On the one-year anniversary of committing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations Global Compact and the Science Based Targets initiative, Alltech has released its 2020 Sustainability Report.

In addition to reflecting Alltech’s vision for a Planet of Plenty^TM, the submission reaffirms the company’s alignment with a growing global network of organizations around the world that are united by their mission to build a more sustainable future.

“As a global company spanning the entire food supply chain, we are uniquely positioned to have a positive impact on a diverse range of sectors,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “The Global Compact has helped give direction, value, and alignment to existing projects and inspiration for new ones.  The pages of this report reflect our call to customers and partners to join us in a collaborative effort to adopt new technologies, improve business practices and embrace innovation in order to create a world of abundance.”

As part of its pledge to the U.N., signed on July 12, 2019, Alltech announced its focus specifically on nine of the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on which the company felt it could have the greatest impact due to their alignment with its core business. Selected SDGs include zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, climate action, life below the water, life on land and partnership for the goals.

Alltech’s 2020 Sustainability Report outlines the key efforts that impact these chosen SDGs, including product validation by the Carbon Trust, education initiatives, support for women in agriculture, and applying 40 years of research in animal nutrition to advance human health.

The report also reaffirms Alltech’s commitment to the U.N. Global Compact (UNGC). The UNGC provides organizations with a value system and principle-based approach to conducting business. Alltech strives to operate in a way that meets fundamental responsibilities in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. The company continues to incorporate the Ten Principles of the U.N. Global Compact into its strategies, policies and procedures.

In conjunction with signing the U.N. Global Compact, Alltech also committed to the Science Based Targets initiative, which is designed to help companies reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and share their progress through transparent documentation and reporting. Alltech has initiated data collection for the first year, then goals will be set to benchmark its work to lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy and water consumption.

In December 2019, Alltech had the extraordinary honor of welcoming the United Nations Security Council to its headquarters in Nicholasville, Kentucky. U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft, originally from Kentucky, selected Alltech to host their meeting, in part because of the company’s commitment to the U.N. Global Compact and focus on nine Sustainable Development Goals. The 13 members in attendance represented the U.S., China, Poland, Peru, Russia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Vietnam, Belgium, Kuwait, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The U.N. Security Council’s enthusiastic interest in the company’s Planet of Plenty vision and SDG commitments represent a significant opportunity for Alltech to lead positive change within the agri-food industry.

“We are excited to reach this milestone in a journey that began in 1980,” said Deirdre Lyons, co-founder and director of corporate image and design at Alltech. “Our purpose-driven mission to benefit animals, consumers and the environment — and to make a difference in the world around us — has a new framework for success that will help guide us into the future.”

Click here to read the Alltech 2020 Sustainability Report in full.

Rob Saik, CEO of AGvisorPRO, believes that the next thirty years could be the most important in the history of agriculture, and he claims that in order to support the global population in 2050, agriculture will have to become infinitely sustainable. Listen in as he explains his vision of farming technology and how innovation is the key to sustainable agriculture.

The following is an edited transcript of the Ag Future podcast episode with Rob Saik hosted by Tom Martin. Click below to hear the full audio.

Tom:                      Rob Saik is a professional agrologist and a certified agricultural consultant. He is CEO of AGvisorPRO, an agricultural connectivity platform, and CEO of Saik Management Group, which provides advisory services to farmers in the agricultural sector.

                               Rob is the author of two books, “The Agriculture Manifesto” and his latest, “Food 5.0: How We Feed the Future.” And Rob joins us from Olds, Alberta, north of Calgary.

                               Greetings, Rob.

Rob:                        Good to be on your show, Tom. Thanks for having me.

Tom:                      And Rob, so, as we all know — we’re here on the phone as proof of it — we’re in the midst of a pandemic at the moment, and its effects are rolling over (into) just about every aspect of life. But you argue that we may have lost historical perspective where outbreaks of infectious diseases are concerned. Can you elaborate on that?

Rob:                        Well, the opening line of my book, “Food 5.0,” is, “This morning, when you woke up, did you worry about a pandemic?” And that book was released in August of last year, so it’s highly prophetic. But when you put our world into context, Tom, and you just look back a hundred years, the Spanish flu took out over 50 million people off the planet Earth a hundred years ago.

                               Simultaneously, World War I had just ended, and somewhere north of 15 million people had lost their lives in the World War I. And also, at this time a hundred years ago, the Persian famine had taken out 2 million and climbing people, and this was just ahead of the Stalin-imposed famines in Ukraine that took out somewhere between 12 and 16 million people.

                               So, when you put what we’re dealing with today into context of where we were a hundred years ago, or even fifty years ago, even though we’re faced with a great deal of challenge today, we live in a much, much better place than we did even fifty or a hundred years ago. And I think that we should pause and reflect on how good we actually have it.

Tom:                      Okay. Let’s turn to farming. In your book, you proposed that the next thirty years could be the most important in the history of agriculture, which is quite a statement. Why do you believe this?

Rob:                        Well, I was born in 1960, and you know, we experienced, in my lifetime, a dramatic increase in the population of the planet, and we fed everybody. (The ideas of) people like Norman Borlaug and science and agriculture was adopted around the planet, and you know, we don’t have that much more land base in agriculture than we did twenty or thirty years ago, and yet, we’re feeding everybody.

                               But if you stare into the future, as the population grows from 7.6 to 9 or 9.5 billion on the planet by 2050, these are some of the facts: We have to grow 10,000 years worth of food in the next thirty years. We have to increase food production everywhere on the planet by 60–70%. That’s everywhere on the planet, and that puts extreme pressure on exporting nations like the United States and Canada and Australia and so on and so forth. And we have to do so in the face of a public that is extremely disconnected from agriculture, and a public that’s being fed misinformation on a daily basis, leading to panic, leading to policies by politicians that are stripping tools out of agriculture’s hands.

So, the reason that I am so concerned about the next thirty years — and the reason I believe it’s going to be so challenging — is because we’re not connected to agriculture as a society like we used to (be), and so, a lot of people are out advocating the stripping away of tools from agriculture. And if we did that, then I’m fearful for our ability to feed the planet.

On the other hand, with the glass half full, if we’re allowed to adopt the technologies that we’re seeing implemented all around us, then I’m quite optimistic that we can have a world of abundance to 2050 and beyond.

Tom:                      Okay. I want to get back to that disconnect that you mentioned between the public’s understanding of what goes into farming in just a few minutes. But you just made an eye-opening observation: that to support a population close to 10 billion by 2050, agriculture is going to have to become infinitely sustainable. What do you mean by that?

Rob:                        Well, in the book, I talk about, you know, food as a religion — and it has turned into a religion. Veganism, vegetarianism, whether it’s paleo or meat-atarians, or organic and non-GMO — and you can get into an argument with everybody about the truth, the light and the way. But if you put up your hands and say, “Can we all agree (that), so long as there are human beings on the planet, agriculture must be infinitely sustainable?” Well, that stops people from talking, and they start nodding their head, and then they agree.

                               Well, what would make agriculture infinitely sustainable? What are the factors? And then they really scratch their head, because they have to do something they haven’t done for quite a while: they have to think, and eventually, things like soil health come up, because the epidermis of the earth is soil that feeds us all.

                               Water. Yeah, water use efficiency is important. Eventually, (the) greenhouse gas balance comes out. So, being able to mitigate, remove, reduce greenhouse gasses from agriculture. And then they forget one, and the one they forget the most, it is the most important, and that’s farm viability. Because without viable farms, without farms that are making a profit, without farmers that are advancing themselves year after year business-wise, you have zero sustainability.

                               So, the first step in sustainability, infinite sustainability, is farm viability and then we look at soil, water and greenhouse gas balance.

Tom:                      History has shown us that these pandemics tend to come in waves of three, typically, with the second wave (being) the most serious (and) the third decreasingly so, as herd immunity finally begins to catch on. How do we feed a soaring world population with an unchecked virus on the loose?

Rob:                        Well, I think this is going to put tremendous pressure on our food — not necessarily food production, but food distribution channels. People react to seeing dairy farmers dump milk. Well, the reality is that there’s no food bank out there that can take a 6,000-gallon tanker full of raw milk; (a) it’s illegal, and (b) it’s unsafe. So we have to find a way to be able to manage, and we’ve done that. We’ve developed food supply systems that could take large amounts of agricultural produce, turning them into safe, abundant and inexpensive food for the populace.

So, I think one of the things that we’re really going to be challenged with as we consider what might happen with a second round of infection will be how we deal with the supply sector, the logistics, the processing sector. I think this will be a challenge for us. I think that it will open up opportunities for people to become more closely connected to agriculture; maybe people will plant gardens, maybe people will start to connect with local producers. I don’t believe that’s the answer to feeding New York City or Los Angeles, but at the same time, I do think that there’s an opportunity (with) COVID to have a greater conversation about the importance of agriculture and, perhaps, with a greater population, to connect (with it) more closely.

But I do scratch my head a little bit as to the challenge we’re going to face. If the second wave gets worse, how are we going to deal with, you know, meat packing plants and milk processing facilities, distribution and transportation, and grocery stores? All of those things are questions in my mind.

Tom:                      It’s a little bit difficult for us to wrap our minds around now, but eventually, COVID-19 will be in the rearview mirror. We all have faith in that, I think. So I’m wondering: What do you see out there? What do you foresee for agriculture in a post-COVID world?

Rob:                        Well, the first thing is that, you know, you alluded to it in your question, and that is that we anticipate there will be a cure for COVID. Now, that cure for COVID will likely come in the form of a vaccine. I don’t think anybody’s arguing that, that it’s likely to come in a vaccine. So, how will the vaccine have been built? How will it have been invented? Well, that vaccine will have been invented through genetic engineering. GMOs? Oh my God! We’re talking about genetic engineering, manipulation of genome — something that’s “not natural”. Well, if you realized that the likely cure for COVID will be a vaccine, then genetic engineering will be at the heart of that whole process. That genetic engineering science is exactly the same science being implemented in agriculture.

                               So, in a post-COVID world, I’m hoping that the population will begin to wake up and realize that the science involved in human genomics, in medicine, in vaccine invention, is the same science being employed by agriculture. And in the face of climate change, in the face of greater salinity, in the face of rapidly increased food production, in the face of trying to decrease the environmental footprint by farming to feed the planet, then genetic engineering is one of the technologies that we absolutely must embrace.

                               The other thing that I see is a way, a new way, for agriculture to communicate. And so, we’ve started a firm called AGvisorPRO, which is a platform, a connectivity platform. It can be downloaded in iOS and Android and desktop, and that platform, effectively, can put experts on the farm without having to be on the farm. So, we found a way to basically shrink time and space and provide seekers who need answers to questions (with) instantaneous connectivity to experts in the agricultural industry who can provide some solutions to their problems.

                               I think we’re going to see quite a few innovations — everything from increased sensor technology, call it the Internet of Things, on the farm, all the way through the connectivity devices that will be kind of a legacy through this COVID experience.

Tom:                      Would you agree that the farmer of the 21^st century must be a scientist, must be a technologist, to compete and to stay in business? And I wonder if — you mentioned the disconnect between what the general public understands about farming today and what the reality of farming really is. Why should we be concerned about such a disconnect?

Rob:                        Well, we should be concerned about the disconnect because we live in a democracy, and theoretically, everybody has a vote. And if you put the issues of GMO, yes or no, to a vote of the public right now, the public, through ignorance, would vote “down with GMOs.” If you put pesticides, yes or no, to a vote, the public, through ignorance, would vote “down with pesticides.” Same thing with fertilizers. So, the danger is that, when you have a public that’s so disconnected from the realities of agriculture today, you have policies that are generated out of panic and ignorance rather than out of knowledge and wisdom and an understanding of science.

                               Today’s farms — I just completed a yearlong stint as CEO with DOT autonomous robotic company. So, DOT Technology Corporation, out of Regina, Saskatchewan, is a 100% autonomous robotic platform to broad-acre agriculture. It’s utilizing all of this technology that you would find in a Tesla car. We’re using radar, LiDar, we’re using motion sensors, we’re using massive computing power to basically run machines across land without any operator, 100% guided by GIS or satellite guidance, doing things such as variable rate application of fertilizer as they move across the field 100% autonomously.

                               I mean, when you think about that, you think that that’s sci-fi world; it’s not. You can go online right now and see all sorts of developments with robotic technology. That will be another outcome of COVID, is where we can utilize robots to reduce human interaction regarding repetitive work. Robots are very well-suited for dull, dangerous and dirty work. A lot of agriculture (is) dull, dangerous and dirty work, so we’re going to see that rise.

                               And so, when you think about genetic engineering and you think about internet sensor technology, massive computing power, data systems, robotics, satellite integration — most people that are in the city think of farmers as bib overall-wearing, straw hat-wearing, you know, little red barns and round-fendered pickup trucks. Well, those two images don’t match. There’s a disconnect there between what’s going on in the farm today and what people have in their head as their great-grandfather’s or grandfather’s farm. It is not the same thing. That’s, like, History channel-made.

Tom:                      That’s a lot to wrap one’s head around, and it’s fascinating. And I just wonder: What are the cultural implications of that sort of technology, and especially the autonomous aspect of it? How does that change a farmer’s life in terms of what it frees them up to do?

Rob:                        Well, we have a problem in agriculture — and your listeners are, probably, if they’re from the rural landscape, they would understand this; city listeners won’t understand this — but we have an acute labor shortage in agriculture today. It’s estimated that, in the next few years, in Canada, we’ll have 125,000 job vacancies at the farm level that simply can’t be filled. And the problem is finding qualified operators. Every piece of equipment today on the farm is north of $500,000, and many of them are over $1 million. And so, you have to have trained operators.

                               And because farmers live in remote areas, there are a number of sociological things going on. Number one is (that) the average age of farmers is like 60 years old. Sooner or later, Mother Nature takes care of things, and these people have to sell their farming operations to attrition, so whosever is left is getting bigger. So farms, because of economy scale, will continue to get larger. That’s a fact. The equipment costs go up. That’s a fact.

                               Trying to get young people attracted back into agriculture, back onto the farm — the thought of spending sixteen hours a day in a glass cage in a self-guided tractor is cool for the first couple of days, but after about three weeks of that, you’re going insane. So, why can’t we utilize robots and sophisticated sensory technology to allow us to scale our knowledge and wisdom? Why can’t we use aerial imagery or satellite imagery to do field scouting for us? Do we have to really be walking corn and soybean fields, every acre, to find out what’s going on? Or a company like IntelinAir, for example, is doing a wonderful job of using algorithms and analytics to provide alerts to farmers about what’s going on in fields in Illinois right now.

So, this is — this is where we’re headed, and it creates tremendous opportunity for young people to enter agriculture as systems integrators. We need these various systems integrated together so that we can take advantage of the technology and move farmers forward. But, again, everything that I’m talking about is quite a disconnect from what the average person thinks is actually going on in today’s agriculture

Tom:                      We’ve touched on convergence throughout this conversation, and the one that really captures my attention is biodigital technology. How does this example of convergence become an important tool in farming?

Rob:                        Well, as I wrote the book “Food 5.0,” I said (that) I think there’s five iterations of agriculture. There’s the age of muscle, the age of machine, the age of chemistry, the age of biotechnology or genetic engineering, and the age of convergence.

                               And as I think about that, there’s two kinds of things that, really, we’ve been living through in the past two, three, four decades. And one of them is Moore’s Law, which most people are familiar with, which is the doubling of computing power and the decrease of computing cost by half every, you know, six to eighteen months. Moore’s Law.

