ISA, ICMC sustainability leader speaks to Commodity Classic crowds BY DAVE BLOWER JR. practices across the state. He said many questions must Dr. Scott Hutchins, Ph.D., who be considered. “What are your highest anxiety concerns serves as the Sustainability about a significant expansion of conservation production and Value Creation Consultant practices on your farm enterprise?” Hutchins asked the for the Indiana Corn Marketing farmers in attendance. “Do you worry about unintended Council (ICMC) and the Indiana consequences, cost, or maybe reduced production? What Soybean Alliance (ISA), was are the specific areas in your farm enterprise where you given the opportunity to share believe new innovations my lead to more conservation his thoughts in how he is guiding production or reduced anxiety of adoption?” Understanding the state’s soybean and corn these farmer insights will lead to a focus on technologies checkoffs in setting priorities for that comprise specific discovery goals, such as next spending research dollars. Dr. Scott Hutchins generation weed control. And, adoption will be broader On separate occasions, and quicker because the farmers established demand on Hutchins spoke to farmers at the American Soybean the front end of the innovation process. Association and National Corn Growers Association booths He further explained that shaping the public narrative during the 2022 Commodity Classic in New Orleans, LA. for future innovations is critical in the early research phase, His presentation was titled Beyond Research: Establishing long before commercialization. “There are numerous Goals for Transformational Discoveries. opposing forces for modern agriculture,” Hutchins said. Hutchins previously worked as a Deputy Undersecretary “With each new technology, there is a new opposing force. for the USDA, and he was the leader of Global Research Learn to anticipate and shape the narrative early. Define and Development at Dow AgroSciences. Through his career, and characterize your discovery goals with words that do Hutchins has noted the positive impact of farm research and not incite fear in consumers. Scientists are notoriously naïve technical innovations on American lives and livelihood. on this skill, so they need support.” He said U.S. agricultural output has tripled in the last 70 years with the same level of inputs, while U.S. food prices have remained low, and American lifespans have increased from 49 in 1930 to more than 79 today. Many of these outcomes are the result of constantly improving farm production techniques. Hutchins said agricultural organizations should take charge of their future with a disciplined process for steering innovations through goals: Research creates possibilities Strategy creates priorities Goals define solutions However, he added, innovation without adoption is costly and wasteful. Hutchins noted that one of Dr. Scott Hutchins, Ph.D., Sustainability and Value Creation Consultant for the state’s checkoffs’ goals in Indiana is to soybean and corn checkoffs, speaks to a crowd of farmers at the National Corn expand the use of sustainable farm Growers Association booth during the Commodity Classic in New Orleans, La., in March.
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INDIANA CORN & SOYBEAN POST
