Agroinsurance

Devastating Droughts Continue as El Nino Subsides

Although the devastating El Niño of 2015 to 2016 has now subsided, in many parts of Africa, Central America and Southeast Asia rains and harvests are not expected to recover until 2017. “We should expect future events to be less predictable, more frequent and more severe, starting with La Niña… The challenges to our response go far beyond humanitarian action,” said Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. The UN is calling for donors to provide funds to help address the current and deepening humanitarian crisis resulting from El Niño. However at a high level meeting about El Niño this week UN and NGO representatives also called for UN member states to take action on climate change. “This is a human-induced aggravation of a traditional weather pattern. We’re into a new normal where it is no longer El Niño – it is El Niño affected by climate change”, said Mary Robinson, UN Special Envoy on El Niño and Climate at a press briefing here on 18 July. “The international community has to take responsibility, particularly the countries that are more responsible for (carbon) emissions.” In Southern Africa El Niño has caused the worst drought in 35 years. Ertharin Cousin, Director of the World Food Program (WFP) shared her insights from Malawi on Tuesday: “I heard and saw firsthand the hardships and worries… El Niño’s impact in Malawi alone has been severe: 6.5 million people will endure food insecurity, almost 40 percent of the population.” The crisis does not only cause hunger. “Young girls and women need to queue through the night for maize, to get maize in the morning – which is a problem in Southern Africa because the prices for maize have just gone through the roof, and in doing so they are at risk of sexual exploitation” Rebecca Sutton, the El Niño Campaign Manager of Oxfam International, told IPS. The landlocked country of Malawi is one of several countries in desperate need of immediate support. “The lean period in Southern Africa is always between January and March. Because we had a drought last year and now we had El Niño this year, the lean period is coming forward to September,” Sutton explained to IPS. “There is a small harvest due in September/October, but it’s not the big harvest: the big harvest is next March/April. So people somehow have to get through this enormously intense time and then, on top of that, we’ve got La Niña.” Although La Niña is considered the opposite event to El Niño historically the two were separated by years of normal weather patterns, however this is beginning to change with los Niños increasingly occurring back to back. In Southeast Asia, droughts caused by El Niño have similarly destroyed most of the crops. Macharia Kamau, who is UN Special Envoys on El Niño & Climate alongside Robinson, described what he saw in Timor-Leste: “In case of one community in Timor-Leste, they hadn’t seen proper rain for over 24 months. So they had lost basically 4 planting seasons… And were left for two years to the point where they had lost all their assets.” “A significant number of affected communities are resorting to negative coping strategies such as selling assets for cash and to meet food needs,” said Sutton. The government of Timor-Leste is coordinating its response with NGOs, including Oxfam, and UN agencies, said Sutton. But apart from giving first aid, what plans does the international community have against los Niños? National as well as UN representatives agree that a more long-term strategy is needed. “The main thing that we have to do is help them finding a type of agriculture that is more resilient to this kind of climate shock – which might involve having different seeds, dry resistant seeds for example, or it might involve different irrigation systems to help people work through times of droughts, it might involve insurance schemes as long as they are targeted at the very poorest people,” Sutton from Oxfam presented some approaches. It is essential that words are turned into operations: In 2017, the farmlands might recover, but the next El Niño could start three years from now. Source - www.ipsnews.net

