Golden Harvest Seeds Ready for 2021

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

Growers choosing Golden Harvest Seeds will have a strong portfolio backed by consistent customer service in 2021.

Better than expected yields in some areas and market rallies are providing some optimism heading into the new year, said Dave Young, head of marketing.

“I think a lot of farmers were very happy with soybean yields, probably happier than they had a right to do with some of the weather experiences we had. Corn, also, a little more segmented by pocket but a lot of people were really happy. Even with some of the drought we had, we had some great yields off of some pretty droughty soils,” said Young, who participated in the National Association of Farm Broadcasting virtual Trade Talk event.

Young said the company’s agronomy book is available again this year.

“We brought that back last year. There was a hiatus of a number of years, but if you go on goldenharvestseeds.com, you can download that and it’s real world agronomy data that’s compiled by our agronomy research team. It’s relevant, it’s real, and it’s a great resource for growers.”

He said seed advisors are available to help all season long and also touted the company’s Golden Advantage financing program that is continuing after great success in 2020.

2020 NAFB Interview with Dave Young, Golden Harvest 4:40

Audio, Seed, Syngenta

Water for Food Podcast – Episode 4

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Daugherty Water for Food PodcastThe fourth episode of the Daugherty Water for Food Podcast features a woman who is literally in the backyard of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

Meghan Sittler is Director of the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, located about 15 minutes from downtown Lincoln, which focuses on conservation of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem and the birds that rely on it.

Meghan joined the center two years ago with a background that included eight years as the Coordinator of the Lower Platte River Corridor Alliance, and most recently she served as the Domestic Water/Wastewater Management Educator with UNL Extension where she helped to facilitate and coordinate a statewide partnership focused on the protection of Nebraska’s water resources.

Meghan also has close family ties to Spring Creek Prairie as her parents Lyle and Alice farmed land nearby and her sister and brother-in-law currently farm there. Her father was a member of Spring Creek Prairie’s stewardship advisory board and her parents received much recognition over the years for their conservation ethic they passed on to her.

Get to know Meghan and how her parents influenced her career path in this podcast: Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode 4

How to subscribe:

Audio, Conservation, Farming, Podcasts, Water, Water for Food

ARA Honors Johnny Council with Lifetime Achievement Award

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The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) has honored Johnny Council of Grow West with the Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement Award. Council received ARA’s highest individual honor for his contributions to ARA activities and his role in fundamentally advancing the ag retail industry. The ARA Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2001 and renamed in 2010 to honor the late Jack Eberspacher, who served as ARA president and CEO from 2001 until his death in 2009.

Council served on the ARA Board of Directors from 2005 until 2014, serving in various leadership roles, including chairman of the Public Policy Committee and finally Chairman of the Board in 2013. His leadership in Grow West and its legacy companies contributed greatly to Grow West being recognized as the ARA Retailer of the Year in 2011. Council was Chairman when the first concepts that led to ResponsibleAg were being developed. This industry-led initiative now has more than 2,500 locations registered in the program and half of those have achieved certification.

Listen to an interview with Council here:
Interview with Johnny Council, Grow West, ARA Lifetime Achievement Award (4:40)

ag retailers, ARA, Audio

USDA Under Secretary McKinney Addresses Ag Retailers

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USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney addressed the 2020 Agricultural Retailers Association Conference & Expo Wednesday to update attendees on the U.S. trade situation at the end of 2020.

In a quick spin around the world, McKinney touched on trade and COVID19 in different countries, including Mexico and Canada with USMCA, China and the Phase One agreement, Japan, the United Kingdom, Africa and more. He also talked about the EU Farm to Fork strategy, which he calls the European Union “Green New Deal”, and how it might impact the United States.

