the agri denbig issue august 2012

7/31/2019 The Agri Denbig Issue August 2012

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VOL. 23 NO. 9 AUGUST 2012 FRE E COPY WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

GEORGE GRANTFisheries Advisory Board

JAMES RAWLECocoa Industry Board

ALVERSTON BAILEYPesticides Control Authority

DELANO FRANKLYNCoffee Industry Board

Sugar Industry Authority

RICHARD JONESCoconut Industry Board

NORMAN GRANTJamaica 4 H Clubs

DONNA SCOTT-MOTTLEYSugar Company of Jamaica

DERRICK HEAVENSugar Industry Authority

GARNET BROWNHead, Transformation of

Commodity Boards

HOPETON FRAZERNational Irrigation Commission

DENZIL WILLIAMSRural Agricultural

Development Authority

DENNIS HICKEYAgro-Investment Corporation

By Patrick MaitlandEditor -The Agriculturalist

Some twelve chairmen and

over 100 directors were re-cently appointed by Agricul-ture Minister Roger Clarke toserve on the boards of a num-ber of statuary organisationsand companies under the Min-istry of Agriculture and Fish-eries.

Derrick Heaven andRichard Jones were reap-pointed as chairman for theSugar Industry Authority andthe Coconut Industry Board,respectively. Heaven is also thenew chairman for the board of management of the College of

agriculture, Science and Edu-cation (CASE).Two former politicians,

Delano Franklyn and DonnaScott-Mottley and governmentsenator and JAS president Nor-man Grant were among the ap-pointees.

Veteran public servant andformer executive chairman of the Rural Agricultural Devel-opment Authority (RADA),Garnet Brown has been con-tracted to merge Cocoa, Coffeeand the Export Division into asingle regulatory entity.

However, the fate of theCocoa Industry Board Restruc-turing Committee under thechairmanship of former mem-ber of parliament, SamLawrence is know known.

EDITORIAL:Merging will not fix theproblems of the Boards

-Page 3-

JAMAICA 4H CLUBS:Meet Our Boy & Girl of the Year

-Page 15 -Growing Turmeric for Profit

-Page 26 -

Six Ways to Prevent AIDS-Page 30 -

Denbigh F eature Pages 9-15

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EDITORIAL PAGE

A fter some ten years in the making, theMinistry of Agriculture is finalizingplans for the merger of the coffee, cocoaand the Ministrys Export Division.

The idea of merging these commodityboards started some time in the 1990s withMinister Roger Clarke and Aaron Parke asthe permanent secretary.

The former Agriculture Minister ChrisTufton supported the idea of the mergerand commissioned consulting firm, FocalPoint to develop a business plan for the im-plementation of a new entity.

It was however, not surprising to usthat reappointed Minister Clarke recentlyannounced the appointment of Dr GarnetBrown to put forward proposals on the or-ganizational structure, redundancies, andlegislative amendments for the establish-ment of the new entity.

Clarke said having consolidated theregulatory functions of these three entities;

the Ministry intends to package all theircommercial assets with a view towards di-vestment.

Our colonial leaders established sev-eral commodity boards including coconut,coffee, banana, cocoa as the government

regulatory and marketing agents. At thetime, only government could export andimport those commodities and theirbyproducts.

However, with the government adopt-ing deregulation and trade liberalizationpolicies, it was forced to give up directcontrol of the commodities and allowedprivate producers to take more control of their produce.

These changes came as a result of World Bank and International MonetaryFund conditions for loans and other budg-etary support.

During the past twenty years most of our agricultural commodities includingcoffee, cocoa, banana, sugar cane, coconutand livestock recorded significant declinein overall production.

The commodity boards have beencited as the main reasons for the poor pro-duction output. Several reports and farm-

ers have also charged the directors andmanagement of the boards with gross mis-management and misappropriation of theresources.

As part of the solutions to fix theproblems and to better serve the farmers,the government (JLP/PNP) agreed with the

consultants that a merger would be thebest option.

While there could be savings from areduction in staff including accounting op-erations, it may be more challenging tomanage the bigger entity (Coffee, Cocoa,Export Division) with competing and con-flicting variables.

We are suggesting that the merging of

the management and assets of those com-modity boards will not solve the problems.The boards should be reorganized withlimited government control and increasedfocus on the stakeholdersfarmers/produc-ers.

While the Coconut Industry Boardwas excluded from the proposed merger, italso faces challenges of management, butthe Board continues to be the most suc-cessful commodity board. The Board ismore stakeholder-driven and it enjoys ahandsome fee from the importers of co-conut byproducts as well as investment re-

turns from Seprod and other companies.The government should therefore re-

consider its decision to merge the Coffee,Cocoa, Export Division and consider amore comprehensive approach to fix theproblems of our commodity boards.

byPATRICK MAITLAND

Publisher -The [email protected]

The opinions expressed in this newspaper, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Agriculturalist and its publishers. Please send your comments or suggestionsto [email protected]. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all articles will be published.

Focal

Point

Merging will not fix the problems of the Boards

The Cocoa Board was morphed out of the Cocoa Marketing Company in

1957 to harmonise the fermenting/ pro-cessing of cocoa to eliminate the variationin flavour and quality found in the many"on farm" fermentaries around the island,and that was giving Jamaican cocoa an ex-ceedingly poor name.

The results from these centralised fer-mentaries has established Jamaica as a pur-veyor of fine and flavoured cocoa beans,in the top eight around the world. Why re-verse this positive trend and go back to acommodity marketing corporation?

Richmond and Morgan's Valley fermen-taries were built from cash reserves fromcocoa bean sales - the Government has

never invested in any aspect of the CocoaIndustry Board (CIB), it has self-financedall its recurrent and capital expenditure(reference CIB annual reports).

When the CIB established thousands of acres of cocoa farms through the CocoaDevelopment Company, it did so out of cocoa beans sales.

When it accrued losses in millions of dol-lars, it recovered them out of cocoa beanssales.

When it sold these farms and assets, theproceeds were returned to the unappropri-ated profit and loss account and the minis-ter of agriculture paid them out in theannual cocoa bonus to farmers.

Why does the Government and Focal-Point Consulting feel they now have theright to sell what is not theirs?

The legislation that gave the Government

the power to process and market cocoashould be amended to allow the farmers tomanage and run their fermentaries.

The Banana Export Company was estab-lished as a Section 20 not-foprofit com-pany, with membership by participation(one ton of bananas equals one vote) thatran very efficiently for more than 20 years.

Establish a cocoa company in the samemanner to run the assets of the CIB andgive rural Jamaica a fighting chance.Donot sell it to an equity shark who will di-vert bean sale monies to return on invest-ment, dividends, debt repayment, etc, andforever ensnare the cocoa farmer to servi-tude.

Cocoa beans built the CIB; it belongs tothe farmers.

ByRoger Turner, farmer

[email protected]

A single commodity board is n ot the answer! Food aid toolimited to support

national food security By E. Clay By Edward Clay,

Senior Research Associate,Overseas Development Institute (ODI)

There is an ongoing discussion in the WTOand elsewhere on whether food aid is partof the solution or part of the problem when itcomes to supporting national food security.

A study has been published by ICTSD argu-ing that food aid is now too limited in scale tohave much impact either way. Global food aidlevels declined from 7.9 to 5.8 million tonnesbetween 2005 and 2007 and, despite a smallrise in 2008, have since continued to decline.

According to the report, the current scale of food aid makes it an inadequate tool for sup-porting national food security, simultaneously,except in a few smaller economies. Currentfood aid levels are barely adequate to respondto idiosyncratic risks in small and medium-sized economies that are uncorrelated withevents elsewhere.

This is a far cry, the study notes, from the1994 Marrakesh Decision at the end of theGATT Uruguay Round which saw food aid aspart of a new rules-based system for agricul-tural trade that could protect the interests of poor, net food-importing countries followingliberalisation. The ICTSD study has been pro-duced to inform debate as a number of keydeadlines approach.

As some of the deadlines in the Doha Round on which negotiations have long been stalled approach rapidly, there is discussion inGeneva on the role that food aid could play inmoving the agricultural negotiations forward.The deadlines include the target date of 2013for developed country Members of the WTO toeliminate agricultural export subsidies.

The current Food Aid Convention will expirein June 2012. The International Grains Councilhas been hosting negotiations on a successorconvention between donors that account forfour-fifths of international food aid. This mightincrease minimum commitments, but as the ne-gotiations have been held entirely in privatethere is not yet any guidance of what a newregime might offer.

If food aid were increased substantially, thereport confirms that it would to be providedwithin a framework of rules that avoid tradedistortions.

Some WTO Members, notably the CairnsGroup, are concerned that rich countries willuse food aid as a way to circumvent new disci-plines on export subsidies and disrupt theircommercial trade.

Publisher & Editor:Patrick Maitland

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Consulting Editors:Vincent Wright, Jairzenho Bailey

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NEWS

BarbadosBans Poultryfrom Mexico

B arbados has announced a ban onthe importation of live birds,poultry and poultry productsfrom Mexico with immediate effect.

A government statement says the ac-tion is being taken following a majoroutbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian In-fluenza (HPAI), commonly referred toas bird flu, in the Western state of Jalisco, Mexico.

