Winter broccoli trials in progress in Florida

February 20, 2014 je11@cornell.edu Leave a comment

Dr. Monica Ozores-Hampton and Dr. Lincoln Zotarelli supervise broccoli plantings at new trial locations in Immokalee and Hastings, Florida. These large-scale trials feature an industry standard broccoli variety and two newer commercial hybrids that have displayed superior quality under stressful growing conditions in advanced screening trials. Broccoli varieties will be evaluated based on production-relevant criteria such as yield, number of cuts to harvest, and field holding time. The Hastings trial was direct-seeded in December 2013, while broccoli in the Immokalee trial was transplanted in mid-January 2014. Harvest and evaluation are expected in late winter/early spring 2014. With the addition of the Immokalee and Hastings sites, the Eastern Broccoli project now has trials running in at least one eastern location during every season of the year.

Hastings trial — Hastings, FL broccoli trial in progress in mid-January, 2014. Photo: Dana Fourman.

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The Alpha Vegetable

November 6, 2013 Thomas Björkman Leave a comment

The New York Times ran a long Magazine piece about doing an image makeover for broccoli. The goal was to have broccoli be a “cool” food among younger people who don’t care about broccoli at all. Author Michael Moss brought out some important points about the relationship people have with vegetables, as well as the challenges of growing more vegetables in the current economic environment. Our project was mentioned as important, but a drop in the bucket towards that goal.

Less pretentious — Victors & Spoils’ campaign seeks to have broccoli pick up the cachet of kale as the “kale backlash” begins against this trendy vegetable.

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What do Eastern consumers want?

August 30, 2013 Thomas Björkman Leave a comment

Prof. Miguel Gómez, team member in the Dyson School of Applied economics is determining what qualities Eastern consumers look for in their broccoli, and what variation from the Western standard they accept. The results will inform the breeding process, and perhaps identify types that will be well accepted in the US East Coast that are not accepted in East Asia.

With graduate student Xiaoli Fan, he is running auctions of broccoli types to asses consumer’s relative willingness to pay for different appearances.

Choices — Consumers were presented with three types of broccoli for consideration. A: New type with large beads and lighter green; grown in New York. B: Perfect appearance by current standards, but has been shipped across country; grown in California. C: Conventional broccoli with mixed large and small flower buds, a defect common in the East; grown in New York.

Station — Consumers at each station have small parboiled samples of each broccoli. Many find that the local broccoli has a milder and fresher flavor.

Auction — Xiaoli Fan (right), a doctoral student on the project, leads the experiment. Graduate assistant Adeline Yeh presents head of the three types to consumers for inspection as they prepare to bid.

consumers — Consumers on the panel are members of the community. Students were excluded, since they were not considered representative broccoli purchasers.

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Commercial breeder visits

August 9, 2013 Thomas Björkman Leave a comment

The commercial breeders on the project are inspecting trials this late summer, while the differences in quality are most apparent. Brassica breeder Cees Sintinie of Bejo (right front) stopped in Geneva as part of his North American tour. He was accompanied by his colleague Jan van der Heide (rear) when he visited with Phillip Griffiths (left). Characteristic of this summer, the rain was pouring. But rain does not slow this group.

Webinar

Webinar on U.S. Food Distribution System

May 21, 2013 je11@cornell.edu Leave a comment

One goal of this project is to increase the availability of eastern-grown broccoli in eastern markets. But how does that broccoli get from the site of production to the point of purchase by consumers?

In a webinar available for viewing on the project website, economist Miguel Gómez discusses the history and evolution of the U.S. food distribution system, the organization and behavior of its three main channels, and the role of intermediaries in bringing food products from the farm to the American table.

Case studies explain how one retail chain has impacted the structure of the distribution system; why changes in product supply are not always reflected in retail prices; why sales of private label products are growing; and how Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs have increased opportunities for growers to market directly to consumers.

The presentation includes an exploration of trends in food expenditures and concludes with projections from industry executives on expected changes in retail food distribution.

To stream the webinar or view a pdf of the slides, visit the project reports page of the website and click on the appropriate link.

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Making seeds for Regional Trials

March 15, 2013 Thomas Björkman Leave a comment

The regional trials require a lot of seeds of the new varieties. These are made by hand pollinating one flower at a time. This week, Griff’s group is finishing some hybrid seed for use in 2014.

Parental plants in greenhouse. Each parent line only has three or four plants, so all the hybrid seed must come from them.