Pineapples in Paradise

What comes to mind when you think of Hawai'i? Paradise, right? Sun, sand, surf, warm breezes . . . I'm with you.

Okay, but what about Hawaiian food? My top three: pineapple, macadamia nuts, and poi. (Not that I've ever had poi, but too much television has undoubtedly shaped my perceptions.)

But Hawai'i is no longer paradise for the pineapple. That industry, so closely tied with many Americans' vision of Hawai'i, is showing signs of struggle.

In 2006, Del Monte planted its last crop of pineapple, citing the expense of growing in Hawai'i as the prime reason for shutting down operations after 90 years in the islands. Their departure leaves just two pineapple companies in the state, Dole Food Hawai'i and Maui Pineapple Co.

But last year, the latter shuttered its pineapple cannery, the last one in the U.S. The closure brought an end to an era for many Hawaiians, but the company remains, redirecting its attention to fresh fruit and juice in an effort to stay profitable.

The bottom line talks loudly. Growers in Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil, China, India and Costa Rica can produce the fruit more cheaply, thrusting these countries to the top of list of suppliers worldwide (XLS|41 KB). As a result, the pineapple might become more symbol than reality in Hawai'i. Only time -- and the market -- will tell.

But in honor of pineapple's long, deep history in Hawai'i, and in conjunction with Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, let me point you to a couple of unique resources from the Center for Oral History at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa that celebrate this fantastic fruit and the people who've brought it to us for decades.

The first, a short video clip (Quicktime | 4.4 MB), shows Venicia Guiala, a former pineapple field worker, demonstrating how she prepared for work in the hot, dusty pineapple fields. If you prefer, you can read the transcript, but I heartily recommend the video. Seeing Mrs. Guiala putting on her scarves, goggles and hat conveys more strongly than the words how difficult and uncomfortable that job must be.

The second provides a short introduction to the Center's oral history project on Women Workers in Hawai'i's Pineapple Industry, a combination of narrative and oral history excerpts.

But for a more contemporary twist on pineapple processing, check out this clip from YouTube. The music makes it an almost mesmerizingly peaceful experience. (Though I'd appreciate someone telling me what the song "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" has to do with peeling and coring pineapple.)

Finally, if you haven't given much thought to the role Asian-Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have played and continue to play in our country's agricultural endeavors, jump over to NAL's site on Asian Pacific Americans in agriculture. Among many other things, you can learn from the resources there the unique niche Chinese immigrants filled in 1850s California; the key role Filipinos played in the formation of the United Farm Workers; and the impact of Alien Land Laws on Japanese immigrant farmers.

Aloha.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Biography and Food and Nutrition and History of Agriculture and Marketing and Trade on May 06, 2008 EST | Permalink

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Amber Waves?

Are you feeling the pinch at the grocery store yet?

Higher food prices are creating unrest in some parts of the world and simple belt-tightening in others.

The Washington Post devoted this past week to exploring the current food crisis brought on by food shortages and spiking inflation. If you haven't yet read their five-part series, I recommend you do.

• The New Economics of Hunger looks at skyrocketing grain prices and their impact on the global markets and the world's poor.


• Where Every Meal Is a Sacrifice focuses on the situation in Mauritania and other poor countries that are forced to import most of their food.


• Emptying the Breadbasket tells of the fall in wheat production in the U.S. as more farmers turn to corn and soybeans and examines some of the forces that led to the shift.


• Siphoning Off Corn to Fuel Our Cars examines the tug-of-war over corn as food and fuel and identifies the winners, losers and ongoing fighters in the battle.


• Clipping, Scrimping, Saving registers the impact of rising prices on American consumers across income levels and reveals what steps folks are taking to save money.

You can also hear Dan Morgan, Washington Post agriculture reporter and one of the series' authors, talk about what he learned while researching the series in an interview on C-SPAN. Morgan also answer questions during the hour-long video.

Of course, the global reach of these events means that far more than just the Post is writing about them. For other perspectives, you might also want to dip into the BBC's extensive coverage or read The Economist's recent cover story on what they termed The Silent Tsunami.

Finally, for information about food aid available from USDA and the Administration's response to recent events, see the Department's Food Aid page.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Food and Nutrition and Marketing and Trade and Plants and Crops on May 01, 2008 EST | Permalink

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Made in the USA

The stock market yo-yoed yesterday and is dropping today. The dollar continues to struggle against the euro. Prognosticators are talking recession. But I've found some good economic news in the Washington Post: American farm equipment is doing well in oversees markets, particularly the former Soviet Union.

