Industry Ag News 1/20

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that registration is now open for the 102nd Agricultural Outlook Forum. The event will be held at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott on Feb. 19-20, 2026, and all Forum sessions will be livestreamed on a virtual platform.
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden unveiled the Lender Lens on the Rural Data Gateway. This dashboard will make Rural Development’s entire commercial guaranteed loan portfolio available to the public, guaranteed borrowers and commercial lending stakeholders. Lender Lens will give communities a clear view into where federal investments are being made by introducing a series of intuitive data visualizations that allow users to monitor performance, spot trends and proactively manage their Rural Development loan guarantee portfolio. The dashboard showcases key metrics, including total loan volume, average loan size, loan distribution by sector, geographic spread, and delinquency rates, allowing an at-a-glance look at activity nationwide. Data is refreshed monthly and can easily be downloaded down to the individual loan, giving users timely, flexible access to the information they need.
  • United Soybean Board (USB), representing nearly half-million U.S. soybean farmers, welcomed the newly released 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which reinforce the value of soy foods as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
  • The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) is pleased to announce that Anthony Peña has been promoted to Vice President of Policy and Communications. Anthony joined the NAWG team in March 2025 as Policy Manager, where he has played a key role in advancing the association’s policy priorities and strengthening engagement on behalf of U.S. wheat farmers. In his new role, Anthony will lead NAWG’s policy and communications strategy as the organization continues to advocate for a brighter future for wheat farmers and rural America.
  • The National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) is pleased to announce the appointment of agriculture industry veteran Cindy Cunningham as the organization’s Industry Engagement Director. She joined NAFB on Monday, Jan. 19.
  • Farmer and rancher delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 107th Convention adopted policies to guide the organization’s work in 2026. Delegates adopted policy to improve labor programs to meet the needs of America’s farmers and ranchers, including formalizing support for the new Adverse Effect Wage Rate methodology, and further revisions to avoid unpredictable rate swings in the future. They voted to support federal funding for research and biosecurity facilities to better identify and combat illnesses and pests that threaten the health of crops and animals. New policy also includes committing more resources specifically to eradicate the New World screwworm, and keeping the U.S.-Mexico border closed to cattle trade until the screwworm is controlled. Delegates revised national farm policy to provide more protection for dairy farmers who may suffer losses due to market challenges. Delegates also formalized support for prioritizing locally grown fruits, vegetables, bread, and proteins in institutional purchases such as schools and government facilities. Voting members also requested that the board of directors analyze several agricultural issues, including the impact of tariffs and the lack of affordable insurance options for poultry farmers.
  • Agriculture groups sound an alarm about the economic crisis in rural America in a letter sent to Congress. 56 organizations representing a cross-section of agriculture signed the letter, sending a strong message to Congress. The letter describes an existential threat looming over many farms, stating, “America’s farmers, ranchers, and growers are facing extreme economic pressures that threaten the long-term viability of the U.S. agriculture sector. An alarming number of farmers are financially underwater, farm bankruptcies continue to climb, and many farmers may have difficulty securing financing to grow their next crop.” Read the letter here.
  • The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) has changed the organization’s name to the United States Identity Preserved Alliance, reflecting the brand’s proactive leadership in advancing the U.S. Identity Preserved value chain and strengthening premium U.S. agriculture’s global reputation for quality, traceability and food safety.
  • Agri-Pulse is pleased to announce that Roeslein Renewables will serve as the Platinum Sponsor of the 2026 Ag & Food Policy Summit. The event will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on March 23. The theme this year is: “Profit, Policy, and Possibility: Mapping the Future of Market Expansion for U.S. Agriculture.” Keynote speakers and panel discussions will cover everything from new value-added products, renewable fuels, the power of protein, artificial intelligence, and more. Register and find more information here.
  • More than 1,800 attendees were able to fine-tune their farming operations with information gained at the 49th annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference Jan. 15, 2026, at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia. The show is sponsored by the Georgia Peanut Commission. The Georgia Peanut Commission inducted its eighth recipient into the Georgia Peanut Hall of Fame by honoring Don Koehler, senior executive director of the Georgia Peanut Commission.
  • Jay Funke, Past Chairman of the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association (INEDA) and co-owner of Del-Clay Farm Equipment, testified before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, sharing firsthand insight into the challenges facing agricultural businesses, equipment dealers, and rural communities.
    • Zimfo Bytes

    Breeding Cotton for Jassid Resistance

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    The cotton jassid is a brand new pest for U.S. cotton growers but India has been dealing with it for years, which makes that country a good source for ways to control it, including plant breeding.

