Recently I heard the term “transformational change” referring to smartphones or, more specifically, the number of tools they replaced. Sure, they’re handy as a phone, plus they have a camera, video camera, quasi-GPS to get where you’re going, access to email — no laptop to haul around and connect needed — and text messages (when did you last hear a pager?)! Even a little app lets me use my phone for a flashlight.
The term fits smartphones. And it fits the feed and grain market. Take a look around a modern control room and see how efficiently one person can run a massive and complex operation! Or real-time hazard monitoring that can alert you anywhere you have wi-fi access. All supported by transformational technology.
The same goes for your customers. Since the year 2000, we’ve seen staggering gains in agricultural production, some spurred by biotechnology — some by smarter equipment with telematics and greater efficiency with precision application. Farmers, and those who serve them, pursue constant improvement, dedicated to feeding a hungry planet in an environmentally responsible manner.
Feed & Grain has changed too, moving from a private media enterprise to — very proudly — the American Farm Bureau Federation. We recognize, from our viewpoint, the transformational changes that Bob Stallman, AFBF president, has helped lead in agriculture.
Bob, a Texas rice farmer and cattle rancher, was elected to lead American Farm Bureau in 2000. Now, after seeing 15 years of innovation and change in agriculture, dedicating a chunk of his life to leading Farm Bureau and in service to agriculture, Bob is stepping down.
Bob has helped position Farm Bureau to lead an agricultural sector that is more united than ever. Commodity interests are coming together, facing industry challenges and pro-actively engaging with the folks who buy, process and consume what your customers produce.
At press time for this issue, we don’t know who will succeed Bob at American Farm Bureau, but one thing is certain: American agriculture is energized to answer the call for the challenges facing us in the years and decades ahead.
As vital partners in America’s food production, you’ll play an essential role in meeting the challenges of feeding an estimated 9.1 billion people in just 35 short years. Feed & Grain magazine is proud to share your stories of success as you strive for constant improvement.