                               That has been predicated upon something called binary code — 1s and 0s. Again, most people would have an understanding of binary code. What about genetic code? And what happens when we combine binary code with genetic code? What happens when the new language of programming really moves from binary code over to As, Ts, Cs and Gs, which are the four proteins that make up genetic complex? So, what happens when the new programming really becomes one of As, Ts, Cs and Gs? How do we intersect bio with digital? So, bio-digital technology is going to result in the generation of brand-new crops, brand new food types.

For example, a company out of Minnesota right now, called Calyxt, is using a TALEN technology that’s creating soybeans that have high oleic oil content in the soybeans, over 80% high oleic oil. Now, you may be wondering what that means. Well, everybody buys olive oil because they think it’s Mediterranean, it’s healthy, while olive oil is 69% high oleic oil, but soybeans through Calyxt are 80%. So, all of a sudden,  we have a brand-new food coming from a conventional crop that’s been derived through bio-digital technology. 

I can go on with all sorts of examples of new crops. But one of the things that I think your listeners will be fascinated by is the burgeoning or the emerging science of nutrigenomics. And nutrigenomics is where you take your human genome — and I’ve had my genome sequenced — and through the course of time, you start to identify food attributes that are important in my genome. So, you, Tom, would have your genome sequenced, and there’d be foods that would be more and others that would be less beneficial to your specific genome.

                               So, when the cost of genomic mapping starts dropping, where every human being has their genome sequenced, we can start to map out and match food to the human being, and that’s going to open up, I think, some really interesting opportunities for agriculture based on attribute-based tracking.

                               In other words, if we could grow a wheat crop high in selenium, and (if) you were predisposed to prostate cancer, then maybe the bread that you eat should be a high-selenium-derived bread. So, these are things that are going on inside of my head, and I think it paints a pretty exciting future of how we’re going to create this bio-digital technology convergence.

Tom:                      Yes, nutrigenomics is quite a focus of Alltech, as a matter of fact. It was a favorite focus of the late Dr. Pearse Lyons and is being carried on today.

                               Let’s get back to AGvisorPRO for just a second. I want to ask you about that app. And let’s say I’ve got it on my phone. What’s it going to do for me?

Rob:                        I built a company called Agri-Trend and Agri-Data that was acquired by Trimble. That was a twenty-year journey for me, and Agri-Trend was acquired by Trimble, and I began to think about, “If I was going to build the consulting firm all over again, how would I do it?” And the answer is: I wouldn’t. What I would do is build a connectivity platform.

                               And so, AGvisorPRO, (if you) think about it, is as a mash-up of eHarmony together with Uber and FaceTime and Twitter. If you mash all of those things together, I think you have the idea. AGvisorPRO         is the Uberization of knowledge and wisdom. We are creating a connectivity matrix between seekers, people who want answers and experts, people who can provide answers now. And so, this interconnectivity matrix involves farmers and independent advisors and industry and government and the public.

                               And so, you would download AGvisorPRO on iOS or Android or desktop, and you would fill out a profile of your agricultural expertise or your farming operation — and it’s free. So you download (it), and we have several ways that you can connect. The first is we have an industry offer called TechDirect. So, industry partners would list their company, their proprietary products or services and their graphs, and a farmer can type in a company like Taurus Ag and instantaneously be connected to the technical representatives of Taurus. So, no 1-800 number, and it’s all free for the user.

                               Additionally, a farmer might want to talk to a sprayer expert. We have a renowned sprayer expert in Canada. His name is Tom Wolf. He’s an independent advisor. He doesn’t need his brain picked; he needs his brain paid for. So, you would say, “I’ve got a question about spraying,” and you would find Tom, the algorithm would match you up to Tom. And you would say, “Okay, so it’s going to be $60 for the session.” You say yes, just like you do with Uber, and you’re instantaneously connected with Tom. You have your conversation; he answers your questions. The session is archived for your future reference. You’re allowed to rate the session, just like you do with Uber, and then you can connect that session to social media, if you like.

So, we built all of that. All of that has been built. And Tom, this was built starting in 2019. So, we’ve been working on this for over a year. And, lo and behold, COVID hits in March, and we knew the winds of change were blowing, so we had set our sails to capture that changing wind and how we’re going to communicate in agriculture.

But AGvisorPRO is set for this COVID and this post-COVID world. We’re effectively stretching brains and not bodies, and we’re helping people monetize knowledge and wisdom. And so, that’s, in a nutshell, what we’ve been able to do with AGvisorPRO.

Tom:                      Well, that is absolutely fascinating.

Rob:                        It’s cool, yeah.

Tom:                      Rob Saik, author of “Food 5.0: How We Feed the Future.” Rob, maybe we’ll get to meet next year in Lexington at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference.

Rob:                        Well, you know, I was thrilled to be involved in the ONE Virtual Experience by Alltech. Alltech has got a great reputation as a leader in the agriculture sector, and the virtual experience was a blast. And I’m still dealing with questions from the session that was online. However, I think I’m looking forward to getting to Kentucky and being part of the live event, where you rub shoulders with — literally rub shoulders with — some of the greater thinkers in agriculture.

                               So, thank you for having me on your podcast, Tom.

Tom:                      Well, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

                               I’m Tom Martin, and this has been AgFuture, presented by Alltech. And thank you for joining us. Be sure to subscribe to AgFuture wherever you listen to podcasts.

As a futurist, Jack Bobo works to stay ahead of consumer trends by detecting the disruptors that trigger them. We spoke with him about the rapidly changing global food supply chain, what will impact future trends in agriculture and what he believes is in store for the future of food production and consumer habits.

The following is an edited transcript of the Ag Future podcast episode with Jack Bobo hosted by Tom Martin. Click below to hear the full audio.

Tom:            The agricultural landscape was rapidly changing even before the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the global food supply chain. The way we produce, distribute, and consume food will soon look very different. What lessons can we take away from this to guide how we feed the planet in the future?

                     As the CEO of Futurity, Jack Bobo makes it his business to stay ahead of the trends and detect the disruptors that trigger them. He joins us to share his insights on the challenges and opportunities awaiting us in the next era of agriculture. Welcome, Jack.

Jack:             Thank you for having me.

Tom:            First, if you would just help us calibrate our expectations. What is the role of a futurist?

Jack:             Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate that. Well, a lot of us think about the future, but we're not necessarily thinking about what's going to happen 10 or 20 years from now and what that's going to mean for our children and future generations. Part of what I try to do is to help people not just look ahead for next year, but how do you look around the corner of what's happening.

                     Sometimes, I describe it this way. Imagine you're in a car and you look in the rearview mirror. Well, that's what hindsight is, and then you look through the windshield. Well, that's foresight. You can see a certain distance down the road, but insight comes from the GPS because that's what tells us what's around the corners. For a futurist, that's what we try to do. We try to not just look at the trends that everybody else are talking about, but what are the forces that shape the trends. That's how you get ahead of a trend so you don't get run over by them.

Tom:            How do you identify those forces?

Jack:             Well, what we do is we look for signals. There's a science fiction writer named William Gibson and he would say, "The future is already here. It's just not widely distributed." So what we're doing is we're looking around at what are those innovations that have the opportunity to scale and have a broader impact. Once you do that then you want to try to figure out how do those signals connect to each other. Let me give you an example. Today, people think about robotics all the time and they think about things like AI, artificial intelligence. Well, when you take artificial intelligence and you put it together with a physical embodiment, well, that's what a robot is. You're putting together two ideas and forming something new.

                     Another way of thinking about it is people often worry about robotics taking away jobs and that's one order of magnitude separation, but what about the fact that we manufacture a lot of things in China because labor is cheap? Well, if robotics comes along and reduces the cost of labor, why are we even producing things in China anymore? Because then transportation becomes a much bigger part of the challenge. So why not bring all that production back to the United States or Ireland or other parts of the world?

                     What we're really trying to do is we're looking for those little things that other people are talking about and then we connect them in interesting ways and it gives us insights that we wouldn't have otherwise had if we try to follow that trend directly at the single line.

Tom:            This is fascinating, so you crunch data, you watch trends, you have all sorts of resources. Can you tell us what the trendscape, if you will, what it looked like as the world -- we're just beginning to come to grips with the meaning of the term "pandemic". What sorts of behaviors peculiar to such a crisis have you observed?

Jack:             Yeah. What I'm seeing is some trends are accelerating, some trends are decelerating, and some trends are being disrupted. An example of a trend that's being accelerated, well, we were already moving to online purchases of foods and other goods, but if you look at the month before the pandemic hit, only about 5% of Americans were purchasing their food online. A month or two later, 40% of people had tried purchasing food online. When it comes to things like online purchases, it's a huge barrier to get people to try that for the very first time. It's pretty easy to get them to try it again if they have a good experience. And so we actually just compressed five to ten years of growth in online food purchases into two months and that's something that's going to have a long-term impact. It changes the dynamics of where people purchase food. Of those purchases, nearly 50% of those people were purchasing online for the first time, and of those, Walmart captured about 60% of that opportunity. There are really interesting dynamics that are happening because of that and it's shifting the landscape.

                     If we look at food purchases before the pandemic, most people were beginning to eat food outside of the home, more than half of food purchases, but of course, after the pandemic, almost everybody's eating their food at home. This is a trend that has a potential of staying power and it shifts the direction that things were going and has moved them backwards to a different place. This is a trend that's going to have a long-term staying power because of the economic implications of the pandemic as well. Coming out of this, people aren't going to have as much disposable income, they're more likely to go back to basics, and this is going to have ripple effects through production, how we consume food, nutrition, and how we engage with food and culture as well.

Tom:            Let me pick up on that term "long-term consequences" because they're so fascinating to try to contemplate right now not only economic, not only social, but also mental and psychological. They're all linked to the myriad of changes that are being forced upon us by this outbreak. Do you see anything there of consequence?

Jack:             Yes. Well, it seems like every two weeks, there's a new sort of psychological aspect to this conversation. During the first couple of weeks, I was talking to people about panic buying and retail therapy, and then I started talking about are there food shortages happening, and then we were talking about food production squeezes. Now, we're beginning to look forward and say what are the longer term implications to our food supply and how we produce food that are going to come out of this, and so there are definitely consequences.

                     How people think about food, well, when you look at what people are purchasing, there's this trend back to basics. People are looking for foods that create comfort. Before the pandemic, big brands, big food was considered a bad thing. People were looking for small niche startups, things like that that were interesting and cool. Now, all of a sudden, the fact that you're buying brands that you were buying 20 years ago or when you were a child is bringing comfort to people, and so that's changing how they're thinking about the food brands that they buy.

Tom:            It's still very early in this crisis to be able to make definitive statements about what I'm about to ask, Jack, but I wonder if at this stage, you are already able to see what sorts of consequences are in store for Generation Z.

Jack:             I think people haven't quite wrapped their minds around the fact that this is the biggest economic impact since the Great Depression. Obviously, the Great Depression marked an entire generation of people who even today, their purchases and spending patterns are influenced by what happened to them back in the 1930s and early '40s. I don’t think most people grasp the fact that many young people today are going to have just as much of an impact on how they view the world.

                     For students who are at universities and are graduating this fall, but also for the next five or ten years, they're going to be entering the worst economic climate since the Depression in trying to find jobs. People were already struggling a little bit -- younger individuals -- to find jobs who've just been out of college, and so that's going to be dramatically more challenging for them. You have to remember that the income that you have in your first five or so years out of college really determines how much income you're going to have when you're retiring, so the impact on their financial well-being will reverberate through their entire lives.

Tom:            Okay. Let's turn to how COVID-19 is revealing some issues in the ways we get the right food to the right people at the right price. What have these disruptions shown us about our food systems?

Jack:             Well, I think they've definitely shown that there are some vulnerabilities in the way that we've been producing food. Historically, there has been an emphasis on the efficiency of our food supply and for really good reasons. If you go back 50 years, about a third of all the people in the world went to bed hungry every night. By 2020, only about 12% of the people on the planet were going to bed hungry, so efficiency has done an amazing job of raising people out of poverty and improving health and nutrition. On the other hand, that consolidation of our food supply system has an impact when there's a disruption to it.

                     If you have only a handful of companies that are producing the livestock products in the country and one facility is shut down, that can impact 5% of all production and then that becomes a bottleneck for the entire food system. A repercussion of that is that with that shortage then consumers end up paying more for their food, so just a 5% disruption can raise prices for the consumer.

                     On the other side of that equation though, livestock producers have fewer places to send their animals, and so all of a sudden, they're getting paid less money for each head of cattle. Think about that. Consumers are paying more and the people producing the food are getting paid less, and so that sends terrible signals to our market. It encourages people who produce food to produce less just at a time when we actually need more. So we're going to have to figure out how to maintain the efficiency of our system, which we need, but to add to it a resilience that's currently lacking.

Tom:            Is this what you're talking about when you described friction in our food systems or is that something else?

Jack:             Yes, that's one example of friction in our food system. Another would be when workers get sick, that's one example, but also drivers for transportation. If they're sick and they're not able to move the food from one place to another, the people that are working in the retail space are also a risk point or pressure point for this food system. Ports are also a place where there could be pressure, export markets, import markets. Each of these, if there's just a little bit of impact of the pandemic on them, just 1% or 2% then that has a ripple effect because it creates a friction that disrupts that entire chain from the farmer in Indonesia to your dinner plate.

Tom:            You touched on this just a few minutes ago, but I'm wondering if you could elaborate on it, how the consumer mindset has been changed and where you think it's going in regards to food trends.

Jack:             Well, one important outcome from this is that consumers are paying far more attention to our food systems than they ever had. Something that I often talk about is how consumers have never cared more nor known less how their food is produced. Well, that was true before the pandemic. Now, all of a sudden, people do have a better sense of how their food is produced, and because they're paying attention to that, that means that they're likely to ask for changes in that food system, so the relationship of the consumer to the food supply has been forever changed.

Tom:            Well, as a result of the stay-at-home imperative of the pandemic, farmers have been forced to euthanize millions of hogs and chickens, give away tons of unwanted potatoes or even plow them under, pour out enough milk to fill a small lake. Restaurants have closed of course all over the country that's thrown the food industry into chaos. It has convulsed the very specialized supply chains that are struggling to adjust. In light of all that, what does the future of farming and food production hold?

Jack:             Well, a lot of that goes to the question of the resilience and having diversified food systems so that if you're a farmer, you can sell not only to the retail market, but you can go to grocery stores or directly to the consumer. One outcome from this is that there are likely to be more direct consumer opportunities for farmers. That's a good thing because that gives farmers more opportunity to make a little bit more money when they're doing it, but it also helps them to explain to the consumer so that they can better understand how that food is produced. That's going to be a good connection that's coming out of all of this, but part of it is just the complexity of our food supply.

                     When we talk about having to euthanize animals, and pork industry is a good example of that, what people forget is that the animals that are going to slaughter this week, well, those sows were impregnated 300 days ago, and so the decisions that are being made today are decisions that really were being made 300 days ago. We need to keep that in mind because producers today have to decide, "Do I start to have the sows have a new litter today? Will there be a market for them a year from now?" People have to really think far into the future and that's just part of the complexity of our food supply, is people were thinking about this a year ago and now, we're seeing the benefits of their preparation, and what changes will they make though in this uncertain environment.

Tom:            Jack, at this early stage, who do you see coming out of this thing as winners and as losers?

