2023 Issue 3

Welcome to the quarterly Catalyst newsletter. This edition includes:

• Farm Foundation breaks ground on the IEC
• A look back at the 90th Anniversary Gala
• Call for nominations/applications for Next Generation programs: Ag Scholars, Cultivators, Field to Future
• Call for nominations for Ag Econ Fellow
• Call for nominations for Farm Foundation Awards
• Register for upcoming Farm Foundation Forum on gene editing

About 75 attendees participated in the Innovation and Education Center's groundbreaking ceremony on August 18th on Farm Foundation’s new farm campus in Libertyville, Illinois. Thank you to all who were able to join us to mark this important milestone! READ MORE

In August and September, Farm Foundation held the first AG101 Bootcamps at the Innovation and Education Campus in Libertyville. Reach out to reserve an Ag101 Bootcamp for your organization in 2024. Spots are limited!

The 90th Anniversary Gala at The Drake in Chicago was a night to remember. We were thrilled to be able to share the historic celebration with so many of you. A full gallery of photos from the evening is available.

The evening also featured the Farm Foundation Awards, including the live announcement of the Farm Foundation Innovator of the Year Award, which was presented to Philp "PJ" Haynie III, owner and CEO of Haynie Farms and Arkansas River Rice. WATCH VIDEO

The call for nominations for the 2024 Farm Foundation Awards is open. The four awards, two lifetime achievement awards and two innovator awards, celebrate significant achievements in the agriculture and food sectors. Awards nominations will be accepted until October 20, 2023. The awards will be presented to the recipients during the Farm Foundation Round Table Chairman’s Dinner in Denver, Colorado, on June 20, 2024. READ MORE

The nomination window for the 2024 Farm Foundation Agricultural Economics Fellow is now open. This Fellow will work with diverse stakeholders on integrated systems approaches to understanding and overcoming the challenges in developing a greater understanding of how trade and sustainability are interconnected and are impacting the food and agricultural sectors in the United States and beyond. LEARN MORE

Not only is Farm Foundation celebrating 90 years of accelerating practical solutions for agriculture, we are celebrating 10 years of Next Generation programs in 2023. The Cultivators program started in 2013. The June 2023 cohort of Cultivators presented their research at the Round Table meeting in Chicago.

The nomination window for the 2024 Farm Foundation USDA Economic Research Service Agricultural Scholars program is now open. The Farm Foundation Agricultural Scholars program seeks to actively engage graduate student scholars working in agricultural economics or related agricultural policy work with a year-long series of learning experiences focused on gaining a deeper understanding of production agriculture, agribusiness, and government. Submit nominations by October 23. LEARN MORE

The nomination window for the January 2024 Farm Foundation Cultivators is now open. To help nurture the next generation of industry leaders, Farm Foundation selects six university students to attend and present at each Farm Foundation Round Table meeting. Submit nominations by October 23. LEARN MORE

The application window for The Farm Foundation/PepsiCo Foods Field to Future Program is now open. The application window will close on October 12, 2023. This program actively engages six traditionally underrepresented and/or women undergraduate students studying at land grant and other minority-serving institutions in a two-year-long program of learning experiences focused on gaining a deeper understanding of production agriculture, food processing, marketing, and agribusiness. LEARN MORE

At the end of July, the USDA Economic Research Service/Farm Foundation Agricultural Scholars attended the AAEA - Agricultural & Applied Economics Association Conference in Washington, D.C., competing in multiple graduate student competitions, presenting their research, networking with ag economists from across the country, and meeting with their USDA mentors.

A few weeks later in August, they attended the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) conference in Rennes, France, presenting their research along with Farm Foundation's Agricultural Economics Fellow, Dr. Trey Malone. There they also attended the an event on carbon farming which was co-hosted by Farm Foundation and agridées, a French think tank.

Also in August, participants in the Farm Foundation Young Farmer Accelerator and Young Agri-Food Leaders programs went on a road trip through Illinois to attend the 2023 Farm Progress Show in Decatur. On the way, they stopped for tours of our Innovation and Education Campus in Libertyville, Historic Wagner Farm in Glenview, Elawa Farm Foundation in Lake Forest, the University of Illinois Student Sustainability Farm in Urbana, and Garry Niemeyer Farms in Auburn. 

Farm Foundation organizes project work on four strategic priorities: conservation and sustainability, digital agriculture, farmer health, and market development and access.

In July, Farm Foundation President and CEO Shari Rogge-Fidler participated in global policy discussions at the Australian Farm Institute's 2023 Mid-Year Conference and Dinner in Adelaide, Australia, with our partners in the global collaboration we launched, the Global Forum on Farm Policy and Innovation (GFFPI).

On October 26 to 27, 2023, GFFPI will host its first event at the OECD in Paris. The invitation-only meeting will be focused on the future role of trade in advancing sustainable agriculture. As countries around the world move to implement policies to increase the sustainability of food and agriculture, there are growing implications for the role that trade can play.

New Farm Foundation Board Directors Elected

In August 2023, Farm Foundation and Black Professionals in Food and Agriculture (BPFA) signed an MOU to promote collaboration amongst the organizations. Members of BPFA will have an exclusive opportunity to be a part of the “Friends of Farm Foundation” program.

Visit our website to explore all the benefits of becoming a Friend of Farm Foundation.

Debuting at the Farm Foundation 90th Anniversary Gala, this brief video spotlights what Farm Foundation is all about. We hope you can share it with anyone who would like to get to know Farm Foundation a little bit better.

Join Farm Foundation as we celebrate agriculture through photography with the inaugural Art of Agriculture photo contest. Submit your photos that best represent the “art of agriculture” by November 17, 2023. We will present all submissions on our social media accounts, and the top photos will be selected to be printed, framed, and displayed at our first-ever gallery walk silent auction at our January 2024 Round Table meeting in Hawaii. LEARN MORE

Our 2022 annual report highlights the many ways Farm Foundation proactively brings people together to engage in productive dialogue and share trusted information that sparks new ideas and collaboration, leading to practical solutions for the future of food and agriculture. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

Farm Foundation is an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture. Our mission is to build trust and understanding at the intersections of agriculture and society. Our vision is to build a future for farmers, our communities, and our world.

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