If you’re in Washington, DC tomorrow, you won’t want to miss the Farm Foundation’s forum on the finance and credit environment for agriculture and the food system today.
The forum, held in the Holeman Lounge at the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C., runs from 9-11 am tomorrow and feaures a community banker, a commercial lender and a Farm Credit lender who will provide their perspectives on the challenges and risks ahead in 2010. Plus, they will be joined by a professor of finance and an investment manager working in the United States, Australia and Canada:
* Joe Brasher, a community bank president for First State Bank, a $1.3 billion community bank with 26 banking offices across Tennessee.
* Jeff Conrad, president of Hancock Agricultural Investment Group, which directly manages $1.2 billion of agricultural investments in the U.S., Australia and Canada.
* Paul Ellinger, professor of finance at the University of Illinois.
* Bob Frazee, CEO of Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, which has about $1.7 billion in agricultural loans in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
* Cornelius (Corny) Gallagher, global agribusiness executive for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and a member of a national team that coordinates management of the bank’s agribusiness and food products portfolio.
This discussion is designed to be a continuation of the Farm Foundation’s November 2008 panel discussion on the impact of the that year’s financial and credit crisis on agriculture and the food industry. Panelists will get to discuss any lessons learned during the 15 months since the previous session.
Now, if you can’t jet-set off to DC at a moment’s notice, you can still listen in on what’s said. Just check out the Farm Foundation’s Web site where the audio from the forum will be posted.
Farm Foundation is a 76 year old organization for agriculture that never stops looking ahead.
Last month’s Farm Foundation “30-Year Policy Conference” drew agribusiness leaders, government officials, and other interested parties. “Because 30 years from now, we’re going to be looking at over 9 billion people on the planet and with rising incomes, people begin to eat more meat and a more varied diet and that means that agriculture has to deliver more,” says Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. “As we deal with how to make the best use of our increasingly scarce natural resources to produce food, feed fiber, fuel – and even flowers – we need to be sure that we are thinking about policies that will help us in that environment, not the environment we have lived in for the last 30 years.”
Farm Foundation sponsors regular forums on timely policy issues important to agriculture, normally held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. This month, the topic was “Research Perspectives on Carbon and Climate Change Issues.” Coming up on December 8, they will discuss “The Economics of Structural Change and Competition in the Food System.” Find out more about past and upcoming forums here on the Farm Foundation website.
Neil is pictured here at the recent NAFB Trade Talk with ag economist Barry Flinchbaugh who serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Farm Foundation. Listen to my interview with Neil here:
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How do you feed, clothe and fuel a world population that is expected to climb to 9 billion people by 2040? That is the challenge the folks at the Farm Foundation set out about a year ago to address six major drivers impacting agriculture’s ability to provide food, feed, fiber and fuel to a growing world. Those six areas are: global financial markets and recession; global food security; global energy security; climate change; competition for natural resources and global economic development.
On Tuesday, October 27th the ag-based think tank will host a conference focusing on those six challenging areas at the National Press Club, in Washington, D.C.:
Featured speakers will be Dr. Rajiv Shah, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics, former U.S. Trade Representative Clayton Yeutter and Erik Peterson, Director of the Global Strategy Institute at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The program will also feature a panel of agribusiness, NGO and academic leaders discussing how to build the next generation of public policies. Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh of Kansas State University will moderate that discussion.
“Given the right tools and incentives, we are confident that the world’s agricultural producers and agribusinesses will meet the 30-year challenge,” says Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. “But those incentives and tools are heavily influenced by food and agricultural policies that have been shaped by decades of abundance and declining real food prices.
“Today, consumers, environmental concerns and climate change–as well as a major global financial recession–are reshaping the public policy landscape. It is not clear that today’s policies, most of which were designed to deal with the challenges of the last century, will provide the tools and incentives needed to address the 30-year challenge,” Conklin continues.
