03.07.2014

Georgia - Plans for the Government Agricultural Fund (2014-2020)

An interview with Minister of Agriculture of Georgia Shalva PipiaWhat is the effect of the activity of the funds created by the government to support agricultural projects?Funds are focused on stimulating regions with low economic activity – there are 40 such districts in Georgia. Accordingly, more favorable conditions for business were created there, as well as grants and preferential loans are provided. 5 projects have already been approved, and until the end of the year minimum 30 and maximum 50 projects are to be approved.We have completed work on the agriculture sector development strategy, which is of great importance not only for the agricultural sector - agriculture should become one of the main factors contributing to the economy of Georgia.The document is intended for 2014-2020. Experts of the European Union and the International Organization for Food Protection participated in its development.The strategy aims to increase the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and to create conditions for sustainable development of agriculture.How are you going to achieve such results?Strategy is a shared document, which provides development of 7 main directions - primarily the growth of competitiveness, the development of a full cycle of added value, food security and the conservation of biological diversity.As for how to achieve these goals, we are working on a specific plan of action in which measures for implementation of priorities will be taken into account.As it is known, we have implemented a lot of projects over the past year and a half, many specific projects are to be implemented, which will make it possible to fulfill the terms of strategy.How will farmers and peasants be able to feel the first results of the strategy?For example, at this stage extensive work on the rehabilitation of the irrigation system has been carried out in many regions. Currently, the area of irrigated land has almost doubled in comparison with 2012.Of course, this is very small, as in the Soviet times about 400 000 hectares of land were irrigated, and in 2012 – only 25 000.Currently figure has doubled, and in the end, the area of irrigated land will increase to 100 000 hectares. We plan to increase this figure to 400 000 hectares in 4 years.In addition, last year we started a preferential agro-loans program, and now loans worth 400 million GEL have been granted on very favorable terms.The Ministry of Agriculture speaks a lot about the need to implement agricultural insurance system. What is being done in this direction?We have already developed a draft of agricultural insurance, which, after further consideration will be presented in Parliament.I can also say that we are going to deal with bad weather - in particular, together with the center "Delta" we will have anti-hail rocket system that will ensure the prevention of hail, which constantly destroys the crop in different regions of Georgia.Source - http://commersant.ge/

02.07.2014

USDA continues Farm Bill implementation with provisions

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today continued progress in implementing provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill that provide new risk management options for farmers and ranchers. These improvements to crop insurance programs will provide better protection from weather disaster, market volatility and other risk factors to ensure farmers aren't wiped out by events beyond their control.Vilsack also announced new support for beginning farmers that will make crop insurance more affordable and provide greater support when new farmers experience substantial losses. These announcements build on other recent USDA efforts to support beginning farmers."Crop insurance is critical to the ongoing success of today's farmers and ranchers and our agriculture economy. These improvements provide additional flexibility to ensure families do not lose everything due to events beyond their control," said Vilsack. "We're also acting to provide more support to beginning farmers and ranchers so that they can manage their risk effectively. We need to not only encourage new farmers to get into agriculture, we must ensure they're not wiped out in their riskiest initial seasons so they can remain in agriculture for years to come."The U. S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) filed an interim rule with the Federal Register today, allowing USDA to move forward with changes to crop insurance provisions. The provisions provide better options for beginning farmers, allow producers to have enterprise units for irrigated and non-irrigated crops, give farmers and ranchers the ability to purchase different levels of coverage for a variety of irrigation practices, provide guidance on conservation compliance, implement protections for native sod and provide adjustments to historical yields following significant disasters.The Farm Bill authorizes specific coverage benefits for beginning farmers and ranchers starting with the 2015 crop year. The changes announced today exempt new farmers from paying the $300 administrative fee for catastrophic policies. New farmers' premium support rates will also increase ten percentage points during their first five years of farming. Beginning farmers will also receive a greater yield adjustment when yields are below 60 percent of the applicable transitional yield. These incentives will be available for most insurance plans in the 2015 crop year and all plans by 2016.Starting in the fall of 2014, producers who till native sod and plant an annual crop on that land will see reductions in their crop insurance benefits during the first four years. Native sod is acreage that has never been tilled, or land which a producer cannot substantiate has ever been tilled for the production of a crop. The provision applies to acreage in all counties in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota that is greater than five acres per policy and is producing annual crops.Additional flexibility for irrigated and non-irrigated enterprise units and coverage levels will be available in the spring of 2015.Today's announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America.Since the signing of the Farm Bill, RMA has been working to implement the provisions as quickly as possible. The Federal Crop Insurance Board approved RMA's Whole-Farm Revenue Insurance policy in May. RMA will finalize the policy materials and expects to release the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection product to the public in late fall.Source - http://www.cattlenetwork.com/

