Kevin Burkum, CEO of U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action, shares how USFRA is making changes to help support agriculture in meeting its challenges and leveraging opportunities, both domestically and internationally.  Kevin also shares more about his background and professional experiences. Learn more about U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action: usfarmersandranchers.orgConnect with Kevin on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kevinburkumBecome a partner of USFRA: usfarmersandranchers.org/partnerships 

Opportunities and challenges for agriculture with USFRA CEO

Expert Celya Glowacki, team lead for advocacy, literacy and ag-based experiences at National FFA, shares how they focus on the evolving careers in agriculture. Celya shares how they receive feedback from corporate partners about what skills they are looking for in the next generation of agriculturists and the new National FFA NexGen Conferences. Learn more at ffa.org/participate/next-generation-conference/. 

National FFA Organization focused on future skills, careers

Honor the Harvest Forum is an invitation-only event that gathers food and agriculture leaders to further our global sustainable food system. Former head of Harvard Business School’s Agribusiness Program and is known as a strategic pathfinder in the global agri-food industry, Mary Shelman, emceed the USFRA Honor the Harvest. Today, we gain her high-level perspective of the event and what she’s keeping an eye on in the future of agriculture. 

Honor the Harvest and the Future of Ag

Culvers is based out of Sauk City, Wisconsin and there are over 900 Culver’s locations across the United States. Today, we are going to learn more about their three pillars to Culver’s Thank You Farmers Project. We are joined with Alison Demmer, she is the marketing and public relations manager at Culvers. Learn more about Culvers at https://www.culvers.com/about-culvers.

Culvers successful marketing includes support of agriculture

Today, we are headed to Maryland to learn more about grain and we are joined by  expert Lindsey Thompson. She is the executive director of the Maryland Grain Producers and also the owner Hidden Potential Farms with her husband, where they farm 130 acres of corn and soybeans. Did you know that Maryland typically grows soft red winter wheat and it is consumed by chickens and used to mill flour for cookies, pretzels, and pastries?  Learn more about all the things grain touches and how farmers are working in this unique market. 

Unique market and value-added opportunities for grain farmers

Join us as we discuss the ideal flavor packaging and the next generation of milk drinkers with Dr. Maryanne Drake, a professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University, and director of the Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center and Dr. Eric Bastian, the Vice President of Innovation Partnerships at Dairy West and the director of the Western Dairy Center at Utah State University. We dig deeper into dairy product consumption's motivation by both familiarity and habit and what the future looks like for school meals.Want to learn even more about dairy? Visit dairywest.com.

Study shows preferences and perceptions of milk in schools

Authenticity shines in this episode with veteran and rancher Steve Cook of Cook Beef Cattle located in central Texas. Steve shares about his military career, transitioning to civilian life, mental health, Farmer Veteran Coalition and future advice and goals. We're thankful to have Steve share real experiences with us and the importance of networking with others. Connect and support Steve's ranch by checking out his website at cookbeefcattle.com. Learn more about the Farmer Veteran Coalition at farmvetco.org.We appreciate the support from The Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation on this episode of Farm, Food, Facts. To learn more about PACT’s mission you can visit their website at https://ag-climate.org/. 

From Veteran to rancher: A life of service

November is Native American Heritage Month, and we invite you to learn more about the cultures, traditions, and achievements of Native Americans. Today we are joined by Chanel Ford the director of programs at the Native American Agriculture Fund. NAAF provides grants to eligible organizations and business assistance, agricultural education, technical support and advocacy services to support native farmers and ranchers. We dig deeper into the basics of native farmers and ranchers and future innovations.Learn more about NAAF and how you can celebrate Native American Heritage this month and every month with the resources listed below.https://nativeamericanagriculturefund.org/https://native-land.ca/

Native American Heritage Month: Native farming and ranching 101

Who should farmers be connected with to help bridge the gap between processors and brands?  We’re joined by CEO of Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Tim Trotter, as we discuss the ins and outs of the important relationships and connections that farmers need to successfully market their products. Does a relationship with processors and brands improve a farmer’s future success?  And why act now?Learn about these topics and more now!

Navigating relationships with processors and brands

This exclusive episode is a double feature for National Farmer's Day! We had the chance to connect with fifth-generation farmer Andrew Lauver at Honor the Harvest this year and get his story on taking over the family farm. Then join us as we catch up with first-generation rancher Angela Scott as she talks about her lessons learned as a newer rancher and that it's ok to ask questions!

