Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Sunday, January 31, 2010

USDA Agricultural Prices

The preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in
January, at 137 percent, based on 1990-92=100, increased 2 points (1.5
percent) from December. The Crop Index is unchanged but the Livestock Index
increased 4 points (3.4 percent). Producers received higher prices for
broilers, cattle, hogs, and apples and lower prices for lettuce, corn,
broccoli, and soybeans. In addition to prices, the overall index is also
affected by the seasonal change based on a 3-year average mix of commodities
producers sell. Increased monthly marketings of corn, soybeans, wheat, and
rice offset decreased marketings of milk, broilers, cotton, and grapes.

The preliminary All Farm Products Index is down 2 points (1.4 percent) from
January 2009. The Food Commodities Index, at 137, increased 2 points (1.5
percent) from last month and increased 3 points (2.2 percent) from January
2009.

Prices Paid Index up 4 Points

The January Index of Prices Paid for Commodities and Services, Interest,
Taxes, and Farm Wage Rates (PPITW) is 183 percent of the 1990-92 average.
The index is up 4 points (2.2 percent) from December and 3 points (1.7
percent) above January 2009. Higher prices for taxes, cash rent, other
services, and diesel more than offset lower prices in January for interest,
feed grains, concentrates, and mixed fertilizer.


The January All Farm Products Index is 137 percent of its 1990-92 base, up
1.5 percent from the December index but 1.4 percent below the January 2009
index.

ALL CROPS: The January index is 148, unchanged from December but 8.1 percent
below January 2009. Index increases for fruits & nuts, cotton, food grains,
and potatoes & dry beans offset the index decreases for commercial
vegetables, feed grains & hay, and oil-bearing crops.


Fruits & Nuts: The January index, at 138, is up 7.8 percent from December
and 16 percent higher than a year ago. Price increases for strawberries,
apples, oranges, and grapefruit more than offset price decreases for lemons
and pears.

Commercial Vegetables: The January index, at 149, is down 29 percent from
last month and 14 percent below January 2009. Price declines for lettuce,
broccoli, celery, and tomatoes during January more than offset price
increases for snap beans, onions, sweet corn, and carrots.

Potatoes & Dry Beans: The January index, at 134, is up 0.8 percent from last
month but 19 percent below January 2009. The all potato price, at $7.19 per
cwt, decreased 20 cents from December and $2.21 from last January. The all
dry bean price, at $33.30 per cwt, is up $1.10 from the previous month but
$1.70 below January 2009.

USDA: What we have done so far

This past year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been part of the daily lives of millions of Americans, supported our nation’s farmers and ranchers, provided nutrition assistance to 1 in 5 Americans, and created and saved countless jobs in rural communities.



Detailed below are a number of accomplishments from this past year under Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s leadership of the department. In this New Year, the USDA will continue to bring support and assistance to help people and communities throughout the country.




2009 USDA Accomplishments





Ensure Economic Opportunity for Family Farmers

· To provide a strong safety net for family farmers, USDA is working aggressively to meet the credit needs of farmers and ranchers across the country. In 2009, USDA responded to the tight credit market by increasing funding available under the FSA farm credit programs, particularly with respect to direct farm operating loans. The Recovery Act included $173 million for direct operating loans to help over 2,600 producers around the country. Approximately 49% of loans went to beginning farmers and nearly 23% to socially disadvantaged farmers.



· At the end of the year, USDA announced a Memorandum of Understanding with the Internal Revenue Service to establish an electronic information exchange process for verifying compliance with the adjusted gross income provisions for our farm assistance programs. This will enhance the overall integrity of the program. It will also provide more flexibility for family farm operations across the country.



· We have taken extensive steps to help the dairy and pork industries which were both particularly hard hit this year:



o USDA has made $807 million in payments to diary producers through the MILC program. And the increase in the amount paid for dairy products through the price support program improved dairy farmer revenue by $300 million since August. USDA worked quickly to develop the new Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Payment (DELAP) program which uses $290 million authorized by the 2010 Agricultural Appropriations Bill authorized to make a one-time direct payment to dairy producers.



o To help pork producers, USDA purchased approximately $215 million worth of pork products for federal food and nutrition assistance programs in fiscal year 2009. Recently, USTR Ambassador Kirk and Secretary Vilsack announced that the Chinese Government intends to reopen that market to U.S. pork and live swine, consistent with science-based, international standards.



· In response to President Obama’s “buy local” challenge to help revitalize rural America, USDA launched the ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ initiative, an effort to use resources from across the Department of Agriculture to create new income opportunities for farm operators of all sizes by supporting local and regional food systems and strengthening the connection between farmers, consumers and local institutions. Using ideas and new programs authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill as well as other USDA authorities, Know Your Farmer investments and education efforts will help generate wealth that will stay in rural communities, promote a greater focus on sustainable agricultural practices, and give American families easier access to healthy, locally grown food.



· USDA has implemented the new Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program (SURE) to provide financial assistance to producers who have suffered crop losses due to natural disasters. SURE provides crop disaster assistance payments to eligible producers on farms that have incurred crop production or crop quality losses.



· To prevent anticompetitive behavior against family farms, we are working to fully enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act to crack down on unfair or deceptive practices and ensure a fair marketplace for livestock and poultry. USDA released the GIPSA chicken rule to level the playing field and provide poultry growers with more information for them to make basic decisions when entering into poultry growing arrangements.



· USDA has renewed its commitment to partnering with landowners to conserve private lands.



o Secretary Vilsack has established a new vision for forestry and water quality within USDA. We will emphasize a collaborative and cross-boundary forest management approach to include state and private lands with a heavy focus on restoration.



o USDA expedited implementation of the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), announced in July, to encourage agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt additional ones on their operations. The program attracted applications from agriculture producers wishing to enroll twice the number of acres authorized by Congress annually.



o USDA created the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative, a $320 million effort in 41 selected watersheds in 12 states, where USDA will work with agricultural producers, partner organizations and State and local agencies to improve water quality and the overall health of the Mississippi River Basin.



Support Rural Economic Development

· USDA is focused on a number of emerging economic opportunities in rural communities that have the potential to revitalize rural America, including jobs made possible by new broadband infrastructure, renewable energy generation, recreation in rural areas, climate change mitigation and a comprehensive program to support the development of local and regional food systems we call ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food.’



· With help from the Recovery Act, USDA worked to support small business development. The Recovery Act provided USDA additional funding for programs with proven track records of creating and saving jobs. USDA’s Rural Development's Business & Industry Guaranteed Loan Program has announced approximately $1.7 billion to improve, develop, or finance business, industry, and employment and improve the economic climate in rural communities. USDA has also selected $19 million in Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) to assist in financing and facilitating the creation of small and emerging private business enterprises in rural areas.



· USDA is building critical infrastructure to help rural America compete in a 21st century economy. USDA has announced the first NOFA for part of our $2.5 billion in Recovery Act funds to support the expansion of broadband service in rural America. In December we announced the first 8 projects selected for funding worth $53.8 million. This funding will provide access to high speed internet service in locations that currently lack sufficient access. A modernized communications infrastructure is essential to creating new business opportunities to rural communities and spurring rural economic development.



· USDA is working to promote rural leadership in developing and producing renewable energy.



o At President Obama’s direction, USDA has moved quickly to expedite Farm Bill provisions to develop renewable energy sources.



o To help build a green economy, USDA has provided funds to develop and build commercial and demonstration scale bio-refineries and the development of 2nd and 3rd generation biofuels.



o In 2009, we made more than $112 million in investments through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to help more than 1,500 rural businesses invest in technology to become more energy efficient.



o The Biomass Crop Assistance Program – or BCAP – has already begun to provide matching payments to folks delivering biomass for the collection, harvest, storage, and transportation of biomass to eligible biomass conversion facilities. This program, authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill, will help encourage the development of biomass feedstocks for the production of advanced biofuels, renewable energy and biobased products. We are also developing the regulations for the full implementation of BCAP in Fiscal Year 2010.



o USDA is part of a Biofuels Interagency Working Group to help coordinate efforts across the federal government to advance biofuels research and commercialization



o Using Recovery Act funds, the Forest Service is supporting restoration projects that not only improve forest health, but use the bi-products to produce clean burning fuels. A total of 30 Recovery Act projects received funding of $56 million to support the development of biofuels from wood and help private sector businesses to establish renewable energy infrastructure and accelerate availability in the marketplace.



o USDA re-established the Office of Community and Economic Development Services to improve our ability to encourage and support communities and regions as they work to improve their quality of life by developing effective economic development strategies. The office is working with rural communities to think regionally so that they can better utilize their assets, collaborate with local and federal partners, to create a viable, sustainable future for rural families.



Improve Rural Quality Of Life

· USDA has provided historic resources to upgrade infrastructure in rural American communities so that they can take advantage of new opportunities, provide a better quality-of-life for their inhabitants, and address some of the acute hardship it faced in 2009.



o In FY 2009, USDA provided nearly $875 billion for building and repairing 1,828 community facilities including childcare centers, hospitals, medical clinics, fire and rescue stations, police stations, and community centers that will improve the quality of life for more than 19 million rural Americans. The Recovery Act funded 523 of these projects totaling $293 million in loans.



o In FY 2009, USDA provided grants and loans worth $16.6 billion to preserve rural housing in all 50 states and U.S. Territories to help nearly 140,000 rural Americans become homeowners. $10.3 billion to help 84,000 families was provided through the Recovery Act.



o In FY 2009, USDA issued more than $2.5 billion, $1.9 billion through ARRA funding, in grants and loans to bolster rural water and wastewater infrastructure in more than 1,200 rural communities, expected to benefit nearly 3.4 million users.


