Martha Montelongo writes:
Nearly every industry sector is feeling the pain of the current economic downturn. Agriculture is no exception, although it seems that banking, automotive and housing sectors garner front page headlines.
California's agriculture is a big deal. The UC Agricultural Issues Center reports that, if California were a country, its agricultural value alone would rank among the top 10 countries of the world. In addition to farms, about 90,000 commercial establishments in California are connected to agricultural production.
Agriculture has long been the backbone of California's economy, and an engine of economic growth. Yet, agriculture is facing serious threats which could have dire consequences for those who grow the food to those who enjoy it at their dinner table each night. It's not to say that one industry sector is more important than another, but food is a daily necessity for everyone.
Major issues face our local and state economy related to agriculture. Key concerns include drought, lost jobs, food production, and increases in farm regulation.
Let's start with drought. According to the California Department of Water Resources the state is facing its third year of drought. Even with recent rains, precipitation remains below normal, and major storage reservoirs are at dangerously low levels. The drought has economic repercussions which include loss of thousands of jobs, increased fire risk, crops idled, and construction projects on hold because water supply cannot be guaranteed. A final factor impacting the drought is climate change.
Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that unemployment in California's agriculture sector is at an all time high. The number of jobs lost continues to accelerate. This is devastating because agriculture employment comes with a multiplier effect of almost 2:1, meaning for every two jobs in agricultural production and processing an additional job is created in the state, according to a recent UC figures.
That's why I was intrigued when several callers to my radio show about the importance of water to agriculture mentioned SK Foods. They are one of the region's and the agricultural sector's largest employers, upon which 6,000 California families rely for their livelihoods. According to others I talked to locally, SK Foods not only creates jobs, but supports local jobs from those who grow the crops, supply them, ship their product and bring them to market -- and likely there are many others whose names I will never know but whose quiet success underpins the continued economic competitiveness of our state.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
How To Can Tomatos
The Idaho Statesman reports:
1. Choose fully ripe tomatoes. Make sure they don't have cracks, bruises or signs of disease. Rinse them well.
2. Remove skins by blanching (see instructions that follow).
3. Place blanched tomatoes in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
4. Collect the wide-mouth Mason jars, lids and bands you'll use for canning.
5. Choose your favorite dried herbs, spices and/or salt.
6. Add lemon juice or citric acid (to maintain proper acidity levels) to the jars. At this time you can also add the herbs, spices and salt.
1. Choose fully ripe tomatoes. Make sure they don't have cracks, bruises or signs of disease. Rinse them well.
2. Remove skins by blanching (see instructions that follow).
3. Place blanched tomatoes in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
4. Collect the wide-mouth Mason jars, lids and bands you'll use for canning.
5. Choose your favorite dried herbs, spices and/or salt.
6. Add lemon juice or citric acid (to maintain proper acidity levels) to the jars. At this time you can also add the herbs, spices and salt.
Tomato Demand Grows
The Sacramento Bee reports:
After an extraordinary jump in tomato exports in 2008, California canneries are paying record prices and asking farmers to deliver a record crop.
But drought is squeezing planting in key parts of the Central Valley, and it's not clear the state will be able to deliver on the 26.6 billion-pound request.
With prices up 17 percent over last year, though, tomatoes are sprouting wherever there's water, from Sutter County to Delta islands and the Salinas Valley.
After an extraordinary jump in tomato exports in 2008, California canneries are paying record prices and asking farmers to deliver a record crop.
But drought is squeezing planting in key parts of the Central Valley, and it's not clear the state will be able to deliver on the 26.6 billion-pound request.
With prices up 17 percent over last year, though, tomatoes are sprouting wherever there's water, from Sutter County to Delta islands and the Salinas Valley.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
It's Tomato Planting Time
Report:
Tomatoes reign king over the vegetable garden. Even those who don't raise vegetables will find a place in the landscape for a couple of tomato plants.