Senior Veterinary Officer, Dr. MarkTrotman is also advising that until thefull extent of the outbreak becomesknown, Barbados' Veterinary Serviceswill consider the entire country of Mex-ico affected with HPAI.

In addition, border control officials, in-cluding Veterinary and Plant Quarantine,Port Health and Customs, will be noti-fied to exercise vigilance on shipmentsof products originating from Mexico.

The statement added that key stake-holders will also be sensitised throughpublic awareness bulletins and meetingsas deemed necessary, while emergencyresponse plans will be reviewed and up-dated as needed.

Veteran public servant with expertise inorganizational development andmergers, Garnet Brown, has been con-tracted to rationalize several commodityboards that fall under the auspices of theMinistry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The decision follows the recommenda-tions of a study, commissioned by the Min-istry and approved by the Cabinet earlierthis year.

The rationalization will see three (3)commodity entities Cocoa, Coffee, andthe Export Division, being merged into asingle regulatory entity and their commer-cial functions divested. Dr. Brown is tolead the process of transformation, fromlegislation, organization structure, andstaffing with the overriding objective toensure optimal efficiency and effectivenessin the management of the commodities in-terest.

In May 2009, the Government of Ja-maica decided to undertake a study on therationalization of these commodity boards

against the background of the lack of growth in the production and productivityof a number of traditional commodities,due largely to inappropriate marketingarrangements.

As such, the Ministry commissioned astudy to examine specific crops which aremanaged under the auspices of commod-ity boards.

Based on the recommendations of theconsulting firm which conducted the study,the Cabinet decided that the institutionalarrangements and functions be rational-ized.

Dr. Brown has served some 40 years inthe public service, with various scientific,managerial and leadership capacities, in-cluding the development of numerous pub-lic sector entities.

Brown to transform Commodity Boards

GArnEt Brown

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheriesis pushing to expand the local sugar indus-try and bring back some 20,000 hectares of land into sugar cane production, over thenext four years.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries,Roger Clarke, made the announcement ata seminar on: Revolutionising the SugarCane Industry through Drip Irrigation,held in Kendal, Manchester, on July 26.The seminar was hosted by Jamaica DripIrrigation.

Clarke told the large group of farmersand other industry personnel that, we areabout 12,000 (hectares) now and we needto lift that. We have to put back all thoseidle lands into production."

He also noted that farmers need to lift thetonnes per acre yield from the low of 50and 54 tonnes. At that rate, we are notcompetitive and especially in the irrigatedareas, because the cost of irrigation water isalmost prohibitive regardless of what thegovernment does, said the Minister.

Clarke explained that the Sugar Trans-formation Unit (STU) of his Ministry hasput in place $1.2 billion for the cane ex-pansion programme.

This has come from the Cane ExpansionFund, which is to provide additional fund-ing to support increased cane production toa minimum of 3.5 million tonnes and to en-hance productivity and efficiency in thesugar cane subsector.

Ag e M s P s g f S ga Expa s


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WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM AUGUSTL 2012 THE AGRICULTURALIST 5

NEWS

By Douglas McIntosh, JIS Reporter

Board member of the Ja-maica Agricultural So-ciety (JAS), SenatorNorman Grant, has re-turned to the helm of the or-ganisation.

Senator Grant regainedthe presidency via acclama-tion, having been the solenominee for the position inthe executive elections heldWednesday (July 11), dur-ing the JAS annual generalmeeting at the Denbighshowground in May Pen,Clarendon.

He previously served twothree-year terms as presi-dent between 2003 and2009 before being suc-ceeded by current Mayor of Montego Bay, CouncillorGlendon Harris, underwhom he served as 1stvice-president between2009 and 2012. CouncillorHarris did not seek re-elec-tion on Wednesday, declin-ing nomination for electionto that position and eitherof the two vice-presidentposts.

The position of 2nd vice-president was also filled viaacclamation, consequent on

Board member, RalstonJohnson, being the solenominee. He succeeds at-

torney-at-law and QueensCounsel, Glen Cruick-shank.

In the only post con-tested, JAS Board memberand Portland parish repre-sentative, Donald Berry,polled 191 votes to defeatcolleague and All IslandCane Farmers AssociationPresident, Allan Rickards,who got 45.

In his acceptance speech,Senator Grant thanked thedelegates for their confi-dence reposed in him. Itake this mandate, thiscovenant, this charge thatyou have given this teamtoday very, very seriously,he declared.

The new president alsothanked his predecessor,Glendon Harris, for hisleadership over the lastthree years, and wishedhim well in his new posi-tion as Montego BaysMayor.Id like to assure you that Iwill call on your office, aspresident of the JAS, for usto sit down and see how wecan work together with theParish Council in St.James, and other ParishCouncils, to see to the de-

velopment and transforma-tion of our rural districts,Senator Grant said.

NEW JAS EXECUTIVES:Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke (r) poses with thenewly elected executives of the Jamaica AgriculturalSociety (JAS) (l-r) Ralston Johnson, 1st vice-presi-

dent; Donald Berry, 2nd vice-president; Senator Nor-man Grant, president; and immediate past-president and Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Glendon Har-ris. The elections were held at the Societys AGM re-cently in May Pen, Clarendon.

Grant Returnsas JAS President


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The Ministries of Agriculture and Fish-eries and Education are collaboratingto enhance the application of agriculturalscience in the secondary school curriculum.

State Minister for Agriculture, IanHayles, in his contribution to the 2012/13Sectoral Debate in the House of Represen-tatives on Wednesday (July 25), said initia-tives will commence this year, when hisMinistry moves to conclude arrangementsto undertake transformation of the SydneyPagon Agricultural School in St. Elizabeth,to form the core of a new School of Foodand Agriculture.

Hayles said the Ministry would also re-double efforts to collaborate and facilitatecloser linkages with the Ebony ParkHEART Academy in Clarendon; Knock-alva Agricultural School in Hanover; Col-lege of Agriculture, Science and Education(CASE) in Portland; and NorthernCaribbean University (NCU), to ensure therelevance of their programmes to agricul-ture, and facilitate a seamless transitionfor students from the secondary institutionsinto the tertiary, and into the local agricul-tural sector.

He pointed out that, within the context of globalisation, economic challenges, com-petitive international markets and increas-ingly higher food safety requirements, theemployment of under-skilled workers mustbe addressed.

The growth and development of ouragricultural sector must be science-based,(and) technically-based, and this can onlybe assured if we have suitably attuned agri-cultural educational institutions, Mr.Hayles underscored.

The State Minister also advised that the

University of Technology (UTech), in part-nership with the Ministry, will submit a

joint project, titled: Revitalization of theAgricultural Sector and Enhancement of Food Security in Jamaica through collabo-rative Human Resource Development andCapacity Building in Agricultural and Bio-logical Engineering, under the African,Caribbean and Pacific-European Union(ACP-EU) Cooperation Programnme.

The State Minister explained that targetedresults of the project include: upgrading of the Bodles Agricultural Research Stationsfacilities for the delivery of training in agri-cultural technologies and techniques; certi-fication of graduates in agricultural andbiological engineering and their subsequentemployment in relevant positions in thesector; and effective collaboration amongacademia, government, international part-ners and the private sector.

The Ministry (of Agriculture and Fish-eries) is fully supportive of the project, andwe are expecting that the proposal will befavourably considered, he stated.

Ministry Workingto Boost Training inAgricultural Science

Ian HaylesState Minister for Agriculture

.

O pposition spokesman on agricultureJC Hutchinson is alleging that thegovernments Jamaica EmergencyEmployment Programme (JEEP) is beingused to promote agricultural projects duringhis sectoral debate in the House of Repre-sentatives recently.

The JEEP-brand could introduce thestigma of political interference into the sec-tor. There is a stigma associated with thisheading which may lead to concerns in theagricultural sector," Hutchinson noted.

"Agriculture must be seen, envisaged andinterpreted as a non-political organisation,with all segments of the sector operating asbusiness enterprises without politicalflavour," he said.

Hutchinson noted that while the rural de-velopment programme in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries had been reducedby $79 million to $39 million, a $78-millionprogramme bearing the JEEP label had beenincluded in the ministry's budget involvingprogrammes normally classified under ruraldevelopment. He suggested that since theprojects were rural development projectsthey should have been placed under thatheading, instead of JEEP.

"Programmes in agriculture must not bebastardised and denigrated or become sitg-matised. What's the rationale of taking allthese programmes from rural developmentand 'jooking them up' under a non-agricul-tural entity?

The Ministry of Agriculture says that proj-ects under the JEEP agricultural programmewill facilitate job creation, and that the fund-ing, provided by the Petro Caribe Fund, willbe utilised in several areas, including $14million on producing fruit juices and liquideggs for the school feeding programme; $17million to expand the RADA TwickenhamIndustry to include a bammy factory andagri-marts to be operated by individuals; andthe rest for reverification and registration of farmers, an urban farming initiative, com-munity crop care experts, farm road mainte-nance and a nursery programme.

