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.
WHEAT FUTURES LOWER OVERNIGHT; MONEY MANAGERS SLIGHTLY LESS BULLISH LAST WEEK.
1. WHEAT LOWER OVERNIGHT AS GLOBAL WINTER CROPS EMERGE FROM DORMANCY
Wheat futures were lower in overnight trading on reports that Black Sea wheat emerged from winter dormancy with little winterkill damage.
Crops in the region, where the bulk of Russia and Ukraine wheat is grown, had a fairly decent winter, which leads market watchers to believe yields will be solid this year. The U.S. winter crop is also set to emerge from dormancy in good conditions, according to forecasters.
Still, drought stress may be starting to take its toll on the U.S. crop, Commodity Weather Group has said in reports. Little or no rain has fallen in much of the Southern Plains in the past month, according to the National Weather Service.
Corn and soybeans were little changed overnight.
Wheat futures for May delivery fell 2¾¢ to $4.37¾ a bushel overnight on the Chicago Board of Trade. Kansas City futures lost 4¢ to $4.51½ a bushel.
Corn futures for May delivery lost 1¾¢ to $3.62½ a bushel in Chicago.
Soybean futures declined ¼¢ to $10.06¼ a bushel in Chicago. Soy meal gained 50¢ to $329.20 a short ton, and soy oil fell 0.13¢ to 32.55¢ a pound.
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2. MONEY MANAGERS SLIGHTLY LESS BULLISH ON BEANS, CORN LAST WEEK
Money managers were less bullish on soybeans and corn, but only slightly, in the week that ended on March 8, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Hedge funds and other speculative investors were net-long 124,065 soybean contracts last week, down 4.3% from the prior week, the CFTC said in a report.
Net-longs, or bets on higher prices, in corn declined to 87,020 contracts, down from 87,657 a week earlier, according to the CFTC.
Investors reduced their bullish positions in hard red winter wheat to 35,306 net-long contracts, down from 37,667 the prior week, which was the most bullish they’ve been since April 2014, government data show.
Speculators were more bearish on soft red winter wheat, raising net-short positions, or bets on lower prices, to 65,521 contracts from 59,233 the prior week.
The weekly Commitment of Traders Report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission shows trader positions in futures markets.
The report provides positions held by commercial traders, or those using futures to hedge their physical assets; noncommercial traders, or money managers (also called large speculators); and nonreportables, or small speculators.
A net-long position indicates more traders are betting on higher prices, while a net-short position means more are betting futures will decline.
3. WINTER STORM MAKING WAY ACROSS MIDWEST, HEADING EAST INTO MID-ATLANTIC
A strong winter storm that’s blowing through Iowa today will continue to move east this week bringing cold temperatures and snow.
Much of northern Iowa and southern Minnesota are in a winter storm warning, while surrounding areas and regions east are facing a winter weather advisory, for now, according to the National Weather Service.
“Periods of light to moderate snow will continue across the area before tapering off through the morning hours,” the NWS said in a report early Monday. “Moderate to heavy accumulations have already occurred over north central Iowa with lighter amounts south. Snowfall rates will gradually diminish through sunrise.”
Total accumulations in the affected areas will range from 6 to 9 inches, the agency said. Winds are expected to be from 10 to 20 mph, which will reduce visibility.
No one knows tool or shop supply innovations better than farmers. That’s why we asked a team of farmer handymen to evaluate a toolbox of shop advances that are typically only marketed to other industries for this Successful Farming Product Test Team report.
ELECTROMAGNETIC DRILL PRESS
Bobby Huffman has a lot of favorite tools. “I’m a tool junkie,” the Edina, Missourian admits. “I have a lot of tools I love, but I’m very partial to my magnetic drill press.”
The tool that Huffman refers to is designed for the construction trades for drilling holes in I-beams, framework, and bridges. These drills employ an electromagnet on their base, which, when activated, attaches the tool to metal with a strength that makes it impossible to remove manually.
The drill Huffman put to work, an Evomag42, offers nearly 2,900 pounds of magnetic strength. “It will not move, even when used vertically to drill through thick steel,” Huffman testifies. Case in point, he had used the Evomag42 to drill 15⁄8-inch holes through vertical I-beams being used to make a homemade hydraulic press. “The holes it drilled (using annular bore cutter bits) are dead-on round and smooth. No burrs are left when it’s finished,” he notes.
