Nobel Laureates Say Stop Blocking Golden Rice

Kelly Marshall

Nobel Laureate Sir Richard RobertsThis morning three Nobel Laureates presented at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. to call on Greenpeace, the United Nations and governments around the world to support GMOs. They are the public face of more than 100 Nobel Laureates who signed a letter asking that campaigns agains products like Golden Rice be abandoned.  The letter condemns practices that are thwarting life-saving progress available through biotechnology.

Signers represent a variety of backgrounds; medicine, economics, physics, chemistry, literature, and peace.  Their campaign was kicked-off this morning by  Sir Richard Roberts (1993 Nobel Laureate for Physiology or Medicine), Professor Martin Chalfie (2008 Nobel Laureate for Chemistry) and Professor Randy Schekman (2013 Nobel Laureate for Physiology or Medicine).

At the press conference, Laureate Sir Richard Roberts stated, “In our letter we call upon Greenpeace and like organizations to end their shameful campaign of propaganda and criminal destruction of crops improved by modern genetic technologies, such as GMOs.” Roberts, added, “We call on governments and world organizations to do everything in their power to oppose anti-GMO obstruction and to accelerate farmer access to the life-saving tools provided by modern biotechnology.”

Roberts also points out the many good contributions made by Greenpeace, stating that “that this is an issue that they got wrong and [but we should] focus on the stuff that they do well.”

Nobel laureate Randy Schekman, a cell biologist at the University of California at Berkeley, says, “I find it surprising that groups that are very supportive of science when it comes to global climate change, or even, for the most part, in the appreciation of the value of vaccination in preventing human disease, yet can be so dismissive of the general views of scientists when it comes to something as important as the world’s agricultural future.”

Together the Laureates urge policy makers and the public an other to come together to support the logic of science and prevent “crimes against humanity” that are caused by needless deaths.

The movement has a website http://supportprecisionagriculture.org/ providing a list of the signers, their backgrounds and the benefits available through GMOs.

Ag Groups, Biotech, GMO, Precision Agriculture, Technology

USDA Finalizes Crop Insurance Provisions

Kelly Marshall

USDAThe Risk Management Agency (RMA) of the USDA says the final safety net provisions from the 2014 Farm Bill are now in place.  The new measures help protect farmers and ranchers agains weather disasters, market volatility and other risk factors.  Currently the RMA has put interim rules into place to complete provisions for some programs and give them the authority to correct errors.

“The Farm Bill directed us to make some changes that would strengthen the safety net we provide for America’s farmers and ranchers,” RMA Administrator Brandon Willis said. “These safety net options will help ensure that America’s hard working farmers and ranchers, and their families are able to better manage risks so that they can continue to farm even after years of severe weather.”

RMA began implementing the provisions under an interim rule for the 2015 crop year. Today’s action enables RMA to continue to offer and expand on the Farm Bill provisions for the federal crop insurance program.

USDA received more than 350 public comments on the interim rule published July 1, 2014. Based on that feedback, RMA made changes to one part of the rule – the native sod provisions. The final rule clarifies an exception that allows producers to break up to five acres of native sod and not receive reduced premium subsidy on coverage of native sod acreage. All other provisions of the final rule remain unchanged. A copy of the final rule goes on display today at the Federal Register and will be published June 30 at https://www.federalregister.gov/

The Obama Administration has expanded the program to be the strongest safety net possible, now covering different types, sizes and products.

Insurance, USDA

I AM @USFRA – Chris Galen @NMPF

Cindy Zimmerman

i-am-usfra-webThe National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) was one of the founding members of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) five years ago to amplify the voice that dairy producers have in speaking about food production.

“Ultimately, a lot of what USFRA is doing is built around communicating messages to people who influence the food marketing environment,” says NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Chris Galen.

nmpf-galenGalen serves on the board of USFRA and is chair of the Communications Committee, which is comprised of other communications specialists from various member organizations and helps implement USFRA programs. “One is to train a select and highly effective group of ‘spokesfarmers,’ what we call the Faces of Farming and Ranching,” he says. The ‘Faces’ program includes young farmers and ranchers from all over the nation who represent different aspects of agriculture. “We use those people to go out and speak to the media and the public in a variety of high profile opportunities.”

