World Food Prize Honors Pioneers in Biotechnology

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WFPThe 2013 World Food Prize will honor three distinguished scientists – Marc Van Montagu of Belgium, and Mary-Dell Chilton and Robert T. Fraley of the United States.

Building upon the scientific discovery of the Double Helix structure of DNA in the 1950s, Van Montagu, Chilton, and Fraley each conducted groundbreaking molecular research on how a plant bacterium could be adapted as a tool to insert genes from another organism into plant cells, which could produce new genetic lines with highly favorable traits.

The revolutionary biotechnology discoveries of these three individuals – each working in separate facilities on two continents – unlocked the key to plant cell transformation using recombinant DNA. Their work led to the development of a host of genetically enhanced crops, which, by 2012, were grown on more than 170 million hectares around the globe by 17.3 million farmers, over 90 percent of whom were small resource-poor farmers in developing countries.

From their work in the laboratory to applying biotechnology innovations in farmers’ fields, the combined achievements of the 2013 World Food Prize Laureates have contributed significantly to increasing the quantity and availability of food.

Agribusiness, Biotech, Research, World Food Prize

Zimfo Bytes

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Zimfo Bytes

NAMA Executive Committee Looking to Future

Chuck Zimmerman

NAMA Executive Committee Mtg.The Executive Committee of the National Agri-Marketing Association has been doing strategizing and planning at its quarterly meeting in Missouri. We had a beautiful setting for it at NAMA President Paul Redhage’s house!

We want to encourage all of you to put the 2014 Agri-Marketing Conference on your calendar. It will be in Jacksonville, FL next year before returning to Kansas City in 2015. We need companies, media and agencies to support the event and make it the best conference ever. The dates are April 8-11, 2014.

We’ve looked at our strategic plan to make sure we’re staying on track with things like creating and developing industry alliances. We also worked on a draft of the organizational budget for next year. NAMA is in great shape folks and that’s because of all of you who have paid your dues and gotten involved!

Ag Groups, NAMA

Swanson Russell Welcomes New Account Supervisors

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Swanson Russell announces the hire of Amy Bugg and Heidi Grunkemeyer as account supervisors in the Omaha office.

buggBugg focuses on the agency’s agribusiness accounts. A graduate of the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, she holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications with an emphasis on advertising. Bugg previously worked as both a group account lead and team lead for AdFarm. She also served as an account supervisor for McCormick Company.

An Assumption, Ill. native, Bugg is a graduate of the Missouri Agricultural Leadership of Tomorrow (ALOT), Class XI. She currently serves on the National Agricultural Marketing Association (NAMA) Executive Committee and as an at-large board member of Ava’s Grace Scholarship Foundation.

grunkemeyerGrunkemeyer serves as an account supervisor for the agency’s health care division, heading up accounts including Barnes Jewish Hospital and Siteman Cancer Center as well as Fremont Area Medical Center. A Tekamah, Neb., native, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Creighton University in Omaha.

Grunkemeyer previously worked as an account manager for Swanson Russell in the late ‘90s, and has since worked at Children’s Hospital in Boston and a small agency in St. Louis. She spent the past nine years with Alegent Creighton Health in Omaha, most recently as the director of marketing and communications.

Advertising, Agribusiness, Marketing

Harvest is Plenty, Ag Laborers are Few

Cindy Zimmerman

It was over 2,000 years ago that Jesus said “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” and that is apparently very true today in the agribusiness world.

ifama-13-sonny“Here in the United States, just in the next five years based on surveys that we’ve done, we know we’re going to have about 60,000 jobs available in the agribusiness enterprise – and we’re generating only about 28,000 graduates,” said director of USDA’s National Institute of Food & Agriculture Sonny Ramaswamy at the 23rd annual International Food and Agribusiness Management Association World Forum on Tuesday. “Not enough people are wanting to get into the agricultural enterprise although there are fantastic opportunities and we need to be thinking of helping to develop the workforce.”

That’s really the whole goal of IFAMA, to develop the workforce of agribusiness to help feed a growing world population. “Population is the mother of all wicked problems,” said Ramaswamy. “At the core of out ability to feed this population are the farmers.” However, since farmers are being subjected to so many stressors – everything from environmental challenges to political issues – we need talent in a variety of disciplines to support them.

Ramaswamy’s presentation at IFAMA ran about 45 minutes but has a wealth of information so is well worth a listen – lots of great stuff here! IFAMA address by USDA's Sonny Ramaswamy


IFAMA 23rd World Forum Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Food, USDA

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