Ohio State University Vertical Farming Analysis Section 3: Ideas on how to implement vertical farming in both large farm areas and smaller suburban areas.

Ohio State University Vertical Farming Analysis Section 3: Ideas on how to implement vertical farming in both large farm areas and smaller suburban areas. What does vertical farming require to be successful? Section 4: What are the key benefits of vertical farming? What resources are saved through vertical farming and which resources are consumed?Write two sections with with Library Research. No need for other parts800-1000wordsrequirement and sample file below Formal Proposal Writing Rubric
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Letter of Transmittal
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audience/client
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/5
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Comments
Are Organic Foods
Worth the Cost?
F
R
A
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Prepared for:
Roberto Rodriguez
Bay Area Regional Manager
Safeway
Prepared by:
Aashna Sinha
Tiberius Stanescu
Denise Rozporka
Marketing Director
V.P. Business Development
Soils Engineer
Amber Gray
Nutritionist
Food Research and Analysis Corporation
F
R
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Food Research and Analysis Corporation
1625 North First Street, Suite 105
San Jose, California 95112
408.223.4562
May 4, 2010
Roberto Rodriguez, Bay Area Regional Manager
Safeway
6477 Fremont Boulevard
San Jose, CA 95120
Dear Mr. Rodriguez:
We are happy to present you the research report, “Are Organic Foods Worth the Cost?”, you requested to
help train your employees on the differences between organic vs. conventional foods and better
understand organic food labeling. This report and Organic Food Seminar training will enable your staff
to educate customers on how to make more informed food choices while increasing service and sales.
Understanding what organic and conventional foods are begins with learning the difference between
organic and conventionally raised crops. Our report takes you from seed to store by discussing farming
methods, providing detailed information on organic food labeling, and determining whether or not
organic food is more nutritious than conventional food.
Customers choose to buy organic food for many reasons. But if the main reason is to reduce pesticide
intake, we encourage you to provide and tell your customers to choose organic for produce notoriously
sprayed with synthetic pesticides, “The Dirty Dozen”, but buy conventionally for less sprayed crops, “The
Consistently Clean”. Since you have had so many customer inquiries on this issue, providing this
information as well as farming practices and labeling definitions will greatly increase customer service
and satisfaction by letting people know you care enough to go the extra mile for their well being. As you
know, happy customers are returning customers and thus increased sales.
We enjoyed doing research for you and look forward to hearing about Safeway’s increased success.
Sincerely,
Aashna Sinha, Marketing Director
Tiberius Stanescu, V.P. Business Development
Denise Rozporka, Soils Engineer
Amber Gray, Nutrionist
ii
Table of Contents
Transmittal Letter………………………………………………………….
ii
Table of illustrations………………………………………………………
iv
Executive Summary……..……………………………………………….
v
Introduction………………………………………………………………..
1-3
Research and Findings……………………………………………………
4-15
Organic and Conventional Farming…………………………….
4
Fertilizing…………………………………………………………
4-6
Pest Control…………………………………………………….
7-8
Food Labeling……………………………………………………..
9
Produce Nuts and Grains……………………………………..
9
Packaged Foods………………………………………………
9-11
Eggs Meat and Dairy…………………………………………
11-12
Nutrition……………………………………………………………
12-13
Is Organic Food More Nutritious?………………………………..
12-13
Why buy organic?…………………………………………………………..
14-15
To buy or not to buy………………………………………….
14-15
Budget……………………………………………………………………..
16
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………
17
Works Cited…………………………………………………………………
18
Works Referenced………………………………………………………..
