Nick Aster, CEO of TriplePundit.com, Marsha Diamond with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dr. Jim Carrington, head of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Roger Johnson of the National Farmers Union, Jonathan Berger with the Consumer Goods Forum, Andre Guimareaes of Conservation International Brazil, and many others had many powerful things to say.

But there was one man, with whom I must have talked for more than two hours, who was the most inspiring of them all.

Ambassador Tony Hall.

Ambassador Hall is the kind of man who leaves you inspired to make a difference. He’s a former member of Congress, a former US Ambassador to the UN and head of the US Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome (which include the FAO, the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development), and the current director of The Alliance to End Hunger. In his 20s, the Ambassador was even in the Peace Corp in Thailand, he’s been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize three times, and he’s written a book about his experiences.

And he is involved in the real hunger games. Where winning means lives are saved and where losing means watching children die.

I sat next to him and watched his emotions stir as he described his history.

The determination to save hunger efforts in Congress in 1993 that were being cut off and the 22-day starvation protest he undertook to try to stop the ‘conscience of the Congress’ from being silenced.

The elation that his starvation protest—he calls it a fast—resulted in private donors coming forward and investing millions of dollars in efforts to stop hunger in the US and overseas.

The hopelessness of working in refugee camps, surrounded by tens of thousands of starving people, and only being able to save some. Watching hundreds of children starve to death left a lasting impact on the Ambassador.

The frustration working as a US Ambassador, trying to help starving people around the world, and having to battle against politics and petty turf wars.

And the excitement and passion in his current role as director of The Alliance to End Hunger, a non-profit organization that is working to develop partnerships focused on ending hunger worldwide.

And everyone sitting around the table was riveted. You could hear it in their silence. Ambassador Hall was telling a human story. A powerful story. A story of hunger, and the daily fight for food. And his vision for a world where no one goes to bed hungry, either in the US where 5.4 percent of households deal with hunger and lack of food, or worldwide, where 925 million people, or almost 1 in 7 people, are hungry.

It’s a huge challenge. But the Alliance’s work in fostering strategic partnerships, building political will, and creating global connections, just might be able to meet that challenge.

But only if we all work together, and decide, we’re done with hunger.

For good.

The invitation came from Operation Homefront Missouri, an organization whose entire purpose is supporting military families and getting them the things they need and the support they find essential. It’s an organization Monsanto supports, and that is supported by many other companies and individuals in the area.

So, with limited knowledge and unclear expectations, I drove down to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, to spend the day with the US Army’s 94^th Engineering Battalion and the people who work for and support Operation Homefront.

What a day!

First, the cool factor. Simulated convoy driving, touring Blackhawk facilities with full access to the helos, and spending some time on the firing range was an incredibly fun time and a great exposure to the high quality training the military puts their soldiers through. And to spend a day in the company of men and women who put their lives on the line for us is always humbling and inspiring.

But that wasn’t what I walked away with.

Simulated convoy training

What I walked away with was the stories. Service member after service members told me stories about the impact of Operation Homefront. The truckloads of diapers, the food pantries, the backpacks, the toys. the computers, the care packages, the furniture and on and on. Combine these personal stories with the understanding that E-1 to E-3 (the lowest enlisted ranks) personnel who are married with one kid qualify for food stamps, and the huge impact of these donated items comes into stark reality.

These are heroes. These are men and women who volunteer to put their life on the line for us. And they don’t get paid a lot to do it. And the support they receive from Operation Homefront—where more than 99 percent of every donation goes directly to the troops–makes a big difference in their lives and in their families’ lives.

It was an honor to be a part of the day and to represent Monsanto. And it was humbling to thank each service member for their service, only to have them turn around and thank us for our support of them.

Close your eyes and picture Forest Park full of Scots and Americans, many wearing traditional highland attire, the sound of the bagpipes floating across the park, the clang of swords, the melody of folk music, the grunts of the athletes as they toss cabers and other heavy objects, the smell of food, the laughter of children, and the cheers of onlookers. This was the experience for the thousands of people who visited the 2011 Scottish Games.

I was privileged to be one of the many volunteers involved. And I’m grateful that my day job actively supports my involvement in promoting the country of my birth to the great people of St. Louis.

My involvement is running the Games website, social media outreach via Facebook and Twitter, and organizing and participating in a few radio and TV interviews promoting the Games. And since the Games is a 100% volunteer-run event, support from volunteers and donors is essential to its success. Monsanto, my employer, supports the Games, and many other organizations, by encouraging both.

