Plants Study Notes:
Photosynthesis: the process a plant goes through to make its own food
Germination: fertilization process a flower goes through to make a new seed
Stamen and Anther: male parts of the flower
Pistol, Ovary and Stigma: female parts of the flower
Embryo: baby plant inside of a seed
Flower’s job: fertilization
Leaf’s job: to make food
Vascular: plants with veins or tubes
Nonvascular: plants with no veins
Angiosperms: plants with flowers
Gymnosperms: plants with cones
1. The male cells of a flower are located in the stamen.
2. The female cells of a flower are located in the stigma.
3. Plants are needed for all food and life on the Earth.
4. Mold is something that does not make its own food.
5. When a bee goes from flower to flower it is pollinating the flower.
6. When the ovary of a flower swells up it is turning into a fruit.
7. Seeds get planted in different places by the help of wind, animals, and water.
8. When a seed sprouts it is germinating.
9. Soil is not needed for a seed to germinate.
10. After pollination, the petals of the flower are not needed anymore.
11. Photosynthesis happens in the leaves.
12. Plants make their own food and fungi do not make their own food.
13. Pollen gets stuck on the top of the sticky stamen.
14. Pollination can happen by self-pollination or cross-pollination.
15. Moss on a rock is an example of a non-vascular plant.
16. Leaves, celery, trees and grass are all examples of vascular plants.
17. Ferns, moss, and mushrooms reproduces with spores, they do NOT contain seeds.
18. Pine Trees, Spruce Trees, Fir Trees are Conifer Trees they are all types of Gymnosperms.
19. Gymnosperms produce cones. The seeds form on the cone.
20. Angiosperms are plants that produces seeds inside a fruit. The fruit protects the seed.
21. There are two types of angiosperm. Monocot is a one seed leaf and Dicot is a two seed leaf.
22. Plants are multi-cellular.
23. Plants produce oxygen humans need to breathe.


100% kona coffee Gourmet Company
Gentle slopes of the Hualalai, bearing fruit on the west side of Hawaii Island, farm with one of the world’s best gourmet coffees. Located in the heart of the coffee belt, are where you can find our estate. Nature has given our estate perhaps the finest growing conditions, with just the right amount of rain, ample amounts of sunshine and a rich volcanic soil full of nutrients, to produce our coffee. Assisting Mother Nature, the coffee plants are cultivated into generating a rich tasting coffee bean. We hand pick, carefully process and sun-dry these beans before delicately roasting small batches. We strive to grow the finest quality, best tasting Gourmet Kona Coffee Company available today. We enjoy what we do and believe the energy we put into our farming reflects in the quality and taste of the coffee you purchase and enjoy!
Why We Do Coffee
The coffee business was an opportunity to pursue a farming venture in which their family could all take part. Not only is the coffee business competitive and demanding, but a family-owned and operated coffee business would be an excellent way for family to learn and grow as they work together to build a successful business and make a strong contribution to an important Hawaiian industry. So in 2007, GHCC embarked on a new adventure. They bought a small coffee farm on the Big Island of Hawaii in North Kona. They bought the farm without much farming knowledge or experience, but sought advice from several coffee farming friends. The following year, they looked for additional land with a house so they could tend to their farm longer. Just down the road they found a farm with a house and business, and they now had 14 acres of coffee farms. A few months later, they bought a nearby 5-acre coffee farm and home from a neighbor and named it Kona Black Gold. They now had two farms and 12 acres of planted and producing coffee trees.
Family Pride Makes Pure Kona Coffee High Quality
The west side of Hawaii’s Big Island boasts costly five-star resorts, some of this state’s most beautiful beaches and turquoise waters that lap the soft sugar sand of many Beach Parks. All the while, you’ll find copious amounts of coffee; increasingly these days, there’s a foreign flavor mixing in with what used to be just a popular local crop. Despite being America’s last arrival to statehood, Hawaii is no stranger to powerful private interests steering public policy for coffee or local consumption habits. It’s a group of islands where you’ll find mom-and-pop shops next to major corporations, much like other landlocked regions, though there’s something different about a recent conflict among small 100% Kona coffee farmers and their larger competition. Unlike places such as Cameroon and Colombia, where farmers lambast their leaders over economic policies they say are crippling them in a global market often led by Brazil, Indonesia and Vietnam, the small 100% Kona coffee growers aren’t asking for subsidies or infrastructure. They just want to level the local playing field, they say.
If the consumers don’t like the type of labeling or the product itself, they’ll stop purchasing it. Here, 1-pound bags with the coffee label vary wildly in price — from as little as around $35 for the mass-produced coffee made possible with cheap labor in Hawaii, up to $70 for the pure organic beans and grounds grown on local property. The problem, according to the 350-plus small growers of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, is that the big producers label their packaging almost the same way as the pure coffee producers, except for small print on the bag that says it’s a 10 percent blend. And this year could be the association’s best (and last) chance to have a state law revised that would require these 10% blends to include at least 51 percent Kona coffee — and disclose where the rest of the product comes from. “The danger is, these 10% blends are going to drive 100% Pure Kona coffee to extinction,” says Bruce Corker, the association president who owns a 4-acre farm of his own.
100% Kona Coffee Money
It’s enough of a challenge to make money from coffee when countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam hold an advantage, thanks to a relative low cost of land — less than $2,000 an acre in some places, compared to the $40,000 per acre it can cost for farmland in Hawaii. Labor can run 80 percent less in Southeast Asia as-well, the reason even Colombian coffee farmers have gone on strike several times in the last few years while they demanded better coffee subsidies. Going up against the big guys in Hawaii is another battle. In the past, major sellers never used to have to label their bags with the fraction of their product that was made up of Kona coffee. Smaller growers lobbied fiercely for a 51 percent minimum, and while a new law passed in the early 1990s, it required only 10 percent Kona coffee in the blends. (Hawaii Coffee Company, one of the big coffee producers, declined to comment on the law.)
Recently, in Hilo-Waiakea, had the power to spark change through a bill that would have addressed this issue. Yet it die in the House Committee on Agriculture, because the group was running out of time but also because of faith in the free market system. Tsuji notes small farmers and big producers can come to a compromise on their own: “If the consumers don’t like the type of labeling or the coffee product itself, they’ll stop purchasing it,” he tells OZY. The Kona association prepared to address concerns during the latest legislative session in a number of ways, including less-than-subtle tactics, such as pooling funds together to pay for a study that suggests big producers have an unfair advantage by using almost the same labeling as their smaller competitors. But Corker also believes the law might help his group’s cause. The Harvard-educated labor litigator, who worked Seattle for more than 25 years, has examined court rulings that might apply to this particular case. One rare spot of positive precedence: Less than two years ago a California judge ruled that Coca-Cola (which wouldn’t comment here) could no longer use Pomegranate Blueberry in its labeling of a juice with only 0.3 percent pomegranate juice — because it allegedly misled consumers and hurt POM Wonderful, which produces the real juice.
Gourmet Coffee Store
While the association waits to find out if it can take its case to court, it has had mixed results on its grassroots efforts to raise awareness about this issue. One protest several years ago in front of a Kona grocery chain led to TV news coverage and a label on the coffee store shelves alerting customers to which coffees were a blend and which were fully Kona-grown. But it wasn’t enough to start a statewide movement with other stores and resorts. Today has a more pressing issue to deal with — a pest on farms. It was only about six years ago when a certain coffee bean–eating beetle arrived to this area, killing up to a quarter of some farmers’ crops. After breaks open one of the few beans left from last season’s coffee harvest, to show the beetle and the damage it’s done to the inner fruit, he tosses the damaged cherry and returns to the house. It’s an uphill trek, at around 45 degrees, and brings us roughly a hundred feet higher than where we were just standing a few moments earlier. That’s the thing about this area: It takes a bit of effort to get to the top.
We are thrilled to announce that Jackson Coffee Farms ‘Ono 100% Kona Coffee has a prestigious pure coffee brand on the Big Island of Hawaii. Also winning honors at an official event of the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, Hawaii ’s oldest food festival. An international panel of judges conducts Preliminary and Final Rounds of cupping across two days. We are thrilled! Our family farm is in the original "Kona Coffee Belt", the historic Highway , where 100% Kona coffee first began. Sunny mornings and misty afternoons, with warm tropical showers and gentle ocean breezes, provide the ideal climate for growing coffee, one of the most exclusive coffees in the world.
Gourmet Hawaii Coffee
In the final cup, you taste everything--from taking care of the soil and trees, picking only the ripe, red cherry, careful wet milling, raking and drying, dry milling, storage and more! Our 100% Pure Kona Coffee is a unique mix of classic Kona typica, a newer typica which made a big splash over a decade ago when it won First Place at the Coffee Cupping Competition at the Coffee Cultural Festival (amid more than 50 Coffees!), and our 'Ol’town Hawaiian varietal. Different flavors are developed with different roasts, medium roast which provides a beautifully balanced cup! If you want a different taste adventure, order Mountain Spring Coffee Company medium-dark or dark roast which will enhance rich, deep tones from Hawaii Coast.
Off World Investment Institute Inc. recommends this coffee company.


