It is said that 'knowledge is the bedrock of existence'. As such, this blog serves to freely inform the general public about the importance of agriculture. The blog also serves to educate people on the different products that could be used on plants and animals to boost their growth and minimise loss and mortality.
Nigeria is currently the third largest exporter of Ginger in the world after China and Inida.
The Nigerian ginger is highly regarded in the international market for its quality and highly medicinal value, specifically its aroma, purgency and high oil and Aleoresin content.
SOURCING & PRODUCTION OF GINGER IN NIGERIA
Ginger is produced in six states of the federation namely; Kaduna, Nassaraw, Benue, Niger and Gombe states. With Kaduna being the largest and major state for the farming and production of Ginger.
GINGER PLANTING SEASON
Planting of ginger starts from March / April.
HARVEST
Ginger is ready for harvest in October / November.
MARKETABLE SPECIFICATION
Ginger is sold in the local and international market as wet ginger and dry split ginger. Mainly for export trade dry split ginger is of high demand.
EXPORT DESTINATION OF GINGER FROM NIGERIA
The export market for the Nigerian Ginger include; USA, China, Europe, UK, Russia, Saudi Arabia among other countries.
HOW YOU CAN MAKE MONEY THROUGH GINGER IN NIGERIA (INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES)
Local Trading of Ginger (Storage and intra country trade)
The Ginger planting season is currently starting. Are you interested in investing in Ginger and any of its value chain; Production, Processing, Export, Local trade, Ginger Sourcing?
What you Must Know
Quality Standard
Measurements for local trade and export
Best Practices for storage
Export Specifications
Export Standards and quality
Pitfalls to avoid
Cost analysis of Ginger Farming and production
Opportunities in Ginger processing
Pricing and how to maximize profit
Getting buyers (International and local) for your ginger
Chi Farms Limited has announced landmark ten years of business relationship with Aviagen this week, the global market leader in poultry genetics and owner of the popular ‘Arbor Acres’ broiler brand.
A direct result of this partnership has made Chi Farms Limited the leading Grand Parent Integrator and distributor of quality day-old chicks in Nigeria.
“We have strived to build a legacy by leveraging on this unique partnership to guarantee security of local supplies, such that today the ‘Arbor Acres’ brand is the market leader of all broiler brands in Nigeria”, says Dr Tunji Olaitan, General Manager Chi Farms.
Having received the first ‘Arbor Acres’ Broiler Grand Parents from AVIAGEN just over ten years ago, the AA brand has grown to become the most widely accepted and the number one choice of broiler farmers and integrators in Nigeria today.
Chi Farms and AVIAGEN partnered to promote the growth of local poultry industry in Nigeria through supplies of top quality genetics, promotion of best practices and technical support services.
“We are proud that we manage to produce day old chicks in Nigeria that have the same quality as you would buy abroad. Our investments in high tech equipment and continous training of our staff pay off”, says Martin Middernacht, Executive Director Chi Farms.
As of today, Chi Farms Ltd. already has the capacity to supply all of Nigeria’s broiler breeder day-old chicks, and hence has made Nigeria independent from imports in this category.
To further grow the industry Chi Farms and Aviagen agreed to still further growing the grand-parent stock capacities in Nigeria to assure full domestic supply also in the future.
The two companies are also planning to set up a poultry school on the basis of Chi Farms’ Customer Focus Team, which already provides technical services to poultry farmers.
The MD/CEO of the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX), Mrs Zaheera Baba-Ari, has said farmers can now use their farm produce as collateral to secure loans from banks.
To do this, Mrs Baba-Ari advised farmers to get in touch with the commodity brokers in their localities, who will help them aggregate their harvest and store them in the NCX’s warehouses situated across the country.
She said the farmers would be immediately issued with the receipt of such commodity and the receipt can be taken to banks as collateral to secure loan.
Mrs Baba-Ari, who spoke exclusively with Daily Trust in Abuja, said aside from such benefit, middlemen can no longer shortchange the farmers as their produce can now be sold on the floor of the exchange at attractive prices.
“The farmers can also keep their produce immediately after the harvest in our well-managed warehouses nationwide and avoid selling them immediately to the middlemen at ridiculously low prices, sometimes even below the production cost,’’ she advised.
The MD said the exchange was been strengthened to ensure that farmers, who formed co-operatives and patronised it, reaped maximum benefits, adding that was what informed the recent sensitisation programmes carried out in agrarian localities in some selected states across the country.
Farmers, who spoke at the events, called on the relevant authorities to pay attention to the NCX in view of its contributions to the development of farmers in the country.