Monsanto actively encourages volunteerism, and when employees volunteer with non-profits Monsanto also makes monetary grants to those same non-profits. In the past year, this has translated into more than 16,000 volunteer hours impacting more than 300 organizations, accompanied by grants of $250 for every 20 hours of volunteer work.

So, in my case, not only does Monsanto allow me the time to go and volunteer, but they also give money to the Games because I volunteer. And to have that support, means a great deal to me—and a huge deal to the Games.

I also must mention that Monsanto also recently launched the Grow St. Louis program, where the public gets to vote for their favorite non-profit, and the winners receive grants of up to $15,000.

If you’d like to volunteer with the Scottish Games, or maybe the Robert Burns Dinner in January or Tartan Day in April, post a comment below and I’ll get in touch with you. And if you’re a Monsanto employee with similar experiences, please post your comments about your involvement in the community and opportunities for others to get involved and give a little back.

Video about the St. Louis Scottish Games on KSDK’s Show Me St. Louis

So when His Royal Highness (HRH) the Duke of Cambridge’s father, otherwise known as HRH The Prince of Wales or Prince Charles and my immediate future king, visited the U.S recently to speak on food and agriculture at the Future of Food conference in Washington D.C., I paid attention.

And I found a lot I agreed with. But also some key ideas that I didn’t agree with.

I agree that “we have to maintain a supply of healthy food at affordable prices.” I wholeheartedly concur that the big questions are “how can we create a more sustainable approach to agriculture while recognizing those wider and important social and economic parameters – an approach that is capable of feeding the world with a global population rapidly heading for nine billion? And can we do so amid so many competing demands on land, in an increasingly volatile climate and when levels of the planet’s biodiversity are under such threat or in serious decline?”

I understand “food insecurity is a growing problem.” And I fully agree that a key resource that is being stressed is water.

I even agree with some of the Prince of Wales’ solutions. We need to continue our use of conservation agriculture, specifically conservation tillage, where soil depletion is stopped via the use of crop residue and key natural nutrients are protected from erosion. We need to reduce the amount of run-off that studies claim are impacting our oceans. And investment around the world in more sustainable farming practices should be encouraged at all levels.

But then we come to a difference in opinion. Prince Charles sees the solution in organic and local, and sees no solutions in biotech crops or a system where large companies invest in developing better seeds. I, on the other hand, see a place for both, and am fully convinced if people are willing to be open-minded that we can exist side-by-side.

Organic and local is great if you can afford it. If you have the extra time and manpower, and the climate in which to grow a large variety of foods, that’s great. In the old country, it is very common for people to have plots of land where we grow our own vegetables, and most back yards have some vegetables being grown in them. Prince Charles has spent many years farming using organic practices on his own farm, and I commend him for it.

But I just can’t see how we can feed a rapidly growing world, with limited land and resources, using just organic seeds and practices. I see the work being done now to develop seeds that use water and fertilizers more efficiently, and biotech designed to protect the potential of those traits, and the utilization of more technology and better agronomics on the farm, as being part of the answer. How do you feed 9 billion people is the question. Organic farming by itself is not the answer.

When I look at the crop yields from 2008 in the U.S., using biotech, advanced breeding and technology, I see corn yields of 160 bushels per acre. In Brazil, India and Mexico, where technology and biotech are new to the neighborhood, you see 50 bushels per acre. In Africa, where biotech is almost non-existent when you look at the entire continent, you are at 20 or less.

What if we had seeds that used water more efficiently in Africa? What if we had advanced breeding and agronomics in Africa? I don’t see organic practices being able to improve lives in these developing nations.

But I also will not deny someone the choice should they want to farm organic, or pay more for their food because it is organic.

My hope, and it might be a crazy hope, is that we can all work together towards a common solution that allows each nation to choose the best food production for their people, their social climate, their economy and their needs.

When it comes to the global food I have a lot to agree with my future king on. And I hope that which we disagree on will not stand in the way of a better future for our entire planet.

Monsanto’s Mark Sutherland sat down with Jerry Steiner, EVP of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs, after the World Economic Forum meetings in Davos, Switzerland. The topic – the New Vision for Agriculture that was announced during the WEF meetings.

Mark: The New Vision for Agriculture, can you explain that? What does that mean? What is it?

Jerry: The New Vision for Agriculture takes on the challenge that we all talk about and hear about a lot–the near doubling of demand that is expected across the next 40 years, the recognition that there will be increasing scarcity of the resources we use to produce food, that 40 percent of the world’s workforce list agriculture as its primary occupation, and that it’s not just farmers that are affected. When supply and demand gets too tight, food prices rise, and that causes other issues geopolitically. The New Vision for Agriculture takes on all those challenges and looks at what can we do to address them. And the New Vision puts the farmer at the center of this–because the farmer actually has to produce this extra food–and it looks at what we, as businesses, as governments, as non-governmental organizations, need to do to enable the farmer to win. Because when the farmer wins, we will all win.

