Submitted photos
The Scott and Natalie Pederson barn near Echo.
Pederson family enjoys hog farming in the 21st century By Jody Isaackson jisaackson@marshallindependent.com
T
he face of hog farming has changed a lot in the last half century. Years ago, a single farm family would feed out maybe 50 to 100 head of hogs per year and have their hands full. These days, with the help of investors and modernized barns and equipment, Scott and Natalie Pederson of rural Echo-Wood Lake are managing about 6,800 grow-to-finish hogs in two locations. Pederson said he had been raising hogs since about the third grade. His father, Dave Pederson, had gotten into hogs as an alternative crop, something that could be handed down to his son when there wasn’t much land available to fledgling farmers. This hog operation started out as Dave Pederson’s, but Scott and Natalie are taking over the operation. “I learned hog farming from watching my dad,” Scott Pederson said. “We put up the
Scott and Dave Pederson.
first barn the year before we got married. Natalie knew what she was in for when we got married. We just celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary.” Pederson PAGE 6C
The Pederson family: Front, from left: Sydney, Aubrey, Mallor. Back: Scott, Natalie and Emma.
2C • INDEPENDENT-MARSHALL, MINN. • THURSDAY, OCT. 6, 2016
WHAT ARE AIR PLANTS? Meet a low-maintenance houseplant that grows without soil. Air plants, known as tillandsia, have earned friendly nicknames among their fans, including tilly and tills. These quirky plants are a type of bromeliad and hail from the Americas — from U.S. southern states to northern Argentina. In their native environs, air plants perch above the ground like botanical trapeze artists, Photo courtesy of Illinois Extension Service finding footing on tree branches, rocks, rooftops and even power lines. usually gives air plants the high in salts. If you live in Tillandsias are native to filtered sunlight they an area with hard water, varied natural settings, crave. the chalk content in the from open woodlands, to Watering is probably water will eventually clog deserts, to tropithe trickiest part of the trichomes on air plant cal rainforests. growing these unleaves. When you remove Like other plants, usual plants. In an plants from the water, tillys have leaves, interior room, air gently shake them upside roots and also plants often die down a few times to disproduce flowers. from underwaterlodge water from the cenThe difference is ing because their ter of the plant. that air plants owners mistakenly In a typical indoor setdon’t need soil to assume the plants ting, an air plant watered grow. absorb moisture by submerging shouldn’t In an air plant, from the air. On a need watering for 10 to 14 roots act as ancloud-swaddled days. Monitor your plant’s TEPHANIE Andes mountainchors, securing appearance to learn when plants to their top or in a rainforto water. Take note of how ETHKE supports. Leaves est, that scenario the plant looks the day E AEGHERE works. In the dry handle the job of after watering. Note leaf absorbing moisair of a heated or color and appearance. MASTER GARDENER ture. Each leaf on air-conditioned Leaves on a droughtan air plant is room, air plants stressed air plant may curl covered in speneed water. under, color may seem cialized scales known as Daily misting doesn’t flatter, and leaf tips may trichomes, which have the provide sufficient moisturn brown. ability to absorb water and ture for air plants. It can To fertilize air plants, nutrients. Some trichomes help raise humidity use a water-soluble fertilare smooth; others are around plants, but it won’t izer developed for hairy. ensure survival. If misting ephiphytes, bromeliads or In a home setting, give causes water to collect air plants. These specialan air plant bright, but filwhere leaves emerge, it ized fertilizers contain nitered sunlight, like that can actually kill plants. trogen in a form air plant found near an east-, south- The best way to water an leaves can absorb. Add or west-facing window. air plant is to submerge it fertilizer to the water beMany gardeners place an in a dish of water for 12 fore submerging your air air plant in a bathroom to hours. Air plants only take plant. For best results, foltake advantage of shower- up as much water as they low package directions. generated humidity, but need, so you won’t overhaving adequate sunlight water by doing this. For more information is more important. OutUse rain water or boton gardening, you can doors, a screened porch, tled drinking water. Avoid reach me at s.delanai or pool enclosure using softened water; it’s jaeghere@me.com
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Follow your favorite high school volleyball, cross country and football teams and all Tiger sports the rest of the fall on the sports pages of the Independent
