Keith Bearden

Thanks Vision Magazine North America for sharing my thoughts on marketing as a tool for labor recruitment in rural America. According to the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), the average farmer is unable to fill 21% of their necessary workforce. Traditional marketing strategies to sell more won’t help bridge the gap of the 21% missing workforce and consequently reduced outputs. The time has come to create a more resilient and reliable food supply chain with more opportunities, not just jobs. Sustainability in agriculture reaches beyond green initiatives and includes working to build sustainable workforces and communities and telling their stories so every stakeholder is invested in rural success.  Share what you are doing to build more resilient agricultural communities. Brianna Shales Lori Castillo, MBA Kim Chackal Emily Autrey, MBA G&R Farms Land O'Lakes, Inc. NatureSweet LeAnne Rhodes Ruzzamenti Ashley Rawl Michelle Grainger Dante Galeazzi Nichole Towell

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A business "expert" told me to make sure Auto-Rinse used chemicals, so I could squeeze money out of my customers every month. I thought that was a stupid idea on so many levels. 🤦🏻 First of all, you don't need detergents or sanitizers to clean bar tools. Mixing tins, mixing glasses, jiggers, and strainers are used only to mix drinks (unlike glassware, which is used to serve and consume drinks). Big difference. Designing Auto-Rinse to use chemicals would be irresponsible because: ❌ We would be knowingly ripping our customers off ❌ We would be responsible for putting chemicals down the drain for no reason I wasn't ok with that. That's why designing Auto-Rinse to be chemical-free was so important. Chemical-free design is not only good for the environment--it also keeps costs lower. Come see us at the National Restaurant Association Show this May, booth 9734. There's so much more to the story. #bars #sustainability #restaurants #specialtycoffee #bubbletea

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Trump 2.0 Former US President and Republican Party nominee Donald Trump has won the Presidential race for 2024 by a much higher margin than expected. He is also on course to win the popular vote that was something that he was unable to do in 2016 or 2020 reflecting a wave of anti-incumbency that appears to be in place. Contrary to expectations, he is also poised to win all the seven swing states  His victory has also been accompanied by the Republican Party re-taking control of the Senate. It also appears that the party could hold on to its control of the House of Representatives  The net result will be a return of Red Wave in which the Republican Party controls the Congress that will likely allow Trump to move forward with his policy agenda that last happened over 2016-2018  The asymmetric target of China via higher tariffs could resume.  Overall, markets are responding to his victory and his policy prescriptions of continued expansionary fiscal policy via tax cuts, the possible return of the tariff-war and possibly moving forward with his plans to initiate mass-deportations.  The global USD could also get a leg up responding to elevated US yields and an increase in growth divergence between the US and the non-US world.  The EUR and CNY are most vulnerable to further depreciation bias reflecting concerns about the resumption of the trade-war. JPY could remain vulnerable to rising US yields. The GBP could depreciate as well, although by a lesser degree  The USD/INR could trade with an upside bias responding to rising US yields and depreciation pressures in the CNY. However, RBI intervention could limit the pace of depreciation  A softer growth outlook in China could limit upside potential on crude prices and base metal prices. Gold prices could pick-up as the safe-haven trade could rise from concerns about the global growth outlook

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Wizards’ Order. If you like IPA’s, this is your series. It’s our latest core IPA. It’s not exactly a singular style like West Coast or Hazy but the overarching flavor profile is juicy. It’s born off what you tell us you love. We keep putting IPA’s out, and the ones that do the best are what becomes the next Wizards’ Order! Think of it like a new IPA series that gets rotated quarterly, is available everywhere craft beer is sold, and that’s Wizards Order! If you’ve enjoyed all our nerd stuff we put on the walls, you might appreciate this is just a silly thing we dreamt up. Gave it a name, a brand, and do fun things like release collector cards each time a new quarterly release drops! We’re enjoying a Wizards embarrassment of riches right now as both the latest Wizards' Order releases came out at the same time. Our poor calendar management is your win! Try out Juice and Tropic Wizard on your next visit! And pay attention to the next one that comes out. You’ll see the theme really take shape and evolve as more releases keep coming. If you love this series, keep grabbing it. It’s how things stay on the wall!

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Expect Alot of No’s. Rule 1 Enterprising. Get as many No’s as early as possible and be attentive to the quality of the No and the reasons behind it. Some investors are simply not interested or lazy, some might have valuable advice for you. If it was that easy everyone will have made it What are your thoughts on this?