19
Food Research and Analysis Corporation
Table of Illustrations
Figure 1: Microbial Biomass Decreases With Depth………………………. 5
Figure 2: Soil Depletion……………………………………………………….. 6
Figure 3: Nitrate Leaching……………………………………………………. 6
Figure 5: Mount Atlas Daisy………………………………………………….. 7
Figure 6: Pesticide Drift……………………………………………………….. 8
Figure 7: Percentage of Foods With Detectable Pesticide Residues……. 8
Figure 8: What Do They All Mean?………………………………………………….. 9
Figure 9: Organic Label Variations…………………………………………
10
Figure 10: Organic Food Logos……………………………………………… 11
Figure 11: Nutrient panel……………………………………………………
13
Table 1: Organic vs. Conventional Farming………………………………… 4
Table 2: Carbon / Nitrogen Ratios…………………………………………… 5
Table 3: Animal Product Label Definitions………………………………….. 12
Table 4: Dirty Dozen and Consistently Clean Produce……………………. 15
Food Research and Analysis Corporation
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Executive Summary
We are promoting nationwide costumer education on organic vs. non-organic foods. This
report and accompanied training will enable your staff to educate customers on how to
make more informed food choices while increasing service and sales.
We propose to educate grocery store workers on the pros and cons of organic foods in
order to promote public awareness and health benefits. Since a large amount of organic
products are sold at grocery stores, employees could then educate customers about
healthier food choices.
Organic and conventional foods have their similarities as well as their differences. Since
organic food can more easily be defined and distinguished by determining the difference
from conventional food, we have focused our research on revealing the discrepancies.
The major difference between organic and conventional produce is the way it is farmed. In
addition to the difference in fertilization methods, organic farmers have developed new
ways to control pests. Regulations on organic livestock also play a big role in farming
methods.
At your local grocery store, organic foods can be easily distinguished from conventional
foods by looking for the label. Produce is either conventional or organic. However, there
are different types of organic labeling that can make choosing a product confusing.
There is no strong evidence that suggests organic food is healthier for you. The nutrition a
food contains has to do with the way it’s raised and thus the soil quality.
The good news to your customer is you can save money on groceries by buying some foods
conventionally as they are sprayed with synthetic pesticides less often or almost never.
Your customer will appreciate such helpful information on how to meet their health food
needs for the best price by remaining loyal to your grocery store.
The project’s overall budget for South Bay Area Regional Safeway stores is $117,720. The
cost per store is estimated at $8,000. Each seminar or online tutorial will take two hours to
administer. Each employee will receive a copy of this report for referencing. After the
employee feels comfortable with their knowledge base a quiz will be given.
Food Research and Analysis Corporation
v
Introduction
Background
Organic foods have become a market hype the last few years, but there is still little
information about the benefits of paying the higher price per quantity. The majority of
people have a general knowledge of what organic products are, but don’t know the
advantages and disadvantages of using them. They will more likely purchase products that
they have used before or those with a popular brand name instead of choosing a foreign
looking and expensive organic product.
In order to persuade people into buying ‘healthier’ products, they must be educated on the
advantages and disadvantages of conventional vs. organic foods. Initially, it may not be
feasible to teach the whole population about this topic, but by educating a certain group of
people, your customers; we can get the word out to the rest of the population.
We began our research by evaluating different farming methods. There are distinct
regulations placed on organic farmers that change the way things are done. Fertilization is
one of the main differences in conventional and organic farming.
While a conventional farmer may apply chemical fertilizers, the organic farmer is limited to
the use of natural fertilizers. The conventional farmer applies synthetic pesticides, the
organic farmer may plant pest resistant crops near susceptible crops, rely on birds and
harmless insects to eat the pests, or use natural insecticide sprays.
A conventional farmer may administer growth hormones and antibiotics to his livestock.
Not only is this illegal for an organic farmer but he must also provide his livestock with an
all organic diet and daily access to the outdoors.
Choosing healthy products can be confusing because of the different types of organic or
natural food labeling. Products displaying the USDA (United States Department of
Agriculture) Organic or any organic seal means a product is at least 95% organic. Using the
word organic, without the organic seal, on the front of a package means the product is at
least 70% organic. The product may contain conventionally grown or refined foods. Don’t
be fooled into thinking “organic” on the box means 100% or indicates it’s healthy.
