Welcome to the

 

CAULIFLOWER HARVEST

         

There are two harvest methods for Cauliflower.  In his set of photos, the head is cut from the plant, trimmed and placed on a conveyer belt, which carries it to large bulk cartons on a trailer at the end of the conveyer belt.  This harvested crop will go to a processing plant where the heads are cut and mixed with other veggies to make up a bagged salad.  

NUTRITION  

Cauliflower is low in fat, low in carbs but high in dietary fiber, folate, water, and vitamin C, possessing a high nutritional density.

Cauliflower contains several phytochemicals, common in the cabbage family, that may be beneficial to human health.

Boiling reduces the levels of these compounds, with losses of 20–30% after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 75% after thirty minutes.[14] However, other preparation methods, such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, had no significant effect on the compounds.[14]

A high intake of cauliflower has been associated with reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer.[15]

100g of cauliflower contains the following nutritional information according to the USDA:

  • Calories : 25

  • Fat: 0.28

  • Carbohydrates: 4.97

  • Fibers: 2

  • Protein: 1.92

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“U.S. Cattle Herd Smaller”
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reports the January 1 Cattle Inventory is down two-percent.  All cattle and calves in the United States totaled 90.8-million head. This is the lowest January 1 inventory since the 88.1-million on hand in 1952.
 All cows and heifers that have calved were down two-percent, beef cows were down three-percent and milk cows were up one-percent. The 2011 calf crop was estimated at 35.3-million head - down one-percent from 2010.  This is the smallest calf crop since 1950.
Jim Robb - Director of at the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver - says the record Texas drought certainly was the game changer.  As feedstuffs were at record-high costs - the herd on a national basis declined. A
kshay Jagdale - a New York-based analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets - says beef processors may have to adjust plant capacity as cattle supplies shrink. He says higher beef prices will boost revenue enough to make up for the rise in costs from shrinking supplies.

U.S. Growers to Stand Up for Potatoes on Capitol Hill

Registration open for NPC’s Potato D.C. Fly-In, Feb. 27 – March 1, 2012

 Washington, D.C. – Potato growers from across the country will descend upon the nation's capital as part of the National Potato Council’s (NPC) annual Potato D.C. Fly-In, designed to advance the industry's most pressing federal policy priorities. During this year's Fly-In, February 27 through March 1, growers and industry partners will meet with members of Congress and Administration officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as hear from prominent political pundits and key public policy decision makers. (Read More)

“NFU Supports Cool Requirements”
National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson is urging U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to pursue a robust appeals process on the recent decision of the World Trade Organization that ruled against the United States’ implementation of the country-of-origin-labeling law. Johnson says NFU will oppose any attempt to make change. The WTO has not found fault with the law - but it thinks the rules and regulations used to implement the law are at fault.
NFU is urging the USTR to mount a vigorous defense of COOL -which requires retailers to notify their customers of the source of certain foods. Canada and Mexico filed a complaint against the United States’ law - which led to the recent ruling. The deadline for filing an appeal to the WTO decision is March 23, 2012.
 

MATRIX

“World Economic Forum Held”

The World Economic Forum was held in Davos, Switzerland last week. The forum meets annually to develop strategy to improve the state of the world. The gathering is a high-level assembly of business and government leaders from around the world and is privately financed. World Farmers Organization President and National Farmers Union Vice President for International Affairs Robert Carlson was an invited guest.
NFU says agriculture, water use, energy development and climate change are interconnected in a complex relationship that demands different solutions in different parts of the world. The WE Forum is dedicated to finding efficient, decentralized and practical solutions as quickly as possible through partnerships between private business and government policy. In the developing countries - that means a combination of many improvements to increase farm production.
Those improvements include sources of credit, property rights, plant and animal research and a whole series of infrastructure improvements such as road transportation, farm supply businesses, storage for fruit, vegetables and grains and meat and an extension service - things that already exist for the developed world’s farmers. Carlson says to feed another 2-billion people in the next 40 years is a huge opportunity for agriculture - and farmers know they can do it because they have before.

 

Names Winners of 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum

 Student Diversity Program

 

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2012 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the selection of 24 university students who will attend USDA's 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum. The finalists include students from Land-Grant, Hispanic-serving institutions, and American Association of State Colleges of Agriculture and Renewable Resources institutions who are the recipients of corporate and USDA sponsorship aimed at promoting the education of the next generation of agriculturalists. The Forum titled, "Moving Agriculture Forward," is USDA's largest annual event and will be held Feb. 23 and 24 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

"USDA's Outlook Forum will celebrate USDA's 150th anniversary, giving these students the opportunity to hear former Secretaries of Agriculture describe their vision for the future of agriculture," said Vilsack. "USDA welcomes the next generation to participate in the Forum so they might see opportunities to excel to even greater heights in their careers."

