Agribusiness Ties to Harvard

Cindy Zimmerman

ifama-13-maryWhen you think of agricultural education, Harvard is probably one of the last institutes of higher learning that comes to mind, but think again.

Mary Shelman is director of the agribusiness program at Harvard Business School and has been president of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA).

“The very term agribusiness was created by a colleague of mine at Harvard Business School who wrote a book in 1958 called “The Concept of Agribusiness” so we’ve been looking at this field for an extremely long time,” Shelman said in an interview at the 23rd annual IFAMA World Forum this week. In fact, she says the same colleague who coined the term agribusiness was responsible for the creation of IFAMA 23 years ago as a way for industry and the academic community to work jointly toward professionalizing agribusiness education.

Listen to my interview with Mary here: Interview with outgoing IFAMA president Mary Shelman, Harvard Business School IFAMA president Mary Shelman remarks
IFAMA 23rd World Forum Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Education

Novus CEO is New IFAMA President

Cindy Zimmerman

ifama-13-thadNovus International President and CEO Thad Simons will be the new president of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) Board of Directors for the next two years. IFAMA made the announcement at its 23rd Annual World Forum and Symposium.

IFAMA is a leading agribusiness nonprofit that brings together the best minds from all sectors of food production and consumption to improve the industry.

During his two-year term as IFAMA’s president, Simons says he will be specifically seeking to focus the organization’s efforts on global talent development for agriculture. I have interviewed Thad many times over the last several years and I can tell you that he is positively passionate about this organization and this mission.

Listen to my interview with Thad here: Interview with Novus CEO and IFAMA president Thad Simons


IFAMA 23rd World Forum Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Food, Novus International

Monsanto Chairman Keynotes IFAMA World Forum

Cindy Zimmerman

ifama-13-grantMonsanto chairman and CEO Hugh Grant was the keynote speaker for the 23rd annual International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) World Forum, being held this year in Atlanta, Georgia.

“IFAMA – a very cool organization,” Grant began his address to some 450 attendees from 28 countries following an introductory video on the forum theme – The Road to 2050: The Talent Factor. “It’s a cool organization because you focus on solutions, you focus on the future, you look at innovation.”

Grant talked about the tremendous need for young people in the food and agribusiness industry, comparing it to last year’s historic drought in the United States. “Today we’re in a different kind of drought – and that’s a talent drought,” he said. “You don’t see plants withering, you see ideas withering and innovation gets starved.”

To help reverse that trend, Grant announced Monsanto’s commitment of an additional $3 million to the Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program (MBBISP), focused on training the next generation of global rice and wheat plant breeders.

Listen to Grant’s address here: IFAMA Keynote address by Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant
IFAMA 23rd World Forum Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Food

ASTA State of Agribusiness Panel Discussion

Maggie Seiler

Challenges facing the seed industry were the topic of discussion at Tuesday morning’s general session at the 130th ASTA annual meeting. The state of agribusiness panel was composed of Ross Harvey from AdFarm, Blake Sieker managing partner at The Context Network and Kevin Ferguson farm management extension area specialist with the University of Tennessee. The panel was moderated by Lowell Catlett, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics at New Mexico State University.

asta-13-panel1Harvey opened the panel by discussing issues facing seed companies related to marketing. He mentioned three major areas that the seed industry must address related to marketing including the impact of producer consolidation, the human talent challenge and data driven decision making. Harvey also talked about marketing execution and management issues. “Use fewer tactics and don’t do some things and stay the course,” Harvey said. “Annual planning cycles don’t mean we have to reinvent our marketing initiatives every year.” According to Harvey, great marketing groups are disciplined, consistent, and are great at execution.
Listen to Harvey’s remarks here: Ross Harvey

The focus of Sieker’s comments was the status and future dynamics of corn and soybeans. He discussed the evolution of the business, industry trends and drivers and key characteristics that will keep the agriculture sector strong. According to Sieker those keys were “managing volatility, keeping pace with velocity and creating and providing value.”
Listen to Sieker’s comments here: Blake Sieker

asta-13-panel2Ferguson rounded out the panel by talking to attendees about the challenges that the American farmer faces in the changing industry. He discussed the change over that is occurring especially related to the transition of resources and management from one generation to the next. Additionally, Ferguson spoke on the challenge farms have to plan during profitable times. “Planning during the good times is often much more successful than planning during the bad times,” Ferguson said.
Listen to Ferguson’s presentation here: Kevin Ferguson I also caught up with Ferguson after the panel and you can listen to my interview with him here: Ferguson Interview

ASTA Annual Meeting Photo Album

Agribusiness, ASTA, Seed

Key Policy Changes for LMA

Jamie Johansen

lma-13-goodThe Livestock Marketing Association focuses on their members and during the 2013 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship in Montgomery, Alabama meetings were held to make sure the most effective and up-to-date policies were in place for LMA producers.