Listen here:
ARA20 Remarks from USDA Under Secretary Ted McKinney (26:58)

ag retailers, ARA, Audio, Exports, Trade, USDA

Sand-to-Soil Technology Could Help Achieve Food Security

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Heliae Development, LLC and Agricola Cerro Prieto (ACP) have just announced findings of a year-long water retention trial, revealing a major advancement in transforming sand to soil, which could lead to greater food security, improved nutrition and more sustainable agriculture

The significance of global warming and climate change on global food production cannot be overestimated. The goal to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture through the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) is a top focus for Heliae. With deserts comprising an estimated one-third of the Earth’s total landmass and 23 hectares of arable land lost per minute to desertification, Heliae’s microalgae based innovation, PhycoTerra®, could be a just-in-time natural breakthrough in enabling global food production on marginal land.

The water retention trial began in November 2019 on 100 barren acres of desert with 99% sand, where conventional methods of agriculture are not supported. The crops selected were water-intensive table grapes, asparagus, avocado trees, and blueberry bushes. PhycoTerra® was introduced as a natural intervention for crop growth in adverse conditions and it increased the microbial population and improved the water holding capacity by close to 15%, giving sand the same water retention properties as fertile soil.

Heliae President and CEO Eric Lichtenheld said, “The results from this desert trial, along with results from our other converntional soil/crop trials point to one thing – that it is possible to regenerate the soil microbiome, and the structure of almost any soil type with Phyocterra. I believe SDG 2 is achievable, so long as we focus on the soil beneath our feet in honor of world soil day.”

Read more about this exciting development and what it could mean for the future of food production from Heliae Development.

AgWired Precision, Farming, Food, Precision Agriculture, Soil, Sustainability

NCBA President Reviews 2020 for Cattle Industry

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The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has continued to support cattle producers throughout a difficult year in 2020, said NCBA President Marty Smith.

“Producers got direct money to cattle producers all over the country, and throughout all of that, NCBA was the only organization to submit any kind of economic damage studies,” said Smith, speaking of the group’s work on the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). “We commissioned a group of our top livestock economists from our land grant institutions and asked them to develop some numbers for us, to do some damage analysis. They did that, and we hit very close in terms of what we ultimately got. In other words, we know we’re not going to get everybody back to where they’d like to be, but it’s going to keep us in business.”

The Florida cattle rancher said NCBA also worked diligently to keep packing plants open in March and April when shutdowns impacted beef demand and prices. Other priorities include policy and regulatory issues, as well as market transparency. Smith also discussed the group’s reaction to the 2020 election. NCBA participated in the National Association of Farm Broadcasting virtual Trade Talk event.

2020 NAFB Interview with Marty Smith, President, NCBA 12:14

AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, NAFB, NCBA

John Oster Receives ARA Distinguished Service Award

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The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) leadership recognized have awarded John Oster of Morral Companies with the ARA Distinguished Service Award for his support of the association and the agricultural retail industry. The award was announced Wednesday during the virtual 2020 ARA Conference & Expo.

Oster served on the ARA Board of Directors from 2013 through 2019, entering the officer rotation in 2016, and finally serving as Chairman of the Board in 2018.

“John has always been the biggest supporter and recruiter for membership in ARA,” said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock. “His support of membership recruitment has continued beyond his time in ARA leadership roles and is the main reason he was selected for this award. Of course, his contributions to the ag retail industry reach beyond ARA, as he is also an active supporter of the Ohio Agribusiness Association.”

Selected by the ARA Executive Committee, the ARA Distinguished Service Award honors individual members of the association who have gone above and beyond the traditional volunteer responsibilities.

Listen to an interview with Oster here:
Interview with John Oster, Morral Companies (8:25)

