Smiths Flour Mills has been acquired by the investment vehicle behind ingredients supplier Edme.Longmynd Industrials bought Smiths from Vision Capital earlier this month in a low-key deal. Longmynd is run by entrepreneurs David Thompson and Edward Whitley, and also owns Anglia Maltings Group, the parent company of Edme, with different shareholders.George Fleet, MD of McQueen, which advised Longmynd on the deal, said that milling was seen as a strategic opportunity by Longmynd. He explained that it had been interested in the miller since Vision Capital took it over last November. The management team at Smiths will stay in place.In November 2006, Vision Capital acquired a portfolio of businesses from Northern Foods, including Pork Farms, Fletchers Bakeries, Park Cakes and Smiths Flour Mills for an undisclosed sum.Smiths Flour Mills owns three mills at Worksop, Holbeach and Langley. read more
CoronavirusIndianaLocalNews WhatsApp Twitter Facebook (Photo supplied/State Of Indiana) Governor Eric Holcomb, delivering his 4th annual State of the State address on Jan. 14, 2020. Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced additional steps the state will take to reduce the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Indiana. As of 12 p.m. on March 12, the state has 12 Hoosiers who have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19.“This is a time when we must do all we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19, protect our most vulnerable populations and reduce their potential to acquire or spread this virus,” said Gov. Holcomb. “While some actions are drastic, now, not later, is the time to act.”Here are the actions Gov. Holcomb is initiating:Non-essential gatherings must be limited to no more than 250 people. This includes any event or gathering of people who are in one room or a single space at the same time, such as cafeterias, churches, stadiums, meeting and conference rooms, auditoriums and the like. This guidance applies to professional, social, community and similar other gatherings. Detailed guidance will be posted on the Indiana State Department of Health website by the end of the day.Effective immediately, school corporations will be provided with a 20-day waiver of the required 180 instructional days for use as needed for the remainder of the academic year. The waived days do not need to be used consecutively and can be leveraged as needed.If a school corporation has evidence of community spread or a confirmed positive test for coronavirus, officials should consult with the Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana State Department of Health for additional steps. Schools should plan now for broader closures, including eLearning and remote classroom options.The Department of Education will release additional guidance detailing the process for submitting waiver requests as early as Friday.Schools should follow the guidelines for non-essential gatherings as they make decisions about non-essential extra-curricular or co-curricular activities.Child care and adult day care facilities should institute social distancing and minimize large gatherings. Temporary suspension of operations should be done in consultation with the Family and Social Services and ISDH in the instance of documented community spread.Nursing facilities and hospitals should restrict and screen visitors. Any individual who is allowed to visit is restricted to the patient’s room. Visitors are not allowed if they present with any of this criteria:Display signs or symptoms of illness, especially respiratory illnessHave traveled internationally or been in contact with someone with a respiratory illness in the past 14 daysReside in a community with a known COVID-19 caseThose who are less than 18 years of age.The Indiana Department of Correction has suspended visitation at all facilities as a precaution for the health and safety of IDOC staff and offenders.Individuals over 60 years of age or those with a known underlying health issue such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease should limit their public exposure. Whenever possible, friends and family should arrange to provide food and other essential items.Those who run senior centers and congregate meal services should consider suspending congregate meals services and arrange for home deliveryEncourage businesses to utilize telework policies, if availableGovernor Holcomb is also issuing guidance for state employee operations. The state will suspend all non-essential out-of-state and international travel beginning today and for the next 45 days. The state is also providing employees with guidance about the use of leave and remote work options for limited durations while ensuring the delivery of essential state services. The guidance is attached.