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Agricultural Machine The administration of Governor Joseph C. Cua is making good on its promised support for greater

agricultural productivity, with the Caramoran tiger grass processors receiving three "lasa" seed removers to be paid back

without interest within five years. Last May 21, the governor brought the depollenating machines costing P20,000 each to

barangay Hitoma where he and Caramoran Lasa Processors Association president Sanny Barra signed a memorandum of agreement

covering the assistance. The signing of the agreement was witnessed by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provincial

director Ireneo Panti, Jr., PASO-OIC Wilfredo Talay, Provincial Agricultural Support Officer Herbert Evangelista, Sugbo

Movers Association president Crispin Lopez, Rev. Fr. Joseph Rey Villamartin, lasa processors and farmers, Hitoma barangay

officials headed by chairman Noel Brizo and residents. The association earlier requested the provincial government to provide

the tiger grass seed remover to improve productivity and introduce mechanization to the industry, which is the chosen One-

Town-One-Product (OTOP) for Caramoran town. The making of "walis-tambo" or tiger grass brooms, dusters and novelty items is

mostly done through manual labor. Under the agreement, the provincial government procured the depollenating machines, the

cost of which will be paid by CPLA within five years, with a one-year grace period. Amortizations of P3,750 each will be paid

by CPLA to the province every March, April, May and June during the peak of the lasa harvest season from 2009 to 2012. In

case of non-payment within 15 days after harvest, the province will serve a default notice to CLPA requiring payment of the

overdue amortization within 15 days, after which the government will have the option to pull out the machines. The project

will be monitored by PASO, with DTI joining in to provide technical assistance to tiger grass processors. According to Gov.

Cua, the machine, which can be bought for P15,000 each but without the required motor, can be converted to a rice thresher

via installation of some attachments. He added that with the use of the depollenating machines, farmers can reduce the time

needed to remove seeds from one "bulto" of lasa to just an hour, instead of eight hours of manual labor using children to

pound the lasa stalks against pavement. He said that 18 barangays in Caramoran are requesting the same machines but the

provincial government wants the cost charged directly to the barangay’s Internal Revenue Allotment through P1,000 monthly

amortizations. If realized, the acquisition of the machines would allow lasa-producing barangays to earn rental income from

its use by broom makers and farmers.

Agaricus blazei NaturalNews) Years ago, when I first began research into the amazing oleander plant, I ended up as a member

of two Yahoo Health Groups about oleander. One was named "Anvirzel" (after the patented Oleander medicine which had passed

FDA phase 1 trials a few years earlier) and the other, "Oleandersoup" (named for the home remedy version of the patented

medicine). As a result, I became friends and acquaintances with many people close to oleander and Anvirzel, one of whom was a

noted South African humanitarian, entrepreneur, crusader and researcher named Mr. Swanepoel Swanepoel. Mr. Swanepoel was

keenly interested in the oleander plant due to the epidemic of HIV-AIDS in his native country as well as the number of

indigent cancer patients who could not afford mainstream treatment options (and which he believed were largely ineffective

anyway). Like several of us in the groups, Mr. Swanepoel began making his own oleander home remedy after the instructions

were posted by Ed Hensley "The Father of Oleander Soup" and the first moderator of the Yahoo "Oleandersoup" group. Unlike the

rest of us, Mr. Swanepoel took things a few steps further and he began searching the Brazilian Rain Forest and his native

