The issue of finances and credit markets remains the main topic of discussion during this first day of the World Agricultural Forum going on in St. Louis, Mo.
The most current session features several prominent bankers, including: Shuillin Wang, China Investment Corp.; Joseph Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist for Bank of America; James Bond, CEO, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency at The World Bank; Jonathan Campaigne, CEO of PRIDEAFRICA in Kenya; and Esther Muthoni Muiruri, the General Manager Marketing-Agri Business, Equity Bank, Ltd.
Quinlan warned that with the current global financial crisis, there might be a tendency for some banks, especially those in North America and Europe, to keep more of their capital at home.
“As the banks rebuild their balance sheets, there’s going be a home bias.”
As bad as that might sound for some of the developing countries, which rely on foreign investment to move their ag programs forward, they might look more to their own homegrown finances to get the local economies moving. That growth in local economies, in turn, will fuel the overall growth in the world’s economy.
Quinlan says the political instability that plagues many developing countries will make banks in the U.S. wait for local banks, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) take the lead at financing those operations in those areas.
He says that a forum such as this one only confirms in his mind the importance of agricultural commodities and the investment opportunities they offer.
Listen to my conversation with Joseph here: Quinlan1.mp3
One of the great things about the sessions like the ones at World Agricultural Forum is the way the audience is able to interact with the panelists and experts who are on the main stage.
During a session this morning, the RT Hon. James B. Bolger, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and the current Chairman of the World Agricultural Forum; Carl Hausmann, President and CEO of Bunge North America; J.B. Penn, Chief Economist for John Deere; David Morgan, President of Syngenta Seeds; Michael Bennett, CEO, Terra Industries; and Prof. Nuhu Hatibu, CEO of the Kilimo Trust, East Africa, fielded questions from the audience… ranging from making organics profitable and worthwhile for developing countries to produce… to employing and lifting up those at the bottom half of the world’s economic ladder.
Some of the answers I’ve already covered in previous postings, but I thought you would be interested in hearing how the participants interacted during the session: giventake1.mp3
The opening general session at the Alltech Symposium concluded with remarks from Dr. Pearse Lyons, CEO/President and founder.
Dr. Lyons remarks dealt with the subject of the financial crisis we’re in and how it ties in to the whole principle of sustainability. To start with he says a crisis calls for character and that it’s not a time for despair. He says the pillars of their company are: Education, Innovation, Traceability, Brand and Cause. He discussed the fact that the company has supported education and innovation and then demonstrated how that has driven their sales. Some of the challenges he sees ahead include antibiotics, the environment and quality.
We also got a preview announcement that tommorow Alltech will launch of the Alltech-Muhammad Ali Center Education and Humanitarian Fund. It’s their new cause which is one of the pillars on which they build the company.
During this morning’s opening session at the Alltech Symposium former EU Commissioner, Dr. David Byrne, was presented the Alltech Medal of Excellence. Normally it is presented to a scientist but this year the company decided to make the presentation to someone who has demonstrated serious leadership in the agriculture industry.
Dr. Byrne, shown here (center) with Alltech’s Dr. Karl Dawson (left) and Alltech CEO/President, Dr. Pearse Lyons (right). After his award, Dr. Byrne then made remarks. He spoke about the mad cow problem in the EU which was during his term as a Commissioner. He says food safety became political and people lost jobs and elections. He says they had to put a plan in place in the EU that was science based, had mandatory recalls and a rapid alert system. He says that a traceability system is absolutely necessary and hopes that U. S. Ag Sec. Vilsack’s plan is accomplished on NAIS. Byrne says they learned that someone needs to be in charge, there needs to be a plan and that it is working. Byrne says the question now is how to make animals and food sustainable.
The Alltech Symposium got started with an opening general session this morning. If you didn’t follow along live then don’t despair. I’ll be posting our presenters starting with Alltech’s Dr. Karl Dawson here.
He started out with a definition of sustainability, “Economic, social and management practices that allow a system to meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” He says that there are many components of ag sustainability ncluding being economically viable with inputs that are renewable and that it must integrate natural biological processes and have no environmental impact. He also made a point that a sustainable future will change culture, especially if mandated.
Just a quick update for you, I’ve got some of the pictures from this year’s World Agricultural Forum posted over on Flickr (well, more accurately, Cindy got them posted… I’m still battling the system).