Hutchinson KnocksJEEP Farm Programmes

JC HutchinsonOpposition spokesman

on agriculture


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The National Irrigation Commission Limited

The National Irrigation Commission Ltd. (N.I.C.) which is anAgency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries was established in

1986 and became operational in May 1987 with the following stipulated objectives:

To manage, operate, maintain and expand such existing and future irrigation schemes and systemsas may now or hereafter be established by the government of Jamaica or by any Department or Agency.

To fix and collect the rates or charges & to be paid for the use of such water.

National Irrigation Commission Limited191 Old Hope Road Kingston 6,(876) 977-4022/6727/6624

Fax (876) 927-2696(e-mail) [email protected]

(website) www.nicjamaica.com

The Board of Governors of NorthernCaribbean University recently an-nounced the appointment of Dr Vincent F.Wright, Associate Professor, to the positionof Dean of the College of Natural and Ap-

plied Sciences with effect March 1, 2012.Dr Wright joined the faculty at NorthernCaribbean University in 2003 and was ap-pointed to the position of Chair of the De-partment of Biology, Chemistry andEnvironmental Sciences in 2006.

In this new position, Dr Wright will pro-vide leadership of the College of Naturaland Applied Sciences which comprises theDepartments of Chemistry, Biology and En-vironmental Sciences; the Department of Computer and Information Sciences and theDepartment of Engineering, Physics andMathematics as well as the Masters in Biol-ogy, Masters in Environmental Sciences andthe PhD in Biology programmes.

A graduate of Jamaica School of Agricul-ture with a Diploma in agriculture, DrWright furthered his academic pursuits atTuskegee University, where he earned theBSc in Animal and Poultry Science; and theAuburn University where he earned theMSc in Aquaculture. He earned the PhD inZoology at the University of the West Indiesand later an MBA from Nova South-easternUniversity. In addition, Dr Wright has hadtraining in the following areas: Organiza-tional Development and Business

Processes; Healthy Life Style; Project Man-agement, Bio-Hazard, Aquatic Ecology, En-vironmental Ecology, Fish RationFormulation and Animal Health.

Dr Wright joined NCU with a wealth of experience in research, project analysis, ad-ministration, consulting and academia. Helectured part-time at the College of Agri-culture, Science and Education ( CASE) andCity College, USA; at the Ministry of Agri-culture, Jamaica, he worked as an AnimalHealth Assistant in the Veterinary Divisionand then as a Research Officer in the Aqua-culture Unit. His industry experience in-cludes working at Seprod Limited as atechnical manager, with responsibility forthe formulation of fish feed for the FreshWater Fishing Industry.

ACHIEVEMENTDr Vincent F. Wright- Dean,

College of Natural and Applied Sciences

Dr Vincent F. Wright

Mavis Bank CoffeeFactory makes finalpayment to farmers

Coffee farmers are to receive another payout starting this week.

The Mavis Bank Coffee Factory will

make final payment to Blue MountainCoffee Farmers for the crop year 2011 to2012, and for deliveries earlier this year.

$15 million is to be disbursed to morethan one thousand coffee farmers in St.Andrew, St. Thomas and Portland.

The total final price is just over threethousand dollars per box up from $2,400paid during the 2010/2011 crop period

Sessing reelectedChairman of AIBGA

Grethel Sessing chairman of the All-Is-land Banana Growers' Association andother members of the executive commit-tee were reelected unopposed at the Asso-ciations AGM held last week in PortMaria, St Mary.

Other directors included Vice-ChairMorris Smith; St James Director, NorvelChambers and Richard Campbell and Tal-man Richards both directors representingthe Portland region.

Egg farmers bemoaneffect of GCT on industry

Egg farmers have suffered a setback intheir quest to get the Finance Ministry toreview the imposition of General Con-sumption Tax, GCT, on table eggs.

Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke whoindicated a willingness to intervene ontheir behalf now says he needs additionalinformation from the farmers before heapproaches Finance Minister Dr. PeterPhillips.

Mr. Clarke said that he wants a detailedexplanation from the farmers concerningtheir claim that GCT is having a negativeimpact on sales.

Earlier this month egg farmers reportedthat the crisis facing the industry since theintroduction of GCT last month is wors-ening.

They said the tax had resulted in a 60percent drop in egg sales.

The Jamaica Egg Farmers Associationis recommending that the Government im-pose GCT on imported egg powder in-stead.

NEWS IN BRIEF


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Denbigh at 60: Celebrating Achievements in AgricultureThe Denbigh Agricultural In-dustrial and Food Show, thelargest event in the EnglishSpeaking Caribbean and one of Jamaicas most iconic events hasa core audience of more than

80,000 patrons to the Show-ground every year.As a symbol of our countrys

cultural heritage, the show high-lights and recognizes the qualityand diversity of the agriculturalsector and its related industriesalong with the latest innovationsand leading technologically re-lated products on display.

Under the theme: Denbigh at60: Celebrating Achievements inAgriculture,the show will be held on August4-6, at Denbighshowgrounds,May Pen, Clarendon.

The Jamaica 50 Secretariat hasaccredited the Denbigh Show asat Official Celebratory Event forJamaica 50th Anniversary.

Denbigh 60 celebrations will in-clude: A very impressive entertain-ment package with lead artists Recreating significant achieve-ments and legacies through theprogressive transitioning of theDenbigh Agricultural, Industrialand Food Show (over 60 years)

Showcasing the synergies, in-novation and development in theagriculture and related sector.(over 50 years) such as improve-ments in research and technology. Highlighting the contribution of the Jamaica Agricultural Societyto rural life and the role played bythe organization over the years. Placing emphasis on signage,

strategic layout and agriculturallyrelated exhibits Enhance the Village Conceptsto include the following: Youth inAgriculture Village, ChildrensVillage, , Health Village andFarmers Market Provide patron-friendly reststops and ease of access to restrooms.

TraditionalFeatures of the Show

In promoting the best in agri-culture, the Livestock exhibitswill be enhanced this year withover four hundred (400) animalsfrom the varied categories to in-clude: cattle, small ruminants andpigs.

The Jamaica Hope and JamaicaRed Pole Cattle Breeders Associ-ations will celebrate their 60th an-niversary this year. The JamaicaHope described as being greatest

success story in dairy cattlebreeding in this region has gainedrecognition worldwide. Thisachievement paved the way forthe development of the JamaicaRed.In order to showcase this legacy: A Special display is beingplanned to highlight the progres-sion and activities within the As-sociations. There will also be a wall of fame to highlight the outstandingcontributions of Thomas PhillipLecky for his pioneering visionand scientific contribution in this

area among others.

The National Champion Farmerand National Farm Queen Com-petition will also celebrate mile-stones of 50 years of existenceand this will be commemoratedduring the event.

Other traditional features to behighlighted this year include:Agricultural and HorticulturalExhibits, Young ChampionFarmer Competition and theYouth in Agriculture Competition

Denbigh CelebratoryEntertainment

A Mobile Video-board will bemade available on Sunday August5, and Monday August 6, 2012 toallow patrons to see the Olympicraces while enjoying the DenbighShow.

Daily entertainment will feature

the following: Denbigh DigicelMini Olympics, Ace Egg RacingCompetition, Delta Supply Com-pany Chainsaw Competition,Maypole Dance, Tivoli MarchingBand, Jonkanu Band, 4-H Youthin Agriculture Competitionamong others.

Nightly EntertainmentThe National Farm Queen

Coronation Show will celebrateits fifty years of showcasingwomen in agriculture at Denbighthis year, as a result the show isintended to highlight and feature

past winners of the Competitionand encourage its continuance.The Denbigh Gospel Extrava-

ganza sponsored by the JamaicaBroilers Group will showcaseheadline artists such as: DJNicholas, Goddy Goddy, KevinDownswell, Kerron Ennis amongothers.

Digicel will sponsor the nightlyentertainment on Monday August6, 2012 and this will feature theDigicel Stars and Artists to in-clude: Lovindeer, Roy Rayon,Eric Donaldson, Romain Virgoand Tifa.

Posing for the camera at the recent official launch of Denbigh 60 held at Hi-Pro Ace Supercenter in White Marl,St Catherine. In photo (l-r) Sharna-Gay Brown, National Farm Queen 2011; Christopher Levy, CEO, JamaicaBroilers Group; Dionne Clarke-Harris, Country Representative, CARDI and Hugh Johnson, CEO, Johnson Or-

ganic Fertilizer.

Jama as #1

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The promotionof agriculture!

The history of the Denbigh Show-ground goes back to the year 1937.Before that time, the Clarendon Associa-tion of the JAS Branch Societies heldparish shows in the May Pen Market area.

The late Hon. George Muirhead, Custosof Clarendon donated fifteen acres of hisDenbigh estate to the Clarendon ABS forthe promotion of agricultural shows.

The Denbigh Show however, officiallyopened its gates for its first show in 1952.Since then contributions were made to ac-quire in excess of fifty five acres of landfor the promotion of agriculture.This show has grown to become the pre-mier agricultural attraction in the EnglishSpeaking Caribbean with many distin-guished heads of Governments, patrons,farmers and stakeholders supporting theevent on an annual basis.