South Africa for other botanicals to combine with oleander. After testing various combinations, Mr. Swanepoel settled on two

similar botanical supplements which consisted of 80% oleander extract made exactly according to the oleander soup

instructions. The first supplement was for HIV/AIDS patients and it added extracts of the agaricus blazei murrill (ABM)

mushroom, cats claw, and pau de arco, while the second supplement, intended for cancer, substituted the relatively rare

chrysobalanus icaco (red-tipped coco plum) for the pau de arco. All of the rain forest botanicals added to the oleander have

their own histories of successful immune boosting and cancer fighting abilities, some dating back centuries among the

indigenous Amazon peoples. I asked Mr. Swanepoel why he used oleander for 80% of the mix and he confided that, as potent as

the other botanicals were, he felt that oleander was by far the most effective botanical he had ever found. Mr. Swanepoel

soon selected a Brazilian manufacturing facility named Takesun do Brasil to make his supplements for him and he also licensed

them to market his supplements around the world. Takesun is managed (or was) by a German PhD named George Otto (The Takesun

website, a bit rough in the English version, can be found -- but I do not recommend that you buy any of their products at

this time! I will just say that I believe that there are better and more reliable sources and that Mr. Swanepoel Swanepoel

agrees and leave it at that). Ultimately, the OPC product grew to be quite successful, especially in Dr. Otto's native

Germany. So much so, that two clinics were built which used only the OPC and Agaricus products and Dr. Otto ended up moving

back to Germany where plans are in the works for a hospital built around an oleander/agaricus protocol. Meanwhile, in South

Africa, Mr. Swanepoel returned to his native South Africa and made notable progress of his own -- first getting the

government to embrace the use of his oleander supplements for HIV and cancer and then getting it accepted by various doctors

and clinics as well as gaining some support at the university level. Over the past three years, he and I have kept in touch

and he has told me many times of the success his supplements have had in helping HIV and cancer patients, but I have to admit

that I was somewhat remiss in digging a bit deeper and finding out the true scope of the success until the first part of this

year when I asked Mr. Swanepoel how the patients in South Africa were faring and he reported back: "Everything's still ok

here and cancer patients as well as HIV patients on the oleander mix are doing well. The medical doctor in Cape Town who is

using the mix for all his cancer patients has continued to have good results. The oncologist where he sends his patients to

(a woman) was so impressed with the results that she is now using it herself for prevention. "... to date, the only patients

that did not make it on the oleander mix were three patients with very advanced cancer that had metastasized to the liver and

who had been on intensive chemo treatments. In my opinion, the effect of the chemo on the liver and heart eventually led to

failure of those organs."

bamboo dining mat Tennessee Environment and Conservation Commmissioner Jim Fyke announced the winners of the 2008 Governor

Environmental Stewardship Awards today. The 14 winners will be recognized for their achievements and positive impact on the

state natural resources in an awards ceremony to be held in Nashville in June. Waking care of our precious natural resources

is essential to preserving Tennessee outdoor tradition, said Governor Phil Bredesen. want to express my congratulations to

each of these individuals, organizations and groups whose stewardship is helping us protect Tennessee air, land and water.

The Governor Environmental Stewardship Awards program recognizes exemplary voluntary actions that improve or protect our

environment and natural resources with projects or initiatives that are not required by law or regulations. This marks the

22nd year for the awards program. Thirty-nine professionals from various public and private organizations judged more than

100 nominations to determine the award recipients. The winner of one additional honor, the Robert Sparks Walker Lifetime

Achievement Award, will be announced at the awards ceremony in June. Our environment impacts everything from recreational

activities to the health of our communities, and I believe it is important to recognize the people and organizations that

work so hard to protect it, said Fyke. I am pleased to acknowledge and celebrate these Tennesseans who go above and beyond to

enhance the condition of our shared environment. The 2008 Governor Environmental Stewardship Award winners are: Category:

Agriculture/ForestryRobert Thompson Conservation Farm in Niota (McMinn County)Robert Thompson 589-acre, 200-head cattle farm

in McMinn County practices conservation efforts along the Oostanaula Creek and Malone Springs in East Tennessee. These

practices include extensive livestock exclusion fencing (4,685 feet), alternative water tanks (six with 6,000 feet of

pipeline) and rotational grazing. These efforts have improved the health of the cattle herd and water quality. Water quality

improvements stem from the reduction of sediment, which can occur when cattle travel over stream banks to reach water, as

well as from the decreased amount of livestock waste reaching the stream. Category: Aquatic Resource PreservationTennessee

