The pumpkin is a plant that is just as popular on the dinner table as it is on a front porch during Halloween. There are numerous varieties of pumpkin that are grown and eaten all over the world although they are perhaps most associated with the Americas. The archetypal pumpkin, the Cucurbita pepo is a round, flattened globe shape that has slightly ribbed skin and is most commonly an orangey colour. Inside of the thick shell are the seeds and the pulp. The pumpkin is a cultivar of a squash plant and has been been selectively by farmers over the years so much that the pumpkin varieties that are most common today likely never would have existed without being directed by human hand.
Originally pumpkins were native to North America but were soon exported around the world and helped along in part by their novelty factor and rarity. Pumpkins today are a staple at the American dinner table and in particular pumpkin pie is a traditional desert that is eaten during Thanksgiving meals in both Canada and in the United States.
When pumpkins aren’t being used for food they serve another more ornamental purpose during the latter weeks of October when they are commonly used as halloween decorations. The typical pumpkin during the halloween period is one that has been hollowed out and had cuts made to it so that it resembles a scary looking face and it is common practice to place a candle inside the pumpkin so the face is illuminated from within. In many places around the world you can even find competitions that are held between pumpkin carvers to see who can create the best pumpkin artwork and is a great family activity.
Another form of competition in the pumpkin world is the pumpkin growing competitions that are frequently held where pumpkin growers compete to see who can grow the biggest pumpkin. The ‘giant pumpkins’ are a large squash plant that in some cases have even been known to grow to more than one tonne in weight. This particular varies came about from the large squash of South America which was cultivated by both dedicated farmers and particular botanical societies. Whilst not every giant pumpkin grows to be extremely large in size, the worlds heaviest pumpkin on record managed to reach an incredible 2,528 pounds in weight and is the current world record holder which was grown by Steve Geddes.


ATHENS, GA – April 25, 2019 – A lawsuit was filed on April 18 by Athens residents Carter and Shelley Dodd in an effort to ensure the future success of their farm. The Dodds are also looking to recover money damages. Diamond Hill Farm has suffered losses due to the delays caused by the current Board’s resistance to the farm. The couple is represented by Rob Huestis and Haley Robison of Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley, P.C. The suit was filed against Shoal Creek Farms Homeowners Association, Inc.
In September 2018, the Dodds purchased a home and approximately eight acres of land in the Shoal Creek Farms subdivision in Athens. Prior to purchasing the property, the Dodds sought approval from the Shoal Creek Farms Homeowners Association to operate a small commercial organic vegetable farm on the property. The Board voted 4-1 in favor of the farm.
After the Dodds moved in to the Shoal Creek Farms subdivision, the composition of the Homeowners Association’s Board of Directors changed, and the current Board is now demanding that the Dodds cease operating the farm. The Dodds’ livelihood is dependent on their farm operation. Accordingly, the Dodds have been forced to take legal action to ensure the future success of their farm.
“The HOA’s Covenants control this case. The Dodds followed the Covenants by submitting a proposal for a small commercial organic vegetable farm on the property and there is no question the HOA Board approved this use,” BBGA shareholder Rob Huestis said. “The current Board wants to undo the prior approval of the farm or place unnecessary restrictions, but the Board is not permitted to do that under the Covenants. The Dodds are therefore seeking money damages. They have suffered losses due to the delays caused by the current Board’s attempts to prevent them from operating the farm. At the very least, the Dodds seek a judicial confirmation that they may operate the farm and continue to provide fresh organic vegetables to this community.”
The Dodds have been growing organic vegetables for the Athens Farmers Market since 2012 and co-founded the Collective Harvest CSA in 2015. Carter Dodd is the current president of the Athens Farmers Market’s Board of Directors. The Dodds’ farm also supplies many local restaurants with fresh organic produce. To learn more about the Dodds and Diamond Hill Farm please visit https://www.facebook.com/DiamondHillFarmGA/.


Ian and Doug Simmons
Red Bridge and Kool Breeze Farms
Ian and Doug may not have started their working lives together but it didn’t take long for the two brothers to come together and continue the farming tradition started by their grandfather in the early 1900’s and continued by their father Eldred Simmons. In 1986 while home from college, Ian built a small greenhouse and started growing plants as a hobby. This year, 2011, they are adding their 15th Greenhouse to the Garden Centre Operation. In 1990 Ian, Doug and their late father Eldred formed a company called Kool Breeze Farms and at that time it was a mixed farm with the garden center, custom work, chickens and cattle. The cattle were replaced by hogs until 2007 and now the pair concentrates on egg farming (Red Bridge Farms) and the greenhouse business (Kool Breeze Farms).
The brothers, recognized nationally as leaders in environmental farm practices, have received quite a bit of attention for getting most of the farm’s energy from wind power on site. This coming year- 2011 they are adding a second Wind Turbine and will be self-sufficient for electricity! They also participate in the ALUS program with waterways and berms to control water runoff from their land. The manure they produce from their layer operation is now being used to grow corn. As a member of the Summerside Chamber of Commerce, Landscape PEI and the PEI Federation of Agriculture, Kool Breeze Farms believes in giving back to the community on a regular basis. Their Scarecrow Contest draws roughly 3000 Islanders each fall for a day of learning and fun.
Ian’s tips to other farmers – “Do the best job you can do”. It is all about being a little bit better each day than you were the day before.
Port Hill Farm
John is the 3rd generation of the Dennis family to farm the same land. Married to Kim; the couple has two sons Garret and Austin. John checks his flocks every day to make sure his hens are in good shape – that they have enough fresh feed, fresh water and fresh air. In addition to the busy life of an egg farmer, John has served as Chair of the Egg Producers of Prince Edward Island. He has been a member of his local church, a director with the Western PEI Holstein Club and the ADL Board. He is also the trainer of the local Atom Hockey Team.
Donald and Lorna Burns
Burns Poultry Farm
When Donald’s father passed away unexpectedly, Donald and Lorna saw an opportunity to run their own business and took the challenge of running the family farm, becoming the 6th generation of egg farmers in the Burns family. Donald and Lorna say the thing they enjoy most about egg farming is raising the best hens and providing top quality eggs for their PEI neighbours. They also enjoy growing their business, being able to work hard and experience success.
In 1978, the Burns family farm became the first and only egg farm on PEI where eggs went directly from the laying barn to the grading station. Here eggs are cleaned, sized, graded and packed into cartons all on their farm. Donald has been part of community service groups such as Rotary and The Downtown Business Association. He has been active in the egg industry holding executive positions with the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency (now Egg Farmers of Canada), the Egg Producers of PEI, Approved Flock Association and the Atlantic Hatchery Association.
Nathan and Wendy Burns
Burns Poultry Farm
Nathan and his wife Wendy are 7th generation egg farmers and they hope their children Mallory, Kendall, Mitchell and Shelby will be the 8th generation. Nathan and Wendy (Burns Poultry Farm ) own and operate a federally inspected grading station on their farm – one started by Nathan’s parents, Don and Lorna Burns. They are proud to have been featured in the Atlantic Cooperators magazine, the 2008 PEI Enhanced Environmental Farm Plan Calendar and in the book Keepers of the Land- A Celebration of Canadian Farmers, by Carl Hiebert. Both Nathan and Wendy are graduates of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Wendy is the Vice President of the Elm Street Elementary Home and School. Both Nathan and Wendy volunteer for the school’s hot lunch and breakfast programs. For fun, they enjoy four wheeling, camping and spending time with their family.
Donald and Peter Stavert Farm
Peter and Donald are fourth generation farmers on their land. Farming seemed to come naturally to the two brothers since their father was also an egg farmer before them. In fact, Donald and Judy’s son Greg is now the fifth generation to work on the family farm. In addition to eggs, the Staverts produce potatoes and beef. Peter says he enjoys being able to produce and sell good healthy food to neighbours at reasonable prices. The biggest challenge for him today is the politics of producing food.
A farmer’s life is caring for their animals—in this case, the laying hens. When Peter has some down time he loves to spend time with his wife Carol and sons Nathan and Isaac along with other family and friends. Peter also finds time to coach his son’s minor hockey team. Community involvement is part of the Stavert’s life with egg donations to school fundraising efforts. Peter and Donald are particularly proud of the soil conservation efforts they have made on their farm.