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“Consumers don't produce inflation. Producers don't produce inflation. Inflation is produced only by too much government spending and too much government creation of money, and nothing else.” _____________________________ “Keep your eye on how much the Government is spending, because that is the true tax. There is no such thing as an unbalanced budget. You PAY FOR IT either in the form of taxes, or indirectly in the form of inflation or debt.” ______________________________ On Price Controls: "It is a device that Governments have repeatedly resorted to in an attempt to cover up the effects of their own policies." — Milton Friedman

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I think all the drinks manufacturers and canna-beverage hype is completely fake. I don't believe consumers prefer to drink Cannabinoids. The data doesn’t support that. I do believe cannabis-drinks are more costly to produce/deliver to a consumer, are more costly per inch of shelf space, ultimately for a lower dose/cannabinoid count per dollar spent, and therefore economics will inevitably maintain the drinks-category in 1-2% total marketshare territory.

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Quite a scary interview by Dr. Redfield, former Director of CDC, the apex body of USA for Disease control. The warning bells are ringing loudly but most of the world is oblivious to the danger ahead. We can all have our opinions but Nature does not respect those. There are many firsts to the current Bird Flu spread : cows being infected, humans being infected from cows, virus fragments being found in milk, mammals in both polar regions being infected, marine animals like dolphins dying of bird flu. If the hardy wild animals can perish in masses, humans are even more susceptible (the 50% mortality recorded till date in the case of bird flu as compared to only 0.6% in the case of Covid) Note the developments in just past month : USA - 1 in 5 commercial cow milk samples detected with bird flu virus. Later it was informed that they were remnants of dead virus fragments because of pasteurisation. Now it’s being claimed by research that pasteurisation may still leave some live virus if the milk is heavily infected. 3 dairy workers infected with bird flu. USA has signed a deal with Moderna for trials of bird flu vaccine EU has signed a contract to secure 40 million bird flu vaccines for 15 countries Australia - 8,00,000 chicken culled in a few weeks, representing 4 % of egg laying flock. Coles supermarket, the second largest supermarket in Australia has put a purchase limit of 24 eggs per person. Kerala, India- bird flu spread in a few districts resulting in mass culling of ducks and chicken. Crows being infected with bird flu in Alappuzha district and dying en masse. Bengal - 2 children detected with bird flu. Both needed ICU admission. One was an Australian 2 year old toddler who was a tourist. While the state govt has indicated that there are no detected cases as of now in Bengal, it has cancelled a Global business meet in Koklata in November citing possibility of bird flu. Its vital to keep a close tag on the evolving situation. Fortunately the govt across the world know the acute challenges of a pandemic because of the Covid experience, however the bird flu virus has a much higher mortality rate than Covid virus. The only saving grace is that there are no properly recorded human to human transmission of bird flu…yet. But if the former head of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells us that it’s not a question of “if” but a question of “when” bird flu will become a pandemic, we need to take the fast evolving situation very seriously.

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We all saw what happened when Wendy's announced the potential for a dynamic pricing model. People were not pleased. I'm not sure that will entirely kill the possibility of dynamic pricing eventually rolling out in the industry, but it did put the brakes on it for the short term. What about surveillance pricing? As this article from Reuters covers (https://lnkd.in/e_JdG5rB), there is the possibility that surveillance pricing will allow companies to charge individuals more based on past searches, purchases, and any other number of data points. Now, there's an economic basis for some of this. If demand increases at certain times or for certain products, prices can go up...welcome to supply and demand. We see this playing out all the time without all of the surveillance or high-tech traffic tracking. Dynamic pricing is, essentially, the high-tech and real time version of this principle, whether we really like it or not. Surveillance pricing, however, is something else entirely. But, is it surprising this is happening. In the industry, we're talking about the possibility of creating hyper-customized products based on a person's DNA or other bio-data. Wouldn't it also follow that pricing would become that individualized as well? But that makes more sense for products that are distinctly different rather than individualized prices for the same product. Either way, I think we can expect more of this type of activity as technology allows for this level of individual behavior surveillance and analysis. #innovation #trends2024 #pricingstrategy #foodservice #retail #cpg #foodandbeverageindustry #restaurants #technology #economy #menumattersllc

