The World Food Prize Foundation announced the recipients of the 2017 John Chrystal and Elaine Szymoniak Awards. Francine Barchett, Nicholas Grandstaff, Akriti Bhattaria and Madeline Song received the award for their work as part of the 2016 Borlaug-Ruan Internship Program.- For the third year in a row Science Magazine has recognized Novozymes in the top 10 in its 2017 Top Employers Survey. This year they have earned second place.
- The National Wheat Foundation has been invited to take part in a series called FoodQuest which goes across the globe to look at some of the most popular food staples. The episode will air today, Friday, October 27 at 9:30am EST on the Food Network.
- The Illinois Ag in the Classroom (IAITC) Program is reaching more students than ever before. During the 2016-2017 school year more than 661,000 students received an agriculture lesson.
- The Farm Foundation Forum on Wednesday, November 1 will explore the forces that drive soil and water conservation on farms today. It will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Register to attend in person or online.
- The 42nd annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia. The one-day show is free and open to all farmers and industry representatives to attend.
- Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Georgia Young Peanut Farmer. The award application is available online at www.gapeanuts.com or by contacting Joy Crosby at 229-386-3690 or joycrosby@gapeanuts.com.
- The American Farm Bureau Federation and seven other major farm groups are applauding the introduction of bipartisan legislation to improve the Agriculture Risk Coverage program. The bill would prioritize use of data collected from USDA’s Risk Management Agency to calculate crop yields, among other things.
Ethanol Politics Hold Up Northey Nomination
Refinery state senators are hitting back against the Trump administration for bowing to pressure from ethanol supporters last week and abandoning proposed changes in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) this week put a hold on the nomination of Iowa’s Bill Northey for USDA Under Secretary of Farm Production and Conservation, who was approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee last week along with Greg Ibach of Nebraska for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. Ibach was confirmed by the full senate late Thursday but no vote was held for Northey
“Mr. Cruz has put that hold on for purely retaliatory reasons,” said Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen during a segment on Agri-Talk radio show on Thursday. “He doesn’t like what happened last week and the fact that Scott Pruitt has affirmed his support for the RFS.” Dinneen says there is no “policy justification” for the hold.
Meanwhile, Senator Cruz and seven other senators from refinery states sent a letter to President Trump this week asking for a meeting “to discuss a pathway forward toward a mutually agreeable solution” together with Midwest lawmakers. Like the ethanol state senators last week, these senators also played the jobs card, saying that there will be a loss of jobs around the country if reforms are not made to the Renewable Fuel Standard.
“This is nothing more than an attempt to roll back the president’s strong commitment to the RFS and undo the pledge issued last week by the EPA Administrator to assure America’s hardworking farmers that the biofuels market will continue to thrive,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor.
ZimmCast with Dr. Steve Brown, National FFA Advisor
This week’s program features a conversation with National FFA Advisor, Dr. Steve Brown. Jamie Johansen is involved in judging during the National FFA Convention but had time to sit down with Dr. Brown. According to Jamie, “Dr. Brown and my dad were state FFA officers together and then worked for the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education in Agricultural Education for decades together. Long-time friends and colleagues.”
Dr. Brown talks about changes in how to teach young people today. He remembers when computers became a tool and the advances in technology that have led us to today’s tools. Of course, social media is a component of those tools. One of the takeaways he hopes some of the convention attendees will walk away with is the desire to become agriculture educators.
Learn more about Dr. Brown and what is happening at this year’s convention in the program. You can also find photos from the convention here: 2017 National FFA Convention Photo Album
Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast with Dr. Steve Brown
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USFRA Supporting Food Evolution Movie
The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) is supporting a new film that offers an independent investigation into biotechnology that concludes GMOs may well be a force for good to feed the world.
Food Evolution, which is now streaming on Hulu, was commissioned by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), and directed by Academy Award®-nominated director Scott Hamilton Kennedy.
“The GMO story is a metaphor for how important it is to use science to make decisions,” said Kennedy during a conference call with reporters Thursday. He says the audience reaction to the film during screenings has been very gratifying. “From the critics standpoint, we’re 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes (reviews from) the top critics.” Kennedy adds that screenings around the world have helped change minds about the perception of GMO crops.
“We are interested in promoting the film in any way we can,” said USFRA CEO Randy Krotz. That includes college campus screenings, digital media, and educational materials.
Also on the call was USFRA board member and Illinois farmer Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare, who talked about the value of genetically modified crops to farmers and getting accurate information out to the non-farm public. “I think it’s up to us farmers to better educate them on GMO plants and why from a sustainable standpoint going forward in order to feed the world, we really have to depend on GMO crops,” she said.
Audio file: USFRA and Food Evolution film comments
Secretary Sonny Attends First FFA Convention
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue attended his first National FFA Convention this week and held a press conference to take questions about various topics, prior to addressing the group’s opening general session.
Perdue appeared at the press conference with six members of the FFA policy committee. “I’m looking at our House and Senate Congress behind me here,” Perdue joked.
