The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) presented its most prestigious awards during the association’s annual meeting this week in Florida. Being an organization of ag retailers, it stands to reason that one of the biggest awards is Retailer of the Year. Sponsored by Monsanto, ARA and AgProfessional magazine, the ARA Ag Retailer of the Year honors the very best in the …
Topguard® Terra Helping SW Cotton Farmers
Cotton root rot has been a problem for farmers in the southwest for decades, but FMC’s Topguard® Terra is making a difference. FMC Southern Regional Business Manager Matt Hancock says Topguard® Terra is an extremely systemic triazole fungicide. “So it gets into the plant and it stays there,” he said during an interview this week at the ARA Conference and …
CEO Daren Coppock Addresses #ARA2016
The Agricultural Retailers Association Convention & Expo heard from CEO, Daren Coppock with the President’s report and review of the year. He couldn’t begin without talking about the election, Coppock said. “This opens up some unexpected avenues for us. It was a surprising outcome in a number of ways. But if we look at implications for our industry there are …
Florida FFA President Welcomes #ARA2016 Members
Who better to welcome members of the Agricultural Retailers Association to Florida for their annual conference than William Jameson, the Florida State FFA President and symbol of agriculture’s future? Florida stands tall in the agriculture industry, growing more than 300 types of commodities from fresh produce like grapefruit and sweet corn to beef and field crops. The state also boasts …
#ARA2016 in Full Swing
The Agricultural Retailers Association Conference & Expo started off with yesterday’s annual golf tournament and is in full swing today with a general session followed by breakout sessions in two tracks, Operations and Executive. Once again the conference chair is Leroy Startz, ING Capital, who has chaired the conference for the past eight years. I visited with him today before …
#ARA2016 Starts Tuesday
I’m heading to Orlando for the 2016 ARA Conference and Expo after a family and food weekend in South Florida. The Agricultural Retailers Association is getting together for a conference that offers everything from golf to educations sessions and speakers to awards and of course the expo hall. It is a big opportunity to network with people in the industry …
Dream Big at the ARA Annual Conference
The Agricultural Retailers Association will be hosting their annual conference and expo in Orlando, Florida- a place known for magic. The keynote speaker will be conjuring up a little of that enchantment as he presents his message on leadership and world-class customer service. Lee Cockerell is a retired Disney executive, a man in charge of 73,000 team members who daily created …
Atrazine Comment Deadline This Week
Growers and other interested stakeholders have until Wednesday of this week to make comments to the Environmental Protection Agency on its review of the herbicide atrazine, which includes a recommendation that could result in a loss of this crop protection tool. Atrazine is currently under EPA registration review, which is required for all pesticides every 15 years to update and …
EPA Officials See Spray Drift Equipment in Action
Around three dozen U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff recently visited a working research farm in Queenstown, Maryland to see first-hand demonstrations of the latest sprayers and pieces of equipment. Organized by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA), the goal of the event was to demonstrate the voluntary steps and emerging technologies that the …
ARA Says Don’t Allow OSHA to Circumvent the Law
Misdirection may work well for magicians, but the Agricultural Retailers Association has not been distracted by the Occupational Health Safety Administration’s latest antics. The organization is responding to OSHA’s attempt to enforce rules on farm supply retailers before the rules have even been written. On May 6 the ARA sent a letter to Congress and the U.S. Court of Appeals for …