CALF_News_April_May_2020

31 CALF News • April | May 2020 • www.calfnews.net of the “brouhaha” over genetically modi- fied organisms (GMOs). The banana crop in Uganda, for example, is heav- ily depended upon as a food staple for humans. It suffers a serious bacterial wilt that could be addressed by employ- ing GMO technology. Misinformation in First World countries is affecting the Third World, and the food insecure are the ones who suffer on that account. Much of Van Eenennaam’s mindset is driven by a knowledge that productive agriculture feeds people. “As scien- tists, we need to innovate around the problems faced by farmers and to be compassionate about people,” she says. “I am very dogged about that. With misinformation around agriculture, we may lose access to technology that could have otherwise improved pro- duction. In other words, we are going backwards.” Reaching out to the public Not only is she a scientist, Van Eenennaam has also been involved in making and participating in educational movies. She spent nearly three years collaborating with movie makers on the development of Food Evolution , a feature film that debunks the myths surround- ing organic foods and GMOs. Released in 2017, it follows several shorts about agriculture previously made by Van Eenennaam at UC Davis with the aid of her students. They are award-winning clips and highly entertaining. You may Bing UC Davis Van Eenennaam and view them on her web page. One con- stant throughout all her media produc- tion is the reliance on scientific fact. Van Eenennaam is, in a nutshell, a remarkable woman who is making strides in reducing world hunger. She may someday turn out to be the next Norman Borlaug.  involved with Cuming County Feeders and Stanton County Feeders, along with the Nebraska Cattlemen. Tom Feller of Feller & Co. praised Doffin’s all-around expertise at run- ning a feedyard. Animal health, bunk reading, mill operation and cattle pro- curement and performance are among his specialties. Doffin has also helped lead the feeding company’s expansion by overseeing yard construction. “His leadership is respected and admired because he works alongside peers on any project in front of him,” Feller said.“He understands how to connect the dots from all aspects of feedyard management. And he’s good at ‘management consoling.’” Doffin and his wife, Katie, have three boys also involved in rodeo- ing. And when he’s not managing the feedyard, he’s running his own cattle and farm. CFHOF inductees, and industry leadership and feedyard employee awards are voted on by industry mem- bers after being nominated by com- mittees made up of CFHOF members and other industry leaders. The 2021 CFHOF ceremonies will be held during the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBATrade Show in Nashville. The 2021 nominees include: Tom Jones of Hy-Plains Feedyard Educa- tion and Research Center, Mont- ezuma, Kan.; Johnny Trotter of Bar-G Feedyards in Castro County, Texas; Bill Brandt of Brandt Co., in Braw- ley, Calif.; Steve Gabel of Magnum Feedyard in Wiggins, Colo.; and Jack Reeve of Reeve Cattle Co. in Garden City, Kan. Nominees for the industry leadership award include William“Bill” Pullman, who co-founded Roto-Mix feeding equipment; John Matsushima, Ph.D., who had a long career in beef nutri- tion research; and Gary Smith, Ph.D., nationally renowned for his expertise in meat science and food safety. As Blach acknowledged, all of these feedyard operators and industry leaders CATTLE FEEDERS HALL OF FAME Continued from page 27 are trailblazers. And as with this year’s inductees, there’s a potential Hollywood script in the making. For more on the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame and to vote for a nominee, visit http://cattlefeeders.org.  Five to seven years down the road, we can expect some growth in the national cow herd. Until then, it is paramount to plan ahead and make sure our end prod- uct is eligible for export markets. Blach’s wildcard is the sustainability issue, which some of the public likes to use as a political crutch. He warns that the issue may break us unless we respond to and educate the public. We need to tell our own story, and direct it to Millennials and Generation Z; they have become the largest U.S. consumer demographics. We must speak their lan- guage to them, one that we may not be comfortable with. This vocabulary might include sustainability, carbon footprint, climate change, methane emissions … well, you get the picture. We would rather just talk cattle. And markets, and weather. And that is what makes the CattleFax Seminar such a wonderful thing to attend.  CATTLEFAX OUTLOOK Continued from page 25 VAN EENENNAAM Continued from page 30 CALF News Publisher Betty Jo Gigot, herself a winner of the CFHOF Industry Leadership Award, is thrilled with the most recent inductees.