The secretary was asked about the 2018 farm bill. “The ’14 farm bill made a lot of progress in helping to establish an insurance-based mitigation risk, I think you’ll see more of the same,” he said.
On the topic of USDA nominees and when Perdue will have a full complement of undersecretaries. “We’ve been slow in Senate confirmations…we’re getting them on board as we speak,” said Perdue, who noted that he expected a hearing for Sam Clovis as undersecretary of agriculture for research, education and economics “within the next week or so and we expect that to go well.”
Audio file: Perdue press conference at FFA
House Ag Chair Says Farm Bill on Track
House Agriculture Committee Chair Mike Conaway (R-TX) says they are moving forward with work on the 2018 Farm Bill.
“Still on track for late for fourth quarter (this year) or early first quarter of next year,” said Conaway during a conference call with reporters Wednesday. “We’re going to be ready on the committee…when floor time opens up.”
Rep. Conaway was asked about trade, crop insurance, CRP, budget, nutrition programs, and more. Listen in here: Cong. Conaway call 10-25-17
Forever Young Generation Presents Connected Consumers
An aging population in many parts of the world is presenting challenges when it comes to food production. Longer life expectancy in many areas brings with it a rise in chronic health-related diseases, increases in healthcare costs and all of the challenges that come along with feeding the elderly.
Global trends show an increased focus around health and wellness in younger generations, according to Georgie Aley, CEO of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology. She says Millennials expect more, not only of themselves, but of the society around them.
“In 2017, my view is we’ve never had a more connected consumer than we have now,” said Aley. “The opportunity, the challenge that it does present for producers, or for anybody that’s in the business of food, is transparency. It’s trust. It’s consumer trust. And in an environment of political uncertainty, economic uncertainty, consumers want to trust. They want to trust in the people that are serving them in society. And some may say that producers, farmers, or food manufacturers are serving society by providing food. So, the challenge is, in looking at the future, is maintaining that trust and making sure that we are transparent in our supply chain.”
Aley told participants at the 2017 Youth Ag Summit in Brussels those involved in food production will need to engage with consumers and be in tune to their demands.
Listen to Jamie’s interview with Georgie Aley here: Interview with Georgie Aley, Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology
View and download photos from the event here: 2017 Youth Ag Summit Photo Album
Precision Ag Bytes 10/25
Monsanto has filed a complaint in Pulaski County Circuit Court in response to the Arkansas Plant Board’s decision to continue Arkansas’s ban of XtendiMax® for the 2018 growing season. The Plant Board overlooked extensive volatility data provided to it – including data EPA used in its registration decision, says Scott Partridge, Vice President of Global Strategy.- The AgGateway Annual Conference in San Diego, California will feature speakers on Inventory Management, “Design Thinking,” and Farm Data Challenges. The 2017 conference theme is “Efficiency-Opportunity-Profitability” and takes place November 6-9 at the Hilton Resort & Spa.
- Verdesian Life Sciences is offering growers a money back guarantee on their AVAIL and/or NutriSphere-N products for the coming season. Growers are guaranteed an increased yield or Verdesian will cover the product costs.
- Precision Tank, a leader in liquid storage solutions, has unveiled a new brand identity. The new brand represents the capabilities of two industry leaders, the former Precision Tank & Equipment (PT&E) and A & B Welding companies.
- Adama, a global crop protection company, has entered into agreements with Syngenta AG to transfer certain crop protection products and distribution rights in exchange for products in the Nufarm Limited line. These transfers are part of the acquisition of Syngenta by ChemChina.
National FFA Kicks Off Today
Today is the official start of the 90th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, but the blue coats have been seen around the city for the past week, since the national officer team joined state and local officials last Thursday in a welcoming ceremony that included turning the downtown Indy canal blue.
This year, the theme of the convention and expo is I Can. We Will. More than 64,000 FFA members from across the U.S., representing all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are expected to attend the event.
The convention and expo kicks off with the National FFA Band leading a grand march down Georgia Street in downtown Indianapolis today. The march will end at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and usher in the start of the opening session. The National FFA Convention & Expo is scheduled to be held in Indianapolis through 2024.
Our Jamie Johansen is at the convention, doing some judging today and then heading to the opening session to see USDA secretary Sonny Perdue’s address.
Next Generation Will Help Solve Food Production Challenges
Bayer understands the importance of engaging the next generation as the company works towards improving society’s understanding of food production and the challenges associated with it. That was part of the message to young people attending the 2017 Youth Ag Summit in Brussels.
“I think in the past, years ago, we probably had the image that we are a highly innovative company as far as products are concerned, solutions for the farmer, but we believe that innovation has to take place also in other areas, particularly sustainability, but also social responsibility, so we want to address all categories,” said Bernd Napf, head of business affairs and communications.
Napf told participants in this year’s conference to continue to stay engaged as Bayer works to build a large community that will help to support food production on this planet.
Listen to Jamie’s interview with Bernd Napf here: Interview with Bernd Napf, Bayer Business Affairs & Communications
View and download photos from the event here: 2017 Youth Ag Summit Photo Album