100 things I've done

Inspired by someone else's blog with the same title, I decided to jot down 100 things I've done. The blog that inspired me was much more playful and imaginative than mine ended up being. My list was intended more as a collection of random memorable occurrances than of major life-changing events. I'm sure that I could have easily come up with another 100 if I tried, and many of those would have been every bit as memorable as the ones I show here. These are simply the first 100 I happened to have thought of, roughly placed in chronological order. Disclaimer: Hyperlinks are of similar events (not taken by me) and are for effect only.

100 things I've done

1. Grew up in a country town named after a Mormon apostle (Talmage, UT) located at 6,800 ft elevation where it snowed deep enough to obscure fences
2. Went to elementary school in an old two-classroom building
3. Fell on a cement basketball court and got knocked out cold for over an hour
4. Got “chased” up a boat ramp by the first fish I ever caught ‘til I let go of the pole
5. Rode horses bareback for years before ever riding with a saddle
6. Milked a herd of cows every day from age 12 until graduating from high school
7. Watched our herd dog snap its teeth at a fleeing cow and get dragged over 100 yards until it could get its teeth unstuck from the cow’s tail…nearly died laughing
8. Made a pond-worthy flat-bottom boat from a plywood board and two 2x10’s
9. Traveled by horseback, camped, & fished in the High Uinta’s several times
10. Went deer hunting annually with my father during my teen years
11. Hoisted over 10,000 bales of hay one summer on our farm
12. Got blue ribbons at our county fair for vegetables I raised in our home garden
13. Went to Boys State at USU (Logan, UT)
14. Pole vaulted on my high school track and field team
15. Got pinned in a high school wrestling match in under 10 seconds
16. Won the right to challenge our principal in a ping pong match at a high school student body assembly only to get nearly skunked at the event
17. Learned that JFK was assassinated while in a history class in high school
18. Played baritone sax from 6th through 11th grade
19. Played trombone for 1 year in a dance band while a senior in high school
20. Had only one date in high school…and it was traumatic!
21. Listened to Jimmy Dean live at our HS Senior Trip to Salt Lake City
22. Picked Concord grapes for Welch’s in western New York for a day
23. Attended the Washington D.C. Temple ground breaking ceremony as an LDS missionary
24. In shop class at BYU, replaced the rings in the motor of my brother’s Grand Prix Pontiac
25. Bought a souped-up ’67 Pontiac GTO as my first car purchase…no regrets
26. Watched man’s first step on the moon at the BYU de Jong Concert Hall
27. Was best man at two weddings during my college years
28. Took karate while at BYU until injuring my neck in a diving accident
29. Did my personal best in golf by several strokes with a neck brace on
30. Scored a personal best of 177 in bowling
31. Pruned cherry trees in Payson, Utah
32. Honeymooned in a teepee-shaped motel room on the Ute Indian reservation
33. Harvested wild rice in a canoe in Minnesota with Judy
34. Visited a brewery in St. Paul, MN while on the barley project in graduate school
35. Got a PhD without ever taking a language course in school…regretfully
36. Watched humpback whales breach and sea turtles body surf in Hawaii
37. While snorkeling at 12’ depth, watched a friend spear octopus and fish
38. Saw lava flowing from the Pu’u O’o vent in Volcano NP from a helicopter
39. Watched the sun come up at the rim of Haleakala on Maui
40. Witnessed a near-total solar eclipse on Oahu on 11 July 1991
41. Walked on the Kalapana Black Sand Beach before and after lava reclaimed it
42. Ran a quarter marathon on Oahu (team’s time: 3:16)
43. Climbed Olomana on the Island of Oahu solo on a New Years Eve
44. Participated in deafening New Year’s fireworks displays on Oahu
45. Slept family of six in a VW pop-up EuroVan for two months camping in Europe
46. Visited Paris, London, Madrid, Munich, Cologne, and Rotterdam with my family
47. Ate dinner with a French family in Montpellier France on our Anniversary
48. Took an overnight train to Venice Italy from Austria and rode in a gondola
49. Visited a cheese factory in Gruyere, Switzerland
50. Climbed part way up the Matterhorn from Zermatt, Switzerland
51. Took a tram to Gimmelwald and a ski lift above Grindelwald in Switzerland
52. Went to the Netherlands with Judy to interview for an Oregon-based breeding position; stayed in Amsterdam and circled around the Ijsselmeer region afterward
53. Visited sugarcane collections in Miami, FL; Kannur, India; & Camamu, Brazil
54. Ate an Indian dinner with our fingers (no utensils) in Coimbatore, India
55. Visited a Michelin rubber plantation in tropical Brazil
56. Went on a sugarcane collecting expedition in Indonesia
57. Visited a cacao plantation while on the Island of Sumatra
58. Traveled over water on a hydrofoil from Sumatra to Java passing by Krakatoa
59. Visited a tea plantation in Bogor, Island of Java, Indonesia
60. Traveled by foot over the Island of Halmahera surviving on coconut milk
61. Drove from Johannesburg to Durban with a fellow sugarcane breeder
62. Had a private pristine beach to ourselves (two scientists) in Fiji for a day
63. Was served kava kava in a coconut shell in Fiji and felt my mouth go numb
64. Ascended la Roche Ecrite on the Island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean
65. Took two sets of Vietnamese refugees into our home while in Hawaii
66. Had four exchange students live with us while in Utah
67. Picked huckleberries with family in Idaho’s mountains
68. Hugged a koala bear in Australia
69. Visited a coffee plantation in Costa Rica
70. Ascended to the top of Mt. Timpanogos (UT) with Neal
71. Failed to reach the top of King’s Peak two separate times because of weather
72. Visited 25 National Parks and hope to visit more
73. Helped found the Hawaii Tropical Flower and Foliage Association (HTFFA)
74. Started a successful business and had it shut down by a former employer
75. Was the star witness in a successful lawsuit against another former employer
76. Logged 110 hours work one week while working at Walmart & Quality Inn part-time and Twinlab full-time after returning to Utah from Hawaii
77. Never went snow skiing in Utah…until after returning from Hawaii
78. Never surfed in Hawaii…unless body surfing counts
79. Caught a 41 lb redfish in Louisiana
80. Took a cruise to Alaska through the Inside Passage with Judy
81. Saw glaciers calving at very close range (Harvard & Aialik Glaciers)
82. Had dinner with Judy in a revolving restaurant above Niagara Falls
83. Got stung by a Portuguese Man O’War jellyfish
84. Visited the Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington D.C.
85. Went to the top of the Washington Monument in D.C.
86. Went to the top of the Empire State Building in New York City
87. Went to the top of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis
88. Sang in a barbershop choir
89. Listened to the Utah Symphony Orchestra play Christmas music in the Tabernacle
90. Visited historic LDS Church sites at Nauvoo, IL; Kirtland, OH; and Palmyra, NY
91. Conducted three funerals in our local church unit while bishops were out of town
92. Witnessed a real life bank robbery shoot out (crook vs. police) in Cheyenne, WY
93. Survived 8 hurricanes (Iwa, Iniki, Isidore, Lili, Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike)
94. Participated in the cleanup in and around New Orleans after Katrina
95. Went to a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans (Krewe of Endymion)
96. Was once on the lead boat in the annual shrimp boat blessing event in Chauvin, LA
97. Took up kayaking after getting a kayak for Christmas a year ago
98. Married a partner who is far stronger spiritually than myself
99. Raised four terrific children…Judy gets the lions share of the credit
100. Started my own blog
     

Perhaps I will create a list 100 things I've would still like to do

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!

