The smell of bread baking in the oven. The pop of a peach skin. The sweet lick of a summertime ice cream.

Food — it awakens our senses to memories, to moments, to the people who’ve mattered most in our lives.

For Alltech dairy specialist Tom Lorenzen of Wisconsin, a poppy seed pie evokes sweet remembrances of mom.

Tom began working for a registered milking short-horn dairy as a child. For 17 years, every other day he brought home fresh milk from the dairy to his mother in tin milking cans.

And that’s when mama would work her magic.

She skimmed the cream off the top of the milk to make whipped cream for a host of delights, including her popular poppy seed pie.

The pie, featuring butter and whole milk fresh from the dairy, was the highlight of family gatherings and holidays. Even when it wasn’t a special occasion, her grandchildren would ask her to make it, a request that Tom recalls them making just about every visit!

Today, Grandpa Tom serves slices to his grandchildren, sharing the story of a special mother whose love lives on through the treasured family recipe.

Grandma Lorenzen’s Poppy Seed Pie

Crust

2 packages of graham crackers (crushed into crumbs)

1/3 cup sugar

¾ cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together and pat into a 9” x 13” pan.

Bake for 10 minutes at 275º F. Cool.

Custard

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoon cornstarch

4 egg yolks

1/8 cup poppy seeds

3 cups whole milk

1 tablespoon butter

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

Mix the first four ingredients together.

Gradually add 3 cups whole milk over medium heat.

Continue stirring constantly until thickened. Add the butter and vanilla. Cool, stirring occasionally.

Once cooled, pour the custard over the crust, and you're done! If not serving right away, refrigerate. 

Topping

8–16 ounces whipping cream

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix ingredients together in a chilled bowl. Beat at high speed until thick.

Cover the entire pan with whipped cream, or add a dollop of whipped cream to each slice of dessert. 

To listen to our entire conversation with Jack, click on the player.

Tom:              Can agriculture save the planet before it destroys it? That's the question addressed by Jack Bobo, senior vice president and chief communications officer for Intrexon, a synthetic biology company focused on food, energy and health. And we thank you for being with us, Jack.

Jack:               Thank you.

Can agriculture save the planet before it destroys it?

Tom:              So, “Can agriculture save the planet before it destroys it?” That's a heavy and somewhat ominous question. Let's begin with the destructive nature of agriculture. What do you see?

Jack:               Well, in many ways, there's nothing we do that has a bigger, more negative impact on the planet than agriculture. And yet, there's nothing more critical for our daily survival. The challenge that we have is how to minimize those negatives and grow the benefits.

                        In terms of land, 40% of all the land on Earth is already devoted to agriculture, and that's a huge amount. The amount of crop land is the size of South America; the amount of pasture land, the size of Africa. So that is a really, really big footprint. If we were talking about water, well, 70% of all the freshwater we consume goes to agriculture. So, again, a huge demand on the planet. We can talk about greenhouse gases and all the other things.

Tom:              We hear an awful lot about the "rising billions," the rise of the middle-class in Asia, in India, in those areas of the world, meaning more demand, which means the need for more capacity.

Jack:               Yeah, so on one hand, we're going from 7 to 9 billion people, and so that's adding a couple billion more people. But perhaps even more important than that is the fact that their incomes are increasing, and so it's not that they're just more mouths to feed, but they're people that want more protein and better nutrition and better products. All of that means that we're not just going to need 30% more food, but we'll need 60% to as much as 100% more food in many places.

Tom:              So that's just going to put more pressure on those resources.

Jack:               Absolutely true.

Tom:              Well, let's flip the coin. What can save the planet?

Jack:               Well, one thing that can save the planet is innovation and new technologies. Because we need to produce all of that new food using the same amount of land or less, the same amount of water or less. We need to do everything better tomorrow than we're doing it today. But our rivers and lakes are already running dry, and so it's a huge challenge. But the only way we will ever be able to do it is to have science and technology help us to solve these problems. We need to get to 2050 without screwing up the planet and sustainably feed those 9 billion people.

                 Far from the farm: Consumers care more, know less

Tom:              As food shoppers, consumers, have we become disconnected from the origins of what we're eating and feeding our families?

Jack:               Absolutely, and it's inevitable. If you go back 200 years, pretty much everybody was a farmer or engaged in farming or knew a farmer, and today, it's 1% of the population is involved in farming, and most of us, it's a very distant activity. It's not really surprising that people are less aware of what goes into our food system today.