“I fully expect there will be additional actions warranted in the coming days,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Just as we have since the beginning of the year, we are working with partners at all levels to secure all necessary resources for any escalation of this virus.”If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus:Stay home unless you need to seek medical care.Avoid public areas and public transportationStay away from others as much as possible, especially people who are the most at risk such as older adults with multiple medical problems and those with a weakened immune systemDon’t shake handsSeek prompt medical attention if your illness is worsening such as difficulty breathing and call your doctor or healthcare facility before you seek care.More information may be found at the ISDH website at https://on.in.gov/COVID19 and the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. By Jon Zimney – March 12, 2020 0 669 Facebook WhatsApp Twitter Pinterest Gov. Holcomb: Non-essential gatherings limited to no more than 250 people Google+ Pinterest Google+ Previous articlePenn Harris Madison Schools cancel classes Friday, Monday, plan for e-learning TuesdayNext articleGov. Whitmer closes all Michigan schools amid COVID-19 scare Jon ZimneyJon Zimney is the News and Programming Director for News/Talk 95.3 Michiana’s News Channel and host of the Fries With That podcast. Follow him on Twitter @jzimney. read more
Load remaining images After dabbling at the Hollywood Bowl and Long Beach Arena in earlier part of the decade, Phish has found themselves a comfortable home at The Forum. For the third consecutive year, the guys performed a rollicking show at the venerable arena. Phish and fans love the Forum, and the biggest benefactor is Chris Kuroda. With a tour very heavy on outdoor venues, finally having a big comfy arena to show off his new lights and LED panels was a real treat. The hall was bathed with soft pastel lighting interspersed with brilliant flashes of color. The two massive panels only added aesthetic imagery as Kuroda was in full jam lighting mode.It’s been a busy week on the West Coast, and the band started off in typical fashion. “Moma Dance” and “Sample In A Jar” were on par, with Trey Anastasio missing his mark at one point. After dusting off the rare bluegrass “Paul and Silas” (first time in 107 shows – October 2013) they started kicking it in gear. A solid “Yarmouth” Road followed.“Kill Devil Falls” made a return visit to The Forum, and “Horn,” “Halfway to the Moon” and “Heavy Things” gave the set a nice breezy pace. It was “Blaze On” and “Stash” that really cranked up the heat. “Stash” especially stretched things out with a psychedelic close to the smokin’ jam. A solid “Cavern” and a brilliant “Run Like An Antelope” closed out the set, and the latter song had an intro with a bluegrassier-than-usual feel to it. Anastasio also played with the lyrics, saying “Mike-o Esquandolas” to give Mike Gordon a brief solo.After a long set break, “Axilla I” came strong out of the gate with typical high energy. Then the band went into a stunning “Fuego” that had a dreamy jam that reached deep and delivered, before “Back On The Train” got the crowd loose with its funky rock vibe.“Saw It Again” was punchy and punky with its typical Gothic build up into musical desperation. Anastasio channeled Jimi Hendrix with the acid guitar at the end, to great effect. “Prince Caspian” was warm and inviting and well delivered, and a terrific segue into “Waves” followed, which had a rolling jam working its way patiently through the song. “Joy” and “The Wedge” were nice moments in the second set as well, though they failed in taking the band deep into jamming territory.One of the show highlights was a superb “Scent of a Mule.” Page McConnell contributed an extended piano solo as he played all the scales flawlessly, before switching to the synthesizer with fully funky aplomb. The jam was not done yet, as Trey and Jon Fishman on Marimba Lumina finished out Scent with a bang. A second highlight followed with a great version of “Rock and Roll.”Luckily, to close the set, “You Enjoy Myself” made a triumphant return to the Forum. Trey and Mike at one point standing three inches apart, taking us on a long loose ride. Gordo went deep feedback on a great solo at the end of the song, while Trey was dancing, guitarless. With a groovy a cappella soaring into the abstract, the set ended with psychedelic overdrive. The crowd was frantic, cheering with loud approval!The band came back with three old classics for the encore: “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” “Bouncing Around the Room” and “Golgi Apparatus.” It was an all-around fun show, only enhanced by The Forum’s core energy. Phish, if you’re out there – please do us a favor and book The Forum next year. It’s now your LA home.Check out a video playlist with highlights below, taped by Tom Rowles on YouTube. You can navigate between songs using the icon on the top left.You can see the full setlist from Phish.net, posted below.Setlist: Phish at The Forum, Los Angeles, CA – 7/22/16Set 1: The Moma Dance > Sample in a Jar, Paul and Silas, Yarmouth Road, Kill Devil Falls, Horn, Halfway to the Moon, Heavy Things > Blaze On, Stash, Cavern > Run Like an AntelopeSet 2: Axilla, Fuego > Back on the Train > Saw It Again > Prince Caspian > Waves > Joy > The Wedge, Scent of a Mule[1], Rock and Roll > You Enjoy MyselfEncore: Boogie On Reggae Woman, Bouncing Around the Room, Golgi Apparatus[1] Trey and Fish on Marimba LuminaNotes: This show was webcast via Live Phish. Paul and Silas was played for the first time since October 20, 2013 (107 shows).Photos by Steve Rose: read more
