#  [Partners #17- Feeding America]{.underline}

Announcer

This time on Partners, it's Feeding America.

From the Food Project helping to feed residents of inner city Boston, to
scientists on a quest to understand a dangerous fungus that threatens
our food's safety, and researchers pushing the limits of technology to
make our farms more productive and profitable - land-grant universities
and others are facing the challenge of feeding the country.

Number range CHAPTERWelcome to Partners! In the next half-hour, we'll
travel the nation and see breakthrough work in research, education and
Extension. That's what CSREES is all about - helping universities
generate valuable knowledge for those who need it - and educating our
next generation of Americans. And now, it's time for Partners!

Narrator

In the fall of 2006, somewhere in America the 300^th^ million resident
was born. And the job of feeding a hungry nation presses on.

The United States has a long tradition of being an abundant land. Fresh,
wholesome and safe food is something most of us take for granted. Our
country has been so successful at the business of agriculture, that it
plays a major role in international markets around the world.

But what appears for many to be an effortless endeavor is, in fact, a
complex process. Behind the bountiful rows of groceries, hide the
efforts of farmers, researchers, educators, and countless others who
work in a concerted effort to bring healthy, dependable food to the
dinner table.

In the next half hour, you will witness just a few of these endeavors
involved in the making of food. They may be unknown to many, but their
vital contribution is part of the amazing mosaic of agriculture, one
that fuels our nation every day.

And now, Partners Video Magazine presents -- Feeding America...

It is September, 2004. Ivan, the largest hurricane of the year, is on
route to deliver an unwanted visitor from south of our border.

Scott Isard-Penn State University

*We had identified Ivan as one that had high potential to move spores
directly from South America into North America.*

Narrator

Scott Isard is Penn State University's professor of aerobiology -- --
the study of how organisms and biological particles are dispersed
through air.

For two years before Hurricane Ivan, Scott had followed the spread of a
plant disease new to South America -- Asian Soybean Rust. This fungus
destroys valuable soybean crops. But up to 2004, it had never entered
the continental United States. He and others developed a computer model
that could predict if the disease would enter America, if carried by a
storm like Ivan.

Kitty Cardwell-CSREES

*Scott's model was designed to help us understand when and where it
would come. There were a number of things going on simultaneously. We
were preparing. The states were getting their state plans ready of how
they were going to respond when they found it. Also, there was quite a
bit of training going on for the specialist in the field who might be
the first ones to find it. They needed to know what it looked like, how
to search for it.*

*Scott said to me- he thought it was a lucky forecast. But I don't think
it was lucky. I thought it was brilliant.*

Narrator

The brilliance of proactive planning paid off again. After Hurricane
Ivan hit the US Gulf Coast, Ray Schneider, a plant pathologist from the
LSU AgCenter, found the first known case of Asian soybean rust in the
United States.

Kitty Cardwell

*Ray was part of the training. He was the first to find it in Louisiana.
It was definitely Red Alert. We've been planning for a year or two. We
knew it was likely to arrive.*

Narrator

Trained as a "first detector" through CSREES biosecurity funding, Ray
knew immediately what to do. He visually identified the disease as
soybean rust at this experimental plot near Baton Rouge. He took samples
and digital stills of the fungus for others to verify his finding. Then,
he contacted his colleague, Clayton Hollier, who had recently developed
Louisiana's rust detection action plan.

Clayton Hollier-Louisiana State University (phone recording)

*This is Clayton Hollier in Louisiana. I really need you to call me
back. We may have something here that all of you would like to see.* *I
believe that we have soybean rust. I never thought we would be able to
say that but it looks like we do. A sample will be leaving here today.*

Mary Palm -- APHIS-USDA

*We talked quite a bit with Ray Schneider. They sent digital images so
that we could see what they were looking at. The day we dreaded was
here.*

Narrator

As planned, the first detectors immediately sent samples to the USDA's
Systematic Botany & Mycology Lab in Beltsville, Maryland. Mary Palm
works here. She is our country's national mycologist -- one who studies
fungi that cause plant disease.

Mary Palm

*That started a flurry of activity.*

Narrator

Pieces of the suspected rust sample were shaved off for closer viewing
under a high-powered microscope. All indications were that Ray
Schneider's sample was, indeed, infected with Asian soybean rust.

Next, the sample was sent to another USDA-APHIS facility in Beltsville,
the National Plant Germplasm and Biotechnology Laboratory. Here the
fungus was analyzed at the molecular level. DNA was extracted. Samples
were put into a real time cycler for further testing. Miles away, Mary
Palm awaited the results.

Mary Palm

*We did confirm by real time PCR the presence of...*

Narrator

The second lab confirmed Mary's findings. Asian soybean rust had reached
America's shores for the first time in history.