Jack:             Well, I think that certainly online purchases are going to be big winners in all of this. The big food brands are coming out of this in a better position. Restaurants and small businesses are going to be hammered and that's going to be really unfortunate, and so I think we need to figure out ways of helping to maintain those smaller businesses because in many ways, small businesses are the engine of growth and it's going to be really impacted by all of this. I think the largest impact though still comes back to the financial implications for people that are going through such a massive financial challenge and that's going to again reverberate for a long time to come.

Tom:            Well, Jack, this is all so fascinating. I'd like to suggest that we revisit in about six months. Six months seems like another time zone for all of us. It's just incredible to think about what could happen in six months given all that's happened in only a few.

Jack:             Yes. Thank you. I really appreciate the conversation.

Tom:            Also, I have to imagine that going through life as a futurist must be pretty fascinating.

Jack:             Well, it's been a lot of fun because I get to work with a variety of organizations, associations, startups, big food brands, and I like to tell people that my personal mission is to de-escalate the tension in our food system so that we can all go about our business of saving the planet in our own way. I'm always excited to see what different organizations are doing in terms of their part of making the system better.

Tom:            Futurist and Futurity CEO, Jack Bobo. Thank you so much, Jack.

Jack:             Thank you.

Click here to register for the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience

Cady Coleman has spent more than 170 days in outer space on various missions and truly knows what it means to be isolated. Despite our differences, she says we are all on a mission together during these times of change and uncertainty. In this episode, Cady explains the importance of diversity within teams and how seeing other people’s perspectives can help us work better together and get through difficult times.

The following is an edited transcript of the Ag Future podcast episode with Cady Coleman, hosted by Tom Martin. Click below to hear the full audio.

Tom:                          This is Tom Martin. Welcome to Ag Future, presented by Alltech. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities facing the global food supply chain and speak with experts working to support a Planet of Plenty.

Mark:                          Hello and welcome to the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience. My name is Dr. Mark Lyons and I’m the president and CEO of Alltech. It's my great pleasure to welcome you to the first session of this event. For 35 years, ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference has been encouraging our attendees to think differently, to innovate in the face of disruption, and that's what we've done with our program this year: creating, for the first time, a virtual offering — something that we've been hoping to do for a number of years. At this time more than any other, these world-changing ideas, big-picture thinking and, more importantly, inspiration are perhaps what we all need a little bit of. So, we hope that these sessions are very useful for you, and we look forward to the interaction that we're going to have in our Q&A sessions. Fitting that this is our launch day, it seems most appropriate that our first keynote (speaker) has been to space and back.

Tom:                          Cady Coleman, chemist, two-time space shuttle astronaut and a pretty good flute player — we'll have more on that later — was aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule as part of a crew of three headed for the orbiting International Space Station on December 15, 2010.

Cady:                          It's an amazing ride. It's 8 and a half minutes to get to space. To me, as a person that just believes there's always more to define and explore in terms of ideas, in terms of horizons, in some ways, you know, even though I loved this ride, it's actually like the taxi to the place that we're really exploring, which was space.

Tom:                          In a virtual conversation with Alltech president and CEO Mark Lyons, Cady Coleman lifts us, in a time of so much turmoil, illness and uncertainty on our planet, to the unique and profound perspective of a perch looking down on Earth from 220 miles above.

Cady:                          To me, I used to think that space was someplace different — like, “I'm on Earth. I'm gonna go to space.” But actually arriving up there, it just made me realize that Earth and the place that we live is just bigger than we thought, and yet, it's home.

Tom:                          This is Cady’s story about experiencing half a year of living in weightlessness with five other people from very different countries and cultures.

Cady:                          People always feel kind of bad for us that it's small and terrible up in space. And I think they have this kind of image in mind. This is what the taxi ride looks like on the way up to space in the Russian Soyuz. So, I launched in and actually came back home to Russia for my stint up on the Space Station. And it is actually quite, quite tight. And even though it's only physically 8 and a half minutes to get there, to get to orbit, we actually spent, you know, hours and hours and hours practicing and getting ready and making sure we understand how to operate all the equipment in the Soyuz. So, it is small, but the Space Station itself is giant and huge.

Tom:                          How huge?

Cady:                          It's like 10 train cars all put together, but not just in a row; some are up, and then some are down, and some are sideways. And so, we have, really, these 10 train cars without the seats in them to be living in in that Space Station. We have really just a lot of room up there — privacy. And actually, we need all that room to keep all the equipment, to keep the experiments. I mean, storage is actually the biggest problem up there.

Tom:                          Okay. Let's back up just a bit. Cady mentioned practice. You don't just one day drop what you're doing and you board a rocket ship and escape Earth's gravity for almost a half-year aboard the Space Station.

Cady:                          So, I had some pretty exciting practice missions, so to speak. I got to live for 11 days underwater off the coast of Florida in the Aquarius Habitat. It's usually used for research, and it's also lent out to NASA for us to practice. Well, the other place that I got to do that is Antarctica, where I had a last-minute opportunity. I was the backup for this mission, and I had a last-minute opportunity to spend two and a half months in Antarctica. Six weeks of that was in a tent. There were four of us, two in each tent. And we were 200 miles from the South Pole. And I am not a camping girl. But where I wasn't camping girl, I sure am now. And that's the nice thing about these kind of jobs is they actually teach you all these things and how to stay safe — although I'm actually reminded of some of my lessons from Antarctica in terms of, you know, equipment and safety and, you know, for us to take your gloves off when you're outside as much as you want to.

                                    I mean, you’re wearing, you know, three layers of everything, and let’s say you have to go to the bathroom during the day, which is going to happen. You know, you’re just so tempted to take those gloves off, because it’d be so much easier — your zipper is Velcro, all those things — and (it was all about) learning that patience of just, “Slow is fast and I have more time than I think.”

Tom:                          Learning to survive in such unusual and uncomfortable conditions may have been the immediate goal, but for Cady, there was another benefit that would serve her well aboard the Space Station.

Cady:                          I’d say most of the lessons I learned were about people, about being a crew.

Tom:                          And that perspective about people learning to get along and cooperate, collaborate.

Cady:                          Forty different nations (are) working all together every day — it's an International Space Station — on work that can't be done anywhere else.

Tom:                          So, what's it like, day to day, living and working in zero gravity, where just the touch of a finger can send you literally flying across the entire Space Station?

Cady:                          It's like living the life of Peter Pan, and everything is different, and everything is a discovery, but we're still human. You know, we bring our own, you know, things that we love to do. We each have our own way of bringing that experience back home. And we each, as humans, look out at the Earth and get to think about what it means that we're in space and people are down on the Earth.

Tom:                          And Cady, displaying a photo of herself with her Space Station crewmates, tells us that this situation — six people from the U.S., Russia and Italy together in this fragile habitat, circling Earth — offers a lesson that can be lost in the demands, the routines and the realities of life.

Cady:                          Every single person in this picture, I guarantee you, feels like there's something about them that is theirs that they bring that other people either don't know, don't understand or aren't open to. And so, I think it's really important to think about that — especially now that we don't get to connect with each other as much as we used to, now that we're isolated to phone calls and Zoom meetings and things like that.

Tom:                          And here's where Cady’s story gets really interesting, bringing together the experience of a long-duration space mission with present-day conditions down below — a pandemic, racial injustice and the challenges of overcoming differences to work in collaboration.

Cady:                          (Here’s) a little bit about getting along as a crew, and I say this because I think all of us are, you know, in unusual circumstances right now in terms of isolation and it being, you know, smart to stay separated from friends and family sometimes, but also at work, at school. I mean, I think that all of us work in groups where we don't get to pick who we are working with.

Tom:                          During her presentation, Cady mentions a recent hit movie.

[Movie clip]

Tom:                          An important eye-opener for many, an affirmation of injustice for many others.

Cady:                          I show you this picture from the movie “Hidden Figures” because I think, first of all, if I was talking to you in person, I would ask who's seen this movie, and then I would implore those of you that didn't raise your hands to go and see it. I mean, first of all, it's a fabulous movie. It's fun; it's interesting. I think it's just really charming. And at the same time, it makes this really big point. I mean, this is Katherine Johnson. She has a doctorate in mathematics, and she did the calculations that figured out how we get people from the Earth to space and safely back home again to their families, and (she) did this for Gemini, for Mercury, for Apollo and for the space shuttle, and yet her work was not celebrated until very late in her life. I mean, look at this picture. Our movie is called “Hidden Figures”. And in every picture that I've seen of her in in real life, Katherine is wearing — she’s a woman of color wearing a dress of color and (is) typically in a work picture in a sea of white guys in skinny black ties. And so, there's — I mean, you can't miss her. Right? But we didn't see her. And it comes back to my point that all of us bring something that needs to come out on the table if we're going to solve the problems that are in front of us today as a nation, as a world, as a planet.

Tom:                          Cady herself has encountered discrimination as an obstacle to realizing her dream of space walking. The women of “Hidden Figures” encountered (this) and persevered despite the dual blows of racism and misogyny. Cady, who is white, never experienced the pain of being underestimated because of the color of her skin. For her, it had to do with stature and gender.

Cady:                          Myself, I was the smallest person to be part of the space-walking team up on the Space Station. And it was kind of a big thing because, for the space shuttle, we had small space suits and mediums and larges and extra larges. But for the Space Station, they couldn't afford to have all those sizes, for various reasons. And what that meant was the smaller people, like me — actually, all of them women — then did not fit into the suits that we had on the Space Station. And I was on that edge. I mean, I looked at the space suit and I knew that I had a job that I could do in that space suit. I knew that I brought things to that team that others didn't. And I cheerfully showed up to meetings that I wasn't invited to, not because people said, “Oh, I don't think we're going to ask Cady, we don’t like her,” or anything else. It was just that they looked at me and they just couldn't imagine that I should be part of that team — but I knew. And when it’s something as important as exploring space, it gives you that extra, like, you know, that extra courage to just say, “I know. I am showing up.”

Tom:                          Cady, now herself a role model for many young women, had one of her own: the first American woman to fly in space, astronaut Sally Ride.

Cady:                          She actually made all the difference in the world in that — my dad was an explorer. He lived under the ocean. He was in charge of the building one of those capsules where men lived under the ocean. He was a deep-sea diver, and exploration was really real to me growing up. I was born in 1960, and yet the fact that I could be one of those explorers never occurred to me until Sally Ride came to my college and gave a talk. And I just thought — you know, you see somebody that you can relate to — and I just thought, “Wow. Maybe I could try to do that.”

Tom:                          And try, she did. More than try. Cady Coleman has logged more than 4,300 hours in space. The mission to the International Space Station, where she supervised more than 100 experiments, was her last before retiring from the Astronaut Corps in 2016. She has since been an advocate of expanding the role of private companies within NASA. And the recent SpaceX Dragon launch, carrying a crew of two to the Space Station, is the most dramatic example yet of the success of those efforts.

[SpaceX launch]

Tom:                          After her own 159 days in Earth orbit, Cady Coleman returned from the Space Station with fresh perspectives on the human condition, gained from weeks on end cooped up with five other human beings. The only thing between them and the deadly vacuum of space? A one-tenth of 1-inch aluminum pressure hull of the orbiting Space Station. Under these conditions, you really gain a more complex understanding of your crewmates.

Cady:                          And so, realizing that everyone has those different perspectives, it’s another way to think about, you know, how we relate to each other. The fact that when we look down at the Earth — I mean, our Space Station is pretty close there. Because we’re upside down and right side up, we learned to think about things and see things differently.

Tom:                          Cady Coleman’s advice has particular resonance in these times of division and increasing difficulty to communicate with people who view life differently.

Cady:                          Try to bring that to the conversations that you have at work, at home. When you're trying to convince someone of something new that is unfamiliar to them, try to look at them from a different direction, and find out something for yourself about them that allows you to work more closely together.

Tom:                          Recently, as the spread of the coronavirus mushroomed into a pandemic, Cady reached back to her experiences as a member of a team on a mission to suggest that we're now all on a mission.

Cady:                          We have this advantage as space explorers that, you know, we're part of a mission. I mean, we have jackets, you know; we’re wearing space suits. And it's really clear to you that, you know, you've got a job to do, and a lot of people are helping you do it. And so, it's easy to think, “It's important for me to be ready, and all these actions, they're important.” But I think with COVID-19, the mission can be less tangible. And just the fact that you can stay in your house with your family and stay safe and not do some of the things you'd like to do, it doesn't feel like this like step forward, mastering the engine systems — and yet it is. It's a step toward the mission. I think what can help people is just identifying. Give it a name. You know, this is the mission: staying safe. And these are the things we're doing today. And by focusing on that mission — I mean, to me, it’s interesting that I think the whole world understands this word “mission” in a different way because of this pandemic.

Tom:                          There was a Q&A portion during Cady’s virtual presentation, and COVID-19 was on the mind of Alltech’s Mark Lyons.

Mark:                          I think, through COVID-19, we're all hoping that there's some positive, there's some kind of silver lining, something that we're going to gain in terms of perspective. But I think there's also a sense that maybe we picked things up, we learned something, but then we maybe lose it. So, I wonder, you know, through your experiences, you know, having that new perspective, how do you make sure that what you learn, you can retain, and what do you think you did learn from that time in space?

Cady:                          Wow. You know, I was going to say that, you know, I see a lot positive happening. You know, there's sort of this, I call it, “activation energy” or some barrier to change, to doing something differently, and yet, you know, something helps you over that barrier, and in this case, the need during COVID-19 for people to solve all sorts of problems together, it's just there — and I see this. I see it on the internet. I see it in the news. Different people coming together, seeing something that they can do together and doing it. You know, asking each other, helping each other. Competitors making things together. I mean, it's so hopeful. You know, in the case of Alltech, I know you think so much about the planet and how your work is, you know, good for sustainability, for the planet, and people realize that's even more imperative now that, suddenly, the food chain is more real to all of us.

Tom:                          Now, about that flute…

[Music playing]

Tom:                          Cady is a member of the astronaut group, Bandella, performing here at the Folk Alliance Conference in 2015. At one event, the band had been invited onstage with Ireland's legendary Chieftains.

Cady:                          When I was at NASA, Paddy Moloney, who's the leader of the Chieftains, his son was an intern at NASA. And he actually stayed with a family that was kind of just a — they were just the people that were so good at gathering. I mean, (they) gathered people like me: all these people that love to play (music) but don't really play together. And it was a group of like 18 of us that would play some form of Celtic music, and then we ended up in small groups. And so, I knew Padraig, Paddy’s son, from my days there playing music. And when it came to going to the Space Station, one of the things I thought about was, you know, how do I bring people with me, and what's important to me, if I get to bring a few things, what's important to bring? And I really loved the spirit of Irish music. And I actually had decided I would learn how to play the Irish flute. Now, this doesn't mean that I knew how to play the Irish flute or that I, even though I carried it around with me on the road, that I learned enough. But I was inspired to go through Padraig to Paddy and to ask if I could bring some flutes with me to space. And by that time, actually, I knew the whole band. When they would come to town, we would go. And our astronaut band would get to be their guests, coming out on stage at the end, or they would kindly play along quite a bit.

                                    Anyway. So, I knew them, and Matt Malloy sent this flute that is like, I think, a treasure of Ireland. It’s an E flat Irish flute and just this beautiful instrument. A little bit smaller, for somebody like me, with small hands. And Paddy sent a tin whistle, and I brought them up to space. I brought a couple flutes. Every flute has its own little T-shirt that it was wrapped in so the pieces wouldn’t float away. And it just gave me really great pleasure to be up in that cupula looking out over the world and playing music. It kind of brings me into a little place that’s just mine. And it’s the same place where I come when I’m down here on the Earth, but then I got to go that place in space and look out at the world and just kind of, I don’t know, just feel a little more settled.

