A better understanding of stewardship...

When ag suppliers from the United States, Uzbekistan, Mexico, Egypt and the Philippines gathered in Washington D.C. in July, they gathered to be honored for their work in preserving and protecting the land. They walked away with a better understanding of each other; their businesses, climates, crops and customers; and DuPont's commitment to the land, and the safe use of agricultural products.

The ag supply retailers that attended the 2008 Environmental Respect Awards Washington event learned about the Farm Bill and imports/exports from the USDA. They met with congressional representatives that are making a difference for agriculture on Capitol Hill. They visited DuPont plots and got a sneak peak at some very powerful products in the pipeline. They learned never to wear long sleeves in Washington, D.C. in July.

But the real learning occured through the connections each retail supplier made with each other. They learned from their Mexican colleagues the different environmental challenges that are involved in serving strawberry farmers. They learned that using good PR and marketing techniques can go a long way to promoting the good news about agriculture in a local community. They learned about best management practices in Uzbekistan, Egypt and the Philippines. Through the process of meeting and sharing with each other, these winners walked away with a lot more than a trophy.

Congratulations to the 2008 Environmental Respect Award winners, Ambassadors and participants and a message of encouragement to those that are working every day to preserve and protect the environment. Your work is noticed!

 

Chesapeake Farms and Optimum GAT ...

Chesapeake Farms is DuPont's agricultural and wildlife management demonstration area located in Chestertown, Maryland. The group met first with Mark Connor, manager of the Farms, who presented an overview of the area. They then boarded busses that drove out to the test plots for DuPont's new Optimum GAT trait, a trait developed to offer a new choice in glyphosate tolerance for corn and soybeans that maximizes yield and productivity while improving crop safety and expanding week control options. Dr. Raymond Forney went over the characteristics of the trait: longer lasting, broader spectrum control under more conditions, and enhanced weed control where glyphosate needs help.

A tour of the 3,300-acre area by Connor revealed that the Farms is home to hundreds of wildlife including some endangered species. The Farms has planted 1,700 acres as tillable crops with the rest of the acreage being used to feed and provide refuge for local wildlife. The staff at the Farms is devoted to developing advanced agricultural practices and wildlife management techniques which are designed to be environmentally sound and productive, economically viable and socially acceptable.

 

A visit to DuPont Country Club ...

After a celebratory meal and a good night's rest, the Environmental Respect Award group boarded a bus Friday morning and set out for a day of relaxation. The first stop was DuPont Country Club for lunch. Jim Collins, Vice President and General Manager of DuPont Crop Protection, and Rik Miller, Global Marketing Manager were on hand to offer congratulations to the group. The message from Collins was threefold: an offer of congratulations to the winners, an assertion that there's no better time for agriculture than right now, and a pledge on DuPont's commitment to environmentalism and investment in the development of better, safer products.

 

Industry celebrates stewardship around the world

Mott Grain takes home national honor ...

Amid applause and congratulations, Mott Grain & Agronomy of North Dakota was named national winner of the 2008 Environmental Respect Awards, announced Thursday in the House Agriculture Committee room on Capitol Hill. The company accepted their award from Global Marketing Manager of DuPont Crop Protection Rik Miller, and K. Elliott Nowels of CropLife magazine.

A panel of industry leaders selected the national winner from dozens of retailer entrants around the United States for their excellence in stewardship initiatives, industry public relations, superior customer service and world-class professionalism.

 

Foreign winners honored on Capitol Hill ...

This year, winners from 4 regions of the world took their place in the Hall of Respect as they were honored along with U.S. winners for their environmental initiatives. Representatives from Ifoda Company, Uzbekistan; Agrimatco for Agriculture, Egypt; Agroquimica de Jacona, Mexico; and Samson Agricultural Supply, Philippines were awarded the Environmental Respect Award crystal trophy Thursday on Capitol Hill. Representatives from these companies joined the U.S. winners as they visited the USDA, toured Hagley Museum and Chesapeake Farms and met with government liaisons in Washington.

 

Connecting with the embassies ...

A visit with the Minister of Agriculture topped the day for representatives from Agroquimica de Jacona, the Mexico Ambassadors of Respect. The Minister met with
the group to discuss issues and agriculture initiatives in Mexico and in the winner's
local area. While the Mexico winners were busy talking policy, winners from the Philippines met with the staff of the agriculture division of their Embassy on Thursday. The visits are set up to encourage the Environmental Respect Award international winners to connect with policy leaders in the United States.

 

The Farm Bill: What happens now?

After a welcome reception Wednesday evening and a tour around the world (where each winner shared their personal country, state and local stewardship stories), the group travelled to the United States Department of Agriculture where host Burleson Smith brought in speakers from the Foreign Ag Service, the USDA, the Ag Retailers Association and CropLife America.

Winners got a look back at foreign trade results for 2008, an in-depth view of the Farm Bill approval process and what is being planned to execute the legislation, and information on the national lobbying scene. An area that hit home for U.S. retailers was the execution plans for the current Farm Bill. After a short brief on the process leading up to the current legislation, the group was assured that over the next six months, the USDA, along with other government entities would focus attention on accomplishing as many of the current Farm Bill initiatives as possible.

 

Kicking it off with a tour of Willard ...

After long flights to the United States over the weekend, dealers and distributors from Uzbekistan, Mexico, Egypt and the Philippines gathered in Lynch, Maryland for lunch and a tour of 1997 Regional Environmental Respect-winning Willard Agri-Service. Tour leader and location manager Ken Fry explained Willard's business philosophy, which includes using only the best construction, materials and products to keep the location running in an environmentally safe way. "We comply with all goverment regulations," Fry said, "but we try to go above and beyond regulations to make sure we are one step ahead in our stewardship efforts."

After visiting Willard, Raymond Forney, global stewardship director of DuPont Crop Protection led the group to a railroad crossing, where the company is testing the application of a new herbicide. A bus trip along the Chesapeake followed, and the group stopped off at the Chesapeake Exploration Center for a short tour and information on the Bay area and finished with dinner in Annapolis.