Last week USFRA was in New York for Climate Week NYC, and I wanted to take a moment to share why it’s important for farmers and ranchers that we were there.
Climate Week in Manhattan can feel like a long way from the farm, but here’s the honest truth: the people deciding what counts as conservation in agriculture, how banks finance it, and what global food and energy systems should look like are having those conversations whether or not farmers are in the room.
Climate Week is one of the few places all of that happens at once — investors, policymakers, food and energy system stakeholders, ag input providers and global institutions, all in the same city for one week. If the farmer and rancher voice isn’t there, someone else fills in the blanks about what we need and how we work.
So we went. Not to talk about agriculture, but to make sure agriculture got to talk.
In this issue, you will read about how we hosted events, participated in panel discussions, and led vital conversations about the role of America’s farmers and ranchers in addressing some of our greatest global challenges. We showed up alongside our partners such as Bayer, Cargill, Ceres, CoBank, Growth Energy, John Deere, Poet, S&P Global Energy, U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council and others.
We want you to know that every time USFRA is in one of these rooms, your farmer and rancher story is being told.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kevin Burkum
CEO
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action
Farmers and ranchers were front and center at last week’s Climate Week NYC, one of the largest gatherings of its type in the world, with USFRA convening, co-hosting, and speaking across a full week of sessions on financing, food security, and the future of the bioeconomy.
Financing the Next Phase of Resilient Agriculture
USFRA co-hosted an interactive, multi-stakeholder event, “From Proof to Scale – Financing Resilient Agriculture Together,” in partnership with Bayer, Clim-Eat, World Business Council for Sustainable Development and other leading organizations. The roundtable brought together farmers, value chain companies, investors, and intergovernmental organizations to discuss farmer-focused solutions, including emerging markets for biofuels in maritime shipping. USFRA Chair Michael Crinion emphasized that farmers need new markets to secure a better future for agriculture.
That financing conversation carried through the week, with USFRA also engaging on panels dedicated to unlocking capital to help de-risk regenerative agriculture for farmers.
Carrying the Biofuels Story Forward
Building on the momentum of USFRA’s landmark “Fueling Agriculture: Biofuels as the Catalyst” report, USFRA Chair Michael Crinion, USFRA Board Member Doug Berven of Poet and and CEO Kevin Burkum spoke at several Climate Week sessions centered on the S&P Global research and the broader case for biofuels as a driver of rural economic and energy security. These conversations extended the report’s Capitol Hill launch into a new audience of investors, corporates, and global institutions shaping the bioeconomy’s next phase.
Food Security on the Road to COP31
USFRA also joined “Feeding the World Under Disruption: Fertilizer, Finance and Food Security on the Road to COP31,” a discussion focused on strengthening fertilizer and nutrient systems, mobilizing finance for resilient agri-food supply chains, and reducing exposure to global supply shocks. USFRA ensured farmer-level realities on input costs and access were part of the conversation shaping the global food security agenda heading into Turkey (COP31).
USFRA’s landmark report, “Fueling Agriculture: Biofuels as the Catalyst,” launched on Capitol Hill in June—and it’s still sparking conversation. In the past few months, USFRA leadership has taken the findings to the Farm Progress Show, the Great Lakes Sustainable Fuels Symposium, and beyond, with CEO Kevin Burkum making the case plainly: “We need a bigger share of the global fuel market in order for agriculture to thrive.”
Farmers, S&P Global Energy report authors, industry CEOs, and policy makers are all weighing in on what it means for the future of rural America in high-profile events and media placements in the Omaha World-Herald, on Agri-Pulse’s Open Mic podcast, on Ohio Corn & Wheat’s Kernels Podcast and more.
USFRA partners with organizations that support the critically significant role of creating opportunities for collaboration, information sharing and solution development in agriculture.
Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) recently announced that Corey Scott will join the organization as its president and CEO starting in October. Scott is currently the president and CEO of Midwest Dairy. Scott will be the third CEO in DMI’s history, succeeding Barbara O’Brien.
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.
Juan Sacoto and Emerson Wohlenberg of S&P Global Energy discussed key findings from the study they authored, “Fueling Agriculture: Biofuels as the Catalyst.” Commissioned by USFRA, the research offers a detailed, evidence-based look at how biofuels can strengthen farmer incomes, stabilize rural economies and reshape agriculture’s path forward. Listen HERE.
Another episode features Alice McKinnon and Veronica Nigh of The Fertilizer Institute, (TFI). They dig into what’s really driving fertilizer prices and what could shift them next. They also discuss market intelligence, farm profitability and the single economic force that could reshape the industry. Listen HERE.
And in another new episode, Dawn Caldwell of Renewable Fuels Nebraska breaks down E15 and the 45Z tax credit – and the challenges still facing the industry. Listen HERE.
Don’t miss out — subscribe to Farm+Food+Facts wherever you listen to podcasts.
Important dates:
Oct. 26-28: Animal Health, Nutrition & Technology Innovation, Boston
Nov. 3-5: World Biofuels, Ethanol & Feedstocks, Barcelona
Nov. 9-20: United Nations Climate Change Conference, Antalya, Turkey
Dec. 2-3: Climate Resilience Innovation Forum, New York City