|Quinta Vale D. Maria|
At the end of 1993, when leaving Quinta do Noval, it was my
ambition to contribute to the development of independent producers in the Douro,
thus not only contributing to the establishment of a new and strong wave of
innovation in the region, but also complementing, and at the same time
diminishing, the Region's dependence on one single type of wine: Port.
The richness of the Douro Region and its promotion can be developed into new fields using the different characteristics that make it unique in the world - its geography, soil and microclimate; the numerous different high quality native grape varieties; the different style of wines those grapes can produce from all styles of Port and other fortified wines (Muscatels) to white and red still wines; all the different properties (Quintas) and their ancient history all serve to accentuate and enhance the uniqueness of the region.
|Fall colours at
Vale D. Maria
Following these guidelines, I started to develop different wines and Ports
produced exclusively from grapes grown in different Quintas.
It was very natural to start looking at having my own vineyards. Quinta Vale D. Maria was acquired in 1996.
This very old Quinta, then reduced to a 19 hectare property planted with 10 hectares of over 50 year old vineyards, situated on the Rio Torto valley, with a south / south-east facing, in the heart of the Douro Demarcated Region, belonged to Joana's (my wife) family.
|Traditional horse plowing at Vale D. Maria|
The move to restore this Quinta was a natural one. A tremendous job of
reconstruction was needed, from recovering the old vines to rebuilding every
single building in the property, but there was a fantastic potential for quality
with the old vineyards. Planted with grape varieties that cover a broad spectrum
of the Douro traditional varieties - Tinta Amarela, Rufete, Tinta Barroca, Tinta
Roriz, Touriga Francesa, Touriga Nacional, Sousão, and many others - there was a
seemingly real potential to provide a unique and outstanding quality base for
both Ports and Douro Red Wines.
Control over production began on the 1st of September 1996 and initially all we could do was analyze exactly what kind of wines Quinta Vale D. Maria could produce.
|Old Port wine vats|
New vineyards have been added, either by purchasing or by long-term leases of
neighboring properties. On this date Quinta Vale D. Maria has a total of 31
hectares of vineyards: 16 hectares of fully owned very old vineyards (between 60
and 80 years old), 10 more hectares of 25 year and 80 year old vineyards under a
long lease and a new planting of 5 hectares, 3,5 finished in 2004 and 1,5 in
We are now reinforcing our knowledge and developing the quality of our vineyards and winemaking techniques. The accumulated knowledge of traditional Port making (foot treading in the lagares) combined with the most modern vinification techniques in stainless steel tanks has made a notable difference.
|New vinification center|
The new vinification center was built to allow our wines to reflect all their potential: there are 4 granite stone lagares with temperature control, 4 temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for manual remontage work and robotic treading. A new vertical basket press completes the new equipment. All these tanks and lagares were designed to hold a maximum of 5.000 kgs of grapes (7.500 kgs for 2 of the stainless steel tanks), the average production of one hectare of vines.
Quinta Vale D. Maria, July 2012
Cristiano van Zeller


Different Types of Apple Trees
In the past, there have been only a couple different kinds of apple trees that you could buy. But now, thanks to the wonders of genetic engineering, if you want to buy an apple tree you are able to choose between many different types of apples and flavors. Here I will outline five different popular types of apples that you can consider for your first apple tree.
First introduced in Japan, the Fuji apple has been around since 1962. The Fuji apple has yellow-green skin with red streaks down the side. The inside is delicious and sweet. It is white, firm, crunchy, and very flavorful. It becomes ripe in the middle of September, but tastes the best if it is left to fully mature until October or November. These apples will start growing early and grow in abundance. They are good for pollinating other apples. The Fuji tree can tolerate wet, dry, or poor soil, but the fruit quality will most likely reflect the quality of the soil. The apples always taste the best when they are fresh, and are great for cooking.
Gala apples are a wonderful tasting import from New Zealand. The Gala apple has yellow skin with a slight hint of red, and it is medium sized. The insides are yellow, very juicy, firm, crisp, and smell excellent. When they are fresh they are one of the best tasting apples you can grow. They grow quickly, and the trees bear heavily. They become ripe in late July. They are generally not used for cooking, just because Fuji is a better alternative. The trees can grow in wet, dry, and poor soil as well.
The delicious Braeburn apples' color varies from gold with red streaks to almost completely red. It was first popularized some time in the late 1940's. It was also originally from New Zealand along with the Fuji, and is now the best selling apple in Germany. The insides are white, crisp, aromatic, firm, and juicy. They are sweet, but also slightly tart. The size varies from medium to large. They were introduced to the United States around 1980, and met with great enthusiasm. They are some of the most popular apples in the world. They generally don't become brown too quickly after being cut. They become ripe around October or November.
As red as its name proclaims, the Red Delicious apple is very tall and large. Their yellow insides are crisp, sweet, juicy, and delicious. They are grown across the country, and are great to put in salads. They are usually recognized by their distinct heart shape. They were first introduced in 1874 in Peru, Iowa. They become ripe in mid to late September. They are usually best when they are fresh off the tree.
Golden Delicious apples have great, juicy flavor. Their insides are firm, white, crisp and sweet. They are great for cooking because even when they are cooked or baked they keep their great taste and shape. The skin is thin and soft. They are great for salads. They range in size from medium to large. They are shaped much like the red delicious apple. The insides are crisp, juicy, sweet, and mild. Many people enjoy them, although they bruise rather easily. They become ripe in late September. They are good for many purposes, and they last a long time if not handled roughly.
Patch From Scratch & Cottage Gardens, by Peter Cundall and Gardening Australia (DVD). This is a combination of two videos that used to be sold separately on VHS. The "Patch from Scratch" video is really, really good if you want to learn from scratch about how to grow vegetables organically. In Patch from Scratch, Peter Cundall shows you step-by-step how to start a vegetable garden, beginning with an ordinary suburban lawn. He goes through each season (some of then broken into early and late) for 18 months, describing everything in amazing detail. There is so much information in this video you could watch it 100 times and still learn more. The only real criticism of it I can think of is that it is so densely packed with information, your brain gets saturated after 10 or 15 minutes. So don't expect to take it all in in one sitting. I would recommend watching it through all the way just for an introduction, and then watch just the section for each month that you are up to, and do what he explains in that month/season.
Click here to purchase from Australia (Fishpond) $29.99 AUD
Organic Gardening, Peter Bennett. I found this book to be very helpful. It is devoted entirely to organic methods of gardening. Almost all of the book (all of it except for about 5-10 pages) is about food plants rather than flowers or other ornamentals. The back cover states that it is the accepted major work on the subject of growing and cultivating plants in Australia and New Zealand using natural methods.
Click here to purchase from Australia $39.95 AUD
Return to Growing Fruit Trees
Sustainable Organic Farming
Starting Your Own Box Garden
Starting a Vegetable Garden
Vegetable Gardening Books
Return to Permaculture and Vegetable Gardening
Return to Site Map
apple apples delicious great red
Website by Webworks® 2005-2013. This page was last modified on the 7th of November, 2011.


Over-irrigation and poor drainage of the soil is a main contributor to salinity. Salt stress effects about 20% of the world’s total land-mass. It has been reported that salt stress affects 50% of the global cropland (Tavili & Biniaz, 2009). The Australian soils are subject to high levels of salinity. This is a result of historic land clearing associated with pasture and cropping land use purposes.
Taiz et al. (2015) assert that when plants are exposed to salinity, their cytosolic concentrations of Na+ and Cl– ions can reach more than 100mM. This leads to cytotoxism and protein denaturation as well as the destabilization of membranes. Additionally, when accumulations of Na+ in the leaves reaches toxic levels the ability of the plant to perform photosynthesis and other biosynthetic processes can become inhibited.
The main staple food crop in all of Asia is wheat (Triticum sp.). Wheat makes up the primary staple food for 30% of the global population (MuRahman et al., 2008). Another major food crop is barley which is of the Hordeum sp.
Studies like those that were mentioned in the work of Flowers and Hajibagheri (2001) show that the concentrations of potassium ions decrease linearly as the concentrations of NaCl in a plant’s environment increase. The differences in the accumulation of different ions in the cytoplasm of plant cells greatly affect that plant’s capacity to survive and to grow. The capacity of the wheat and barley that were exposed to the higher concentrations of NaCl was clearly affected to the point where some of the seedlings were unable to emerge at all (Fig. X). The concentrations of K+ ions vary between 100-220 mol m-3 in most plants that are classed as being glycophytic and under non-saline conditions the cytosol of higher plant cells contain less than 10mM Na+ ions, favoring higher concentrations of K+ ions instead (Taiz et al., 2015).
The problems with water uptake could be compounded as NaCl causes hardening of cell walls as well as inhibiting the water conductance of the plasma membrane. Tavili and Biniaz (2009) suggested that the effects that NaCl exposure has on the cell wall membrane impact upon the water potential of the cell and thus, the cell’s osmotic potential.
Areas of further study in regards to the improved production of staple food crops, such as wheat and barley, in saline environments could focus on various relationships of salt tolerant rhizobacterium with the crop species of interest. In research by Upadhyay and Singh (2013), several strains of soil microbes were used to inoculate wheat specimens that were kept in both the greenhouse environment and in the field. It was found that the salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (ST-PGPR) improved the growth and yield of wheat exposed to saline environments. Another interesting finding that is relevant to this report was that when the Bacillus subtilis bacterium was used to inoculate the wheat, Na content in the leaves was reduced by about 23% and that specimen seemed to outgrow the control.
Flowers, TJ, Hajibagheri, MA (2001) Salinity tolerance in Hordeum vulgare: ion concentrations in root cells of cultivars differing in salt tolerance. Plant and Soil 231, 1-9.
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Soomro, UA, Zahoor-ul-Haq, M, Gul, S (2008) Effects of NaCl Salinity on Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Cultivars. World Journal of Agricultural Sciences 4, 398-403.
Taiz, L, Zeiger, E, Møller, IM, Murphy, AS (2015) ‘Plant physiology and development.’ (Sunderland, Massachusetts U.S.A. : Sinauer Associates, Inc:
Tavili, A, Biniaz, M (2009) Different Salts Effected on the Germination of Hordeum vulgare and Hordeum bulbosa. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 8, 63-68.
Upadhyay, SK, Singh, DP (2014) Effect of salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on wheat plants and soil health in a saline environment. Plant Biology 17, 288-293.


Established in 1733, Savannah is known as America’s first planned city. Early in its history, farmers discovered that the climate and soil were favorable to the cultivation of cotton, rice, and lush backyard gardens full of great varieties of nutrient-rich produce. But similar to what has happened in other places across America, local residents over time became more and more disenfranchised from locally produced good food.
In Savannah, food balance was determined as the appropriate measure to assess food offerings. These scores show a relative measure of how easy or difficult it is to reach mainstream food over fringe food. The guiding principal is that consumers will shop most regularly at the stores nearest to where they live. The map below shows detailed findings conducted block-by-block in and surrounding areas of Savannah. The red areas show the most of out of balance areas.
For more information on the research conducted in Savannah, including neighborhood specific maps, click here.


