Agroinsurance

Sweden - Fruit moths threaten apple harves Sweden - Fruit moths threaten apple harvest

This year's Swedish apple harvest may be in jeopardy due to the presence of fruit moths (Argyresthia conjugella Zell). The insect is difficult to control, and no forecasts can be made about where it will strike before a large part of the harvest is lost."The fruit moth is four to five millimetres long and white. It's a pretty small insect, but it is our worst enemy," says Filip Tufvesson, a fruit grower from Osterlen.This is not a new problem for fruit growers; every four or five years, apple orchards are severely hit by it."They swarmed in a couple of weeks ago and the eggs are now hatching. The apples affected cannot be used for anything, not even for the processing industry," says Filip Tufvesson.In the worst case scenario, 70-80 % of the crop will be damaged, but Filip Tufvesson still thinks there should be enough apples in store this year.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

Africa - Project to boost capacity of cocoa farmers launched

A 14-million euro project, aimed at boosting the capacity of cocoa farmers to increase their crop yields significantly in four regions in the country, has been launched in Tema.The Cocoa Rehabilitation and Intensification Programme (CORIP) is aimed at supporting 40,000 cocoa farmers in the Western, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Central regions to boost production. Under the project, 20 Rural Service Centres (RSCs) will be set up in the beneficiary areas over the next four years.Each centre is expected to serve 2,000 farmers and facilitate their access to the best agronomic practices, training, fertilisers, low interest credit, technology use and other inputs. The initiative, which started in October 2013 and will be implemented till December 2016, is being funded by The Netherlands Embassy with seven million euros.Joint supportIt is also being supported by six licensed cocoa buying companies (LBCs). They are COCOBOD, Cargill Ghana, Olam, Mondelez, Armajaro, Touton and ADM, which will also provide 7-million euros for the initiative.Launching the project at the Cargill factory in Tema over the weekend, The Netherlands Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Ms Lilianne Ploumen, said the initiative was a great example of public-private sector cooperation, where public funds were used to leverage private funding.She said boosting the capacity of cocoa farmers to increase their yields was not enough and that “it is also vital for farmers to get a fair price for their cocoa.” “That is why The Netherlands is also involved in other issues that hamper the development of a healthy cocoa sector such as price regulations and subsidies, transport and logistics.“Through the programme, The Netherlands aims to help bring together the main actors in the cocoa sector to find innovative solution. “The project is bringing together chocolate producers, traders, non-governmental organisations, government, researchers and farmers to work together to find ways to create a more sustainable cocoa sector,” she said.Project will be scaled upThe Managing Director of Solidaridad Ghana, Mr Isaac Gyamfi, said the project was anticipated to develop the entrepreneurial skills of cocoa farmers to see cocoa growing as a business.He said after four years of successful implementation, the project would be scaled up with the support of COCOBOD, private LBCs, farmers associations and groups. The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Dr Francis Oppong, said cocoa farmers were the bedrock of the economy, yet they appeared to be the most vulnerable link in the cocoa value chain.“The average yield of a Ghanaian cocoa farmer is low compared with other major producing countries,” he said, explaining that low productivity led to low income and poverty among cocoa farmers.“Low income means cocoa farmers lack the needed resources to invest in the requisite inputs to enhance productivity and achieve better livelihoods to educate their children,” he said. He was, therefore, optimistic that COCOBOD’s association with the project would help improve cocoa production and the living conditions of farmers.Source - http://www.ghanaweb.com/