Tom:              Innovation versus Change. Do people revere one, loathe the other?

Jack:               Yeah. Well, I do like to say that people love innovation almost as much as they despise change. And there's nothing that they despise change in more than in the food they eat because food is what brings us together as family, as friends. It brings us together around the table. When you mess with my food, in many ways you're messing with my family, and people just don't like it.

Disrupting the discussion about food

Tom:              We're in an era of disruption. In fact, the theme of the conference is "Disrupting the Disruptors." What are the consequences of not being able to roll with those changes?

Jack:               I have a lot of confidence in the science and technology that we will in fact be able to address these challenges, if given the opportunity to do so.

                        What I was really talking about is disrupting how we communicate about food and agriculture, and that's really the challenge that we all have: figuring out how do we bridge the divide between those who think we should produce food the way we did a hundred years ago and those that think we need to produce food more intensively, because they all have something to contribute to this conversation.

Tom:              What about the emerging technologies that are bringing data to the platform and data that could be accessible, even all the way down the food chain to the consumer?

Jack:               Well, I like to say big data reveal small differences, and this is a really exciting aspect.

                        Imagine if you're an organic farmer today. For the last 50 years, you’ve probably been planting something called cover crops, which you plant in between growing seasons to maintain the soil and add maybe some more nutrients back into the soil. You've been doing it because you believed in your heart it was the right thing to do. Well, today, big data allows us to tell what's the return on my investment of planting a cover crop? And for the first time, a lot of big conventional farmers are planting cover crops because big data told them, yes, in fact, you get a return on your investment. That's just an example of how organic practices become mainstream practices as a result of this data.

Tom:              On a scale of one to 10, 10 being the best, how would you rate the public's level of trust in the food industry today?

Jack:               Well, it's certainly not very high. And that's really unfortunate. Because the only way we're going to save the planet is if the food companies are part of the solution. And there's no way we can do it without them. And if we make them the bad guy, if we make them the villain in the story, why are they going to work with us to try to solve these problems? Why are they going to care what the consumers think if the consumer just thinks that they're out to somehow undermine them?

                        The reality is that we need to gain the trust. It's not the consumers' fault. As a food company, you need to be trustworthy in order for people to trust you. That's something that is earned. It's not something that's given.

Tom:              What have you observed the industry doing that, if you were given the opportunity to change it and to improve it so that it became more credible, “it” being the industry, you would make that change?

Jack:               Well, I mean one of the things I worry about is food fads. There's always a new fad coming along — a new superfood or a new diet or other things. And food companies tend to just jump in, and that's because the marketing guys are saying, "Hey, everybody wants gluten-free. We need to produce a gluten-free product." Even if the company itself doesn't believe that product is going to benefit the consumer.

                        So you can actually find gluten-free water now, and you can find non-GMO water. Well, as far as I know, there's never ever been any water that's had gluten in it or was GMO. They're really selling a concept to the consumer, and consumers no longer understand. What is gluten? Most people don't even know. Unless you have celiac disease, you probably don't need to be avoiding gluten at all. And yet, when people go to the grocery store and they choose between two products, one is gluten-free and the other isn't, they think that contributes to their health. And the company knows it does not contribute to their health, and yet, they're willing to take that premium.

                        I really think that when consumers have a false belief, it's more often in the interest of industry to cater to the belief than to try to eradicate it. And that's really short-term thinking. The companies that are going to be around a hundred years from now are those who are in it with the consumer, not out to get the consumer.

Tom:              What, in your estimation, is the best, most effective way to deliver important, complex information to the public?

Jack:               It's an interesting question, because, in fact, in many ways, science doesn't matter. If people don't trust you, science doesn't matter. And if people do trust you, science doesn't matter. Because if you trust me, you don't need to see my science; and if you don't trust me, you don't care to see my science. So it's really about building that relationship, and that's a long-term relationship.

                        Information follows trust. It can't precede it.

Tom:              Here's a question for the times. It kind of has little to do with what we've talked about so far, but you're a communicator and I'd like to get your opinion on how we go about, in these times, engaging people who have different opinions about things.

Jack:               I think we need to start with ways of connecting with people. Where are our shared values?