A Year without Summer – 1816
Who would have thought that just over 200 years ago, New Hampshire would have experienced a year without a summer? After Mt. Tambora in Indonesia erupted in 1815, the impact of this explosion was felt all the way across the world, particularly in New England, where residence endured a year of frigid temperatures and snow.
New Hampshire natives reported experiencing deep frosts in every month of the summer and even a Nor’ Easter that had dumped nearly seven inches of snow in June! Lakes were completely frozen over, mountain tops had a white caps and temperatures plummeted below freezing in the month of August!
During the course of the summer long freeze, the crops in New Hampshire were dramatically affected, many of them dying from the cold before the harvest. Fear of famine was apparent and many farmers began to migrate to the Mid West for better farming. Animals who had shed their winter coats were beginning to freeze and farmers would wrap them in blankets to keep them alive.
Thankfully for us, as we embrace the warm days of summer to come, we won’t have to think about winter and snow for at least another few months! To find out more about a year without summer in 1816, click here!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more about Manchester’s great Downtown!
HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR A TOPIC OF THE WEEK? E-MAIL SARAH AT: SRONDEAU@INTOWNMANCHESTER.COM


We had those April showers… Are you ready for your May flowers?
Relaxing and enjoyable– gardening is a wonderful way to spend your free time. There are so many benefits of planting a garden in your backyard or using a community garden plot.
Some of the benefits of gardening include:
healthier fruit and vegetable options for your entire family, with less chemicals and pesticides
Vitamin D from all that sunshine!
Fresh air and exercise, lifting bags of soil is a real work out!
great educational experience for the entire family
But, if you’re like Dr. Jennifer, you’re interested in creating your own garden but you have no idea where to start. Here are some HEALTHY, easy-to-grow in Ontario veggies:
String Beans- A great source of fibre, potassium and folate. They contain anti-oxidants similar to those found in green team.
Cherry Tomatoes- A major source of the antioxidant lycopene. Lycopene has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. Cherry tomatoes are also high in Vitamin C and K.
Kale – The superfood of the century. This rich, green, leafy vegetable is an amazing source of a multitude of nutrients and is easy to grow from seed in early spring or fall when temperatures are cooler.
Cucumber- Cucumbers promote hydration, may help with weight loss and blood sugar regulation. It is so easy to add into a salad or eat on its own with some hummus. Plus, it tastes delicious in a glass of ice cold water.
Whatever you decide to grow, remember to do a little research first to make sure that your garden is going to be rich and bountiful.
Dr. Jennifer and Dr. Jason’s mom, Josie, is the best gardener. We love going over to her house in the summer and fall and enjoying the “veggies of her labour”. She always grows the best string beans. Here are Josie’s best tips for gardening:
Everyone loves garden tomatoes. Tomatoes have a long maturation time, this is the one item I would splurge on and buy mature plants instead of seedlings, or patio plants and plant them directly into the ground, that way they don’t dry out too quickly. You will be enjoying fresh tomatoes much earlier this way. Tomatoes will get black bottoms if they do not have enough calcium in the soil, to help prevent this sprinkle powered milk around the base of the plant when planting or mix directly into the soil, you can also occasionally water with the powdered milk mixed right into the watering can.
String green/yellow beans, peas. These are the easiest plants to grow and give a good yield. You can plant the seeds directly in the garden on the long weekend in May. I’ve found planting the seeds earlier doesn’t make them spout any faster, it actually delays them because the ground is too cold, be patient and wait for the ground to warm up.
Keep the stems of your plants from being eaten by bunnies or rodents. Save large cans, cut off both ends and put it over top of the plant, this protects its base from animals. You can water directly into the mouth of the can, water goes directly to the base of the plant and water is saved by not watering the rest of the soil in the garden.
Another vegetable I have had luck with is Kale. Kale grows quickly and if you just harvest the tops, they keep growing until well into the cold fall weather.
Don’t forget to plant herbs, you can go out to your garden and pick the tops of the plants, you will have fresh herbs all summer. Don’t forget if you have herbs available at harvest time, pick them and freeze them in little ziplock bags. Be careful with oregano, if you let it seed it will take over your garden in the years to come, it is very invasive. Just keep the plant from blooming to prevent this.
Get the whole family involved
Gardening is more fun when the whole family is involved! When deciding what to plant in your garden, remember that your children will have more fun helping you choose if there is a theme involved. Some fun themes can include a “Pizza Garden” or a “Salad Garden”.
A pizza garden would include tomatoes and seasoning for the sauce as well as Swiss chard, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers and onions for toppings. This theme can include anything that will grow well in your climate and taste good on top of a healthy pizza.
A salad garden can include anything you would like to include in a salad with your lettuce options being your first choice. Arugula, romaine lettuce and baby spinach are great options (remember that iceberg lettuce is really lacking in nutrients so shouldn’t be the base of your salad).
Vegetables that will taste great on your salad may include tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, beans, beets and broccoli.
Letting your children help you decide what to plant will have them vested in your garden and looking forward to watching it grow.
Gardening for Health and Wellness
A family garden is simply a wonderful way to spend productive time together. Not only for organic vegetable and fruit growing, but for exercise and fresh air as well. It’s probably one of the best things you can do for you and your family on a warm spring day.
Have you planted a garden in the past and have some amazing tips? Let us know your favourite gardening tips.


CHILONGOLA AGRO FOREST AND LIVESTOCK LIMITED is a dully registered company, privately owned and operated business under the direction of Andrew Manfred Salaka and Christina Andrew Salaka. The company aimed to be a leading private Agri-Tech, greenhouse and drip Installation Company in Tanzania working with smallholder and medium farmers, institutions and private companies to improve production and increase efficiency through the use of new modern technologies. We are currently specialized in the farming, collection and supply of avocado fruits and other crops currently in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, mainly Iringa, Njombe, parts of Songea and Mbeya regions.
We not only grow our own fruit but also source, ripen, pack, process and market quality avocados year-round – all in a sustainable manner. Our vertically-integrated supply chain enables us to market a comprehensive range of quality avocado fruit from across the globe, meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations.
CHILONGOLA AGRO FOREST AND LIVESTOCK LIMITED supports and furthers the objectives, addressing challenges and enhancing technologies, from propagation to consumer service. CHILONGOLA AGRO FOREST AND LIVESTOCK LIMITED is involved in the testing and commercialisation of avocado and other fruits material in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, in collaboration with various farmers, organisations and educational institutions.
CHILONGOLA AGRO FOREST AND LIVESTOCK LIMITED is continuously selecting and evaluating both avocado and other fruits cultivars to find cultivars that meet specific criteria determined by our Company’s greater strategy. These criteria include: finding cultivars of superior eating quality that mature either earlier or later than the current commercial cultivars to extend the season for both avocados and mangoes;finding cultivars with a better fruit size distribution, colour development (mangoes) and disease resistance; and also finding novel cultivars that assist in differentiating CHILONGOLA AGRO FOREST AND LIVESTOCK LIMITED from other Tanzanian fruit growers and marketers by the sheer variety on offer by the company.
Our Company specializes in providing the highest quality contracting service to accomplish the goals and objectives of each individual farm owner, while focusing on building strong, lasting relationships in the process. We strive to assist every landowner in realizing the full benefits of their farm lands, while demonstrating the excellent value of the services we provide.
We pride ourselves in carrying out ethical business practices that reflect the trustworthy, dependable, and enthusiastic people that we employ. We’ll also be constructing affordable modern greenhouses and install automated drip irrigation kits for small scale farmers, institutions and private companies by using locally available materials and solar powered sensors.
Language: English and swahili


River Roots Garden Supplies Quad Cities
Hydroponic and organic gardening supplies.
Located in moline Illinois, River Roots Garden Supplies has all the highest quality hydroponic and organic growing equipment you need including plant nutrients, grow lights, ballasts, hydroponic equipment, environmental controls, growing media and more. When you need to choose the right supplier for your cultivation needs, you can count on river roots garden supplies.
A Little About Us
River Roots Garden Supplies was founded in 2019 with our first store in Moline IL. Our founder opened our store to help the local community easily attain the products needed to create beautiful indoor and outdoor gardens. As the premier supplier of hydroponic and organic cultivation supplies in the quad cities, you can trust River Roots Garden Supplies for the professional assistance you need to find the products you want.


The mission of the HCDI is to develop high standards agricultural professionals and provides needful assistance towards increasing agricultural production in haor and char areas through technological innovations and conducting resource-based and demand-driven research programmes.
The working missions of this institute are:
to increase agricultural production through adoption of climate-resilient high yielding crop varieties as well as ensuring higher cropping intensity;
to increase fish and livestock production through need-based integrated approach;
to adopt improved agricultural mechanization attaining higher cropping intensity as well as reduction of harvesting loss;
to ensure appropriate price of produced agricultural products through improved market management;
to provide adapting and sustaining training programme among the haor and char’s farmers to upgrade the existing knowledge and skill in a better manner;
to take necessary initiatives so that this institute can act as a bridge between the researchers and the people’s of haor and char areas ensuring firm relationships.
to promote a collaborative research at institutional, national and international level on different agricultural areas for new discoveries and solutions to haor and char problems.


Palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment plants cater all raw effluent created. Roughly 0.65 tonnes of raw POME is produced for each and every ton of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) processed. In 2003, a total of 2,106,956 tonnes of FFB had been processed, resulting in 1,369,521 tonnes of POME becoming created.
Two-phase anaerobic digestion procedure followed by extended aeration procedure are use to realize vegetable oil refining effluent therapy plants (ETPs). This two-phase anaerobic procedure gives exceptional pollutant destruction effectiveness of above 95% whilst extended aeration ensures that the final pollutant levels within the effluent are within the stipulated limits set from the Division of Atmosphere (DOE).
The raw POME will probably be converted into volatile fatty acids by acid forming bacteria firstly in the anaerobic digestion process. The volatile acids are then converted into methane and carbon dioxide.
Following are the benefits of anaerobic digestion method:
The two phase system tends to make greater control of digester environmental circumstances available.
Better biodegradation efficiencies are allowed by long solid retention occasions.
Minimal loading to the aerobic procedure are guaranteed by extra settling of liquor.
There's capability to cope with full effluent load, regardless of fluctuation.
Extended Aerobic Procedure
The anaerobic liquor is aerated to additional decrease the BOD content material within the extended aerobic system. The floating aerators also make sure complete mixing is accomplished and the pod contents are always in suspension in addition to providing oxygen. Levels of advantageous micro-organisms are elevated which in turn hasten the conversion of pollutants into carbon dioxide, water and power in this procedure. In order to ensure production of a fairly clean supernatant, aerobic suspension is allowed to settle inside a settling tank.
The composting method offers an effective answer to the oil palm industry's perennial problem of waste disposal.The composting method utilizes 100% POME and EFB and utilizes a technically advanced method to convert these waste matters into compost. Composting accelerants are sprayed once at the start from the oil extraction process to accelerate the composting procedure. Throughout the composting process, the windrows are covered by an air-permeable covering to avoid drenching by heavy rain and to prevent leaching of nutrients. The covering is crucial for the manage of temperature and moisture content, two important elements that impact the speed of composting and quality when the finish item. You can use the mature compost after 70 days. The compost, when used in sufficient quantity, is capable of replacing 66% of chemical fertilizers.


A career in horticulture is a rewarding one, no doubt. To plant a seed and watch it produce a gorgeous flower is truly a gift to the eye of the beholder. Not many can say that they see the fruits of their labors evolve into such a beautiful creation… but the horticulturist can!
But, what is horticulture? What would your job duties entail if you choose this career? The term “horticulture” covers a wide array of topics. As most of us take it for granted that mother nature takes care of our earth, sometimes assistance may be needed to produce the plants that emerge from our soil. If you so choose, you can be mother nature’s assistant! – What an awesome job!
Horticulture is a form of science. As a horticulturist, you will use your knowledge to study and examine the growth process of plants and flowers, as well as, fruits and vegetables. Horticulturist also study the soil and the lay of the land, ways to conserve and restore the earth, along with, plant propagation.
Are you a home gardener? Perhaps you are already an experienced flower gardener or just proud of your prize-winning tomatoes? Horticulturist are interested in the scientific approach to agriculture and are often tasked with cultivating plants that produce the best-tasting fruit or vegetables with the most nutritional value possible. They test plants till they find the ones that are easily grown, are resistant to diseases and insects, as well as, can withstand the elements of the weather and other environmental factors. Landscapers and garden designers appreciate the work of the horticulturist to ensure that live plants are developed into hardy varieties that produce the largest flowers. Home gardeners reap the benefits, as well.
As a horticulturist, you must have an extensive knowledge of plant identification, proper watering requirements, fertilizing techniques, in addition to, weed management skills. Lawn care is also an important part of horticulture as ground preparation, drainage, grass varieties and the fertilization process are integral to getting that nice, lush carpet of green in front of your home.
Does a career in horticulture interest you? There are several learning opportunities for you if you are contemplating a position in this field. Educational programs can be completed at the certificate or career diploma level. Or, if you would like to progress, you can earn an associate and bachelor’s degree in horticulture. For the really ambitious, a master’s degree is available and if you would like to perform extensive research in the field, a doctorate degree is available, as well.
There are two types of horticulture for you to consider, which are identified as ornamentals and edibles. In addition, there are nine areas of study in which you may want to consider as a specialization. They are landscape horticulture, turf management, arboriculture and floriculture. Other studies include concentrations in oenology, viticulture, pomology, olericulture and postharvest physiology. Typically, unlike agriculture, horticulture does not include crop production in large masses.
If you would like to learn more about this field, please see our choices for the Best Online Schools for Horticulture.


Drones fly over the Eagle Creek Reservoir monitoring algal blooms; researchers work with a farmer to improve agricultural practices; a 20-year study aims to address forest restoration in degraded riparian landscapes. These are some of the ways the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at IUPUI is engaging with the community in research.
The Center for Earth and Environmental Science (CEES) supports research that crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries by bringing together faculty from different academic backgrounds to discuss complex issues, pursue grants, and collaborate on projects. Research carried out at the center by CEES staff, affiliated faculty, and community partners facilitates science-based decision making and feeds the center’s education programming.
Through multiple projects in the community, CEES is working to address key community issues, such as water quality and environmental restoration.
At Eagle Creek, Greg Druschel, Associate Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences and an affiliate of CEES, in partnership with IUPUI’s Center for Aerial Unmanned Systems Imaging (CAUSI), uses drone technology to monitor cyanobacteria in the reservoir. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, produce compounds that cause “taste and odor” issues if the algae become overly abundant.
By combining traditional water sampling methods with specialized aerial photography of the reservoir, Druschel and his team are developing models that will allow drone photography to replace, or at least reduce the need for, the more time-intensive methods currently required to monitor algal abundance. Because the use of drones is far less expensive than traditional physical sampling methods, municipalities could evaluate water supplies more frequently and would therefore be more likely to identify potential problems before cyanobacteria numbers reached harmful levels. Treating water to prevent harmful algal blooms is easier – and cheaper – than treating water to remove the noxious compounds after taste and odor issues develop. A cost-effective model that facilitates early detection of harmful algal blooms has the potential to benefit communities around the country, said Dr. Victoria Schmalhofer, an ecologist and Assistant Director of CEES.
CEES is also leading a project to evaluate the impacts of traditional and alternative farming practices on sediment- and nutrient-loading in streams. Through a partnership with Mike Starkey, a farmer in Brownsburg, and the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), researchers are studying whether the types of cover crops used and the method and timing of fertilizer application affects sedimentation and nutrient-loading of a local stream after rainfall events.
In order to control the movement of water over his land, Starkey engages in no-till agriculture and micro-application of fertilizer, uses his own particular mix of cover crops, and has planted buffer strips along the stream. Employing these methods, he has been able to reduce or eliminate the channel carving and ponding that used to occur in his fields after heavy rains.
Starkey is participating in the Edge of Field program, which was developed by the NRCS to manage water associated with agricultural fields. Sediment is the main pollutant in Indiana waterways, and loss of agricultural topsoil through erosion is a major issue throughout the United States. Additionally, the nutrients carried with sediments contribute to problems both locally, including algal blooms in local streams and lakes, and regionally, such as the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
At Starkey Farm, the first Edge of Field project in Indiana, traditional methods or Starkey’s methods are being used on adjacent fields to determine whether the practices differ in their impacts on sediment movement to School Branch, the stream that separates the two fields. Since 2015, environmental scientist Danielle Follette and other CEES staff have managed the project, collecting water samples after every rainfall event and evaluating the samples for sediment and nutrient content. If Starkey’s methods prove to significantly reduce the movement of sediments and nutrients into School Branch, it will have widespread implications for farming practices throughout Indiana and beyond, Schmalhofer said.
On the western edge of campus, along a one-mile stretch of the White River extending from 10th Street to New York Street, lies the Lilly ARBOR. Originally called the White River Riparian Restoration Project (WRRRP), the ARBOR is an 8.5 acre experimental forest designed to answer questions concerning how best to reforest highly degraded riparian landscapes – hence its acronym: Answers for Restoring the Banks of Our River.
During fall of 2000, over 1300 saplings were planted in the field of turf grass that bordered the river. Twelve different tree species, selected for their presumed ability to survive at the site, were incorporated in the study. Additionally, three commonly used planting methods were and are still being evaluated: containerized (older saplings grown in 3 gallon pots), bare-root (younger saplings with bare roots), and bare-root with weed mat (a weed mat was put in place after planting to reduce potential overgrowth of the young tree by weeds and grasses).
Twenty years later, the area is a thriving young forest. Distinct differences in tree survival are apparent: honey locusts, green ashes, hackberries, and silver maples have done well – with a 45% or better survival rate; cottonwoods, sycamores, and willows fared poorly – with a less than 10% survival rate; buckeyes, red maples, chinkapin oaks, swamp white oaks, and hawthorns have been moderately successful – with survival rates between 20-40%.
Planting method also was found to have an impact: after one year, “containerized” saplings enjoyed an advantage over “bare root” saplings, with a 91% vs. 78% survival rate. That persisted at the ten-year mark, with a 47% vs. 38% survival rate, and continues to the present with a 41% vs. 27% survival rate.
Current work at the ARBOR is led by Dr. Victoria Schmalhofer. The next phase of research at the ARBOR will include a thorough evaluation of the trees and herbaceous plants that have colonized the area over the past 20 years, as well as surveys of the many animal species that make their homes in the forest.
The ARBOR is more than just a research site. Over the years, hundreds of IUPUI students have visited the ARBOR to engage in and learn about the importance of environmental stewardship as they helped to remove invasive species and clean up trash, and dozens of students have used the area for their senior capstone projects. In addition to functioning as an outdoor classroom and place for experiential learning, the ARBOR also provides opportunities for passive recreation.
To encourage students and members of the community to explore the ARBOR and other green spaces along the White River, CEES is developing the Welcoming Campus Trail (WCT). The WCT will utilize technology to provide users with an interactive, informative experience that draws attention to points of interest along the White River greenway near campus. By making the ARBOR and its history more widely known, CEES hopes to inspire community members to consider the need for, as well as the possibilities of, environmental restoration, Schmalhofer said.