USA - Wheat head diseases beginning to develop

The current high moisture and humidity conditions are conducive for disease development in wheat heads. One of the early wheat head diseases developing is loose smut. Loose smut is a fungal disease caused by Ustilago tritici. This fungus survives as dormant mycelium within the embryo of the seed. When infected seeds are planted, the fungus germinates and grows systemically within the seedling until heading. At heading, the fungus then differentiates into a dry, dark mass of teliospores. These spores are blown by wind and rain to neighboring plants that are heading or flowering. The fungus then germinates and infects the developing embryo and survives as dormant mycelia on the seed.The loose smut pathogen infection is favored by high humidity and low to moderate temperatures (61-72 degrees Fahrenheit) at flowering time. The ovary is resistant to infection by the loose smut pathogen 7 days after flowering. Loose smut is best managed through cultivar resistance. If a cultivar being grown is having a high incidence of loose smut, then changing the cultivar is recommended. Usually a few heads with loose smut in a field are not unusual but high incidence of loose smut may mean that the cultivar is susceptible. Systemic fungicide seed treatments like carboxin, tebuconazole, and difeconazole are very effective against loose smut. If several heads with loose smut are seen in the field and the seed is to be saved for planting, a fungicide seed treatment with a systemic fungicide is recommended.The current weather conditions have also been perfect for Fusarium head blight (FHB) development. Rainy and humid weather at flowering promotes FHB development. FHB symptoms can be confused with those of stem maggot damaged heads. It is very easy to diagnose stem maggot damaged heads by simply pulling out the bleached head slowly. If it pulls out easily, this would mean that there is stem maggot injury.Wheat damaged by hail or common root rot may also show white heads. FHB infected heads may have a few spikelets or the entire head bleached and should be pink to salmon in color (the sign of the fungus) on the damaged spikelets.Source - http://www.tristateneighbor.com/

UAE - More vegetables grown at Abu Dhabi farms

Abu Dhabi farms to produce 38,000 tonnes of vegetables worth Dh60m during 2014-2015.About 1,200 farms working with the Abu Dhabi Farmers Service Centre (ADFSC) are expected to produce 10,000 tonnes more vegetables than last season during the upcoming agricultural season.The farms will produce 38,000 tonnes of vegetables worth Dh60 million during the 2014-2015 season that begins in November this year and ends in October 2015. This is an upward trend, compared with 28,000 tonnes of total production worth Dh45 million during the last season [2013-2014], Marten Aguirre, Commercial and Operations Director at ADFSC, said.ADFSC is an Abu Dhabi Government organisation responsible for developing sustainable agriculture in the emirate.He spoke on a conference at the centre in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to announce its winter crop plan along with senior officials.The winter season that begins in November this year and ends in June 2015 will see the production of 30,000 of a total of 38,000 tonnes of total produce during the year-long season. The summer season beginning in July 2015 and ending in October 2015 will produce the remaining 8,000 tonnes, Aguirre said.The total number of crops will be reduced to 36 in this season from 42 last season. “That’s because we don’t focus on [six] second-grade produce that were the by-products of major crops. All 36 crops will be first-grade produce in the upcoming season,” Aguirre said.Although Abu Dhabi emirate has around 24,000 farms, only between 3,000 and 4,000 farms have quality water to produce vegetables, Chris Hirst, the CEO of the centre said at the press conference. About 1,200 of them have contract with ADFSC for developing and implementing a sustainable crop plan and marketing the produce.It is not clear how many other farms regularly produce vegetables but their market share is not significant according to feedback from the market, Aguirre said. Their market share figure was not available with the centre as they directly market the produce, he said.The latest market share figure of local produce in Abu Dhabi was not readily available with the officials. However, an Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi report in 2011 had said local farm produce constituted 15 per cent of the total market share in Abu Dhabi.During the 21-week-long winter season, around a thousand tonnes of vegetables may be produced a week when production is at its peak, of which around 300 tonnes will be cucumber. Cucumber has the highest demand in the market and farmers are well-experienced in its farming, Aguirre said.The centre has asked farmers to submit their expression of interest to implement its winter crop plan by July 15. Those farms that make a contract with the centre will get Minimum Guaranteed Price (MGP) that covers the production cost of their produce even when the market price goes below MGP. This has been a major attraction for the farmers, Hirst said.The centre collects a commission from farmers for marketing their produce when the market price is above MGP. That fund is used to support the farmers when the market price is below MGP, the official said.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