Earlier this month, founding Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir announced a 19-date fall tour with a new project, Bob Weir and Wolf Bros. Today, due to popular demand, the band has announced additional performances during their stops in Chicago (11/1), Boston (11/15), and New York (11/19).Register before 10 p.m. ET today, Monday, August 13th, to become eligible for a Verified Fan Presale for the newly added shows. Presale begins Wednesday, August 15 at 10am local time.According to the initial announcement, Bob Weir and Wolf Bros will see Weir “exploring songs of the Grateful Dead and more in a trio setting” along with a pair of seasoned collaborators, drummer Jay Lane (Furthur, RatDog) and legendary musician, producer, and current Blue Note Records president Don Was. The announcement of this new project and tour come on the heels of the news that Dead & Company‘s upcoming performances at LOCKN’ will be the band’s final shows of 2018.The tour will kick off in Reno, NV on October 16th and make stops in various markets across the country, including shows in Los Angeles, CA; Santa Barbara, CA; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Missoula, MT; Salt Lake City, UT; Albuquerque, NM; and Denver, CO. Following a Halloween night performance and the newly added 11/1 show at The Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL, Bob Weir and Wolf Bros will continue eastward, stopping in Nashville, TN; Louisville, KY; and Syracuse, NY before a two-night stand at Port Chester, NY’s storied Capitol Theatre (11/9–11/10). Finally, the tour will close with a run of four more northeast shows, including stops in Washington, D.C. (11/12); Philadelphia, PA (11/13); Boston, MA (11/15–11/16); and a now-two-night closing stint New York City’s Beacon Theatre (11/18–11/19).You can check out a full list of the upcoming Bob Weir and Wolf Bros dates below. For more information, head to Bobby’s website.Bob Weir and Wolf Bros Upcoming Tour DatesNewly added dates bolded10/16 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort and Casino10/18 – Los Angeles, CA – The Theatre at Ace Hotel10/20 – Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre10/22 – Portland, OR – Keller Auditorium10/23 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre10/24 – Missoula, MT – Wilma Theatre10/26 – Salt Lake City, UT – Eccles Theater10/27 – Albuquerque, NM – Kiva Auditorium at the Albuquerque Convention Center10/29 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre10/31 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre11/1 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre11/5 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium11/6 – Louisville, KY – Palace Theatre11/8 – Syracuse, NY – LAndmark Theatre11/9 – Port Chester, NY – Capitol Theatre11/10 – Port Chester, NY – Capitol Theatre11/12 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre11/13 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore11/15 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre11/16 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre11/18 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre11/19 – New York, NY – Beacon TheatreView All Tour Dates read more
Excitement builds Johanna Rodda ’10 (from left), Liza Flum ’10, Caroline Bleeke ’10, and Diana Wise ’10 chat excitedly in the soaring heat before heading to PBK’s Literary Exercises, a Harvard tradition since the 18th century. Caps and gowns Senior Phi Beta Kappa honorees congregate outside Harvard Hall before processing to Sanders Theatre. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer Phi Beta Kappa Literary Exercises 2010 No frowns here Phi Beta Kappa inductee Trevor Bakker ’10 is just one of the 72 seniors being honored for academic excellence. And, surprisingly, he did it all without coffee’s jolt. “There are a few of us,” he said. Three in a row Harvard College Dean Evelynn Hammonds (center) is flanked by President Drew Faust and Everett Mendelsohn, continuing education/special program instructor and research professor of the history of science. In the welcome shade of the verdant trees outside Harvard Hall on this scorching morning (May 25), Trevor Bakker ’10 and 71 other Phi Beta Kappa honorees lined up in their caps and gowns for the traditional fife-and-drum procession to Sanders Theatre.“It’s the beginning of a celebration,” said the Holland, Mich., senior, who said he landed among the University’s highest achievers without ever drinking coffee. “There are a few of us.”At Harvard, 24 juniors are elected to Phi Beta Kappa every spring, and 48 seniors each fall. Membership cannot exceed 10 percent of the graduating class.The Literary Exercises have been a Harvard tradition since the 18th century, and take place each year on Tuesday of Commencement Week. Harvard’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter, called Alpha Iota of Massachusetts since 1995, is the oldest continuously running chapter in the United States.Today’s Literary Exercises, the 220th, included three musical interludes by the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum. The last (another tradition) is Harvard’s “College Hymn,” which exhorts new graduates “for Right ever bravely to live.”To help the graduates find rightness, two addresses are at the heart of the exercises ceremony. One is by a poet, who reads a work written for the occasion. The other is by an “orator,” a guest invited to offer timely discourse.This year’s Phi Beta Kappa poet was D.A. Powell, a Georgia-born writer who teaches English at the University of San Francisco. He was once the Briggs-Copeland Lecturer in Poetry at Harvard.Powell, a prize-winning experimental poet, read his new poem “Panic in the Year Zero,” whose title was inspired by a 1962 movie about nuclear apocalypse. He is a lover of puns and edgy themes, including AIDS. His first three collections of poetry — “Tea,” “Lunch,” and “Cocktails” — are considered a trilogy on the disease.