AOA Saturday 5-23-2026

On the Memorial Day Weekend edition of AOA, powered by Cenex, we begin the show learning about Cotton Incorporated launching a new Life Cycle Assessment of United States Cotton Fiber Production. Dr. Jesse Daystar, chief sustainability officer for Cotton Incorporated, joins us to discuss what the findings mean for U.S. cotton growers and the broader industry.   In Segment Two, we hear the full conversation we had earlier in the week with USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce about their updates and enhancements to the livestock insurance programs LRP, LGM and DRP for the 2027 crop year. Then we close the show learning about research being done by the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute to explore new uses for alfalfa. Alan Doering, a senior scientist at AURI, joins us to discuss research AURI is doing to expand the opportunities for alfalfa, focusing primarily on non-ruminant feed opportunities and fertilizer.