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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: February 26, 2006 |
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Farmers in Israel raise crops in conditions that couldn't be more foreign to their Ohio counterparts. But the arid soils, limited water and cramped spaces have turned Israeli farmers into experts at making crops bloom in the desert.
A group of Ohio farmers hopes to use that expertise to improve productivity. A 29-person delegation is leaving Sunday for a 10-day trip to Israel to learn everything from water management to milk processing to handling urban expansion.
"I'm extremely intrigued by the ability of them to grow enough crops for 7 million people in the desert," said Daniel Corcoran, 42, who raises soybeans, wheat and alfalfa on his 4,000-acre (1,600-hectare) family farm in southern Ohio. "Hopefully, there are things we can bring back here."
Israel is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Only about 20 percent of the land can be farmed and half of that has to be irrigated.
But Israel not only produces most of its own food, it also has enough to export. Fruit, vegetables and fertilizer are among the most successful exports.
Israeli farms have prospered by irrigating crops, seeding clouds to increase rainfall, landscaping to redirect floodwaters toward crops and using drip irrigation so that crops receive the precise amount of water and fertilizer.
The Israelis have also developed computer-controlled greenhouses that have curtains, skylights and netting to control sunlight and temperature.
The trip is being hosted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Cleveland-based Negev Foundation, a group whose mission is to develop agriculture in the southern, largely desert portion of Israel.
The journey is part of a larger initiative to help Israelis benefit from business opportunities in Ohio and from sharing ideas with Ohio agricultural researchers. Last fall, Israeli farmers promoted their products at the Farm Science Review in London, Ohio.
Ram Ben-Dor, 52, lived on an Israeli farm for 20 years, raising poultry and fruit.
He said the Ohio farmers should be able to help Israelis with technologies that would increase their productivity and make them more competitive in world markets. He said it would be an opportunity to make contacts that could increase soybean imports from Ohio.
Bob Peterson raises hogs and grows corn, soybeans and wheat on his farm in central Ohio. But residential and commercial development from Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton keeps creeping in. He hopes to see how Israeli farmers manage to work in densely populated areas while increasing production and profits.
"I'm curious how they've handled that," said Peterson, 43. "How do they do that much agriculture surrounded by people?"
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On the Net:
Ohio Department of Agriculture: http://www.ohioagriculture.gov/
Negev Foundation: http://www.negev.org/ |
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