This year we celebrate the show underthe theme ,Grow what we Eat, Eat whatwe Grow, with our sub-theme: Denbigh

at 60: Celebrating Achievements in Agri-culture

The Jamaica 50 Secretariat has accred-ited the Denbigh Show as an official cel-ebratory event for Jamaica 50thAnniversary and in-fact this will be the60th staging of the show.

We celebrate with our exhibitors andthousand of patrons, including our part-ners from overseas and sponsors as wellas farmers.

We will continue the transformation of the Jamaican economy through increasedproduction, expansion of market for agri-cultural produce and continuing the bat-tle against those who continue to steal

from farmers.Please enjoy the best of Denbigh 60and Jamaica 50. God bless you all andbless Jamaica land we love.

Senator Norman GrantChairman, Denbigh Show Committee

JAS, President-Elect

A valuable contribu-tion to our nation!

For the past sixty years the DenbighAgricultural Show has successfullyshowcased agriculture as a significantsector in the social and economic devel-opment of Jamaica.

The sectors resurgence was intensifiedwith the launch of the Grow What WeEat, Eat What We Grow campaign whichencourages support for local farmers andJamaicas agro-industry.

The resulting increased demand for Ja-maican produce both locally and withinthe Jamaican Diaspora, as well as thegreater diversity in what is being pro-duced by our farmers, attest to the bene-fits of that campaign. Pursuit of thesegoals will enhance Jamaicas food secu-rity, contribute to the economic develop-ment of the rural areas in particular andboost trade in both primary and processedagricultural products.

During this Golden Jubilee we celebratethe contribution of farmers who have re-

mained committed to agriculture despitethe challenges which the sector faces. Iam particularly heartened that moreyoung professionals are entering and in-vesting in the agricultural industry.

As a nation, not only should we takepride in the quality of the products forwhich we are famous, but we should sup-port the expansion of the sector. A suc-cessful agricultural sector will be a majorfillip to Jamaicas development.

The celebration of the 60th Anniversaryof the Denbigh Agricultural Show is anopportune time to renew the clarion callto all Jamaicans to Grow What We Eat,Eat What We Grow.

I congratulate the Society for your valu-able contribution to our nation and wishfor you a highly successful show in thisour Jubilee Year.

Patrick AllenGonover General

Towards sustainabledevelopment

Agriculture has been a driving forcebehind the development of some of the biggest economies in the world, andhere in Jamaica, the sector continues tomake a significant contribution althoughadmittedly there still remains tremendousuntapped potential.

This Administration regards the sectoras essential in helping to combat the ef-fects of the global economic crisis and tomaking a meaningful contribution to theon-going progress of our nation.

The 60th staging of the Denbigh Agri-cultural, Industrial and Food Show, coin-ciding as it is with the 50th anniversary of the nation, is therefore an opportune timeto put the growth and development of agriculture on a renewed path for success.

In this regard, I am heartened by thestrides that have been made in adoptingmore modern cultivation, growing, har-vesting and post- harvesting techniques indomestic food production. The sector hasalso made significant strides in producingfood for our important tourism industry.

As Prime Minister, one of the areas of my focus is that of ensuring our industriesuse resources in a sustainable way, thusminimizing their depletion.

The agricultural sector which dependson land, wood and water must be a leaderin the stewardship of our sustainable de-velopment.

Jamaica is blessed to have an organisa-tion like the Jamaica Agricultural Society(JAS) which for more than one hundredyears has steered and promoted the inter-ests of the sector and our farmers.

I give all my support and best wishes to

the 60th Denbigh Agricultural, Industrialand Food Show and the efforts to makingthis 2012 staging an exciting, fruitful andrewarding experience.

Portia Simpson MillerPrime Minister of Jamaica

Let us focus onincreasing local

production

Let me congratulate the JamaicaAgricultural Society for the stag-ing of the 60th Anniversary of the Den-bigh Agricultural, Industrial and FoodShow.

The Denbigh Show as it is commonlyrefered to, remains the premier exposi-tion each year of the finest of Jamaicasagricultural and livestock production.the exhibition with its wide range of presentations continues to be a mostenjoyable learning experience for thou-sands of Jamaicans and visitors eachyear.

The theme grow what we eat ,eatwhat we grow was first used at lastyears show and continues to be an im-portant message for all Jamaicans.Agricultural production is an importantcontributor to jamaica's economy.

The records will show that whilstthere have been increases in food pro-duction for both domestic and exportconsumption over the past three years,Jamaica continues to import a substan-tial quantity of the food it consumes.The focus must therefore be to increaselocal consumption and create new ex-port markets.

We must ensure that our farmers areencouraged to embrace new technolo-gies and given access to financial sup-port. This will certainly go a long wayin our thrust to stimulate local agricul-tural development.

Andrew HolnessOpposition Leader

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Forward andBackward Linkages

Denbigh is a name synonymous withJamaica's agriculture and is the land-mark where thousands of people gather an-nually paying homage to the resilience of our farmers.

It gives me great pride to usher in thestaging of this year's Denbigh Agricultural,Industrial & Food Show, as the nation cel-ebrates its jubilee, 50 glorious years of in-dependence, as well as 60 years of theshow, which is an institutionalized outletto showcase the gamut of the agriculturalindustry.

The theme "Grow What We Eat, EatWhat We Grow' has been used plenteousthroughout the staging of this festival andis a critical appeal to galvanize our effortsto producing more to feed ourselves.

This message is particularly importantand is in sync with our efforts for our farm-ers to increase production and productiv-ity.

With the uncertainties and instability inthe global marketplace and an increasingimport bill, boosting local production is a

must in creating the platform for our ownfood security and economic growth. Wehave arable lands and sufficient irrigationto start the process.

I crave the support of our young peopleto engage in agriculture, as you possess theskills and technology to moving the sectorto another level. So let's get to work.

On behalf of the Ministry of Agricultureand Fisheries, I extend hearty congratula-tions to the organizers of this year's show,the exhibitors, participants and farmers.

This year, let's make a concerted effort tosupport Jamaica by buying Jamaican foodsand for our manufacturing and processingcompanies to add value to local productionthrough forward and backward linkages.

Once again, let's grow what we eat, andeat what we grow in a big way!

Roger ClarkeMinister of Agriculture & Fisheries

Meet Our National Farm Queen Contestants

SHAKERA WEST, 20; St. Ann FarmQueen. A student of College of Agri-culture, Science & Education (CASE),pursuing a Bachelor of Science de-gree in agriculture education. Ambi-sion: agriculturalist or teacher.

GETINELLA BONNER, 20; St. MaryFarm Queen; A student of CASE.Guided by the philosophy, Doing yourbest in this moment puts you in thebest places for the next moment

BRIDGET-DAWN DAWKINS, 18;Clarendon Farm Queen. A student of Knox Community College pursuing anAssociate of Science Degree in Envi-ronmental Studies. She aspires to be-come an environmentalist.

CORYL MORGAN, 19; Miss St. Eliza-beth Farm Queen. A past student of the Sydney Pagon Agricultural HighSchool. Her career goal is to become aVeterinarian.

DAFFERTY CLARKE, 20; Miss. Portland

Farm Queen; Office Assistant. Clarkeoperates her own backyard gardenwhere she cultivates bananas, plan-tains, dasheens and tomatoes.

MICHELLE BROWN, 25; St. CatherineFarm Queen; A graduate of CASE withan Associates degree in agricultureand is currently pursuing a Bachelorsdegree in Applied Science.

AMELIA LEVERIDGE, 19; Kingston &St. Andrew Farm Queen; Student of CASE pursuing an Associate of Sci-ence Degree in Agriculture Education.She is actively involved in poultry andcoffee farming.

CADEEN WHITMORE, 19; HanoverFarm Queen) A past Student of theKnockalva Agricultural School. Ambi-sion: Teacher of Agriculture Scienceand Biology.

YACKEISHA KING, 21; ManchesterFarm Queen) A student of the KnoxCommunity College. She enjoys back-yard gardening.

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National Farm Queen Contestants

RENAE THORBOURNE, 20; TrelawnyFarm Queen; student of CASE. Her phi-losophy is Fear is a fairy tale just likegoblins and ghosts. She aspires to be-come one of Jamaicas most influentialstakeholders in agriculture.

SANDRENE BRYAN, 22; St. ThomasFarm Queen. A past student of the Da-vandres Training Institute. She be-lieves that the youths should play theirpart in developing agriculture.

SHANNA-KAY SHAKES, 20; Westmore-land Farm Queen. A student of theCaribbean Maritime Institute, pursuinga Bachelors of Science degree in Lo-gistics and Supply Chain Management.

TONIKA SWABY, 19; St. James FarmQueen. A graduate of Knockalva Agri-cultural School. Her career goal is tobecome a veterinarian or a Plant Pathologist.

Celebrating in grandstyle and splendor

Glendon HarrisPresident, Jamaica Agricultural Society

This year is a quite significant mile-stone as we celebrate the 60th an-niversary of the Denbigh Agricultural,Industrial and Food Show and Jamaica50th year of independence.

We will indeed be celebrating in grandstyle and splendor the progressive transi-tion of our sector and simply the resilientnature of our people to showcase the bestin agriculture despite many challenges.