For decades, Lynn Fahrmeier maximized yield by planting the hybrid that would perform the best, on average, across an entire field, despite the soil variations within that field.
“My fields range in size from 3 to 70 acres,” says the Wellington, Missouri, farmer. “One small field can go from prairie soils up on the ridge to eroded timber soils on the hillside to a bottom-type soil down by the creek. I was always playing defense when I chose a hybrid.”
By picking a workhorse hybrid, Fahrmeier knew that in a normal year he might be giving up yield on his better ground because he was being conservative with his seed selection. “Yet, I was willing to sacrifice that top-end yield for the guarantee that I was going to at least have a yield on my tougher ground,” he explains.
Independently placing two different varieties in the same field, Fahrmeier believed, would allow offensive hybrids to flourish in high-producing soils and enable defensive hybrids to hold yield in the lower-producing areas.
“I knew the technology was available,” he says. “I told my local co-op, MFA Agri Services, I needed to be moving in that direction, and it is why I pushed for over two years to get vSet Select on my planter.”
“Lynn was adamant we could make it work, as he was ready to move forward with this technology,” says Gavin Burgess, Precision Planting regional manager.
UNCHARTERED TERRITORY
The problem was that Fahrmeier’s 1790 John Deere 24-row planter (on 20-inch spacing) was not on Precision Planting’s approved list for compatibility. As the first planter in Missouri to be equipped commercially with this technology, it would take over a year to make it happen.
“Gavin actually came out to the farm and took pictures of my planter. He sent those images back to the engineers at Precision Planting,” Fahrmeier recalls.
How the implement folded was the first challenge. “When the 1790 planter wings folded up to transport, they would tip the units up,” says Burgess. “This posed the risk of spilling seed into the bulk tank fill hoses. After we installed and tested it, the seed stayed in the meter. We didn’t see any seed-delivery issues with bridging of seed in the tubes.”
Interference with the stairs to the bulk tank was also an issue. “The guys at MFA customized the steps so they wouldn’t affect the splitter hoses,” he says.
Equipping Fahrmeier’s planter would only be one piece of the puzzle. “As I’ve spoken with growers over the last six years, it is clear that a very low percentage are trying to address soil variability by way of developing spatial management zones,” says Jason Webster, Precision Planting.
“This is the foundation for multihybrid planting. Once variability maps are created, growers can address that variability with a technology like multihybrid planting to maximize productivity in each zone,” Webster says.
Yet, analysis and decision-making based on data, Fahrmeier says, are not easy to do alone. It’s a realization he came to years earlier. “When I first got my yield monitor in 1995, I thought I was going to have the software on my computer and I was going to make all of my own maps,” he says. “I realized I didn’t do it enough to become an expert. I needed to have someone who could crunch all of this data.”
As he worked to integrate multihybrid technology, gathering a team of experts was even more crucial. “I needed not only an expert who could analyze and interpret the data to set up zones, but also someone who understood the strengths and weaknesses of each variety,” says Fahrmeier.
“Knowing where to plant each hybrid and at what seeding rate can be a difficult task,” says John Fulton, associate professor, Ohio State University. “With multihybrid planting, you’re getting pretty site-specific. You really have to put a team together to help develop those recommendations for each field so you can make sound decisions.”
MFA is one of a handful of dealers in the nation that is embracing multihybrid technology, and it has everyone in-house to accomplish a successful strategy, says Burgess.
FARMER PERSPECTIVE
The team approach was really demonstrated this past winter when the group sat down to evaluate year one.
“We went field by field, basically zone by zone, to figure out what was going on. We talked through which variety and population was best for those areas,” says Fahrmeier.
In one field, there was an area that was highly eroded. “There was no topsoil left,” he says. “I was farming clay.”
Brandon Bruce, the Dekalb/Asgrow technical agronomist, recommended a variety he felt would be good for that soil type.
“I pointed out that on the other side of the ridge was a poorer-producing area because it was wet,” says Fahrmeier. “He had to suggest a different variety because the one he recommended didn’t like wet feet.”
That discussion is a great example of why he can’t do this alone. “It is the main point of this entire story. I have to have a team to be successful,” Fahrmeier emphasizes.
GENETIC SELECTION
On the hillsides, where he knows he’s never going to win a contest, Lynn Fahrmeier simply wants a variety that’s going to put an ear on every year even if it’s a dry year. For 2017, he chose seven different varieties. “In corn, I’m using three different maturity ranges that are roughly 110-, 112-, and 114-day varieties,” he says. “I’m choosing offensive and defensive hybrids in each of those ranges.”