02.07.2014

USA - Waterlogged fields wash out Minnesota corn, soybean crops

Minnesota farm fields have a serious water problem, and it’s not drought.More than half of the state’s farm fields — 53 percent — have surplus topsoil moisture, and 49 percent have surplus subsoil moisture, according to a weekly U.S. Department of Agriculture report on Minnesota crop conditions released Monday.“Conditions declined for all crops during the week as a result of excess moisture and standing water,” the report said. “Many farmers have been unable to get equipment into their fields, delaying fertilizer and chemical application.”Most crops are in the ground, but 35 percent of the corn and 41 percent of soybeans are in very poor, poor or fair condition, the report said.That’s no surprise to state Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson, who has toured some of the areas in southern Minnesota with crop damage. It’s still too early to know how many acres across the state have been affected, he said, but Rock County in southwestern Minnesota is certainly one of the worst, with 100,000 of its 250,000 tillable acres destroyed or severely damaged by flooding and hail.“It is devastating,” Frederickson said. “Soybean fields where you could normally see green rows now look like a plowed field: totally black. Corn had a little bit of a stalk sticking out on some of the most severely damaged areas or not there at all, just pounded into the dirt. So that’s done.”The challenge facing farmers is that it is too late to replant corn because of its long growing season, and almost too late to replant soybeans, Frederickson said.He estimated that between 80 and 90 percent of farmers in the damaged areas are covered by some form of crop insurance. “That is not an incentive to lose a crop,” Frederickson said, but the insurance payments in most cases should be enough to cover the cost of seed, fuel and fertilizer needed for 2015 planting. “Basically it’s kind of marching in place and waiting for the next year so you’re not going to be forced out of business because you had a bad year,” he said.Paul Henning hopes to salvage as much as possible this season, and he was showing one of his soybean fields to two insurance adjusters Monday afternoon.Nearly all of the field just a half-mile north of Interstate 90 was underwater two weeks ago, but dried out enough for him to replant 125 acres with soybeans last Thursday.“We did as much as we could and got as close to the water as we could,” he said. “I still have another 25 or 30 acres I’d like to replant, but the season is getting shorter, and I don’t like to plant after July 4th.”Henning farms about 800 acres of corn and 800 acres of soybeans in Jackson County near Okabena.He said he also lost about 50 acres on one of his cornfields that still has standing water. When it dries out, he expects to plant oats or some other cover crop. Crops on most of his other fields also sustained damage, Henning said, and will probably grow to harvest — but will likely produce lower yields than normal.High winds also destroyed a 170-foot conveyor belt that’s part of an automated feeder system for about 350 cattle that Henning raises in a feedlot. He had to hand-feed the animals for three days and said he feels fortunate that his insurance company was able to install a replacement feeder system quickly.Henning said he’s not alone with the storm damage and insurance claims. Most of the farmers in his area have crop damage from rain and hail, and some also have property damage from straight-line winds.Reports about crop damage in different counties are being compiled by the federal Farm Service Agency.Source - http://www.startribune.com/

