Farm to Fork Column

By: Victor Martino

Meet the farming side of Sears

Sears, the 132-year-old iconic department store chain, filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, October 15. It faced a whopping 132-million debt payment which it could not make.

Sears, the store where young Americans have no desire to shop but where their grandparents bought nearly everything, has a history of innovation, touching nearly every part of American business and society.

Among the iconic brands Sears has created in its century-plus of doing business include Craftsman (tools and household goods), Kenmore (appliances) and Diehard (automotive batteries).

Sears also has created or owned major companies such as the Allstate Insurance Company and the Dean Witter Stock Brokerage firm, both of which it later spun-off into Fortune 500 companies.

And the truly big achievement: Sears pioneered the mail-order catalog. The paper version of Amazon.

The Sears’ Catalog offered everything under the sun for sale, including mail-order houses, which came in kit form.

The houses were inexpensive, and took a mere 90-days to construct. No contractor needed, Sears said. It’s estimated that 70% of the houses the company sold from 1908 to 1940 are still standing and being lived in.

A major player in agriculture

What’s little known however about Sears is the major role it played in U.S. farming and agriculture.

For example, it’s inexpensive and durable work clothes and boots became a favorite among farmers throughout the U.S. thanks to the catalog, as did it’s Craftsman tools, Allstate tires and Diehard batteries.

Many a farm vehicle was powered by a Diehard and road on Allstate tires. It’s boots were know to take a beating on the farm and last for years.

The Sears Catalog allowed farmers in rural areas throughout the country to simply order what they needed when they needed it.

Freezing and snowing in rural South Dakota? No Sears store for 100 miles? No problem. The Sears Catalog was there. And the prices were far more reasonable and selection of goods far more extensive than what was offered at the local farm store.

Sears was once even a major player in the farm machinery business.

The Chicago-based company’s mission was to provide farmers with reliable, low-cost, efficient machinery, beginning first with horse-drawn and then later moving into mechanized equipment.

In 1910 Sears bought out Bradley, Illinois-based David Bradley Manufacturing Company, a manufacturer and seller of farm equipment.

The David Bradley Company was virtually unknown to farmers located outside its local market. But Sears changed that by putting the small company’s farm implements and equipment in its Sears Catalog. In just a few years David Bradley farm equipment became a household brand name to farmers throughout America.

Sears added thousands of farm implements to the existing David Bradley line, becoming a one-stop mail-order shop for farm equipment for farmers, regardless of where they were located. For example, the 1938 Graham-Bradley farm tractor, which could be ordered via the Sears Catalog, became a favorite of farmers in the U.S.

Sears also offered two tractor kits in its catalog for farmers to assemble themselves. These two “tractors-in-a-box” were called the Sears Economy and the Sears Thrifty. The tractors were powered by Chevrolet or Ford Model T or Ford Model A engines. (The farmer got to choose which one.) These affordable kits became known as the most reasonably priced reliable tractors and were very popular with farmers, who as we all know are very handy when it comes to building and fixing farm equipment, along with generally being frugal business people.

The David Bradley wooden flare box, a vehicle-pulled wagon-box used to haul crops and debris around a farm, was a familiar site on farms throughout America, particularly in the era before World War II when it was considered to be state-of-the-art equipment.

The David Bradley brand became so popular that Sears extended it into implements that also could be used off as well as on the farm, including lawn and garden equipment, barbeque grills, outdoor furniture and other related items.

Sears stopped selling farm implements and equipment around 1965-66. Its tractors, particularly the kits, and some of its other equipment, are sought after to this day by collectors, many of whom are farmers.

Lessons for agriculture

Did Sears play a major role in American agriculture? It sure did. How big of a role? Well, by 1895 and for over a half-century the Sears Catalog was known as the “farmer’s friend.” The 500-plus page book sold everything farm families needed, even including livestock.

Those days are long gone of course. And Sears’ days as a major American retailer are gone too. It’s also likely that Sears itself could disappear entirely.

But for over a half-century Sears was on the farm, as well as everywhere else in our lives.