The biggest obstacle is finding the correct hybrid for the right acre, says Precision Planting’s Gavin Burgess. “This will come through on-farm research and tests from seed companies,” he says.
WHAT ABOUT BEANS?
In 2017, Lynn Fahrmeier, Wellington, Missouri, plans to test soybeans by planting two varieties in the same field.
“It’s not as clear-cut in soybeans as it is in corn. If corn varies a couple of moisture points, it’s not a big deal because the dryer will compensate for that,” he says. “With soybeans, both varieties basically have to be mature before I can cut them. I’m a little nervous about harvestability. If they don’t mature at the same time, I’m in trouble.”
In fields where there is disease pressure, Fahrmeier is also considering trying different seed treatments in the same field.
YEAR-ONE LESSONS
On average, Lynn Fahrmeier cut his seed costs by 8% to 10% in year one. Seed populations ranged from 26,000 to 36,000.
“We had a wet spring, a dry early summer, and a wet late summer. Then it dried up for fall,” he says. “For the season we had, I think I adjusted the populations more than I should have on some areas. I realize every year is going to be different. Had it been a dry year, I’m sure my analysis would have been different.”
For 2017, populations on the lower end were increased, and the higher range was left as is. The good ground, Fahrmeier says, is actually easy to manage. “It’s the average- to poorer-yielding areas that I really have to think about,” he explains.
SEED DEVELOPMENT
Some believe the adoption of multihybrid technology will not only increase the use of variable rate seeding but also drive seed development.
“As I look to the future, I think we are going to see higher seeding rates,” says Jason Webster, Precision Planting. “I think the seed companies are going to create special hybrids that can handle those higher populations. That is where multihybrid planting is going to be crucial because a grower will be able take some of his best soils and look at those ultra-high populations and see even higher benefits than he does now. We are not there yet, but I think it will come in the short-term.”
SETTING UP ZONES
Lynn Fahrmeier has been collecting yield data since 1995. “I like to use at least six years of quality data to develop zones,” says Matt Stock, MFA AgriServices regional sales manager. “I use past yield history, soil conductivity data, and soil fertility data.”
The majority of fields were divided into three categories:
above-average yield
average yield
below-average yield
“Having quality data in place to be able to generate zones is very important. That’s because if you don’t generate them right, it’s hard to see success – and ultimately profit,” says John Fulton, associate professor, Ohio State University.
CHECKING HIS WORK
You have to have check strips in your fields, says Missouri farmer Lynn Fahrmeier. Each of his fields, which range in size from 3 to 70 acres, has check strips incorporated into the prescription to gauge how well a variety performed in specific populations.
“What I found on the really good soils is that I was yielding above the check strips,” he says. “On some of my tougher soils, I was yielding below the check strips. I increased my variability last year, but I think it’s probably more population-induced than variety-induced,” he says.
“Educational blocks are the only way we can grade ourselves and challenge ourselves to do better,” says Jason Webster, Precision Planting. “They establish a report card of how products performed compared with how the farmer and the seed representative thought it should have.”
YEAR-ONE LESSONS
On average, Lynn Fahrmeier cut his seed costs by 8% to 10% in year one. Seed populations ranged from 26,000 to 36,000.
“We had a wet spring, a dry early summer, and a wet late summer. Then it dried up for fall,” he says. “For the season we had, I think I adjusted the populations more than I should have on some areas. I realize every year is going to be different. Had it been a dry year, I’m sure my analysis would have been different.”
For 2017, populations on the lower end were increased, and the higher range was left as is. The good ground, Fahrmeier says, is actually easy to manage. “It’s the average- to poorer-yielding areas that I really have to think about,” he explains.
CALCULATING RETURN ON INVESTMENT
The cost to retrofit Lynn Fahrmeier’s 1790 John Deere 24-row planter with Precision Planting’s vSet Select was $2,150 per row.
“If a grower with a 16-row planter could realize an 8-bushel-per-acre yield increase in corn (at $3.50) and a 3 bushel-per-acre increase in soybeans (at $10), our calculations indicate a breakeven of 1,000 acres to pay for this technology,” says Jason Webster, Precision Planting.
“I was hoping to see a return on my investment in year one, but I broke even,” says Fahrmeier. “I fully anticipate it will pay for itself. It just may take a little longer, but I’m committed to making this work.”
