Keeping PACE with Seismic Changes in the U.S. Ag Value Chain
October 14, 2020 While crop production managed to keep moving this year despite significant disruptions brought on by the novel coronavirus, the longer-term effects will take a while to digest.
The ripples have impacts up and down the value chain, a fact that we were planning to delve into this month at the PACE Executive Forum in Kansas City. Of course, those plans were changed as the pandemic dragged on and it became apparent that attendee safety could not be assured.
We rescheduled the live event launch for next October (the 25th to the 27th, also in Kansas City, so mark your calendars), but we’re going to keep the discussion and learning moving forward, even if we can’t shake hands in the hallway.
In its place we are launching the PACE Executive Series, which will feature virtual learning experiences, reports, interviews, and content to help you understand and react to the challenges and opportunities ahead for the agriculture value chain.
The content will begin on October 27, with more activities scheduled throughout 2021 leading up to next year’s live event. I invite you to register and engage with leading experts and thought leaders.
The October 27 kick-off session will tackle a key pillar of the value chain: Consumer preferences in the post-COVID world. Helping to steer the content are our friends at EY — Rob Dongoski, Agribusiness Leader, and Jonathan Phillips, Americas Consumer Products Leader. They have been deep-diving into what they call the “now, next, and beyond” trends for the ag and food industry and the ag supply chain.
“With the COVID-19 situation, we think we’re on the tail end of ‘now’ and starting to move towards ‘next,’” says Dongoski, whose team works with clients on strategy, transactions and transformation to project the impact of trends on business sustainability. Three overarching areas EY clients have been focused on include: Worker safety, and the desire to get people back to work in a place they feel safe; the food supply chain and changes in its root structure; and the availability and safety of food overall among consumers.
The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion featuring industry experts steeped in the downstream value chain, and an audience question and answer session.
While we’re disappointed that we won’t be engaging in person this fall, I’m excited to be a part of this virtual learning experience. To sign up for the series and receive regular content updates, visit: www.paceexecutiveforum.com.
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