CATCH THE BUZZ - SEEDS SHORT, ORDER EARLY

CATCH THE BUZZ

Will there be a shortage of vegetable seeds for gardeners in 2010?

Source: freep.com

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It is possible, says Barbara Melera, owner of the oldest seed house in the country, D. Landreth Seeds of New Freedom, Pa.

"In 2009, we had the worst growing season in 50 years," she said. Rain and disease destroyed crops and with them, the seeds for next year's garden.

"Onion sets. And a cucumber seed shortage," she predicted. "We are being told that the cucumber harvest was catastrophic, attacked late in the season by woolly mildew. There was fruit, but no viable seeds inside.

"We are being told that many, many varieties simply won't be available."

Likewise, Europe had a terrible harvest this year, and Europeans purchased much of their produce from the United States, taking with it, the seeds.

And, as further proof that we are in a global marketplace, Europeans and Australians have taken a fancy to eating sprouts.

"When you grow vegetables just to get the sprouts, nothing gets to fruit. And they are consuming gigantic quantities of seeds just for the purpose of sprouts," Melera said.

Word of possible shortages must be leaking out, Melera said, because retailers are telling her they had their best December in years.

It is certainly true that vegetable gardeners are ordering seeds earlier and earlier, but Melera said she thinks it is more likely that gardeners are acting out of fear of shortages.

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping, published by the A.I. Root Company.

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CATCH THE BUZZ - African Bees Not An Economic Threat

CATCH THE BUZZ

Killer Bees Aren’t So Bad After All…

by Alan Harman

 

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   The researchers at the university’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences say while the bees ruined domestic hives and damaged profits in South and Central American when they arrived in 1956, the analysis shows little or no impact on North American honey production.

   Charles Moss, one of the analysts behind the report and a professor in the department of food and resource economics, says a more pressing economic concern for beekeepers is colony collapse disorder.

   Moss says the analysis, published online by the journal of Ecological Economics, seems to indicate virtually no hive loss to the bees and any economic loss was likely due to the cost of preventive measures taken by hive keepers to keep the Africanized bees away.

   “This helps to show that the primary concerns with Africanized honey bees are liability and safety, which are everyone’s concern and aren’t strictly attached to beekeepers,” he says. “Beekeepers already have a much more pressing economic concern from CCD.”

   Moss says the analysis indicates beekeepers have been taking the optimal actions to reduce the effects of Africanized bees – actions such as those widely promoted by state agencies.

   Jamie Ellis of the university’s Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory says beekeepers usually change their management styles when Africanized bees are in the area. These steps can reliably keep Africanized bees from overtaking domestic hives.

   “I am not surprised about the lack of effect of Africanized bees on honey production,” he says.

   Ellis, who did not participate in the economic analysis, says certain factors, such as the need to replace queen bees more often, may drive costs up. And some beekeepers may lose money if they choose to leave lucrative bee-removal businesses due to worries about Africanized bee encounters.

   Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services head of apiary inspection Jerry Hayes says he’s worried that a more severe economic impact on beekeepers may come from overzealous zoning of domestic beekeepers due to misguided worries that having domestic bees may attract the Africanized bees.

   “Honey is a byproduct of pollination, which is the most important aspect of managed honey bees,” he says. “If beekeepers are zoned, ordinanced and restricted out of areas because of fear – then it is people putting the strain on the keepers and their ability to produce, not the Africanized bees.”

 

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A University of Florida economic analysis finds Africanized honey bees are not adversely affecting the North American honey industry even after spreading throughout 10 states.

CATCH THE BUZZ- Disaster Program Signup Deadline

CATCH THE BUZZ

Disaster Program Sign-Ups Due January 30

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Protein feeding pays off with better bee health, better survival, better production, and better wintering.  Learn More.