    Roy Cantrell, Wheelertex Consulting, has spent the past ten years consulting in India and he shared some of his insights at the recent Beltwide Cotton Improvement Conference. “So we’ve been seeing over the last decade a real decrease in effectiveness of insecticide applications, the insects developing resistant to chemicals that are used repeatedly. So seed companies like the one I work with, are developing genetic resistance. It’s not biotech, it’s not GMO, it’s through breeding.”

    Cantrell says they have been successful in developing resistant seed for the farmer in India. “And so I’m confident that that can occur in the U.S.(but) it’s not going to be quick,” he said.

    Learn more in this interview from Beltwide.
    Roy Cantrell, Wheelertex Consulting - interview 4:55

    2026 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Photo Album

    Audio, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

    ZimmCast 755 – Beltwide Cotton Conferences

    Chuck Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.

    Part of December into January was a little rough for the ZimmComm Team. Between some bugs going around to two short trips to see family. But now all’s well and it’s time for a new episode.

    In December we posted some “Oh the places we’ve been!” details. We started in the new year by curtailing our business travel after over 20 years and nearly 900 events around the world. Interestingly, of all the states and countries we traveled to the state with the most events has been Missouri at 112.

    Now here in January we actually are able to continue doing photos and interviews and virtual newsrooms for several of our long time clients. How are we making that happen? Well, we’re retaining the services of others to do the on-site work while we do the posting and distribution at ZimmComm World Headquarters.

    Laura McNamaraWe’re really happy to announced that two of the first events in 2026 will be handled for us on-site by Laura McNamara, one of our very first freelancers back in 2007-2008. She graduated from Mizzou and covered many events for us at that time. She’s been around the world and has evolved as a top-notch photographer.

    The first event of 2026 that Laura worked with for us was the Beltwide Cotton Conferences which were held in San Antonio. This young lady did interviews at a technical conference on cotton like she’s been a farm broadcaster her whole life! Coming up next will be the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting in Indian Wells, CA in early February.

    So, in this ZimmCast I’m going to share a couple of the interviews Laura did.

    First is an interview with Marjory Walker, National Cotton Council on Seizing Opportunities for U.S. Cotton.

    Following up is an interview with Hank Jones, a Louisiana conference coordinator, with a Consultants Conference recap of the presentations.

    Listen to the episode here:
    ZimmCast 755 - Beltwide Cotton Conferences (14:41)

    That’s the ZimmCast for now. If you have some exciting news in the agrimarketing world, feel free to contact me for the next episode. Just email Chuck at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.

    We hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.

    Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

    Ag Groups, Audio, Beltwide Cotton, ZimmCast

    Precision Ag News 1/19

    Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • Indigo Carbon PBC announced one of the largest soil carbon deals to date. Under the 12-year agreement, Microsoft will purchase 2.85 million credits generated under the Carbon by Indigo program, Indigo’s U.S.-based project, emphasizing regenerative agriculture’s role in high-integrity carbon removals. As Indigo and Microsoft’s third transaction, this deal builds on prior purchases of 40,000 tonnes in 2024 and 60,000 tonnes in 2025, underscoring Microsoft’s commitment to being carbon negative by 2030 and Indigo’s leadership in delivering scalable, high-integrity soil carbon removals.
  • BW Fusion, a leading innovator in agricultural bio-nutritional solutions, announced the acquisition of Low Mu Tech, a pioneer in sustainable technologies designed to deliver biology and micronutrients to the seed. The acquisition positions BW Fusion as a category leader in seed care and strengthens its mission to help growers farm smarter, safer, and more sustainably.
  • Nutrien Ltd. is excited to announce the winners of the second Hometown Yield Challenge. This program was available to farmers in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. The community organizations of choice for the top two yielding farming operations have each received $20,000. The community organizations chosen by the three runners-up have also received $5,000.
  • Phospholutions, a fertilizer technology company that enhances the efficiency, performance, and sustainability of phosphorus fertilizers has announced a series of leadership appointments. Justin Archibee has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer, Michael Castiglione promoted to Chief Operating Officer, Steve Levitsky promoted to Chief Administrative and Sustainability Officer, and Weston Heide, an agribusiness executive with The Andersons, added to its Board of Directors.
  • Farmers for Sustainable Food, a farmer-led, industry-supported organization empowering farmers to lead in sustainable farming practices, elected three directors to its board during the group’s annual meeting at the 2026 Dairy Strong conference on January 14. The three board members include one farmer-led group director, one general member director and one farmer member director.
  • Summit Agro USA announced U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval of an expanded label for Regev HBX BioPowered Fungicide, extending its use to dry edible beans, dried shelled peas and chickpeas. The expansion provides growers of dry beans and shelled peas with an additional option to manage white mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) and other economically important diseases in these crops.
  • Join Ag Gateway for an informative discussion with key members of the Agrisemantics Committee to discuss the group’s current and future work and get an inside perspective on how things get done. Click here to register.
  • Radicle Growth announced the launch of The Radicle Corn Challenge sponsored by US Corn Farmers, a global call for startups developing technologies that create new, durable demand for corn through innovative products, materials, and value chains. The Challenge will invest a total of $1.75 million in selected companies and is supported by twelve leading U.S. corn grower organizations: Colorado Corn Promotion Council, Corn Marketing Program of Michigan, Illinois Corn Marketing Board, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Kansas Corn Commission, Kentucky Corn Promotion Council, Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, National Corn Growers Association, Nebraska Corn Board, Ohio Corn Marketing Program, South Dakota Corn Utilization Council, and Tennessee Corn Promotion Board.
  • The Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge, now in its 12th year, provides opportunities for Farm Bureau members to showcase business innovations being developed for agriculture. Louisiana-based FarmMind is the winner of this year’s competition. The American Farm Bureau Federation, in partnership with Farm Credit, announced the winner from among four finalists at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention. FarmMind received a total of $100,000 to grow the business. Colin Raby, a Louisiana Farm Bureau member, is team lead for the company, which brings agricultural workflows together in one place, including field notes, GIS management, regulatory compliance, financial tracking and real-time agronomic insights. KiposTech was named runner-up in the contest and received a total of $25,000. Hema Ravindran, a Pennsylvania Farm Bureau member, is team lead for the company, which is revolutionizing poultry farming with plasma-based air disinfection and AI-powered monitoring solutions that protect birds from airborne diseases, dust and ammonia.
  • The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) is pleased to announce Kris Reynolds as the recipient of the 2026 Dave Rahe Excellence in Soils Consulting Award. This prestigious award recognizes a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) for their outstanding contributions to soil management within Illinois soybean production systems, honoring the legacy of Dave Rahe, a passionate advocate for soil health.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    Advanced Agrilytics Partners with Mutiny Crop Performance

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    Advanced Agrilytics today announced a strategic partnership with Mutiny Crop Performance, expanding its technology-enabled agronomy platform to complement its long-standing grower-direct consulting services.

    “At its core, this partnership represents how Advanced Agrilytics is evolving to scale impact without compromising agronomic integrity,” said Scott Coldagelli, Chief Transformation Officer at Advanced Agrilytics. “Our methodology and proprietary technology were built to scale, but scale happens faster and more effectively through the right partnerships. Mutiny is one of the first strategic collaborators where one plus one truly equals more than two.”

    Mutiny Crop Performance is known for its selective, product-agnostic approach using an independent dealer network with a strong emphasis on relationships, trust, and on-farm results. “Advanced Agrilytics brings a data-based approach that strengthens the agronomic foundation behind product decisions. This partnership enhances the value we deliver while preserving the independence and trust that define Mutiny,” said Patrick Conyea, Co-Founder of Mutiny Crop Performance.