Tom:                          It would not be Cady’s only orbit-to-Earth performance with a legendary artist; there was another duet with the flute of the legendary Jethro Tull.

Cady:                          Tonight, Ian Anderson and I would like to honor Yuri Gagarin for his brave journey 50 years ago, and we would like to celebrate the role that humans play in the exploration of our universe, past, present and future, by sharing some music between Earth and space.

[Music playing]

Tom:                          Again, Mark Lyons.

Mark:                          You know, one of the questions we keep getting, obviously, given your background and our present time of social distancing and isolation is: Given the experience you had, of course, in the tent in Antarctica, under the ocean and in the Space Station, how do people respond? You know, what ways should we think about this isolation? You had, you know, professional, obviously, the best training in the world preparing for that. For a lot of us, we've been shutting doors all of a sudden. So, are there any tips that you might share with the audience?

Cady:                          You know, some of them are, you know, kind of like family tips where, you know, I look at — and you say, “Well, you got professional help.” It's surprisingly not as much as you might think, you know. We kind of have to put those things together for ourselves. But you know, when there's some behavior that is causing strife or some situation, (the best thing to do) is to think, sort of, further than the situation. It's almost like — I think back to when our kid was little and there'd be some, you know, bad behavior after picking up from school in the first few weeks of school. And you know, what I learned about — and I actually had somebody, you know, to help me talk through some of these things, because we commuted, but anyways. But you know, picking him up from school — I mean, this is a kid that’s, like, worked really hard all day long to hold it together, and then there he is with the people that he loves and you just lose it, right? And don't behave as well. And so, do you deal with the behavior, or do you think about what the reason is? And I think it has some applications to our time now.

                                    You know, I found, in our family, we're all kind of a little grumpy when it got to, like, dinner. First of all, we're hungry. And second, you know, we have three adults who are all working full-time from the same house, and suddenly it’s 6 o’clock, and who was in charge of figuring out what to eat? And so, you know, we ended up, you know, coming up with a little bit more of a system and actually acknowledging like, “Hey, everybody, you know, I thought I —” You just feel like you're the only one working, when actually, all of us are working really hard. So, recognizing the behaviors and then realizing that there's probably some, you know, there's some things behind them.

                                    And the hardest thing that we don't actually have to wrestle with much in space, I don't think, is that we know (that), eventually, we're coming home. I mean, it's pretty finite. I mean, I was up there for 6 months, and you know, the mission was extended by 2 weeks, which I was incredibly thrilled about, but I mean, it's still finite. Whereas with COVID-19, there's a lot of uncertainties — and uncertainties about finances, about dreams, about what you're going to be able to do next. And I guess really just owning that uncertainty, I think, is really helpful — realizing that it's hard, and don't expect it to be easy, and just acknowledge you're working through hard things.

[Music playing]

Tom:                          Astronaut Cady Coleman with Alltech president and CEO Mark Lyons, launching the 2020 Alltech ONE Virtual Experience. If you're interested in seeing Cady’s view from space, and to watch more video content from other thought leaders from around the world, register at one.alltech.com. I'm Tom Martin, and this has been Ag Future, presented by Alltech. Thank you for joining us, and be sure to subscribe to Ag Future wherever you listen to podcasts — and leave a review if you’ve enjoyed this episode.

Click here to register for the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience

Italy was one of the first countries hit by COVID-19, and after an eight-week lockdown, the next phase of reopening businesses has begun. Massimo Zanin of Veronesi, a major Italian animal feed company, details how Veronesi was able to safely help maintain the food supply chain throughout the lockdown and what he is hoping will happen for his country and the agriculture sector in general beyond the pandemic.

This episode is part of a special AgFuture series on the impact of COVID-19 on the food supply chain. Join us to hear how those on the frontlines of the global pandemic are working to overcome adversity and feed the world.

The following is an edited transcript of Michelle Michael's interview with Massimo Zanin. Click below to hear the full audio.

Michelle:       Hello! I'm Michelle Michael. In this special series of AgFuture, we're talking with those working along the food supply chain about the impact of COVID-19. My guest today is Mr. Massimo Zanin. Thank you so much for joining us today.

Massimo:       Good morning! Thank you for inviting me.

Michelle:       And I guess it would be good afternoon to you; you're in the northeast part of Italy, right? Near to Venice?

Massimo:       Yes, close to Venice, about one hour by car from Venice. Verona is the name of the city where we are based.

Michelle:       Italy was hit quite hard by the coronavirus pandemic, but you're starting to see a glimmer of hope, I think, right? What's life like for you right now?

Massimo:       Well, personally, let's say that, now — we had these eight weeks (of) lockdown. That means that in the last eight weeks, the only things we were able to do was come from home to the office and from the office going home. The other thing was shopping, but not so often. That's all. The rest of the things were not allowed, really. I think what the Italians in general demonstrated in these last eight weeks was (that) they were able to follow the rules given by the government, so really, they stayed home for eight weeks, (which is) incredible for the Italians.

Michelle:       It is incredible. Are things now starting to open back up slowly, though?

Massimo:       Yes, we are starting to go out. Today, after eight weeks, we begin the so-called phase two. That means that more industries are going to start, to restart, to produce, so that means that around four and a half million people are going out every day from today. I think that we (will) begin to see a sort of light at the end of the tunnel and we hope, really, to see a better time in the next (few) weeks, and “a better time” means more freedom to go out — and also from an economic point of view, because we cannot forget that not only the industry but all the shops, all the small activities (that) are here now, (were) shut down, so really, we hope to see all these activities starting again, because it's important for our people and for the economy of Italy to start again.

Michelle:       Speaking of business, Massimo, you're with Veronesi, one of the biggest poultry, swine and rabbit integrators, and you have a feed mill there as well. On a very basic level, can you explain what that means? What does a poultry, swine and rabbit integrator do?

Massimo:       Well, as an integrator, we are involved in all the activities along the supply chain. That means producing feed. We are in the market of raw materials. We breed many, many different kinds of animals — chicken, poultry, but also cattle, pigs, rabbits and so on, and then we slaughter and we transform these meats into products that we sell in the supermarkets. That means that we are involved in the whole supply chain.

                        At Veronesi, I imagine that Veronesi is, nowadays, a company that employs directly almost 9,000 people, but if we go also to the people working for us, even if not directly employed (by us), we are talking around 15,000 people working for the group. It's one of the most important agribusiness groups in Italy, one of the biggest in Europe, (with) a consolidated turnover of over €3 billion, or US$3.3 billion. And because Veronesi was founded 62 years ago in 1958, I have to say that it started on the first of May, and a few (weeks) ago, we celebrated our 62nd anniversary.

It was founded by Apollinare Veronesi, our founder, but in 1958, he was already 47, so not exactly a young guy starting this new adventure after the Second World War. He was already married and was the father of five children when he saw that animal feed was a new, important sector for the growth of the country at that time. At that time, we have to imagine that, in Italy, animal breeding was not exactly what we see today. Every family had, at that time, a couple of pigs or ten chickens to feed, but what did the people give to the animals at that time? Probably the waste of their meals, their family meals, so Apollinare Veronesi saw how important it could be to improve the quality of the feed given to the animals, so he started in 1958 with the feed production, and ten years later, in 1968, he began his involvement in the poultry sector, breeding first chickens and then turkeys, importing the turkeys from the U.S., because turkeys were not present at all in Italy. Then, later on, in the '80s, he expanded his activity to pig breeding and slaughtering.

                        Over the years, I'd have to say that this remained as the main sector, but the activity has been integrated or completed via internal growth and also acquisitions. Nowadays, we are involved in many activities, but we can, let's say, organize all the activities in three large areas. We call them the three Fs: feed, farming and food. We farm thousands and thousands of animals, and we go down after slaughtering, after processing the meat, to the market with two main brands, which are AIA and Negroni. AIA is the brand we use for fresh — even if processed, but still fresh — meat products. AIA is a product sold mainly in Europe, North Africa and Europe. Negroni is our brand for salami, ham, these great, typical Italian products. Negroni products, you can find all over the world, from Japan to the U.S., so everywhere. Now, our consolidated turnover is €3 billion, and almost 15% of our turnover is export.

Michelle:       Being one of the largest and most important agricultural companies, what are you facing today because of COVID-19 in your business?

Massimo:       Well, I have to say that we have (had) to change completely our way of work. We were, let's say, lucky because agribusiness has been considered, personally (in Italy) but also in other counties, as an essential business. That means that we choose and we're in the position to continue to work, but obviously — you remember that Italy was the first country outside China to be hit by the COVID-19 epidemic. It's true that the first stages were in a small area south of Milan. This area is really small, but it's a high-intensity area for our sector. In this area, there are a lot of farms, mainly dairy farmers, also pigs, and many feed mills. One of our feed mills — we have seven feed mills around Italy, but one of them is close to this area, so our involvement, I have to say, was immediate.

                        I remember the first time they came (with news of) the so-called patient zero. The first case of (COVID-19) positivity found in Italy was on February 21. It was Friday evening, and the day after, we had our first talk. They called up the board of the executive committee to decide how to manage the situation. It was really a new situation for everyone, and it was really unexpected, a new situation for everybody. We were afraid about the health of our people because we knew that we could go on with the production, but on the other side, we wanted to be sure to let our people work in a safe and healthy position.

                        So, really, we worked a lot that week to define protocols together with the workers, together with the unions, because the unions were afraid about this new situation, so we worked together in order to be able to continue to work without any risks, and so far, we have done it, I have to say.

Michelle:       That's great news. What does that mean specifically? What precautions did workers have to take on the job so that they remain safe? What did that look like?

Massimo:       Of course, there are different situations in different factories. If we look to the slaughterhouse, we can imagine how many people are working in the slaughtering line, and so the first concern was to give more distance between one (person) to the other. So, we intervened in the number of people working at the same time in that slaughtering line. That means that we have to slow down the rate of the slaughtering. That means that we try to reduce the number of the people involved in every single shift in the slaughterhouse. On the other side, we built a special track to go in and to come out (of the building on). Of course, every one of the people working in this situation was equipped with masks, gloves and all the equipment needed in those situations. I have to say that after two months of work in this situation, we are really — I don't want to say it out loud, but everything went really well.

                        On the other side, if we look to the feed mills, the situation is completely different because, thanks to high investments in the last years in automation, in the feed mills, we have limited staff presence, so it's easier to manage them, to make them operate in a condition of safety. Also, the people working in the feed mills were equipped with masks and gloves. Also, in the feed mills, we try to reduce the number of people per shift because the big concern was, from the beginning, to avoid the risk to have a stock shortage, because in the event of (COVID-19) positivity, of course, we should put in quarantine all the people working together, so we reduced the number of people per shift in the feed mills. Also, in the feed mills, I have to say there's (been) no problem until today.

                        Also, the truck drivers, looking to the truck drivers, they were the first figures involved in the program because in Italy, there was the so-called red area, the first area, the small area south of Milan, and they had to go there to deliver the feed, so they were the first people involved in the emergency. Also, to them, we gave our procedures. We gave them masks and gloves needed to get in contact with the farmers. They were invited to follow all the safety rules of the group. I have to say that in the last eight weeks, it's (been) really difficult to enter a donation factory, but really, it was necessary.

Michelle:       We know the workers were dramatically impacted. What about the customers? Were the customers of the company affected as well?

Massimo:       Of course, our customers, which are the farmers, they were involved also in the confusion of the market, but first, in our behavior to the customers, the farmers, we tried to find different ways to maintain this kind of comfort. Really, we invented different ways (to stay connected), like more frequent calls to them.

                        Our first concern, also there, was to say to the sellers, to the consultants that would usually have contact with the farmers, to be more frequently than normal getting in contact with them. We invented many ways to make it under a hashtag. The hashtag is #veronesiconvoy, #veronesiwithyou. Under this hashtag, we prepared more frequent newsletters, personalized WhatsApp messages, corporate videos explaining to them what we were doing in order to maintain the same level of service, of quality of the product and of services. We were giving them video messages. Of course, our experts, our technicians, (since they were) not in the position to ever have physical or personal contact, they began to use these platforms — like WhatsApp video calls — to give, in a remote way, their suggestions, the advice that the farmers needed. So I have to say that our breeders, we know that our customers are really our greatest asset, so they cannot think that they've been left alone for even one minute, so Veronesi has to be always there together with the customers, the farmers.

Michelle:       As much as it seems impossible to prepare for a pandemic, do you think the agriculture sector could have done things differently? And on that note, what lessons can we learn from this in the way our food supply chain works?

Massimo:       To be prepared, to be really prepared for such a pandemic, I think, was impossible. The question is, probably, “What can we do to improve in order to be better prepared for it?” There is not only one answer, of course. If I look to the Italian market, we are, for example, a net importer of raw materials. So, even if we think (we should try) to be more prepared, we cannot change our way of (importing) the crops in Italy. We are trying to increase the quantity of raw materials to grow in Italy, but it's impossible. We are a small garden. We cannot be competitive with the production in many other countries, so we still remain a net importer. I have to say that even if we were not prepared for the pandemic, after the first few days, where we were all afraid about the risks of shortages of raw materials — both macro raw materials, grains and so on, but on the other side, also, of micro ingredients — after the first day, we had to say that everything has come in the right time.

                        What we need is a better dialogue between the producer of the products like milk, like animals, and the final market, the consumer market, because the problem, for example, for some sectors was where to sell the product that usually went to export, went to foreign countries. When the flights were stopped, of course — for example, the wonderful mozzarella di bufala, the buffalo-milk mozzarella, had no more market, or the part of the market (where it sold the most), which was the export market, was stopped, so we had a surplus of production. We probably need a better dialogue between the first part of the production and the transformation, processing and distribution. This is what we need. For the future, what I see is a better dialogue along the supply chain.

Michelle:       That certainly could hold a lot of positives. How long do you think the agricultural sector could feel the impact from COVID-19?

Massimo:       When we talk of the agriculture sector, we are talking of so many different products. Look to the wine. Look to the vegetables. Look to the tourists and so on. Look into our sector, the sector we are involved in, the meat sector and the dairy sector — meat because we process and sell meat products, and on the other side, the dairy sector, because we sell feed to the dairy farmers. Probably the impact will be, for Italy, relatively long.

                        I'm positive about the future. I'm for sure positive about the future, but I have to say that remember that the tourism, for Italy, represents 13% of our GDP. Imagine that only in the last two and a half months — that means the beginning of spring, Eastern time — we have, usually, in Italy, 80 million tourists present. If we consider that they eat usually twice a day, that means that we lost, in the last weeks, around 160 million meals. This means, of course, meat, cheese. It means processed products like ham. It means wine, too. What we lose with tourists, we cannot recover with the consumption of the Italians. That's why I think that we need time to go back to the normal situation, to the situation before the pandemic.

Michelle:       As every economy has struggled around the globe, when things are safe again, I'm sure you want those tourists back.

Massimo:       Well, sure. That's for sure. This new experience, the experience of the pandemic — which is a first for everyone, I think, in the world — tells us that we can't wait to do things. As Latins say, "Carpe diem." So, the message for all the people listening to us today is: don't wait. For the next year, plan to visit Italy. We need everyone's support, really. Here in Italy, you'll find culture, history, nature, people who know how to work with you and push you, and the best food in the world, so we'll wait for you.

Michelle:       What do you want consumers to know about you, about the food supply chain?

