Sarah Day Levesque

There is a lot of effort, technology and innovation that goes into producing #NuEra genetics for our Beef InFocus beef x dairy program! We do the hard work to collect the right commercial data, build the right models, create the right high-quality animals and make the right selection decisions to ensure that the most elite beef x dairy genetics are available for our customers. Work to validate our genetics all around the world has shown again and again that we have the most profitable beef x dairy genetics for the complete beef supply chain when comparing against alternatives. And, our focus on efficiency ensures that NuEra genetics are not only the most profitable, but the most sustainable as well. We have the data and results to prove it. #sustainablegenetics #beef #beefxdairy

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🌍👨🌾 Global Solutions for Labor Challenges in Agriculture: Jamie Clover Adams Speaks Up 🎧 Discover crucial insights on the Ag Culture Podcast as Jamie Clover Adams stresses the importance of addressing labor challenges in agriculture with a global perspective: "Labor challenges require not just local but global solutions and perspectives." Join us as Jamie delves into the complex issues surrounding agricultural labor, emphasizing the need for comprehensive solutions that consider diverse global inputs. Learn about the strategies and collaborations necessary to create a sustainable and effective agricultural workforce worldwide. 🔊 Tune in now to gain a deeper understanding of how global cooperation can address the pressing labor challenges in agriculture. The episode is available on all main platforms: https://lnkd.in/g85SqSwP #AgCulturePodcast #JamieCloverAdams #GlobalAgriculture #LaborSolutions #ListenNow #Ag #AgPodcast #Agriculture #AgriculturePodcast #Podcast #PodcastQuote #PodcastGuest #GlobalAg #LaborChallenges #GlobalSolutions #GlobalPerspectives

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We're proud to be working alongside National Sorghum Producers as they focus on increasing value for their members through the USDA Climate Smart Commodities Grant. Farmers Edge is delivering the technology to support a pivotal data collection process, creating a pathway for all practices to be quantified, tracked, and monetized. This partnership enables: - Broader farmer participation in climate-smart inset programs moving forward; - Growers to monetize their sustainability initiatives, supporting the farm's long-term viability; - Contribution to broader environmental goals through active Carbon Intensity (CI) Score monitoring and management. Farmers Edge provides a broad range of Managed Services to support agricultural businesses in achieving time-sensitive critical initiatives. Book a meeting to learn more about integrating our data, tech and expertise with your business and read more about our partnership here -> https://lnkd.in/g6MEdjhq #USDA #ClimateSmart #Agriculture #Farmers #AgTech #ManagedServices #Innovation #SmartFarming #ClimateChange #Sorghum #Farming

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It seems like the climate cycles have turned against us, says Paul Beck, Oklahoma State University State Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist in his report of how drought affects cattle numbers. #beef #marketdata #prices #meat #pork #analytics #data #meatindustry #cattle #hog #swine #markets #protein #news #blogs #ranchers #packers #retailers #foodservice #feedlotoperators #livestock #animalwelfare

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In this engaging episode of the Intentional Agribusiness Leader Podcast, host Mark Jewell interviewed Intl. Farming's Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer, Eli Cheatham. Throughout the conversation, Eli highlights the importance of connecting people to their food sources, simplifying the #foodchain, and enhancing farmer's profits. She shares more about how #intentionality and creating space, #proactivity, #culturechange, and #innovation are central to transforming leadership and business outcomes. Listen here! https://lnkd.in/eKVPfn2Y