Other Accomplishments
Additional Support for American Agriculture and Struggling Industries

· In April 2009, USDA rescinded a portion of a final rule published by the prior Administration that terminated base acres on federally-owned land. As a result, farmers who lease federal land are again considered eligible to receive payments under the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP) on federal land with base acres. Terminating base acres on federally-owned cropland would have hurt farmers across the country and eroded the safety net for farmers and ranchers.



· USDA has proposed important, common sense changes in the agreement the department is currently renegotiating with the insurance industry. These changes are not expected to impact farmers or increase costs but ensure their continued access to important risk management tools, reduce volatility for crop insurance companies, expand access to underserved areas, and make the crop insurance program more responsive to taxpayer concerns.



· USDA strengthened support for the growing organic industry. We negotiated and announced a first-of-its-kind agreement between the United States and Canada that will expand opportunities for organic producers in both countries. We dedicated $50 million in EQIP funding to organic production and to maintain the quality of the organic standard, the National Organic Program was elevate to its own division and a peer review audit was conducted of the program.



· USDA has put a renewed emphasis on trade – with Secretary travel and meetings at all levels to promote trade opportunities that benefit American producers. Secretary Vilsack has traveled to Kenya, China and the Philippines to help expand agricultural exports.



o Earlier this year, technical discussions with Korea led that government to approve three recently commercialized biotech corn and soy varieties in time for the 2009 planting season.



o We continue to press at every opportunity to expand access for U.S. beef and beef products consistent with international standards. For example, January to October 2009 exports to Japan have risen 15 percent.



o Chile has agreed to align their beef and beef product import regulations with international standards, and we are now discussing the new export certificate.



o We have been able to maintain access for U.S. pork and poultry to the Philippines under that country’s existing market access commitments.



o After decades of litigation with the European Union (EU) over the use of hormones in cattle, the United States has concluded an agreement with the EU that has the potential to increase substantially our beef sales there.



o Recently, USTR Ambassador Kirk and Secretary Vilsack helped negotiate an agreement so that the Chinese Government intends to reopen that market to U.S. pork and live swine, consistent with science-based, international standards. This is an important development because, in 2008, China was the U.S. pork industry’s fastest growing market.


Civil Rights

· We have worked to transform USDA into a more productive and engaged organization. Secretary Vilsack has made civil rights a top priority, creating a comprehensive plan to improve the Department's record and to move USDA into a new era as a model employer and premier service provider. We temporarily suspended all foreclosures within the Farm Service Agency’s farm loan program, we began a review of program civil rights complaints to improve the complaint process, and we have ordered an external, independent analysis of program delivery to USDA constituents in the field. Additionally, we have made it clear to all employees that discrimination of any form will not be tolerated at USDA.


USDA Management and Cost Savings

· We have implemented reforms to avoid costs to the Department of more than $50 million since January 2009. These cost-avoidance measures have included eliminating unnecessary travel and conferences, increasing administrative efficiencies, and terminating contracts that are no longer needed.



· The Department will save millions though a new partnership with the IRS to identify potential fraud and improper payments in farm programs.


Food Safety

Secretary Vilsack has initiated a top-to-bottom review of the FSIS food safety system with the goal of ensuring the safety of the American food supply.



· Secretary Vilsack is co-chairing President Obama’s Food Safety Working Group which will build a food safety system that will meet the challenges posed by the global food supply of the 21st century.



· In 2009 FSIS began conducting routine sampling of bench trim for E. coli.



· FSIS worked on developing a quality public health infrastructure with data that is readily accessible to key decision-makers and front-line personnel.



· FSIS began conducting real time surveillance of high-risk shipments of meat, poultry, and egg products coming into the United States and vulnerability assessments focused on imports through partnerships with other federal agencies.



· In September we appointed the Department’s first Chief Medical Officer to strengthen the Department’s public health role.


Conservation of Forests and Natural Resources

· Secretary Vilsack announced a vision for the future of our nation's forests sets a new direction for the USDA and the U.S. Forest Service. We will emphasize a collaborative and cross-boundary forest management approach with a heavy focus on restoration. USDA will work to make our forests more resilient to climate change while protecting water resources, improving forest health and creating new jobs. The Forest Service initiated an open, collaborative process to create and implement a stable planning rule for the National Forest System.



· Adequate protection of roadless areas is a critical part of our vision to preserve the character of America’s forests, which is why in May USDA issued a temporary order so that Secretary Vilsack is currently personally review any new proposals for timber harvest or road construction in roadless areas.



· The Forest Service restored landscapes and protected communities by treating over 3.5 million acres of fuels across the country, over 60% of which were in the wildland urban interface. This was an integrated effort that included work by numerous programs across the agency - and across our boundaries - with almost 600,000 of these acres being treated on state and private lands by our non-federal partners.



· USDA has announced approximately $1.2 billion in funding for approximately 700 Forest Service projects, including hazardous fuel removal and forest health protection, with Recovery Act funding. Projects were targeted in economically distressed areas to create jobs. In addition, USDA has invested $50 million in Watershed Rehabilitation and $290 million in Watershed Operations and Flood Prevention with Recovery Act funding.



· In 2009, the Forest Service and its 13 southern state partners completed the 800,000th acre in the Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program. This program provides financial assistance to federal, state and private landowners to help ameliorate future beetle outbreaks in the American south in the highest priority areas.



· The 12,000 employees of the Natural Resources Conservation Service provided over $3 billion in conservation technical and financial assistance to America’s working land owners, in support of Administration priorities and USDA strategic goals.



· In response to President Obama’s historic Executive order, USDA has taken on a leadership role in the conservation and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. In collaboration with EPA, USDA developed a new strategic framework for agriculture conservation practices in the Bay watershed, including targeting programs to areas with nutrient and sediment challenges.



· The Natural Resources Conservation Service accelerated the Conservation Delivery Streamlining Initiative to begin implementation in 2010, with twin goals of reducing administrative and clerical workload on field staff by 80 percent and enabling them to spend 75 percent of their time in the field, directly serving farmers and ranchers. Funding for this important initiative was re-directed from other projects.


International Ag. Development and Food Assistance

An international consensus has developed that the past practice of relying on food aid has not solved the problem of international food insecurity. We need a comprehensive approach focused on sustainability. Our goals should be to increase the availability of food by helping people and countries produce what they need, to make food accessible to those who need it, and to teach people to use it properly so that they make the most of it.



· USDA has proposed doubling the appropriated funding for the McGovern-Dole school feeding program to nearly $200 million.



· As the agricultural part of the Obama Administrations efforts in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Secretary Vilsack and his counterparts in Afghanistan and Pakistan met in Washington DC and to outline a plan for agricultural cooperation and collaboration among the three countries. USDA is placing sixty-four agricultural experts throughout the country by February 2010



· In August, Secretary Vilsack attended the 8th meeting of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) in Nairobi, Kenya to chart new ways forward in building closer economic ties between the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa.


Nutrition

One of the first items that the President discussed with Secretary Vilsack when he was selected for this job was that his number one priority for USDA was to provide our children with healthier, more nutritious meals. The USDA will do everything it can to support the health of our children and the health of the school environment in thousands of schools across the country.



· President Obama has proposed a historic investment of $10 billion over 10 years to improve the Child Nutrition Programs.



· USDA engaged in a thorough review of a study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on improvements to the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. USDA will develop a proposed rule to determine the best ways to improve the programs and better align them with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans based on IOM's final report.



· We are promoting the timely processing of applications, and encouraging states to use flexibility they have to provide benefits to as many qualified individuals as possible.



o We have offered waivers that would eliminate the need for an interview for recertification in our programs for households in which all adult members are elderly or disabled, with no earned income.



o And we are urging states to take is broad-based categorical eligibility, which allows SNAP eligibility workers to make many certification decisions based on determinations already made for other federal programs.



· FNS is coordinating with state and federal partners to streamline eligibility requirements, and reduce barriers to enrollment in our nutrition assistance programs.


Research

· We announced the National Institute of Food and Agriculture includes an increase of $70 million for research, education and extension activities.



o NIFA will be a kind of research “start-up” company. We’ll rebuild our competitive grants program from the ground up to generate real results for the American people. NIFA will focus our research funds on: nutrition and obesity; food safety; securing America’s energy future from new domestic sources; and improving crop, animal, and forest management in the face of climate change.



· Using a $10 million grant from NIFA, an international team of scientists completed the first draft of the genome of a domesticated pig. Agricultural Research Service scientists were part of the team at Cornell University that sequenced the maize genome. And using funding from NIFA, ARS and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an international consortium of researchers published the genome of domestic cattle.



Climate Change

· USDA played a lead role in creating a Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases announced at the COP 15 climate talks in Copenhagen in conjunction with a host of nations. The Alliance will focus on research, development, and extension of technologies and practices to grow more food (and more climate-resilient food systems) without growing greenhouse gas emissions.



