To Create Energy Efficient Vertical Farms, U. of Georgia Agronomist Focuses on Intelligent Light System

By James Hataway / May 4, 2012 8:01 pm

Erico Rolim de Mattos in his lab at the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Image credit: UGA Public Affairs.

University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental doctoral student Erico Rolim de Mattos foresees a world where exploding human populations, global climate change and land overdevelopment has rendered mankind incapable of producing enough food to sustain humanity.

This scenario is a very real possibility, and it has captured the minds of specialists from organizations like NASA and the United Nations. Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture Research, Food Security, university sustainable agriculture, Urban Agriculture, Urban Farming, vertical farming |

Collaborative Initiative of Nine Leading Foundations Unveils Vision for Global Food and Agriculture System

By AGree / May 2, 2012 5:13 pm

News Release – WASHINGTON, DC, May 2, 2012 – Today, at a panel discussion, AGree, an initiative designed to inform and address food and agriculture policy issues through the direct engagement of diverse groups, unveiled its vision for the global food and agriculture system in 2030 and strategies to advance that vision.

AGree is committed to developing a broad framework for action around four interrelated challenges that face the food and agriculture system. These include: meeting future demand for food; conserving and enhancing water, soil, and habitat; improving nutrition and public health; and strengthening farms, workers, and communities. Continue reading →

Posted in Food Security, global food system, Press Release, Sustainable Ag News and Information |

Nation’s Largest 100 Agriculture Cooperatives Post Near-Record Revenue of $118 Billion

By USDA / May 1, 2012 5:08 pm

USDA National Program for Genetic Improvement of Feed Efficiency in Beef CattleNews Release – WASHINGTON, DC, May 01, 2012 — The nation’s 100 largest agriculture cooperatives reported near-record revenue of $118 billion in 2010, USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager announced today. 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 $2.39 billion, up from $2.16 billion in 2009. Continue reading →

Posted in Press Release, Sustainable Ag News and Information, USDA News |

New York’s Largest On-Farm Biogas Power Project Generates Renewable Energy for Nearly 1,000 Homes

By seedstock / May 1, 2012 3:55 pm

Synergy Biogas LLC codigestion biogas power plant at Synergy Dairy, Covington, N.Y. (Photo: Business Wire)

News Release – COVINGTON, N.Y. – (BUSINESS WIRE) – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) joined state and local officials today at the grand opening of New York state’s largest on-farm, ‘co-digestion’ biogas power project, marking an important boost to the state’s renewable energy production and sustainability efforts. The facility is located at Synergy Dairy, a 2,000-head dairy farm in Covington, Wyoming County, southwest of Rochester. Continue reading →

Posted in anaerobic digestion, biogas, Press Release, renewable energy |

A Look at the State of Honey Bees in Today’s Agriculture

By Helen Weatherall / May 1, 2012 12:32 pm

Next time you help yourself to a handful of almonds – raw, salted, whole, slivered or blanched – make sure to give some thanks to a honey bee. And consider doing the same when you inhale the sweet smell of blossoms from the florist or in your garden. Honey bees after all don’t just bring us honey; they bring us most of the foods we eat. Their importance to agriculture cannot be overstated. As pollinators, honey bees and their kin in the family Apidae are the keepers of plant diversity worldwide. Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture Research, bees, honey bees, pollinators |

Growing UP – Is Vertical Farming the Way of the Future?

By Desa Philadelphia / April 30, 2012 9:32 pm

"The Living Tower" by SOA Architects

Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier admits that when his book The Vertical Farm, Feeding the World in the 21st Century was released, he wasn’t entirely optimistic about the idea catching on immediately. After all, his proposition that cities and towns should develop local, indoor, entirely sustainable, multi-story farms is antithetical to the industrialized, globalized farm practices that became the norm in the last century. Continue reading →

Posted in Food Security, Imagination, Sustainable Ag News and Information, Urban Agriculture, Urban Farming, vertical farming |

New center at Michigan State University to Focus on Improving Regional Food Systems

By Michigan State University / April 30, 2012 7:02 pm

News Release – EAST LANSING, Mich. — The MSU Center for Regional Food Systems, a newly established group at Michigan State University, is focused on bettering food systems in Michigan, across the country and across the world.