Massimo:       As I said before, our business, our activity, has been considered as essential. I think that, really, they gave us the awareness of how important we are for the entire supply chain. We are important because we are preparing the food for the Italians. I say Italians because we are based in Italy, but it's the same for the industry working in the same sector in other countries. We were allowed to work because it was important to bring the food to the people staying home.

                        I remember, I served in the U.S. a few years ago on a farm, on a big farm, and we had shirts, and it was written on this shirt, "Our family is proud to feed your family." It is really important that our work or our job is to feed people. We are open to the people. We want to be transparent with people so that they know what we do and how we do it. It's really important. We invested, in the last year, a lot of money in animal welfare because we believe that better welfare breeds better animals and shows better results. As I said before, to work together with the supply chain, with all the players of our supply chain, is the only way, I think, we can really face the worst.

Michelle:       I want to go back to talk about empathy and a sense of family, a sense of community. Is there a stronger feeling now that we are all in this together, the agricultural supply chain, the consumers? Is there more of a connection now?

Massimo:       Well, a sense of family, I think, is, for us as Italians, at the top of our thoughts. We have seen in the last few weeks that everyone is facing the same problem, and probably the mistake we did (make) was to think, at the beginning, that the coronavirus was the Chinese (people's) problem; then we found it in Italy. Still, everyone thought to close Italy. Then, in a few days, we found it all over Europe, the U.S., South America, and all over the world, so we probably need to share more information. Sharing more information probably could have (been correlated to) less victims, so the method is, when we have difficulties like this, we need to face the difficulties together.

                        What we have seen in Italy is that we have a lot of volunteers helping families, helping other people living alone without having the possibility to go out or to go shopping. Really, what we noticed in the last few weeks is this kind of mutual help to other people, so at different levels — family level, private level, or at the highest level, between different countries. I think that we have to see all these things more in a community way.

Michelle:       Veronesi is a family company. Is that correct?

Massimo:       Yes, it is. It is. Still now, after 62 years, it's still a family company and was founded by Apollinare Veronesi, managed by the five sons after his death, and now we have the third generation in charge. Actually, the president is one representative of the third generation of Veronesis, but they're still now a family company. Yes, it is.

Michelle:       Alltech is also a family company, so we certainly have that in common. Mr. Massimo Zanin, thank you so much for joining us today. Stay safe. Stay well.

Massimo:       Thank you. Thank you so much, too.

Michelle:       For additional resources on COVID-19, visit alltech.com.

Click here for additional COVID-19 resources.

“It's impressive to watch how agriculture is responding and how resilient we are. I don't know of any farmer that has any type of giving-up mentality right now.”

Just as the U.S. dairy industry was beginning to find its stride, COVID-19 presented yet another threat to farmers. Yet, those on the frontlines of agriculture remain dedicated to sustaining the food supply. From his family farm in Modesto, California, fourth-generation dairy farmer Brian Fiscalini shares the realities of farming amid a pandemic and the optimism that drives him forward.

This episode is part of a special AgFuture series on the impact of COVID-19 on the food supply chain. Join us to hear how those on the frontlines of the global pandemic are working to overcome adversity and feed the world.

Hosted by Michelle Michael

As lead video producer at Alltech, Michelle travels the globe for the company’s award-winning Planet of Plenty™ documentary series. Michelle spent a decade as a video producer/reporter in Germany, reporting from military hotspots at the height of the war on terrorism. The National Press Photographer's Association (NPPA) has twice recognized Michelle as their solo video journalist of the year. 

Co-produced by Brandon Whitworth

As the senior media production specialist at Alltech, Brandon co-produces the company’s award-winning Planet of Plenty™ documentary series. Brandon is a two-time Emmy Award winning television news photojournalist and three-time nominee. He has received several regional awards from the National Press Photographers Association for excellence in visual storytelling.

The following is an edited transcript of Michelle Michael's interview with Brian Fiscalini. Click below to hear the full audio.

Michelle:       Hello! I'm Michelle Michael. In this special series of AgFuture, we're talking with those working along the food supply chain about the impact of COVID-19. My guest today is Brian Fiscalini, a fourth-generation dairy farmer in Modesto, California. Brian, thanks so much for joining us.

Brian:             You're welcome. Thanks for inviting me on.

Michelle:       Brian, we've met in person, and you have about a 540-acre farm, 2,800 dairy cows, a cheese plant on the farm itself. Give us just a brief description of your operation.

Brian:             Yeah, our dairy farm was started in 1914 by my great-grandfather. He started our farm with 12 Holstein cows, and we've continued to grow the operation over the years. We've attempted, with our best efforts, at trying some innovative technologies within the dairy industry. Today, our property spreads over about 540 acres. We milk 1,500 cows three times a day, and then we've got an additional 1,300 replacement heifers. Like you mentioned, we have our own on-site cheese business. It's a small, artisan, Kraft-style cheese company. Then, in the year 2009, we adopted the technology of a methane digester to convert our animal waste into electricity.

Michelle:       Now, I've been to your farm, and I know firsthand that you have a strong focus on sustainability, and that's the methane digester you just mentioned — but now we have a new topic to discuss, a not-so-happy topic: COVID-19. In California, Brian, what's happening in dairy and to you specifically?

Brian:             Yeah. As many people know, in the food industry, the landscape is comprised of two sectors: the retail business and the food-service business. As many of us know, the food-service (business), meaning the restaurants, catering companies, corporate lunchrooms and all of that — all that business has disappeared. While I think most consumers would be led to believe that we're making up all of that ground on the retail side, we're really not. There is a hole in consumption right now, and that is affecting the markets. The future milk prices are looking pretty poor right now. The beef price — which, when you're a dairy farmer, you're also exposed to the beef price for the animals that you sell or that you take to market — the beef price has also been dramatically reduced in the last two to three weeks, so our revenue stream is definitely going to be affected by this.

                        It's very frustrating. I take the pandemic that's going on right now very seriously, but it is frustrating — especially, I think, for dairy farmers, because we were starting to have a pretty good run after having four or five years of not such a great run. No one expected the timing of this. It's not great for a lot of industries.

Michelle:       Yeah. Brian, just a couple of months ago, the price of milk was actually heading toward a peak. Now, prices have really plunged. Describe why that's happening.

Brian:             I will do my best to describe why that's happening, not being a professional dairy economist. You know what? It's very interesting. I do get a lot of dairy newsletters and I try to stay on top of what's happening in the industry, and we don't have a supply problem. There's plenty of milk out there, so when you go into the grocery stores right now and you see that the shelves are not full of milk, I think that's also troubling. It's troubling to dairy farmers. It's troubling to grocery store owners and workers who want to be able to provide food to people that are trying to get it right now.

                        I think the price is fluctuating so much right now, mostly out of speculation. I have heard — and I'm not 100% sure how valid this is — but I have heard that where the supply chain is struggling right now are the other raw ingredients that go into the product: the cardboard boxes, the labels, the plastic bottles, all of those things that the supply chain wasn't ready for an increased demand of, and that appears to be more so why we're not able to keep the grocery store shelves stocked at the moment, versus having the most important raw ingredient, milk. That's not the problem right now. It appears to be all the other things.

Michelle:       If the demand isn't there, Brian, as a dairy farmer, you can't just turn off the cows. In short, is the dairy industry built to quickly deal with large changes in supply and demand? Is that what I'm hearing?

Brian:             I think that is an area right now where dairy farmers (are) — I don't want to use the word "scared," but concerned. We are concerned that if the supply is so much greater than the demand right now, we are not well-equipped to reduce the supply other than (by taking) extreme measures, meaning sending perfectly good dairy cows into the beef market. That's something that's heartbreaking for most dairy farmers; we've invested time and feed and care into all of these animals for many years, and to think that we may have to send those animals into a different market, that's devastating to our industry. It's something that I really hope and pray does not happen, but aside from that, if you have a really high-producing dairy cow right in the peak of her lactation, there are not a whole lot of ways you can turn that off. You can feed a different diet to slow the production of milk down, but then what I think a lot of farmers are worried about is if this is a 30 or 60-day problem, or a 90-day problem even, and the world does go back to some sort of new normal in 30, 60 or 90 days, that demand will come back, and if we have reduced or, in some cases, eliminated the supply, it's going to be a very interesting way to navigate how we were used to (doing) dairy farming.

Michelle:       Certainly, agriculture is trying to understand and react to what's happening in the world. We're seeing images of milk being dumped at farms across the United States. I wonder if you can explain a little bit about why that's happening, how the supply chain actually works, for people who may not fully understand that.

Brian:             Yeah. One thing to remember is we're in the middle of spring. There's a term that's been used in the dairy industry from even when my grandfather was dairy farming, and it's called the spring flush. What the spring flush means is that this is generally the time of the year where dairy farms are operating in their most efficient manner. Our milk production is higher at this point in the year than it generally is in any other time of the year. We're used to seeing a minor, maybe, oversupply right now, but with the other side of the economics equation being demand taking a hit, we're not ready for what's happening right now.

                        I also have seen images or videos of milk being dumped. I truly believe and I really do hope that this is a short-term problem and that the dairy industry can unite and come together. If we need to divert our product that we put our heart and soul into away from human consumption or into something else, I think that this is a time for dairy farmers to come together and get creative and do something there, because the last thing that we want to see are those images of perfectly good, healthy, nutritious milk going down the drain (so) that nobody can enjoy it.

                        We would much rather, as an industry, be able to donate that to people that are in need right now. Export markets are very tight right now, with a lot of borders being overly cautious — and with the right reasons to be cautious — but we don't have a lot of options right now. Normally, we could export products to countries that may have nutritional challenges or issues, and right now, it's very, very tight.

Michelle:       Can you explain why maybe it's not as simple as donating that milk to something like a food shelter?

Brian:             Yeah. All of these different industries, whether it's a food shelter or a community organization that helps people in need, they all have rules and they all have regulations. We've got our milk plants that make a variety of different products, like butter, yogurt, ice cream, and they're geared toward a specific retail customer — the packaging, the size, the shelf life. All of these things are geared toward those customers. In some cases, food banks aren't able — whether it be their rules, whatever it may be — they're not able to accept that product, and the rules for everything are changing right now. I don't even know if people have access to a food bank right now or if their access is limited because of what's going on right now. It's just a very, very interesting, very unique time that none of us will ever forget.

                        My children are out of school right now, and they're young enough that they're not completely understanding what's going on, but when this thing is over and we do go back to the new normal, I think it's going to be really interesting to see how we interact with each other and how we remember, during this time, what things were most important, and hopefully, we don't lose sight of that.

Michelle:       Yeah. Certainly, so much is changing right now and everybody's just trying to figure out a new way forward. I'm curious how your day-to-day on the farm has changed. Of course, you've mentioned your children are home. That's something that's probably entirely new. What are you doing differently on your farm?

Brian:             From an operational standpoint, not a whole lot has changed. We spoke a bit earlier about the need to milk our cows every day and feed them every day and care for them and do the normal care that we have to do for our cows. I think the thing that's changed the most in my day is — the word that I just used is "care". I like to believe that we've always cared really deeply about our people and our cows, but the face-to-face interactions with our employees right now, it feels really, really special. When I look into our employees' eyes right now, you can tell that there's a little bit of uncertainty there. I think that we're having conversations that you normally wouldn't have with your employees every single day.

                        I'm asking them how their family members are doing, which we do in passing maybe once a week or so, but now it's almost a daily routine, and I think that's really, really important because I'm connecting with my employees in a different way than I have in the past, and I think that that's a two-way street. I think they're also feeling that they're connecting with me in a way that maybe we haven't been able to do. We're still doing our jobs. We're still getting up at the same time. Our schedule hasn't changed, but I think that this is uniting the Fiscalini family — and when I say that, that extends to all the people that are responsible for making the products that we make and doing the farming activities that we're doing.

                        Yeah, it is a very wild time, and like I said, I really do hope that when we do find some sort of normal, that we don't forget the things that were able to get us through this time and the things that are the most important, like our family and our people.

                        In our case, our cows have always been important, but they have no clue what's going on right now. They're doing what they do 365 days a year. It's impressive to watch how agriculture is responding and how resilient we are. I don't know of any farmer that has got any type of giving-up mentality right now. If anything, it's, "Hey, we've got a job to do." I think people realize right now (that) the job that we are doing is one of the most important ones. Doctors and nurses are doing everything they can. Farmers are doing everything they can. I just think, while it is a wild time, I think it is somewhat sobering to see how people are coming together.

Michelle:       It's really interesting to think about social distancing bringing us closer together, but I think you're absolutely right. Being a dairyman, it's not easy. It seems the challenges of COVID-19, in some ways, farmers are prepared to deal with it. We're responding, but without the experience to do so. This is unprecedented. Is this what you would consider a crisis mode, or are we not there yet?

Brian:             I'm probably not the right person to speak to that. I don't like using the word "crisis". I think the dairy industry is very challenged, at a point. I think we're also optimistic that we know we can produce healthy food during any time period. I'd say we're definitely challenged, but I don't think we're alone. Many, many industries are challenged, and some are being affected even worse than we are, so I think what my hope and my true belief is that we are near the peak of this and that once it begins to level off and become a little bit more controllable, that I think people will get their confidence back into doing some of their regular activities. I don't think anyone's going to go back to "normal," but I think that if we can at least get people back to their regular work and healthy lifestyle and day-to-day routine, that we'll all be better off.

Michelle:       We can call it a new normal, I guess. Brian, you've mentioned that you have milk, you make milk, and you also use some of that milk for cheese. Does that put you in a different position, a better position, when you compare yourself to other dairies at this time?

Brian:             It potentially could. The demand for our cheese has also taken a pretty big hit because about half of our business, typically, is food service. We've seen our food service customers, and they haven't placed orders in a few weeks. Normally, we'd have 10 to 15 orders a week from our food service customers, so we've definitely seen the hit. The interesting part about our cheese business is that we do make aged cheeses, so if we did have to reduce the supply of milk that we send outside of our farm, not to our cheese company, we would be able to divert some of that back to our cheese business and maybe make some aged cheeses, let them sit there, and then put ourselves in a position to where, once those cheeses have been aged for a year or so, we have an opportunity to sell more product than we normally have.

                        I don't know. We're in a more flexible position. There's risk in that decision as well because the cheeses that I'm making today, it's kind of hard to find a customer that will commit to it a year from now right now, so we have to go out and we have to get those sales. I think we can do it. We're definitely ready for the challenge, if that's what we need to do, but I don't know too many dairy farmers that would say, "I feel like I'm in a really good position right now" — even ourselves, seeing that we do have a little bit more flexibility than the average dairy farmer.

Michelle:       We've talked a little bit about some of the short-term problems that could come from this pandemic in the industry. What do you see as potential long-term problems in the dairy industry because of this pandemic?

Brian:             I think that there will be long-term consequences or things that come of this. I think, in the dairy industry, we really need to work on our supply-and-demand management. I think that's something that the industry has needed to work on for a long time. Once milk prices get to a profitable place for most dairy farmers, it's inevitable. We oversupply the market, and if the demand isn't there, then we inevitably drop our prices. I think what will come of this is more product innovation and, hopefully, creating products that are more available during something like this. I don't know what those are. I can't really speak to what those products would be, but we've put ourselves in a position where we make four or five commodity products really, really well and very, very efficiently. However, there's a lot more market out there that we're not trying to tap into right now, so I do believe that innovation will come out of this.

