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Breakfast Briefing Hosted by New Sky Energy
| 0730 |
Cost Effective Reclamation of Drainage Water for Sustainable Farming |
Presentation discussing New Sky Energy's proprietary technology
that profitably converts high-salinity agricultural drainage water into clean
water and useful products made from waste salt and CO2. New Sky products
include sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and various carbonates such as limestone
and baking soda. New Sky's process subsidizes desalination of drainage water
through sale of valuable carbon neutral and carbon negative products from brine
waste. Dr. Little and Mr. Rayner will discuss opportunities for farmers,
fertilizer companies, municipalities, and manufacturers that need to treat
high-salinity wastewater or are interested in purchasing sulfuric acid, sodium
hydroxide or carbonates for their operations.
Dr. Deane Little, CEO and Founder, New Sky Energy, LLC
Patrick O’Toole, President, Family Farm Alliance
|
| 0815 |
Coffee and Registration |
| STRATEGIES AND BENEFITS ON BUILDING INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS AND CREATING SUCCESS STORIES |
| 0845 |
Chair’s Opening Remarks |
Sylvain Cuperlier, VP of Worldwide Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, Dole
| Collaborating With Farmers and Suppliers to Develop Mutually Profitable Sustainable Agriculture Systems |
KEYNOTE PANEL 1
| 0850 |
Demonstrating How Sustainable Agriculture Benefits The Triple Bottom Line: For Farmers, Growers, Food & Beverage Multi-Nationals & Suppliers |
- Comparing multi-national definitions of agricultural sustainability
- Applying metrics for soil, water usage, GHG and energy
- Creating a triple bottom line synergy between social, economic and environmental factors
- Practical examples delivering cost benefits & efficiency gains for farmers
Kevin Rabinovitch, Director of Sustainability, Mars
Betsy Cohen, Vice President of Sustainability, Nestle
Graham Mitchell, General Manager, UTZ CERTIFIED North America
| 0920 |
Questions & Discussion |
|
KEYNOTE PANEL 2
| 0930 |
Supporting Growers & Engaging Suppliers On Addressing The Key Water, Carbon, Energy, Environmental & Social Impacts: How Are Companies Doing It? |
- Sharing success stories where different stakeholders have worked together to create effective cross-supply chain partnerships
- North American partnerships
- Global partnerships
- Understanding the optimal strategies for engaging farmers in sustainable practices to unite the supply chain in cost-effective sustainability solutions
- Getting the farmers’ perspective on the challenges involved in sustainable production to facilitate the support and investment required
- Determining how to increase farmers’ awareness of sustainable practices when resources are limited
- Designing simple, accessible and rewarding sustainable programmes for farmers vs complex programmes
Michael Levine, Organics & Sustainability, Fonterra
Alison Denis, Director of Sustainable Program, Burgerville
|
| 1000 |
Questions & Discussion |
| The Future Vision On US Regulation & Direction On Sustainable Agriculture |
POLICY DRIVEN OPPORTUNITIES & INCENTIVES FOR FARMERS
| 1010 |
Detailing Carbon Markets & Carbon Trading Opportunities For Farmers: Where Do You Fit In? |
- Discovering what are the plans and implications of forthcoming US legislation impacting the agricultural sector
- Analyzing cap-and-trade vs offset credit approach
- Identifying benefits for farmers on cap-and-trade system including tax deduction
- Defining what are the caps and how companies can achieve a set emissions target
Lauren Faber, Assistant Secretary for Climate Change Programs, California EPA
| 1035 |
Questions & Discussion |
| 1040 |
Morning Refreshments |
Coffee Sponsored By
Partnerships In Action:
Applying Environmental And Social Metrics To Farming Operational Practices
|
LCA PARTNERSHIPS PANEL
| 1110 |
The Pros & Cons Of Using LCA Tools For Managing Agricultural Sustainability |
- Data gathering for the LCA
- Determining the potential for partnerships to apply a multi-faceted approach to measure sustainability throughout the life cycle and supply chain
- Partnership with manufacturers & distributors
- Partnership with farmers & co-operatives
- Assessing the different tools available:
- Organic vs conventional
- Global vs local
- Analyzing water and energy impacts interconnection
Albert Straus, CEO, Straus Family Creamery
Brie Johnson, Sustainability and Communications Manager, Straus Family Creamery
| 1135 |
Questions & Discussion |
MANAGING WATER FOOTPRINT
| 1140 |
Practical Tools For Measuring & Reducing Water Footprints & Impacts |
- Understanding how to engage farmers and suppliers to reduce water footprint along the entire supply chain
- Data and methodologies to measure water impact
- Discovering the cost savings for putting these initiatives in place
- Comparing different approaches for measuring water footprints and calculating impacts
Kevin Rabinovitch, Director of Sustainability, Mars
| 1200 |
Questions & Discussion |
| 1205 |
Understanding and Evaluating Watershed Assets as Part of a Water Stewardship Program |
- Understanding the impact of the watershed on the individual farmer and supplier
- Methodologies for developing asset values in a watershed-specific context
- Using asset values as a way to balance consumptive use
- Sustainable environmental accounting using watershed asset values
- Watershed asset value as a planning tool
Gretchen Greene, Senior Consultant and Senior Economist, Environ Corporation
| 1225 |
Questions & Discussion |
LUNCHTIME KEYNOTE
| 1230 |
Sustainability: What Have We Learned? One Company's Perspective |
Jennifer Shaw brings to bear her professional expertise and farm experience to support her view (and Syngenta’s) that agricultural sustainability depends on pursuing environmental, social improvements and economic benefits. She will explain why three elements are crucial to sustainability -- a broad approach, emphasis on measurable outcomes, and focus on solutions that work for growers.
