News Update
May 24, 2012
Coffey Named Director of UK Research and Education Center
A long-time leader of Kentucky youth livestock programs and swine extension will be the next director of the University of Kentucky (UK) Research and Education Center (REC) in Princeton. Richard Coffey will take over the leadership role July 1.
"Richard has shown his dedication to UKREC and its stakeholders in many ways throughout his career," said Nancy Cox, UK College of Agriculture associate dean for research and director of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. "I am confident he will represent the station well and will dedicate himself to serving our clientele while supporting a productive workplace."
The director of the center is a 50% appointment and includes managing all aspects of the center. Coffey will continue to work as a swine extension specialist and coordinator of UK youth livestock programs.
"It will be a new challenge, and I'm excited to work with the folks down here and with college administration to continue to make this place a vital part of the college," he said.
Coffey received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Oklahoma State University and his doctoral degree from UK. After completing his doctorate in 1994, he became the UK swine extension specialist in Lexington and eventually moved to the Princeton center.
"This is truly a unique place with tremendous people who love what they do and have a service-oriented mindset," he said.
Coffey replaces Lloyd Murdock, UK extension soils specialist and the center's founding director. Murdock will likely take a post-retirement appointment with the college.
7 Trillion Meals Delivered Daily Through
Innovation and Technology
The Great Debate held during the Alltech 28th Annual International Symposium in Lexington, Ky., hosted a panel of four of the sharpest minds representing all corners of the agriculture and food ecosystem. The debate cut through the hyperbole to get to the heart of what really matters when trying to feed a population of 9 billion people by 2050.
Presented in front of nearly 3,000 delegates from 72 countries and 42 U.S. states, the topics debated were: Feeding 9 billion people; Is Africa the new Brazil?; What are the implications of the African land grab?; and What's next for biofuels?
Other topics included: Water — the fight for natural resources; protecting the rainforests; educating urbanites about agriculture; dealing with groups hostile to agriculture; solutions to obesity; organic labels; malnutrition; what 'local' really means; and what does the future hold for the 4-year-olds of today's world.
Tom Arnold, CEO of Concern Worldwide; Sean Rickard, senior lecturer in business economics, Cranfield University, United Kingdom; Marcus Vinicius Pratini de Moraes, Former Minister of Agriculture and Food Supply of Brazil; and Tom Dorr, CEO of the U.S. Grains Council in Washington, D.C., USA, each took to the stage to discuss their ideas on what the future of agriculture and food supply will look like.
Experts at the Great Debate unanimously agreed that world hunger has declined dramatically during the past two decades. Arnold summed it up by saying, "In 1969, the world had about 3 billion people and about 25% of those 3 billion people were hungry. By 2004, the world had 6.3 billion people and 13% of that population were hungry." Rickard agreed and explained that a key driver of meeting that world population food demand was the ability of getting science and farmers together.
For more information and the full release, visit http://www.alltech.com/news.
Alltech Cultivates Crop Science Division
Natural nutrition is not just for the animals anymore as Alltech takes its technology out of the barn and into the field with the official launch of its Crop Science division. With industrial-use products and a consumer line backed by celebrity green thumb Jon Carloftis, Alltech Crop Science addresses the production of citrus to silage and everything in between. Fuelled by the power of yeast, Alltech Crop Science products offer a viable alternative to conventional agrochemicals.
"Consumers are increasingly discerning in their food choices, and are asking for more natural products. As a result, some traditional methods of production have become obsolete as more and more chemicals are being banned on a global scale," said Geoff Frank, CEO of Alltech Crop Science. "As producers are looking for alternatives, our technology is integral to propelling the industry into the future."
According to a recent issue of New Ag International magazine, in the European Union alone, 600 of 1,000 registered pesticide active ingredients have been de-listed with an additional 300 on the verge of prohibition. This rapid move to outlaw chemicals has left producers worldwide with increasingly limited options in terms of disease resistance and production potential. However, it has likewise catalyzed the swift growth of the biological sector, bringing non-traditional control methods to the forefront of agricultural production.
Actively focused on research and development, Alltech Crop Science is equipped to provide solutions to the evolving agronomic landscape and lead the growth emblematic of this burgeoning industry. For nearly 20 years Alltech Crop Science, formerly known as Improcrop, has conducted research on 69 cultivars in 29 countries to form the scientific basis for its products. Their North American brand portfolio — Agro-Mos®, Compost-Aid®, Complex-Aid®, Crop-Set®, Grain-Set®, Soil-Set™ and Liqui-Plex™ Mn — addresses each stage of crop development, providing plants with precision nutrition and offering growers a naturally based alternative to chemicals.
The impact of Alltech Crop Science technology stretches beyond the landscape of major industrial production, however. The need to go green hits especially close to home for Jon Carloftis. The renowned Kentucky-bred garden designer has partnered with Alltech Crop Science to develop a line of natural-based home gardening products. Bloom & Fruit™ provides essential nutrients that stimulate plant growth while Soil & Root™ conditions the rhizophere region of the soil to ensure strong, sturdy roots.
"In my work, I have always strived to create beautiful spaces," stated Carloftis. "In doing so, I recognized the need to cultivate each sanctuary in a sustainable way. Partnering with Alltech was the natural evolution of my desire to create lush and luxuriant gardens without compromising the environment or the safety of the families who enjoy them."