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The Regen Reflections webinar series, hosted by the Cool Farm Alliance and SAI Platform on October 31st, delved into the benefits and actionable strategies for partnering with farmers to transition supply chains toward regenerative agriculture. 🌱 The third session, titled Getting Grounded, featured presentations that were not only detailed and practical but also refreshing and inspiring. Case studies highlighted diverse farming systems, ranging from large-scale operations to smallholder farming contexts. Despite the differences in scale, stakeholders across these varied systems discovered common ground, fostering meaningful exchanges and shared learning among co-presenters. 📢 Here are some key takeaways from our speakers Kelly Rincon, Sustainable Food Lab introduced the "North Dakota Trusted Advisors Program,” a collaborative effort by companies like PepsiCo, General Mills, The Hershey Company, and Unilever. This program pools public and private funding to train trusted agronomic advisors in soil health practices while providing farmers with incentive payments and support for capacity building. Harold Perry, PERRY FAMILY FARMS LLC, a large scale farmer and supplier to McCain Foods, shared his experiences in regenerative agriculture, including taking participants on a virtual field visit, showing close-up and microscopic images of plant roots and insects, making them feel as if they were on-site. He explained how regenerative practices enhance soil resilience and health, enabling plants and soil biology to self-regulate with minimal human intervention. This approach simplifies farming systems, creating a more sustainable model. Niek Engbers van Keulen,of McCain Foods outlined McCain’s commitment to sourcing 100% of its potatoes from regenerative farms. He described their “farms of the future,” which test innovative practices and provide financial incentives to farmers. Niek also highlighted a DNA soil barcoding trial inspired by Harold, which explores links between soil microbiology, farming methods, and crop performance. Julie Reneau of Nestlé Nespresso SA and Myriam Sainz Stuyck of TechnoServe discussed Nespresso’s AAA Program, which supports 155,000 farmers, 90% of whom are smallholders. Co-design workshops and 650 agronomists guide farmers toward regenerative practices, yielding premium rewards. This approach has transformed farmer mindsets and community perceptions, showcasing the tangible benefits of regenerative farming. Want to be part of the conversation? Stay tuned for updates on our next session as we dive deeper into co-creating regenerative solutions 🌾🌍 #regenerativeagriculture #regenreflections

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From #podcasts to #webinars and #videos, Agri-Pulse has a lot to offer this week on #trade and the #ageconomy #agriculture

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Industrial agriculture's impact on water quality is devastating, as detailed in the latest episode of Waterkeeper Alliance’s Equity in Every Drop podcast. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), like those for swine and poultry, cause significant problems for waterways and the communities that rely on them.  I've personally seen (and smelled) the massive pollution from swine factory farms in North Carolina. Some key topics in the podcast include the pollution from nitrogen and phosphorus leading to algae blooms, the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the inadequacies in CAFO waste management and regulation. It's critical we advocate for stricter regulations and support sustainable farming to protect our water. Learn more by listening to host Thomas Hynes' discussion with experts Dr. Michael A. Mallin, , a research professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and Cape Fear Riverkeeper, Kemp Burdette. Listen, share, and join us below. #purefarmspurewaters, #advocacy, #cleanwater, #water, #wateraction, #climateaction, #environment, #environmentalprotection, #environmentaljustice, #SDG6

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Seed News: For commercial vegetable farmers, expanding operations can be an exciting yet daunting prospect. Whether you're looking to increase your acreage, diversify your crop offerings, or optimize your production processes, strategic planning and careful execution are key. At Starke Ayres, we understand the challenges and opportunities that come with expanding a commercial vegetable farm. In this blog, we'll explore essential tips and strategies to help you successfully grow and scale your operation while maximizing productivity and profitability. Read more on the link: https://lnkd.in/dDt2qvM8 #CommercialFarming #Agriculture #FarmExpansion #StarkeAyres #FarmingTips

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Seed News: For commercial vegetable farmers, expanding operations can be an exciting yet daunting prospect. Whether you're looking to increase your acreage, diversify your crop offerings, or optimize your production processes, strategic planning and careful execution are key. At Starke Ayres, we understand the challenges and opportunities that come with expanding a commercial vegetable farm. In this blog, we'll explore essential tips and strategies to help you successfully grow and scale your operation while maximizing productivity and profitability. Read more on the link: https://lnkd.in/dDt2qvM8 #CommercialFarming #Agriculture #FarmExpansion #StarkeAyres #FarmingTips

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PCC Community Markets led a convening session in February to try to define “regenerative,” before this term goes the route of natural… The article on their site is well worth reading - it does a great job of describing the intent of their convening, and has some helpful links to learn more, like how to comment on the California definition process. Very glad PCC is diving in here, and hope other retailers are taking note! The connections between regenerative, organic, soil health, nutritional density, and halting and reversing climate change are too important to let big-ag and big-grocery steal this term before it ever really takes hold. #regenerative #regenerativeorganic #climatechange #soilhealth #nutritionaldensity https://https://lnkd.in/gt5JDnbR Thanks as always Ken Roseboro for keeping on top of the news!