During the annual membership meeting a couple of legislative resolutions were discussed to change policies for producers across the country. Chuck talked with Chelsea Good, the new Vice President for Government and Industry Affairs for the Livestock Marketing Association. She works with legislative efforts at both national and state levels.

Four key policy issues came to the forefront for members. Chelsea shared that resolutions were made in regards to animal disease traceability, the updating of the Packers and Stockers Act, LMA’s discion to stay neutral in country of origin labeling and the choice to appose the releasing of producer information by the government.

Chelsea stressed the importance of staying engaged with regulatory agencies, now more then ever, due to the fact that many of their leadership are at least two generations removed from agriculture.

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Chelsea here: Interview with Chelsea Good

Here you can find photos from the event: 2013 LMA/WLAC Photo Album

Audio, Beef, Livestock, LMA

Truth About Trade & Technology Update

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 400Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. This is episode #400! Seems like a milestone in a weekly agricultural podcast.

TATT LeadershipEnsuring that the Truth About Trade & Technology is told, TATT is hard at work. It has been a while since I’ve had a TATT Chat. But I got my chance during last week’s Bayer 150th Anniversary Celebration. Thanks to Michael Zirkle for the photo of me with Bill Horan, TATT Chairman and Mary Boote, TATT CEO. We talked about the big issues that TATT is currently working on. Here’s one of the things I like about TATT. Bill says “We’re able to say what a lot of companies and organizations would like to say but for political reasons and others they can’t say it.” And they don’t pull any punches!

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast here: Update on TATT

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.

Ag Groups, Audio, Trade, ZimmCast

LMA Makes Moves Towards Future

Jamie Johansen

lma-13-harrisMontgomery, Alabama opened it’s door last week to attendees of the 2013 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship. Members from the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) came together from around the world to discuss policies, gather information on industry issues and of course take in the competition.

Maybe one of the most important things to take place during the event was the board of directors and membership meeting. LMA is led by its members from the ground up. During this session attendees heard reports on industry and service issues, discussed committee recommendations and developed association policy.

Chuck caught up with Dan Harris, Vice President of LMA from Holton, KS about hot topics discussed and what the future holds for the organization. “We will continure to work on the animal handling situation and animal welfare here in the United States. We are going to contract with a third auditor and stay on top of this situation.”

Dan also talked about the use of technology in livestock marketing auctions and how they are looking into how auctions can advance themselves to stay connected with the ever-changing world of agriculture.

“What LMA is here for is to protect the local auction markets and protect the auction method of selling livestock in a competitive setting and gain the maxium amount of money for our producers.”

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Dan here: Interview with Dan Harris

Here you can find photos from the event: 2013 LMA/WLAC Photo Album

Audio, Beef, Livestock, LMA

From ASTA to IFAMA

Cindy Zimmerman

ifamaAs this busy week on the agriblogging highway continues, I am leaving the last day of the American Seed Trade Association convention in the young but capable hands of our summer intern Maggie Seiler while I head to the 23rd World Forum of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) in Atlanta.

This is an event we have never covered before but it definitely sounds like it will be interesting with the theme of
“The Road to 2050: The Talent Factor – Meeting Future Global Needs of Food and Agriculture.” Speakers will include executives from Monsanto, DuPont, National FFA, the National 4-H Council, Heifer International and more.

Incoming president of IFAMA is a man we know very well – Thad Simons, President & CEO of Novus International – so we are very much looking forward to talking with him about this group and its focus on developing the talent and technologies needed to create sustainable food security solutions.

As always, I will be uploading photos and audio here on AgWired and on AgNewsWire.AgWired.com which are available for download to use by the media. Should be some great content coming from this one!

Agribusiness, Food, Novus International

Working With Former WLAC

Chuck Zimmerman

WLAC Interview JudgesLast week I got to work right along side a bunch of champions. Champion like Lex Madden, Torrington Livestock Market and 1998 World Livestock Auctioneer Champion. Lex is pictured next to me second from right. This is the group of judges for the 2013 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship interview judging. In addition to Lex and myself, from the left are Jess LaFleur, LaFleur Brothers, Mark Barnett, Kentucky-Tennessee Livestock Market and Debra Davis, Alabama Farmers Federation.

We judged the 31 contestants in this year’s contest who each had to answer three questions posed by 2012 WLAC Bailey Ballou. I feel very honored to have been chosen to be a part of this group. Making careful judgement of the cream of the crop of livestock auctioneers is a responsibility and one I fully enjoyed.

Lex is a great example for any aspiring auctioneer and I think you’ll enjoy his remarks in my interview with him. He’s been attending the LMA Annual Convention since 1990 and says it’s a place where you make lifelong friends. He talks about the changes he’s seen in the industry and mentions technology as one of the biggest with the use of computers and growth in internet auctions.

You can listen to my interview with Lex here: Interview with Lex Madden

2013 LMA/WLAC Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, LMA