Canada - Farmers, communities continue to tally damage from floods

Southern Saskatchewan residents continue to tally the effects of last week’s heavy rain, which took a toll on crops and communities. The low-pressure system stalled in the grain belt from July 11-13, pounding some areas with up to 130 millimetres of rain. The Estevan area was hard hit, as was the area reaching north and east from Melfort. Shannon Friesen, acting cropping management specialist at the Ag Knowledge Centre in Moose Jaw, said an estimate was not available on how many acres were affected. “A lot of the lodged cereals have bounced back, which is good,” she said July 18. “But the pulses may not be in the greatest shape.” Reports are now coming in of disease concerns, including sclerotinia and botrytis, which she wouldn’t normally expect to see for another week or two. The hay crop, if cut and lying in the field, will likely suffer weathering and nutrient losses, said regional forage specialist Rachel Turnquist. “It’s going to be tough to get it to dry down,” she said. “We were having a fairly normal year before this.” Standing hay will likely be in better shape but could start to lose quality if it over- matures from standing too long, she said. “We aim to cut at 10 percent bloom,” she said. After that, the fibre goes up and protein and digestibility start to go down. “Be patient,” she advised producers. “Don’t get out there and bale too wet.” Arle Nelson, a producer from Hallonquist, said there were reports of as much as 180 mm of rain west of his farm and running through Wiwa Creek. He said it was reminiscent of the 2000 flood that devastated nearby Vanguard and was the highest creek level in years. However, the creek was clearing the water quickly and his flooded hay might be OK. “I really don’t know. But now I could have pieces of wood and fence posts in the high hay,” he said. Environment Canada said the 48-hour period beginning the morning of July 11 produced 119 mm of rain in Bjorkdale, 112 mm in Pennant and 104 mm in both Zenon Park and an area east of Watrous. The Estevan rain of 130 mm came the day before. Most regions reported at least 25 mm. While many in the southwest will take any rain they can, the southeast and northeast have likely had enough. At least one farmer in the southeast, near Lampman, has reported losing 13 quarters of crop to the series of rain storms that pelted the area. In the northeast, a road holding back water about 14 kilometres south of Arborfield gave way after a culvert couldn’t move the water fast enough, leading to an evacuation, many flooded homes and a state of emergency. Local emergencies were also declared in Estevan, Carrot River, the Rural Municipality of Arborfield, Shoal Lake Cree Nation and Red Earth Cree Nation. Water levels have since been receding, leaving a mess to clean up but allowing evacuees to return home. Source - www.producer.com

Canada - Rain the dominant topic in Sask crop report

Lots of rain fell on much of the province throughout the week to July 18, says Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly crop report. Rain varied from trace amounts to almost 100 millimetres. Heavy rain over the past couple of weeks has caused crops to lodge and in some areas they remain under flooding stress. Lentils and peas in many areas of the province are suffering from too much moisture. Diseases and hail have also caused crop damage. Almost all crop development is at or ahead of normal maturity. In fall cereals, only one percent is behind while six percent of spring cereals, oilseeds and pulses are behind. Provincially, cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 22 percent surplus, 76 percent adequate and two percent short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as 11 percent surplus, 86 percent adequate and three percent short. Farmers are busy with haying operations and controlling diseases and insect, the report said. Livestock producers continue with haying operations, although frequent rain and high humidity have slowed progress. Twenty-two percent of the hay crop has been cut and 28 percent is baled or put into silage. The five year average (2011-15) for hay progress is 23 percent cut and 40 percent baled or put into silage. Average dryland hay yields for the province are 1.6 tons per acre for alfalfa, 1.5 tons per acre for alfalfa/bromegrass, 1.3 tons per acre for other tame hay and 2.2 tons per acre for greenfeed, the report said. Dryland hay yields are slightly above the five- and 10-year averages of 1.4 tons per acre overall. Irrigated hay is estimated at 2.2 tons per acre for alfalfa and 2.3 tons per acre for alfalfa/bromegrass. Hay quality is rated as nine percent excellent, 62 percent good, 26 percent fair and three percent poor. Despite the rain and humidity slowing down cutting and baling, the standing hay crop remains in good condition due to favourable growing conditions, the report said. Source - www.producer.com