Virtual 2020 ARA Conference & Expo Newsroom

ARA, Audio

Precision Ag News 12/2

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  • In a paper published Nov. 25 in Nature, Kansas State University researchers, in collaboration with the international 10+ Genome Project led by the University of Saskatchewan, have announced the complete genome sequencing of 15 wheat varieties representing breeding programs around the world — an invaluable resource to improve global wheat production.
  • Kamterter Products, L.L.C. has won Syngenta‘s 2020 FarMore® Vision Award for its dedication in providing essential support to the seed treatment industry. The award is presented to companies that display excellence in their dedication to growers and their contributions to the seed treatment industry. Kamterter, an independently owned product development and seed enhancement service company based in Nebraska, brings a new generation of seed priming, seed lot refinement and seed coating technologies and services to the industry.
  • Syngenta is proud to unveil Spiropidion, an innovative new insect control technology that will help farmers protect their crops against damaging sucking pests in an effective and environmentally sustainable manner. Sucking pests, such as aphids, whiteflies, and scales, devastate high value fruit and vegetables like tomatoes, oranges and melons, as well as important arable crops like cotton and soybean. Spiropidion is safe to natural beneficial insects and pollinators, offering farmers a new tool for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.
  • Major investments and an enhanced breeding strategy are producing tangible results in the Golden Harvest® corn portfolio. New heights in bushels per acre arrive just as farmers seek new ways to maximize their profit potential in the 2021 growing season. Farmers seeking locally relevant Golden Harvest performance data can sign up to attend a free virtual harvest report. Presented through Dec. 3, 2020, these events feature Golden Harvest agronomists’ insights on yield results and how they can help farmers plan for success in 2021. A complete schedule, as well as information on how to sign up, can be found at GoldenHarvestWins.com.
  • Raven Industries, Inc. announced that it is accepting pre-orders for its first commercially-available Driverless Ag Technology: AutoCart®. Part of Raven Autonomy™, this autonomous grain cart solution will be available to the market for use in the 2021 harvest season. AutoCart showcases the company’s unique position as the technology solutions leader in agriculture by bridging the gap from human-operated to fully-autonomous platforms.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Yara Expands Southeast Distribution Support

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To further support retail partners and growers across Florida, Yara North America will now distribute their flagship calcium-based nitrogen and other Premium Products through Ambassador Services International located at Port Canaveral, Florida. The first Yara vessel was welcomed at Port Canaveral on Thursday, November 5th.

The move positions Yara to better serve key markets including citrus, specialty crops and turf and ornamentals across Florida and other niches of the Southeast region. Ambassador Services International’s climate-controlled storage facilities will ensure premium products, particularly YaraLiva® TROPICOTE®, will be stored at the ideal temperature and humidity level to maintain the quality standards Yara is committed to delivering to its customers and growers.

Ambassador will also enable Yara to improve storage and handling of bulk materials and bagging in both bulk and 50 lb. bags to deliver high-quality products that accommodate the crop nutrition needs of all end-users. Additionally, the convenient ground transportation and loading facilities are expected to keep load time at a minimum. Ambassador’s Port Canaveral facility complements Yara’s existing distribution footprint for YaraLiva TROPICOTE and other Premium Products on the east coast which already includes Wilmington, NC and Savannah, GA.

Learn more from Yara

Citrus, Produce, specialty crops, transportation

Virtual ARA is Underway

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) kicked off the 2020 ARA Conference & Expo as a virtual event Tuesday, featuring keynote speakers, engaging workshops, a 3D Expo Hall and networking opportunities.

Tuesday’s events included the debut of the 3D Expo Hall and the networking lounge as well as the opening general session featuring the ARA President’s Report from Daren Coppock and keynote speaker Kaihan Krippendorff. Following the opening session, The Scoop’s Margy Eckelkamp moderated a panel focused on insights showing the farmer of the future with Brett Sciotto and Scott Caine with Aimpoint Research.

On Monday, the ARA Board of Directors gathered for its quarterly meeting which included the review of regular business operations of the organization and opportunities to strengthen and create efficiencies.

“As the only national association representing the interests of agricultural retailers in Washington, D.C., ARA and its Board of Directors are always seeking avenues to strengthen the voice of the ag retailer,” said Coppock. “And the changes in leadership from this year’s election make it more important than ever to remain or become involved at a grassroots level.”

Registration is still open to attend the remaining sessions today and gain access to the session recordings to watch on demand.

Listen to Coppock’s president’s report below and find more content from the annual conference in the AgNewsWire virtual newsroom.

2020 ARA President's Report with Daren Coppock, president and CEO (10:47)

2020 ARA Virtual Conference & Expo Photo Album

ARA, Audio