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Eligible livestock producers have until January 30 to submit applications for eligible livestock grazing losses that occurred due to drought or fire on or after January 1, 2008, and before October 1, 2011, according to the Livestock Forage Disaster Program. Wisconsin Farm Service Agency Director Brad Pfaff says all crops intended for grazing need to have crop insurance coverage or Noninsured Assistance Program coverage for the crop year that the benefits are requested.

"Producers considered limited resource, socially disadvantage or beginning farmers are exempt from the insurance requirement," Pfaff said.
 
The monthly payment rate will be an amount equal to 60 percent of the lesser of the monthly feed cost for all covered livestock, using a feed grain equivalent. The FSA also notes that losses due to drought must occur during the normal grazing period for the specific type of grazing land.

Meanwhile, eligible producers with livestock, forage, honey bees, or farm-raised fish losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009, will also have until January 30 to submit an application for payment for 2009 losses for the Farm-Raised Fish Program and the Livestock Indemnity Program. Adequate documentation must prove the loss occurred as a direct result of an eligible adverse weather event in the calendar year for which benefits are being requested.

Producers should contact their local FSA county offices with any questions about any of the programs.

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

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Central Beekeepers Alliance : New Honey Bee Documentaries

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New Honey Bee Documentaries Posted: 20 Jan 2010 09:44 AM PST A program by David Suzuki recently aired on CBC January 7th entitled To Bee or Not to Bee. The documentary explores various possibilities for the declining honeybee population in several countries such as industrial beekeeping, poor nutrition from monoculuture pollinations, and diseases. The topics are similar to another documentary The Vanishing of the Bees. It was released in the UK in October 2009 and is scheduled for US and international theatrical release in March, April and May. At this point the film is being screened at smaller venues in the states and the next showing is in New York in February.  The trailer for the film is available on youtube and you can sign up for mailing list updates on their website and follow release dates near you. New Honey Bee Documentaries comes from the Central Beekeepers Alliance of New Brunswick, Canada. For more information on Honey Bees and Beekeeping, please: * Visit http://cba.stonehavenlife.com * Subscribe to our RSS feed * Get free updates by e-mail No Related Post

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CATCH THE BUZZ - Food is back to basics

CATCH THE BUZZ

Honey Fits Right In With Food Channel's Predictions

From Meister Publishing

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Protein feeding pays off with better bee health, better survival, better production, and better wintering.  Learn More.

 

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 According to the Food Channel’s top 10 list of food trends for 2010, “back to basics” is in, meaning a focus on home-cooked meals made from basic, healthy ingredients.

The Food Channel’s foodies say it “isn’t about retro, or comfort food, or even cost -- it’s about determining the essentials and stocking your pantry accordingly.” They also anticipate consumers will shop more frequently in order to purchase the freshest ingredients while minimizing waste.

Food vetting is another emerging trend, the Food Channel says, including issues like Fair Trade and organics. Sustainability will remain front and center, too, with consumers adopting sustainable practices such as eating locally sourced and seasonal foods, as well as purchasing products in sustainable packaging.

Another trend will be “food with benefits,” meaning functional foods high in nutrients, which ties into another anticipated trend: bartering for consumables. Farmers markets and CSAs will continue to grow in popularity, and the Food Channel analysts even predict food swaps -- eg a box of tomatoes in exchange for babysitting.

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This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping. Watch this space, our web page, Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, and thedailygreen.com for registration information on our upcoming webinar on Urban Beekeeping.

  Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar

 

 

CATCH THE BUZZ - GM Alfalfa On Trial

CATCH THE BUZZ

Monsanto case against alfalfa ban reaches the Supreme Court

By Guy Montague-Jones, Food Production Daily.com

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The Supreme Court has agreed to review a court order that halted the planting of genetically modified alfalfa made by Monsanto.

Back in 2007, a federal district court order overturned approval from the Department of Agriculture and halted the planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa pending an environmental impact statement (EIS) from the USDA.