Dr Jennifer Shaw, Head of Sustainability, North America, Syngenta
Lunch Sponsored By
| 1400 |
Crop Science Panel. An Opportunity for the Audience to Question Our Crop Science Industry Specialists on Agricultural Sustainability |
Session Chaired by:
Denise Kettelberger, Special Counsel, FAEGRE & BENSON LLP
Panelists:
Dr Jennifer Shaw, Head of Sustainability, North America, Syngenta
Brian Hrudka, Food Chain Manager, BAYER CROP SCIENCE
Ashish Malik, Senior Vice President Global Marketing, Agraquest
MANAGING CARBON THROUGHOUT THE SUPPLY CHAIN
| 1420 |
Tools For Measuring & Reducing Carbon Footprints Throughout Agricultural Supply Chains |
- Understanding how to engage farmers and suppliers to reduce carbon footprint along the entire supply chain
- Data and methodologies to measure carbon output
- Discovering the cost savings and revenue opportunities for putting these initiatives in place
- Analyzing opportunities for energy efficiency across the supply chain
Chip Jones, Senior VP Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, Dean Foods
Erin Fitzgerald, VP of Sustainability, Dairy Management Inc
| 1450 |
Questions & Discussion |
| 1500 |
Discovering Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers (EEF's): A Sustainable Approach to Nitrogen Management. Speaker: Tom Snipes, Business Manager, Georgia Pacific Plant Nutrition |
| 1520 |
Questions & Discussion |
Break Out Group A: Practical Case Studies On Measuring And Reducing Water Impacts
Chaired By Greg Peterson, Vice President, Limno Tech
ENGAGING FARMERS & KEY STAKEHOLDERS
| 1525 |
A.1 Practical Example On Influencing Farmers To Measure And Address Water Impacts In High Stress Areas Of North America |
- Discovering practical solutions to measure the impact of water scarcity across the supply chain
- Collecting useful and reliable data from farmers
- Getting the farmers’ perspective on the challenges involved in accounting and reducing water consumption
- Developing an action plan for educating, motivating and collaborating with farmers to reduce water consumption
- Supporting data to demonstrate the benefits of sustainable practices
| 1545 |
Questions & Discussion |
ADDRESSING WATER IMPACTS IN LATIN AMERICA
| 1550 |
A.2 Creating Management Programmes & Sustainability Metrics For Water Intensive Crops in Latin America |
- Overview of strategies for acquiring data
- Models for managing sustainability efforts with vendors
- Understanding how both sides of the relationship worked
Martha Villareyna, General Manager, Cecocafen
| 1610 |
Questions & Discussion |
| 1615 |
Afternoon Refreshments |
IRRIGATION
| 1645 |
A.3 On-Farm Irrigation Practice and New Technology: Separating Myth from Reality |
- Uniformity/efficiency comparison of different irrigation systems
- On-farm irrigation efficiency and grower adoption of soil moisture monitoring technologies
- Is drip irrigation always the best system?
