US and EU Seed Groups Chart Transatlantic Dialogue

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. and the European Union are entering a new era of transatlantic dialogue on agricultural innovation for a sustainable food system with both nations setting the ambitious objective to become carbon-neutral by 2050.

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and Euroseeds jointly hosted a webinar Tuesday aimed at promoting dialogue focused on how increased cooperation in scientific research and agricultural innovation can accelerate the transition towards a sustainable food system on both sides of the Atlantic.

“ASTA and Euroseeds have a shared vision of achieving a strong, resilient and sustainable food system,” said ASTA CEO Andy LaVigne. “The goal of this on-going dialogue is to bring the public and private sector, plant breeding community, NGOs and others to realize the potential that plant breeding innovations bring to achieving the sustainability development goals.”

ASTA and Euroseeds have 30 members in common and they closely cooperate within several working bodies of the International Seed Federation (ISF).

Taking part in the discussion were:
– Mr. John Clarke, Director, International Relations, DG AGRI, European Commission
– Dr. Matin Qaim, Director, Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Germany
– Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Acting Chief Scientist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
– Mr. Doug McKalip, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
– Ms. Veronika Vrecionová, Member of the European Parliament

The discussion was moderated by George Lyon, former Member of the European Parliament and Senior Consultant at Hume Brophy.

ASTA-EU Webinar - opening statements (38:23)

ASTA-EU Webinar - discussion (28:59)

Agribusiness, ASTA, Audio, Seed, Technology

USFRA Participates in Water for Food Forum

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action CEO Erin Fitzgerald and chairperson Anne Meis participated in a panel discussion on food and water systems during the kickoff of the Daugherty Water for Food Institute’s virtual global forum last week.

Meis operates a family farm in Nebraska with her husband and she serves as treasurer of Nebraska Soybean Board. As Chair of USFRA, Meis provided remarks earlier this year at a U.N. Food Systems Summit producer forum. “Our work has also been in conjunction with making sure the farmer voice is heard on the global stage,” said Meis. “We know how important it is that the food system begins with producers.”

The Water for Food forum continues this week with live and on-demand presentations focused on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Agriculture and Water Management.

Water for Food forum - USFRA CEO Erin Fitzgerald and chair Anne Meis (7:43)

Audio, Food, USFRA, Water, Water for Food

Animal Ag News 10/11

Carrie Muehling

  • The checkoff-founded Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy released its biennial 2020 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report inclusive of progress made in 2019 and 2020 within environmental stewardship and broader social responsibility commitments to people, animals and communities.
  • Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative is making available a resource that journalists might find useful. Dr. Marin Bozic, a nationally recognized agricultural economist at the University of Minnesota, gave a presentation to members of Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative on Sept. 30 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. A video recording of the 50-minute event is now accessible on YouTube.
  • The dairy checkoff has awarded 12 academic scholarships to students enrolled in programs that emphasize dairy and who have shown potential to become future dairy leaders. The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB), through Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy checkoff, annually awards $2,500 scholarships to 11 students. In addition, the NDB awards a $3,500 James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship to one outstanding scholarship recipient.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Public Lands Council criticized the Biden administration’s unilateral decision to put sweeping federal designations on millions of acres surrounding the Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah.
  • USPOULTRY’s 2021 Poultry Processor Workshop will be held Nov. 16-17, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown in Nashville, Tennessee.
  • The Public Lands Council announced they will provide over $450,000 in grant funding to multiple cattle groups, university research teams, and federal land-focused organizations to support research and educational programs that strengthen the future of public lands livestock production.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Industry Ag News 10/8