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U.S. Soy closed out the #TransformFood conference this week on the topic of how to incentivize farmers to scale up their sustainable practices. In partnering with the food value chain through the Farmers for Soil Health Marketplace or other programs, United Soybean Board farmer-leader Tony Mellenthin shared- “We farm with infinite variables, and we treat each and every field separately. We have our own recipe as far as the varieties that we grow, tillage and cover crop practices, fertilization and crop nutrition. We know that food companies want data, data, data, but a quantifiable reimbursement structure is critical because we’re truly giving up the trade secret of how we farm. But when companies help alleviate our financial risk, it builds trust.” Nancy Kavazanjian, Jack Cornell and Grey Montgomery also provided insights during the panel and sparked many questions from the audience who were interested in how farmers future proof their land and business to stay profitable. Reuters #sustainability #regenerativeag #climatesmartag #agdata #sustainablefood

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🌿The recent changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) could have significant impacts on agriculture. For years, crop protection product registration costs were shouldered by suppliers, but now these ESA changes bring financial and operational impacts directly to growers, says Jeffrey Smith, Associate Director of Industry & Government Relations at Valent U.S.A. LLC. Speaking at the 2024 Mid America CropLife Association meeting, Smith explained that a key challenge lies in how ESA and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) interact, as these two laws were created independently, with different agencies and requirements. Now, over 1,200 active ingredients affecting 1,700 species and 800 habitats will require ESA consultations, potentially delaying approvals for years. Stanley Culpepper, a University of Georgia agronomist, emphasizes that growers will now need to assess every field’s unique characteristics — from soil type to runoff potential — as part of the new regulatory framework. A points system may help growers manage these new considerations efficiently. What do you think will be the biggest impact of the new ESA rules on growers? 🔗 For more info: https://ow.ly/clmz50U6xXR #Agribusiness #PlantHealth #AgRetail

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Do pesticides used to control weeds, insects, and diseases for corn, cotton, and soybean production have environmental benefits with respect to greenhouse gas emissions, land use, energy use, and water use? "The yield penalty for not protecting crops can be as high as 70%, resulting in as much as 300% increase in land use, water use, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions per unit of crop." https://lnkd.in/giAHQyJm

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AgTech Ecosystem - Purdue University did some consumer research around regenerative agriculture and made a few key findings. Here are my thoughts: 1) 71% of consumers have little (28%) to no (43%) familiarity. Yep - in spite of all the noise, 7 out of 10 consumers have no idea what regenerative means or should mean to them. This makes sense because there is no standard definition for the term and consumers described it with a complete mish-mash of wildly different words. 2) When asked whether they would pay more for regenerative foods, over 88% said no because of the higher price point compared to conventional food prices. More specifically, when asked how to pay for regen, 42% of consumers said government should pay and 6% said consumers should pay more. Yep - that's a 7:1 ratio of government:consumer. This suggests a very low interest level in paying more for these products at the grocery store. Most challenging for regen advocates is that consumers felt the most important attribute regen foods should have is maintaining food prices, not environmental benefits like soil health and reduced emissions. So what do the findings mean: 1) For AgTech startups working on regenerative solutions, the message is clear - sell the solutions to growers and lobby the government/CPG companies/those with ESG commitments to pay for the practice changes. Consumers aren't interested - so don't include them in the conversation. 2) For regen advocates, be very clear on the practices that matter and work hard to secure capital to pay for them. Every practice change, particularly some regen changes, requires costs and to incent them to move faster they need to be paid for the changes. Focus on the key practice changes that have the highest and best certainty of ROI and stay focused only on those, don't target marginal ROI items with less clear financial benefits. 3) For companies that make ESG commitments that tie to performance around regen practices, bring your wallet. Consumers are making it clear you get to own the messaging to your shareholders and you get to own the practice change costs - and right now only 8% of you are bringing a wallet at all. The message from consumers is getting clear - (1) companies that make ESG commitments own the messaging opportunity around the benefits and the financial responsibility for paying for the changes to get made, so (2) they better focus on a couple of key practice areas that deliver ROI and fund those first and (3) startups that aim solutions at their intersection of practice change and payments for them will do better than those trying to inject regen into the conversation grocery stores have with customers. Rob Trice Rhishi P. Sachi Desai Carter Williams Vonnie Estes Rob Dongoski https://lnkd.in/gMmFRNUD

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