I think it’s a legacy worth noting, as yet another piece of classic Americana disappears into history.

There’s a lesson in Sears’ demise for farmers and others in agriculture, which is that those who fail to innovate, adapt and stay current are at risk of going away. Out of business.

For example, dairy farmers and the U.S. dairy industry as a whole are currently facing this dilemma. An increasing number of consumers are drinking plant-based milks like almond and soy. Many people are avoiding dairy milk because they can’t digest lactose. Breakfast cereal sales are on the decline, which means consumers want and need less milk. In other words, unless the dairy industry innovates and creates new types of milk and value-added dairy products it could find itself obsolete, just like Sears.

Sears went to sleep for many decades. It stopped innovating. Made poor decisions. Perhaps, for example, it should have kept its focus in agriculture, even grown it. If it had it might be the leader today. Not a bad niche to own in 2018.

There are more challenges in agriculture today than there have been in the last five decades combined. There are also more opportunities. The key for farmers and others in the industry is to recognize those challenges, take them head on, and solve them.

The same positive approach should be taken with the opportunities. Choose the ones that work for you and then focus on innovation. Stay current. Reach out for help. Learn. Be open to new ideas.

Be Amazon, not Sears.

Farm To Fork Hot Takes

The World, led by Europe, loves California almonds

Almonds are the number one ingredient used in new food and drink products launched in Europe, according to the latest data from INNOVA, a leading global market research firm specializing in food and agriculture.

With a 47 percent share of global almond product introductions, the region leads globally for the eleventh year running.

Europe as a whole saw over 5,000 new products containing almonds introduced in the last 12 months — a 14 percent increase over the previous year.

Germany, France and the UK follow the U.S. as the top leading countries in Europe with 2,414 new almond products introductions collectively in 2017.

This is the third consecutive year that almonds have taken the top spot in Europe.

Almond introductions in the snacking and bars categories are on the rise, with growth in the snacking category up by 32 percent, and the bars sector up by 53 percent.

Almond introductions grew in four out of the five key categories for almonds worldwide, with confectionery top of the category in the EU, making up 27 percent.

According to the research firm, the huge demand for almonds can be attributed in part to their role as natural, nutrient-rich ingredients with appealing taste and crunch and extensive versatility, as well as their consistently safe, stable supply.

“As consumers seek out products that offer on-the-go, clean label, convenience and nutrition without sacrificing on taste, manufacturers must identify ingredients to stand out in competitive categories,” says Dariela Roffe-Rackind, a director at INNOVA.

This huge growth is good news for California almond growers and the almond industry as a whole.

The almond has truly become a global nut. It’s growth shows no sign of stopping, based on this and other similar data.

Keep your eyes on moringa

There’s a new superfood — and perhaps a big new cash crop for California farmers — in the making. It’s called moringa.

Here’s what Carrie Waterman, a University of California, Davis, natural products chemist who knows moringa inside and out says:

“If there were a top 10 list of plants that are going to help feed the world over the next hundred years, I would say moringa should be on that list.”

Every part of the plant is edible — leaves, pods, seeds, flowers, even its root, she says. The feathery leaves alone pack a powerful protein punch — nearly 30 percent by dry weight. Legumes don’t even have that much protein, nor all the essential amino acids.

Moringa leaves also are high in vitamins A and C, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium and potassium.

They also contain phytochemicals and antioxidants that have been shown in some research studies to reduce chronic inflamation.

The plant even has the potential to simultaneously treat both malnutrition and obesity.

“My first impression was that it’s too good to be true,” says Waterman, who has researched the benefits of moringa for nearly a decade.

More studies are needed to assess how the plant works in the body and how its nutrients and phytochemicals affect the body,” she says, but the “miracle tree,” as it is sometimes described shows great potential as a solution for a healthful, sustainable food supply for a rapidly growing global population.

Moringa might even have the potential to be the next big new cash crop in California if it catches on with consumers. Stay tuned. And let’s keep our eyes on moringa.

By Victor Martino