Begun This Burrito War Has

Even Jedi master Yoda knows when to stay quiet.

Apparently, Chipotle hasn't had that Jedi PR lesson yet.

And so the Burrito War has begun.

Chipotle restaurants recently ran a promotion for the anti-ag film, Food Inc. It's a slanted film that ignores the reality of a growing and hungry world. We'll have a full review soon on our site.

Chipotle wanted to appear all green and sustainable so they sponsored free screenings of the movie around the country.

Yeah for the giant food chain who promotes reduced food and unsustainable food production for the USA and the world. Can't we all just have a few chickens and pigs in our backyward to feed ourselves? Or better yet, just only eat vegetable we can grow ourselves?

But there's at least one group who takes issue with the company's current purchasing practices.

The Coalition for Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a community-based organization of mainly Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida.

They're wondering why Chipotle is ignoring the plight of farm workers. In a recent letter to Chipotle's CEO, Steve Ellis, CIW wrote:

We view the CIW’s struggle for dignity as a non-negotiable part of the struggle for a sustainable food system. Therefore, we strongly urge you to enter into an agreement with this worker-led organization that has been fighting tirelessly to improve conditions in tomato country since 1993. As you know, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange has acted to block the penny-per-pound raise agreed to by McDonald's, Yum Brands, Burger King and others, by threatening to fine any grower who cooperates with the buyers and the CIW. The extra penny paid out by these companies now sits in an escrow account, and workers in the fields continue making the same dismal wage. The growers clearly fear the power tomato pickers have galvanized through the efforts of the CIW and Chipotle's refusal to sign an agreement with the CIW only bolsters the growers’ intransigence.

And they've decided to crash Chipotle's PR Burrito party. Check out their online update HERE.

We guess the "Farce" is with Chipotle!

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It’s Time to Put Ag Water Use In Perspective

Jon Holzfaster of Paxton, NE is a farmer and also is the chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board. And he has some pointed thoughts about reports assuming that corn growers are poor stewards of the land.

Jon has written and released an editorial, It’s Time to Put Ag Water Use In Perspective, this week that is worth reading. In it, he shares his thoughts on the use of water for raising corn.

His main point is to put the raising of corn in perspective and to share facts about water usage in corn growing. Some of his key points include:

• It is estimated that it may take around 1,750 gallons of water to produce a bushel of corn. That sounds like a lot, but did you know it takes 684,000 gallons of water per acre per year to irrigate a golf course? And that, on average, a homeowner uses 21,600 gallons to water his or her lawn each year?
  
• Nearly 40% of the corn acres in Nebraska are non-irrigated, relying solely on rainwater. Even on irrigated acres, only a portion of the water needed to raise corn is supplied by irrigation. Across the U.S., 86% of corn does not utilize irrigation.
• Irrigation efficiency has improved dramatically in the past 20 years.
  
• According the U.S. Geological Survey, an acre of corn gives off 3,000-4,000 gallons of water each day through transpiration.
• Our local Natural Resource Districts are doing a good job of monitoring water usage by irrigators. They are constantly checking water tables and many districts in the state have implemented ag water use limitations. Remember, we are just coming out of a seven-year drought. As rainfall returns to normal, water supplies will be replenished.
• Just what do we get in return for the water used to grow corn. A bushel of corn produces three gallons of ethanol and 18 pounds of distillers grains that can be fed to livestock. Or it can be used to make 68 boxes of cereal. Or it can be turned into 22.4 pounds of corn-based plastic, which is more environmentally friendly than petroleum-based plastic.

Jon notes that Grand Island, NE officials are investigating ways to lower the groundwater table under the city. One city official said Grand Island’s groundwater table is at its highest level in 23 years.

READ MORE

• Biofuels Beat Oil by Any Measure
  
• Biofuels Aren't the Problem
  
• Corn Growers Know Smart Farming Means Clean Water
• Grower Stewardship Leads to Clean Water
  

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New Video on Corn Conservation

A new video from the National Corn Growers Association discusses farming practices that protect soil from the continuing threat of water and wind erosion, reduce agricultural inputs and improve the long-term health of their fields.

"This is an important step to communicate with people who may not have any first-hand knowledge about agriculture," says NCGA President Ken McCauley. "With all the concern about the impact of agriculture on the environment, it's vital for people to know the role agriculture has in protecting our environment."

The video is available at YouTube in three parts:

• Growing the Future, Part 1
• Growing the Future, Part 2
• Growing the Future, Part 3
  

In addition, the video is available for download in QuickTime and WindowsMedia formats HERE.

READ MORE

• Renewable Fuels Help "Save the Bay"
• Give Ethanol a Chance: The Case for Corn Based Fuel
• Ethanol is Environmentally Friendly
  
• Corn Growers Know Smart Farming Means Clean Water
  

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New Technology Makes Fertilizer Less Dangerous

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's recent articles regarding farming contained many inaccurate, misleading and misrepresentations of modern farming and conservation practices. Here is yet another response to the Post-Dispatch.