Go with the grow: Urban garden expands in South Dallas DALLAS (AP) — The dusty black pickup rocked back and forth along the dirt path as it charged forward into new territory. The Dallas Morning News reports with the windows rolled down and late morning sun on their faces, the farmers drove past thickets of yellow flowering weeds, past two barking dogs, past an old shed and an abandoned trailer. “It smells good. Smells fresh,” said visiting East Dallas chicken rancher John Ramos as he hung his head out the window to survey the mostly undeveloped acreage. It's a new frontier for Bonton Farms. In late August, the farm added 20 acres to the neighboring 18-acre extension, rapidly growing the operation into a nearly 40acre enterprise in less than a year. “So what do you think? Am I crazy?” farm director Daron Babcock asked, laughing. In February last year, the farm was only an acreplus urban garden in South Dallas' Bonton neighborhood — a food desert with a gritty history. Located at the end of Bexar Street, the farm is a green haven of fruits and vegetables next door to the Buckeye Commons public housing complex. Its mission then was small-scale and focused on giving neighborhood residents jobs and fresh food. Now, it boasts rows of crops, milking goats, chickens and pigs. And there are plans for a community center to house the farm's market and health programs for residents. But as the farm has grown, so has its interest in helping to alleviate food access problems outside the Bonton neighborhood. In January, the farm expanded from that initial acre to include an 18-acre extension off Ravenview Road in southeast Dallas. Fred Treffinger, who owns a concrete plant across the street, donated the parcel. Since then, farmers have worked to ready the land. They built a fence and a bumpy rock-paved road that cuts through the property. They cleared blocks of dumped concrete and dead trees. They bent over, painstakingly gathering stones and tossing them in pails. In the spring, they planted okra, peppers, corn and tomatoes. And in June, more than 500 chickens — a pecking choir of browns, blacks and whites — arrived. “I knew it was going to grow. I just didn't know it was going to grow this fast,” said Ramos, who delivered the first batch of chickens to Babcock a couple of years ago when Bon-
AP Photo
In this Thursday Sept. 8, 2016, photo, chickens and turkeys, mill about the coop as Daron Babcock (not pictured) opens the door in the morning at Bonton Farms off Seagoville Road in Dallas. The farm is preparing for their first fall crop on the land.
ton Farms was simply a garden in Babcock's backyard. In July, Babcock hired Kim High to manage the extension. A diabetic, she left a more than threedecade job in claims at Allstate Insurance to learn about farming and change her lifestyle. Since then, she's started a garden at her Oak Cliff home, where she grows tomatoes, okra, cucumbers and peppers. “I didn't know anything about farming. I'd never planted a plant. Never harvested a thing,” she said. “I'm crazy in love with the farm. I just can't help it.” “You ain't in love,” Ramos teased, cradling five eggs — shades of green, blue and brown — in his Tshirt from the chicken coop. Later this month, 20 Nubian milk goats are expected to join the operation, along with 100 broiler chickens and two pigs. And a massive hole toward the back of the property is the makings of a pond. Now, Treffinger has given the farmers 20 more acres. “You see a guy like Kerry out here working,” Treffinger said, pointing toward longtime farmer and Bonton resident Kerry Baker, who was preparing a plot of freshly tilled soil for fall planting on the extension. “It's heartwarming to me.” And more land could mean a broader mission. A dreamer with curly hair and a stubble beard, Babcock
hopes the growth of the farm will help those outside his neighborhood. He wants to grow more food, create more awareness and more jobs for men and women struggling with drug and alcohol addictions, even if they don't live in Bonton. “We're going to build this up,” he said. Babcock also hopes to play a larger role in the city's food access problem. He called a city of Dallas proposal to give at least $3 million to build a grocery store in South Dallas “ridiculous.” “You can't build one grocery store and solve the food problem,” Babcock said. Despite the farm's successes, there have been some growing pains. A pack of wild dogs attacked the extension one night in early July, mauling about 150 chickens. “They just came in there and killed them. They didn't even eat them,” Ramos said. “It was bad. Horrible, horrible, horrible.” He blamed the killing frenzy on a miscommunication about who had the night shift to ensure the chickens were secure in the coop. The attack affirmed a plan he's talked about for months: to stake a doublewide trailer on the farm and live on-site. “A big investment loss,” Ramos said. “But everything is about learning when you're farming.” Besides the chickens, much of this summer's crop also didn't survive the season at the extension. Before the farmers took over the land, it sat unused for decades — a dumping ground for blocks of concrete. Weeds overtook the plots. A hot stretch in late July and early August, along with a lack of water, exacerbated the problem. Last month, the farmers shifted their focus to the fall crop and repairing the soil. They unloaded 12 semitrucks worth of compost over the plot. They tilled it repeatedly to battle the nutsedge — a grass-like lawn weed — before planting rows of collard greens, spinach, arugula and broccoli this week. “It's a long war that we're going to be in with this stuff,” Babcock said of the weed. “It's evil. We will not have nutsedge in heaven. I'm convinced of it.” The expansion comes at a tenuous time for Bonton Farms. In August, the farm separated from the Christian ministry H.I.S. BridgeBuilders, which has guided its growth since the beginning. Discussion about the split began months earlier, Urban PAGE 6C
