Organic TradeIf organic products are considered dough, trade is the yeast of the organic market. The interchange and export of organic products are the ingredients to a rising dough for baking economic bread that feed a growing niche market. The more the demand, the more the trend will be for increasing the organic footprint and decreasing the carbon footprint. This, along with other green activities, will help stabilize and restore our global ecology. Associations were formed to promote ethical consumerism, promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy. The following content is periodically updated so check back for more information on organic trade.
Articles On Organic Trade:- Minnesota Apple Producers Get Creative
Blog article written by Lisa Jore, program manager of The Food Industry Center at the University of Minnesota.
In Minnesota, each season’s weather brings different challenges to the growing season. This year was no different. Minnesota’s unseasonably warm March prompted apple blossoms to arrive early, but was then followed by a cold snap in April, with below-freezing temperatures that threatened Minnesota’s apple crop.
In response, Minnesota’s apple producers got creative. More than one Minnesota orchard employed helicopters as a means of preserving their newly bloomed apple blossoms. Afton Apple Orchard, located east of St. Paul, brought in helicopters on below-freezing nights to keep higher, warmer air circulating around the apple blossoms. Apple fruit flowers begin sustaining damage when temperatures get below 28 degrees. In an interview on Minnesota Public Radio with orchard production manager Michael Fleming, the orchard doesn’t expect all blossoms to survive, but he noted trees on warmer, higher ground should still be productive. Other producers used micronutrient treatments to resist cold temperatures or driving tractors through their orchards to keep the warm air circulating around the blossoms. University of Minnesota horticultural scientist David Bedford said that while it is still too early to know the full extent of the crop damage, estimates range from 20 to 90 percent loss. Orchards located in the south central part of the state with more matured blossoms may suffer more damage than those that were less mature in the north. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture estimated that damages may vary from orchard to orchard and variety to variety. Apple Orchard Uses Helicopters to Help Save Crop, Cathy Wurzer, MPR, April 11, 2012.
April Frost Threatens Minnesota Apple Crop, Kim Palmer, StarTribune, April 11, 2012.
Frost Damage to Apple Flowers, University of Minnesota Extension – April 15, 2012.
Minnesota Apple Farmer’s Crop Wiped Out by Frost, Susie Jones, CBS Minnesota, April 13, 2012.
Fruit IPM Update #1, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, May 4, 2012 - Nation's Largest 100 Agriculture Co-ops Post Near-Record Sales
The nation’s 100 largest agriculture cooperatives reported near-record revenue of 8 billion in 2010. This was an increase of 4 percent over 2009 figures. Net income for the 100 top agriculture co-ops was also up more than 10 percent in 2010, reaching http://www.agmrc.org/agmrc_blog/index.cfm?show=rss.39 billion, up from http://www.agmrc.org/agmrc_blog/index.cfm?show=rss.16 billion in 2009.
CHS Inc., a farm supply, grain and foods cooperative based in Saint Paul, MN, topped the list with 2010 revenue of .3 billion. Land O’ Lakes, a dairy foods and farm supply co-op, also based in Saint Paul, ranked second, with revenue of .1 billion; Dairy Farmers of America, based in Kansas City, Mo., was third with .8 billion in 2010 revenue.
Leading the revenue increase from 2009 to 2010 were dairy cooperatives, which saw 2010 revenue climb more than 14.5 percent from the previous year, to .5 billion. Dairy cooperatives accounted for more than half of the revenue increase recorded by the top 100 ag co-ops in 2010.