Galen says they have already had two groups of ‘Faces’ and are in the process of selecting the next class, with the application deadline coming up on July 10. He urges young dairy farmers who want to represent agriculture to apply and become a part of the effort to communicate with the public on important issues such as animal care, antibiotic use, and sustainability. “If we don’t hang together we’re going to hang separately on a lot of these issues and challenges,” he says.

Learn more in this interview with Chris. Interview with Chris Galen, NMPF

usfra-banner

Audio, Dairy, USFRA

Food Labeling Efforts Supported by 1,000 Organizations

Kelly Marshall

CFSAFMore than 1,000 ag and food industry organizations have come together to show their support for the food labeling solution.  Co-chairs for the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food (CFSAF), Pamela Bailey and Charles Conner are excited by the show of support for this critical legislation and hope a letter to the Senate will demonstrate the necessity of moving forward quickly.

“The unparalleled support from across the nation and across America’s food producing community shows how important this legislation is and why the Senate should pass it quickly,” said Conner, President and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. “The over 1,000 groups that signed this letter strongly support the Roberts-Stabenow legislative solution and urge action before the negative impacts of Vermont’s law increase.”

“This bill provides consumers access to more information than ever before in a way that doesn’t needlessly complicate the jobs of American family farmers and small businesses,” said Bailey, President and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. “The signers of this letter represent the people most directly responsible for producing our safe, affordable food supply. We ask that the Senate quickly bring this legislation up for a vote and pass it.”

The letter is addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Harry Reid.  It requests leadership to act quickly on the bill. “We thank Chairman Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow, for their strong leadership on this issue, and we ask that you schedule floor time and provide expedited consideration of this important and timely legislation,” the letter states. “We pledge to work with senators on both sides of the aisle to ensure quick passage of this bipartisan proposal.”

Ag Groups, Food

New Partnerships for @MonsantoCo

Kelly Marshall

Monsanto-LogoMonsanto Company has formed two new partnership agreements.  One targets weed control solutions while the other focuses on genome-editing.

Under an agreement with TargetGene Biotechnologies LTD, Monsanto receives an exclusive license for TargetGene’s Genome Editing Engine (T GEE).  “TargetGene is pleased to be working with Monsanto to enable the next generation of agricultural innovation through the application of our genome-editing technology,” said Dr. Yoel Shiboleth, chief executive officer of TargetGene. “In a time of increasing environmental challenges and a growing global population to feed, this science has never been more important.”

“TargetGene has uniquely positioned itself to develop precision-editing techniques that can improve a broad range of solutions that help growers around the world deliver better harvests,” said Tom Adams, biotechnology lead for Monsanto. “Monsanto has conducted extensive research with various gene-editing approaches for years, and we believe access to TargetGene’s technology will help drive further precision and efficiency within the company’s robust plant breeding and biotechnology pipelines.”

The tool places the company in a position to deliver breakthroughs in plant science.  Monsanto compares it to the “search and replace” function in word-processors, allowing breeders to create new hybrids more efficiently.

The second agreement is with Sumitomo Chemical Company, Ltd.  Sumitomo Chemical has been developing a new generation of PPO chemistry with broader spectrum control and flexibility for application.  Now the companies are planning to work together to create an integrated system of germplams, biotechnology and crop protection for better weed control solutions.  To meet that goal they will collaborate on registration and commercialization of the PPO chemistry for use in Monsanto’s future weed management systems.  The new herbicide is expected to be offered by both organizations.

“I’m really excited about Sumitomo Chemical’s next generation weed control technology,” said Robb Fraley, Monsanto Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. “This next-generation PPO herbicide has remarkable broad spectrum effect against both grass and broadleaf weeds, which will make it an excellent, complementary addition to the Roundup Ready® platform. The product’s low use rate, together with a unique mode of action effective against resistant PPO weeds, will be valuable to corn, soy and cotton growers.”

