Fun fact! Raisin production was once one of the most labor-intensive crop activities in North America, requiring between 40,000 and 50,000 workers in a typical six-week harvest to cut bunches of green grapes and lay them to dry in the sun. However, labor shortages led to the use of a new method called dried-on-the-vine, which allows for machine harvesting of the dried raisins.
Fun fact! For 3.2 billion people, at least 20% of their intake of animal protein is obtained from consuming fish.
Fun fact! The number of people over the age of 60 will rise to 2 billion by 2050, making up 22% of the total global population.
Fun fact! Reducing salt intake to less than 5 grams per day is one of the most cost-effective measures to improve one’s health outcomes, with the potential to generate an extra year of healthy life. Cutting processed food from one’s diet is a good place start as 80% of salt in the diet comes from processed food.
Fun fact! Pulses which are dry edible seeds in the legume family such as chickpeas or lentils can improve soil fertility. This is because nitrogen-fixing bacteria in pulses transform nitrogen from the atmosphere into fixed nitrogen compounds such as ammonia which can be used by plants and imparted to the soil, reducing the need for fertilizer. When utilized in crop rotation, pulses help increase the soil microbial biomass and the fixed nitrogen will benefit subsequent crops.
Fun fact! Field mustard, scientifically named Brassica rapa L., is a valuable winter annual or rotational cover crop in vegetable and specialty crops, such as wine grapes, because of its potential to prevent erosion, suppress weeds and soil-born pests, alleviate soil compaction, scavenge nutrients. Cultivars of the Brassica rapa species include broccoli raab, turnip, and napa cabbage. It is also used as a cultivar for canola oil.
Fun fact! Sorghum cultivars are being intensively studied for their potential as a biofuel source because of their high biomass yield and sugar production. The sugars produced by sorghum give it an economical advantage over starch-based crops for biofuel use. Sorghum is also drought resistant and salt tolerant, making it possible to grown on marginal land, another advantage.
Fun fact! Pecan shellers and farmers who shell their own pecans can sell pecan shells for use in products such as particle board and landscape mulches to add value to their crop.
Fun fact!Cattle account for 83% of global milk production, followed by buffaloes (14%), goats (2%), sheep (1%), and camels (0.3%).
Fun fact! Around the globe, 1.3 million metric tons of food are lost or wasted each year. This amounts to 1/3 of all food produced for human consumption.
Fun fact! Forests contain over 80% of terrestrial biodiversity. Of the 60,000 tree species that exist, only 2,400 of them are actively managed for products and services. Globally, over 700 species are included in tree improvement programs.
Fun fact! Of the 40 domesticated mammalian and bird species, only eight provide more than 95% of the human food supply from livestock.
Fun fact! There are an estimated 160,000 species of fish and aquatic mollusks, crustaceans and plants, of which only 1.1% are currently fished or harvested, and only 0.3% of which are currently farmed.
Fun fact! Shiitake mushrooms can be produced by placing cultured fungus called spawn into holes drilled in fresh cut hardwood. These logs are then incubated under forest shade for about a year before fruiting begins. The most recommended wood for production is the oak genus of the beech family.
Fun fact! High quality macadamia nuts contain at least 72% oil. Because of the oil’s rich, cushiony feel, and high oxidative stability, oil extracted from macadamia nuts is suitable for use in skincare formulations such as heavy creams, soaps, sunscreens, and shampoos.
Fun fact! While the primary market for earthworms is for recreational fishing, there is a growing earthworm market for composting. The two types of earthworms best suited for composting are the redworms Eisenia foetida (commonly known as red wiggler, brandling, or manure worm) and Lumbricus rubellus.
Fun fact! Milkweed provides strong fibers for making cord, rope, and for weaving coarse cloth. Fibers from the stems of milkweed have been identified in prehistoric textiles found in the Pueblo region, and Tewa-speaking people of the Rio Grande still use these fibers to make string and rope. At the Zuni Pueblo, the silky seed fibers are spun on a wooden spindle, made into yarn, and woven into fabric.
Fun Fact! Fava beans are rich in the amino acid L-DOPA; the precursor to the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine.
Fun fact! All parts of the cassava plant contain cyanogenic glucosides, which are toxic. Boiling the leaves, as well as peeling and boiling the cassava root renders it safe to eat.
Fun fact! Mango trees can live a very long time, with some still producing fruit at 300 years old.
Fun Fact! Native Americans would make a hot poultice of ground chia to apply to infected areas of the body inside of a cloth or bandage. The Europeans eventually adopted this method, and early California mission fathers claimed that chia made the finest poultice for gunshot wounds.
Fun Fact! About 90% of wild flowering plants, and 75% of the world’s crops depend at least in part on animal pollination. Pollinators include over 20,000 different bee species as well as butterflies, wasps, moths, beetles, birds, bats, and other vertebrates. Unfortunately, 16.5% of vertebrate pollinator species are threatened with extinction globally, and 40% of invertebrate pollinator species – bees and butterflies in particular – are facing extinction.
Fun Fact! Of the almost 400,000 plant species globally, little over 6,000 plant species have been cultivated for food, and only 9 species account for over 66% of all crop production.
Fun Fact! Date palms can reach heights of 75 feet, and most of the work of harvesting dates is done within the crown of the palm. In parts of the U.S., climbing is still a method used to harvest fruit or perform other maintenance. The workers that do this are called “palmeros.”
Fun Fact! One cup of chickpeas offers 29% of the daily value of protein and 49% of the daily value of fiber.
Fun Fact! Besides being 92% water, watermelons are also rich in nutrients. One cup of diced, fresh watermelon offers 21% of the daily value (DV) for vitamin C, 18% of the DV for vitamin A, and significant levels of vitamin B6, lycopene, antioxidants, and amino acids.
Fun Fact! While American and European gooseberries share the common name of “gooseberry” with many other fruits, there are distinct differences. Common fruits that share the name “gooseberry” but do not belong to the same species include: Cape gooseberry, Chinese gooseberry, and Indian gooseberry.
Fun Fact! In the U.S., sesame oil is used as a medical carrier for injected drugs or intravenous drip solutions. This oil is extracted from high-quality seed and is more refined than oil intended for human consumption in food.
Fun fact! Oil derived from ratites, a family of flightless birds that includes emus and ostriches, is used extensively in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries because of the oil’s reputable moisturizing, penetrating, and therapeutic qualities for humans and animals.
Fun Fact! The most commercially produced mushrooms are the Agaricus species. Pennsylvania leads the production of Agaricus mushrooms in the U.S., supplying more than 50% of the nation’s production, with California in second place with 18%.