Canada - Huge area of farmland may go unseeded in Manitoba

Up to 400,000 hectares of farmland could go unseeded in Manitoba this year because soggy conditions and relentless rain are making it impossible for farmers to get on their fields.Dwayne Hodgins has been farming in the southwest near Melita for 30 years and hasn’t been able to seed more than three-quarters of his 2,480 hectares. Last year, about 800 hectares of his crop were lost when his land flooded after seeding.His farm has received 300 millimetres of rain this spring, some of which fell on frozen ground because it took so long for the frost to melt. These days, he said, it’s hard to keep from losing hope.“The ground’s wet enough without my tears on it,” Hodgins said. “You know you need to go to work because you haven’t got a paycheque coming, and then you can’t get out the door because there is a puddle in front of it. That’s exactly what it’s like. It’s frustrating.”While seeding was off to a slow start on much of the Prairies after a frigid winter, it has picked up in Alberta and Saskatchewan, but not in huge swaths of Manitoba.Crop insurance deadlines are looming, but Hodgins said it won’t cover his costs.“It gets you by, but you still have to maintain your land and your fixed costs on the land. It doesn’t leave you a whole lot for your equipment and labour costs.”Doug Chorney, head of Keystone Agricultural Producers, said this year has been a struggle for many farmers in Manitoba. While things have dried out in neighbouring Saskatchewan and that province reports some regions are up to 97 per cent seeded, there are some areas of Manitoba that have not been seeded at all, he said.Contrast that with last year when a bumper crop caused a transportation bottleneck that is still being felt.Producers have been trying various approaches to dry their land, but nothing is working. It’s estimated between 240,000 to 400,000 hectares will remain fallow this year, Chorney said.“For these farmers to get on their fields, it’s been just brutal,” he said. “Rain’s been coming at them every three days.“We really worry about how people will manage their way through this.”Bob Walker is worried as well. The mayor of the town of Melita said when farmers struggle, so does the town’s economy. Businesses that depend on farming, such as machinery dealers, feel the pinch.“Our local dealers have gone through a couple of lean years — they had a good one last year with some bumper crops — but they held on by their teeth to get to that point,” Walker said. “It’s going to be tough for the business community for sure.”Even oil activity in the region has dried up because of wet weather, he added. It’s a big shift for a part of the province that has been traditionally dry.“With the changing weather patterns, we’re pretty much being told we have to expect more of this,” Walker said. “We have to adjust our whole way of thinking to deal with it.”Emergency Measures Minister Steve Ashton said seeding in the province as a whole is about 90 per cent complete. But the southwestern region has received 200 per cent more precipitation than normal.“It certainly appears there are going to be significant agricultural impacts in the area,” Ashton said.Farmers aren’t eligible for provincial compensation due to flooding unless their property has been damaged. They can apply for crop insurance or use personal excess moisture insurance, he said.Some say the province should do more.Blaine Pedersen, agriculture critic for the Opposition Tories, said the governing NDP hasn’t come up with an adequate water management strategy to ensure farmers don’t end up washed out of their fields year after year.The NDP outlined a water management plan just over a week ago which proposed tougher wetlands protection, but also eased restrictions on farmers who want to drain a ditch on their property. That’s not enough, Pedersen said.“It’s not like this came up overnight. This has been an ongoing problem for a number of years. Where are the actual plans?”Hodgins isn’t sure increased planning or even drainage would have saved his fields this year.“If it keeps raining like it does, it doesn’t matter how many drains you have. If you have a drain under a foot of water, what good is it?” he said.“We’re dealing with Mother Nature. There has never been a guarantee with it.”Source - http://globalnews.ca/

