The archives of this newsletter
See: http://www.informatique-agricole.org/category/gazette-efita/



Jokes, Quotes and Anecdotes... an Anatomy of Wit
Mick Harkin, ex Secretary of EFITA, who has kept us amused with his Friday Jokes over the years, has published a book on Amazon entitled "Jokes, Quotes and Anecdotes... an Anatomy of Wit".
See: http://www.jokesquotesandanecdotes.com
Contact: Mick HARKIN
E-mail: harkin(a)iol.ie


European Innovation Partnership (EIP): 'Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability'
See: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eip/index_en.htm


A point of view: Agricultural / Food Data Standardisation (GW)
In the last issues of this newsletter, I discussed: Open Archives, Open Data, generalized ICT adopation by farmers and advisors (as well as by our societies).
Here I would like to tell (from my point of view) how data standardisation made progresses in France.
We have two major actors: GS1 and AgroEDI Europe.
> AgroEDI Europe (AEE) achieved some remarkable successes except in animal productions, a domain where "home made" standards prevail. AEE initiated a UN/CEFACT working group (TBG18).
See: http://www.agroedieurope.fr/en/index.php
See: http://www1.unece.org/cefact/platform/display/TBG/TBG18

> GS1 achieved remarkable successes too especially to assign a unique identification number to entreprises (including farms) to guaranty the traceability of products, as well as in other domains such electronic milk invoices and e-commerce.
See: http://www.gs1partenaires.fr/
In this context, I find useful to promote existing solutions and approaches that remain not enough known and used.


ICT Update is a bimonthly web magazine…
…with an accompanying printed bulletin and an email newsletter. It is published by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)
See: http://ictupdate.cta.int


TopDown has a suite of solutions...
See: http://topdownconservation.com/suite-solutions/


Handbook de agricultura de precisión (in Spanish)
Ver: http://www.elsitioagricola.com/CultivosExtensivos/LibroIniaAP/libro3.asp


USDA and EPA Launch U.S. Food Waste Challenge

- USDA - Launch of U.S. Food Waste Challenge - Together we can make a difference!
See: http://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/index.htm

- EPA Food Recovery Challenge
See: http://www.epa.gov/smm/foodrecovery/

See: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2013/06/0112.xml

>>> USDA and EPA Launch U.S. Food Waste Challenge: Calls on both Public Sector and Private Industry to reduce food waste
WASHINGTON, June 4, 2013 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, calling on others across the food chain—including producer groups, processors, manufacturers, retailers, communities, and other government agencies − to join the effort to reduce, recover, and recycle food waste. Secretary Tom Vilsack and EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe were joined at the event by representatives from private-sector partners and supporters including Rio Farms, Unilever, General Mills, the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, Feeding America, and Rock and Wrap It Up!.
Food waste in the United States is estimated at roughly between 30 to 40 percent of the food supply. In 2010, an estimated 133 billion pounds of food from U.S. retail food stores, restaurants, and homes never made it into people's stomachs. The amount of uneaten food in homes and restaurants was valued at almost $390 per U.S. consumer in 2008, more than an average month's worth of food expenditures.
"The United States enjoys the most productive and abundant food supply on earth, but too much of this food goes to waste," said Secretary Vilsack. "Not only could this food be going to folks who need it – we also have an opportunity to reduce the amount of food that ends up in America's landfills. By joining together with EPA and businesses from around the country, we have an opportunity to better educate folks about the problem of food waste and begin to address this problem across the nation."
"Food waste the single largest type of waste entering our landfills -- Americans throw away up to 40 percent of their food. Addressing this issue not only helps with combating hunger and saving money, but also with combating climate change: food in landfills decomposes to create potent greenhouse gases," said EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "I'm proud that EPA is joining with USDA today to announce the U.S. Food Waste Challenge. With the help of partners across the country, we can ensure that our nation's food goes to our families and those in need – not the landfill."
The goal of the U.S. Food Waste Challenge is to lead a fundamental shift in how we think about and manage food and food waste in this country. The Challenge includes a goal to have 400 partner organizations by 2015 and 1,000 by 2020.
As part of its contribution to the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, USDA is initiating a wide range of activities including activities to reduce waste in the school meals program, educate consumers about food waste and food storage, and develop new technologies to reduce food waste. USDA will also work with industry to increase donations from imported produce that does not meet quality standards, streamline procedures for donating wholesome misbranded meat and poultry products, update U.S. food loss estimates at the retail level, and pilot-test a meat-composting program to reduce the amount of meat being sent to landfills from food safety inspection labs.