02.07.2014

India - Farmers told to avail themselves of crop insurance facility

Deputy Commissioner Muddu Mohan on Saturday directed officials to encourage farmers to apply for crop insurance facility in the light of poor rainfall in the district in June. He was chairing a meeting of officials of Agriculture Department here to review steps taken due to poor monsoon.Mr. Mohan said that Udupi district had received 42 per cent lesser rainfall than usual in June.This had affected agricultural operations. If the same situation continued, it might affect the paddy crop of farmers. Hence officials should do their best to enrol maximum number of farmers for crop insurance.All the 146 gram panchayats, Udupi City Municipal Council, Saligrama Town Panchayat, Kundapur and Karkala town panchayats had been brought under the National Crop Insurance scheme. Small farmers in the district should take advantage of this scheme.Farmers could get details of the insurance scheme from the nearby Raitha Samparka Kendras or bank officials. The last date for enrolling for the National Crop Insurance Scheme was June 30. But a proposal would be submitted to the government to extend the last date for enrolling the scheme, Mr. Mohan said.Anthony Maria Immanuel, Joint Director of Agriculture said that normally, the district received 1,195 mm of rainfall in June. But this time, so far the district had received only 689.7 mm of rainfall.His department had kept paddy nurseries ready for 25,000 hectares. If transplanting operations were not taken up in 21 days, it would reduce the yield. The paddy saplings too would also get damaged. If the rains failed, it would affect agriculture in the district.The department had set up a target of cultivation of paddy in 45,000 hectares of land in the district. But till June 27, only 422 hectares of land had come under paddy cultivation.Last year in the corresponding period, 4,290 hectares of land was under paddy cultivation, Mr. Immanuel said. Mr. Mohan directed the tahsildars of all three taluks to call a meeting of agricultural and horticultural officers and respond immediately to the problems of the farmers.Source - http://www.thehindu.com/

02.07.2014

USA - Crop insurance and indemnity payment tax information available

Torrential spring rains and the flooding that followed has caused many problems for Minnesota farmers. They are faced with many decisions not the least of which are related to their choices regarding what to do about crop insurance. The decisions can have huge financial impacts on the farmer’s profit for the year. Final planting dates have passed for most Minnesota crops so the question is what do we do with the land that was flooded but may be available to plant in a few days?Although there are choices, federal crop insurance rules are very specific as to what the farmer can do regarding prevented planting. Choices range from planting the insured crop within the late planting period to planting a cover crop with restrictions to leaving the ground unplanted. With many of the choices there is an indemnity payment reduction based upon the farmer’s situation.If that were not enough, the Internal Revenue Service rules dictate how a farmer is taxed on the crop insurance indemnity payments and whether or not the farmer can defer a portion of the payment. Any crop insurance proceeds are included in taxable income. Current rules dictate that only the portion of an indemnity payment for destruction or damage, that is yield loss, is eligible for deferral to next year’s income. The farmer must determine the portion of payment that is due to crop destruction or damage verses losses due to reduced market price.There is available, at no cost, a University of Minnesota Extension information sheet that outlines many of the rules and guidelines for federal crop insurance related to prevented planting as well as the tax treatment of indemnity payments. For those who have Internet access, simply go to http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/business/taxation/prevented-plant/.Before making a final decision about crop insurance or the tax treatment of an indemnity payment, farmers are urged to meet with their crop insurance agent and tax preparer for information specific to their situation.Source - http://www.minnesotafarmguide.com/

02.07.2014

France - Hail Crushes Hopes for Bumper Burgundy Vintage

High hopes for a good vintage in Burgundy have been dashed by fierce hail storms that have devastated vineyards between Aloxe Corton and Chagny in the Côte de Beaune.Growers reported “machine-gun” hail that lasted a mere three minutes on Saturday, but may have damaged as much as 80 percent of the crop in some vineyards. At this stage, officials said that losses were between 40 and 80 percent of vines in the Santenay, Meursault, Volnay and Pommard appellations.After two poor vintages, wineries in Burgundy were praying for a good crop this year and all had been going well. Fine weather, warm temperatures and judicious rain had the vineyards in ideal condition for a crop that should have been high in both quantity and quality.Last year hailstorms wiped out as much as 60 percent of the vintage. This year even the use of 33 “hail cannons”, which fire silver iodide into the clouds to dissolve the hailstones, failed to protect the vines. The president of the association representing Pommard growers, Jean-Louis Moissenet, said the storm was “a catastrophe”."It's a disaster. We were gearing up for a good year, but now it's gone by the board."Pommard and northern neighbor Beaune were the worst-hit appellations, with 30-70 percent of vines affected in southern Pommard and 70-90 percent in the north. In Beaune, not a single vineyard was left untouched, although damage varied from as low as 10 percent to as much as 90 percent.Cécile Mathiaud of the BIVB regional association has said it is too early to determine or confirm any statistics. Growers had to wait to carry out restorative spraying against damage and diseases until the vines have dried out sufficiently.Source - http://www.wine-searcher.com/

