Special Agricultural Edition January 2018 Volume 11 • Edition 2
January 17, 2018
Delivering over 17,000 papers to rural Adams, Morgan, and Weld Counties
Innovation and Agriculture
Innovation is at the heart of global agriculture, and transformative agricultural research and teaching are central to the mission of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University. For generations, agricultural production practices have evolved to ensure that our food is safe, plentiful, and sustainable. It is ever more evident that that feeding a growing global population means that we must do more with the same, or even fewer, scarce resources such as land and water. The young minds that come to our college to study alongside leading experts and ground-breaking researchers will begin their careers within agriculture in a world unlike that of the previous generations. Technology drives decision-making in ways that allow producers to better anticipate changes in the environment, ecology, and market economics to yield higher profits and accommodate unforeseen downturns. In our college, innovations in laboratories have helped mitigate the effects of food-borne illnesses through the development of devices that can detect and treat for bacteria such as E.coli and listeria. SatDr. Ajay Menon, Dean of CSU ellites and computer modeling have allowed College of Agricultural Sciences our researchers to use precision technology to help farmers know what to prepare the soil with, where to plant, and how much water is needed in any given area of their farm. Not only have our faculty members transformed animal genetics, but their work has also led to the adoption of technologies that ensure that animals are treated safely and humanely. Research innovation is not just about the physical technology. We have faculty members whose work focuses on understanding the human gut microbiome, the ways in which our landscaped spaces make us healthier and happier, and how equine assisted activity and therapy can help those individuals with cognitive or emotional impairment. As Colorado’s land-grant university, our university is at the forefront of the conversation around agricultural innovation. In 2015, we hosted our inaugural Ag Innovation Summit and hosted a second Ag Innovation Summit in 2017 featuring speakers from industry, academia, and government including former secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, ADM President and CEO Juan Luciano, and Kroger Co. Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Chris Hjelm. What these speakers represent is the broad range of innovation taking place across the agricultural value chain – from producers to consumers, along with the policy makers who must account for the needs, values, and desires of all stakeholders across the value chain. We are making plans to continue this conversation when we host our next Ag Innovation Summit September 20-21, 2018. The last 20, 10, or even 5 years have produced tremendous change across the agricultural space, which is why keeping this dialogue fresh and relevant is so important. I am proud that we have faculty, staff, and students who are committed to deploying agricultural technology to make production more efficient, food safer and healthier, and to improve the spaces where we live, work, and play without depleting our natural resources. By bringing industry innovators to campus and by sharing with them the entrepreneurial and dynamic spaces in which we produce knowledge, we will find our college, and by extension our university, connected to our partners in new ways. Through these exchange of ideas and new research collaborations, we intend to remain at the leading edge of innovation, making our impact on Colorado, the United States, and the world visible each and every day.
Honor Agriculture
By Don Brown, Commissioner of Agriculture The dinner table has always been seen as a time to put down the technology devices and reconnect as a family. The next time you sit to enjoy a meal, take a moment to consider what it really takes to provide a safe and abundant food supply for your loved ones. Many consumers believe that food comes from a grocery store when, in fact, there is a long line of American and Colorado agriculture professionals that make every meal possible. From the farmers and their employees, packers, truck drivers, and everyone that helps send your food to the grocery store, they are all vital links in a chain that brings food to every citizen and millions of people abroad. And it goes far beyond your food. The agricultural community is important stewards of land and water, provides habitat for wildlife and open space, and creates agritourism opportunities for all to enjoy. In a recent survey conducted for the Colorado Department of Agriculture by Colorado State University, 90% of Coloradans feel agriculture is important to their quality Don Brown: of life. Nearly all Coloradans feel that mainCommissioner of Agriculture taining and protecting agricultural land and water is important (95%). Whether you know it or not, Colorado agriculture touches everyone in the state. Agriculture is an important part of our economy, generating more than $40 billion in economic activity annually and supporting more than 170,000 jobs. And these employees can be seen contributing to the economy of our own community! These positive benefits to us all continue despite a downturn in the agricultural economy. Prices for beef cattle, milk and crops such as corn, wheat, and hay have been in decline. At today’s prices, it is costing farmers more to plant and harvest their crops than what they receive when they sell their crops. Price levels for many farm products have returned to lows seen in the 1980s, but farmers’ costs for tractors, feed and seed, and fuel have increased with inflation. Through the rough times, farmers and ranchers continue to be folks we can rely on for the very necessities of life. And it's important to remember that American agriculture is not just doing it, but doing it better and more effectively than ever before. Technology has allowed us to do more with less and I, for one, thank my agricultural friends and family every day for the quality of life they help provide. So next time you sit at the dinner table, please take a moment to thank and honor our agricultural community.
What’s In This Issue:
Page 2: Way of the World Page 2: Hoyt Home Circle Update Page 3: Victory for Veto Page 3: Statement from WC Commissioner at Large Sean Conway Page 4: In China, Perdue Welcomes back U.S. Beef Page 4: Number of Influenza Related Hospitalizations Rise Page 5: Bright Futures Board Makes Changes Page 6: Perdue Applaudes USDA’s Accomplishments of 2017 Page 8: Nice 2017 Sunflower Crop in Colorado Page 9: NWF 2017 National Wheat Yield Contest Page 10: Intergency Task Force on Ag and Rural Prosperity Page 12: Farm Service Agency: A Vital Source for Farmers Page 13: CO Pork Producers to Hold Election for 2019 Pork Act Delegates