Today at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Pivot Bio launched the “Year of One Million Thanks Buddy Seat Tour,” which will travel more than 1,500 miles around the country to celebrate America’s farmers and highlight the need for investment in the nation’s most critical industry. Pivot Bio CEO Chris Abbott will personally travel on the tour of America’s rural communities …
Diamond K Gypsum Launches New Water Management Tech
As drought conditions intensify across the West, Diamond K Gypsum has introduced a new suite of agricultural water saving products and an online tool that improve irrigation water use efficiency, soil performance and crop resilience in drought conditions. “Western crop consultants and growers know there is no silver bullet when it comes to water shortages,” says Tom Tankersley, Diamond K …
DWFI Podcast 52 – New Executive Director Joe Sanders
Joe Sanders, the new executive director of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska, brings more than 27 years of experience in international agricultural development to his role. In this episode, hosted by Arianna Elnes, he reflects on his career path—from serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia to leading USAID-funded projects across …
DWFI Podcast 50 – Nebraska Master Irrigator
In this episode, host Frances Hayes dives into the Nebraska Master Irrigator Program, a new approach to advanced water stewardship. Joining Frances is Crystal Powers, DWFI Water and Cropping Systems Extension Educator and a co-collaborator on the new initiative. Through the Nebraska Master Irrigator Program, organizers invite participants to dig deeper and “talk shop” about the critical issues facing agricultural …
DWFI Podcast 49 – Irrigation as a Service: A New Paradigm
In our first episode of 2026, host Frances Hayes discusses a unique approach to supporting access to irrigation for smallholder farmers with Erin Anders, Senior Program Manager at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. Farmers of all sizes in all parts of the world need access to water, inputs and financing to grow food. Irrigation as a Service (IaaS) …
DWFI Podcast 48 – A Decade of Daugherty Water for Food Leadership
In this special episode, host Frances Hayes sits down with Peter McCornick, Executive Director of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, as he concludes nearly a decade of leadership. This deep-dive conversation covers Peter’s distinguished career, from his early life on a farm in Scotland and pivotal international work in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, to what drew …
DWFI Podcast 47 – Crafting Compelling Science Communication
In this episode, host Frances Hayes sits down with Crystal Powers, DWFI and Nebraska Water Center’s water and cropping systems extension educator, to discuss why the most revolutionary science can only drive change if it’s communicated effectively. Crystal and her colleague, Ann Briggs, at the Nebraska Water Center, created the “Beyond the Data” workshop, which aims to transform researchers and …
MyLand Wins 2025 AgTech Breakthrough Award
MyLand, a leading innovator in soil health, today announced it has won the 2025 AgTech Breakthrough Award for Overall Smart Irrigation Solution. The honor recognizes MyLand’s groundbreaking innovation that transforms traditional irrigation into a powerful tool for soil health restoration and farm resilience. MyLand redefines the role of irrigation in modern agriculture from a simple utility to a dynamic regenerative …
DWFI Podcast 44 – The Vadose Zone
The vadose zone is the area between crop roots and the water table, and is a critically important region for storage, transport and transformation of chemicals that can impact groundwater quality. In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, host Frances Hayes talks with Arindam Malakar, a researcher with the Nebraska Water Center (NWC, a part of DWFI) who …
DWFI Podcast 43 – Irrigation and Global Health
In the 43rd episode of the Water for Food Podcast, host Frances Hayes speaks with Claudia Ringler of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) about the crucial link between irrigation and global health, expanding on Ringler’s recent Heuermann Lecture as part of the 2025 Water for Food Global Conference and previous episodes in this podcast. Together they explore how …