                        I think the dairy industry will have challenges in the long-term if we decide that we're going to keep making 40-pound commodity blocks of cheese and the same old fluid milk in a plastic jug and unsalted butter. I think there are so many more opportunities, so many more products that we can make, even if it's an ingredient in another product. There are so many meals that you see where there are probably three or four dairy products that are ingredients in that. I think we need to continue to do that type of work so that we can protect our farms, our future and our overall sustainability. When I say sustainability, I don't just mean environmental; I mean just the ability to stay in business.

Michelle:       It's interesting to hear from you that you're looking at opportunity in this time. When you talk about innovation, I certainly see that as opportunity. From a consumer perspective, is there anything that we can do to support (the industry) at this time — drink milk, buy cheese, or is the solution that easy?

Brian:             I think that consumers can always help. I don't think that the solution is necessarily an easy one. I think we're already seeing — and we should be very grateful and thankful for what consumers are doing right now. By purchasing local dairy products, supporting your local farmers — if you've got a farmer in your neighborhood that bottles milk or that makes cheese on their farm, or ice cream or butter or yogurt, I think they would be very appreciative of your support, and there are so many options out there. I know I can speak for our company. I don't expect that people are only going to buy Fiscalini cheese for the rest of their life. There are so many great products that are made in this country.

                        I think people should open up their horizon a little bit, maybe try something that you haven't tried before, realize that there are some very nutritionally dense products that the dairy industry creates — and right now, that appears to be something that people are very focused on, is, "I may be laid off of work right now" or "I may not be able to go into my office, so I need to stretch my dollar a little more. I need to get as much nutritional value as I can," so instead of having a Gatorade, try a glass of milk. My family, we go through milk pretty quickly, but there are a lot of options out there. There's lactose-free. The dairy industry has products out there that I think can fit in every diet, but what I would say is definitely don't give up on your local farmers right now, who employ people in your community. Chances are, your kids go to school with the kids of somebody that is directly related to the dairy industry, whether they're a truck driver or a grocery store clerk. The dairy industry covers so many different areas of the economy. I think it's important to support farmers right now.

Michelle:       Absolutely. We appreciate what you do, Brian. Farmers in general really take a hit, and they're blamed a lot for pollution, et cetera. Do you think this pandemic will change the way consumers perceive the world of agriculture?

Brian:             Yeah. I think pollution is one of the things that is being talked about a lot right now, with so many cars not on the road and delivery trucks to restaurants not on the road. Maybe they're just going to grocery stores right now, but you're seeing a lot less traffic. You're seeing a lot less air pollution. I see, every now and then, people saying, "Oh, I haven't been able to see the mountains this clear in however long" or "I'm able to breathe a little more clearly now." I think what people should remember is that farming hasn't stopped, so all of the activities that we're doing that may have been incorrectly blamed for a large portion of air pollution or something like that, I think it's time for people maybe to look in the mirror a little bit and realize that farming is extremely important and vital to our existence, and maybe I can drive my car two or three times less in a week, because people are doing whatever they need to do right now in order to make ends meet.

Michelle:       Do you personally feel more appreciated now as a farmer than you did before all of this began?

Brian:             Yeah. We've gotten a lot of support, whether it be on our cheese company Instagram or Facebook page, whether it just be friends that I went to college with or people that I've crossed paths with who send you a text, and you haven't gotten a text from them in two or three years, and (they) just say, "Keep your head up. We appreciate what you're doing." It is nice to know that people do care, and I think we're learning that. (In) our lives previously, we were really, really good at filling up our schedules. We could fill up our schedules with all kinds of activities. We could have meetings, we could have food shows, we could have trade shows, all these different things. I think what we're coming to realize is that while those things are important, they're not as important as maybe we once believed that they were, so we're finding that we're receiving more comfort just from our friends, our friends and our family, than we thought we needed to do with all those other activities that we were doing.

Michelle:       Speaking of importance, you've mentioned your children. I know, in past conversations, you've expressed that you eventually want to pass the farm down to them one day. Will this pandemic change that, or do you still want them to be in the dairy business and take over the family farm? Is that still extremely important to you?

Brian:             Yes, that has not changed. It is extremely important to my wife and I that we create an opportunity for our children to be in the dairy business or in the agricultural business someday. The upbringing that I had, you can't replicate it. I think I got to work at a fairly young age. I was able to operate pretty large equipment at a young age. I was able to care for calves and cows at a younger age than most people are able to. While it instills a good work ethic, it also keeps you close to agriculture. I don't ever want to be so far removed, or for my children or their children to be so far removed, that we forget the importance of growing crops in the ground, converting those crops into really high-quality feed for our cows to eat, and then making excellent dairy products out of that milk. That goal and dream has not changed. I'm committed to dairy farming. I think, while there are challenges, I'm still optimistic that this is a long-term — this business has been in my family for over 105 years, so not only can we not turn the cows off, but it's near impossible to turn the passion off and the legacy for what we've been able to do.

Michelle:       We so appreciate your love for agriculture and what you do, and also, for the hard work that you put in every single day. Brian Fiscalini from Fiscalini Dairy, take care of yourself. Thank you so much for joining us today.

Brian:             Thanks, Michelle. Take care of you and your family as well.

Michelle:       For additional resources on COVID-19, visit alltech.com.

Click here for additional COVID-19 resources.

One of the primary goals of all livestock producers is to keep their herds healthy. Unfortunately, however, illness is often unavoidable — and some very easily transmitted but deadly ailments can be traced back to one source: Clostridium.

What is Clostridium, and how do you know when it is causing problems in your herd?

Clostridia are gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacteria that are often found in the soil and manure or in feedstuffs that have been contaminated.

“It’s around us all the time, everywhere,” said Dr. Luke Miller, a veterinary elite dairy advisor at Alltech. “Because it’s a spore former, soil contamination caused by clostridia can last through the winter. It can last in the desert, during heat stress, cold stress — all that stuff has very little effect on clostridia.”

Unlike many other disease-causing bacteria, clostridia are not contagious or passed from animal to animal.  

“There’s pretty much two ways you’re going to get a Clostridium infection,” said Luke. “You’re going to get it through either ingesting contaminated food or through a cut, an open wound or something like that. There’s always some insult that has to occur for a clostridial infection to flourish.”

It is possible for an animal to ingest clostridia and not be affected, as spores can lay dormant in the intestine. Clostridia become pathogenic when something about the animal’s diet, habitat or body changes — if the animal eats too much starch or carbohydrates, for example, or experiences a tissue injury, either internal (e.g., liver abscesses) or external (e.g., cuts or gashes). These issues — namely, a decrease in or lack of oxygen within the tissue — create favorable conditions for the proliferation of this bacteria.

Homing in on Clostridium perfringens

There are numerous types of clostridial bacteria, but cattle producers should be specifically concerned about Clostridium perfringens, which can have a major impact on an animal’s gut health — especially young animals, including calves that are less than 2 months old, because they have not yet developed a fully functioning rumen or a complete gut flora.

C. perfringens lives on starches and sugars, which explains why it proliferates when cattle start eating more carbohydrates. It can also spread when the animal experiences stress or is dealing with another condition that affects the gut, such as diarrhea. When elevated levels of the toxins released by C. perfringens enter the bloodstream — including alpha toxin, which is highly virulent — animals can experience inflammation, shock, cardiac arrest and even death.

What are the symptoms of clostridial disease in cattle?

Clostridium can lead to gut distress in cattle — especially when they are specifically dealing with C. perfringens, which can lead to symptoms and issues that include:

• Enterotoxemia (also known as purple gut; when toxins from bacteria that are usually found in the intestine enter the bloodstream)
• Severe diarrhea/stomach upset
• Abdominal pain
• Bloat
• Decreased appetite/intestinal movement
• Abomasum distention
• Leaky gut
• Bubbles in the manure
• Hemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS)
• Stalled calves
• ADR (“ain’t doin’ right”) — general malaise, etc.
• Blindness
• Sudden death

How can clostridial infections be prevented or defeated?

While it can be difficult to treat enteric diseases in cattle, including infections caused by C. perfringens, it is not impossible. Learn more about the various ways you can protect your animals against dangerous clostridia below.

1. Work with your vet to implement a vaccine protocol

Consult with your veterinarian about creating a proper vaccination program for your herd, as vaccines can help protect against some of the most common clostridial diseases in cattle, including enterotoxemia, blackleg, redwater and tetanus.

“There are many kinds and brands of vaccines for Clostridium,” said Miller. “Meet with your veterinarian to decide a proper vaccination protocol that addresses your operation’s needs and takes into account your regional pathogen load and issues.”

Miller also recommends being as proactive as possible about making sure your other cattle don’t contract clostridia once it has been identified in a member of the herd. After all, while clostridia can’t be transmitted from animal to animal, if the entire herd is eating the same contaminated feed or is walking on contaminated soil, more instances of infection are likely to crop up.  

2. Help the gut microbiome flourish by feeding probiotics

As defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), probiotics are live microorganisms that can provide health benefits by helping digest food, destroying disease-causing cells and producing vitamins. Some of the microorganisms contained in probiotics are similar to — or even the same as — microorganisms that live naturally in the bodies of humans and animals. As such, probiotics help “complement the gut biome,” in Miller’s words, making it more robust and bolstering its ability to fight off colonization by detrimental bacteria like C. perfringens.

“You can get colonization with good bacteria every day with probiotics, and they simply out-eat the competition for nutrients,” said Miller. “When they eat more starch, the Clostridium won’t be able to. They’re keeping the pH where they like it, not where the Clostridium likes it.”

3. Keep the gut healthy with products like Select BAC™

While the methods mentioned above can help protect against clostridial diseases in cattle, some intestinal issues caused by C. perfringens are not addressed by vaccines and/or probiotics. Select BAC™, a new product offering from Alltech, serves as a great nutritional solution for helping solve the problems created by Clostridium. This complete gut health pack includes both enzymes and probiotics, which play a pivotal role in maintaining the health of the gut.

“We’re throwing in the whole kitchen sink of what science thinks is good for the gut in Select BAC,” Miller said. “We’re helping you heal your herd’s gut.”

Clostridium is nearly impossible to avoid, and the effects it can have on cattle herds are difficult to grasp. Fortunately, a variety of Clostridium perfringens treatments and methods of prevention are available, including establishing a vaccination program and feeding probiotics and enzymes. Hopefully, by utilizing these techniques, producers can begin to feel more at ease about the health of their herds.

References

“Clostridial disease.” MSD Animal Health, http://www.msd-animal-health.ie/diseases/cattle/clostridial-disease/information.aspx.

“Clostridium perfringens infections in baby calves.” Drovers, 26 March 2013, www.drovers.com/article/clostridium-perfringens-infections-baby-calves.

Thomas, Heather Smith. “Calving Tips: How to Prevent Acute Gut Infection in Beef Calves.” Beef Magazine, 22 March 2013, www.beefmagazine.com/calving/calving-tips-how-prevent-acute-gut-infection-beef-calves.

Thomas, Heather Smith. “Clostridial Infections in Calves.” Angus Journal, 26 April 2017, www.angus.org/Media/News/FullArticle.aspx?asTitle=Clostridial-Infections-in-Calves&aiId=786.

I would like more information about Clostridium in cattle.

As people around the world adjust their lifestyles to social distancing restrictions, it’s more important than ever to keep our lives in balance and our health in check. As a registered dietician and director of human health initiatives at Alltech, Nikki Putnam-Badding is an expert on supporting immunity and well-being through nutrition. Join us as she shares her tips for eating healthy, shopping efficiently and maintaining a sense of normalcy during the pandemic.

Hosted by Michelle Michael

As lead video producer at Alltech, Michelle travels the globe for the company’s award-winning Planet of Plenty™ documentary series. Michelle spent a decade as a video producer/reporter in Germany, reporting from military hotspots at the height of the war on terrorism. The National Press Photographer's Association (NPPA) has twice recognized Michelle as their solo video journalist of the year.

Co-produced by Brandon Whitworth

As the senior media production specialist at Alltech, Brandon co-produces the company’s award-winning Planet of Plenty™ documentary series. Brandon is a two-time Emmy Award winning television news photojournalist and three-time nominee. He has received several regional awards from the National Press Photographers Association for excellence in visual storytelling.

The following is an edited transcript of Michelle Michael’s interview with Nikki Putnam-Badding. Click below to hear the full audio.

Michelle:       Hello! I'm Michelle Michael. In this special series of AgFuture, we're talking with those working along the food supply chain about the impact of COVID-19. My guest today is Nikki Putnam Badding, a registered dietician and, also, a colleague of mine. Nikki is the director of human initiatives at Alltech. Nikki, thank you so much for being with us today.

Nikki:              Thanks for having me, Michelle.

Michelle:       Let's talk about self-care. This pandemic, it can feel overwhelming. People are dealing with information overload, long work hours, caring for family during those work hours and a whole host of other things. It's important, though, I think, to pause for a moment, collect ourselves and just admit that this is, at times, a taxing situation and it can impact our well-being. Is that right?

Nikki:              Absolutely.

Michelle:       As a dietitian, what concerns you most about people during this experience?

Nikki:              Well, as you mentioned, Michelle, this is a really challenging time for everyone. I think it's really easy to let that self-care slip on occasion. We're trying to focus on our new roles, on working from home, maybe taking care of children and other family members at the same time. Really, what we want to focus on from a nutrition and health perspective is choosing a healthy lifestyle for the short and long term for your overall health and wellness — so following general good health guidelines is really one of the single best steps you can take for yourself and to keep your naturally functioning immune system strong and healthy.

                        Every part of our body, including our immune systems, functions better when bolstered by healthy living strategies — for example, trying to quit smoking, if you're a smoker; eating a diet high in whole foods, like lean meats, seafood, dairy, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats; continuing to exercise regularly, which can be really tough during a time like this; maintaining a healthy weight; drinking alcohol in moderation, and that'd be one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men; trying to get adequate sleep as much as we can; and also, trying to minimize our stress levels.

                        During this time, proper nutrition and hydration are absolutely vital. People who stay active, eat a well-balanced diet and take supplements as necessary tend to be healthier and have stronger immune systems, which is very important at a time like this, and (also have) a lower risk of chronic illnesses and infectious disease.

Michelle:       When you talk about strengthening our immune systems to fight off illness, can you talk a little bit more specifically about which nutrients or which foods we should be taking in to boost our immune system and stay well during this pandemic?

Nikki:              Sure thing. As I mentioned, good nutrition is essential to a strong immune system, and it may offer protection from seasonal illness and other health problems. Although no one food or supplement can prevent illness, you can actually help support your immune system by including some key nutrients in your overall eating plan on a regular basis. While, unfortunately, just eating one orange here or there won't do the trick, a truly healthy immune system depends on a balanced diet, normal sleep patterns and regular exercise.

                        A few nutrients that are known to help support a strong immune system are protein, interestingly enough, which plays a role in the body's immune system, especially for healing and recovery, and vitamin A, because it helps regulate the immune system and protect against infections by keeping our skin and the tissues in our mouth, stomach, intestines and respiratory system healthy. Vitamin C, the one we all know, supports the immune system by stimulating the formation of antibodies. Vitamin E works as an antioxidant and may support immune function as well. Vitamin D is in there; it promotes an immune response that helps defend your body against pathogens, and there's zinc, which helps the immune system work properly and can also help wounds heal. Finally, selenium, which has an absolutely crucial role in a wide variety of physiological processes, affecting immune response — and the immune system in general actually relies on adequate dietary selenium intake.

                        Though I usually tell people it's best to get most of your nutrition through food, a specific vitamin or mineral supplement may benefit your health and overall wellness in the instance that you're not reaching the recommended daily intake of a nutrient, or perhaps you're utilizing them as a part of a preventative health regimen.

