John Deere’s Kelly Winquist provided a preview of how countries are doing with Total Factor Productivity (TFP) as a means to reach the goal of feeding 9.7 billion people by 2050 as part of the 2015 Gap Report release during World Food Prize. The 6th annual Global Agricultural Productivity Report: Building Sustainable Breadbaskets focused on the U.S. and Zambia. Winquist … Read More
Food Dialogues Heading to South Carolina
The next edition of the Food Dialogues travels to South Carolina to discuss the non-agricultural needs for water and the needs of the ag industry to use water to raise the food we all eat. Water is a precious commodity and there have been local, state and federal solutions to making water available to all. In South Carolina, one such … Read More
John Deere Brings Precision Ag to Small-Holder Farmers
John Deere is bringing agricultural training to thousands of small-holder farmers with their new pilot mobile education unit. According to Geoff Andersen, director, Global Citizenship and Strategic Planning with John Deere, who I spoke with this morning during the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa, the unit was first used in Ghana and Kenya to help more than 60,000 … Read More
Organic Trade Association Has Presence At World Fair
The Organic Trade Association was well represented during it’s panel in Milan at the World Expo. The four women leading the “Women Leading the Organic Way” session represented more than 70 years of food activism which tied in nicely with the theme of the USA Pavilion; “American Food 2.0: United to Feed the World.” The American pavilion showcased the U.S. … Read More
More Growers Needed to Meet Specialty Food Demand
According to a new report, “Beyond Organic: The Revolution in Consumer Food Expectations,” specialty foods are here to stay. The report looked at consumer preferences and purchase habits of specialty foods including gluten free and ethically produced (non-GMO, antibiotic, hormone free, etc.). According to co-author Peter Walter, consumers are particularly committed to certain types of specialty, or organic foods. For … Read More
Global Food Security Focus of 2015 Borlaug Dialogues
To celebrate the 101st anniversary of the birth Dr. Norman Borlaug, the 2015 Borlaug Dialogue has gathered an outstanding “faculty” of international leaders, experts and scientists for Borlaug 101 a 3-day “course” on The Fundamentals of Global Food Security. The Borlaug Dialogue is being held October 14-16 as part of the World Food Prize taking place this week at the … Read More
Corn Growers Call for Uniform Labeling
Representatives of the National Corn Growers Association were on Capitol Hill this week to support a uniform national labeling standard for foods made with genetically modified organisms. The fly-in, organized by the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food, included 125 representatives from the entirety of the nation’s food supply chain, from farmers to food companies. Farmers and state staffers from the … Read More
Help @GROWMARK Feed the Hungry
GROWMARK and the FS System are the folks who make the Farm Progress Show grow and go – so you definitely should stop by and visit them on the corner of Central and Eleventh before the show ends on Thursday afternoon. “We are the official fuel and agronomic sponsor of the field demonstrations here,” says Rachel Moore with the GROWMARK … Read More
Next Food Dialogues in Minneapolis
Consumer concerns about the impact food production practices might have on their long-term health or the health of the planet will be the topic of the next Food Dialogues. The Aug. 11 event will be held in Minneapolis and will bring together a panel of leaders in the food space, including food and retail executives and farmers for a conversation … Read More
How Are The Crops In Your Area Looking
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What’s on your grill this July 4th?” Hot dogs and hamburgers came out on top and the other category included ribs and brats. We hope everyone had a safe and tasty Independence Day! Here are the poll results: Hot dogs – 22% Hamburgers – 22% Steak – 17% Chicken – 17% Other – 17% … Read More