India - Growers Crop production down by 50% due to fake pesticides

Valley apple growers have complained that the sub-standard pesticides available in the market have caused scab disease to their crop.The growers alleged they have suffered losses this season as spurious pesticides are supplied in market leading to the decrease in the apple production by 50 per cent.Growers said North Kashmir villages like Darwa, Kachwa, Midan, Sheerpora, Kandi Sangrama are worst hit due to the usage of these fake pesticides.“Almost 50 percent of our production has been damaged due to the sub-standard pesticides. All the pesticides that farmers have used so far on the orchards have failed to yield any results. Our orchards have caught scab diseases,” said an apple grower Feroz Khan of North Kashmir, Sheerpora.Khan said the sprays of these pesticides have felled the leaves and crop contracted diseases.“As trees are without leaves, the direct heat has affected the crop. So, far we have used five pesticides (Index, Griper, Wave, Score and Kabro top) but none of them proved beneficial,” said Khan.Another apple grower, Tariq Ahmad of Darwan village said the use of the pesticides advised by the authorities have proved disastrous for the apple orchards.“We spray the prescribed pesticides (Dorin, Cantall, Score, Annual) to the orchards; however, instead of improving the quality of fruits it has degraded rapidly,” said Tariq.The situation is no better in South Kashmir. According to fruit growers, due to use of fake pesticides, the apples in the Valley have contracted various diseases affecting the quality, taste and size of the fruit, thereby causing heavy losses to them.General Secretary of Fruit Association Shopian Farooq Ahmad Malik said that 90 percent of apple orchards have caught scab diseases and farmers are on the verge of huge economic losses.“The situation in Shopian is worse. Our apple orchards have ruined and authorities are in deep slumber. I appeal government to take some measures about the fake pesticides in market,” said Malik.Malik said if necessary action won’t be taken to stop the spread of fake pesticides in Kashmir there would be no more production of apples in valley.“The sub standard pesticides are destroying the quality of apples in Kashmir. I am afraid if it will continue like this, we will have the same fate of apples like our carpets,” said Malik.Another apple grower Khalil Mir of Rajpora said the free supply of fake pesticides has resulted in less production of apples this year.“We are suffering from huge losses. Our family entirely depends upon the apple production. It is our only income. We have many times requests authorities to stop the sale of fake pesticides in market but nobody has listened to our grievances,” said Mir.In November last year, taking cognizance of allegations by fruit growers that supply of fake and spurious pesticides has hit apple production in the Valley this year, the government has constituted a high powered committee headed by Vice Chancellor SKAUST (K) to probe the quality degradation of apple.However, so far the committee has failed to stop the supply of fake pesticides in Kashmir.Director of Agriculture Peerzada Mushtaq Ahmad who was the member of the committee said, “I don’t know the present status of that committee. It was headed by Vice Chancellor SKAUST and we held couple of meetings but after that I don’t know what happened to it.”Meanwhile, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Akhtar Hussain said checking the quality of pesticides comes under the domain of law and enforcement wing.“We (Horticulture department) only have subject specialist which monitors the usage of pesticides in apple field and provide logistically support to farmers. We are not the authorized to check the quality of pesticides. It is being watched by law and enforcement department,” said Hussain.The latest report of NABARD which overlooks and ensures growth of horticulture sector in India has also raised concerns pertaining to the Rs 4000 crore apple industry in the Valley.It has stated that the industry despite standing against all odds during the militancy in 1990s is being hijacked by the mafias and vested interests and needs major overhaul for its sustainable growth.Meanwhile, Director Law and Enforcement Surinder Jamwal said that department is consistently monitoring the fake supply of pesticides in market.“We are picking up regular samples to test them in laboratory. Whatever pesticides come to J&K, these are thoroughly tested in Jammu and before their entry to Kashmir we again test them. Their standards are accordingly looked as per the Insecticides act 1968,” said Jamwal.Rejecting the allegation of favoring some Kashmiri brands of pesticide; Jamwal said the department was ready to take action against any company irrespective of its status.“These are mere allegations. I am ready to take action against any company whose product will be found substandard. Our Law enforcement officers are placed in each district and they are monitoring the usage of pesticides in orchards closely,” said Jamwal.Source - http://www.risingkashmir.com/

Philippines - Crop insurance released

The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist released P801,511 in crop insurance to 319 rice farmers and their multi-purpose cooperatives in five cities and 12 municipalities in Negros Occidental in the first quarter of the year.Dina Genzola, senior agriculturist of OPA, also said the aid was released through the Negros First Universal Crop Insurance Program and the Weather Adverse Rice Area.Genzola said the recipients of the aid are rice farmers from the cities of Bago, Cadiz, Escalante, San Carlos and Sipalay and the towns of Binalbagan, Calatrava, Cuayan, Don Salvador Benedicto, EB Magalona, La Castellana, Manapla, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, San Enrique and Valladolid.She said NFUCIP and WARA offer protection to farmers against losses from plant diseases, pest infestation, and natural calamities and it also reduces the impact of losses from calamities and attain food security and agricultural productivity.Genzola noted that since it started in 2011, the NFUCIP and WARA helped a lot of farmers recover their investment and prevent product losses.Aside from rice farmers, corn and high value crop growers and fisherfolk, NFUCIP and WARA are now being offered to sugar cane farmers.Genzola said sugarcane farmers may avail of the insurance at P30,000 for every damaged hectare.Source - http://www.visayandailystar.com/

