Some of the most reputable brands in the United States have realized the renewable, sustainable wonder that is corn. Now, Reebok is trying to harness the green-power of the crop to increase the biodegradability of its product too. This week, sources, including the New York Post, announced that Reebok will begin making sneaker soles from corn as a part of …
#Sustainability Should Be Expected - #CUTC16
Rob Meyers recently attended a panel discussion on sustainability at the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference on behalf of his company, PepsiCo. His message: sustainability should be expected. Across the supply chain, he says, we’ve reached the point that once happened with food safety. Everyone came together, everyone worked to make food safer. Once again collaboration will be an important …
#Sustainability Buzz at #CUTC16
Fred Yoder is an Ohio corn farmer who believes sustainability is more than a buzz word. At the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference Yoder talked about his involvement with Climate Smart Agriculture, a term coined to describe just what it is growers will have to do to feed 9 billion people while working with what we’ve got. Working with the …
The Corn Utilization Technology Conference is Underway
Attendance at the 2016 Corn Utilization Technology Conference is higher than two years ago. The Chair of the committee for this year’s conference is Gene Fox, Cargill. I talked with him about the program this year. By the way, this is the 10th CUTC which continues the 20 year tradition of presenting the latest research on corn technology. Gene has …
Who Will Farm the Land When Farmers Are Gone?
“They keep farming even when their eyesight is failing and their hearts are going bad.” So starts a great story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune today regarding escalating farm accidents among older farmers. “They get back on their tractors after farm accidents have put them in the hospital, sometimes with permanently disabling injuries.” And it is very true that unlike …
Love It or Hate It- NPR Has Mixed Emotions on Ethanol
NPR needs an all-hands-on-deck meeting. Recently, the reporters covering ethanol seem to be operating under almost opposing sets of assumptions. Sometimes, they hit it out of the park. Defying anti-ethanol propaganda disguised as conventional wisdom, they cut through the crud and achieve the accuracy journalists value above all. But, sometimes, they fall victim to the trap laid by anti-ethanol activists …
Who Said Conventional Production Is Sustainable?
When you look at the facts, conventional agriculture scores higher than organic on sustainability. What system generates these results? The new Responsibly Grown labeling system developed by Whole Foods. According to a multitude of media reports, the system will rank produce on a variety of criteria including water use, pesticide use and sustainability. Then, the data will be used to …
The Future for Corn Farming
What does the future hold for corn farmers? That was a question addressed at the Bayer CropScience Corn and Soybean Future Forum in Frankfurt, Germany last week, and some farmers gave their views. Iowa Corn Growers chairman Roger Zylstra, who farms in Jasper County, talked about the opportunities and challenges of sustainable corn production. “There are significant challenges right now …
Farmer’s View of Sustainability
Walmart held a big event last week where the CEOs of major global companies made new commitments toward more sustainable products. Among the food and agribusiness company CEOs taking part were Monsanto, Cargill, Dairy Farmers Incorporated, General Mills and Kellogg, many whom talked about how they will be working with farmers on sustainability goals. Monsanto chairman and CEO Hugh Grant …
Energy Independence No Greased Pig Fantasy
There is an old saying…”make hay while the sun is shining.” Dating back to at least 1546 this traditional farmer logic translates into grab opportunity while you can. This has never been truer regarding the nation’s energy situation. A new report by the Energy Information Administration makes that abundantly clear. EIA says the greased pig fantasy of energy independence in …