b'The Next Ag TrendHinges on Demand DriversDan Basse gave his 2021 outlook at the American Seed Trade Associations CSS & Seed Expo.Alex Martin2021 HAS COMEto an end. Its been a year filled with dif- the U.S. is at a peak for farmland. In addition, Basse says Bidens ferent challenges for the seed industry: entering the secondadministration sees itself as a champion of biofuelsin agri-year of a global pandemic, abiotic stressors such as droughtculture, that means Biden sees biofuels as a steppingstone for across North America, different diseases to watch out for andelectrification down the road. more.Thankfully, Biden sees us as farmers as being one of the But what was the year like economically, and where are wechampions of this low carbon future, he said. With Biden seeing heading now that we are in 2022? farmers as part of the puzzle to low carbon emissions, that raises The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) hosted long- the importance and demand of growers.time guest speaker Dan Basse at the ASTA CSS & Seed Expo inTwo new demand drivers have come into play. Chicago, Ill., Dec. 7. Basse, an economist at AgResource, says theChina is now a significant world grain importer, Basse said. past two years have provided a lot of fodder to economists.They are now taking one out of every four bushels of feed thats Theres no shortage of things to talk about, Basse said. Thetraded around the world, which is a big, big change.big problem is talking about all the things that would happen.This is particularly due to a difficulty with African Swine Fever Tumultuous and volatile are words that come up in my thinkingthat occurred in China about two and a half years agoafter about the world agricultural market, and the pandemic has reallythat swept through their livestock, China made the decision to taken this into a higher gear. not feed food waste to their hogs. While it was common to throw your leftovers from dinner out the door, Basse reported that its Demand Drivers Changing Economics now outlawed. Basse says agricultural markets are currently in a new commod- That was about 36 million metric tons of food waste that ity super cycle. Why? Because there are demand drivers all overwent to hogs, Basse said. Now Chinas supplanting them with in agriculture.corn in a more Westernized diet.If you look at this super cycle in agriculture versusIn addition, renewable diesel is becoming a new driver as something like raw materials, its really due to lack ofwell, though, Basse notes that this demand driver may spell investment, Basse said. Its due to things such as the Blacktrouble and challenges for agriculture due to the need of more Sea and Russia throwing an export tax and people trying tovegetable oil.control food inflation. Climate change continues to have an impact on agriculture The good news is, while the demand drivers are numerous,as well. 12/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2022'