District Agriculture Office
|Name||Designation||Phone (O)||Phone (R)||email id|
|Shri D. Barman||DDA||03804 – 222232||03804 – 222249|
Lohit District is geographically located in between 95[degree] – 45’ –96[degree] – 45’ East longitude and 27[degree]- 30’ and 28[degree] -25’ North Latitude.
The district is comprises of mountains and rugged hills in Wakro Circle and foot hills/ Plain areas in other Circles like Medo, Sunpura, Tezu.
There is vast flat land for WRC at Sunpura, Medo, Loiliang and Tafragam areas of Tezu Circles.
Due to non availability of assured irrigation facility in Tezu Circle the WRC Plots are very much limited for which the local farmers had to depend on rain – water for paddy cultivation.
The soil of the region are basically sandy loam and they are acidic in reaction (PH ranges from 4.5 to 5.5). The main Agriculture Crops grown during Kharif are Paddy, Maize, Millets, Ginger, Turmeric, Soya bean, Sesamum, Black gram, Moong, local pulses, Summer Vegetables, Buck Wheat and during Winter are Rabi Maize, Mustard, Potato, Wheat, Winter Vegetables, etc.
ADMINISTRATIVE SET UP
|Name of Administrative Circle||Name of ADO, Circle|
The Agriculture Department of Lohit District (A. P.) has undertaken the following activities as per annual allocation
STATE PLAN SCHEME
- Cash Crop Development Programme :- Under this programme the seeds of commercially important crops are distributed to the farmers on subsidy.
- State Food Security Programme :- Under this programme the farmers are assisted by distribution of quality paddy seeds on subsidy.
- Integrated Nutrient Management (Organic Agriculture) Programme: – Under this programme the farmers are encouraged and assisted by providing organic fertilizers (vermin compost, Annapurna etc) on 50% subsidy.
- Integrated Pest Management Programme :- Under this programme the farmers are assisted by distribution of plant protection chemicals along with bio – pesticides and Weedicides for integration of all the Pest control measures on subsidy.
- Chief Ministers Farm Mechanization Programme :- This is newly launched programmes where the farmers are assisted by distribution of Agriculture farm machinery clubbing with Govt. assistance under NFSM Programme.
- Power Tiller
- Paddy De-husking Machine
- Pumping Set
- Rotary tiller
- Sugar cane crusher
- Power Sprayer
- Chief Minister Mission Mode Project on Plantation crop
- Tea Plantation : The State Govt. is targeting the educated unemployed youth and progressive farmers of the State to undertake Tea cultivation by giving technical support, planting materials and financial assistance in the form of subsidy.
- Rubber Plantation : The State Govt. is targeting the educated unemployed youth and progressive farmers of the State to undertake Rubber cultivation by giving technical support and Planting material and financial assistance in the form of subsidy.
CENTRALLY SPONSORED SCHEME (CSS)
The following centrally sponsored schemes/ programme are being implemented by the DDA, Lohit.
- Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana (RKVY)
- National Food Security Mission
NFSM – Pulses
Coarse Cereal crops
- National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): NMSA is a newly launched scheme designed by converging all agriculture schemes. Special emphasize were given on Soil and Water Conservation, Water use efficiency, Soil health management and rainfed area development. The focus of this programme is to infuse judicious use of resources of commons through community based approach.
- Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA).
- National Mission on Oil Seed and Oil Palm Production (NMOOP)
- Agriculture Census and EARAS Programme.
- Agriculture Employment Generation Programme.
FARMER WELFARE ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT DURING THE YEAR 2017-18 IN LOHIT DISTRICT, ARUNACHAL PRADESH
|SL No.||Name of Programme/ Scheme||Description of Programme/ Scheme|
|1||National Food Security Mission (NFSM)||Govt. assistance on seeds of Paddy, Pulses and coarse cereals with demonstrations|
|2||National Mission on Oilseed and Oil Palm ( NMOOP)||Assistance on seeds of Mustard, Soyabean and Sesamum|
|3||Rastriya Krishi Vikash Yojana (RKVY)||Assistance on cash crop farming, area expansion and to provide infrastructure for wayside market shed|
|4||National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)||Assistance on integrated farming system on cluster approach|
|5||Paramparagath Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)||Promotion of organic farming on cluster approach|
|6||Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)||To provide micro irrigation with motto “ Har Khet ko paani”|
|7||Sub Mission on Agriculture Mechanization ( SMAM) programme||Assistance to farmers on purchase of Agriculture farm machineries and to conduct technical level training courses at North Eastern Region Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institute, Biswanath Chariali (Tezpur), GOI Institute.|
|8||Mission organic value chain development programme (MVCD)||To promote organic farming especially in NE region|
|9||Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)||To provide insurance coverage at all stages of crop.|
|10||Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA)||To provide technical support to farmers through extension services and field programmes covering Agri and Allied sectors like Agriculture, Horticulture, AH & Vety, Fishery, Textile and Handycraft etc.|
|11||Agriculture employment generation programme (AEGP)||To assist educated unemployed youths to take up integrated farming system and assistance on market linkage|
|12||Chief Minister Mission mode project on Tea and Rubber plantation (CMMMPT&R)||To provide assistance on plantation of Tea and Rubber|
|13||Chief Ministers Agriculture Mechanisation programme (CMAMP)||Govt. assistance on purchase of Agriculture Machineries like Tractor, Power tiller, PDM, Water pump set etc|
|14||State Annual Development Agenda (SADA)||To provide subsidy on the seeds and to promote cash crop production through INM and IPM|
|15||Establishment of Agency for reporting Agriculture Statistics (EARAS)||Deals in Agriculture census and Land use survey with crop cutting survey for formulating Agricultural development programmes.|
|16||Soil Health Card and Soil health management||Soil sample collection and testing for soil mapping|


Here’s a little tidbit I came across when I was visiting family back in New York. The New York State Thruway Authority is using sugar beet juice as a de-icing solution. Apparently, sugar beet juice boosts the de-icing power of road salt.
The Thruway’s Syracuse Division launched a pilot program this winter to test the effectiveness of sugar beet juice mixed with liquid brine and salt, according to a story in the Oneida Daily Dispatch. The Albany area experimented with the mixture last winter with success, according to the story.
What does this have to do with Idaho?
Idaho just happens to be the No. 2 producer of sugar beets in the country, accounting for 19 percent of the total U.S. production, according to the 2009 numbers from the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. There were 163,000 harvested acres of sugar beets in Idaho in 2009, producing a total value of $235 million.
And in case you’ve never noticed those trucks carrying what looks like potatoes on steroids, those are sugar beets, and our local farmers in Kuna and Melba produce a lot of them.
An increase in the demand for sugar beets could be a huge boon to Idaho agriculture and to the local economy.


Contaminated Soil Testing
Unearthing the Truth: The Human Side of Contaminated Soil Testing with Eva and Associates
Imagine walking through a lush green field, feeling the earth beneath your feet. It looks pristine, but what if the soil, the very foundation of that beauty, hides secrets? Secrets like heavy metals, pesticides, or hydrocarbons. It’s a sobering thought, isn’t it? That’s where the importance of “Contaminated Soil Testing” comes into play.
Now, soil contamination isn’t just a buzzword thrown around in environmental circles. It’s a real concern that stems from various sources. Maybe it’s the residue from an old factory, the aftermath of a chemical spill, or the legacy of careless waste disposal. And while these might sound like problems from a bygone era, they’re very much present-day issues. The remnants of past mistakes can linger in the soil for years, posing risks to our health and the environment.
But here’s where it gets personal. It’s not just about the environment or some abstract future generation. It’s about us, our children, our pets, and our gardens. It’s about knowing that the soil our kids play in, or where we grow our veggies, is safe. That’s why “Contaminated Soil Testing” isn’t just a procedure; it’s a promise of safety.
Enter Eva and Associates. They’re not just a company; they’re a group of passionate individuals dedicated to ensuring that our soil is as clean as it looks. With a focus on “Contaminated Soil Testing”, they delve deep, quite literally, to unearth the truths hidden below.
Here’s a glimpse of what they bring to the table:
- Detailed Soil Analysis: They don’t just scratch the surface. They dig deep, examining the soil for any signs of contamination.
- Actionable Insights: After testing, they provide a clear roadmap on how to address any issues they might find.
- Post-Remediation Checks: Once the soil’s treated, they test it again, ensuring it’s truly clean.
- Guidance on Remediation Tech: They’re always up-to-date with the latest in soil remediation technology and are more than willing to share their knowledge.
- Environmental Monitoring: While cleaning the soil, they ensure that the surrounding air and water remain unpolluted.
- Waste Management: They handle waste responsibly, ensuring no further contamination occurs.
In essence, Eva and Associates are the guardians of our ground. With their expertise in “Contaminated Soil Testing”, they ensure that the earth beneath our feet is as pure as it should be.
If you’ve ever wondered about the health of your soil or need expert advice on the matter, don’t hesitate. Reach out to Eva and Associates. Give them a call at (03) 9563 2234 or drop a line at email@example.com. They’re not just experts in “Contaminated Soil Testing”; they’re people who care, ready to guide you every step of the way.