Through its Food Recovery Challenge, EPA will provide U.S. Food Waste Challenge participants with the opportunity to access data management software and technical assistance (www.epa.gov/smm/foodrecovery/) to help them quantify and improve their sustainable food management practices.
To join the Challenge and learn more about USDA's activities and the activities of those who have already joined, visit: www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/index.htm

Contact: Jean-Paul VIGNAL
E-mail: jaypeevee(a)aol.com


EU Agricultural Law
The European Union‘s common agricultural policy is without question the most economically significant policy area in EU law, as well as the area in which Union regulation has been implemented most consistently and intensely. This book contends that today, considering this comprehensive regulation of issues that are of prime economic importance – and the rich case law that this EU policy has generated – EU agricultural law cannot be treated as an isolated discipline, but must be seen in the context of general Union law. The author first deeply explores in an unprecedented way what is meant by the expressions ‘agriculture’, ‘agricultural activity’, and ‘agricultural producer’ found in current EU legislation, and goes on to provide a detailed legal analysis in contexts from Member States to the World Trade Organization. In the course of the presentation he examines the following, among much else:
- the principle of unified markets or common prices;
- structural funds for promoting regional agricultural development;
- encouragement of local strategies based on partnership and experience-sharing networks;
- environmentally friendly agricultural measures;
- the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD);
- whether a person or undertaking produces agricultural products or processes them;
- food safety measures;
- animal welfare;
- agricultural training and research;
- ensuring a fair standard of living for the agricultural community;
- interventions concerning storage or production limitation;
- State aid schemes;
- marketing standards;
- geographical indications;
- trade with third countries;
- support for improving the environment and the countryside;
- payment of aid pursuant to the single payment scheme; and
- WTO rules on domestic support measures, import duties and restrictions, and exports.

As a full-length, in-depth analysis of EU agricultural law, this book has no peers. It is sure to be welcomed not only by legal academics, but by all who are professionally engaged in dealing with issues of Union agricultural law, whether lawyers, professional interest groups, or administrative authorities.
See: http://www.kluwerlaw.com/Catalogue/titleinfo.htm?ProdID=9041132805&name=EU-Agricultural-Law


Bing Rises Above 17% Search Market Share As Google Slips
Bing’s U.S. search market share has hit another all-time high, passing 17 percent for the first time. It gained at Google’s...
See: http://searchengineland.com/bing-rises-above-17-search-market-share-as-google-slips-comscore-159746


3 Reasons Most Presentations Fail: Make your sales presentations more compelling and interesting
See: http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/3-reasons-most-presentations-fail.html


That Sonofabitch... a shaggy fish story!
One day, a priest decides to take a walk to the pier near his church.
He looks around and finally stops to watch a fisherman load his boat.
The fisherman notices, and asks the priest if he would like to join him for a couple of hours. The priest agrees. The fisherman asks if the priest has ever fished before; the priest says no. He baits the hook for him and says, "Give it a shot, father."

After a few minutes, the priest hooks a big fish and struggles to get it in the boat. The fisherman says, "Whoa, what a big sonofabitch!"

The priest says, "Ah, please sir, can you mind your language?"

The fisherman responds (thinking quickly), "I'm sorry father, but that's what this fish is called---a sonofabitch!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," says the priest. "I didn't know."

After the trip, the priest brings the fish to the church and spots the bishop. "Eminence, look at this big sonofabitch!"

"Please father," says the bishop. "Mind your language, this is a house of God."

"No, you don't understand," says the priest. "That's what this fish is called, and I caught it. I caught this sonofabitch!"

"Hmmm," says the bishop. "You know, I could clean this sonofabitch and we could have it for dinner."

So the bishop takes the fish and cleans it, and brings it to Mother Superior at the convent.

"Mother Superior, could you cook this sonofabitch for our dinner tonight with the Pope?"

"My lord, what language!" says the mother.

"No, sister," says the bishop. "That's what the fish is called---a sonofabitch! Father caught it, I cleaned it, and we'd like you to cook it"

"Hmmm," replies Mother Superior. "Yes, I'll cook that sonofabitch tonight."

While the Pope is over for dinner that evening he remarks that the fish is superb. He asks where they got it.

"I caught the sonofabitch!" says the priest.

"And I cleaned the sonofabitch!" says the bishop.

"And I cooked the sonofabitch!" says Mother Superior.

The Pope stares at them for a minute with a steely gaze, but then takes off his hat, puts his feet up on the table, and says, "You know, you fuckers are all right.".

Contact: Mick HARKIN
E-mail: harkin(a)iol.ie


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