"American-made farm machinery is considered by eastern European farmers the best engineered and most reliable in the world," according to Nickolay Ryabov, a native Russian and an international business specialist for a North Dakota manufacturer of sugar beet harvesting equipment.

The new equipment has increased farm efficiency, and that, in turn, has increased demand for the machinery abroad, even as domestic orders are slowing. Equipment sales to Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan have grown steadily over the last few years, showing leaps over 100% according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

Sounds good, doesn't it?

If you're ready to test the foreign market yourself -- or any market, for that matter -- you should probably check out the great resources NAL has collected on marketing and trade issues, from exporting basics to trade policies and consumer research.

But we'd also appreciate hearing what tips you might have for those trying to break into a new agricultural market. What are the key steps? Best things to avoid? Contacts you can't live without? Share your wisdom and help generate more economic good news.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Marketing and Trade on January 23, 2008 EST | Permalink

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UPDATE Right about the time the Washington Post was running the article cited above about booming overseas tractor sales, The Times of London was reporting on "an international criminal gang making millions from stealing top-of-the-range [tractors] which are smuggled abroad." The stolen farm equipment is purportedly being shipped as far away as Australia for resale. Read the full story to learn more.

Submitted by: Mary Ann on January 31, 2008 03:34 PM

Submitted by: Wisconsin Farm Boy on April 30, 2008 07:38 PM

Ag Words on the Growing Edge

As a follow-up to yesterday's entry on locavores, I wanted to quickly mention the other agriculturally related words that have recently been in the running for Word of the Year.

In 2005 Oxford gave the nod to "podcast," a decidedly non-agricultural word, but a technology the aggies have certainly taken advantage of, including the folks over at USDA's Economic Research Service and National Agricultural Statistics Service.

And among the runners-up that year we had "bird flu" and "trans fats," two very different but significant challenges to our health that ag researchers are addressing.

The following year was also big for agriculture and the environment. "Carbon neutral" took the top spot, encouraging all of us to reduce our carbon emissions and to then balance "our remaining emissions...by purchasing a carbon offset, paying to plant new trees or investing in 'green' technologies such as solar and wind power."

Then "CSA," community supported agriculture, occupied a key runner-up position, and -- who knows? -- maybe contributed to "locavore's" win in 2007 by building momentum in the "buy local" movement.

For the librarians in the audience, 2006 also brought us "DRM," digital rights management, a mere hop, skip and a jump from the copyright issues we discussed the other day.

Then, as noted earlier, "locavore" snagged Oxford's latest blue ribbon, but the mysterious "colony collapse disorder" made the list, as did "upcycling," a innovative alternative to waste disposal, one that puts a value-added spin on recycling.

So, not bad, nine words in three years related to agriculture, the environment, nutrition or librarianship. (I cast a wide net.)

But what did Oxford miss? Any other good, new agricultural words out there? Send 'em along or make 'em up. We're always ready to push that growing edge.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Animals and Food and Nutrition and Marketing and Trade and Natural Resources & Environment and Plants and Crops on January 18, 2008 EST | Permalink

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Hello! Nice site ;) Bye

Submitted by: BersJonrete on January 20, 2008 12:26 AM

Submitted by: David Engel on January 23, 2008 09:57 AM

Submitted by: Mary Ann on January 23, 2008 01:26 PM

Submitted by: Lori Finch on January 24, 2008 05:18 PM

Are You a Locavore? Should You Be?

So, do you consider yourself a locavore? If so, you're environmentally conscious and trendy, wearing a label declared the "Word of the Year 2007" by the New Oxford American Dictionary.

For those who've never heard the term, it was coined just a few years ago by Jessica Prentice, one of four women in San Francisco who set out to eat food grown or produced within 100 miles of their homes. They weren't the only ones doing so, but their word caught on, at least in some circles, and is now, as Oxford sees it, a "word to watch."

It has gotten a few amateur (maybe even professional) lexicographers in an uproar: Should it be "localvore," (with an "l")? Should it be "localtarian," to convey the choice implied (a la "vegetarian")? Should we even care?

Of course, the last question touches upon more than just the word, but on the choices and actions the word encompasses -- eating locally, supporting nearby farmers and producers, reducing the transportation and shipping costs associated with what we eat.

The payoff comes in terms both personal and global. The food I get from our neighborhood farmers' market is generally fresher and tastes better than the long-distance stuff. Even the meat is more flavorful. And I get all that while doing something positive for the environment.

Not so fast, interjects Sarah Murray. While buying locally might supply those benefits, "food miles" shouldn't be the sole factor taken into account when buying food. We must also consider harvesting and production methods, storage requirements, food packaging, and other steps along the road from farm to fork.