Merry Christmas to all from Cajun Country. The above picture was taken by myself in the small town of Canal Point, Florida at a food stand. It was close enough to Christmas, and the sugarcane stalks were close enough to the Christmas colors of green and red I felt compelled to stop and take the shot and save it for Christmas Day. It is also intended to suggest abundance and prosperity from Mother Earth, as we all look forward to a new year. May you all have a happy and prosperous new year!

Winter has arrived!

As of midnight last night, winter has officially arrived. Julie reported temperatures of -2 F (-22 wind chill) in northern Indiana. I saw that it got down to -20 F in infamously cold International Falls, Minnesota. We were in the low to mid-30's in southern Lousiana (mid-20's at the top of the sugar belt in Bunkie, LA). The sugarcane farmers were working feverishly (maybe a poor adverb choice in this instance) to get their crop in as quickly as possible. The cane canopy has already gone from green to straw color in much of the sugar belt as a result of earlier cold spells, so the protective green canopy blanket has already been removed. Stalk deterioration is limited as long as the crop remains cool following a freeze; temperatures into the 70's become the farmer's worst case scenerio. I believe the industry will be in pretty good shape in getting its crop in on a timely basis, thanks to dry weather during most of the harvest season.

Someone locally shared a nice video following the recent snowstorm in New Orleans that I thought was appropriate as Christmas approaches. It is fittingly set to Louis Armstrong music. Here it is. Enjoy.

In memory of my sister Lynette Tew

Yesterday, December 19, was Lynette's birthday. Were she still alive, she would have just turned 59 years old. Lynette was my only full-blooded sibling. She was the victim of a brain tumor that took her life at the tender age of 19 in the year 1969. Lynette had a very different personality than I did. She was very outgoing. In school, she was very popular, but always stuck up for those who were being victimized for issues they had no control over, such as ethnicity or being handicapped. Lynette was vivacious and lived life to the fullest until the time of her death. God bless her memory.

Making sugarcane crosses for Louisiana at Canal Point, Florida

Every year, in early December sugarcane breeders in Louisiana go to Florida to make genetic crosses. The seed will mature in Florida and be returned to Louisiana to begin a 12-year selection process that ultimately culminates in the development of new, higher yielding, disease and insect resistant varieties. The breeding activity occurs at the USDA Sugarcane Field Station at Canal Point, Florida, on the southeast corner of Lake Okeechobee. Temperatures are moderated by this large lake, so this is a good location to have a sugarcane breeding facility within the continental U.S., where sugarcane naturally flowers outdoors. A blowup of the above picture captured from from Google Earth shows the very large and narrow crossing house where the crosses are made. Parents designated to be used as females are maintained outdoors; night temperatures below 60 F will kill the pollen they produce, and thus cause the outdoor plants to be largely male sterile. Parents designated to be used as males are maintained on a very long rail cart, which gets rolled out of the crossing house every morning (so we have room to make crosses indoors inside cubicles on both sides of the building), then rolled inside the crossing house every evening so that they are kept warm at night. The crossing activity in Florida is aimed at making commercial crosses for both the Florida and Louisiana sugarcane industries. Our people have been in Florida over the past two weeks; I will be going down this week. We do make crosses at Houma, Louisiana on a smaller scale, but most of the locally made crosses are designed to introgress highly desirable traits from wild canes into a commercial background. Examples of desirable traits from the wild canes include improved vigor, cold tolerance, stalk population, and stubbling ability.

White Christmas time in south Louisiana

As expected, the news this evening was all about the snowfall in south Louisiana earlier today. I have lots of witnesses at work that can testify that it actually did snow for a few minutes in Houma this morning. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked out my office window, and saw the big snowflakes coming down. New Orleans actually got about an inch of snow. Just north of Lake Pontchartrain, Hammond got about six inches. South Louisiana has only had seven or eight snowstorms in the past 60 years, so this is a rare event. This snowstorm is apparently the earliest ever. Winter doesn't even officially begin this year until early morning Dec. 22. Here are some pictures (The Advocate, Baton Rouge) and here is a video (WDSU, New Orleans). I anticipate getting some pictures of snow-covered sugarcane being harvested, and will post those when I get them.

Harvesting sugarcane in a snowstorm

It may seem hard to believe, but some Louisiana farmers may be harvesting sugarcane in a snow storm, and will certainly be harvesting the crop with snow on it this morning. The harvesting must go on regardless of weather. This graphic, taken from a radar image displayed on the Intellicast website at 6:30 this morning, shows Lafayette (LFT) in the center of that burrrr blue color. Lafayette is the hub of Cajun country, and more or less the hub of sugarcane cultivation in Louisiana. Sugarcane harvest season in Louisiana normally goes from late September through Christmas. This year, the farmers got off to a late start because of two hurricanes, so they still have a fair amount of cane left to harvest. However, it is not unusual to be harvesting sugarcane in Louisiana after a mild freeze toward the end of the harvest season. It is much more unusual to be harvesting cane with snow on it. The last time it snowed as far south as Houma (HUM) was on Christmas day in 2004. The last time it snowed in Baton Rouge (BTR) was...hmm...it's snowing there as I'm writing this... As pics come in, I may add one or two to this posting date.

Remarks by Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer about impending transition

At the 2008 Annual Meeting and Convention of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, our Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Schafer, spoke about the impending transition following the general election. It is obvious from his remarks that there is an air of excitement in Washington D.C. that is especially poignant this time around. Apparently, from Schafer's remarks, the transition team from the Obama camp is already working closely with the present USDA administration as preparations are being made to install a new Secretary of Agriculture. Ed Schafer will shortly be returning to North Dakota, where he hails from. I quite enjoyed reading the transcript of his remarks, because he gave some Washington insights I wouldn't have otherwise been aware of.

Anh 'Joseph' Cao, first Vietnamese-American to U.S. Congress

Another political surprise happened in Louisiana this past Saturday. Joseph Cao had an upset victory over William Jefferson. Jefferson has a 16-count federal indictment facing him, including money laundering, and I guess the folks who he represents, got a little skittish. Here is the earlier editorial endorsement for Cao from New Orleans Times-Picayune. Here is the aftermath story. There are a lot of Vietnamese in this area. They make great fishermen, which should be no surprise to anyone, considering their roots.

While we lived in Hawaii, we took in three Vietnamese refugees for about six weeks, and a little later took in two more, one of whom had malaria. They didn't know a lick of English when we took them in. We maintained contact with the earlier three for several years afterward until they moved to the mainland, and had them over for Thanksgiving each year. It was a good experience for our children. They enjoyed being around our children, and looked upon us as their second family.