USA - Drought conditions settle in Montana

Southern Montana is on drought alert as temperatures trend above 90 degrees and the rivers draw down. Communities from Big Timber to Miles City were included in a 14-county drought alert area identified this week by the Governor’s Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee. Water supply and soil moisture reports from state and federal agencies prompted the move. “I was putting in fence posts and I fought that thing all the way down,” said Eric Sommer of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. There’s no measurable moisture in the statistician’s Lewis and Clark County property. “Two feet into the ground, it didn’t even turn dark.” In parts of the Montana, the dryland hay harvest is down 30 to 50 percent of normal, Sommer said. Because wheat prices are so low and the cost of hay is rising, some farmers have reported baling their wheat for animal feed. South Central Montana farmers near Billings and Hardin have been cutting wheat for about week. Winter wheat conditions seem good, but with drought conditions emerging, farmers report concern about the spring wheat crop which won’t be ready for a few weeks. Fire danger is high. The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation tapped severity funding this month and positioned fire and helicopter crews across southcentral and southeastern Montana expecting extreme fire conditions as July wears on. The U.S. Drought Monitor lists portions of 12 Montana counties with moderate drought conditions and one county in severe drought. Included in the list are Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, Sanders, Stillwater, Sweetgrass, Teton and Yellowstone counties. Current Drought Monitor mapping is markedly better than they were at this time last year, when half the counties in the state were in drought condition and northwest Montana was a tinderbox. However there’s an undertone of drought that isn’t showing up in the monitor, said Ada Montague, drought coordinator for the Governor’s Drought Advisory Committee. A few timely rain and hail events across the state kept Montana drought conditions just below the surface for the first two weeks of July, Montague said. Snowcams at Big Sky Ski Resort and Bridger Bowl were showing white landscapes around the first week in July. Hail near Glendive piled like spring snow. Those conditions did not make up for an extremely dry June, the driest recorded in 82 years in Yellowstone County. “We left the month of June with pretty bad conditions and then we got some pockets of rainfall that influenced the precipitation input for the U.S. Drought Monitor,” Montague said. But for the second year in a row, snow left the mountains early and consequently river flows are declining rapidly. The Yellowstone River gauge at Billings is the reporting flows normally not seen until August. River flows are slightly more than half of what they were a week ago, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. In southwestern Montana, fishing has been canceled on portions of the Gallatin, Jefferson and Madison rivers. Source - billingsgazette.com

India - Small tea growers seek insurance cover

Small tea growers in the state have sought the inclusion of the Centre's insurance scheme for plantation crops in the 100-day action programme charted out by the state government. They said the move would not only send a positive signal to the small growers here but also provide them relief from the vagaries of climatic variations and price fluctuations. Chairman of the advisory committee for small tea growers, Bidyananda Barkakoty, said recently they had a meeting with finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and industries minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on the Centre's Revenue Insurance Scheme for Plantation Crops (RISPC). Barkakoty said the funding would be shared by the Centre, state government and the growers in the ratio of 75:15:10 under the scheme. "As the scheme is already in place, the state government has to roll it out for the small tea growers. We have explained the scheme in details to the finance and industries ministers. Sarma has assured us that the finance department will look into the scheme," Barkakoty, who is also the vice-chairman of the tea board, said. He said as the funding was on a shared basis, the primary task of the state government was to roll out the scheme. In a pre-budget memorandum to the finance minister, Barkakoty said the government could start rolling out the scheme by including it in its 100-day action programme. The North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) has been demanding an insurance cover for small tea growers to guard them from production-related risks and price volatility. NETA's argument is that as the price small tea growers obtain for the green leaves is dependent on the price of the finished product from the tea factories, an insurance scheme for them has become imperative to cover production-related risks and price volatility. "I was pursuing the Centre to help small tea growers avail an insurance cover. The commerce ministry has recently informed me that RISPC is in place. The scheme has been devised to protect farmers of plantation crops. Small tea growers are also covered under the scheme. Now, the state government only needs to roll it out," Barkakoty added. Source - timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Rwanda - US$25 million plan to help fill in agriculture yield gaps for 360,000 farmers