Aquarium Research Institute - Saving the SturgeonTennessee River Watershed from Knoxville to ChattanoogaIn 2007, Saving the

Sturgeon reached several new milestones. More than 60,000 lake sturgeon were released into the Tennessee River Watershed and

monitored as far south as Alabama. New partners in the sturgeon conservation effort include Knoxville Girl Scout troops, East

Tennessee fishermen and Gap Creek Elementary classes. Educational efforts were expanded through these partnerships by

distributing wallet-size educational cards to fishermen at time of licensing, developing a coloring book for grades K-2 about

lake sturgeon conservation efforts and engaging students to help with sturgeon releases near their school. The Tennessee

Aquarium Research Institute also began monitoring released sturgeon with sonic tags and using an endoscope and anesthesia

vaporizer to determine gender of released fish to enhance reproductive success.

Tipping Paper Hanover County is enhancing opportunities for businesses to recycle mixed paper and corrugated containers at

its courthouse solid-waste service convenience center and through the Community Services Board. The Department of Public

Works recently opened a drop-off area for business paper recycling adjacent to the Courthouse Solid Waste Service Convenience

Center on U.S. 301 just south of Hanover Courthouse. This location allows businesses with mixed loads to drop off paper

before going to the transfer station, where tipping fees would have to be paid. (The solid-waste convenience centers are

available for household refuse only and cannot be used by businesses.) In addition, Hanover Community Services recently began

accepting mixed and corrugated paper from businesses at its Dow Gil Road location in Ashland. Community Services offers the

drop-off from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, except holidays. "All the customer has to do is ring the bell on either side

of the building, and we will be glad to attend to your needs," said Harold Rowson, Mental Health/Mental Retardation manager

for Hanover Community Services. Hanover Community Services has also expanded its pickup service to the business community

this spring. Rowson will meet with business owners and provide either a 95-gallon cart or a smaller tote, depending on need.

The pickup cost is $11.63 per pickup. "The customer can put their recyclable paper into the container, and our Hanover

Recycling employees will sort the paper," Rowson said. Hanover Recycling provides employment to 20 people with disabilities.

"These new recycling opportunities are a win-win not only for business owners but for Hanover Recycling employees and the

environment," said Steve Chidsey, chief of Solid Waste Operations for the Department of Public Works. The Board of

Supervisors made the business drop-off area at the courthouse convenience center possible by revising the county's solid-

waste regulations to allow commercial vehicles to deposit corrugated containers and mixed paper at no charge without vehicle

restrictions.

The passage of the U.S. government's US$290 billion farm bill guarantees not only more subsidies for wealthy U.S. farmers,

but tax breaks and grants for U.S. ag input retailers that their Canadian competitors can't match, two Canadian groups said

Friday. The Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers (CAAR) and the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) warn that the U.S. bill will

hand their U.S. counterparts a new competitive advantage. The bill, which includes USDA's food programs for schools and the

poor as well as land stewardship programming and other initiatives, also gives U.S. ag retailers "substantial tax credits and

grants for security of essential crop nutrient and protection products," CAAR said. Both the U.S. and Canada have sought to

tighten security of certain chemicals such as ammonium nitrate fertilizer, citing the use of common chemicals in terrorist

attacks overseas and in home-grown attacks such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which relied on ammonium nitrate. Another

fertilizer, anhydrous ammonia, is often an ingredient used by illegal drug dealers in the "cooking" of crystal meth, and has

been known to be stolen from tanks either on farms or retail sites. New measures, including a ban on the resale of ammonium

nitrate and registration, record-keeping and storage requirements for its retail dealers, take effect in Canada on June 1.

