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'GREEN' CAR PART TO DEBUT IN 2010
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
From The Buzz - Guelph - The world's first car to have interior parts made from wheat straw-reinforced plastic - created via technology that has roots at the University of Guelph - is set to roll off the assembly lines in the new year.The Ford Motor Company announced today that its 2010 Ford Flex will include storage bins made from this bio-based material. The wheat straw-reinforced plastic was created by Leonardo Simon, a University of Waterloo engineering professor, who is part of the Ontario BioCar Initiative. This multi-university project involves scientists at U of G and the universities of Toronto, Waterloo and Windsor.
“It’s an amazing achievement,” said plant agriculture professor Larry Erickson, one of BioCar’s lead researchers.
The BioCar Initiative, supported by the Ontario Research Fund's Research Excellence Program, was started in 2007. The universities agreed to combine their research strengths and efforts for four years in order to improve the development and delivery capacity of biomaterials for the automotive industry.
“We hoped that by the end of it all, we’d have at least one car part in Ontario that came from an agricultural source,” Erickson said. “But today’s announcement means that we’re already there, and we are only two years into the project, so we are way ahead of schedule. We’re quite happy about that.”
The wheat straw-reinforced plastic that will be used in the Ford Flex originated from an earlier Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs project involving Erickson and Simon. “That work set in motion the experiments we did that led to where we are today," he said.
Erickson was also involved in the initial discussions with Ford. The automaker was looking for green technology to use in its vehicles that was low-cost and readily available around the world, Erickson said. “Plus wheat has positive associations for people; when people think of it, they think of food: bread, pasta, the staff of life.”
Using wheat-straw plastic for storage bins in this one car model reduces petroleum usage by 20,000 pounds per year and C02 emission by 30,000 pounds per year, according to a news release issued by Ford. The automaker also said it plans to include other bio-based materials in future car models.
Erickson said research into bioproducts has often been challenging because these new materials must be economically competitive with synthetic products, and offer some advantages.
U of G is also involved in another multi-university project — Auto21— that involves the creation of “green” car parts from biofibres and bioplastics. In this effort, researchers are making environmentally-friendly car bumpers and running boards by substituting renewable and recyclable engineered composites for petroleum-based materials. The prototypes are being engineered in U of G's Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre, which is headed by Guelph plant agriculture professor Amar Mohanty, who is also involved in the BioCar Initiative and holds the Premier’s Research Chair in Biomaterials and Transportation.
GOVERNMENTS INVEST IN IMPROVED BIOSECURITY
12/14/09
From a Release - Ontario farms will have more help to remain healthy and competitive thanks to the Governments of Canada and Ontario’s investment in the implementation of national biosecurity standards.
The Agricultural Biosecurity Program will receive more than $3 million to help the industry build awareness among producers about the benefits of implementing biosecurity measures on their farms. This may include training, studies and applied pilot projects. Improved biosecurity can help reduce the risk of disease, pests and pathogens that can financially impact producers and the industry as a whole.
“Farmers have a long-standing history of using preventive measures as a means of keeping animals healthy on Canadian farms. This program will help farmers stay on the cutting edge of good biosecurity practices – ensuring the health of their animals, sustainability of their farm
business and strength of the industry as a whole.” says Dave Van Kesteren, Member of Parliament for Chatham-Kent–Essex, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz
“Improved biosecurity measures protect herd and plant health and promote the economic viability of the farm and the agri-food sector. Taking precautions to prevent disease from coming onto farms is one of the best investments producers can make.” says Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Canada and Ontario will fund the Agricultural Biosecurity Program for Ontario’s livestock and plant sector associations through Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative to support the development of a profitable, innovative agriculture sector that is adept at managing risk and responsive to market demands.
The program will be delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council.
US ANNOUNCES THE CREATION OF NEW CENTER TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF IMPORTED GOODS
12/09/09
From U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(Ed. note: How much do you bet we'll see more lineups at the border?)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the creation of the Import Safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC)—a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility designed to streamline and enhance federal efforts to address import safety issues.
