Cropin Launches AI-first Agrifood ‘Ecosystem’

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Cropin, the world’s largest deployed AI platform for food and agriculture, has launched a unique agrifood ‘ecosystem’ connecting agriculture and the digital world by combining data from the field onwards with artificial intelligence.

Cropin founder Krishna Kumar says Cropin Ecosystem will provide a plug-and-play model to help agri-food businesses at every stage in the chain better navigate the complex challenges of data interoperability, climate-change risks, supply chain disruptions and geopolitical uncertainties.

“These pressures are affecting the availability of fresh produce and agricultural commodities, operational margins, pricing strategies, growth opportunities and the ability to meet rising customer demand for sustainably produced food, all while complying with evolving traceability and sustainability regulations,” he points out.

The culmination of partnerships that Cropin has facilitated through its existing platforms, the system draws its inspiration from the Silicon Valley convergence model, uniting leading technology providers, strategic consulting, ERP integrations and satellite and weather intelligence partners into a single, intelligent platform that guarantees surety of supply and builds resilience across the food chain.

Cropin points to the model not only enabling businesses to focus on their core operations with confidence – with Cropin Ecosystem managing the complexity of upstream agricultural processes and supply chain uncertainties – but also offering customers the rich content, knowledge and services of technology and domain experts.

Find out more here: https://www.cropin.com/cropin-ecosystem/

AgWired Precision, AI, Food, Precision Agriculture, Technology

Acre Blitz Launches ESA Compliance Platform

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Acre Blitz has launched a new platform to help growers and advisors comply with complex Endangered Species Act (ESA) requirements on pesticide labels.

Acre Blitz has created two products that work together: the ESA Field Exchange, where growers document their field-level mitigations, and the ESA Check API, which delivers that data to applicators, retailers, cooperatives, and crop consultants at the moment they need it.

“The compliance burden falls on whoever pulls the trigger, but the practices that earn mitigation points are controlled by the grower,” says Kim Brown, co-founder of Acre Blitz. “We built these tools so both sides have access to the same information. Growers document once, applicators can verify in seconds, and everyone has a record.”

How it works:
Growers sign up for the ESA Field Exchange for free at acreblitz.com/esa-field-exchange. They bulk import fields from shapefiles, add products they commonly apply, and the program automatically pulls county-level mitigation points, soil types, hydrologic zone, and slope. Available runoff mitigation points are assigned automatically.

Growers can see which fields meet point requirements and which need additional practices like cover crops, non-irrigated land, or buffer strips. The platform generates runoff mitigation reports pre-filled with their data. Growers choose which fields to share via the ESA Check API, making their documented mitigations visible to their trusted advisors.

Retailers, cooperatives, and crop consultants can also use the ESA Field Exchange as a free tool to help growers get set up, instead of staff spending hours going through the ESA flowchart for every field.

The ESA Field Exchange is free for growers. Retailers, cooperatives, crop consultants, and ag-tech platforms can integrate the ESA Check API into their existing workflows. Learn more at acreblitz.com.

Agronomy, AgWired Precision, pesticides, Precision Agriculture, Technology

Trump Spotlights Deere Announcement in Iowa

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

When President Donald J. Trump spoke in Iowa yesterday, he made the announcement that John Deere is building two new major factories in the United States, a state-of-the-art distribution center near Hebron, Indiana, and a cutting-edge excavator factory in Kernersville, North Carolina, both set to open in the next year.

“We got the chairman of John Deere here…it’s a great company. Great company. And you just said you’re opening up two massive plants because of tariffs,” Trump said during remarks in Clive, Iowa on Tuesday.

The new Indiana facility will provide product support through parts availability for ag, turf, construction, forestry, mining and turf customers, while the excavator factory will be the first to make excavators entirely in the United States of America.

Trump also touted trade deals he has made to benefit farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers. “Japan will now allow the United States to supply up to 100% of automobile ethanol and import Large amounts of aviation biofuels from the United States…The United Kingdom will import nearly $1 billion of ethanol. That’s part of their deal,” said Trump. “Australia is allowing American beef into its market for the first time in more than 20 years…China has agreed to purchase over $40 billion of U.S.-grown soybeans…The European Union will dramatically increase purchases of American pork, dairy, and soybean oil.”

