By now, if you have not heard of the multinational agricultural biotech company Monsanto, you have either been living in a cell at Gitmo or have been in a coma since the late 1980′s. It is one of the largest corporations based in the United States with over 21,400 employees worldwide. Monsanto came from humble beginnings in 1901 in the “Show Me” state of Missouri. The company was founded by John Francis Queeny. Mr. Queeny had spent the bulk of his professional career in the pharmaceutical industry. The name Monsanto came from his father in-law, Mr. Emmanuel Mendes de Monsanto. Mr. Monsanto was a wealthy financier of a sugar company in Puerto Rico and based in St. Thomas V.I. (Danish West Indies at that time). The company’s first product was the now famous if not infamous, artificial sweetener Saccharin, which it sold to the Coca-Cola Company. I’m sorry, did I say Monsanto came from humble beginnings. Scratch that. They started big and bad and just got worse with age. Ok, fast forward some 44 years, when Monsanto began manufacturing a now-banned pesticide called DDT. Some of Monsanto’s other carcinogenic gems (and they have more gems than the crown of Henry VIII) are Agent Orange, Aspartame aka NutraSweet, BST aka bovine growth hormone and PCBs. Now, Monsanto didn’t limit itself to simply manufacturing chemicals in an ongoing effort to improve the lives of millions. They branched out into developing the first nuclear weapons. Oh yes, Monsanto operated The Dayton Project, and later Mound Laboratories for the Manhattan Project. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and Monsanto makes the pavement.

Now let’s fast forward another 38 years to 1982. This was the year that Monsanto developed its first genetically modified plant cell. You may be wondering, why do they need to modify the genetics of a plant. Well silly, it’s so that plant can grow better in the presence of other Monsanto chemicals such as RoundUp. If you want your corn farm to be weed free, you need to use round up to kill the weeds. But if you spray round up on young corn plants, they die. So, you make “RoundUp Ready” corn. Doesn’t sound too insidious right? Enter, the Terminator Seed. The terminator seed produces plants that produce sterile seeds. Therefore, if a farmer wants to grow his crop again next season, he or she has to buy new seeds for that season. Did I mention that Monsanto was actually able to patent this seed technology. That means that if through natural pollen spreading via wind, your non-GMO crop gets pollinated by a neighbors GMO crop, you are now the proud owner of patented seed technology and must therefore abide by the patent laws of said GMO seed. If you try to resist the power of the dark side, you will be sued. Check out the documentary The World According to Monsanto which is a film by a French journalist named Marie-Monique Robin (see below). It has also been published in written form which has been translated to many languages. It is a real eye opener.

Well, I think I have said enough to peak your interest. Now it’s up to us to fight the good fight. Fight for your rights, fight for your mind, fight for your food. FOOD FIGHT!

For further reading, see:
Vanity Fair
National Geographic

Such is the thinking behind vertical farming. The idea is that skyscrapers filled with floor upon floor of orchards and fields, producing crops all year round, will sprout in cities across the world. As well as creating more farmable land out of thin air, this would slash the transport costs and carbon-dioxide emissions associated with moving food over long distances. It would also reduce the spoilage that inevitably occurs along the way, says Dickson Despommier, a professor of public and environmental health at Columbia University in New York who is widely regarded as the progenitor of vertical farming, and whose recently published book, The Vertical Farm, is a manifesto for the idea. According to the UN’s Population Division, by 2050 around 70% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas. So it just makes sense, he says, to move farms closer to where everyone will be living.

Better still, says Dr Despommier, the use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides can be kept to a bare minimum by growing plants indoors in a controlled environment. Soil erosion will not be a problem because the food will be grown hydroponically—in other words, in a solution of minerals dissolved in water. Clever recycling techniques will ensure that only a fraction of the amount of water and nutrients will be needed compared with conventional farming, and there will be no problem with agricultural run-off. It doesn’t seem to be a matter of if, simply when this becomes commonplace.