Richard Dunkle - USDA

*This morning it is my duty to announce to you that we have confirmed a
detection of soybean rust, a fungal disease of soybeans, from two plots
associated with a Louisiana state research farm near Baton Rouge,
Louisiana.*

Kitty Cardwell

*There were eight more finds right in a row. And the incredible thing
was that it was a perfect perimeter of where Ivan had come in. It was
just an outline of where that hurricane had impacted.*

Ed Reddy -- United Soybean Board

*Hi Kitty. This is Ed***.** *I'm here with Steve Muench and David
Wright. We're calling to talk with you...*

Narrator

Ed Reddy and his colleagues from the United Soybean Board in St. Louis
had great concern that the Asian soybean rust brought in by Hurricane
Ivan would survive the winter. If it did, the rust invasion could
seriously threaten the 2005 soybean crop.

Kitty Cardwell

*They didn't ask. They were very, very polite gentlemen, but they told
us (laughs) that they wanted a real-time tracking system. They wanted to
be able to have a tool ready for growers in the '05 season.*

Narrator

The concern was real. Soybeans are a major crop for the United States.
Annual harvests average around 15 [billion]{.underline} dollars. By
having a computer tracking system, soybean farmers would be able to make
informed decisions on whether or not to spray for the rust disease.
CSREES funded Scott Isard & others to build the rust tracker.

Scott Isard

*Both from a biological point of view and also from a putting us in
position to be able to gear up - without the initial thinking that went
into that grant, it could not of happened. We immediately kicked up to
high gear -- put a lot more people --programmers- on to the operation
and were ready by early spring to go into a forecast mode on a daily
basis.*

Narrator

They completed in five months what normally would take 1-2 years to do.
Penn State joined forces with ZedX, a private sector technology company
to help meet the deadline

**Kitty Cardwell**

*We weren't sure how well it would work, but it was fabulous. It was
excellent. It was astonishing! People from all over the world watched
this thing. It saves a lot of money because putting on sprays is costly.
It's in the hundreds of millions of dollars in savings in just the
sprays alone, and it's good for the environment because we're not
putting more fungicides into the water and into the air. It's better for
us all.*

Narrator

Soybean farmers, like David Brown from Illinois, have benefited greatly
from the speed at which USDA responded to the rust invasion. This
effective disease forecasting has introduced new ways of looking at IPM-
integrated pest management.

Kitty Cardwell

*It's really changing the way we do IPM. It's a paradigm shift -- this
using of the Web and information technology -- It's the new wave of how
we do this.*

Announcer

CSREES funds the National Plant Diagnostics Network and the National
Animal Health Laboratory Network in response to America's biosecurity
issues.

Narrator

Food. America's supply is considered among the safest in the world.
Farmers now feed over 300 million Americans daily and consumers, for the
most part, have little to worry about when at the grocery store. But it
is the tenacious efforts of regulatory agencies and research scientists
that free us from many food safety concerns.

Take, for instance, the little-known Asprilgillus flavus, commonly
called A. flavus. Researcher Gary Payne has studied this fungus for
decades.

Gary Payne -- North Carolina State University

*It's a micro-organism often referred to as a mold. These fungi cannot
produce food themselves as a plant can so they have to grow on either
other living organisms or decaying matter.*

Narrator

And this is where the problem begins. A. flavus often grows on grain and
nut crops during hot, dry conditions. Corn and peanuts are often the
target. But so is ­­--cotton seed a common feed for dairy cows.

To complicate matters, A. flavus produces a nasty poison called
aflatoxin. In high amounts, it can cause death in humans. It is also
known to cause liver cancer. Government agencies regularly monitor the
grains and nuts for aflatoxin so the American public is well protected.
But finding aflatoxin in commodities can cause severe economic hardship
for farmers.

Gary Payne

*It's regulated by the Food & Drug Administration at 20 parts per
billion. So if you have corn containing 20 parts per billion, you cannot
move it in interstate trade. We're interested in the safety of the
product. We want to keep producers in business.*

Narrator

Since most corn is grown for export, the producer takes a huge loss. But
the toxin also affects those who raise animals.

Gary Payne

*We're more concerned with the long term effects of aflatoxin
contamination-those are the chronic effects. It causes a reduced weight
gain, easy bruising, and also suppression of the immune system so
animals become much more susceptible to other diseases.*

Narrator

To help farmers with the aflatoxin problem, Gary received funds from
CSREES to attack the problem on two fronts.

Gary Payne

*We have a small project looking at compounds in corn seeds that inhibit
the fungus and inhibit aflatoxin contamination. We've identified one of
those compounds and we're in the process purifying two additional
compounds with the goal of taking those compounds and screening lines of
corn for high levels.*

*The other area of my research is looking at conditions that favor
aflatoxin production -- what genes are expressed and when they're
expressed.*

Narrator

This involves mapping the genome -- all the genetic material of the
fungus. For A-flavus that means nearly 12,000 genes. It's a daunting
task.