The conference will feature the winners in Farm Foundation”s 30-Year Challenge Policy Competition, which sought innovative and promising public policy options to address the challenges outlined in the 30-Year Challenge report.
You can register for the free conference by Friday, October 23 here.
It only seems fitting that a group known for encouraging original thought and innovative ideas for the agriculture industry would pick a man known for his irreverent style and sharp intellect to lead them. Professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University, Barry Flinchbaugh, is now the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Farm Foundation.
Farm Foundation included some biographical information about Flinchbaugh in its announcement… and that information certainly explains why he has been picked for the information:
Flinchbaugh has taught at Kansas State since 1971, focusing on national agricultural and economic policy. He is much sought after as a speaker, and has authored more than 100 publications, including an agricultural policy textbook. On three occasions students of the KSU College of Agriculture have given him the Outstanding Teacher Award. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Pennsylvania State University, and a Ph.D. at Purdue University.
Flinchbaugh chaired the Commission on 21st Century Production Agriculture authorized in the 1996 Farm Bill. He has led Kansas Agricultural People-to-People tours to the Soviet Union, China, the South Pacific and Africa. Flinchbaugh is a member of Rotary International, serves on the Board of the Kansas City Board of Trade and KARL Inc. He is a recipient of the prestigious Hildreth Award for career achievement in public policy education, as well as distinguished service awards from the American Farm Bureau Federation and the American Agricultural Editors Association.
As you might remember from our coverage of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress/Ag Media Summit on Domestic Fuel and AgWired.com, Flinchbaugh was involved in the “Great Debate” with former Texas congressman Charlie Stenholm. You can also check out some pics from that summit on Flickr.
The latest Farm Foundation Forum will be held next Tuesday, July 14, 2009 from 9-11 am at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, in Washington D.C. The topic this time will be the competition for water resources:
Presenters include: Erik Peterson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Dan Keppen of the Family Farm Alliance; Karl Wirkus of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; and Noel Gollehon of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Environmental Working Group has also been invited to participate.
Just like the other great forums that Farm Foundation has sponsored, this one will bring together lots of folks from divergent points of view with plenty of discussion to come up with real solutions for the issues facing American agriculture. If you can participate in this free forum, you need to get your RSVP into Linda Singer (e-mail her at linda@farmfoundation.org) by close of business on Thursday, July 9. And even if you can’t be there in person, the folks at Farm Foundation will have audio from the event at this Web site.
Our friends at Farm Foundation have a couple of upcoming key events.
First, this Friday, June 26, there’s a Farm Foundation workshop at the Waugh Auditorium of USDA’s Economic Research Service, 1800 M Street NW, Washington, D.C. entitled Local Food Systems: Emerging Research & Policy Issues that will, as the name implies, look at locally grown food and the impact of this small, but rapidly growing, market:
Despite growing interest in local foods, many questions remain about the impacts of local food systems on environmental and human health, food safety, marketing arrangements, and rural development. It also remains unclear what types of economic tradeoffs are associated with growth in local foods, and no consensus exists on the appropriate role for Government programs and policies in local food systems.
The goals of this workshop are to:
* Describe the size and scope of local food systems and discuss how the performance of local food markets is evaluated.
* Critically examine measures of local food market performance, including price and product availability, impacts on rural economic development, environmental consequences and sustainability, food safety and quality, and social welfare issues.
* Assess the economics of local foods by discussing supply and demand issues related to local food systems, as well as marketing considerations involved in the industry;
* Explore the range of current government involvement in local food systems, including existing programs that foster local food distribution at the federal, state, and local levels, potential unintended consequences arising from public sector involvement, and barriers to growth in local food systems;
* Examine the appropriate role for future government involvement in local food systems.
The room is filled up, so Farm Foundation will be providing this video link so you can register and can still take it in.
And then next week, on June 30-July 1, Farm Foundation will travel to Little Rock, Arkansas for the final in its conferences looking at agriculture issues and the bioeconomy.
