Ankeny, Iowa, USA
December 19, 2014
Four of the most influential leaders in agriculture believe collaboration among farmers, academia and industry and technological advances will help the world become food secure as the population grows.
Harry Stine, president and founder of Stine Seed Company; Dr. Robb Fraley, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Monsanto; Paul Shickler, president of DuPont Pioneer; and Jim Knuth, senior vice president of Farm Credit Services of America and head of Iowa operations, provided a look into the future of agriculture on Dec. 18 during the two-day Iowa Soybean Association’s (ISA) 50th Anniversary Symposium & Recognition Banquet in Des Moines.
The group — considered some of the foremost experts worldwide in seed, biotechnology and lending — are confident farmers will grow more food within the next four decades than in the history of mankind, and do it in a sustainable way thanks to technology that’s available and yet to come.
“When I look at my crystal ball, the role of soybeans and the Iowa farmer has never been more important and opportunities brighter assuming we have the ability to use these tools,” said Fraley, who ISA CEO Kirk Leeds called the “father of ag biotechnology.”
The world’s population is expected to jump from 7 billion to 9.5 billion, along with an extra 2 billion joining the middle class. More food will be needed, especially protein. Soybean oil and soybean meal fed to livestock fulfill that need.
The experts are confident innovations in precision agriculture, biotechnology and plant breeding will allow yields to double in the United States and triple in other countries. Industry, government and non-government entities will increasingly work together to feed a hungry world, they said.
“If we are going to meet the challenges in the next 10 to 20 years, collaboration is important,” Schickler said.
The use of “Big Data” will become more prevalent as farmers and ag companies apply enormous amounts of information — everything from yield and fertility maps to weather modeling and seed research — to be more productive and profitable. Data usage will help farmers maximize yields and tackle sustainability, environmental and freedom-to-operate issues.
“That’s a tremendous opportunity today (and for the future),” Schickler said.
A good example of collaboration is the Iowa Soybean Research Center at Iowa State University. It will bring industry, academia and producers together to boost production and improve competiveness of state’s favorite legume.
“It’s a more complex world and the need for (more) partnerships has never been greater,” Leeds said.
Knuth commended the ISA for taking a leadership role bringing industry partners and farmers together, along with connecting with consumers.
Stine, who graduated from college before the ISA was formed, used the past to look forward.
“Look how far we’ve come,” he said. “If we go back 100 years, the corn acreage was about the same as it is now and we were growing around 20 bushels per acre of corn. There were a few small patches of soybeans cut by a horse-drawn mower for hay.”
The change from then to now in technology, genetics, seed, production practices and usage of the crop is beyond the comprehension of those before us, he said.
“I think the scientists and companies represented here will develop the technology and make rapid progress,” Stine said. “I’m not concerned about that. It will take care of itself.”
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