The center was established through the combination of the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems and the MSU Student Organic Farm. The center will be led by Michael Hamm, C.S. Mott professor of sustainable agriculture.  Continue reading →

Posted in local and regional distribution, local food systems, Press Release, Sustainable Ag News and Information, sustainable agriculture education, university sustainable agriculture |

Aquaponics Co. Hopes to Increase Food Security and Achieve Profit Via International Strategy

By Jessica Vernabe / April 30, 2012 5:59 pm

With world population expected to exceed 9 billion people by 2050, there are concerns about whether there will be enough fresh food to feed them all. Some say aquaponics is the solution.

The method combines aquaculture (fish farming) with hydroponics (growing vegetables in water and nutrients, without soil) to produce pesticide-free food while using substantially less water compared to conventional farming methods. That creates the potential for maximizing food production in developing countries that have less water and healthy soil to work with, according to the leaders of Dallas-based Premier Organic Farms Corporation which plans to do just that through its subsidiary ECO Fresh Solutions. Continue reading →

Posted in Africa Sustainable Agriculture, Aquaponics, Food Security, international sustainable agriculture, organic farming, organic fertilizer, recirculating farms, Startup Profiles, Sustainable Ag Startup, sustainable agriculture technology |

California Senate Creates New Local, Sustainable Food Select Committee

By seedstock / April 29, 2012 7:57 pm

News Release – Sacramento, CA - Senator Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) recently announced the creation of the Senate Select Committee on California Food: Local, Organic and Sustainable Systems.  Evans will serve as chair with Senators DeSaulnier (D-Concord), Hancock (D-Berkeley), Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) and Wolk (D-Davis) as members.  The committee has two vacancies.

The committee will study sustainable food production in California including the cottage food industry, artisan/heirloom foods, small and local producers, organic and sustainable practice producers.  Continue reading →

Posted in Press Release, Sustainable Ag News and Information |

Study Highlights Fungal Threats to Global Food Security

By Noelle Swan / April 27, 2012 6:16 pm

Every year, fungal and fungal-like infections targeting the world’s major crops of rice, corn, wheat, potatoes, and soybeans destroy enough food to feed 600 million mouths per year, says Sarah Gurr, professor of plant pathology at Oxford University. And that figure solely represents low levels of infection. Epidemic infections could drastically compromise the global food system. This news comes at a time when agricultural producers around the world are attempting to intensify food production in order to meet steady population growth.

Gurr published her findings this month in conjunction with researchers from England’s Imperial College, Harvard Medical School, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the scientific journal, Nature, within a broader paper addressing fungal threats to animal, plant, and ecosystem health. Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture Research, Food Security, Research, Sustainable Ag News and Information, sustainable agriculture news, wheat rust |

Aquaponics – The Promise of Food

By David Rosenstein / April 26, 2012 11:39 pm

The following is the first post in a series by David Rosenstein that will explore the benefits of aquaponics. Rosenstein is the founder of Mar Vista, CA-based EVO Farm, which operates the only commercial aquaponics farm in Los Angeles. He is also the chair of the Aquaponics Association – Western Region.  

If you count the number of people who are actually actively engaged in aquaponics on a global scale, that number is statistically about as close to zero as you can get.  Yet, this relatively unknown method of food production is not only the most promising next step in agriculture, but also on the very short list of things that just might save ourselves from ourselves. Continue reading →

Posted in Aquaponics, Food Security, local food systems, Opinion |

Temecula, CA-based Organic Farm Puts Taste First, Thrives on Collaborative Relationships with Area Restaurants

By Doris D. Quintanilla / April 26, 2012 8:11 pm

Photo courtesy of Crows Pass Farm

Across from some of Temecula’s finest vineyards, lies a “not so pretty” farm where luscious apples, carrots, and strawberries grow. Owner and operator David Barnes says Crows Pass Farm is not a show farm, but a working farm that relies on the strong business relationships that it has cultivated over the years with neighboring restaurants.