Listen to the first half of the president’s remarks here:
President Trump in Iowa 26:03

Audio, John Deere, politics

Preview Interview of 2026 CattleCon

Chuck Zimmerman Leave a Comment

2026 CattleConYou can register at anytime to attend this year’s CattleCon event. It is taking place in Nashville, TN. To learn more about some of the changes which includes the ticketing, great entertainment, a Grand Old Opry show, and the weather, I spoke with Kristin Torres, Executive Director, Meetings & Events, NCBA.

Kristin says the number of registrants is higher this early than ever before. Listen in to hear more about the a show for everyone raising cattle of any size. Interview with Kristin Torres (7:26)

Here’s where you can find registration here.

Ag Groups, Audio, NCBA

Drought and Heat in Cotton Belt Outlook

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

While much of the southern Cotton Belt is in a deep freeze right now, the big concern in the forecast for this season is drought and heat.

Eric Snodgrass of Nutrien Ag Solutions told cotton growers at the 2026 Beltwide Cotton Conferences that much of the weather risk facing the Cotton Belt in 2026 can be traced to the Pacific Ocean—specifically the ongoing influence of La Niña. Right now, that pattern is working against the southern U.S., keeping the jet stream north and leaving much of Texas, the Delta, and the Southeast drier than normal during winter and early spring.

Snodgrass explained that La Niña winters typically limit moisture recharge across the Cotton Belt, and that’s exactly what’s happening this season. “If you wanted to start 2026 without worrying about drought, you’d want the jet stream coming out of Hawaii,” he said. “That’s what El Niño does. La Niña does the opposite.” The result has been persistent dryness, low river levels along the Mississippi, and limited opportunities to rebuild soil moisture before planting.

Looking ahead, there is some cautious optimism. Forecast models suggest La Niña may weaken and transition toward El Niño by late spring or early summer. That shift would improve moisture prospects in parts of the country, but Snodgrass stressed that El Niño alone does not guarantee summer rainfall for cotton. ENSO patterns matter most in winter, not midsummer.

For summer, the biggest risk factor is the position of high pressure—especially whether the Bermuda High shifts west into Texas, creating what meteorologists call a “Texas Ridge.” When that happens, heat and drought dominate across the Cotton Belt. “Ridges ultimately dictate the pattern of the atmosphere,” Snodgrass said, noting that this setup can shut down rainfall even in otherwise favorable years.

Severe weather remains another concern this spring, particularly across the Delta and Mid-South, where tornado and hail risks have increased in recent years. Snodgrass emphasized that growers should stay flexible and monitor changing patterns closely. “All of this can change rapidly,” he said, underscoring that ocean temperatures and atmospheric ridges—not long-range forecasts—will ultimately decide how the 2026 cotton season unfolds.

Listen to the full presentation:
Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien Ag Solutions - presentation 45:35

2026 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Photo Album

Audio, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton, Weather

Precision Ag News 1/27

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • Two leading membership organizations will join forces for their annual events this year to merge expertise and further unite key sectors working with agricultural producers to advance conservation farming practices and celebrate their stewardship. Field to Market, the country’s largest cross-sector alliance for sustainable agriculture, will hold its 2026 Annual Meeting for its nearly 200 member organizations June 1-3 in Raleigh, N.C., followed by the Conservation Technology Information Center’s 19th annual Conservation in Action Tour, America’s premier on-farm experience, on June 3-4.
  • The Nature Conservancy announced the release of Profitable Conservation Around the Margins, a new report demonstrating how edge of field (EoF) practices—such as vegetative buffers, wetlands, and saturated buffers—can help farmers improve profitability while delivering critical environmental benefits. The full report is available for download at nature.org/EdgeofField.
  • Precision Planting revealed new products for both planting and spraying at the PTx Winter Conference at the company’s headquarters in Tremont. New products introduced include ArrowTube, a seed delivery system that provides accurate spacing at high speed. ArrowTube also orients corn seeds with the tip down to promote even germination and emergence. It also orients the embryo sideways to promote corn leaves that grow across the row to capture maximum sunlight. The company also introduced SymphonyVision|Duo, a retrofit sprayer system that uses cameras, concentrate tanks, and a dual nozzle system. SymphonyVision|Duo enables farmers to spot spray contact herbicide and broadcast apply a second tank mix with the sprayer they already own in the same pass.
  • The World Food Prize Foundation, in collaboration with America’s Cultivation Corridor, has opened applications for the Innovate for Impact Challenge, the global AgTech startup competition with a grand prize of USD $50,000, which garnered a pool of applicants from over 60 countries and six continents in 2025.
  • Advanced Agrilytics announced a strategic partnership with Mutiny Crop Performance, signaling a continued evolution in how Advanced Agrilytics brings its environment-based agronomy methodology to market through strategic value-chain collaborations.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    Cotton Trust Protocol Grows Sustainability

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    The U.S. cotton industry’s voluntary sustainability program has achieved significant success in just five years, according to an update from the National Cotton Council at recent Beltwide Cotton Conferences.