Italy - Rain and hail effects potato and onion crop

The hailstorm that hit the Bologna area last week affected potato and onion crops in particular.According to a few producers in the Ozzano Emilia area, the leaves of potato plants were heavily damaged and the senescence phase quickened. In Sesto Imolese there was a lot of wind and heavy rain, but losses should not surpass 5%.The situation is much different for onions. Leaves were almost destroyed and if water managed to enter, there's the risk of bacteriosis. It all depends also on the variety, as early onions are more likely to suffer than winter ones, as the latter are harvested in early July.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

USA - Extreme flooding puts Minnesota cropland underwater

Gary Overgaard was praying for rain a couple of weeks ago. Now he’s praying for it to stop.“I’ve been flooded twice in three days with a hailstorm in between,” said Overgaard, who farms corn and soybeans on 650 acres near Magnolia, Minn., just east of Luverne.The intense rain has flooded hundreds of farm fields across southern Minnesota, and growers were calling their insurance agents, checking their crops and watching the skies Thursday as rain continued to drench much of the area.Overgaard said about 150 acres of his fields are underwater and will likely be a total loss. “How much damage there’s going to be, we won’t know till things start drying up and the sun comes out,” he said.But assessing the crop damage won’t take that long in some of the hardest-hit areas.Mike Crowley, an AgStar crop insurance agent based in Worthington, said he has never seen such severe hail damage in his 32-year career. The worst stretch is about 21 miles long and 14 miles wide in northeastern Rock County and northwestern Nobles County, he said.“You take 60 and 70 mile-per-hour wind and even dime-sized hail will cut off the plants like a buzz saw,” Crowley said.Other areas in southwestern Minnesota that escaped hail damage are inundated with water, Crowley said. “We went from the land of 10,000 lakes to 20,000 here in this area alone,” he said, referring to the standing water on many farm fields.University of Minnesota Extension educator Liz Stahl, based in Worthington, said the crops were healthy last week and corn in the area was 12 to 16 inches tall. Excessive water is a problem because it can kill plants, she said, or put them at risk of diseases that stunt their growth and lower yields.“Corn and soybeans can typically handle up to 48 hours underwater and come out of it, but we’re past that point already and there’s still a lot of lakes out in these fields,” Stahl said.For those who lose crops, Stahl said it’s too late to replant corn for grain because it’s unlikely to reach maturity before a killing frost in the fall. But she said some farmers may plant corn for its silage, or livestock fodder.Another option would be to replant with soybeans, Stahl said — if the fields dry out enough in the next week and if farmers haven’t used certain herbicides on that acreage recently that would damage the beans.For most farmers, Crowley said, the next step will be talking to insurance agents and scheduling adjusters to view the fields, evaluate what’s left, and determine if it’s worth saving.In some cases, it may be worth taking the crop to harvest and salvaging as much as possible, Crowley said, and filing an insurance claim to offset the lower yields. In other cases, farmers may plant grass, oats or some other cover crop that could be used for livestock feed, or simply to protect the soil from erosion.For Overgaard, who has been farming since 1975, crop damage, insurance claims and cleanup will be “a big headache for everyone,” but he said it comes with the territory.“That’s farming. That’s part of life here so that’s what we deal with.”Source - http://www.startribune.com/