The 24 university juniors and seniors majoring in agricultural-related studies were selected based on their essays, "Agriculture as a Career," and recommendations from their deans.

The finalists chosen to represent their universities are: (Click Here)


“USTR Reports Progress in Trade Talks”


U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk has announced important progress with Japan on a range of trade and regulatory issues as well as on new areas of joint cooperation. Working through the U.S.-Japan Economic Harmonization Initiative - Kirk says Japan has improved the business environment and expanded access for a broad range of U.S. goods and services. These goods include agricultural products.
Ambassador Kirk welcomed the progress which - expands job-supporting business and export opportunities for American entrepreneurs, workers, manufacturers and service providers. Kirk says addressing issues of concern and working closely together to advance new areas of cooperation will further deepen the United States' relationship with Japan - a strong ally and the nation's fourth largest export market.
The EHI - launched in November 2010 - aims to contribute to U.S. economic growth by promoting cooperation to harmonize approaches that facilitate trade, address business climate and individual issues and advance coordination on regional issues of common interest.
 

“U.S. Ag Exports to Mexico Still Growing”

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network reports that Mexico has become one of our largest and fastest-growing trading partners. The report shows exports of consumer-oriented products to Mexico reached almost 6.5-billion dollars in 2010 - making the country the United States' third-largest export market. U.S. agricultural and food exports to Mexico have been climbing at an average rate of almost 10-percent per year.

During the first 10 calendar months of 2011 - U.S. exports to Mexico were up 27-percent - while Mexican exports to the United States were up 17-percent from the previous year. At the same time - the U.S. market accounts for 75-percent of all Mexican exports - while the United States provides Mexico with 61-percent of its imports. Fresh fruit and vegetables account for the largest share of Mexican imports to the United States at 42-percent of the total.

According to the GAIN report - in terms of value - beef is America's top consumer-oriented food export to Mexico. Even without full market access for some products - such as ground beef - in 2010 the U.S. exported 1.64-million metric tons of beef valued at 644-million dollars to the country. The five-year annual growth rate in beef exports to Mexico is 25-percent. Still - poultry tops beef in volume of exports to Mexico - 2.5-million metric tons in 2010 - but at a lower value total of 595-million dollars.

Livestock Groups Find US Forest Service

 Planning Rule Unworkable

WASHINGTON (Jan. 27, 2012) – The Public Lands Council (PLC), the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service ignored concerns of industry and members of Congress, disregarded federal statute and defied logic in its preferred alternative forest planning rule, which according to a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement released by USDA on Jan. 26, 2012, will be issued as the final rule in 30 days. John Falen, PLC president and Nevada rancher, said the alternative plan is very similar to the proposed planning rule released as a draft in early 2011 that would have devastating long-term impacts on ranchers’ ability to access and responsibly manage the land and its resources. (more)


“Feeding the World, So Far, So Good”

Don Hofstrand - Iowa State University emeritus ag economist says world agriculture has been successful in keeping up with world population growth over the last half of the 20th century.  In fact -Hofstrand says agriculture's food production has increased faster than population during this time period. And the value of food production has increased rapidly during this period - most of which occurred in the developing countries.

Hofstrand notes that although world agricultural production has increased faster than population growth - resulting in an increase in production per capita - the increases have not been distributed evenly across the globe. Still - 37 out of 70 developing countries are considered food insecure nations. Most are located in Sub-Saharan Africa - the same region that has the highest fertility rate.

Hofstrand adds agriculture's ability to meet the needs of an additional two-billion people during the first half of the 21st century is an open question. The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates food production will need to increase by 70-percent by 2050.

