By Nick Tindall, AEM Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs and Ag Policy

Hunger is the greatest threat to the environment.  

Why you may be asking? Because hungry people do desperate things. Because until you have enough to eat, everything else is a small problem.  

These points are too often an underappreciated component in the sustainable agriculture debate. Today, a major focus of the agricultural community is to prepare to provide for a world with 9 billion humans. A world in which we will need to produce more food in the next 30 years, then we have in the last 10,000 years combined while using less land, water, and other vital inputs.

Losing sight of this goal could have disastrous consequences for the planet as well as those on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder.

With that in mind, we can ask ourselves, how are we going to sustainably provide for this future? 

Farmers and ranchers will do it the same way they have for countless generations. Through science. Through technology. Through innovation.  

People have an unhealthy tendency to romanticize the past. The belief we did things better in the good-old-days is a common misconception but not one applied universally. No one pines for the day when surgeons operated without anesthesia, but many believe we should farm like it is the 1940s.

While we embrace science and technology in every aspect of our lives, there is a growing trend to resist progress in our food system. In fact, Americans enjoy the safest, most affordable and abundant food supply in world history.

Science, technology and agricultural innovators did that.

The solutions to sustainably continue this success while exporting prosperity around the world will be found in the future. Not the past.

That is what the Celebration of Modern Agriculture on the National Mall is all about. To cherish how far we have come. To discuss how we are going to get where we need to go. And, to educate policymakers and influencers that science and technology in agriculture is a good thing. The environment cannot afford to have us turn our backs on knowledge as we strive to provide for a population of 9 billion that will fight to feed their children one way or another.  

The exhibits taking place Monday, March 21 & Tuesday, March 22, 9 AM - 5 PM on the National Mall near the Smithsonian Metro in Washington, DC will showcase the latest in:  

• Equipment technology 
• Bio-products
• In-field conservation practices
• Chemistry
• Plant genetics
• Data analytics 

AEM and our partners invite you to explore how precision agriculture allows us to grow more with less. To see the amazing consumer products being created from plants. To learn how biofuels are fueling cities. To taste science. To learn how American farmers and ranchers are standing on the shoulders of giants.  

 And, how the next generation will as well.  

Exhibit Descriptions:  

 
AGCO

Equipment on display: 

• Project Xaver Planting Robot 
• Fendt Rogator 937H Series Self-Propelled Applicator
• Fendt 1162 Vario MT Series Track Tractor 
• Massey Ferguson 8S Series Tractor with Triple Mower Attachment
• Massey Ferguson 2860E Series Utility Tractor
• Hesston by Massey Ferguson WR Series Windrower with Mower Conditioner Head
• Learn about soil compaction, fuel efficiency, precision spraying, and the future of autonomous planting.

Bridgestone

• The exhibit will highlight the future of mobility and where tire technology is going over the next 10-20 years and how tires contribute to sustainability. 

Case IH

Equipment on display: 

• AFS Connect Magnum Tractor with Planter  
• Learn about soil compaction and modern planting.  

 CLAAS 

Equipment on display: 

• Jaguar Forage Harvester 
• Learn about modern harvesting.  

 DeLaval

Equipment on display:  

• VMS milking robot trailer  
• Learn about the automated milking process and how the data produced for increased efficiencies leads to stronger sustainability practices on today’s dairy farms. 

 GEA

Equipment on display: 

• ProManure Lagoon Pump
• Learn about manure collection, separation, and precision application. 

 John Deere

Equipment on display: 

• X9 Combine with 50ft header  
• 7R Tractor w/ Large Square Baler  
• Self-Propelled 120ft Boom Sprayer 
• Learn about profitability and sustainability of farms, and the practice of less intensive farming with precision technology.  

  Kubota 

Equipment on display: 

• M7 Tractor  
• Celebrate Kubota’s 50th Anniversary and learn how they’re powering the American dream while speaking with members of the Farmers Veterans Coalition.  