INDEPENDENT-MARSHALL, MINN. • THURSDAY, OCT. 6, 2016 • 3C
Family finds success in Austin farm cooperative’s second year AUSTIN (AP) — Where there’s soil, hope can grow. A small farm near Woodson Kindergarten is the site of the La Surena Cooperative, a family-run organization of seven, the Post-Bulletin reported. Despite its small size, its potential and opportunity is bountiful for the town. Just in its second year, La SureÒa grew both physically, but also in its customer base relationships with Hy-Vee and Share Ground in St. Paul. All in neat rows are fresh vegetables like the tomatillo, tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, Serrano pepper, green beans and the dragon tongue bean. All are ready for picking and transporting. The Latino Economic Development Cooperative helped the family support their agricultural business. Giving crucial instruction, the family was able to learn how to begin the process of starting their own venture, and what was needed to keep the cooperative growing. “They were essential in almost every aspect of starting La SureÒa,” said Julieta Cervantes, La Surena secretary. “They trained us how to interact with the community, how to find markets, how to grow operations, best agricultural practices . and the opportunity to make our goals possible.” In Gerrero, Mexico, Cervantes’ grandparents were farmers and worked with whatever land they had. Just a few basic tools, and the help from their families. So, when Cervantes’ mother came to the United States with her green thumb and work ethic, a small patch of land was rented to grow food for her family. “After many years and only last year, did that little patch of land grow to where we could start to provide for the community,” Cervantes said. “As for my stepdad (Guillermo Martin), he had to learn a lot about agriculture. He did not have a clue of the process from planting to harvesting vegetables.” At first, the garden was meant for the family, but eventually grew into something that the community needed and wanted. Eventually, sales and orders from partners came, whether delivering boxes to the Austin Hy-Vee, to Shared Ground Marketing Cooperative. La SureÒa looks to grow its clientele and the amount of produce grown, and improve efficiency. The cooperative is hoping to expand its operations. The organization is leasing 1 acre from the city. There’s discussion about possibly growing to 5 acres for 2017. For now, the cooperative only operates during the summer. The dream would be to run all-year round. “We are currently working on renting or buying five
AP Photo
In a Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, photo, Guillermo Martin and Ruben Paz clear away honeydew melon plants, after their harvest in the La Surena Cooperative in Austin, Minn. A small farm near Woodson Kindergarten, at 1600 Fourth St. SE, is the site of the familyrun organization of seven. The Latino Economic Development Cooperative helped the family support their agricultural business. Giving crucial instruction, the family was able to learn how to begin the process of starting their own venture, and what was needed to keep the cooperative growing.
acres of land to be able to accommodate the demand from Hy-Vee, Share Ground and our local customers,” Cervantes said. “Our 1-acre farm is not enough to keep up with demand. We already started to look for expansion options and make more efficient operations.” Although Austin is still a relatively small town — a little more than 24,000 people, according to the U.S. Census — the community itself is diverse with a strong immigrant population. La SureÒa looked to reach out to different parts of the immigrant population because information about nutrition may differ from culture to culture and generation to generation. Cervantes explained that if more families were
given more access to quality food, it would make the community healthier and bring people together through a common bond. Although a small town, possibilities are endless for La SureÒa and for the people who are growing their new lives there. “The families can expand their horizons, even in a small town by inspiring and providing people hope that they can also achieve their dreams,” Cervantes said. “Even in a small town by inspiring and providing people hope that they can also achieve their dreams, even when they have left everything they have known behind in their respective countries.”
Ag Briefs 'Lucky' to be alive: Calf with 2 faces born at Kentucky farm CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Visitors to a central Kentucky farm may do a double-take when they see the newest addition: a two-faced calf. Stan McCubbin of Campbellsville told WDRBTV that he thought he had twins when he first saw the calf on Friday, but quickly realized he had something far more unusual. The female calf has two noses, two mouths and four eyes, though the middle two eyes don't function. Although she can walk, the
McCubbins say she ends up going in circles and falling over. The family says most calves with such a genetic mutation are stillborn, but so far this one is eating and seems healthy. McCubbin's wife, Brandy, said their 5-year-old daughter, Kenley, named the calf Lucky because she's lucky to be alive.