 

ALION HERBICIDE

“Pork Tenderloin Key Protein to Good Health

The American Heart Association has certified pork tenderloin as a heart-healthy food with its iconic Heart-Check mark. According to the National Pork Board - the tenderloin - ounce-for-ounce - is as lean as a boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Michelle Dudash - registered dietitian and Cordon Bleu-certified chef - says healthy eating doesn't have to mean boring eating. She recommends making pork tenderloin your scrumptious sidekick because it offers an endless variety of simple preparations and bold, tasty recipes.
As for the Heart-Check mark - Dudash says pork tenderloin is extra-lean and nutrient-packed - health-conscious consumers can easily identify this flavorful, juicy cut as a meal choice compatible with their personal wellness goals. Throughout the month of February - the National Pork Board is hosting a Love Me Tenderloin daily sweepstakes.  Pork fans can visit www.Facebook.com/PorkBeInspired and pledge to eat healthier for a chance to win free pork and other great prizes.

 

(Sweet News, here)


“Biodiesel Production Expanding”

It’s official! The U.S. biodiesel industry reached a key milestone in 2011 by producing more than one-billion gallons of fuel.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency - the total volume of nearly 1.1-billion gallons easily exceeded the 800-million gallon target required under EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard. The previous record for biodiesel production was about 690-million gallons in 2008. The biodiesel industry's success comes after Congress reinstated the fuel's one-dollar-per-gallon tax credit in December 2010 and as the EPA's RFS program for biodiesel completed its first full year of implementation.
Anne Steckel - Vice President of Federal Affairs for the National Biodiesel Board says biodiesel's success clearly demonstrates that the biodiesel tax incentive and the Renewable Fuel Standard are working just as Congress envisioned. Steckel says the biodiesel industry is creating jobs, reducing U.S. dependence on imported fuel and improving the environment.
A recent economic study commissioned by NBB found that biodiesel production of one-billion gallons supports more than 39-thousand jobs across the country and more than 2.1-billion dollars in household income. Nearly 12-thousand more jobs could be added between 2012 and 2013 alone under continued growth in the Renewable Fuel Standard and with an extension of the biodiesel tax incentive.

RELY Herbicide

“Forest Planning Rule Has Problem”

Several key agriculture groups believe USDA’s Forest Service ignored concerns of industry and members of Congress, disregarded federal statute and defied logic in its preferred alternative forest planning rule - which will be issued as the final rule in 30 days. John Falen - President of the Public Lands Council - says the alternative plan is very similar to the proposed planning rule that would have devastating long-term impacts on ranchers’ ability to access and responsibly manage the land and its resources. Falen says if implemented - this final rule will thwart multiple-uses and will have rippling effects on the health of rural economies.
NCBA President and Montana cattleman Bill Donald noted that the creation of a new category of protected species is completely unrelated to Endangered Species Act. He says it’s called species of conservation concern - and determined at the whim of the regional forester - it will negatively impact the livestock industry’s ability to access forest lands to raise healthy animals.
Margaret Soulen Hinson - President of the American Sheep Industry says it is very disappointing that the Forest Service opted to retain the requirement to maintain viable populations of species of conservation concern in the preferred alternative forest plan. She says the term“maintain viable population does not appear in federal statute and has already proven a problem under the current planning rule - as it is ill-defined and nearly impossible to achieve.

 Capitol Report 1-27-12
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Senate Member Contact Roster

 
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This Week in Review...

HCR 2004 -  Asserts the rights of sovereignty over the land and resources of the state of Arizona by amending the Arizona Constitution to reflect such sentiments. The 2012 general election ballot is to carry the question of whether to amend the state constitution to declare Arizona's sovereign and exclusive authority and jurisdiction over the air, water, public lands, minerals, wildlife and other natural resources within its boundaries, with certain exceptions.

 

This bill passed out of Committee on a party line vote.

SB 1077 - The statute establishing the crime of trespassing on state lands does not prohibit the lawful possession or discharge of a firearm while hunting, target shooting, in self-defense or in defense of another.

 

This bill was scheduled for committee last week but was held because of concerns of impact to State Land.

HCM 2005 - The Legislature urges the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to relocate border patrol agents from the streets and highways in the interior of Arizona to stations along the border fence. The Secretary of State is directed to transmit copies of this memorial to the Commissioner and to each member of Congress from Arizona.

 

This bill was passed out of Committee on a party line vote.

(Read More)

“Pioneer Releases New Corn Hybrids”

For growers who have yet to place their seed order for this spring - Pioneer Hi-Bred - a DuPont business - is releasing 17 new Pioneer brand Optimum AQUAmax hybrids in the 96- to 116-day comparative relative maturities for drought-stressed environments. Everything from timing of seed treatment, planting date, row spacing, plant population, planting depth, tillage practices and nutrient management are factored into the Optimum AQUAmax hybrid systems approach.
Monica Patterson - Pioneer Marketing Manager - says Pioneer is approaching drought tolerance with an integrated approach - leveraging all the tools available to develop robust solutions for drought. Patterson says Pioneer's Optimum AQUAmax hybrids deliver multiple modes of action through a suite of native traits that have a positive impact on drought tolerance - and thus yield.

