Soon you will learn more about a landmark research study on biofuels from USFRA and S&P Global Energy that finds biofuels can create new markets that could transform American agriculture, reignite rural economies and provide global food and energy security.
The research, which will be released later this spring, comes at an important time for agriculture. While productivity continues to increase across American farms, demand growth for traditional grain markets has slowed. Farmers are producing more with greater efficiency, yet many continue to face shrinking margins and increasing uncertainty. At the same time, evolving transportation trends and declining gasoline demand threaten existing ethanol markets that many rural economies depend upon today.
What makes this research especially important is that it doesn’t simply identify the challenges — it outlines a path forward.
We look forward to sharing the full findings with you soon, along with details about a global communications campaign to ensure the research reaches key audiences with the clarity, scale, and influence needed to drive meaningful impact.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kevin Burkum
CEO
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action
USFRA is bringing farmer and rancher voices to two key sessions at the Future of Food and Beverage USA Forum in Minneapolis, May 27-28.
To kick off the conference, USFRA Board Chair, Michael Crinion, Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative will join Christi Bland of CMB Farms and Ian Welsh, co-founder and chair of the Innovation Forum, on a panel titled, “Risk resilience and return: How can we place farmer priorities at the heart of the food system?” This discussion will highlight how to ensure American agriculture remains productive, profitable and secure for the next generation.
Later that day, Angela Guentzel, sixth-generation farmer and member of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, a USFRA partner, will join Donna Kilpatrick, director of regeneration at Heifer International, for a session entitled, “Farmers don’t need your charity: How to make the economics of farming work for farmers.”
More than 250 leading brands, retailers, traders, investors and policy makers will attend the meeting. View the full event agenda here.
USFRA CEO Kevin Burkum joined thought leaders from A.P. Moller-Maersk and Argonne National Laboratory at the University of Illinois Chicago Energy Resources Center for a discussion on the future of fuels in maritime shipping.
Kevin shared information about USFRA’s upcoming research study with S&P Global Energy that shows agriculture can provide biofuels to drive maritime emission reductions and meet regulatory targets. Maersk is a global leader in integrated container logistics and has a fleet of more than 700 container vessels, which is approximately 15% of the world’s seaborne containers.
USFRA’s new study, “Fueling Agriculture: Biofuels as the Catalyst,” will be released soon.
USFRA partners with organizations that recognize the importance of fostering collaboration, sharing information and developing solutions to advance agriculture.
One way Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) does this is through its Your Dairy Checkoff Podcast. In this episode, host Scott Wallin, vice president of farmer communications and media relations at DMI, talks with Gail Legasi-Gaull, group EVP of strategic insights and planning at DMI, about how strategic intelligence is helping the dairy industry stay ahead of change.
USFRA’s podcast, Farm+Food+Facts, is recognized as one of the top podcasts exploring sustainable food systems—and this month’s episodes are not to be missed.
In the first episode, host Joanna Guza talks and Dave Mensink, pig farmer and owner of Mensink Farms in Minnesota and USFRA CEO Kevin Burkum about key themes they discussed during their presentation at the recent Animal Ag Tech Innovation Summit in Fort Worth. Topics include nitrogen efficiency, water quality management and other challenges facing the pork industry. Listen here.
And in the second, Joanna Guza talks with Greg Goodwin, director of Illinois Corn’s Precision Conservation Management (PCM), about how PCM works with farmers to improve profitability and soil health on a field-by-field, pass-by-pass basis. Listen here.
And in the third episode, Joanna spoke with Adam Grabenstein, a fifth-generation farmer and a board member for Nebraska Corn Board and USFRA, and Kelly Brankhorst, executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board. They discuss the important role of the Nebraska Corn Board and the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, the organizations’ focus areas, emerging research and future goals. Listen here.
Important dates:
May 27-28: Future of Food and Beverage Forum, Minneapolis
Aug. 19-21: American Coalition for Ethanol – Biofuels Conference, Minneapolis