· In December, USDA signed an historic agreement with U.S. Dairy producers to promote greenhouse gas reductions and the production of energy from waste materials. The agreement contains strong commitments for assisting U.S. dairy farmers reach a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by the year 2020.


Rural Tour

· Since May, Secretary Vilsack has held 22 listening sessions or ‘Rural Forums’ in small communities across the country as part of President Obama’s ‘Rural Tour.’ This tour was designed to highlight the Obama administration’s commitment to revitalizing and rebuilding rural America. It was also an opportunity for the Administration to listen to diverse voices in communities throughout rural America, and learn from citizens what the Administration can do to strengthen the communities.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Roubini warns of asset bubbles

Roubini warns of asset bubbles
By Ben Rooney, staff reporterJanuary 27, 2010: 4:35 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Economist Nouriel Roubini said Wednesday that asset bubbles are beginning to form in markets around the world, and he called for more regulation of the global financial system.

"I fear that we're back to business as usual," Roubini told CNNMoney.com at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "We need to try to curb the excesses in the financial system."


Roubini, a professor of economics at New York University, said the global economy could be in for another shock as investors around the world take advantage of low interest rates to fund risky bets in certain markets.

He said asset bubbles are already beginning to form that could put the U.S. economy into a "double-dip" recession if regulators fail to impose even more strict regulations.

"There's a wall of liquidity chasing assets and some of those assets are oil, energy, food and gold," he said. While those prices have been supported by a gradual improvement in the global economy, he said that some of the increases have been "excessive."

"Oil has gone from $30 a barrel to $80 a barrel at a time when demand is down to 2005 levels, and there's a huge inventory of oil," he said. "Part of the increase in oil and commodity prices is a bubble."
Beware the 4 new asset bubbles

The reforms recently proposed by President Barack Obama are "going in the right direction," Roubini said. But he argued that more needs to be done to prevent banks from growing too large.

"With too-big-to-fail banks, you need to really break them up, not just limit their size," he said, adding that banks' proprietary trading should be separated from their commercial activities.

"I would go back to the former Glass-Steagall," he said in reference to banking reforms instituted after the Great Depression, which were later repealed.

Roubini, who is known by many as "Dr. Doom" for his consistently pessimistic outlook, also warned that U.S. fiscal policy is "unsustainable" and that the nation's creditors could shun U.S. debt.

"Eventually the bond market vigilantes are going to wake up even in the United States and Japan, given that the current path of fiscal policy is obviously unsustainable in the U.S. and in most advanced economies," he said.
0:00 /5:13Roubini: More bubbles forming

Still, he said that the U.S. economy may require more stimulus "at the margins" as unemployment remains high and many U.S. states struggle with massive budget deficits.

"In the short-term, we may need more stimulus, but that has to be accompanied by credible commitment to reduce deficits over the medium term," he said.

Roubini said the $787 billion stimulus package the government launched in 2009 was necessary and helped prevent the U.S. economy from sinking into a depression.

But he said policymakers need to come up with a plan to raise revenue and bring down the national debt so that "short-term stimulus is not going to lead to a loss of fiscal sustainability over time."

Roubini, who specializes in emerging economies, said that China's robust growth could lead to financial turmoil if the country doesn't do more to fight asset bubbles and become less dependent on exports.

"Eventually even China could get into trouble," he said.

Running for the hills on immigration - CNN

Running for the hills on immigration - CNN
By Ruben Navarrette Jr., Special to

Editor's note: Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a member of the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board, a nationally syndicated columnist and a regular contributor to CNN.com.

San Diego, California (CNN) -- Thirty-seven words. In this week's State of the Union address -- which was more than 7,000 words long and lasted longer than an hour -- all President Obama devoted to the issue of immigration reform was 37 measly words.

Here they are: "And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -- to secure our borders, enforce our laws and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation."

It's disappointing that Obama didn't spend more time on this pressing issue -- but not surprising. Even though, elsewhere in the speech, Obama reminded Democrats in Congress that "the people expect us to solve problems, not run for the hills," this White House spent the first year in office running for the hills on immigration reform.

In fact, Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, once referred to the issue as the real "third rail" of American politics. You touch it, you die.

Every immigration reform advocate in the country -- including many Latinos -- should be disappointed in Obama. Many of them bought the fairy tale that a Democratic president would magically be more committed to immigration reform than a Republican one. And they expected Obama to make good on the promise he made, while addressing the annual meeting of the National Council of La Raza in July 2008 as a candidate, to treat comprehensive immigration reform as "a top priority in my first year as president."

That obviously didn't happen. And, regardless of what Obama's defenders say, it wasn't just because the president found other things to do. The truth is that immigration reform was always going to be an especially tough issue for Democrats since it splits the liberal coalition with Latinos on one side and organized labor on the other.

While many unions support giving illegal immigrants a shot at legal status, they balk at another element in the mix: guest workers, which organized labor claims would undermine U.S. workers who would -- even as we speak -- be happily doing the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs if foreign workers hadn't beaten them to it.

As for what Obama said in his speech, you'll notice that he was careful not to use hot-button phrases: "comprehensive immigration reform," "guest workers," "earned legalization." He was just as careful to emphasize positive phrases: "enforce our laws," "contribute to our economy," "enrich our nation."

Oh brother. Those 37 words must have been focus-grouped 100 times.

Next, Obama also played it safe by basically selling the rhetorical equivalent of mom, puppies and apple pie. By limiting his immigration remarks to feel-good generalities, the president decreased the likelihood of being attacked by opponents.

How does someone oppose "fixing our broken immigration system" or a call to "secure our borders"?

And finally, in going to bat for "everyone who plays by the rules," Obama can't very well be talking about illegal immigrants since they didn't play the rules to get here, stay here or work here. In fact, they are, by their very nature, rule breakers.

So either Obama is telegraphing that he won't be aggressively pursuing a path to earned legalization for illegal immigrants and will instead focus on the low-hanging fruit of enforcement only, or he is redefining what it means to "play by the rules," and what he means is that he aims to help those illegal immigrants who -- having broken the rules to get here -- might now be willing to adhere to a set of conditions to stay here.

There's a big difference between those two approaches, and only time will tell what the president is prepared to do to -- as he said -- fix a broken system.

Obama had it right the first time when he was campaigning for president. The answer is comprehensive immigration reform. "Enforcement only" won't work because it never does. It's just another way for lawmakers to take the easy way out, and -- as Obama said -- run for the hills.

Our elected officials need to grab the immigration issue whole with a comprehensive approach that includes:

• Guest workers to do jobs Americans won't do at any wage;

• A tamper-proof identification card for all U.S. workers to help employers know who is legally eligible to work;

• New employer sanctions that include stiffer fines and jail time for repeat offenders;

• A condition-laden pathway to earned legalization for illegal immigrants who have been in the United States since 2005;

• More workplace raids and speedier deportations to deal with those who can't or won't meet those conditions;

• A revamping of the immigration system for legal immigrants so that we put more emphasis on the demands of the labor market and less on family reunification;

• A ban on welfare and other social aid programs for those legalized with the exception of emergency health care;

• And efforts to secure the border, not with walls to nowhere but with better and smarter technology that helps Border Patrol agents stay one step ahead in their ongoing battle of wits with immigrant smugglers.

Mr. President, there is no way to say all that in 37 words.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette Jr.

Economy grows at 5.7 pct pace, fastest since 2003

Economy grows at 5.7 pct pace, fastest since 2003
Economy grows for 2nd straight quarter at better-than-expected 5.7 pct rate, best since 2003


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy grew faster than expected at the end of last year, though the engine of that growth -- companies replenishing stockpiles -- is likely to weaken as consumers keep a lid on spending.

The 5.7 percent annual growth rate in the fourth quarter was the fastest pace since 2003. The Commerce Department report Friday is the strongest evidence to date that the worst recession since the 1930s ended last year, though an academic panel that dates recessions has yet to declare an end to it.

The two straight quarters of growth followed a record four quarters of decline. Still, the expansion in the fourth quarter was fueled by companies refilling depleted stockpiles, a trend that will eventually fade. Some economists worry that when that happens, the recovery could

Growth exceeded expectations mainly because business spending on equipment and software jumped 13.3 percent -- much more than forecast. It's the second quarter in a row that business spending has increased, after six quarters of decline.

The report provided an upbeat end to an otherwise dismal year: The nation's economy declined 2.4 percent in 2009, the largest drop since 1946. That's the first annual decline since 1991.

Still, economists expect growth to slow this year as companies finish restocking inventories and as government stimulus efforts fade. Many estimate the nation's gross domestic product will grow about 2.5 percent to 3 percent in the current quarter and about 2.5 percent or below this year.

That won't be fast enough to reduce the unemployment rate, now 10 percent. Most analysts expect it to keep rising for several months and remain close to 10 percent through the end of the year.

High unemployment is likely to keep consumers cautious about spending. Without strong consumer spending, economists worry the recovery could falter.

"That's why there's so much hand-wringing right now," said Brian Bethune, chief U.S. financial economist for IHS Global Insight. "Can the economy really sustain this? That's the big question mark sitting out there."

Still, it's a "surprisingly good report," Bethune said, with several factors contributing to growth, including a rapid rise in exports and business investment.

