BERKELEY, CA – A new study by UC Berkeley researchers suggests that organic farming crop yields are higher than previously thought.
“In terms of comparing productivity among the two techniques, this paper sets the record straight on the comparison between organic and conventional agriculture,” said the study’s senior author, Claire Kremen, Professor of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and Co-Director of the Berkeley Food Institute. “With global food needs predicted to greatly increase in the next 50 years, it’s critical to look more closely at organic farming, because aside from the environmental impacts of industrial agriculture, the ability of synthetic fertilizers to increase crop yields has been declining.”
The findings, which were obtained through a meta-analysis of 115 different studies with a dataset three times larger than any previously published work, are set to be published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. They reveal that organic yields are only 19.2% lower than those obtained from conventional farming methods, a number which may even be overstated given many previous studies were biased towards conventional methods, according to the researchers.
This yield gap can be further shrunk through the use of certain agricultural techniques, such as multi-cropping and crop rotation, according to the study. Doing so can reduce the organic-to-conventional yield gap to only 9% or 8% respectively. Furthermore it was found that certain crops, including beans, peas and lentils experienced no significant difference in yield between conventional and organic methods.
“Our study suggests that through appropriate investment in agroecological research to improve organic management and in breeding cultivars for organic farming systems, the yield gap could be reduced or even eliminated for some crops or regions,” said the study’s lead author, Lauren Ponisio, a graduate student in environmental science, policy and management. “This is especially true if we mimic nature by creating ecologically diverse farms that harness important ecological interactions like the nitrogen-fixing benefits of intercropping or cover-cropping with legumes.”
“It’s important to remember that our current agricultural system produces far more food than is needed to provide for everyone on the planet,” Kremen added. “Eradicating world hunger requires increasing the access to food, not simply the production. Also, increasing the proportion of agriculture that uses sustainable, organic methods of farming is not a choice, it’s a necessity. We simply can’t continue to produce food far into the future without taking care of our soils, water and biodiversity.”
Though conventional farming methods still outpace their organic counterparts, this research seems to shed some light on previous assumptions. It’ll be interesting to see where this study may lead.
BENTONVILLE, AR - Judith McKenna has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer for Wal-Mart U.S. She succeeds Gisel Ruiz, who has now been appointed Executive Vice President of Wal-Mart International People Division. These changes are effective immediately.
McKenna, an almost 20 year veteran at Wal-Mart, will be responsible for leading the company’s small format stores, development of new formats, expansion of Wal-Mart services, and the integration of digital commerce into its existing U.S. stores, according to a press release.
“At her core, Judith is a retailer who has made major contributions to our business throughout her career,” said Greg Foran, Wal-Mart U.S. President and CEO. “It’s exciting to bring her skills in managing store operations, small format growth, logistics, and e-commerce to an expanded role in our U.S. operations. Her knowledge of global best practices and her success in leading our associates around the world will help drive our Wal-Mart U.S. business forward.”
Under Ruiz’s guidance, Wal-Mart opened more than 400 new U.S. stores, improved operational efficiencies, and increased representation of women and people of color across operations leadership roles. In her new role as Executive Vice President, Ruiz will primarily lead Wal-Mart’s human resources strategy as part of its Global People leadership team.
David Cheesewright, Wal-Mart International President and CEO, says he is looking forward to the impact Ruiz will have on the company’s associates and business worldwide. “Gisel is an inspirational leader who has consistently contributed to Wal-Mart’s growth and success throughout her 22 years with the company,” he said. “Her proven track record and unwavering commitment to our associates make her the perfect choice for this new role.”
Congrats on your new roles with Wal-Mart, Judith and Gisel!
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - Oppy is six weeks into its Envy apple harvest in Washington state and New Zealand and with 20% of the year's crop already sold, it is shaping up to be another excellent season. Volume has been outstanding this year, with Oppy estimating a total crop of about 300,000 boxes.
Given the success which the grower has enjoyed in Washington and New Zealand, David Nelley, Category Director for Oppy shared that there are plans in place to expand acreage in both regions in the future. By 2020, Oppy expects to be harvesting 2 million boxes out of Washington state and an additional 1.5 million boxes out of New Zealand.
For now, however, Oppy's attention is fixed on the present in order to ensure the successful completion of its current Envy apple harvest. David shared with me the excitement felt by everyone at Oppy over this year's crop.
“Demand has been robust through this point in our season,” he said. “Last year at this time, we had sold approximately 18,000 boxes of Envy apples. We've more than doubled that number this year to 58,000. While apple sales may slow as we get closer to Christmas, Oppy foresees several more very healthy sales in the weeks ahead.”