Kevin Voisin wins seat on Terrebonne Parish Council

Kevin Voisin, a decided underdog in a post-November election runoff between the top two candidates for City Councilman in Terrebonne Parish District 6, actually pulled off a win yesterday with the narrowest of margins, 862 vs. 846 votes. In the District 6 primary held Nov. 4, Steve Robichaux tallied more than 41 percent of the vote, compared to 32 percent for Voisin. A third candidate, Democrat Al Badeaux, finished with 26 percent. Steve blamed voter apathy for the loss, and the probable assumption by his friends that he "had it in the bag."

We were excited for Kevin and his family. We know Kevin through our church, and wish him the very best in his new role. If there is any one extended family that epitomizes the LDS Church in Houma, it would have to be the Voisin family. I served as a bishopric counselor with Kevin's father, Mike Voisin, a former Bishop of Thibodaux Ward and convert to the church. Kevin was an LDS missionary in France. He was a history major at BYU, and opted to become part of the family business by returning to Houma with his wife, Emily, following college. They now have three children. The Voisin family has been in the oyster business for seven generations. Kevin and Emily played a key role in organizing the Mormon Helping Hands volunteer event that brought over 1,400 volunteers into Terrebonne Parish to assist in the cleanup following Hurricane Gustav.

Obama pledges support of domestic sugar

Just weeks before the November election, President-elect Barack Obama sent the U.S. sugar industry a letter pledging his support of a vibrant domestic sugar sector. The letter focused on three issues of particular importance to sugar producers: The new Farm Bill, renewable energy, and international trade. As I stated in an earlier blog, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out, once President-elect Obama becomes President Obama. Sugarbeet and sugarcane growers have to be pleased that Obama has at least pledged his support, whether they voted for him or not. Leading up to the election, McCain made it abundantly clear that they weren't going to get his support. Speaking of support, Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer reported that "crop supports have fallen from $11 billion to $810 million in three years." That's a pretty remarkable drop. Sharply increased commodity values for most crops must have had more than a little to do this reduction.

Winter garden update

We had very large cauliflower plants but hadn't seen any evidence of a flower head. I was getting a little impatient, so I peeked inside the plants, and to my great surprise, we had full-sized cauliflowers. This is the very first time in my life (at least, that I can remember) that I have grown cauliflowers, so I was pretty excited. The cabbage is doing as well this year as it did last year. I have become a fan of winter gardening in south Louisiana, having had success two years in a row.

"Tew Heritage" needs updating

In 1990, a softback publication entitled "Tew Heritage" was printed by Stevenson's Genealogy Center, Provo, Utah, USA. It is, as the cover shows, "A tribute to William Thomas Tew and Clara Elizabeth Snow, their descendents, and pioneer ancestors." Their pictures shown above. The editors of this publication were three of their grandchildren, namely Merlene Tew Colarusso, Clara Allred Smith, and Helen Tew Stirland. Merlene passed away in 1999 (age 85) and Clara passed away only a month ago (age 88). As far as I know, Helen is alive and well, though she is getting along in years too (age 90). I am also a grandchild of William and Clara, and am 1st cousin to Merlene, Clara, and Helen. At age 60, I am the youngest living grandchild. Merlene was the oldest. William and Clara had seven children who grew to adulthood, 44 grandchildren, and as of 1990, had a total of 671 direct descendents. In the last 18 years, the numbers of great grandchildren and beyond have increased greatly. As the youngest, and one of the last of the old guard, I have decided to take on the task of updating the Tew Heritage, and making the information electronically available. We'll soon see whether I am way over my head on this project or not. It will obviously require considerable cooperation from extended family members.

Genetic Improvement of Bioenergy Crops

Dr. Wilfred Vermerris, Associate Professor at the Genetics Institute and Agronomy department at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, edited a book entitled, "Genetic Improvement of Bioenergy Crops," that was published by Springer. Dr. Vermerris invited me to write the chapter on energy cane, which I agreed to do. I entitled the chapter, "Genetic Improvement of Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) as an Energy Crop." Robert Cobill, formerly on the staff of the USDA Sugarcane Research Laboratory in Houma, LA, is co-author. The book is out now, and available through Amazon. Dr. Vermerris will be using this as his textbook when he teaches a course on the same subject.

Hawaiian sugar industry reduced to one plantation

Somehow, I missed the announcement two months ago that Gay and Robinson, Inc. (Island of Kauai) was leaving the sugar business after 119 years. This leaves Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. (Island of Maui) as the one remaining sugar producer in the State. How long HC&S will survive remains to be seen. I have heard rumors that HC&S's per acre sugar yields will be dismal this year, and not likely much better in the near-term future. They used to boast yields in the order of 13 tons sugar per harvested acre (2-year crop). It's been rumored that they will be substantially below this number this year, perhaps even below 10 tons, and that their yields won't likely be much better next year. If true, that certainly does not bode well for the future of the sugar industry in Hawaii.

The demise of the sugar industry in Hawaii really saddens me, in part because I am not aware of any crop anywhere else in the United States that comes close to having the energy potential that sugarcane has been demonstrated to have on a commercial scale in Hawaii. Even though Hawaii has consistently had far higher sugar yields than Brazil, and, in my mind, was the perfect proving ground in the U.S. to either prove or disprove the sustainability of ethanol production from biomass (having the nation's highest gas prices, being isolated, etc.), it could never overcome all the hurdles placed in front of it to actually launch a sugarcane-based ethanol industry. Ironically, as recently as the 1980's, sugarcane mills in Hawaii were not only energy self-sufficient, but contributed substantially to the surrounding communities, producing around 40% of the total electricity generated on three of the four major islands, with the burning of bagasse (fibrous residue).

The sugar industry had a profound effect on Hawaii's recent history, and the makeup of the ethnic groups that constitute Hawaii today. Admittedly, the history is not all glamorous. But there is a certain nostalgia associated with the fading of an important industry that even some its sharpest critics acknowledge.

Monsanto acquires major Brazilian sugarcane breeding program

Monsanto has expanded its interests in Brazilian agriculture with the acquisition of CanaVialis and Alellyx. Acquisition of CanaVialis will make Monsanto the proud owner of the largest private sugarcane breeding program in the world. With this deal, Monsanto will also acquire Alellyx, a genomics company founded by Brazilian scientists that has already partnered with CanaVialis toward the development of Bt/Roundup Ready sugarcane varieties; and and development of varieties that are sweeter, more energy efficient, more drought tolerant and so on through genetic modification. I suspect they plan to find and further modify organisms capable of fixing nitrogen in sugarcane, since it is already known that such organisms exist. Brazil is far and away the largest sugarcane-based ethanol producer, though there are other countries who are following their lead, most notably India and Colombia.

Obama-Biden Energy Plan for America

I will be following with interest how steadfast the Obama-Biden ticket holds to the energy plan they have outlined on their “New Energy for America” webpage once in office, particularly as it relates to support for ethanol. Obama and McCain have differed sharply on the ethanol issue, an issue that has become increasingly controversial in recent months. Obama represents a corn-growing ethanol-producing state, Illinois, and to this point, supports the continuation of ethanol subsidies. He sees the need to move in the direction of cellulosic ethanol (2nd generation biofuel) that has been touted as being more sustainable, more environmentally friendly, and less controversial than corn (food vs. fuel). McCain, on the other hand, represents a desert state, Arizona, and has been critical of agricultural subsidies generally, and ethanol subsidies in particular. During his presidential campaign, when asked about cutting excessive government spending, ethanol subsidies were right at the top of his short list.

