U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins addressed the American Farm Bureau Federation convention for the first time Monday, hitting on key issues being discussed by the nation’s largest general farm organization this week. Rollins started with the bad news. “All of America is under threat when American agriculture is under threat. And there’s no doubt that right now, American agriculture, …
DWFI Podcast 49 – Irrigation as a Service: A New Paradigm
In our first episode of 2026, host Frances Hayes discusses a unique approach to supporting access to irrigation for smallholder farmers with Erin Anders, Senior Program Manager at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. Farmers of all sizes in all parts of the world need access to water, inputs and financing to grow food. Irrigation as a Service (IaaS) …
Seizing Opportunities for U.S. Cotton
The purpose of the National Cotton Council is to increase profitability for the industry, and it is especially important when the market is down and growers are struggling. Marjory Walker, NCC VP Operations and Communications, presented some of the council’s recent initiatives at this week’s 2026 Beltwide Cotton Conferences. “One of the most innovative, I think, is Buying America Cotton …
Water for Food Institute Names New Executive Director
A new executive director of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska has been appointed. Joe Sanders will step in to the role just vacated by the retirement of Peter McCornick at the end of 2025, after nearly a decade of dedicated service to the institute. Sanders will officially assume the executive director position …
Cotton Consultants Conference Covers the Latest
From what’s new in crop protection technology from the major players, to what’s new that could impact this growing season, the 2026 Beltwide Cotton Consultants Conference covered the waterfront on the first day Wednesday. Conference coordinator Hank Jones was pleased to see a good crowd. “We had a very good turnout from around the belt,” said Jones. “I know there’s …
Syngenta Spotlights New Insecticide at Cotton Conferences
Syngenta’s PLINAZOLIN® technology just received registration from the Environmental Protection Agency last month and is now available for use, subject to state approvals, powering five separate insecticide products including Vertento® for cotton. Tripp Walker, Syngenta agronomic service rep, gave a presentation at the Beltwide Cotton Consultants Conference Wednesday in San Antonio on the new foliar-applied insecticide for cotton, peanuts and …
NewLife Bio Announces Approval for Remediate™
NewLife Biosciences announces the approval of an important microbial patent for soil and crop health for uses in agriculture. This patent will allow NewLife Bio to produce and provide Remediate™ products to help significantly accelerate the breakdown of pesticide residues. Each Remediate™ product, available through a customized and stabilized formula, is an optimized consortium of microbes designed to break down …
Overview of New Invasive Pest – Cotton Jassid
A brand new invasive pest is on the scene for cotton growers in the Southeast. University of Georga Extension Entomologist Phillip Roberts presented the latest information on the Cotton Jassid during the Cotton Consultants Conference yesterday in San Antonio on the first day of the 2026 Beltwide Cotton Conferences. “So this is an invasive insect, native to India,” said Roberts. …
PowerPollen and Oxbo Partner for Mechanized Corn Seed Pollination
PowerPollen® and Oxbo have announced the first mechanized pollination solution for corn seed production to allow seed companies to directly purchase, integrate, and scale the system ahead of the 2026 growing season. The partnership leverages PowerPollen’s second-generation technology stack with Oxbo’s 5180 high-clearance power units for a true breakthrough in commercial pollination technology. For the first time, seed companies and …
2026 Starts with Beltwide Cotton Conferences
The National Cotton Council and its cooperating partners will be ringing in the new year with the 2026 Beltwide Cotton Conferences January 7 through 9 at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio, Texas. Beltwide Coordinator Lauren Krogman says the conference includes three days of individual reports, panel discussions, hands-on workshops and seminars designed to provide attendees with information they …