Arcadia Biosciences Launches GoodHemp

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

During the American Seed Trade Association CSS & Seed Expo in Chicago this week, Arcadia Biosciences announced the launch of a new product line – GoodHemp. As the company’s new brand for delivering genetically superior hemp seeds, transplants, flower and extracts, GoodHemp’s first commercial product is a disease resistant and ultra-low THC hemp seed.

Accepting advance orders now, the first variety in GoodHemp’s catalog – Complia Bot+ – is a widely adapted cannabis strain that delivers high CBD content (more than 10 percent) with ultra-low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis. It is part of the Complia hemp seed line Arcadia is bringing to market through GoodHemp, with four additional proprietary varieties in early adopter farmer trials with sales expected in the 2020 season.

This innovation comes just months after the USDA’s Interim Final Ruling for hemp cultivation, which mandates that states test hemp crops and dispose of “hot” crops that exceed 0.3 percent THC. While hemp farmers will have access to crop protection options, the destruction of hot crops that fail these stringent inspections will not be a covered loss under crop insurance programs. In 2019 alone, approximately 20 percent of U.S. hemp crops were non-compliant, representing $2 billion in losses for growers.

Arcadia Biosciences CEO Matt Plavan talks about the new brand in this interview:
GoodHemp interview with Arcadia Biosciences CEO Matt Plavan

ASTA, Audio, Cannabis, CBD, hemp, Seed

Farm Groups Partner to Help Farmers Manage Stress

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment


Todd Van Hoose, Farm Credit Council; Dale Moore, AFBF; Mark Skidmore, Michigan State Extension; Roger Johnson, National Farmers Union

Recognizing the high levels of stress affecting America’s farmers and ranchers, agricultural organizations have partnered on a program to train individuals who interact with farmers and ranchers to recognize signs of stress and offer help.

Farm Credit, American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union announced the program yesterday in Washington D.C. with the support of several members of Congress.

Based on the farm stress program Michigan State University Extension developed for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, this combination of online and in-person trainings is designed specifically for individuals who interact with farmers and ranchers. It provides participants the skills to understand the sources of stress, learn the warning signs of stress and suicide, identify effective communication strategies, reduce stigma related to mental health concerns and connect farmers and ranchers with appropriate mental health and other resources.

National Farmers Union compiled financial, legal and mental health resources at its online Farm Crisis Center. The organization’s partnership with Farm Bureau and Farm Credit will build on that project by further increasing farmers’ access to the information and services they need to get through financial and personal emergencies. Resources may also be accessed on MSU Extension’s “Managing Farm Stress” website.

The trainings, which will begin in the coming weeks, are funded by a grant from Farm Credit.

Listen to the announcement on the program made Wednesday by:
Todd Van Hoose, President and CEO, Farm Credit Council
Roger Johnson, President, National Farmers Union
Dale Moore, Executive Vice President, American Farm Bureau Federation
Mark Skidmore, Michigan State University Extension
Farm Groups Partner for Mental Health

AFBF, Ag Group, Farm Credit, NFU

Lots of Interest in ASTACSS Hemp Session

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

The Hemp Seed Opportunities & Challenges session at the American Seed Trade Association’s 2019 CSS and Seed Expo was packed at the end of the day on Wednesday, showing the high level of interest the seed industry has in this new and growing commodity.

Participating in the session were Pat Miller, ASTA’s Director of State Government Affairs; Wendy Mosher with New West Genetics, ASTA’s Hemp Seed Working Group chair; and Garry Meier and Jeff Kostuik of Hemp Genetics International.

After Miller gave a legal and regulatory update, Mosher provided a fascinating overview of hemp production, wrapping up with a perspective on hemp seed genetics and sourcing.

ASTACSS19 Hemp session - Pat Miller, ASTA (14:46)

ASTACSS19 Wendy Mosher, New West Genetics (51:11)

ASTACSS19 Hemp Genetics International (23:20)

2019 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photos

ASTA, Audio, Cannabis, hemp, Seed

Corn Growers Seek Action on USMCA and Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Leaders of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and state corn organizations held a news conference Wednesday morning to urge the Trump Administration and members of Congress to finish the job on outstanding trade and ethanol issues important to corn farmers.

The past year has presented a perfect storm of challenges for America’s corn farmers. While there have been positive developments, such as the trade agreement with Japan and the long-awaited approval of year-round E15, there are still outstanding issues that, if adequately addressed, would provide some much-needed certainty to corn farmers.

Corn grower leaders called on President Trump to follow through on his commitment to farmers and the RFS, conclude China trade negotiations with a positive outcome for agriculture, and for Congressional leaders to reach an agreement with the Administration and pass USMCA.

Participating in the press conference were NCGA president Kevin Ross of Minden, Iowa; Patty Mann, Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association; and Jim Greif, Iowa Corn Growers.

