The recent surge in profitability within the agriculture sector is giving farmers and ag companies a bit of room to breath. But, Monsanto says, just a bit. Michael Doane, Monsanto’s Sustainability Team Lead says that with profitability comes responsibility: a responsibility for the agricultural climate of the future. There are big questions, Michael says, that begged to be asked, and, hopefully, answered. How do we meet the growing demand? How do farmers fit into the growing needs of the recent future? What will the world look like for our children? Will it be a world, Michael asked, that has a lot of pressure on its resource base?
“We’re going to have to produce more food on the same acres between now and 2050 then we’ve produced in the last 10,000 years combined,” Michael said. “That’s pretty substantial. That’s going to get us to twice the level of annual food production in 2050 versus today.”
Michael says responding to such demands is a responsibility that must be shared throughout the ag sector. But, he says, Monsanto is eagerly doing it’s part to help.
“This conversation about sustainability kind of hit us right between the eyes,” Michael said. “We went out and started talking to a lot of people about agriculture; and what doing more with less would look like; what would be important there.”
Ultimately, Michael says, Monsanto’s goal is to make farmers more productive and, consequently, more financially successful.
“Our goal is to make every farmer we serve better off the next year than they were the previous year,” Michael said.
And, Michael says, that goal is meant to benefit farmers all over the world.
“In developing countries we think we also need to do that,” Michael said. “So, we’ve committed to helping 5 million resource-poor farmers, who are simply trying to feed their families, do that.”
But, as much as Monsanto recognizes its role in securing the future of farming and the future of feeding the world, the Michael says finding long-term, sustainable solutions will be a team effort.
“It’s going to be the ‘we’ collectively that does this,” Michael said.
You can download and listen to Michael Doane’s entire speech at the 2008 Farm Progress Show in Boone, IA here:
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Since we work with people and organizations that have differing views about biofuels I just thought I’d point something out. (This is because of a news release sent to me today by E - The Environmental Magazine. They’re “mental” all right. I won’t even put a link to them here for you. You can Google it.)
While it seems like everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon to blame ethanol for everything from Mexican tortilla prices to global warming (a myth), there’s a growing movement to blame livestock and you know who that affects. I hope this gets discussed in Denver next week.
We’ve already seen this coming but this is a pretty blatant push. Here’s an excerpt from their release:
Ask most Americans about what causes global warming, and they’ll point to a coal plant smokestack or a car’s tailpipe. But it’s two other images that should be granted similarly iconic status, says the July/August 2008 cover story of E - The Environmental Magazine (now posted at www.emagazine.com): the front and rear ends of a cow.
According to a little-known 2006 United Nations (UN) report called “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” livestock is a “major player” in climate change, accounting for 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
That’s more than our entire transportation system.
Can’t we all just get along? At least in agriculture? We’ve got enough problems with wackos like this out there. By the way, we enjoyed a nice steak dinner tonight. Does that mean I’m helping save the planet?
Changing the African vision from one of short-term pay-offs to that of long-term success was one of the key issues for panelists at the “Education and Knowledge Building in Animal Agriculture” breakout session. The session was one of fifteen being offered at the 2008 U.S. Africa Agribusiness Forum. The workshop, sponsored by Novus International, featured a panel of experts that addressed the needs and means for improving education and first-hand know-how for creating “robust agribusiness value-chains” throughout Africa.
And, robust agribusiness in Africa is a very real possibility offering real opportunities if you ask Dr. Jerry Nelson. Jerry is a professor of plant sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia and served as the panel moderator.
“Africa probably has the most agricultural potential than anywhere we’re looking at right now,” Jerry said.
Thad Simons, the president and CEO of Novus International highlighted the ultimate goal: “providing safe and secure food all over the world.” He added that performance and sustainability were critical for realizing that goal.
The panelists looked at how to drive that performance and sustainability in Africa. Sergio Beliver, sales manager for Europe, Africa and Middle East at Novus International, stressed the importance of education. He said Africans need to be educated not only in the processes, management and technology needed for modernizing Africa’s agricultural industry but also in long-term vision. He says farmers need to be taught to recognize the value in a more secure future instead of looking for quick pay-offs in the present. That’s something Dave Harlan, director of Global Animal Health & Food Safety at Cargill Inc. also stressed.