By following a number of simple rules even those of you with the brownest of thumbs can have beautiful fresh tomatoes for the table. The location is critical. Select a site that gets as much sun as possible. Six to eight hours of full, direct sunlight is a minimum. If you have experienced low yields, tall, spindly plants with very few fruit, it is probably due to a lack of sunlight. Your soil is important as well, but soil is something we can fix so if you have a choice between poor soil with lots of sun or good soil with no sun, go for the sun.
Most vegetables require rich, fertile, well drained soils. If you don't have this and most of us don�t there are some things you can do to improve your soil. To improve soil drainage you can add sand and organic matter. The beds should be built up at least eight to twelve inches. This can be done by pulling up rows about three to four feet apart or by building boxes out of treated lumber, cinder blocks or something similar. The use of raised bed box gardens is definitely the way to go.
Tomatoes reign king over the vegetable garden. Even those who don't raise vegetables will find a place in the landscape for a couple of tomato plants.
By following a number of simple rules even those of you with the brownest of thumbs can have beautiful fresh tomatoes for the table. The location is critical. Select a site that gets as much sun as possible. Six to eight hours of full, direct sunlight is a minimum. If you have experienced low yields, tall, spindly plants with very few fruit, it is probably due to a lack of sunlight. Your soil is important as well, but soil is something we can fix so if you have a choice between poor soil with lots of sun or good soil with no sun, go for the sun.
Most vegetables require rich, fertile, well drained soils. If you don't have this and most of us don�t there are some things you can do to improve your soil. To improve soil drainage you can add sand and organic matter. The beds should be built up at least eight to twelve inches. This can be done by pulling up rows about three to four feet apart or by building boxes out of treated lumber, cinder blocks or something similar. The use of raised bed box gardens is definitely the way to go.
Building The Better Tomato
Here's a report from Louisiana:
NATCHITOCHES- Students at Northwestern State University are attempting to build a better tomato by grafting disease resistant rootstock to the leafy tops of common heirloom varieties. The tomatoes are expected to be bigger, better and more abundant when harvested, according Millard Mangrum, instructor of biology, who is coordinating the project.
Grafting must take place when the plants are very small, according to Mangrum, who cultivated the plants from seeds for two weeks before supervising his students in the grafting process. Students carefully snipped the stems at a 45-degree angle and attached the scions, or leafy tops, of Creole tomato plants to Maxifort rootstock bases with 1.5 mm silicone clips. Maxifort is known to be resistant against nematodes, fungus and other pests.
NATCHITOCHES- Students at Northwestern State University are attempting to build a better tomato by grafting disease resistant rootstock to the leafy tops of common heirloom varieties. The tomatoes are expected to be bigger, better and more abundant when harvested, according Millard Mangrum, instructor of biology, who is coordinating the project.
Grafting must take place when the plants are very small, according to Mangrum, who cultivated the plants from seeds for two weeks before supervising his students in the grafting process. Students carefully snipped the stems at a 45-degree angle and attached the scions, or leafy tops, of Creole tomato plants to Maxifort rootstock bases with 1.5 mm silicone clips. Maxifort is known to be resistant against nematodes, fungus and other pests.
Bacon, Tomato And Cheese Pizza
Here's a recipe from the Dallas Morning News:
2
tablespoons cornmeal
1
(10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust, uncooked
1
(10 ¾ -ounce) can condensed, zesty tomato soup
¾
cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes
¾
cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1 ½
cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3
cup parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 425 F. Sprinkle cornmeal on bottom of a pan.
Place pizza crust over cornmeal. Spread soup evenly over crust and arrange tomatoes over soup. Top with bacon, cheddar cheese and parmesan. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.
Makes 4 servings.
2
tablespoons cornmeal
1
(10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust, uncooked
1
(10 ¾ -ounce) can condensed, zesty tomato soup
¾
cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes
¾
cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1 ½
cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3
cup parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 425 F. Sprinkle cornmeal on bottom of a pan.
Place pizza crust over cornmeal. Spread soup evenly over crust and arrange tomatoes over soup. Top with bacon, cheddar cheese and parmesan. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.
Makes 4 servings.
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