About 60 percent of the fourth quarter's growth resulted from a sharp slowdown in the reduction of inventories as firms began to rebuild stockpiles depleted by the recession.

A shift in the so-called inventory cycle can make a big difference to economic growth, even if overall spending by consumers and businesses grows only modestly. That's because an increase in inventories, or even just a much slower rate of decline, means that companies are producing more goods to fill orders, rather than drawing on their existing stockpiles.

Excluding inventory changes, the economy would have grown at a 2.2 percent clip, the government said. That's an improvement from 1.5 percent in the third quarter.

Besides business spending on equipment and software, also powering growth in the October-December period was consumer spending, which rose 2 percent.

A steep increase in exports also helped boost growth. The shipment of goods overseas rose 18.1 percent, far outpacing a 10.5 percent rise in imports.

Government spending was actually a slight drag on growth in the fourth quarter: A small increase in federal spending was outweighed by a drop in state and local spending.

Wal-Mart streamlines units WSJ


Wal-Mart streamlines units
WSJ


Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) is consolidating its U.S. realty, store operations and logistics divisions, which will operate under three geographic business units, as the world's biggest retailer aims to improve efficiency and lower operational costs.

Wal-Mart said Thursday it plans to break up its U.S. business into North, South and Western regions, each of which would have its own real estate teams to scout and build new stores, and merchandising teams to fine-tune the mix of products sold to suit local tastes. The new model more closely resembles the company's international operations, which are headed by country presidents with similar teams working underneath them.

"This is consistent with what they have been doing on the merchandising side as they have sharpened their focus on the specific needs of the local consumer," said Sarah Henry, retail analyst with MFC Global Investment Management.

Taking broad strokes makes sense, since "when you have a mature retailer, your focus is on bringing out productivity per square foot," Henry said. "This a good use of their analytic power."

Wal-Mart "is always looking for ways to be more efficient and this seems like a logical step," said Peter Wood, a senior vice president who follows retail companies at Chase Investment Counsel, a money management firm.

Wal-Mart's U.S. stores chief, Eduardo Castro Wright, who will oversee all three new regions, wrote in another memo the new structure would "facilitate our growth as we seek to enter new markets."

He suggested that the regionalized approach would lead to different new store formats around the country. The company is aligning its store planning team with a customer experience team, a move that "will also support our efforts to accelerate our speed to market with new formats," Castro Wright said.

Rosalind Brewer has been named an executive vice president and president of the Southern region. Previously, she was president of the Southeast division for Walmart US.

Hank Mullany has been promoted executive vice president and president of Walmart North. He was previously president of the Northeast division of Walmart US.

Eric Zorn, president of Walmart Realty, and Johnnie Dobbs, executive vice president of logistics, will remain in their positions, with their roles expanded as the operating groups are aligned, the company said.

As of Feb. 1, Wal-Mart is transferring the responsibility for store merchandising from its market team to zone merchandise supervisors, a move that will cause the elimination of market team jobs. Wal-Mart did not disclose the number of jobs being lost.

Wal-Mart is also aligning its Puerto Rico business with that in the U.S. as a way of leveraging its U.S. buying power.

The moves follows Wal-Mart's announcement on Sunday that its Sam's Club division would lay off 11,200 workers as it restructures its in-store demonstrations unit.

Wal-Mart shares closed down 1.5% to $52.61, and were unchanged in late trading.

Monsanto to join biotech campus

Monsanto to join biotech campus

STAFF WRITER ALAN M. WOLF

Agriculture giant Monsanto plans to study ways to improve the taste and nutrition of fruits and vegetables at a burgeoning biotech campus in Kannapolis.

Company officials and the billionaire behind the N.C. Research Campus, Dole Food Chairman David Murdock, announced the news Thursday morning in Kannapolis.

Starting in June, the company will have 10 to 12 employees working in about 9,000 square feet of lab and office space on the campus and two or three visiting Monsanto scientists each year.


Monsanto joins other tenants at the campus, which opened in 2008, including N.C. State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, Red Hat and more. The 350-acre campus, built at the site of a former textile mill, is north of Charlotte and about 150 miles west of Raleigh.

But the campus has struggled to attract big-name corporate tenants. Soda and food giant PepsiCo had considered occupying a lab to study ways to make its products more healthful, but the company backed out last year due to the recession.

Senate Dem: Health Care Bill 'On Life Support' AP

Senate Dem: Health Care Bill 'On Life Support'- AP
Democratic senator says health care bill 'on life support' after Obama fails to break logjam


President Barack Obama's health care appeal failed to break the congressional gridlock Thursday, dimming hopes for millions of uninsured Americans. Democrats stared down a political nightmare — getting clobbered for voting last year for ambitious, politically risky bills, yet having nothing to show for it in November.

The grim reality opened a divide between the rank and file and congressional leaders, who insisted health care would get done, even though last week's special election in Massachusetts denied Democrats the 60-vote majority they need to deliver in the Senate. Many Democrats saw a problem with no clear solution.

"It's very possible that health care is just a stalemate and you can't solve it this year," said Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark.

If Obama and Democrats fail to pass any legislation this election year, Washington would still face the problem of millions of uninsured, rising medical costs and a dwindling Medicare trust fund forecast to run out of money in 2017.

Obama's health care overhaul is "on life support," said Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., "but it still has a pulse."

Obama urged lawmakers in Wednesday night's State of the Union address not to abandon the effort on what was once his top domestic priority. But his enthusiastic words provided no specific prescription for moving forward, leaving lawmakers little better off than before.

Senate Democratic leaders huddled Thursday afternoon to try to determine how to proceed, emerging to report progress, and the White House remained engaged in the negotiations. A Senate aide said lawmakers were hoping to decide on a legislative strategy by the end of next week.

Republican senators said senior White House officials had reached out to several in their ranks, including some conservatives, despite the unanimous GOP opposition to the far-reaching bill.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., who last year said stopping Obama on health care could be his Waterloo, said Thursday, "What I was saying was if he continued to push this massive takeover that it could be his Waterloo, and now it very well could be."

In a sign of how far health care had fallen since Obama campaigned on it, Senate Democrats devoted a weekly policy lunch Thursday to discussing jobs, not health care. In a letter to supporters outlining Democrats' 2010 agenda, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer didn't even mention health care, although a spokeswoman said the e-mail was sent by Hoyer's campaign team and was not meant to be an exhaustive list of priorities. House and Senate leaders insisted success on health care was still in reach.

"We're going to move forward on health reform. We're going to do health care reform this year," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi acknowledged in her weekly news conference that plenty of work remained if the House was to agree to changes to the Senate bill.

"We will go through the gate. If the gate is closed, we will go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we will pole vault in. If that doesn't work, we will parachute in," Pelosi said. "But we are going to get health care reform passed for the American people."

Just two weeks ago House and Senate leaders were working round the clock at the White House, with Obama personally involved, to merge legislation passed separately by each chamber and finalize a bill for Obama to sign in time for his State of the Union speech. That effort was upended when Republican Scott Brown claimed the Senate seat long held by the late Edward M. Kennedy.

Since then Democrats have struggled to find a way forward. The leading strategy is for the House to pass the Senate bill along with a package of changes approved by both chambers, but that idea is fraught with difficulties both political and substantive. Some Democrats favor retreating from a comprehensive overhaul and taking a less ambitious approach with a series of individual initiatives or a smaller bill.

"Is there a gate someplace to get through and try to save some common areas of health care reform in both the House and the Senate bill? We'll see," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.

The powerful seniors' lobby AARP weighed in Thursday, urging lawmakers in a letter to "continue to work together to enact comprehensive health care reform legislation this year."

As Democratic leaders sought a way through the health care logjam, they reminded the rank and file that there are no easy solutions, politically or otherwise.

Two unpleasant choices face Democratic lawmakers who voted for the health care changes last year and who now worry about their re-election prospects this fall.

If a bill becomes law, they will have to convince a doubting public of its benefits, and conservatives are bound to keep up the attacks. If no bill passes, it's possible that public anger over the health care issue will subside a bit. But many Democratic strategists say GOP challengers will constantly remind people of the incumbents' votes, and Democrats will seek re-election with nothing to show on health care despite controlling the House, Senate and White House — and with hefty majorities.

Compounding the problems was growing distrust between the House and the Senate.

While lawmakers struggle, Wall Street is celebrating the sinking prospects for a sweeping overhaul that would put new taxes and requirements on insurance companies. Insurers have opposed the overhaul even though it aims to insure more than 30 million people over the next decade with a new requirement for nearly everyone to be covered.

An analysis distributed by UBS Investment Bank after the State of the Union speech stated: "Investors should proceed as if the health care effort is dead."

First Lady unveils blueprint for war on obesity - Feedstuffs

First Lady unveils blueprint for war on obesity - Feedstuffs

(1/28/2010)
Sally Schuff

First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled a new report on childhood obesity on Jan. 28 and said her new campaign to promote fitness for the nation's children “will not be easy, and it won't happen overnight."