- Do we know everything about efficient crop water use? Almond example
Blake Sanden, Irrigation & Agronomy Farm Advisor, University of California, Cooperative Extension
| 1705 |
Questions & Discussion |
WATER & PARTNERSHIPS
| 1710 |
A.4 Practicalities Of Developing Water Innovation Partnerships Throughout The Supply Chain |
- Strategies and opportunities for organizations to create partnerships with:
- Farmers co-operatives
- Processors and distributors
- NGOs
- Academics
- How to share information with community
- Discovering strategies to drive change and reducing consumption and waste
Allison Jordan, Director of Environmental Affairs, Wine Institute
Betsy Cohen, Vice President of Sustainability, Nestle
Steve Smit, Vice President of Grape Management, Constellation Wine U.S
| 1730 |
Questions & Discussion |
Break Out Group B: Practical Case Studies On Measuring And Reducing Carbon & Energy Impacts
Chaired by Vincent Restucci, Managing Director, USADS LLC
ENGAGE FARMERS FOR TACKLING GHG EMISSIONS
| 1525 |
B.1 Best Management Practices On Working With Farmers To Promote GHG Reduction |
- Collecting useful and reliable data from farmers
- Getting the farmers’ perspective on the challenges involved in accounting and reducing energy emissions
- Collaborating with farmers to promote soil fertility
Hal Hamilton, Founder, Sustainable Food Lab
Gord Kurbis, Director, Environment, Pulse Canada
John Bennet, Farmer
| 1545 |
Questions & Discussion |
CASE STUDY
| 1550 |
B.2 Applying Carbon Footprint Metrics To Farming Production Methods: Defining The Key Benefits For Growers |
- Discovering practical solutions to measure the impact of energy emissions across the supply chain
- Supporting data to demonstrate the benefits of sustainable practices
- Supporting and incentivizing farmers to be more energy efficient
Roberto Vega, Director of Sustainability, Dole
| 1610 |
Questions & Discussion |
| 1550 |
Afternoon Refreshments |
CARBON SEQUESTRATION
| 1650 |
B.3 Practical Tools On Mitigating The Accumulation Of GHG With Carbon Sequestration |
- Understanding which sequestration techniques are the most effective and available depending on location, climate, weather and crop varieties
- Explaining the methodology for accounting carbon sequestration and implement these techniques
- Identifying the benefits for farmers
Ronald G. Moore, Board Member, American Soybean Association
| 1705 |
Questions & Discussion |
CARBON & MEAT PRODUCTION
| 1710 |
B.4 Practicalities Of Measuring And Reducing Carbon Emissions From Meat Production |
- How to assess and measure carbon and GHG emissions from producing meat
- Collecting and analyzing the required data from farmers
- Practical example of organizations and farmers having successfully reduced carbon footprint from meat production
Don Butler, Communication Affairs Manager, Murphy Brown LLC
| 1730 |
Questions & Discussion |
| 1740 |
Chair’s Summary and Close of Day One |
| 1745 |
Evening Drinks Reception |
 Top
| PRACTICALITIES OF CREATING A SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL SUPPLY CHAIN |
Breakfast Briefing Sponsored By AgraQuest
The world population is growing ... yet the amount of arable land is finite. How to feed the world's growing population? Synthetic chemical pesticides can eliminate pests and increase crop yields ... but consumer demands and regulatory requirements to reduce chemical residues on foods are resulting in the elimination of many of these pesticides from the grower's toolkit. AgraQuest is the leading innovator of many biopesticides which are as effective as their synthetic chemical counterparts ... but AgraQuest can not distribute these innovative biopesticides by itself. AgraQuest is developing a strategy of 'sustainable agriculture through partnerships'. This involves distribution agreements with leading 'Big Ag' companies to distribute our products to growers around the world.