From inside (document excerpt):
VB – VBP Variable Chamber Round Balers 2160, 2190 and BalePack series VB / VBP 2160, 2190 KUHN ROUND BALERS The ability to produce top quality bales in all crop conditions sets KUHN balers apart from all others. Every step in the baling process has to be coordinated and optimized, accounting for crop conditions, field conditions and weather, as well as crop handling and storage.
Perfectly-shaped bales, combined with high output and outstanding durability, ensure the KUHN baler will be a profitable investment. Field performance, bale quality and bale density are fundamental to the profitability of every baling operation. Every minute counts when weather conditions are uncertain. The unique innovations on the KUHN balers make a real difference in field performance. KUHN offers the most efficient and versatile range of balers available for the market. KUHN balers are not only designed to produce top quality bales but are also built for unmatched reliability. KUHN offers solutions for Variable Chamber Round Balers while meeting your requirements in terms of: Cost reductions Good practices www.kuhn.com Comfort Quality of life Proximity Advice Peace of mind Services VB VARIABLE CHAMBER ROUND BALERS Critical Baling Technologies W 3 The forced, aggressive Integral Rotor with large, heavy-duty flighting is manufactured with or without a crop cutting device. This Integral Rotor system provides the baler with even feeding regardless of crop conditions. With the unique Progressive Density bale formation system, each bale is made the way you want it, rock hard all the way through, or with a soft core, even in small diameters. Perfectly-filled bales are held together firmly by the twines and/or net. The well-engineered net wrap system is located on the front of the baler for easy monitoring of the wrapping process, and the net is pre-stretched for optimum bale integrity. The simple and durable design of the KUHN VB/VBP balers allows for fewer moving parts, unmatched crop flow, and outstanding performance and dependability. v www.kuhn.com Key Features Simple technology that produces perfectly-shaped bales Integral Rotor – The aggressive design provides maximum efficiency, with highperformance throughput in various crop conditions. OptiCut – The Integral Rotor is combined with a mounted knife system for maximum cutting efficiency Progressive Density – Increasing tension as the bale grows provides a firm bale with a tough outer shell. Driveline – A simple, durable driveline, with 1¼ ” chains offers low maintenance, dependability and long service life. Tying – Whether using net wrap or twine options, with KUHN your bale is secured until needed. ISOBUS – A feature on the VB/VBP models. The tractor’s existing ISOBUS monitor can be used if available. BalePack – Two operations combined in one machine provides an efficient, one-man baling and wrapping system. (VBP Models Only) IntelliWrapTM – This intelligent wrapping technology offers simple operation, with efficient, uniform, high-quality performance. (VBP Models Only) 4 VB 2160 Ø 80 – 160 cm / 4 X 5 VBP 2160 Ø 100 – 160 cm / 4 X 5 VB 2190 Ø 80 – 185 cm / 4 X 6 VBP 2190 Ø 100 – 160 cm* / 4 X 6 * 185cm with wrapper disconnected VB INTAKE Five Different Intake Systems Open Throat (1) The wide pickup gives tremendous capacity for easy handling of the heaviest windrows produced by modern, high-capacity combines and mower conditioners. With the open throat design, there is also no restriction on the crop as it feeds into the baler. These features work together to help provide high field performance. BALE TRACK 5 Integral Rotor Technology Large-diameter, heavy-duty auger flighting is incorporated directly onto the outer sections of the rotor, which is called Integral Rotor Technology. This simple, maintenance-free, short-distance intake system ensures even feeding regardless of variations in the crop. With this system, even the heaviest of crops.


There are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint, drive less, reduce waste and recycle plastic, as well, what we put on our plates affects not only our bodies but the environment as well. Have to Eating more environmentally-conscious foods leads to water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and eutrophication. Only if we plan to be environmentally aware in all aspects of our lives can we protect the disease. And our plate is a good place to start.
Here are some foods you can avoid or cut to save the environment.
1. Almond milk
(Image description: Across the wood floor is a brown and white carton with a carton of almond air in its mouth.) Via GIPHY
Apparently, this famous milk substitute may not be as healthy as you might think. Although almond milk replaces cow’s milk, it has enormous effects on the environment. For example, 80% of the world’s almonds come from California, a place that is experiencing severe drought.
To add, production almonds and its milk require large quantities of water supply. Due to high water demand, farmers are pulling wells that cause problems, which threatens the infrastructure. Oat milk seems to be a more sustainable alternative.
(Image description: A GIF of lamb kebabs for skiing.) Via GIPHY
In red meat, sheep production causes the most damage to the environment. Meat produces 20kg of CO2 emission, which causes an increase in greenhouse gases, leading to global warming. In addition, the environment caused by sheep production in sheep cattle supports the formation of methane gas in the atmosphere. This gas is 30 times more powerful than CO2 and propagating heat. All of this is contributing to global warming, resulting in climate change.
(Image description: A GIF of a moving mouse eating a cheese triangle.) Via GIPY
Yes, you read that right. Cheese, according to this study, was on the third item in the list for the amount of CO2 produced. The first and second were sheep and beef respectively. What makes cheese so high on the list? It requires a lot of milk to produce a small amount of cheese.In addition, cows have higher amounts of methane gas because of ruminants.
However, cheese is not eaten in large quantities like meat.It is still important to be aware of the effects of cheese on the environment. Soft cheese, such as brie, mozzarella, and kimbert, reduce the number of greenhouse gases due to the aging process. They are a lot more sustainable options.
(Image description: A GIF of a wide array of pots with a large rice plate in the center.) Via GIPHY
It is one of the most important food crops in the world. Due to the high demand for rice, it is the largest contributor to rising temperatures. Rice paddles produce nitrous oxide, an environmental pollution that is much more powerful than CO2 and methane. In addition, rice production is reported to increase by 2.5% due to rice production. And the high demand for water according to the growing need for rice is harmful to the environment as it consumes important water resources.
5. Cultivated salmon
(Image description: A piece of baked salmon is being served on green vegetables.) Via GIPHY
In the past years, wild fish have declined greatly due to excessive fishing. To deal with this problem, fish farming or fish farming is used as a method. But such farming is proving to be quite detrimental to the marine ecosystem.
In fact, pesticides and synthetic chemicals used to prevent the spread of germs usually make their way into the sea and pollute it. Moreover, these fish escape the fields and are mixed with the wild population. Genetic modification of remittances due to weak wild stock.
When it comes to grocery shopping, it’s easy to be oblivious to the consequences on our dining environment. But as UNFAO’s agriculture says, greenhouse gas emissions have increased dramatically over time. These numbers may increase by 30% over the next 30 years.
Switching to a more plant-based diet and reducing meat / fish consumption can be helpful to our environment. Some of us may not completely eliminate the above mentioned foods, but we may try our best to remember about our consumption.
Source By: https://thetempest.co/2019/04/13/now-beyond/science/5-foods-bad-for-environment/


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lettuce calendar january
16 Nov 2017 Moon planting calendar for fruit, vegetables and flowers - The Gardeners Calendar. It is a good time to sow Leaf plants like Cabbages, Lettuce, but it would not be a but it is important to remember they are guides for you to use and modify, Lettuce Guide 2016 – #lettuceguide2016 Calendar There is still a
Planting lettuce, growing lettuce, and harvesting lettuce in the garden. Tips and advice Planting Calendar. Fruit and Vegetable Planting Calendar Hey just want to say that I love your site, been using it the past week to help me make a vegetable guide, anything I don't know, you do Truly wonderful what your doing
25 Oct 2017 The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide by Seattle 7 Dec 2015 16 Dec 2015 Updates on the Lettuce Guide Calendar by @AlexisGZall, @AndreaRussett, and @ayydubs · lettuceguide.com. Joined December 2015. Beans, Lima. May 10-June 10. June 20-July 10 July 20-Aug 20. 20. 67 plants. 1/2. 24-36 .
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16 Dec 2015 Lettuce Guide 2016 · @LettuceGuide. Updates on the Lettuce Guide Calendar by @AlexisGZall, @AndreaRussett, and @ayydubs · lettuceguide.com. Joined December 2015
Updates on the Lettuce Guide Calendar by @AlexisGZall, @AndreaRussett, and @ayydubs. Got @PREPPYRUSSETT the #LETTUCEGUIDE2016 calendar clearly she loves it @AndreaRussett @ayydubs @AlexisGZallpic.twitter.com/npYNV8TAQF. Andrea Russett, Alyx Weiss and meat from Costco®.
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It’s hot today. Like, walk-outside-and-instantly-start-to-sweat hot! The horses have two fans now in their shed (I have plans to cut out windows for air circulation!), they have a full trough of fresh, clean water, and they’re both happy and healthy. So while it’s miserable, and tomorrow will be too, they’re doing ok all things considered! Most farmers have taken the exact same precautions. Fresh, clean water, good quality food in the form of grass or hay, and giant fans to try to keep the air as cool feeling as possible.
This morning when I fed the horses and gave them their fresh water, I was sitting on our swing and listening to the birds and the insects. Got me thinking about all the animals I wasn’t hearing. The deer. Rabbits. Fox, mice, groundhogs, and all those other animals that haven’t got someone to collect water for them. Or give them the fresh hay or grain. They’ve been given the ability to fend for themselves. They burrow into the ground, or find cover in brush. They find water in streams or ponds, lakes or even puddles. Days when it’s super hot, or super cold, those animals are capable of staying alive and for the most part, healthy! How cool is creation??
As I turned off the water, I said a prayer for all of us who care for the creatures we’ve been given. Those of us with horses in the field, those of us who grow meat to feed the rest of the world, and also those who will spend today in a tractor harvesting crops. If you have a moment, please pray for the farmers of the world today. Stay hydrated today!
Mary, Our Mother, intercede for us to Your Son!


Hints of Purchasing a Farming Equipment
There is need to recognize that there have been changes in the manner farming is being done.The increment in farming production can be attributed to the use of the modern technology as well as new regulations in the farming sector.A person should realize that due to the reduced number cots as well as risks in farming, there has been increment in profits which results from farming.It is important that a person buys an equipment which is good by the fact that technology has been on the improvement.Below factors will help to find the best farming equipment.
The basic fact that a person should consider is the kind of the farming tool, he/she needs.An Individual should comprehend that there are numerous farming tools and implements which he/she can buy at any time for farming.It is essential that a person to find a farming tool will help to increase the profits which will be made from farming.It is good to determine if the tool which you want will be used for a specific task or for a variety of the task in your farm.It is good also to check on the size of your farm before buying an farming tools.Having the knowledge of the size of the farm will help to find that which will do the operations in the best way possible.
A person should set a budget for the farming equipment.It is good to set the right budget, before you consider buying a farming equipment.The consideration of the budget you have set aside will help to buy a tool which is affordable.There is need for a person to be aware that the price of farming equipment change from one store to another.You need therefore to compare the prices of the different shops and choose that which will be relatively cheap for your purchase.It is necessary to focus your budget on the value and the time that a farming equipment will be put into use.It is with the long duration of using the farming equipment that a person will reap more benefit from farming.
You need to keep in mind the local regulation which concern the farming equipment.A person should be aware of the farming tools which will only be operated if a person has got the technical skills and expertise.By the reason that regulations of farming equipment vary from one point to the other, a person should be aware of the regulations in his locality.There is need for a person to know about the certifications which a farming equipment should have so that to work well.


