Land O’Lakes Invests in High-Value Dairy Protein Production
Land O’Lakes, Inc. is making a strategic investment in its Tulare, California, dairy processing facility to expand into high-value dairy protein production.
The move will position the cooperative to meet rapidly growing global demand for protein-rich nutrition, while also creating new opportunities for its farmer-owners.
The investment will enable production of ultra-filtered milk; unlocking greater value from member milk, providing growth opportunities for farmer-owners and strengthening Land O’Lakes’ ability to compete in a changing food landscape increasingly centered on protein.
“At a time when protein is reshaping how consumers eat and how the food system operates, this investment positions Land O’Lakes, our Tulare facility and our farmer-owners to lead,” said Heather Anfang, EVP of Land O’Lakes and President of Dairy Foods. “We are continuing to build a more resilient, growth-oriented dairy business while creating new demand for member milk and laying the groundwork for long-term opportunity.”
Huma Adds Nematode Control for New PROUD 4
Huma® introduces new PROUD 4™, a strengthened formulation of Huma’s PROUD 3 to offer a four-in-one nematicide, miticide, fungicide and insecticide providing broad-spectrum control of above- and below-ground pests.
“For specialty crop growers seeking alternatives to costly, environmentally harmful fumigants and synthetic nematicides, PROUD 4 is the eco-friendly alternative – eco as in both economic and ecological,” says Fred Nichols, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Huma. “Similarly, Midwest corn and soybean growers can use it as a highly cost-effective foliar spray to control soft-bodied insects such as aphids, thrips, whiteflies, mites, and leafhoppers, as well as most fungal diseases.”
PROUD 4 provides fast-acting pest control on contact and is locally systemic. The secret sauce, explains Nichols, is Huma’s exclusive Micro-Carbon Technology (MCT).
“Carbon-rich MCT is the most efficient way to deliver crop inputs, including crop protection products,” Nichols says. “MCT speeds and enhances uptake of active ingredients, ensuring they reach their target in both the soil and leaves.”
Alltech Releases 2025 Sustainability Report
Alltech has released its 2025 Sustainability Report detailing Alltech’s commitment to advance the well-being of people, animals and our planet in more than 140 countries.
“Agriculture has always carried a profound responsibility to nourish people, to care for the land and to support the communities that depend on it,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “Today, that responsibility feels greater than ever. We are being asked to produce more, while using fewer resources, and to do so in a way that is both transparent and trusted. At Alltech, we see this as an opportunity for agriculture to lead.”
Alltech employs more than 5,300 people across 72 nationalities and 59 native languages, reflecting a highly diverse global team. Among the company’s 2025 sustainability accomplishments:
– Alltech completed 47 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, reducing emissions by 15,837 metric tons (mt) of CO₂e annually.
– In 2025, 43 peer-reviewed studies linked to Alltech platforms demonstrated that improved nutrient utilization, biological resilience, and feed and crop management can deliver significant productivity and sustainability gains.
– Alltech processed 73 life cycle assessment (LCA) requests across the agri-food supply chain, supporting sustainability insights across species and production stages.
– Over the course of 2025, World Without Cows, a documentary written, directed and filmed by Alltech team members and award-winning journalists Michelle Michael and Brandon Whitworth, was screened more than 250 times across 36 countries.
“We believe our industry has the capacity not only to meet today’s challenges, but to help shape a healthier, more abundant future for the planet we all share,” Lyons said. “That belief is captured in our purpose of Working Together for a Planet of Plenty™. This purpose reflects how we think about progress — not as a single outcome, but as a balance of three interconnected priorities: providing nutrition for all, replenishing our planet’s natural resources, and revitalizing local economies. Progress in one depends on progress in all.”
Industry Ag News 7/3
Passing of Dan Crummett
Another good friend in agricultural marketing and communications, Dan Crummett, has passed. I did a post back in 2005 when he became president of the AAEA. In this picture he’s seen here presenting a recognition plaque to Susan Davis for her service as AAEA president. I can only say that I thoroughly enjoyed talking to Dan, especially when he had started a blog, which made him one of the early bloggers in the business. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.
Here is some information from Lessiter Media:
Lessiter Media is mourning the loss of one of its most valuable contributing editors, Dan Crummett, who passed away unexpectedly this week at his home in Coyle, Okla. He was 78.
No-Till Farmer Editor Frank Lessiter said Dan made major contributions the magazine’s content for many years, first as a freelance writer before taking an expanded role at Lessiter Media in 2023 as a contributing editor.
Just recently, Crummett won regional and national honors from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for an article on how soil testing is evolving into ‘predictive agronomy.’
“Many times he told me and others that working with Lessiter Media was one of the most enjoyable parts of his long-term ag writing career,” Lessiter said.
Dan also contributed content for No-Till Farmer, Strip-Till Farmer, Cover Crop Strategies, Farm Equipment, Farm Innovations and Precision Farming Dealer. In recent years, he’s also contributed as technical editor for Ag Equipment Intelligence’s custom research offering.
You can find his obituary here.
Scanit Technologies Launches Iowa SporeWarn™ Network
Scanit Technologies has launched the Iowa SporeWarn™ Network to help growers get advance notice on airborne crop diseases such as corn tar spot and soybean white mold that may be heading to their fields.
“We’ve monitored challenging disease environments all over the globe, including millions of corn and soybean acres, and each season we are listening to growers, agronomists, and university experts to understand their needs from an airborne pathogen monitoring service,” said Jaydeep Rane, CEO and Co-Founder of Scanit Technologies. “The Iowa SporeWarn Network is us putting that knowledge to work.”
