- The National Biodiesel Foundation welcomes newly elected Director Todd Ellis to the NBF Board. Ellis currently is the Executive Director, North American Sales, for Renewable Energy Group, Inc.
- In the midst of limited travel and continued uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, The Packer and PMG are launching a new virtual platform to conveniently connect fresh produce growers with the right retail and foodservice buyers. BizMatch Plus is an expansion of the popular in-person BizMatch program that has successfully paired buyers and sellers at recent West Coast Produce Expos and Global Organic Produce Expos. Sessions are scheduled to align with key commodity buying seasons with the first commodity-specific session Sept. 29, 2021, highlighting citrus growers to five top retail buyers. Subsequent sessions in October and November will feature onion and tomato growers.
- Total Grain Marketing, a venture of GROWMARK, Inc., Illini FS, South Central FS, and Wabash Valley Service Company announce the acquisition of grain assets from The Andersons, Inc. in Champaign, Illinois.
- The National AgrAbility Project, modeled after Purdue Extension’s Breaking New Ground Resource Center and hosted at Purdue University, is celebrating 30 years of making agriculture accessible for people with disabilities.
- The development of innovations and technologies that can further agricultural sustainability, the future political landscape, and the need for uniting the voice of the pesticide industry were key topics at the 2021 CropLife America and RISE Joint Annual Meeting, held September 12 – 15. The meeting provided an opportunity for CLA and RISE members to review 2021 initiatives and reflect on the opportunities ahead for the industry. A highlight of the Annual Meeting is the recognition of members who have shown exemplary leadership within the pesticide industry.
- AgCareers.com announces the new 2021-2022 season of Feed Your Future virtual career fairs across the United States. AgCareers.com developed this Feed Your Future initiative last year to virtually connect agri-food employers and job seekers, addressing travel constraints on traditional in-person recruitment events. Careers in agriculture and food remain essential, and virtual recruiting is here to stay.
- The Farm Credit Administration recently made four key staff selections: Sara Lynn Major as FCA chief diversity officer in the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Inclusion; Autumn Agans as deputy director for the Office of Regulatory Policy; Dan Fennewald as deputy director for the Office of the Director and Chief Examiner in the Office of Examination; and Ward Griffin as deputy general counsel in the Office of the General Counsel.
- In 2021, the Global Farmer Network is honoring three farmers who are working in different ways to build bridges and in doing so, take agriculture to a higher level. The recipients are Joanna Lidback, a dairy producer from Vermont, USA, Annechien ten Have Mellema, a pork producer from the Netherlands and Gabriel Carballal a crop and cattle producer from Uruguay.