Looking for a gardening guide or ways in which you can start your own small homegrown vegetable garden? Then the first thing to know is that gardening doesn’t have to be a hobby; neither does it require you to have a green thumb. All you need is a small space in your backyard or maybe your balcony to grow a bounty of fresh vegetables for your family. Growing vegetables at home would mean fresh flavours and healthy vegetables. Given below are a few foolproof vegetables that you can grow in your garden, which would require least amount of your time and hardly any efforts.
Also, if you’re a Gardner or someone who does gardening at home as a hobby, then check out these easy to grow vegetables and get growing!
The advantage of growing beans is that it can be grown throughout the year and of any variety. Most of the beans require full sunlight and well-drained soil. It is important that you keep in check the growth of roots. Beans provide a lot of nutrients and are good for vitamins A, C, and K. It’s a healthy vegetable which is known for its crunch and flavour. A few seeds every week would give you a great harvest for months.
Be it raw or cooked, carrots are delicious and an essential item in the plate of salad. The more water you pour, the healthier the plant will be. If you’re looking for longer carrots then ensure that the pot is deep and does not have rockier soil. Whole carrots can be easily grown in the ground also. The best idea would be deep, drained soil. Most of the vegetables would require proper sunlight, but a carrot plant survives even the light shade. Carrot is considered as the best food for vitamin A, aids in maintaining a good vision, a great healthy skin, and immune system.
Potatoes are another easy and fun vegetables to grow. The best time to grow potatoes would be in late February and March. You would require a pot that is 12 inches and a lot of water. When planting the potatoes and also during the process ensure that all the stems are in the soil. You can also grow it in potato bags that come partly filled with compost. Later, you would just have to rip the bag and rummage for your homegrown potatoes.
Growing tomatoes at home is an of great advantage. It is one of those vegetables that is needed in almost every dish that we cook and it can be grown throughout the year. It is also that vegetable whose prices keep going up most of the times. So, growing it at home would be a better idea. Being one of the easiest and quickest vegetable, it’s perfectly ideal to be grown even by your kids. Tomatoes can be grown in any size garden in containers or hanging baskets where they can get a lot of sun. You can also start with smaller varieties of tomatoes like cherry tomatoes.
Coriander like tomatoes is an annual vegetable herb which is mostly used for dressing a dish. It’s a herb which requires hardly any maintenance and is easy to grow. You can make use of recycled tins or cans to grow coriander and fill them up with soil. You would have to make a drain hole at the bottom of the can and if you can’t fill it with gravels. Once you have put the crushed seeds in the can, cover it with soil, pour water, and then forget about its existence. Just ensure that it gets enough sunlight.
Cucumbers require a lot of sunlight, warm temperature, and regular watering for its growth. They grow like a weed and in a larger number. The can be best grown in small spaces and containers. Other than being a great addition to your salads, cucumber tastes well even when cooked. A slice of cucumber is almost equivalent to a glass of water which is just another benefit.
If you are planning on growing vegetables in containers then the best choice would be lush green lettuce. The size of the pot does not matter. All you need is seeds and some fresh fertile soil which has to be kept moist. Lettuce is an easy homegrown vegetable which would work as a great addition to your salad or sandwich.
Like coriander, this is another vegetable that you can grow throughout the year. It can alternatively be grown as mint and coriander together in a container as well. You can use it fresh when picked up from the plant or freeze it in ice cubes and use it when needed. Because this vegetable can grow in any moist soil it’s more handy and easy.
Remember, that dumping the seeds of these plants in soil and walking away won’t help. For these to flourish into good and healthy vegetables you would have to water them regularly and spend a little of time and effort. With these 8 vegetable plant growing techniques, you would have a healthier harvest this season. Also, the more you garden, the more you grow.
It is time you start growing your ‘own not so complicated’ garden now! So when are you starting to grow?


Looking to ensure your supply of food or textile commodities in the coming year? One way is to take fertilizer out of the equation as much as possible. Farmers that rely on fertilizer as a soil input are facing rising costs and scarcer availability and will pass those risks further along the supply chain.
The high cost of unsustainable agriculture
For decades, conventional growing methods for food and textile materials around the world have depleted formerly fertile farmlands. Repeatedly plowing fields has created topsoil runoff, and monoculture crops have stripped the soils of key nutrients.
In response, conventional farmers have become reliant on regular additions of fertilizer throughout the growing season. Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are the building blocks of plant fertilizer, but these amendments are increasingly difficult to obtain.
New heights for fertilizer shortages
Growing in nutritionally depleted soils, conventional farmers around the world rely on nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers to fuel their harvests. But those magic ingredients come at an increasing cost.
In fact, fertilizer costs 2-4x more than it did two years ago, due to:
- Runaway pricing for natural gas (the main component for much of the world’s nitrogen-based fertilizer).
- The Russia/Ukraine war and related sanctions on a major Belarusian potash (potassium) producer.
- Numerous late-summer 2021 tropical storms in the U.S. Gulf Coast that temporarily shut down regional production.
- COVID-19 restrictions disrupting every global supply chain, including chemicals.
The risks your sources face
Higher fertilizer prices may seem like a third-world problem, but the fact is that all nations will suffer the direct effects.
In developed countries, soaring fertilizer prices and low supply will yield smaller crops and higher grocery prices for months or even years to come. For example, we are already seeing increased pricing and less availability for commodities including tomato products, cotton, and specialty products like mustard seed and red jalapeno peppers (think Sriracha). We expect these shortages to continue if not expand in scope.
In underdeveloped regions, lower fertilizer use has a direct correlation with higher levels of malnutrition, political unrest, and mortality rates. This means that sub-tier suppliers down your supply chain are at higher risk for disruptions including strikes, worker shortages, insolvencies, and political upheaval.
With an increasingly interconnected global supply chain, third-world risks pose a direct and immediate threat to first-world supplies.
Ensure your commodity supply
The best option for avoiding this risk to food and textile commodity supplies is to seek out sources that rely on sustainable agricultural practices. Farmers practicing no-till, water conservation, and other low-impact methods are at much lower risk for crop failures due to fertilizer shortages and drought.
It seems like the only bumper crop that will come this year will be more food risk, heightening food insecurity for people around the world. Suppliers must carefully analyze potential pain points and take proactive steps to manage food supply as risk factors grow.


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PATENTED METHOD FOR CROPS DAMAGE EVALUATION
Do you want to find out the extent of the crop damage?znal
Do you adjuster or agro expert or farmer?
We will provide you precise calculation of crop damage area according to the plant lodging degree,
already for 1 € / hectare.
Picture 1 - calculation of the extent of crops damage.
What benefits will this method deliver?
- Precise assessment of insurance claims in agriculture
- Precise calculation of crop damage area according to the plant lodging degree
- For various classification of lodging crops
- No need for the the physical presence of an insurance company representative at a damaged field
- Accurate documentation of damage for the insurance company, agro experts, farmes
- If necessary, detailed aerial capturing of damaged crops and data processing with authorized assessment
If you have your own captured data from damaged crops, we will provide you licence, i. procedure for accurate calculation of the damaged area according to the plant lodging degree.
If you have any data from damaged crops, we will provide you:
- aerial capturing of damaged crops by UAV / drones
- data processing with data analyzing
- authorized assessment
In case of your interest, please contact us by email: firstname.lastname@example.org.
Picture 2 - Maps - damage area accordint to the plant lodging degree
if you also need to find out what condition your agricultural crops are in during the growing season
or do you decide in which places to fertilize or irrigate more or less?


Improving Your Yield with Liquid Fertilizer
Scores of home gardeners are completely sold to liquid fertilizers and with good reason. Liquid fertilizers have long been used as transplanting solutions to feed young seedlings. They are easy to apply to your kitchen gardens as well as indoor plants.
Liquid fertilizers are popular with home gardeners for a variety of reasons including the following:
- They are easy and safe to use
- They produce results faster than granular fertilizers
- They are more versatile than dry fertilizers and can, therefore, be used in more ways
A good number of homeowners swear by liquid fertilizers for these reasons and prefer to use them instead of granular fertilizers.
Table of Contents
Liquid Feeding Food
While liquid feeding has gained popularity rapidly, it is not what one would refer to as a trend in gardening circles. It has actually been around for a long time. Centuries ago, it was discovered that water seeping into gardens from muddy streams prompted plant growth better than plain rainwater did.
This is possibly because the river water carries along with it nutrients that it deposits into the garden thus stimulating growth. Water with droppings from animals is even more nutritious for plants as it contains varieties of micronutrients.
It, therefore, makes sense that humans would figure out that liquid feeding would work for plants. Making organic liquid fertilizer has been simplified to the point that it can be made at home. Also, you can buy it in a bottle or in the form of soluble salts.
There are many liquid fertilizers that are perfect for home gardening. These include:
- Kelp fertilizer
- Fish emulsion
- Blood meal
- Bone meal
What is the Best Liquid Fertilizer for Plants
The mixture of your liquid fertilizer must be right to give you the best results. The best contains the ratio 1-2-1 n-p-k; nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium respectively. The dry soluble mixtures may be a little more expensive than dry fertilizers since water-soluble salts are not easy to come by.
However, you can find liquid fertilizers sold in bottles or barrels that contain solutions of up to ten pounds of fertilizer. These are usually highly concentrated and you are advised to dilute before application.
Do Not Use Fertilizer Unless the Soil Needs it
If the soil is fertile and does not demand fertilizer, let it be. You will be wasting your fertilizer and money applying it to soil that is fertile enough for your plants. Also, check the soil pH before adding any fertilizer.
Liquid fertilizers that are meant for transplanting purposes contain at least eight pounds to the ratio of 5-10-5 per a hundred gallons of water. This is the equivalent of one tablespoonful to one gallon of water. You are instructed to apply approximately a quarter to a pint of the fertilizer to the roots before they get covered.
You must be careful not to:
- Have dry fertilizer in the soil around the roots of your plants
- Press the soil around the roots once they have been set with the solution
Note that you are allowed to use your organic liquid solution just like you would use the granular option. The concentration will depend on the plants. Also, you the liquid feeds may come ready-to-use or you may be required to dilute with a stated amount of water. It is, therefore, important to read instructions before application.
Why Liquid over Dry Plant Feed?
Liquid fertilizer is a lot easier to use than dry because it does not require much in terms of preparation. All you need to do is measure the solution into the required amount of water and you are good to go. In fact, some of the solutions are used as they are meaning there is no preparation needed.
Ultimately, liquid plant feed is the best when you need to touch up your plants up quickly and they help greatly in improving yields. They are also great for houseplants which need a quick solution.