“Students to Attend USDA Outlook Forum”

Twenty-four university students have been selected to attend USDA's 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum. The finalists include students from Land-Grant, Hispanic-serving institutions and American Association of State Colleges of Agriculture and Renewable Resources institutions who are the recipients of corporate and USDA sponsorships aimed at promoting the education of the next generation of agriculturalists. The Forum titled Moving Agriculture Forward is USDA's largest annual event and will be held February 23rd and 24th at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
This year’s forum will be the 150th anniversary forum - giving these students the opportunity to hear former Secretaries of Agriculture describe their vision for the future of agriculture. In making the announcement - Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack voiced his hope that the youth might see opportunities to excel to even greater heights in their careers. The 24 university juniors and seniors majoring in agricultural-related studies were selected based on their essays with the theme Agriculture as a Career and recommendations from their deans.

Share Ag's Amazing Story –
Be a Part of Ag Day 2012


Do you have plans for March 8, 2012?

We have a suggestion ...

Join thousands of other proud supporters of American agriculture in celebrating all that makes it Abundant, Affordable & Amazing!

Momentum around Ag Day celebrations across the country has really picked up steam in the last couple years. Last

 year's attendance at our annual events in Washington, D.C., was the highest ever! We have some exciting new things

 to share for 2012 and we have updated the Ag Day website in preparation for the upcoming Washington, D.C. events.

 Please check in regularly and be sure to join Ag Day communities on Twitter, Facebook and the Ag Day Blog.

Register Today!

Get registered today for the Ag Day Activities in Washington, D.C. We look forward to seeing you there!
 

“2011 Wheat Leader of Year Award Presented”

The National Association of Wheat Growers has selected Montana Senator Max Baucus as the 2011 Wheat Leader of the Year. Baucus is Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and long-time agricultural advocate. The award is the wheat industry's highest public service award - given annually to one Member of Congress based on his or her demonstrated commitment to the well-being and goals of the wheat industry.
Baucus was chosen by NAWG's leadership because of his tireless support of three free trade agreements that were approved last year, his efforts to protect crop insurance within the federal budget and his general advocacy for agricultural priorities. NAWG also saluted several other lawmakers with their Wheat Advocate Award.
 

STUDENTS,

HAVE AN INTEREST IN AGRICULTURE??? THEN

(READ THIS)

   14-17year old students interested in Agriculture,  

           Veterinary Medicine & Life Sciences, this is a free        

      two week summer camp, that is sponsored by the

                            University of Arizona and USDA.                     

One week is spent in Yuma Arizona and the second week

is spent in Tucson.

 

Milk Producers Council’s Friday Market Update

 http://www.milkproducerscouncil.org/friday_updates.htm

 

 

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Report from Washington

 

AG WEB NEWS

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LIVESTOCK NEWS

Drover Cattle Network

Female prices surge higher during January

By Greg Henderson, Editor, Associate Publisher

Demand for replacement females surged higher during January, with bids highest for bred females at $84 to more than $100 per head higher at auctions across the country, according to Drovers/CattleNetwork’s national monthly analysis.
Read more

Mexico is muy bueno for trade

By John Maday, Managing Editor

For food and agricultural products, Mexico has become one of our largest and fastest-growing trading partners, according to a new GAIN report from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. The report shows exports of consumer-oriented products to Mexico reached almost $6.5 billion in 2010, making the country our third-largest export market.
Read more

Florida turns down 'Ag Gag,' Iowa about to debate it

The Florida Legislature decided Wednesday to strike what animal-rights activists refer to as the “Ag Gag” measure. Meanwhile, the Iowa Legislation is about ready to take up a similar measure. .
Read more

 

Supreme Court decision helps fuel activist propaganda machine

By Greg Henderson, Editor, Associate Publisher

The U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision, announced yesterday in National Meat Association vs Harris, offered yet another opportunity for activists to scare and confuse consumers with propaganda.
Read more

Retail beef prices and farmer’s share up in 2011

By John Maday, Managing Editor

Retail prices for Choice beef and for all fresh beef set records in December, according to the latest report on meat price spreads from USDA’s Economic Research Service. The report lists the average retail price of Choice beef for December at $5.02 per pound, up from $5.00 in November. For the fourth month in a row, the Choice price set a new nominal high.
Read more