“It’s not about capturing a high price, but locking in a price that people can live on,” Dave said.
Dr. Shaukat Ali Abdulrazak, secretary National Council for Science and Technology in Kenya, also echoed Sergio’s call for more education. Shaukat said his country needs personnel that is both educated and trained in modern farming techniques, management and the development of necessary infrastructure. He conceded that one major challenge is “short-sighted politicians” who only consider programs that fall within the parameters of the term they serve in parliament. He says politicians in Kenya tend to have an agenda that expire when their term expires.
But, Shaukat says Kenya does have government initiatives and national development plans that should attract investors. He stressed that leaders in the public and private sectors of both the U.S. and Africa need to work together to build off of the positives that already exist. Shaukat says leaders and experts need to “make lemonade out of the lemons we have.”
Tasir Olawale Raji, the permanent secretary with Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, agreed. He said its crucial for African countries to move with other developing countries throughout the world, so Africa won’t be left behind. And, to do that, Tasir said leaders and experts need to focus on those that are already on the job in Africa, building upon “already acquired experience.”
Jerry highlighted the critical agricultural “lemons” so-to-speak that countries throughout Africa need to work on including land, water, electricity, energy and marketing. Jerry said African countries must develop the needed infrastructures and the continent’s agricultural industries must exists within those infrastructures. The continent should work as a larger unit to develop a strategy planning mission with each country, Jerry said, offering its own unique approach and contribution.
The entire panel discussion is available here on AgWired.com. You can listen to the discussion in two parts here:
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The technology behind farm machinery, such as tractors and sprayers, is continually becoming more streamlined with advances in computer and software innovation. So, why not livestock? MobileDemand is a rugged tablet PC manufacturer based out of Idaho and they’ve just put the power of the PC in the hands of the field staff at Wendell, Idaho’s Box Canyon Dairy.
MobileDemand says its partnership with ProfitSource enables dairy farms to bring both wireless computing and specialized DairyQuest software into the cattle pens, streamlining operations, saving time, and reducing error.
I spoke with MobileDemand CEO Matt Miller about how he found the agriculture industry to be optimal match for the rugged PC company. You can listen to my interview with Matt here.
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MobileDemand also offers a video summary of its case study with Box Canyon Dairy. The video further illustrates how the tablet PC and DairyQuest Software have helped one dairy farm increase efficiency in both the breeding and health monitoring of its 8,000 cows. You can watch the video here:
Longevity for a family-owned and operated business is not all that common in today’s world of acquisitions, especially in the agribusiness and media worlds, but Watt Media is the exception to the rule.
Greg Watt is the fourth generation president and CEO of Watt Publishing, a business started by his great grandfather J.W. Watt in 1917 through an acquisition of a poultry publication called Poultry Tribune. As they celebrate 91 years in the business, Greg says they now cover the agribusiness industry with publications on a global scale, including Pig International and Feed International.
In my interview with him, Greg talks about how the publication business has changed over the past nine decades, moving into more new media like webcasting and podcasting, their gold level sponsorship and involvement at World Pork Expo, and how they are forming partnerships with some of their clients like Novus International to better serve the livestock industry.
Listen to Greg’s interview here:
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This is the banner hanging on the side of the Novus International hospitality tent and inside we have a nice little set up to do interviews and posting and just meet and greet. It’s really pretty cool - I feel very special!
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to spend much time hanging around there today because there were lots of media events and press conferences going on - and we didn’t have internet access in the tent. Hopefully, that will be different tomorrow. But, I will say that the folks handling the media here at WPX have been awesome. We have great internet access in the media center (well, there were a few outages) and Leah Schomburg with Trilix Marketing Group has been doing an excellent job coordinating and meeting all of our needs.
I did get to do another interview with one of the Novus Pork Team, Dr. Felipe Navarro, who is swine market manager. He talked about the importance of their research in providing information for producers about their product performance.