                        It doesn't really matter where you are on the political spectrum or on the food spectrum, you probably worry about the negative impacts of agriculture, you care about the future of our planet, you want people to be healthier and better fed, and so there are a lot of things that we have in common. The question is how we get there. The only way that we're going to figure it out is by talking to each other, not talking at each other. Ultimately, what will determine whether or not agriculture can save the planet is, do we have a conversation that allows us to make those choices?

Tom:              Back to the food industry, are there any particular trends that you have your eyes on these days?

Jack:               Well, one of the exciting ones that my company is involved in relates to something called the Arctic Apple. It's a non-browning, genetically engineered apple. I'm hoping that it will actually change the nature of the conversation around GMOs. Because what we haven't had up until now is a product that people choose because it's a GMO. Once you choose a product because it's a GMO, you're not really going to think very much about soybeans and corn and other things like that. And people often say, "It's just an apple," but the apple is the third most wasted food item in the United States.

Tom:               Really?

Jack:               It's an important one. And the great thing about our apple is, if you're a grower of apples, you have less finger bruising and loss. If you're a shipper, less bruising and loss. If you're a retailer, less bruising and loss. And if you're a consumer, your kids will eat the apple slices that you put in their lunch bags.

Tom:              Well, I have to ask. Apples are really good, why do we waste them so much?

Jack:               Well, we don't really have a choice. When apples are bruised, they're not going to fit the quality demands to go to the store. I've talked to some people and they'll say, "I still eat bruised apples." And that's fine, but do you buy bruised apples? You're not intentionally going out there and looking for them. And so it just undermines the quality, and at the end of the day, the apples that have slight bruising are going to get tossed.

Tom:              So what about your work, Jack? What do you enjoy the most?

Jack:               Well, I'm passionate about trying to figure out how are we going to solve this huge problem that we all face, and do it in a way that actually makes everybody better. I'm hopeful that we have some of the tools. Now we just have to find the right dialogue that allows us to get there.

Tom:              Jack Bobo, senior vice president and chief communications officer for Intrexon. We thank you for joining us, Jack.

Jack:               Thank you.

Jack Bobo presented at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17). To hear talks from the conference, sign up for the Alltech Idea Lab. For free access, click on the button below.

“It turns out that in agriculture, we have some big problems we’re trying to solve, and we have some people with technologies that could really help us,” explained Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer at Alltech. “But we really have to help them to help us.”

With the population steadily rising, it is important to find sustainable ways to nourish the masses. At ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17), 10 ready-for-market companies took the stage by telling a crowd of 4,000 potential investors and business partners what their plans are to disrupt the industry.

How can these companies change the way we farm and the way we eat?

Agrilyst: Determined to help indoor farmers save money and increase yields through data collection, Agrilyst aims to be an at-home digital agronomist pushing farmers to achieve year-round revenue.

AgriWebb: Optimizing farm efficiency and looking to solve a $25 billion issue in agriculture, AgriWebb supports farmers by tracking their data and accreditation needs.

 “I wanted to solve real problems for real people,” Kevin Baum, co-founder and CEO of AgriWebb, told the crowd.

Alesca Life: As a company that allows commercial-scale farming anywhere, Alesca Life saves water, promotes urban farming and meets the demand of fresh produce and organic food. Because farms are available in a shipping container, Alesca Life CEO Stuart Oda said that his company provides “local food production by anyone, anywhere.”

eFishery: Overfeeding at shrimp and fish farms is a big issue in aquaculture, especially when 80% of the total cost at farms is feed. eFishery senses a fish’s appetite, adjusts the amount of feed needed and automatically distributes it to reduce a farmer’s cost by up to 21%.

Greengage: When light can affect a chicken’s physiology, behavior and productivity, farmers should look to Greengage for a solution. Their LED lights that can last 60,000 hours can reduce mortality rates, increase yields and lead to more productive chickens.

Hargol FoodTech: As the world’s first commercial grasshopper farm, Hargol FoodTech is disrupting the industry by proposing a new, sustainable grasshopper protein. With 72% protein, essential amino acids and a neutral taste, it has the potential to become a power protein player in providing solutions to our world’s future food crisis.

MagGrow: An astounding 70% of what is sprayed does not reach the target crop, and as the CEO of MagGrow, Gary Wickham, said, “It’s waste,” particularly when 80% of the world’s available water is being used for agriculture.  By using a magnetic spraying system, MagGrow disrupts the status quo by reducing water drift by over 80%. It is “truly using less to grow more, and that’s what the world needs,” explained Wickham.