“In the time I have been alive,” said Powell, “we have lived under the threat of some sort of extinction. And I think that the mission of this poem is to say: enough.” As he writes:Enough with the apocalypse, already.Think of all the history you’ve read. It started somewhere.It started at absolute zero, is what you thought.Just because you couldn’t know what came before.But imagine: something did.Doing the honors as orator was Natalie Zemon Davis, A.M. ’50, LL.D. ’96, a pioneering cultural historian of the early modern period who teaches at the University of Toronto and is professor emerita at Princeton University. Her discourse, a glimpse at past orations and what they promise for the future, was titled “The Possibilities of Friendship.”Davis is a figure of some renown in the history of women and gender, and in 1971 at the University of Toronto co-founded one of the first courses on the subject in North America.Her oration marked how the concept of friendship — a central Phi Beta Kappa value — has waxed and waned over the years, as traditions of “sentimental union” through literature vied with stricter measures of academic excellence. But friendship is a mark of hope and excellence in the modern world, said Davis, who looked at the cooperation among Palestinian and Israeli doctors, whose nations are riven by war.Friendship can “blaze anew,” she said, “illuminating a landscape that may seem desolate but can still carry within in it bridges of truth, truth-telling, and understanding.”The Literary Exercises are also traditionally when the winners of the annual Alpha Iota Prize for Excellence in Teaching are announced. Prizes this year went to Lawrence Buell, Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature; Benjamin M. Friedman, William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy; and Richard J. Tarrant, Pope Professor of the Latin Language and Literature. There they go PBK honorees make their way to Sanders Theatre, where they’ll be delighted by the poetry of D.A. Powell and an oration by Natalie Zemon Davis, A.M. ’50, LL.D. ’96, a pioneering cultural historian. The stage is set Inside grand Sanders Theatre, the stage is illuminated with scholars who are winners of the annual Alpha Iota Prize for Excellence in Teaching. A green scene Amid the greenery of the Yard, PBK honorees mingle with attendees in a relatively small Commencement fete — on Commencement morning, the Yard fills with more than 30,000 visitors. Keeping the beat Rap-rap-rapping her drum, Rachel Hawkins ’12 leads the procession of PBK honorees — and lets everyone know it. Steady now Director of choral activities Jameson Marvin conducts the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum for three songs, including “College Hymn,” which exhorts new graduates “for Right ever bravely to live.” Over here! Sarah Yun ’10 (front) and Melissa Tran ’10 look for friends and relatives inside the theater. ‘Panic in the Year Zero’ Before reading his poem “Panic in the Year Zero,” poet D.A. Powell said, “In the time I have been alive, we have lived under the threat of some sort of extinction. And I think that the mission of this poem is to say: enough.” ‘The Possibilities of Friendship’ Natalie Zemon Davis, A.M. ’50, LL.D. ’96, takes the podium for her speech, “The Possibilities of Friendship,” which offered a glimpse at past orations and what they promise for the future. read more
As part of the ongoing effort to become a more environmentally friendly campus, the University of Notre Dame said last month its plans to end coal usage on campus are at least one year ahead of schedule.The campus power plant will cease burning coal sometime in 2019, one year ahead of the initially predicted deadline in 2020, Paul Kempf, Notre Dame’s senior director of utilities and maintenance, said. This recent development is a direct result of the Comprehensive Sustainability Strategy, a multi-pronged plan for a more sustainable campus initiated by the University in 2015 in response to Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, “Laudato Si.”The strategy, created by a standing committee of faculty, administrators, undergraduates, graduate students and campus staff, is organized into six areas of focus: energy and emissions; water; building and construction; waste; procurement, licensing and food sourcing and education, research and community outreach. Each focus area has its own small working group, which creates, enforces and improves the plans in place to meet the sustainability goals unique to each sector. “The small working groups meet two to three times each