Michelle:       And not just upping your nutrient intake, Nikki, but many of us are limiting the number of times that we would go to the supermarket to pick up fresh foods. What are some tips for healthy eating when we're minimizing our trips to the store or maybe even the selection is limited, in some cases, temporarily?

Nikki:              Yeah, that's a great point. I think purchasing, storing and cooking fresh food can be really challenging when we're advised to limit trips outside of the home, particularly to the supermarket, so my first recommendation would be to try to keep up as much as possible with that fruit and vegetable intake. Whenever it's possible to get ahold of fresh produce, do so, of course, but depending on where you live, what time of year it is and, now, as you've mentioned, the availability, due to interruptions in the supply chain or perhaps other people who are food hoarding, you can't always get your hands on high-quality, fresh produce, so the next best thing is frozen. Manufacturers most often freeze fruits and veggies at peak ripeness, which means they pack a similar nutritional value as their fresh counterparts. Just make sure you're choosing options without added sugar or sodium. You can also swap in healthy dried or canned alternatives when fresh or frozen are not available. Although canned vegetables and dried fruits do tend to be a bit lower in quantity of vitamins than fresh, they are a great fallback option when fresh produce or frozen are hard to come by.

                        I also like to mention that other canned items that are great to have on hand are canned beans, because they do provide an abundance of nutrients, and they can be stored for months, sometimes even years, and they can be included in meals in many ways. Same goes for canned fish, such as sardines, mackerel, salmon — they all provide great protein sources, omega-3 fatty acids and a range of vitamins and minerals — and then having some dried goods on hand is a good backup, like dried beans and grains. One last note on this front: I know it's really tempting to stock up on processed foods like ready-to-eat meals, packaged snacks and treats. They're often very high in saturated fats, sugars and salt and, at the same time, provide us with less nutrition. So, in that vein, also try to avoid sugary drinks as much as possible and, instead, drink lots of water and other low-calorie beverages.

Michelle:       I hear from you, certainly, that fresh is best, and I've talked to many growers or farmers who feel that perhaps people at this time are shying away from fresh produce because of a fear that COVID-19 can be spread through food. From you, from a dietitian — can you answer that question for us? Can this spread through food?

Nikki:              I'm really happy you asked that question, Michelle. First and foremost, I should note that, of course, I'm not an infectious disease expert, but following the basic guidelines of hygiene and food safety, it's very unlikely that the virus could be spread through food — but not entirely impossible, meaning that it's possible the virus can get onto or into food if someone who is infected coughs or sneezes on the food or has the virus on their hands and touches the food. But unlike bacteria that causes foodborne illnesses, coronavirus doesn't multiply on food. There's currently no evidence to suggest it can be transmitted through food or water systems, but a lot of experts are saying that sharing food and beverages during this time should be limited, and always continue proper home food safety.

Michelle:       Well, would it be safer, then, during this time, to — if you're buying fresh produce — would it be safer to cook it and consume it that way?

Nikki:              Potentially. I don't think consumers need to be fearful of eating fresh produce, raw fruits and vegetables, though it's possible that someone who is infected sneezed directly on a banana and you picked up that banana and touched your face. You could get infected, but you're much more likely to get infected by standing next to that person while shopping for that banana. That's why social distancing, putting at least that six feet of space between you and other people, is so important. Interestingly, about cooking, the World Health Organization has said that the virus is probably susceptible to normal cooking temperatures, so you don't need to cook food any differently than what you typically do for food safety. These experts are saying that cooking your food to the same temperatures required to kill pathogens that cause foodborne illness is also likely to kill COVID-19. That would be, as a reminder, 145°F for fresh pork, beef roast and fish; 160°F for egg dishes and other cuts of beef; and 165°F for poultry, ground beef, or reheating pre-cooked ham or leftovers or casseroles that might contain some of those pieces of fresh produce you mentioned.

Michelle:       If we are going to eat that raw produce, fruits and vegetables, are there certain precautions we need to take at this time — differently washing the fruits and vegetables than we would have before this pandemic?

Nikki:              At this time, many of the expert organizations are saying no, we don't need to take any different measures than we did before. Just make sure to thoroughly wash those fruits and vegetables when you get home.

I know there's a lot of questions out there, too, about (whether or not you can) pick up COVID-19 from food packaging. This is a question that the CDC actually addressed recently, and they're saying COVID-19 is primarily transmitted person to person through respiratory droplets, so currently, there is no evidence to support transmission of the virus through food. In general, because of the poor survivability of these viruses on surfaces, there is likely a very low risk of spread from food products or packaging, but that being said, if you touch something that has the virus on it — like a food package or produce or a package of meat — and then touch your nose, mouth or eyes, you could become infected. So, before preparing or eating food, it's important to always wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Also, just making sure you're wiping down those surfaces when you get home after you've picked up your groceries. Make sure, when you unpack your food, you just wipe everything down. Make sure you're tossing away those disposable bags, if they came in that, or washing your reusable bags immediately when you get home.

Michelle:       Good advice. Nikki, when it comes to plants, processing plants, farmers — a lot of times, those vegetables, they're picked by hand. A lot of that is done by hand. I know that they're practicing social distancing, but should we be concerned about food coming from areas where there is a high risk of COVID-19?

Nikki:              Actually, according to the Department of Agriculture's recent updates on COVID-19, they're saying there's no evidence to support transmission of the virus with any of those foods that had been either imported or transported throughout the country. It's important to remember that, unlike bacteria that causes foodborne illness, the virus, as I mentioned before, doesn't multiply on or in foods, and the current research shows that it can only survive for a very limited time on most surfaces. Most often, even if a product or packaging were carrying the virus or it was handpicked by someone who was infected and maybe had the virus on their hands, it would most likely die during transport. I think that can put a lot of consumers' minds at ease — although, as I previously mentioned, it's always just a good idea to keep following that (guideline to) wash your fresh fruits and veggies when you get them home from the store and wipe down that food packaging, just for that final line of defense.

Michelle:       We keep hearing about the importance of supporting local businesses, especially restaurants, during this time, as the bulk of their business is gone. They're only doing takeout right now or curbside pickup or delivery, but is that safe? Is it actually safe to get takeout and delivery from restaurants during a pandemic like this?

Nikki:              Yes, it is. I'm happy to hear that you mentioned supporting local businesses, particularly restaurants right now, when we can't dine in. The takeout and delivery from restaurants can actually be a very good alternative to obtaining food because, unlike grocery shopping, it really does greatly reduce the need to interact with other people. Most restaurants have instituted contactless delivery or pickup practices that allow people to either pre-pay for food or receive it without coming close to another person, which we know is the biggest risk factor for the disease, interacting closely with other people. If you are worried about bringing those foods into your home, to further reduce your risk, just transfer that food, that takeout, to a plate when you get home, dispose of the containers and then, again, always wash your hands before you eat — but it is a very good and, typically, very safe way to obtain food.

Michelle:       We keep hearing about the 65-and-up population (being) at an increased risk of COVID-19 at this time. I wonder, from a dietary point of view, somebody in that age bracket — does the immune system change with age, and does that age group have to eat differently?

Nikki:              Yes. As we age, our immune response capability becomes reduced, which, in turn, may contribute to more infections. While some people age healthily, the conclusion of many studies is that, compared with younger people, elderly folks are more likely to contract infectious diseases and viruses and are more likely to die from them. Interestingly, there appears to be an even stronger connection between nutrition and immunity in the elderly. A form of malnutrition that's actually surprisingly common, even in affluent countries, is known as micronutrient malnutrition. Micronutrient malnutrition occurs when a person is deficient in some of the essential vitamins and trace minerals that are obtained through diet. Older people often tend to eat less, and they have less variety in their diets. One important question is, perhaps, whether dietary supplements may help older people maintain a healthier immune system — something to be discussed with their doctor or dietitian.

Michelle:       I wonder, Nikki, if you can talk about why, during this time, (when) everybody's schedules are just changed suddenly, everybody's lives are just uprooted and nothing is normal, why is it so easy to get off-track, and what can we do to try to maintain some sort of normalcy from a dietary perspective?

Nikki:              Yeah. As you've mentioned, Michelle, it's so easy to get off-track during this time because our schedules are changed, and many of us have been forced into this change without any prior warning — working from home, taking care of children and family members from home — and everything's just been thrown out of whack. Some really important things, and fairly easy things, that you can do is just try to keep yourself on a regular schedule. Go back to thinking about what was your schedule for eating, grocery shopping, working out, trying to stay active, sleep — what were your tactics for minimizing stress before this? Try to pull in as much of those tactics as you can, because many of those you know already worked for you, and then try to change that around and make it fit your new schedule.

                        Those people who have kiddos at home: I think a really nice way to entertain kids and keep them busy is to involve them in mealtimes. Have more discussions about food. This is a fantastic time to talk about where food comes from, how it nourishes their body, and get them really involved in planning and preparation of food, and then try to do more things either as a family or, if you don't have kiddos, just get outside when possible and where it's safe to spend some time moving around. There are also a lot of really great online resources where you can find at-home workouts. I recommend that to a lot of people, even if you do it for ten minutes a day. It's just a nice way to keep moving.

Try to stay to a normal work and sleep schedule. It can be very difficult while we're working from home to step away from our computers and close everything down like a normal eight-to-five or nine-to-five business, because our office is right there, so try to make sure you're stepping away for breakfast, lunch, dinner, maybe even snacks, if you can, just to get a break from the computer and a break from work, and try to go back to some normalcy.

Michelle:       If you've never had time to prepare your own meals, to fall in love with cooking, it seems like this might be a good opportunity, even.

Nikki:              Certainly. I've seen that there are a lot of YouTube channels that are jumping in popularity. There's one I really enjoy: it's Italian grandmothers making old Italian recipes and pasta. I've seen their viewership just skyrocket recently because people are taking a new interest in preparing things from scratch, or some of those YouTube channels that are showing people how to just start cooking from the very beginning. As you've mentioned, there's no better time than now to start learning.

Michelle:       Nikki, do you have any other recommendations for keeping our food and keeping our kitchens safe?

Nikki:              Yeah. First and foremost, when you're going out for food, just a reminder, wear a mask and gloves when you're going out for food, to get groceries or picking up takeaway meals, and if you do use reusable grocery bags, masks or gloves, make sure you wash them immediately upon returning home. That's really important — or use single-use bags or disposable protective equipment during this time. We can't stop hearing this, but wash your hands regularly, as recommended by countless international organizations, plus before preparing and eating food. Even if you picked up your phone while you're eating lunch, make sure you wash your hands again, because a lot of those viruses and contaminants can stay on phones and surfaces and the like for much longer than they would on food.

                        Try to keep your kitchen a safe zone by removing non-cooking items from countertops. I know many of us, myself included, often end up tossing daily items here without thinking twice, putting mail on the countertop. Don't put grocery bags or takeaway bags on your countertops. Also, try to clean them every time before you prepare a meal, and sanitize kitchen surfaces, including your refrigerator, stove handles, cupboard pulls and the like, on a regular basis.

Michelle:       It adds so much to grocery shopping and preparing food, but some very important advice. Nikki Putnam Badding, a registered dietitian with some really fabulous advice on taking care of ourselves during this time. Nikki, take care of yourself, and thank you so much for joining us today.

Nikki:              Thanks, Michelle.

Michelle:       For additional resources on COVID-19, visit alltech.com.

Click here for additional COVID-19 resources.

On March 24, India’s 1.3 billion people went into lockdown in the most extensive COVID-19 containment effort in the world. The impact of the pandemic extends to livestock producers, crop farmers and the food supply chain in unprecedented ways. Dr. Sayed Aman, managing director of business at Alltech India, shares how life and agriculture look from inside the nationwide lockdown, and how heroes are emerging to help others amid the crisis.

This episode is part of a special AgFuture series on the impact of COVID-19 on the food supply chain. Join us to hear how those on the frontlines of the global pandemic are working to overcome adversity and feed the world.

Hosted by Michelle Michael

As lead video producer at Alltech, Michelle travels the globe for the company’s award-winning Planet of Plenty™ documentary series. Michelle spent a decade as a video producer/reporter in Germany, reporting from military hotspots at the height of the war on terrorism. The National Press Photographer's Association (NPPA) has twice recognized Michelle as their solo video journalist of the year.

Co-produced by Brandon Whitworth

As the senior media production specialist at Alltech, Brandon co-produces the company’s award-winning Planet of Plenty™ documentary series. Brandon is a two-time Emmy Award winning television news photojournalist and three-time nominee. He has received several regional awards from the National Press Photographers Association for excellence in visual storytelling.

Michelle:       Hello! I'm Michelle Michael. In this special series of AgFuture, we're talking with those working along the food supply chain about the impact of COVID-19. My guest today is a colleague of mine here at Alltech, Dr. Sayed Aman. He is the managing director of business in India. Dr. Aman, it's a pleasure to have you with us today.

Dr. Sayed:     Thank you, Michelle. Thanks for having me.

Michelle:       Dr. Aman, India is home to a very large number of people — 1.3 billion, I believe, is the number — and, currently, you're experiencing some of the harshest and most extensive lockdown measures over COVID-19. Those restrictions are aimed at slowing down the transmission of the coronavirus, of course, but what is life like for you, for people in India right now, just day-to-day living?

Dr. Sayed:     Thanks, Michelle, for that question. Let me start by saying a big condolence to all those people who have lost their lives in this pandemic. Our feelings and thoughts and prayers go with all those who are affected and their families, and a big gratitude to all the healthcare workers, the police, all the heroes working in the food chain across the globe.

                        To answer your question, Michelle, the prime minister of India was very proactive in announcing the first lockdown on the 22nd of March. That was a Sunday. One-point-three-four billion people going under lockdown — that was probably the largest lockdown ever that happened in the history of this planet. Following on from that first lockdown, the second lockdown then started on the 25th of March for three weeks. It was not an easy scenario for people, really, because to get to this kind of new way of life, to get used to new terminologies, new vocabularies, it wasn't easy at all — whether it is the PPEs, the ventilators, all these are new terminologies, in a way. Initially, people faced a lot of difficulties to differentiate between the essential and the non-essential elements, but now, things are a bit more clear. Almost every day, we have new notifications come through from different government departments, and things are getting better as time flies.

                        Now, as we are on the fifteenth day of lockdown, we are beginning to see life again. It appears that, now, the government of India and the different states are looking at further extending this lockdown. We are getting to know about this scenario by this weekend, how long this lockdown will continue — but then, overall, Michelle, there is significant medical, economic and psychological stress and pain on everyone. Amidst all of this, we still see a silver lining. The air quality in many of our states is improving. For example, in the capital of India, Delhi, the air quality has improved by more than 70%, which is really a promising scenario. We now know, Michelle, in India (that) the sky's color is really blue, and the moon is pink.

Michelle:       Certainly, that’s something that's different at this time. I want to go back and echo your comments about those who have lost their lives in this pandemic. Of course, our hearts go out to them. Farmers and producers, they're experiencing a loss of a different kind. Let's transition now to the world of agriculture, where nothing is like it was just a few weeks ago. Talk about the world through the eyes of poultry producers at this time. Rumors and speculation associated with the consumption of chicken linked to COVID-19 has really put a dent in sales. Tell us about that speculation. How did that all start, and how much are producers losing at this time?