The sustainability of cellulosic ethanol is controversial as well, as shown in the following blogsites, Treehugger and R-Squared Energy Blog (Nov 9). When it comes to liquid fuels, do we want to cut research dedicated toward improving the sustainability of renewable resources, such as second-generation biofuels, until non-renewable resources (oil and natural gas) are nearly depleted, or do we continue to support this research irrespective of gas price and public mood swings with the expectation that this research will pay off down the road when non-renewable resources become scarce.

Winter gardening in Louisiana

The pleasant temperatures we have had this past week, and expectation of pleasant temperatures for the week to come remind us that there is a portion of the year that Louisiana can be rather enjoyable, weatherwise. The onset of Fall and the start of the sugarcane harvest season usually coinside in southern Louisiana. This year, the sugarcane harvest season was somewhat delayed. Farmers were delayed in planting as a result of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, and the planting needs to be largely completed before the harvesting begins. The weather has been as good as could be expected for harvesting sugarcane. Sunny days and especially cool evenings for this time of year both have contributed to a respectable sugar content in the crop in spite of the adverse impact that the two hurricanes had.

Another activity that occurs in the Fall in Louisiana is the planting of winter gardens. In our area, many vegetable crops actually do better when planted in the fall than when planted in the early spring. Popular winter-grown vegetable crops in southern Louisiana include beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, chard, kohlrabi, lettuce, leek, onions, shallots, potatoes, peas, and spinach. Last year, I couldn't believe the wonderful cabbage we had when it was fall-planted. Check out the growth of our fall-transplanted cabbage and broccoli this year. Believe it or not, these plants were transplanted only five weeks ago...on September 19. It's almost scary how fast they are growing.

Annual Crop Science Meeting and Megan's surgery

Last week, I was in Houston for the 2008 Joint Annual Meeting of the following societies: ASA, CSSA, SSSA, GSA, GCAGS, and HGS. Don't worry, I don't know what at least two of these acronyms stand for either. The one I am most closely affiliated with is the CSSA or Crop Science Society of America. What was different about this year is that we linked up with the GSA (Geological Society of America) and the GCAGS and HGS, whatever they stand for. Check out the links at the above website, if curious. It was fun to see some new and different booths for a change. I got a little carried away at all the exhibitor booths selling rocks and gems, and ended up buying perhaps more than I should have. I was invited to be a Symposium speaker at one of the sessions this year, which was a first for me, and probably the last. No surprise...the topic had to do with energy cane.

Also, this week was eventful in our family in that our granddaughter, Megan had her first surgery (Bertasso Blogsite: October 10, 2008 entry) to correct her cleft lip and palate. It sounds like the surgery went as smoothly as could be expected. Matt and Julie's blogsite relate their experience, and of course with some great pictures. Matt's mom came out to baby sit during the surgery period and will be with the family for another week to help out.

Army of LDS volunteers provide hurricane relief in and around Houma

We had an exciting weekend. Quoting HoumaToday.com, "A yellow-shirted army of faith came to Houma and neighboring communities this weekend, with nearly 1,400- volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveling to the area to lend a hand with hurricane-relief cleanup projects." Anyone driving along Hwy 311 may have seen tents on the grounds of the LDS Church near Savanne Road or at the Living Word Church still under construction near Interstate 30. Staging site for the event was at the Living Word Church. Prior to the launching of the work, volunteers got to hear from Elder John Anderson (a high-ranking representative of the LDS church), Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet, Louisiana Senate President Joel Chaisson II, and Martin Luther King III (eldest son of MLK Jr.). Kevin Voisin, VP of Motivatit Seafood, played an active role in organizing the Mormon Helping Hands volunteer event, and in identifying needs. When United Houma Nation Chief Brenda Dardar-Robichaux got involved, the effort took on a whole new dimension. The United Houma Nation is affiliated with King's Realizing the Dream campaign, which seeks to assist and empower disadvantaged communities. Brenda called King, who, in turn, sought help from the LDS Church because of their ability to organize large numbers of volunteers for efforts such as this on short notice, and within days, the large-scale project was organized with volunteers coming from throughout the southeastern U.S. for the weekend. On Saturday morning, I took some photos including the tents surrounding our Church and the activities going on at the Living Word Church staging site. Then it was time to roll away the camera, roll down my sleeves, and jump into the action. Early Sunday morning, there was a brief LDS service held at the Living Word Church, then volunteers continued their work throughout the morning, focusing heavily on areas further down the bayou (Dulac, Dularge, etc.). I was not involved on Sunday.

Hurricane Ike's devastation

Words cannot describe the devastation of storms like Hurricane Ike as well as pictures can. Check out the pictures of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, taken mostly in Texas, that were and are continuing to be compiled by Gary and Teri Trayler of Corpus Christi, TX at their website. Thanks goes to my daughter Lori for bringing this website to my attention. Former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton have once again linked arms and established a fund, as they did after Hurricane Katrina and after the deadly tsunami that occurred in SE Asia. Supporting this fund, called the Bush Clinton Coastal Recovery Fund, will help communities and families living along the Gulf Coast that were affected by Hurricane Ike.

Restoring Louisiana's vanishing coastline

Last night, I had the opportunity to view a compelling documentary entitled "Harvest to Restore America's Coastal Heartland." This documentary eloquently described how important the coastal region of Louisiana is to the entire nation, then introduced the concept of "pipeline sediment delivery" as a means of saving our coastline, wetlands, livelihood and lifestyle in this region. Quoting from the website, "...pipeline sediment delivery holds the promise of expeditiously recreating the natural system of barrier islands, marshes, and ridgelands that provide the only practical long term hurricane protection both to America’s energy hub and to the port and city of New Orleans." The documentary showed how pipeline sediment delivery works, how it’s being used in other countries around the world such as in Dubai. The documentary is well worth watching, and shows what can be done if we put our minds to it. Governor Bobby Jindal just returned from Washington, where he met with the Louisiana congressional delegation and, among other things, discussed the need to move ahead as quickly as possible on projects that will help to save our vanishing coastline.

Making better use of disaster debris

In 2004, after Ivan the Terrible made landfall on the Gulf Coast between Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL as a strong category 3 hurricane, I joined others in assisting in the cleanup in and around Pensacola. I couldn't believe the height that the tree debris was piled up on both sides of street after street as far as the eye could see. On some streets, I couldn't even see residents' homes behind the debris because it was piled so high. After Katrina, the sheer number and height of the piles of tree debris placed in open areas of New Orleans, such as in school football fields, was astounding. When I saw the damage done to trees in and around Houma after Gustav, there was no doubt that the same phenomenon of piling of debris was about happen once again (see above photo). I told some of my friends, watch how much debris gets piled on the streets in Houma, Thibodaux, and other severely affected areas. This leads to the question, "Where does all of this debris ultimately end up? Unfortunately, for the most part, no good use is made of it. Most of it is either burned up or removed out of the public eye to decompose. It is fitting that Biomass Magazine this month has a lead article that addresses this very issue, discussing the possible conversion of debris left behind by catastrophic events to more useful products. Detractors of biomass bring up energy costs associated with growing and harvesting biomass crops to convert to biofuels or to burn for electricity. In the case of debris, we have a readily available biomass source that is already sitting on the side of the road, waiting to be picked up and utilized, if we had appropriate infrastructure in place to deal with it. Another article in Biomass Magazine discusses a venture at Raceland Raw Sugars (a sugarcane milling operation located between Houma and New Orleans) to produce briquettes from excess sugarcane bagasse. Both articles directly address the all-important issue of transportion costs that currently prevents the utilization of potentially valuable biomass products that currently largely go to waste.