As for its use on farms, Huffman is convinced this is a tool operators would use and wonder how they got along without it. The Evomag42, which is part of a line of electromagnetic drills from Evolution Power Tools, has a ¾-inch arbor that accommodates either up to ½-inch-diameter twist bits or 15⁄8-inch annular cutters. The tool’s rated drilling depth is 2 inches. The Evomag42 sells online for between $585 and $774.
THERMOMETER GUN
James Fred had been using a cheaper remote temperature-sensing device that “proved handy for mechanical work,” says Fred, who is part of Fred Farms near Rochester, Indiana. “I didn’t realize its limitation until using a more advanced gun like this.”
The gun he is referring to is the 12-volt DeWalt Max Infrared Thermometer, which provides an accuracy of ±1.5% to gauge temperatures from -20°F. up to 932°F. from an area that is 1½ inches in diameter from as far away as 12 feet. What sets this DeWalt gun apart from the previous temp device Fred was using is the fact that it offers visual and audio alarms to alert the user to a problem. Plus, it features LED hot and cold spot indicators. “With it, I could sweep the gun across an area to pick up hot spots, for example,” Fred explains. “Plus, I can customize that hot-cold alarm setting to a range. So if I were looking for a bearing that was getting hot on an operating machine, I could narrow the range to eliminate high temps (given off by an engine, for example) to readily find that problem bearing.”
The other feature Fred appreciates about the advance temp gun is that it has data storage for recording temperature readings. “I can compare the temperature of a bearing with other bearings, for example. The laser spotting light makes it easy to pinpoint exact locations from a distance. I could use it to get a reading off of an engine radiator if I was double-checking the temperature gauge on an engine. Other times, I used it to get a rough reading of building temperature by spotting the exhaust fans in my dairy barns,” he notes.
The 12-volt DeWalt DCT414S1 includes a color-coded display, audio alarms, and backlit screen so it can be easily read in any light condition, including those in full sunlight. The device retails for $128.99 for the gun alone or $209 for the gun, battery, and case.
PORTABLE BAND SAW
Corded portable band saws have been a staple in the building trades for years. Recent advances in battery capacity and motor ability (due to brushless motors) by Milwaukee have created a cordless band saw that readily fits the portable needs found on farms.
“This tool is so impressive in what it can do in the field,” says Tom Boswell of Rezac Land & Livestock near Onaga, Kansas. “It is a serious tool that makes surprisingly quick work of cutting metal.”
Boswell and his crew put the Milwaukee M18 Deep Cut Band Saw to the test in a wide variety of jobs on their operation. “It came in particularly handy when we used it to erect a grain leg and bin this past summer,” he says.
In that regard, Boswell points out that the saw ran nearly all day between charges even with constant use. “It certainly has the power to lug through any cutting job,” he says. “The Milwaukee blades that come with the saw are very impressive.”
A huge feature of the Milwaukee design is its industry-leading 5×5-inch cutting throat. “That comes in handy when making fence with well-drilling pipe,” Boswell notes.
The 15-pound saw runs off an 18-volt, 4-amp-hour battery that powers a Powerstate electronically controlled brushless motor at speeds up to 280 feet per second. The suggested retail price for the saw alone is $546 or $1,019 with two batteries and a case. The tool carries a five-year warranty.
SUPER MAGNETIC JIGS
Designed for professional welders, Magswitch’s Pivot Angle 200 and Multi Angle 1000 MagVise are two devices that are surprisingly strong, easily adaptable to a wide variety of uses, and could quickly become as necessary as C-clamps on a farmer’s welding table, Bobby Huffman observes.
“To be honest, I really didn’t think I’d use them that much,” he admits. “But as I put them to use during the evaluation, I quickly found that they became my go-to welding jigs.”
Part of an extensive line of super-magnetic devices sold by Magswitch, the Multi Angle 1000 boasts a holding strength of up to 1,000 pounds on thick steel by twisting a handle, yet it only weighs 3½ pounds. The tool provides multiple common angles to accommodate most welding approaches.