The Transition to a Bioeconomy: The Role of Extension in Energy conference will be held in the city’s Doubletree Hotel:
The program features experts working in renewable energy, biofuels, energy efficiency and new energy technologies. Presenters include industry leaders, staff from USDA and the U.S. Department of Energy, and researchers working in energy efficiency, renewable energy and new energy technologies.
Plenary sessions will address the important role of Extension educators in providing consumers with timely information on energy-related programs and research findings. An outlook on renewable energy technologies will also be featured. In addition to plenary sessions, six workshops are planned to allow participants to focus in on specific areas of interest. Workshop topics are:
* Risk Management for Energy Investments
* Making Energy Efficiency Choices
* Energy Crop Agronomics
* Forestry
* Harvest, Storage and Logistics
* Extension and Other Delivery Methods
You can find more information at this Farm Foundation Web site.
Our friends at Farm Foundation have teamed up with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) to put together a workshop on contract design in commodity markets.
The workshop, scheduled to run June 9-10, will bring together leading professionals and academic researchers, looking at the effects of futures contracts and how they affect futures prices and markets:
Topics to be covered in presentations and panel discussions include electronic versus open outcry trading in agricultural commodities futures markets, and the success of the U.S. ethanol futures contract. Review the workshop agenda on the Farm Foundation’s Web site.
Open to the public, the workshop will take place 1 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2009, and 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, June 10, 2009, at the Waugh Auditorium, ERS, 1800 M St. NW, in Washington, D.C. There is no charge for the workshop but preregistration by Monday, June 8, is encouraged as seating is limited. Interested individuals may preregister via e-mail, providing name and affiliation to akirilenko@cftc.gov.
The Director of the ERS Market and Trade Economics Division, Sarahelen (Sally) Thompson, Jeffrey Harris, the Cheif Economist at the CFTC and Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin will address the workshop.
In the tradition of bringing together diverse points of view to come up with real solutions to the problems facing agriculture today, our friends at the Farm Foundation are hosting another one of their trademark forums.
Entitled “Carbon Policy Options and Implications for Agriculture,” this conversation will be held this coming Tuesday, June 2nd:
Presenters confirmed for this Forum are:
* Iowa farmer Varel Bailey,
* Allison Specht of the American Farm Bureau Federation,
* Jon Scholl of American Farmland Trust,
* Nathan Rudgers of 25 x ‘25, and
* Lou Hayden of the American Petroleum Institute.
This free, two-hour forum starts at 9 a.m. at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, in Washington, D.C. As usual, each presenter has 10 minutes to make their comments, and then it’s opened up for discussion from the floor.
Make your reservation with Mary Thompson, Farm Foundation Director of Communication, at mary@farmfoundation.org by this Friday, May 29th.
Next Monday by the close of business is the deadline to get your ideas into the Farm Foundation’s 30-Year Challenge Competition… and perhaps your share of $20,000 in cash prizes for the best solutions to the challenges agriculture is facing in providing food, feed, fiber and fuel over the next 30 years:
The competition is open to anyone with an interest in the public policy issues outlined in the Foundation’s report, The 30-Year Challenge: Agriculture’s Strategic Role in Feeding and Fueling a Growing World. That report discusses challenges in six areas: global financial markets and recession; global food security; global energy security; climate change; competition for natural resources; and global economic development.
“We encourage all segments of the food system–from producers to consumers–to contribute entries with their ideas and proposals,” says Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. “Agriculture and the food system today face diverse and complex issues. Farm Foundation believes that without a civil and broad-reaching discussion respectful of all stakeholders opinions, we will be unable to develop the policies that agriculture and the food system need to deal with the challenges before us.”
Entries can be submitted that address issues in one of the six challenge areas, or multiple areas. For each of the six challenge areas, judging will be done by an independent three-member panel selected by Farm Foundation. Prize winners will be announced in September 2009.
More details about the 30-Year Challenge is available on the Farm Foundation Web site.