NCGA press call
Audio, Corn, Ethanol, NCGA, Trade

Precision Ag Bytes 12/11

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • ARVA Intelligence has established the first research farm of its kind in Humphrey, Arkansas. The ARVA Intelligence Delta Research Farm combines 3000 acres of highly censored field data with cutting-edge machine learning analytics to provide the most in-depth understanding of product efficacy and soil context available in agriculture.
  • Benson Hill, a crop improvement company dedicated to unlocking the natural diversity of plants, today announced the launch of Benson Hill Seeds, a business focused on delivering superior seeds to meet the evolving needs of the growing human food and animal feed markets, including the eMerge Genetics portfolio of non-GMO soybean varieties.
  • An impartial team of agricultural industry judges named WinField United‘s InterLock Adjuvant as the “2019 Product of the Year” and Corteva Agriscience’s Enlist E3 Soybean Trait as the “2019 NEW Product of the Year.” This is the 17th year Agri Marketing magazine has sponsored the program.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

ASTA Excited About USMCA

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Members of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) meeting in Chicago this week are excited about news that an agreement has been reached on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that could mean a vote as early as next week.

“Mexico and Canada are our two biggest agricultural trading partners so we need that clear relationship,” said ASTA Chair Wayne Gale of Stokes Seeds.

Stokes Seeds has a presence in both the United States and Canada so Gale has a unique perspective on the agreement. He talks about the importance of the USMCA for agriculture and the seed industry in this interview.

ASTACSS19 Interview with ASTA Chair Wayne Gale, Stokes Seeds

2019 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photos

ASTA, Audio, Seed, Trade

ASTA Announces Student Video Contest Winner

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Recent Iowa State University PhD graduate Kevin Falk was honored as the grand prize winner of the Better Seed, Better Life Student Video Contest for the second year in row during the Opening General Session of ASTA’s CSS & Seed Expo 2019 in Chicago.

Falk’s PhD work focuses around harnessing technology to develop high throughput phenotyping platforms and machine learning approaches to advance plant breeding and he is very interested in science, agriculture and using media to connect and communicate with the public. He recently accepted a position with Corteva Agriscience as an Integrated Field Sciences Research Scientist.

The Better Seed, Better Life Student Video Contest is a collaboration between the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB) and the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of American and Soil Science Society of America (Tri-Societies). Open to both graduate and undergraduate university students, this year’s contest focused on the theme, “Our Planet, Our Health, Our Food – it all starts with the Seed.”

Second place went to Matthew Wilson, University of Missouri; and third place went to Hannah Van Eendenburg, University of Colorado Boulder.

Listen to an interview with Kevin here and watch his award winning video below:
ASTACSS19 Interview with video contest winner Kevin Falk


2019 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photos

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, ASTA, Audio, BASF, Seed

FMC CEO Helps Ag Retailers Unmask Business Potential

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

FMC has redefined itself as an agricultural sciences company positioned for growth in the North American retail market.

“It is very critical for any company to get to a place where they can define themselves as mainly belonging to one specific market,” said Pierre Brondeau, CEO. “And I think we’ve chosen a market like ag today, after 10 years. We are an agricultural sciences company, and until you get to this point, you don’t really have a company you are able to grow. And I think that’s the biggest lesson for us.”

Brondeau said the company offers a robust portfolio of products, as well as technology and scientific-based knowledge. He believes these are things that differentiate the company from others around the world. Brondeau presented at the Ag Retailers Association Annual Conference and Expo in New Orleans.

ARA19 Keynote address, FMC CEO Pierre Brondeau (42:00)
ARA19 Interview with FMC CEO Pierre Brondeau (3:34)

2019 ARA Convention and Expo Photo Album

ARA, Audio, FMC

Basse Back at ASTACSS

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

The most popular session at the annual ASTA CSS & Seed Expo is always the agricultural economy update by Dan Basse, AgResource Company, and this year was no exception as he opened the general session for the seventh year.

Basse offered his insights on this year’s yields, impact of African Swine Fever in China, the ABU countries (Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine), and more.

Listen to his full presentation and interview with highlights below:
ASTACSS19 Remarks by Dan Basse, AgResource

ASTACSS19 Interview with Dan Basse, AgResource

2019 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photos

ASTA, Audio

Research Shows Enogen Increases Feed Efficiency

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

New research presented by Penn State University is proving the case for Enogen® Feed, showing up to a 4 percent increase in ECM feed efficiency and no negative effect on rumen fermentation.

The unique Syngenta hybrids, available from NK Seeds retailers, feature an in-seed technology that converts starch to usable sugars more quickly than other corn.

The research, results of which were presented at the 2019 American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) Northeast Branch meeting in November, was conducted by Sergio Welchez, graduate research assistant, and Dr. Alex Hristov of Penn State University’s Department of Animal Science. In their replicated experiment, they compared Enogen Feed corn silage to non-Enogen corn silage. The only difference in feed was the type of corn silage used, so the results indicate the effect of the in-seed alpha amylase technology of Enogen Feed corn.

For more information, contact a local NK retailer or visit www.EnogenFeed.com.

Learn more in this interview from the 2019 Farm Progress Show with Duane Martin: Interview with Duane Martin, Enogen

Animal Agriculture, Audio, Syngenta