Moocall: Using calving sensors to measure contractions, Moocall can predict when a cow is going into labor. This innovative device will text and email a farmer an hour before the cow gives birth, marginalizing the $2 billion loss farmers experience per year due to cow and calf death during birth.

SkySquirrel: Utilizing the disruptive technology of drones, SkySquirrel has created a technology used for monitoring crop health. This invention can save the wine industry $15 billion per year by detecting diseases in the vineyard.

Tevatronic: “What do you think will happen with a system that will decide for you?” Oleg Koral, Tevatronics CEO, asked the crowd. The company, which is revolutionizing the future of irrigation, has developed an autonomous system that knows when to start and stop irrigation on crops so they receive just the right amount of water at the right time.

The culmination of a 15-week program called The Pearse Lyons Accelerator, the 10 companies (which were chosen out of almost 200 applicants) have been provided with mentorship and new industry connections. They also received over €300,000 in software perks from Google, Amazon and Softlayer.

“Since starting The Pearse Lyons Accelerator 100 days ago, we have doubled our revenue,” Agrilyst CEO Allison Kopf enthusiastically told the crowd.

Connolly, one of the mentors of The Pearse Lyons Accelerator program, gave future and current entrepreneurs a piece of advice before ending the session.

“You have to be passionate about what you do, but the focus is absolutely critical,” he said. “The business is not going to come to you; you have to go and find the business.”

One thing is clear: with disruptive ideas from around the world and a growing interest by investors in agriculture, a sustainable future seems more possible than ever before.

“In many ways, there’s nothing we do that has a bigger, more negative impact on the planet than agriculture, and yet, there’s nothing more critical for our daily survival,” said Jack Bobo. “The challenge we have is how to maintain and grow the benefits while reducing all those negatives.”

Bobo, chief communications officer at Intrexon, is very optimistic about the ability of scientific and technological advances in agriculture to reduce those negative impacts even as the population surpasses 9 billion.

Agriculture’s impact on land and water

Currently, agriculture takes up about 40% of the Earth’s land area. The total amount of cropland is roughly equivalent to the landmass of South America. Pasture takes up about the same area as Africa.

As agriculture demands more land, the inevitable result is deforestation, with agriculture and deforestation combined responsible for 25% of our greenhouse gas production.

Agriculture’s water consumption is an even more serious problem. Nearly 70% of the Earth’s freshwater is used for agriculture. Lakes across the world are being depleted, and the Colorado River no longer flows to the ocean. Some of our most important aquifers are being drawn down past the point of recovery.

Ag-tech: Savior of a hungry, malnourished and growing world?

With so many resources going to agriculture, how is it possible that people still go to bed hungry?

According to Bobo, 9 million people die from hunger and malnutrition each year, far more than any other cause. That means that 25,000 people die each day from hunger and malnutrition. And we will need to produce 60% to 100% more food by 2050.

So, why is Jack Bobo optimistic? Because agricultural technology has made incredible improvements in the last few decades.

We are producing more food with fewer resources than ever before. Bobo compared corn production inputs per bushel for 1980 and 2011.  The improvement was striking:

• 40% less land
• 60% less erosion
• 50% less water
• 40% less energy
• 35% fewer greenhouse gases

It seems the ability to produce more food with fewer resources should make everyone optimistic about the future of agriculture. Clearly, that isn’t the case. According to Bobo, “consumers have never cared more, nor known less, how their food was produced.”

Farmers make up roughly 2% of the U.S. population. Consequently, very few people even know a farmer today, and they have very little knowledge of how their food is actually grown.

“If people don’t understand your industry, then it’s up to you to change that,” said Bobo.

Some food companies actually compound the problem by using outdated imagery of very small farms to market their products. Or, some will market to misperceptions because it is more in their interest to cater to that belief than to eradicate it.

Distrust of agricultural science and technology can result in regulations that will make it difficult to meet the challenge of feeding 9 billion by 2050.

It’s important, according to Bobo,  that scientists work to gain people’s trust by telling their stories and explaining why they do what they do instead of just presenting the science.

“If people don’t trust you, the science doesn’t matter,” said Bobo.

To listen to our entire conversation with Dror, click on the player.

Tom:                Selected from more than 180 applicants, Hargol FoodTech is among the 10innovative food and agriculture ventures around the world brought to Lexington to make its case for investment. Co-founder and CEO Dror Tamir is among presenters in The Pearse Lyons Accelerator program — his latest stop in what has been an enormously successful whirlwind world quest.  Hargol … is in the grasshopper business. Dror, thank you for joining us.

