Cancellation and Postponement of USDA Reports

Talia Goes

USDA-LogoThe U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB) have cancelled or postponed publication of selected USDA statistical reports impacted by the lapse in federal funding.

NASS’s Crop Production and Cotton Ginnings reports and the WAOB’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) scheduled for October 11th are canceled. The next scheduled release for these reports is November 8, 2013. Additionally, NASS’s Crop Progress reports scheduled for October 7th and 15th are cancelled. NASS’s Cattle on Feed and Peanut Prices reports scheduled for October 18th are postponed.

While the lapse in federal funding has ended, NASS has not been able to engage in the necessary data collection and analysis over the past few weeks. NASS is assessing its data collection plans and evaluating the timing of upcoming reports.

Agribusiness, USDA

Meatless Monday Campaign Flops

Chuck Zimmerman

Meatless Monday FloopThis is no surprise to me. The Meatless Monday campaign doesn’t have the participation the organizers would like you to think they have. I have thought for some time that reports and effects of animal activists and their trendy sounding ideas are way over estimated.

Thanks to the Animal Agriculture Alliance for doing this research!

After weeks of investigation, the Animal Agriculture Alliance has concluded that the Meatless Monday Campaign is grossly misrepresenting the campaign’s enrollment and prevalence among schools, restaurants, hospitals and colleges. Since the inception of the Meatless Monday campaign, the Alliance has closely monitored the campaign’s progress and tried to correct its misinformation about the healthfulness of meat consumption and environmental impact of livestock production.

In anticipation of the Meatless Monday campaign’s 10th anniversary, the Alliance analyzed the overall effects of the campaign and gauged its effectiveness by individually surveying every participant listed on the Meatless Monday website. The Alliance found that the campaign has not been as popular as the Meatless Monday movement claimed. Most notably:

Out of the 236 kindergarten through twelfth grade schools listed as participating, more than 51% no longer or never participated in the program; Out of the 155 colleges/universities listed as participating, more than 43.2% no longer or never participated in the program; Out of the school districts listed as participating, more than 57% no longer do.

The Meatless Monday campaign also counts restaurants and food service providers among their allies, yet, over 35% and 47%, respectively, no longer participate in the program.

Ag Groups, Animal Activists, Animal Agriculture, Food, Meat

The Little Plant That Could

Melissa Sandfort

This week Aunt Jeanette writes:

imageI love mornings! It may partly be a leftover habit from my teaching days, but I have always been an early riser. If I had slept late, I would have missed these gorgeous blooms on my moonflower plant since these particular flowers wither during the daytime. Melissa has written about my moonflower plants and the hummingbird moths that visit them. My story today, however, is about persistence and resilience.

You see, after our severe hail and windstorm on Aug. 1, this plant was nothing but a stick – what was left looked like a short, stubby pencil. It was growing in quite an odd place to begin with. Apparently a seed had blown under our deck and the plant grew in a crack between the deck and concrete driveway. I couldn’t bear to pull it, so I let it grow there. It was just getting ready to bloom when the hail pounded it back to almost nothing.

As the days and weeks passed, I saw this plant coming back to life! I started kind of babying it along. When I watered the plants on my deck, I would finish by giving this one a little drink. It kept growing and finally one day I saw flower buds! I regret not taking before and after pictures, but I never guessed there was any life left there.

Even though our crops did not come back to life like my moonflower, the farmers in our area have had a hard lesson in persistence and resilience this summer and fall. It was a tough summer – one that will be the subject of stories for grandchildren – and they won’t be “the good old days” stories. However, I know the farmers will bounce back and overcome this adversity – just like my moonflower plant.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

TATT Global Farmer Roundtable Wraps Up

Leah Guffey

DSC_1631The Truth About Trade and Technology (TATT) Global Farmer Roundtable has come to an end, but there’s still plenty for these farmers from 14 countries to learn, see and do while they are in Des Moines, Iowa at the 2013 World Food Prize. Sixteen farmers from 14 different countries have spent the last several days together learning about not only each other but also about the practices used on each others’ farms, how to grow their crops better, and how to work with their governments more effectively.

