ACE 2026 DC Fly-In Marks 15 Years
ACE members meet with Senate Ag Chair John Boozman Tuesday
ACE members spent Tuesday afternoon meeting with members of Congress and their staff, and Wednesday heard from Aaron Szabo, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, and Kate Zook, Acting Administrator of USDA’s Office of Energy & Environmental Policy. Key priorities are securing permanent, year-round market access for E15, advocating for strong Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) blending targets, and ensuring swift and clear guidance on the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit—including clarity on how ethanol producers can benefit from low-carbon farming practices.
“This fly-in is impactful,” said Troy Knecht, ACE President. “It took us a few years to educate people. We had to come out and educate. And every office you go to now, they know our issue. They know why we’re there….ACE has impacted really the way these congressional offices look at our product, our end product, ethanol,” Knecht said.
Knecht, a South Dakota farmer representing Redfield Energy, has been involved with ACE for over a decade. “Since I’ve been on this board, we’ve talked about E15 and it’s constant and we were close and now we aren’t as close, but I think there are some things in motion that would lead me to believe that maybe in the next year or two here we can get the job done.”
Listen to an interview with Knecht here and find other interviews in the ACE Fly-in virtual newsroom.
Troy Knecht, Redfield Energy (4:33)
Syngenta Victrato Fights Yield Robbing Soybean Diseases
The Crop Protection Network just released its soybean loss report for 2025, estimating 4.8 percent (216.5 million bushels) of the potential soybean production last year was lost due to disease across 29 soybean-producing U.S. states.
According to the report, Red crown rot was estimated to have caused 7.7 million bushels of soybean yield losses in the U.S. in 2025, up substantially compared to 2024, when losses were estimated at only 121,354 bushels. “Yield losses from red crown rot occurred in five U.S. states, and were primarily driven by estimated losses in Illinois and, to a lesser extent, in Indiana. The greatest cause of estimated yield losses in 2025 was soybean cyst nematode. However, estimated losses from soybean cyst nematode in 2025 were the lowest reported out of 30 years of available data. Estimated losses caused by sudden death syndrome in 2025 were the greatest since 2014.”
Syngenta is pleased to finally be able to offer soybean growers protection against all of those yield-robbing threats with Victrato® seed treatment, providing a new standard of protection during the season’s earliest stages, protecting the crop during its most vulnerable window of development.
At the recent Commodity Classic, Seedcare technical product lead Dale Ireland was excited to be able to tell growers the solution they have been working on for over a decade is finally available this season. “So this will be the first year U.S. soybean growers get to try it out, and I’m sure that they’ll be very pleased with it. It’s going to provide a new level of protection for sudden death syndrome, nematode protection, as well as the leading red crown rot solution.”
Ireland says the return on investment for Victrato is fantastic. “Because something like sudden death syndrome, for instance, or nematodes, you can’t reach back and treat those. If you don’t proactively treat, prophylactically treat, you don’t have a chance to protect yourself against those. And the same is true with red crown rot. So if you’re aware that that is even a potential, it’s something that you need to do and get your seed treated with these products.”
Learn more in this interview:
Dale Ireland, Ph.D., Seedcare technical product lead
Classic26 - Dale Ireland, Syngenta (6:11)
Animal Ag News 3/17
World Without Cows Ireland: The Pasture Paradox
Special message from Dr. Mark Lyons on this St. Patrick’s Day.
Saint Patrick’s Day is, at its heart, a celebration of faith — and across Ireland, that spirit lives on in its people, its communities and the land they care for.
This St. Patrick’s Day, we’re sharing a first look at World Without Cows Ireland: The Pasture Paradox, the next chapter in our global journey.
The mini-documentary follows Irish dairy producers as they work to meet growing global demand for grass-fed dairy while protecting the land and water their farms depend on.
Watch the preview below, and stay tuned for the full release of World Without Cows Ireland: The Pasture Paradox in April.
From Ireland’s green pastures to fields around the world, may we continue growing a more abundant future together.
Sláinte!
Mark Lyons
President & CEO
Alltech, Inc.
Reservoir Opens Specialty Crop AgTech Innovation Center
Reservoir has officially opened Reservoir Farms – Salinas, its flagship on-farm innovation hub for specialty crops, turning its vision for an on-farm agtech innovation center into a working reality. The new site features multiple innovation barns and 24 acres of dedicated commercial test fields, creating the most concentrated ecosystem of technology leaders, growers, and startups anywhere in agriculture to rapidly scale solutions for global food production challenges.
Reservoir partners – including John Deere, Western Growers, the State of California, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Netafim, Tanimura & Antle, Naturipe Berry Growers, Hartnell College, and others – are contributing equipment, agronomic expertise, workforce programming, and R&D support to help turn promising ideas into tools that work on commercial farms today. The initial Reservoir Farms – Salinas, cohort includes Agtom, Beagle Technology, BHF Robotics, Bonsai Robotics, Cropr, Farmblox, Lumo, Neuralzome, Numanac, and TRIC Robotics, demonstrated technologies ranging from in-field sensing and AI-driven insight platforms to autonomous harvest and novel crop protection methods.