Dror:                You're welcome. Happy to be here.

Tom:                We're pleased you're here, especially given all the traveling that you've been doing. We'll get into that in just a moment because it's very interesting. But first, I have to ask, edible grasshoppers. Do tell.

Dror:                Yes. Well, I can start with the story about the expected increase in global demand of protein. It is expected to double by 2050. And we all know that existing protein sources have their limitations. So the demand for alternative, high-quality protein will skyrocket. That's one story.

                        The other story is grasshoppers are the most widely eaten insect in the world, by about 2 billion people worldwide, mainly in regions where there is a lack of protein in people's diet. Today, they just collect them in the wild, and it means that they have a very limited season of four to six weeks. We will enable them to farm them year-round and reduce their cost significantly.

Tom:                I understand that you have developed a way to lengthen the normally short breeding season of edible grasshoppers. Is that correct?

Dror:                A little bit different. What we did was shorten the eggs' incubation period. In the wild, it takes about 40 weeks for the eggs to hatch, which means they can have one cycle a year. And what we did, we incubate in an incubator the eggs and we reduce the period to two weeks, meaning that we can have 10 cycles per year.

Tom:                And how did you come up on this idea? What instigated it?

Dror:                The funny story is, I'm an accountant. So accountants have very strange ideas. But the real story is, my previous startup, Plate My Meal, is dealing with obesity prevention and, while working about that startup, I learned about malnutrition and the lack of protein in people's diet. So as an entrepreneur, when you see a big problem, you start looking for a solution, and I came up with grasshoppers.

Tom:                When we think of grasshoppers, of course, especially in this country, we think of a bug. However, there are other parts of the world where it's nothing at all to have a handful of grasshoppers. What is the end product like? Is it a powder? Or is it a grasshopper?

Dror:                Both.

Tom:                Both?

Dror:                Yes. Just south of the U.S., you have Mexico, and the local grasshoppers called chapulines are a national dish. You have tens of millions of Mexicans in the U.S., and the demand for grasshoppers is high, and there is no supply of them. So when we look at the market potential and the opportunities, we look at two different products. One is, we mill the grasshoppers into a protein powder. We sell it to food manufacturers that produce healthy foods based on it. And we also sell to restaurants in Southern U.S. And that's about 35 percent of the demand that we see from the market.

What does a grasshopper taste like?

Tom:                I have to ask, what does a grasshopper taste like? Not chicken, I'm sure.

Dror:                I'm using that answer, usually. The thing is this: The grasshopper is almost neutral in taste and flavor, so the actual taste depends on the way you cook it. So you can get a taste that feels like shrimps or small fish, a nutty taste, or even a wheaty taste.

Tom:                Tell me about the company's former name and why you changed it to its current name.

Dror:                Oh, that's a good question. Former name was Steak TzarTzar, and, actually, everything started as a joke because steak tartare, we all know what it is. And tzartzar in Hebrew means crickets. So it started like that. And the name really caught, and people really liked it until we had our first investor from the U.S., and said we cannot pronounce tzartzar, you have to change the name. So we came up with Hargol, and that's the name of the kosher grasshopper from the Bible.

Winning global competitions with grasshopper genius

Tom:                Now, as we mentioned earlier, you've been experiencing quite a whirlwind of excitement in recent weeks. How is this interest in your product influencing your plans for the future?

Dror:                That's a complicated question to answer. What happened in recent weeks, we got a lot of attention and attraction from all over the world, and it means that it's hard for us to maintain the focus we had. Our focus is on the U.S. market. We want to produce an ingredient to food manufacturers. Keep it simple with a single product to a specific market. And the attraction from all over the world, from Europe, from Africa, from Asia, means that there's very high demand for whole grasshoppers frozen, freeze-dried, roasted, for powders of all kinds of species of grasshoppers, and we have to maintain focus on what our plans are and keep all these new opportunities to a later stage of the company.

Tom:                You have a great deal of momentum going for you right now, and you are in the midst of some pretty serious globetrotting. Can you describe for me what the past week or so has been like for you in your travels?