We’ll have more as the events progress, but to start with, you can see about 40 pics from last night’s welcoming reception and behind-the-scenes tour at the St. Louis Zoo, sponsored by our friends at Novus International.
One of the speakers at the opening session of the World Agricultural Forum was the former Prime Minister of New Zealand and current Chairman of the World Ag Forum, the RT Hon. James B. Bolger.
He told the group that while you can park unsold cars, you can’t park hunger… drawing parallels to the bailout of the US auto industry but a lack of similar action to bail out some of the world’s poorest people.
Just a few minutes ago, I caught up with Mr. Bolger as he stepped off the stage from a session that included representatives from some of the world’s biggest agri-businesses talking about how to solve the current global financial crisis. He says the most important thing we can do is lift up the 3 billion people who are at the bottom of the economic ladder.
“Fundamentally, if we are going to have a world economy moving smoothly, we need to have the 3 billion on the bottom having the income to buy the goods of the others.” Mr. Bolger sees those 3 billion as potential customers who could make a tremendous difference in the world’s economy as a whole.
Several of the panelists pointed out that while banks and companies would like to invest in these developing countries, there needs to be a stable political environment. Mr. Bolger sees it as a “chicken-and-egg” quandry as to which one is solved first.
“Poor countries will be unstable. We’ve got to start looking at how we lift them up out of absolute poverty to have more stable societies. It’s naive to say we can’t do anything until they all settle down and behave.”
He says a venue, such as the World Agricultural Forum, is a tremendous place where people can get together and hear other viewpoints and learn from others backgrounds.
Listen to my entire conversation with Mr. Bolger here: Bolger1.mp3
The opening session of the Alltech Symposium is about to begin has just concluded. Our theme is “The Sustainability Principle.” I’ll be posting here and on my AgWired Live Twitter account too. You can now follow back through the session via this archived live chat.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced the results of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board 2009 Board of Directors election. Click here for the list of elected members.
Archer Daniels Midland Company Chairman and CEO Patricia Woertz announced ADM Cares, a social investment program that targets up to one percent of pretax earnings to initiatives that advance societal improvements in areas that are related to the Company’s business.
The soybean checkoff will team up with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (USDOE) Clean Cities program to promote soy biodiesel and soy-based bioproducts by distributing a total of $120,000 in funds among local Clean Cities chapters to promote soy biodiesel and soy-based bioproducts in urban and suburban areas.
With financial markets still stinging after the recent meltdown, it’s no wonder that the financial challenges facing agriculture is part of the first session at the World Agricultural Forum going on in St. Louis, Mo.
The RT Hon. James B. Bolger, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Chairman of the World Agricultural Forum, pointed out to the group that the world needs to its food policies. He says we need to get out of the idea that the way out of the current financial crisis is not to get the top 1 percent of income earners to spend so much more but to get the portion of the world’s population earning the least amount… 3 billion people in his estimation… to be able to buy more. He says that will raise all fortunes for everyone.
Bolger offered that we can feed the world, and he put it out to the panelists the question of how we do it. Many of the panelists seem to agree that the real need is for political stability in these poorer areas. Once stability is achieved, then investment, technology and the lifting of millions out of poverty will follow.
I’m going to catch up with some of the panelists individually as we go on, but I wanted to give you an idea what is being discussed here at World Agricultural Forum.
In just a few moments, the 2009 World Congress of the World Agricultural Forum will get underway, with opening remarks from World Ag Forum CEO Leonard Guarraia and Congressman Russ Carnahan (D-MO).
We’ve staked out a place about halfway back in the main ballroom at the St. Louis Ballpark Hilton… close enough to get what everyone is talking about but far enough back so we can break away and get interviews.
We’ll be here all week as delegates from around the world discuss the big issues facing agriculture… from food to feed to fuel and more.
At the Alltech Animal Health & Nutrition Symposium you get your day started with a little “fun run.” I’m not sure everyone would think of a 6:30am run as fun but it really is.
It also gets you all pumped up for the day’s activities which will begin soon in the Lexington Convention Center.
The official winner of today’s fun run is Sergio Alves from Brazil seen crossing the finish line on the left.
Post Update: Here’s some video from this morning’s fun run.
There’s always plenty of cool things to see and do when you follow events for AgWired and the other ZimmComm New Media Web sites, but this evening’s event at the St. Louis Zoo is among the coolest… figuratively and literally!