The Afministry of agriculture and animal resources has said a five year business plan to benefit 360,000 farmers with an estimated budget of $25m, presented by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in rica (AGRA), will help to fill in agricultural yield gaps and boost the agricultural growth rate from 5.8% per year to 8.5%. Tony Nsanganira, the State Minister for agriculture in Minagri, made the announcement at a consultative meeting to refine the plan for 2016-2020. "We need modernization to move from subsistence agriculture to commercial activity, to increase incomes in rural areas and reduce poverty, and this plan will help achieve this. We have to make sure there is no duplication of efforts and enhance coordination. We must tap into existing gaps by looking at what we achieved and the way forward. This plan is part of a new policy we are developing", Nsanganira said. The agricultural sector contributes to over 33%, or an estimated $4,377m, of Rwanda's GDP, while employing over 4.95 million of people. Approximately 10.2% of the national budget goes into the sector. However, despite the progress yields of major crops remain below potential with yield gaps of 76% in Irish potatoes, 72% in beans, 61% in maize, 64% in cassava and 36% in rice due to limited use of mechanization and modern agricultural practices. According to Emime Ndihokubwayo, the representative of AGRA in Rwanda, the solution lies in strengthening the private sector's role in providing enhanced agricultural inputs such as better seeds and fertilizers, innovative finance, modern agronomic practices, improvement of post-harvest handling technology, linkage to markets, and others. "We had previously invested $11.5m with 22 grants in Rwanda for different activities such as seeds, agro-dealership development, fertilizers, land issues, access to market and others. From this year we are investing $6.5m in the agriculture inputs sector, and $10.5m in private-public partnerships in value chain development", she said. Ndihokubwayo added that another $2.2m will be invested in enhancing access to markets by reducing post-harvest losses through storage facilities, $3.1m in financial access and inclusion by helping in designing financial products including insurance products, as well as $1.3m to support the government in attracting private investment. The AGRA plan estimates that losses during and after harvesting amount to 25-30% of all crops produced, and by facilitating post-harvest management opportunities and access to markets, it hopes to close yield gaps for 500,000 farmers and ensure 50 % sell through structured markets by 2020. Source - allafrica.com

Dominican Republic - Citrus shortage due to greening disease

Citrus production, mainly of orange and grapefruit, has virtually disappeared in the domestic market due to the fierce attack of the Greening or Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, which has destroyed millions of citrus trees around the world. The disease was first reported in 2008 in Puerto Plata, but specialists in the field say that it arrived before (in 2000 or 2001). The HLB disease spread throughout the whole country, attacking oranges, grapefruit, mandarins, sour lime, and sour orange crops, which have proved stronger. Thousands of fresh orange and orange for juice, mandarin, grapefruit, and lime crops have been devastated in different parts of the country, such as in the Barcelo family citrus production estate, located in Hato Mayor, in the east. In these farms production has been reduced to a minimum because of the HLB. According to producers and technicians, the disease is still difficult to control, especially in a country where many people have diseased plants in their backyards and where there are many others in abandoned plots. Some companies with large citrus plantations imported new technologies and healthy materials to produce the plants in closed nurseries to prevent the plants from getting sick; a project that was unsuccessful and virtually abandoned. Following the explosion of the disease, the Ministry of Agriculture created a multidisciplinary committee, which includes the Dominican Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Research (Idiaf), the Center for Agricultural and Forestry Development (Cedaf), nurseries, and associated producers. The private agricultural business sector, which is interested in solving the problem, donated equipment for the diagnosis of systemic diseases and resources for operational expenses amounting to $150,000 dollars to the Idiaf. The purpose of this proposal was to establish the technology platform for the production of certified buds of different citrus varieties free of HLB and major systemic diseases affecting citrus, through a program to certify buds from a sanitized genebank. However, technicians have stated that everything has been performed so slowly that it's been impossible to implement an effective technology package against the HLB, a disease that has destroyed more than 100 million trees in the world. Source - www.freshplaza.com