Take this recent event into consideration: Sections of China’s coastline are currently being plagued with intense algae blooms. This has been an ongoing problem since 2007, even so far as to interrupt the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. However, the blooms are currently worse than ever, taking up entire coastlines, affecting tourism and the health of the wildlife there. China Daily says “the algae, though not toxic nor detrimental to water quality, ravages the ecosystem because it consumes large quantities of oxygen, thus suffocating other marine life.”* One theory as to the cause of this enormous bloom is that the growing population in the area has increased the demand for agriculture. The nitrite-rich wastewater from the fertilizers used to grow the extra food could be making their way into the ocean, causing the speedy growth. **

Check out all the photos of this massive algae bloom! ***

This is not only happening in China but also in the United States, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, where the Mississippi Delta comes into the Gulf. The Evironmental Protection Agency (EPA) cites dozens of examples of so-called “red tides” or “dead zones” caused by algae blooms in U.S. waters, most likely as a result of fertilizer run-off.****
China’s algae problem is just one example of the recurrent problems of modern agriculture and the world-wide conundrum of feeding our growing population. We feel that this is where hydroponics can really save the day! As these problems become more evident, we can turn to hydroponic farming as a more viable means of crop production, especially as fresh water resources become scarcer. Unlike the open circuit methods of traditional farming that are essentially drain-to-waste, commercial hydro operations are closed circuit and don’t have the same potential to pollute the water downstream. 

General Hydroponics continues to stay at the forefront of hydroponic technology and education, to help prepare for the future and usher in a new era in agriculture! While China scrambles to remove the algae and clean up their coastline, we hope they will also give consideration to alternative farming methods (like hydroponics), to prevent this reoccurring problem. We all must invest in the future of food to keep our local and world-wide communities healthy and fed, while protecting our precious environmental resources.

Sources:

* Zhillin, Chen. China Daily. Green Algae invading China’s tourist destination Qingdao. 7-11-2011. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/shandong/e/2011-07/11/content_12873047.htm

** Frantz, Vickie. Accuweather.com. Algae Invades China’s Eastern Coastal Beaches. 7-30-2011. http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/53084/algae-invades-chinas-eastern-c.asp?partner=accuweather

*** Algae invades a popular beach in China. 7-19-2011. http://news.yahoo.com/photos/algae-bloom-1311121572-slideshow/view-algae-filled-coastline-qingdao-photo-102645670.html

**** Harmful Algae Blooms. EPA.gov. 5-7-2010. http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/habpage.html

I am very proud to announce the new General Hydroponics Europe Blog. Frederic and Noucetta have put together their own blog, that will cover information unique to the European market. It is a great place to gain insight on their products, and learn about their distinct identity in the international hydroponics industry. They also provide beautiful glimpses inside their spectacular greenhouse, packed with amazing and exotic hydroponic plants. Please visit them, and I hope you can take a moment to leave them a comment of congratulations!

Martin in Graphics did it again! I love the Montreal Trade Show Limited Edition T-shirt!

I am so inspired by this!

This plant is 10 years old. Grown with BioSevia Terra, this is his most beautiful and bountiful flowering in years.

rhododendron obtusum, also called Kuruma azalea

We are very proud of our work with M. Bedes. He is a longtime supporter and gave us an excellent opening with the bonsaï collectors in France.

rhododendron obtusum, also called "Kurume azalea" : flower closeup

rhododendron obtusum or kuruma azalea in bonsaÏ

L. Brooke & Dr. Cal Herrmann

I also flew down to the University of California at Davis with my dear friend Lawrence Brooke, and met Dr. Heiner, who conducts some of our research as well as his own, using GH products. It was very interesting to hear about his work, and some of his projects. I was also able to show him a slide show of the plants we grow in our greenhouse at GHE, in the South West of France. He was impressed with the huge variety of plants we grow in hydroponics, and the amount of research and work we are doing on our side of the ocean.

This visit was a real pleasure. Planning to go back as soon as possible. Noucetta Kehdi at GH Europe

This video from CNN takes a quick look at farms-in-a-bag that are bringing fresh greens into the urban areas of Kenya. The prototype is simple: a sack full of compost and dirt that can hold 60 seedlings and provide nutritious food in 40 days. The efforts are made by COOPI, an NGO dedicated to reversing the effects of poverty.

The team behind Urban Garden Magazine has been working hard to create a new hydro event called Grow 2010. They just wrapped up their show in Manchester, UK, and sent the video above as a nice overview. If you don’t live in the UK, no worries. They will be hosting a second event in the US in October, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Can’t wait!

I just got the best letter from our dear friend and former Gen Hydro sales rep, Jessica Lilga.

Its been SOOOO Long! How are you?? I regularly check out the blog, I
see Andy put up a post recently. Great to have employee input!
Are things going well for you? I hope so.