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F the Treaties: Rescheduling and Marijuana-Particular Controls https://lnkd.in/gwnhJv2Z <a href=""> - Marijuana-specific controls in schedule III? The drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revealed its Discover of Proposed Rulemaking (“NOPR”) final week to a lot fanfare. The NOPR would reschedule marijuana, “marijuana extract” and “naturally derived delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinols” from schedule I to schedule III of the Managed Substances Act (CSA). However that’s not all. In my very fast evaluation after the rule dropped, I flagged DEA’s assertion that it might develop “marijuana-specific controls” together with rescheduling. I’m shocked this DEA assertion hasn’t spurred a lot dialogue, regardless of its Easter egg placement at NOPR web page 86. “Marijuana-specific management” guidelines might turn into a reasonably large deal. For context, the U.S. is a celebration to sure worldwide treaties that require it to regulate hashish and different drugs. Due to that obligation, the Division of Justice’s Workplace of Authorized Counsel (OLC), has suggested DEA that extra controls could also be wanted for marijuana on schedule III. That’s the best method to clarify it: if you need extra element on the whys and wherefores of the authorized regime and OLC’s rationale, go to pages 83-87 of the NOPR. In my publish final week, I highlighted that marijuana-specific controls could be thought of by DEA “concurrent with this rulemaking.” In different phrases, DEA is saying, “we’re taking a look at adopting new and particular guidelines for marijuana, past simply shifting it to schedule III. However we don’t know what these new and particular guidelines could be but. Keep tuned.” This strategy is artfully imprecise and noncommittal, and awkward, and begs examination. The trail to marijuana-specific controls I’m not an administrative legislation knowledgeable. Nonetheless, my understanding is that DEA could be required to note any proposed, marijuana-specific management guidelines within the Federal Register and open them up for remark. In different phrases, the method would mirror what we simply noticed with final week’s NOPR. If this occurs, it is going to be attention-grabbing to see what the “particular controls” guidelines present. To that finish, I’m not conscious of any such guidelines for different schedule III drugs. As a substitute, there are solely basic controls relevant to all schedule III drugs: e.g., sure storage necessities, allowances for paper or phone prescriptions, refill caps, and many others. None of that appears relevant to e.g. marijuana flower, which isn’t authorised by FDA for something. Alternatively, what might these guidelines probably say that might matter, particularly with respect to state marijuana packages? Would anybody, outdoors of scientists learning marijuana, pay any consideration to a DEA’s “particular controls” for sched...

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This is an interesting read. Based on the comments from the original post, you'll see this is a heated debate about how new technology and new ideas are changing the market.

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Imagine buying beef labeled "grass-fed," only to discover it was not the case. You may have paid a premium for a product that doesn’t match your expectations. 📉 To ensure you're getting what you want, look for labels that say "100% grass-fed." Unless is specifically says "100% grass-fed" the #cattle might have only grazed on grass occasionally and been fattened with corn, grain, or other feeds. #OrganicBeef #VerdeFarms #GrassFed

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Fascinating timeline display of the world’s largest companies by annual revenue over a 28-year span. Even crazier, with the advent of AI, new companies that have not been around too long will launch themselves at the highest rankings of this list fairly soon. Long live innovation, entrepreneurship, and good ol’ capitalism.

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As a former Californian, I’m honestly a bit embarrassed that this is even happening. The proposed regulations are poised to drastically limit adult access to 21+ hemp products, banning a significant portion of the market, even non-intoxicating products intended for responsible adult use. If you believe adults should have the freedom to access safe, regulated hemp products, now is the time to make your voice heard. Support adult access to hemp products and share your opinion before it’s too late. Let’s stand up for consumer rights and a balanced approach to regulation.

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10/10! I love this post from Jason Feifer! The best teams are made up of both generalists and specialists. Lean into your strengths, be patient for your moment, and give it 100% when it’s your time to strike. #patience #strengths #teamwork #olympics

