AG-TO-Z-PEDIA

Feb 15, 2008 12:00 PM, From Editor Karen McMahon

Putting Together an alphabetical list of emerging trends and products in agriculture is a tough job. Should we use auto steering for A or the autonomous tractor? Staff members argued for and against different trends and products. Alas, the lobbying had to stop, and our final list starts on page 17.

Some of the interesting terms we left out include “locavore” and its opposite, “distavore.” Locavore was named “2007 word of the year” by the New Oxford American Dictionary and it means buying food locally, within 100 miles of home. We Minnesotans seriously attempting to be locavores could be in trouble. We would have to say good-bye to fresh fruits and vegetables for the winter and hello to only frozen and canned corn, beans, Big Boy tomatoes and peas.

Distavore, coined by Time magazine columnist Joel Stein, refers to buying food produced a distance of about 3,000 miles from home. His tongue-in-cheek term promotes the globalization of food.

Another term in this category is “country of origin” that refers to labeling where food originates. Congress is considering this labeling requirement in the farm bill. Hopefully it will make allowances for livestock that start in one country and are shipped across the border to be finished in another country.

Adding to the list of what's new in ag could go on forever. So we're inviting you to tell us about the new farm products, technology and ideas you've discovered. Just send us an e-mail describing your find, and we'll add it to our expanded list posted on our Web site. Then go to farmindustrynews.com and click on the list, called “Ag-to-Z-pedia,” to learn about the newest trends in agriculture.