I am having a fantastic time along my travels. Currently, I am in
Manchester UK. I volunteered to help out with the trade show and had
a great time doing so. I helped decide, organize and set up a working
hydroponic display area – featuring 3 GHE units I assembled and
planted. I asked Vicky to send you photos, they really looked great.
The show was an overwhelming success! Attendance, organization and
professionalism exceeded expectations. Many North Americans were
there, in fact, I was so surprised and happy to see Adam and Chill
there! Many people were surprised to see me, thats always fun!

Prior to the UK, I spent a month in Barcelona. I LOVE this city! I
got to see many gardens, of all types. I encountered a wide range of
cultural experiences… and loved every minute. For the most part, I
am doing the couchsurfing.org thing and meeting many people. When I
find a place to upload some photos, I’ll send you some. I believe you
can see photos on my facebook page if you have any interest.

Any travel plans for you and Nat??

All the best,

Jes

In March, General Hydroponics sent our people to two unique hydroponic shows, Adam and Chill from the sales team went to Grow2010 in Manchester UK, and our business consultant Luc Charnay traveled to Mexico for the 7th International Course and Congress on Hydroponics. Luc is back and he has shared a few photos from his trip to Mexico. The event is sponsored by the Mexican Hydroponic Association, and was a 3 day symposium exploring the use of hydroponics as a solution to the agricultural crisis facing Mexico. From the Hidroponia.com website:

Another objective is to disseminate the achievements and perspectives in countries where hydroponics is a commercial activity. It also focuses realistically in the applications and possibilities to use agriculture unsuitable arid or rocky land, or land limited by the availability of water or extreme temperatures.

The course and congress allows establishing contacts and a valuable exchange of knowledge between presenters, producers, and consumers of hydroponics related products.

The event is directed to the current and future producers of hydroponic crops, professionals, technicians, students, and all those persons interested in improving their quality of life.

Luc attended many presentations, and even more importantly, made new friends and industry contacts. The trip was a great way for GH to gain unique knowledge and learn more about the hydroponic movement in Mexico.

GHE is pleased to introduce you to a bioponic (organic hydroponic) tomato production on Saint Barthélémie. Saint Bart is a little island in the Antilles which is famous for its stars and well-heeled tourists from all over the world. I am sharing these photos so you can dream about beautiful plants and sunshine.

Only a small quantity of vegetables is grown there and even less of tomatoes which were always imported. The problems are the lack of arable ground and the cost of water which is only available after desalination. This is why Mr Hervé Meunier, who is concerned about quality and ecology, has chosen to work with GHE technology (drip system using recycled water) and GHE certified organic nutrients “BioSevia”. Since then he has also been creating living décors with our system and also green walls. It’s a beautiful example of “bringing nature and technology together”.

The dates have been announced for the 2010 Indoor Gardening Expos. Start making plans now to visit us in Montreal- June 5th and 6th and San Francisco- July 24th and 25th. These industry trade show events are the best place to learn about new products and recent innovations. And after hours, they are some of the most epic parties of the year.

I am beyond thrilled to introduce General Hydroponics Europe our readers. The GrowGH blog will be expanding our coverage to include posts from the team there, to keep you updated on our international brethren. Our blog will spotlight their dynamic team, including, Noucetta, William and Frederic, and their efforts in hydro.

GHE has long been working to bring the quality and results of GH to their unique market. GHE not only distributes our formulas, but has created some of their own products, available only through them, that serve the specific needs and trends of growers there. Beyond that, they maintain an exotic greenhouse, and support numerous events and causes that are uniquely GHE.

In 1995, we created GHE in the South of France to better serve the European, African and Middle Eastern markets. At that time General Hydroponics was not well known outside of the English speaking countries. In only a few years GHE built a dominant position in European and global markets, primarily thanks to the quality of our products and to our commitment to common goals: sustainability, quality, innovation, simplicity and value. We printed out labels in numerous languages, built a website in numerous languages (www.eurohydro.com) and registered our products according to the regulations in each market.

With time due to the difference in markets and suppliers on both continents, the two lines, GH and GHE, diverged slightly due to specific needs in regional markets; except for Flora Series, the original nutrient that built our reputation and remains the global leader in sales and product recognition. In Europe as in California, we continue our research to show the diversity of plants you can grow with our technologies. We have developed a line of ‘organic’ nutrients and supplements that work well for hydroponic growers. You can visit our greenhouse online at youtube (enter ‘eurohydro’), or if you are traveling in our area, contact us to arrange a visit us here.

Noucetta Kehdi, William Texier, and Lawrence Brooke