Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Larry Lombard" <ljmelea@msn.com>]

no problem selling my organic idaho approved garlic,buy idaho,buy 
american.larry


> From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
> Reply-To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing 
> <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
> To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: [Livingontheland] State of garlic industry discussed at 
> industrybreakfast
> Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:09:54 -0700
>
>
>
> State of garlic industry discussed at industry breakfast
> by Brian Gaylord
> http://www.theproducenews.com/StoryNews.cfm?ID=7310
>
> 10/22/2007
> HOUSTON -- After listening to several less-than-glowing accounts regarding
> competition from Chinese producers, Don Christopher of Gilroy, CA-based
> Christopher Ranch weighed in with a viewpoint that brought a lift to
> everyone assembled at the garlic industry's Oct. 13 breakfast at the PMA
> Fresh Summit.
>
> "About five years ago, we lost the battle with Chinese garlic," Mr.
> Christopher said. "Now the Chinese hit themselves in the foot. It's not
> costing us anything. The whole market looks good for this year and next
> year."
>
> Mr. Christopher told the audience -- many of whom were members of the
> Christopher Ranch team from around the nation -- that his salespeople are
> doing "a great job."
>
> Last year, for the first time ,the United States bought more garlic from
> China than from California. China now has a dominant market share in the
> United States. But the food-safety scare several months ago that began with
> unsafe substances added to pet food from China brought on tighter
> food-safety standards imposed by the Chinese government that have curtailed
> that country's garlic exports.
>
> Chinese garlic has become popular in part because it wholesales in the
> United States for about half the price of California-grown garlic.
>
> Sal Vacca of A.J. Trucco opened the breakfast discussion by saying that the
> industry had been "forced to go into Chinese garlic."
>
> Paul Auerbach of South Hackensack, NJ-based Maurice A. Auerbach Inc. said
> that a lot of business has been lost on the wholesale side and that the
> wholesale business "has changed tremendously over the last few years." He
> said that high-end, white tablecloth restaurants opt for California garlic.
>
> Joe Lane of The Garlic Company in Bakersfield, CA, said that there are
> "still a lot of people who prefer cheaper garlic based on price."
>
> Jeff Stokes of Christopher Ranch said that restaurants look at the bottom
> line when they are buying peeled garlic, but in bulk, customers are
> "switching away from Chinese [garlic]."
>
> Doug Urbach of Christopher Ranch's Los Angeles division agreed that there
> is more demand on the bulk side for California garlic.
>
> Miguel Usabiaga of GAB in central Mexico said that consumption of garlic is
> up.
>
> "The Mexican market wants quality -- they don't mind paying a high price,"
> Mr. Usabiaga said, adding that while Chinese garlic is not allowed into
> Mexico, along the coast and in the Culiacan area, some Chinese garlic that
> was brought in illegally could be found. He said that a lot of garlic is
> coming into Mexico from Argentina and Chile.
>
> Michael Mantelli of Christopher Ranch said that California is "under a
> severe water shortage" and that the state is looking to cut back water
> allocation to prime garlic-growing areas by 25-50 percent. As a result, the
> company has to determine where it can make the "most profit per acre foot
> of water," he said.
>
> Javier Usabiaga Sr. of GAB said that he and Mr. Christopher are
> contemporaries who are optimists.
>
> "I think today we're harvesting something we planted many years ago," Mr.
> Usabiaga Sr. said.
>
>
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