“When I turned that handle, it was stuck down tight. Even a big guy would be hard pressed to move it,” Huffman says.
The Pivot Angle 200 didn’t offer as much holding power (up to 200 pounds of magnetic strength), but it features a pivoting joint that allows the jig to be positioned at any angle from between 25° and 270°. The elbow joint locks and unlocks quickly with a lever.
“It certainly was easy to position and was dead-on when it came to holding at a precise angle,” he says.
Twisting levers engage individual magnets of the Pivot Angle, which are located at either end of the arms (silver items in the image). Those magnets are designed to hold flat, round, and odd-shape pieces.
“I was surprised by the strength of the magnets. Although they were weaker than the Multi Angle, they still held steel in place for welding, drilling, cutting, or grinding,” Huffman says. The Multi Angle 1000 retails for $174.99; the Pivot Angle 200 sells for $410.
LEAF BLOWERS ON STEROIDS
Cory Hall and his son Bryson (Bryson is shown below) were dubious about a leaf blower having any use on the farm. “Oh boy, the one we tested could do far more than just blow leaves around,” Cory says. “I can definitely see it being useful to blow off a combine or to clean out a truck box or shop floor without having to drag cords or an air hose around.”
The blower that the Winterset, Iowa, farm team evaluated was introduced a year ago by WORX as part of a line of yard tools powered by that company’s new 56-volt battery advance. The blower, tabbed the Turbine, turns out a blast of air at 125 mph at volumes up to 465 cubic feet per minute (cfm).
That doesn’t compare to the pressure turned out by an air hose nozzle. But, as Cory notes, the WORX Turbine is cordless, plus it weighs just over 8 pounds. “I was really surprised when I picked it up – it was so light,” Bryson notes. “I didn’t expect much at first, but when I used it to blow corn out of a truck box, it was blasting kernels feet away.”
The Turbine is one of two high-voltage cordless blowers on the market. Echo is selling a 58-volt blower that turns out a 120-mph blast at a volume of 450 cfm. Both the Echo and WORX blowers employ brushless motors that are noted for converting more battery power to work.
“Full blast was impressive,” Cory notes. “But I liked the fact that I could vary the airflow with a speed control in case I was in a confined area and didn’t want to blow up so much dust or when just moving a light load of dirt or debris.”
One of the unique features of both the WORX and Echo blowers is that they consume air from the back of the tool through a fan for a direct stream. Typically, leaf blowers suck in air from their sides, which can hinder flow. This flow feature, combined with the higher battery capacity, results in their higher air velocity.
“I was definitely impressed in that regard,” Cory says explaining that he could effectively clean off a combine and its engine cavity at the end of the day. The WORX Turbine retails for $199.95, including a battery, charger, nozzles, and three-year warranty.
FAST-FIX HYDRO HOSE
For the past year Jerl Joseph, who farms with his son, Eric, near Hampton, Nebraska, has put to the test a hydraulic hose repair product designed for the mining, logging, and electrical utility industries. The Quick-Fix kit offers thermoplastic hydraulic hose (either 3⁄8- or ½-inch diameters) that doesn’t require an expensive crimper to make repairs. “Instead, you use this high-density plastic two-piece holding die that is clamped down with a C-clamp or a locking pliers,” Joseph explains. “The kit includes a hose cutter that is similar to that used to cut PEX plumbing pipe except it’s more heavy duty.”
When making a replacement, he explains that you cut the length of hose needed with the cutter. “Quick-Fix said it didn’t leave debris or frayed edges behind, and so far the cutter works as they said it would,” Joseph says.
Next, the end of the hose is clamped into the die and the appropriate coupling is screwed into the hose using an open-end wrench. All the couplings that come with the kit are reusable, which certainly is a big advantage to the system, Joseph notes. “There is a two-part fitting. You screw the first portion of the fitting into the hose. Then you use two open-end wrenches and screw in and tighten the second part of the fitting.”
The manufacturer claims that a person can make a replacement hose in around 10 minutes. “The first time I used the system, it was maybe more than that as I got used to making a repair,” Joseph says. “But after that, I could make a replacement in that 10-minute time.”
