Climate in focus at agribusiness club event

Apr 20, 2023

The Missouri Soybean Association hosted a St. Louis Agribusiness Club event April 11 in Jefferson City that featured Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn and USDA Undersecretary Robert Bonnie speaking about a variety of ag issues, including conservation and climate efforts.

Bonnie emphasized “voluntary, producer-led efforts” as the best solution for the USDA’s climate efforts.

Members of the St. Louis Agribusiness Club bused to the Center for Soy Innovation in Jefferson City for the event, which included farmers and people who work for agribusinesses. Chinn said it is good for the industry to build and maintain connections among the different ag sectors.

Bonnie, the USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation, spoke about efforts to reward farmers for conservation and climate practices, as well as incentivize others to try those practices, such as cover crops.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.