Crop Protection Thinks Big
April 17, 2024 The past few months involved lots of travel. The kind where you wake up in a hotel room and it takes a few seconds before you remember what city you’re in.
With the suitcase back in the closet, it was finally time to pore over all my notes from the conversations I had with top executives at Bayer, Valent U.S.A., and AMVAC, as part of this issue’s cover story on crop protection. The discussions ranged from the state of the industry to some big thinking on the future of technology, the new generation of ag talent, sustainability, and myriad global issues — the stuff I really dig.
Bob Trogele, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of AMVAC Chemical Corp. talked about signs of de-globalization as major economies become more protectionist in their trade strategy. At the same time, the West is experiencing inflation while deflation is occurring in the East, he added. Furthermore, the recession in China raises questions about its continued role as one of the largest buyers of commodities, as the cover story mentions.
CropLife Editor Lara Sowinski with AMVAC’s Bob Trogele.
On a positive note, Trogele expressed optimism about the young talent entering the industry, including women, who are also filling more leadership roles.
While worker demographics in agriculture becomes more diverse, so too are the jobs they’re performing, said Matt Plitt, President and CEO of Valent U.S.A.
From IT to finance and human resources to legal, “we can expose more people to careers in agriculture that doesn’t necessarily involve walking a field and making a recommendation,” he said.
Valent supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on five in particular — SDG-2: Zero Hunger, SDG-4: Quality Education, SDG-5: Gender Equality, SDG-9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and SDG-12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
The company has partnerships with the National FFA Organization, the Agriculture Future of America (AFA), and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MNARRS).
“We’ve got a major initiative around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and we try to be very intentional with connecting not only our current employees, but also potential employees, to make sure they feel there’s a home for them at Valent,” said Plitt.
He also sees more young people wanting to work in an industry, and for companies, where they have a purpose. It’s important to them to know what the company does, what it stands for, and what their core values are more so than if the company is well-known or popular.
Agriculture is attracting young people who are looking to contribute to the industry from a policy perspective, too, added Plitt.
“They want to help influence some of the decisions that are being made throughout the food value chain,” he said.
Let’s get growing!
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