The agriculture industry is mourning the passing of Dr. Owen Newlin, who spent 44 years helping to guide the development and production of new corn hybrids at Pioneer. Newlin, who was actively involved in both the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) over the years, was 92. Dr. Newlin contributed to tremendous growth in the …
ASTA Announces New Leadership and Award Winners
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) held a virtual annual meeting last week where the organization announced new leadership and annual award winners. Members of the FY2020-21 ASTA officer team as of July 1 are: Chair: John Latham, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, Alexander, IA First Vice Chair: Brad May, BASF, Research Triangle Park, NC Second Vice Chair: Jim Schweigert, Gro Alliance, …
USDA SECURE Rule Paves Way for Agricultural Innovation
The final rule updating and modernizing USDA’s biotechnology regulations under the Plant Protection Act was approved this week. The Sustainable, Ecological, Consistent, Uniform, Responsible, Efficient (SECURE) rule will bring USDA’s plant biotechnology regulations into the 21st century by removing duplicative and antiquated processes in order to facilitate the development and availability of these technologies through a transparent, consistent, science-based, and …
Next Generation Wheat Markets
A panel at the 2019 American Seed Trade Association CSS & Seed Expo dove deeper into the subject of next generation wheat markets. Mark Gold of Top Third Ag Marketing discussed wheat trends, while Jeff Koscelny of Bayer tackled adding value to wheat. Jody Pollok-Newson with the Michigan Wheat Program shared more information about private/public wheat partnerships. Listen to each …
A New Look at Corn and Soybean Production
Those attending the 2019 American Seed Trade Association CSS & Seed Expo had the opportunity to learn more about modern corn and soybean production from a couple of industry experts. Retired University of Illinois Extension Agronomist Emerson Nafziger provided some insight on managing today’s more efficient corn hybrids. “My basic thesis is that hybrids have gotten so much better that …
Thriving Amongst the Giants
A general session at the 2019 American Seed Trade Association CSS & Seed Expo addressed needs of seed businesses who are employing key business strategies to ensure success in an environment of transition and consolidation. The panel, entitled “Thriving Amongst the Giants,” featured Scott Beck of Beck’s Hybrids, John Latham of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, Myron Stine of Midwest Oilseeds, and …
Research Looks at Farmers of the Future
Research presented at the 2019 American Seed Trade Association CSS & Seed Expo answered questions about who the farmers of the future will be and what they will need from the agriculture industry. “The goal is to help the industry have some focus on what’s coming, think about their own plans, how they can disrupt themselves to become more competitive, …
Hemp Farmers Need Good Seed
The hemp industry is in dire need of good genetics and a weeding out of bad actors in the seed supply business, according to two hemp farmers who helped Arcadia Biosciences announce the launch of GoodHemp in Chicago last week. Chris Adams (pictured left) of Adams Family Farm in North Dakota and Weston Walker (right) of Gold Dust Farm in …
BASF and Arable Partner to Provide Field Analytics
Arable Labs and xarvio™ Digital Farming Solutions are partnering to provide weather and plant insights to farmers across Europe The resulting integration of Arable’s unique dataset with xarvio FIELD MANAGER allows for optimized crop production decisions. BASF’s digital platform is built on decades of experience in crop production and protection, with Arable’s hyper-local crop and weather data it enables more …
ASTA Ends Year on High Note
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is ending 2019 on a positive note with another successful CSS and Seed Expo in Chicago and a lot of optimism going forward. “There’s a lot of innovation in our industry today,” says ASTA president and CEO Andy LaVigne. “So we see a lot of companies coming into the market, a lot on discovery, …