02.07.2014

India - Andhra chief minister urges banks to reschedule farm loans

Amidst growing disquiet about a possible farm loan waiver in Andhra Pradesh, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has urged bankers to go ahead and reschedule loans for farmers, paving the way for fresh loans for the kharif season.“As per existing RBI guidelines, accounts of farmers under 660 mandals can be straightaway converted into term loans and fresh crop loans can be sanctioned. So, in all cases of natural calamities, the principal amount and interest may be converted into term loan and repayable in 3-7 years with a moratorium of one year. This should be done at the earliest,” Naidu said.Meanwhile, the expert committee appointed by the AP government, after the recent division of states, will submit in a month's time its preliminary recommendations. Banks have been facing deeper problems because of the anticipated farm loan waiver, which lead to massive non-repayment of loans by farmers.“The need of the hour is bring clarity on the proposed debt waiver with due publicity. There is need to educate farmers on timely repayment and renewal of loans, explaining the benefits of crop insurance and interest subvention schemes, as subvention is related to timely repayments,” said C V R Rajendran, CMD of Andhra Bank and convenor of the state-level bankers’ committee. Last year, around 660 mandals of the state were affected by drought, cyclones and heavy rains.“In the last couple of years, the scenario has changed, affecting both farmers and bankers in the state. The slippage in agri loans into NPAs is very high, resulting in higher provisioning affecting the credit rating of banks,” CVR Rajendran. The state announced a credit plan with a total outlay of Rs 91,459 crore for FY15, with an allotment of Rs 77,000 crore for priority sectors.Source - http://www.mydigitalfc.com/

02.07.2014

India - Scab hits apple fruit across Kashmir

In a major concern, the apple crop in Kashmir has widely been hit by scab with growers blaming the spurious chemicals available in the local market.According to experts nearly 30-40 percent of the fruit has been affected by the fungal disease Scab, which according to them is fast spreading due to the humidity in the atmosphere.Last year the annual production of apple in Kashmir was 17 lakh metric ton and the hope of the industry to produce 17 lakh boxes of apple this year has been dashed by the disease, experts said.Deputy Director, Horticulture, Akhtar Hussain, acknowledged that the effect of the disease on the fruit was never so severe.“We have surveyed different areas in Kashmir here and the effect on the crop has been most severe. In Shopian while 10 percent of the area has been affected, in Baramulla 5 percent production will be hit,” he said.“The ongoing weather has also affected the fruit and the fungal disease has spread due to the humidity in the atmosphere,” Hussain said.However, the fruit growers blame the spurious pesticides and chemicals being supplied by the government and available in the market. “We asked the government many a time that it should check the sale of fake pesticides here, but it has taken no steps except giving false assurances to the growers,” they said.“We had earlier apprised the government that it should announce the crop insurance scheme to offset the effect of losses, but government has taken no steps even in this direction,” Bashir Ahmed Bashir, president New Kashmir Fruit Association said.He said the fungal disease has spread across Kashmir and among the areas worst hit include the fruit belts of Ganderbal, Sopore, Handwara, Shopian and Wagoora.“The fruit prices will take a big hit as our estimates suggest that nearly one-third of the fruit production will be affected here. There is no market for the scab-hit apple. A box sells for Rs 200, while as more money goes into its production,” Bashir explained.Deputy Director, Horticulture, however, said that the diseases has affected the apple as the orchard owners have not been following strictly the spray schedule issued by the government.President of Sopore Fruit Association, Fayaz Ahmad Malik, alleged that the government has failed to check the sale of spurious pesticides which has affected the major portion of the fruit in Sopore. It has affected all major areas here.’’Source - http://www.greaterkashmir.com/

27.06.2014

USA - Farmers replant soybeans, hope for best for corn

A large majority of soybeans pummeled in the June 3 hailstorm that struck Washington County have been replanted.Soybeans took the biggest hit from the hail, but the timing of the storm allowed some time for producers to replant, county Extension educator Steve Tonn said. Probably 100 percent of soybean producers who suffered crop damage replanted, he said.By the time the weather made it possible to replant, it had gotten kind of late to replant corn, Tonn said. Corn stands may not be optimum but farmers will take the stands remaining and what insurance can provide and make the best of it, he said.Overall, Washington County producers plant a bit more corn each year than soybeans, Tonn said. He estimated 50-55 percent of county crops are corn.Whether the soybean harvest will be delayed this year by the replanting depends a lot on the growing season, Tonn said. Farmers will hope the area does not have an early fall freeze, he said.“They may make some adjustments in the maturity of their soybean plants and try to compensate for that,” Tonn said.Source - http://www.enterprisepub.com/