You can take a virtual tour of the Novus International research center on their website.
Listen to my interview with Felipe here:
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This good-looking bunch represents the Novus International Pork Team on duty at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines.
Novus is a relatively new pork industry partner, only about two years, but the company has been well known in the poultry industry for many years in the animal health and nutrition field. They actually have products and programs for beef, dairy, aquaculture, and companion animals as well. They boast over 2000 clients in more than 80 countries, so their international focus is a natural fit with the World Pork Expo.
According to Dan Meagher, Novus was founded in 1991 when Monsanto sold off its methionine business. That amino acid was the basis of their products Alimet and MHA for poultry. Now the company has expanded significantly and they are telling producers all about it here at WPX.
Learn more here in my interview with Dan:
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Deputy Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner visited the 20th annual World Pork Expo on Thursday and spoke with producers about some of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
On the opportunity side is exports. “Thanks to this industry for your role in leading US exports to another remarkable level,” Conner said. The latest forecast calls for agricultural exports to hit $108.5 billion - $26 billion more than last year. “And pork is certainly doing a big portion of this. We expect the value of pork exports to be up 35 percent from 2007.”
Conner discussed the challenges of higher feed costs and actions USDA is taking to help alleviate the situation, such as opening up CRP land for haying and grazing, but he does admit that he is concerned about the effects of the weather on this year’s crop. And he talked about the Farm Bill.
After his formal presentation, we had a little “press gaggle” with Conner - which always makes for good photos.
Listen to Conner’s speech here:
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World Pork Expo is a natural fit for an international corporation like Novus. Pictured here by the multi-lingual welcome sign are Mark Klamfoth and Randy Anderson with Novus.
Randy says they have already had visitors at the tent today from China, Brazil and Mexico and they expect many more from other countries over the course of the expo.
With producers very concerned about their profit margins and getting the most from expensive feed, Randy says Novus has several products and programs to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Among their products are Acidomatrix, Activate, and Mintrex.
Learn more here in my interview with Randy
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The smokers were already fired up at 7:00 this morning here at the World Pork Expo, getting ready to serve some excellent BBQ to expo goers throughout the day.
The show is underway and we have already got a Flickr photo album up and lots of audio to get posted. The media center is very busy with plenty of reporters filing reports.
I have to admit being a “newbie” - even though I worked for Brownfield Network a number of years, I never attended WPX - so this will be my first. (Note to Cindy Cunningham: be gentle with me!)
This year is the National Pork Producers Council event’s 20th anniversary of serving as the world’s largest trade show for the pork industry. 30,000 visitors are expected this year and the trade show will feature more than 1,000 booths displayed by some 450 different companies.
The event I am most looking forward to is the pork checkoff-sponsored Great BarbeQlossal on Saturday. World Pork Expo Junior National Show will be held through Friday and the National Swine Registry 2008 World Pork Expo Breed Show and Sale is Friday and Saturday.
All this and more at the Big Pig Show! Stay tuned.
AgWired coverage of World Pork Expo is sponsored by:
Yesterday I had lunch with 5000 head of cattle - and about 60 people.
It was the season kick-off of Missouri’s Lunch and Learn program, a summer series sponsored by all the ag groups in the state where they invite local community leaders to visit agricultural operations. The first event for this summer was held at Circle A Ranch in Huntsville, MO. The main hosts for this event were one of our very best and first clients, the Missouri Beef Industry Council. (Check out their blog here.)
What was especially unique about this event was that it was held in the middle of a covered feedlot - one of only three feedlots in the state of Missouri. You’d think it would be a little, well - smelly - to say the least. But, it was not at all. And there were NO FLIES! It was just as pleasant as having lunch in a park pavilion - just a really huge one with a bunch of cattle in it.
The secret? Sawdust, according to Dave Gust, who owns the operation. “The sawdust acts sort of like kitty litter and it absorbs the ammonia, which is the smell,” he said. “We change it every two weeks and then we compost it and make it into fertilizer - turns into black dirt.”