semester,” Carol Mullaney, director of continuous improvement for the Office of Continuous Improvement, said. “It’s kind of bringing together this expertise from the faculty’s standpoint and the staff’s standpoint and the interest in a diversity of backgrounds … to come up collectively with a collaborative approach to setting goals, to reviewing our progress against those goals, to determining how to measure them.”The solution to coal burning, which falls under “energy and emissions” in the Comprehensive Sustainability Strategy, has been many years in the making. In 2010, years before the strategy came about, the utilities department had already created a plan to de-emphasize coal use in the campus power plant by replacing some of the coal with combinations of gas and oil, which can also fuel the machinery.“The vision in 2010 was to make coal 10 to 15 percent of the fuel input, where it had been 85 to 90 [percent],” Kempf said. “In 2015, when the pope issued ‘Laudato Si,’ the University decided to re-think that and ask themselves the question of ‘Should we stop burning coal altogether?’”Kempf’s department was given one week in summer 2015 to answer the question with a feasible timeline for stopping coal usage and an assessment of the potential impacts of such a plan.Their initial response was a seven-year plan to gradually go coal-free. The administration pushed back, asking if a three-year plan was possible. The resulting compromise was the five-year plan outlined in the Comprehensive Sustainability Strategy, which will now be completed at least one year ahead of schedule.Nixing coal entirely was a difficult order for the utilities department. The original plans to keep coal as 10 percent of the fuel source had been a means of insurance against potential problems with gas or oil, such as gas eruptions, fluctuating gas prices, gas line failures or oil shortages.“[Coal] was our backup fuel,” Kempf said. “We had the ability to burn coal, gas and oil. … We had fuel diversity, which was what gave us both financial strength and operational reliability. So what you’re asking us to do is get rid of one of the three legs of a three-legged stool.”Several changes were made to replace the stool’s third leg.First, the University focused on strengthening the other two legs of the stool. A new gas line was built to complement the original line into the power plant, and oil storage capacity was doubled in the building.Even with these changes, it soon became clear the new third leg would have to be renewable energy. Shortly after the five-year plan was approved, the University also announced it would be investing $113 million in renewable energy projects, Kempf said.Two major projects include the East Plant, described in a University press release as a 30,000-square-foot building that houses the mechanical equipment for the geothermal well fields beneath Ricci Fields, and a hydroelectric facility set to start construction this fall under Seitz Park on the Saint Joseph River in downtown South Bend. Other projects include South Campus, the geothermal well field under the parking lot south of the stadium, which will have corresponding equipment in the basement of the the new architecture building, the largest solar array in South Bend at Kenmore Warehouse in South Bend, and the expansion of the central power plant to house two new gas turbines.Kempf compared this variety of investments in different renewable energy sources to diversifying a stock portfolio.“We’ve mapped out ideas that’ll take us all the way to 2050, but what we haven’t done is cast in stone that they’re the right ideas,” he said. “So every five years, we look at this big master plan, and go, ‘What’s changed in technology? What’s changed in our loads? How have our predictions changed? Do we want to rethink this?’ It keeps us nimble.”Kempf estimated the total cost of all the projects to be around $150 million to $200 million. That money comes from the Infrastructure Funding Plan, which he said does not affect the operating budget of the school.“It’s a long-term financial plan that had defined resources for funds,” he said. “The point of it is to not have an adverse effect on things like tuition.”Kempf credits the University’s centralized energy plan, consistency throughout planning and creative flexibility for the successful changes that have been made.“We’ve taken ownership of energy,” he said. “Everybody’s energy bill hits the budget I’m responsible for. It’s kind of like at home — mom and dad pay the electric bill, the gas bill and the water bill. Well, we’re like mom and dad for everybody.”Tags: coal, environment, laudato si’, sustainability read more