27.06.2014

USA - Flooded fields: options limited for impacted crops

When rain falls by the bucketful, everyone in the area is impacted. How that flooding impacts folks varies, as homeowners discard ruined items from wet basements and governmental units inspect roadways for washouts. Another group, however, faces the reality of a deluge in a more significant way, as they sit and wait while their livelihood stews in water covering their crops. Across the region crop farmers are facing water in their fields that has not been this prevalent in more than a decade, and because of that many know the crop they planted is not going to keep growing.According to Bruce Potter of the Southwest Research and Out-reach Center near Lamberton, the longer the water is in the field the greater the chance of the crop being stunted or dying. “Farmers are still waiting for the fields to dry off before they can see what has actually happened,” said Potter Tuesday. “It’s hard to tell the extent right now, but it’s not good.” Once the field has dried, Potter said it is important to go out right away and look. When it comes to corn, Potter said one needs to look for the growth point, adding if it is still white or yellow then the plants should be OK. If there is any other discoloration the plant is not going to grow anymore.In areas where rain was heavy and the crop does recover, Potter said farmers need to watch for smut. When it comes to soybeans if there is good root tissue the plant can likely grow again, he said, adding there could be issues with Phytophthora. If the area is a loss, Potter said it is too late to replant corn for grain, but he said those who can use it for silage could plant again. At this time of year it is also likely planting soybeans may also be too late. Potter did emphasize the importance of planting something on the ground where plants have died, and he suggested a small grain, such as oats, to prevent the soil from having fallow issues. Producers are reminded to talk with their crop insurance agents before doing anything in the field to ensure they get what is needed for a claim. The good news is the sun is shining and the water is dissipating.Source - http://www.redwoodfallsgazette.com/

27.06.2014

Spain - Valencia fruits racked by hail

A range of fruit crops in regions of eastern Spain have been destroyed by severe hailstorms that have taken out a variety of Valencian export lines.Hail stones the size of golf balls violently rained down in Valencia on Tuesday with disastrous consequences, according to the Valencian Farmers Association (AVA-ASAJA).Early estimates calculate approximately 45,000 hectares of citrus, persimmons and melons have been badly affected with between 60-100% of the crops damaged.The inclement weather hit the Iberian country on Tuesday (June 24) and lasted for several hours, leaving tracts of agricultural land covered in a blanket of hail stones.It is too early to know how much of the fruit can be salvaged, but the growers’ association confirms this week’s storm will have an immediate impact on this season’s melon and watermelon crops, and will badly affect the 2014-15 citrus and persimmon campaigns.The season for these fruits is currently in full swing and the hail storm comes at the worst possible time, says AVA-BDA president Cristóbal Aguado.“This storm is a real disaster and the worst part is that it never rains but it pours; the hail comes on top of other recent hailstorms in various Valencian regions,” he said in a release.In the aftermath of the crop damage, AVA-ASAJA is calling on the Spanish Government to help farmers who will undoubtedly suffer financial losses as a result of the storms, with many expected to abandon what were to be profitable export plans for the produce.“Our agriculture sector is going through a critical time and the response we have received from the government is not up to the needs of this sector,” added Aguado.The regions of Ribera, Safor, Navarrés, Antella, Alberic, Carcaixent, Massalavés, Énova and Cárcer were among the worst hit.According to the association, vegetables were also affected by the severe storms, but to a much lesser extent compared with damage to the soft fruits.Inspections into the damage continue.Source - http://www.freshfruitportal.com/

27.06.2014

UK - Parasite Killing Honeybees with 'Deformed Wing Virus'

