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USDA releases 2012 Census of Agriculture data

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released the 2012 Census of Agriculture.

The numbers paint an interesting portrait of agriculture in America. There are now 914.5 million acres of farmland, 2.1 million farms, and 3.2 million farmers. Twenty-two percent of all farmers were "beginning farmers" in 2012, meaning they had operated a farm for 10 years or less.

Production expenses have never been higher for growers, but neither have sales. Growers recorded record numbers in both categories, selling $394.6 billion worth of agricultural products, but paying a cost of $328.9 billion to produce those products.

For greenhouse growers of crops, the numbers were mostly promising. Greenhouse growers of mushrooms appear to have increased in terms of number of farmers, but not in terms of square footage:

• 2007 recorded 462 farms, producing with 45,308,740 square feet; 2012 rose to 712 farms, producing with 37,416,059 square feet.
   

But mushroom sales increased across the market (indoor and outdoor production):

• 2007---$985,295,349;
• 2012---$1,071,500,006.
   

Greenhouse growers of tomatoes saw steady growth between 2007 and 2012:

• 2007 recorded 2,926 farms with square footage of 43,949,871. Their reported value of sales was $393,783,610;
• 2012 reported 6,323 farms with square footage of 55,180,582. Their reported value of sales was $400,286,262.

The census also reported a somewhat amorphous category called "other greenhouse vegetables and herbs." The numbers are similarly promising:

• 2007 recorded 2,032 farms with 17,816,064 square feet of production
• 2012 recorded 5,268 farms, with 42,819,149 square feet of production
• Sales: 2007 had 2,015 report sales, totalling $159,251,078
• 2012 reported sales totalling $234,199,741

The final tally for greenhouse vegetables and fresh cut herbs broke down like this:

• 2007 reported 4,075 farms with square footage of 61,765,935 and a total value of sales of $553,034,688
• 2012 reported 8,750 farms with square footage of 97,999,731 and a total value of sales of $634,486,003

Other stats of note from the report: 70 percent of farms now have Internet access, up from 56.5 percent in 2007. About 150,000 farmers, nationwide, are selling their products directly to consumers. About 57,300 farms reported using a renewable energy source in 2012, up from 23,451 in 2007. Sixty-three percent of farms said they were using solar panels. Thirty percent of farm operators are now women.

The preliminary results from the study were released Feb. 20, 2014, and showed the value of agriculture products in the U.S. had risen to rising to $394.6 billion in 2012, up $97.4 billion from 2007. However, the number of farms and farm land decreased slightly over the same five-year span.
 

Greenhouses for refugees

The Refutrees program, which provides crop growing options to Middle Eastern refugee camps, recently compelted its pilot project at the Aida camp.

According to the Refutrees website, the organization looks to reconnect "displaced communities with food production via urban agriculture models."

For the Aida camp that meant rooftop greenhouses built and run by local volunteers. Stage one of the development included development, with a local partner, and training and workshops for more than 20 families. Stage two will see an assesment of the design and then improvement. Stage three will see more research and assesment of the design and how the facilities can be used to generate local income. Stage four will see volunteers seeking funding and scholarships, as well as recruitment for professional programs.

Illumitex and GGS Structures form partnership

Texas-based LED lighting manufacturer Illumitex, Inc., has partnered with greenhouse manufacturer GGS Structures Inc., of Ontario, Canada.

The strategic alliance between the two companies will combine horticultural lighting with a greenhouse manufacturer. The new team will aim to provide complete growing solutions to all horticulture markets including vegetable, flower, and medicinal cannabis in both greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture applications.

GGS has designed, manufactured, and installed commercial greenhouse structures since 1979.

“Illumitex could not be more excited to partner with a company that has the integrity, reputation, and proven track record that GGS has,” notes Eric Anderson, vice president of business development at Illumitex. “GGS has been an industry leader in the greenhouse and plant growth market for many years.”

Illumitex created LED lighting that emits highly uniform and precise illumination directly from the source to the plant canopy. With die-level optical integration, inefficient secondary optics to control the light are unnecessary.

USDA announces technology breakthroughs from 2013

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new report on scientific breakthroughs discovered by USDA researchers that led to new patents and inventions with the potential for commercial application.

USDA reports receiving 51 patents, filing 147 patent applications, and disclosing 180 new inventions in the last fiscal year, which are detailed in the Department's 2013 Annual Report on Technology Transfer release. Helping drive these innovations, USDA has 259 active Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with outside investigators, which includes Universities and other organizations, including 117 with small businesses. The USDA's technology transfer program is administered by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency.

Discoveries from USDA's 2013 Technology Transfer Report include:

• A new kind of flour made from chardonnay grape seeds that can prevent increases in cholesterol and weight-gain (the Mayo Clinic is currently conducting human clinical trials on the product
• An enzyme compound that can be used to develop insecticides to combat sand flies, a disease spreading insect that poses a major problem for U.S. military in Iraq and is responsible for hundreds of thousands of childhood deaths in Africa;
• Oat concentrates, a digestible, functional food from oats licensed for the production of Calorie-Trim and Nutrim;
• A new process for turning old tires into zinc fertilizer;
• Window cleaners that use a biodegradable solution of nanoparticles that prevent water-beading that are superior to current cleaners;
• A small packet that when inserted in small fruit containers releases an antimicrobial vapor that helps keep fresh fruit from rotting on the shelf.
  

'Buy local' push boosting Canadian produce sales

Business Vancouver reports that British Columbian greenhouses have seen an uptick in domestic produce sales, following a strong 'buy local' campaign.

The report goes on: "There are now 755 acres of greenhouses in the province, up from 675 in 2009, producing 125,000 tons of cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplant each year. Annual sales total $257 million, traditionally anchored by exports to the U.S."

It continues: "But shifting exchange rates and the trend to buy local have increased domestic sales. Growers now sell approximately 46.7% of their product in Canada versus 41% in 2009, said the BC Greenhouse Growers' Association, which organized B.C. Veggie Day on March 20 with $100,000 of provincial funding."