    Want to learn more? Advanced Agrilytics is actively exploring strategic partnerships with organizations aligned around research-backed agronomy and scalable execution. To learn more, they will share their approach to scalable, technology-enabled agronomy at their upcoming Innovation Summit events on February 9, 2026, in Marshalltown, Iowa; February 12, 2026, in Dublin, Ohio; and February 17, 2026, in Lafayette, Indiana. Registration is free at https://events.advancedagrilytics.com/innovation-summit-2026

    Agronomy, AgWired Precision, Precision Agriculture, Technology

    Animal Ag News 1/16

    Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • Recognizing the vital role that four-legged friends often play on family farms and ranches, Farm Bureau launched the Farm Dog of the Year contest several years ago – now a popular feature of the American Farm Bureau Convention. The winner of the 2026 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year award is Max, a 4-year-old Border Collie owned by Oklahoma Farm Bureau members John, Charla and Brynley Enns. AFBF, with support from Nestlé Purina PetCare, recognized Max as the winner, from among nearly 100 contenders. Max was selected by a team of judges.
  • Grassroots Carbon, a pioneering Texas-based regenerative ranching partner and soil carbon removal company, today announced a monumental milestone, becoming the first U.S. company to deliver 1.9 million tons of carbon removals, making Grassroots Carbon the largest carbon removal company in the U.S. with over 1.5 million tons already retired by corporate partners to manage their emissions. Trusted by companies such as Nestlé and Microsoft, Grassroots Carbon is proving that large-scale, measurable climate action can be achieved through soil health and stewardship on working lands.
  • Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, the second largest dairy cooperative in the country based on milk volume, is encouraged by the new 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, announced this week by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) welcomed the release of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). The updated DGAs nearly double the recommended daily amount for protein intake, increasing it to 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram body weight, depending on your age group and individual caloric needs. The document focuses on building a healthy diet around whole foods, limiting highly processed foods and added sugars, and prioritizing protein at every meal like nutrient-dense beef. Red meat is specifically mentioned as a healthy source of protein in a varied, balanced diet.
  • South Dakota Beef Industry Council welcomes Amanda Kammerer as the Director of Communications & Marketing. Kammerer comes to Beef Council as no stranger to the beef industry. She grew up on a ranch north of Rapid City, SD. She was very active in 4-H, showing livestock and judging. Her family still raises registered Black Angus, while also having a commercial cattle herd.
  • Through its Patriots’ Pledge program, Zoetis has contributed over $2 million to Folds of Honor in a four-year span, advancing the organization’s mission to provide academic scholarships for the families of fallen or disabled members of the U.S. Armed Forces and First Responders.
  • Molly O’Connor rejoins the National Pork Producers Council as director of federal affairs in the Washington, D.C., public policy office.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    Terrifying Tariffs and the Global Cotton Market

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    The Beltwide Cotton Economic Outlook Conference this year was a sobering one for the industry.

    “Cotton prices have been stagnant since planting…we’ve traded in more or less a six cent range over the last six months,” said Beau Stephenson, Omnicotton, Inc. in his presentation on the Changing Global Cotton Market. “This is not an exciting price pattern for the producers who’ve been waiting for anything that looks like profitability.”

    Stephenson discussed the impact of non-U.S. growth in cotton production, particularly Brazil and Australia, that the U.S. lost the China market again, and that while India has increased imports, they are not coming from the U.S.

    The Changing Global Cotton Market: Implications for U.S. Price Discovery – Beau Stephenson, Omnicotton, Inc.
    Beau Stephenson, Omnicotton, Inc. - presentation 20:55

    Darren Hudson, Texas Tech University, followed up on Stephenson’s presentation with his report on the impact of tariffs on U.S. cotton exports.

    Overall, Hudson said so far the tariffs have had minimal impact on U.S. apparel imports, and while the U.S. cotton share of the global cotton market has slipped, the issue is large declines in the overall cotton share globally. “This is about global demand,” said Hudson. “Everything else will sort itself out if you increase global demand.”

    Hudson says just a one percent increase in mill use would have significant impact on price improvement, acreage, and exports. “That one percent increase in mill use is a ten cent differential,” he said.

    The Impact of Tariffs on US Cotton Exports and Apparel Imports – Darren Hudson, Texas Tech University
    Darren Hudson, Texas Tech University - presentation 20:09

    Audio, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

    AgGateway Receives ASABE Innovation Award

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    AgGateway is being recognized for the release of its ADAPT Standard and ADAPT Standard Plugin with a 2026 AE50 Award at the the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference next month in Louisville, Kentucky.