Dror:                The past actually three weeks, since we finished the Alltech Accelerator in Dublin. We've been working hard with their team, with (the) Dogpatch team and Alltech, to perfect our pitch. And the moment we finished that demo day, three weeks ago, we applied to several competitions, startup pitching competitions, five of them, actually, and we won all five. Some of them are international. The largest one, just two days ago in Singapore, with over 10,000 startups from over 100 countries, and it's unbelievable for us to imagine that grasshoppers could beat all these amazing technologies. I can only tell that this is the hard work of Alltech and Dogpatch with us to get the pitch to that level.

Could grasshoppers be the next sushi?

Tom:                How do you envision your concept — and I should interject here that I understand that you're targeting two different markets, the grasshoppers themselves and also the protein supplement, I suppose. How do you envision these concepts affecting the average consumer's diet or the dinner table?

Dror:                Well, as we see it, the new protein sources, it will take them a long time to replace existing protein sources. It's hard to change our behavior, our habits. So it's the same as it was with sushi. In the '80s, no one would ever try raw fish in the U.S., and now it's common food you can find everywhere and it's really cheap. And we believe that it will be like that. It will be only insects or only grasshoppers. You will have a variety of new protein sources: plant-based, algae-based, cultured meat maybe, and many, many other sources. And eventually, they will become part of our diet. And we will have, because of that, many new food applications that we will be able to find in the market, and we also see it getting into the pet food industry and feed industry as well.

Grasshoppers…on Mars?

Tom:            There's a lot of lore around this insect, many stories, and I know that you have plenty of them. Can you give us a few?

Dror:                Sure. Let's do some amazing facts about grasshoppers and insects.

                        First, grasshoppers have been around on Earth before the dinosaurs. They're an ancient, very efficient creature.

                        Second thing, grasshoppers are the only kosher and halal insect in the world. They are mentioned on Leviticus as kosher. Actually, that's the name of the company, Hargol.

                        And the last thing is that's our vision in Hargol FoodTech and it will be that missions to Mars will have insects as part of the closed system to support humans on this long and challenging trip.

Tom:                And why is that?

Dror:                Because insects first are really efficient, and they provide zero-waste farming, meaning they can use any waste generated by humans and plants and generate with that protein and fat for the uses of both humans and plants.

Tom:                What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Dror:                It's fun. We're having so much fun. We're having so much laugh about it, so many jokes. The joke I like the most is that our CTO Chanan Aviv, for over 30 years, has been growing, breeding and eating a wide variety of insects, and this is why he is the only guy with hair on his head on our team.

Tom:                Dror Tamir with Hargol, which is among the 10 companies chosen for The Pearse Lyons Accelerator program. Thank you for being with us.

Dror:                Thank you very much.

Dror Tamir presented at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17) as part of a special pitch fest by the top 10 agri-tech startups selected for the Pearse Lyons Accelerator program. To hear more talks from the conference, sign up for the Alltech Idea Lab. For access, click on the button below.

In a country of over 1.2 billion people, agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy. It contributes to the overall economic growth of the country and determines the standard of living for over half of the population of India.   

The state of Karnataka, an agrarian area in the southwest region where much of the state is still dependent on the monsoon season, has experienced substantial growth in food and grain production through the introduction of improved seed varieties, fertilizer applications and the implementation of irrigation practices. However, these advancements have also resulted in depletion of nutrients and a decrease in organic matter in the soil. In order to overcome these challenges, the local government has implemented measures that include soil fertility status reports and then use the results of these tests to advise growers on more sustainable crop management practices.   

Karnataka’s growers face several challenges in terms of maintaining their economic viability:

• Land holdings: Nearly 80 percent of farming families own less than 2 acres of land.
• Irrigation: 70 percent of the arable land is rainfed.
• Crop technology: There is limited distribution of seeds and other primary inputs available to average growers, who find cost to be the most prohibitive factor in attaining new technology.  
• Soil erosion and depletion: Large areas of land are susceptible to soil erosion from wind and water. Soils have also historically been overused and overworked, resulting in deteriorated soil health. 

“The registration of Alltech Crop Science [in Karnataka] is just the beginning,” says Aman Sayed, Alltech’s director of India and South Asia, who is looking forward to giving growers in the region a natural alternative to the traditional fertilizers available.

The use of natural-based fertilizers can help increase nutrient availability in the soil and improve plant defenses to stressors, such as those caused by lack of irrigation, and help plants reach their full genetic potential.  

Have a question or comment?

Antibiotic-free is a hot topic these days, but have you noticed the discussions mainly center on poultry? What about pork, “the other white meat?”

