Hands across generations the TED Talk

By Joseph L. Murphy

TED Talks partnered with Unilever to place a spotlight on ideas, projects and insights they hope will contribute to shifting perspectives and a brighter future yesterday in New York City. The program called “TED@Unilever” provided a voice to 16 people, spanning several continents, to share their ideas of creating social and business change for billions of people.

Mark Jackson reads his speech on stage at the TED@Unilever event in New York City on Wednesday. (Photo: Joseph L. Murphy)

Mark Jackson, an Iowa Soybean Association director and farmer, was one of the speakers featured in the program. He painted a picture of the struggles and joys that his family has gone through since the 1800’s while farming land near Rose Hill.

“I now see how the profession I have devoted my life to impacts the world. I want to share with you a story of where we’ve been in agriculture, where we are now and where we are going,” Jackson told the audience during the opening of his presentation.

His grandfather first planted soybeans on their farm in the 1920’s and since that time each generation has strived to produce sustainable and environmentally responsible crops.

“I owe my passion for my profession to my father, an agriculture giant in my eyes,” Jackson told the crowd. “He was a fiercely independent man, short stature but tall in character.”

Jackson was invited to participate in the program because of his work in partnership with Unilever, the Iowa Soybean Association and ADM over the past year. The partnership created the soy sustainability project encouraging farmers to document the sustainability of their soybean crops from planting to harvest.

“Today, the U.S. farmer represent only one percent of this country’s population but we are growing nearly half of the world’s soybeans,” Jackson continued as a crowd of 150 people, mostly from New York, listened. “Using science to provide assurances to the American consumer I’ve worked on a first-of-its kind sustainability effort with soy.”

He highlighted technology he uses on his farm to aid in conservation, decrease pesticide use while saving on fuel costs. He finished the six minute talk by asking the audience a rhetorical question.

“What will the future look like? It will include soybeans and other crops that produce more with less water and less inputs that will adapt to changing climates. ”

At the conclusion of the event Jackson and the other speakers visited with those in attendance, including executives from Unilever.

“We thought the event was a great success. Our speakers have traveled far and wide to educate and inspire sustainable practices and it’s great to hear them shed light on how they’re working to create bright futures around the world,” Jessica Sobel, North American Sustainable Living manager, said.

The individual speeches were recorded and will be broadcasted after being edited by TED team members. Jackson reflected on his time in New York for the speech while thinking about the upcoming harvest back home in Iowa.

“TED was a unique opportunity,” He said. “Modern agriculture has had to embrace change to align with the needs of our customers. We strive to bring an abundant and safe crop that enables the expanding world population to be fed.”

Originally published for the Iowa Soybean Association. Find more great stories at: www.iasoybeans.com/news