Ike's impact on Terrebonne Parish

While it is understandable that much of Hurricane Ike's impact in the gulf region is focused on Texas, it's impact on Louisiana should not be overlooked. In Terrebonne Parish alone, some 15,000 homes were swamped by storm surge created by Ike. Governor Jindal has been very vocal about the false economy of not taking action toward coastal restoration and strengthening the levee system, then spending fantastic amounts of money to repeatedly repair flooded homes and businesses. Rita was far more devastating in Terrebonne Parish than was Katrina in 2005. Similarly, even though Terrebonne Parish took a direct hit from Gustav, the flooding that was created by Ike will be harder to recover from. Imagine having a home flooded out by a hurricane, only to see it get flooded out again only three years later. Ike exacted a severe psychological blow to those living in vulnerable communities in lower Terrebonne Parish. Experts on coastal restoration point out that 40 years ago, Ike wouldn't have had anywhere near the impact that it did in 2008 in southern Louisiana. They also have pointed out that a stronger levee only two feet higher would have prevented almost all of the flooding that occurred in Terrebonne Parish.

Consider this. We will be paying in excess of $400 million to complete the 700-mile partially built border fence between Mexico and the U.S., not to mention the billions it costs each year to patrol the border. Perhaps we should take this money and spend it on coastal protection projects and let the illegals do the building. Sounds like a win-win solution to me.

Above picture was taken from the Houma Courier.

Post-Gustav Report

Here it is, Thursday evening, September 11, ten days after Hurricane Gustav roared through Louisiana, causing the largest evacuation of people in Louisiana’s history, and nearly half of the State to be without power. Although I evacuated to Thibodaux, only 25 minutes from Houma to be on higher ground, because Thibodaux is in Lafourche Parish, I could not officially return to Houma until Friday due to the curfew imposed on re-entering Terrebonne Parish to see what damage may have occurred to our property.

I stayed with our new Bishop, Chris Diket, and his family. I arrived Sunday morning at his house. By early Monday morning, we could hear the wind pick up, and by 10:00 am, Hurricane-force winds were slamming into Thibodaux. We could see the eye of the storm going over Houma on TV, and we knew it would be a matter of minutes before we would be without power. Chris’s daughters were looking out the front door when a carport ripped off from a house across the road and sheared an electric pole in half, causing the wires from the top half of the pole to dangle in the middle of the road, making the road in front of their house impassable. Large trees started falling on people’s homes. Shingles and other debris were flying everywhere.

After a few hours, the storm passed. It started raining fiercely, and the Diket home started springing so many leaks that there weren’t enough pots and pans to contain them. The wind was still blowing too hard for the Bishop and I to get on the roof to put a tarp over the most seriously damaged area. For the balance of the day, the Bishop was very busy answering phone calls. He had an hour-long conference call with New Orleans Stake President Scott Conlin and the other bishops in the Stake from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. This was repeated every evening while I was in their home.

On Tuesday, the Bishop and I spent most of the day on the Bishop’s roof, tacking down shingles and tarpaper. I think we did a pretty good job of stopping the leaking.

On Wednesday, I sat in a line of cars for over two hours to get gas for the Bishop’s car, while the Bishop stood in a nearby line at Lowe’s to pick up some essentials. We rode around afterward to assess damage done at nearby members’ homes.

On Thursday evening, I found a back way into Houma and decided to see how well I could handle the night without air conditioning. I was amazed that there was no shingle damage at our house. Most of the neighborhood homes had shingle damage, some quite severe, but not a shingle was missing at our house. Staying overnight was pretty awful. I regretted that I didn’t stay a fifth night at the Dikets. My generator quit running properly after a while so I didn’t even have a fan running Thursday evening.

On Friday, I went to the work place, and was shocked to see the level of damage done to our greenhouses. I was equally shocked to see that six out of seven carts of breeding canes were healthy and green. How was this even possible, since we were all under mandatory evacuation? I fully expected the breeding canes to be dead or in very bad condition from lack of water. One of our senior technicians apparently stayed in the main building to ride out the storm, so he was on the premises to care for the plants. A big aluminum door that blew in from the front of the greenhouse damaged most of the plants on one cart. I helped move salvageable plants from this cart to an area where they could be hooked up to a watering system. I spent the balance of the day picking up glass after the above-mentioned technician had a shard of glass go 4-inches deep into the calf of his leg. Another scientist on site rushed him to the local hospital. Our Bishop found a used generator for me to use until we got our power back, which I was deeply grateful for. Nevertheless, I set up our tent in the evening and slept outdoors, and found the outdoors to be much more pleasant, because of greater airflow and temperature drop outdoors.

On Saturday, I learned of the severity of the damage done at the farm from Ed Dufrene. Apparently the shop area took a real beating. I went in to the work place for about four hours, spending the whole time picking up glass. After leaving work, I went directly to the church, amazingly getting there exactly when a shipment of supplies arrived from the Church, so I assisted in offloading the supplies from large trailer truck. In the evening, I slept in the tent again.

On Sunday, I picked up glass again at work for about 2-hrs, then cleaned up and went to church. We had church in a small room rather than in the main chapel area. We actually had about 1/4 our normal attendance. I was surprised that there was even that many people at church. I slept indoors this time with a fan blowing on me, and let some kids in our neighborhood sleep in the tent.

On Monday, one week out from Hurricane, we no still no power. We were given the entire week off at work, but several people volunteered to come in, to assist in the cleanup. Most of us spent the day picking up more glass. I stayed over at a friend’s house, to do my laundry, to watch Monday night football, and to have a comfortable night’s sleep.

On Tuesday, power was back. Hurray! No more generator noise! Blue tarps are everywhere on people’s roofs. Streets are 6-ft deep with piles of wood on both sides of the road for long stretches. Stores are crowded and half empty. We made a few crosses at work, worked on the automated irrigation system to accommodate the plants re-located a few days earlier.

On Wednesday, I picked Judy up at the airport. It’s good to have her back. Things are definitely starting to feel more normal now.

On Thursday, I finally have Internet service back. The wind is blowing at tropical storm strength outdoors to remind us that there is another hurricane out there in the gulf called Ike, and that we just barely passed the peak of the hurricane season.

Hurricane Gustav heading for Louisiana's Gulf Coast

To follow what I am following to keep up with the status of Hurricane Gustav, I recommend the following sites: National Hurricane Center; BoatUS (shows current wind fields); WDSU (New Orleans TV Station) videos (especially "Forecasting Hurricane Gustav").