“We have been fortunate to be able to meet this strong market with a particularly high quality Envy crop,” he continued. “Envy has enjoyed an excellent harvest this year for most. Firm, consistent, great-sized, and very juicy, we are confident that consumers will be very pleased with the quality of the fruit they will be receiving from our growing fields in both Washington state and New Zealand.”
Congratulations on the start of an excellent season, Oppy. It certainly does seem to be shaping up to be a great one!
CASHMERE, WA – Crunch Pak® has partnered with the New Victory Theater in New York City to offer sliced apple products to NYC’s youngest theater patrons in their concession stands during their shows.
Tony Freytag, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said, “We continually look for innovative ways to get our products into the hands of consumers. Partnering with the New Victory Theater helps the theater provide healthy snack options to its patrons and we gain exposure to a whole new consumer group.”
According to a press release, the theater management contacted Crunch Pak earlier this year for permission to sell its fresh sliced apple products. With the help of its distributor partner in New York, Crunch Pak was able to supply the theater with cases of its DipperZ snack line.
“When New York families come to the New Victory, they have fun exploring the performing arts together; offering healthy and convenient snack options is just another way to ensure that every visit to the New Vic is easy and fun,” said Melinda Berk, Director of Operations at the New Victory Theater.
The theater is located on 42nd Street in the heart of New York City’s Times Square. The not-for-profit theater company was created in 1995 especially for kids. It also partners with New York City schools to offer educational programming as well as jobs within the theater’s operations.
Crunch Pak has had a presence in New York City’s Times Square since 2013 when the company began a brand building campaign on an electronic billboard.
ISSAQUAH, WA – Costco Wholesale Corporation has seen strong results for its first quarter of fiscal 2015, which ended on November 23, 2014.
The wholesale giant posted net sales of $26.28 billion, a 7% increase over the $24.47 billion during the same quarter last year. The company also saw comparable sales for Q1 increase by 5%.
Costco reported net income of $496 million, or $1.12 per diluted share, compared to $425 million, or $0.96 per diluted share, last year.
In 2013, Costco stated that it planned to open 150 new warehouses over the following 5 years, with 55 of these concentrated in the United States alone. The new stores, primarily located in unentered markets, according to Executive Vice President and CFO Richard Galanti, would mean a wider market and more customers shopping each day. This aggressive approach to expansion has been key to the Costco growth model.
According to its current financial report, the company currently operates 671 warehouses. That includes 474 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 88 in Canada, 32 in Mexico, 26 in the United Kingdom, 20 in Japan, 11 in Korea, 10 in Taiwan, 7 in Australia and 1 in Spain.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to follow Costco's growth strategy.
WASHINGTON - Mexico has begun an apple dumping investigation into the imports of apples from the United States.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington shippers have 28 business days, until January 16, to submit details regarding sales and production costs for consideration by Economía Unidad de Prácticas Comerciales Internacionales (UPCI).
The investigation is in response to a petition submitted to UPCI by the Unión Agrícola Regional de Fruticultores del Estado de Chihuahua (UNIFRUT). The USDA report claims that the petitioners “allege price discrimination and claim that U.S. apples are entering the Mexican market at below fair value.”
Todd Fryover, President of the Washington Apple Commission, tells AndNowUKnow that there may not be any implications in the short term. However, once the data from Washington growers has been collected, any anti-dumping duties probably wouldn’t be imposed until April or May, he notes.
Mexico has been widely regarded as a top export market for Washington apples with over 13 million cartons shipped in 2012. While some Washington growers have expressed their dismay about the investigation, they remain hopeful that the situation will come to a good conclusion for all.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any further updates on the investigation.
WEST GROVE, PA – To-Jo Mushrooms has made a donation of $33,000 to the the Pennsylvania Foundation for Catholic Education in support of the Assumption BVM School in West Grove, PA. The entire student body and school administration were present to accept the donation from To-Jo Co-Owners Tony and Joe D’Amico.
“When the opportunity to support education in the community through a great program like the EITC was brought to our attention, we jumped right on board,” shared Tony D’Amico, President of To-Jo Mushrooms. “I hope other businesses in the Pennsylvania community will see the benefit of participating in this innovative approach to giving.”
According to a press release, these funds will go towards the school's tuition assistance program through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. The EITC program allows Pennsylvania businesses to use a portion of their tax dollars in order to support Catholic schools, helping to provide families with access to a Catholic education.
It's great to see companies like To-Jo's giving back to their communities. Great work!