Carrie Muehling

  • “Catch the Rhythm in Music City” for the 2021 American Society of Agricultural Consultants (ASAC) Annual Conference, Nov. 7-10, in Nashville, Tenn. The conference features Temple Grandin of Colorado State University, who is known around the world for her expertise in animal welfare and livestock handling techniques. Plus, “Farm Babe” Michelle Miller, an internationally recognized speaker, writer and columnist, will serve as the keynote speaker.
  • The Georgia Peanut Commission and Georgia Bankers Association will join forces Oct. 11-15, 2021, to promote the 45th annual Georgia Peanut Bank Week. Financial institutions and local banks across the state will offer a tribute to Georgia’s 4,500 peanut farm families and the sustainability they provide to Georgia’s state and local economies.
  • The National Cotton Council is excited to announce that the NCC-coordinated 2022 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, set for January 4-6 at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, will offer attendees timely updates on the latest research, technology and issues affecting U.S. cotton production and processing.
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the appointment of Rod Snyder to become EPA’s Agriculture Advisor. Snyder will lead outreach and engagement efforts with the agricultural community for EPA, working to advance the Biden-Harris environmental agenda for farmers and rural communities.
  • “U.S. Farm Report” hosted by Tyne Morgan will be filming at Purdue’s West Lafayette campus from 2-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21. Filming will take place on the lawn by the Agricultural Administration Building. The complete show will air on Oct. 23 and also feature research from Purdue’s College of Agriculture.
  • Farmers for Sustainable Food (FSF) has added an experienced communications professional to expand the promotion of the organization’s work, especially the efforts of farmer-led watershed conservation groups that FSF supports. Anne Moore joined FSF last month as sustainability communications manager.
  • The Packer announces the 2022 Global Organic Produce Expo (GOPEX) is set for Jan. 31 – Feb. 2, 2022, in sunny South Florida. To learn more about the program and register for the event, go to www.globalorganicexpo.com.
  • The twin calamities of COVID-19 and climate events have made a mess of moving products to market for nearly any supplier of nearly any kind of goods. But for farmers who grow real Christmas trees, a heat wave in the Pacific Northwest earlier this summer made some wonder if there would even be product to move. The answer after weeks of assessing, tending, and planning? YES. The industry expects plenty of trees to go around. Barring any new crises before harvest, this will not be the Christmas without a real Christmas tree. With just about eight weeks to go until the real Christmas tree shopping season hits, industry experts are confident there will be a real Christmas tree for everyone who wants one this year. If a particular location doesn’t have the type of tree you’re looking for, visit ItsChristmasKeepitReal.com and enter your zip code to find a real Christmas tree retailer near you.
Zimfo Bytes

Water for Food Forum Features World Food Prize Laureate

Cindy Zimmerman

The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute this week kicked off its “Water for Food Global Forum,” a virtual series of events convening international experts, growers, and organizations to focus on achieving global water and food security. The event features both on-demand and live virtual events and the first live panel Thursday discussed the need for change in global food and water systems.

Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted is the Global Lead for Nutrition and Public Health at WorldFish and was recently named the 2021 World Food Prize Laureate for her pioneering work in aquatic foods research.

She spoke about the great diversity of aquatic foods that can be harvested from bodies of water. “Aquatic foods are this generation’s ‘super foods,'” she said. “They’re powerhouses that provide multiple highly available micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids, as well as protein.”

Listen to Thilsted’s remarks to the Water for Food global forum here:
Water for Food forum - Shakuntala Thilsted (4:54)

Aquaculture, Audio, Water, Water for Food

House Ag Committee Hearing on Livestock Industry

Cindy Zimmerman

The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing Thursday to address the current state of the livestock industry, meat processing, production and supply.

Among the witnesses testifying were Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Vice President Todd Wilkinson of South Dakota, and François Léger of FPL Food, on behalf of the North American Meat Institute.

Sen. Grassley spoke on behalf of his bill, known as the 50/14 bill, that would require a minimum 50% of a meat packer’s weekly volume to be purchased on the open or spot market, noting the 14-day window for delivery of the cattle. “I want to make it clear that I’m not upset about paying more for my beef. I’m upset the farmer isn’t getting paid,” said Grassley.

Secretary Vilsack said USDA is implementing the structure for the $500 million fund announced in July to spark the growth of small and medium-size meat processing plants. “The expectation is that structure will take place sometime before the end of the year, and we will begin to make decisions and investments hopefully in the first quarter of 2022. We need additional capacity. We also need to strengthen our existing local, regional, small, and very small processing facilities.”

Wilkinson addressed the need to avoid one-size-fits-all policy prescriptions, and the importance of considering nuanced policies that properly address transparency, processing capacity, price discovery and oversight in the cattle markets. “As producers struggle to get by, large meatpackers have realized record-breaking windfall profits. These profits have not been shared equitability with cattle producers,” Wilkinson said.

Léger offered his perspective on the market as a beef packer and processor in Georgia. Léger told the Committee that production in meat packing and processing plants is tied to the number of employees working the line, and the pandemic has only exacerbated labor shortages. “We need cattle producers. And cattle producers need packers. And we need workers. Currently we see on average 20 percent daily absenteeism in our plant,” said Léger.