    Marjory Walker, Vice President of Council Operations, says the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol has grown rapidly since it launched in July 2020. “We actually have 2,500 global members representing 25 brands in 26 countries,” said . “We have 2,800 mills and manufacturers. We’ve had a 14% increase in our grower enrollment. We encompass 2.58 million acres. So that is quite an accomplishment for a little five-year-old program.”

    Marjory Walker, National Cotton Council, at recent Beltwide Cotton Conferences

    The program released its 2024/25 Annual Report in November showed how grower members have achieved meaningful gains across all six of its sustainability metrics against a 2015 baseline.

    Walker says the program is voluntary for growers looking for a way to enhance their revenue and it’s also a supply chain traceability program for brands. “Brands and retailers are looking for a way to deal with EU legislation and U.S. legislation like the Forced Labor Act. So if you trace your cotton through the supply chain through the trust protocol, then you have a no-risk situation. Basically, if you source U.S. cotton, it’s no risk.”

    Learn more in this interview:
    Marjory Walker, Cotton Trust Protocol - interview 3:44

    2026 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Photo Album

    Audio, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

    2026 National Ag Day

    Chuck Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    2026 Ag DayThe Agriculture Council of America (ACA) is proud to announce the celebration of National Ag Day on March 24, 2026. This annual event recognizes and celebrates the abundance provided by agriculture, acknowledging the essential role it plays in our daily lives.

    Theme: “Agriculture: Together We Grow: Celebrating 250 Years of Progress in Agriculture”

    This year’s theme emphasizes the collaborative efforts of farmers, ranchers, and all stakeholders in the agricultural sector who work tirelessly to provide safe, abundant, and affordable products and also recognizes 250 years of progress.

    National Ag Day Events:

    A series of events are scheduled in Washington, D.C., and virtually to mark this significant day:

    Ag Day Virtual Event: At 9:00 a.m., a live stream of events from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be available. Details and registration can be found at https://www.agday.org/2026events.

    Ag Day at USDA: From 8:30 to Noon at the USDA Whitten Patio, attendees will hear from invited speakers, including the Secretary of Agriculture, view winning essay contest videos, and participate in a student panel discussion as well as a discussion of commodity group leaders. Zippy Duvall from the Farm Bureau is also scheduled to speak. Registration details are available at https://www.agday.org/2026events.

    A Taste of Agriculture Reception: An evening event from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. will be held in the Kennedy Caucus Room, SR-325, Russell Senate Office Building, 2 Constitution Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002. Interested participants can register at https://www.agday.org/2026events.

    Get Involved:

    Organizations can get involved by sponsoring National Ag Day. Details are available at https://www.agday.org/sponsorship-2026.