Founded in 1991 with his wife Tina, Crows Pass Farm is a 40-acre certified organic farm that grows fresh strawberries, Meyer lemons, oranges, tangerines, baby chard, baby carrots, mushrooms, spinach, and turnips and more. Continue reading →

Posted in Farm Profiles, organic certification, organic farming, Sustainable Ag News and Information, sustainable agriculture methods, sustainable farm, sustainable producers |

Consumer-driven U.S. organic market surpasses $31 billion in 2011

By Organic Trade Association / April 25, 2012 7:17 pm

News Release – WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 23, 2012) – Driven by consumer choice, the U.S. organic industry grew by 9.5 percent overall in 2011 to reach $31.5 billion in sales. Of this, the organic food and beverage sector was valued at $29.22 billion, while the organic non-food sector reached $2.2 billion, according to findings from the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA’s) 2012 Organic Industry Survey. These and other organic-related statistics (see the accompanying info-graphic) are being discussed this week in conjunction with the trade association’s 2012 Policy Conference and Hill Visit Days here in Washington. Continue reading →

Posted in Ag Industry News, organic farming, Press Release, Sustainable Ag News and Information, sustainable agriculture news |

To Exploit Market Opportunity and Advance Sustainable Agriculture, Startup Develops Innovative Robotic Weeder

By Nicola Kerslake / April 25, 2012 5:53 pm

Photo: Blue River Technology

Jorge Heraud, co-founder of Blue River Technology, a Stanford-derived startup that is leveraging concepts and technologies from the fields of robotics, machine learning, precision agriculture and more to advance sustainable agriculture, has deep roots in agriculture technology. Prior to starting the company, he spent 15 years at Trimble Navigation where at different points in his tenure there he headed up engineering for the company’s GPS Products and Precision Agriculture units.

It was while working at Trimble Navigation that Heraud started to evaluate what he wanted to do next. “I loved Trimble and could see myself spending another 15 years there, but then I thought, ‘am I really that guy who spends 30 years at the same company without ever having tried anything else?’” Continue reading →

Posted in agricultural entrepreneurship, agriculture startup, Imagination, organic farming, robotic farming, Startup Profiles, Sustainable Ag Startup, sustainable agriculture technology |

Colorado Aquaponics Co. Rises from Ashes of Economic Downturn to Help Increase Access to Local Food

By Kari Keller / April 24, 2012 6:16 pm

The onset of the economic downturn may have proven to be a blessing in disguise for one of Denver, Colorado’s poorest inner city neighborhoods. Like so many other accomplished professionals, JD Sawyer was laid off from his job as the Director of Operations for Johnson & Wales University Denver campus in 2009. With extra time on his hands and a desire to teach his three children sustainable farming techniques, JD read an article in the local newspaper about a low income neighborhood in the middle of Denver where people had very limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables – a right JD believes everyone should have.

“The article made me realize I had an opportunity to help teach people how to take charge of their own food production,” said JD Sawyer. “I realized we had the opportunity to grow food in our backyard where people needed it most.” Continue reading →

Posted in agricultural entrepreneurship, aquaculture, Aquaponics, Food Security, hydroponics, local food systems, Sustainable Ag Startup, Urban Agriculture, Urban Farming |

4 Ways the Growing Vote-with-Your-Dollar Culture is Affecting Sustainable Ag Businesses

By Ro Kumar / April 24, 2012 5:10 pm

The following is a guest post from Ro Kumar, the founder of LocalBlu—a  blog covering urban farming and sustainability. Based in the Bay Area at UC Berkeley and Stanford, Ro is a passionate advocate for a cleaner planet with healthier people. Subscribe to Ro’s updates.

“We have to vote with our votes as well as our food dollars,” says leading food author, Michael Pollan. His words echo the sentiment of a growing number of consumers who are ‘dollar voting’— meaning they are using the power of their purchases to influence which companies continue to thrive in the marketplace. For example, a purchase of organic produce could be considered a vote in favor of organic farming (or a vote against chemical farming). Continue reading →

Posted in agricultural entrepreneurship, Opinion, organic farming |