Operational costs "Recent security codes and regulations are strapping agri-retailers at a particularly bad time when

operational costs are already at an all-time high," the association said. "Incurring further expense will either result in

higher input prices to farmers or limited product availability due to entire product lines being dropped by retailers. Either

scenario will drive Canadian farmers to foreign markets and further weaken Canada's agricultural economy." CAAR and the GGC

together called on Ottawa to draft a crop input security tax credit program. The government, they said, has already provided

cost-shared funding toward tightened security at Canadian ports, showing there's public precedent for such supports. "Growers

are already telling us that input prices are unbearably high," said CAAR executive director David MacKay in the association's

release. "So why should we be expected to pick up the entire security tab knowing that it will only deter our customers from

doing business with us? It amounts to compulsory economic suicide." Moreover, according to GGC executive director Richard

Phillips, "grain, pulse and oilseed farmers are very concerned about rapidly rising input prices and know that incremental

costs forced onto our ag retail sector will eventually be paid for at the farm gate." The Farm Bill was vetoed Wednesday by

U.S. President George Bush, but his veto was overridden Thursday by both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, which

can do so with at least a two-thirds majority vote in each chamber. Chuck Conner, Bush's deputy secretary of agriculture,

said in a release Wednesday that Bush "would not accept a farm bill that fails to reform farm programs at a time when farm

income and crop prices are setting records."

Coal Chemical It represents an important development direction for the next 20 years. This is of great significance for

China to reduce coal-induced environmental pollution, lower dependence onoil imports, safeguard energy security and promote

sustainable economic growth. In China, there are new market demand and growth opportunities for the coal chemical industry.

The modern coal chemical industry is facing new growth opportunities and prospects in the country. The new coal chemical

industry is still in its infancy. Coal coking, coal gasification, methanol and downstream, chemical products will develop

fast. The development and industrialization of coal-made oil (direct and indirect liquefaction) will receive attention. Key

construction projects have been launched. The development of new coal chemical technologies and industry involves several

fields such as coal, chemical industry, oil and power, and requires big investments and intensive technologies. The road of

combined and conglomerate development is the only way forward. There is also a need to carry out greater supplementary work

such as overall planning, technology research, development of new processes, and system optimization and integration. In the

face of competitions as well as market changes and challenges, the 2007-2008 Annual Report on the Development of China's Coal

Chemical Industry released by our team will help enterprises, investors and industry persons to more accurately grasp the

growth pattern of China's coal chemical industry, and more profoundly reveal potential demand and opportunities in the coal

chemical market:?More in-depth and detailed market research data. Based on the current status and pattern of the Chinese and

global coal chemical industry and the industry growth environment in China, our team provides a vivid description of changes

in industry growth from multiple perspectives and specifies the roadmap for future industry development.?More comprehensive

and in-depth analysis of industry competitions. In addition to analyzing the structure, evolution and competitions of the

coal chemical industry chain, our team has also described and analyzed industry investment and innovations in great detail.?

More scientific and comprehensive forecast for future growth. Based on the current status of industry growth both at home and

abroad and in combination with national policies, make forecast for the future growth of the coal chemical industry, and

perform detailed industry trend analysis to ensure in providing valuable trend analysis and suggestions.

almond kernel NEW DELHI: Pistachio price declined up to Rs 15 per kg in the national capital on Monday following lack of

buying support amid increased supply from outside. Elsewhere, prices maintained last closing levels on the wholesale dry

fruit market here on some support. Marketmen said reduced offtake by stockist and local parties amid increased arrivals,

largely pulled down pistachio price. Pistachio Irani, hairati and Peshwari dropped from Rs.550-580, Rs.510-550 and Rs.565-625

to close at Rs.540-575, Rs.500-540 and Rs. 550-610 per kilo respectively on increased arrivals. Pistachio dodi roasted also

sheded by Rs.10 to settle at Rs.320-330 a kilo on reduced offtake.