By Stephanie SchupskaUniversity of GeorgiaLast year, 543 students applied to the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, one of only 28 veterinary colleges in the country. Fewer than 100 got in. Paige Carmichael rolled off these numbers to a group of high school students on the Athens, Ga., campus for “Animal Science in Action.” The summer program, sponsored by UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ animal and dairy science department, hosted 46 students from Georgia, South Carolina and New York. About 80 percent of them want to be veterinarians. “There is a group of people we want desperately in our profession,” said Carmichael, the vet college’s associate dean of academic affairs, “and that is large animal veterinarians.” The need isn’t just for people who want to work with a 1,300-pound cow instead of a three-pound poodle. There is an accelerating shortage of both large and small animal veterinarians. According to the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, “the current national pool of 2,500 veterinarians graduating annually is not enough to meet the demands of a growing population and the changing public health needs of society.” If enrollment doesn’t increase, the number of vets per million Americans will drop to from nine to 6.7 by 2050. About 965 more students per year are needed to maintain the current ratio. Today there are at least three job offers for every graduate. But the need for large animal, or food animal, vets is accelerating faster – a 12 to 13 percent increase from now to 2016, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. The shortage is due primarily to a lack of student interest and further declines in students from rural areas. In 2006, the College of Veterinary Medicine didn’t have a single student going exclusively into large animal medicine. “One of the big reasons we haven’t had a lot of students in the food animal program is because not a lot are applying,” Carmichael said. UGA’s vet and agriculture colleges are working to help remedy this. Through a Food Animal VIP program, five CAES students can fast track into the vet college per year. CAES’s animal and dairy sciences department is preparing students for the realities of vet life and other fields with hands-on experience. Students learn “how animals function inside and out,” said William Graves, a CAES animal and dairy science professor who heads “Animal Science in Action.” Up to a half of these students will apply to vet school. In the past few years, the department modified its curriculum, working with the vet college, to help better prepare students. Robert Dove, an associate professor of animal and dairy science, teaches an animal practicum class focused on hands-on animal management procedures, “all designed to give students hands-on experience on what it’s like to work with animals,” he said. “I tell them that ‘if you don’t like this class, you won’t like vet school.’” “There is a need for large animal vets,” he said. “There is a big need.” High school sophomore Allison Haspel, from Manhasset, N.Y., has wanted to be a veterinarian since she was three. With two years left of high school, Haspel and her mother, Sharon, are gathering information on vet schools. Programs like the two-day Animal Science in Action are “helping me figure out what I want to do early,” Haspel said. “I think I want to do large animal sport, and I also like working with calves.” Brittany McGuirt, from Duluth, Ga., is interested in small and large animal practice. The high school senior wants to “cater to all animals on a first-name basis,” she said. “I hate going to a doctor who doesn’t know you.” Through A.S.I.A., “we really get great kids interested,” Graves said. “Spending time with them and telling them about what we do is so worthwhile. After they get tired, dirty and a little smelly, that little grin makes it all worthwhile.”(Stephanie Schupska is a news editor with the University ofGeorgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.) read more
In addition, Caloto has 495 young entrepreneurs who graduated from the National Apprenticeship Service (SENA) and are creating companies, not solely in agriculture but also involving the processing of products. In all, 800 families have been benefited by the different programs in Caloto alone, according to Mejía. “After the training, families are saving approximately $68 monthly in expenses with household staples because food grows in their gardens and they can now go sell it.” Colombia’s Army and the Ministry of Agriculture have joined forces to develop programs supporting the agricultural sector in the country’s most vulnerable rural regions. Upon signing an Interadministrative Cooperation Agreement in April, they pledged to design an Integrated Rural Development Strategy. This program includes personalized advice from Banco Agrario to determine which type of farming or animal breeding would be most profitable for the family. The money could also come as a home loan or free investment with a Fixed Term Deposit rate that carries the market’s lowest interest rate. “Traditionally, Colombia has been an agricultural country,” said Colonel Giovanni Alarcón, the Army’s director of Consolidation of Integrated Action and liaison with the Ministry of Agriculture. “However, due to the history of conflict and the geographical location of many populations, the only state entity that has constant presence throughout the territory is the National Army. Articulation between the two institutions is crucial to achieving tangible support for the rural sector.” The Fe en Colombia (Faith in Colombia) project, which began in 2015, is a strategy developed by the federal government to support the interest of farmers to make a living by growing legal crops. This initiative seeks to guide efforts to improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable populations as part of the comprehensive security framework. “The initiatives of the farmers in the departments of Cauca, Valle del Cauca, and Nariño were welcomed by Fe en Colombia,” Maj. Peñaranda added . “Now, under the cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Army, they will have greater viability and sustainability.” Juan Camilo Velásquez, Advisor to the Directorate of Consolidation of the Office of Integrated Action, praised the Business Roundtables. “It has been a very positive experience every time. The rural farmers are very excited about the new opportunity to do better business and the buyers are satisfied with the idea of getting the products they would in the markets of the cities. The success has been such that they are already requesting a second Roundtable in the places where they have already been held. It is something we are considering, but we are going to give priority to other regions.” “We know that Colombian Soldiers come from the rural areas,” Velásquez said. “This point of the agreement seeks to solve the housing problem for Soldiers in the rural sector.” The agreement between the Army and the Ministry of Agriculture is embodied in four programs: Productive Projects, Business Roundtables, Rural Social Housing, and Agricultural Credit for Army Troops. The first two are focused directly on farmers from the most vulnerable and remote areas. The latter two seek to benefit Soldiers and their families, taking into account that they are an integral part of the national rural farming population. The event also creates an atmosphere that’s conducive for transactions among rural farming organizations and major marketers of products, such as chain stores, retail trading companies, regional suppliers and, mainly, the Corporación de Abastos de Bogotá – a public/private entity that provides food to 12 million people daily as the country’s primary food market. The agreement began to take shape in early 2015 to revive agricultural activities and train and empower farmers, as well as boost agriculture in a sustainable manner. The agreement aims to coordinate efforts to restore agriculture as an attractive profession nationwide. Therefore, it supports all initiatives aligned with this goal, especially those that come directly from rural farmers. Productive projects The department of Cauca, which has suffered from the heavy presence of illegal armed groups and has been one of the main areas of illegal coca cultivation, has pioneered the recovery of farming work. Local farmers have regained an interest in recovering agricultural activity in a legal manner, especially given the massive eradication of illicit crops in the department in recent years, said Army Major Andrés Peñaranda, an official with the Productive Projects program. Business Roundtable Through this program, a municipality’s communities are organized to develop agriculture-related microenterprises, which stimulate job creation, improve residents’ quality of life, and promote a connection to their land through the efficient use of natural resources. These productive projects focus on growing all kinds of fruits and vegetables, raising livestock, poultry, and fish, and producing and processing dairy and honey, among others. “Each community is managing its own projects,” Col. Alarcón stated. “Each microenterprise idea is studied and endorsed by experts from the Ministry of Agriculture. With personalized and comprehensive adjustments and guidance, the projects begin to generate results in a matter of weeks. We always have the doors open to new initiatives, with personnel in all of the battalions across the country trained to receive applications.” The Ministry of Agriculture gives technical and financial resources to provide personalized guidance for all productive projects. In 2015, the Ministry directly financed 79 productive projects with an investment of $1.8 million. So far in 2016, there have been an additional 48 productive projects, with an investment of $5.8 million. “This year we decided to visit departments that have suffered a greater impact from the armed conflict through the years, and for that reason their communities require more support,” Col. Alarcón said. “This is another point that is emphasized among the Soldiers from rural farming families,” Col. Alarcón explained. “We know that the Soldiers spend most of their time working, separated from their loved ones. We want the family to have the ability to access benefits that allow them to continue to participate in the country’s agricultural sector.” The Ministry also supports rural families by providing soft loans through Banco Agrario, which it oversees. The bank grants loans with low interest rates to Soldiers so that they can support their families through agricultural projects. In 2015, three Business Roundtables were conducted in cities with significant agricultural activity. So far in 2016, the first Business Roundtable was held in Mocoa, which is the capital of the department of Putumayo. Authorities estimate that trade worth nearly $3.3 million has resulted from the first four roundtables, with another four – in Tame (Arauca), Barranquilla (Atlántico), Fusagasuga (Cundinamarca), and San José del Guaviare (Guaviare) – scheduled to occur by the end of the year. This credit program, which is offered in all of the country’s 32 Army Brigades, will benefit an estimated 80 percent of participants, allowing retired Soldiers and their families to maintain an optimal quality of life without having to move to cities to find employment. The Ministry of Agriculture provides specialized programs and economic resources, while the Army provides logistical and human resources to ensure the programs reach farmers in the municipalities where the Ministry has little to no presence. Pioneering work in Cauca By Marcos Ommati / Diálogo May 13, 2016 Agricultural credit program for Troops The Ministry of Agriculture is supporting Soldiers by offering to grant 500 homes worth $11,000 each to those who have served their country, specifically Military members who were wounded in combat or to the families who lost a loved one while on duty. So far, 217 families have benefited. “The support of the government and the Army has been very important because they provide us with the proper training at exactly the right moment,” said farmer Idalí Mejía, a community leader in Caloto, Cauca, a highly vulnerable municipality that has been seriously impacted by violence through the years. “We have 250 families developing agricultural projects in their homes. These are experiences in which the whole family participates and that encourage a sense of identity.” “The Business Roundtables are ideal for determining the capacity and potential of each production project, allowing rural farmers to develop their products according to the specific requirements of buyers,” Col. Alarcón explained. “The Business Roundtables eliminate intermediaries from transactions so the farmers can sell their products at a fair price.” “This program seeks to generate a healthy environment in the households of the Troops,” Col. Alarcón said. “Every professional Soldier serves for a maximum period of 20 years. When they are reintegrated into civilian life, we want them to have an optimal life project in their home region, which has already been initiated by members of his family.” that activity is excellent I would like them to support us The Business Roundtable is a full-day meeting that brings together all of a department’s communities. It allows companies to establish direct links, conduct market studies at reduced costs, access new markets, generate new business opportunities, and create associative relationships. read more
Sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York Dave Brimmer allegedly robbed a Westbury dealership. (NCPD)An East New York man arrested Friday night in Westbury allegedly robbed a car salesman at gunpoint after agreeing to buy a decade-old Audi, Nassau County police said.Detectives said 21-year-old Dave Brimmer discussed purchasing a 2004 Audi A4 from a 40-year-old male salesman at J & J Auto Sales on Urban Avenue Friday and eventually agreed to buy the car.After entering the office to retrieve the key and title, Brimmer allegedly brandished a silver pistol and demanded the keys, title and the dealership employee’s cell phone, police said. He allegedly took the car and fled, police said.Soon after, a Nassau County police officer spotted the car driving westbound on the Southern State Parkway and placed Brimmer under arrest, police said. The officer also recovered the loaded pistol, police said.Brimmer was charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was scheduled to be arraigned Saturday at First District Court in Hempstead. read more
49SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,John Pettit John Pettit is the Managing Editor for CUInsight.com. John manages the content on the site, including current news, editorial, press releases, jobs and events. He keeps the credit union … Web: www.cuinsight.com Details Retirement. It’ll probably be pretty fun when it arrives. But what if it doesn’t really agree with you? I know that sounds nutty, but some people actually don’t like being retired. Maybe you can’t really wrap your head around going back to work after you’ve decided to quit working forever, but here are three reasons you may feel the need for a part-time job after you retire.It’ll keep you moving: When you don’t have to wake up for work every day, it’s probably fairly easy to get lazier over time. Sure, you might have some hobbies that you enjoy, but you probably won’t find yourself near as busy as you did when you were working 9 to 5. So, unless you’re planning on upping your exercise game, you may want to find something to do for a few hours every day. Sounds like a great reason to get a part-time job.You’re lonely: Once you retire, you’ll without a doubt see a decrease in the amount of interpersonal communication that you’re engaged in every day. And maybe you’ve decided to retire before your spouse. You’ll be in a pretty lonely house most of the day. Working a few hours every morning might be a fun way to be social and help you support that hobby that we were talking about earlier.You’ve found a new calling: After you’ve worked a long career, you may just be ready to do something else. Retirement can be a great time for you to discover your passion and do something that feels good to your soul. read more