Inari, a Flagship Pioneering company, recently announced the world’s first Seed Foundry as part of the company’s mission to reintroduce genetic diversity and challenge the seed industry with a shorter, lower-cost and more precise product development cycle Inari aims to revolutionize plant breeding by merging the latest technologies with leading-edge data analysis tools to bring top-performing plants to market faster …
Ethanol Report for 2018
2018 has been a busy and interesting year for the ethanol industry and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, RFA president and CEO Geoff Cooper reviews the top stories of the year in ethanol, including the new leadership at RFA, President Trump’s interest in the industry and E15, small refinery waivers, record exports …
Deere to Launch Startup Collaborator Program
Deere & Company has announced the launch of a new Startup Collaborator program in the Intelligent Solutions Group. John Stone, senior vice president of Deere’s Intelligent Solutions Group, says the purpose of the program is to enhance interaction with startup companies whose technology could add value for John Deere customers. “Innovation has been at the heart of John Deere for …
BASF Seed Solutions Focused on Seed Treatments
The recent ASTA 2018 CSS and Seed Expo was a great venue for BASF to showcase its Seed Solutions business, including the launch of Vault® IP Plus seed treatment and Obvius® Plus fungicide seed treatment. “We decided we were going to create a whole new business unit in North America … a seed solutions business really focused on seed treatments,” …
ZimmCast 605 – ASTA CSS and Seed Expo
ZimmCast #605 is the last one for 2018, featuring interviews from the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) 2018 CSS and Seed Expo, our last event for the year. This ZimmCast includes comments from ASTA president and CEO Andy LaVigne, Bayer seed treatment tech service rep Chip Graham, BASF Seed Solutions U.S. marketing lead Kerry Grossweiler, and Wheat Pete, a podcaster …
FMC Working on Soybean Gall Midge Control
A new pest is popping up in soybean fields across the country – the orange gall midge. “It’s a very tiny fly that lays its eggs in the stem of a soybean plant,” said FMC Agricultural Solutions subject matter expert Bob Hooten during an interview at the annual NAFB Trade Talk last month in Kansas City. Bright orange maggots develop …
USGC Releases Latest Corn Harvest Quality Report
A warm and moist growing season resulted in near-record yields and good quality for the 2018 corn crop, according to the U.S. Grain Council’s (USGC) 2018/2019 Corn Harvest Quality Report. The report revealed the majority of 2018 corn crop conditions were rated as good or excellent during the growing season, leading to strong plant health, good kernel size and a …
Latest AEM Ag Tractor and Combine Report
The latest Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ (AEM) Ag Tractor and Combine Report from November shows overall sales remained positive. U.S. Sales of self-propelled combines gained 9.2 percent in November compared to last year, and U.S. sales of 4-wheel-drive tractors increased 60.7 percent month-over-month. November year-to-date U.S. sales showed a 16.6 percent growth for combines and 15.9 percent growth for 4-wheel-drive …
Beltway Beef on Farm Bill, Water Rule, and Trade
The latest episode of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Beltway Beef podcast features comments from the association on all the news that came down last week, including the new water rule and the new farm bill. Allison Rivera discusses the final 2018 Farm Bill that is on its way to the White House for President Trump’s signature, Scott Yager discusses …
USDA Launches ReConnect Program
USDA is offering up to $600 million in loans and grants to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. Telecommunications companies, rural electric cooperatives and utilities, internet service providers and municipalities may apply for funding through USDA’s new ReConnect Program to connect rural areas that currently have insufficient broadband service. “High-speed internet e-Connectivity is a necessity, not an amenity, vital …