Cassava Flour If you work in agri-business and want to diversify your products, the Rwanda Agro-Science Institute might give

you some ideas. These days, "producing for export" is the mantra to be sung for entrepreneurs who want to make their business

bigger. This, however might be a big step for a micro of start-up enterprise. Their best bet might rather be diversification,

all the more so since, for a lot of products, the local market is still largely untapped. For those working in agribusiness -

even small farmers who produce only a limited surplus to sell - the Rwanda Agro-Science Institute (Institut des Sciences

Agronomiques du Rwanda - ISAR) in Butare might be a good place to get some ideas on how to expand their product range. This

might seem strange, as agricultural research is generally associated with mixing of species to come up with an improved crop

- better taste, higher nutritious value, resistance against insects and diseases. Obviously, ISAR is carrying out such

research. However, a little known unit of the institute is the post-harvest unit, set up in 1996, which deals exactly with

looking at ways of making better and more diversified use of farm produce. Theirs is not rocket science (although they are

very inventive); they have made cakes from flour from cassava, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, sorghum, maize, beans and

bananas. The unit also comes up with ways to use the flour: Irish potato flour is excellent for chapattis, the one of beans

is appropriate for wedding cakes and doughnuts, whereas banana flour is more adapted for biscuits. Long-lasting cassava flour

Jean Bosco Shingiro, one of the researchers in post-harvest, says that producing flour from various crops is indicative of

the work of the unit, which always looks at new ways of transforming common farm produce into new products. However, he

stresses that they do not only look for new ways of using agricultural produce, but also to improve the methods of

transformation. "For example, the unit found a way to make cassava last longer by turning the un-dried cassava into flour,

after which they are placed in bags and put into clean water. After drying, this cassava produces flour that remains good for

a longer time as some acids have been extracted in the process," the researcher explains. Not all flour can be used on its

own, however. The one from beans has to be mixed with baking powder in order to be able to produce biscuits. At other times,

Shingiro says, flour from different crops is mixed to increase the nutritional value. It is for this last reason that for

some farm produce it is better to turn them into flower and make cakes or biscuits out of them. For example, the post-harvest

researcher explains, "cassava, although produced in great quantities, is in itself not very nutritious; but when it is mixed

with milk and sugar to bake cakes, you get a rich final product." All this flour and biscuit business does not mean that ISAR

has now turned into a full-time bakery. "Obviously, we are not selling anything", says Shingiro. "We research techniques to

create new products from available crops, and then we train people to use these techniques." The trainings target

associations, so as to have a maximal impact. Over the past months, eight associations have passed at ISAR to learn

alternative ways of producing flour, and turning it into bread, biscuits, cakes and the likes. Several of their members are

now running businesses producing and selling these products. Interested associations are always welcome to contact ISAR for

more information on the training.

Canned Chestnuts Farmer's markets and produce stands or shops where you can buy local produce in season vary a lot. Some

farmer's markets allow only producers and growers to sell their fruits and vegetables. Some are part of the Texas Farmers

Markets Association, whose rules say the market must be at least 50 percent farmer grown. Last year, John Lucido sold

homemade foods at the Coppell Farmers Market. Some small markets and stands include produce from around the country, but they

concentrate on local produce in season. Some farmer's markets include extras such as bakeries, canned or processed foods,

plants, pet treats and crafts. Several also offer pastured meats and chickens, eggs from pastured hens, and cheeses. More

farmers, including organic, sell on Saturday mornings than any other day. Also pasta, beef, Alaskan seafood, pastured meats,

cheese, eggs, butter. Many small markets buy local produce from farmers at the Dallas market. 1010 S. Pearl; 214-939-2808. If

you are going to the market for a specific item, call 214-670-5879 for availability. COLLEYVILLE FARMERS MARKET: Monday

through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Season opens in March and closes at Christmas. 5409 Colleyville

Blvd., Colleyville; 817-427-2333. COPPELL FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 8 a.m. until sell-out. One of the area's best small

markets, with farmers (including organic), pastured meats and chicken, Gulf seafood, Alaskan salmon, cheese and more.