RESEARCH FINDINGS
Ohio State University and Beck’s Hybrids began testing Kinze’s 4900 multihybrid planter (Grower 1) as well as Case IH planters equipped with Precision Planting meters in 2015 (Growers 2, 3, and 4). Prescriptions generated for Growers 1 and 4 were yield-map based. SURGO soil data was used to create prescriptions for Growers 2 and 3.
The four growers planted 1,611 acres of corn and 169 acres of soybeans. Project Coordinator Andrew Klopfenstein shares some of the results from year one on how the corn acres performed.
MEET THE SQUAD
Each member of Lynn Fahrmeier’s team plays an integral role in helping him successfully – and correctly – implement multihybrid technology.
As the team leader, Fahrmeier needs to be involved because he understands why certain areas of a field are good or bad. “It’s up to me to bring that history in, because a computer doesn’t know why an area of a field is low yielding. It just knows it is.”
Scott Bergsieker, MFA AgriServices Precision Specialist
Bergsieker makes fertilizer recommendations, and he helped install the vSet Select components. He also continues to troubleshoot problems to ensure the system is running smoothly. “I keep Lynn’s technology and precision equipment rolling in the field,” he says.
Matt Stock, MFA AgriServices Regional Sales Manager
“On the equipment side, I helped figure out how to build this planter,” he says. “I’m also the data cruncher who creates the zones. I look at the data Lynn has collected, or we have collected for Lynn, to learn as much as I can about his fields. I also rely on his insight for each field.”
Gavin Burgess, Precision Planting Regional Manager for Southern Iowa and Missouri
Burgess investigated whether or not the technology would work on Fahrmeier’s 1790 John Deere planter, which wasn’t on Precision Planting’s approved list for compatibility.
Brandon Bruce, Dekalb/Asgrow Technical Agronomist
“It’s my job to help the team select products for Lynn’s environment that fit across his fields and the zones created by the precision program at MFA,” Bruce says. “A lot of it goes back to characterizing the products to match each zone.”
It’s probably fair to say there are a number of farm shops with wrenches missing from “lots of different sets, sockets from odd sets lying around in a pail, and tools picked up at auctions piling up in a drawer.” That’s how Stephen Bathista of Southampton, Massachusetts, describes his shop tool situation before he built what he calls his four-sided lazy Susan.
The rotary base is from an old tandem axle manure spreader wheel and hub with a stub shaft pointing upward. “I welded a sturdy 20-inch-square plate to the shaft. The metal sides are bolted to the plate to form an A-frame, which is bolted together at the top with a handle. With that handle, I can lift the whole thing with a chain or forks,” he says.
Including the handle, the entire stand is about 66 inches tall.
HOLDS IT ALL
The two ¾-inch plywood sides hold sockets; 1-inch angle iron rail acts as bracing for the plywood panels. They are predrilled at 15° for 16D finish nails to hold small sockets. Bashista used 7-inch-long heavy-duty wood screws for larger pegs that hold multiple sockets of the same size.
One side is for SEA tools, he says, and the other holds metric-size wrenches and sockets with extensions and breaker bars. These two sides are covered in ³∕16-inch steel plate. All four surfaces are 20 inches wide at the base.
Wrench cups are formed by 2½- to 3-inch thin-wall square tubing 3½ to 10 inches long. These organize and separate his open-end, combination, and box-end wrenches.
There are troughs welded in between the wrench cups that hold wrenches in ¹∕16-inch sizes.
Open spaces approximately 3∕8 inch wide at the bottom of each square tubing cup let dirt and debris fall through.
Bathista points out that at the bottom of the tool rack is a piece of metal that holds extra tools.
He says he’s collected a lot of tools over the years. Bashista and his son, Ron, maintain all their farm equipment. Throughout his career, he’s performed welding and equipment repairs for his farm and also for neighbors. He says people still bring him things to work on.
MORE ABOUT STEPHEN BASHISTA
Home Farm: Rolling Acres in Southampton, Massachusetts, is where Bashista was born and raised. He and son Ron now grow harvest hay for silage for others.
Farm Attraction: In the fall, the Bashistas grow corn for a maze. At this family attraction, there is also a jumping pillow feature and zombie paint ball.
Family: Bashista and his wife, Christine, have three children. He also has a business selling corn and pellet stoves.
WHEAT FUTURES LOWER OVERNIGHT; SALES OF BEANS RISE WHILE GRAINS DECLINE.
1. WHEAT FALLS AFTER DOLLAR HITS HIGHEST IN ALMOST A MONTH
Wheat futures declined in overnight trading after the dollar yesterday jumped to the highest level in almost a month.