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- Extra virgin olive oil Cutrera Primo Fine Quality is a full bodied extra virgin olive oil, with a good balance between bitter and spicy
- It is a superior category olive oil obtained by cold extraction, primarly from the local variety Tonda Iblea
- Intense fruity with strong notes of green tomato and fresh aromatic herbs
- Full-bodied taste with a good balance between bitter and spicy.
- Very good with grilled meat and fish, with salads, legumes, soups and bruschetta
- choosing a selection results in a full page refresh


hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipe
hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipe
Mail: [email protected]
1.5 inch galvanized round tubing for greenhouse | ZS Steel ...Hot dipped galvanized steel pipe (1.5 inch galvanized round tubing for greenhouse) is pipe that has been coated with a layer of zinc. This coating protects the pipe. from corrosion and rust, leading to increased longevity and enhanced reliability. The zinc …
Compared with many other construction materials in the current steel pipe market, hot dipped galvanized steel pipe remains much cost effective, and is considered an environment friendly structural steel frame applied in solar greenhouse projects around the world today.hot dipped galvanized round steel pipe for Greenhouse hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipehot dipped galvanized round steel pipe for Greenhouse & Railings & Fence Post & Water Supply & Natural Gas, US $ 16 - 19 / Gram, ASTM, ASTM A106-2006, A53-A369, A179-C, 0.5 - 200 mm.Source from Bei Steel (Tianjin) International Trade Co., Ltd. on Alibaba hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipe.galvanized steel tube greenhouse, galvanized steel tube hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipeAlibaba hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipe offers 2,759 galvanized steel tube greenhouse products. About 21% of these are Multi-span Greenhouses, 12% are Single-Span Greenhouses, and 0% are Plastic Shed. A wide variety of galvanized steel tube greenhouse options are available to
In recent years, hot dipped galvanized steel pipe can be regarded as the most favored structural steel pipe by people because of its cost effective, maintenance-free corrosion protection system that will be able to last for decades even in the harshest environments. As a matter of fact, for more than 100 years, hot dipped galvanized steel pipe has been utilized extensively to combat corrosion in major galvanized steel pipe greenhouse, galvanized steel pipe hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipeFree Samples We can offer you galvanized steel pipe free samples ISO Certificate Passed the ISO9001:2008 quality system authentication for galvanized steel pipe Third party certificate galvanized steel pipe SGS ,BV certificate galvanized steel pipe Factory Our Factory galvanized steel pipe Production Our production Our exhibition Every year ,we have about 6 exhibition in different .Why to use pre galvanized steel pipe in greenhouse frames hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipePre galvanized steel pipes & tubes are manufactured from 1/2 to 8. In most cases, steel frames are used in greenhouses ranging from tiny hobby houses to huge multi-bay commercial greenhouse complexes. Unlike other structural steel materials, pre galvanized steel pipe is immediately ready for use when it is delivered.
HDG stands for Hot Dip Galvanized. Suggest new definition. This definition appears very frequently and is found in the following Acronym Finder categories: Science, medicine, engineering, etc.See all results for this questionWhat is hot dipped galvanizing?Hot-dip galvanization is a form of galvanization. It is the process of coating iron and steel with zinc, which alloys with the surface of the base metal when immersing the metal in a bath of molten zinc at a temperature of around 449 °C (840 °F). When exposed to the atmosphere, the pure zinc (Zn) hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipeReference: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot-dip_galvanizationSee all results for this questionSturdy, Stainless greenhouse galvanized steel pipe for hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipeStainless and galvanized greenhouse galvanized steel pipe for industrial and commercial purposes at Alibaba hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipe. These hot-dipped greenhouse galvanized steel pipe are ideal for
China Steel pipe catalog of Galvanized Greenhouse Construction Pipe Tubing Sizes Hot Dipped Galvanized Square Steel Pipe/Tube, Construction Hot Dipped 51mm Galvanized Steel Pipe / Round Tube Frame Greenhouse provided by China manufacturer - JYXD Greenhouse Co., Ltd., page1.Steel Frames - ShelterTechHot-dipped galvanized steel is steel that has been submerged in vats of molten zinc, which coats the steel entirely, making it inherently resistant against corrosion. Thats because the heat of the molten zinc changes the molecular makeup of the steel.Related searches for hot dipped galvanized greenhouse stehot dipped galvanized steel pipehot dipped galvanized steelhot dipped galvanized pipe clampshot dipped galvanized steel suppliershot dipped galvanized steel specificationhot dipped galvanized vs galvanizedhot dipped galvanized steel coilwhat is hot dipped galvanized
Shop from professional Steel Pipe manufacturers and suppliers for quality pre galvanized scaffolding tubes carbon greenhouse frame steel pipes gi pipe made in China here. The best service and fast delivery are offered.How long does hot dip galvanized metal last?Hot-dip galvanized steel resists corrosion in numerous environments extremely well. It is not uncommon for galvanized steel to last more than 70 years under certain conditions. To get a good idea of how long your project will last, see the service-life chart .See all results for this questionHot dipped Galvanized Greenhouse Frame Welded Carbon hot dipped and pre-galvanized steel pipe . OD. 10-600mm(round) thickness. 1.2-30mm. length. 3-12m or as per customers' requirements . material. Q195Grade B, SS330, SPC, S185. Q215Grade C,CS Type B, SS330, SPHC. Q235---Grade D,
Home > Products > Hot Dipped Galvanized Steel Pipe Hot Rolled Galvanized Steel Pipe DESCRIPTION Size: outer diameter 1/2 inch to 8 inch 20mm to 219mm wall thickness 1.5mm to 10 mm length 4.5 to 12m Standard: GB BS EN ASTM API JIS Surface: zinc coating 200-400g/m 2 Application: highway guardrail,scaffolding ,greenhouse fence, sports equipment hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipeHot Dip Galvanized Hook For Greenhouse Connecting PipeFilm Greenhouse Accessories Galvanized Steel Hooks . This hook is used for greenhouse pipe , though it is small ,it indeed important to greenhosue ,please check below information . Specification: MATERIAL: hot galvanized steel . SIZE : 22mm/25mm/32mm/40mm/42mmGreenhouse Tube 1 Inch 32 mm Hot Dipped Galvanized Steel hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipeGi Pipe, Hot Dipped Galvanized Steel Tube, Greenhouse Tube manufacturer / supplier in China, offering Greenhouse Tube 1 Inch 32 mm Hot Dipped Galvanized Steel Tube/Gi Pipe, Factory Wholesale High Performance High Quality Galvanized Steel Pipes for China, 50mm Gi Pipe Price JIS G3444 Stk400 Steel Pipe Galvanized Pipe 2 1 2 Inch and so on.Price Range: $550 - $750
We offer a wide selection of greenhouse pipe & tubing products. Do you need steel pipe & tube fast? Items listed are normally in stock and ready for fast shipment.Greenhouse Galvanized Tubing - Advancing AlternativesDescription: 8 lengths of greenhouse galvanized tubing with 3 swage. 16 gauge cold rolled steel conduit. Choose pipes from 1.66 OD or 1.315 OD.Greenhouse Galvanized Pipe | Delite Garden SuppliesGalvanizing is widely used in greenhouse tube manufacturing. It's the secret to excellent greenhouse last for long, practical, and aethetic.
Galvanized Steel Water Pipe, Low Pressure Pipe, Greenhouse hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipe
Buy low price, high quality galvanized steel water pipe, low pressure pipe and greenhouse steel pipe, you can choose our products. Warmly welcome new and old customers to visit and patronize!Galvanized Steel Pipe | EC211 1/2 inch Galvanized Steel Pipe Hot dipped galvanized pipe made by black pipes dipped into zinc pool for galvanized. Zinc coating :275 600g /m2 Steel Grade: Q195-Q345, S235JR, S275JR, S355JR hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipe Sino East Steel Group Co.,Ltd.Galvanized Steel Greenhouse Steel Pipe, Greenhouse Steel hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipeIf you have any question on galvanized steel greenhouse steel pipe. We will give the professional answers to your short questions. If you need, welcome to contact us to know more!
Product Description. Galvanized Rectangular Pipe/Tube is widely application in construction, pipe of industrial, water pipe, fence equipment, telecommunication tubes as well as greenhouse tubes for different planting and breeding business.Galvanized Mechanical Steel Tube for Greenhouses - Supply hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipeSupply Rite Steel offers industry superior galvanized tube and angle products. Wide range of high strength galvanized tubing and galvanized angles. Ideal for greenhouse structures. Tubing is corrosion resistant to extreme & variable weather conditions. Clear and bright triple coated topcoat, zinc paint inner tube provided unparalleled performance.Galvanized Conduit - FarmTekIdeal for barn curtains, greenhouse purlins, shade frames, racks, shelving, dairy stalls, and so much more! Contact us for truck load pricing. USA-made, triple-galvanized, structural steel tubing. Superior finish eliminates stains and chemical reactions on curtains. Swaged coupling design eliminates bulging exterior couplings that tear curtains.<br>• Smooth and straight for hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipe
China European Standard BS En 10255 Hot Dipped Galvanized Steel Pipe, Find details about China Galvanized Steel Pipe, Pipe from European Standard BS En 10255 Hot Dipped Galvanized Steel Pipe - Tianjin Honest Steel Co., Ltd.China Galvanized pipe Greenhouse Pipe Manufacturer and hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipeShort Description: Product Hot-dipped galvanized Greenhouse Pipes Process Hot-dipped Standard BS1387,JIS G3444,ASTM A53 Material S235JR,S275JR,STK400,STK500 O.D 1/226(21.3660mm) W.T 0.0551.602(1.6526.97mm) Length As per customers requirement Pipe End Bare,Beveled,Thread,coupling Application Used for gas,water transportation.China Galvanized Greenhouse Steel Pipe, Galvanized hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipeChina Galvanized Greenhouse Steel Pipe manufacturers - Select 2021 high quality Galvanized Greenhouse Steel Pipe products in best price from certified Chinese Stainless Steel Product manufacturers, Stainless Steel Material suppliers, wholesalers and factory on Made-in-China hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipe
Construction Hot Dipped 51mm Galvanized Steel Pipe / Round Tube Frame Greenhouse. US $600-650 / Ton. Complete Glass Agricultural Greenhouse Turnkey Project with Quick Construction. US $25-35 / Square Meter. Low Price Commercial Agriculture Greenhouse Wide Po Plastic Film Greenhouse for Farming. US $25-35 / Square Meter.Can stainless steel be hot dip galvanized?The hot dip galvanizing may not stick to the stainless steel unless the zinc penetrates the passive oxide film on the SS to form a metallurgical bond. HD galvanizing is typically not a good idea for 300 series SS because the zinc will preferentially penetrate the grain boundaries of the SS.See all results for this question1.5 inch galvanized round tubing for greenhouse | ZS Steel hotdipped galvanized greenhouse steel pipeHot dipped galvanized steel pipe (1.5 inch galvanized round tubing for greenhouse) is pipe that has been coated with a layer of zinc. This coating protects the pipe. from corrosion and rust, leading to increased longevity and enhanced reliability. The zinc


