- Corteva Agriscience, together with Des Moines Area Community College, has awarded the first of 25 scholarships created as part of a pilot program announced June 5 to train rural-based students in high-value, high-demand software development and technology skills. Corteva contributed $187,500 to fund 25 scholarships of up to $7,500 each.
- The National Science Teaching Association and Corteva Agriscience have collaborated to bring new, science-based lesson plans and resources to elementary teachers nationwide. A series of 10 teacher-reviewed lesson plans exploring food and agricultural themes are now available at https://www.nsta.org/corteva.
- American Vanguard Corporation and AMVAC, an American Vanguard company, welcome Nathaniel Quinn as the marketing manager for the corn, soybean and sugar beet portfolio. In addition, Director of Portfolio and Marketing Communications Management Neil DeStefano has added business development to his responsibilities.
- The Renewable Fuels Association is pleased to announce that The Greenbrier Companies has joined the organization.
- Now that sign-up for the 2018 farm law has begun, National Cotton Council staff will be conducting
farm law education webinars. The dates and times (all Central) are: Thursday, September 19, 8:00 a.m.; Monday, September 23, 8:00 a.m.; Wednesday, September 25, 8:00 a.m.; and Thursday, September 26, 10:00 a.m. For this webinar, guests will need to use Zoom software. To connect, click https://cotton.zoom.us/j/589146147. - For the last six years, Culver’s and its Thank You Farmers Project have teamed up with farms from across the country to create beautiful, elaborate corn mazes. This year’s corn maze is at Feltz’s Dairy Store in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, with a design featuring iconic images like a windmill, barn and tractor among the winding maze. Since the creation of the Thank You Farmers Project in 2013, Culver’s has donated over $2 million to advancing agricultural education for FFA and other agricultural organizations. Learn more about this year’s mazes and the Thank You Farmers Project at http://www.culvers.com/thankyoufarmersproject.
- Learfield IMG College is pleased to announce the addition of Ted Bright to the Brownfield Ag News Sales Team.
- UPL announced that Adrian Percy is joining the company as Chief Technology Officer for the Crop Protection Business. Percy previously served as Head of Research and Development for the Crop Science division of Bayer, where he held responsibility for internal and open innovation activities in the areas of crop protection chemistry, biologicals, seeds, and traits.
- The National FFA Organization is answering the need for more highly skilled graduates to fill job openings in the field of agriculture, and nowhere is this more evident than in the organization’s growing membership. The organization announced a record-high student membership of 700,170, up from 669,989 in 2018.
- National Farmers Union proudly recognized 26 outstanding U.S. Senators and Representatives who have demonstrated leadership and support at the federal policymaking level for family farmers, ranchers and their rural communities. The Golden Triangle Award, the family farm organization’s highest legislative honor, was presented to each recipient this week during NFU’s Fall Legislative Fly-In.
- Tate & Lyle PLC and Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN announced a major new initiative to help bolster sustainability on 1.5 million acres of U.S.-grown corn. Using best-in-class technology and sustainability solutions from Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN, U.S. Midwest corn farmers will be helped to more effectively target and measure the impact of efforts to protect the environment.
- To gather real-world insights into the professional landscape for women in agriculture, Alltech has announced its support of an industry-wide survey. Launching on Sept. 10, this global survey, which will be conducted in partnership with AgriBriefing, aims to collect feedback about the barriers that impede progress and to identify the resources needed to ensure workplace equality. The survey is open to women and men across all sectors of the agri-food industry, and the results will be revealed at the Women in Food & Agriculture Summit, to be held Dec. 3–4, 2019, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- The theme for the 2020 GROWMARK Essay Contest is: “Describe the ‘Farmer of the Future.’ What tools or skills will he or she need to be successful?” The contest is open to all high school FFA members in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
- The Ecosystem Services Market Consortium has received $255,500 from the United Soybean Board to help develop an ecosystem service protocol for the Soy and Corn Belt. In addition to the partnership with USB, ESMC has added six new members to its Consortium. Nestle is joining as a Founding Circle Member, and the American Soybean Association; NativeEnergy; Newtrient, LLC; the Conservation Technology Information Center and World Wildlife Fund are joining as Legacy Partners.