As of 4:00 p.m. (central time) today, Terrebonne Parish, where we live, is under a mandatory evacuation order. Those of us who stayed beyond 4:00 p.m. are entirely on our own. At the same hour the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch to Gulf Coast residents in eastern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, meaning that residents within this cone are potentially within 36 hours of hurricane conditions (winds & storm surge), with the projected path currently aimed slightly west of Houma. If the path holds, almost all of Terrebonne Parish could be under water, since we would be on the bad side of the storm. With continuing coastal erosion, much of Terrebonne Parish is under water to begin with.

I have been debating whether and where to go to get out of harm's way all morning, and there are several options that I vexed with. Needless to say, it probably seems pretty crazy that I would wait this long to make up my mind. Remember the uncertainty of the storm. Officials don't have the luxury of last minute guesswork; they are under obligation to play it way safe, especially after the Katrina fiasco.

1. I could stay here, and weather out the storm. Upside: I would know exactly what is going on at home, and could possibly lessen damage at home, such as moving critical items to the attic, if necessary. I know I have neighbors who are brave or dumb enough to stay put that I could lean on, since several have indicated they are staying. Downside: If the hurricane causes extensive damage to the house, my life would be in jeopardy, or at the very least, pretty much unbearable over the next several days.
2. I could stay at our LDS Chapel. Upside: It's only 1 mile away, a very sturdy building, and on slighly higher ground from where we live. Downside: No one else is planning to stay there as far as I know, so I would feel pretty isolated, and have the potential problem of being without electricity & water, and not able to go anywhere for several days because of extensive flooding.
3. I could stay at a friend's house who lives less than a half-hour away, but in little safer area, someone who is well equiped to cope with the storm. Upside: It's still close to home, I would have friends to be with, and life probably wouldn't be as extreme, as long as they have electricity, even if with a generator. Also, I can wait an extra day before deciding whether to leave Houma. Downside: Not too much, but obviously this option requires someone to extend the offer. (As it turns out, our newly-called Bishop, Chris Diket, offered his home for me to stay at, which fits the bill. He lives on at one of the highest elevation areas in Thibodaux, a college town (Nicholls State Univ.) located about 30 minutes from Houma. At the moment, this is the option that is most appealing to me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate his offer!)
4. I could stay with friends further away. Upside: Still with friends, less hardship. Downside: Greater distance from home. Several have offered, and I appreciate greatly their offers.
5. I could stay at one of the New Orleans Louisiana Stake designated evacuation shelters, namely either at the Alexandria Louisiana Stake Center or the Jackson Mississippi Stake Center. Upside: I would be with other saints in the same situation. Downside: Considerable distance from home, lack of privacy, still pretty much fending for myself.
6. I could stay with my nephew Blaine Tew. The only relative I have living within 5 hours from Houma, extended an offer for me to stay with him and his family. They live in Crestview, Florida, near Pensacola, just barely outside the cone of danger. While this offer has great appeal, and while I know they would be wonderful hosts, the distance is pretty extreme. All of the contraflow will shortly be going in the wrong direction, both on I-10 and I-12, so at this late date, this option doesn't look very viable.

From vacation to hurricane watch

Judy and I just completed a two week vacation out west (Utah and Idaho), which explains the blog break. Judy went on to Indiana to spend a few days with Julie, Matt and our grandchildren. As it turns out, her decision to extend her stay away from Houma couldn't have been more timely. As everyone knows by now, we in southern Louisiana have the eminent threat of a hurricane (Gustav) to contend with. Terrebonne Parish may have a mandatory evacuation in effect by noon Saturday. Terrebonne Parish is one of the most vulnerable counties/parishes in the U.S. to storm surge, which is the result of being on the bad side of a hurricane coming through. To illustrate, though Katrina was much closer to Houma exactly three years ago to the day, it was Rita that did by far the most damage because of the extensive flooding that resulted from storm surge. We are even more vulnerable now than before Rita, and this one could be closer, so a lot of local people are getting very nervous. Good thing Judy bought me a kayak last Christmas. And just think, Judy and I were picking wild huckleberries in Idaho's mountains near Cascade (where Judy grew up) with hurricanes being the last thing on our minds on Monday this week. What a change!

Professional interests outside sugarcane

In high school, I imagined myself someday becoming an airplane mechanic. Toward the end of HS, a shop teacher who I respect greatly, taught us how to make blueprints of what we were going to build (the classic top view, side view, and end view concept). I really fell in love with making blueprints, and enjoyed art generally even though I wasn’t all that good at it. By the time I went off to college, I was determined to be a draftsman, and took a number of relevant courses the first year. Somewhere along the way toward the end of my freshman year, I realized that being a draftsman would mean that I would be in a union, and the thought of being in a union really turned me off. I wasn’t smart enough to be an architect, so I turned to my roots, namely agriculture. Thinking back, I’m somewhat surprised that I didn’t discover landscape architecture along the way. I’m almost certain that if I had, this would have been the direction I would have gone.

Having come from a dairy farm background, my orientation was more animal science than plant science, but my coursework gradually shifted, as I really enjoyed botany and plant genetics. Not breaking entirely away from animals, I did research projects in forage legumes (sainfoin) at a B.S. level, then forage grass (reed canarygrass) at an M.S. level, and finally, barley at a Ph.D. level.

Somehow, in spite of all this, I ended up working on a sugar crop. The final choices were sugarbeets with Northrup King in North Dakota with the enticing opportunity to spend the first two years in Germany, or sugarcane in exotic Hawaii. Dr. Heinz, my future mentor at Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association (HSPA), picked a day when it was about –10 F at the University of Minnesota, and asked if I had made up my mind. I pretty much had anyway, but I have since wondered if he had been tracking the temperature, because the timing of his call couldn’t have been much better.

While in Hawaii, I took a side interest in turfgrass after I discovered how fast, easy, and profitable it was to grow sod on black plastic. It was an accidental discovery, not something I read out of a book. My interest in turfgrass led me to spend weekends establishing people’s lawns. Before I left HSPA in 1990 and joined Southern Turf Nurseries (STN) as their Hawaii GM, I had established close to 100 lawns. STN was in the golf course grassing business, so joining this company was definitely going from the minor league to the major league…going from 1/5 of an acre per project, to 270 acres on our first golf course grassing project, which was the Hawaii Prince Golf Club at Ewa Beach (see GoogleEarth pic above). My stay with STN only lasted a little more than 2 years, when project opportunities dried up as a result of Japan going into a depression.

While at STN, I established the largest sod farm on Oahu from the ground up, meaning that it was my job to clear the land (dozer), set up the irrigation system, create separation between beds (tractor trencher), build a fence, and purchase temporary buildings and appropriate farm equipment. To this day, the 40’ wide black plastic beds with 6” width trenches (up to 3' deep) between them can be seen on from space within the city limits of Kahuku, Hawaii (see GoogleEarth pic above). We only had about 10 acres to work with, but we could turn over sod every two months by growing sprigs sandwiched in ½ inch thick mulch on black plastic. The soilless sod was mainly used for lake banks and areas difficult to establish with sprigs on golf courses. Sprigs used directly on golf courses to establish fairways and greens were obtained on site from prior-established driving ranges or other features.