No more pizza sticks and red sauce

The days of the lunch lady serving up big helpings of hot dogs on white bread with greasy French fries are coming to an end, as the federal government introduced new nutrition standards for school meals this week.
Read more

Packer losses exceed $125 per head, feedyards near breakeven

Beef packer margins declined more than $65 per head last week as cash fed cattle prices improved more than $3 per hundredweight and boxed beef cutout values declined $2 per hundredweight.
Read more

 

Drovers CattleNetwork

Self-feeding options

Most cattle feeding is designed around daily or twice-daily deliveries of feed to meet the expected needs of the cattle being fed.
Read more

More cows now

Why more cows now? America's cattle herd has declined at an alarming rate, down to levels found in the 1950's.
Read more

List of supplies and equipment for calving time

Calving time is just around the corner, or maybe it’s begun already. Do you have your supplies ready?
Read more

 

JUST the TRUTH ! ! ! !

(Click Here)

 

MONDAY, JANUARY 30th, 2012

Coming in from the cold and wind that now grip much of the nation, something warm to drink can be very welcome. Many will make themselves a cup of tea, helping to celebrate National Hot Tea Month. Not only is tea relaxing, but studies have shown it to help ward off cardiovascular disease. Tea is the only beverage commonly served either hot or iced and in any season. While drinking tea has been around for thousands of years, Americans made two important contributions -- inventing tea bags and iced tea -- both in 1904. Recently, the U.S. has led in the development of ready-to-drink forms of tea in bottles and cans. In all its forms, Americans drink an average of 9 gallons of tea each year.

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AGRICULTURE 

 

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ARS Food and Nutrition Research Briefs Issued

Drinking soy milk rather than cow's milk or mother's milk can result in better bones, at least in piglets, according to findings reported in the latest issue of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Food and Nutrition Research Briefs and its Spanish-language edition (Informe de investigaciones de alimentos y nutrición).

View the English edition at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/fnrb/fnrb0112.htm

The popular online newsletter reports discoveries from researchers at ARS laboratories nationwide.

Among other findings, the current issue reports that:

• Newer broccoli varieties provide the same nutrient levels as heirloom varieties.

• Researchers are identifying ways to help identify breeding wheats that could make the best whole-grain cookie doughs.

• A cacao collecting trip may help save chocolate from witches' broom disease.

ARS Food and Nutrition Research Briefs is offered with color photos and illustrations on the Web. And by clicking the "subscribe" link on the newsletter's home page, readers can sign up for two e-mail options: They can receive the full text of the newsletter by e-mail, or simply an advisory that a new issue has been posted to the Web.

ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.

Healthy Animals icon: Link to new issue.

New Issue of Healthy Animals Now Online

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) today posted a new issue of Healthy Animals. This quarterly online newsletter compiles ARS news and expert resources on the health and well-being of agricultural livestock, poultry and fish.

Each quarter, one article in Healthy Animals focuses on a particular element of ARS animal research. The current issue examines some of the collaborative partnerships formed by ARS and international agencies to control destructive diseases that threaten the health of livestock in developing nations and other parts of the world.

Other research highlighted in this issue includes:

  • Scientists' discovery of genetic resistance to nematode parasites that infect sheep.
  • A widely popular variety of forage grass for livestock.
  • The potential of "biochar"—charred biomass created from wood, other plant material and manure—to improve soils.

Professionals interested in animal health issues might want to bookmark the site as a resource for locating animal health experts. An index lists ARS research locations covering 70 animal health topics. These range from specific diseases, such as Lyme disease, to broad subjects such as nutrition or parasites.

The site also provides complete contact information for the 25 ARS research groups that conduct studies aimed at protecting and improving farm animal health.

To receive an e-mail alert about each issue's online posting, contact Sandra Avant, ARS Information Staff, or sign up online.

ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Photo: The new USDA Plant hardiness Zone Map. Link to map.
The new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is more sophisticated and accurate than any other previously developed. Click the image for link to zone map web site.

USDA Unveils New Plant Hardiness Zone Map

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released the new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), updating a useful tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 1990 with greater accuracy and detail. The new map—jointly developed by USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Oregon State University's (OSU) PRISM Climate Group—is available online at www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov. ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA.

