FOCUS on Agriculture – Details, episodes & analysis

Duane Simpson is Head of Ag Affairs and License to Operate, North America, Australia, and New Zealand for Bayer Crop Science. For more detail on his career history, check out Episode 82, where we spoke with him about advocating for science-based, farmer-positive ag policy. In our latest conversation, Duane describes the herbicide registration process, discusses how farmers can share their thoughts during EPA public comment periods, and previews what we can expect from the 2024 elections.

Interested parties can make public comments on the latest Dicamba herbicide submission here: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OPP-2024-0154/document

Have you ever wondered why some strawberries from the grocery store or farmer’s market taste wonderful while others are relatively flavorless? Do you struggle to produce strawberries in your home garden? We learn about these topics and much more in our latest episode.

Dr. Marvin Pritts is a professor and the director of undergraduate studies, School of Integrative Plant Science Horticulture Section at Cornell. Dr. Pritts has spent four decades studying berry crops, with a recent focus on strawberry production practices and their effects on yield and flavor. Listen to learn about his research as well as his thoughts on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list which annually ranks strawberries as being high risk for pesticide residue.

Duane Simpson is Vice President, Head of North America Public Affairs, Science & Sustainability at Bayer Crop Science.  He leads the company's Policy & Advocacy and Industry Affairs teams to bring farmer and value chain perspective to agricultural policy making in North America and around the globe.  Duane is passionate about helping farmers and agribusinesses share their voices in the current political landscape.

In this episode, we discuss the role of lobbyists in the public policy development process, the inner workings of agencies like EPA and USDA, and the impacts of current policy such as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.  Listen in for advice from Duane on how farmers can advocate for positive ag policy.  Duane can be reached through email at duane.simpson@bayer.com.

Bringing a new pesticide to market involves years of research and huge capital investments.  As environmental toxicologists with Bayer Crop Science, Dr. Tim Fredricks and Dr. Dan Schmehl study the effects of these products on the environment to ensure that adverse effects are minimized.  In this episode we discuss the process of evaluating new crop protection products with greater specificity to control target pests while minimizing harm to other organisms.

You can learn more about Bayer for Biodiversity, an initiative to help farmers and others preserve biodiversity at the following website: http://go.bayer.com/biodiversity.

Tara Bohnert is a business development manager with Nedap Livestock Management, a Netherlands-based company that provides monitoring equipment for pigs and dairy cattle.  In this episode we learn about the data that is collected and how it is used to improve farmer profitability as well as animal welfare.  We also discuss the evolution of the dairy industry over the past century and what the future holds.

To learn more about this topic, you can visit Nedap's website: https://www.nedap-livestockmanagement.com/ or follow them on Twitter: @NedapLivestock and facebook: @NedapDairyFarming.

Sri Lanka has been in the news recently due to an economic crisis leading to political instability.  One of the factors behind the civil unrest is spiking food prices caused in part by governmental policy eliminating the use of synthetic fertilizers and crop protection products.  In this episode, we once again chat with Dr. Stuart Smith, professor in ag and resource economics at the University of Saskatchewan about the situation in Sri Lanka and other topics related to modern agriculture.

As an economist, Dr. Smith researches the socioeconomic impacts of innovation in agriculture.  You can learn more about his research through his blog, SAIFood (Sustainable Agricultural Innovations and Food) at saifood.ca or contact him directly though email: stuart.smyth@usask.ca.  Dr. Smyth also advocates for modern ag on Twitter (@stuartsmyth66).  For more from Dr. Smyth, check out our January 2020 conversation: Episode 15: Stuart Smyth - Benefits of GMO Technology to Farmers and Consumers.

Diseases attacking agricultural crops cause millions of bushels of yield loss for farmers across the United States each year.  Farmers battle these diseases in several ways including the use of resistant varieties and hybrids, crop rotation, and fungicides.  To complicate things, new diseases arise from time to time.  One example is Tar Spot, which has become a major yield robber in Midwestern corn fields over the past several years.  In this episode, Dr. Randy Myers from Bayer Crop Science explains how companies develop new tools that farmers can use to protect their crops.

To learn more about fungicides available to growers of various crops, please visit: http://www.cropscience.bayer.us/products/fungicides.

Dr. Jayson Lusk is an ag economist at Purdue University, where he is a distinguished professor and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics.  Dr. Lusk studies what we eat and why we eat it.  He is the author of several books, including his latest, Unnaturally Delicious: How Science and Technology are Serving up Super Foods to Save the World.  In this episode, we discuss the results of consumer surveys about food, and how farmers can positively impact consumer perceptions.

You can learn more about Dr. Lusk's work at: www.jaysonlusk.com.  Monthly survey results about consumer attitudes toward food and agricultural issues can be found at the Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability (CFDAS): https://ag.purdue.edu/cfdas/data-resources/consumer-food-insights/.  You can also follow Dr. Lusk on Twitter: @jaysonlusk.

Today we wrap up our series on ag tech with a conversation with Dr. German Bollero.  Dr. Bollero is currently Interim Dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer, & Environmental Sciences and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Illinois.  In this discussion, he describes exciting new opportunities for students to combine their passions for computer science and agriculture.

Learn more about the University of Illinois College of ACES at aces.illinois.edu or on Twitter @ACESIllinois.  More information about the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering can be found at abe.illinois.edu or on Twitter @IllinoisABE.  To learn more about research into developing tools that can communicate with plants, please visit: https://www.igb.illinois.edu/taxonomy/term/1718.

Our Podcast series on the Past, Present, and Future of Ag Tech continues with returning guest Jack Marck, who is managing director of the Illinois Agtech Accelerator.  Located at the University of Illinois Research Park, this program provides mentoring, funding, and office space for Agtech startups.  In today's conversation, we discuss the opportunities for new technologies to improve farmers' operations and strengthen the food supply chain.  You can contact Jack through email at jack@gener8tor.com.

To learn more about the Illinois Agtech Accelerator program, please visit www.gener8tor.com/investment-accelerators/illinois-agtech