BREAKING DOWN TRADE BARRIERS WITH SCIENCE

By Melea Reicks Licht

Laurie Hueneke Martens with the National Pork Producers Council works with trade liaisons from across the globe to open markets for U.S. pork.

Laurie Hueneke Martens has many tools in her arsenal, but her weapon of choice is science.

As director of international trade policy, sanitary and technical issues for the National Pork Producers Council, Martens’s (‘01 animal science and international agriculture) mission is to knock down barriers to trade.

When the H1N1 flu virus hit hard last winter, it was Martens who sat down with foreign trade liaisons and negotiated reopening trade with countries who had banned U.S. pork.

In the middle of tough, emotionally-charged negotiations, Martens says she tries to keep each discussion in perspective.

“I don’t take discussions personally,” she says. “I want to win the war, not the battle so I always take a strategic approach on how to address each issue, each person. I don’t just bring them a problem. I offer a solution.”

She says the “sanitary and technical” in her title refers to trade barriers such as antibiotics, feed ingredients and, in the future, traceability criteria.

“Our trading partners historically use tariffs more often as a barrier to trade, but now they are using criteria based on unscientific information,” Martens says. “I work with our trade partners to inform them of the science behind these issues and negotiate trade agreements that increase market access without compromising the competiveness of the industry.”

Martens is based in Washington D.C., but travels extensively talking with producers, processors and packers at trade industry meetings. She frequently meets with delegates representing trade partners from around the globe and representatives from federal agencies, the Administration and Congress to lobby for legislation and regulation for the pork industry.

A farm girl from eastern Iowa, Martens has the training and experience to back up her negotiations.

She spent three months working on a hog farm in Thailand as an undergraduate, interned for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and as a vet assistant at the American Farm School in Greece. In addition to her ISU degrees she has a master’s in international agriculture trade and development from Oklahoma State.

Martens worked for a time with her parents niche meat marketing business and, just prior to her current position, for a medical device company in Minnesota where she established international trade protocols for pig valves used in human hearts.

She credits her mentors, education and experiences afforded her by Iowa State University for helping her do what she set out to do – mesh science and policy for the benefit American producers.

“The pork industry is a forward thinking industry. They consider trade a two-way street. This will only be more important as incomes around the world continue to rise bringing meat consumption to entirely new markets,” she says.

Martens returns to Iowa State each year to recruit interns for her office to help a new generation gain experience in the expanding global marketplace.

AG TRAVEL COURSE: STATESIDE

A version of the “Ag Travel Course” also took students to farms and agricultural sites throughout the U.S.

Terry McClain (’78 agricultural business) participated in such a 1975 trip through the Eastern U.S. and recently shared a letter about his experience.

“My name is Terry McClain. I graduated with a B.S. in agricultural business in February 1978. As an undergrad, I participated in the 1975 ISU Ag Travel Course.

Terry McClain poses on Bourbon Street during his 1975 Ag Travel Course Experience

There were 32 students and two professors, Dr. Brent Pierce from Agronomy and Dr. Marshall Jurgens from Animal Science, who went on the course around the eastern two-thirds of the U.S.

We stopped three to four times a day to see agriculture and ag-related industries, assisted by extension agents in the 19 different states we visited. We stayed in motels during the six weeks, except for two nights in Louisiana. During those two nights, each student was assigned a host family to stay with. I was blessed to stay with the Robert Judice, Jr. family. He is a third generation sugar cane farmer.

Judice Family in 1975

Since that time, Bobby’s and my families have stayed in touch and visited each other’s homes and farms on numerous occasions. We talk often and established a very strong bond together. I’ve looked at my 88-page typewritten report for the course, and found this entry about my stay with Bobby, Carolyn and family: “It is hard to describe a lot of the good hospitality, good food, and conversation which made this host farm visit so excellent. I learned not only about the agriculture, but also about the people – in this case, the Cajuns. I rate this the most excellent stop of all on the whole trip.”

Also in my report, I found that the Ag Travel Course started in 1934. Our trip in 1975 was a 36-day trip which covered 19 states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa. The course had a total cost of $600, and I received 8 credits for it. It was easily the best experience I had while at ISU.