Jim Zimmerman (no relation to Chuck or Cindy) of Wisconsin, who is chairman of the National Corn Growers Association Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team, said he was nominated to be a part of the TATT’s Global Farmer Roundtable. Although he doesn’t know who to thank for the opportunity, he said he is honored to be here and is looking forward to acting on what he’s learning. Zimmerman said he is committed to helping make better policy for both U.S. farmers and farmers around the world.

Listen to my interview with Jim here  Interview with Jim Zimmerman

2013 TATT Global Farmer Roundtable photos

 

Audio, Farming, GMO, World Food Prize

Kleckner Award Presented to Indian Farmer

Leah Guffey

tatt-13-raviA highlight of the Truth About Trade and Technology (TATT) Global Farmer Roundtable on Tuesday was the presentation of the first Kleckner Trade and Technology Advancement Award Fellow to V. Ravichandran, better known to friends as Ravi. He is pictured here with TATT CEO Mary Boote and chairman Bill Horan.

Ravi grows rice, sugarcane, cotton and pulses on about 60 acres near the southern tip of India in the village of Poongalum which is in the state of Tamil.  We would consider him a small scale farmer by American standards, but in India, Ravi is considered a larger-scale producer. He first attended the roundtable in 2010 and he really enjoys the opportunity to learn from farmers in other countries.

“I’m able to interact with farmers from developed nations like the U.S., Canada and Australia. Their way of farming is really amazing,” he said. “I’m very interested in adopting new technology – that keeps me going.”

Ravi is very active in social media, on Facebook and Twitter, and has about 1100 followers. “Most of my followers are from the European Union, they’re all farmers,” he said, noting that he hears from them about their desire to use biotech crops. You can follow Ravi on Twitter @FarmerRaviVKV.

Ravi talks about that and more in this interview. Interview with Indian farmer V. Ravichandran

2013 TATT Global Farmer Roundtable photos

Audio, Farming, Food, International, World Food Prize

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The world’s premier agricultural tires are now available from Dawson Tire & Wheel.
  • Charleston|Orwig, a strategic communications consultant that specializes in providing integrated marketing and reputation management services to food system clients, announces the opening of an Austin, Texas, branch.
  • The National Corn Growers Association Nominating Committee is now accepting applications from members for the 2015 Corn Board.
  • Martinez Creative Group of St. Charles, Ill., has hired Laura Mullen of St. Charles, Ill. as Account Manager.
Zimfo Bytes

TATT Global Farmer Roundtable visits Couser Cattle

Leah Guffey

tatt-13-couserDuring the Truth About Trade and Technology (TATT) Global Farmer Roundtable we went to the Couser Cattle Company. Bill and Nancy Couser with son Tim produce corn and cattle just outside of Nevada, IA.  

When Tim graduated from Iowa State University, mom and dad strongly suggested that he spend some time in the corporate world before returning to the family operation.  So Tim worked for John Deere Corporation in Ottumwa, IA and learned more about goals and the corporation way to do things.  Returning to the family farm to implement what he has learned regarding long term goals and implementing some additional safety measures, he might be getting some push back from the workers, but he’s excited to grow the family operation. Interview with Tim Couser

tatt-13-cousersThe Cousers have hosted the TATT roundtable since its inception and it is an event that Bill says they always enjoy. “Just the people we’ve met over the years is incredible,” he says. “To sit down at a table with farmers from all across the world – it’s amazing how we all have the same challenges and we all have the same goals.”

The Cousers are strong supporters of the ethanol industry – Bill is past president of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association – and he is passionate about the importance of producing food, feed and fuel. In this interview he talks about Couser Cattle Company, corn, and communication. Interview with Bill Couser

2013 TATT Global Farmer Roundtable photos

Audio, Corn, Food, GMO, Livestock, World Food Prize

Elanco’s Jeff Simmons has had Enough

Cindy Zimmerman

wfp13-jeff1The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) and DuPont today presented the 2013 Borlaug CAST Communication Award to Jeff Simmons, president of Elanco, on the occasion of the 2013 Borlaug Dialogue hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines.