It's local, it's organic, and it's delicious!
Farm Fresh To You is in the Capay Valley about 30 minutes from our home. It has wonderfully fertile soil that will keep up with seasonal crops year round. The farm was founded in 1976, is now 300 acres, and is still family owned and ran...and they deliver right to your home or office!
We were able to go on Saturday to check out where our fruits and veggies come from.
The fig orchard was beautiful.


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Two diagnostic surveys were conducted during the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons in three major cassava growing zones of Tanzania. The studies aimed at establishing the spatial and temporal distribution of M. tanajoa on commonly grown commercial cassava varieties landraces in Tanzania. A total of 2,700 plants in 90 fields were assessed in nine districts of which five fields were in the Lake zone and two districts in each of the Southern and Eastern zones. Results indicated that the distribution of M. tanajoa significantly (P = .05) differed across seasons, Southern and Lake zones were statistically similar and higher in M. tanajoapopulation than the Eastern zone. Crop age, altitude and cassava varieties significantly (P = .05) influenced the population of M. tanajoa while crop mixture (inter cropping) had no significant effect in both seasons. The relationship among the environmental variables and population distribution of M. tanajoa were significant (P = .05). Variations in M. tanajoa population within and between seasons and locations were due to differences in the cassava varieties and the environment. The survival, perpetuation and distribution of M. tanajoa were attributed to the crop age, suitability of the variety and intensity of cassava cultivation.


If elected I work with other legislators and hope to propose the following:
Michigan develop a plan to declare 75% of the farmland south of Latitude 43.50 (Clare, Michigan), permanent farmland which can never be developed. Counties would catalog their farm acreage and battle out allocations The final allocation must equal 75% of current farmland across the entire area south of Clare. The final settlement would then be put on the ballot as a constitutional amendment.
There are three major ways a nation creates wealth. They can manufacture it, mine it, or farm it. Japan and Germany are manufacturing powers, and China is becoming increasingly wealthy due to manufacturing. The Arab Gulf nations, Australia, Brazil and Russia are gaining wealth through mining (or oil). The US and Brazil are the two major farm exporters.
Recent projections are for the world’s population to increase from 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050, but the world will have to double its agricultural output by 2050. This is because the developing world is eating more meat, poultry and fish (over 50% of the fish consumed by humans is fed grain in fish farms) as it becomes wealthier.
This increasing demand means America needs to protect its farmland in order to generate future wealth. Very little of America is fertile farmland, particularly grain farmland. The Northern parts of Ohio and Indiana, the lower half of Michigan’s lower peninsula, the Southern half of Wisconsin, and all of Illinois, Iowa , and Minnesota are the only productive grain farming areas which get enough natural rainfall to not need irrigation. Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma are big farm producers in The Great Plains. Of these three only Nebraska is not quickly draining its aquifers dry.


Agri-Gro IgniteS2?is a?soil and starter supplement that gives crops an early dose of energy for a great start; plants that have a fast and healthy start usually finish on top.
Application of Agri-Gro IgniteS2?in the soil helps to address nutrient deficiencies and other external stresses before they have a chance to affect health and overall stress resistance that can cause losses in crop quality and yield. Specifically, it helps to improve soil structure, increase fertilizer efficiency, improve germination and plant growth, boost yields and lower disease pressure.
When Agri-Gro IgniteS2?is applied as a part of a good crop nutrition management program, crops treated with Agri-Gro IgniteS2?are healthier and experience less disease pressure, benefit from improved nutrient availability, establish larger root systems with stronger stalks, and produce higher yields.? Putting it simply, Agri-Gro IgniteS2?helps a plant to reach its genetic yield potential by heightening performance of its internal functions that boost growth, increase nutrient uptake, and strengthen its natural defenses.
Agri-Gro IgniteS2?helps to build a healthy, disease suppressive growing environment. It does this by feeding your soil microbial life to ensure that, while other applied fertilizers can peter out, your crops continue to get the benefit of a sustained flow of plant-available nutrients made available by the microbes.


