48 Friday, March 18, 1983
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Computer Farming Boosts Israel Cotton Crop Production
By BILL CLARK
1,282 pounds per acre an-
nually, as compared with
TEL AVIV -- Visit any the United States, which
Israeli cotton farm these produces an average of 543
.days and you're likely to pounds per acre, and India,
bump into an Asian, Afri- which averages only 153.
can or South American
This high yield can be at-
farmer busily making notes tributed to many factors,
on why Israeli cotton prod- says Zvi Neumark, general
uction easily outstrips all manager of Israel's Cotton
competitors.
Production and Marketing
Israel's current output is Board. But coordination is
the key.
Neumark explains that
nearly all of Israel's cot-
ton growing is done by
computer. The entire
country north of
Beersheba is divided into
nine cotton districts,
each with its own com-
puter center.
The computers store the
districts' cotton growing re-
cords over the past five
years. As each growing sea-
ALL
son progresses, the com-
DINNERS
puters analyze and compare
information.
■
■
KOREAN & MANDARIN DINING
Periodic printouts pro-
With This Coupon
0
0 vide the farmer with data
advising what adjustments
O
0 must be made to deliver an
optimum crop. For example,
if a summer has been
21711 W. 8 MILE • Detroit
slightly dryer than usual,
I
S.E. CORNER LAHSER RD.
the computer can tell the
farmer precisely how much
Expires 4/3/83
537-6111 JN
le■ IM 111111101•111 =011rnINI1010111101011101110011105101 .1 more water should be added
Israel Govt. Press Service
20 0 OFF
, 0 WOO CHON
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through the irrigation drip- ceived it, he'd endorse it Israeli cotton has been
per systems to compensate. over to the United Jewish bringing the country a big-
The computers also offer Appeal."
ger income year after year.
constantly-revised informa-
Hamburg introduced the This is because the continu-
tion on fertilization, insect San Joaquin Valley seed ing increase in yield per
pests and other variables which he grew back home in acre has offset price drops.
which influence the total California. The variety,
In any event, says
yield harvested at the end of which is a strong middle Neumark, "There is no
the season.
staple cotton, took quite problem at all to market all
Another aid to achiev- well to the irrigated margi- the cotton we can grow. And
ing high yields is putting nal lands of the Middle East the world's demand for cot-
a small army of "scouts" and became the backbone of ton is continually growing.
into the fields. These per- Israel's cotton farming. To- There were a few problems
sonnel inspect the cotton day, Sam Hamburg's good- when synthetics first
plants methodically and will has blossomed into an started to compete, but now
capture any insects they exceptional cash crop for Is- cotton has returned to fash-
find; the insects are then rael.
ion. It's washable, porous,
identified and quantified.
While the world cotton and competitive in price.
The data is fed into the market has suffered a minor And now there's the no-iron
computer, which compares glut during the past two process for cotton. We're in
it with information from years, setting back prices the market, and we plan to
surrounding regions and slightly, Neumark notes, stay there."
with records from previous
* **
years. The printout
specifies the damage poten-
tial of a particular insect
and the best way to deal
with the pest.
This highly-organized
system of cotton farming
means that Israel will culti-
vate about $135 million in
exports of cotton this year,
making it the country's
number two cash export
crop after citrus.
The export market con-
sumes about 80 percent of
the country's total annual
crop of 85,000 tons of cotton
fiber. Also being harvested
is about 130,000 tons of cot-
ton seed, which is pumped
directly into Israel's domes-
tic economy.
Kibutz workers stand at the controls of a cotton
As for letting foreign gin in
Israel.
farmers in on Israel's
technology, Neumark F
comments, "The Israeli
Restaurant
farmer gains nothing
from teaching farmers
e
(Senior Citizens 10% Discount)
from abroad how to
25900
CittENFIELD
AT
LINCOLN
968 1150
grow cotton. Nothing but
goodwill. But that's what
started our own cotton
industry, and the ad-
FROM SPECIAL MENU: INCLUDES ENTREE,
ministration of goodwill
SALAD BAR, POT. OR RICE OR VEG. &
is not what you call a
COFFEE OR TEA OR SOFT DRINK
`closed shop.' "
1
DAYS—MON.-FRI.
4 p.m.-1 a.m., Sat. & Sun. 2 p.m.-1 a.m.
According to Neumark,
No
Discounts
or Coupons
the Israel cotton industry
was launched in 1952, when
SUNDAY BRUNCH
SOUP & SALAD BAR
Sam Hamburg of Fresno,
10
a.m.
to
2
p.m.
Calif. accepted employment
from the Israeli government
ALL-YOU- $
at a salary of $1 a year.
ALL-YOU- $
CAN-EAT
"And he insisted on being
CAN-EAT
29 Items
paid that dollar," says
18 Items
With
Dinner
Only $1.69
Neumark. "But after he re-
_
arah p
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