Butterball to expand turkey production in Arkansas HUNTSVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A North Carolinabased food manufacturer has announced plans to add at least 30 new turkey farms around River Valley. Company officials say
Jefferson City schools offer produce from regional farms JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — When feeding 9,000 students on a semi-daily basis, it's more difficult to serve local produce than one might think. For one, Jefferson City Public Schools have menus and strict nutrition regulations they have to follow, so the ability to buy what they need in bulk and receive it on time is essential, the News Tribune reported. Also, school starts at the tail end of the harvest season, so local produce is only available in the first few months of school. The district, like many others, has been interested in offering fresher, locally-grown fruit and vegetables to its students for years, but until recently, it wasn't really an option, said Terri Ferguson, JCPS director of school nutrition services. Their family-owned distributor, Kohl Wholesale, started a program this year that works in partnership with Capital City Fruit — a familyowned produce shipper, repacker and distributor
based in Norwalk, Iowa — that allows schools to order produce from regional farms. The program was perfect since it already runs through their distributor, Ferguson said. Jefferson City and Columbia public schools are the two piloting the program before Kohl opts to expand and offer it to more districts, said Aaron Kerkhoff, director of sales for Kohl. Even though they're based in Illinois, the majority of Kohl's school district clientele are in Missouri, and they've had a strong relationship with JCPS for years, which is why they offered the program here first. They receive food products from all over the nation, Canada, Mexico and some countries abroad — as does Capital City Fruit — but the new program works with 16 farms in Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois to bring fresh products to the schools. Of that total, three farms are Produce PAGE 6C
the expansion of Butterball LLC's turkey production facilities is needed to help the company keep pace with growing demand. Most of the farms will be located within a 50-mile radius of Ozark and Altus, but company officials said they will consider pushing the expansion north to the Huntsville area. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that most of the farms will be owned and operated by contract poultry growers. "We may do a handful of company-owned farms down in the Ozark area just because we need that expansion pretty quickly," Butterball head of live operations Walter Pelletier said. "Our preference would
be all contract, but we may wind up doing three, four or even five company-owned farms just to facilitate getting those farms online quicker." According to Butterball nutritionist Vernon Felts, there are currently about 60 farms in the Ozark and Altus area, and 115 around Huntsville currently producing turkeys for Butterball. Felts said the new farms would cost around $900,000 to build. Contract farmers would own the land and be responsible for financing the construction, but Butterball would own the turkeys. The company also recently hired 150 hourly and 14 salary workers for its processing plant in Ozark.
According to the National Turkey Federation, Butterball produced about 1.36 billion pounds of turkey in 2015. The company is based in Garner, N.C. and is the largest producer of turkey products in the U.S. Marvin Childers, who is president of the Poultry Federation of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, said
Arkansas ranked third in the nation with 27.5 million pounds of turkeys produced in 2015. According to Childers, the turkey industry is responsible for 4,154 direct and 7,857 indirect jobs throughout the state.
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LUSCIOUS FRUITS COME FROM TIMELY HARVEST, GOOD STORAGE (AP) — "Ripe" is a term that's used much too freely when it comes to fruits. A plum is not supposed to taste sour like a lemon; that lemon-y plum is not ripe. Nor — and this is important — will it ever be. Ripening can begin in a fruit's "mature" stage, and when the fruit reaches the "ripe" stage, it's best for eating. As it ripens, its color changes, the flesh softens, sugars increase and distinctive flavors develop. Apples, pears, kiwis, bananas, persimmons and quinces are some fruits that can ripen either on or off the plant, but to do so they must be mature before being harvested.
pears turn mushy and brown inside. Avocados also must be harvested under-ripe. Left to fully ripen on the tree, they develop off-flavors. Now the important point: Many fruits do not ripen at all after being picked, so must be picked fully ripe to taste their best. Plums are in this group, as are grapes, figs, melons, cherries, peaches and more. Picked underripe, these fruits will still soften, and some of their complex carbohydrates may break down to sugars. But those changes are more akin to the first stages of rotting than the flavor changes associated with true ripening.
SOME FRUITS RIPEN AFTER HARVEST, SOME DO NOT Whether a fruit can become delicious when ripened off the plant depends on the variety. For instance, summer apples generally taste best when picked dead ripe, but some "winter" apples (harvested late in the season), such as Idared and Newtown Pippin, taste best when they are picked mature and then ripen for a few months in storage. A few fruits MUST be harvested when mature and then ripened off the plants. European pears, except for Seckel, are at their gustatory best only if ripened after harvest. Left to fully ripen on the plant, European
GOOD STORAGE MEANS GOOD FLAVOR Late summer and fall bring on such an abundance of fruit that eating cannot keep pace with harvesting, so storage is necessary. Most fruits store best when kept cool and in high humidity. Cool temperatures slow the ripening of mature fruits, the aging of already ripe fruits, and the growth of decay-causing microorganisms. High humidity, as well as cool temperatures, slows water loss from fruits, preventing shriveling. For most fruits (bananas and avocados are notable exceptions), optimum storage temperatures are near freezing, with relative humidity about 90 percent. The temperature in most refrigerators is
AP Photo
This undated photo shows harvested grapes and apples in New Paltz, N.Y. Grapes, picked dead ripe, and apples, picked mature to finish ripening indoors, are part of autumn's luscious bounty.
