Farm Food Facts

Our leading expert Jenny Rees, an extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the field is nothing short of impressive! We discuss the basic benefits of planting a perennial companion in soybeans, common perennial companion crops, on-farm research, challenges and if perennial companions will become more popular. If you're as interested in this topic as we are, then check out Jenny's blog at jenreeseresources.com and stay connected to research items like this by following the Nebraska Soybean board at nebraskasoybeans.org.  We appreciate the support of this topic from the United Soybean Board. You can stay connected with the future innovation of soybeans by following the United Soybean Board website at unitedsoybean.org.

Meet expert David Iverson, a true steward of the land! Today on Farm, Food, Facts, we have the honor of sharing his incredible journey as a fourth-generation crop farmer at Iverson Farms in South Dakota. David has taken sustainable agriculture to the next level by implementing two conservation practices: no-till and fertilizer placement, and that's not all. By strategically placing fertilizer, David maximizes nutrient absorption while minimizing runoff.  Tune in now for our exclusive interview with David Iverson as he shares his secrets to success and how these practices have transformed his family farm.Stay connected with the future innovation of soybeans by following the United Soybean Board website at unitedsoybean.org.

Biofuels fits into the equation of being a strong competitor as a fuel source. Our leading expert, Doug Berven, vice president of corporate affairs at POET, shares the basics, competitors, infrastructure, economic benefits, how other countries utilize biofuels, challenges and trends of biofuels. Learn more about POET at poet.com. 

Our expert in this episode has over 20 years of experience in the agricultural industry, John Maman is the director of sales and marketing at Nutrien Financial. He shares more about inclusive financing, managing high interest rates, digital financial tools, financially assessing crops and what financial trends to follow. Check out at nutrienfinancial.com and follow Nutrien on social media @NutrienAgSolutions. Contact us at podcast@usfraonline.org to share feedback or a podcast idea. 

Get ready to be soy-amazed! Join us as we chat with leading expert and soy farmer extraordinaire, Laurie Isley, who spills the "bean" on all things soy. From soy-based shoes that are trendy as they are eco-friendly, to mind-blowing uses you never knew existed with tires, plywood, dust suppressant, turf and more. This episode will leave you hungry for more knowledge about the extraordinary uses of soybeans.  Learn more: unitedsoybean.orgFind soy-based products:  soynewuses.org

Join us for an insightful discussion with our special guest, Gena Perry, executive director of the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH). A program of the American Soybean Association, WISHH expands global access to U.S. soy. Through partnerships, technical assistance, and training, WISHH helps address the protein gap and food insecurity in developing and emerging markets.

Alyssa Cho, Sustainable Agronomy Field Team Lead at Bayer is our guest. Alyssa is building a team of Sustainable Systems Agronomists to provide support to farmers for a successful transition to regenerative practices as part of ForGround by Bayer. Alyssa was the Agronomy Lead for a drone-based technology start-up, Aker Technologies prior to joining Bayer. She has been a professor of sustainable cropping systems, serving as a researcher, extension faculty, and instructor. Alyssa holds a Ph.D. in Agronomy, a M.S. in Horticultural Sciences, and a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management.

Today's episode is a must see and is reference for all of our futures. USFRA CEO, Erin Fitzgerald, has been on a worldwide tour sharing the voice of the US Farmers and Ranchers globally. She's just returned from the critical and sometimes nail-biting 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or what's called the conference of the parties of the UNFCCC more commonly referred to, and much easier as COP 27, the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference that was held from the 6th of November to the 20th of November in Egypt.

To round out summer listening, we are scheduled to hear from Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, winner of the prestigious 2022 World Food Prize, which honors leaders who are making huge strides in enhancing global food security and availability. Dr. Rosenzweig, a senior research scientist and head of the Climate Impacts Group at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) at Columbia University, is a pioneer in the study of climate change and agriculture.

In today’s episode we explore how the almost $13 billion retailer – Tractor Supply, with over 2,000 stores across 49 states, is a leader in working with farmers and ranchers - and committed to the goal of net zero operations. Tractor Supply’s mission statement is: “To work hard, have fun and make money by providing legendary service and great products at everyday low prices”. Our guest is Mary Winn Pilkington, senior vice president investor relations and public relations at Tractor Supply Company. Before coming to Tractor Supply in 2018, Mary Winn held senior positions at Dollar General, Pepsi Bottling Group and International Paper.

In today’s episode we meet the authors of “Net Positive: how courageous companies thrive by giving more than they take” – the best selling book that Financial Times named as one of the best business books of the year. Andrew Winston and Paul Polman teamed up to to write the book that has at its core the argument that the companies of the future will profit by fixing the world's problems, not creating them.  Paul Polman is the ex-Unilever CEO who increased his shareholders' returns by 300% while ensuring the company ranked #1 in the world for sustainability for eleven years running. Teaming up with Andrew Winston, one of the world's most authoritative voices on corporate sustainability, they show business leaders how to take on humanity's greatest and most urgent challenges—climate change and inequality—and build a thriving business as a result.  Paul Polman works to accelerate action by business to achieve the UN Global Goals, which he helped develop and has been described by the Financial Times as “a stand out CEO of the past decade”. Andrew Winston is a globally-recognized expert on megatrends and how to build companies that thrive by serving the world. Named to Thinkers50 list of the top management thinkers in the world, he is a best selling author and received degrees in economics, business, and environmental management from Princeton, Columbia, and Yale. Andrew recently wrote in the Sloan Review how ESG — which stands for environmental, social, and governance — has become the dominant term. Within the narrow world of the sustainability expert community, the battle royale is raging about sustainability versus ESG  and the implications of shifting semantics. 