Ashish Malik, Senior Vice President Global Marketing, AgraQuest
|
| 0900 |
Chair’s Opening Remarks |
Sylvain Cuperlier, VP of Worldwide Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, Dole
| Developing Consumer Education Solutions & Strategies |
KEYNOTE PANEL
| 0910 |
Communicating Agricultural Sustainability Metrics To The Customer |
| 0910 A |
Harmonizing Standards For Defining Sustainability & Consumer Labeling |
- Outcome-based vs practice-based sustainability definition
- Determining how consumers are interpreting sustainability and strategies to influence their buying making decisions to more sustainable products
- Defining the role of labeling in communicating the sustainability message
- Evaluating the opportunities to harmonize standards on carbon and water to deliver a clear and unified message
- Overcoming challenges to integrate sustainability within the operations of companies
Sylvain Cuperlier, VP of Worldwide Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, Dole
Tim York, President, Markon Cooperative and Co-Founder, Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops
Bob Meek, CEO, Wada Farms
| 0950 B |
Understanding Consumer Priorities To Food Nutrition, Health Safety & Sustainability |
- How leading companies are investing and promoting their efforts in health, safety & sustainability
- Discovering opportunities to add nutritional value to your product with sustainable practices
- Understanding consumer attitudes and preferences to health, safety & sustainable products
Josh Dorf, Owner, Stone-Buhr Flour Company
Barbara Meister, Marketing and Communications Manager, SureHarvest
|
| 1020 |
Questions & Discussion |
| 1030 |
Morning Refreshments |
| Benchmarking The Effectiveness Of Different Standards & Certifications To Collect Data and Trace Raw Materials |
STANDARDS PANEL SESSION
| 1100 |
Collaborating With Standard Bodies To Achieve Cost Effective Measures To Assess And Reduce Environmental Impacts |
- Analyzing the progress made by standards organizations to integrate the farmers’ perspective into an overall approach including carbon, GHG, water, waste and land use
- How to develop standards that can be easily applied by farmers
- Understanding what is unique about the existing standards and benefits to developing a unified sustainability index
- Finding out how to collaborate in partnerships to create more consistent standards
Moderator Sarah Stokes Alexander, Director, Sustainability and Leadership Programs, The Keystone Center
Scott Exo, Executive Director, Food Alliance
Alison Denis, Director of Supply Chain, Burgerville
Josh Dorf, Owner, Stone-Buhr Flour Company
Kristian Moeller, President, GLOBALGAP North America
| 1210 |
Questions & Discussion |
TRACEABILITY SOLUTIONS
| 1225 |
Practical Examples Of How An Organization Is Acquiring Reliable Data |
- Gaining access to upstream agricultural data in a long and complex supply chain with multiple layers
- How to achieve traceability and transparency when dealing with large number of small farmers: Dealing with your immediate suppliers and indirect suppliers
- Understanding the farmers’ perspective and their challenges to generate the data
- Obtaining the right data: What kind of data needs to be generated? How to include meaningful data?
- Discovering cost-effective traceability methodologies that deliver greater control of the sustainability of their suppliers’ practices
Juan Fernando Valenzuela, Director of Agricultural Promotion and Commodities Purchase, Compañía Nacional de Chocolates
Alex Morgan, Manager of Sustainable Agriculture, US and Canada, Rainforest Alliance
Graham Mitchell, General Manager, UTZ CERTIFIED North America
| 1250 |
Questions & Discussion |
| 1255 |
Sustainability Performance Measurement Systems |
This session will describe how to manage sustainability in your supply chain, present verified metrics to your customers, and manage information gathering for Sustainability Indexing. Tools will be described to ensure that your company’s sustainability program is:
- Flexible enough to satisfy requests from variety of customers
- Practical and inclusive enough to encourage grower participation, innovation and continuous improvement
- Using measurable and verifiable metrics for benchmarking, comparing and improving sustainability performance
- Able to uncover opportunities for cost savings
John Dodson, Managing Director Food & Agriculture and Latin America Divisions, Scientific Certification Systems
| 1315 |
Questions & Discussion |
| 1420 |
Committed to Sustainable Agriculture? - That's Great! Now Where Do I Start? |
Vincent Restucci, Managing Director, USADS LLC
| 1440 |
Questions & Discussion |
| Focus On Managing Additional Environmental & Social Impacts |
CLIMATE CHANGE
| 1445 |
Working With Farmers On Implementing Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation Strategies |
- Understanding what geographical areas and agricultural commodities are at greatest risk due to climate change
- In the USA
- In the developing world
- How to reach across the supply chain to engage growers in the need to adapt to climate change
- Working towards methods to mitigating climate change effects whilst still maximizing profit and yield