"In addition to guarding against terrorism and crime, securing our borders and facilitating legitimate trade involve ensuring the safety of imported products," said Secretary Napolitano. "This new targeting center will enhance the inspection of goods entering our country by centralizing and strengthening federal efforts to protect U.S. consumers."
The Import Safety CTAC will combine the resources and manpower of CBP and other government agencies—including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration and the Food Safety Inspection Service—to protect the American public from harm caused by unsafe imported products by improving communication and information-sharing and reducing redundant inspection activities.
The new facility, which will be headed by and located adjacent to CBP's Office of International Trade in Washington, reflects the three core principles announced by President Obama's Food Safety Working Group in July: prevention, surveillance and response. Created in March, the Working Group was tasked with advising President Obama on how to upgrade the U.S. food safety system for the 21st century.
Approximately 30 personnel, representing all of the participating agencies, will work at the CTAC.
KEEPING COUNTERVAIL AWAY FROM SUPPORT PROGRAMS
12/11/09
This week's guest commentary comes from Nathan Stevens of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario
Ontario’s general farm organizations and commodity groups are hard at work developing a common message on safety nets for the Ontario Minister of Agriculture to take to the next federal, provincial and territorial meetings. One of the most important considerations for these groups is the potential negative impact that new programs could have on trade in the form of countervailing and anti-dumping duties placed on exporting industries.
The commodities most vulnerable are those that export a significant portion of their production to other countries, particularly to our largest trading partner, the United States. Countervail is harmful because it affects more than just the producers that export product. It can destabilize or depress domestic prices due to excess supply, impact production levels, and harm the competitiveness of the industry.
In order to sustain a countervailing duty there are four criteria that need to be met. They are that the subsidy provides a benefit to the importer, that the subsidy can be considered specific to that commodity, that the amount is beyond the minimum allowed under WTO rules, and most importantly, that the subsidy causes material injury in the importer’s domestic market.
A subsidy can include many obvious things, as well as less obvious items. The obvious ones include payments from government programs, government grants, loans and equity infusions. The less obvious ones include forgone revenue on the part of government, often in the form of tax breaks, and some types of government goods or services, but not all.
One of the biggest issues for the federal government is the impact of regional subsidy programs on exports. However, this support is then weighed against the trade weight of the commodity. This means that a relatively high subsidy on a commodity that does not export its primary production is not likely to be considered a trade concern.
Ontario’s general farm organizations, commodity groups and government need to be aware of these considerations as they consider better ways to provide support for the farmers in this province. Whatever support programs we lobby for that meet the regional needs of Ontario’s farmers need to take into consideration whether trade is essential for that segment of the industry. At the end of the day, the program needs to place farmers in a better situation than before the program started.
APPROVAL OF GFO FEE APPRECIATED
12/11/09
From a release - GUELPH – The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) appreciate the work of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in securing the fee increase requested through the Farm Business Registration process for Ontario’s General Farm Organizations (GFO).
“This will make it possible for OFA to continue to work effectively on behalf of Ontario farm families,” says Bette Jean Crews, OFA president. “It is vitally important for farmers to have properly-funded organizations that work for the betterment of both family farms and the rural community,” Henry Stevens, CFFO president said.
The original fee of $150 was set when the legislation calling for a Farm Business Registration fee to fund Ontario’s three GFOs was approved in 1993. These organizations have seen significant operating cost increases since that time and more complex issues to be addressed on behalf of Ontario farmers.
Ontario farmers responded when OMAFRA asked for an indication of farmer support for a fee increase. An estimated 80 per cent told OMAFRA that they supported the proposed increase to $195 per year.
With that increase, OFA and CFFO will be able to work on such things as additional savings on energy costs for farmers, improved safety nets for farmers, more farmer revenue opportunities with the Green Energy Act, tax savings, and expanded product and service partnerships providing farmer discounts.
NEW ORGANIZATION TAKES THE LEAD ON RURAL ONTARIO ISSUES
12/14/09
From a Release - Two provincial organizations have merged to create the new Rural Ontario Institute, a not-for-profit organization formed to provide stronger support for key issues facing rural Ontario. The Centre for Rural Leadership (TCRL) and The Ontario Rural Council (TORC) will officially amalgamate on April 1, 2010 to form the Rural Ontario Institute, operating out of the Ontario AgriCentre in Guelph, ON.