At the heart of the network is SporeCam™, Scanit’s AI-enabled, autonomous airborne pathogen-detection platform. Deployed in fields throughout central Iowa, each SporeCam sensor acts like a smoke alarm for disease — sampling the air around the clock and catching the invisible spores that signal a building risk of outbreak.
Iowa SporeWarn Network subscribers can access reports refreshed daily through an online portal that features summarized pathogen pressure data for each disease, a rolling 7-day history, risk and trend analysis, and heat maps to visualize pressure across the area. There is also a daily morning report delivered by text message that provides a quick read on changes in pathogen presence and disease risk.
Deployed with ag services partner MaxAg, the new service continuously tracks local airborne pathogen pressure ahead of disease outbreaks with the ability to change how agronomists scout for disease and help farmers be proactive with treatment. The SporeWarn Network service includes plain-language reports, local context from the field, and blog articles that explain what the numbers mean for spray and scouting decisions.
“Charts on a screen only go so far for a grower’s understanding,” said Ryan French, Market Development & Sales Lead at Scanit Technologies. “Having a partner like MaxAg, with their agronomists who know these fields and walk them often, is what transforms pathogen readings into supportive advice for their customers. The ground-level insight they provide adds valuable context to the SporeWarn Network data.”
Access to the Iowa SporeWarn Network is available now for the 2026 growing season. Through July 15, growers can subscribe for season-long access for only $60 — half the regular $120 price — by entering code IOWA26 at signup. This is a one-time fee with no recurring charges. Growers can preview the network and sign up at www.scanittech.com/sporewarn. Scanit also offers a SporeWarn Business Tier for agribusinesses, retailers, NGOs, drone operators, and other organizations seeking network-scale pathogen intelligence for the growers they serve.
Listen to an interview with Rane and French to learn more:
Scanit Technologies - Jaydeep Rane and Ryan French 17:37
Passing of Mary-Dell Chilton
Mary-Dell Chilton, 2013 World Food Prize
“Millions of farmers all over the world have Dr. Chilton to thank for protecting their crops from disease, pests and climate shocks,” said Tom Vilsack, CEO, World Food Prize Foundation. “Her brilliant innovations have revolutionized agriculture. She will be greatly missed, but her legacy continues to guide those who are bringing technology to bear on the great challenges we face in feeding the world.”
Dr. Chilton led a team of university researchers in producing the first transgenic plant in the late 1970s and her research ultimately resulted in the discovery of novel methods to improve a plant’s ability to control pests and manage extreme environmental conditions. She began her corporate career in 1983 with CIBA-Geigy Corporation, a legacy company of Syngenta, and later founded its first biotechnology research lab. Under her leadership, Syngenta was the first company to commercialize a biotech trait in corn (Bt). Dr. Chilton retired in 2018, but her legacy of innovation will continue through the Syngenta Seeds’ R&D program.
In 2006, Dr. Chilton was only 67 but she said at the time she was already “way past” retirement age. She finally officially retired in 2018 at age 79 after a 35-year career with the company. You can listen to an interview with her from a Syngenta media day in 2006 visiting the biotech research lab dedicated to her.
Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton 2006 interviewDWFI Podcast 53 – Validating the Future of Carbon Markets
Five years ago, the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) was tapped by the U.S. Department of Energy to tackle a critical challenge: scientifically validating carbon sequestration in Midwest corn and soybean production.
With this $3 million project now in its final 120-day closeout phase, DWFI Director of Research Christopher Neale discusses this initiative at the intersection of energy, agriculture and policy. He shares insights with Frances Hayes, DWFI Director of Communications and Public Relations, into how the team translated rigorous field-level measurements into tools that bring credibility to carbon credit markets, discussing what carbon credits are, the importance of data-driven policy and how these markets can be a tool for producers.
DWFI podcast episode 53 26:29The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska was founded with the mission to have a lasting and significant impact on achieving more food security with less pressure on scarce water resources by conducting scientific and policy research, using the research results to inform policy makers, and sharing knowledge through education and communication.
How to subscribe:
Grounded in Ag and AgCareers Create Ag Onboarding Academy
Grounded in AgTM and AgCareers have partnered to create Ag Onboarding Academy to address the experience and market knowledge gap that many employees and new hires in the industry today have since fewer have lived on farms, studied agriculture in college or worked in the industry.
“Our latest analysis indicates nearly 40 percent of AgCareers.com’s job applicants do not have an ag-based education, and 30 percent of them are not currently working in agriculture,” said Bonnie Johnson, Marketing & Communications Manager, AgCareers. “By expanding access to onboarding resources, we can help employers enhance the experience for employees and strengthen their teams over time.”
“Good onboarding is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help someone feel welcome, confident and capable in a new role,” said Janice Person, founder of Grounded in Ag. “Helping people understand and appreciate agriculture and the farmers many of us serve is the focus of our programming. Participants hear directly from trusted farmers and experts who impart expertise in the business, farm practices and culture as they deliver the lessons. This collaboration with AgCareers makes practical training tools more accessible so more businesses can add that industry lens, improve understanding, and set employees up for success.”
Audio soundbite from Janice Person (:56)
Person will also be speaking about upskilling at the AgCareers Agriculture and Food Roundtable Conference this summer, where workforce development, retention, and employee readiness will be among the topics of discussion.
The Ag Onboarding Academy features lessons from farmers and ag professionals, as well as course combinations that provide foundational knowledge about agriculture and farming. All courses are delivered via videos (web & app), which are paired with downloadables, quizzes and vetted resources.
There are additional packages available via Grounded in Ag that provide greater depth of knowledge by focusing on specific commodities. A free preview is available for people interested in learning more.