For the first time, the new map offers a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based interactive format and is specifically designed to be Internet-friendly. The map website also incorporates a "find your zone by ZIP code" function. Static images of national, regional and state maps also have been included to ensure the map is readily accessible to those who lack broadband Internet access.

"This is the most sophisticated Plant Hardiness Zone Map yet for the United States," said Catherine Woteki, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. "The increases in accuracy and detail that this map represents will be extremely useful for gardeners and researchers."

Plant hardiness zone designations represent the average annual extreme minimum temperatures at a given location during a particular time period. They do not reflect the coldest it has ever been or ever will be at a specific location, but simply the average lowest winter temperature for the location over a specified time. Low temperature during the winter is a crucial factor in the survival of plants at specific locations.

The new version of the map includes 13 zones, with the addition for the first time of zones 12 (50-60 degrees Fahrenheit) and 13 (60-70 degrees Fahrenheit). Each zone is a 10-degree Fahrenheit band, further divided into 5-degree Fahrenheit zones "A" and "B."

To help develop the new map, USDA and OSU requested that horticultural and climatic experts review the zones in their geographic area, and trial versions of the new map were revised based on their expert input.

Compared to the 1990 version, zone boundaries in this edition of the map have shifted in many areas. The new map is generally one 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zone warmer than the previous map throughout much of the United States. This is mostly a result of using temperature data from a longer and more recent time period; the new map uses data measured at weather stations during the 30-year period 1976-2005. In contrast, the 1990 map was based on temperature data from only a 13-year period of 1974-1986.

However, some of the changes in the zones are a result of new, more sophisticated methods for mapping zones between weather stations. These include algorithms that considered for the first time such factors as changes in elevation, nearness to large bodies of water, and position on the terrain, such as valley bottoms and ridge tops. Also, the new map used temperature data from many more stations than did the 1990 map. These advances greatly improved the accuracy and detail of the map, especially in mountainous regions of the western United States. In some cases, they resulted in changes to cooler, rather than warmer, zones.

While about 80 million American gardeners, as well as those who grow and breed plants, are the largest users of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, many others need this hardiness zone information. For example, the USDA Risk Management Agency uses the USDA plant hardiness zone designations to set some crop insurance standards. Scientists use the plant hardiness zones as a data layer in many research models such as modeling the spread of exotic weeds and insects.

Although a poster-sized version of this map will not be available for purchase from the government as in the past, anyone may download the map free of charge from the Internet onto their personal computer and print copies of the map as needed.

As USDA's chief scientific research agency, ARS is leading America towards a better future through agricultural research and information. ARS conducts research to develop and transfer solutions to help answer agricultural questions that impact Americans every day. ARS research helps to:

  • ensure high-quality, safe food and other agricultural products;
  • assess the nutritional needs of Americans;
  • sustain a competitive agricultural economy;
  • enhance the natural resource base and the environment; and
  • provide economic opportunities for rural citizens, communties and society as a whole.
Photo: Angus cows grazing on grass and forage kochia in Utah. Link to photo information
Ranchers in the Intermountain West can reduce feeding costs by grazing their animals on the forage kochia, an Asian plant that sometimes survives wildfires and other environmental challenges better than native plants. Click the image for more information about it.

Finding New Forages for Rangeland Cattle

Cattle that graze on rangelands in the western United States may soon have a new forage option, thanks to work by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist.

Research by geneticist Blair Waldron with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Logan, Utah, suggests that forage kochia (Kochia prostrata) can provide more nutritious winter forage than traditional rangeland vegetation.

ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, and this work supports the USDA priorities of responding to climate change and promoting international food security.

Waldron and his cooperators in Utah partnered to learn more about forage kochia, a shrubby Asian native plant that sometimes survives wildfires and other environmental challenges more successfully than North American native plants. Waldron works at the ARS Forage and Range Research Laboratory in Logan.

In a series of studies, the team found that forage kochia can be established on damaged rangelands, and that it can compete with cheatgrass successfully. It can even protect against wildfires.

Waldron and his research partners also investigated fall/winter rangeland forage yields, rangeland carrying capacities, nutritive values, and the livestock performance of cattle that spent the fall and winter grazing on either kochia-dominated rangelands or grass-dominated rangelands. The team stocked each site with predominately Black Angus cattle and ran field trials for two seasons.

They found that the forage yield on rangelands seeded with kochia was 2,309 pounds per acre, which was six times greater than the forage yield on traditional grazinglands. This difference meant that the rangelands with kochia could support 1.38 animals per acre, while the traditional rangelands could support only 0.24 animal per acre.