Agribusiness, Biotech, Herbicide, weed management

Realizing the Hidden Value at Novus

Jamie Johansen

novus-16-anniversary-48-editedThe concept of value is one we discuss a lot throughout animal nutrition. We typically try to measure value, but there is qualitative value. Let’s think health and well-being, trust, scientific expertise or partnerships. Novus International gets all that and put together a panel of senior leadership to share their personal stories from the field where they have uncovered the hidden value and what that means to their customers. The panel was held during the Novus International 25th Anniversary Celebration.

Panelists included: Eduardo Galo, Managing Director, North America, Dr. Nasser Odetallah, Executive Manager, Global Tech Services, and Dr. Ajay Bhoyar, Senior Manager, Global Poultry Marketing. Listen to the complete panel discussion here: Hidden Value Panel

“We at Novus are in the business of delivering solutions to our customers. We help customers resolve problems they have in a sustainable way. That is the business we are in,” said Ed Galo.

Ed said ‘hidden value’ is a term they use when describing solutions they deliver to market that have value beyond traditional product offerings. Their goal is to go above and beyond what the product is originally intended to do. They carry this premise through their entire product line.

“We are bringing innovation to the industry. Technologies that help producers do better with what they have. Get more out of a protein source. Improve the availability of a mineral. All this is sustainability. We have a great track record for the first 25 years of the company and our investment is going in the same direction of helping solve problems our customers are facing,” Ed added.

Listen to my complete interview with Ed hear more about the hidden value of methionine:Interview with Ed Galo, Novus

View and download photos from the event here:Novus International 25th Anniversary Celebration Photo Album

Agribusiness, Feed, Novus International, Nutrition

#FoodPrize16 Awards Announced

Kelly Marshall

World Food PrizeDrs. Maria Andrade, Robert Mwanga, Jan Low and Howarth Bouis have been honored with the 2016 World Food Prize.  Their names were announced today at a ceremony at the U.S. State Department where USAID administrator Gayle Smith gave the keynote address.

“These four extraordinary World Food Prize Laureates have proven that science matters, and that when matched with dedication, it can change people’s lives,” said Administrator Gayle Smith. “USAID and our Feed the Future partners are proud to join with renowned research organizations to support critical advances in global food security and nutrition.”

The World Food Prize is the most prominent global award for individuals whose breakthrough achievements alleviate hunger and promote global food security. This year’s $250,000 prize will be divided equally between the four recipients. The prize rewards their work in countering world hunger and malnutrition through biofortification, the process of breeding critical vitamins and micronutrients into staple crops.

Dr. Maria Andrade, Dr. Robert Mwanga and Dr. Jan Low are all three being honored for their work with the orange-fleshed sweet potato.  Their success at breeding a Vitamin A-enriched sweet potato is the single most successful example of biofortification.

Dr. Hwarth Bouis is the founder of HarvestPlus at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).  His leadership has resulted in crops like iron and zinc fortified beans, rice wheat and pearl millet, as well as Vitamin A-enriched cassava, maize and orange-fleshed sweet potato.

The combined efforts of the four winners have impacted the globe, with more than 10 million people positively touched by biofortified crops.

Visit www.worldfoodprize.org for more information.

Biotech, Food

Antibiotic-Free Solutions from Novus

Jamie Johansen

novus-16-anniversary-31-editedThe antibiotic-free movement has taken shape throughout the animal ag community. And it’s not going away, so it’s time to listen. Novus International hasn’t taken the movement lightly and brought key leadership in to lead discussion on antibiotics with media as they celebrate 25 years in animal nutrition.

Novus is committed to providing solutions in answer to customer problems and industry issues. Antibiotic-free falls perfectly into this category. Customers are facing a growing challenge with reduced or removal of antibiotic use. Novus is looking into non-pharmaceutical solutions to help prepare the animal’s body for optimal performance without the use of antibiotics.

Project Horizon is one way Novus has committed to finding solutions for their customers when it comes to antibiotic-free. The program, launched during World Pork Expo, pledges resources to help Novus better understand customer challenges and opens up the communication channels throughout the entire supply chain.