between 35 and 40 degrees F, and the relative humidity in a frostfree refrigerator is 40 percent on the shelves and 70 percent in the crisper. That's a bit too warm and dry, but it's a convenient place to store a small quantity of fruit. An old-fashioned root cellar provides almost ideal low temperatures and high humidity. In late fall and winter, you may find storage areas around your home where you can keep a few bushels of seasonal fruits, such as apples, in good condition. Invest in a minimum-maximum thermometer, and check the temperatures in your garage, attic, foyer and cellar. I move bushels of apples from my garage to my foyer and then to my cool basement as outdoor temperatures turn progressively colder. For long-term storage, maintain humidity around fruits. Pack them in plastic bags with a few holes for ventilation, in dry leaves, or — my favorite method — in plywood boxes (which "breathe" with the fruits). Remove fruit from cold storage some time before you are ready to eat it. Fruit that was picked mature but under-ripe may need to finish ripening, which occurs more rapidly at room temperature. Even fruit that is already ripe should be allowed to reach room temperature so you can appreciate its full flavor.
Love it or hate it, gefilte fish is here to stay NEW YORK (AP) — Got a live carp in your bathtub? Planning on losing a day to food prep for the October Jewish holidays? We don't think so, and neither do Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern. They're the authors of a new cookbook, "The Gefilte Manifesto," a lively collection of Ashkenazi standards — some with a twist and others left to wander back to the old country. Out in September from Flatiron Books, the collection of history and recipes by the two young Brooklynites celebrates Jewish soul food from soup to nuts, kicking off with a bagel butter flecked with not one but two kinds of sesame seeds, black and white, and winding down with beverages, from beet and ginger kvass to a seeded rye cocktail. As for the catchy title, there are three takes on gefilte fish, the fish food some people love to hate. That once included Alpern, who as part of her family's Passover seders, declined the dish "every year of my life" growing up. It was the gelatinous jarred version, "and I hated it," she said in a recent interview with Yoskowitz. "Until I started making my own, I associated it with something I would never eat," Alpern said of her upbringing in Long Beach, New York, just outside New York City. Yoskowitz, from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, grew up with lots more love for gefilte fish. It was made by his grandmother, then she stopped and his family relied on a local shop, he said. "But I didn't like the horseradish. It was usually the beet horseradish," Yoskowitz recalled. "But later, the moment I put horseradish on, I felt like an adult." In 2011, the two friends started making gefilte fish together, experimenting as they embraced its place in Ashkenazi lore, in both Europe and North America. They wondered why nobody was making gefilte fish relevant again, putting the soul back in. At its most basic, gefilte is made by mixing pulverized freshwater fish with eggs, onions and spices. Bread
crumbs are often used today. It stood, especially on the Passover seder table, as a symbol of Ashkenazi resourcefulness, the two said. Exactly how far can a single fish be stretched to feed an entire family? Usually served cold or at room temperature, there were practical aspects to gefilte fish. It's often poached or baked, when it doesn't come from a jar. Lake fish is commonly used, including carp and pike. The two don't use carp because, Yoskowitz said, it's a bottom-feeding fish that tends to be high in heavy metals, especially when it comes from the Great Lakes. "Most people commonly think of gefilte fish as a bunch of fish balls in a jar. That's where the misconception is, that gefilte fish is gross and unappetizing," he said. Their recipes look anything but, often coming in terrine form, sliced and served with their colorful, grated horseradish relishes: A sweet beet version and a carrot-citrus version. "What we realized right away was we need to make all of this look like something you'd want to eat," Alpern said. "The first thing I would say to someone who is unfamiliar and maybe unwilling is you'll see that this is a fish pate." Prep time for their gefilte dishes? Usually under an
AP Photo
This cover image released by Flatiron Books shows, "The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods," by Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern. The collection of history and recipes celebrates Jewish soul food from soup to nuts, kicking off with a bagel butter flecked with not one but two kinds of sesame seeds, black and white, and winding down with beverages, from beet and ginger kvass to a seeded rye cocktail.