In addition, the experimental forage had a crude protein content of 11.7 percent, well above the recommended minimum, while the stockpiled grasses had a crude protein content of only 3.1 percent, which was below the recommended minimum.

Results from this research were published in Forage and Grazinglands, Journal of Extension, Small Ruminant Research, and elsewhere.

For further reading

Photo: Rangeland scientist Tony Svejcar (left), technician Lori Ziegenhagen and plant physiologist Jeremy James examine blue bunch wheatgrass. Link to photo information
ARS rangeland scientist Tony Svejcar (left), technician Lori Ziegenhagen and plant physiologist Jeremy James found that small improvements in seeding could significantly increase plant restoration efforts on some postfire rangeland landscapes. Click the image for more information about it.

Seeding Strategies Help Rangelands Recover from Fire

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are making sure that money spent on sustaining and repairing arid rangeland ecosystems is spent on programs that work.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers in Burns, Ore., have identified factors that limit the success of rangeland restoration projects. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, and this work supports the USDA priority of responding to global climate change.

After wildfires, public land managers on western U.S. rangelands often quickly reseed burned areas to provide watershed protection and control soil erosion. Although seeds planted in the fall on postfire rangelands usually emerge the following spring, their low establishment rates are often attributed to insufficient precipitation or competition with invasive grasses.

Plant physiologist Jeremy James and research leader Tony Svejcar, who both work at the ARS Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center in Burns, compared the success of postfire reseeding management on four sites in Oregon where wildfires had burned a total of 300,000 acres.

The scientists obtained an assortment of seeds for several rangeland species. Then they seeded study plots either with a rangeland drill—a common practice in reseeding postfire sites—or placed seed in the soil by hand so that burial depth could be tightly controlled. In addition, irrigation and weeding was applied to some plots so the relative importance of seed placement, annual precipitation and competition from weeds could be assessed.

The best seed establishment occurred in hand-seeded plots with around 14 plants per square meter. The drilled plots had establishment rates of only around four plants per square meter, and weeding or watering management had no effect on seed establishment rates. The researchers also observed that although the wildfires at the four study sites burned away all the sagebrush, other quick-growing native perennial herbs soon recovered, which suggests that some postfire landscapes might not need reseeding at all.

The scientists believe these findings indicate that small improvements in seeding technology could yield large increases in rangeland restoration success. Results from this work were published in 2010 in Rangeland Ecology & Management.

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Photo: Three piglets. Link to photo information
An ARS-funded study found that, in general, piglets fed soy formula had better bones than those fed cow or sow's milk. Pigs were used as the animal model because their digestive system is generally regarded as being closest to that of humans. Click the image for more information about it.

Ongoing Research Analyzes Formulas,

Mother's Milk

Soy-based baby formula nourishes millions of America's infants. Now, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded scientist Jin-Ran Chen is taking a close look at the effects that soy formula, cow's-milk formula, and mother's milk have on bone development in infants.

Very little is known about the short- and long-term effects of soy formula on bone health, according to Chen. A series of studies, conducted by Chen and his co-researchers, are helping to fill in the knowledge gap.

One early investigation provided a comprehensive comparison of bone formation in piglets that were fed either sow's milk or formulas based on either soy or cow's milk. The scientists chose pigs as the animal model because the pig digestive system is generally regarded as being closest to that of humans, Chen noted.

For this investigation, one of the most detailed of its kind, Chen's team used a range of leading-edge technologies to examine more than a half-dozen well-established indicators of bone quality and quantity (mass).

In general, the work suggests that soy-formula-fed piglets may have the best quality bone, and that soy may enhance bone formation by directly affecting the BMP2 (short for "bone morphogenesis protein") signaling pathway.

Signaling, or messaging, initiated by BMP2 is essential for building and reforming of bone. Though scientists have known of the existence of a BMP2 signaling pathway for several decades, details are still being uncovered. Chen's study was the first to spotlight soy's relative influence on initiating BMP2 signaling.

The findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2009, have helped shape Chen's ongoing animal-model studies of the three feeding options.

Chen is lead scientist for the Skeletal Development Laboratory at the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center in Little Rock. The Nutrition Center is a partnership of Arkansas Children's Hospital, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency.

According to nutrition center director Thomas M. Badger, findings from the center's studies are improving the understanding of early nutrition choices, including breastfeeding, the option recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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Photo: Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) being grown a field. Link to photo information
Some prickly pear cactus varieties can be grown as a gentle bioremediation tool for high levels of salinity and selenium in arid soils. Click the image for more information about it.

