MAX FACTS growing tips, news and trivia
Going a Step Beyond Farm-to-table
Established restaurateurs Karen Leibowitz and Anthony Myint have a penchant for accountability
in the food industry. Their latest offering, The Perennial, is set to open this spring in San
Francisco’s Mid-Market district. It will provide tech district office workers with a lesson in
sustainability as well as a locally grown lunch. The Perennial will offer locally sourced, organic
food, much of which will be grown using aquaponic methods in a 2,000-sq.-ft.
greenhouse in neighboring Oakland. Not all of the restaurant’s
produce will come from the greenhouse—local farms will
also contribute to the menu. Karen and Anthony are
making the restaurant as waste-efficient as possible:
food scraps from the kitchen will be fed to worms
and larvae, which will then be fed to the fish. The
Perennial will offer homegrown catfish and sturgeon
to its customers and has engaged the services of
Nathan Kaufman of Viridis Aquaponics to design and
maintain the aquaponic system at the greenhouse.
(Source: seedstock.com)
GMO Apples Still a Long Way Off
Despite the USDA having approved the sale of two types of Canadian genetically
modified apples, experts believe it will take years before American consumers
see GMO fruit in their produce aisles. The USDA-approved varieties are
Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples that have been modified to retain
a white flesh once the apple has been cut. “We feel there’s an adequate
supply of all apples [in the US], and consumers can have all they want
right now. Non-browning is not a factor in consumer decisions,” says Todd
Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission. “There are no
GMO apples available in the US today, and it will take years before there’s
any commercial production of those apples. Consumers will need to know the
vast majority of apples are not GMO, so some type of differentiation will need to
take place where we can separate ourselves from genetically modified fruit.”
(Source: freshplaza.com)
Montana Agriculture Keeps Growing
When you think of Montana agriculture, wheat and cattle come to mind. And why shouldn’t they? After all, the state ranks third in wheat production
and tenth in cattle inventory, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture. However, in 2012, the combined market value of grains, oilseeds, dry beans
and dry peas was $1,787,162,000, and for cattle and calves it was $1,783,908,000. Montana’s total market value of agricultural products sold per
farm was $151,031, up 59% from the 2007 Census of Agriculture. The latest census showed there are 28,008 farms and ranches in Montana with
an average size of 2,134 acres. In 2012, Montana ranked second in barley production, both malt and feed. The state is big on organics, too, and also
produces honey. Montana’s organics operations pulled in $16.5 million in 2012 and the value of its honey production was $13.4 million.
(Source: blogs.usda.gov)
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Maximum Yield USA | April 2015