India - Ministry Announced Plan to Develop Food Map

The Minister said her ministry will help identify food clusters across the country, adding that the food map will not only help identify strengths in terms of crop strength, production and processing, but also help the ministry to ensure the desired interventions to expand the Indian food export market and develop brand India.The food processing ministry is working to devise new schemes to provide last mile delivery to farmers, which include ‘farm to shelf’ schemes like setting up mobile processing vans which could reach out to farmers, and setting up small food processing units providing business incubation, training and a processing centre at village level so that farmers’ produce is processed and reaches markets, Ms Kaur said.Outlining the priorities for the ministry, the Minister mentioned that the needs of the hour are to curb food inflation by boosting food processing; to mitigate post-harvest fruit and vegetable losses; to drive and accelerate food processing industries growth; to de-regulate and simplify governmental systems, processes and clearances that delay food processing projects, causing huge losses to the companies putting up projects; and to review the role of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regarding long delays in clearing product approvals.“Given the inflationary pressure of deficient monsoons on perishables like horticulture, dairy, etc, supply chain management needs to be improved,” said Akshay Bector, Chairman, CII Northern Region Agr & Food Processsing committee and Managing Director for Bector's Food Specialties Limited.Mr Bector emphasised the need to rejuvenate the mega food-park scheme and connecting directly with farmers to bridge the gap between wholesale and retail prices.During the discussions with the minister, Piruz Khambatta, chairman, CII National Food Processing committee and Chairman & Managing Director of Rasna Pvt Ltd, suggested a deep dive into Gujarat model of agricultural growth, encouraging exports, rejuvenating mega food-park schemes, cold-chain development, growth oriented regulatory environment, and agricultural produce market committee (APMC) reforms, to take on inflationary challenges to the Indian economy.The industry members also suggested the uniform implementation of the APMC Act across states, immediate de-listing of perishables from the APMC list and giving farmers the freedom to sell fresh, perishable produce directly to food processing companies, aggregators and retailers.Source - http://www.thefishsite.com/

USA - Farmers abandoning wheat crops

Grain growers in the United States are facing their worst wheat harvest in more than 50 years.Prolonged drought followed by heavy rain has slashed yields throughout the country's wheat belt.US market analyst Arlan Suderman, from Illinios, says he's tipping an increase in wheat prices as US farmers abandon their crops.He says Kansas' primary wheat producing area is facing a bleak outlook this year."I'm 54 years old now and this is probably the worst crop I can remember seeing in my life," he said."In the high plains of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, a lot of yields are below 10 bushels per acre and many of those fields are simply stopping and calling their insurance agent and want to leave the residue behind to help hold the soil," he said.Mr Suderman says while hard red winter wheat yields will be down, protein and quality levels should remain high.He says the US' soft red winter wheat yields will be higher and will compete with grain from the Black Sea and European Union."We often talk in the United States about the dirty '30s," Mr Suderman said."We had a 42 month period of extreme drought in the great plains of the United States."Many areas of the plains this year wrapped up a 42 month period that was even drier than that period back in the 1930s."This is a drought that's been one of our worst droughts in the last 80 years or more and it just made it really difficult for the crop to ever get established."Source -

Thailand - Cultivation subsidy for rice growers

The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) is considering a proposed "cultivation subsidy" and soft loans to help rice growers.Assistant army chief Gen Chatchai Sarikalya, deputy chief of the NCPO supervising economic affairs, had a meeting with representatives of government organisations, rice millers and rice growers to discuss assistance for farmers at the Army Club on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Bangkok on Wednesday.After the meeting, Gen Chatchai said that participants agreed with the idea of a "cultivation subsidy" and soft loans for rice growers nationwide in the 2014/2015 crop season.The subsidy was set at 500 baht per rai (1,600 square metres) for up to 15 rai (24,000 square metres) per family, based on rice growers' estimated cultivation costs of about 4,000 baht per rai.The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) will arrange for the low-interest loans.Gen Chatchai said these measures would be proposed to NCPO chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha. If he gives approval, they can be implemented right away.Earlier, Gen Prayuth announced the end of rice price intervention schemes - a reference to the previous government's rice-pledging scheme and the rice price insurance schemes of past governments.After Wednesday's meeting, Prasit Boonchoei, president of the Farmers Thai Rice Association, said farmers wanted cash subsidies but the NCPO doubted farmers would spend the money on rice cultivation. Therefore, the council would introduce the subsidy in the form of cultivation material, he said.He also said that the NCPO refused to expand the subsidy to cover 50 rai (80,000 square metres) of paddy field per family, as farmers sought, because that would overly affect the national budget.Wichian Phuanglamjiak, president of the Thai Agriculturist Association, said he was satisfied with the NCPO's ideas. He also said that participants in the meeting expected farmers could sell rice at 8,000-9,000 baht per tonne. He said he felt fine with the price.BAAC president Luck Wajananawat said his bank would cut its loan interest by three percent for rice growers and the reduction would be equivalent to 150 baht per rai. The interest cut will last six months.Meanwhile, suppliers of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and other cultivation materials agreed to cut their product prices in a way that rice growers' costs would drop by 432 baht per rai. That would decrease rice growers' costs from 4,787 baht by 582 baht per rai, Mr Luck said.Source - http://www.bangkokpost.com/