The 30-Year Challenge project is directed and led by Farm Foundation. Contributing financial assistance to the project are: the Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Corn Growers Association, the National Pork Producers Council, and the United Egg Producers.
I take it from Mace Thornton’s (@AFBFMace) latest photo that we’re now into the question and answer portion of today’s Farm Foundation Forum on animal welfare. Here’s some of his tweets since my last post including concluding thoughts. I love his “funny moment” post:
Bob Krause of MW Poultry Svcs of Indiana. 10 largest egg farm comp. In country @ FF forum on farm animal care. Up now.
Ind. Eggman Krause @ FF forum on farm animls: confnmnt allows control disease, parasites, preds, other challenges 4 poultry, egg producers.
Krause @ FF forum on farm anml care: is wlfare of hens better in confinement or cagefree. Egg ind. study says cage enviro better overall.
Funny moment @ FF forum.
HSUS Shapiro: Guess I would be one of the extremists.
Moderator Charlie Stenholm: I think you would qualify.
My Btm line on FFforum. If proftbl humane market is there, farmers will rspnd. ? is do animal rights groups want any market? Probably not.
Calif. Farm Bureau VP Kenny Watkins challenges HSUS Shapiro to help devlp mkts for kind of production they are forcing. Markets not there.
Post Update: Here’s a link to the recorded audio (mp3) of the Farm Foundation Forum. You can also listen here:
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This time we’ve got Tim Amlaw, Director of the Farm Animal Program of the American Humane Association on the podium at the Farm Foundation Forum on animal welfare.
Here’s what our man on the scene, Mace Thornton, (@AFBFMace) is saying about his presentation:
Tim Amlaw of American Humane @ FF forum on farm animals: AH been around since 1877. In Ag AH believes in on-ground, science based approach.
Tim Amlaw of AH @ FF forum on frm anim care: AH certified program relies on science to bebefit farmer and consumer.
Amlaw of AH @ FF forum on frm anim care: AH cert progrm. Trained auditors. “True humane tracking” Engagemnt among sectors, farm to consumrs.
Amlaw of AH @ FF forum on farm anim: video monitoring an application for farmers to see solution to challenge…immed corrective action.
Amlaw: consumers demanding humane choices and producers are adapting.
I’m posting these as quick as I can amid other work going on. If you were following along on Twitter would you agree that it’s “almost like being there?”
Here’s Paul Shapiro, Senior Director of the Humane Society of the United States, speaking now at the Farm Foundation Forum on animal welfare. Thanks again to Mace Thornton’s Blackberry.
Here’s a couple new tweets from him (@AFBFMace):
HSUS Shapiro @ FF farm anim forum: civil discourse essntl. All agree animals protected by law to some degree…dog and cock fight etc.
HSUS Shapiro selectively quotes the research AFBF sponsored with Oklahoma State Univ. @ FF forum on farm animal care. So much more there.
HSUS Shapiro also quotes Pew Comm. And Temple Grandin and cites pork companies to phase out gest. stalls.
HSUS Shapiro @ FF forum on farm animls: Main Pt. — animals being able to turn round and spread limbs should be a common ground issue.
HSUS Shapiro @ FF farm anml forum. American public sees images of animals in cages and thinks worse of ag because of it
Thanks to @AFBFMace (Mace Thornton, American Farm Bureau Federation) we’re getting some information from the Farm Foundation Forum on Animal Welfare as it relates to Production Agriculture. The session this morning in Washington, DC has started as you can see from his Blackberry photo. Here’s who’s on the program:
Paul Shapiro, Senior Director of the Humane Society of the United States
Tim Amlaw, Director of the Farm Animal Program of the American Humane Association
Dr. Jim Reynolds of the American Veterinary Medical Association and a Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California-Davis
Dr. David Blandford, Professor of Economics at Penn State University
Bob Krouse, CEO of Midwest Poultry Supply
I will hopefully be able to link you to audio from the presentation later this afternoon. The session is being recorded and will be posted on the Farm Foundation website.