Temperature and precipitation are largely beyond our control, yet these factors are key in determining the supply of vital commodities such as corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, and rice. Global grain and soybean supplies fluctuate continuously, and market demand for these commodities varies constantly. As a result of these many uncertainties, commodity prices can vary substantially from day to day. So how is it that, season after season, food prices at the supermarket remain relatively predictable?
To a large degree, the financial effects of futures markets are responsible for this price stability. Ironically, futures markets are perceived as volatile.
In fact, they provide the mechanism to ensure fairly consistent prices for grains, soybeans, and processed foods. Prices for cereal, for example, do not rise or fall to the degree as the prices for unprocessed oats or rice. Futures and options contracts-tools to manage risk and pursue profit potential-are essential for minimizing price swings and maintaining stability in a modern economy. A world without grains-and the commodities markets in which they are efficiently traded- would be unthinkable.
Grains feed our livestock. In both whole and processed forms, they provide nourishing food for our families. They are also used in an everincreasing range of nonfood products. Corn - The greatest use for corn is feed for livestock and poultry. Corn also goes into many everyday food items-corn oil for margarine; cornstarch for gravy; and corn sweeteners for soft drinks, to name just a few.
Nonfood uses of corn include alcohol for ethanol, absorbing agents for disposable diapers, and adhesives for paper products. Wheat - The primary use for wheat is flour, the key ingredient for breads, pastas, crackers, and many other food products. Wheat byproducts are used in livestock feeds. Wheat is also used in industrial products such as starches, adhesives, and coatings. Oats - One of the primary uses for oats is for animal feed. As any trip down the cereal aisle of your supermarket will demonstrate, oats are also the main ingredient in many hearty break-fast foods.
Additionally, oats are used in the manufacture of plastics, solvents, and other industrial products. Rice - Rice is the primary food staple for 2. It is also an important ingredient in processed foods such as breakfast cereals and snacks. Rice byproducts are used for brewing and distilling, fuel, fertilizers, packing material, and industrial grinding. Grains are a renewable resource, and the demand for them is great. Efficient trading of grains, combined with effective business planning, helps to ensure relatively stable food prices for consumers.
The soybean complex consists of futures and options contracts on soybeans, soybean meal, and soybean oil. These contracts allow hedgers and traders to capture the special economic relationships that exist among soybeans and the two principal soybean products throughout the production, processing, and marketing processes.
Soybeans - are a renewable resource with a seemingly limitless range of uses. For example, many publications are printed with soy ink, which is an increasingly popular alternative to petrochemical-based inks.
Also, soy diesel is a new energy source that can be used by the trucking industry. Whole soybean products are especially appreciated in Asia and among natural-food devotees in Europe and the United States.
Soybeans provide the basis for low fat sources of protein such as tofu, miso, and soymilk. Soybean Meal - Soybean meal is the dominant protein supplement used in U. Soy products are also used to make baby food, dietfood products, beer, ale, and noodles. Technical uses include adhesives, cleansing materials, polyesters, and other textiles. Soybean Oil - Soybean oil remains the most widely used edible oil in the United States, with consumption exceeding that of all other fats and oils combined.
It is a major ingredient in cooking oil, margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressing, and shortening. Lecithin is a natural emulsifier derived from soybean oil and, without it, chocolate would separate from cocoa butter and spoil many a sweet moment. Futures exchanges provide two vital economic functions for the marketplace: Futures markets enable those who want to manage price risk hedgers to transfer some or all of that risk.
Futures markets also provide profit opportunities for those willing to accept risk speculators. Efficient trading of the grain markets or the soybean complex can help to reduce seasonal volatility and maintain relatively stable prices for many products.
Futures markets supply the mechanism for long-term business planning, which can improve operational profitability for farmers, processors, livestock producers, food manufacturers, and industrial users of these commodities.
Who can trade grain and soybean futures and options? Farmers, merchandisers, processors, and other hedgers in the agricultural commodity pipeline use CBOT futures and options to manage price risk. Futures and options contracts are designed to promote better business planning, more consistent product quality and service, and greater operational profitability.
Speculators also trade grain and soybean futures and options in the pursuit of profitable returns on their investment. They provide liquidity to the market. A soybean processing plant uses soybean, soybean oil, and soybean meal futures to hedge its gross processing margin-the difference between the cost of soybeans and the eventual revenue of the finished oil and meal.
Buying soybean futures protects against rising input costs. Selling soybean oil and meal futures protects against falling prices for the later sales of meal and oil. This risk-management program helps to stabilize costs and pricing and can give the processor a competitive advantage in the marketplace. A progressive family farm operation discovered the opportunities of incorporating futures and options into its marketing plan.
The family now secures more stable prices for the grain it sells and is enjoying reduced feed costs. The result is a brighter financial future for this family in the American heartland. A large food manufacturer, which uses soybean oil in many of its bakery products, buys call options to establish a cost ceiling for eventual soybean oil procurement. In the highly competitive food business, risk-management strategies promote price stability and help build greater loyalty among customers.
Pursuing greater return on capital, a software engineer decided to trade grain futures. Based on an analysis of trade data, this engineer anticipates corn prices will rise and, with the help of a broker, buys a corn futures contract. Two weeks later, weather conditions reduce the harvest forecast and corn prices rise. The engineer can sell the futures contract at a price greater than the initial purchase price and profit from the transaction.
This participation in the futures market did not require the software engineer to have any direct link to farming or food production. Futures and options are increasingly popular because they bring important benefits to individuals, companies, and our economy as a whole. Price Discovery The many factors that influence supply and demand converge on the trading floor and the electronic trading platform, resulting in the discovery of commodity prices.
Risk Transfer Agribusiness participants use futures to offset potentially adverse changes in price. Increased Liquidity Capital flows in from a wide range of individuals and businesses, thereby promoting greater flexibility and trading efficiency. Creditworthiness The clearing organization for the exchange settles all trades made at the Chicago Board of Trade. The margining system requires traders to post, in effect, performance bonds to ensure integrity in the system. Many people associate the Chicago Board of Trade with lively activity in the trading pits or with convenient access to an electronic trading platform.
It is important to realize that the hallmark of the CBOT is the liquidity, integrity, and efficiency of its markets. No matter which trading platform the customer chooses, the end result is the same. As traders reach agreement, supply and demand reach equilibrium. As prices are discovered, the information is relayed throughout the world. In addition to grain and soybean futures and options, a growing number of financial derivatives are now used to manage risk in the complex world of international trade.
To ensure integrity, U. Futures The Chicago Board of Trade, which opened in , helped to formalize grain trading by developing standardized agreements called futures contracts. These legally binding agreements to buy or sell a commodity sometime in the future are standardized according to the quality, quantity, and delivery time and delivery location for each commodity. The only variable is price, which is discovered on a futures exchange. To eliminate the problems of buyers or sellers not fulfilling their contracts, the CBOT initiated a margining system.
Options Another market innovation-options on futures appeared in Options on futures are contracts that convey the right, but not the obligation, to buy call option or sell put option a particular futures contract at a certain price for a limited time and are another important tool for business planning. They allow investors and risk managers to define and limit risk.
Ag Serial Options In , the Chicago Board of Trade option contracts expanded to include serial contract months on all grain and soybean futures. Serial options are short-term option contracts trading for approximately 60 days. They expire during those months in which there is not an option contract currently expiring, thus providing year-round risk management and trading opportunities.
Other than the expiration month, the contract specifications are the same as those on the standard options. The CBOT provides futures, options, and serial option contracts in corn, wheat, oats, rice, soybeans, soybean meal, and soybean oil. Derivatives such as futures and options provide ways to hedge risk and stabilize prices throughout the agricultural pipeline-from the farmer to the grain merchandiser, to the food processor, and, eventually, to the consumer.
In addition, derivatives offer profit potential for investors who are willing to assume the market risks. These speculators add essential capital, provide liquidity, and help to stabilize the market by dampening extreme price movements. There is a substantial risk of loss in trading commodity futures and options. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
A movement in the cash market would not necessarily move in tandem with the related futures and options contract being offered. Call to begin trading today - International Investors call Going with the Grains A world without grains-and the commodities markets in which they are efficiently traded- would be unthinkable.
Here are just a few of the uses:More...


Home of the aquaponics Eco Ark and a small farm with fields, forest, brooks, an orchard, and a vineyard tucked in under the Cold Hollow Mountains and 17 miles from Canada. We put our hearts and souls into the sustainable production of clean, healthy, and delicious food for our Vermont neighbors.
Eco Ark Crops
Where to Buy
The Finn & Roots Story
In 2014, a Vermont farm-based couple had a dream of creating a year-round sustainable environment in which plants and fish could be raised in their own unique symbiotic ecosystem. From that dream was born the Eco Ark, a commercial 6,000SF controlled environment agriculture building, which is a combination of hybrid, solar-style greenhouse and subterranean, insulated fish house.


Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha interacting with a resident (Photo: Ministry of Agriculture/ May 3, 2023)
He further explained that issues concerning the ownership of farmlands will be addressed.
“We received a list about two months ago and we are in the process of verifying the persons who own it…we have here almost 60 names and only nine names are verified. We will start the process while we are continuing to verify, these nine people will start the process to clear the land,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Minister committed to assisting farmers with access to the necessary materials for farming but he told them that due to resources, the farmers would have to form groups.
“I can help you to get some planting material and even chemical to start back a crop.
“I don’t want to give one person a tiller. As long as I can establish that there is a group functioning, we can meet and give them a tiller,” Minister Mustapha said.
Meanwhile, Minister Dharamlall said that the residents will also benefit from new roads which they will also be hired to construct.
“We have the engineers here and they will go according with you and what we will do is they will issue contracts to people within the community and you will have to employ people in the community to get the work done we have to work out whether we help you to buy the materials and you do the labour or whether we give you the contracts and you do all of it,” Minister Dharamllal said.


- Garden plot assignments will be determined by the Membership Coordinator. Gardeners who are in good standing from the previous year receive priority.
- The plot can be gardened from the time of assignment until termination of membership.
- Limit of 2 plots per individual with a limit of 4 per household.
- Preference will be given to those with physical limitations for the 4 double-height plots.
- A free-standing tool shed is provided for garden members for storage of tools.
- Wood chips, compost, and water for the garden are available on site at no charge.
Gardener Responsibilities: Each gardener will:
- Pay fees associated with registration.
- Maintain assigned plots and 24-inch perimeter around the plot site in a healthy and weed-free condition at all times. Any plot not worked by May 1st will be considered abandoned.
- Harvest garden produce regularly and avoid allowing it go to waste. You may be contacted if there is an urgent need to harvest. If the produce is not harvested, it may be donated.
- Clean out plots no later than November 30, except for winter crops.
- Respect fellow gardeners. Plantings must be kept within the borders of assigned plot(s).
- Agree to plant crops that do not grow above six feet relative to ground level. All sunflowers and raspberries are prohibited. Corn can only be grown in the designated “corn patch.”
- Clean up after him/herself including storing tools and taking any rubbish or trash off-site.
- Use earth-friendly gardening practices. Application of herbicide (weed killer) is prohibited.
- Pick only his/her crops. Produce may not be sold. Donations are encouraged.
- Attend at least one membership meeting per year and/or complete the gardener’s survey.
- Contribute at least 8 volunteer hours per year maintaining common areas as outlined in the by-laws.
- Record volunteer hours of common-area garden maintenance in the Garden Work Log.
- Make arrangements for backup plot care if unable to tend for his/her plot.
- Notify the Membership Coordinator if necessary to abandon garden plot for any reason.
- Supervise children so they don’t disturb other sites. Pets are not permitted in the BLCG.
- Use water and other supplied materials wisely; mulching helps preserve water.
- Follow the corn patch rules noted in By-Laws.
- Seek conflict resolution through the BLCG Leadership Team as specified in the Garden By-Laws.
If you have any questions, suggestions, and/or comments, please contact the Site Coordinator: firstname.lastname@example.org or Membership Coordinator: email@example.com
I agree to these Rules & Regulations


Sunday, March 15, 2009
Our Little Garden
It seems like I go from having nothing to blog (am tired of blogging about sad and sick kiddos) to having so much to blog, I have no time to do it.
This week has been full of all things gardening. Last Wednesday we took a trip to our local gardening store. After the boys had their fun pulling wagons full of plants around, we bought a handful of vegetables to plant in our little raised flower bed. In the years past we have planted flowers, but decided to try a little something different this year.
We also bought a little tub of lady bugs. The lady bugs eat the aphids (bugs that eat the plants). We could just get insect killer, but the lady bugs are more eco friendly and tons more fun for the boys to watch and play with. On Wednesday evening when we released the lady bugs, the boys were a bit wary of them, but Thursday when Nana and I started planting the vegetables, Jaxon got a bit braver and actually let a few crawl on his hands.
Now we have strawberries, tomatoes, bell papers, garlic, and herbs planted in our backyard. We were able to use some of the herbs in a potato recipe the other night,so now I am really excited about getting to eat veggies right out of our own backyard as well!


Manuka Honey Active UMF 15 250ml
Manuka trees used in the Manawa products is produced at Te Araroa on the East Cape - a clean, unpolluted natural environment. The special Manuka trees grow naturally on the hilly farm and bush lands around Te Araroa. These naturally occurring forests of Manuka have not been genetically modified, or sprayed with pesticides, herbicides or any other chemicals.
Manawa UMF 15+ active manuka honey is specially selected for its high levels of non-peroxide activity (>15). Activity of this level is only found in a small proportion of Manuka Honey. Manawa Manuka Honey also retains the distinctive East Cape Manuka Honey flavor. It is presented as a smooth finely crystaline honey and for desired consistency warm to soften and referigerate to firm. It can be taken to help soothe sore throats and indigestion and or take a teaspoon two or three times daily before meals to help promote general good health. It can also be used externally on the skin.