You will recognise it by its delicious taste and unique aroma.
A true gift of nature that takes you far away, to the tropical zones of Asia, Africa and America.
Illycaffé selects Coffea coffee trees that grow in those areas and, among others, produce the Arabica variety, which is the long-standing variety of choice for Illycaffé s.p.a.
This unique variety has all the attributes that guarantee coffee of prime quality. Given that it is particularly sensitive to heat and humidity, high altitude climate is the best for its cultivation .
After the coffee beans are roasted, the organoleptic qualities of coffee develop to give this variety its rich aroma, strongly resembling that of chocolate, fruit or blossoms and its full flavour, where the bitterness is barely discernable, together with low caffeine content.
Coffee trees can have both ripe and green berries which can be a problem at harvest. This is the reason why the best method for uniform harvesting is harvesting by hand.
This method is performed by a number of illycaffé workers, which are people that the company fully trusts. These people collect by hand only the ripe coffee beans, one by one, namely coffee cherries of a bright red colour.
From the coffee cherry to the green coffee
The three stages.
Following harvesting, next stage is coffee processing, which illycaffé s.p.a. follows closely and faithfully.
There are two methods for extracting seeds from the coffee cherry, still in use today:
Dry and wet process.
During the dry process the coffee beans are placed in open areas to dry in the sun for several days; then the beans are sorted out.
During the wet process the flesh of the coffee cherries is removed while the seeds with the parchment skin are placed in large water tanks for fermentation.
The washed seeds are dried in the sun and, free of their parchment skin (pergamino) are ready to be stored into bags.
From green to roasted coffee.
The four decisive stages.
During this process, bad fruit is detected and removed from purchased batches, through colour-sorting or UV sorting machines.
This way high quality of the end product is ensured.
The process during which green coffee is roasted. Roasting brings out the natural and organoleptic qualities of the coffee seeds along with its special properties that stimulate our senses.
After roasting, the coffee is cooled either by air or water.
Illycaffé s.p.a. uses the cool air method because it is the only one that can ensure protection from humidity.
The roasted coffee has two enemies:
Oxygen and humidity.
Packaging must provide total protection from these two elements.
Illycaffé s.p.a. only uses tinplate containers to ensure absolute air tightness. A sealed illy container can be stored for up to 3 years and maintain its prime quality.
Illy - A FAMILY AFFAIR
Since 1933, the illy family has been at the service of quality and enjoyment of coffee. A family with long-standing experience and commitment in the espresso coffee industry from Trieste, Italy. Francesco Illy was the father of the family and founder of the company.
A family which has for a long time 'monopolised' coffee enjoyment and spread its values, which have remained unchanged in the course of time.
Illycaffé is an innovator, able to offer the best products, aiming to make the company a landmark in the culture and superior quality of espresso.
- Continuous quest for enjoyment of coffee.
- Passion and love for authentic espresso.
- Advance and innovation in an environment of tireless work.
Illycaffé's primary value is the quest for perfection that is, the passion for superior coffee, for the love of beauty and quality and for ethics, all of which make a comprehensive system of timeless values, a system based on transparency and people's development.
The company aspires to improve the quality of life of all the people trusting illy quality.
Passion is the driving force behind all the company's activities. Illycaffé is the place where coffee, culture and art become one.
The mission of illycaffé is to satisfy all those seeking quality in their life.
Based on illycaffé people's enthusiasm, team spirit and values, the company is able to offer prime quality espresso, which is the outcome of advanced technology on one part and emotional and intellectual involvement on the other, always focusing on the quest for beauty.
A PRIZE FROM illycaffé!
Illycaffé s.p.a. has instituted an annual pecuniary prize that is awarded to the best Brazilian coffee producer, intending to stimulate their effort to produce top quality raw material, which is essential for constantly ensuring high quality illy coffee!
UNIVERSITY OF COFFEE
Spreading and propagating espresso in the global market resulted in the establishment of the 'University of Coffee' in Naples by Dr. Ernesto Illy and Dr. Raffaele Cercola, where eminent university professors and academics teach the espresso philosophy and train students in the making of excellent espresso and presentation of related drinks.
By completing a course of studies at the University of Coffee, graduates will have acquired knowledge in this field and gained a degree that certifies their qualifications.
For those of you interested in learning more about the University of Coffee, you can visit the related site at www.unicaffe.it.


|Home||» Products||» Yellow Banana|
We are engaged in the business of exporting Yellow Banana to our clients. These fruits we export are procured from trusted and authentic vendors who cultivate them under the most suited climatic circumstances. Our offered Yellow Banana is rich in iron, highly nutritious and naturally fresh. To avoid the risk of rotting we use finest quality packaging materials to pack this fruit. Our clients can avail this range of fruit from us at an affordable price and within the fixed time frame.


15 December 2022
InterGrain, a cereal breeding company, has signed a 20-year plus options pre-lease on a 9,852sqm Pellicano development site in Horsham.
Globally recognised InterGrain is an Australian plant breeding company that offers wheat, barley and oat varieties for grain growers. InterGrain’s industry leading varieties deliver significant yield and agronomic advantages for grain producers and high quality grain for end users.
Pellicano has held the Horsham site for nearly 20 years, waiting for the right occupiers to suit council’s economic development plan. The first deal, with BlueScope Steel in 2007, supported that aim – as does the most recent deal with InterGrain, which supports the food research industry.
1.44ha of land remains unoccupied at the site, which Pellicano will continue to hold as it targets another long-term high-tech industrial occupier.
Pellicano’s industrial holdings, which represent circa 55 per cent of its portfolio, now stands at approximately 650,000sqm – the newest pre-lease facility continues with the diversified developer’s activity in regional Victoria, following in the footsteps of The Goods Shed Events Hall in Ballarat, Geelong’s build-to-rent Pivot House and Quest Geelong Central, and Yarrawonga’s Kaiela Business Park – which is home to Bunnings Warehouse, Tradelink and Toyota.
The InterGrain facility at lot 4, 142-150 Stawell Road, Horsham will become a research and development facility for plant breeding programmes across InterGrain’s eastern seaboard operations, and includes a large preparation area, oven, cool room and machinery areas for specialised equipment.
Pellicano’s long-standing focus on long-term regional projects, and commitment to the township of Horsham, underpinned its motivation secure a well-respected operator like InterGrain for the long- held site, says managing director Renato Pellicano.
“ Our team worked hand-in-glove with InterGrain to workshop the design of its specialised facility, particularly the large R&D laboratory, ensuring it will work for the company operationally. We have also maintained our company’s focus on developing market-leading green buildings,” he said.
The Horsham facility will provide a springboard for future growth across Australia’s eastern seaboard, says CEO Tresslyn Walmsley.
“ InterGrain started operations in Horsham in 2010 and we have grown significantly since.
“ Our plant breeding programs are going from strength to strength, and we have expanded our footprint on the east coast.
“ This growth has necessitated an upgrade to a new custom-built facility to increase processing capacity and efficiency.
“ Our Horsham facility is a key hub for the company – for processing and storing grain – and the new build will significantly drive operational efficiency by increasing storage facilities, improving pest control, and introducing temperature control and dust extraction to enhance the working environment for our team,” she said.
InterGrain’s shareholders are the WA State Government (58%) and GRDC (42%), and it employs 65+ staff across facilities in Perth and Horsham.
Construction on the facility will commence in Q1 2023 ahead of its estimated completion date later that year.


CocoRoselle Organic Coconut sugar is low GI; much lower GI (35) than white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup and honey. Coconut Sugar can be used as an alternative to other sugars. Great for baking, using in tea or coffee, or mixing with coconut oil to create an incredible body scrub. It contains important minerals such as copper, iron, magnesium, zinc and potassium and vitamins C and B1 (thiamine).
Coconut Sugar is also known as coco sugar, coconut palm sugar, coco sap sugar or coconut blossom sugar. It is a palm sugar produced from the sap of the flower bud stem of the coconut palm. It has a mild caramel flavor, unlike any other natural sweetener. Compared to natural cane sugar, the sweetness is somewhat less pronounced and the flavour is more floral.
100% organic coconut sugar.
Made from evaporated wild harvested, fresh organically grown coconut blossom sap.
Free from artificial ingredients, preservatives, additives and extenders.
Natural coconut sugars’ colour may vary depending on harvest season.


Monarfol Ultra Agri Polyethylene Sheeting
Monarfol Ultra Agri uses the technology and experience applied to Monarflex building products to benefit horticulture and gardening to create an easy and economical way to make greenhousing.
It is a modern way to cover greenhouses, cold frames, tunnels and cloches.
Features & Benefits
- Monarfol Ultra Agri resists tears and will withstand the worst of British weather when properly secured.
- UV stable.
- 12mm x 12mm PET 1000 denier reinforcing grid .
- Provides a strong but diffuse light which is far healthier than harsh, direct rays.
|| Roll Size
|| Monarflex Ultra Agri
|| 1.1m x 50m


Will there be bacterial growth if both carbenicillin and zeocin are added to the culture medium of pGIPZ?
You should be able to grow pGIPZ constructs in carbenicillin and zeocin together. The recommendation that the clones be grown in carbenicillin only is simply to increase plasmid DNA yield during a plasmid prep because we observed better yields of plasmid DNA if zeocin is not used during culturing for plasmid preps. Zeocin does not hamper the bacterial growth. If you are having difficulty growing the clones, we suggest spinning the stock culture tubes down to pellet the cells and then take from the pellet to inoculate a starter culture.


PH Meters are a sensitive scientific instruments designed to measure the pH level of a water-based liquid. The most common industries where a pH meter is used are: water treatment, pools & spa, food, fishing, hydroponics, laboratories and much more. Find more information on pH meter and its applications here.
A pH meter measures the pH of a liquid through a porous glass electrode that is filled with a reference liquid inside. The pH meter measures the different voltage between the glass electrode and the reference liquid. The difference of this measurement is translated into a pH value that is displayed on the screen. You can click here to find our more information on how to measure pH .
PH Meter for Pool
Owners of a pool know that they need to check the pH level of their pool regularly with a pH meter or a pH tester. With our digital pH meter you can accurately test the pH level of your pool in a matter of seconds. Don't rely on pH test strips because they are not accurate enough. Remember to calibrate your pH meter regularly with pH calibration buffer and store your pH meter in a dark and dry place. We recommend to add a few drops of KCl Storage Solution each week to the protective cap of your pH meter. Find out more about pH meter for pool.
PH Meter for Aquarium
Keeping the pH level of your aquarium at an optimal level is needed to keep your beautiful ecosystem in a healthy condition. Owner of aquariums are one of our largest customer groups for pH meter, pH probe and calibration solutions. Our pH meters are perfectly suitable to measure the pH level of any aquarium. Make sure your pH meter is calibrated and maintained correctly. Find out more about pH meter Aquarium.
PH Meter for Garden
Your plants are all used to a specific pH level that makes them grow in optimal conditions. If you control the pH level of your hydroponics, or the just the water you use to feed your plants. You will need an accurate pH meter or pH probe. Our pH meters and pH probes have been used for years by professional vegetable growing businesses, hydroponic installations and amateurs planters around Europe. More about pH meter for Garden.
PH Meter Calibration
A pH Meter is a delicate instrument that requires regular calibration. It is recommended to calibrate your pH meter each time you require a accurate pH measurement. PH Meters are calibrated with a PH Buffer Solution or pH Calibration Solution. These liquids are specifically designed to calibrate pH meters and pH electrodes.
PH Meters need to be calibrated regularly with a pH buffer solution or a pH calibration solution. The more accuracy required, the more often the pH meter or pH electrode must be calibrated. You can find more here on how to calibrate a pH meter. If you want to buy pH buffer solution, please have look at our professional calibration liquids.
PH Meter Storage
Store your pH Meter with care when you are not using it. Inside your pH meter is a special reference liquid, it is important to keep your pH electrode from drying. We recommend to add a few drops of KCl storage solution to the protective cap of your pH meter. This will prevent the pH electrode from drying and it will revitalize the reference liquid inside the pH meter.
Our digital pH meters or pH testers are designed to be user-friendly, durable and accurate. Easy to calibrate and easy to maintain, that is how you want our pH meters to be. Order your next pH meter online today and have it delivered to your home.