As part of the opening reception of the World Agricultural Forum, our friends at Novus International sponsored a behind-the-scenes tour of the St. Louis Zoo… truly one of the world’s greatest zoos. I’m posting a few pictures here, and I hope to win my battle with Flickr to post more at that site soon.
As I said, it was indeed a cool tour, as we started out seeing what goes on with the penguins and puffins. These two guys were more than glad to pose for pictures… a common theme for many of the animals at the zoo!
If these guys look all cute and cuddly as your pet cat, keep in mind that not only would a cheetah, able to run about 70 mph, easily chase you down, but it would also kill you and eat you. Come to think of it, if your cat got big enough, it probably would, too!
This guy’s another pretty tough character. Looked like we interrupted his nap… or his lunch. Look at those eyes… without that pit and fence between us, I have a feeling I would be the next lunch.
It only makes sense that the folks at Novus, who are so dedicated to animal nutrition, would be one of the benefactors of the zoo’s animal nutrition program. These folks at the zoo are doing some pretty important work, making sure these magnificent beasts are well taken care of.
I thought this one was too funny! At the end of our animal nutrition facility tour, we all got (well, at least we all were offered) biscuits designed for the primates. As most of us who tried it would agree (and, yes, I did eat one… proving that once again that broadcasters and news people will eat ANYTHING they’re offered for free!), it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t GOOD… but it wasn’t bad.
I had such a good time the last time I covered an event that our friends at Novus International sponsored (the Undergraduate Networking Day back in April), that I just couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for us at the World Agricultural Forum. Well, they did not disappoint as they provided those who took the bus ride over to the St. Louis Zoo a behind-the-scenes tour of the world famous St. Louis Zoo. I’ve been there a couple of times, but this time I got to see some of what goes on to make this great institution run, including a look at the penguin and puffin exhibit and a look at the zoo’s animal nutrition lab where they mix up the daily meals for the hundreds of animals that make the zoo their home.
Before we took off on our tour, I caught up with Novus CEO and President Thad Simons. While his company was sponsoring the reception and tour, it was also part of the bigger conversation at World Ag Forum of how to meet the challenges of feeding the world. He says the world’s population right now is about 6.5 billion people… and all of them are not being fed properly. He says the challenge becomes even more daunting when you consider the population is expecting to explode to more than 9 billion by the year 2050. But he believes ag technology is up to the task ahead.
“We know the technologies are there. It can be done if we can find ways to work together across the world.” That’s why he says an international forum like this is so important.
Simons adds that it is imperative that we come up with solutions to the agricultural issues facing the world today, because no agriculture means no food; no food means no hope.
Listen to all of my conversation with Thad here: ThadSimons1.mp3
Hello for St. Louis, Mo. where the World Agricultural Forum is getting underway! We’ll be here all week covering the events and conversations that impact ag producers, not just in this country, but globally as well.
Tonight, delegates from countries around the world were welcomed to this year’s events with a reception and behind-the-scenes tour of the famous St. Louis Zoo sponosred by our friends at Novus International (I’ll have more about that tour later).
Before everything got kicked off, I caught up with Dr. Leonard J. Guarraia, Chairman and CEO of the World Ag Forum. He says the major issues facing agriculture today are water availability, credit availability, production levels and the ability to provide the foodstuffs and feedstocks to feed and fuel the planet. He says a meeting such as this one give people from divergent backgrounds a place to discuss their concerns and plan for what might be next down the pike.
“The focus of this meeting is not on what’s happened in the past but what do we see happeneing one two three years down the road. Because it’s extremely easy to say what’s happened; it’s extremely difficult, but far more important, to look at what’s going to happen in the future.”
Guarraia says out of all the issues facing agriculture water is the most serious. He says 65 percent of the world’s population live in water-short areas. He even points to China where’s there’s talk about moving the capital of Beijing because of a water shortage. He says this gathering of ag leaders and decision makers from around the world should generate enough ideas that some solutions will be found. He says they’ve got the major food producers, the major financiers (the bankers), the processors, the shippers… the whole food chain… so at least they’ve got all the right people in place.
Guarraia hopes the ag credit pinch around the world will start to lessen and more money will flow. But he says the uncertainty of too many areas, especially in some of the developing countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa, still makes some ag investments a risky proposition. But he remains optimistic a solution will be found.