 Kuhn 

Equipment on display: 

• SLC126 Trailed Manure spreader 
• Learn about in-field sensor data collection and the utilization of data to improve sustainability.   

 Lely

Equipment on display: 

• Astronaut AS Robotic Milking System  
• Learn about animal welfare and the environmental benefits of robotics.  

Mahindra

Equipment on display: 

• Max Series Compact Tractor 
• 5100 Series Compact Tractor 
• 1600 Series Compact Tractor 
• Mahindra NASCAR 
• Learn about the improvements of engine emissions in agricultural equipment.  

 New Holland

Equipment on display: 

• T7 Heavy Duty Tractor with PLM Intelligence™ 
• Learn how farmers can use precision technology with the tractor to fine tune inputs and manage implements and equipment.  

Digital Ag Pavilion:  

Visit the Digital Ag Pavilion to explore the collection and manipulation of smart data to minimize inputs while maximizing yields. Learn about the latest in agriculture technology from: 

•  Topcon – Software and hardware solutions  
•  AgGateway – Data standards 
•  Ag Industry Electronics Foundation – Equipment compatibility 
•  Arva Intelligence – Data analytics 
•  Microsoft – Growing Home: Expanding Opportunity in Rural America

Agricultural Retailers Association 

• Learn about the agronomy services offered to producers.  

Alliance for Science  

• Taste modified food truck offering samples of genetically modified fruit to discuss the benefits, good taste, and safety of scientific innovations in food. 

 American Farm Bureau Federation 

• Learn about sustainability practices on the farm through interactive demonstrations, games, and book readings.  

American Seed Trade Association

• Learn about the changes in today’s commodity crops that have taken over millennia.  

 American Soybean Association/United Soybean Board 

• Learn more about ASA/USB’s Sustainability of Soy report and its industrial uses.   

Clean Fuels Alliance America 

• Learn how farms provide cleaner, better fuel for America’s cities through an exhibit of DC Department of Public Works trucks that run on low-carbon 100% biodiesel. 

Corn Refiners Association 

• Learn about the Kernel of Innovation – a vast-array of products made with corn such as bioplastics, personal care products, and health care products.  

CropLife America

• Learn about the benefits of pesticides and stewardship efforts told through farmer representatives. 

National FFA Organization

• Nelson County, Virginia FFA members discuss the research of grass-fed beef and how to communicate with local farmers. 

Growth Energy

• Learn about the power of ethanol and the environmental benefits of biofuels by visiting a semi-truck that runs on 90% clean ethanol.  

National Agricultural Aviation Association

• Celebrate the 100th anniversary of agricultural aviation history told through museum panels. An OH-58 aerial application helicopter will be on display with a liquid boom system and bucket used for firefighting. 

National Corn Growers Association

• Learn about U.S. corn farmers’ commitment to continuous improvement in the production of corn. Corn is a versatile crop providing abundant, high-quality food feed, renewable energy, biobased products, and ecosystem services. 

National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

• Learn about what co-ops do and their Sustainable Field Guide.  

National Hemp Association  

• Learn about the amazing things hemp can do by visiting the Hemp House on Wheels and a hemp car.  

National Association of Wheat Growers  

• Play a trivia activity and engage with interactive displays that tell the story of wheat production from field to flour to consumer. 

Plant Based Products Council

• Plants make it possible. Learn about plant-based products and their role in the circular bioeconomy.   

The Fertilizer Institute

• Learn about the supply chain story of fertilizer.  

USA Rice Federation

• Hear the findings from the U.S. Rice Industry Sustainability Report and learn about the industry’s 2030 sustainability goals. Learn about the different domestic rice varieties and types through a hands-on grain display.  

Tuesday, March 22 is National Ag Day.  

For more information about the Celebration of Modern Ag on the National Mall, contact AEM Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs Nick Tindall at ntindall@aem.org or 202-701-4287.

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