- Beck Ag, Inc. is bringing its U.S.-recognized experience and expertise for creating and executing data-driven go-to-market strategies in the agriculture space north of the border. The announcement from Beck Ag CEO Richard Bettison coincides with the appointment of David Webb as the General Manager of Beck Ag Canada.
- Alabama Peanut Producers Association donated 14,400 jars of peanut butter to the Alabama Food Bank Association to assist eight regional food banks with feeding their communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on hunger-relief efforts around the state, and peanut butter is a favorite item for food banks.
- At its monthly meeting, the Farm Credit Administration board received a quarterly report on economic issues affecting agriculture, together with an update on the financial condition and performance of the Farm Credit System as of March 31, 2020.
- Leading soil scientist Dr. Rattan Lal was announced as the 2020 World Food Prize Laureate for developing and mainstreaming a soil-centric approach to increasing food production that conserves natural resources and mitigates climate change.
- The National Cotton Council is grateful for EPA’s quick action enabling cotton producers to use existing stocks of three dicamba formulations this season following the recent court decision to vacate the products’ registrations.
- Joshua Bell, cotton grower from West Texas, is recognized for his idea in response to an invitation from BASF for cotton growers to share their best on-farm innovations. The idea was first inspired by the chemical tank blocking the tractor headlights and making it difficult to work at night. Bell decided to use material he already had on the farm to make a brace to mount on the tractor weight instead of changing the tractor lights. The innovation also gives him the ability to “grab and go” with a chemical tank – significantly decreasing the amount of time needed to change tanks or using one specific tractor for a particular job.
- National Farmers Union Foundation announced the 2020 recipients of the Hubert K. & JoAnn Seymour and Stanley Moore Scholarship awards. Applications for the 2021 scholarship awards will be available through NFUF in December 2020. More information about the scholarships is available on the NFU website at NFU.org/education/scholarships.
- The arrival of Coronavirus/COVID-19 changed the outlook of conferences and meetings for 2020. Soon after people started getting seriously ill and the WHO declared a pandemic in early March, events started to rapidly change into virtual formats. Join Hannah Thompson-Weeman (Animal Agriculture Alliance), Kristy Mach, (Gardner & Gardner Communications), and John Blue (Truffle Media Networks) for an Agricultural Relations Council webinar to learn about how events handled the shift and how events through early 2021 will most likely have some form of virtual included.
- Agriculture investment platform Harvest Returns has reached the milestone of raising over $5 million in global private placement farming opportunities.
- Glen Albert Brandt, founder of BRANDT, Inc., passed away peacefully at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, IL early Sunday morning. He was 94.
- In one of the first nationwide seed giveaways of its kind, HiLo Seed Co. will award 1 million hemp seeds to U.S. farmers by the end of 2020. The first round of winners were selected on March 31, and each will receive at least 15,000 HiLo Autopilot 1.0 hemp seeds. HiLo Seed Co. was an exhibitor in the inaugural Hemp Pavilion at the 2020 World Ag Expo® in Tulare. To enter the Million Hemp Seed Giveaway or to see a list of winners, visit hilohempseed.com/million-hemp-seed-giveaway.
- An overwhelming majority of Midwest producers are choosing propane for grain drying compared with other energy options, according to a new survey from the Propane Education & Research Council. The survey also revealed the widespread use of propane among producers on their farm and in their homes.
- Farm Journal announced the launch of a major new “COVID-conscious” farm show experience called Farm Journal Field Days, set for Aug. 25-27, 2020, on farms in eastern Iowa and northwest Ohio. The interactive Farm Journal Field Days includes a three-day Virtual Pavilion that runs concurrent with full-day on-farm demonstrations and programming.