Colonies on other worlds are a staple of science fiction and an obsession for rocket-obsessed entrepreneurs, but how do humans go about the business of living long-term once they get to a place like Mars? Alex Tolley has been pondering the question as part of a project he has been engaged in with the Interstellar Research Group. Martian regolith is, shall we say, a challenge, and the issue of perchlorates is only one of the factors that will make food production a major part of the planning and operation of any colony. The essay below can be complemented by Alex’s look at experimental techniques we can use long before colonization to consider crop growth in non-terrestrial situations. It will appear shortly on the IRG website, all part of the organization’s work on what its contributors call MaRMIE, the Martian Regolith Microbiome Inoculation Experiment.
by Alex Tolley
Introduction: Food Production Beyond Hydroponics
Conventional wisdom suggests that food production in the Martian settlements will likely be hydroponic. Centauri Dreams has an excellent post by Ioannis Kokkinidis on hydroponic food production on Mars, where he explains in some detail the issues and how they are best dealt with, and the benefits of this form of food production
Still from a NASA video on a Mars base showing the hydroponics section.
A recent NASA short video on a very stylish possible design for a Mars base (see still above) shows a small hydroponics zone in the base, although its small size and what looks like all lettuce production would not be sufficient to feed one person, and that is before the monotonous diet would drive the crew to wish they had at least some potatoes from Mark Watney’s stash that could be cooked in a greater variety of ways.
I would tend to agree with the hydroponic approach, as well as other high-tech methods, as these food production techniques are already being used on Earth and will continue to improve, allowing a richer food source without needing to raise animals. Kokkinidis raises the issue of animal meat production for various cuisines, but in reality, the difficulties of transporting the needed large numbers of stock for breeding, as well as the increased demand for primary food production, would seem to be a major issue. [It should be noted that US farming occupies perhaps 2% of the population, yet most commentators on Mars groups seem to think that growing food on Mars will be relatively easy, with preferred animals to provide meat. How many Mars base personnel would be comfortable killing and preparing animals for consumption, even mucking out the pens?]
Hydroponics today is used for high-value crops because of the high costs. Many crops cannot be easily grown in this way. For example, it would be very difficult to grow tree fruits and nuts hydroponically, even though tree wood would be a very useful construction material. On Earth, hydroponics gains the highly desirable much-increased production per unit area coupled with a very high energy cost. It also requires inputs from established industrial processes which would have to be set up from scratch on Mars. Should there need to be lighting as well, low-energy LEDs would be hard to manufacture on Mars and would, initially at least, be imported from Earth.
Hydroponics is attractive to those with an engineering mindset. The equipment is understood, inputs and outputs can be measured and monitored, and optimized, and it all seems of a piece with the likely complexity of the transport ships and Mars base technology. It may even seem less likely to get “dirt under the fingernails” compared to traditional farming, a feature that appeals to those who prefer cleaner technologies. Unfortunately, unlike on Earth, if a critical piece of equipment fails, it will not be easily replaceable from inventory. Some parts may be 3D printable, but not complex components, or electronics. Failure of the hydroponic system due to an irreplaceable part failure would be catastrophic and lead to starvation long before a replacement would arrive from Earth. If ever there was a need for rapid cargo transport to support a Martian base, this need for rapid supply delivery would be a prime driver .
Soil from Regolith
Could more traditional dirt farming work on Mars, despite the apparent difficulties and lack of fine control over plant growth? The discovery that the Martian regolith has toxic levels of perchlorates and would make a very poor soil for plants seems to rule out dirt farming. If the Gobi desert is more hospitable than Mars, then trying to farm the sands of Mars might seem foolhardy, even reckless.
However, after working on a project with the Interstellar Research Group (IRG), I have to some extent changed my mind. If the Martian regolith can be made fertile, it would open up a more scalable and flexible method to grow a greater variety of plant crops than seems possible with hydroponics. Scaling up hydroponics requires far more manufacturing infrastructure than scaling up farming with an amended regolith if regolith remediation does not require a lot of equipment.
So the key questions are how to turn the regolith into viable soil to make such a traditional farming method viable, and what does this farming buy in terms of crop production, variety, and yields?
The first problem is to remove the up to 1% of perchlorates in the regolith that are toxic to plants. While perchlorates do exist naturally in some terrestrial soils, such as the Atacama desert, they are at far lower concentrations. Perchlorates are used in some industrial processes and products (e.g. rocket propellant, fireworks), and spills and their cleanup are monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the USA. Chlorates were used as weedkillers and are potent oxidizers, a feature that I used in my teenage rocket experimentation, but are now banned in the EU.
There are 2 primary ways to remove perchlorates. If there is a readily available water supply, the regolith can be washed and the water-soluble perchlorates can be flushed away. The salt can be removed from the perchlorate solution with a reverse osmosis unit, a mature technology in use for desalination and water purification today. In addition, agitation of the regolith sand and dust can be used to remove the sharp edges of unweathered grains. This would make the regolith far safer to work with, and reduce equipment failure due to the abrasive dust damaging seals and metal joints. Agitation requires the low technology of rotating drums filled with a slurry of regolith and water.
A second, and more elegant approach, is to bioremediate with bacteria that can metabolize the regolith in the presence of water [5,6,7,8]. While it would seem simple to just sprinkle the exposed Martian surface with an inoculant, this cannot work, if only because the temperature on the surface is too cold. The regolith will have to be put into more clement conditions to maintain the water temperature and at least minimal atmospheric pressure and composition. At present, it is unknown what minimal conditions would be needed for this approach to work, although we can be fairly certain that terrestrial conditions inside a pressurized facility would be fine. There are a number of bacterial species that can metabolize chlorates and perchlorates to derive energy from ionized salts. A container or lined pit of graded regolith could be inoculated with suitable bacteria and the removal of the salt monitored until the regolith was essentially free of the salt. This would be the first stage of regolith remediation and soil preparation.
There is an interesting approach that could make this a dual-use system that offers safety features. The bacteria can be grown in a bioreactor, and the enzymes needed to metabolize perchlorates extracted. It has been proposed that rather than fully metabolizing the salt to chloride, enzymes could be applied that will stop at the release of free oxygen (O2). This can be used as life support or oxidant for rocket fuel, or even combustion engines on ground vehicles. The enzymes could be manufactured by gene-engineered single-cell organisms in a bioreactor, or the organisms can be applied directly to the regolith to release the O2 . The design of the Spacecoach by my colleague, Brian McConnell, and me used a similar principle. As the ship used water for propellant and hull shielding, in the case of an emergency, the water could be electrolyzed to provide life-supporting O2 for a considerable time to allow for rescue . Extracting oxygen from the perchlorates with enzymes is a low-energy approach to providing life support in an emergency. A small, portable, emergency kit containing a plastic bag and vial of the enzyme, could be carried with a spacesuit, or larger kits for vehicles and habitat structures.
After the perchlorate is removed from the regolith, what is left is similar to broken and pulverized lava. It may still be abrasive, and need to be abraded by agitation as in the mechanical perchlorate flushing approach.
So far so good. It looks like the perchlorate problem is solved, we just need to know if it can be carried out under conditions closer to Martian surface conditions, or whether it is best to do the processing under terrestrial or Mars base conditions. If the bacterial/enzyme amendment can be done in nothing more than lined and covered pits, or plastic bags, with a heater to maintain water at an optimum temperature, that would be a plus for scalability. If the base is located in or near a lava tube, then the pressurized tube might well provide a lot of space to process the regolith at scale.
Like lunar regolith, it has been established that perchlorate-free regolith is a poor medium for plant growth. Experiments on Mars Regolith Simulant (MRS) under terrestrial conditions of temperature, atmospheric composition, and pressure, indicate that the MRS needs to be amended to be more like a terrestrial soil. This requires nutrients, and ideally, structural organic carbon. If just removing the perchlorates, adding nutrients, and perhaps water-retaining carbon was all that was needed, this might not be too dissimilar to a hydroponic system using the regolith as a substrate. But this is really only part of the story in making fertile soil.
Nitrogen in the form of readily soluble nitrates can be manufactured on Mars chemically, using the 1% of N2 in the atmosphere. It is also possible nitrogen rich minerals on Mars may be found too. Phosphorus is the next most important macronutrient. This requires extraction from the rocks, although it is possible that phosphorus-rich sediments also may be found on Mars.
To generate the organic carbon content in the regolith, the best approach is to grow a cover crop and then use that as the organic carbon source. Fungal and bacterial decomposition, as well as worms, decompose the plants to create humus to build soil. Vermiculture to breed worms is simple given plant waste to feed on, and worm waste makes a very good fertilizer for plants. Already we see that more organisms are going to have to be brought from Earth to ensure that decomposition processes are available. In reality, healthy terrestrial soils have many thousands of different species, ranging in size from bacteria to worms, and ideally, various terrestrial soils would be brought from Earth to determine which would make the best starting cultures to turn the remediated regolith into a soil suitable for growing crops.
Ioannis Kokkinidis indicated that Martian light levels are about the same as a cloudy European day. Optimum growth for many crops needs higher intensity light, as terrestrial experiments have shown that for most plants, increasing the light intensity to Earth levels is one of the most important variables for plant growth. This could be supplied by LED illumination or using reflective surfaces to direct more sunlight into the greenhouse or below-ground agricultural area.
One issue is surface radiation from UV and ionizing radiation. This has usually resulted in suggestions to locate crops below ground, using the surface regolith as a shield. This may not be necessary as a pressurized greenhouse with exposure to the negligible pressure of Mars’ atmosphere, could support considerable mass on its roof to act as a shield. At just 5 lbs/sq.in, a column of water or ice 10 meters thick could be supported. It would be fairly transparent and therefore allow the direct use of sunlight to promote growth, supplemented by another illumination method.