While I have returned to sugarcane research again, I still enjoy messing around with turf on the weekends. I brought a zoysiagrass variety to Houma that I bred and selected in Hawaii (from a cross between El Toro and Emerald) even before joining STN. I am extremely pleased with how it looks here, but I really can’t do any more than fool around with it as a hobby for the time being. Because it is fine leafed, it is ideal for small areas where people want something that is deep green, looks elegant, keeps weeds out, and requires very little maintenance. It actually looks better in moderate shade than in the full sun, which is a plus. When I returned to Hawaii after being away for 12 years, I was stunned and gratified at how well this zoysiagrass looked on the lawns that it was established on some 15 or more years earlier. I would say that it has stood the test of time. It was eventually given the name, Links by someone I had worked with in Hawaii…not a name I would personally selected, but nevertheless the name it has had over the past 15 years or so. Apparently, it is still being sold in Hawaii.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JULIE!!!

Wow, it's hard to imagine that our youngest daughter, Julie, has been married to her husband, Matt, for six years, and that they have three children. Time does fly. In a conversation between Allison and Lauren, their two older children, following a funeral, Allison told Lauren that people don't die until they get really old, like 50. Well, at age 60, let's just say we have rather different perspectives on whether 50 is really old. Another thing that is hard to imagine is that my brother, Fred, when he was my exact age, had a house full of kids and a 3-year old as his youngest. I get tired, just thinking about that one!

I wish Julie the very best on her birthday. We're very proud of what she has accomplished thus far in her life. Again, happy birthday, Julie.

BP and Verenium strike a $90 million deal

Verenium is back in the news again, this time after having formed a partnership with British petroleum giant, BP. As part of the deal, BP agreed to provide $90 million for rights to Verenium's technology and to fund research and development until 2010. Beyond the 18-month announced alliance, the two companies said they will establish a joint venture that will build and operate a full-scale production facility. Quoting Sue Ellerbusch, president of BP Biofuels North America, "We believe energy crops like sugarcane, miscanthus, and energy cane are the best feedstocks to deliver economic, sustainable and scaleable biofuel to the world." Verenium just built and started up a 1.5 million gallon per year demonstration-scale cellulosic plant in Jennings, Louisiana. President and CEO Carlos Riva said on Wednesday the company hopes to begin building a commercial plant next year and to start producing fuel from that plant in 2011. I assume this will be a 30 million gallon per year commercial plant when completed.

Tropical Storm Edouard

Tropical Storm Edouard came up rather suddenly in the Gulf of Mexico. It is taking aim at Galveston, Texas, but will definately affect the coastal areas of Louisiana. Terrebonne Parish, where we live, is as vulnerable as any coastal parish, and those living further down the bayou than we do, will be impacted, not so much from the wind, as from the storm surge and heavy rains. We are on the bad side of the storm, but it is not intense enough to do the kind of damage that Katrina and Rita did. Those in extreme SW Louisiana near the Texas border could possibly experience hurricane force winds, considerable storm surge, and torrential rains as they did with Rita, but not likely as damaging.

Speaking of bad storms at inconvenient times, it appears that the Beijing Olympic events, only days away, may experience lightning, thunder and rain on the day of the Olympic opening ceremony and possibly typhoons disrupting events in other host cities, according to weather forecasters.

Sugarcane research station works toward relocation

Wow, we were the lead story of the Houma Courier today with the header, "Sugar cane research station works slowly toward relocation." Our new facility seems to be an elusive dream, but the announcement of $3.2 million in federal money last week by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., being secured during the Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the Agriculture Appropriations Bill, is good news. The Bill is expected to head to a Senate vote later this year. I recommend that anyone interested in the future of sugarcane as both a sugar and energy crop read the entire article AND the related links.

Another compelling story in the Houma Courier had to do with an 11-year old boy who survived a vicious alligator attack on the North Shore in the Slidell area. It's well worth the read (along with the related link), just for the human interest side of this story, but more because it highlights how dangerous alligators can be in this area, especially when we start taking them for granted. The commonly used term, North Shore (which means something entirely different to surfers from Hawaii), refers to the north side of Lake Pontchartrain.

Sugarbeets and Sugarcane played important roles in LDS Church History

Sugarbeets and sugarcane were both surprisingly integral to the economic history of the LDS Church in Utah and Hawaii. Leonard J. Arrington, LDS Church Historian for several years, provided a brief synopsis of the beet sugar industry in Utah, in which he cited two of his own works, namely the widely acclaimed Great Basin Kingdom: An Economic History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900 (1958), and Beet Sugar in the West: A History of the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, 1891-1966 (1966). While visiting Salt Lake City, Utah some 30 years ago, I happened to spot a hardback copy of the latter book at a Deseret Bookstore. I got the urge to buy it, because, at the time, I was doing sugar research in Hawaii, and I knew that my father had worked in the beet sugar factory that was located in Spanish Fork, Utah, and that he had much experience with sugar beets. There was a connection. My brother, John, was visiting Utah at the same time. On a whim, I convinced John to join me in visiting Dr. Arrington at his residence in Salt Lake City. It was a very pleasant visit, considering that Dr. Arrington didn’t know either of us, and he agreed to sign the book. Sorry to say, when we left Hawaii in a rush in 1993, I believe that this book was one of the many casualties that never made it back to the mainland with us.

In Hawaii, the early Latter-day Saints settled in Laie, where they established a sugar plantation. It was later absorbed by the Kahuku plantation a few miles further northwest of Laie, which remained active until 1975, just two years shy of when Judy and I arrived in Hawaii. The history of sugarcane in Laie is woven into the outlined history of the town online. The most compelling picture at this website, related to sugarcane was taken around 1928 (see above), where one can easily see that the LDS Hawaii Temple grounds are practically surrounded by sugarcane. We lived on the windward side of Oahu in the town of Kahaluu, about 20 miles (30 minutes) from Laie. There was (and as far as I know still is) some abandoned sugarcane that can be observed from the road between Punaluu and Laie.

While sugarcane and sugarbeets played a significant role in the history of the Church, the role has long since diminished into insignificance…just nostalgic memories now.

Tropical Sugarbeets

Recently, I was made aware that a seed company, Syngenta, had some varieties of so-called Tropical Sugarbeets. They are targeted primarily for growers in India, for the same areas that sugarcane is grown in. There is an entire slide show available online introducing the tropical sugarbeet. I found it quite interesting, because it compares sugarbeets with sugarcane, primarily for the benefit of Indian farmers. The names of the three tropical beet varieties are Pasoda, Hi 0064, and Doratea. While recoverable sugar content in sugarcane is described as being in the 11-12% range, it is in the 15-16% range in sugarbeet. Any sugarcane farmer knows that sugar content greatly affects profitability, especially as energy costs associated with harvesting, hauling, and processing of the crop keep increasing. In relatively dry areas, sugarbeets have the advantage of requiring only about 1/3 as much water as does sugarcane to produce a crop. In relatively wet areas, sugarbeets have historically had a much greater problem with devastating diseases. Farmers in Louisiana have tried growing sugarbeets, and have had good success in getting a nice looking crop, only to see some disease destroy the crop almost overnight in the heat and humidity of the Louisiana's summers. I honestly don't know what advantages tropical sugarbeets have over non-tropical beets. I can only speculate that it would be in the areas of heat and disease resistance.