If pork intends to align itself with poultry in the minds and preferences of consumers, it’s time for the industry to pay heed to the consumer demand for protein produced without the use of antibiotics. Many areas around the world, including the European Union and the United States, are already legislating the judicious use of antibiotics, but some consumers have pushed even further for “no antibiotics ever.” While some consumers’ demands may emanate from misinformation, it doesn’t require a crystal ball to understand that change is at hand for traditional production.

According to a recent study by Feed International, 57 percent of respondents report more than half of their company’s production is antibiotic-free. The study was not specific to production animal species, but it’s clear that the antibiotic-free movement isn’t slowing. It’s coming down the pipeline fast, and pork producers would do well to prepare for their customers’ expectations.

It is probable that consumers will soon turn their eyes to pig production with the same scrutiny and expectations they have had for poultry.

Pork’s majority in stomach share

Pork has the greatest stomach share among meats in world consumption. The Alltech Global Feed Survey 2017demonstrated an 8 percent increase in feed for pork production in 2016, and that growth is expected to continue its rise, particularly as the population increases. In the U.S. alone, pork is projected to have a 3 percent growth, according to Rabobank’s 2016 fourth quarter report.

Despite its top position among meats and its growth, pork has not contended with the same level of consumer-driven scrutiny as the poultry industry, which has been pressured to remove antibiotics from production as much as is humanely possible.

The antibiotic-free pork pack leaders

In dealing with the demand for antibiotic-free poultry, some retailers and major restaurant chains have already anticipated the shift in attention to pork.

Here is a list of a few that have made their plans regarding future pork sourcing public:

Chipotle and Panera Bread: Both have made claims to commit to sourcing some of their meat from antibiotic-free livestock.

Subway: Intends to transition to antibiotic-free pork once it completes its chicken and turkey transitions. 2025 is the approximate date.

Walmart and BJ’s: Currently have some antibiotic-free pork meat available.

Whole Foods: Began offering antibiotic-free food products in 2010.

Chick-Fil-A: Aims to be “No antibiotics ever” by 2019, but their commitment has been specific to their chicken. Will the bacon and sausage be next?

As retailers begin to pull from the supply chain, we might see a domino effect toward wider adoption of antibiotic-free production within poultry.

Suppliers such as Country View Family Farms and Niman Ranch provide antibiotic-free pork according to strict standards. Last year, Tyson announced its Open Prairie Natural Pork produced by pigs raised without any added hormones or growth promoting substances, minimal processing, an all-vegetarian diet and no antibiotics ever. Earlier this year, Smithfield launched an antibiotic-free line of fresh pork products under its Pure Farms brand, which designates pork minimally processed with no antibiotics, steroids, hormones or artificial ingredients.  

Where else is the pork label turning “antibiotic-free?”

Antibiotic-free pork production is flourishing in Denmark, for example. In 1995, a program known as DANMAP was established by the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and the Danish Ministry of Health for “surveillance of antimicrobial consumption and resistance in bacteria from animals, food and humans.”

For over 15 years, Danish farmers have only relied on antibiotics to treat illness in their herds. The program they follow allows for this therapeutic use and, when combined with other management techniques such as delayed weaning, it has shown to be just as effective as traditional production. Interestingly, according to an article in the New York Times, it would only cost U.S. farmers $4.50 per head to follow a Danish model.

What makes antibiotic-free pork more challenging for producers?

What’s holding pork back from capitalizing on the antibiotic-free movement?  First and foremost on producers’ minds is the risk of decreased profitability. Animals that do not receive antibiotics are more prone to sickness, and, of course, mortality. On several occasions, Dr. Rodger Main from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University has cited a 2011 study in which the cost of producing an antibiotic-free pig was $11 per pig, increasing to more than $15 if one incorporates the overall risk that only 70 percent of the herd will survive production. This is significantly higher than the more recent New York Times estimate, but this range illustrates how exact production costs are highly variable and may vary daily based on feed costs.

Another worry is decrease in production weight. This adds to higher production costs and, together with the threat of mortality, can account for the pork industry’s slow adoption of antibiotic-free production, especially given that antibiotic growth promoters have proven their ability to increase animal size and weight.

Additionally, certification of antibiotic-free pork can be costly and time-consuming. Transitioning one’s herd from traditional use of antibiotics requires strategic planning and the implementation of counteractive measures to minimize the effect it can have on the operation’s bottom line.