“This is agriculture, and agriculture is always sunny. There are solutions, absolutely, and these people can come up with them because it’s in everyone’s vested interest to do so. We have to solve the problems because of the societal and social consequences of not solving the problems.”
You can hear all of my conversation with Guarraia here: Guarraia1.mp3
This evening we had a wonderful dinner courtesy of Alltech and Dr. Pearse Lyons. He got our international dinner started tonight by introducing our entertainment which included the singing voices of the Alltech competition which is managed by Dr. Everett McCorvey, Professor of Voice, University of Kentucky Opera Theatre.
On of the performers was Julie who sang, “I Could Have Danced All Night.” She was just one of the wonderful voices we heard at dinner. I think this is one of the most memorable events at the Alltech Symposium.
Hello from Lexington, KY and the Alltech International Animal Health & Nutrition Symposium. Actually I have just arrived and am getting ready to attend the International Dinner this evening which will be held across the street at the Lexington Convention Center.
This has been a great event at which we have heard some incredible talent in past years and I’m looking forward to it once again. Tomorrow morning some of us will be getting up early for the annual Fun Run (6:30am). It’s a good way to get pumped up for the opening session which begins at 9am.
So sit back and relax and I’ll do my best to bring you all of the fun and excitement that Alltech has to offer right here.
The Alltech 25th International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium is about to kick off in Lexington, KY and I’ll be there once again with coverage starting late tomorrow night. I’d like to thank the great folks at Alltech for bringing me. On Tuesday I’ll be conducting a lunch time social media training session for media attending the event. Here’s a little bit of advance information about the Symposuim:
Due to the current economic crisis gripping the globe, the theme for the 2009 Symposium is ‘The Sustainability Principle.’ Because Alltech has Bioscience Centres in the US, Ireland and Thailand; offices and distributors in 113 countries; and strategically located production facilities (14 to date) around the globe, it’s quite possible that over 1,000 agribusiness professionals may attend this year’s Symposium. Those who do will be able to witness presentations by respected speakers and personally network with peers to exchange ideas and strategies that will increase profitability during these challenging economic times.
Alltech has built a new Symposium Blog on which the company will also be posting multimedia content during the event. I’ll be working right along side their blogger.
Kendal Frazier with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is on the road this year meeting with beef cattle organizations around the country to help them take an objective look at the challenges and opportunities facing their industry. Last week, Kendal spent a day with the board members and staff of the Missouri Beef Industry Council (MBIC).
Not surprisingly, the top threat identified by the beef producers was animal activism, specifically HSUS. To fight that threat, they decided that the number one opportunity for the industry to tell its story is NEW MEDIA.
Kendal says there are two ways the industry can use new media tools such as blogging, podcasting, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. “Number one is to deliver a proactive message through a different channel. The other way is to correct misinformation that is out there. We have to be participating on the Internet and we can do that on both a proactive and a reactive basis,” Kendal said.
The Missouri Beef Industry Council was the first state agricultural organization to use new media, because they were one of ZimmComm’s very first clients five years ago. We helped them build a blog, MissouriBeefCouncil.com, which is in the process of now getting a facelift and some new direction because they discovered that a significant segment of their visitors are consumers, not producers. They were also the first to have a podcast, which grew out of their weekly farm broadcaster interviews that ZimmComm began conducting and distributing five years ago. MBIC Executive Director John Kleiboeker told me this week that other state beef councils are now looking to them to move forward in the new media world. As of today, MBIC now has its own Twitter feed as well!
Here is this week’s Missouri Beef Checkoff Chat podcast, which features an interview with Kendal: mbic-report-5-13-09.mp3
Syngenta announced that the yield average of acreage enrolled in the 2008 AgriEdge Soybean Program exceeded the 2008 USDA national average by 38 percent. More than 3 million acres in 15 states were enrolled in the program, a 50 percent increase over 2007 AgriEdge program enrollment.
AGCO Corporation and Dakota Micro, Inc. have partnered together to sell AgCam, the most comprehensive, user friendly and versatile rear view and monitoring system available.
Osborne Industries, Inc. and PigCHAMP, Inc. are pleased to announce a strategic alliance that will ultimately allow pork producers to improve management of their sow herds.
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
David conducted a presentation on delivering expert opinion via social media to an audience at the start of International Poultry Expo week. He's got some great information about who consumers trust and how you can use today's consumer behavior to help communicate your message.
