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Texas Agriculture Archive

February 17, 2006

Approximately 700 employees of the company are involved in pineapple production in Hawaii. Del Monte said it is no longer economically feasible to grow pineapples in the state due to high production costs compared to other parts of the world.

Del Monte leases land from landowner Campbell Estate and the two have not been able to negotiate a long-term contract with financially viable terms, a Del Monte spokesperson said. Hawaii officials are concerned that the two other pineapple producers—Dole Food Hawaii and Maui Pineapple Co.—might also leave the state.

Hawaii annually produces more than 200,000 tons of pineapples. Competition for markets has been increasing from countries with low-cost labor including Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil, China, India and Costa Rica.
Source: AFBF; Executive Newswatch; Feb. 6, 2006

City might annex land to build dairy
Here's something different. Instead of fighting plans to build a large dairy, a Minnesota city has voted to study the possibility of annexing land in order to build a large dairy within city limits.

It's happening in Claremont, a small town east of Owatonna, where the city council voted Jan. 25 to take on the study as a means to promote economic development. The focus of the study is the proposed 2,140-cow Ripley Dairy with its potential annual payroll of about $960,000.

The push for the dairy began three years ago. It has received all necessary permits from the county and state. Supporters say all permitting boards have voted unanimously in favor of the project.
Source: LandOwner; Feb. 2, 2006; Vol. 27, Iss. 3

Switch grass potential great as ethanol source
Scientists have been working for decades trying to improve the yield of drought- and pest-resistant switch grass while experimenting with ways to make a more efficient process of turning grass into fuel.

Although the energy return of producing ethanol from switch grass is more than seven times greater than that for corn, breaking down those tough grass fibers into fuel is difficult and expensive.

Though pilot plants working on the concept of what is commonly called "cellulosic ethanol technology" have been discussed and even operated at times on a small scale in California, Idaho, Kansas and Louisiana, there are no commercial operations in the U.S.

None are in the works, even though Brazil has replaced 50 percent of its gasoline needs with ethanol made from sugarcane cellulose in just 15 years.
Source: AFBF; Policy-Links; Feb. 7, 2006

Fresh market vegetable production down in 2005
Fresh market vegetable and melon production for the 24 selected crops estimated in 2005 totaled 473 million hundredweight, down 2 percent from last year's comparable states.

Harvested area covered 1.94 million acres, down less than 1 percent from comparable states in 2004. Value of the 2005 crop is estimated at $9.82 billion, up 1 percent from comparable states a year ago. The three largest crops, in terms of production, are onions, head lettuce, and tomatoes, which combined to account for 37 percent of the total production. Tomatoes, head lettuce, and onions claim the highest values, accounting for 36 percent of the total value when combined.

For the 24 selected vegetables and melons estimated in 2005, California continues to be the leading fresh market state, accounting for 44 percent of the harvested area, 48 percent of production, and 47 percent of the value.
Source: USDA; Vegetables 2005 Summary; January 2006

Consumers like flex-fuel vehicles
According to a new study, 60 percent of American vehicle owners are "very familiar" with grain-based fuels. When presented with ethanol's strengths and weaknesses, more than 90 percent say they would give preference to a flex-fuel vehicle over a strictly gasoline version.
Source: Doane's Agricultural Report; Vol. 69, No. 2-1; Jan. 13, 2006