Tag: Sweet Corn

March 28, 2011 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Heirloom Seeds Or Flinty Hybrids?

AS gardeners stock up on heirloom seeds for spring, Rob Johnston, the chairman of Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Winslow, Me., would like to suggest an accessory. Why not buckle up in a 1936 Oldsmobile coupe?

O.K., so it doesn’t have seat belts. But the swoop of the fenders resembles Joan Crawford’s eyebrows. Better yet, the rest of the Oldsmobile’s curves are all Lana Turner.

And the technology! Where else can today’s driver find such innovations as knee-action wheels and a solid steel “turret top”?

But even with all that a ’36 Olds has going for it, Mr. Johnston, 60, said, “I’m not sure how big of a market there would be” for 75-year-old cars. “It would just be a sentimental business.”

So to return to Mr. Johnston’s own business, vegetable seeds, why is the backyard gardener buying so many 1936-era heirlooms?

Mr. Johnston, it should be noted, is a fan of heirlooms, which, in the broadest sense, are old varieties of “open pollinated” seeds that will grow the same plant again.

But he argues that his typical customers — small market farmers and avid home gardeners — have better choices. Modern seeds, which are generally hybrid crosses, produce a “more vigorous plant, better resistance to diseases,” he said.

And here’s the heirloom heresy: they often taste better, too.

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November 3, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Modified corn spreads the love around

A study published in the Oct. 8 edition of the journal Science, finds that widespread planting of genetically modified Bt corn throughout the Upper Midwest has suppressed populations of the European corn borer, historically one of corn’s primary pests.

The area wide suppression has dramatically reduced the estimated $1 billion in annual losses caused by the European corn borer, even on non-genetically modified corn.

Bt corn, introduced in 1996, is so named because it has been bred to produce a toxin from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that kills insect pests.

Corn borer moths cannot distinguish between Bt and non-Bt corn, so females lay eggs in both kinds of fields, says William Hutchison, professor of entomology at the University of Minnesota.

Once eggs hatch in Bt corn, young borer larvae feed and die within 24 to 48 hours. Because it is effective at controlling corn borers and other pests, Bt corn has been adopted on about 63 percent of all U.S. corn acres.

As a result, corn borer numbers have also declined in neighboring non-Bt fields by 28 percent to 73 percent in Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin, depending on historical pest abundance and level of Bt-corn adoption.

The study, the first to show a direct association between Bt corn use and an area wide reduction in corn borer abundance, documents similar declines of the pest in Iowa and Nebraska.

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August 29, 2009 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

State land use panel rejects plan for 12,000 homes on Ewa farms – Starbulletin.com

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State land use panel rejects plan for 12,000 homes on Ewa farms

By Susan Essoyan

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 29, 2009

In a rare move, the state Land Use Commission rejected yesterday a developer’s push to urbanize 1,500 acres of prime agricultural land in Ewa to create a new community of nearly 12,000 homes.

The commission voted 5-3 to declare the petition by D.R. Horton-Schuler Division "deficient," saying the developer had not followed the rules by spelling out an incremental development plan for its Ho’opili project. But it said Horton could fix its petition and try again.

"Hallelujah!" Kioni Dudley, president of Friends of Makakilo and leader of the opposition, declared after the vote. "It’s a great victory. It’s a victory for the aina. I hope the setback to the developer is permanent."

Dudley had some powerful support at yesterday’s hearing, including the state Office of Planning, which argued forcefully against the project, and the heads of the state Transportation and Agriculture departments. The commissioners also heard hours of testimony from members of the public, most of them pleading to keep the land growing fruits and vegetables for local consumption.

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July 11, 2009 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Isle seed industry flourishing

Posted on: Saturday, July 11, 2009

Value of state’s biggest farming sector hits record $146 million, study finds

By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer

Click for larger image
Click for larger image
Hawai’i’s fast-growing seed crop industry forecasts spending $276 million over the next 10 years, up from $164 million in the past 10 years, suggesting the state’s biggest farming sector expects continued expansion.

The forecast for capital expenditures was included in a new study commissioned by the Hawai’i Farm Bureau Federation and paid for by the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, a trade group representing seed companies.

©COPYRIGHT 2009 The Honolulu Advertiser. All rights reserved.

