Hot 5: Gated Irrigation. Guar in Fracking. Potato Method. Rothamsted GM Debate. Agriculture Exports.

By on May 25th, 2012

1. Polyethylene Gated Pipe Irrigation Systems.


I took the above photo of a modern “gated pipe irrigation system” being used on a high altitude ranch on the West slope of Colorado last weekend. This new gated polyethylene pipe replaced older aluminum gated pipe which was being stored elsewhere on the property. It can also be used to replace earthen ditches, eliminating ditch leakage. The system is set up by delivering water into the pipe using a concrete box containing a tight screen or filter which keeps debris out of the water entering the pipe. Pipes may range from four inches to 15 inches in diameter. Every two feet, the pipe has a plastic slide, or “gate” that can be opened or closed using an irrigating “shovel”. Each gate opening is a rectangle that is a few inches wide. This is a form of flood irrigation, or gravity irrigation. There are NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) government programs available to help pay to upgrade older ditch systems to this more efficient method.

 

2. Guar. The Agricultural Product Used in Fracking.


(wikipedia photo)

You already knew that millions of tons of round sand grains are being shipped out of Wisconsin for use in fracking (hydraulic fracturing), but did you know that the guar plant which is grown primarily in India provides the key ingredient in the fracking water/sand mixture? The guar thickens the liquid, suspending the sand, and allowing the gas or oil to seep out of the shale. A single shale well can require hundreds of acres of guar production. Current guar use by this industry is about a billion pounds of guar powder, four times more than six years ago. Guar is an annual legume and the guar seed comes from its bean which is processed to make guar gum, usually in a powder form. Eighty percent of the world’s guar comes from India, followed by Pakistan, the U.S. (south Texas, Arizona, California), Australia, China, and Africa. The plant does well in semi-arid conditions and poor soils.

Industrial grade guar is in the highest demand, but food grade guar gum is also used in products such as ice cream, chocolate milk, bagels, peanut butter, gluten-free muffins, chewing gum, tortillas, cranberry sauce, and jellies. Guar meal is used as cattle feed. Guar is also an ingredient used in dynamite, hair shampoos, conditioners, toothpaste, lotions, wrapping paper, and kitty litter.

Adding to demand created by currently low natural gas prices, is the fact that more guar is used in fracking for oil than for natural gas out of shale. Both food producers and drillers are looking into alternatives to guar due to current high prices and demand.

 

3. Gardening: Two-minute Video Demonstrates an Easy Way to Grow Potatoes.

Australian Peter Cundall shows us how to grow potatoes directly on top of a lawn using the no-dig method.

(from Gardening Australia’s Patch – Scratch DVD)

 

4. The GM Debate at Rothamsted Research Station in the UK Rages On.

I have been following this very interesting story out of Britain in Herfordshire where activists have destroyed part of the experimental aphid-resistant GM spring wheat being grown in a government-sponsored project. Know that wheat is constantly under siege of some new pathogen threatening its production and it is the second most important food security crop grown by humans. In the video below, please hear the scientists plea to the public to listen to their side of the story.

BEGINNING OF MY SOAPBOX: Personally, I feel that people need to stop seeing GM technology as an “all or none” issue, but rather as a case-by-case issue and this project appears to be safe and science-worthy. Just because you hate a certain agribusiness behemoth doesn’t mean that you need to reject this science which may pave the way for more environmentally sound ways of producing food in the future. GM research has the capability of reducing the amount of water and fertilizer necessary to grow food and it can incorporate important nutrients into food found lacking in specific regions. Some idealists probably do not realize that organic farmers, too, struggle with producing their crops which are constantly being attacked by insects, viruses, and other pathogens. If accepted by organic growers at some future time, GM technology could eventually prove invaluable to —gasp— organic farmers, as well.

The public opinion tide seems to be switching slowly on this issue, and I predict that a decade from now the majority of people will come around to understanding the benefits that GM technology has to offer. There is good and bad in everything, including this technology, and even if you as an individual think it’s wrong, you are powerless to stop it because it is now being embraced by scientists worldwide. That said, I love heirloom seeds and appreciate the work that people are doing to grow and save them, too. END OF MY SOAPBOX.


To learn more about the Rothamsted experiment see this Guardian article and this Q&A with the scientists.

 

5. The U.S. is Becoming Less Competitive in the Global Agricultural Export Market.


The above chart is taken from the Chicago District Reserve Bank’s latest update on its regional farmland prices, and I’ve highlighted in red the numbers showing a decline in the region’s corn, soybeans, and wheat exports. I’ve been saying for some time that our corn ethanol policy and soybeans for biodiesel policy is driving up our domestic Ag commodity prices, making us less competitive on the global market. This is happening in conjunction with increased production across the globe in the BRIC nations and elsewhere, and with fluctuating currencies related to the global financial crisis. A stronger dollar as a result of the emphasis of the crisis hitting Europe right now additionally hurts the U.S.’s export competitiveness. As an update to this chart, for this market year which began Sept. 1, U.S. corn exports are down about 9 percent from the previous year.
Categorized under: exports and trade, gardening, genetic modification, irrigation.
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6 Responses to “Hot 5: Gated Irrigation. Guar in Fracking. Potato Method. Rothamsted GM Debate. Agriculture Exports.”

  1. RBM says:
    May 27, 2012 at 7:13 am

    RE:Polyethylene Gated Pipe Irrigation Systems

    That system seem marginally better than center pivot systems from a technical perspective.

    Is there any data available to compare ?

    I would guess that polyethylene pipe material is cheaper than aluminum, so maybe that’s what the decision to use was singularly hinged on ?

    Respond
  2. RBM says:
    May 27, 2012 at 7:48 am

    From a link found at the Oil Drum, Q. and A.: Linking People’s Needs to Nature’s with Peter Seligmann:

    I’m just saying that people will do whatever they need to survive. Having lived through endless arguments about “You’ve got to choose between jobs and the environment,” “You’ve got to choose between energy security and the environment,” “We need to choose between water supply and the environment,” it became very clear that whenever we deal with issues that are pressing social needs – water, energy food, jobs, health – environment is always the piece that you discount. But when you do that, you sabotage the sustainability of a society.

    Respond
  3. K.M. says:
    May 27, 2012 at 9:01 am

    RBM
    I have not researched the comparison of the irrig. systems but what concerned me was that polyethylene would deteriorate over time with the intense sun exposure that it receives. Whereas these are gravity systems, pivots are for pump irrigation, of course.

    Thanks for contributing the Seligmann quote. I think that hes exactly right. And then you add to that that most people value humanity above any thing else, meaning they will politically enable jobs at the expense of the environment.

    This applies to industrial farming with our sell-out of the soil and aquifers for efficiency gains and cheap food.

    Respond
    • Jason says:
      June 1, 2012 at 10:02 am

      I was surprised to see white polyethylene pipe used for this. In my experience, black pipe is resistant to light decay, whereas white pipe will break down. White polyethylene is used below ground, such as tiling applications. Perhaps they were able to put something in the white pipe to make it work in the sun?

      Respond
      • K.M. says:
        June 1, 2012 at 10:16 am

        Jason,
        Good to hear from you & I hope all is well at Farmland LP. Your comment prompted me to do a quick google search which makes it sound like, yes, there is a UV resistant white pipe… “they can add carbon to the pipe and make it perform in direct sunlight.”

        Respond

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