John Groopman -- Johns Hopkins University

*In Gary's work, he's trying to understand the specific role that
individual genes ... how they interact with one another, what are the
controlling points...with the idea that these aflatoxins can lead to
prevention strategies that can then be amplified and developed out in
controlling aflatoxin production in the field.*

Narrator

John Groopman is from Johns Hopkins' School of Public health. He
believes that Payne's research has global implications.

John Groopman

*Corn is one of the major export crops that the United States has. So in
world trade the aflatoxin contamination level in corn dictates the price
that various buyers around the world will pay for US corn. It has a
tremendous economic impact.*

Narrator

But Gary Payne's work has the potential for far reaching consequences in
human health too. In developing nations with limited food safety
controls, aflatoxin is a big problem. During a 2005 outbreak in Africa,
317 people were poisoned by aflatoxin-infected corn produced in Kenya.
125 died. Payne's goal is to develop corn seed with resistance to the
fungus. It is desperately needed in these nations.

John Groopman

*In some of the regions in East Asia, southern Asia, sub-Saharan Africa.
People can be exposed up to 50 milligrams of aflatoxin per year which is
an extraordinary high level. When we look at the... public health
equation... the interaction across the planet is such now that we can no
longer afford to have areas of the world with tremendously diminished
health status because that diminishes everyone.*

Announcer

CSREES funds food safety programs dealing with production, processing
and distribution. The goal is to ensure a wholesome and safe food supply
for all Americans.

Narrator

Far from the farm fields of rural America, an agrarian revolution is
taking place. This is the Dudley Street neighborhood of inner city
Boston. It's a diverse, populated community with a vibrant street life.
It's also home to the Food Project, a community based organization
funded in part by CSREES.

Pat Gray -- The Food Project

*The vision for the Food Project is putting young people at the center
of creating sustainable local food systems. When we started, it was 24
young people from city and suburb. We worked on 2 and a half acres. We
grew about 24,000 pounds of food.*

Narrator

Today, the Food Project produces a quarter of a million pounds of food
annually, 10 times greater than its first harvest in 1992. It has a full
time staff of 25, offers paying jobs to hundreds of students and
receives help from nearly 2000 volunteers. Their success is due in part
to their strong connection with the local community.

Pat Gray

*It was always part of the dream was that not only growing healthy food
was important but what was important was an opportunity to bring people
together across race, class and geography. We hear this from the
neighbors, a sense of pride that their young people are doing something
that is useful. They're working hard.*

Danielle Andrews -- The Food Project

*A few years ago, the neighbors spoke to me about having more flowers on
the land. That's something that we've tried to respond to. Keeping their
concerns in mind is one of the issues that I think is part of urban
agriculture.*

Narrator

Danielle Andrews has been with the Food Project for 5 years. She
understands the special challenges of food production in the city.

Danielle Andrews

*This is our rooftop garden. It's located at the Boston Medical Center.
We got involved in this garden as a result of our effort to find more
land in the city to grow food on.*

*The city is really committed to trying to bring down the price of
housing... giving us land to grow food on. They see that to be in
conflict with the affordable housing movement. So we are trying to be
creative about where we can grow food.*

*All of the land that we grow on in the city with the exception of the
rooftop garden had issues with lead in the soil. The lead got there from
houses were on the land that burned down in the 60's & 70s.*

Pat Gray

*The land that we are currently growing on were vacant lots that were
overgrown, in many cases they were dangerous. There were drugs etc.*

Narrator

It is in abandoned city lots like this that the Food Project staked its
claim. The first step was to clear the land of abandoned cars, old tires
and toxic trash. Then, the hard work followed.

Danielle Andrews

*We knew that lead in the soil was really dangerous to be growing food
in, particularly leafy greens that absorb a lot of lead. So we decided
to respond by bringing in clean soil, so we built up our fields by about
two feet above the lead contaminated soil. We are very conscientious
about making sure that we do soil tests twice a year. We do tissue
sampling of our plants to make sure that none of the lead is being
absorbed by our vegetables*

Joaquim Silveira - Boston resident

*Every spot you see where they work used to be a garbage spot. And they
clean it up and they planted. It's been nice and clean.*

Narrator

Joaquim Silveira, like many who live in this neighborhood, emigrated
from the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of West Africa. Cape Verdeans
have deep agricultural roots and often continue their tradition of
having a family garden here in Boston. Joaquim has worked with the Food
Project for years and values their efforts.