She made the remark during a ceremony held at a Virginia YMCA to highlight the release of “The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation.” The report, the first for Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D., reports on the “alarming trend of overweight and obese Americans,” and includes several fitness recommendations families, schools, child care, and health care professionals. While not mentioning the stalled health care debate, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius noted during the event "the unhealthier we are as a nation, the more our health care costs will continue to rise." Quoting statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, Sebelius said the U.S. spends one dollar out of every ten health care dollars on obesity and its complications, which is almost twice that spent in 1988. The $150 billion spent on obesity related conditions is more than that spent on treating all the cancer patients in America, she said.

The First Lady’s campaign comes as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is set to give a major speech on Feb. 8 at the National Press Club in Washington outlining the Administration’s goals for this year’s Congressional reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, the legislation that underpins the nation’s school feeding programs.

The Surgeon General's report is online at: www.surgeongeneral.gov.

Dairy Atrocities Shock Nation - Food Consumer

Dairy Atrocities Shock Nation - Food Consumer

"When searching for new employees at Willet Dairy, we look for skilled people who know how to handle animals and their illnesses, chief operating officer Lyn Odel told Farm Credit of Maine in 2006. But one look at undercover video shot at New York state's largest dairy in Locke, released this week, makes his remark sound like a sick joke.

One worker repeatedly forces his finger deeply into the eye sockets of calves to hold them in place while he burns off their horn buds. One calf collapses from the pain and hangs by a rope around her neck while the worker lifts her by her tail and continues with the second horn. As smoke from the burning flesh envelopes the bellowing calves, they then have their tails docked--an amputation procedure so painful and unnecessary, it is banned in five European countries and opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association
.

Downed cows were left to suffer for as much as 12 days writes Mike, the humane investigator who shot the video for Mercy For Animals (MFA) after being hired as a maintenance worker last year. One worker, he writes in a diary, was shocked when a "dead" cow he was moving with a forklift "[expletive] move a little bit."

The downer cows, denied veterinary care or euthanasia, also experienced terror says veterinarian Holly Cheever after viewing the video. "Any cow, as a prey and not a predator species, experiences terror due to her immobility, since she knows she is helpless to protect herself with her instinctive fight or flight response."

Cows with hemorrhagic uterine prolapses at the more than 7,000-animal Willet dairy were ignored for weeks as they progressed to necrotic states and death--and cows who left pools of blood when they walked (also denied veterinary care) provided milk for the public says Mike.

FDA records show harmful drugs were detected at least twice in Willet cows sold as meat--the antibiotic sulfadimethoxine at excessive levels and the antibiotic gentamicin, not allowed in edible tissues at all--after inspection. "Our investigation found that you hold animals under conditions which are so inadequate that diseased and/or medicated animals bearing potentially harmful drug residues in edible tissues are likely to enter the food supply," wrote FDA officials, Jerome G. Woyshner and Brenda J. Holman to the dairy farm. Virtually all dairy cows are sold for their flesh at four or five years, a fraction of their natural lifespan, when profitability decreases.

At Willet dairy, the animals' drinking water was "opaque brown, with chunks of feed, manure, and other debris floating on top," writes Mike and troughs and drains were never cleaned, according to a dairy mechanic. One employee even deliberately contaminated the cows' drinking water by dipping his feces-covered tools in the water troughs for spite.

The employee, believed to have worked at Willet Dairy for nineteen years, boasts of and enacts such violence against animals, he is named in the Mercy For Animals complaint to Jon E. Budelmann, the District Attorney Cayuga County in Auburn, New York submitted last August.

"What do you think that wrench did to her?" the worker asks Mike, recounting a violence incident using one of his tools. "Cracked her right over the [expletive] skull."

"With her head in a headlock?" asks Mike.

"Yep. Dropped her right down. [yells] Stupid bitch!"

The employee also describes braining a bull with a two by four and then kicking its genitals, "stomping" an animal by jumping off of a gate and onto her head repeatedly and brutalizing a tied up calf so badly the manager asks why it's so bruised.

While newborns at Willet are allowed to die from the cold--many freezing to death in unheated, coffin-like tin sheds spaced every few feet in the snow--their mothers also suffer. Video shows the cows following their days-old calves as they are pulled away by one or two legs to become veal, vocalizing plaintively. They "run around the box stalls" searching for their offspring "for days" a worker confirms.

After finding a severely ill calf at 8:30 in the morning, the worker responsible for newborns tells Mike she was "cold" and would soon be dead. But "at 4:30 p.m. the dying calf was still in the same place, her throat barely expanding and contracting in slow breaths" writes Mike. "Her eyes were completely gray. I sat down beside her and stroked her hair. She did not respond, but when I got up to walk away, she let out a weak bleat, so I returned and continued to pet her."

Tipped off about the MFA video, Holstein World Online tells dairy producers to alert the "national issues management team" if reporters contact them "before making any statements beyond our general messaging on animal care and milk safety."

And what is the "general messaging"? In the past it has been shock at the video and a claim of ignorance along with a vow to investigate and apprehend the "bad apples" including ones they haven't known about for nineteen years.

But the grisly footage that every farm randomly chosen for investigation--MFA has investigated 11--seems to yield, indicates the violence is not isolated, not coincidental, but agribusiness-as-usual.

Even Lyn Odel admits Willet Dairy is not unusual. "We don't farm any different than anybody else does up and down this road," the Syracuse New Times quotes him saying in 2008 when neighbors complained about the dairy. "This is about the nature of our business, about how we farm. It's not about Willet. It’s about the dairy industry."

For a link to the video www.mercyforanimals.org/dairy

For stills http://mercyforanimals.org/willetmedia>

Greenwise shoppers confounding Publix executives

Greenwise shoppers confounding Publix executives

BY RICHARD MULLINS

MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE

Published: January 29, 2010

TAMPA - When the Publix grocery chain opened the upscale Greenwise store in South Tampa, managers expected affluent foodies, environmentalists and health-focused organic food devotees.

After opening day, those very shoppers came ready to spend - regularly gobbling up high-tier tuna filets at $30 per pound, organic vitamins at $36 per bottle, exotic Romano cheese at $42 per pound and wine at $100 to $300 per bottle.

But something else happened along the way.

Greenwise managers found that affluent shoppers also craved items of a decidedly downscale type: Hot and crispy fried chicken, Dora the Explorer birthday cakes and bubbly Coke from a soda fountain at lunch.

The only problem, the store didn't stock that kind of thing. No one expected foodies to want fried chicken.

"This is still very much a pilot project," said store manager Michael Tapia. "We're learning as we listen to what our customers want."

Customers may drive a Land Rover or Maserati to the store, but they also require Clorox and cat litter, and have a fistful of coupons for Tide.

About a year after opening the upscale grocery boutique, Publix officials opened up about lessons learned along the way, and how they are discovering a lot about the human nature of those who inhabit the wealthiest ZIP codes.

1. Upscale sells

Publix parked the Greenwise store smack in the middle of Tampa's most affluent neighborhoods, with a median household income of more than $140,000 a year.

Store managers have yet to find the upper limit of what sells.

Last December, Greenwise offered hand-picked Lucques olives from the South of France at $9.99 per pound. They sold out each day over a week.

Several hundred people regularly show up for special wine-tasting events at the store, with the line snaking out the entrance. The store's regular "Wine 101" classes regularly fill 30 allotted slots.
Gourmet prepared meals are the centerpiece of the store, and the best-seller in the case is the Quinoa salad, based on the exotic grain. Price: $6.99 per pound. A close second is the Tuna Tataki, delicately cooked fish slices. Price: $29.99 per pound.

The nutrition aisle stocks organic and exotic treatments, including joint-lubricating vitamins at more than $30 per bottle, and the store keeps a nutritionist on staff to wander the aisle answering customer's questions.

2. Downscale sells

Despite all the high-tier items, Greenwise managers learned quickly that even the affluent occasionally like to go downscale.

Almost every regular Publix store has hot fried chicken on-site for take-away meals. But Greenwise planners thought foodie customers wouldn't want something normally found in a drive-thru lane.

After a few months, Greenwise added fried chicken. "Right there up front," Tapia said, noting a cooler full of chicken smack in the middle of the store entrance next to the gourmet lasagna.

While the bakery does hand-make delicate pastries, mousses and tortes, now bakers also stock the basic Publix birthday cakes - complete with options like a purple princess castle or Spider-Man motif.

The cafe that sells high-end gelato and organic juices also added something most often seen in McDonald's or Chipotle: a self-serve soft-drink fountain.

At first, the store stocked only hard-to-find eco-friendly laundry detergent, and the medicine aisle stocked mainly holistic treatments.

"Then we heard from customers 'Where's the Tide?' 'Where's the Tylenol?'" Tapia said.

So managers went throughout the store, slipping in mainstream detergent, bleach, soaps, kitty litter, cereals and anything else customers wanted.

"I love it, love it, and I'm here probably more than I should be," said Holly Roseberry, a marketing executive in Tampa. She now shops almost exclusively at Greenwise and had a cart full of both gourmet salad and Clorox bleach wipes.

On any given week, she'll stop by the store several times for gourmet meals to take home.

"I could probably get most of the common stuff at Target, but if you just want to make one stop, this is where I go," she said.

3. Parking matters

The Greenwise store is three stories tall, with a ground-floor grocery and two floors of parking above. Though common in big Northern cities, the setup is rare in Florida.

Some customers mention the challenge of getting used to a parking deck, Tapia said. But having one floor of covered parking has a huge benefit, too.