USDA Deputy Undersecretary Stacy Dean and several members of Congress provided updates on emerging and pressing food/nutrition and WIC policy issues at the National WIC Association’s National Policy Conference. A number of these issues affect grocers and others in the retail food industry, including a tripling of funds for vegetables and fruits for low-income families through WIC, a once-in-a-decade update to the WIC food packages expected in early 2022, child nutrition reauthorization getting underway in the House of Representatives, proposed regulations for online shopping expected in April 2022 and more. With more on the effect for farmers and ranchers, our guest is Brian Dittmeier, Esq., the Senior Director of Public Policy at the National WIC Association. Brian advocates for key WIC priorities, including efforts to secure WIC funding, expand access to nutritious foods, and address maternal health disparities. Brian manages NWA’s relationship with Congress and the Administration, leads targeted grassroots advocacy efforts, and coordinates policy partnerships with child nutrition stakeholders and industry.

Join USFRA and Phil Lempert as we sit down with the UN World Food Programme Chief who blames a hunger crisis on a “toxic cocktail” of conflict, climate change, disasters, poverty and inequality. 45 million people in 43 countries around the world stand at the frontlines of hunger. WFP Executive Director David Beasley says farmers can help lift millions out of poverty and make agriculture environmentally sustainable. And he says billionaires have a duty to act.

Today’s episode is a very special one. Anne Meis, chair of USFRA and Erin Fitzgerald our CEO just returned from the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland where for the first time the farmers voice was heard and farmers now have a seat at the table.

Today we go behind the scenes and talk with Marlowe Vaughn and USFRA Board Chair Anne Meis.  Marlowe Vaughan is the star of the USFRA produced short film, The Carbon Neutral Pig.  She is also a North Carolina pig farmer and is the Executive Director of the Feed the Dialogue NC with a true passion for educating consumers about agriculture and where their food comes from. Her enthusiasm, passion and knowledge of the pork industry earned her the Emerging Leader Award, previously known as the Pork All-American, an award also earned by her father, Bob Ivey in 1982.  As well as earning her the starring role in USFRA’s latest docudramaAnne Meis is a farmer and Nebraska Soybean member in Elgin, Nebraska.  Anne, along with her husband Jim, run a family operation raising corn, soybeans, and alfalfa and cattle.  Over the past 32 years, they have had a continued focus on increasing soil health, conserving water, being good stewards of the land, and practicing quality animal care.  

Our guest today is David Turner, President of Kincannon and Reed.  He has been serving clients across the globe for Kincannon & Reed for nine years before being named President in 2019. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, David holds a BS from Arizona State University, an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and an Advanced Certificate in Executive Search and Leadership Consulting from Cornell University.Prior to joining Kincannon & Reed, David led PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Canadian agribusiness practice and served in international positions across Cargill’s animal nutrition, grain milling, and meat processing businesses. David is actively involved in the search profession and leads Kincannon & Reed with a vision and understanding that the leadership placed will impact the food and agriculture industries.

Susanne Wasson is the President of the Crop Protection Business Platform for Corteva Agriscience.  Previously, she was the Vice President of Commercial Effectiveness.  Prior to being named VP, Susanne was the U.S. Commercial Leader of the Crop Protection Business of Dow AgroSciences.  She was previously a Global Business Leader for the Range & Pasture and Industrial Vegetation Management herbicide business and a Global Business Leader for the Seeds and Traits business focused on licensing of Dow AgroSciences’ Bt library, and M&A activities for seeds in Asia. She has held several other roles in marketing, sales and finance in her 30-year career.  Susanne is a member and past chapter president of P.E.O. (philanthropic education organization for women), and a member of the Delta Delta Delta Foundation Crescent Fund committee.  She is currently on the Board of Directors of United Way of Central Indiana, Agrinovus Indiana, National FFA Organization, and the American Chemistry Council. She is the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Crop Life America and was the 2018 chairman of the FFA Foundation Sponsors Board.  She was awarded an Honorary American FFA Degree and was a 2016 recipient of the Indianapolis Business Journal Women of Influence award, received the 2019 Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence and was a 2019 Distinguished Alumni of College of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resources of Oklahoma State University.  Susanne earned degrees in Agricultural Economics and Accounting from Oklahoma State University, and a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University. 

Jim O'Brien, Agrograph CEO/Co-Founder. He has held leadership positions at four startups, two of which he co-founded. His experiences have taken him around the globe from wine grapes in Europe, to potatoes in the UK to weather forecasting in Southeast Asia. James was on faculty at The Ohio State University in agricultural extension along with founding his own consulting company Ten 10 Solutions LLC. He has lead product innovation teams at several multinational corporations ranging from The Weather Channel to American Family Insurance, along with financial services and healthcare.  James holds an MBA from Edgewood College, a Master of Science (Soil Science) from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor’s degree (Agronomy) from Iowa State University. 

If there's one thing that we've learned over the past 15 months is we all have to work together. And that's why together today, we're going to talk about the common connections project. With us today is Danielle Solis, Communication Specialist at the Maschhoffs, Rochelle Krusemark USB Director and Meal Target Area Coordinator and Randy Spronk, a grain farmer.