Mark: How does the work at Davos further the vision of the New Vision of Agriculture?

Jerry: First, we have created a lot of awareness across business and across government about the challenges, and that more productive and resource-efficient agriculture is absolutely essential to the solution-for small holders and for large commercial growers. And therefore we need a lot of people around the table to address the challenges.

Second, we’re now getting these discussions going at a local level, in key places where we need to dramatically improve the productivity of agriculture. Projects like Tanzania, where the president himself is the chair of the task force and sits in on the whole meeting. The same thing in Vietnam. The World Economic Forum will also be moving to Indonesia next year, and there’s great engagement there.

We need to continue to build the awareness of this so we get more people pushing all in the same direction.

Mark: Are partnerships important to this?

Jerry: Partnerships are absolutely essential to this, because this is a problem that is bigger than any one organization, whether that be a government or a business. And that’s really the idea in Tanzania or Vietnam or India or Indonesia–that we can get the entire value chain assembled and improve the efficiencies in the marketplace so that people have confidence that when they make the investment, that it will pay off for them in the next step. That’s really what it takes to make a marketplace work, is having confidence in that next step.

Mark: And what about farmers? What’s their role in this? (click on picture)

Mark: What if you’re just an individual, you’re not involved in agriculture, you’re not a farmer, you’re not an NGO, you’re just somebody who’s trying to buy food, trying to make a living, and trying to get the things the family needs? What does this mean to that person?

Jerry: Well, the New Vision for Agriculture is really extremely consumer-centric because they are the end of the chain. They’re either trying to buy food, put it on the table at a price that they can afford and still have money left over to invest in their children’s education or a house or go on vacation, or they’re a citizen and they’re worried about will there be enough water when my children are grown up. So they have a lot at stake, but as individuals, it’s hard for them to drive the system to create these kinds of outcomes. That’s why the New Vision for Agriculture is really about catalyzing leadership.

It’s the recognition that you don’t just push a button and increase the productivity of agriculture or push a button and increase the resource efficiency. It takes lots of people working together and it takes a long period of time. Getting the awareness that we have a very big and pending challenge, but there are solutions if we act today, that’s been job one of this New Vision and that really was our role in Davos this year–to create that level of awareness that it’s a problem, but it also has solutions, but we have to act now.

Mark: What’s next? Where do we go from here?

Jerry: We’ve laid out a vision, we have got action started across this vision, but I think none of us will be satisfied or should be satisfied until this turns into increased productivity, increased resource efficiency and increased welfare for farmers and consumers, in terms of affordable food. We want to make this real. If we look at the two projects that are started, both in Tanzania and in Vietnam, we want to see meaningful progress that we’re really assembling a value chain that has confidence for farmers. We’re going to see an improved marketplace with greater choice for farmers and greater transparency for farmers in the marketplace. That’s what we’re going to see in those two places a year from now if we’re successful and I believe that we will be.

I’m optimistic that we’re going to continue to bring this into the conversation and that this will truly be a new vision for all of agriculture, because there is no single solution. Every project has to be tailored to the environment that it’s dealing with in that country and to the fact that consumers will have different tastes. Small holders, large holders, people who use high technology, even people who want to use organic or other methods, they can all participate in this. We have to give both farmers and consumers choice. That’s what the New Vision is all about.

Hugh Grant at the BSR Conference in New York City

I’m not quite sure how to describe the experience of being in the company of about 1,000 people from around the world who are recognized as leaders in sustainability and corporate social responsibility both in the business world and in the world of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Amazing, exciting and inspiring are words that just don’t seem quite enough to capture it.

But there I was, in a large room in New York City, listening to the speech Hugh Grant, the CEO of my company, was giving to this audience of global movers and shakers – hearing the laughter and applause, but also seeing crossed arms and concerned looks. Hearing the respectful questions, but also knowing the Twitter streams were adding their own commentaries.

I know some people were wondering why Monsanto would even be there. Some people have a low opinion of our company based upon either bad information or fundamental disagreement with technology in agriculture. I saw people from a few organizations there who actively work to discredit Monsanto every day–one of them was even a sponsor.

However, I also saw and met people who see the need for collaborative partnerships between NGOs and corporations. One person I was extremely honored to meet was Jason Clay, with the World Wildlife Foundation. In my opinion, he gets it. Plus, his TED presentation on big companies and biodiversity has a powerful message for everyone who wants to make a difference.