One of the hoses Joseph created was a replacement for a conventional hose that ruptured on a tractor loader. “That is some pretty hard use for a hose – loader work, that is,” Joseph adds. “That hose has been in use a year or more with no problems.” Nitta Corporation guarantees its 3⁄8-inch hose has an operating pressure of 3,480 psi, and the ½-inch size withstands up to 2,900 psi. “All hoses have a minimum burst pressure of four times their recommended operating pressure and an operating temperature range of -40°F. to 212°F.,” adds Larry Johnson of Nitta. “The fitting and adapters that come with a kit cover the vast majority of needs on farm machinery.”
The ½-inch hose kit Joseph tested retails for $329; the 3⁄8-inch kit sells for $299.
INSPECTION CAMERA
James Fred always wanted a mechanic’s inspection camera (borescope), but he could never convince himself to make the investment.
“Knowing what I know now about their usefulness, I would buy one,” Fred says talking about his review of the DeWalt MAX 9MM inspection camera. “First off, I was surprised how sharp the images were from such a small camera. These images were in color, as well.”
This particular DeWalt borescope employs a 9-millimeter camera positioned at the end of a 3-foot-long flexible cable. Color images are displayed on a 3½-inch screen, which is detachable. “I really appreciated that feature,” Fred points out. “I could take the screen off and set it down for easy viewing while manipulating the cable (as he does in the above image with the screen resting on the tractor tire).
“The camera has three times the zooming capacity, so I can zero in on a problem once I find it. The only improvement is that I would have liked the camera lighting to be brighter.”
Another feature Fred likes is the ability to record the video or still images on an SD card. “I can look at larger images on a computer screen, which is really revealing for when I’m looking inside an engine,” he says.
DeWalt offers cameras with 5.8- and 17-millimeter lenses. The 9-millimeter model DCT411S1 kit evaluated by Fred retails for between $260 and $390 online (includes a battery, charger, and inspection tools).
Nigeria has, in recent times, witnessed a spike in agricultural interest. This is understandable, given the fact that receding economic numbers have brought home jolting realities about the “bubble nature” of our fossil fuel reliant economy.
Typically, the foregoing has triggered a bandwagon effect. Everyone wants to talk agric these days – it’s an all comers affair – Conferences, Exhibitions, Seminars and what have you. While this is not a bad state of affairs in itself, the awareness created therefrom could augur negatively for the sector, if gainsayers are allowed to dictate the narrative. Already, there are throngs of Seminars, Conferences and Summits mostly aimed at ‘showcasing’ the country’s agricultural potentials. But, the conversation has moved way beyond that point. It is common knowledge that NIgeria is endowed with potentials, what is required and indeed missing, is the disciplined and painstaking resolve to chart a deliberate course towards actualizing those potentials, hence the need for a new convocation paradigm.
The Feed Nigeria Summit (FNS2017) heralds the new paradigm – homegrown solution to typically localized developmental challenges.
The gravamen of the FNS is that Nigeria needs to proffer solutions to her food import dependence reality by immediately triggering an increase in domestic agricultural productivity. In this regard, AgroNigeria, the Organizers of the Summit have identified a viable vehicle – subsumed in the current economic reality – with capacity to deliver up monumental productivity advantages to the sector, if well managed.
Thus, the Home-Grown School Feeding Program of the Federal Government is being promoted to the agricultural private sector as a viable medium for sustainably increasing local farmer output and thereby triggering an agricultural revolution. The caveat however, is that this can only happen with the active support of the private sector.
Given the “homegrown impetus” of the HGSFP, it stands to reason that a whopping budget of #300billion (three hundred billion Naira) as earmarked to be spent over a period of 30months by the government, promises local agricultural producers a guaranteed market for their various agro-outputs. Whether it be Cocoa from the south west, oil palm, plantain and cassava from the South East and South South, or indeed the maize, soy, millet, rice and tomato occasioning in the North, there is room for quantum boosting of Nigeria’s agricultural productivity and triggering a wellspring of value for her recession plagued economy.
However it is pertinent that we re-emphasize that this can only be achieved via a private sector driven implementation framework which allows for innovative approaches that will deliver up probity, accountability and profitability – anything else will result in a monumental waste of scarce resources.