USDA announces programs to conserve sensitive land and help beginning farmers

Farmers, ranchers and landowners committed to protecting and conserving environmentally sensitive land may sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) beginning June 9. The Secretary also announced that retiring farmers enrolled in CRP could receive incentives to transfer a portion of their land to beginning, disadvantaged or veteran farmers through the Transition Incentives Program (TIP). CRP provides incentives to producers who utilize conservation methods on environmentally-sensitive lands. For example, farmers are monetarily compensated for establishing long-term vegetative species, such as approved grasses or trees (known as “covers”) to control soil erosion, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat.CRP consists of a “continuous” and “general” sign-up period. Continuous sign up for the voluntary program starts June 9. Under continuous sign-up authority, environmentally sensitive land devoted to certain conservation practices can be enrolled in CRP at any time with contracts of up to 10 to 15 years in duration. Unlike CRP enrollments under general sign-up authority, offers for continuous signup are not subject to competitive bidding. In lieu of a general signup this year, USDA will allow producers with general CRP contracts expiring this September to have the option of a one-year contract extension. USDA will also implement the 2014 Farm Bill’s requirement that producers enrolled through general sign-up for more than five years can exercise the option to opt-out of the program if certain other conditions are met.The Transition Incentives Program provides two additional years of payments for retired farmers and ranchers who transition expiring CRP acres to socially disadvantaged, military veteran, or beginning producers who return the land to sustainable grazing or crop production. Sign up will also begin June 9. TIP funding was increased by more than 30 percent in the 2014 Farm Bill, providing up to $33 million through 2018.As part of the 2014 Farm Bill, participants meeting specific qualifications may have the opportunity to terminate their CRP contract during fiscal year 2015 if the contract has been in effect for a minimum of five years and if other conditions are also met.Source - http://www.winfieldcourier.com/