In accepting the award, Simmons issued a challenge to solve the greatest issue of our time – food security. “I’m here about a movement,” he said. “No more talk – what can we do from World Food Prize 2013 to World Food Prize 2014.”

Simmons says the bottom line is “enough is enough – we’ve had enough, we’ve talked enough” and the time has come to act and he challenged everyone to go to SensibleTable.com and “make food security your cause.”

His goal is to have 10,000 people sign up for the cause and to get “one million positive impressions per week” using the hashtag #FeedThe9.

Lots more in Jeff’s remarks and his press conference here – definitely worth listening to and sharing! Thanks to Jeff for his passion and leadership in communicating the importance of food security and to Elanco for helping us spread the word by sponsoring our coverage of World Food Prize events.

Elanco president Jeff Simmons remarks Elanco president Jeff Simmons press conference
2013 World Food Prize photos

2013 TATT Global Farmer Roundtable photos

Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, Elanco, World Food Prize

Marigolds Provide Lutein, Who Knew?

Leah Guffey

Kemin Industries Worlwide, that’s who knew.

tatt-13-kemin2During the Truth About Trade and Technology (TATT) Global Farmer Roundtable, we learned that Kemin is the largest grower of marigolds (yes, that not so fragrant flower you often plant in your flower beds) to extract the Lutein, a naturally occurring carotenoid – which happens to help prevent eye diseases such as macular degeneration. So, Kemin Industries grows the marigolds to extract the lutein to your vitamins and nutrients so that the largest growing section of the population can keep their sight longer.

Another crop that Kemin cultivates for its molecular benefits is rosemary, which is full of antioxidants. It’s weeded by hand and due to the high concentration of essential oils, bacteria and insects generally stay away. Oregano and spearmint are also grown by Kemin for research in the MidWest and around the world. They have fascinating ways of doing cross pollination and with their rosemary production they have just been recognized for sustainability.

Dr. John Greaves, Vice-President of Specialty Crops for Kemin Industries, explains more about what they do with these special specialty crops in this interview. Interview with Kemin Industries Vice President of Specialty Crops

2013 TATT Global Farmer Roundtable photos

Agribusiness, Audio, Biotech, Technology, World Food Prize

World Food Prize Winner Visits TATT Roundtable

Cindy Zimmerman

tatt-13-fraleyOne of the 2013 World Food Prize Laureates stopped by to visit the Truth About Trade and Technology Global Farmer Roundtable and talk about the importance of helping farmers around the world produce food more efficiently.

“I’m always reminded by what Dr. Borlaug used to say, that hunger never sleeps, and that means we can’t sleep either,” said Dr. Robert T. (Robb) Fraley, Chief Technology Officer for Monsanto.

tatt-13-robbDr. Fraley recalled a visit with Norman Borlaug towards the end of his life just a few years ago and how excited the “Father of the Green Revolution” was to hear about molecular breeding and gene sequencing. “And Norm says ‘I can see how the Green and Gene Revolutions are going to come together,'” said Fraley. “From a science perspective, that’s exactly what has happened.”

Fraley says explaining the importance and safety of biotech crops to the general public is a big challenge for the industry. “This is important to all consumers,” he said. “We’ve got to talk to consumers in the context of food security, food prices, the benefits of an affordable food system, the urgency of these tools for the rest of the world and the fact that by farming more efficiently and using less inputs, we dramatically reduce the impact that agriculture could have on the environment.” He also advocates the use of social media to communicate with the public and recently started his own Twitter account.

Dr. Fraley will be honored this week with the 2013 World Food Prize along with fellow biotechnology scientists Marc Van Montagu of the Institute of Plant Biotechnology Outreach at Ghent University in Belgium, and Mary-Dell Chilton of Syngenta Biotechnology.

Listen to my conversation with Dr. Fraley here: Interview with Monsanto's Robb Fraley

2013 TATT Global Farmer Roundtable photos

Agribusiness, Audio, Biotech, Corn, Technology, World Food Prize