"The minute it starts raining hard, our store fills up," Tapia said. When summer rains pour on the open parking lots at other grocery stores, customers flock to the covered parking at Greenwise. "Even when it's just hot, and people don't want to park in the sun, we get busy."

Still, it took more than a year for the store to gain city approval for more prominent parking signs showing customers how to enter the parking ramp.

4. Coupons matter

When Greenwise opened, Publix executives considered the Greenwise brand a separate project, a wholly different store. So the store didn't accept Publix-brand coupons, or honor the signature Publix sale of buy one, get one free.

That didn't go well with customers. As the economy turned south, frugality became en vogue for even affluent shoppers.

So managers revamped computer systems and cash registers. It took time, but eight months into the pilot project, the store started honoring all Publix discounts.

And because Publix policy is to honor coupons at rival stores, there was another side effect. Greenwise was a direct competitor to upscale grocers like Whole Foods or Fresh Market. That meant customers could walk in with a Whole Foods advertisement for gourmet cheese or wine and rightfully expect the same discount at Greenwise.

5. Hybrid approach

There are no formal plans for another stand-alone Greenwise store any time soon. For now, there are stores in Palm Beach Gardens, Boca Raton and Tampa.

Publix is taking much of what it learned in Tampa and is developing a new approach. For now, rather than build new stand-alone Greenwise stores, the next Greenwise will be part of a traditional, 60,000-square-foot Publix store, set to open in Naples in the first quarter of this year. The Greenwise section will have a restaurant-style seating area, plus a selection of artisan cheeses, large sushi bar, gelato and expanded section of bulk foods, coffees, teas, grains and nuts.

But a few aisles over, there will be standard Publix inventory, like Tide, fried chicken and Tylenol.

For Publix, the price of success is constant vigilance in following customer tastes.

Organic farming boosts farmers markets - Australia

Organic farming boosts farmers markets - Australia

Big retailers are facing competition from farmers markets, as buyers seek fresher food grown without agricultural chemicals.

In the rich soils of Byron Bay, farmer Alisdair Smithsom grows seasonal fruit and vegetables for local markets, and is helping to grow the local economy at the same time.

Farmhand Beck was unemployed when she moved to the area, and found the best way to eat organic food was to volunteer on an organic farm for one day a week in exchange for a box of vegies.

"A year and a half later, I'm living on the farm, working on the farm, and it's fantastic," she said.

The 130 acre ReGensis farm, at Myocum to the north of Byron Bay, was established in 2001, and focuses on organic whole systems agriculture, best-practice farm forestry, and environmental regeneration and repair.

The farm has now branched out into home delivery of fresh produce, including taking orders over the internet.

"We have three standard boxes in small, medium and large sizes, which are basically packed full of fresh local organic produce, and what's in season at that particular time of the year," Mr Smithsom said.

"We've also just started extending our range, so we've got local organic eggs now as well, and we'll be branching out into meat and dairy items in the future."

Mr Smithsom's goal is to farm produce that never has to travel more than 160 kilometres from soil to plate.

"From an energy point of view it's great because we're not transporting food vast amounts of distance around the country," he said.

"From a nutritional point of view it's better because we can pick something one day, or get it delivered from other farmers on one day, and put it in a box and send it out one or two days later, so the nutritional content of the food is still very high.

"Traditionally, if you buy something off one of the main retailers, often the food is a week old before it even gets onto the shelf of the retailers."

In Byron Bay itself, the weekly farmers markets are booming, despite the economic downturn.

"We've had feedback from a number of people who said they would love to be buying our produce, but have had difficulty financially so have had to go to cheaper conventional lines instead," said farmer Dave Hancox.

However, poultry farmer Matthew Jamieson struggles to cater for demand.

"We sell turkeys for $16.50 a kilo, if you're buying them elsewhere you'd probably pay more like $20 for our same product," he said.

"You do tend to pay premium here."

He says organic turkey prices are probably double non-organic prices, but customers are not complaining.

One woman from Victoria says she never goes into supermarkets now, and only ever shops at farmers markets.

This trend is even stronger in cities, where farmers markets are thriving as more people look for an alternative to supermarkets and shopping centres.

Japan Consumer Prices Fall 1.3%, 10th Monthly Decline

Japan Consumer Prices Fall 1.3%, 10th Monthly Decline

Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Japan’s consumer prices fell for a 10th month in December, underscoring concern that deflation remains a threat to the economic recovery.

Prices excluding fresh food slid 1.3 percent from a year earlier after dropping 1.7 percent in November, the statistics bureau said today in Tokyo. The median estimate of 29 economists surveyed by Bloomberg was for a 1.3 percent drop.

The Bank of Japan this week affirmed its forecast for prices to keep falling until March 2012, albeit at a slower pace because of higher oil costs. Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said beating deflation is a “critical challenge” and the bank will keep interest rates low to aid the economy.

“While external factors such as crude oil are helping to slow the pace of declines, weak demand continues to exert downward pressure” on prices, said Hiroshi Watanabe, an economist at the Daiwa Institute of Research in Tokyo. “Core prices won’t turn positive until 2011 or early 2012.”

In brighter signs for the economy, separate reports today showed the unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent in December from 5.2 percent a month earlier, while household spending increased 2.1 percent.

The yen traded at 89.78 per dollar at 8:40 a.m. in Tokyo from 89.69 before the reports were published.

The government is urging the central bank to do more to stamp out deflation, which can squeeze corporate profits and prompt households to delay purchases.

Pressure on BOJ

Finance Minister Naoto Kan this week said in parliament he wants the central bank to take deflation into account when it sets monetary policy. He made the remark while the BOJ board held a meeting in which it kept the key rate at 0.1 percent.

“The government will likely step up pressure on the central bank this quarter, as they are swamped with the task of passing next year’s budget” by March 31, said Kyohei Morita, chief economist at Barclays Capital in Tokyo.

BOJ policy makers said core prices, their main gauge of inflation, will slip 0.5 percent in the year that starts in April and 0.2 percent in the following 12 months. In October they predicted declines of 0.8 percent and 0.4 percent.

Consumer prices excluding energy and food, which economists say are a better reflection of domestic price trends because Japan imports most of its oil and edibles, fell 1.2 percent in December from a year earlier.

In Tokyo, core prices slid 2 percent in January. The figures for the capital are released a month earlier than nationwide data, making them a harbinger of price trends.

Retail Discounts

Falling wages and job losses have been discouraging spending by households and prompting companies to make discounts to attract customers.

Seiyu Ltd., a supermarket operator owned by U.S.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., this week started a campaign of cutting vegetable prices as much as 15 percent.

Consumers’ preference for cheaper products is eroding sales at department stores, which have fallen for 22 months. Seven & I Holdings Co., Japan’s largest retailer, this week said it will shut a Seibu outlet in Tokyo’s Ginza district on Dec. 25, its third department-store closure in two years.

“With consumers increasingly pinching pennies, prices for daily necessities such as food items are falling noticeably,” Takehiro Sato, chief Japan economist at Morgan Stanley in Tokyo, wrote in a report. “Consumers’ deflation expectations seem to have recently intensified.”

Some 35 percent of people surveyed by the central bank this month felt prices declined over the past year. The ratio was up from 20.1 percent in October. Those who expect prices to fall further in the next 12 months increased to 18.4 percent from 10.7 percent.

The government declared for the first time in three years in November that Japan has slipped back into deflation. The assessment was a “big factor” in fueling people’s expectations for lower prices, said Izuru Kato, chief market economist at Totan Research Co. in Tokyo.

U.S. first lady leads charge against obesity - Reuters

U.S. first lady leads charge against obesity - Reuters

(Reuters) - U.S. health officials have leveraged the star power of first lady Michelle Obama to roll out a new campaign against obesity, a preventable condition that drains billions of dollars from the economy.

Health

Obama, who plans to take on childhood obesity as a cause, headlined the launch on Thursday of Surgeon General Regina Benjamin's blueprint for what can be done at home, school and work to reverse the epidemic.

In her first initiative since becoming "America's doctor," Benjamin issued a report on the consequences of obesity to start a national dialogue on the subject.

"The number of Americans, like me, who are struggling with their weight and health conditions related to their weight remains much too high," she said.

Benjamin's report lists recommendations for preventing obesity. They range from simply eating more fruit and vegetables to adding "high-quality physical education" in schools and bringing more supermarkets to low-income communities.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at the launch that the Obama administration was investing $650 million in economic stimulus money in wellness and prevention programs aimed at obesity and stopping smoking.

She introduced the first lady as "everyone's favorite vegetable gardener."

Obama, who created a White House garden with local school children, said the solution to the obesity epidemic cannot come from government alone. Everyone has to be willing to do their part to end the public health crisis.

"This will not be easy and it won't happen overnight. And it won't happen simply because the first lady has made it her priority," Obama told an audience of children's advocates at a recreation center in Alexandria, outside Washington.

"It's going to take all of us. Thank God it's not going to be solely up to me."

Two-thirds of U.S. adults and nearly one in three children are overweight or obese -- a condition that increases their risk for diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses.

The United States spends nearly $150 billion a year on obesity and related complications -- twice what it cost in 1998 and more than every cancer cost put together, Sebelius said.