Denbigh has been an institution of cul-tural expression and many Jamaicans havegrown up enjoying the cultural exposition,which has given the Denbigh experiencea unique flavor and flair.

It is our mandate for this years show tobe the catalyst for business development,new marketing initiatives and providepractical knowledge within the agricul-

tural and related sectors. The Show willtherefore add immense value and wealthto the participants in an effort to maximizeon the real Denbigh Experience.

We have listened to the comments of ourvaried stakeholders and patrons and wehave improved the presentations and fea-tures of the Show all in an effort tostrengthen the Denbigh brand.

We are expecting a significant increasein the regional and international contin-gency to the Show this year.

It is indeed our goal for Denbigh Show2012 to be one of the most memorable andimpactful event in the history of promot-ing agriculture at its best.

With thecompliments of

Mavis Bank Coffee Factory LimitedMavis Bank P.O. St Andrew, Jamaica .

Fax:1-876-977-8014 Toll Free: 1-877-522-9603/1-877-952-2586Website :www.jablumonline.com


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Special Treat for

Denbigh Patrons By Judith A. Hunter, JIS PROJamaicans will be in for aspecial treat with some ad-ditions to the usual fare of displays, exhibits and competi-tions at the Denbigh Agricul-tural, Industrial and Food Showthis year.

The show will be staged fromAugust 4 to August 6, 2012, onthe Denbigh Showground inMay Pen, Clarendon.

Addressing a Jamaica Informa-tion Service (JIS) Think Tankon July 24, President of the Ja-maica Agricultural Society(JAS) and Chairman of the Den-bigh Planning Committee, Sena-tor Norman Grant, said he isvery excited about the newand different features which at-tendees will have the pleasure of seeing during the three-dayevent.

One of the new features at theshow this year will be the intro-duction of an Organic Village.This village will expose patronsto every aspect of a green vil-lage, basically from farm di-rectly to a fork, Senator Grantsaid.

Continuing, he said there willalso be an Olympic Village,where patrons attending theshow on August 5 and 6 will seethe races while enjoying theDenbigh Show.

Traditional features, such asthe livestock exhibits, farmersmarket, childrens village, thefood village, youth in agriculturevillage and the health and well-ness village will be enhanced asthe JAS showcases the best inagriculture, despite the chal-lenges.

In addition to the new and oldattractions, Senator Grant in-

formed that Denbigh 2012 willhave a huge Caribbean contin-gent in attendance. Trinidad andTobago, Barbados, The Ba-hamas, Bermuda and the Cay-man Islands have alreadyindicated that they will be in at-tendance.

The Caribbean 4-H Clubs willalso participate in the Youth inAgriculture Village, throughcompetitions and various exhibi-tions showcasing indigenousproducts.

Considered the premier agri-cultural show in Jamaica and theEnglish speaking Caribbean, thisyears show is dubbed: Denbigh60: celebrating Achievements inAgriculture, as it continues topromote the Grow What WeEatEat What We Grow initia-tive

The main objectives of theDenbigh Show are to promotethe agricultural sector; displaythe best foods produced in Ja-maica; and highlight the impor-tance of agriculture to the exportsector, to food security, to busi-

ness development, and to nationbuilding.

While highlighting the latestdevelopments in agriculturaltechnology, the Denbigh Showwill also demonstrate linkageswith other critical sectors of theeconomy, such as science andtechnology, research and devel-opment, tourism, entertainmentand finance.

Governor-General, His Excel-lency the Most Hon Sir PatrickAllen is scheduled to attend Den-bigh 2012 on Sunday, August 5.

Gates will open daily at 8:00

a.m. and admission is $600 foradults and $300 for children.

State Minister for Agriculture Ian Hayles (4th l) and National Farm Queen, Sharna-gay Brown (9thl) rap with the Farm Queen Contestants--a major feature of the Denbigh Show.

Chairman of the Denbigh Planning Committee, Norman Grant,raps (c) with representatives of the College of Agriculture, Sci-ence and Education (CASE) Johnathan Lamey vice-president andacting-president Mary Nichols at the official launch of the show.


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JAMAICA 4H CLUBS

Meet Our Boy and Girl of the YearProtecting and caringfor the environment

Justin Thomas of Clarendon 4-H Clubs isJamaica 4-H Clubs National Boy of theYear 2012. At age 12 he is proud to be oneof the youngest clubbite to win the title.

He joined the 4-H club at seven years oldand has since won numerous awards withthe movement and in the academic field.

Justin is in the process of marketing abrand new product Vermi-compost PlantTeabag.

His message to youth and all Jamaicanfellows:

Protect the environment and it will pro-tect you. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle your GarbageStop burning garbage, learn how to earn,turn your trash into cash. Start your own vermicompost and earnwhen you make rich plant food. It is chem-ical free and environmentally friendly. Justlet the worms (Esenia Foepida) do thework.

Sell the product and-vermi compost tofarmers and sell the excess worms to fish-ermen or for starter projects.

He is also working on embarking on Cir-cumposing, Potting of plants, Seed BedMaking in addition to Waste Management.Justin is inspired by the work of late Dr. J.Paul Lecky who revolutionalized Cattlebreed in Jamaica. He is passionate about hispets, rabbits, dogs and cats.

Justin is active in the United BrethrenChurch. He is also a member of the JamaicaCadet Corps.

Justin is willing to do free demonstrationfor youth groups at schools, church or com-munity clubs and supply starter vermi-com-post kits to groups on request.

Since he won his title he has started overten (10) small projects with individuals be-cause he believes in Gal 6 v 9-10

And let us not be weary in well doing: forin due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

As we have therefore opportunity, let usdo good unto all men, especially unto themwho are of the household of faith.

The Jamaica 4-H Clubs continues to support theDenbigh Agricultural & Industrial Show in its 60th year.

Dont miss the Youth in Agriculture Village at theDenbigh Show as well as the Jamaica 4-H Clubs display and Jamaica 50 Village.

Village opens from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. between August 4 6.

JAMAICA 4-H CLUBSTo Make the Best Better

Tel: 927-4050-2 Fax: 978-3209Email: [email protected]

Website: www.jamaica4-hclubs.comJoin us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jamaica4-hclubs

Also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Ja4H

Respected for intelligenceand confidence

My name is Ackera Sherokie Gowie. Iam seventeen years old and I attendthe St. Mary High School. I am currently ingrade twelve, where I study Law, Sociol-ogy, Environmental Science and Commu-nication Studies in the faculty of humanities.

My ambition is to become an Environ-mental Lawyer and continue to assist withthe development of my school, communityand church.

I am a very polite, intelligent, responsi-ble, respectful and confident young lady. Asa youth I believe that involvement and vol-unteering is very crucial to the develop-ment of our Nation and my fellow youths.

As a result of this I am actively involvedin my school, my community and mychurch. At school I am the Vice Presidentof the 4-H club, Vice President of theMusic club, Public Relations Officer for theInter-School Christian Fellowship club, aJunior Leader and also a Prefect. In mycommunity I am well respected for my in-telligence and confidence.

I serve as the Youth Councilor for theBelfield Division in St.Mary, Public Rela-tions Officer for the St.Mary Junior Lead-ers League and I am also the Project CareManager for the roundabout in HighgateSt.Mary. At church I serve as the YouthChoir Director, Associate Adventist YouthLeader, Womens Ministries secretary, Sab-bath School Secretary and I am also a Mas-ter Guide in training.

I was first introduced to the 4-H clubwhen I was attending the Clonmel Primaryand Junior High School in grade six and Ihave been a member until this present day.Achieving the title of 4H National Girl of The Year and Youth Ambassador was notan easy task.

Being 4-H National Girl of the Year andYouth Ambassador has been a real privilegeand honour. Being a part of this miraculousmovement, I have matured into a wellrounded individual with the morals andgoals 4-H has thought me which will al-ways be with me. 4-H has thought me to bethe best, to be a leader, to be anything thatI want to be in life and always To Makethe Best Better.

Ackera Sherokie GowieJamaica 4H Club Girl of the Year 2012

Justin ThomasJamaica 4-H Clubs Boy of the Year 2012

JOIN THE4H CLUBBITES

To Make the Best Bettercall

Tel: 927-4050-2


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Avaunt is available in 37.5 grams packs which will treat approximately ACRE of crops area.

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Always mix Avaunt first in volume of water to be sprayed, when using other products (e.g.)

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REGIONAL NEWS

AUS$15 million grant from theInter-American DevelopmentBank (IDB) is geared toward support-ing for government efforts to clear ob-stacles to higher farming productivity.

According to a statement from theIDB, the grant will assist Haiti in its ef-forts to modernize its agricultural poli-cies and institutions to increase farmproductivity and competitiveness. TheIDB resources will be complementedwith a US$7 million grant from theHaiti Reconstruction Fund.

The programme is the first in a seriesof three policy-based grants that willprovide budget support for the Haitiangovernments reforms to address sev-eral of the major constraints hamperingits agricultural sector, which continues

to play a dominant role in the countryseconomy.

Farming provides the principal meansof subsistence for over 1 million Hait-ian families and generates about half of the countrys jobs. Agricultural pro-ductivity in Haiti has dropped lowerthan in other countries in Latin Americaand the Caribbean, has declined overthe past two decades, with significant

output drops in key crops such as ba-nanas, coffee and rice.