If you’re not on Twitter and can’t follow Mace to see his posts here’s an example of what you’re missing as I write:
1st up David Blandford of PSU @ farmfound forum. Less public pressure for change here than Europe.
Blandford @ farmfound animal care forum. If animal care and practices become linked to human health concerns, it becomes diff story.
Blandford @ FF farm animal forum: who pays? Consumer or producers? EU pays subsidy to meet higher standards.
He’s a master Tweetist!
Just a month to get in entries for a competition that’s looking for innovative and promising public policy options to address challenges facing agriculture and the food system.
The Farm Foundation’s competition with its June 1st submission deadline is based on the group’s report released last December… The 30-Year Challenge: Agriculture’s Strategic Role in Feeding and Fueling a Growing World. The report breaks down the challenges into six major categories: 1. Global financial markets and recession; 2. Global food security; 3. Global energy security; 4. Climate change; 5. Competition for natural resources; and 6. Global economic development. Cash prizes totaling $20,000 will be handed out:
“Agriculture globally faces the challenge of how to provide food to a world that is expected to have 9 billion people by 2040,” says Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. “This challenge exists at the same time that we are already seeing pressures on global resources, as well as increased demand for agriculture to provide not only food, but feed, fiber and fuel.
“It is not clear that today’s public policies-designed to deal with issues of the last century-provide appropriate tools and incentives to address the challenges of the next 30 years,” Conklin continues. “Farm Foundation is offering this competition as a catalyst for innovative ideas and approaches.”
The 30-Year Challenge project is directed and led by Farm Foundation. Contributing financial assistance to the project are: the Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Corn Growers Association, the National Pork Producers Council, and the United Egg Producers.
More information is available through the competition’s Web site.
Our friends at Farm Foundation are sponsoring another discussion on an important issue facing farming in America: animal welfare as it relates to production agriculture.
In true Farm Foundation form, the Tuesday, May 5th forum will feature speakers bringing several divergent opinions to the table:
* Paul Shapiro, Humane Society of the United States,
* Tim Amlaw, American Humane Association,
* Dr. Jim Reynolds, American Veterinary Medical Association and the University of California-Davis,
* Bob Krouse of Midwest Poultry Supply, and
* Dr. David Blandford, Penn State University.
Once again, the forum will by on Tuesday, May 5th from 9 to 11 a.m. at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington D.C.
Make your reservation by noon CDT this coming Friday, May 1, to Mary Thompson, Farm Foundation Director of Communication at mary@farmfoundation.org.
The next Farm Foundation event is less than a week away and will feature U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack as the keynote speaker.
The one-day workshop on April 28th, entitled Agricultural Research and Productivity for the Future, will look at the impact of research on the growth in agricultural productivity, the challenges facing the food system over the next decade, public- and private-sector funding options, and strategies for moving forward:
Targeted to policy makers, agribusiness leaders, academics and government agency representatives, the workshop is a collaboration of Farm Foundation and the National Agriculture Research Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board.
Historically U.S. agriculture’s competitiveness in global markets has been driven by a combination of public- and private-sector investments in research, education and technology transfer. Recent research indicates the growth in U.S. agricultural productivity is slowing, in part because of reduced investments in agricultural research. Funding for agricultural productivity enhancing research has slowed, and in some cases declined, in the United States. At the same time, other nations have increased their public investments in agricultural research.
At the April 28 workshop, participants will examine the relationship between public- and private-sector research and agricultural productivity growth, both in the United States and worldwide. Participants will identify specific challenges for agricultural research and develop the implications for research funding strategies in the United States.
If you’re going to make it to the workshop, you need to hurry up and register by tomorrow (April 23rd) through the Farm Foundation Web site. Check it out!