Dr. Sayed:     I just want to take you a little bit to a pre-pandemic scenario. The end of December was a Q3 financial — it was considered a financial year. Our economy, over the period of the last two years, is a little bit on a downtrend, from a GDP growth of 7.1% to 4.7% in the Q3 that ended December 31, so already, there was very tight pressure to the poultry industry. The producing power had reduced. Then we heard the initial news of the pandemic emerging from China and Wuhan that was linked to the seafood market and the animal market.

Towards the end of January and February, unfortunately, there were rumors and videos being circulated in social media here in India stating that chicken consumption leads to coronavirus. That was really devastating. The entire chicken industry, whether it was broilers or eggs — the prices really nosedived, the consumption nosedived, and the producers were in deeper financial distress.

Michelle:       I'm sure you know some of those producers personally. What is life like for them right now, and what is the impact despite the financial distress?

Dr. Sayed:     When you talk about the financial distress, the whole poultry industry in India was losing and almost is losing about $300 million per day, which is really very significant. The broiler prices crashed from $1.20 to as low as $0.20. There were situations where we came across and I witnessed that the broilers have literally no price at all and they were freely distributed to the consumers. At this financial distress and at this crisis moment, the poultry producers came together, and this togetherness is very, very critical. All of them came together. They made a collective appeal and a plea to the government of India, to the Animal Husbandry Ministry and the finance ministry, and we are hopeful that there will be some stimulus or relief package coming to us in the poultry industry.

                        Now, going back to the rumors, there are — FIR has been registered in different police stations and different states. Some states have done incredibly well in trying to investigate where, why and how these rumors — who was behind them, and I'm sure they will book the culprit eventually, but frankly, I think that there is a lot for the industry to look beyond into the future and say, “Are we really prepared for another scenario like this?” and “What will happen if another scenario happens in a similar way?” So, I think it is time for them to really come together and look into the future.

Michelle:       It sounds like poultry producers — like you said, it's just great distress at this time. What has changed for, say, milk producers?

Dr. Sayed:     Even (for) the milk producers, the milk consumption has really dropped, because all the hotels, the restaurants in India drink a lot of milk, a lot of tea that has milk in it, so many reports suggest that 25% of the milk consumption has reduced. On the other side, if the cooperatives want to convert the liquid milk into SMP or powdered milk, the prices are not encouraging. The exports are not encouraging, so it's quite a challenging scenario for the dairy farmers, the dairy cooperatives, the milk processors, everybody in the supply chain here. It's all of these things. We have cooperatives like Amul that see a silver lining, and they are projecting a growth of 18%, even in this particular scenario. We have situations wherein some of the feed millers, the dairy feed millers, are facing a big issue in terms of getting the raw materials into their feed mill, and that is a situation where Alltech is trying to help them because we deal with feed ingredients as well, and we are trying to support and give our best in whatever way we could.

But we should also remember, Michelle, the corn farmers, the soya farmers. The corn farmers are already suffering because there is a challenge on the harvest. We generally have two crops in India, and while the soya harvest is going to happen late this year, I'm sure there will be a big stress on them as well. The entire supply chain has a big challenge at the moment.

Michelle:       Crop farmers are hurting. I've just heard that wheat farmers in India are being asked to delay their harvest that would normally start in the first part of April. It's been pushed back. What's the impact on crop producers at this time?

Dr. Sayed:     You're right. There is significant migration of laborers that has happened, particularly if you look at the wheat production, where India stands (at) number two in the world. The northern states — Punjab, Haryana, U.P. — they depend on the laborers that particularly come from the eastern part of India. Due to the lockdown, most of these laborers, they went back home, so the mid-size farmers and the large-size farmers are deeply affected because, to get the mechanical harvester into the field and get their harvest, it's just not possible. Late harvest means there is going to be a significant loss to them.

                        It is not just the wheat farmers. As I just said, it's the maize farmers as well. They are able to only harvest 10% of the maize, and 90% of the corn is still out in the field and is very vulnerable to the unseasonal rain that may come, so that, again, is going to affect the animal industry, which really is very much dependent on the agriculture industry. We do have situations wherein the vegetables, the fruits, even flowers — in India, since all the weddings have been called off, there are no events happening. The export is really uncertain. The floral industry is hit very, very badly, to the extent that beautiful flowers like marigold and roses go for ruminant feeding today, so the challenges are quite significant, and I hope we find relief very soon here, Michelle.

Michelle:       Yeah — that sentiment is echoed around the world. Dr. Aman, the world of agriculture has a proven track record of overcoming strife. Those who work to support farmers and producers are no exception. I've heard stories of our colleagues, Alltech colleagues, delivering supplies to producers in their own cars, on their own motorbikes. Tell us exactly what's happening there, and what does that say about courage and bravery and overcoming during this crisis?

Dr. Sayed:     Yeah. You make a really good point, Michelle. I think, after the lockdown, the transport in India was totally shut down. We certainly addressed all the people that are included with the healthcare, the police, everybody as heroes, but I must tell you, all those who are linked with the food chain are also heroes today. Our colleagues really stepped up in these tough moments wherein the layer farmers, in particular, were running short of stock because they did not have too much stock (and on) March 31, March being our financial year-end, they were running low on stock. They called us for Alltech products and supplies because they were not able to produce feed for the layer birds. We have dealers like SLP, Sri Lakshmi Prasanna, and our own people went out there on bikes and cars with one bag and two bags and tried to deliver the products to the farmers so that the farmer can still produce quality feed in these challenging times.

Michelle:       Would you say that, at this time, producers and farmers might rely on your colleagues more now than they did before?

Dr. Sayed:     Absolutely, and they came back saying that no company could (provide) service in this way, how Alltech and the dealers have done. There was a lockdown across the whole day, (and it was) only (in the) morning from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. that it was allowed within a three-kilometer radius to move, for example, in Andhra state.

                        Our people really woke up at three in the morning to go ahead with the deliveries, even up to 50 kilometers on bikes, to make sure that the farmers have at least 10 to 15 days’ stock and they can continue to run the show in this lockdown period, so certainly, they will remember Alltech and the Alltech dealer service for a long time.

Michelle:       It certainly shows courage from our colleagues, as well, through this entire situation. It's hard to talk about opportunity or to focus on opportunity, but is there an opportunity in this pandemic, in these times, where we have been forced to adapt again and again?

Dr. Sayed:     We have seen the challenge of labor, with great respect to all the laborers that continue to serve the industry. However, in this scenario, where we have deep scarcity of laborers, I think there will be more drive towards automation in every industry, whether it's dairy, whether it's poultry or ag-tech as a whole. I think automation is going to take an upper hand and the reliance on people will probably reduce. Also, I feel, with regard to personal hygiene, how we greet people, that's probably going to change. We talk about social distancing. My comment would be, probably, we are socially connected more online than ever before, so it is probably (more) physical distancing than social distancing.

Michelle:       Yeah. This crisis is going to have an impact on us in so many different ways, but in the short term, crisis also sometimes drives innovation. In some cases, farmers are doing things that are outside the normal way that they operate. Can you think of specific examples of farmers driving innovation?

Dr. Sayed:     Yeah. We have an example in North India, Michelle, where one poultry producer and poultry farmer, his son is basically a medical doctor. He attended ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference last year, and he and his team and his father, Mr. Jagdish too, they've come up and developed a ventilator in just three days. One would (guess) it is very expensive, with the increasing need of ventilators — not just in India, but across the globe — which cost a few thousand dollars, but they claimed to have developed this in just $140 or so. (It) is known as volume control ventilator, with a respiration rate of 12 to 30 per minute, which is incredible, really. They've put up their proposal to the government of India, and we are waiting for the approval. Really, they don't want to make money out of this, but what they are looking for is to work with the people, to save lives — as many as they can — and contribute to the society.

                        I also have another example to share with you wherein a couple of my school colleagues in my state, when the healthcare workers were running out of the face shields, the two (of them) came together with a club locally and developed a shield in just two days’ time and delivered those hundred face shields at no cost. Now, they are on the verge of making another hundred face shields, so, really, at this time, everybody is coming together to help others and to help the society and the community.

Michelle:       Yeah. These farmers, these producers doing these things, they're suffering right now. So, in the midst of all the suffering, they're helping others. What does that say about the spirit of the farmer —  the drive, the sacrifice they make to feed us all?

Dr. Sayed:     I think it's a really unbelievable effort from the farmer, whether their aim is to really touch the human life or their aim is to do betterment for the society. Money is not everything, they believe, and there's life beyond money. The farmer is an unsung hero. They have been working very hard in the middle of this crisis — going out and feeding the birds, going out to the farm and collecting eggs, going out there milking the cows. Why? Just to get the food onto the table of the consumers when there is a total lockdown in the country.

                        I think, just like the healthcare workers, farmers need a very, very deep appreciation from everybody across the globe.

Michelle:       Do you think, then, on the consumer level, does this change the way the world perceives agriculture? Oftentimes, producers are blamed for things like pollution, but is agriculture more appreciated now?

Dr. Sayed:     Well, I hope that is the case, Michelle, and I wish that is the case as we move down the line during this pandemic and post-pandemic. Certainly, we consider doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, those involved in PPE manufacturing, those involved in sanitizers and disinfectant manufacturing, we consider them as heroes, but my only question would be: why not consider all the farmers involved in the food chain, getting the food onto the table of the consumers — why don't we consider them as heroes as well? I hope the government recognizes their efforts, and I hope better sense prevails.

Michelle:       I certainly recognize them as heroes during this time and all throughout the year. The second wave of a pandemic, God forbid that'll happen, but will the ag sector be better prepared to react if it does, or is it even possible to prepare for something like this?

Dr. Sayed:     I guess so. We are now better prepared if, at all — as you said, God forbid — the second pandemic comes through, but just to let you know the development in India, for example. This week, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare have announced and exempted the group of farmers — the FPOs, the Farmers Producers Organizations — they have allowed the farmers to go directly to the bulk buyers, processors and big retailers and avoiding those mandis, the APMCs. This is a big change, I believe, happening in India. This links the producers to the right people where, probably, they will get a better remunerative price, in a way. In the wake of this, reducing the number of people coming together, where mandis — it's so difficult, where the farmers would normally go to sell their produce, but now, the farmers can directly go and sell their produce to the big processors and the retailers as well.

                        The other change that we see that has happened (is that) the government of India has started a special eNAM. That is the National Agriculture Market portal, which has helped, and these modules have been released on the 2nd of April for e-trading of the stored agriculture produce of the farmers into the government-designated warehouses, and (this is) enabling the FPOs to upload their produce for their collection centers, for bidding through eNAM, without the necessity to bring these produce to the mandis. I think this really helps the agriculture farmer and the producer to get directly linked, in a way, to the consumers.

I hope a similar sense prevails in the animal industry, where, for example, in the case of chicken, 93% of the chicken in India is sold alive. I hope, post-pandemic and now, that all the stakeholders come together and build that infrastructure so that only processed chicken goes out to the consumers, and they own the brand of that chicken until it is delivered to the consumer so that if the consumer has any query on the quality of the chicken or any rumor they hear on the quality of the chicken, they can always call the producer and get that clarified. It is a big dream, where it might take eight to ten months to build that infrastructure for the poultry industry to convert the whole broilers that are produced in India into the processed chicken and totally stop selling the live chicken. If that happens, I think it is going to be a rebirth for the poultry industry.

Michelle:       Yeah, change not just for poultry, but the entire world of ag.

                        Nobody knows when this is going to end, and certainly, we're all just trying to find our way. Dr. Sayed Aman, from Alltech India, stay safe, stay well, and thank you so much for joining us today.

Dr. Sayed:     Thank you for having me, Michelle, and thanks to you and the president of Alltech, Dr. Mark Lyons.

Michelle:       For additional resources on COVID-19, visit Alltech.com.

Click here for additional COVID-19 resources.

As part of Alltech’s effort to provide valuable resources to colleagues, customers and the global agricultural community confronting COVID-19, the company has created a special discussion series, Forging the Future of the Farm & Food Chain. Available online beginning today, this free, on-demand series features experts from around the world as they share their insights into how the global pandemic is affecting the agriculture industry’s present and future.

“Crises illuminate character, and COVID has highlighted the heroic work undertaken by the global agriculture community to ensure a secure food supply in the midst of such uncertainty,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “We created this series as an expression of our support for this community. In addition to offering valuable information and insights in the context of this COVID challenge, we hope to deliver inspiration — we have an opportunity in this moment to, together, shape the future of the farm and food chain.”

The series consists of presentations from Lyons and three panel discussions with experts including David McWilliams, economist and professor at Trinity College Dublin; Jessica Adelman, CEO of ESG Results and former executive at Kroger; Jack Bobo, futurist and CEO of Futurity; and Ryan Quarles, Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture.

Forging the Future of the Farm & Food Chain, a special COVID-19 discussion series, includes:

• Cultivating Optimism & Opportunity: Leadership in Times of Crisis

In times of crisis, leadership becomes even more consequential. How can leaders bring certainty in a time of uncertainty? How can they help their teams think proactively in order to discover opportunity and drive innovation? 

Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, explores how a leader can shape a culture of resilience that empowers a team, even during times of turmoil.

• From the Frontlines of Food Production

The COVID-19 crisis has brought renewed attention to not only the critical importance of food production, but also to the people on the frontlines who work tirelessly to ensure we have food on the table. This panel discussion takes a first-hand look at the experiences of those working within the food/feed sector in the midst of COVID-19.

The panelists are global Alltech team members Matt Kwok, China operations manager; Sayed Aman, India managing director; Andrea Capitani, Italy business manager; and Alex Galipienso, Spain general manager. The panel is moderated by Michelle Michael, Alltech media producer.

• The Post-COVID Consumer: A Remaking of the Market?

Consumer trends are constantly evolving, but post-COVID, will the market see another seismic shift? This panel discussion features an investigation into the lasting impact COVID-19 could have on consumers and the global economy.

Moderating the panel is Damien McLoughlin, professor of marketing at University College Dublin, with panelists David McWilliams, economist and professor at Trinity College Dublin; Jessica Adelman, CEO at ESG Results and former executive at Kroger; and Jack Bobo, futurist and CEO at Futurity.

• Keep Calm & Carry On: The Essential Business of Agriculture

In this panel discussion, experts investigate how the current crisis is reshaping the agriculture sector. What permanent changes could COVID-19 create in how we source, produce and deliver food to market? Will there be a new appetite for automation and supply chain provenance?

Mary Shelman, former director of Harvard Business School's Agribusiness Program, moderates panelists John Young Simpson, president of Bluegrass Partners in Singapore; Ryan Quarles, Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture; Mike Osborne, former president and CEO of Nutra Blend; and Kayla Price, technical manager of Alltech Canada.

• Planet of Plenty in a Post-COVID World

In the midst of this COVID crisis, the global agriculture community has carried on its essential work — rising with the sun no matter the circumstance. We have provided the security of certainty at a time of great uncertainty and, in doing so, have reshaped the perception of our industry and perhaps even the way we view ourselves. 

Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, shares his thoughts on how we can create a world of abundance post-COVID. How will we harness this renewed trust? Will the experiences of this time usher in a new approach to the ways in which we produce food, structure our supply chains and connect with consumers?

To access the Forging the Future of the Farm & Food Chain series on-demand, visit alltech.com/futurefarm. As Alltech has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic, an online COVID-19 resource portal has been created for customers and industry partners. 

This COVID-19 special series reflects the insightful, thought-provoking content that will be available as part of the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience beginning on May 18, 2020. The virtual program will include live-streamed keynote presentations and on-demand video content from some of the world's leading industry experts as they address the challenges and opportunities facing agriculture today. Learn more about the ONE Virtual Experience and register here.