hour and a half, including baking, Yoskowitz said. No live carp in the tub needed. Just use fillets. "We like to say that our gefilte fish tastes like gefilte fish," Alpern said. "We're not trying to add, you know, hot sauce or cumin to our gefilte fish." But there are twists, such as fresh herbs to add color and freshness. Gefilte PAGE 6C
INDEPENDENT-MARSHALL, MINN. • THURSDAY, OCT. 6, 2016 • 5C
Cranberries at 200: Market changes, drought create a crisis ROCHESTER, Mass. (AP) — All is not well in cranberry country this harvesting season, the 200th anniversary of the world's first known commercial cultivation. In the birthplace of the industry, many Massachusetts growers whose families have tended bogs for generations are in "dire straits," facing challenges that include rising production costs, decreasing crop values, changing consumer habits and increasing competition from other states and Canada, a recent task force report found. In addition, one of the region's worst droughts in decades threatens to leave farms without enough water to flood bogs for harvest. "It's been a real losing proposition for a small grower such as myself," said Eugene Cobb, whose 25 acres in Carver are down from the 31 he took over from his father in 1980. He said he has had two good years in the past 16. Cranberries grow on vines and are typically wetharvested by farmers who flood the dry bogs with water. Revolutionary War veteran Henry Hall is credited with starting commercial cranberry production on Cape Cod in 1816. By then, cranberries already had a long history in a region where soil conditions and climate are just right for the tart little fruit to flourish. Native Americans probably showed the Pilgrims how to use cranberries for food or dye. Evidence suggests an early recipe for cranberry sauce by the late 1600s. Barrels of the fruits, rich in vitamin C, traveled aboard whaling ships to help ward off scurvy. Cranberries remain Massachusetts' top food crop, supporting thousands of jobs and generating $1.4 billion in economic activity, according to the Massachusetts Cranberry Revitalization Task Force. The state is home to Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., an 86-year-old grower-owned cooperative and the world's largest cranberry processor. But Wisconsin surpassed the state as the biggest producer in the mid-1990s. More recently, Massachusetts slipped to third place in North America behind Quebec, where growers have benefited from government subsidies. Ocean Spray's 2016 crop
forecast estimates Massachusetts will produce 2.1 million barrels, an output that could diminish if severe drought persists. Wisconsin is forecast to produce 5.8 million barrels and eastern Canada 2.6 million. While cranberry sales remain strong, supply is exceeding demand. "You see demand of about 8 or 9 million barrels, and this year I think our industry is projected to produce 13 million barrels," said Matt Beaton, an Ivy League-educated, fifth-generation cranberry grower. "The handwriting is on the wall. You don't have to be a math major to see what's going on." Clouds spit a few morning sprinkles before giving way to hot sun on the first day of harvesting recently at Beaton's 330-acre farm in Rochester. Two large, three-wheeled water har-
AP Photo
In this Sept. 20, 2016 photo, Miguel Reyes harvests cranberries at a bog in Rochester, Mass. All is not well in cranberry country as harvesting season arrives and celebrations mark the 200th anniversary of the first known commercial cultivation. A report says growers in Massachusetts, the birthplace of the industry, are in dire straits.
Beaton, receive a share of profits from Ocean Spray, and in general have fared better than independent growers in the region. The company is not currently accepting new members. Tax credits and loan guarantees to encourage bog renovation are among recommendations from the task force, but recognizing that many growers will simply be forced to shut down in coming years, the group also outlined an exit strategy that would compensate farms for converting bogs into protected wetlands. "It's a thought every day whether I should exit or not," said Steve Ward, a cranberry grower. "But my gut feeling is that if you take a bog out of production, it's never coming back. I want to keep that bog for the next generation." AP Photo
In this Sept. 20, 2016 photo, executive director of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association Brian Wick, left, and cranberry grower Steve Ward, right, hold harvested cranberries at a bog in Rochester, Mass.
vesters appeared to glide along the flooded bog as they separated cranberries from the vines. The fruit floated to the surface, turning the bog a dark pink. This bog produces one of several new varieties developed through crossbreeding in recent years. The plump berries are 2 to 2½ times larger than their native ancestors, Beaton said, and are better suited for dried cranberry products — think Ocean Spray's Craisins — that are gaining
market share while sales of juice and sauce have leveled off. "That's what's driving our business," Beaton said. Over the past eight years, he estimated, he spent $1 million of his own money and borrowing an additional $3 million to renovate his bogs so they could produce the larger berries. But smaller growers without such resources are fighting for survival. Brian Wick, executive director of the Cape Cod
Cranberry Growers Association, calls it a "catch-22" — farmers need to renovate their aging bogs to stay competitive, but lack the money to do so. While 93 percent of cranberry bogs in Wisconsin have been retooled to handle the newer varieties, Wick said, the number is only about 50 percent in Massachusetts, which has the lowest yield per acre of any major growing state. Growers who pay into the cooperative, like
Ag Briefs Russia revises ban on imports of Egyptian plant products MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's food safety watchdog has revised its ban on imports of fruit and vegetables from Egypt after the lifting of Egyptian wheat import restrictions that have hurt Russia. Rosselkhoznadzor allowed imports of Egyptian plant products except potatoes following negotiations in Moscow with its Egyptian counterparts. Monday's decision reverses a blanket ban on all Egyptian plant products introduced just four days ago. Russia introduced the ban after Egypt, the world's largest wheat importer, changed its import regulations to ban any ergot fungus in imported wheat, a decision that enraged sellers worldwide and threatened supplies. Last week, the Egyptian Cabinet reinstated previous rules allowing imported wheat to contain up to 0.05 percent of ergot, a common fungus that is harmless in such amounts, in line with global standards.