The guys in the picture are Dave on the left and ranch manager Mark Akin.
Listen to an interview with Dave here:
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Diesel consumers wanting to alleviate soaring fuel prices and high grocery bills should consider using biodiesel. The Missouri Soybean Association says biodiesel helps extend the nation’s limited fuel supply. Plus, it creates an abundance of livestock feed.
The states House Transportation Committee recently held a hearing on legislation that would require all diesel fuel sold in Missouri to be blended with 5 percent biodiesel fuel. Dave Drennan, executive director of the Missouri Dairy Association, testified in support of the biodiesel legislation.
As more soybeans are crushed to meet the demands of biodiesel producers, more soybean meal is made available to livestock producers in greater quantities… By increasing the supply of soybean meal, biodiesel helps dairy producers keep costs down, said Drennan.
High fuel prices have also impacted dairy prices. According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, 85 percent of all products that are produced and purchased in the state are shipped by diesel-powered trucks. Despite local dairy production, Missouri is a milk-deficit state and imports 1.7 billion pounds of milk from other states each year.
According to the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri, rising usage of soybean oil to produce biodiesel has strengthened soybean oil prices while weakening soybean meal prices. This means more livestock feed is available at lower prices. Soybean meal is created when soybeans are crushed to extract the oil needed for biodiesel. Soybean oil is the only part of the soybean needed to produce biodiesel. For every gallon of biodiesel that is produced, 4 gallons of livestock feed are created.
An agricultural research facility in Florida fears the 10 percent reduction in ag research funding will close its doors… and abruptly abort research on a nameless, mixed breed of cattle. The St. Petersburg Times reports:
Indeed, few people have ever seen cattle like these. Unless you’re knowledgeable in bovine research, the cross-bred calves huddled in tall grass of the pastures near the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Subtropical Agricultural Research Station at Chinsegut Hill may appear rather strange.
The animals are so new, in fact, that they don’t even have an official name yet.
Rather, research scientists at the facility refer to them simply as an F1 composite breed, a catch-all name that indicates they are the mixed offspring of several beef cattle breeds in this case American Angus and Brahma cattle, plus the South American Romosinuanos that are a product of more than a decade of genetic research.
While Coleman praised the calves’ aesthetic virtues, his hope is that they will someday lead to a tastier, more profitable breed of beef cattle.
Though that result is a long way off, Coleman fears it may never happen at all…
With the Bush Administration calling for a 10 percent cut in agricultural research in its proposed USDA budget for 2009, Coleman said this agricultural research station is one of three targeted for closing. (more…)
Kansas State University wants ranchers and livestock owners to keep the cattle clean and healthy. The university is hosting the Beef Cattle Welfare at its Beef Cattle Institute May 28-30.
Animal welfare is one of the fastest growing concerns among consumers throughout the country, according to Dr. Dan Thomson, a Kansas State University veterinarian and expert on the impact of beef cattle production practices on cattle well-being and health.
The Beef Cattle Institute at K-State will conduct an International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare, May 28-30, on the K-State campus.
“The symposium is designed to provide a venue in which all stakeholders in beef cattle production can meet and discuss the many welfare-related topics concerning the raising, feeding and harvesting of beef cattle,” Thomson said.
Speakers at the symposium will include producers, ethologists, nutritionists and veterinarians who will address current welfare-related issues facing the beef industry. The speaker list also includes people in policy-making positions within the federal government, professional societies and industry commodity groups.
I really hate to bring up the color green here even though it used to be my favorite color. But after reading on Meatingplace.com about a Greenpeace study that says that people should all become vegetarians in order to reduce global warming I can’t keep quiet. C’mon. They supposedly say according to the article (I don’t even want to waste my time looking up this tripe):
A Greenpeace International report released earlier this month places much of the blame for rising greenhouse gas emissions on agriculture — and specifically on livestock.
The solution, Greenpeace suggests, is that more of the world’s population need to become vegetarian so that the head count of livestock can drop.
It is only to laugh over since this is so sad. Folks, the whole “manmade” global warming hoax is all about setting up a gullible public to be open to this kind of lunacy.