Several donors, including the IDB,are providing financial and technicalassistance for these reforms. Amongthe reforms Haiti will undertake isstrengthening the Ministry of Agricul-ture (MARNDR) to carry out its plan-ning, programming and budgetingfunctions, improve its capacity to man-age, monitor and evaluate programsand increase the effectiveness of itsservices.

Under this program the ministry willcreate a team of public procurementspecialists to boost its capacity to ab-sorb and administer financial resourcesprovided by the governments treasuryand donors.

This reform will enable theMARNDR to better execute programsunder its management. At present, IDBgrants are financing agriculture projectstotaling more than $200 million inHaiti, including crop intensification, ir-rigation, rural value chains, farmingtechnology transfers, land tenure clari-fication and watershed management.

Haitian farmers getUS$15 mil from IDB

Barbados tackling Sugar Cane PestBRIDGETOWN, Barbados

B arbadian authorities are pulling outall the stops to protect the islandssugar industry following the returnof the Moth Borer.

Head of the Ministry of Agricultures En-

tomology Section, Ian Gibbs, said theres adramatic increase of the sugar cane pest onthe island.

In an effort to protect the sugar industry,a small laboratory to mass produce one of the pests parasitoids the Cotesia flavipes ora tiny wasp has been established. Once the parasitoid is mass produced in large numbers,they will be released in fields which tes ted positive for having Moth Borer damage.

Barbadian sugar cane farmers are urged to work alongside the department and give of-ficials their full co-operation as they try to bring the pest under control.

Moth Borer

nrcS add esses pollutioth eats to o al eefs

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in the Caribbean Area has reaf-firmed the national NRCS agreement to help lead efforts to address land-based pollutionthreats to coral reefs. Through the 2008 Farm Bill conservation programs, technical and fi-

nancial assistance is provided to eligible agricultural producers and other non-federal landmanagers to address soil erosion and soil health, water quality and conservation, air quality,healthy plants, energy conservation, global warming issues, and upland and wetland wildlifehabitat enhancement.

Farm Bill programs strive to assist agricultural producers to implement conservation meas-ures that provide on-site and off-site benefits. The health of living coral reefs is dependentupon superior water quality and clarity allowing effective sunlight penetration. Introductionof nutrients and sediments have negative effects on the health and sustainability of livingcoral reef communities. Proper management of surface water along with other related natu-ral resources from agricultural lands can assist in the protection of coral reefs in the CaribbeanArea.


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CHAIRMAN TOURS CASENewly appointed chairman of the Board of Management, College of Agri-

culture, Science and Education (CASE) Derrick Heaven (c) with (l-r) MaryNichols, acting-president, CASE and Mark Gooden senior lecturer, CASEduring an off icial visit to the college in Portland last Friday. The chairmantold members of the staff that the college must be very clear on the train-ing needs and its impart to ensure it fits with the national priorities.Nichols concurred with the chairman on a number of the issues andpledged her commitment to working with him. CASE is the premier terti-ary institution offering training and accreditation at the diploma, associ-ate and bachelors degree level in a wide cross-section of agriculturaldisciplines.

By Susan Jongeneel,University of Illinois

The ongoing evolution of herbicide-re-sistant weeds is a source of worry inIllinois, said University of Illinois profes-sor of molecular weed science PatrickTranel. He and research assistant NickHausman will be making a presentation onthis topic during the 56th annual Agron-omy Day at the U of I on August 16.

Recent examples in Illinois include bio-types of waterhemp (Amaranthus tubercu-latus), Palmer amaranth (Amaranthuspalmeri), and horseweed (also known asmarestail or Conyza canadensis) resistantto glyphosate; a waterhemp biotype resist-ant to HPPD inhibitors; and waterhemppopulations/biotypes that display multipleresistance to herbicides spanning severalsite-of-action groups. Survey data suggestthat the majority of waterhemp populationsnow exhibit multiple-herbicide resistance.

When glyphosate-resistant crops were in-

troduced, their initial success caused manyweed-management practitioners to stopworrying about herbicide-resistant weeds.Now the increasing occurrence of glyphosate resistance has caused thoseconcerns to be revived and research to findnew weed-management tools to be revital-ized. Within the next few years, we antic-ipate that new herbicide-resistant cropswill be available, said Tranel. These

likely will include crops with geneticallyengineered resistance to 2,4-D, dicamba,or HPPD-inhibiting herbicides.

These crops will be stacked with otherforms of resistance, such as resistance toglyphosate and/or glufosinate. Dow Agro-Sciences anticipates introducing its EnlistWeed Control System in corn in 2013 withsoybean to follow later, Tranel said. TheEnlist system includes metabolic resistanceto 2,4-D that will be stacked withglyphosate resistance. Coupled to the En-list system is a new formulation of 2,4-D.

Monsanto is also developing crops withresistance to synthetic auxin herbicidesstacked with glyphosate resistance, buttheir crops will be resistant to dicambarather than 2,4-D. They have recently an-nounced that they are on track for a 2014launch of dicamba-resistant soybean.

Both Syngenta and Bayer are evaluatingcrops resistant to HPPD inhibitors. Soy-bean is the most important for the Mid-

west, but it is not expected to be availablefor at least two years.

Although these new crops will increaseherbicide options for a given crop, the op-tions will not include novel site-of-actionchemistries they will use old chemistry,possibly with new formulations/variations.

Most important, weed biotypes alreadyexist that are resistant to these herbi-cides, cautioned Tranel.

Herbicide-resistant weeds:current challenges, new tools


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WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM AUGUST 2012 THE AGRICULTURALIST

Agri Life Foundation has been established as a non-profitorganization to foster and encourage farmers to become

more self-sufficient and competitive in a free market economy.One of the main ways that the Foundation will achieve these goals is through

collaboration, professional support and advisory from experts in the field.Such collaboration will provide a platform where individuals

from academia, business, government, and the farmingcommunity can share research-based information and

technology regarding environmentally sound managementand profitable agricultural production practices.

For further information:

Patrick MaitlandExecutive ChairmanAgri Life Foundation

188 Spanish Town Road,Kingston 11, Jamaica WITel: 923-7471; 923-7428

[email protected]


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By Loretta SorensenMidwest Producer

Tracking the cost and benefit of manureapplication is key to successfully man-

aging beef and/or crop production.The factors involved in assessing manure

application costs include manure mass andnutrient content; mass and nutrient lossesduring housing, storage and land applica-tion; land requirements for agronomic uti-lization of the manure; labor andequipment time requirements; transportand application costs; and potential nutri-ent manure value.

To simplify the process for determiningeach of these factors, the University of Ne-braska-Lincoln developed the Beef FeedNutrient Management Planner EconomicsProgram (BFNMP$), a computer programthat allows users to input their specific dataand determine their specific costs.

Galen Erickson, UNL professor and Ex-tension beef feedlot specialist, says identi-fying the acres where manure will beapplied is often the point where many pro-ducers begin.

In Nebraska we dont have a real prob-lem with finding land where manure canbe applied, Erickson said. That isnt thecase in some other states, but throughoutthe Midwest its not real difficult.

A second critical step is understandingthe diet of the animals producing the ma-nure. Because different feeds cause cattleto excrete different types of nutrients,

farmers using manure on their crops needto have a thorough understanding of thenutrients contained in the manure.

Distillers grains cause cattle to excretemore phosphorus, Erickson said. Thatmeans the manure will need to be distrib-uted over a larger number of acres than if that phosphorus content was lower. It alsomeans the cost of labor and equipment usewill be higher because it will take moretime to apply the manure.

Because storing manure causes loss of some nutrients, its necessary to includestorage details in the program used to esti-mate costs. A thorough understanding of the time involved in applying manure is

also important.In a feedlot situation, your calculationsmay indicate you need 1,000 hours of laborand equipment time to apply your manuresupply, Erickson said. If you only have500 hours to dedicate to the process, youknow youll have to hire laborers andequipment to help distribute the manure.

The UNL program allows for calculatinghourly pay, average field size, whether themanure is being spread on a nitrogen orphosphorus basis. All the data is necessaryin order to reach a valid decision about ma-nure application.

You also include the crop that will beplanted after manure application, Erick-son said. Rough yield estimates help de-termine the nutrient needs for that field andguide the application process.

In using the UNL model, some produc-

ers have been surprised at the low cost of distributing manure and the offsettingvalue of the nutrients.

Weve found that, in a feedlot using dis-tillers grains, the phosphorus content of themanure more than offsets the cost of ap-plying it to the field, Erickson said. Atypical scenario shows that the value of themanure averages $12 per animal. The costof distributing the manure averages $2 peranimal.

Because distillers grains are economi-cally priced for cattle feeders, a diet in-cluding distillers grains can benefitproducers in a number of ways.

You get a cost effective feed thats read-

ily available and the added benefit of valu-able manure, Erickson said. By takingadvantage of the value of the nutrient, youadd income on top of whats realizedthrough just feeding alone.

