Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 14862 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2016 Envision Partners, LLC YOUR PARTNER FOR GROWING LEADERS People are your most valuable assets. You’ve got help. Introducing TD Consortium. Envision Partners is a founding member of TD Consortium. Consortium members combine their agricultural industry expertise and experience to provide you a full range of talent development services including: • On-boarding • Performance management • Succession planning • Leadership development • Management training • Skills and sales training We coordinate services for you, ensuring customization for your needs and consistent delivery. TD Consortium is a comprehensive single- source provider for any or all of your talent development needs. We’ll help you grow your number one asset – your people. JONATHAN SHAVER, OWNER AND MEMBER info@envisionpartnersllc.com I 952-956-4216 I Minneapolis, Minnesota and the world envisionpartnersllc.com LET’S TALK. BOOTH #137 at ASTA CSS 2016 & Seed Expo IF YOU RUN a food company and are looking at ways to phase out genetically modified foods in your product line, there’s a good chance a group of producers would like to chat. The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance announced a new “Straight Talk” campaign, hoping to “engage the food industry in a dialogue on sustainable agriculture production.” The campaign comes after a mid October message to Dannon expressing concern over a pledge to eliminate GMO feed from some of the animals that produce its dairy products, an unusually blunt move for USFRA. “This is a different approach for us, but from an agricultural standpoint, we can’t sit back anymore and let this happen,” says Randy Mooney, the chairman of the National Milk Producers Federation. “When something is out there that’s outrageously wrong, all of us are going to have to speak up and attack it.” Dannon is one of several companies that have made corpo- rate pledges relating to GMO ingredients. The Hershey Company has switched away from using genetically modified sugar beets in favor of non-GMO sugar cane. Campbell Soup, Mars Inc., General Mills Inc. and The Kellogg Co. announced plans to vol- untarily label products with genetically modified ingredients as Congress struggled to break an impasse on a GMO labeling bill that eventually passed in July. USFRA CEO Randy Krotz doesn’t get into specifics on which companies will be approached through the campaign, but there is a list of “a dozen food companies that we are very, very focused on.” What’s more, Krotz says he hopes to see the more public approach taken with Dannon avoided in this campaign, but it remains an option in USFRA’s playbook. “We want to work collaboratively with the food industry, and the last thing we want to do is in any way challenge them like we’ve had to here,” he says. “We will call folks out, but we want to do it respectfully. We want to have a respectful conversation.” Despite USFRA’s best efforts, Dannon appears to be sticking to its guns on the so-called “Dannon Pledge” that started the conversation in the first place. The company called USFRA’s letter “divisive and misinformed,” citing a “growing consumer preference for non-GMO ingredients and food in the U.S.” On Oct. 27, a Dannon release touted a two-day forum with the company and the producers who supply it. The release made it clear “Dannon and its farmer partners” are pursuing the “changes in sustainable agriculture practices.” “We believe it is possible to combine non-GMO crops and sustainable agriculture building on farmers’ expertise and prac- tices, always being mindful about state-of-the-art agronomic science,” Mariano Lozano, CEO of The Dannon Company, said. The company also noted that some products will continue to be made with GMO ingredients, “as it is our belief that the currently approved GMOs are safe.” Simply stated, NMPF’s Mooney doesn’t think Dannon can meet its goal to eliminate GMO feed from some of its product lines “in a sustainable way.” Furthermore, he says companies making corporate pledges on sustainability should do some “internal analysis” about what role some of those goals might have on feeding a growing population. “At some point, don’t we have the social responsibility in this country ... that we actually tell the truth about what's going on in science?” Mooney asks.” Provided by AgriPulse: To receive a free trial of the newsletter, visit www.agri-pulse.com/Free-Trial.asp. SW U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance ramps up its food company outreach on GMOs. Spencer Chase STRAIGHT TALK