TORONTO, CANADA – This year’s annual OPMA (Ontario Produce Marketing Association) Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony was hosted in the Liberty Grand in Toronto.
The event kicked off with a cocktail reception that featured a 6-foot tall snowflake ice sculpture, a glass blowing artist, maple taffy tasting session and much more. According to a press release, attendees also enjoyed gourmet appetizers created by Chef Daniel Ponte.
Every year, OPMA celebrates the accomplishments of deserving members of the produce community. The winners named at this year's event were:
- OPMA Fresh Award: Adam Donikian, Sobeys
- Outstanding Achievement Award: Oceans Fresh Food Market
- Cory Clack-Streef Produce Person of the Year: Sam Silvestro, Wal-Mart
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Don Mastronardi, Mastronardi Produce
After the dinner and awards ceremony, famed Canadian comedian, Ron James entertained the crowd with his special stand-up comedic style.
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! It is certainly well deserved.
WEST COAST, UNITED STATES - West Coast growers are bracing themselves for what weather forecasters are calling the largest storm to hit the region since 2009. This weather system, commonly referred to by weather experts as the Pineapple Express, is expected to hit late Wednesday, December 10th, and last through Friday, December 12th, dumping an average of 3-5 inches of rain across Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. Over an inch of rainfall is also expected through large parts of Southern California, especially within the L.A. Basin.
Despite the severity of this weather system, growers tell ANUK that they already have time-tested procedures in place to deal with weather systems such as this one. Many have in fact remarked that they are pleased to hear that California will at last be enjoying significant rainfall, given the drought conditions the state has suffered throughout recent years.
“We're confident in the ability of our skilled growers to respond to whatever weather situations arise on an as-needed basis,” Dan Crowley, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Well-Pict, explained to me. “Having farmed out of the Oxnard plain for as many years as we have, our growers know how to respond to these types of weather conditions in a manner which will ensure that the quality of our California berries is maintained. Storms of this magnitude may delay our harvest for a day or two, but I do not foresee them having a significant impact on our operations, except to the extent that they help to bring California the rain our state so desperately needs.”
Even higher rainfall amounts are expected in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Sierra foothills. The Sierra foothills below snow level, the coastal ranges and windward locations of the Olympic Mountains are forecasted to receive up to 8 inches of rain alone.
It is noteworthy that the last time San Francisco was forcasted for over 4 inches of rainfall in two days or less was during the strong El Niño season in February 1998. Given that California is not yet even experiencing an El Niño at this time, this comparison serves to starkly showcase the magnitude of the storm which the state is preparing for.
“We are certainly grateful for this water,” Cindy Jewell, California Giant Berry Farms’ Vice President of Marketing, shared. “We’ve already planted our northern districts, and our growers are now focused on ensuring there is proper drainage in place to prevent flooding. Plus, with up to three feet of snow projected in the Tahoe area, this could be good news for the snowpack, which is good news for California.”
As Cindy pointed out, the effect this storm could have on the California snowpack will be key. Restoring the California snowpack will be necessary to easing California out of its severe drought. The Weather Channel is forecasting blizzard conditions in the Sierra above 6,000 feet with 1-3 feet of snowfall. Outside of the blizzard warning area, The Weather Channel expects 1-3 feet of snow to fall from Wednesday night through Friday. A winter storm warning has been issued at areas above 5,500 feet. While this alone will not restore the snowpack to its pre-drought levels, it is certainly an important step in the right direction.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for further updates on this approaching storm system and any effects it may have on the fresh produce industry.
WATSONVILLE, CA – California Giant Berry Farms is wrapping up its “All About Pies” national consumer promotion, featuring its fresh blueberries and blackberries. While the contest is still open, Cal Giant is encouraging consumers to enter in their favorite berry pie recipes featuring California Giant blueberries or blackberries (or a combination of both) for a chance to win a grand prize of $500.
According to a press release, this promotion will run through December 14th, giving interested consumers more than enough time to get their entry in to be featured during the holidays. Cal Giant shares that the grand prize winning recipe will be professionally photographed and featured on its website.
The “All About Pies” promotion will be followed by a New Year centric contest: “Blended Splendid and Smooth” 2015 New Year Edition. This campaign will name weekly winners and offer consumers the chance to win a high end blender from Blendtec.
Both of these promotions were designed to provide Cal Giant consumers with exciting new ways to incorporate fresh berries into their holiday and end of year plans. It also allows Cal Giant to learn more about its consumer base, helping the company build even better promotions in the future to expand the category while building increased loyalty and engagement.
Great work on these promotions, Cal Giant!