Flash storm Italian area damages melons, tomatoes

Summer was interrupted by bad weather in central-southern Italy. Last weekend, temperatures have been exceptionally low, 10°C below the period average. With the drop in temperatures, a Flash Storm brought the snow back on the Abruzzo mountains (Gran Sasson and even Altopiano delle Rocche). Strong rain hit the Bari area, especially along the coast and in the Bisceglie, Giovinazzo, Molfetta, Ruvo di Puglia and Terlizzi area. Between 50 and 60 mm of rain fell in just a few hours, causing many problems. Flooded melon fields Farm owner Michele Manicone explains that "our 3 hectare melon field was completely flooded (see photo above) and other crops were also partly damaged. Other sandy areas along the coast were spared. The rain started on the 15th and continued throughout 16th July. Other farms reported a lot of damage. My neighbour had just planted around four hectares of tomatoes and his fields are still under half a metre of water." Michele is hoping the state of natural disaster will be declared. "I would like to stress the fact that the problems have not been caused by the rain but rather by the poor management of the drainage canal, which has not been cleaned in 10 years. €200 thousand had been destined to the reparation of its margins a couple of years ago, but nothing happened." Flooded crops Manicone has been operating on open fields for four years and sells its products on the fresh market. "We produce melons, watermelons, tomatoes, peppers and aubergines. We also have a shop in Lido del Sole. We also produce Camone and chocolate-coloured tomatoes for direct sales." The company was also testing new tomato varieties. "We had planted around 10,000 plants, which were ready for harvesting, but everything has been destroyed." Coldiretti: €14 billion damage in 10 years This weather is due to climate change. We are passing from periods of draught to floods and intense rainfall with hailstorms. Over the past few years, Italian agriculture had to endure €14 billion worth of damage. Source - www.freshplaza.com

USA - Hail destroys crops, delays wheat harvest

A hailstorm Sunday left some area farmers with 100 percent crop losses, others unscathed. "In the Egbert area and south, it's 100 percent crop loss," Derek Walls with Frenchman Valley CoOp said, adding, "That was wheat ready to be cut. It's rough for a lot of people. They just were getting ready to take their combines out." Walls said along with wheat crops, corn growing in the area was a complete loss. Monetary losses have not yet been assessed. Some farmers suffered little or no damage to their crops. But farmers just down the road didn't have the same luck. During the afternoon hours of Sunday, July 17, the National Weather Service declared a severe thunderstorm warning for southeastern Laramie County. Residents in Pine Bluffs heard from their friends in Burns that the hail was at least the size of golfballs. Although Pine Bluffs experienced pea-sized hail, it was spared the large hail reported elsewhere. NWS Meteorologist Becca Mazur said the supercell originated in the Horse Creek area between Cheyenne and Laramie before taking a southeast turn. "We had reports of anywhere from golfball to baseball-sized hail," Mazur said. Mazur explained the storm is typical for this time of year. She added that in summer supercells, the weather can vary greatly over just a few miles. The storm, while large, had a narrow hail swath, Mazur said. That narrow swath is what left some farmers unscathed, while others experienced 100 percent crop losses. Matt Hockersmith, who farms just south of Pine Bluffs, said he remembers hearing the reports and watching the storm close in. He said he didn't lose any crops, but others weren't so lucky. His neighbors's car had its windshields shattered. Just nearby, there were reports of injured livestock and antelope that were killed by the storm. But that's the nature of farming. "You're just sitting out here looking at a beautiful cornfield thinking, 'Will this still be here in five minutes?'" Hockersmith said. Harvest continues Despite the setbacks, area farmers whose crops were spared from Sunday's storms are moving forward with harvest, but they're not out of the woods yet. Expect the possibility of similar weather throughout the week as the National Weather Service predicts temperatures into the 90s. According to Mazur, severe weather in southeastern Wyoming becomes more likely through late July into early August. "We're dealing with storms and getting as many acres harvested as we can before we get (a severe storm)," David Dudney, who is currently harvesting wheat north of Albin, said Monday. Dudney said he was working when Sunday's storm came through. "We knew it was coming, and we hoped it would miss us. We just got a little sprinkle, enough to stop us for the day," Dudney said, adding, "We have a good crop. Hopefully the Great White Combine stays away." Source - www.pinebluffspost.com