CORSICANA FARMERS MARKET: Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to sellout. Season opens Saturday and closes at the end of

September. Run by Navarro County Farmers Market Association. State Highway 75 Business at Sixth Avenue, Corsicana; 903-874-

2670. COTTON'S PRODUCE MARKET: Monday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mom-and-pop stand that shops the Dallas

Farmers Market for local seasonal produce. 4200 Broadway, Garland; 972-240-8810. COX FARMS MARKET: Monday through Saturday, 8

a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A small natural-foods market that sells local produce in season as well as locally

produced meats and pastured chicken. 1026 S. Main, Duncanville; 972-283-8851. COWTOWN FARMERS' MARKET: Saturdays, 8 a.m. to

sell-out. When season gets going, may add Wednesdays. Besides farmers, it has an artisan bread baker, coffee beans, natural

granola. Part of North Central Texas Farmers Markets. The market's Fresh Line tells what's going to be at the market and any

changes due to weather.

Cabbage Granule Adding seasonal color to your landscape can be a challenge in arid southern Idaho. Drought, unrelenting

summer heat and poor soil conditions can make the splashes of seasonal color you visualized when you planted end up looking

like fried vegetables. For an example of how to do it right, check out St. Luke's Boise Regional Medical Center. The

hospital's Downtown location is known for its vivid displays of seasonal color - spring, summer and fall. St. Luke's doesn't

hire a service to keep its flowers beautiful; it has a full-time crew of five, headed by lead groundskeeper Ryan Rodgers.

"Our philosophy is that people's views on the quality of care begin when they first walk up the sidewalk," Rodgers said.

"First impressions are important, and flowers make a great first impression." Spring color begins in the fall at St. Luke's,

with groundskeepers planting 25,000 tulip and daffodil bulbs and more than 5,000 4-inch pots of pansies. It takes a month to

get them all in the ground. "You don't have to plant new bulbs every year to get blooms, but people expect such a brilliant

display here that we take the trouble to do it," Rodgers said. "If you don't, you're not going to get blossoms as bright and

maybe not as many of them." Rodgers and other workers plant the bulbs 6 inches deep. They plant the pansies 4 inches deep,

above the bulbs, and use a mix of early- and late-blooming varieties to make the colors last longer. The pansies start

blooming in late February, the tulips about a month later. Don't fertilize at planting time. Rodgers recommends slow-release

fertilizer granules, starting in late March, with additional applications every two months during the growing season. About

the middle of May, the groundskeepers begin to remove the pansies passersby have been admiring all spring. "People don't like

it because they still look beautiful when we pull them up," Rodgers said. "But pansies don't like the summer heat, and we

have to get ready for our summer color." That would be petunias, geraniums, marigolds, alyssum, verbena, dahlias and daisies,

roughly 5,300 of them. For shady areas, he recommends impatiens, coleus and primrose. Purple fountain grass adds colorful

accents that grow about 3 feet high. Workers apply compost and rototill the beds before planting the summer flowers. "We use

Garden 'n Bloom compost," Rodgers said. "Put an inch or two on top of the soil, rake it in and then till it." At St. Luke's,

the tulips are tilled under. If you don't replace your tulip bulbs annually, Rodgers suggests planting them 8 inches deep and

letting the foliage wither each year after the tulips bloom. Cutting it back before it withers weakens the plants. To keep

petunias from getting "leggy" (long and gangly without many blooms), pinch vines back to the desired length. Always pinch

just above a leaf, so the leaf is the last thing on the vine. Diligence is required; St. Luke's hires two seasonal workers to

keep up. "The trick is to get on it as fast as you can and stay on it," groundskeeper Efren Zavala Jr, said. "It's like hair;

the longer you let it go, the more maintenance you'll have. It's all about maintenance." If your soil doesn't retain

moisture, Rodgers recommends adding Perlite, an organic garden soil aerator with high water-retention properties. An

application every few years should be sufficient. How much water do flowers need to thrive in southern Idaho's long, hot

summers? "Fifteen to 30 minutes a day, depending on the type of soil, exposure to sun and the number of other plants using

the water. If you need 30 and you can stagger it into 10-minute blocks with 15 minutes in between, that lets the water run in

and prevents runoff. Newer sprinkler clocks are set up to let you do that.