Yesterday I got two solicitations from PR people for “green” clients. One wants me to point you to her client who can tell you how to have a “catered green party” and the other is something about planting trees and getting a coupon for their books they sell. Oh my gosh. Go away. Whackos abound and they’re all over this green thing. If I’m going to have a green party there will be green beer, guacamole, salad, etc. That’s the kind of green I like. Well there is money too.
I’m all for doing things that reduce or don’t cause pollution and being “responsible.” However, if anyone thinks that the world will end tomorrow or anytime soon just because we eat meat and drive cars they’re whacko in my book. Take good old Al Gore who was heard to say at Davos that if we don’t do something soon we’ll have a polar ice cap melt completely in 5 years. Huh?
It seems like agriculture is being pointed at increasingly by these whackos and the non-ag media love it. It’s so far from the truth that I really hope most people understand. If you haven’t read one of Stephen King’s Michael Crighton’s new books, “State of Fear,” (fiction) then I recommend it. I’m also going to get Dennis Avery’s new book, “Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years” (not fiction).
I think I’ll take a green break and drink some tea. And let’s say it one more time, “Farmers are the original environmentalists.”
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo boasts 21 star entertainers for this year’s event. Tickets go on sale starting tomorrow (Saturday, January 12).
The 21 different star entertainers scheduled to perform at the 2008 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo represent a wide variety of musical genres. Together, these superstars have garnered numerous music industry honors, including 18 GRAMMY(R) awards, 73 Country Music Association awards and 90 Academy of Country Music Awards.
Here are few from the lineup…
Monday, March 3 Tim McGraw
Tuesday, March 4 Faith Hill
Wednesday, March 5 Kevin Fowler
Thursday, March 6 Alan Jackson
Friday, March 7
Black Heritage Day sponsored by Kroger Food Stores John Legend
Other entertainers scheduled to perform throughout the event include Martina McBride, Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, John Fogerty, Toby Keith, Clay Walker, Brad Paisley, Duelo/Los Horoscopos de Durango, Miranda Lambert, Big & Rich, Fergie, Dierks Bentley, Pat Green and Brooks & Dunn.
To be honest, I haven’t really given much thought whether my milk or meat comes from a farm animal that’s unique in every way… or whether it has come from a cloned specimen. That’s probably because there isn’t a significant amount of cloned livestock out there… yet. Now that ViaGen is offering a program that tracks cloned animals with ease, though, I think I might be interested in knowing when I’m eating the real thing, or the carbon copy.
The following is a statement by Mark Walton, President of ViaGen, and Dave Faber, CEO of TransOva:
ViaGen and TransOva Genetics, the national leaders in the livestock cloning industry, have developed the supply chain management program to track cloned livestock. This system will allow marketers to provide consumers with truthful and accurate labels.
Our companies worked with more than 20 groups in the food industry chain to develop a program that addresses the marketing needs of their customers.
This proactive effort, to track clones from birth to death, will be managed through a third party registry. Each time the animal moves from one owner to another, it will be documented in the national registry. It works in the same manner as process-verified food systems like the Certified Organics Program; meat certified Halal; or coffee that is labeled Fair Trade.
With fewer than 600 clones in existence today, consumers can be confident that this system will provide them with reliable information about the status of food products from clones.
Cull cows and their feeding habits are at the center of research underway at North Dakota State University’s Hettinger Research Extension Center. The study is being done in cooperation with South Dakota State University. The Center’s Michelle Stamm says the multi-state southwest feeders project is monitoring the feeding of a group of cull cows for 100 days and then will send the cows to slaughter. The cows will be fed in one of three ways: some cows have a self-feeder type diet of commercial product with grain, some cows are being fed with local barley silage and barley grain and the last group of cows is being fed a corn and hay diet. Michelle says the project is tracking the input costs going into the feeding of the cull cows and is also looking at what the producer would earn when the cows go to slaughter.
Cull cows make up around 16 percent of ranch income. Michelle says she has talked to feed industry producers in Iowa in the past and they indicated they finished rather well with the cull cow market.
