan as key developments in another war: The war against obesity and unhealthy eating. The folks in Lake Wobegon would be proud.

This message provided by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping

www.BeeCulture.com

Proud Supporter of 2009 Eastern Apiculture Conference www.EasternApiculture.org

 

 

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Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

The White House and Bees?

Posted: 04 Apr 2009 06:55 AM PDT

white-house-garden-900Recently, Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture magazine, reported that Michelle Obama will welcome two honeybees hives into her organic vegetable garden. 

To read more about the latest buzz on the White House lawn you can find the article by clicking on this link:

thedailygreen

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Saturday, 4 April 2009

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Maritime Bee Tour 2009 Set For PEI

Posted: 03 Apr 2009 06:53 PM PDT

The Maritime Bee Tour will be held July 17-18, 2009, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and hosted this year by the Prince Edward Island Beekeepers’ Cooperative and the PEI Department of Agriculture.

Guest Speakers:

  • Dennis Van Engelsdorp, Penn State University
  • Rheal Lafreniere, CHC & Manitoba Agriculture
  • Alison Van Alten, Ontario Tech Tranfer Team
  • and Local Beekeepers

Tour:

Accommodations:

  • Glen Denning Hall, Holland College
  • $99.00 / night + taxes (1 or 2 bedroom same price) with private separate bathrooms
  • To book your room by phone, call toll-free 1-866-740-7702 or local (902) 367-7702 and indicate that you are with the Maritime Bee Tour “Code 233″

More information will be follow as it becomes available.

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Friday, 3 April 2009

Friend, here are ways to thrive during tough economic times.


Hello, Friend,

Issue #013, April 3, 2009. In This Issue...

--How to Thrive During Tough Economic Times

--You Can Build a Chicken Tractor - the Book Will Soon Be Available!

--The Homestead Pig

--The Homestead Cow or Steer

Lots of great information, so stop worrying about the economy and read on!

How to Thrive During Tough Economic Times

The economy looks grim these days, and there's a chance we may be facing hard times similar to those we had during the thirties. But with a little self discipline and foresight, you can not only survive during these difficult times, but actually thrive. Here are some tips:

Budget, Budget, Budget

Once and for all, stop thinking of a budget as something negative. Rather, look at it as a spending plan, a way to ease stress rather than increase it. It's when we don't know what we're doing that we get into trouble. Be realistic, sit down and figure out all your expenses, list your income and decide the best way to spend your money and reduce debt.

Eat Frugal, Eat Well

Believe it or not, you can cut your grocery bills in half and eat better quality food than you've ever had. The secret is to avoid fast food and look for food that is high in quality, low in calories and low in costs. Here are ways to cut your grocery costs.

Make It Yourself

Learn how to make your own soaps and lotions. Not only will you save on costs, but you will also end up with a far superior product. Start by trying this basic handmade soap recipe. It's not fancy, but it gets the job done and can be used for bathing, laundry and cleaning. Then use that soap as a base for your own homemade cleaners. And once you've mastered that basic handmade soap recipe, try this one. It comes courtesy of From Nature With Love:

Bubble Gum Soap Recipe
8 oz. soft water
3 oz. lye
7 oz. crisco
7 oz. coconut oil
6 oz. olive oil
1 oz. jojoba oil
1 oz. bubble gum fragrance oil
Red Sandalwood Powder to color

Instructions:

Mix water and lye together. Let cool to 100 degrees. Blend oils together over a double boiler all except the essential/fragrance oil. Melt and cool to 100 degrees. Blend the lye mixture and oils together slowly and stir till it traces. Add the red sandalwood powder mixed with the fragrance oil so there are no clumps of powder. Pour in mold and wrap in blanket to keep temp at an even 100 degrees then insert thermometer to keep track. When it gets to 80 degrees, it's ready to unmold. Cut and let rest for 2 weeks to cure.

Keep Chickens

Even if you live in the suburbs, you can keep chickens in a chicken tractor. Your flock will get fresh grass every day, fertilize your lawn and supply you with eggs.

You Can Build Your Own Chicken Tractor – The book is coming!

This handy guide will take you step by step through the process of building your very own chicken tractor, with lots of great information, such as the tools you'll need, how to acquire free wood, how to get your chickens and brooder (almost) for free, and lots of tips on how to care for your flock.

Both the ebook and the print edition will be available in April, 2009. Click here to learn more.

What's New at Organic Gardening and Homesteading

The Homestead Pig
Having a pig on your acreage will not only improve your soil, but also provide you with an excellent source of low-cost meat. Here's why you need one.

The Homestead Cow or Steer
Having your own cow or steer is a practical way to convert your extra pasture into milk and cheese for your family. Learn more about it here.

And as always, happy homesteading!

Like this issue of Successful Homesteading? Please forward it to a friend! And if a friend did forward this to you and you like what you read, please subscribe here.


Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this zine and tell me what you think! And thanks!

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Central Beekeepers Alliance

Central Beekeepers Alliance

Video: Honey Bees Fighting Varroa Mites and Bee Louse

Posted: 02 Apr 2009 05:20 PM PDT

This video, Bees fighting varroa and braula coeca, was made by Ivan Brndušic, an electronics technician (from a long line of beekeepers on his mother’s side) who lives, works, and watches honey bees in the town of Bor, Serbia. When you see the bees’ attempts to remove the pests, it makes it very clear why hygienic grooming behaviour is a desireable trait for breeding in honey bees!

There’s a great explanation — with annotated photographs — of exactly what we’re seeing in this video as the bees try to fight off both Varroa mites and the very similar-looking but relatively benign-to-bees braula coeca (bee louse) on Brndušic’s website at brnda.com.

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