Missouri on track for second-highest corn harvest on record COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says this year's
corn crop in Missouri is on track to be the second-highest yield on record. The Columbia Missourian reports that the state was on track as of Sept. 12. The agriculture department predicts there will be an average yield of 165 bushels per acre this year compared to an average of 142 bushels per acre in 2015. The record was 186 bushels per acre in 2014. Officials are also expecting record yields in Missouri for soybeans. The national agency is anticipating the highest yields on record nationwide. Bob Garino of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service in Columbia says early planting contributed to a robust harvest, and that corn farmers in the state benefited from favorable weather after a dry spell in June.
Court gives fertilizer dealers a reprieve from policy change BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration didn't follow the proper procedures when it imposed stricter regulations on farm fertilizer dealers, meaning the policy change won't go into effect Saturday as scheduled. The OSHA policy change announced last year would have regulated retail fertilizer dealers under the same standards as manufac-
turers, meaning dealers of fertilizers, including anhydrous ammonia, would have to instigate changes such as installing new storage tanks. The policy change came after a 2013 explosion at a fertilizer facility in West, Texas, which killed 15 people and leveled part of the town. President Barack Obama issued an executive
order calling for steps aimed at preventing such incidents. The Agricultural Retailers Association and The Fertilizer Institute sued a year ago, saying the proposed changes would impose a more than $100 million burden on 3,800 fertilizer retailBriefs PAGE 6C
6C • INDEPENDENT-MARSHALL, MINN. • THURSDAY, OCT. 6, 2016
Urban FROM PAGE 2C
Gifelte FROM PAGE 4C
after the extension was acquired and the farm began to grow. “We're still in that weird transition phase,” Babcock said. Babcock is now president and executive director of the farm, which is in the process of becoming its own nonprofit. That could take up to a year. Until then, it's under the wing of the Dallas Foundation, which fiscally adopted the farm so it could continue to raise money and apply for grants. An $85,000 GroundFloor United Way grant that the farm received in February is funding the 18acre extension development. But there aren't funds for the 20 acres where Babcock envisions picnic tables, farm-to-table dinners, horseback trail rides and pumpkin patches. “I have no vision for what else is going to happen out here, and I have no money to do it,” Babcock said. “But we have it, and so it's going to turn into something. I just don't know exactly how that's going to work.”
In researching gefilte fish, which in Yiddish translates to "stuffed fish" (there's a recipe for that, too) the two delved into what they describe as "The Gefilte Line." The line: Do you make your gefilte fish sweet or peppery? In Galicia, or modernday southern Poland, sugar beet factories were common and Polish Jews added sugar to everything, including gefilte, they said. North of Galicia, Lithuanians, Latvians and some Russians spiced gefilte fish with pepper. And there was a third group: People who lived
Briefs FROM PAGE 5C
AP Photo
In this Thursday Sept. 8, 2016, photo, Cruz stands by as Daron Babcock, center, and John Treffinger lay hay atop rows at Bonton Farms off Seagoville Road in Dallas. The farm is preparing for their first fall crop on the land.
Pederson FROM PAGE 1C The hogs are housed in three barns with two different styles, the first was built in 2002. The second was built in 2009 and the newest was constructed in 2015. Each barn is equipped with fans and one barn has tunnel vents. The oldest one holds about 50 growing pigs per pen while the other two will hold about 200 in its larger pens. They are all automated as far as feeders and waterers. They even have alarms that notify Pederson if the feeders or waterers go empty. “We have the newest technology out here,” Pederson said. When the piglets come up from the nursery in Iowa, they have already been neutered and vaccinated. Pederson has very little upkeep except when shots are needed which he will administer. Everyone who works with the pigs needs to have a Pork Quality Assurance (R) card. “We’re at or above industry standard for health,” Pederson said. “Natalie helps unload and sort the pigs during the summer. Otherwise, she works at Lakeview School as a paraprofessional.” During the school year, the investors, Posen Live-
farther south of Galicia, in places that included Hungary, preferred not to spice their gefilte with anything at all. The two compromised in the book with a couple of recipes that include both sweet and peppery flavors, but not much of either. They also discovered that Lithuanian Jews, Hungarians and Galicians all agreed that horseradish relish, or chrain in Yiddish, is the only acceptable condiment to grace the top of gefilte. Why? This Yiddish proverb speaks volumes: "Gefilte fish without chrain is punishment enough."