Pablo Ramirez, Ethical Sourcing Manager, Starbucks Coffee Company
| 1505 |
Questions & Discussion |
ASSESSING BIOLOGICAL IMPACTS IN STREAMS
| 1510 |
A. Technological Solutions Including GMO Products |
- GMO solutions for increasing cost-effective production of food
- Gaining clarity on the implications of GMO products
- Pros and cons of GMO products
Ronald G. Moore, Board Member, American Soybean Association
| 1530 |
Questions & Discussion |
| 1535 |
Recent Litigation Involving GMO Products and What It Means for the Future |
- Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms
- CFS v. Schafer
- GMO Rice Litigation
Mark Carpenter, Partner, Agribusiness Practice, Faegre & Benson LLP
| 1620 |
Demonstrating How Crop Protection Chemicals Can Contribute To Sustainable Agriculture |
- Understanding the characteristics of intensive agriculture and its advantages
- Evaluating how next generation crop protection can contribute to sustainable sourcing of agricultural raw materials
- Working with industry stakeholders to manage crop protection chemicals
Brian Hrudka, Food Chain Manager, Bayer CropScience
| 1640 |
Questions & Discussion |
SOCIAL IMPACTS
| 1645 |
Real Business Cases On Addressing Justice & Social Issues On Agricultural Production |
- How leading multi-nationals have improved the lives and working conditions of developing world farmers
- Working with key stakeholders and local communities to reduce social impacts
- Determining what type of ethical and social strategies have repeatedly been shown to work
- Understanding how to deliver a fair wage to the farmer
Karl Walk, Director of Cocoa Department, Blommer Chocolate Company
| 1705 |
Questions & Discussion |
DUAL PERSPECTIVE CASE STUDY
| 1710 |
Ensuring Viability And Support to Small Holder Farmers |
- Understanding the importance to support the small holder farmers community to ensure food security
- Farmers perspective: Determining areas of difficulty and support required
- Businesses perspective: Taking responsibility to support farmers
- Creating strong network collaboration to promote viability and sustainability of overall growers community
Rick Peyser, Director of Social Advocacy & Coffee Community Outreach, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
Martha Villareyna, General Manager, Cecocafen
| 1735 |
Questions & Discussion |
Top
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View the website for our upcoming European Conference
View Here |
Chip Jones
Senior VP Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability
Dean Foods |
Erin Fitzgerald
VP of Sustainability
Dairy Management Inc |
Sylvain Cuperlier
VP of Worldwide Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability
Dole |
Roberto Vega
Director of Sustainability
Dole |
Michael Levine
Organics & Sustainability
Fonterra |
Rick Peyser
Director of Social Advocacy & Coffee Community Outreach
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters |
Allison Jordan
Director of Environmental Affairs
Wine Institute |
Alison Dennis
Director of Supply Chain
Burgerville |
Kevin Rabinovitch
Director of Sustainability
Mars |
Don Butler
Communication Affairs Manager
Murphy Brown LLC |
Juan Fernando Valenzuela
Director of Agricultural Promotion and Commodities Purchase
Compania Nacional de Chocolates |
Betsy Cohen
Vice President of Sustainability
Nestle |
Karl Walk
Director of Cocoa Department
Blommer Chocolates |
Lauren Faber
Assistant Secretary for Climate Change Programs
California EPA |
Ron Moore
Board Member American Soybean Association
American Soybean Association |
Scott Exo
Executive Director
Food Alliance |
Alex Morgan
Manager of Sustainable Agriculture, US and Canada
Rainforest Alliance |
Josh Dorf
Owner
Stone-Buhr Flour Company |
Martha Villareyna
General Manager
Cecocafen |
Hal Hamilton
Founder
Sustainable Food Lab |
John Dodson
Managing Director Food & Agriculture and Latin America Divisions
Scientific Certification Systems |
Graham Mitchell
General Manager
UTZ CERTIFIED North America |
Gord Kurbis
Director, Environment
Pulse Canada |
Kristian Moeller
President
GLOBALGAP North America |
Tim York
President
Markon Cooperative Inc. |
Albert Straus
CEO
Straus Family Creamery |
Brie Johnson
Sustainability and Communications Manager
Straus Family Creamery |
Sarah Stokes Alexander
Director, Sustainability and Leadership Programs
The Keystone Center |
Pablo Ramirez
Ethical Sourcing Manager
Starbucks Coffee Company |
Ashish Malik
Senior Vice President Global Marketing
AgraQuest |
M. Vincent Restucci
Managing Director
USADS LLC |
Denise Kettelberger
Special Counsel
FAEGRE & BENSON LLP |
Gretchen Greene, PhD
Senior Consultant and Senior Economist
Environ |
Blake Sanden
Irrigation & Agronomy Farm Advisor
University of California Cooperative Extension |
Bob Meek
Chief Executive Officer
Wada Farms Marketing Group |
Mark Carpenter
Partner
Faegre & Benson LLP |
Brian Hrudka
Food Chain Manager
Bayer CropScience |
Jennifer L. Shaw
Head of Sustainability
Syngenta |
Deane Little
CEO and Founder
New Sky Energy, LLC |
Patrick O’Toole
President
Family Farm Alliance |
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