The issue of finances and credit markets remains the main topic of discussion during this first day of the World Agricultural Forum going on in St. Louis, Mo.
.
One of the great things about the sessions like the ones at World Agricultural Forum is the way the audience is able to interact with the panelists and experts who are on the main stage.
The opening general session at the Alltech Symposium concluded with remarks from Dr. Pearse Lyons, CEO/President and founder.
During this morning’s opening session at the Alltech Symposium former EU Commissioner, Dr. David Byrne, was presented the Alltech Medal of Excellence. Normally it is presented to a scientist but this year the company decided to make the presentation to someone who has demonstrated serious leadership in the agriculture industry.
The Alltech Symposium got started with an opening general session this morning. If you didn’t follow along live then don’t despair. I’ll be posting our presenters starting with Alltech’s Dr. Karl Dawson here.
Just a quick update for you, I’ve got some of the pictures from this year’s World Agricultural Forum posted over on Flickr (well, more accurately, Cindy got them posted… I’m still battling the system).
One of the speakers at the opening session of the World Agricultural Forum was the former Prime Minister of New Zealand and current Chairman of the World Ag Forum, the RT Hon. James B. Bolger.
With financial markets still stinging after the recent meltdown, it’s no wonder that the financial challenges facing agriculture is part of the first session at the World Agricultural Forum going on in St. Louis, Mo.
In just a few moments, the 2009 World Congress of the World Agricultural Forum will get underway, with opening remarks from World Ag Forum CEO Leonard Guarraia and Congressman Russ Carnahan (D-MO).
At the Alltech Animal Health & Nutrition Symposium you get your day started with a little “fun run.” I’m not sure everyone would think of a 6:30am run as fun but it really is.
I had such a good time the last time I covered an event that our friends at Novus International sponsored (the Undergraduate Networking Day back in April), that I just couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for us at the World Agricultural Forum. Well, they did not disappoint as they provided those who took the bus ride over to the St. Louis Zoo a behind-the-scenes tour of the world famous St. Louis Zoo. I’ve been there a couple of times, but this time I got to see some of what goes on to make this great institution run, including a look at the penguin and puffin exhibit and a look at the zoo’s animal nutrition lab where they mix up the daily meals for the hundreds of animals that make the zoo their home.
Before we took off on our tour, I caught up with Novus CEO and President Thad Simons. While his company was sponsoring the reception and tour, it was also part of the bigger conversation at World Ag Forum of how to meet the challenges of feeding the world. He says the world’s population right now is about 6.5 billion people… and all of them are not being fed properly. He says the challenge becomes even more daunting when you consider the population is expecting to explode to more than 9 billion by the year 2050. But he believes ag technology is up to the task ahead.
Hello for St. Louis, Mo. where the World Agricultural Forum is getting underway! We’ll be here all week covering the events and conversations that impact ag producers, not just in this country, but globally as well.
Before everything got kicked off, I caught up with Dr. Leonard J. Guarraia, Chairman and CEO of the World Ag Forum. He says the major issues facing agriculture today are water availability, credit availability, production levels and the ability to provide the foodstuffs and feedstocks to feed and fuel the planet. He says a meeting such as this one give people from divergent backgrounds a place to discuss their concerns and plan for what might be next down the pike.
This evening we had a wonderful dinner courtesy of Alltech and Dr. Pearse Lyons. He got our international dinner started tonight by introducing our entertainment which included the singing voices of the Alltech competition which is managed by Dr. Everett McCorvey, Professor of Voice, 
On of the performers was Julie who sang, “I Could Have Danced All Night.” She was just one of the wonderful voices we heard at dinner. I think this is one of the most memorable events at the Alltech Symposium.
Hello from Lexington, KY and the Alltech International Animal Health & Nutrition Symposium. Actually I have just arrived and am getting ready to attend the International Dinner this evening which will be held across the street at the Lexington Convention Center. 
The A
Kendal Frazier with the 
Kendal says there are two ways the industry can use new media tools such as blogging, podcasting, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. “Number one is to deliver a proactive message through a different channel. The other way is to correct misinformation that is out there. We have to be participating on the Internet and we can do that on both a proactive and a reactive basis,” Kendal said.
In this week's program Chuck talks with David Armano, Global Innovation and Integration.