Accordingly, FNS -2017 will feature a Special Policy Session on the HGSFP providing a landmark opportunity for those charged with the implementation of the Program, to engage key Private Sector players in the Nigerian agricultural space regarding the workings of the Program and the possibilities of its sustainable implementation beyond the initial 30 month cycle.
The theme of FNS -2017 is apt: “Feed Nigeria; To Feed Africa”, and seeks to draw attention to the strategic positioning of Nigeria in the larger continental food security matrix. It draws inspiration from the Feed Africa Agenda – one of the five principal policy thrusts of the African Development Bank, as championed by its current helmsman, Nigeria’s Dr Akinwumi Adesina. AgroNigeria, in conjunction with its collaborators, strongly believes that Nigeria should be at the forefront of this laudable continental initiative.
Indeed, the current government’s drive towards economic diversification can only succeed if Agriculture is handed a vital position in the scheme of things. The results being applauded currently are a tip of the iceberg, agriculture holds transcendental benefits for Nigeria, if the stakeholders can give it more serious attention. There is no more room for mere talk, it is now time to act in concrete terms. The development partner community, a set of silent achievers, will be provided a demonstration hub to showcase scalable outcomes from their interventions, which the agric public and private sector can leverage.
To this end, FNS-2017 will be a potpourri of the crème of the Nigerian Agriculture ecosystem, a melting pot of policy and strategic discussions between government, private sector, development community as well as the research community for the progress of the sector. The summit seeks to address key national agricultural productivity issues like finance, market access, research, infrastructure, mechanisation, and ICT, while ensuring a mainstreaming of gender and other related issues. The role of legislation in the sector will also be a critical area of engagement.
The FNS is scheduled to hold on the 6th and 7th of April, 2017 at the Grande ballroom, Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos and is being convened with the support of the African Development Bank Group and the Songhai Center for Agricultural Excellence, Porto Novo.
The state coordinator, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency Of Nigeria, Mr. Yinka Fisher has said that with increased developments recorded in the agricultural sector, Nigeria is indeed moving forward.
The state coordinator who stated this while giving his goodwill message at the ongoing Organic Agriculture Export Forum by Lead Unique Limited at the LCCI Exhibition Centre expressed that the situation was changing from the days when the country solely depended on oil revenues.
Commending the efforts of the present administration, he noted that there were talks about moving agriculture forward.
“With the president we have in place, all we have been talking about is how to move agriculture forward being a farmer is a blessing”. He lamented that though there were a lot who studied agriculture, very few were involved in the agribusiness.
He further said that there were many prospects in the agribusiness sector but information was key to being fulfilled in the business.
” There are lots of opportunities in agribusiness, all that is needed is to information to succeed in the business”.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chairperson, All Farmers Association (AFAN) Lagos state chapter, Adeyinka Esther, expressed that the farmers were ready to produce for the nation, but they lacked support.
She lamented that they hardly had access to loans, machinery and better seeds which would aid better yield that would compete at the international market.
SMEDAN coordinator however informed that the organisation was ready to support the farmers in attaining increased productivity.
“By the mandate of SMEDAN, we are into advocacy, so if you want finance, let us know”.
The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh yesterday expressed the federal government’s desire to address the foreign exchange (forex) challenges faced by exporters, disclosing that the ministry is in talks with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) concerning the issue.
Audu who spoke at the FirstBank of Nigeria Expo in Lagos tagged: ‘Re-inventing Agriculture for Sustainable National Development,’ noted that it does not augur well for exporters if they cannot export at the official rate.
He expressed confidence that once the issue is addressed, exporters would be able to repatriate their earnings and not lose money.
“We are planning a meeting between the CBN, the Ministry, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Ministry of Finance in order to deal with some of these challenges we face especially as it affects smuggled goods that come into the country and how they damage our local efforts.
There is need for us to work to attain self-sufficiency in food production,” the minister explained.
Furthermore, the minister revealed that the federal would soon embark on large-scale production of crops such as cocoa and Shea butter, especially in states that have comparative advantage.
He added: “We are also looking at the expansion of coconut. The water from coconut has a natural source of sweetening.