    Ag Day

    Animal Ag News 1/26

    Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the launch of the New World Screwworm (NWS) Grand Challenge. This funding opportunity marks a pivotal step in USDA’s comprehensive strategy to combat NWS and prevent its northward spread.
  • The 2026 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) will showcase cutting-edge products and services as part of the New Product Showcase offered at Booth BC36119. On Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 2:30 p.m. in the Discovery Zone, Booth B51027, IPPE will award three exhibitors with New Product Showcase “Best of the Best” plaques in three categories: animal food, processing and live production. A list of the featured innovative products and services can be found here and through the IPPE app.
  • The International Poultry Welfare Alliance (IPWA) will launch WelfareLab, a new multi-stage global initiative designed to align poultry welfare science, policy, and implementation through a coordinated cycle of data gathering, collaborative sprint sessions, and global synthesis activities. The initiative will begin at the 2025 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), where IPWA will host the first WelfareLab Sprint Event in collaboration with the International Poultry Council (IPC). The inaugural sprint held in collaboration with IPC will take place on Monday, January 26, 2026, from 2:00–4:00 PM in Georgia Ballroom 1, immediately following the IPC meeting.
  • National FFA Officer Candidates will attend the International Poultry Expo, part of the 2026 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), through the USPOULTRY Foundation’s ongoing commitment to attracting top talent to the poultry and egg industries. The students will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Atlanta, Ga., to participate in the Expo.
  • More than 300 people gathered at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay on January 15 for the annual Dairy Strong conference focused on the most pressing issues and topics facing today’s dairy farmers. The Dairy Business Association honored Chuck Ripp of Ripp’s Dairy Valley with the association’s Advocate of the Year award for his contributions to Wisconsin’s dairy community. The award, sponsored by Vita Plus Corporation, was presented during DBA’s Dairy Strong conference. Also, in collaboration with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, DBA honored Tom Zwald and Steve Schalla of Bomaz Farms in Hammond, Wis., with the association’s third annual Community Outreach Award which recognizes farmers who are actively involved in their community and share stories and positive messages about dairy farms and their products.
  • The National Milk Producers Federation is pleased that Dairy Margin Coverage Program signup is under way, with key improvements aiding farmers as prices have fallen and DMC assistance becomes essential for some farms in 2026.
  • CattleCon is the cattle industry’s largest event of the year, and the 2026 event in Nashville, Tennessee, Feb. 3-5, combines business, education and entertainment for thousands of attendees. A highlight of CattleCon 2026 is Cowboy’s Night at the Opry on Thursday, Feb. 5, and features country music favorite Vince Gill. Other performers include The SteelDrivers, The Castellows and Don Schlitz.
  • Shelley Curry of Kennard, Texas, and Sydney Bowman-Schnug of Fort Lupton, Colorado, have each been awarded a $15,000 W.D. Farr Scholarship by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF). The annual W.D. Farr Scholarship program recognizes outstanding graduate students for their academic achievements, leadership and commitment to the advancement of the beef industry. The scholarship recipients will be recognized during CattleCon 2026, Feb. 3-5, in Nashville, Tennessee.
  • The U.S. chicken industry is on a decades-long winning streak. Steady growth in consumer demand coupled with efficiency gains in broiler production have powered the sector’s remarkable growth over the last 30 years. However, an emerging set of challenges could put that track record of consistently reliable growth in jeopardy. A slowdown in new processing plant construction — combined with the inherent limitations of existing production systems and an undersupply of chicks — could ultimately hinder processors’ ability to maintain recent growth trends. According to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, the near-term outlook for broiler production remains exceptionally strong. But the opportunities for increasing output are becoming more limited. Higher capital costs, tight labor availability and increased local regulation have stalled greenfield site expansion. Chick availability has trended downward as genetic priorities have shifted from hatchability to meat yield, and adding more pounds per bird has its limits.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    Congress Devastates Supporters as it Punts on E15

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    Corn growers at the nation’s Capitol this week (NCGA photo)

    Supporters of nationwide, year-round E15 were once again kicked to the curb by Congress, after weeks of negotiations between farm, ethanol, oil and refinery interests to craft wording that would have included it in the funding bill. Instead lawmakers have opted to create a new “Rural Domestic Energy Council” to develop potential legislative proposals on E15.

    It’s just too much for National Corn Growers Association President Jed Bower of Ohio. “Corn growers are disgusted, disappointed and disillusioned that after spending years of calling for passage of E15, Congress has again punted, and it has done so in a spectacularly weak and offensive way,” said Bower.

    Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says the decision to create this council was made by House leadership. “The idea is they’re going to keep working on these issues for the next month with the goal of having legislation ready to consider by February 25,” said Cooper, noting that year-round E15 approval costs nothing and would help farmers who are facing the worst economic crisis in almost 50 years.

    “And they need real solutions right now. They don’t need more foot dragging, don’t need more debate. We don’t need a council. We don’t need more study on this issue. We just need to get this bill done,” said Cooper. “So we’re just extremely frustrated with the way this played out this week and I hope I’m wrong, but I just don’t have high hopes for the process that this council is going to undertake.”

    Listen to Cooper’s comments here:
    RFA CEO Geoff Cooper 4:14

    The new “Rural Domestic Energy Council” that Congress has created instead of taking action has a deadline of February 25 to come up with a plan – with is right in the middle of the Renewable Fuels Association’s National Ethanol Conference in Orlando next month. In this edition of The Ethanol Report, RFA president and CEO Geoff Cooper discusses how the E15 compromise in Congress fell apart and how the industry will move forward at the NEC.

    Ethanol Report 1-23-26 21:01

    Audio, Corn, Ethanol, RFA