January 19,2015
Stores Out Of Spinach – But Not Farmers Market
That cold spell that hit California around the first of the year has cut short the Imperial valley spinach crop that usually supplies the West Coast this time of year. The cupboard is bare at many markets and the San Luis Obispo Trader Joes was completely out of Spinach as of the last weekend.
But no so at the Los Osos Farmer’s market today that featured multiple local growers with plenty of spinach- a but more expensive to be sure,
Ag Scientist Temple Grandin Both Cheers and Scolds Dairymen
Speaking to a friendly crowd of farmers last week in San Diego Colorado Tate professor Temple Grandin did not call for more regulation of animal welfare issues but insisted that producers step up to the plate. Grandin made headlines some years back when she was hired by McDonalds to improve their animal welfare practices.
“I am really happy with the slaughterhouses work: Grandin said in an interview.”The used to be awful.
”Grandin was given a medal at the American Farm Bureau convention. One account says-
“Today she is concerned with what she calls “biological system overload”—the use of genetics and weight gain to get the maximum amount of meat, milk, or eggs out of an animal. Breeding to emphasize single genetic traits is at the root of some of the problems, and farmers and ranchers should focus on “optimal rather than maximum” production, she said.
Part of Grandin’s power in the food industry is that she eats meat, is practical, and is sometimes wary of animal-rights activists.
“I eat all meats. Don’t worry. I am no vegan or vegetarian,” she said. But she added, “We have to give the animals that raise the food a decent life. We have to do things right.”
Grandin recently scolded dairymen of sending too many lame animals( spent dairy cattle ) to the slaughterhouse instead of culling them on the farm. Speaking on This Week In Agriculture Grandin said the number of lame animals sent to the slaughterhouse continued to climb and now is 30 percent of all animals;
She says farmers “should forget trying to defend gestation crates for sows because consumers will not accept them. Instead, she said, farmers should concentrate on defending genetic modification of seeds because it makes no-till farming possible, and pointing out that ranching helps the land because grazing animals keep certain plants from dominating the landscape, and wildlife drink the water provided for food animals.”
Record 15 Million Tons Of Tomatoes Expected.
California’s tomato processors reported they have, or will have, contracts for 15.0 million tons this year, as of January. If realized this will be largest crop on record. Processors estimate that the contracted production for 2015 will come from 310,0 00 acres producing an average yield of 48.39 tons per acre. The contracted planted acreage forecast is a 7 percent increase from what was expected.