Farming with Andrew Lauver

This exclusive episode is a double feature for National Farmer's Day! Join us as we catch up with first-generation rancher Angela Scott at Honor the Harvest this year. She talks about her lessons learned as a newer rancher and that it's ok to ask questions!Then join us for our second podcast episode of the day featuring fifth-generation farmer Andrew Lauver and his story about taking over the family farm.

Ranching with Angela Scott

We had a chance to catch up with VP of Market Intelligence at United Soybean Board, Mac Marshall, during our Honor the Harvest Forum in September.  Mac gave us some major insight into the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate Report and how farmers and ranchers can use this as a resource.Listen in to this episode of Farm, Food, Facts now!

Understanding the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate report

Our leading expert Jenny Rees, an extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the field is nothing short of impressive! We discuss the basic benefits of planting a perennial companion in soybeans, common perennial companion crops, on-farm research, challenges and if perennial companions will become more popular. If you're as interested in this topic as we are, then check out Jenny's blog at jenreeseresources.com and stay connected to research items like this by following the Nebraska Soybean board at nebraskasoybeans.org.  We appreciate the support of this topic from the United Soybean Board. You can stay connected with the future innovation of soybeans by following the United Soybean Board website at unitedsoybean.org.

Research on perennial companions in soybeans

Meet expert David Iverson, a true steward of the land! Today on Farm, Food, Facts, we have the honor of sharing his incredible journey as a fourth-generation crop farmer at Iverson Farms in South Dakota. David has taken sustainable agriculture to the next level by implementing two conservation practices: no-till and fertilizer placement, and that's not all. By strategically placing fertilizer, David maximizes nutrient absorption while minimizing runoff.  Tune in now for our exclusive interview with David Iverson as he shares his secrets to success and how these practices have transformed his family farm.Stay connected with the future innovation of soybeans by following the United Soybean Board website at unitedsoybean.org.

Benefits of fertilizer placement and no-till in soybeans.

Biofuels fits into the equation of being a strong competitor as a fuel source. Our leading expert, Doug Berven, vice president of corporate affairs at POET, shares the basics, competitors, infrastructure, economic benefits, how other countries utilize biofuels, challenges and trends of biofuels. Learn more about POET at poet.com. 

Biofuels basics and the future potential

Our expert in this episode has over 20 years of experience in the agricultural industry, John Maman is the director of sales and marketing at Nutrien Financial. He shares more about inclusive financing, managing high interest rates, digital financial tools, financially assessing crops and what financial trends to follow. Check out at nutrienfinancial.com and follow Nutrien on social media @NutrienAgSolutions. Contact us at podcast@usfraonline.org to share feedback or a podcast idea. 

Protecting profitability with inclusive financing

Get ready to be soy-amazed! Join us as we chat with leading expert and soy farmer extraordinaire, Laurie Isley, who spills the "bean" on all things soy. From soy-based shoes that are trendy as they are eco-friendly, to mind-blowing uses you never knew existed with tires, plywood, dust suppressant, turf and more. This episode will leave you hungry for more knowledge about the extraordinary uses of soybeans.  Learn more: unitedsoybean.orgFind soy-based products:  soynewuses.org

Soybeans used in tires, shoes, plywood and more!

Join us for an insightful discussion with our special guest, Gena Perry, executive director of the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH). A program of the American Soybean Association, WISHH expands global access to U.S. soy. Through partnerships, technical assistance, and training, WISHH helps address the protein gap and food insecurity in developing and emerging markets.

Unlocking the potential of soy and human health through WISHH

Alyssa Cho, Sustainable Agronomy Field Team Lead at Bayer is our guest. Alyssa is building a team of Sustainable Systems Agronomists to provide support to farmers for a successful transition to regenerative practices as part of ForGround by Bayer. Alyssa was the Agronomy Lead for a drone-based technology start-up, Aker Technologies prior to joining Bayer. She has been a professor of sustainable cropping systems, serving as a researcher, extension faculty, and instructor. Alyssa holds a Ph.D. in Agronomy, a M.S. in Horticultural Sciences, and a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management.

A Climate Smart Platform for Farmers

Today's episode is a must see and is reference for all of our futures. USFRA CEO, Erin Fitzgerald, has been on a worldwide tour sharing the voice of the US Farmers and Ranchers globally. She's just returned from the critical and sometimes nail-biting 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or what's called the conference of the parties of the UNFCCC more commonly referred to, and much easier as COP 27, the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference that was held from the 6th of November to the 20th of November in Egypt.

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