New technology makes fertilizer less dangerous

The article "More ethanol, more corn, more fertilizer, more pollution" (June 10, 2007) misrepresents the role fertilizers play in food, fiber, feed and fuel production. While the increase in corn demand for ethanol production is indisputable, the negative consequences of these changes are not. Commercial fertilizers are the most manageable source of nutrients and as such are the best tool farmers have to maximize crop production while minimizing environmental impact.

In fact, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show that U.S. farmers are using fertilizer nutrients with the greatest efficiency in history. Between 1980 and 2005, U.S. corn production increased by 74 percent. Meanwhile, farmers' use of nitrogen on corn over this period increased only 3 percent, while use of phosphate and potash fell 20 and 24 percent, respectively.

Nutrients removed by crops need to be replaced to maintain soil fertility. We strongly support using the right product and applying it at the right rate, right time and right place. Paired with efforts to use advanced fertilizer technologies, farmers indeed can meet our food and energy needs and protect the environment. What's more, we repeatedly have sought Agriculture Department backing for the use of advanced fertilizer technologies in conservation programs, but to date have received little support for encouraging farmer use of these products.

The North American fertilizer industry has a long history of partnering with farmers and the more than 13,000 Certified Crop Advisers to ensure maximum crop productivity, while protecting water quality, soil quality and the environment.

Kathleen Mathers | Washington, D.C.
Vice President of Public Affairs, The Fertilizer Institute

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

balanced food and fuel energy security conservation stewardship

Biofuels Aren't The Problem

You may recall that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an article critical of Midwest farmers last week which contained misleading and inaccurate information. Here's but one who wrote to the Post-Dispatch to set the record straight:

Biofuels aren't the problem

The article "Dead zone persists as government drags its feet" (June 10) included a drastic picture titled "The Gulf's 'Dead Zone'." But the picture is not from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the agency that measures and maps the hypoxia. The red zones on the official NOAA maps have been shrinking.

I expect this year hypoxia will increase because of an increase in water flowing down the Mississippi River and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers dumping millions and millions of pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus in the river at Arrow Rock, Mo., to create a habitat for the pallid sturgeon. The last few years we have had an increase in biofuel acres with a decrease in hypoxia. So, apparently, biofuels are not the problem.

Bob Perry, | Bowling Green, Mo.

food and fuel ethanol energy security

Corn Growers Know Smart Farming Means Clean Water

Recently, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an article highly critical of farmers. Filled with sensational headlines but short on real facts. Below is a response from one of those farmers who was interviewed.

Letter to the Editor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 06/19/200

Corn growers know smart farming means clean water

I am one of the farmers who was interviewed by Bill Lambrecht for his story "More ethanol, more corn, more fertilizer, more pollution " (June 10) on ethanol and corn production. We spent a lot of time talking about the environmental benefits of new technologies and the way we farm today. I am extremely disappointed that it was all lost in the article.

Today, using conservation tillage, we leave more residue on the surface of the soil to protect it from wind and water erosion. I am building organic matter on my corn acres because of the plant material left in the field.

Facts show the dramatic reduction in inputs, including nitrogen, needed to grow a bushel of corn. Farmers have developed buffer and filter strips and use best management practices in field operations. The water in our rivers and lakes are cleaner because of this.

We have cut our fuel use per bushel of corn as well. We use half the fuel per bushel we did 10 years ago, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global warming.

Corn technology has helped me make my farm a better farm. My son and I represent six generations of farmers working this soil, and we are leaving the farm in better condition than we found it.

It is good to spend our energy dollars in the United States, and it starts right here in rural America. The other choice is to continue to send huge amounts of money to buy energy from hostile places. What is the cost of stationing the 6th Fleet and our soldiers in the Middle East?

We have opportunities to lower our dependence on foreign oil, and we need to pursue them as fast as we can. Corn to ethanol is not the complete answer but is the first step, and it is here now.

Leon Corzine | Assumption, Ill.

balanced food and fuel energy security ethanol

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Corn Growers Conserve the Environment

Corn Growers support stewardship and conservation practices:

Corn growers’ stewardship efforts are enhanced through conservation programs and to continue the environmental gains producers have made, there must be a greater emphasis on working lands conservation programs, said the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) to the Senate Agriculture Committee.

NCGA submitted written comments to the committee, which held a conservation hearing Tuesday to review policy recommendations for the 2007 farm bill.

“We are eager to work with Congress and the administration in the months ahead in order to develop a farm bill that ensures United States agriculture is stronger than ever,” said Ken McCauley, NCGA president. “Developing a strong and usable conservation title is important to corn growers. Our industry has made strides over the years to balance conservation needs and production agriculture."

McCauley noted that the advancement in corn production technologies over the last 70 years have led to a decrease in acres under cultivation and an increase in the number of bushels produced. He also cited modern agriculture and improvements in production efficiencies have lessened the environmental impact of food production.

NCGA’s also highlighted reduced soil erosion, improved water quality and increased wildlife habitat as environmental gains corn growers continue to make through the use of the farm bill conservation programs.

Source: National Corn Growers Association