Coconut oil is expensive one litre today is N7, 000. A coconut shell is a very expensive export item which can be used to produce activated carbon heavily used in industries just like palm products are very valuable and they are strong export items. Last year, we shipped $6,000 worth of raw cashew to Vietnam.
“We have decided that in two years, we shall not export raw cashew nuts we shall begin to roast it and export because from 3tonnes of raw cashew we produce one tonne of roast cashew which sells in Vietnam for $10,000. We need financial support. We are the only country in the world that the interest rate for agriculture sector is still high.”
He said policy summersault by successive government was one of the factors that hindered the attainment of self-sufficiency in food production by the country, lamenting that Nigeria had become highly dependent on food imports.
Earlier, the Managing Director of FBN, Adesola Adeduntan, said the bank was positioned to build alliances with agro-producers, processors and storage companies to ensure improvement in the agricultural sector.
CORN, SOYBEANS LOWER IN OVERNIGHT TRADING; FED RATE HIKE ODDS NOW AT 93%.
1. CORN, SOYBEAN LOWER AS IMPORTERS SEEN SHIFTING TO SOUTH AMERICA
Corn and soybeans were lower in overnight trading on concern that very large South American crops are beginning to take business from the U.S.
The Department of Agriculture last week raised its outlook for Brazilian corn production to 91.5 million metric tons from 86.5 million. It also increased its projection for soybean output in the country to 108 million tons from the previous month’s outlook of 104 million.
With such large crops in Brazil, it’s likely the U.S. will see a seasonal decline in export sales and shipments, analysts said.
Corn futures for May delivery fell 1¢ to $3.60 a bushel in overnight trading on the Chicago Board of Trade.
Soybeans declined 4¾¢ to $10.01¼ a bushel in Chicago. Soy meal lost $2.30 to $328.60 a short ton, and soy oil added 0.10¢ to 32.22¢ a pound.
Wheat futures rose a tick to $4.30¾ a bushel, and Kansas City wheat was unchanged at $4.42¾ a bushel.
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2. FED RATE HIKE SEEMINGLY A FOREGONE CONCLUSION WITH ODDS OF INCREASE AT 93%
It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at a meeting this week with the CME Group’s Fed Watch Tool, putting the odds of a hike at 93% this morning, up from 89% yesterday.
The Fed is expected to increase its Federal Funds Rate to a target of 0.75% to 1%, the first increase in 2017, after it raised the rate in December 2016 and December 2015 after leaving it unchanged for seven years. Many analysts believe this will be the first of three rate hikes this year.
The government tends to increase rates when the economy is showing strength. Last week’s nonfarm payroll report showed companies added 235,000 jobs in February, topping expectations for about 200,000, and that the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.7%. Wages have increased about 2.8% in the past year, which is a good sign, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
Employment gains increased in construction, manufacturing, health care, and mining, all but ensuring the Federal Open Markets Committee would raise rates at its meeting, which runs for the next two days. Its decision will be announced tomorrow afternoon in Washington, D.C.
An increase in rates likely would have an impact on loans for large-ticket items such as farming equipment or land purchases, economists have said.
It also will have an impact on the prime rate, which is the base borrowing rate that banks extend to their customers. Credit card interest is based on the prime rate, with banks often referring to the rates and ‘prime rate plus’ and then adding a number to it to get the actual interest rate a borrower would pay.
3. LARGE STORM HAMMERING NORTHEASTERN U.S.; SCHOOLS CLOSED, TRADING IMPACTED
A very large storm is hitting the northeastern U.S. this morning, closing schools in New York and Boston and affecting trading on Wall Street.
New York City is expected to get as much as 16 inches of snow with several inches already falling, according to the National Weather Service. Federal offices in Washington are expected to open three hours later than normal.
The storm is widespread, stretching from northern Ohio up through Maine into Nova Scotia in Canada. The entire northeastern U.S. will be affected.
Elsewhere, a freeze warning is in effect for a very large patch of land stretching east to west from extreme eastern Kansas through the Atlantic Coast in Georgia and north to south from northern Missouri almost to the Alabama Gulf Shores.
Temperatures are expected to fall into the mid-20s and lower teens this morning and overnight into Wednesday morning, the NWS said, which will harm uncovered winter wheat plants and peach trees.