Unanimously approved by the boards of both TCRL and TORC, the new Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) has a mandate to provide rural leadership development and a mechanism to engage rural and multi-sector stakeholders for the purposes of informing and influencing rural policy development.
“The Rural Ontario Institute will capitalize on the synergies and strengths that exist between our two organizations, to create a tremendous resource for the long-term sustainability of rural Ontario,” says Jan Varner, president of The Centre for Rural Leadership. “We saw a terrific opportunity to join forces to create the only multi-sector provincial organization that is building leadership capacity and opening more channels for dialogue on issues facing rural Ontario,” says Valerie Ryan, chair of The Ontario Rural Council.
Three core services will be provided through the Rural Ontario Institute – leadership training, stakeholder engagement and third-party program delivery. The cornerstone Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP) will be delivered through the new organization, as well as the newer Steps to Leadership development program. Through existing forums, roundtables and new electronic tools, the Rural Ontario Institute will engage rural stakeholders to gather critical input on issues affecting rural Ontario to ultimately influence policy and program development. These rural issues cover areas as broad as health, energy, youth and agriculture. The Rural Ontario Institute will also offer efficient program delivery for third-party organizations and/or government ministries.
“ROI has the capacity to uncover issues facing rural Ontario and build strong, local, informed leaders to tackle them,” says Harold Flaming, executive director of The Ontario Rural Council. “Both TCRL and TORC saw an opportunity to take the best of each organization – keeping key elements and creating synergies with program offers – to more effectively and efficiently serve the needs of rural Ontario,” adds Rob Black, executive director of The Centre for Rural Leadership.
The Rural Ontario Institute will be governed by a 12-member board of directors, in addition to the CEO and staff members.
The Centre for Rural Leadership (TCRL) offers programming to develop and support current and emerging leaders through a continuum of programs and resources to strengthen and diversify rural communities and the bioresource sector. Programs include the long-running Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP) and the Steps to Leadership series, launched in 2008. TCRL also supports and delivers a variety of personal and organization development training workshops.
The Ontario Rural Council (TORC) was formed in 1998 as a member driven, multi sector provincial rural organization with a mandate to act as a catalyst for rural dialogue, collaboration and advocacy. As a vehicle for rural engagement, TORC offers a vital venue for the province’s collective rural voice. It is the aim of TORC to broaden the understanding of the rural perspective and work toward ensuring the collective rural voice is heard by the province’s policy and decision makers.
RETHINKING GREEN: EAT GLOBAL, NOT LOCAL
12/09/09
From the National Post
At the annual convention of the North American Farmers' Direct Marketing Association in Calgary a couple of years ago, organizers offered a seminar entitled "The New Classic: Creating an upscale urban farmers' market with down-home country Chutzpah."
For years, local farmers' markets weren't anything you'd hazard to call "upscale," but the rise of the local food movement and the best-selling environmental-soul books, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and The 100-Mile Diet, has made buying locally grown, rather than well-travelled food, as trendy these days among the eco-yuppie crowd as hybrid Lexuses and Baby Planet strollers.
"Farmers have been involved with selling local product for decades. What's happening now is that the consumer side is catching on," says Charlie Touchette, executive director of the marketing association.
In Alberta, farmers' market revenues next year are projected to be roughly twice 2004's take; Vancouver's markets have more than doubled their customers, and revenues, since 2005. Although that "down-home country" marketing is key to making shoppers feel the trendy, earthy vibe, with prices often dramatically higher than supermarkets, the big demographic draw comes from the well-heeled.
A farmers' market research report by the Cascade Harvest Coalition, a Seattle-based group promoting local food, concluded that one of the big challenges to markets was reaching "mid-level or second-tier" consumers, who, studies showed, stayed away, in large part, because of affordability.
In part, farmer vendors charge more because they've been suddenly blessed with customers willing to pay more. But locally grown food, in many cases, is also more costly to produce, because Canadian labour and, often, land is worth more than in Brazil or China. Above all, though, local growing conditions for most foods are less productive than elsewhere. Every climate, obviously, has its strengths and weaknesses, and frequently, locally grown food is less efficiently produced than the imported stuff.
