The Alltech blogger, Debbie Hildreth, has been busy. I will be featuring an interview with her in this week’s ZimmCast. Part of her duties include getting short video clips with attendees here at the Symposium. The first one I found in their YouTube channel is with Alltech Europe Director Marc Larousse. He answers the question: How are Alltech’s European facilities doing during this economic crisis?
Agri Aware and Alltech Announce KIDZONE
KIDZONE is going global thanks to new support from Alltech. KIDZONE is an educational resource of Agri Aware, an Irish farm and food education organization. Teaching children about agriculture and food is something I think all of us here in America would like to see more of. The new KIDZONE resource is scheduled to launch later this year. I spoke with Dr. Pearse Lyons, pictured here with Mairead Lavery, Agri Aware, at yesterday’s press announcement. Dr. Lyons is holding up the teaching resources packet for class rooms called, “Dig In.” It is one of the items that will be translated into different languages as part of this effort. I would encourage American farm groups to look into this program.
Dr. Lyons says that he became aware of Agri Aware a few years ago and has supported it locally in Ireland since then. This new level of support is meant to allow the program to become available around the world.
I also asked him how things were going at this year’s Symposium. He says that attendance is strong at about 1,200 and that is impressive when you consider what he described as several strikes against them. For starters, the economy is discouraging travel, especially internationally. Additionally, Alltech began charging a fee for the Symposium for the first time this year. However, those factors have not dampened attendance which is testament to how important these folks believe the event is from a networking and professional improvement standpoint.
You can listen to my interview with Dr. Lyons here: alltech-symposium-lyons-1.mp3
You can also download the interview here: Dr. Pearse Lyons Remarks (mp3)
Alltech Where The Buffalo Roam
We finished today’s Alltech Symposium out on the farm. You couldn’t have asked for more picture perfect weather which is why I took photos like this one of the buffalo. You can find a lot more in the photo album.
I have a number of stories to post in the morning including an announcement by Alltech that it’s supporting a program to educate children about farm life. Actually, the company has been supporting it but now wants to help take the program “global.” More on that in the morning. Until then, enjoy the photos.
Mark Lambert Joins Staff at National Corn Growers
It’s official now. Our good buddy Mark Lambert is a Senior Communications Manager for the National Corn Growers Association. The picture is him hard at work during the recent NAFB Washington Watch program.
“Mark is such a valuable addition to our NCGA communications team. We are delighted to have him join the NCGA team,” said NCGA Communications Director Nancy Bunker Koester. “Our farmer members and state organizations will benefit greatly from the wealth of experience Mark brings to NCGA after working more than two decades on corn and ethanol issues for Illinois farmers.”
Previously, Lambert served as communications director for the Illinois Corn Growers Association and Illinois Corn Marketing Board. He has been actively engaged in agriculture and related issues for more than three decades, with 20 years of experience in the corn industry and 12 years covering agri-business as a journalist and columnist for the Peoria Journal Star and Illinois Agri-News.
John Deere’s Penn Picks Up Syngenta Award at World Ag Forum
J.B. Penn, Chief Economist for John Deere, has been recognized for his efforts that have “impacted the lives and livelihood of the world’s population by meeting the growing need for food.”
During a presentation after the last session today at the World Agricultural Forum in St. Louis, Syngenta Seeds President David Morgan presented Penn with the Syngenta Recognizing Contributions to Global Challenges Award for his work that has “contributed significantly to bringing plant potential to life by addressing the crucial issues of safe, affordable and reliable supplies of food, fuel, fiber and water.”
Morgan highlighted Penn’s work to calm fears after BSE in cattle was discovered to have been imported into the U.S. from Canada. He was also noted for his educational work about the enhanced safeguards put in place against BSE and helped lift bans on U.S. beef exports to other countries.
Penn told the delegates to the forum that he was very flattered, very honored and very pleased to accept the award. He hopes the award will help draw attention and better inform people of the daunting challenges facing agriculture in the future.
You can hear almost all of the award presentation (sorry, missed the first few seconds) and Penn’s acceptance remarks here: Syngentaaward.mp3
Flickr Photo Album for World Ag Forum
AgWired coverage of the 2009 World Agricultural Forum World Congress is sponsored by:
.
Farm Bureau’s Stallman: Any Hungry Person is a Concern
President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Bob Stallman, just finished up his part of a panel discussion at World Agricultural Forum, entitled Strategies, Actions & Policies for Long-Term Security in Agriculture & Food Production.
Right at the outset, Stallman stressed the American farmers’ commitment to making sure that not only people in the U.S. are fed but that the entire world has enough to eat.
“Any hungry person should be great cause for concern to all of us.”
Stallman says agriculture needs to figure out how it will feed the 9 billion people who will live on the planet by the year 2050… on basically the same amount of land used to feed about 6 billion today (including the nearly 3 billion who now don’t get enough to eat). But, he says global hunger has less to do with production than it does with infrastructure and politics. “Hunger in the world today is not a lack of calories. It’s a problem of distribution,” he said.
Stallman says policies, in particular, the trade protections that too many developing countries insist upon, are some of the political decisions that are having a tremendous impact on world food supplies. He also defended biofuels, which had been a bit maligned during this session, as not being to blame for the spike in food prices the world has seen. Stallman pointed out that American farmers are getting better at sustainability practices.