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**Exploring the Origins of Meat Curing: A Journey Through Antiquity** Over the years, I've delved into the fascinating history of meat curing, discovering that our ancestors were incredibly skilled in managing human and animal excrement. For tens of thousands, possibly over 100,000 years, the properties of urine and dung were well understood and deeply integrated into our cultural practices, from meat preservation to medicine. Through keen observations, humans identified a connection between urine and saltpetre (nitrate salt), and droppings and sal ammoniac (ammonium nitrate). Our ancestors were more focused on the practical application ("how") rather than the theoretical understanding ("why"). Over time, they refined the process of creating these nitrate salts from excrement. The role of dung and urine in ancient alchemy and religious practices was profound. Even with advancements in producing saltpetre and sal ammoniac, these natural substances retained their significance. This historical insight emerged from my 20-year study into the origins of meat curing. People used pits in the ground, constructed in clay soil, adding urine, dung, salt, and water to cure and ferment meat through natural chemical reactions. The curing vats found in Hallstatt dating back to 1200 BCE are a testament to these ancient practices. Reflecting on my journey, the vivid memory of my dream of discovering the characteristics of residues in a basement, reminiscent of urine, underscores the spiritual and scientific quest of this research. We just completed another 13-hour shift at work where I am part of a 3-man team who are rethinking fresh meat deboning led by a brilliant man with analytical abilities such as I have never encountered in my life before with the most profound results in rethinking fresh meat production and how to maximise profits. Where meat is seen as data sets. The second team member himself is a man of unique ability who pushes his thinking to a level that I have not seen before. That is during the day. We just completed another 13-hour shift at work where I am part of a 3-man team who are rethinking fresh meat deboning led by a brilliant man with analytical abilities like no other! Where meat is seen as data sets. The second team member himself is a man of unique ability who pushes his thinking to a level that I have not seen before. That is during the day. At night I rethink matters from meat science in a way I never thought possible with the help of a collaborator from Europe with thoughts so unique, that it blows my mind completely. With an intuition of where truth lies, that is astounding! As I stepped out of the elevator of my Lagos apartment words from Edgar Allan Poe were in my mind: "And all my days are trances, And all my nightly dreams Are where thy dark eye glances, And where thy footstep gleams— In what ethereal dances, By what eternal streams." I wonder how it came about that I have the privilege of living this life!

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Maybe my 4/20 birthday is what keeps steering my interest toward the CBD space. Trait Biosciences’ Trait Distilled™ is an exciting raw material, crystal clear in beverages and boasting bioavailability perks. As for beauty, let’s just say clarity is just as beautiful—🔮 Envisioning Trait at center stage with a uniquely clear raw material in beauty innovations. #CBD #TraitDistilled #beautybeverage #TransparentTransformation #RawMaterialRevolution #drinkcbd #InnovatingBeauty #cbdbeverages #beautybusiness #rawmaterial #thcbeverages

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Variables to consider when it comes to packaging and POS are relatively consistent across cannabis* and non-cannabis CPG. Some are pretty unique to cannabis. 📌 Standardization Across Markets Each state is a different planet in terms of packaging and label regs (resealable vs not resealable, terpenes vs no terpenes, what’s defined as “appealing to children”, etc.). To optimize COGs, packaging that conforms to your most conservative market is best as it’ll work across all markets. Bigger order quantities usually means lower pricing. To stand out on the shelf, boundaries need to be pushed. If the goal is to maximize market share, using overly conservative packaging in less conservative markets is not going to help. State-specific packaging leads to lower order quantities which generally means higher pricing. 📌 Static vs Variable Data, Printing, Touchpoints  Cannabis label info requires static data and variable data. Using external printers for static labels and in-house printers for variable labels is often best from a brand standpoint as external printers almost always have more capabilities than what cannabis operators have in-house. However, if printed separately this means two touch-points. Using in-house printers for static data and variable data means all data can be combined into one label (less touch-points) and the risk of relying on external vendors is eliminated. Unique branding elements may be more limited though. External printers can create labels that come with static info applied and a blank section where variable data can be printed in-house. To make this work, operators need to be able to feed the partially printed labels into an in-house printer that can add the variable data. This route can offer the best of worlds as branding elements can be maximized and touch-points minimized (one label). Mylar bag exception: All the static info can be printed directly on the bags (this looks the best) and simple black and white variable data labels can be printed in-house. This typically requires market specific bags though. 📌 Storage Space Cannabis producers and retailers almost always have less storage and transport space in comparison to the non-cannabis CPG world. Jars take up more space than mylar bags. Prerolls with external packaging take up more space than prerolls without. And so on. On the producer side, packaging that takes up more space means vaults fill up faster, transport vans can’t fit as many units, etc. On the retail side, the larger the packaging the smaller an order may be. Retailers only have so much storage space for each brand. They can fit way more mylar bags vs jars in the same space. 📌 POS displays There are no “big box” cannabis retailers. They’re mostly the size of C-stores. There’s no space for big end caps, etc. The more compact a display is, the better chance a retailer will find space for it. *the regulated THC dispensary market What’d I miss?

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