What has made antibiotic-free poultry successful?

The poultry industry has been finding success in their transition to antibiotic-free production by following practices such as good husbandry, fewer birds in pens, feeding vegetarian diets, increasing downtime between harvesting flocks, etc.

Differences in pig production make implementation more challenging:

1. Pigs live longer, increasing the likelihood of an illness within their lifecycle.
2. There is less time to clean and disinfect between herds.
3. Weaning is particularly stressful for piglets and can impact their immune system.

However, there are some ways these issues can be addressed. There is evidence that pigs can not only be less susceptible to infectious risks, but may in fact thrive when certain natural feeding supplements are added to the diet.

For information on how Alltech can support your swine operation in reducing antibiotics or transitioning to antibiotic-free production, visit www.alltech.com/antibiotic-free or contact your local Alltech representative.

References

http://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/animal-health/us-pig-farmers-celebrate-progress-antibiotic-stewardship

http://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/animal-well-being/transitioning-antibiotic-free-pig-production-change-your-expectations

http://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/animal-well-being/4-factors-consider-when-raising-antibiotic-free-pigs

Little Pig Farm. “Swine Terminology.” 2017. http://littlepigfarm.com/swine-terminology/

Estabrook, Barry. April 3, 2015. “Denmark’s Drug-Free Pigs.” https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/03/opinion/denmarks-drug-free-pigs.html?_r=0

Iowa State University. October 2002. “Minimizing the Use of Antibiotics in Pork Production.” https://www.ipic.iastate.edu/publications/ipic8.pdf

Have a question of comment?

The year is 2050. 

The global population has now reached 9.6 billion people and is increasing every day. You turn on the television, and once again the news turns to how we need the equivalent of three planets in order to feed this unprecedented population. 

Is the world ready for this type of reality? Through the use of sustainable practices and precision agriculture, the answer could be a resounding “yes!”

In October 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was created, with one of the key goals being to effectively manage the global food system. To celebrate the founding of the organization, World Food Day was created, and this year, the 71^st anniversary, the theme is “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must, too.”

Dr. Steven Borst, general manager of Alltech Crop Science, believes that biotechnology, as an evolving science, is paramount to tackling the challenges of sustainable development. In 1987, The United Nations defined sustainability as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” 

“Having the ability to understand, influence and obtain immediate feedback on how we can assist and maintain the maximum potential inherent to each crop could unlock the keys to yield increases as well as abiotic and biotic stress resistance in ways that we could not imagine,” said Borst. 

In order to feed this growing population, we will have to work together at every level: global, local and individual.

“Regardless of which category you fall under, utilizing sustainable approaches to maximize yields and quality will assist with ensuring that we maintain the successes we have already gained in this battle,” continued Borst. 

To bring the goal of sustainably and feeding 9.6 billion people one step closer to reality, new tools and management practices will be needed. We must be able to do more with less, while improving and maintaining food quality.

Alltech Crop Science utilizes unique technologies that stem from research. By strengthening natural plant processes and providing precise micronutrient availability, crops are better able to withstand environmental stresses and reach their maximum genetic potential in yield and quality.

The increasing use of precision agriculture also enables today’s growers to pinpoint areas under stress. By targeting fertilizer and other input applications only to the affected areas, growers can improve their environmental footprint and even their bottom line.

These new technologies could lead to a 2050 that’s more sustainable for our world, our food production and the operations of the modern grower.

Have a question or comment?

 The following is an excerpt from a post by Chief Innovation Officer Aidan Connolly on LinkedIn.

For the first time, perhaps in history, the biggest challenges facing the food chain involve not just productivity, but the environmental impact of production and the social impact of both production processes and the food itself. A paper published by Alltech five years ago and is about to be republished, uses the acronym GLIMPSE™ to summarize the seven factors (Government, Losses, Infrastructure, Markets, People, Science and Innovation, and Environment) that limit farmers from producing the food we will need.

A new in-depth study (Sodre et al) has been conducted with three distinct parts: 59 interviews with experts; a survey with 527 industry leaders; and an analysis of 1.3 million websites using different social media applications to determine public perception and to validate the initial research, which will determine if the same factors originally identified in the GLIMPSE framework still represent the major concerns and barriers for the agribusiness sector.

To discover the seven barriers farmers face in feeding the world, read the rest of Aidan's post.