USA - Deer causing soybean losses across state

Clemson University researchers are attempting to save South Carolina’s soybean growers millions of dollars each year by investigating alternative methods for reducing damage caused by white-tailed deer. Extension specialists Jeremy Greene, David Gunter, Cory Heaton and Jonathan Croft are conducting trials in soybean fields at Clemson’s Edisto Research and Education Center and also at a privately owned farm. “Deer damage in soybean crops varies from insignificant to complete crop failure. Producers in high deer-density areas of South Carolina frequently see 50% or greater yield losses as a result of deer feeding activities,” said Heaton, a Clemson Extension agriculture and natural resources agent. “Identifying effective repellents could greatly reduce the multimillion dollar losses South Carolina farmers are currently experiencing each year.” Orangeburg County farmer Tommy Bozard has been struggling with deer damage in his soybean fields for years despite trying a variety of methods to ward off the large ruminants. In many instances, portions of his planted acreage have been completely destroyed. “Farmers like Mr. Bozard are desperate to find a solution that will allow them to make a crop,” Heaton said. “Unless you have farmed, it’s hard to describe the disgust that comes from seeing someone’s livelihood destroyed during the night.” In keeping with the organizational mission, Clemson Extension Service is working to help solve this major production issue. The ongoing trials will evaluate insecticides that are commonly used on soybeans throughout the state, some of which are believed to have some effectiveness at repelling deer. In addition to the insecticides, five commercially available deer repellents will be included in the trials, which will include three weekly sprays following emergence of soybean plantings. Deer damage to these plantings will be monitored throughout the spray regime and for two weeks after the third spray. Data collected from the study will be analyzed in hopes of identifying successful deer repellent combinations to improve production abilities for soybean growers in high deer-density areas. “We hope to identify effective deer-repellent strategies that are feasible for South Carolina growers and that can be easily incorporated into the crop management program,” Heaton said. Trials were planted in mid-June following the wheat harvest. Soybeans received their initial repellent spray shortly after emergence. Beans will be sprayed with their corresponding treatment two more times. Deer damage to beans has been monitored weekly since their emergence and will continue to be monitored until the end of July. Producers can expect to see research results by the end of the growing season. In South Carolina, damage caused by deer can range from barely noticeable to complete crop failure. Growers in areas with high deer densities have often abandoned soybean production because of the devastating impacts of deer feeding on yields. Farmers often apply for deer depredation permits from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources that allow farmers to apply lethal control techniques to reduce deer numbers in crop fields. “Depredation permits are not solving deer damage issues for all farmers,” Heaton said. “Removal of deer through depredation permits requires significant night-time work on top of the daily duties of running a farming operation. Farmers can’t spend 24 hours a day monitoring each field. Our research aims to identify a passive technique that will provide around-the-clock protection without the presence of a farmer.” Source - manninglive.com

India - Farmers lose 15-25 pct potential crop output due to pests, weeds, diseases