The best part of the trip was my visit with Bobby and Carolyn Judice and their family. We developed a friendship that will never end. We have visited them many times and they have visited us many times in the past 35 years. For example: My first wife, Pam, and I spent some time with them on our honeymoon in 1982. Bobby and Carolyn came to visit in the winter of 1984-85, played in our snow, and Bobby gave our infant daughter Ashley a bath in the kitchen sink. Pam passed away in 2005, and Carolyn came to the funeral. Carolyn also came to Ashley’s wedding, and visited shortly after my wedding to Gladys in 2006. We talk several times/year and I count our friendship as one of the greatest blessings in my life.

Terry McClain (’78 agricultural business), center, poses with his hosts Carolynn and Bobby Judice from the 1975 trip through the Eastern U.S.

Sincerely yours,

Terry McClain

Carson, Iowa

SEED INDUSTRY RETIREE WITNESS TO ERAS OF HYBRIDS AND BIOTECH

By Melea Reicks Licht

“Did you grow up on a farm?” Owen Newlin asks a recent visitor.

He nods appreciatively when he hears the answer – “yes.” It’s a piece of information that’s particularly meaningful to this seed industry retiree who has seen the industry evolve from conventional hybrids to biotechnology.

Newlin (’51 agronomy, ’53 MS) is a retired senior vice president and director of Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.

The first commercial hybrid seed corn was produced in 1925 and sold to farmers in 1926 by Pioneer. By 1955 over 95 percent of corn grown in the U.S. Corn Belt was hybrid.

“This was about a 29-year period of technology adoption. Two important events were the droughts of 1934 and 1936 during which the hybrids produced some corn, while the open pollinated varieties produced much less. Those were dramatic demonstrations of the value of hybrid corn,” Newlin says. “Adoption didn’t happen overnight but the droughts gave hybrid adoption a big impetus.”

Newlin always knew he’d find his career in agriculture. He grew up on a farm in Polk County, Iowa. To him growing up on the farm meant chores like any other farm kid – mowing and raking hay and caring for his 4-H projects.

He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agronomy Iowa State. Newlin holds his experiences and training at Iowa State in very high regard, especially meeting his wife Doris Jean, a student in household equipment, at a dance exchange with her dormitory and his fraternity. In addition to FarmHouse fraternity and several honor societies, he was elected to Cardinal Key, the Student Union board, served on Ag Council and was active in the Agronomy Club.

“I was active in student organizations in college, or as they call it today the ‘ISU experience’,” Newlin says. “Extracurricular activities were very important because they were part of my training – developing and building consensus, and working with people of different opinions.”

He also met Louis Thompson, who would become a lifelong friend, at Iowa State. As associate dean of academic programs in agriculture in 1947, Thompson shared a table with Newlin at a college event welcoming entering students. Newlin says Thompson checked-in on him during his degree work. It may have seemed like Thompson took a special interest in mentoring Newlin, but according to Newlin, Thompson made every student feel that way. Newlin was happy to answer Thompson’s call three decades later when he was sought out to chair the successful five-year campaign in support of new and improved agronomy facilities at ISU in the 1980s.

Advised by B.J. (Bugs) Firkins, Thompson and others, Newlin recognized that after his undergraduate degree he still had much to learn about plant breeding and genetics so he sought further education. He worked under George Sprague for his master’s degree and also with Iver Johnson.

“I could have stayed at Iowa State for my Ph.D., but I was encouraged to diversify. By the time I left Iowa State I had taken every graduate course that had to do with plant breeding and crops that the university offered,” Newlin says.

After completing his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in plant breeding and genetics, he was offered a job at Pioneer as a research assistant in 1955. At Pioneer Newlin began by focusing his efforts on seed quality and yields.

“My education was very helpful since the seed industry is relatively technical and is even more so today. My technological background was useful in making business decisions,” he says.

He worked his way up to become president of the North American Seed Central Division of Pioneer in 1967. While there he and his team dramatically increased sales and market share by carefully choosing high performing Pioneer hybrids tailored for their geographic region. As Central Division President he promoted the development of the agronomy service department. In 1986 he was elected senior vice-president of Pioneer. Throughout his career Newlin’s philosophy has always focused on farmers.

“If seed has too many out-crosses, then farmers won’t get the maximum genetic potential of the hybrid. The seed needs strong germination and emergence and needs to be relatively pure. That’s what we always strived to do,” he says.

Looking back on his career in the seed industry, Newlin is impressed with the technological advancements to which he has been a witness.

“The rate of technology adoption now is more rapid. From the open pollinated era to the double-cross era to the single-cross era to now the biotechnology era – I never imagined biotechnology would be possible when I started with Pioneer,” he says. “And there is much more potential in the future with genetically modified crops, especially in improving nutritional value and drought resistance.”