How to Get Started in Commercial Farming
Grinding hours into weeks immersed in ambiance of fluorescent lighting and desktop screens can leave you feeling a bit nostalgic; you might crave a rustic flavor for your days; the hearty, familiar spice of countryside farm life. No longer would the outdoors be shrunken to the view from an office window; concrete won’t divide nature from workplace anymore, not for you, new farmer. Soon, you’ll rise with dawn and step into an office where walls are myth, and the plants aren’t plastic decorations. They’re the fruits of your labor.
If farming success came as easily as idyllic daydreams invade office space, our food supply would likely overflow. Unfortunately, making a modern living off the land takes more than simply growing seeds and cashing in at harvest time. To be profitable, you’ll need to master textbooks worth of complex horticulture methods. Maintaining a competitive edge requires following the latest developments in planting, growing, feeding and care. And failing to properly operate farming tech could destroy your capital, cause serious injury, or worse. To give dreamers and doers alike a taste of what it takes to start in commercial farming, I’ve listed a few key points below.
Many modern farming legends grew up under a green thumb; the largest, most successful farms are often legacy affairs, their trade tricks handed down through generations. The majority of farming hopefuls aren’t born into the advantage of family business, but they do have a few options for gaining a bit of preliminary experience. I highly recommend apprenticing on a farm. You’ll be exposed to the realities of farm life, which will reveal if it’s really for you. Horticultural school, or self-teaching are also options, though the latter requires serious discipline.
Determine your product
Unless you can set aside millions for a highly sophisticated greenhouse setup, you probably won’t be growing bananas in Maine anytime soon. Each plant has a preferred climate for best growth, determined by environmental traits such as temperature, humidity and season length. Additionally, produce markets in certain areas may already be oversaturated with a certain product; a bit of market research will allow you to choose a product that meshes with your vision, as well as local market patterns. Resources such as your state’s department of agriculture, or university extensions (such as Oregon University’s small farms portal) will provide access to the latest product information and area trends.
Locate ideal land
If you’ve identified your product, the next step is finding a plot of land on which it will be able to grow and flourish optimally, and at the lowest possible expense to you. Costs of land itself, and financing options such as whether to purchase or lease are important factors to consider; however, you’ll also have to examine how well equipped the land is for growing, and what this means to you in terms of resource expenses. Ideally, you’ll be able to find land with easy access to high-quality water, nutrient-dense soil, farm-friendly zoning procedures, and good visibility to attract customers (if you’re planning on selling locally).


b'AgricultureAgricultural industry Insect pestsGeographic Note: May subdivide geographicallyDewey: 338.1 Agricultural policyUse For: Agribusiness; Agricultural Use: AgricultureGovernment policyindustriesBroader Term(s): AgricultureEconomic aspects Agricultural productsIndustries Use: Farm produceNarrower Term(s):Food industry Agricultural researchAgricultural innovations Use: AgricultureResearchGeographic Note: May subdivide geographically Agricultural societiesDewey: 631 Use: AgricultureSocietiesUse For: AgricultureInnovationsBroader Term(s): Technological innovations Agricultural subsidiesAgricultural laborers Geographic Note: May subdivide geographicallyGeographic Note: May subdivide geographically Dewey: 338.9Dewey: 331.7 Use For: Farm subsidiesUse For: Farm laborers Broader Term(s): SubsidiesBroader Term(s): Labor Related Term(s): AgricultureGovernment policyRelated Term(s): Migrant labor Agricultural toolsPeasantry Use: Agricultural machineryAgricultural machinery AgricultureGeographic Note: May subdivide geographically Geographic Note: May subdivide geographicallyDewey: 631.3 Dewey: 338.1; 630Use For: Agricultural tools; Farm engines; Use For: Agronomy; Farming; PlantingFarm equipment; Farm implements; See Also: types of agriculture, e.g. TruckFarm machinery; Farm mechanics farming; types of agriculturalSee Also: types of farm machinery [to be products, e.g. Corn; and ethnicadded as needed] groups with the subdivisionBroader Term(s): Machinery Agriculture, e.g. Native AmericansToolsAgriculture [to be added asNarrower Term(s):Electricity in agriculture needed]Harvesting machinery Broader Term(s): Life sciencesPlows Narrower Term(s):Aeronautics in agricultureTractors AquacultureRelated Term(s): Agricultural engineering BeekeepingAgricultural mechanics Community-supportedUse: Agricultural engineering agricultureCooperative agricultureAgricultural pests Crop rotationGeographic Note: May subdivide geographically Cultivated plantsDewey: 632 DairyingUse For: Diseases and pests; Garden pests Dry farmingSee Also: types of crops, plants, trees, etc., Economic botanywith the subdivision Diseases and Farmerspests, e.g. FruitDiseases and Forests and forestrypests [to be added as needed] Fruit cultureBroader Term(s): Economic zoology GardeningPests HorticultureNarrower Term(s):FruitDiseases and pests Livestock industryFungi Native AmericansAgriculturePest control Organic farmingPlant diseases PasturesSpraying and dusting Plant breedingWeeds Reclamation of landRelated Term(s): Aeronautics in agriculture Soils23'


DuPont Pioneer and Raven Industries Enable Wireless Data Transfer Between Encircaâ Services and Raven SlingshotÂ®
Des Moines, Iowa (PRWEB) November 03, 2014
DuPont Pioneer and Raven Industries today announced a collaboration to allow for the seamless flow of information generated through Pioneer Encircaâ services to Raven ViperÂ® 4 and other compatible field computers by leveraging Ravenâs SlingshotÂ® wireless connectivity solution. Encircaâ services are whole-farm decision services offered by Pioneer to help growers improve their productivity and profitability on every acre. Raven is a global leader of precision agriculture field equipment, including Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) products, field computers and application controls.
In July, Pioneer launched its Encircaâ Yield Nitrogen Management Service to help growers more efficiently manage one of their most important crop inputs.
âThis new connectivity between Encircaâ services and Raven adds convenience for the grower and will further enable the precise application of nitrogen fertilizer,â said Steve Reno, DuPont Pioneer vice president, business director â" U.S. and Canada. âAs yield monitors run this fall, growers are already thinking about the 2015 growing season. They want to know how much nitrogen will be needed for top yields next year. Encircaâ Yield enabled with wireless data transfer makes that information instantly available and helps growers to be more efficient with input planning,â said Reno.
As part of this data exchange, growers can choose to have their Encircaâ services prescriptions wirelessly transferred directly to compatible Raven controllers to be accurately applied in their fields, as well as to automatically report what was applied for future analysis.
âWe are excited about the new addition of Pioneer Encircaâ services to the list of decision agriculture and software solutions already compatible with SlingshotÂ®,â said Paul Welbig, Raven Industries general manager of its Austin Technology Center and Slingshot operations. âThe open architecture of SlingshotÂ® easily enables great collaborators like Pioneer to provide their growers with technologically advanced solutions that help maximize yield.â
The SlingshotÂ® API, or Application Programming Interface, is an open and secure data connectivity platform that provides a simple way for software systems to connect with Raven controllers in the field utilizing wireless technology.
âThis effort with Raven further advances our whole-farm, brand-neutral services strategy which, with the assistance of an Encircaâ certified services agent, works with growers to analyze and use their data to positively improve their bottom lines,â said Reno.
To learn more, visit http://encirca.pioneer.com. Growers can contact their Pioneer sales professional or, to find an Encircaâ certified services agent, simply call 1-844-744-7333.
Since 1956, Raven Industries has designed and manufactured high-quality, high-value technical products. Raven is publicly traded on NASDAQ and has earned an international reputation for innovation, product quality, high performance and unmatched service. Ravenâs purpose is to solve great challenges in areas of safety, feeding the world, energy independence and resource preservation. To realize this purpose, we utilize our strengths in engineering, manufacturing and technological innovation to serve the precision agriculture, high-performance specialty films, aerospace and situational awareness markets. Visit http://www.RavenInd.com for more information.
DuPont Pioneer is the worldâs leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing high-quality seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. Pioneer provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems for people everywhere. Science with Service Delivering SuccessÂ®.
DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders, we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit http://www.dupont.com.
# # #
The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontâ¢, Science with Service Delivering SuccessÂ®, EncircaSM and PioneerÂ® are trademarks or registered trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.
The Raven ViperÂ® 4 and SlingshotÂ® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Raven Industries, Inc.
Â©Copyright 1997- , Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC. Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.


Did you know it was Pomegranate season? I look forward to it all year long! We purchase them in bulk and eat probably one a day. My husband and I always joke that whoever has to do the seeding needs to go pull out their ratty old sweatshirt. It isn’t pretty. Juice squirts across the kitchen. Heaven forbid a seed drops on the ground and you step on it – huge mess!
My mom taught me this tip a while ago. Cut your pomegranate. Fill a bowl with water. Seed it in the water. The seeds sink. The white pulp floats. Let dry in a colander. Enjoy!!


Even though we live in town, my heart has always lived on the farm. My heart thinks we have a half acre garden, two dozen chickens, a dozen happy children, rabbits and maybe a lamb or two grazing in the pasture. On our farm there is a wonderful pottery studio where i make all our dishes in a wood burning kiln.
Mitch, our 14 year old son, and I decided we would try rustic farm living for a week. On Monday we made granola and whole wheat bread. We decided we would only eat things that we theoretically could produce. On Tuesday we made homemade butter out of heavy whipping cream and buttermilk. The process wasn't easy and my shoulder hurt the next day from shaking the mason jar so vigorously, but it was delicious (although not cost effective). We germinated alfalfa sprouts and planted spinach, lettuce, strawberries and broccoli in the garden (just in time for the snow to fall).
The best part of the week was when we ventured to the local feed store and brought home week-old baby chicks! They live in our kitchen with their tiny peeps. My farmer's heart is content.