If customers are looking to decrease their pesticide intake advise them to avoid buying
conventionally for foods called “The Dirty Dozen”. For a full listing of 45 foods ranked
from highest pesticide level to least go to www.foodnews.org/fulldataset.php.
Before you can understand the difference between an organic product and a conventional
product, you need to know what organic really means. For a product to be considered
organic, it must either come from an organic farm, or consist of products that come from
an organic farm. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certifies both
Food Research and Analysis Corporation
1
governmental and private organizations to inspect organic farms. After farms pass the
inspection they are certified organic.
Scope of Work
FRAC’s Organic Food Seminar opportunity will take action in the form of a two hour in
person or internet tutorial for grocery store employees. A quiz will then be given online to
ensure that Safeway employees understand the organic food information. Tutorials will be
posted on products that explain the extent of how organic a product is allowing employees
to better understand the health food trends taking place. Educated employees create a
more customer friendly environment.
Your employees will understand how to analyze organic content information on packages
and nutrition labels. Revealing the truth about products will help gain trust from regular
shoppers, and hopefully other shoppers that want to follow in their peer’s footsteps.
Advertising organic food education at your grocery store will spread the word on your
increased customer service and commitment to help customers get their money’s worth.
Bus stop ads and poster advertisements in front of the store will help show shoppers that
they have another option between organic and non-organic foods and why make either
decision.
Mainstream grocery stores such as Safeway and Whole Foods would be targeted to expose
information about organic food. Chain stores have the means and the money to
experiment with such changes that would show to be beneficial to customers and for
business. When and if this form of advertising is successful it can be used in smaller stores
so that this marketing tactic can be profitable to other companies that sell these organic
products. It will also be beneficial to the organic food shopping needs of customers in
smaller cities that do not have access to mainstream grocery stores.
TASK SCHEDULE

PROPOSAL
4/10/10‐4/14/10
ESTIMATED BUDGET
4/14/10‐4/17/10
ADVERTISING
4/17/10‐4/20/10
EMPLOYEE TRAINING
4/20/10‐4/25/10
SIGN
4/21/10‐4/30/10
TEST RUN
4/25/10‐4/30/10
REVISE
5/01/10‐5/04/10
IMPLEMENT TO OTHER STORES
5/05/10
Food Research and Analysis Corporation
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Are Organic Foods Really Worth Buying?
Is this a question that you are confronted with on a daily basis? Maybe we can help you
respond politely by presenting the facts on both ends. Although some people may value
your opinion, others may not like being told what to do. The following report, presented
by the Food Research and Analysis Corporation (FRAC), is designed to prepare you for
the questions a customer may have regarding organic food.
About the Food Research and Analysis Corporation (FRAC)
Mission Statement
Our purpose is to independently research and analyze
existing food information to provide other companies,
government, and the public with the most clear and upto-date credible information available.
Objectives
Our objective is to increase your knowledge of food
production, sales, and consumption by getting the facts.
We did this by researching relative articles and studies as
well as going straight to the source and talking to organic
farmers. Our research is presented in a format that will
take you from seed to plate and is organized as follows:
•
Organic and Conventional Farming
•
Food Labeling
•
Nutrition
How Does This Benefit You?
This report is intended to present an un-biased viewpoint. Since customers are likely to
have different opinions, objective information will be most beneficial to help you fully
understand the matter and become a more valued, resourceful employee.
Food Research and Analysis Corporation
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Research and Findings
Since there are so many similarities between organic and conventional food, we chose to
point out the major differences. The easiest way to start is to find out where the food
comes from. It all begins at the farm.
Organic and Conventional Farming
Both organic and conventional farmers are allowed the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
Organic farmers, however, face additional restrictions. Organic livestock may not be
injected with growth hormones or antibiotics and organic farmers may only use natural
fertilizers and insecticides.
