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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2016)
NATIONAL AG DAY 10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016 NATIONAL AG DAY Each American farmer feeds more than 144 people … a dramatic increase from 25 people in the 1960s. Quite simply, American agriculture is doing more — and doing it better. As the world population soars, there is an even greater demand for the food and fiber produced in the United States. National Ag Day recognizes and celebrates the abun- dance provided by American agricul- ture. Every spring, producers, agricultural associations, corporation, universities, government agencies and others across the country join together in recognition — and appreciation — of agriculture in our country. Information provided by: www.agday.org DID YOU KNOW? Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press Randy MacMillan, vice president of research and environmental affairs for Clear Springs Foods, looks out over trout race- ways at the company’s Snake River Farms in Buhl, Idaho, and talks about the company’s sustainable production system. Certiiable ag Farmers and processors face more scrutiny as customers demand to know how food is produced By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press R Eric Mortenson/Capital Press Perch pipes, nesting areas and the chickens’ ability to walk about, scratch and socialize define their eggs as “cage free” — although the hens never leave Willamette Egg Farms’ henhouses. The farm’s cage-free eggs are cer- tified by the American Humane Association. #80 11th St. Astoria, OR 97103 503-741-FISH(3474) www.edisonbrosfish.com andy MacMillan and the employees at Clear Springs Food are preparing for the latest in a growing list of audits. The Buhl, Idaho, trout farm is subjected to six annual third- party audits of its environmen- tal impact, food safety practices and how socially responsible it is. The audits, MacMillan said, require mountains of paper- work, and the company must pay fees based on its annual production. The audits are on top of some 1,300 regulations gener- ated by 30 government agen- cies that domestic aquacul- ture operations must meet, said MacMillan, the company’s vice president. But the certi¿cations assure retailers — and their cus- tomers — that Clear Springs Food products meet their expectations. “Most customers don’t understand the regulatory sys- tem in the U.S.,” MacMillan said. “They don’t understand the federal Clean Water Act. They don’t understand state standards for clean water, so we’re at a real disadvantage.” In recent years, a rising tide of audits and certi¿cations has swamped many producers, from those who raise trout to those who raise cattle and other crops. The audits and certi¿- cations assure consumers that no salmon were hurt in grow- ing an apple, or that a cherry meets Europe’s rigorous farm- ing standards. They signify that food has no genetically modi- ¿ed ingredients or that chickens were well-treated. They even certify that no slaves were used. Worldwide, 463 labels in 199 nations certify that prod- ucts — many relating to food — meet ecological standards. The best-known certi¿cations cover whether food is raised organically, but others cover a wide range of issues, qualities and concerns. To keep up, companies have hired employees, developed new policies and cranked out reams of reports demonstrating their corporate social respon- sibility in response to increas- ing scrutiny by consumers and advocacy organizations. See SCRUTINY, Page 11A • Honeybee workers must visit 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey. • Honey bees must tap two million flowers to make one pound of honey. Each worker honey bee makes 1/12th teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. • An acre of trees can remove about 13 tons of dust and gas- es every year from the surrounding environment. • Almost a third of the world’s total land area is covered by forests. • Hamburger meat from a single steer will make about 720 quarter pound hamburger patties. That’s enough for a family of 4 to enjoy hamburgers each day for nearly 6 months. • Straight from the cow, the temperature of cow’s milk is about 97 degrees Fahrenheit. • Farmers and ranchers provide food and habitat for 75% of the nations wildlife. • Americans eat about 125 pounds of potatoes a year, about half from fresh potatoes and half in processed foods. • Onions contain a mild antibiotic that fights infections, soothes burns, tames bee stings and relieves the itch of athletes foot. • Products we use in our everyday lives come from plant and animal byproducts produced by America’s farmers and ranchers: • Health care: Pharmaceuticals, surgical sutures, ointments, latex gloves, x-ray film, gelatin for capsules and heart valves. • Construction: Lumber, paints, brushes, tar paper, dry wall and tool handles. • Transportation: Fuel, lubricants, antifreeze, tires and uphol- stery. • Manufacturing: Adhesives, solvents and detergents. Printing: Paper, ink and film. • Personal Care Products: Shampoo, cosmetics, lotions, finger nail polish and toothpaste. Education: Crayons, textbooks, chalk, desks, pencils and paper. • Sports: Uniforms, baseball bats, leather equipment and shoes. • Peanuts are not actually nuts. Peanuts, like soybeans, are members of the legume family. • One bushel of corn will sweeten more than 400 cans of pop. • A family of four could live for 10 years off the bread produced by one acre of wheat. • Each American consumes, on average, 53 pounds of bread per year. • Pigs can’t sweat. Pigs have no sweat glands, which is why they roll around in mud to cool off. • Heart valves from hogs are used to replace damaged or diseased human heart valves. • One acre (43,560 square feet) of soybeans can produce 82,368 crayons. • One bale of cotton can produce 1,217 men’s t-shirts or 313,600 one-hundred dollar ($100) bills. • Cotton is a food crop. Almost 200 million gallons of cotton- seed oil are used in food products such as margarine and salad dressing. Cottonseed and cottonseed meal are used in feed for livestock and poultry. And even products such as toothpaste, ice cream, and the paper money used to buy them contain by-products of the cotton seed. • It takes just 40 days for most Americans to earn enough money to pay for their food supply for the entire year. In comparison with the 129 days it takes the average American to earn enough money to pay federal, state and local taxes for the year. • More than 96 billion pounds of edible “surplus” food is thrown away in the U.S. Each year. It is estimated that almost 27% of our food supply is wasted. Information provided by: www.agday.org –––– ORGANIC ƒ HANDCRAFTED ƒ LOCAL L ongvi ew , W ashington We began in the Pacific Northwest with a single alder mill, and have steadily grown to become the largest manufacturer and global supplier of hardwood lumber. We produce 14 species of domestic hardwood, import and distribute over 45 species of exotic hardwoods, and source both appearance and structural plywood. %X L OG L QJ V W URQJ FR P P XQ L W\ VH U YL QJ GH O L F LR X V D QG RUJD Q LFIRRG V DQG IR V W HU L QJ MR\R XV Z RU N IR U HY H U\ Z RU N HU Alder, Maple Saw Logs & Timber Wanted. Contact Steve Axtell: (360)430-0885 or John Anderson: (360)269-2500 FISHHAWK FISHERIES 100 4th Street | Astoria BLUESCORCHER.COOP ඵ 503-3 3 8-7473 ඵ 1493 DUANE STREET 503-325-5252 ASTORIA, OREGON Orga n ic Veggie S eed s D R . E ARTH L IFE : Feed your soil; feed your pla nts! • KENAI, ALASKA Protect your flock w ith a S O L AR C H ICK E N D OOR Taste of the Wild Lim ited-in gredient pet foods FEN CIN G : Posts, w ire, pan els, d og ken n els, gates 34963 Hw y 101 Bu s. | Asto ria 1m ile south of old Youngs Ba y Bridge 503-325-1562 b rim sfa rm n g a rd en .co m Support L ocal Agriculture Businesses!