Fires have devastated parts of Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Thousands of livestock have been killed. Human lives have been lost, with at least four of those deaths a direct result of people trying to save livestock from the flames. Fences are destroyed, pastures are scorched, homes and barns have been reduced to ashes.
During and after the fires, my social media news feed has been filled with images of the destruction and loss. Stories about the people who lost their lives. Stories from farmers who found surviving livestock, only to have to put them down because the animals were too badly injured to survive. Stories of cows looking for their calves who perished. Stories of calves that are now orphans. Stories of the firefighters, many of them volunteers and some who are farmers, who fought the flames that also threatened their own homes.
I didn’t see any of this on my local news. It wasn’t on the national news. The news spread from farmer to farmer, from community to community, from agriculture network to network.
Agriculture takes care of its own.
It wasn’t long before my news feed was filled with photos of hay on the way to the devastated areas. Truckers are offering to haul hay or to move surviving livestock. People are opening their barns and pastures to house surviving animals. 4-H groups and veterinarians are housing and feeding orphaned calves. Companies are offering free medicine to treat burned animals. Churches are putting together lists of people affected by the fire and their needs.
One thread even focused on trucking laws so that those driving hay and other supplies to the areas hit would not be stopped and ticketed for their efforts.
Agriculture takes care of its own.
I didn’t grow up in agriculture. Four months after I started working as an agriculture Extension agent in 1999, Hurricane Floyd hit North Carolina. While I wasn’t in an area hit hard, I did have two cattle farmers with pastures bordering the river, and they were flooded. Days after the storm, donated hay was on the way to those farms.
Agriculture takes care of its own.
We see it again and again. Response to a blizzard, hurricane, tornado, or other natural disaster. Neighbors helping harvest the fields after a farmer’s death or so a farm family could mourn the loss of their child. Raising money to cover the funeral costs of young people who rode into the fire to try and save the lives of livestock.
Agriculture takes care of its own.
We are doing it without front-page coverage of this tragedy. Without being the lead item – or any item – on the evening news. Without a telethon with phones manned by celebrities. Without any aid from groups claiming to care about the welfare of animals. Without government assistance.
Nigerian farmers have new reasons to leap for joy as GEMS4 has embarked on a pilot test of using Returnable Plastic Crates (RPCs) for transporting tomatoes.
The pilot test which involves a train fully loaded with 585 Returnable Plastic Crates of tomatoes is being undertaken by ConnectRail services but at the instance of the GEMS4 DFID project. The train has left Kano state and is expected to arrive at Iddo train Lagos state by 5pm.
According to the Group Intervention Manager, Agri-business GEMS4 Project, Mr. Richard Ogundele, the project seeks to infuse Good Handling Practices (GHP) into the tomato value chain with a view to stemming the high incidence of losses and also to guarantee the income of farmers and marketers of tomato while generating employment.
“Notice greenish yellowish more that the red ones, that’s the application of colour code chart to ensure tomato is still in ripening process and can stand rigors of handling and journey to final market. At least they need about five to seven days to be fully ripe”, he said.
Ogundele expressed that the design of the crates will help retain the freshness of the produce, hence the retailer has more time to preserve the produce which will also increase the bargaining power of both the farmer and the retailer.
Speaking further, he noted that the adoption of this technology will provide jobs at collection centres for as people will be needed to sort the tomatoes upon harvest and pack into crates.
Also speaking with AgroNigeria, Mr. Kabir Lawal, who is supervising the transportation from the north, stated that formerly, raffia baskets which were woven in such a way that limited aeration, were used.
“The baskets were covered with paper and stacked on one another sitting directly on the produce and this increases the risk of spoilage. However, the use of this plastic crates prevents squashing as the crates though placed on each other do not seat directly on the produce. They also allow for more ventilation and retain the fresh state of the produce” he explained.
Stakeholders in the agriculture and food industries, have berated the Nigerian Bottling Company for defending itself over the levels of benzoic and sunset additives, found in Fanta and Sprite.
A Lagos High Court had in a judgement held that excessive levels of benzoic acid and sunset additives were found in Fanta and Sprite. The implication of that was that the drinks were poisonous when consumed alongside Vitamin C.