Stallman tells the group in St. Louis that there are some solutions to the daunting tasks world agriculture will face over the next couple of decades.
“We must continue to seek out new production technology, adapt new production technology and not fear new production technology. Those countries that choose to turn their backs on tech will be left behind.”
Stallman says open borders and open trade are also part of the solution to how to feed those 9 billion people by 2050.
You can hear more of Bob’s comments during the session here: Stallman1.mp3
Flickr Photo Album for World Ag Forum
AgWired coverage of the 2009 World Agricultural Forum World Congress is sponsored by:
.
Finances Continue to Dominate Talk at World Ag Forum
The issue of finances and credit markets remains the main topic of discussion during this first day of the World Agricultural Forum going on in St. Louis, Mo.
The most current session features several prominent bankers, including: Shuillin Wang, China Investment Corp.; Joseph Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist for Bank of America; James Bond, CEO, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency at The World Bank; Jonathan Campaigne, CEO of PRIDEAFRICA in Kenya; and Esther Muthoni Muiruri, the General Manager Marketing-Agri Business, Equity Bank, Ltd.
Quinlan warned that with the current global financial crisis, there might be a tendency for some banks, especially those in North America and Europe, to keep more of their capital at home.
“As the banks rebuild their balance sheets, there’s going be a home bias.”
As bad as that might sound for some of the developing countries, which rely on foreign investment to move their ag programs forward, they might look more to their own homegrown finances to get the local economies moving. That growth in local economies, in turn, will fuel the overall growth in the world’s economy.
Quinlan says the political instability that plagues many developing countries will make banks in the U.S. wait for local banks, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) take the lead at financing those operations in those areas.
He says that a forum such as this one only confirms in his mind the importance of agricultural commodities and the investment opportunities they offer.
Listen to my conversation with Joseph here: Quinlan1.mp3
Flickr Photo Album for World Ag Forum
AgWired coverage of the 2009 World Agricultural Forum World Congress is sponsored by:
.
The Give and Take of World Ag Forum
One of the great things about the sessions like the ones at World Agricultural Forum is the way the audience is able to interact with the panelists and experts who are on the main stage.
During a session this morning, the RT Hon. James B. Bolger, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and the current Chairman of the World Agricultural Forum; Carl Hausmann, President and CEO of Bunge North America; J.B. Penn, Chief Economist for John Deere; David Morgan, President of Syngenta Seeds; Michael Bennett, CEO, Terra Industries; and Prof. Nuhu Hatibu, CEO of the Kilimo Trust, East Africa, fielded questions from the audience… ranging from making organics profitable and worthwhile for developing countries to produce… to employing and lifting up those at the bottom half of the world’s economic ladder.
Some of the answers I’ve already covered in previous postings, but I thought you would be interested in hearing how the participants interacted during the session: giventake1.mp3
Flickr Photo Album for World Ag Forum
AgWired coverage of the 2009 World Agricultural Forum World Congress is sponsored by:
.
Dr. Pearse Lyons Opening Remarks
The opening general session at the Alltech Symposium concluded with remarks from Dr. Pearse Lyons, CEO/President and founder.
Dr. Lyons remarks dealt with the subject of the financial crisis we’re in and how it ties in to the whole principle of sustainability. To start with he says a crisis calls for character and that it’s not a time for despair. He says the pillars of their company are: Education, Innovation, Traceability, Brand and Cause. He discussed the fact that the company has supported education and innovation and then demonstrated how that has driven their sales. Some of the challenges he sees ahead include antibiotics, the environment and quality.
We also got a preview announcement that tommorow Alltech will launch of the Alltech-Muhammad Ali Center Education and Humanitarian Fund. It’s their new cause which is one of the pillars on which they build the company.
You can listen to Dr. Lyons’s remarks here: alltech-symposium-session-1-lyons.mp3
You can also download his remarks here: Dr. Pearse Lyons Remarks (mp3)
Alltech Medal of Excellence Presented To Dr. David Byrne
During this morning’s opening session at the Alltech Symposium former EU Commissioner, Dr. David Byrne, was presented the Alltech Medal of Excellence. Normally it is presented to a scientist but this year the company decided to make the presentation to someone who has demonstrated serious leadership in the agriculture industry.
Dr. Byrne, shown here (center) with Alltech’s Dr. Karl Dawson (left) and Alltech CEO/President, Dr. Pearse Lyons (right). After his award, Dr. Byrne then made remarks. He spoke about the mad cow problem in the EU which was during his term as a Commissioner. He says food safety became political and people lost jobs and elections. He says they had to put a plan in place in the EU that was science based, had mandatory recalls and a rapid alert system. He says that a traceability system is absolutely necessary and hopes that U. S. Ag Sec. Vilsack’s plan is accomplished on NAIS. Byrne says they learned that someone needs to be in charge, there needs to be a plan and that it is working. Byrne says the question now is how to make animals and food sustainable.
You can listen to Dr. Byrne’s remarks here: alltech-symposium-session-1-byrne.mp3
You can also download his remarks here: Dr. David Byrne Remarks (mp3)