Make plans to attend the next Farm Foundation Forum Tuesday May 5th from 9 to 11 am at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington D.C. when the group takes a look at animal welfare as it relates to production agriculture:
Presenters will be:
* Paul Shapiro, Humane Society of the United States,
* Tim Amlaw, American Humane Association,
* Dr. Jim Reynolds, American Veterinary Medical Association and the University of California-Davis,
* Bob Krouse of Midwest Poultry Supply, and
* Dr. David Blanford, Penn State University.
If you’ve never been to a Farm Foundation event before, you’re in for quite a treat. One of the great things the group does is promote an honest, free discussion of the issues facing agriculture today. So, if you’re used to conferences where everyone agrees with everyone else and not much substantive discussion takes place, this will open your eyes to just how valuable good, lively… but civil… discussion of an issue from multiple points of view can be.
To reserve your spot, contact my friend Mary Thompson at mary@farmfoundation.org. They’ll even have a cup of coffee waiting for you.
A workshop examining the relationship between public- and private-sector research and agricultural productivity growth, both in the United States and worldwide, takes place later this month at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
Farm Foundation has teamed up with the the National Agriculture Research Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board for the April 28th workshop, entitled Agricultural Research and Productivity for the Future.
Growing demand for food in developing countries, expanded use of agricultural crops for biofuels and increased feed demand are changing the landscape of U.S. agriculture away from commodity and food surpluses and low prices. “This challenge to increase productivity comes at a time of increased pressures on natural resources,” says Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin.
Historically U.S. agriculture’s competitiveness in global markets has been driven by a combination of public- and private-sector investments in research, education and technology transfer. In recent years, the growth in U.S. agricultural productivity may have slowed. While funding for agricultural productivity enhancing research in the United States has slowed and in some cases declined, other nations, such as Brazil, have increased their investments agricultural research.
The workshop cover a variety of subjects, including a discussion of economic returns to public agriculture research, productivity trends and prospects for future returns to agricultural research. In addition, in true Farm Foundation fashion, there will be lots of give-and-take as both sides get their voices heard in coming up with solutions for some major challenges facing agriculture, such as climate change, food safety in a global economy, livestock production issues and options and strategies for public- and private-sector funding.
Register at www.farmfoundation.org by April 21st. Make your room reservations by April 13th, since the host hotel, the Doubletree Hotel, 1515 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., has a limited number of rooms at $189 per night plus tax.
Commercializing Gasification/Fermentation Technology was the topic of comments made by Mark Dietzen, INEOS Bio, at the Farm Foundation Transition To A Bio Economy Conference.
He says that they have a practical technology that they’re in the process of implementing to be online by 2011 to produce cellulosic ethanol. He thinks that it will help bridge the gap between what’s possible with crop based ethanol and allow the substitution of a larger percentage of gasoline with a bio based fuel.
You can listen to my interview with Mark here:
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You can download the interview with this link (mp3).
You can find photos from the conference here:
Transition To A Bio Economy Conference: Global & Trade Issues Photo Album
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I spoke with Paul Willems, BP Energy Biosciences Institute, one of our speakers at the Farm Foundation Transition To A Bio Economy Conference. I had met him previously at an earlier conference in the series.
Paul says the BP Energy Biosciences Institute was created as a place to apply modern biology to energy problems. He told us that from their perspective, the turbulant times we’re in right now are temporary and that the fundamental trends for the future are unchanged. Those being the supply of oil and gas and the growth and demand for energy products. He says that their CEO likes to say that, “the future has been delayed, it hasn’t been canceled.”
I think he made a good point in my interview with him that we shouldn’t panic. He says there are numerous technology efforts going on in the alternative fuels industry and that it would be a mistake to see that work evaporate because we live in a world of crisis. He urges a steady course toward the future. He also talks about the benefits of biotechnology in developing more efficient alternative fuel production but points out that the industry is still just in its infancy.
You can listen to my interview with Paul here:
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You can download the interview with this link (mp3).
You can find photos from the conference here:
Transition To A Bio Economy Conference: Global & Trade Issues Photo Album
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It's time to thank our farmers and ranchers for all their hard work to feed us.