Murray cites the example of a British snack company that teamed up with the Carbon Trust to measure the carbon footprint of a bag of its potato crisps. In calculating the carbon dioxide emissions in the making and shipping of the crisps, they found that the troublespot was not transportation, but "storing and frying the potatoes." Making changes there, Murray points out, could reduce emissions more than constraining the miles the crisps travel to consumers.

Okay, sounds good. But what about the formula used for calculating a product's carbon footprint in the first place? What gets included? What doesn't? And how far down the growth and production chain do you go? As an article in The Economist points out, how you answer these questions significantly impacts your formula, and, of course, the results.

And taking a consumer's position on this, how will I know which formula is "right"?

Obviously, this carbon footprint stuff is tricky business, and the scientists will be hashing out the details for some time. Until then, though, until we see standards, I'll work with what I do know and buy locally as much as I can. I might never be a true locavore -- I like chocolate way too much for that -- but I'll do what I can, even if it does address just one factor in a lengthy environmental equation.

But what are you doing? Have you tried being a locavore, even on a short-term or seasonal basis? Do you grow your own herbs or veggies? Have you joined a community supported agriculture program? Are you a regular at the local farmers market? Let's hear your tips for reducing our individual carbon footprints.

Or offer your comments on our latest Word of the Year. Does "locavore" work for you? Got a better idea? Propose it here and you might find fame via your well-chosen neologism. Wouldn't that be cool?

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Food and Nutrition and Marketing and Trade and Natural Resources & Environment and Plants and Crops on January 17, 2008 EST | Permalink

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Duck...Duck...Goose

Next week, mixed in with the last of their holiday cards and the first bills of 2008, farmers and ranchers across the U.S. will be getting their packets for the 2007 Census of Agriculture. The folks at USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service are dropping them in the mail today.

NASS conducts the survey every five years to count the nation’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Census questions cover land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, crop yields, livestock count, and machinery used, along with income, expenditures and other topics.

Maybe this is where that old game "Duck, Duck, Goose" got its start -- farmers counting their animals for the annual ag census. Okay, I admit that's not likely, but you do have to report your poultry numbers on the survey, so there actually might be folks mumbling that very phrase to themselves as they walk through barnyards across the country this January.

But lest you think the ag census is equally silly, let me assure you that the reponses provide vital information that factors into a range of decisions, from crafting agricultural policy like the farm bill, to making funds and services available to rural communities. Businesses might use the information to determine the locations of facilities serving agricultural producers, while the farmers and ranchers themselves can use census data to make informed decisions about the future of their own operations. (More ducks, perhaps? Or maybe more geese? Hmmm, let me run around in a circle while I think about it.)

So, when that envelope arrives next week from the government, don't just toss it into recycling. Open it. Look it over. Fill it out. Or grab your Census ID from the mailing and click your way to the online response version.

After all, filling out the ag census is not only a good idea, it's the law (Title 7, U.S. Code), regardless of the size or type of your operation. Fortunately, the same law makes your responses confidential and limits their use to statistical purposes, so no worries that your survey will be passed along to the IRS or your local inspectors.

Instead, think about getting yourself counted so that decision-makers know you're out there. If nothing else, it'll be a great way to spend a cold January evening, right? Right? Um, right?

Census reports are due February 4, 2008.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Animals and Farm Bill and Marketing and Trade and Organic Production and Plants and Crops and Rural Life on December 28, 2007 EST | Permalink

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Happy Birthday, Oklahoma!

One hundred years ago today Oklahoma became the 46th state in the union.

Like the rest of the Plains states, it has a long and storied agricultural history that includes more than just the Dust Bowl. Today, based on the 2002 Census of Agriculture, Oklahoma ranks ...

• 4th in the nation in the production of all wheat for grain;
• 4th in the production of grain sorghum;
• 5th in cattle and calf production;
• 8th in hogs and pigs;
• 12th in broilers; and
• 17th overall in the value of agricultural products sold.

If you'd like to see how your state stacks up against Oklahoma, just head on over to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service for a state-by-state run-down of the numbers (or to the latest BCS rankings, if you're more interested in the pigskin than the pigs).

For the marketing angle, you won't want to miss the state marketing profiles supplied by the Agricultural Marketing Service, along with the selected marketing and trade resources pulled together by my colleagues here at NAL.

Consider this my birthday present to all you Oklahomans out there, with a little something for the rest of you, too.

And if you find yourself humming a certain Rodgers and Hammerstein tune for the rest of the day, don't blame me. I didn't make it so gosh darn catchy.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Marketing and Trade on November 16, 2007 EST | Permalink

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This blog does not represent official communications from the National Agricultural Library, the Agricultural Research Service or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.