One question I have is whether sugarbeets have ever been tried in southern Louisiana in the wintertime. Louisiana is well known for its fall/winter gardens, and red beets (Beta vulgaris) which is the same species as sugarbeets, is most logically grown as a fall/winter vegetable, along with such other vegetables as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard (a relative), kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, shallots, and turnips. If red beets succeed in southern Louisiana as a fall/winter-grown vegetable, why not grow sugarbeets in Louisiana in the winter as well? In Louisiana, I would think that sugarbeets would best succeed in the more transition areas that sugarcane is grown in, i.e., north of I-10, and not so much in the deep south Bayou Country, particularly in the heavy soil areas. California has two distinctive areas where sugarbeets are grown. One is largely in the highly productive San Joaquin Valley where sugarbeets are a summer crop, planted in March/April and harvested in September/October; the other is in the hot Imperial Valley, just north of Mexico, where beets are a winter crop, planted in September and harvested in April/May/June, as I understand. I think it would be interesting to try to grow sugarbeets here in the fall, at least on a small experimental basis, and see what happens.

Dog Days of Summer in Southern Louisiana

I have always thought that the hottest and coldest days of the year follow the longest and shortest days by about one month. That would mean that this week would be the hottest...and it hasn't disappointed...it was hot and miserable. The last couple of days, I have been with the group where I work that visually evaluates commercial sugarcane variety candidates this time of year, grading, taking stalk counts, looking for disease and insect damage, and noting other characteristics. We usually join up with our peers from the Louisiana State University AgCenter at the later stages of testing, because our varieties are put in the same tests and evaluated together.

Frankly, I have a difficult time staying outdoors for very long this time of year. I will lose more than a gallon of water in the time it takes for me to mow our lawn (less than 1 hr). I can walk outdoors in the early morning when the humidity is 100% and do absolutely nothing. In 15-20 minutes, I'm soaking wet. I thought I knew what humidity was, having lived in Hawaii, but after moving here, I got re-educated. You can track our weather at our farm here at the Houma location.

Our spring-summer garden has finished producing, so I tilled it up this past weekend. It was a better than average year. We had 18 tomato plants and each produced about a 5-gallon bucket of tomatoes much of which Judy preserved as V-8 style tomato juice. Other successes from the garden were bush beans, cantaloupes, corn, cow peas, cucumbers, onions, peppers, and watermelons. Outside the garden area, we had a terrific harvest of blackberries and grapes. Judy preserved the grapes as bottled grape juice. Failures and near failures included broccoli, peas, and potatoes, all of which were simply planted the wrong time of year for southern Louisiana.

In the evening, it gets a little more comfortable. A good time to kick back and enjoy some Louisiana music such as found at the LouisianaTravel website. Click on "Listen" then "Listen now" and find your favorite flavor of local music.

Verenium Awarded DOE Grant to Support Cellulosic Ethanol Biorefinery in Jennings LA

Quoting the U.S. Department of Energy announcement on July 14, "The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the selection of two small-scale cellulosic biorefinery projects in Park Falls, Wis. and Jennings, La. for federal funding of up to $40 million over five years. These projects will further President Bush’s goal of making cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive with corn-based ethanol by 2012, and help reduce America’s gasoline use by expanding the availability of alternative and renewable transportation fuels." The Jennings facility is owned and operated by Verenium, headquarted at Cambridge, Massachusetts. Back in April, Verenium announced that it was commencing the start-up phase at its 1.4 million gallon per year cellulosic ethanol plant. The DOE grant money will be used to support ongoing activities at its demonstration-scale facility in Jennings. The primary feedstock is sugarcane bagasse which can be stored and utilized year around. If the cellulosic technology used at Verenium is validated, and shown to be economically feasable, the next step would be full-scale commercialization. I understand this would mean going from 1.4 million gallons per year to something like 30 million gallons per year. I wasn't able to be at the "commencement" ceremony, but I was able to see the earlier 70,000 gallon per year pilot plant operating. To me, that was pretty impressive. The process for converting biomass to ethanol is described at their website. Key to their success is the use of novel microorganisms developed by scientists at the University of Florida.

Sugarcane in California and Alabama

Within the U.S., sugarcane has been commercially grown in four states, namely Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii, and Texas. With renewed interest in sugarcane as a bioenergy crop, it appears that two additional states could become large-scale sugarcane growers, namely California and Alabama.

California. This state is already growing a significant amount of cane in the Imperial Valley, and has shown interest in experimenting with cane in the San Joaquin Valley as far north as Fresno. Of course, cane cannot compete with high value crops in the San Joaquin Valley, but there may be specific locations and/or situations where growing a versatile energy crop that has a low maintenance requirement would make sense. Whether cane is capable of being grown as far north as Fresno isn't even the issue. There is no doubt that it can. The minimum winter temperatures there are no different than those in the north end of Louisiana's sugar belt (just south of Alexandria). The Hmong community has been marketing sugarcane stalks grown around Fresno for years, and the varieties they use look to be the more tropical large-barreled chewing cane types that they probably brought with them from SE Asia.

Alabama. This state is thinking very seriously about getting into energy cane production. From a temperature standpoint, there should be no problem in growing sugarcane, particularly in the southern end of the State. If Alabama makes a commitment to produce ethanol from sugarcane by building a plant, they will be obligated to start increasing sugarcane quickly and substantially. This will be interesting to watch.

SPEBSQSA changed to BHS

The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America has now become the Barbershop Harmony Society, while retaining the old title on their books for legal and sentimental reasons. This is the official organization for barbershop choruses and quartets in the U. S. The organization is actually international with a fairly sizeable number of chapters in Canada, the U. K., and elsewhere.

I was fortunate enough to have been part of a very successful barbershop chorus (Skyline Chorus) in Utah Valley while living in Provo. I miss the comradery that was felt, being part of this wonderful organization, and dearly wish we had a chorus close to home here in the Houma-Thibodaux area. There are barbershop choruses in Baton Rouge (Showboat Chorus) and New Orleans (Mardi Gras Chorus). Choruses are able to perform throughout the year in a wide range of venues. They usually put on an annual show, inviting world class quartets (often very humorous) to be part of their show. They also compete with each other at a regional level, and if good enough, at an international level. The Society just had their most recent international competition (early July) in Nashville. Choruses also have breakout quartets that perform on the side in their own venues.

To get a flavor of what a barbershop chorus is like, and a sense of why I miss being part of one as much as I do, I found this video made by The Southern Gateway Chorus based in Cincinnati. Go to their website and click on "Irish Blessing." This brief song, and how it is harmonized, will give you a sense why participants often describe barbershop singing as a spiritual experience. Some of the patriotic songs we sang brought tears to my eyes every time I sang them. And of course, barbershop wouldn't be barbershop without havin' a fun time while singing some hilarious songs, and doing some pretty silly antics on stage while singing them. Check out the Chordiac Arrest Quartet...they're one of the best, when it comes to keeping the audiences entertained!

Finally, getting back to that original acronym, SPEBSQSA. Back in Utah, how we remembered it was, "Stake Presidents & Bishops should quit singing altogether!" (only LDS members may appreciate this)