Soil is not a simple system, and terrestrial soils are rich ecosystems of organisms, from bacteria, fungi, and many phyla of small animals, as well as worms. These organisms help stabilize the ecosystem and improve plant productivity. Bacteria release antibiotics and fungi provide the communication and control system to ensure the bacterial balance is maintained and provide important growth coordination compounds to the plants through their roots. The animals feed on the detritus, and the worms also create aeration to ensure that O2 reaches the animals and aerobic fungi and bacteria.
Most high-yield, agricultural production destroys soil structure and its ecosystems. The application of artificial fertilizers, herbicides to kill weeds, and pesticides to kill insect predators, will reduce the soil to a lifeless, mineral, reverting it back to its condition before it became soil. The soil becomes a mechanical support structure, requiring added nutrients to support growth.
Some farmers are trying new ideas, some based on earlier farming methods, to restore the fertility of even poor soils. This requires careful planting schedules, maintenance of cover crops, and even no-tilling techniques that emulate natural systems. Polyculture is an important technique for reducing insect pests. Combined, these techniques can remediate poor soils, eliminate fertilizers and agricultural chemicals, improve farm profitability, and even result in higher net yields than current farm practices.
Without access to industrial production of agricultural chemicals and nutrients, these experimental farming practices will need to be honed until they work on Mars.
Given we have regolith-based soil what sort of crops can be grown? Almost any terrestrial crop as long as the soil conditions, drainage, pH, and illumination can be maintained.
Unlike on Earth where crops are grown where the conditions are already best, on Mars, it might well be that the crops grown will be part of a succession of crops as the soil improves. For example, in arid regions, millet is a good crop to grow with limited water and nutrients as it grows very easily under poor conditions. Ground cover plants to provide carbon and that fix nitrogen might well be a rotation crop to start and maintain the soil amendment. As the soil improves, the grains can be increased to include wheat and maize, as well as barley. With sufficient water, rice could be grown. None of these crops require pollinators, just some air circulation to ensure pollination.
For proteins, legumes and soy can be grown. These will need pollinating, and it might well be worth maintaining a greenhouse that can include bees. Keeping this greenhouse isolated will prevent bees from escaping into the base. As most of our foods require insect pollination, root crops like potatoes, carrots, and turnips, can be grown, as well as leafy greens like lettuce, and cabbage. The pièce de résistance that dirt farming allows is tree crops. A wide variety of fruit and nuts can be grown. Pomegranates are particularly suited to arid conditions. The leaf litter from such deciduous trees will be further input to improve the soil.
So the soil derived from regolith should allow a wider variety of crops to be grown, and with this, the possible variety of cuisine dishes can be supported. Food is an important component of human enjoyment, and the variety will help to keep morale high, as well as provide an outlet for prospective cooks and foodies.
Are there other benefits? As any gardener knows, growing food in the dirt is less time-consuming than hydroponics as the system is more stable, self-correcting, and resilient. This should allow for more time to be spent on other tasks than constantly maintaining a hydroponic system, where a breakdown must be fixed quickly to prevent a loss.
Meat production is beyond the scope of this essay. I doubt it will be of much importance for two main reasons. Meat production is a very inefficient use of energy. It is far better to eat plants directly, rather than convert them to meat and lose most of the captured energy. The second is the difficulty of transporting the initial stocks of animals from Earth. The easiest is to bring the eggs of cold-blooded animals (poikilotherms) and hatch them on Mars. Invertebrates and perhaps fish will be the animals to bring for food. If you can manage to feed rodents like rabbits on the ship, then rabbits would be possible. But sheep, goats, and cows are really out of the question. A million-resident city might best create factory meat from the crops if the needed ingredients can be imported or locally manufactured. My guess is that most Mars settlers will be Vegetarian or Vegan, with the few flexitarians enjoying the occasional fish or shrimp-based meal.
If you have read this far, it should be obvious that dirt farming sustainably, is not simple, nor is it easy or quick. A transport ship carrying settlers to Mars will have to supply food to eat until the first food crops can be grown. That food will likely be some variant of the freeze-dried, packaged food eaten by astronauts. Hopefully, it will taste a lot better. The fastest way to grow food crops will be hydroponics. All the kit and equipment will have to be brought from Earth. With luck, this system will reduce the demand for packaged food and become fairly sustainable, although nutrients will have to be supplied, nitrogen in particular. I don’t see sacks of nitrogen fertilizer being brought down to the surface, but instead, there may be a chemical reactor to extract the nitrogen in the Martian air and either create ammonia or nitrates for the hydroponic system.
But if the intention, as Musk aims, is to make Mars a second home, starting with 1 million residents, the size of the population that is large enough to provide the skills for modern civilization, then food production is going to need to be far more extensive than a hydroponics system in every dome or lava tube. The best way is to grow the soil as discussed above. This will not be quick and may take years before the first amended regolith becomes rich loamy, fertile soil. The sterile conditions on Mars mean that there will be no free ecosystem services. Every life form will have to originate on Earth and be transported to Mars. But life replicates, and this replication is key to success in the long term. There will be a mixture of biodiverse allotments and tracts of large-scale arable farming. Without some new technology to deflect ionizing radiation, the Martian sunlight will probably need to be indirect and directed to the crops protected by mass shields. Every square meter of Martian sunlight will only be able to support ½ a square meter of crops, so there may need to be an industry manufacturing polished metal mirrors to collect the sunlight and redirect it.
Single-cells for artificial food
Although our sensibilities suggest that the Martian settlers will want real food grown from recognizable food crops, this may be a false assumption. In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick ignored Clarke’s description in his novel of how food was provided and eaten, with the almost humorous showing of liquid foods with flavors served to Heywood Floyd on his trip to the Moon.
Still from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. The flight attendant (Penny Brahms) is bringing the flavored, liquid food trays to the passenger and crew.
Because the Moon does not have terrestrial day-night cycles, the food was single-celled and likely grown in vats, then processed to taste like the foods they were substituting for.
Michaels: Anybody hungry?
Floyd: What have we got?
Michaels: You name it.
Floyd: What’s that, chicken?
Michaels: Something like that.
Michaels: Tastes the same anyway.
Halvorsen: Got any ham?
Michaels: Ham, ham, ham..there, that’s it.
Floyd: Looks pretty good
Michaels: They are getting better at it all the time.
Still from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Floyd and the Clavius Base personnel select sandwiches made from processed algae. Above is the conversation Floyd (William Sylvester) has with Halvorsen (Robert Beatty) and Michaels (Sean Sullivan) on the moon bus on his way to TMA1.
This is where food technology is currently taking us.
Single-cell protein has been available since at least the 18th century with edible yeast. Marmite or Vegemite is a savory, yeast-based, food spread that is an acquired taste. Today there is revived interest in various forms of SCP, some of which are commercially available for consumers, such as Quorn made from the micro-fungus, Fusarium venenatum. The advantage of single cells is that the replication rate is so high that the raw output of bacterial cells can be more than doubled daily. The technology, at least on Earth, could literally reduce huge tracts of agricultural land use, especially of meat animals. However, it does require all the inputs that hydroponic systems require, and further processing to turn the cells into palatable foods including simulated meats. Should such single-cell food production become the basic way to ensure adequate calories and food types for settlers, I suspect that real food will be as desirable as it was for Sol Roth and Detective Thorn in Soylent Green.
Still from the movie Soylent Green. Sol Roth (Edward G. Robinson) bites into an apple, stolen by Detective Thorn (Charlton Heston), that he hasn’t tasted in many years since terrestrial farming collapsed.
Physical and Mental Health with Soil
However, even if single-cell bioreactors, food manufacturing, and hydroponics do become the main methods of providing food, that does not mean that creating fertile soils from the regolith is a waste of effort. Surrounded by the ochres of the Martian landscape, the desire to see green and vegetation may be very important for mental health. Soils will be wanted to grow plants to create green spaces, perhaps as lavish as that in Singapore’s Changi Airport. Seeds brought from Earth are a low-mass cargo that can exploit local atoms to create lush landscaping for the interior of a settlement.
Changi Airport, Singapore. A luxurious and restful interior space of tropical plants and trees.
There is a tendency to see life on Mars not just as a blank canvas to start afresh, but also as a sterile world free of diseases and other biological problems associated with Earth. Asimov’s Elijah Bailey stories depicted “germ-free” Spacers as healthier and far longer-lived than Earthmen In their enclosed cities. We now know that our bodies contain more bacterial cells than our mammalian cells. We cannot live well without this microbiome that helps us withstand disease, digest our foods, and even influence our brain development. There is even a suggestion that children that have not been exposed to dirt become more prone to allergies later in life. Studies have shown that most animals have a microbiome with varying numbers of bacterial species. As Mars is sterile, at least as regards a rich terrestrial biosphere, it might well make sense to “terraform” it at least within the settlement cities. Creating soils that will become reservoirs for bacteria, fungi, and a host of other animal species will aid human survival and may become a useful source of biological material for the settlers’ biotechnology.
If Mars is to become a second home for humanity, it will need more people than the villages and small towns that the historical migrants to new lands create. The needed skills to make and repair things are vastly larger than they were less than two centuries ago. Technology is no longer limited to artisans like carpenters, wheelwrights, and blacksmiths, with more complex technology imported from the industrial nations. Now technologies depend on myriad specialty suppliers and capital-intensive factories. Mars will need to replicate much of this in time, which requires a large population with the needed skills. A million people might be a bare minimum, with orders more needed to be largely self-sufficient if the population is to be the backup for a possible future extinction event on Earth. Low-mass, high-value, and difficult-to-manufacture items will continue to be imported, but much else will best be manufactured locally, with a range of techniques that will include advanced additive printing. But some technologies may remain simple, like the age-old fermentation vats and stills. After all, how else will the settlers make beer and liquor for partying on Saturday nights?
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