Accounting for "food miles" -- the key measure
used by locavores (local produce eaters) -- tells you how far food travels. It doesn't tell you how much energy -- and greenhouse gas emissions -- went into growing it. When you add that in, and if your aim is to conserve fossil fuels and emissions, the best way is actually to skip the farmers' market and eat global.
"If you are concerned about the carbon footprint of your diet, focusing on transportation is kind of like worrying about the air pressure in your tires of your car rather than whether you have a fuel-efficient car or not," says James McWilliams, an environmental and agricultural historian at Texas State University, author of Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly, and a former part-time locavore. "What matters so much more than how far it travels from farm to fork is what kind of methods were used to produce it."
In fact, farming methods make up so much more of a particular food's carbon footprint, it is remarkable that all those food-mile-counters missed it. A 2008 study published in the academic journal, Environmental Science and Technology by a pair of environmental engineers at Carnegie Mellon University found that just 11% of greenhouse gas emissions related to food come from transportation. Final delivery to the retailer accounted for just 4%. On the other hand, 83% of emissions involved in your lunch today are directly attributable to the food's production.
What locavores forget, or don't stop to consider, is that calculating the emissions over the entire life-cycle process is far more complex than counting transportation miles. Local producers, for example, often store their fruits and vegetables using refrigeration for several months to stretch into the off-season. Certain climates also demand more CO2-heavy inputs, such as pesticides and fertilizers. And suboptimal growing conditions often mean clearing and farming more land to gain yields. "If you want to preserve wilderness areas, the way to go is modern, intensive farming and international trade," says Pierre Desrochers, a geography professor at the University of Toronto.
Large-capacity food transportation, he notes, is often extremely fuel-efficient. "A highly efficient container diesel-powered ship can move huge quantities of stuff ... with a tiny, tiny, tiny energy signature." And when producers do export by airfreight, often their carbon footprint is reduced, since often they can slot their deliveries into the excess capacity available in planes that are already headed where they need to go. But in other cases, the oversimplified food miles argument can grossly misjudge the environmental impact: Flowers grown outdoors in Kenya, for instance, weigh very little, and even when delivered by air, they still come out ahead of European-grown blossoms requiring heated greenhouses (13,300 lbs of CO2 per 12,000 cut roses shipped from Kenya to the U.K. vs. 77,000 lbs for Dutch ones). Though greenhouse gas emissions themselves are often not part of the price of food, all the fuel, fertilizer and land clearance responsible for creating them -- all net contributors to greenhouse gas emissions -- are all in there.
"In a global market economy, people have the incentive to use resources as efficiently as possible," Prof. Desrochers says. The steeper the price tag on a bag of baby carrots, the more likely their production came at an environmental cost.
Researchers at New Zealand's Lincoln University, for instance, recently studied how their country's lamb exports stacked up against locally grown varieties in England. Instead of simplistically counting only food miles, they accounted for every aspect of the production process: harvesting techniques, fertilizer inputs, storage procedures and transport methods, among other things. Although New Zealand lamb must travel 18,000 kilometeres to arrive at U.K. supermarkets, the country's comparative efficiency of raising the animals more than compensated for the shipping. A ton of New Zealand lamb exported to Britain could be blamed for all of 1,520 lbs of CO2 emissions. British lambs, lacking the same warm, clovered pastures, and so, requiring more truck-delivered feed and heated pens, rated far worse, even though they were produced locally, emitting 6,280 lbs of CO2 per ton.
When British consumers insist on buying locally grown tomatoes, meanwhile, they're patronizing producers who emit 5,278 lbs of CO2 per ton, produced largely by heated greenhouses, according to a 2005 study by the U.K.'s own Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Spanish tomatoes, by comparison, emit barely a quarter of that amount, the study found, even after shipping to London grocers: just 1,389 lbs of CO2 per ton. Several similar analyses have thrown cold water on the pro-environment argument for all kinds of fruits, vegetables and dairy products.
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John Jordan
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University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus
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