Agri-Bytes
In This Edition:
- Veto-proof farm bill energizes growing community
- A fresh approach to hospital food may bolster local growers
- Blight hotlines give spud growers a jump on disease
Veto-proof farm bill energizes growing community
Members of the Washington, D.C.-based Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance praise the historic decision by the House and Senate to support the farm bill, which includes mandatory funding for fruit and vegetable research and programs.
"This bill reflects the tremendous contributions specialty crops make to U.S. agriculture and the health of all Americans," says Mike Stuart, president of the Maitland-based Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, in a news release. "It's been a long and sometimes difficult process, but we are especially pleased that the House and Senate conferees were able to work out funding issues that had slowed the bill's progress."
Stuart serves as a co-chair of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, a group of more than 120 organizations that represents growers of fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, nursery plants and other products. The alliance has worked for more than two years to broaden the scope of the farm bill to include specialty crops.
The margin of votes for the $300 billion bill—318-106 in the House on May 14 and 81-15 in the Senate May 15—assured that the legislation could withstand the promised veto by President Bush.
In addition to providing mandatory funding for specialty crop priorities, the farm bill—known formally as the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008—also amends the 2002 mandatory country-of-origin labeling law to make it more flexible and less burdensome, according to the alliance.
But Congress had to re-vote on the farm bill due to what Democrats called a clerical error, according to CNN.com. Missing was a 34-page section on international food aid and trade.
President Bush vetoed the bill May 21. In response, the House of Representatives voted 316-108 to override the president's veto. But shortly afterward, lawmakers learned a section of the bill was accidentally omitted from the version that Congress sent to the White House, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told CNN.com.
Democratic leaders in the House decided to pass the bill again today, including the missing section in the version that Bush received. That vote was 306-110, again enough to override another veto from Bush should the need arise, according to The Associated Press.
If the Senate overrides Bush's veto, all the other provisions of the bill except for the missing section on international food aid and trade would be law.
"Specialty crop farmers have never sought direct subsidies even though we represent half of the total crop farmgate value in this country," says Tom Nassif, president and chief executive officer of Irvine, Calif.-based Western Growers, in a news release. "The resources made available in this bill will go far to help develop better ways to grow, distribute and safe guard nutritious food Americans need for good health. This is not just a farm bill; it is a public health policy that will go a long way toward changing the way Americans eat."
Specialty crops funding highlights:
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$1.02 billion to expand the fresh fruit and vegetable snack program to all 50 states.
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$466 million to enhance specialty crop block grants that focus on local efforts to enhance a producers' ability to compete in the marketplace.
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$377 million to create a new pest and disease program focused on combating invasive pests and disease.
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$230 million to establish the specialty crop research initiative to develop and disseminate science-based tools to address the needs of specific crops and their regions.
Source: Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance
Additional reporting by Tom Karst
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A fresh approach to hospital food may bolster local growers
A San Francisco health care facility is trying to dispel the bad reputation hospital food has by replacing its canned and frozen fruits and vegetables with fresh produce from nearby farms.
It might sound like a post-anesthesia dream, but it is happening at some San Francisco area hospitals, say two University of California, Davis, researchers.
They studied farm-to-hospital initiatives in the Bay Area and found a growing movement to put locally produced food on patient trays and cafeteria menus. They say that buying from local producers is part of a trend toward better quality and flavor in hospital meals, both to satisfy consumer demand and to address concerns about dietary contributions to chronic disease.
"Just replacing foodservice cans with locally grown vegetables won't curb high rates of obesity and heart disease, but it may encourage patients and cafe customers to increase their daily intake of vegetables," says study co-author Gail Feenstra. "And if there's one piece of firm advice from nutritionists, it's to eat more fruits and vegetables."
Feenstra is food systems analyst for the UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute and the statewide Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
One example of a farm-to-hospital initiative is the John Muir Health System facilities in Concord and Walnut Creek, where executive chef Alison Negrin has replaced all frozen vegetables with fresh produce, most of which is grown within 150 miles of the hospital.
Now John Muir patient lunch trays feature a local, seasonal fruit of the day. John Muir cafes offer bowls of citrus from Capay Valley orchards and steam trays of fresh broccoli and cauliflower from Monterey County, local mixed lettuces in the salad bars and grass-fed beef from area ranches in the hamburgers.
Hospitals have the buying power to make a big difference in local food networks, Feenstra says. "They buy more than $12 billion of food every year."
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Blight hotlines give spud growers a jump on disease
Syngenta Crop Protection of Greensboro, N.C., has once again teamed with five universities in key potato regions to sponsor blight hotlines in 2008. The program, which Syngenta has sponsored for more 10 years, provides growers with vital access to disease information so they can stay a step ahead of disease pressure.
Beginning this month, growers can call the toll-free hotline and receive up-to-date information regarding current weather patterns, recommended control measures and disease infection confirmations. The hotlines are managed by researchers in Idaho, Michigan, North Dakota, Oregon and Michigan and will be accessible around the clock. They will cover both early and late blight.
The potato blight hotlines are available by calling:
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