- The Georgia Peanut Commission’s referendum received reaffirmation with a vote of 94.43 percent, the highest the commission has received in its nearly 60-year existence. The 2021 referendum was held March 15 through April 16, 2021.
- Farm Journal Foundation strongly supports the America Grows Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill introduced that would significantly increase U.S. public investment in agricultural research and development. The bill, introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), would increase funding for agricultural research by 5% annually on an inflation-adjusted basis at four agencies at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the next 10 years. The bill is modeled after the successful 21st Century Cures Act, which passed in 2016 and spurred additional funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- IFAJ will be presenting 3 webinars in the month of May in partnership with the Swedish, Finnish and Argentinian guilds, all the details available on the IFAJ website.
- The National Farm Machinery Show will begin accepting online applications for new exhibitors Friday, April 30 at 9 a.m EST. Applicants will be added to the exhibitor waitlist and be informed if potential space is available. Exhibitors that participated in the 2020 National Farm Machinery Show have their space automatically reserved for the 2022 show. The new exhibitor application form will be posted at farmmachineryshow.org/waitlist-application. Information regarding contract renewals, attendee registration and media credentials will be announced in late-May.
- The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) submitted comments in response to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) request for public comment on a climate-smart agriculture and forestry strategy. ASTA’s comments focused on the crucial role of plant breeding innovation and variety development in addressing climate change and creating new economic opportunities along the agriculture and food value chain.
- Land O’Lakes, Inc. reported net sales of $3.9 billion and net earnings of $136 million for the first quarter ending March 31, 2021, compared to net sales of $3.8 billion and net earnings of $37 million in 2020. Each business unit delivered strong results and increased net earnings compared to the prior year.
- The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is joining the TextileGenesis™ platform as the world’s first sustainable cotton fiber to offer full transparency across the supply chain on the platform.
- Syngenta Group reports strong results for the first quarter of 2021. First quarter sales were $7.1 billion, up 20 percent compared to Q1 2020. The Group’s growth accelerated with seed and crop protection innovations that enable regenerative agriculture practices which help protect against drought and flooding and enhance soil health. Modern Agriculture Platform (MAP), which provides farmers access to market-leading technologies, tripled in revenue from Q1 2020. Biologicals more than doubled in size, supported by the recent acquisition of Valagro.