House ag hearing - Sen. Chuck Grassley (5:18)

House ag hearing - USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack (3:13)

House ag hearing - NCBA VP Todd Wilkinson (4:58)

House ag hearing - François Léger, NAMI (5:11)

Audio, Beef, Livestock, Meat, NCBA, USDA

NAMA PDA Winners Receive Awards

Chuck Zimmerman

Susan CarneyDuring the 2021 NAMA Fall Conference the winners of the Professional Development Awards of Excellence received their awards. Presenting were Sara Steever, NAMA President/Paulsen and Don Tourte, Farm Progress.

First up was Susan Carney, Corteva Agrisciences, who was honored in the area of marketing communications. In her remarks she talks about her career and how she developed her success in marketing which included fully understanding the customers.

Listen to Susan’s remarks here:NAMA PDA winner Susan Carney, Corteva

Amy BradfordNext, Amy Bradford, GROWMARK, was honored in the area of public relations.

In her remarks she talked about the people who have influenced her and how she always tried to find the right spokesperson to be in front of the camera when it came time for media interviews. Although, she did admit that she gained that skill from some of her influencers.

Listen to Amy’s remarks here: NAMA PDA winner Amy Bradford, GROWMARK

The other winner this year was Nicole Bechtel, National Cattlemens’ Beef Association, in the area of Sales. She was not able to attend. It was her work leading her team in media sales and contributing greatly to sponsorship sales for the 2021 Cattle Industry Convention and the Winter Reboot that in part, gained here this honor.

2021 NAMA Fall Conference Photo Album

Audio, Marketing, NAMA

Syngenta Seeds Creates COVID Connections with Customers

Cindy Zimmerman

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to make larger, in-person gatherings a challenge across the world, Syngenta Seeds has come up with more personal ways of working with farmers and resellers that could remain beyond the pandemic. For example, NK Seeds hosted 400+ customer events during the course of the 2021 season, five times the amount they normally host in a season.

G.W. Fuhr, head of U.S. sales for Syngenta Seeds, says he and his team of agronomists and sales representatives had to find different ways to connect. “Whether it’s keeping social distance, doing small group tailgate tours instead of the big customer meetings, or more digital communications,” said Fuhr during an interview at Farm Progress Show.

Fuhr says they’ve also been able to use drones to connect with customers. “I think we had over 30,000 visits this summer with drone flights,” he said.

FPS21 Interview with G.W. Fuhr, Syngenta Seeds (4:29)

Audio, Farm Progress Show, Seed, Syngenta

Precision Ag News 10/6

Carrie Muehling

  • UPL Ltd. has announced that it has joined The Climate Pledge. UPL joins as the first signatory from the agricultural inputs, solutions, and technologies sector. The Climate Pledge was co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism in 2019, and it’s a commitment to reach net-zero carbon by 2040, and meet The Paris Agreement 10 years early. As of September 2021, The Climate Pledge has more than 200 signatories across 26 industries and 21 countries.
  • Join U.S. and EU government leaders for a transatlantic dialogue on the role of agricultural innovation in sustainable food systems. The event, hosted by the American Seed Trade Association and Euroseeds, will take place virtually on October 12.
  • New research from The Center for Food Integrity identifies driving factors of consumer acceptance or rejection of technology, providing farmers and other organizations with insights to advance the innovation crucial to U.S. agriculture and a safe, sustainable food supply.
  • Mercaris announced updates to the 2021 acreage analyzer for non-GMO and organic crops. The tool, which was released earlier in 2021, helps users track organic and non-GMO crops including corn and soybeans, as well as other organic crops such as wheat and oats.
  • National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Peters announced the installment of Jen Nelligan as the organization’s Chief Program Officer (CPO) and Karla Maldonado as its Chief Operations Officer (COO). These newly created positions reflect a realigned organization chart, effective October 1 with NACD’s 2022 Fiscal Year, to bolster support for NACD’s substantial portfolio of programs and membership services.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Mizzou Students Help Support NAMA Foundation

Cindy Zimmerman

Mizzou students Kate Thompson and Sophia Liefer

University of Missouri students Kate Thompson and Sophia Liefer are enjoying their time this week at the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) Fall Conference in St. Louis while helping out the NAMA Foundation.

“The best thing about NAMA is that we are all super competitive,” said Thompson, who talked about the foundation fundraiser they were doing at the conference. “It’s a really great opportunity to connect the professional side with the student side.”

The NAMA Foundation is the backbone of Student NAMA, helping to provide students with the tools they need to succeed through scholarships, networking and competitions. Thompson and Liefer said Mizzou NAMA is planning to participate in the live conference next April and were disappointed the competition was cancelled this year due to the pandemic.

Student NAMA interviews (3:25)

2021 NAMA Fall Conference Photo Album

Audio, Education, NAMA