I am glad we were there. And I was not surprised. I’ve had the privilege of interacting with many people throughout Monsanto, at all levels, and they are inspiring people to know. They come to work wanting to make a difference. They remind me of the types of people I know in humanitarian organizations and non-profits. They are the type of people who are focused on others first, on making sure their work matters beyond a paycheck. And I believe it does.

The knowledge that the kind of dialogue I saw in NYC is taking place, and the winners at the end of the day are farmers and consumers around the planet, is the kind of stuff that gets me up in the morning. It’s why I came to work for Monsanto in the first place. Improving agriculture changes lives! And for farmers to have the opportunity to grow more, using less, and improving their lives and the lives of the people they feed is what this company is all about. And it makes me proud to call Monsanto my company as a result.

Bottom line for me – attending the 2010 Business Social Responsibility Conference, even for only one day, was encouraging. To know that there is room for respectful dialogue between groups that disagree with each other was encouraging. To know that businesses around the world are concerned about their responsibilities to their communities and to the world at large was encouraging. And to see such an active role being taken by the leaders within the profit and the non-profit communities was encouraging.

I hope this is more than just a nice conference for people to attend. I think it is. But the value of those meetings in New York will be in the work that happens afterwards in the fields of sub-Saharan Africa, or in the supply chains at major corporations, or in the labs of technology companies, or in the classrooms of the next generation of leaders.

Because together, we can make this planet thrive and grow and be able to feed our growing populations and improve the quality of life of people we will never meet. And that’s amazing, exciting and inspiring.

Mark Sutherland is a communications team lead living inMissouri.

Commander Rich Wiley runs flight operations on the USS Vinson

Remember to Thank a Veteran on Nov. 11

I have never served in the military. But Nov. 11 is still a very special day to me. In the U.S. it is called Veteran’s Day, in the U.K. and other places it is known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day.

As a father of four, a husband, an adopted American, the grandson of two WWII veterans—one decorated with the Burma Star—and as someone who grew up surrounded by the men and women of the British military, I try to go out of my way to thank anyone I discover has served or is serving. In my opinion, anyone who volunteers to put their life on the line for my freedoms deserves any honor I can bestow on them.

And I would encourage you to do the same.

I work every day with veterans who work next to me here at Monsanto. And I recently had the privilege of spending some time with the officers and crew of the USS Carl Vinson, and also members of the Blue Angels, and the caliber of men and women who serve is incredible. And I also discovered, while talking to those currently serving on the USS Vinson, some of them bring the values they learned on the farm into their military service.

“I helped in the cotton fields and in the grain fields,” Petty Officer Stephen Hale, from Aranas Pass, Texas, told me. “We worked 14-hour days just walking up and down whacking weeds.”

“I worked on an Angus cattle farm,” Petty Officer Eric McLane, from Thomaston, Georgia, said. “During the summer it’s a lot of hours. Sometimes sun up to sun down.”

And it’s the hard work growing up on the farm that most of the farm kids I talked to stressed as preparing them for the Navy.

“Work ethic definitely transfers,” Petty Officer Benjamin Taylor said. Taylor grew up on a farm in Indiana. “You give 110 percent everyday, just like you did growing up, because everything you have to do really matters.”

Hale agreed. “It feels good to get your hands dirty and realize I worked hard today.”

And this work ethic and commitment gets noticed, at the highest levels.

“This young generation has a real desire to serve, whether it’s serving in the military or whether it’s serving in some other capacity, more so than I’ve ever seen before,” Rear Admiral Ted Branch, commander of Carrier Strike Group One, said while we were sitting in his briefing room. “They’re interesting in doing something, giving something back. People are getting their money’s worth, at least as far as the USS Carl Vinson is concerned, with the people that are on it and the job they are doing.”

And the farm work ethic goes beyond the junior officers we sat down with. Commander Rich “Coyote” Wiley, also known as the Air Boss who is responsible for flight operations on the aircraft carrier, was also a farm kid—growing up on a vegetable farm in California.

And even though these sailors are far away from the land they grew up on, putting their lives on the line for their country, you can tell their hearts are not far from the farm.

“It’s one of those things that once you get it in your blood, it’s always there,” Taylor said. “You long for [the farm]. To be able to wake up, and hear the creek a half-a-mile away. The quiet. The serenity of it all.”

I’ve been told many times, the simple act of thanking a veteran is an incredible thing to them. So this Nov. 11, please go out of your way to thank every veteran you know, from whatever country you live in, for their service to their country and to you.

Mark Sutherland is a Monsanto communications team lead living in Missouri.