"The unhealthier we are as a nation, the more our health care costs will continue to rise and the less competitive we will be globally," she said.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Retailers Can Expect 2.5% Increase In 2010 Sales - Report - WSJ

By Andria Cheng


Helped by positive economic signals and improved consumer confidence, retailers should see a 2.5% pick-up in sales this year after a drop by the same percentage amount last year, according to trade group National Retail Federation.



Key economic indicators such as the housing market and employment are beginning to show positive signs, which will lift consumer confidence throughout the year, the Washington-based trade group said Tuesday.



Other factors including strong exports, a turnaround in the inventory cycle, and federal government spending also should aid retailers' results, NRF said. Consumer spending will lag behind overall economic growth, Wells estimated, but will continue to expand at a modest 2% to 2.5% rate.



"While we still expect shoppers to continue to be frugal with their discretionary spending, retailers will soon be able to reap the benefits of leaner, smarter inventories and a year and a half of pent-up consumer demand," said NRF's Chief Economist Rosalind Wells.



The outlook came after retailers reported better-than-expected holiday season sales and limited the profit-eroding discounts that had hurt their performance in 2008 following the fallout of the financial markets.



Retailers from Kohl's Corp. (KSS) and TJX Cos. (TJX) to Saks Inc. (SKS) and Tiffany & Co. (TIF) have either reported better-than-expected holiday sales with some raising their profit outlooks while Target Corp. (TGT) said this month that it's resumed repurchase of its shares, in a move that analysts said signaled the retailer's improved confidence about its outlook.



Still, there are headwinds facing retailers, including higher gasoline prices and an unemployment rate still at a 10% high.



While the percentage of consumers who said bills and debt have caused them to spend less declined to 23.1% from 33.2% last year, those citing gas and home heating bills as causing them to cut spending rose to 18.9% from 8.2% a year ago, according to an America's Research Group and UBS survey of 1,000 shoppers conducted earlier this month. On a bright note, respondents said they are feeling more secure in their jobs, 69.4% versus 54.7% in November, which may be further supportive of improved consumer spending, UBS said. The percentage of shoppers who purchased a new item not on sale also jumped to 15.5% from 4.8% last year.



The survey also showed many consumers are choosing to pay for purchases with cash-type payments instead of a credit card to remain disciplined in shopping.



"The consumer is beginning to loosen up their wallets with incremental discretionary spending likely driven by a sense that the worst of the economic downturn is over, yet consumers seemingly remain very disciplined in their shopping behavior," UBS said in a report Tuesday.



The brokerage firm said the data led it to be selective with exposure to retailers selling non-essential things. Retailers that cater to higher-income female customers--AnnTaylor Stores Corp. (ANN), Chico's FAS Inc. (CHS), Talbots Inc. (LB), J. Crew Group Inc. (JCG), and Anthropologie owner Urban Outfitters Inc. (URBN)--will likely fare well. Teen retailers such as American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) that focused on denim should also do well.



On the branded apparel and shoe side, Nike Inc. (NKE) is expected to be a winner with the percentage of shoppers who said they plan to buy Nike as part of their athletic apparel and footwear purchase rising to 45% from 34%, UBS said.



Among other retailers, UBS sees Home Depot Inc. (HD) taking share from Lowe's Cos. (LOW). It also favors Target, which it said has experienced an encouraging resurgence and relevance with consumers even though larger rival Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) still claims a bigger share of consumer wallet.

In season fresh produce exists: try kale at its peak

In season fresh produce exists: try kale at its peak

If there is one thing I hear over and over in the winter, it is that winter vegetables are just not as exciting as spring and summer crops. Granted, there’s plenty to get excited about in the warmer months - fresh asparagus, delicate snap peas, fresh summer corn and at-their-peak tomatoes. But winter is a time of intoxicating flavors all of its own.

Take kale, a hearty, leafy green related to broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbage. Kale is at its peak in the winter months, and with a bit of inspiration in the kitchen, anyone can enjoy its rich, hearty flavor and highly nutritious kick.

Kale is a member of the Brassica family, along with collard greens, mustard greens, bok choy, radishes, turnips, rutabagas and more. In fact, the Brassica family includes dozens of edible plants that we regularly eat. Kale is one of the oldest types of Brassicas, dating back to the 5th century B.C., when it was cultivated from a variety of wild cabbage and bred for its large leaves. Both the ancient Greeks and Romans grew kale, which is easy to produce.

In fact, it’s no wonder this plant has been grown for thousands of generations-it is one of the most highly nutritious vegetables we eat. One serving has over 600 percent of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin K, is an excellent source of non-dairy calcium and provides several phytonutrients that are thought to protect against cancer and heart disease.

EU strengthens controls on fruit and vegetable imports

EU strengthens controls on fruit and vegetable imports

The countries of the European Union (EU) today stepped up their border controls on imports of products of plant origin, such as fruit, vegetables and nuts, to avoid getting shipments with traces of pesticides or other substances harmful to health.

The EU toughened controls on imports of fruit and vegetables with pesticide residues. In the photo, a worker sprayed some fruit crops.

Yesterday (25/01) the new regulation will be enforced for the first time, establishing common rules for official inspections of the entry into community territory of certain food or feed from third countries which do not have animal origin.

Thus, there will be "systematic” customs checks of documents attached to imports of such products and "physical" inspections will be less frequent, according to EU sources.

The objective of this surveillance is to prevent items that come with substances that could endanger human or animal health, such as "aflatoxin" nuts or pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables.

The European Commission (EC) regularly monitors the implementation of this standard by countries.

In addition, Brussels will review a quarterly list of products affected by these rules, taking into account national experiences and the latest scientific data to ensure that the EU has a "high protection" of the consumer, the sources said.

Source: EFEAGRO

Wellness Foods: Healthy Beverages offer Health in a Can - Food Processing

Wellness Foods: Healthy Beverages offer Health in a Can - Food Processing


Consumers are guzzling antioxidants, fruits & vegetables and other good-for-you ingredients – but formulation hurdles remain.

Building healthier beverages once was a matter of swapping sugar for cyclamates or saccharine and then developing a new marketing campaign. For decades the only thing that changed in that paradigm was the name of the substitute sweeteners — cyclamates were banned, saccharine had its troubles, so aspartame – with or without acesulfame K – and to some extent sucralose took over as the zero-cal options.

Then the idea of energy drinks hit with a jolt. Jolt Cola, that is. And the idea that a cold beverage could do more than slake thirst flung open the doors to using liquid refreshment as a vehicle to more energy or a “trimmer, slimmer, better you.”

On the heels of energy — first from ginseng and caffeine, then from such exotic botanicals as yerba maté and guarana — came concoctions with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutraceuticals.

Today’s healthy beverage is built with any of several different ingredient aspects in mind — sweeteners, vitamins/minerals, natural ingredients (i.e., naturally derived flavors and colors), antioxidants and other bioactive compounds — and more often than not a combination of several of these. The goals have expanded too, to target not just weight control and energy needs but any number of different conditions, including cognition, mental health, digestive health and even social and ecological health.

The best diets in America - Fitsugar

The best diets in America - Fitsugar

know many of you are trying to lose weight for our Get Fit For 2010 challenge. It's not always easy to change eating habits, which is why for some, the structure of following a formal diet works well. The problem is that many diets are unhealthy, unsafe, and ultimately don't keep the weight off. If you are struggling to find a plan to help you, Health — along with a group of doctors, dietitians, and nutritionists — came up with a list of their picks for America's healthiest diets. The panel judged the pool of 60 diets by looking at their ability to give total body healthiness, real results, motivation, and reasonably achievable exercises.


* Volumetrics. The idea behind Volumetrics is to eat healthy but feel full. "Low-density foods like fruits and vegetables, as well as soups and stews, fill you up without overloading you with calories." This way you never feel like you're starving yourself. Volumetrics made the list because it’s “based on sound nutrition principles and overall healthy food choices.” We like it too because it's full of low-calorie and lower-fat food and lots of vegetables and fruits.

To see what other diets made the list, read more.
* The Best Life. I don't have to tell you who Bob Greene is, Oprah already did that. His diet is a complete makeover, "which offers a sane, healthy approach to overall lifestyle changes." It's full of recipes, attainable goals, and small steps that lead you to a bigger reward. The three components of the diet offer a "strategy that leads to slimming, nutritional eating, and increased physical activity."
* The Sonoma Diet. I've got big love for the Mediterranean diet, which is what the Sonoma Diet is based around: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, fish, and nuts. The Sonoma Diet helps dieters quit processed foods for "active weight loss and maintenance." The Sonoma Diet is more about food and less about exercise, though: "This diet teaches you to eat slowly and savor your meals."
* The Step Diet. This diet wants you to get up and move — specifically, 10,000 steps each day. The book comes with a pedometer and gives dieters realistic ways to move more, like "parking farther away, taking the stairs." As far as food, the message is simple: "Cut food intake to 75 percent of what you currently eat."
* The EatingWell Diet. A newer diet, EatingWell looks at the science behind food and tries to change eating habits through behavioral changes like, "finding and facing eating triggers, eating and shopping mindfully, and cultivating regular, joyful exercise habits." It also encourages steady weight loss — about a pound a week.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Public's Priorities for 2010: Economy, Jobs, Terrorism Energy Concerns Fall, Deficit Concerns Rise - People's Press

Public's Priorities for 2010: Economy, Jobs, Terrorism Energy Concerns Fall, Deficit Concerns Rise


As Barack Obama begins his second year in office, the public’s priorities for the president and Congress remain much as they were one year ago. Strengthening the nation’s economy and improving the job situation continue to top the list. And, in the wake of the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack on a Detroit-bound airliner, defending the country from future terrorist attacks also remains a top priority.At the same time, the public has shifted the emphasis it assigns to two major policy issues: dealing with the nation’s energy problem and reducing the budget deficit. About half (49%) say that dealing with the nation’s energy problem should be a top priority, down from 60% a year ago. At the same time, there has been a modest rise in the percentage saying that reducing the budget deficit should be a top priority, from 53% to 60%.Other policy priorities show little change from a year ago. For example, despite the ongoing debate over health care reform, about as many now call reducing health care costs a top priority (57%) as did so in early 2009 59%). In fact, the percentage rating health care costs a top priority is lower now than it was in
both 2008 (69%) and 2007 (68%).