Joaquim Silveira

*They are my best friend. We are like family and they been treating me
for the past 5 years, I know them in Roxberry. They bring me compost and
they spread it for me and teach me how to do things I don't know.*

Narrator

But the Food Project contributes to the community in other significant
ways. It is teaching local youth the fundamentals of food production
through a thriving salsa business. All ingredients come from Food
Project gardens. The youth here created their own salsa recipe.
Initially they distributed the product to twelve commercial outlets, but
the operation became overwhelming. Since then, it's been scaled back,
but four stores still carry Food Project salsa. Students also learn
culinary arts at the facility. And twice a week throughout the growing
season, it's harvest time.

Danielle Andrews

*We'll probably be harvesting in between 400-500 pounds this morning. We
have a lot of things to bring in this morning. We have our peppers and
tomatoes and eggplant are just starting to come on in a big way so we're
going to be harvesting that - a lot of greens, a lot of summer squash.*

*The reality in this day and age is that most people are very far
removed physically from farms and places from where our food is being
produced. So urban agriculture offers us opportunity for city people to
come out and work on our land.*

Narrator

It is now three o'clock. The red tents at the busy intersection at
Dudley Commons signal that it's market day. And the Food Project workers
are ready to serve their customers.

Pat Gray

*They come because they need a job. It's a combination of the real work
of growing food- learning through workshops etc-and personal reflection.
And the education that we do is intentionally tied to what they have to
know to succeed in their job.*

*There was a young person years ago that said, 'You know, it was here.
It's the first time that I actually could try to sort of take off the
person I have to be in my neighborhood and my school and try on who I
might really be underneath that. For the young people who may not have
had the kind of support at home that they would like to. For them to
nurture plants, take care of plants. They then can transfer some of that
to themselves. It's very deep work what we do beyond growing the
vegetables.*

*There is something healing about being on a piece of land that's
peaceful and quiet and safe.*

Announcer

Since 1996, CSREES has funded nearly 250 community food projects in 46
states around the country.

Narrator

In the grand scheme of Feeding America, tools in the field are
fundamental. They make the difference between profit and loss; shortage
or surplus. But today, researchers are mixing brains with brawn in the
new machinery of agriculture. The future is now, and it's the beginning
of the robot farm...

John Solie -- Oklahoma State University

*This is the Green Seeker sensor that was developed originally at
Oklahoma State University.*

Narrator

Researcher John Solie and his team worked with N-Tech Industries, a
private sector firm, to create the Green Seeker. This smart machine
"reads" a plant's needs and then applies precisely the amount of
fertilizer or herbicide needed.

John Solie

*We use sensors to let the plant tell us what it needs. The Green Seeker
shines light at red and near infrared wave lengths on the plant. That
light is absorbed by the plant and some of that light is reflected back
up into the sensor. The sensor measures the amount of light reflected
off the plant. We can take an applicator, drive out in the field, have
the sensor look at the crop, make a determination of what the plant
actually needs in fertilizer, and then apply only that amount.*

Narrator

This is precision agriculture at its best. The environment is spared
unnecessary spraying of chemicals. The savings in fertilizer translates
into cheaper food at the grocery store, and farmers benefit from lower
operating costs.

John Solie

*We estimate our farmers are seeing typically about \$10/acre savings in
the amount of fertilizer applied. In fact we've had cases where based on
our sensor, they've come to the conclusion that they don't have to apply
any additional fertilizer. So the savings can be very large.*

Narrator

Tom Denker is one Oklahoma farmer who has benefited. Working with
Extension agronomist Roger Gribble, Tom has used the economical
hand-held version of the Green Seeker on his wheat fields. Tom
traditionally used 80 pounds of nitrogen fertilizer per acre. With the
Green Seeker he's found he can use only twenty- a 75% decrease.

Tom Denker -- Oklahoma farmer

*It was really a great technology and a great savings.*

Roger Gribble -- Oklahoma State University Extension

*This is a perfect system for him. We minimize the pre-plant fertilizer
we put out. We're continuing to educate more and more producers through
our programs and demonstrations such as what we got with Tom. We'll
continue to almost double almost every year, the number of producers
that accept that technology.*

Narrator

John Solie wants to refine the Green Seeker for precision farming down
to the square foot. He's found this to be the optimum target size for
sensor technology because nutrient needs can change rapidly within a
field.

John Solie

*We're not at one foot yet, but we've developed a machine that will work
at 2 feet by 2 feet and work very well.*

Narrator

Once the price of the new technology becomes affordable, farming by the
square foot will become a reality. And the Green Seeker will lead the
way to the farm of the future \-- the Robot Farm.

Announcer

On the next edition of Partners ...

From Hero Packs helping military kids cope with the absence of a parent
overseas to the innovative Summer Academy in the US Virgin Islands.

From a Missouri 4-H program linking kids of convicts with their dads to
youth learning business skills in New Jersey's Seeds of Change market

CSREES salutes our country's next generation. That's Our Children-

on Partners Video Magazine.

For more on Feeding America and other Partners episodes, log on to this
web site.