Newlin’s civic involvement since retiring from Pioneer in 1993 is like a second career in itself including two six-year terms as a member and eight years as president of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa. He has only recently cut back on his extracurricular activities and is still involved in the seed industry. He also spends his time enjoying visits with his children and grandchildren.

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NEWLIN PLAYED AN ACTIVE CIVIC ROLE IN SOCIETY, HIGHER ED
Owen Newlin’s list of honors and achievements serves as record of his significant contributions to society, especially to the seed industry, higher education and the state of Iowa. Too lengthy to be all-inclusive, the following lists a few highlights of his awards and service.
• President Board of Regents, State of Iowa
• President United Way of Central Iowa and Campaign Chair
• Chairman of the Board of Trustees Simpson College
• FFA – Chairman National Sponsors Board, VIP Citation, Honorary Farmer Degree
• Fellow American Society of Agronomy, Fellow Crop Science Society of America
• Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Phi Kappa Phi, Distinguished Member
• Chair U.S. Grains Council, Lifetime Achievement Award
• President American Seed Research Foundation
• Honorary Member American Seed Trade Association
• Honorary Member International Seed Federation
• National Corn Growers Association President’s Award
• National Agri-Marketing Association, Agri-Marketer of the Year
• Graduate Harvard University’s Advanced Management Program
• President Rotary Club of Des Moines, Lifetime Service Award
• Iowa Business Hall of Fame Award, Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame Award
• Distinguished Achievement Award, University of Minnesota
• President ISU Achievement Foundation
• Board of Directors ISU Foundation (helped establish it as an independent organization), Chair of Five-year Capital Campaign
• Iowa State University Awards
o Alumni Recognition Medal
o Floyd Andre Award
o Distinguished Achievement Award
o Alumni Merit Award
o Order of the Knoll Campanile Award
o Henry A. Wallace Award
o True and Valiant Award

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STORIES online extra:

Read an essay on the history of the ISU-USDA corn breeding program by Arnel Hallauer, C. F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences and agronomy emeritus professor at http://www.ag.iastate.edu/coa150/hallauer.php.

FFA GAVE HER THE COMPETITIVE EDGE

By Barbara McBreen

Leadership, career success and personal growth are all goals listed in the FFA mission statement.

For Lisa (Ahrens) Peterson those FFA goals became reality. Peterson credits her success in part to her FFA background. She’s served as both the Iowa and National FFA president and for the past six years she’s co-hosted the National FFA pre-conference shows on RFD-TV.

“We have a half hour show prior to each convention session and we talk to guests about what it’s like to have 50,000 students, parents and advisers in one place at one time,” Peterson says. “It’s an energetic production.”

Peterson (’02 ag business, agronomy) also met her husband, J.R., through FFA. Together they have two children, Ethan who will be three in August and Anna, who will be one in July. After she graduated in 2002, Peterson worked with another company for one year and then took a job with AgriBusiness Group (ABG). She says she could not have made a better choice.

ABG, now known as Adayana, is a consulting firm. Peterson says the company provides a plethora of services to help agribusinesses position themselves competitively. She says her degrees in agricultural business and agronomy prepared her for the job, but she would have never guessed she would find something as exciting and fast-paced.

“It’s an incredible company,” Peterson says. “We help with training, branding, research and strategy and the company’s president is a former FFA national officer.”

One of her most intense projects dealt with a company that separated from a regional cooperative and needed a marketing plan to establish a separate identity. It was her first major branding project and she spent one year with the client.

“We get involved when a company has pain and they don’t have time or the expertise to solve the problem,” Peterson says.

Now that Peterson has two small children, she’s cut back her hours and works on internal communications, but she hasn’t slowed down. This year she and her husband moved from Indianapolis to Clive, Iowa and also took time out to travel to the Winter Olympic games in Vancouver.

Returning to Iowa reminds Peterson about her college career. She says one of her most memorable moments was her service as a student representative on The Board of Regents, State of Iowa. She served five years and was on the board when they interviewed Iowa State University’s current president.

“I was on the board when we were in the process of hiring President Gregory Geoffroy,” Peterson says. “It was fun, but a little odd. It also was challenging because the Regents run a multi-billion dollar system and as a college student it was daunting to look at those numbers, but my voice and my vote were important.”

Peterson says, “participating in FFA allowed me to travel the world and pursue a fulfilling career.” Today, she continues her involvement with FFA and encourages high school students to take advantage of the opportunities the program provides.

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