Equities earlier this week rose after President Trump’s speech in which he reiterated his plan to improve infrastructure in the U.S. and build the military, pushing the value of the greenback to its highest level against a basket of foreign currencies since early January.
A stronger dollar reduces purchasing power for overseas buyers, effectively making U.S. supplies more expensive. In general, when the currency is stronger, commodity prices tend to get weaker. Corn and soybeans also were down slightly overnight.
Wheat futures for May delivery fell 3¾¢ to $4.49 a bushel overnight on the Chicago Board of Trade. Kansas City futures declined 3¼¢ to $4.67 a bushel.
Corn futures for May delivery lost a penny to $3.78½ a bushel in Chicago.
Soybean futures declined 2¼¢ to $10.35 a bushel overnight. Soy meal lost $2.10 to $332.70 a short ton, and soy oil dropped 0.11¢ to 34.02¢ a pound.
**
2. SOYBEAN SALES RISE WEEK TO WEEK; CORN, WHEAT DECLINE
Export sales of soybeans rose week to week, while corn and wheat declined, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Exporters sold 427,700 metric tons of soybeans for delivery in the 2016-2017 marketing year that started on September 1, the USDA said in a report. That’s up 27% from the previous week but down 23% from the prior four-week average.
China was, as usual, the biggest buyer, purchasing 207,101 metric tons, Indonesia was next on the list at 49,000 tons. Peru bought 33,600 tons, Mexico took 31,800 tons, and Japan purchased 29,800 tons, according to the USDA.
U.S. exporters sold 692,400 metric tons of corn, down 7% week over week and 24% from the previous four-week average, the government said.
Mexico was the biggest buyer at 260,200 metric tons, Japan was next at 132,900 tons, and South Korea bought 119,600 tons. Saudi Arabia took 115,500 tons and Colombia bought 101,800 tons, according to the agency.
Wheat sales for delivery in the marketing year that ends on May 31 totaled 353,200 metric tons, down 22% from the prior week and 28% from the previous four-week average, the government said.
Mexico led with purchases of 64,500 tons, the Philippines was next on the list at 58,100 tons, and Japan bought 56,000 tons. Algeria bought 50,000 tons and Guatemala took 29,000 tons, according to the USDA.
3. DRY WEATHER INCREASES RISKS OF WILDFIRES IN PARTS OF SOUTHERN PLAINS
Things aren’t looking much rosier in the Southern Plains than they did yesterday with a red-flag warning in effect for much of southwestern Kansas and the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles this morning.
Humidity as low as 12%, winds gusting up to 35 mph, and warm weather make for extremely dangerous conditions, according to the National Weather Service. The red-flag warning, which means conditions are ripe for wildfires, is in effect until 7 p.m. Friday.
“A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures will create favorable weather for rapid fire growth and spread,” the NWS said in a report this morning. “Avoid activities that promote open flames and sparks.”
A Saudi based Investment Company, Zain Al-abdin group is ready to set up an Agric City in Kwara State.
The proposed Agric City, which is to be located along the River Niger in Kwara North, will comprise a cluster of farmswith a focus on cultivation, processing and export of rice, maize and vegetables.
Chairman of the investment group, Zain Al-Abdin Nafawi revealed this when he and other members of the group paid a courtesy visit to the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed at the Government House, Ilorin.
According to the Chairman, the Agric City will also contain facilities such as schools, hospitals, shops and other associated services.
Nafawi noted that the multimillion dollar which will commence as soon as all paper work is completed has the backing of the Saudi Arabian government which is currently supporting Saudi investors to invest in agriculture across the world, especially Africa.
Responding, Governor Ahmed directed the officials of the State Ministry of Agriculture to meet with the investors to iron out modalities for the commencement of the project.
The governor welcomed the project and expressed delight at the intention of the Saudi businessmen to invest in Kwara State, which he said has a large population of young people who are hardworking and are available to work on the farms and also market the farm produce.
Governor Ahmed said the state has all the appropriate facilities including an airport as well as an incoming cargo terminal that has wet storage facilities.
He assured that the government would continue to initiate policies and create enabling environment to attract investors and support businesses in the State.
All is set for this year’s Food West Africa Exhibition which provides the largest platform for food and beverage companies across the world to meet, network and establish business ties in Africa’s largest economy – Nigeria.
The 2nd edition of this premier event will take place from Wednesday 17th – Friday 19th May, 2017 at Landmark Events Centre, Lagos, Nigeria.
Playing host to over 4200 participants from over 20 countries, Food West Africa remains the largest business – to – business food & beverage industry platform in the region.