Last summer, Reservoir announced plans to expand its on-farm innovation center model across California, Arizona, and other major growing regions, with each hub anchored by leading academic and R&D institutions. As part of this multi-region strategy, Reservoir startups were invited to run pilots over the winter months at the University of Arizona’s Yuma Agricultural Center, testing technologies in commercial desert vegetable production.
Reservoir also announced that it will break ground on Reservoir Farms – Central Valley in Merced, this June and is moving toward the first close of its venture capital fund, Reservoir VC. These milestones mark the next phase of a platform designed to support agtech startups from early R&D through on-farm validation and commercial scaling.
NAMA Announces 2026 Industry Award Recipients
The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) today announced the recipients of its 2026 industry awards, recognizing outstanding leadership and impact across the agricultural marketing profession. This year’s honorees are Brian Knifong, Nutrien Ag Solutions; Tom Posta, Bader Rutter; and Emily Metz, American Egg Board.
“These leaders represent the innovation, strategic thinking and commitment that continue to move agriculture forward,” said Jennifer Pickett, CEO of the National Agri-Marketing Association. “Brian, Tom and Emily are strengthening agribusiness and advancing the agri-marketing profession while inspiring the next generation of agricultural leaders.”
Brian Knifong Named 2026 Agribusiness Leader of the Year
Brian Knifong, Head of Marketing and Customer Experience for Nutrien Ag Solutions, has been named NAMA’s 2026 Agribusiness Leader of the Year, the association’s most prestigious honor recognizing exceptional leadership across the private, public and academic sectors.
Knifong leads a 30-person organization supporting one of North America’s largest agricultural retail networks. Known for his people-first leadership style, he has built a culture focused on mentorship, collaboration and growth while strengthening connections across sales, agronomy, retail operations and marketing.
Over the past year, he led a restructuring of Nutrien’s retail marketing organization to improve alignment and efficiency. His field-first mindset ensures marketing strategies reflect real grower needs while positioning marketing as a strategic driver of business growth.
Throughout his career, Knifong has delivered measurable results, including overseeing the launch of 55 products at Loveland Products Inc., contributing to revenue growth exceeding $1 billion. He also actively mentors future agricultural leaders through university programs, the Windsor FFA Chapter, and organizations including AFA and RAMP.
Tom Posta Named 2026 NAMA Marketer of the Year
Tom Posta, President and COO of Bader Rutter, has been named the 2026 NAMA Marketer of the Year, the association’s highest honor for an active member. The award is sponsored by Agri Marketing magazine.
With nearly three decades at Bader Rutter and deep Wisconsin dairy roots, Posta has helped guide the nation’s largest agricultural marketing agency through significant industry change. Recently, he has led efforts to modernize the agency’s operations and innovation capabilities while maintaining its strong focus on producers and agribusiness clients.
Under his leadership, Bader Rutter has expanded into adjacent sectors such as food and beverage and pet care while investing in artificial intelligence capabilities to enhance client insights and marketing performance.
A longtime NAMA member, Posta has served the association for more than 30 years in leadership roles including conference chair and national executive committee member, helping advance the agri-marketing profession.
Emily Metz Named 2026 Ag Association Leader of the Year
Emily Metz, President and CEO of the American Egg Board, has been named the 2026 Ag Association Leader of the Year, which recognizes senior executives who demonstrate exceptional leadership through their organization or association.
Metz has transformed the American Egg Board through a modern, data-driven strategy that integrates advanced analytics, consumer insights and marketing performance. Under her leadership, the organization delivers more than $10 in industry revenue for every dollar invested on behalf of U.S. egg farmers.
She has also strengthened the industry’s ability to respond to disruption, guiding the egg sector through challenges such as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) while launching the industry’s first national crisis communications program.
Metz has also driven innovation through initiatives including the Eggcelerator Lab™, the egg industry’s first innovation center, and the Anticipatory Issues Management (AIM) program, which helps the industry proactively address emerging risks.
The Passing of Orion Samuelson
WGN Tribute to Orion Samuelson
Orion is a name synonymous with WGN, having spent over 60 years with the station. His career spanned from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to the COVID-19 pandemic and included interviewing seven Presidents and reporting from all 50 states and locations around the world including Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Scotland, England, Hungary, France, Denmark, India, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Thailand, Peoples Republic of China, Brazil, the former USSR, Vietnam, Cuba and Indonesia.
Orion was honored at the Ag Media Summit in 2018
Orion was also president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting in 1965 and was instrumental in starting the NAFB Foundation and serving as president for many years. One of the few interviews I can find that we did with Orion over the years was in 2010 at the NAFB annual meeting about the history of the Foundation.
2010 interview with Orion Samuelson
Rest in Peace, Orion. Say hi to Conrad and Ray and Evan and Derry and Herb and all the old guys for us.
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Industry Ag News 3/10
