No Farms No Food

Every hour, we lose 125 acres of farm and ranch land. That’s 3,000 acres a day and over 1 million acres a year! Help protect our farms with American Farmland Trust at http://www.farmland.org/.
Eighty-six percent of America’s fruits and vegetables are grown in metro regions in the path of development. Learn what you can do to protect our healthy, local foods from sprawl with American Farmland Trust at http://www.farmland.org/.
Over half of America’s land is managed by farmers and ranchers, and their decisions affect our air, water, wildlife and food. The farm bill influences those decisions and is up for voting this fall. Learn more and get involved with American Farmland Trust at www.farmland.org/farmpolicy.
What would a world without farms and ranches mean? Probably a growing dependence on the center aisles of our grocery stores—processed foods enriched with ingredients you can’t pronounce. But what about our water and the air we breathe? Over half of the U.S. is working agriculture land, and well managed farms and ranches provide critical environmental benefits like water filtration, flood control, air quality improvements, carbon sequestration, renewable energy and wildlife habitat. But our farms and ranches are threatened; thankfully we have a chance to make a change. The 2007 Farm Bill debate is heating up, but it’s not just a battle to be fought on Capitol Hill. It affects the availability and cost of fresh, healthy food both in the U.S. and worldwide. The farm bill impacts how farmers manage their land and their ability to be good stewards of our air, water and wildlife—it shapes what tools are available for communities to fight sprawl and protect local farms and ranches. Instead of subsidizing overproduction on marginal lands, let’s support America’s farmers and ranchers so they continue to provide fresh and healthy food and protect our environment. Learn more from American Farmland Trust at www.farmland.org/farmpolicy.
If You Care About Your Money and Your Health, Pay Attention to the Farm BillThis fall, the United States Congress will enact this nation's most important legislation affecting the environment, healthy food and our local communities. It’s the 2007 Farm Bill. Now is our opportunity to demand a more balanced farm bill that will end subsidy distortion, protect our farms and ranches from sprawl, support local and healthy foods, and protect our air, water, land and wildlife.In a land of plenty, 35 million Americans do not have enough to eat. Yet we continue to subsidize the overproduction of cheap sugars and fats despite skyrocketing healthcare costs linked to diet related illnesses like obesity and diabetes. Meanwhile, fresh and healthy foods are in the path of development. 86% of America's fruits and vegetables are grown in metro regions threatened by sprawl. The Senate will begin writing their version of the farm bill this September. Please let them know you want farm and food policy that will support farmers and ranchers, your community, the environment and all Americans. Take action at action.farmland.org.

UNIVERSITY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

Facilities - UVI is located in the heart of beautiful St. Croix. The Aquaculture Program operates fifteen research-scale systems (six aquaponic and nine greenwater) as well as commercial-scale aquaponic and greenwater systems, a greenwater demonstration system with an associated vegetable garden, a fry sex-reversal system, a recirculating system for fingerling rearing and a purge system. The program annually produces about 20,000 lbs. of tilapia and a variety of vegetables

CROPKING.com's 200 Gallon Aquaponic System

cropking.com-Integrated Aquaculture and Hydroponics for theHome Hobbyist or Classroom (see Blogroll or useful links)
The Aquaponic System combines fish culture and true hydroponic plant production into one integrated ecosystem. Easy to set up and maintain, the Aquaponic System can provide you with fresh fish and produce from a clean and healthy environment year-round. It operates so well because the fish are providing the nutrients for the plants, and the plants clean up the water to make it a better place for the fish to live in. This mutually beneficial arrangement is the same as what goes on in nature, but this one is completely within your control. It’s an ideal way to get started in aquaculture and hydroponics! Growing fish like tilapia (also known as “Saint Peter’s fish,” “cherry snapper,” “silverbacks,” etc.) is easy and you can grow up to 100 lbs. in the Aquaponic System. An optional window in the tank makes learning fun because students can make observations as the fish interact with each other and the environment. The 4′ x 8′ hydroponic growing bed is terrific for a kitchen herb cutting garden, dozens of heads of lettuce or other salad greens. Imagine, fresh herbs and salads from your very own hydroponic garden! In the classroom, there’s ample space for individual student projects that simply makes learning fun and exciting. Our instruction manual shows you how easy it is to grow with CropKing! The Aquaponic System is made with durable, professional quality materials that are fully warranted. It comes complete and ready to set up with a 200-gallon fish tank, 4′ x 8′ hydroponic growing bed, an energy efficient, UL-listed air pump and hydroponic media. Optional equipment is available. The Aquaponic System package’s convenient size fits right through a standard doorway. Fresh veggies and fish year-round - CropKing’s Aquaponic System is ready now so order yours today! Literature is also available if you need more information or books on aquaculture and aquaponics.

Aquaponics- the basics from U.V.IDecember 8, 2006 at 12:10 am In Uncategorized Edit this post
Aquaculture attempts to produce marketable fish under controlled conditions, especially by providing clean water, oxygen, and feed. In closed recirculating systems water treatment is accomplished by removal of solid waste and the biological breakdown of nitrogenous metabolites. Successfully performing these tasks will increase unit production many times over an untreated system. Prepared, commercial diets of grains, fish meal protein, and vitamin/mineral supplements are fed to the fish at optimal feeding rates to ensure the best growth rate and highest production per unit. Water is continually pumped through the rearing tank and filters so that waste is removed and conditions for growth maintained at high levels. The incentives for the intensive production of fish in recirculating systems are the high cost of land, the ability to locate close to markets, and the high quality/high value crop that can be produced. The disincentives are the large capital investment required, high energy use, and the high skill level (and cost) of labor. Hydroponic systems are designed to concentrate production of a vegetable crop into areas smaller than that which would be required in field production of the same crop. This is done by providing a high level of nutrients and water to the plants. The same incentives and disincentives that apply to intensive recirculating aquaculture systems apply to these systems as well. An aquaponic system is a symbiotic joining of aquaculture and hydroponics. Nitrogen waste from fish metabolites provides needed nutrients to the vegetable crop. By removing these wastes the vegetables filter and clean the water improving the environment for the fish promoting faster growth and healthier fish. The University of the Virgin Islands aquaponic system is designed to produce 35-45 cases of lettuce each week and 700 - 900 lbs. of fish every 6 weeks. Lettuce is grown on floating polystyrene sheets in raft hydroponic culture. The variation in production of lettuce depends on the plant spacing in the grow-out area, which is dependent on the variety of lettuce grown, i.e. leaf, bibb, or romaine. The variation in production of fish depends on the stocking density and the water temperature. Slower growth rates and higher mortalities are observed at higher densities. Low temperatures slow the growth rate of tilapia.

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UVI Aquaculture Program

Facilities - UVI is located in the heart of beautiful St. Croix. The Aquaculture Program operates fifteen research-scale systems (six aquaponic and nine greenwater) as well as commercial-scale aquaponic and greenwater systems, a greenwater demonstration system with an associated vegetable garden, a fry sex-reversal system, a recirculating system for fingerling rearing and a purge system. The program annually produces about 20,000 lbs. of tilapia and a variety of vegetables

First Year Photos