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February 4, 2008 General Ag News and Notes, Papaya, Vegtables

Hawaii Crop Weather Weekly Report

Here is the PDF file for the Hawaii Crop Weather (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending February 3, 2008.

current_hi020508.pdf

Please visit the website for more information: http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/

USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512
1-800- 804-9514 February 3, 2008

“HAWAII CROP WEATHER” reports are available on our website and also PRINTED weekly. Subscriptions for PRINTED copies are free to those persons who report agricultural data to NASS, upon request and available for $20 per year to all others.

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits

Bananas
On the Big Island, mostly cloudy and rain-filled days slowed growth and fruit development during the week. The reduced sunlight also kept temperatures on the cool side. Incidences of Banana Bunchy Top virus remain isolated in the Puna and Kona areas. Overall, orchards in eastern sections of Hawaii County were in generally good condition. Oahu?s banana orchards were in fair condition. Fields in the leeward and central areas of Oahu made fair to good progress. Windward Oahu fields were in fair condition as cloudy conditions and cooler temperatures continued to slow crop progress and reduce yields. Kauai?s orchards were in fair condition. Harvesting was anticipated to remain steady during the coming weeks. Stripped leaves, as well as cooler temperatures and overcast skies, continued to slow crop development and fruit ripening.

Papayas
Cool, wet conditions slowed orchard growth and fruit development on the Big Island. Orchards in the Puna district remained in fair to good condition. New seedlings established quickly with the high rainfall. Active flowering was evident in most fields, but the heavy rains made fieldwork difficult. Spraying will have to be maintained once the weather clears. Orchards on Oahu were in fair to poor condition. Spraying to control disease and insect infestations remained steady. Kauai?s orchards made fair progress during the week. Acreage for harvest is relatively small, and overall pickings are forecast to remain light. Spraying for disease control was delayed because of inclement weather conditions.

Vegetables

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October 30, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Papaya, Vegtables Post a Comment

Hawaii Crop Weather Weekly Report

Here is the PDF file for the Hawaii Crop Weather (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending October 28, 2007.

current_hi102808.pdf

Please visit the website for more information: http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/

USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512
1-800- 804-9514

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits

Bananas
Steady rain later in the week saturated most fields in windward areas of the Big Island. Most orchards were in good condition, and field work was only slightly hampered by the wet conditions. Banana Bunchy Top virus incidence remained isolated to the Puna and Kona areas. Oahu orchards were in good to fair condition. Leeward and central orchards were in good condition. Moderate to heavy irrigation levels prevailed as showers were not enough for irrigation. However, overcast conditions decreased the plant?s water needs. Windward Oahu fields were in fair to good condition with light supplies. Overall harvesting on Oahu was expected to be at moderate to heavy levels as the shorter day length and slightly cooler temperatures have slowed ripening. Kauai?s orchards were in fair to good condition. Overcast skies and cooler temperatures slowed fruit ripening slightly.

Papayas
On Oahu, fruit development and ripening were fair to good. Overcast skies and shorter day length were affecting the crop. Orchards on Kauai made fair to good progress during the week. Pickings continued at moderate to light levels from several fields in active harvest. Big Island orchards were in fair to good condition. Soil moisture was high due to almost daily rainfall in the Puna area. Young orchards continued to develop, and seedlings were growing rapidly. Flowering was continuous. Virus problems still plagued selected fields in Puna and some heavily infested areas appeared to be abandoned.

Vegetables

Chinese Cabbage
On the Big Island, weeds were still competing with the crop in selected fields. Planting and field activities were steady. Heavy irrigation was needed to maintain crop progress. Overall, the Big Island crop was in fair to good condition.

Head Cabbage
On Oahu, harvesting is anticipated to be light. Insect infestation was light with regular spraying keeping good controls. On the Big Island, weed growth was still competing with the crop in selected fields. Planting and field activities were steady. Heavy irrigation was needed to maintain crop progress. Overall, the Big Island crop was in fair to good condition.

Sweet Corn
Windward and central Oahu fields continued to make good progress under fair weather conditions and heavy irrigation. Production is forecast to be at moderate to heavy levels for the upcoming week. Corn plantings in windward areas of the Big Island received a boost in growth when relatively dry conditions were relieved by this week?s rain. The added soil moisture and mostly sunny days boosted growth of young seedlings. Harvesting was mostly for on-island sales.

Cucumbers
On Oahu, pressure from insect infestation was at light to moderate. Harvesting was active in several fields, and overall production levels are expected to be moderate to heavy.