The trial judge, Justice Adedayo Oyebanji, while awarding a cost of N2 million against the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) had berated the agency for declaring, as fit for human consumption, products discovered by tests in the United Kingdom as turning poisonous when mixed with ascorbic acid (popularly known as Vitamin C).
The judge had further ordered NAFDAC to compel the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Plc to put a written warning on Fanta and Sprite bottles stating that both soft drinks are poisonous when consumed along with Vitamin C.
But in its reaction the NBC denied that the drinks were poisonous. The company in a statement said that “the UK standards limit benzoic acid in soft drinks to a maximum of 150 mg/kg. Both Fanta and Sprite have benzoic levels of 200 mg/kg which is lower than the Nigerian regulatory limit of 250 mg/kg when combined with ascorbic acid and 300 mg/kg without ascorbic acid and also lower than the 600 mg/kg international limit set by CODEX.
“Both benzoic acid and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) are ingredients approved by international food safety regulators and used in many food and beverage products around the world.
The defence of NBC was however rejected by stakeholders who were contacted by AgroNigeria.
A wellness Consultant and Technology Entrepreneur, Adedolamu Sobowale said, ”The last time I checked, neither Benzoic Acid nor Sunset Yellow were foods. These things are chemical dyes and additives presumably added just in the right quantities the body can tolerate without going into immediate convulsion or shutdown. But what’s the sense in it if a few drops of Gamaline 20 were let into even a tank of water. Would I willingly drink it under normal circumstances? The truth is every sip from those colored bottles increases our toxic load and leaves us worse off than we were”.
Another stakeholder, Odumusu Olajide who is a nutritionist said “Most of these chemicals have residual effect on the body after appreciable accumulations result in different kinds of diseases”.
In his own reaction, a stakeholder, Osita Okerie , stated, ” They are talking trash, why did the court ask them to put up a warning sign? They will always wriggle out of any case. This is the time we need to boycott their products. What health benefits do we even derive from drinking these carbonated sugar drinks? Obesity, heart related diseases, Cancer, Low sexual drive (no libido) etc.
The CEO, AgroNigeria, Richard-Mark Mbaram, while making his own reaction, said, “This has given me the confirmation I need, are we now more knowledgeable than the U.K? Please boycott those products if you want to save your life.”
Seven fertiliser blending plants out of the 32 in the country have commenced production and distribution ahead of the 2017 rain-fed farming season under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI).
Some of the blending plants which have already been supplied with raw materials including phosphate from Morocco and are blending include Fertiliser and Chemicals Ltd, Kaduna, producing 300,000 metric tonnes; Al-Yuma Fertilizer Company (300,000 metric tonnes) in Madobi-Kano; Kano Agricultural Supply Company, supplying 15 trailers daily and Golden Fertiliser based in Lagos.
Others blending plants have also received raw materials for blending activities. Funtua blending plant has received materials through the rail, the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN)’s President Thomas Etuh, has said.
The FEPSAN president said the seven active blending companies are under the 1st of 5 batches that would produce 1 million tons of fertiliser under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative.
Mr Etuh, who stressed that most of the plants have been dominant for over a decade, said they have been revived to participate in the programme, adding that more plants are underway.
“Others are under maintenance and should be joining before the end of April,” he said.
Speaking on the funding for the project, he stated that “N2 billion worth of raw materials with 10% cash is what we give them and then we pay for the overhead and a little profit. It’s like contract blending, they are blending for FEPSAN and then we pay.”
He noted that “the project is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) in which they borrowed N20 billion from the Sovereign Wealth Fund which is then recycled into the next batch.”
But the president, Agro Dealers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Kabiru Umar Fara, has expressed concern over the supply of urea – a component for blending the NPK fertiliser, and called on the federal government to lift the ban on the import of the input.
The agro-dealers’ president, who spoke with journalists during the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) delegation and Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) monitoring teams’ visit to the Al-YUMA Fertiliser and Chemical Company in Kano, maintained that “while Urea is needed by blending plants to produce NPK, they cannot import it.”
Under the scheme, states that have already indicated interest to key into the programme are encouraged to pick fertiliser from the blending plants and that no individual, institution or organisation under any circumstance could sell above N5,500.