In addition, the percentage placing top priority on providing health insurance to the uninsured stands at 49%. That is little changed from a year ago and off its high of 61% in January 2001. Notably, there is now a wider partisan gap in opinion about this issue than for any of the other 20 issues in the survey: fully 75% of Democrats rate providing health insurance to the uninsured as a top priority compared with just 26% of Republicans.More than six-in-ten Americans say securing the Social Security system (66%) and securing the Medicare system (63%) should be top priorities for Obama and Congress. About as many (65%) say that improving the educational system should be a top policy priority. For all three items, public evaluations are not significantly different than they were one year ago.In the wake of the financial crisis, the public does not place increased financial regulation among its top policy priorities. Fewer than half (45%) say stricter regulation of financial institutions should be a top priority for the president and Congress.

City owes a-rabs one last chance - Baltimore Sun

City owes a-rabs one last chance - Baltimore Sun


Dan Rodricks

Too bad Sheila Dixon can't be trusted with other people's money -- or gift cards -- again. She owes the citizens of Baltimore 500 hours of community service, and there's a certain unfinished matter to which she could give her time to fulfill a promise her administration made nearly three years ago.The city promised to see that the tradition of a-rabbing in Baltimore -- selling produce out of horse- or pony-drawn wagons -- survives.It was August 2007. Ms. Dixon had replaced Martin O'Malley in the big chair in City Hall. She was running for election in the September Democratic primary. Reggie Scriber, a deputy commissioner in the housing department, spoke to a group of a-rabs at a meeting in West Baltimore, shortly after the city closed the Retreat Street stable because of the building's decrepit conditions. According to reporter Kelly Brewington's account in The Baltimore Sun, Mr. Scriber became emotional as he spoke of how his father, cousin and brother were all a-rabs. He promised to take personal responsibility for a-rabbing's survival."I am heartbroken over this," he said of the closing of the stable, where 51 horses and ponies had been kept. "I may wear a suit, but I still walk the streets of this community. As long as I have air in my chest, we are going to make sure you have a place to continue this." Deputy Mayor Andrew Frank called the a-rabs integral to the revitalization of the Pennsylvania Avenue corridor. "They are
among the jewels on the charm bracelet of historic attractions along the corridor," he said at the meeting. "Mayor [Sheila] Dixon is committed to finding a solution."

That was then, this is now: Ms. Dixon is on her way out of office, and a-rabbing is on its way out of Baltimore. After the Retreat Street condemnation, the city moved a bunch of the ponies and
horses to a muddy hollow under a bridge in southwest Baltimore for a couple of years, then joined hands with the anti-horses-pulling-anything Humane Society of the United States to confiscate 19 animals on dubious allegations of mistreatment. That was in mid-November.The last of the city's a-rabs, who owned most of the animals that had been kept under the bridge, have been told they'll need to come up with $500 per animal to get them back. For Shawnta Chase and her husband, James, that means $4,000 she can't afford, and for her uncle, Donald Savoy, that means $3,500. They have until Tuesday to file a request for a hearing to contest the city's November seizure of
the animals and ask for their return.It appears that the city wants not only to sever its ties with a-rabbing, which has been around for a couple of centuries, but wants to see the tradition go away for good. Mr. Scriber doesn't have much to say about this anymore. He referred my questions to the city law department.Mr. Frank stated in an e-mail last week: "For two years, the city has subsidized the operation of the a-rabbers in a good faith effort to preserve the tradition. However, with city service cuts resulting from a $50 million budget deficit this fiscal year and a projected $127 million gap next year, we need to balance our priorities carefully." That's all understandable; the city can't afford to subsidize the a-rabs anymore. But, all due respect to Mr. Frank, there's not much "good faith" in stabling 19 horses in a muddy hollow under a bridge for two years, then collaborating with the Humane Society to suggest that a-rabs had mistreated their horses and are to blame for this mess. A veteran horseman who looked at the citations against the Chases and Mr. Savoy concluded that , and the city's grounds for seizing the horses highly contestable.To hold up the Chases and Mr. Savoy for $7,500 between them is just another heavy-handed move to rid the streets of a-rabs for good. It's a shame. This all could have been avoided. Perhaps, had she truly cared about this, or had she not been so busy defending herself against theft charges, Sheila Dixon might have been able to organize a venture to save a-rabbing. She should have called in a favor from some Baltimore business leaders (retired or still active), along with some local economists, preservationists, architects and marketing professionals, and asked them to carry out a feasibility study. Assuming they could come up with a self-sustaining business model, a-rabbing in Baltimore could enjoy a renaissance.The animals could get better stables and turnouts on city land; new a-rabs coming into the business could get training in equine care. City neighborhoods could get
a supply of fresh produce and other items sold off the wagons. Tourists could still get to see this colorful Baltimore tradition. The city could turn the responsibilities of maintaining a-rabbing in Baltimore to a nonprofit. It's not too late. The University of Baltimore chapter of Students in Free
Enterprise has taken up the project. A professional campaign consultant, Linda Brown-Rivelis, is trying to come up with a plan. At some point, someone needs to take charge, and it would be nice if the incoming mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, did what her predecessor failed to do -- appoint someone to coordinate these efforts. The city owes the a-rabs at least that much, at least one more try.
Dan Rodricks' column appears Thursdays and Sundays in print and online, and Tuesdays online-only. He is host of the Midday talk show on WYPR-FM.

Multivitamins of little value? Washington Post



Evidence is thin that multivitamins are beneficial, but they seem benign
Washington Post


Earlier this month, I found myself standing in front of a massive display of multivitamins at a local grocery store, confounded by the options: There were supplements for children, teens, males, females, pregnant women, adults "50 and wiser," those in peri-menopause and menopause, and seniors; for immune support, high energy and stress relief; pills to be taken once, twice or three times a day and supplements to be taken in liquid form; with added ingredients such as antioxidants, iron or lycopene; and whole-food options derived from actual produce that promise more bang than their synthetic counterparts, albeit for much more of your buck.

So many choices, so little evidence that any of these products actually result in better health. Indeed, although the vitamin, mineral and supplement industry is a booming $25 billion business and more than half of Americans take a daily multivitamin, the evidence on effectiveness is decidedly mixed. In fact, while some older studies have linked multivitamin use to the prevention
of conditions such as breast and colon cancer and heart disease, the latest research has shown absolutely no impact on health and disease prevention, over time. Most recently, a rigorous, widely regarded study published last February in the Archives of Internal Medicine tracked more than 161,000 post-menopausal women over eight years and found that multivitamins had no effect whatsoever in 10 health-related categories, from the rate of the most common cancers, heart attack and stroke.

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Second Harvest Food Bank expands its reach with hybrid truck - SJ Mercury News

Second Harvest Food Bank expands its reach with hybrid truck - SJ Mercury News

By Stephen Baxter

Willow Glen Resident
Posted: 01/25/2010 06:14:31 PM PST
Updated: 01/25/2010 06:14:34 PM PST

It's been said that there is no famine in the United States, but there is food insecurity. If a person has money for food now but doesn't know if he can eat later in the week, and a dollar buys 800 calories of junk food or 200 calories of vegetables — why wouldn't he reach for the Doritos? To try to alleviate some of that food insecurity, Second Harvest Food Bank delivers fresh vegetables to community centers and low-income neighborhoods in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

For the last year and a half, the organization has used a tractor-trailer to deliver the produce, and in January Second Harvest added a hybrid truck dubbed the Produce Mobile that can hold up to 20,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables. It was purchased with a $207,000 donation from Symantec Corp. The new 32-foot vehicle can be refrigerated to as low as 30 degrees, and it has
doors on both sides for faster loading and unloading. Lynn Crocker, a spokeswoman for Second Harvest, said the second truck will widen the reach of their services. It will allow the food bank to open 14 more sites in the next fiscal year, and more than 21,000 people will now receive food each month.Crocker compared the new truck to a farmers market on wheels, and she said the hybrid engine was Symantec's idea. The money saved on fuel will be reinvested in to food programs.

"Our driver said it sips diesel, and there is about a 30 percent fuel savings," Crocker said of the new truck. he new Produce Mobile has made several deliveries so far, including trips to Tropicana Plaza in East San Jose and the Onetta Harris Community Center in Menlo Park.

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