Its been about five years since Ericksonand three of his peers developed the calcu-lation tool, formally known as BFNMP$.UNL Assistant Dean of Extension RickKoelsch; professor and nutrient manage-ment specialist at Washington State Uni-versity, Joe Harrison; and Extensionprofessor at the Department of AgriculturalEconomics at the University of Missouri,Ray Massey, contributed to the project.

For planning purposes, this is an in-

valuable tool, Erickson said. You have toinclude all these factors to arrive at the bestpossible estimate of the cost involved inapplying the nutrients.

Cattle diet is an essential piece of databecause it so greatly affects the type of nu-trients being excreted. Feedlots maintainthese kinds of records anyway, so the dataare readily available to them. If a producerdoesnt have all the data, there are defaultcalculations for each segment of the pro-gram so they can still get ballpark figures.

http://go.unl.edu

Computer program helpsmanage manure costs and benefits

tEchnoloGy


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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados:

Removing barriers to trade betweenthe Caribbean Forum countries(CARIFORUM) and the European

Union (EU) is critical for having more for-eign exchange flows into this region.

That was the message sent by Ambassa-dor of Barbados to CARICOM, RobertMorris, as he commented on a new multi-million dollar programme aimed at reduc-ing the technical barriers to trade whichcurrently exist between CARIFORUM andthe EU.

The US$9.25 million EU-funded pro-gramme is being coordinated by the CARI-COM Regional Organisation for Standardsand Quality (CROSQ).

"Caribbean policymakers are all awarethat the major factor in the pursuit of sus-tainable development for our countries isour capacity to engage in trade, contribut-ing to earning foreign exchange and build-ing stable foreign reserves in our individualcountries," said Morris.

The CARICOM ambassador also ob-served: "The project represents the bene-fits which can be derived from the EPA andunderscores the importance of the need foraccess to funding for technical assistancein our region, as we struggle to transition

our small, vulnerable, open and disadvan-taged economies."

This step is being taken to encourage par-ticipating countries to take advantage of the opportunities available under the Eco-nomic Partnership Agreement (EPA) be-tween the EU and CARIFORUM, which,the head of the delegation of the EU to Bar-bados and the Eastern Caribbean, Ambas-sador Valeriano Diaz, continues to lamentis not being used to its full potential.

"Despite the considerable support beingprovided by the EU towards EPA imple-mentation in the Caribbean, there seems tobe some unease with the pace of progressand the realisation of potential benefits inthis regard. This has led some people toquestion whether the region should have

signed off on the EPA," said Diaz.The EU delegation head denied thatbeing signatory to the EPA would mean theCaribbean would be swamped by Euro-pean firms and goods.

"The EPA encourages the Caribbean toimplement regional commitments in tradein goods and as such it supports OECS in-tegration, the CARICOM Single Marketand Economy, as well as the CARICOM-Dominican Republic Free Trade Area," hestressed.

INTERNATIONAL NEWSUS$9.25 million to reduce

trade barriers betweenCARIFORUM and EU Corn futures, which topped $8 abushel for the first time, could yet

spike above $10 a bushel, Morgan Stan-ley said, lifted by a "battle royal" betweenlivestock producers for supplies.

The investment bank hiked average2012-13 forecasts for both Chicago cornfutures, to $7.85 a bushel, and soybeanfutures, to $16.00 a bushel, citing the"need to ration demand" after heat anddrought cut estimates for US yields.

However, given the "inelastic nature of demand" for the crops - meaning highervalues may only choke off a smallamount of consumption - and theprospect of "record tight" inventoriesprices could trade "significantly higherfor short periods of time".

"Indeed, we anticipate periods of timein the coming months where corn tradesin double-digits," Morgan Stanley said.

That forecast implies considerable fur-ther upside for futures.

Chicago's September contract on Thurs-day rose nearly 2% to a record, for a spotcontract, of 8.16 a bushel, while thenew crop December lot reached a con-tract high of $7.99 a bushel. 'Need forhigher prices'

Morgan Stanley based its forecasts onassumptions of the US corn yield falling

to a 10-year low of 135 bushels per acrethis year, below the US Department of Agriculture's estimate of 146.0 bushelsper acre.

In production terms, the bank peggedthe US corn harvest at 11.9bn bushels,nearly 1.1bn bushels below the currentUSDA estimate.

"The market is quickly coming toappreciate the need for higherprices to protect already-depletedcorn and soybean inventories, inlight of disappointing productionglobally and especially in theUS," the bank said.

The bank pegged the soybeanyield at 40.0 bushels per acre,compared with a USDA estimateof 40.5 bushels per acre, implying91m bushels less in output, whilenoting the potential for furtherdowngrades. "With US weatherforecast to remain hot and drythrough at least end-July andlikely into August, the direction of yield estimates and production islikely lower still."

Corn futures may hit $10a bushel - Morgan Stanley


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BY SYLBURN THOMAS [email protected]

TURMERIC (Curcuma Longa L.)

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhi-zomatous perennial plant of the gin-ger family (Zingeberaceae). The

plant is propagated from its rhizomes whichmay vary in length from 5-7.5cm and areready for harvesting at about 9-12 monthsafter planting.

Although turmeric grows in many parts of Asia, Africa and the Americas, India is theworlds largest producer, accounting for80%-85% of global production and 60% of exports. Turmeric is used mainly in thefood, pharmaceutical and cosmetic/personalcare industries.

In commercial tu rmeric production sev-eral key factors must be considered:1.Location (site) topography, soil andrainfall; 2.Planning and site preparation -land preparation, spacing and plant propa-

gation; 3.Planting and maintenance - plant-ing out, weed control, fertilizing and pestand disease control.

LOCATION (SITE)Topography - Turmeric can be grown suc-cessfully on diverse terrains, ranging fromflat lands, to undulating and slopes. In Ja-maica, turmeric grows naturally in the up-land plateau regions and gently undulatingslopes in the parishes of St. James, Hanover,Westmoreland, Clarendon, St. Thomas,Portland, St. Mary and St. Andrew. The cropthrives at elevations from almost sea-levelto about 1,500 metres above sea-level.

Soils-Turmeric thrives best in well-drained fertile loams and alluvial depositsrich in organic matter and uniform in tex-ture. The crop grows best on moderatelyacid to neutral soils (pH5.5-7.0) and is sus-ceptible to waterlogging, especially duringthe latter half of the production cycle.

Rainfall - Turmeric requires a warm andhumid climate and is generally grown as arain-fed crop but can also be irrigated.Under rain-fed conditions, the crop requiresabout 1,500mm of evenly distributed rain-fall over an 8-10 month period.

SITE PREPARATIONAND PLANTING

Land preparation -The land should becleared of all vegetation and ploughed/har-rowed to a fine tilth. Fallowing for 30 to 60days allows weed seeds to germinate andmay reduce microbial load in the upper 2-3inches of the soil. There are two generalmethods of planting turmeric:

Seed beds Beds of convenient length areformed one metre wide, with a spacing of 30cm between beds. Seed rhizomes (20g -40g in weight) are planted 25cm across and30cm along the beds, giving about 133,333plants per hectare. High density planting of turmeric requires closer crop management.

Ridges and furrows Furrows are made45cm-60cm apart and seed rhizomesplanted 20cm apart along the ridges, giving83,333 to 111,111 plants per hectare. Ap-

proximately 2,500kg of turmeric plantingmaterial is required to cultivate one hectareat seed weight of 20g-40g (1-2 viablebuds). The lower plating density under fur-row and ridge system is associated with in-creased weed population and lower output

per unit area.

PLANT PROPAGATIONTurmeric is propagated asexually frommother and primary finger rhizomes. Thereis no significant yield variation betweenmother and primary finger rhizomes of thesame weight, but mother rhizomes tend toproduce earlier and more tillers, which areeffective in weed suppression. Diameter of daughter/primary finger rhizomes of thesame mass varies positively with yield. Sec-ondary rhizomes are inferior to mother andprimary rhizomes as planting material.Turmeric yield varies positively with seedweight up to 20g, optimizes between 20gand 40g, and shows no covariation above40g.

Varieties - In the genus Curcuma, to whichturmeric belongs, over 30 varieties havebeen recognised. Currently, not much infor-mation is available on varieties of turmericgrown in Jamaica. However, Jamaicanturmeric has been quantitatively confirmedamong medium curcumin varieties.

PLANTING AND MAINTENANCEPlanting out Ideally, the crop should beplanted between March and May duringfavourable weather conditions. The fingersare cut into pieces each 4-5cm long (1-2buds), and the mother rhizomes are planted

as such or parted into two. The seeds can besprouted under moist straw (coir) beforeplanting. Turmeric may be planted in purestand or inter-cropped as the main or sub-sidiary crop, with varying planting density.Turmeric should not be intercropped with

allergenic plants such as peanuts and treenuts or with host plants of rhizome rot orbacterial wilt pathogens.

FERTILIZINGUnder intensive turmeric production sys-tems, manures are applied supplementary toinorganic fertilizers. Manures should at alltimes be applied strictly according to goodagricultural practices to avoid adulterationof the final product. Poultry manure is prob-ably the most concentrated of all manuresavailable in Jamaica, containing about3%N, 3%P2O5 and 2%K2O. Under certainconditions, particularly on the lighterbauxitic soils, it is advantageous to use well-decomposed organic manures at rates of

about five tons per hectare. In addition tosupplying macro nutrients, manures containimportant micro nutrients and also help inimproving soil structure. Biochar is particu-larly efficient in improving the moisture re-tention capacity of soils.