Chairman Standing Committee of Parliament on Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Hukmdev Narayan Yadav called for concerted efforts to forge an R and D-led strategy to save the loss of crops due to pests, weeds and diseases. An estimated 15-25 percent of potential crop production is lost due this menace at a time when India needs not only to raise production but also ensure food security and nutrition for its growing consumption needs. Addressing the sixth National Agrochemicals Conference - 2016 on the theme 'Next Generation Indian Agriculture - Role of Crop Protection Solutions', organized jointly by FICCI and the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare and Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Government of India here today, Narayan said that the need of the hour was to adopt a holistic approach to be implemented in a very systematic manner to farming sector in India. The strategy would have to be implemented with full involvement of farmers who are the main stake holders, he added. He invited the farming community to imbibe latest knowledge and technologies and thus empower themselves. He also suggested for more focus to research and development for ensuring sustainable development. Expressing concern at the rising menace of spurious pesticides including biologicals laced with chemicals, Narayan suggested that the situation should be tackled collectively by farmer associations, industry players, government and pesticide regulatory bodies in a time bound manner. Crop protection and crop enhancement solutions, based on best global practices and the latest technologies available are the answer. There are good emerging trends and solutions for sustainable crop protection which include crop protection chemicals, agronomy, fertigation, seed treatment, bio-technology development etc. The next generation agriculture in the country will have to encompass all such possible solutions using the best mode in a given scenario. The sector has huge unrealized potential for growth, given the presently very low levels of application of crop protection chemicals, as compared to the global norms coupled with fast increasing awareness in young, educated farming class. The sector faces many challenges and solution to same can lead to India becoming a global manufacturing hub of quality crop protection chemicals. The conference debated various challenges faced by Indian Agriculture, such as High monsoon dependence/Unpredictable weather patterns/ Falling water tables/Reduction in arable land (per capita availability)/Decreasing farm sizes/Low per hectare yield/Increasing pest attacks/A very long supply chain (dominated by middle men) etc. Various speakers advocated for application of best solutions, be that linked to agronomy, Plasticulture, fertigation, seed treatment, crop protection chemicals, bio-technology, precision farming etc. The conference covered topics of relevance to the sector, incl. Facilitating ease of doing business. Making India global manufacturing hub of quality crop protection solutions, Key Issues and challenges faced by the industry, export potential of the sector as also some of the futuristic technologies such as Vertical Farming (a concept on which a party from Belgium made a presentation) etc. in a sustainable manner. Good presence and active participation of farmers indicated the keen interest of the farming community in the programme. Source - www.newkerala.com

Australia - Hungry wild ducks destroy organic crops

An organic market farm on Queensland's Sunshine Coast is under attack from wildlife. Destructive native wood ducks have wreaked havoc on Shambhala farm's crops, eating thousands of dollars worth in recent weeks. Farm manager Mick Warren likened the ducks to an "army" that had decimated entire beds of lettuce and leafy Asian greens in the fields at Doonan, near Noosa. The native wood ducks arrived with the first full moon of winter. "On the full moon they just attack because it gives them light so they can see," Mr Warren said. "All night, all day, 24 hours a day they eat it. "On the full moon we could get up to 50 I reckon, you can hear the noise that they make. "They call their mates in as well." Mr Warren said the crop losses were as high as 100 per cent for lettuce during what is the peak growing season of the year. "You have to net it or they just eat the whole lot: it's crazy. "That's the only way I can stop them, but they even get under the net as well. "They've eaten six or seven cos that aren't under the net, little buggers. "I've tried electric fences and strobe lights, like nightclub flashing lights, and it works to a certain extent. "But netting is best and it does get a bit expensive if you want to net the whole lot." For a while trapping and relocation worked, but Mr Warren said the wood ducks have wised up to his wire trap that has a wide entry point and narrow end, similar to a crab-trap. "I was catching up to 20 at a time in there at the start, but they've got a bit smarter now and they're getting in and getting out as well," Mr Warren said. "I need to upgrade my trap I think and get a better system." Before Shambhala farm owner Craig Hubbard took over the property Mr Warren shot up to six ducks a month with a State Government issued mitigation permit, but now the farm runs on holistic principles, the ducks have been declared off limits. "The boss, he's not into the shooting, so it's just the trap," Mr Warren said. "Plus the neighbours are quite close now and we don't really want to have any bullets going over the fence." Rows of what should have been premium priced organic produce have been ploughed back into the ground. Shambhala farm's communications chief, Erin Young, said the wild wood ducks were part of nature, but the damage was disheartening. "You look at the amount of work that goes into preparing this ground and planting it out," Ms Young said. "The whole point of why we are here is to feed our community and feed ourselves, so there's a whole lot of energy lost and we'll have to start again. "It makes me really grateful that we know other growers who can support us at this time and that's what resilience is about." To ensure supply is kept up to customers at the Noosa and Kawana Waters weekend markets, and the farm's home delivery service, Ms Young said Shambhala is now acting as a food hub, working with other organic growers to source fresh produce. "One thing that we're really working towards is food resilience, which comes in local food systems and broader food systems as well, and having sustainable approaches to support the whole ecology of this food growing system." Farm manager, Mick Warren, was not about to admit defeat to the ducks. "Oh we'll get them, definitely, or we'll just get smarter with what we grow." Source - www.abc.net.au