A bloodsucking parasite is killing off swarms of honeybees across the UK by infecting them with Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), scientists have discovered.DWV is one of the most common viruses affecting honeybees across Europe and is now one of the biggest threats to populations in the UK.Honeybees have suffered huge colony losses over recent years as a result of parasites and the viruses they spread. This is of huge significance as they add around $40bn (£23.5bn) to the global crop value through pollination.DWV leads to developmental deformities, reduced foraging ability and shorter lifespan. However, scientists at the University of Warwick have now discovered that the virus is amplified when Varroa, a tiny parasitic mite, is present.Published in PLOS Pathogens, the study found that where colonies are Varroa free, DWV is only present at low levels and symptoms are less pronounced. When Varroa feed on honeybee blood, the virus is transmitted and amplified – explaining why some colonies suffer far worse.Study leader David Evans said: "We found that a harmful variant of the virus only multiplies rapidly if it is directly injected into honeybee haemolymph by Varroa. Once injected, the variant takes over. In mite-exposed bees, levels of this single virulent form can be 10,000 times higher than in the absence of Varroa."Although exposure to Varroa caused disruption to a number of genes involved in the bee's immune response, it is the route of transmission which has caused this severe strain of DWV to become widespread."Our results strongly suggest that DWV is widespread in UK honeybees – even where Varroa is absent. However, the identification of a single virulent form of the virus is an important step in developing strategies to boost honeybee health, to prevent colony losses and to safeguard this important pollinator."Source - http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/

27.06.2014

India - Crop sowing 40% down due to scanty rainfall

The kharif sowing in the state has dipped by about 38.33 per cent covering 0.387 million hectares (mha) as on June 21 on the back of scanty monsoon rainfall. The crop sowing coverage area was about 0.628 mha during the same period of the previous kharif season.The acreage of paddy cultivation, a major kharif (summer-sown) crop, dropped by 43.56 per cent to 0.239 mha from 0.425 mha in the year-ago period. The state government had targeted paddy sowing on 3.6 mha land in its Kharif campaign 2014.Sowing of kharif crops begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June.Besides, 0.260 mha have been brought under the cereals cultivation against 0.47 mha achieved in the corresponding period of the previous year. Pulses, fiber, vegetables and spices sowing too have declined compared to the coverage area in June last year. However, farming of oil seeds has increased from 0.012 mha covered in last Kharif season to 0.015 mha.The state has set a target to bring 6.15 mha of land under cultivation during the Kharif season 2014. This includes 4.11 mha for cereals, 0.96 mha for pulses, 0.45 mha for oilseeds, 0.17 mha for fiber, 0.36 mha for vegetable and 0.10 mha for spices.The state agriculture and food production department aims to harvest 9.404 million tonnes of cereals and 0.582 tonne of pulses in this kharif season.During June 1 to 23, the state has received 57.7 mm rainfall against the long-term average rainfall of 166 mm, with deficit of 66.3 per cent, which is categorized as scanty.According to met terminology, a rainfall more than 19 per cent above the normal rainfall in the monsoon period (June-September) is said to be ‘in excess’ while 19 per cent above or below normal rainfall is catergorised as ‘normal’. Between 20 per cent and 59 per cent below normal is deficient and it is called ‘scanty’ when rainfall is between 60 per cent and 99 per cent below normal.According a report of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), only Nabarangpur district has received normal rain fall. Out of the rest 29 districts, rainfall is in deficit in 9 districts while it is scanty in 20 districts.“If it rains in July, farmers will go for nursery sowing or transplanting of paddy and may not find time for sowing of non paddy crops in uplands. Under late sowing condition, that is after July 15, the farmers will not be able to sow ground nuts and cotton as there will be moisture deficit in the reproductive stage”, said Anupama Baliarsingh, Associate Professor, agrometeorology department of OUAT.Source - http://www.business-standard.com/

26.06.2014

Canada - Farmers struggling with soggy fields

Weeks of heavier-than-normal rain have prevented a lot of crops from going in the ground in southeast Saskatchewan.Roland Porier, who farms near Redvers, said conditions are not favourable and it will hurt him in the pocketbook."Well for sure, it will be over a 50 per cent loss of income being that we only sowed 50 per cent of the farm," he said.Porier said he was fortunate to get as much crop seeded as he did.Parts of the southeast are so wet and muddy, tractors are getting stuck in the fields."We had to fight with a lot of land that was not fit to farm. We had to pre-work everything we were able to get in," he said.Porier says crop insurance will cover his some of his losses, but it does not replace having a good crop year.Source - http://www.cbc.ca/