Canada - Excess Moisture Insurance filing deadline Monday, June 23

Provincial crop insurance officials are anticipating a flood of Excess Moisture Insurance claims as the June 23 deadline for applications approaches.While the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) doesn’t know how many acres will have been too wet to seed by the June 20 deadline, officials expect it will be higher than last year.Farmers still have some cropping options for after the June 20 crop insurance seeding deadline, including greenfeed, which is eligible for crop insurance at 20 per cent or normal coverage when planted up by July 15.Farmers apply for EMI payouts through MASC’s Seeded Acreage Report, which normally doesn’t have to be submitted until June 30, unless the farmer is making an EMI claim. As a result some farmers might not be aware of the June 23 deadline.“If you’re done seeding everything you can now and don’t think you’ll get more in by June 20 you can file now,” David Koroscil, MASC’s manager of insurance projects and sales said in an interview last week. “Some guys are coming in and basically saying they’re done.”Farmers can file Seed Acreage Reports online, by fax or at their local MASC office.There isn’t much time between the seeding and EMI filing deadline because MASC needs to verify the land farmers claim was too wet to seed, in fact was, Koroscil said.“In a year like this in the southwest we know it’s wet, but if somebody puts in a claim, say from Miami, we may want to go out and confirm that it was truly wet,” he said.There was good seeding progress in much of Manitoba last week, said David Van Deynze, MASC’s manager of claim services. But there were exceptions, including the southwest. As of June 13 he estimated only 25 per cent of the RM of Edward had been seeded.There are many unseeded acres in the Virden area and east of Riding Mountain National Park in the RMs of Winnipegosis and Ethelbert, he said.Last year 219,241 insured acres were too wet to plant by June 20. That was almost double the 117,623 acres unseeded in 2012.The record was three million acres set in 2011.“Last year we had a little bit (of unseeded acreage due to wet conditions) but it was almost considered a normal year the way things have been going the last few years,” Van Deynze said. “Two hundred thousand acres is not unheard of and it’s not even a bad number anymore. This year we’re in significantly more trouble than that in some areas.”However, large parts of the province, including much of the central and eastern region, are close to 100 per cent seeded, he said.EMI is part of the federal-provincial crop insurance program in Manitoba. Eligible farmers can get at least $50 per acre on land too wet to seed, less a minimum five per cent deductible. So for example, if a farmer has a 1,000-acre farm and all of it was too wet to seed, that farmer would be paid on 950 acres, Koroscil said.The EMI deductible increases by five per cent following each year the farmer makes a claim and declines by the same amount to a minimum of five per cent following claim-free years.Farmers can buy down their deductible and pay a fee to increase their coverage to $75 or $100 an acre, but must do so by Nov. 30 the year before spring seeding.Some farmers who didn’t get around to doing it last year have signed up now to boost EMI coverage for 2015, realizing they might be too busy to think about it this fall, Koroscil said.Source - http://www.manitobacooperator.ca/

Turkey - 743 million tons of soil perishes due to erosion

Orhan Çalık, the Nevsehir representative of the TEMA Foundation (the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, Reforestation and the Protection of the Natural Habitat) reported that an annual total of 743 million tons of soil perishes due to erosion in Turkey.Three quarters of Turkey's arable land faces the risk of soil erosion at either severe or extremesevere levels. Çalık further said 59 percent of agricultural land, 64 percent of pastures and 54 percent of forestland have experienced soil erosion.In the last 50 years, the necessary precautions have been taken to save a 4-million-hectare-area from not only erosion, but also drought. Çalık said Turkey needs 700 years to protect 57.6 million hectares if the threat of soil erosion and drought continue at such a rapid pace. Unless officials take precautions within 30 years, Turkey will definitely encounter soil erosion on other existing lands.Çalık suggested a number of fundamental recommendations against the future nightmare. "Law No. 5403 on soil protection and land use should be amended and re-entered into force to protect our country from erosion as soon as possible. Besides, an urgent land use plan needs to be designed to specify the most suitable agricultural land for products," he stressed.Çalık urged the Cabinet to take Turkey's large plains with high agricultural potential or that have been contaminated or misused under protection. "Legal regulations should be conducted against deforestation to create new forest lands. Extensive terracing and forestation activities are to be developed," Çalık highlighted.The TEMA foundation prepared a comprehensive draft on the water law. The Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs should take the necessary steps to form a water act in line with the law on soil protection and land use.Çalık: 'The main reason for soil erosion is people's misconduct and climate change' The Nevsehir representative said the composition of soil, which takes thousands of years, is disappearing in just a few months if it is not properly used. Incorrect crop cultivation and irrigation techniques, early and extreme grazing and deforestation are the main catalysts of drought. "Desertification is one of the biggest burdens on a region's economic and social resources. An average of $42 billion in revenues is lost in regions under the threat of erosion.Moreover, countries spend $2.4 billion to fight against soil erosion at global levels," Çalık pointed out. It would be much more if economic and social losses were taken into account. To tackle desertification, it is absolutely necessary to avoid soil erosion, preserve and efficiently use water resources and properly manage forest and pasture lands. He underlined the need for raising consciousness in society, including private and public sectors, academic institutions and NGOs."The Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs should urgently open tree seed production facilities not only in Nevsehir but in all Anatolian provinces and districts. It would also be a good practice to distribute free seeds to the public and institutions," Çalık advised. As a final recommendation, state institutions, municipalities, schools and private firms should establish forestlands accompanied with forestation projects on the peaks of high mountains and hills.Source - http://www.dailysabah.com/