For a complete list of the top 100 cooperatives, go to http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/rdTop100AgCoopList04-27-2012.pdf. For a more detailed look at the top 100 Ag Co-ops, see page 16 of the March-April issue of USDA's "Rural Cooperatives" magazine: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/openmag.htm. - Farmers' Markets - More than Local Food
Farmers' markets aren't just a source of local food anymore. Markets across the United States are utilizing regional culinary dishes, local musicians and nature to create a sense of community and offer a tourism experience for visitors and community members alike. Recently, USA Today Travel blogged their top 10 markets nationally, offering both a great source of local food, conversation and music to provide a sense of community and tourism dollars to the region. Did your farmers' market make the cut? Read more at USA Today. - National Value-added Agriculture Conference Approaching
The 2012 National Value Added Conference will investigate how partnerships between economic development agencies, communities and businesses enhance the quality of life for rural residents by fostering civic infrastructure, strengthening the sustainability of agricultural production, promoting value added products, and improving economic opportunities consistent with the scale and capacity of the community. This conference is for service providers in Extension, Rural Development, Business Consultants, State Departments of Agriculture, Small Business Development Centers, Farm Bureau, Agricultural Innovation Centers, Cooperative Development Centers and more. The conference will be held in Traverse City, Michigan on June 24 to 26, 2012. Conference participants will have the opportunity to interact with innovative business owners and economic developers from throughout Michigan and around the US to discuss rural entrepreneurism, adding value to agricultural products, agritourism, and rural economic development. The conference will include breakout sessions and tours to allow maximum interaction between participants and practitioners. Conference Venue - Click this link for conference resort information and registration. Resort Discounts - Click this link for conference resort discounts. Agenda - Click this link for conference agenda.
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- Are Healthy Foods Really More Expensive? It Depends on How You Measure the Price
Most Americans consume diets that do not meet Federal dietary recommendations. A common explanation is that healthier foods are more expensive than less healthy foods. To investigate this assumption, the authors compare prices of healthy and less healthy foods using three different price metrics: the price of food energy ($/calorie), the price of edible weight ($/100 edible grams), and the price of an average portion ($/average portion). They also calculate the cost of meeting the recommendations for each food group. For all metrics except the price of food energy, the authors find that healthy foods cost less than less healthy foods (defined for this study as foods that are high in saturated fat, added sugar, and/or sodium, or that contribute little to meeting dietary recommendations). - Farm Activities Associated With Rural Development Initiatives
Since 2002, USDA’s Rural Business and Industry (B&I) Loan Guarantee program
has increased its emphasis on farm-related business activities associated with renewable
energy, local/regional food, and value-added agriculture. Other new programs and
program modifications also have focused on these and other farm activities and related
industries, including the use of farm and ranch natural resources. This trend represents
a relatively new direction for USDA’s Rural Development programs, which have historically
focused on nonfarm-related business. This report improves our understanding of the
farm and farmer characteristics that may influence farm operator involvement in development-related activities, specifically by focusing on five farm activities: organic farming,
value-added agriculture, direct marketing, agritourism, and energy/electricity production.
The findings are based on descriptive data from USDA’s 2007 Agricultural Resource
Management Survey (ARMS) and estimates from logit models used to identify statistically
significant factors associated with involvement in certain farm activities. - Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook
Timely livestock, dairy, and poultry information, focusing on current and forecast production, price, and trade statistics for each of the sectors. - Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook
Examines world and U.S. production, consumption, trade, stocks, and prices for beet and cane sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. - Meat Price Spreads
This data set provides monthly average price values, and the differences among those values, at the farm, wholesale, and retail stages of the production and marketing chain for selected cuts of beef, pork, and broilers. In addition, retail prices are provided for beef and pork cuts, turkey, whole chickens, eggs, and dairy products. - Aquaculture Data
Aquaculture is the production of aquatic animals and plants under controlled conditions for all or part of their lifecycle. This data product provides statistics on domestically grown catfish and trout and U.S. imports and exports of fish and shellfish that may be products of aquaculture, such as salmon, shrimp, and oysters. - Wheat Outlook
Examines supply, use, prices, and trade for wheat, including supply and demand prospects in major importing and exporting countries. Contains data and information on U.S. wheat by class. - Feed Outlook
Examines supply, use, prices, and trade for feed grains, including supply and demand prospects in major importing and exporting countries. Focuses on corn; also contains information on sorghum, barley, oats, and hay.
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