Cyber Porch—Antibiotics, Trans Fats, and 2013 Top Ag Stories

Some folks used to sit on the front porch, sharing news and stories. Now most of us sit Dilbert-style in a cubicle as the digital world surges at us. Here are three ag-related stories we’re talking about today on our front porch. 
  

1.     Vaccinate yourself with information about this issue: This ag-medical expert describes four ways to manage antibiotic resistance. Another good source about antibiotics--Dr. Hurd's blog.

      2.     As Homer supposedly said, “Donuts—is there anything they can’t do?”   The FDA extends the comment period for its proposal to reduce trans fats in processed food. 

      3.   WTF: The Drovers Cattle Network provides a quick rundown of the key agriculture stories of the year. They correctly point out that we should ask WTF—Where’s the Farmer?—for each of these controversies that seem to consume us for better or worse.  

         by dan gogerty (pic from wiseeats.files.wordpress)

Cyber Porch—Cattle Feed Controversy, Blood Donor Horse, and Piranha-nado

Some folks used to sit on the front porch, sharing news and stories. Now most of us sit Dilbert-style in a cubicle as the digital world surges at us. Here are three ag-related stories we’re talking about today on our front porch. 
  

1.   The beef industry has been wrestling with the feed additive issue—the use of beta agonists. This article looks at recent developments and includes comments from Temple Grandin.

  

2.   We human blood donors are humbled by this animal’s exploits. As you’ll see in this video, Hercules the horse lives up to his heroic name. He donates life-saving blood and serves as a fund-raising mascot.  

  

3.   70 beach-loving Argentineans paid the price when a pack of piranha attacked the swimmers, resulting in bites and even a loss of fingers. I suppose film-makers are producing Piranha-nado now.  

by dan gogerty (pic from ucsdnews.ucsd.edu)

Cyber Porch—Food, Energy, and Bacon Peanut Brittle

Some folks used to sit on the front porch, sharing news and stories. Now most of us sit Dilbert-style in a cubicle as the digital world surges at us. Here are three ag-related stories we’re talking about today on our front porch.

1.     Food Security--Many discuss the problem of food security. If you haven’t heard the near-panic phrase “how will we feed the world of 2050?” then you’ve been away from your digital devices. Maybe you’ve actually been busy helping feed the world. It is an important issue. This research claims that a sufficient diet is now going to 61% of the world’s population—up from 30% in 1961. Encouraging, but 100% is the obvious goal. Many groups are working on this including the Elanco group and its “Enough” campaign. We follow Jeff Simmons on his active Twitter account to keep up with various thoughts about food security.

2.     Energy--From biofuels to solar, folks talk and argue about alternative energy. 2013
ended with some news blowin’ in the wind. Warren Buffett’s utility company ordered nearly $1 billion worth of wind turbines, and some say the growing demand for wind  power will offset the waning use of fossil fuels. For a farmer’s eye view of the wind generators, check this blog, Tilting at Windmills in the Fields of Dreams.
 

3.     Baconmania--Bacon keeps sizzlin’ during porch conversations, so we can’t ignore it. This recipe combining bacon and classic peanut brittle won an award from the Food Republic group. For a pig’s eye view of the bacon phenomenon, check this blog, Wilbur’s Lament. 

by dan gogerty (photo from foodrepublic.com)

The Spy Who Came in from the Corn

 

Update June 2017: Ag Espionage

Agriculture is a high-tech business, and some take short cuts by stealing trade secrets that could unlock huge profits. The FBI calls agricultural economic espionage a growing threat.


 
Update October 2016: Seed Theft Case Ends in Prison Time

A Chinese businessman admitted guilt in a plot to steal trade secrets from U.S. agriculture, and he will spend three years in prison.

Update April 2016: Security, Spies, and Agriculture
After an agriculture espionage legal case against a Chinese national, U.S. officials are warning of a growing economic and national security threat to America's farm sector. They urge agriculture executives and security officers to increase their vigilance and report any suspicious activity. As this video shows, that vigilance includes some farmers.

March 2016--Agribusiness Worries about the Espionage Game
Ag espionage seems more threatening than ever as some companies are trying to protect their proprietary information by adding staff and more sophisticated software. Some firms have hired former FBI officials to help.


James Bond Meets Ma and Pa Kettle: Classic Ag Espionage

I suppose corporate espionage is a big deal, but I want to point out that spying was a common activity back in my boyhood farming days. It was not so much James Bondish—more Ma and Pa Kettleish. Anytime a farmer drove anywhere, he did what Dad calls a “windshield survey” to see what the neighbors were planting and which production techniques they were implementing.

Rural folks also used party line telephones, church socials, and bull sessions at the grain elevators to mine for data. They were after encrypted information about weed control, erosion prevention, and planting techniques.

If a neighbor was the first to plant in the cold of spring, then he was either an idiot or a genius depending on the subsequent weather patterns. If his fields were clean and pristine, then you wanted to snoop about which herbicides were working or what crew of teens he was hiring to “walk and weed.”

And just like the breaking story of today, seeds were the main espionage target. Farmers wanted to get the best hybrids in those pre-GMO days, and they wanted to outshine the neighbors. If you couldn’t brag about your yields-per-acre at the coffee shop in town, then either you weren’t much of a farm operator, or you weren't much good at “bending the truth.”

On a personal level, I’m not worried about this espionage. My brother runs our family farm, and I’ll just let him know that if he sees any cloak-and-dagger-looking folks snooping around in his fields, he should hand them a hoe and corn knife. The herbicide-resistant weeds are getting more prevalent—maybe they could clean the field while they’re spying. How do you say “pigweed” and “cockleburs” in Chinese?

by dan gogerty (graphic at blogs.njit.edu)