Mexico - 1,100 hectares of pumpkin at risk due to drought

Nearly 1,100 hectares of pumpkin could be lost to the drought, said Manrique Rodriguez Ventura, leader of the National Peasant Confederation (CNC) of Bacalar. He also said that if the drought continued they could lose all their crops. There have been some rains which could have an impact on crops, he said, but they haven't been enough and they haven't been everywhere. Producers cultivate a pumpkin known as chihua because it does not require much water. According to official data, there are 1,100 hectares devoted to pumpkin crops, but producers say there's a higher number because they generally grow more, to try to make more profits. Last season, the conditions of the pumpkin crops were very similar to this year but producers were able to rescue some of their production. This season, producers hope they can save some of their production again. Source - www.freshplaza.com

Spain - Kaki campaign threatened by whiteflies

The Unió de Llauradors (Growers' Association) has called for a meeting to take place on Tuesday 19 July in the municipality of Alginet, next to the City Hall and the town's agricultural cooperative, in order to inform kaki growers about the best strategies that need to be adopted to tackle the virulent whitefly attacks that the fruit's plantations are suffering in many areas of the county of La Ribera. The Unió noted that, given the scale of the problem, there is a need for coordinated action between growers and technical experts, who have to report the right time to carry out the treatments in order to control the whitefly population and minimise the damage caused to the kakis. The fact is that the current campaign is under threat by a pest which had been either practically non-existent so far or had gone unnoticed by the crop's producers. The conversion of citrus to kakis has entailed that some pests that up to now have only affected citrus have found a new place to multiply. Some worth noting are the Planococcus citri or the Cryptoblabes gnidiella, but especially whiteflies (Dialeurodes citri, Paraleyrodes minei and Aleurothrixus floccosus). In large areas of the region of La Ribera Alta, a large population of Dialeurodes citri has been detected. The damage caused by the fly is direct, as by sucking the sap, they cause a weakening of the tree, but also indirect, as it can cause damage to both leaves and fruit which can lead to serious quality and marketing problems. Source - www.freshplaza.com

USA - Sunday's thunderstorm in New Raymer damages wheat crop

Until Sunday night, the wheat harvest in the New Raymer area was going well. A massive thunderstorm changed that. “It was pretty devastating,” New Raymer wheat farmer Jim Mertens said of Sunday’s storm. “It’s definitely going to affect the harvest because there’s only half as much wheat out there now.” Mertens grows wheat, corn and millet. Both the wheat and the corn were damaged by the storm, according to Mertens’ son Cole, who also farms on the family’s land, although there was no harm done to the millet. Summer storms have the potential to wipe out a wheat crop, and Sunday’s storm was especially bad because of hail. Hail is especially damaging because it can break the wheat, meaning its stalks are cut, making it useless for harvest. Such storms, while crushing, are an accepted reality in the farming industry. “Hail is the big one,” said Scott Haley, a wheat grower at Colorado State University. “If the storm doesn’t come with hail or it doesn’t last long, it will cause less damage, but there’s really not much a farmer can do about it.” Haley said weather is only half the problem, though. Wheat, especially in the New Raymer area, also can fall victim to the wheat stem sawfly, an insect which cuts the stems of the crop and leaves it vulnerable to high winds. Farmers can take precautions against the worst of these risks, but there is no guarantee. “Timely harvest is really the thing that comes to mind,” Haley said. “And farmers can diversify, too. If farmers have, say, both corn and wheat, the damage to one crop might not be as bad to one as it is to the other.” For farmers like Cole and Jim Mertens, there’s little to be done after a storm like this. Cole said crop insurance will help them get some returns on the wheat, but not as much as the crop itself would have brought in. “The wheat that was out there was way better than anything the insurance would get us, so it would’ve been a lot more money,” Cole said. Sometimes, the harvest is still out of farmers’ hands. “There’s nothing you can do about the weather,” Haley said. Source - www.greeleytribune.com