Submitted photo
Scott Pederson is shown here walking pens, a daily routine as part of chores on the Pederson farm.
stock of Wood Lake, sends over a couple of their employees to help with the 5 a.m. deliveries. According to Pederson, there are many positive things about raising pigs and so few negatives. “The worst thing about raising pigs is probably just being tied down,” Pederson said. “But, we have good people that work with us. And, it’s enjoyable to do a good job and grow products that are good for people.” Pederson said that their pigs are not fed any hormones; their packers require that in their contract. They are fed a ground form of soybean meal with corn distillers in it. The pigs average a 20week stay while they grow before being shipped to Triumph Foods in St. Joseph, Missouri. Some are shipped to Hormel in Austin. The Pedersons have three young daughters, Sydney, 10, Mallory, 8, and Aubrey, 6. They are also host parents for Lakeview junior, Emma Dijkstra, a foreign exchange student from The Netherlands. For an occasional break, the Pedersons sneak away to Lake Amelia where they lease some property where they can go fishing.
ers nationwide. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Friday that the change amounted to the creation of a new standard that requires a formal rulemaking process, which would give the industry an opportunity to have a say. "This administration has broadly and unjustly avoided proper procedure to construct and reinterpret myriad federal regulations without public input," said Daren Coppock, president and CEO of the Agricultural Retailers Association. "The court's decision in this case affirms the importance of regulatory agencies following proper notice and comment rulemaking procedure." However, the three-judge panel also noted that "nothing in our decision necessarily calls into question the substance of OSHA's decision." The Associated Press requested comment from OSHA Monday. The ruling "sends OSHA back to square one to ensure that producers are heard," said U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, RN.D. "That's essential not only because the regulation would be a hardship for farmers, but also because consumers will ultimately foot the bill paying higher food prices." Hoeven said legislation in Congress would prevent any changes in fiscal 2017, which runs through next September. Congress weighed in once before, including a provision in a year-end funding bill late last year that suspended the change until this Oct. 1.
Produce FROM PAGE 3C in Missouri. Capital City Fruit serves as the middle-man between the farmers and Kohl Wholesale. It works with farmers to ensure they have the proper certification to sell to school districts and retailers that have a highstandard for the grade of products they receive, said Curtis Turner, account manager for Capital City. "Local is big for us," Turner said. "There's a sense of pride in communities using their own stuff. Local is definitely a growing trend, and it's growing very strong from retail to restaurants to institutional businesses to schools." Price-wise, buying local averages out to costing about the same as something that came from farther away, Turner said. The produce market is volatile; prices fluctuate up and down. One week a local product could be more expensive and the next it's less; it all depends on the market, he said. The No. 1 reason Ferguson wanted to have local options is because of the quality and taste, she said. "It's so much better," she said. "It's fresher, and I hope the kids appreciate the difference in taste. The closer it is to you, the fresher it'll be when it gets to you. We're entering the orders the week before; the orders get in, they let the farmers know and hopefully we're talking about getting watermelon that was out in a field less than a week ago. Otherwise, when you order watermelon, it's coming from who knows where. Who knows how long it's been sitting on a truck or in a refrigerator. There's so much difference in taste." The schools have primarily been ordering vineripe tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, onions, potatoes, peppers, zucchini, corn, green beans and, recently, squash. In October, school cafeteria managers have 21 options from which to choose. Watermelons have been the biggest hit with students, and they've been coming, in part, from Beggs Melon — a farm in Sikeston, about 250 miles from Jefferson City. Donnie Beggs, part owner of Beggs Melon, is a fourth-generation farmer. The farm has just wrapped up its 121st consecutive year growing watermelons. Beggs said 95 percent of their melons stay within 500 miles of the farm. If
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It’s so much better. It’s fresher, and I hope the kids appreciate the difference in taste. The closer it is to you, the fresher it’ll be when it gets to you. — Terri Ferguson it's going to take two days to get where it's going, he's not really interested in selling there. They're one of the largest watermelon farms in Missouri, with 150 acres dedicated to watermelons. While they do raise some corn, beans and pumpkins, it's marginal in comparison. "Watermelon is my big deal. I really enjoy doing that," he said. "I grew up in a watermelon field. I can still remember the first year when I was 5 years old and got $5 for the whole season." People like having a connection with the farmer who raised their food, which is partly why more people are gravitating toward local. It's going to be a better quality product, he said. Ferguson said of their total produce being currently served, about 20 percent of it comes from the regional farmers — and that figure is plumped slightly because they serve a lot of watermelon. Come November, all the local produce will be gone, and they'll go back to serving what's available nationally and internationally. In the future, Kerkhoff anticipates the program could be expanded to the hundreds of schools they service. The product is there, he said; retailers have been offering local in their grocery stores for years. And they purchase among the largest quantities of produce. Ferguson said it's not that schools don't want to buy local, it's working out all the kinks with distribution and finding partners.