For more information about Alltech Crop Science and Alltech's commitment to natural solutions for agronomic challenges, visit www.alltechcropscience.com.
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces New and Expanded Access to Credit for America's Farmers and Ranchers
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA has made substantial, year-over-year gains in expanding credit opportunities for farmers and ranchers across the United States. The increase in farm and operating loans has helped improve farmer and rancher productivity, launched new start-up operations, and ensured opportunities in agriculture for many more Americans. With expanded access to credit, USDA is helping a new generation of farmers sustain and build upon what is now the most productive period in history for American agriculture. To that end, Vilsack announced the Department is seeking comments on a new microloan program to help small and family operations progress through their start-up years with needed resources, while building capacity, increasing equity, and eventually graduating to commercial credit.
“Over the past three years, we have expanded farm and operating loans to Americans from all backgrounds to help raise a new crop of producers across the country,” said Vilsack. “As we expand options in agriculture, we’re seeing a new vibrancy across the countryside as younger people — many of whom are now involved in local and regional production — pursue livelihoods in farming, raising food for local consumption. By leveraging USDA’s lending programs for beginning farmers and ranchers and smaller producers, we’re helping to rebuild and revitalize our rural communities.”
In the past three years, USDA has provided 103,000 loans to family farmers totaling $14.6 billion, and under Secretary Vilsack’s leadership, the department is expanding the availability of farm credit with a special focus on beginning farmers and ranchers, as well as socially disadvantaged producers.
For the full release, visit www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/
usdahome?contentid=2012/05/0163.xml&contentidonly=true.
USDA Will Request Public Input on Ag Report Release Times
The USDA will seek public input before it decides whether to change the release times of market-moving reports on farm data now that futures markets are open nearly around the clock, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said this week.
"This is a complicated issue," Vilsack told a telephone news conference, adding the department wanted to assure equitable release of information for all market participants.
While some traders would prefer USDA to release major reports while markets are closed, others want to capture the instantaneous surges in trading that would accompany a "live" release of significant information.
"We're in the process of analyzing the pros and cons of a variety of different ways to approach this," Vilsack said. "And I think whatever decision is ultimately made, we will structure it in such a way that I'm sure we will provide people an opportunity in some manner to provide their reaction to what it is we're doing or considering so that whatever we ultimately decide to do on a permanent basis will be the best decision for all concerned."
USDA reports are mostly released in the early morning or late afternoon, when futures markets are closed or volume is low.
The CME Group Inc., owner of the long-established and market-leading Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), launched a 21-hour trading day on Sunday after the upstart InterContinental Exchange Inc. (ICE) began a 22-hour trade day for grains and soybean futures on May 14.
Vilsack said the different trading hours for ICE and CBOT were a factor in USDA's review.
The first major USDA report to be released "live" during the new trading hours could be the monthly crop report due June 12.
Financial markets are open as a matter of routine when key energy data is released. Some commodity traders say USDA's crop report and a companion report on crop production, usage and trade around the world cover a broader swath and require more time to digest.
In 1994, USDA switched to early morning release of the U.S. and world crop forecasts, putting U.S. markets first in line to trade on the data.
CropLife Names National FFA Organization's Advisor One of U.S. Agriculture's Most Influential Leaders
Steve Brown has earned undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees in agricultural education. He's taught agriculture and advised FFA chapters for years in his home state of Missouri before jumping into state government roles.
Today, Brown serves as an educational program specialist in agriculture, food and natural resources with the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., and is the National FFA Organization's top advisor.
He's also been named one of the most influential leaders in American agriculture.
In citing Brown one of the seven most compelling people in U.S. agriculture, CropLife noted his work as head of FFA and the major role he has played in the advancement of agricultural education. The agriculture retail magazine, published by Willoughby, Ohio-headquartered CropLife Media Group, said Brown was an individual "with the leadership to responsibly and creatively influence the future" in a story published May 2.
For the full release, visit www.ffa.org/PressRoom/PressReleases/Pages/
CropLife-names-National-FFA-Organization%E2%80%
99s-top-advisor-one-of-U.S.-agriculture%E2%80%99s-most-influential-leaders.aspx#.
Horse Slaughter, Sale of Meat Would be Prohibited
Under Proposed New Jersey Bill
A bill in the New Jersey state legislature looks to prohibit the slaughter of horses and sale of horseflesh for human consumption. Sponsored by Assemblyman Ronald Dancer (R, 12) and Assemblyman Gilbert Wilson (D, 5), the bill would make it illegal to slaughter a horse and sell it for human consumption. Violators would be fined.
Congress created a federal ban on horse meat consumption in 2006; however, that ban was lifted in the fall of 2011.
Currently, there is a federal bill called the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act in the works to once again ban horse meat. Until then, Dancer hopes that New Jersey can pass a state law against it and serve as an example to other states.
"We don't need to be taking horses from the stable to the table," Dancer said.
There is already a law regarding dog meat for human consumption in the state. The current plan is to also insert horses into the law.
"I think it's very important right now for states to be proactive," Dancer said.
New Jersey, which named the horse as its state animal, has a great affinity and history with the animal, says Dancer.
To view the complete story, visit www.nj.com/sunbeam-news/index.ssf/
2012/05/horse_slaughter_sale_of_meat_w.html.
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