    Sponsored by Resource magazine, a publication of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), the AE50 Award program annually recognizes top innovative new products of the previous year.

    The AgGateway ADAPT Standard is a data model expressed as JSON Schema with standardized data type definitions designed for business-to-business transfer of agricultural production data. Created using connectCenter, an innovative data modeling tool developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Open Applications Group (OAGi), ADAPT Standard is the result of collaborative efforts of AgGateway member experts and built on nearly a decade of open source development. It is the world’s only standard that supports a broad range of field operations data that has been implemented by leading farm management information systems.

    The accompanying ADAPT Standard Plugin links the ADAPT Framework to the ADAPT Standard, ensuring that legacy data formats can be translated via existing integrations into the new, open industry standard format. ADAPT Standard is a high-value tool in the ADAPT set of resources alongside the ADAPT Framework and other ADAPT plugins. For more information, visit the ADAPT Standard website.

    “We’re thrilled that ASABE is recognizing this milestone achievement in farm data interoperability,“ says Jim Wilson, AgGateway’s Chief Technology Officer. “In accepting this award, we thank the ADAPT Committee members for their dedication of time, talent, and expertise to bring ADAPT Standard to the agriculture industry, and the National Agricultural Producers Data Cooperative for their sub-award under NIFA grant 2023-77039-41033 for supporting the development of the ADAPT Standard plugin.”

    Listen to an interview with Wilson from the 2025 AgGateway annual meeting to learn more about ADAPT.
    Interview with Jim Wilson, AgGateway (2:27)

    AgGateway, AgWired Precision, Audio, Precision Agriculture, Technology

    SAP and Syngenta Partner for AI-Assisted Agriculture

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    Jeff Rowe – CEO of Syngenta Group (left) and Christian Klein – CEO of SAP (right)

    SAP SE and Syngenta today announced a new partnership to accelerate AI-assisted innovation across Syngenta’s global operations.

    The partnership will embed artificial intelligence at the core of Syngenta’s enterprise, modernizing operations and enabling accelerated innovation through advanced data analytics across the business — from manufacturing and supply chain to grower-facing products and services.

    Agriculture continues to navigate challenges driven by climate variability, supply chain complexity, and global uncertainty. By deploying AI-assisted tools enterprise-wide, this partnership positions Syngenta to meet the challenge of feeding a projected 10 billion people by 2050, while unlocking faster innovation, stronger operational resilience, and scalable impact across the business.

    Syngenta’s transformation will begin with SAP Cloud ERP Private solutions, modernizing core operations across the value-chain to deliver agility, resilience, and scalability. The company’s ambition is clear: unlock innovation faster, strengthen its leadership in agriculture, and future-proof operations against volatility.

    Through SAP Business Data Cloud, Syngenta will create a unified, more secure, and scalable data foundation essential for real-time decision-making and AI integration. Combined with SAP Business AI and AI-assisted tools such as the Joule copilot, this will help the company explore smarter, faster decisions that drive operational efficiency and accelerate innovation. Additionally, Syngenta will be able to deliver better products and services to growers worldwide while enabling them to retain control and privacy over their proprietary information.

    Learn more from Syngenta.

    AgWired Precision, AI, Precision Agriculture, Syngenta

    Trump Signs Bill Putting Whole Milk Back in Schools

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 into law, allowing whole and 2% milk to return to America’s schools where it has been banned since 2012 under President Obama.

    “This is the first bill signing of the new year, and it will ensure that millions of school aged children have access to high quality milk as we make America healthy again,” said President Trump during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office that included members of Congress who sponsored the bill, dairy farmers from around the country, and Secretaries Brooke Rollins and Robert F. Kennedy.

    Rollins said students will have access to whole milk again as soon as possible. “USDA is posting today the new rule making that is necessary to get whole milk back into school lunches,” said Rollins, estimating it “should just take a few weeks.”

    Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy called the bill “a long overdue correction that puts children’s health first.”

    Listen to the ceremony remarks here:
    President Trump Signs Whole Milk Act 31:21

    Audio, Dairy, USDA