Quantity and timing of fertilizersTurmeric requires 70kg, 50kg and 60kg, of N, P2O5 and K2O, respectively, per hectare,which can be derived from organic and orinorganic fertilizers. The actual applicationof fertilizers should be determined from soilanalyses, target yield and expected nutrientdynamics. With target yield above 22mt/ha,it is common to supply up to 20% more of the macronutrients.

Nitrogen (N) is usually the most criticalfertilizer element as far as amounts and tim-ing are concerned, as it is more rapidlyleached from the soil. It is advisable toapply nitrogen fertilizers to turmeric fieldsthree times per crop cycle. Potassium (K),which is relatively less mobile than nitro-gen, is applied twice and, Phosphorus (P),the most immobile of the macronutrients, isapplied once at the time of planting.

About 20% of the N requirement is madeavailable at the time of planting and the re-mainder applied as top dressings in twoequal doses; the first dose at 60 days afterplanting in combination with 50% of theK2O requirement and the second dose 30

days later. The Phosphorus (P) fertilizer and50% of the K2O are placed at planting. Dueto the wide difference in nutrient applica-tion, straight fertilizers are preferred overcompound NPK formulations in turmericcultivation.

Magnesium (Mg) and Calcium (Ca) areonly required on very acid soils (soils withpH lower than 5.0) and should be applied asbasal soil dressings. It is unlikely that mi-cronutrients or trace elements deficiencieswill occur in the nutrition of turmeric. How-ever, where needed, these may be applied asfoliar sprays and responses are usuallyrapid.

Several plant hormones and nutritionalproducts are commercially available to sup-plement traditional plant nutrition pro-grams. However, care should be exercise toprevent agrochemical contamination of thefinal product and that the agrochemicals areapproved in the intended export market.

Fertilizer placement - Placing fertilizers isoften more difficult than broadcasting.However, the advantages are significant,viz:

Subsurface placement of phosphate fer-tilizer is more amenable to uptake by roots.

Urea may be used in preference to Am-monium Sulphate as the Nitrogen source inthe fertilizer programme because of itshigher N content. Subsurface application of urea reduces volatilization.

Competition from weeds is considerablyreduced with subsurface fertilizing.

Erosion losses of subsurface fertilizer arenegligible.

WEED CONTROLMulching the turmeric beds with green

leaves helps to suppress weed growth, re-tain soil moisture, reduce erosion and pro-vide nutrients in the decomposed state.However, during decomposition, nitrogen isabsorbed from the soil and could result intemporary nitrogen deficiency. For the ben-efit of weed control, green mulching is doneimmediately after planting, and then at 40-50 days intervals as needed. The economicsand environmental impact of this practiceshould be carefully considered. Due to thehigh turmeric plant density, weed growth isconsiderably suppressed after about 90 daysin the crop cycle. It is customary for weed-ing to be done about two times during thecrop cycle. To control weeds in the inter-rows, a suitable selective herbicide may beused. Mechanically working between theridges can control weeds when the crop isplanted in ridge and furrow system.

INSECT PESTS AND DISEASESIn Jamaica, turmeric is not known to be af-fected by diseases. However, under inten-sive cultivation, field should be monitoredfor any emergence of pests and diseases.

Harvesting is done 9 months after plant-ing.

TECHNICAL GUIDE

Growing Turmeric for Profit

t me e f e d

For further information contact:Sylburn Thomas, General Manager, Export Division, Ministry of Agriculture

Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston Tel: (876) 9238878 [email protected]

reaped me


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Chop any cooked food very finely NOBONES! Until 3 months of age the puppy should befed four times daily From 3 to 6 months three times a day From 6 to 12 months twice a day Introduce new foods gradually Always prepare and serve food under cleanconditions

Do not serve hot food let it cool first Remember milk is not a meal by itself Provide plenty of fresh water and check itseveral times a day Commercial puppy chow is a balanceddiet, and provides all the minerals and vita-mins required by a growing pup. For thevery young ones the feed may be moistened.

VaccinationsVaccinating boosts the immunity of the ani-mal, and is especially important for youngpuppies, as it provides them with the abilityto fight off infection all through adult life.

Ideally, the first vaccination should begiven at 6 weeks, and subsequently at three-week intervals until 16 weeks of age. At the

same time de-worming is recommended at17-21 days, and then every 3 weeks in con-

junction with vaccination.

HeartwormThis condition is spread by the bite of mos-quitoes, and can be fatal. All animals shouldbe given regular heartworm protection med-ication, especially puppies.

A blood test is performed by 6 months of age to ensure the animal is clear, the pro-phylactic is administered, and continuedthereafter on a monthly basis. Routine test-ing should be done at least once a year.

Symptoms vary, but common signs arecoughing, weight loss, lack of energy, de-pression and shortness of breath.

Heartworm can be treated, but the treat-ment is very expensive, and total rest is aMUST for at least four weeks afterwards.There is no guarantee that the animal willstay free of heartworm, and monthly pro-phylactics should continue to be given. Inthe long run prevention is better, andcheaper, than cure (J.S.P.C.A.s prices arevery reasonable).

LeptospirosisLeptospirosis is a disease caused by spiral

shaped bacteria called leptospires. It occursworldwide and can affect humans as well asmany wild and domestic animals, includingdogs and cats, although infection in cats israre).

The bacteria are spread through the urineof infected animals, which can get into wateror soil and can survive there for weeks tomonths. Humans and animals can becomeinfected through contact with this contami-nated urine. The bacteria can enter the bodythrough skin, eyes, nose, or mouth, espe-

cially if the skin is broken from a cut orscratch. Drinking contaminated water canalso cause infection.

If your pet has become infected, it mostlikely came into contact with rat urine. Yourpet may have been drinking, or walkingthrough contaminated water.

The clinical signs of leptospirosis vary andare nonspecific. Sometimes pets do not haveany symptoms. Common clinical signs re-ported in dogs include fever, vomiting, ab-dominal pain, diarrhea, refusal to eat, severeweakness and depression, stiffness, or severemuscle pain. Generally younger animals aremore seriously affected than older animals.

If you suspect your pet is infected, get helpimmediately. The JSPCA can perform teststo detect the presence of leptospirosis inyour pet, and will prescribe antibiotics. Theearlier treatment is begun the better thechances of full and rapid recovery, and anyorgan damage may be less severe.

General ConsiderationsConsult your vet when your pet has an open

wound. NEVER use Jeyes fluid or otherdisinfectants on a dogs fur. These arechemicals that burn like acid, and can causesevere injury and intense pain.

On the road an animal is a traffic hazard,and your pet may be injured by a vehicle.Make sure you keep him on your property.

Train your pet with firmness and gentle-ness, and you will have a loyal protector.Use praise and rewards, not punishments, asyour training tools, and never beat or stonean animal, whether yours or anyone elses.Cruelty is not only morally wrong, it isagainst the law, and carries penalties!

Jamaican Society for thePrevention of Cruelty to Animal

Committed to Heal, Rescue and Protect

The JSPCA mandates to promote kindness to animals, prevent abuse and reduce fear, pain and suffering.

Contacts:10 Winchester Road, Kingston 10

Te l : (876) 929-0320: Fax: (876) 754-4594Emai l : [email protected]; jspca@kasnet .com

Caymanas Park(Meadow Vale entrance )Por tmore, St. Catherine

Tel : 998-4997 / 704-4278(Open we ek- ends Only)

Brandon Hi l l,14 Coke Avenue, Brandon Hill,

Montego Bay, St JamesTel : 797-2973-4

www.jspca.info

Caring for a new Puppy Exposure to PetsCan Make Young

Children HealthierBy Vanessa Evans

Anew study published online Mondayfrom the journal Pediatrics found thatchildren who had pets as part of their envi-ronment during the first year of their liveswere on average healthier than children who

did not have exposure to pets.The study specifically looked at the impactthat the presence of cats and dogs had on thechildren, and found that when a pet was pres-ent during the child's first year, the child onaverage suffered fewer ear infections andcolds, among other health benefits.

According to the article in Pediatrics, thestudy was conducted in Finland. It involvedsome 397 children, who were followed frompregnancy up until they passed their firstyear. All the children were born in the three-year period between 2002 and 2005. House-holds were asked to keep weekly diariesregarding the presence of dogs and cats, andthen at the end of the child's first year, filledout an additional questionnaire.

A link was found between the number of

ear infections, colds, and other respiratoryailments and the amount of time that a childspent exposed to animals. In addition, thenumber of times a child required a course of antibiotics for their ailments was also studiedagainst exposure to animals.

In general, researchers found that exposureto a pet decreased the chances that a childwould develop respiratory ailments or otherailments needing antibiotic treatment. Thiscorrelation was far stronger in dogs, whereexposure appeared to coincide with as muchas a 31 percent reduction in respiratory is-sues, including infections.


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the agri denbig issue august 2012

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