A leading farm management software company, Granular, has announced an update to their farmland analysis site, AcreValue. The new version includes significantly more area covered, which now expands from the original states of Iowa, Illinois and Indiana to 46 states. It also has new management and analytical features, including soil maps, production history and mobile optimization. Farmers, landowners,bankers or other …
Land O’Lakes Makes Investment in Africa
Land O’Lakes Inc. has created a partnership with a company from South Africa. Their new alliance with Villa Crop Protection creates a complimentary portfolio that will allow them to bring productivity-enhancing crop input products and services to their customers. Land O’Lakes has recently accelerated their growth in global markets and this is their first investment in Africa. Land O’Lakes now …
FMC’s Allemang Elected CropLife America Board Chair
CropLife America (CLA) Board of Directors has elected Diane Allemang, FMC Agricultural Solutions director of Global Portfolio Management & Strategic Marketing and North America Business Development, as the association’s 46th chair of the board for a two-year term. She will work the with the organization’s leadership and board to meet its strategic objectives and is the first female chair. “I …
Bayer and National Geographic Release Online Game
National Geographic and Bayer CropScience are excited to announce the launch of their new, online game “Top Crop: Farming for the Future.” The game hopes to educate students on the basics of producing crops by taking players through a series of virtual growing seasons, complete with all the challenges growers face, like pests, disease and weather. Players may also use …
Dr. Channaptna Prakash Accepts CAST Award
This year’s winner of the Borlaug CAST Communication Award was Dr. Channapatna Prakash, who gave a keynote presentation during the award ceremony entitled, “Everything I Know about GMOs, I Learned on Social Media”. Currently the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Tuskegee University, Prakash was instrumental in establishing the prestigious plant biotechnology research and training program at …
Role Model for Women in Agriculture
Krista Lottinsville is the grand prize winner of Syngenta’s Drive to Thrive contest. The contest asked growers to describe how agriculture drives their communities to thrive. Lottinville won the challenge with her essay and video submission describing how agriculture nurtures the talents of young women with leadership skills and how it helped her grow professionally. “I love agriculture, and I …
Young Ag Journalists Develop Leadership in New Zealand
Ten young ag leaders representing ten countries are gathered in New Zealand to continue to develop their leadership skills and further their professional development in ag journalism. The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) boot camp is sponsored by Alltech and provides the journalists with opportunities for presentations, interactive group sessions, and even a visit to a local dairy. Matthew …
Total Factor Productivity Can Increase with Precision Ag
Total Factor Productivity (TFP) is a way to measure outputs versus inputs and the key tool of the annual GAP Report produced by the Global Harvest Initiative. This year’s report, “Global Agricultural Productivity Report: Building Sustainable Breadbaskets,” was released during World Food Prize and John Deere’s Kelly Winquist provided a preview of how countries are doing with TFP. “So its …
White House Announces Companies’ Climate Pledges
The White House has announced additional commitments from companies across the U.S. who are joining the American Business Act on Climate Pledge to reduce their environmental footprint and use of natural resources. Eighty-one companies have signed on the dotted lines including many in the agricultural arena including Cargill, Campos Brothers Farms, Coca Cola, General Mills, Hershey’s and more. The companies …
USFRA Chooses New Director of Communications
Kevin Aandahl has been announced as the new Communications Director of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). The Alliance, an organization that fosters dialogue on food issues to build trust in America’s agriculture is excited to welcome Aandahl on board. “I’m very pleased that Kevin is on our team since he brings more than 25 years of diverse expertise …