6767 E. 276th St.,
Atlanta , Indiana 46031 UNITED STATES
Beck's Hybrids seed company provides high yield corn, soybeans, wheat and elite alfalfa. All seed products are protected by the Escalate™ yield enhancement system delivering higher yields, insect protection, improved stand, and seedling health. We access the best genetics and seed technologies from suppliers worldwide. Farmers can get the genetic diversity and trait protection they need, all from one company, Beck's Hybrids.
Worldwide > United States > Atlanta, IN > Gardening and Landscaping


Founded by Mr. John Wesley Tillman in 1975. He started Dawes Grass Farm with one man, one truck servicing the residents of Mobile county every day. Finding out that there was a greater need in the turf industry, he later turned his cattle farm into a sod farm that now produces turf grasses that are supplied to commercial and residential areas throughout Mississippi and Alabama.
On September 5, 2014, Mr. Tillman passed away and his family continues to serve the area with the same quality and service that Dawes Grass Farm is known for. They now offer many more products to choose from and continue to grow the business the way that Mr. Tillman would have wanted them to.


Estonians have a deep relationship with their food. Our food reflects our history by combining cuisines and cultures that have traversed through our land. To this day, Estonians enjoy fusing together different styles and constantly innovating for new, undiscovered flavours. We invite you to discover exciting tastes from the country with
- pure air
- clean water
- fresh food
Today Estonian food companies export upwards of 100 countries worldwide. One of the smallest countries in Europe, Estonia is situated on the north-eastern edge of the European Union on the shore of the Baltic Sea. It is a country where the land meets the sea. Estonia is also a country of thousand lakes and deep forests. Estonian food can be characterized by its simplicity and pure tastes. We have all the preconditions to produce good food – we have one of the best urban air qualities in the world, abundant clean water and about 23% of our farmlands are organic. Estonia is the second-largest organic farming country in Europe. So to introduce our country - fresh air, clean water and pure food – this is something we are very proud of.
Estonian main export articles are dairy products, grain, fish and fish products, meat and meat products and spirit drinks.
Many of our products are produced by using organic farming method. We can also offer the input to the agricultural and food industy like furcellaran, high-protein rapeseed cakes, refined rapeseed oil and innovative biotechnological solutions for feed and food supplements. As technology is essential topic in our future co-operation we are open to the discussion in the field of breeding, synthetic biology, digitization, bio-resources and aquaculture.
Urmas Kruuse, Minister of Rural Affairs of the Republic of Estonia


The Cocoa Industry Board yesterday added several high yielding, disease-resistant, fine cocoa varieties to Jamaica’s stock under the RECREATE project that aims to renew commercial interest in cocoa farming. The European Union funded Re-Engineering the Cocoa Rural Economy through Agro-processing, Eco-Tourism and Entrepreneurship offers sustainable livelihoods for young people and targets the parishes of St. Catherine, Clarendon, St James, St. Mary, Portland and St. Thomas.
The new cocoa varieties came via the world-renowned United Kingdom quarantine laboratories at Reading and are originally from Trinidad. The 18-month European Union funded project that began in November 2011 is the brainchild of Vernon “Patrick” Barrett, Executive Director of the Caribbean Fine Cocoa Forum (CFCF), a non-profit organization servicing the Caribbean’s fine cocoa sector.
Mr. Barrett, who accompanied the cocoa materials from the UK, says the project’s objectives are to help revive the dying agricultural sub-sector with initiatives and innovations he originally recommended to the CIB in 2009.
“I recognised then that the issues and challenges facing the cocoa sector were not insurmountable given the enthusiasm of many small farmers for the crop and CIB’s willingness to explore new approaches,” says Barrett. So he developed a strategy to revive Jamaican cocoa and designed the first project for the CIB titled “Sustainable Entrepreneurial Farming through the revitalisation of the Cocoa Sector and Cocoa Board.”
“Productivity in the sector was extremely low,” Barrett explains. “Many cocoa trees were not being tended to or pruned so their yields were low. Rural labour was hard to find and small farmers faced low prices for their crop. The project immediately introduced mechanised tools and specialised labour roles in the sector, bringing valuable productivity gains and improved efficiencies in farm operations.”
Twenty months after the first project started, CIB eagerly reported the highest increase in cocoa production’s recent history. Pruning of approximately 2,000 acres in the Eastern parishes brought huge gains in the yields off these cocoa trees.
Technology has revolutionised what was once conventional agriculture, according to Barrett. The project simultaneously introduced several modern technologies: Geographical Positioning System (GPS) technology (with the support of Mona GeoInformatix); electronic databases; and G4 telecommunication technology (with tDigicel’s support), among others.
RECEATE advances Barrett’s and the CIB’s solutions in a new approach to again multiply the productivity gains in cocoa. “Now we are going to propagate the use of high-yielding cocoa varieties by using super “Mother” trees locally and by importing modern scientifically produced varieties – all of the fine cocoa variety types for which Jamaica is famous,” says Barrett. “We are going to re-introduce cocoa into appropriate parishes of Western Jamaica and we are going to encourage denser planting out of the crop where it is feasible.”
Importing these modern cocoa varieties via the UK is the next step in this transformation of the sector, according to Barrett, and the project will market and sell grafted cocoa crops of a higher economic value to interested cocoa farmers. “This way we will get cocoa tree yield productivities up by another order of magnitude and successfully continue the revival of this sector,” he promises.
These developments are expected to give farmers a sustainable living, earning more than they currently do. Adequate cocoa bean volumes are also expected to foster value-added for the industry, another key component of Barrett’s strategy.
Grafting of new cocoa trees will start immediately and new cocoa grafted plants will become available for purchase from the CIB from September 2012. Persons interested in acquiring these trees for expanding their existing cocoa farms or getting into cocoa farming for the first time may contact the Caribbean Fine Cocoa Forum (www.caribbeanfinecocoaforum.org) or the CIB.
For more information please contact Ms Kaywana Henry at +1 876 276 7659 or email her at
|< Prev||Next >|


November 23,2018 11 am-2 pm, November 24 2018, 11 am -2 pm, November 25, 2018 1 pm-3 pm
Felt Good, Food Crafting
Join the Vestal Museum for a weekend of felt food crafts! Come in anytime we are open Thanksgiving weekend – Friday November 23rd 11AM to 2PM, Saturday November 24th 11AM to 2PM and Sunday November 25th 1PM to 3PM. There will be plenty of supplies and templates to use. Bring your friends and family, craft a gift for someone special!
Founded in 1823, Vestal had its humble beginnings as a lumbering and farming community. Come learn the history of farming in Vestal from the large farm on Hiawatha Island to the John S. LaGrange Farm to Drovers Inn to Cold Spring Farm to Brookdale Stock farm. The Vestal Historical Society’s extensive farming collection will be on display as well as photographs of the farms that made up the town.


Steady food supply is the cornerstone of civilization. Most folks don’t consider food storage challenges beyond the confines of their own kitchen appliance. But imagine: what happens in a “bin” lies at the heart of our ability to feed the world. Of the 50,000 edible plants on Earth, three plants – rice, maize, and wheat – provide 60% of the world’s energy intake. To flatten the peaks and valleys of production, storage is required. Storage bins containing all our producer investments in management, seed, fertilizer, land costs, and machinery, must attempt to keep moisture and vermin away. Crop storage loss estimates range from 1-2% in the developed world, up to 50% in the developing world. Minimizing storage losses is therefore a significant economic issue for producers, and a significant social issue for societies.
Current stored grain monitoring systems face a number of challenges. These systems consist of a series of cables hung from the roof of the bin, with each cable containing temperature (or occasionally moisture) sensors at four foot intervals. The “view” of these cables is very coarse. Larger bins require dozens of cables to effectively monitored. Temperature sensors (the most common) only detect problems after the grain has spoiled; the process of grain spoiling involves higher moisture content, followed by grain sprouting, followed by a temperature increase. The cables also regularly break and create maintenance issues, and require manufacturers to strengthen the bin roof.
A more innovative solution could have significant market potential. Monitoring systems are installed in roughly 50% of grain bins sold by western Canada grain bin companies, with a roughly $30 million annual market. Taken in a larger context, Canada has an amenable storage climate, and the global market for monitoring solutions is a vast one. This is an excellent opportunity for the country.
Manitoba-based 151Research Inc. is pioneering a cable-disruptive monitoring solution involving the use of radio-frequency (RF) imaging technology to create moisture maps of stored grain. Moisture mapping indicates both the risk of spoilage and the commercial quality of the grain. Working with Professor Joe LoVetri’s Electromagnetic Imaging Lab in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Manitoba, 151Research has developed a proof of concept monitoring system that provides a full 3D image of the moisture content inside the grain bin, at high resolution. Advantages of this approach include the ability to:
Detect the pre-conditions of spoiled grain (i.e. exact moisture content).
Remove cable-based maintenance issues.
Determine exact moisture content and obtain better pricing for the producer.
“See” grain bin content without having to physically enter the bin (which can be very dangerous).
Monitor and optimize grain drying in the bin (by monitoring moisture content).
The concept has been proven on small table-top systems and in a 20 tonne hopper-style bin at the University of Manitoba’s stored grain research lab. 151Research is now pursuing a path to commercialization and is seeking grain company investment.
This is a great example of Canadian innovators finding a technological solution to an age-old problem: feeding the world in the most sustainable way possible.


Available: from the first week
to the end of July
Blueberry Duke is big and hard with weak grey coating. Suitable for long transportation and long shelf life.
Poland blueberry farm, grower & packing house. 11 years of blueberry export Europe & Asia.
Minimum order from 500 kg. Season from July to September.
Europe: United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Turkey, Norway.
Asia: Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia
We have experinece and know how to handle export to Europe & Asia.


Community Orchard & Kitchen Garden Tour
Join Gunnersbury gardener Monika Barry on an informative tour of our Community Orchard and Kitchen Garden.
You will explore the heritage varieties we grow here in the Park and have the opportunity to ask expert food grower Monika questions about your own crops.
- Wednesday 26 June
- 14:00 - 15:00
- Gunnersbury Park Museum, Gunnersbury Park House, Popes Lane, London, W5 4NH
- Essential via the 'I want to go' tab on this page