26.06.2014

U.S. bracing for global warming bill: Tens of billions a year

Climate change is no longer controversial: it's fact. Now the burning questions include how to stop the process– and how much it will cost.For the United States alone, annual property losses from hurricanes and other coastal storms is expected to reach $35 billion a year over the next 25 years. Don't expect that insurance coverage will neutralize that cost, firstly because not everybody at risk is insured, and secondly because as insurers' costs rise, so will premiums.The decline in crop yields as the environment heats up and extreme weather becomes more frequent: tens of billions of dollars in damage to farmers. And as the cities are stricken by heat waves (or extreme cold, which can happen in a heating world) - households can expect their increase in demand to cost $12 billion more per year over the next 25 years, according to the bipartisan report released on Tuesday.And that's just for starters. The price tag of contending with the damage of climate change – again, for the U.S. alone - could skyrocket to hundreds of billions of dollars by 2100.Risky businessCommissioned by a group chaired by Michael Bloomberg, a businessman and former mayor of New York, with Henry Paulson – a former treasury secretary, and environmentalist and financier Tom Steyer, the report lands three weeks after President Barack Obama ordered U.S. regulators to take their strongest steps ever to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Among the president's moves are to force power plants to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions to 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.Called "Risky Business," the report's conclusions about crop losses and other consequences are based not on computer projections, which climate-change skeptics routinely attack, but on data from past heat waves."Our economy is vulnerable to an overwhelming number of risks from climate change," including from sea-level rise and from heat waves that will cause deaths, reduce labor productivity and strain power grids, said Paulson said in a statement.By mid-century, $66 billion to $106 billion worth of coastal property will likely be below sea level. There is a 5 percent chance that by 2100 the losses will reach $700 billion, with average annual losses from rising oceans of $42 billion to $108 billion along the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf of Mexico.The oceans are rising for two reasons. One is melting polar ice. The second is that warmer water occupies a bigger volume than cool water.Meanwhile, extreme heat, especially in the Southwest, Southeast and upper Midwest, will slash labor productivity as people are unable to work outdoors at construction and other jobs for sustained periods.Demand for electricity will surge as people need air conditioning just to survive. The strain on capacity will likely require the construction of up to 95 gigawatts of generation capacity over the next 5 to 25 years, or roughly 200 average-size coal or natural gas power plants, says the report.As utilities add the construction costs to customers' bills, people and businesses will pay $8.5 billion to $30 billion more every year by the middle of the century.The report does not make policy prescriptions, concluding only that "it is time for all American business leaders and investors to get in the game and rise to the challenge of addressing climate change.Game on.Source - http://www.haaretz.com/

26.06.2014

USA - Heavy rains washing out local crops

With five days remaining in the month, it has already become the third wettest June in Northern Indiana history registering 8.3 inches of precipitation.While the weather may have ruined a few of your weekends, local farmers have a love-hate relationship with Mother Nature.Fields across the area have water up to 12 inches deep in some areas, flooding out several crops like corn and soybeans. So while your day at the beach may have been ruined, your pockets could be affected soon enough.“There’s an old saying that wet years are what really kill a farmer sometimes,” Phil Sutton, Educator for Agriculture & Natural Resources at Purdue Extension said. “It’s still too early to see what this wet is going to do. We’ve lost some corn and some beans because of wet spots but wet weather is not bad. It’s saturated soils that are bad.”There are a few things which can be attributed to the death of these crops. Once it’s sunny, the crops can bake if they are hot and wet. Also, with the standing water, there is a lack of oxygen. But one of the main things is the loss of nitrogen in the plants.“The microorganisms use the nitrate for oxygen and it releases nitrogen into the atmosphere,” Sutton said. “So as a fertilizer it is lost and it will affect yields because there is not enough nitrogen to carry a corn crop.”The amount of water is noticeable during a simple drive in New Carlisle. With fields of crops to your left and right, the standing water can be seen as you approach Red Hen Turf Farms.“The rain was pretty substantial,” Gordon Millar, President of Red Hen Turf Farms said. “When it came down we got an awful lot over the course of a week. The water cannot percolate fast enough to get away. So for plants, they need oxygen so they can come out of the soil and they’re being starved of that.”Because of the rains, Red Hen Turf Farms have lost 200 acres of crops either from saturated soils or a complete drown out. However, optimism is high the season will turn out well.“The weather is the weather,” Millar said. “We’ll probably install some more drainage in the areas that are super saturated but this is farming. We’ll be alright.”While some farms are damning the rain, other areas in Michiana are praising the precipitation.“The rain has brought most of our fruit back to schedule,” Steve Lecklider, Farm Manager at Lehman’s Orchard said. “We had a very harsh winter so we were afraid of losing a lot of fruits but now I’m seeing very decent yields in the berry crops and the tree fruits are coming along nicely.”Source - http://www.wndu.com/