BoVir(R) receives high praise at the International Animal Pharm Awards. The drug earned the award for the ‘Best New Veterinary Diagnostics Product.’
A highly sensitive, easy-to-use test that accurately detects bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) was selected as the Best New Veterinary Product for Diagnostics in the annual Animal Pharm Awards. BoVir(R) BVDV real time PCR test was selected for its excellence and innovation by an independent judging panel representing members of the global community of animal sciences practitioners and professionals.
According to the judges, BoVir(R) was selected as best in the diagnostic category for its ability to address the four key issues that make current BVDV detection problematic — the test is easy to use, it’s highly sensitive and specific, it provides unprecedented early detection of the virus, and it produces the most advanced genotype and strain diversity detection.
The newly available BVDV test was developed by AnDiaTec GmbH of Germany, and is distributed globally by Enfer Diagnostics.
The Farm Progress Show is underway and the weather is beautiful. Chuck and Laura will be contributing to the photo album this week.
Aggie Lancer
Laura McNamara interviewed Aggie-Lance creator and founder, Mark Jewell.
They talk about the new company and what Mark's trying to do which includes providing an online opportunity for companies to connect with free lancers.
The recent surge in profitability within the agriculture sector is giving farmers and ag companies a bit of room to breath. But, Monsanto says, just a bit. Michael Doane, Monsanto’s Sustainability Team Lead says that with profitability comes responsibility: a responsibility for the agricultural climate of the future. There are big questions, Michael says, that begged to be asked, and, hopefully, answered. How do we meet the growing demand? How do farmers fit into the growing needs of the recent future? What will the world look like for our children? Will it be a world, Michael asked, that has a lot of pressure on its resource base?
and 
Since we work with people and organizations that have differing views about biofuels I just thought I’d point something out. (This is because of a news release sent to me today by E - The Environmental Magazine. They’re “mental” all right. I won’t even put a link to them here for you. You can Google it.)
Longevity for a family-owned and operated business is not all that common in today’s world of acquisitions, especially in the agribusiness and media worlds, but Watt Media is the exception to the rule.
Greg Watt is the fourth generation president and CEO of 
This is the banner hanging on the side of the Novus International hospitality tent and inside we have a nice little set up to do interviews and posting and just meet and greet. It’s really pretty cool - I feel very special! 
I did get to do another interview with one of the Novus Pork Team, Dr. Felipe Navarro, who is swine market manager. He talked about the importance of their research in providing information for producers about their product performance. 
This good-looking bunch represents the 
According to Dan Meagher, Novus was founded in 1991 when Monsanto sold off its methionine business. That amino acid was the basis of their products Alimet and MHA for poultry. Now the company has expanded significantly and they are telling producers all about it here at WPX.
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner visited the 20th annual World Pork Expo on Thursday and spoke with producers about some of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
On the opportunity side is exports. “Thanks to this industry for your role in leading US exports to another remarkable level,” Conner said. The latest forecast calls for agricultural exports to hit $108.5 billion - $26 billion more than last year. “And pork is certainly doing a big portion of this. We expect the value of pork exports to be up 35 percent from 2007.”
World Pork Expo is a natural fit for an international corporation like Novus. Pictured here by the multi-lingual welcome sign are Mark Klamfoth and Randy Anderson with Novus. 
The smokers were already fired up at 7:00 this morning here at the World Pork Expo, getting ready to serve some excellent BBQ to expo goers throughout the day.
I am heading down the road today to attend the 
Yesterday I had lunch with 5000 head of cattle - and about 60 people.
What was especially unique about this event was that it was held in the middle of a covered feedlot - one of only three feedlots in the state of Missouri. You’d think it would be a little, well - smelly - to say the least. But, it was not at all. And there were NO FLIES! It was just as pleasant as having lunch in a park pavilion - just a really huge one with a bunch of cattle in it.
Cull cows and their feeding habits are at the center of research underway at 
BoVir(R) receives high praise at the International 
Laura McNamara interviewed Aggie-Lance creator and founder, Mark Jewell.