New Tool for Cleaning Up

 Soils and Waterways:

Prickly Pear

A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist has discovered what may be an effective tool for cleaning up soils and waterways in parts of California's San Joaquin Valley: a drought-tolerant cactus.

Ancient seas once covered the west side of the valley, and those seas left behind marine sediments, shale formations and deposits of selenium and other minerals in the soil. Crops grown there need to be irrigated, but the resulting runoff, when it contains high levels of selenium, can be toxic to fish, migratory birds, and other wildlife that drink from waterways and drainage ditches. Selenium runoff is subject to monitoring by regional water quality officials.

Soil scientist Gary Bañuelos with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) thinks he has found a promising way to rid the soil of selenium: planting prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica). The plant takes up selenium from the soil and volatilizes it, reducing deposits that would otherwise enter drainage ditches and waterways.

ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA commitment to agricultural sustainability.

Bañuelos, who works at the San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier, Calif., initially conducted greenhouse studies to evaluate the ability of different varieties of O. ficus-indica to tolerate poor quality soils. Based on those observations, he then spent three years evaluating five prickly pear varieties from Mexico, Brazil, and Chile for salt and boron tolerance in selenium-laden soils by collecting soils and sediments from the area and growing the varieties in field test plots. He followed normal agronomic practices and used a drip irrigation system that produced very little run off.

Prickly pear was thought to be sensitive to high salinity, and many of the plants grown in test plots were smaller and produced less fruit than those in control soil plots. But the results, published in Soil Use and Management, showed that prickly pear grew reasonably well in the poor quality soils with very little water.

The studies also showed that the plants took up selenium, volatizing some of it and keeping some in their fruit and leaf-like stems (cladodes), and that tolerance to salinity and boron depends on the genotype. The cactus variety from Chile showed the highest tolerance, as well as being the best at producing fruit and accumulating and volatizing selenium. The work is continuing with a focus on selecting specific varieties that can be used as bioremediation tools.

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Photo: The rate of photosynthesis is being measured in a field of soybeans. Link to photo information
A team of scientists has devised a new way to more accurately compare how efficiently plants and photovoltaic, or solar, cells convert sunlight into energy, which could ultimately help researchers improve plant photosynthesis, a critical first link to enhancing the global supply of food, feed, fiber and bioenergy. Click the image for more information about it.

Comparing Energy Conversion of Plants and Solar Cells

Scientists now have a way to more accurately compare how efficiently plants and photovoltaic, or solar, cells convert sunlight into energy, thanks to findings by a research consortium that included a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist.

The study, published in Science, could help researchers improve plant photosynthesis, a critical first link in the global supply chain for food, feed, fiber and bioenergy production.

Comparing plant and photovoltaic systems is a challenge. Although both processes harvest energy from sunlight, they use that energy in different ways. Plants convert the sun's energy into chemical energy, whereas solar cells produce electricity. The scientists, including Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research leader Donald Ort in the agency's Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit in Urbana, Ill., identified specific designs that hold excellent promise for improving efficiency.

ARS is the USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency.

The first step was to facilitate a direct comparison of the two systems. The researchers set a uniform basis for the comparison and examined the major factors that define the efficiencies of both processes, first considering current technology, then looking forward to possible strategies for improvements.

In all cases, the research team considered the efficiency of harvesting the entire solar spectrum as a basis for comparison. Additionally, the researchers compared plants to solar cell arrays that also store energy in chemical bonds. Calculations were applied to a solar cell array that was coupled to an electrolyzer that used electricity from the array to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The free energy needed to split water is essentially the same as that needed for photosynthesis or a solar cell, so the comparison provided a level playing field.

Using this type of calculation, the annual averaged efficiency of solar-cell-driven electrolysis is about 10 percent. Solar energy conversion efficiencies for crop plants are about 1 percent, which illustrates the significant potential to improve the efficiency of the natural system, according to Ort. While, in the context of the team's efficiency analysis, solar cells have a clear advantage compared to photosynthesis, there is a need to apply both in the service of sustainable energy conversion for the future.

This energy-efficiency analysis between plant photosynthesis and solar cells will lay the groundwork for improving the efficiency of plant photosynthesis in agriculture for improved yield.

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Copyright 2006, George G. Gatley, Western Agri-Radio Networks, Inc.