Organic Vs Conventional Farming
Organic
Fertilizers
Pest
Control
Livestock
Conventional
Apply natural fertilizers, use
sustainable practices
Rotate crops, till, hand weed,
spray organic pesticides
Use chemical fertilizers
Spray synthetic pesticides and
herbicides
Feed organic diet, allow
access to outdoors
Administer growth hormones
and antibiotics
Table 1: The basic differences between organic and conventional farming.
Fertilizing
Plants are fertilized by ensuring high levels of nitrogen in the soil. Unfortunately, plants
can not break down organic nitrogen. They use two types of nitrogen that must be
naturally converted or applied chemically, nitrate (NO3-), and ammonium (NH4+). The
main difference between organic and conventional fertilizing is the way in which nitrates
and ammoniums are administered to the soil.
Organic Fertilizing
On the organic farm, nitrogen and carbon are added to the soil in the form of organic
matter. Then, microbes break down the organic nitrogen and convert it to inorganic
nitrogen that plants can absorb. According to a report done for Colorado State University,
“Microbes use carbon to build cells and nitrogen to synthesize proteins” (Barbarick).
When these microorganisms synthesize proteins, the byproduct is nitrate and ammonium.
Now the plant can use the nitrogen in the soil.
(Nitrogen + Carbon + Microbes) = (Ammonium + Nitrate)
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Carbon / Nitrogen Ratios
Material
Sewage Sludge
Alfalfa
Sheep manure
Beef cattle
manure
Swine manure
Poultry manure
Dairy cattle
manure
Horse manure
Small grain, corn
stalks
Sawdust,
woodchips
Estimated
C:N
12:1
13:1
17:1
17:1
17:1
18:1
25:1
50:1
80:1
400:1
Table 2: The estimated carbon to
nitrogen ratios of commonly used
organic matter.
Since the quantity of nitrate and
ammonium is directly proportional to the
population of microbes in the soil, it is
important for farmers to provide ideal
conditions for hosting microbial life. As
you can see from Figure 1 (right), most of
the microbial biomass is located near the
surface of the soil. This is why organic
matter is spread topically and soil is not
turned over while tilling. Conventional
farmers, on the other hand, tend to turn
over large quantities of soil and
chemically fertilize the soil that yields low
microbial life.
It is important for the organic farmer to
consider the organic matter chosen for
fertilizer. If the residue has a carbon to
nitrogen ratio, (C:N), of less than 20:1, it
is considered to have high nitrogen
content. On the other hand, if the ratio is
greater than 20:1, the soil may experience
nitrogen deficiencies. In this case, there
is not enough nitrogen for the potential
number of microbes so additional
fertilizers are typically added.
Some organic matter takes longer to
break-down therefore releasing nitrates
more slowly for a longer duration of time.
Also, certain manures may have a higher
salt content. This is why carbon rich
matter, such as horse manure (see Table
2), may still be used despite its lack of
nitrogen.
source:
http://images.google.com/imgresimgurl=http://soils.u
da.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/images/soil_f1.url=http
Figure 1: Graphic representation of the
location of the microbe population.
In addition to spreading organic matter and taking care not to disturb the microbial
biomass, farmers tend to rotate their crops. Shallow rooted crops are switched with deeper
rooted crops after harvesting so usable nitrogen can be extracted from all levels of the soil.
Certain plants, such as legumes, will help restore nitrate back to the soil. Organic
fertilization has its benefits as well as its draw backs. The major benefit is that this method
is “environmentally friendly”. Soil quality is maintained if not increased. The only
problem is that it may take several years to achieve the desired soil quality. Naturally
inducing nitrogen can be a slow process. The only alternative is to apply nitrate and
ammonium directly in the form of chemical fertilizers.
Food Research and Analysis Corporation
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Conventional Fertilization
To ensure fertile soil, conventional farmers will apply chemical fertilizers. Nitrate and
ammonium is introduced directly to the soil and plants have all the nitrogen they need.
The result is a boom in nitrogen levels and rapid plant growth. The benefit of chemical
fertilizing is immediate increase in production. The draw back is the long-term depletion
of soil quality and e…
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