Panelists included Bob Buresh, Executive Manager, North America Technical Services, Dr. Mercedes Vazquez-Anon, Sr. Director of Animal Nutrition Research & Facilities, and Dr. Nasser Odetallah, Executive Manager, Global Tech Services. Listen to the complete panel discussion here: Novus Antibiotic-Free Panel

After the panel I sat down with Dr. Vazquez-Anon. She said there is no simple solution for the removal of antibiotics. Novus has focused their research on nutrition and health. They have created gut models to test products and truly understand what is happening in the field. “The industry is changing and that can be scary. But it leads to new opportunities.”

Listen to my compete interview with Dr. Vazquez-Anon to learn more about how Novus solves problems together: Interview with Dr. Mercedes Vazquez-Anon, Novus

View and download photos from the event here:Novus International 25th Anniversary Celebration Photo Album

Agribusiness, Animal Health, Novus International, Nutrition

4th of July Cookout Costs Still Under $6/Person

Lizzy Schultz

AFBF-summer-cookout An informal survey from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) dug into the cost of summer cookout season. The survey looked into the cost of Americans’ favorite foods for the Fourth of July, including hot dogs, cheeseburgers, pork spare ribs, potato salad, baked beans, lemonade and chocolate milk, and found that, while the food products will cost slightly more this year, the average cookout cost still comes in at less than $6 per person.

Farm Bureau’s informal survey reveals the average cost of a summer cookout for 10 people is $56.06, or $5.61 per person.

“Prices in the meat case are starting to look better from the consumers’ perspective,” said Veronica Nigh, an AFBF economist. “But retail ground round prices are trending lower. On the pork side, commercial production also continues to grow and is at the highest level in 25 years.”

The AFBF’s summer cookout menu for 10 people included hot dogs and buns, cheeseburgers and buns, pork spare ribs, deli potato salad, baked beans, corn chips, lemonade, chocolate milk, ketchup, mustard and watermelon for dessert.

For the survey, a total of 79 Farm Bureau members 26 states checked retail prices for summer cookout foods in mid-June at their local grocery stores.

The summer cookout survey is part of the Farm Bureau marketbasket series, which also includes the popular annual Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Survey and two additional surveys of common food staples Americans use to prepare meals at home.

“Through the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures for food eaten at home and away from home, on average. Since then, that figure has decreased steadily and is now about 17 percent, according to the Agriculture Department’s revised Food Dollar Series,” Nigh said.

AFBF is the nation’s largest general farm organization with member families in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Learn more at Farm Bureau’s Facebook page or follow @FarmBureau on Twitter.

AFBF, Ag Groups, Food

New Digs for Agricultural Agency and Media Group

Cindy Zimmerman

A major agricultural PR agency and an ag media group have just announced new offices.

gs-moveG&S Business Communications, a global independent public relations and marketing agency, has moved its Raleigh office to the new Bank of America Tower located in the North Hills section.

“After more than doubling our Raleigh presence within three years and expanding our services and capabilities, we sought an environment that would be a more fitting backdrop for our dynamic business culture,” said Kerry Henderson, G&S principal and managing director in Raleigh, N.C.

G&S occupies 25,517 square feet in the new suite of offices, which houses its expanding staff of client service, creative, digital and social media, and business administration professionals. The convenient location, range of cultural activities and growing roster of global organizations relocating to North Hills are advantages that will allow G&S to continue attracting top talent and new business opportunities. The office move was completed on June 21.

Farm Journal MediaAfter 139 years of being based in Philadelphia, Farm Journal is now making its Lenexa, Kansas office near Kansas City as the operational headquarters for the corporation.

“Following the acquisition of the Vance properties, this makes the most sense for our business and our customers. About a third of our 270 employees are based here and probably 75% of our customer base is located within 500 miles of Kansas City,” explains Farm Journal CEO Andy Weber. “In addition, we have more senior management in Kansas City than any other location, headed by Publishing Division President Ron Wall, a Kansas City native.”

Farm Journal remains legally headquartered in Philadelphia and is a Pennsylvania corporation. Weber, Steve Custer, President and COO, and Joe Matthews, CFO, remain in the Philadelphia office as does Farm Journal’s finance department and a total of 15 employees.

Agencies, Media