USDA report

Monsanto has fought this decision repeatedly in the courts and is now taking the case to the Supreme Court even thought the final EIS report is due for publication next month.

Garrett Kasper, a spokesperson for Monsanto, said the company is continuing the legal battle in order to fight for grower rights and set a legal precedent.

The Center for Food Safety disagrees with this assessment. Andrew Kimbrell, the executive director of the organic lobby group, said Monsanto is pushing the case all the way to the Supreme Court even though the USDA analysis is now complete and the US government has actively opposed further litigation.

This, Kimbrell said: “Underscores the great lengths that Monsanto will go to further its mission of patent control of our food system and selling more pesticides.”

Farmer freedom

Monsanto claims the court case is not about patent control but rather the freedom of growers to choose their products.

Kasper said the court injunction failed to establish that the product posed a “threat of irreparable damage,” which he said was necessary to justify a temporary ban.

Citing a case against US Navy about alleged damage to marine life from sonar, the company spokesperson said the Supreme Court has overruled court similar injunctions in the past.

But the Center for Food Safety is confident that the Supreme Court will uphold earlier opinions. “Although we believe a further hearing is unnecessary, we are confident we will again prevail, as the lower courts have already three times determined.”

Irrespective of the outcome, whether planting Roundup Ready alfalfa will eventually be permitted depends most crucially on the conclusions reached in the EIS. Kasper said Monsanto is encouraged by the draft report, which he described as being “pretty favourable.”

The final report is due for publication in February before a court decides on whether the ban on biotech alfalfa should be maintained.

Alfalfa is the fourth most commonly grown crop in the US, and according to Monsanto, 1 percent is currently Roundup Ready alfalfa. Under the 2007 court injunction farmers already using the GM crop were permitted to continue but any further planting was halted.

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

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CATCH THE BUZZ - URBAN BEEKEEPING WEBINAR

CATCH THE BUZZ

Free Webinar On Urban Beekeeping

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Protein feeding pays off with better bee health, better survival, better production, and better wintering.  Learn More.

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We will hear from 3 experienced Urban Beekeepers. Learn from these people and issues they confront and mistakes they have make.

Toni Burnham has been an urban beekeeper for 5 years, starting with 2 still-thriving hives on her Capitol Hill rooftop. She now manages 10 hives in the city and the suburbs, mentors about a dozen other urban beekeepers, participates in teaching at several local short courses, and is Vice President of the Maryland State Beekeepers Association. One of her great privileges in 2009 was an invitation to inspect the beehive managed by Charlie Brandts at the White House. She has blogged her beekeeping experiences at http://citybees.blogspot.com

Cameo Wood currently owns a beekeeping supply & honey shop in the Mission district of San Francisco, California called Her Majesty's Secret Beekeeper. I enjoy this a great deal, as I'm helping to create food, pollinate flowers and fruit trees in my city, and I am contributing to making the world a little better. She keeps a few hives in the Mission and Castro districts of San Francisco, and is working on putting up new hives all the time! She has only been working with bees for the last year, but this has been her life and full time job since she started building her store in October of 2008.

Cindy Bee (yes, it’s really her last name) is a beekeeper near Atlanta, Georgia. She is a past President and currently on the Board of Directors for the Metro Atlanta Beekeepers’ Association. They meet in the heart of downtown Atlanta where there are a good number of beekeepers who have their hives in small backyards there. As a club, they’ve had beehives at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Zoo Atlanta, and other inner city locations. Cindy has a fulltime business removing bees from within structures for the past 14 years, and most of her removals are in the Atlanta area neighborhoods.

Register Online: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/153470658

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American Beekeeping. Watch this space, our web page, Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, and thedailygreen.com for registration information on our upcoming webinar on Urban Beekeeping.

  Subscribe to Malcolm Sanford’s Apis Newsletter right here For a comprehensive listing of beekeeping events around the country and around the globe, check out Bee Culture’s Global Beekeeping Calendar