St. Louis-based crop improvement company Benson Hill has contracted 30,000 acres to advance its non-GMO soybean varieties through partnerships in the consumer food, animal feed and aquaculture markets. “The consumer food, animal feed and aquaculture markets are demanding innovation that improves the health and sustainability profile of their ingredients,” said Chris Wilkins, Chief Operating Officer of Benson Hill. “Our portfolio …
AMVAC® Closes Agreement With Clean Seed Capital Group
AMVAC®, an American Vanguard® company, today announced a strategic license and investment agreement with Clean Seed Capital Group Ltd. The relationship results in Clean Seed licensing to AMVAC certain intellectual property rights for an initial investment of US$2,500,000, plus an undisclosed royalty that will be payable to Clean Seed by AMVAC in conjunction with AMVAC’s future SIMPAS™ hardware sales. AMVAC …
Acceleron Protects From Various Challenges
A key message from Bayer at the 2020 Commodity Classic encouraged growers to ensure they’re fully protected from whatever Mother Nature might throw at them during the approaching growing season. One way to do that is to use Acceleron Seed Applied Solutions on corn, soybean and cotton acres. “As you look at the investment that farmers are making today from …
Thriving Amongst the Giants
A general session at the 2019 American Seed Trade Association CSS & Seed Expo addressed needs of seed businesses who are employing key business strategies to ensure success in an environment of transition and consolidation. The panel, entitled “Thriving Amongst the Giants,” featured Scott Beck of Beck’s Hybrids, John Latham of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, Myron Stine of Midwest Oilseeds, and …
Hemp Farmers Need Good Seed
The hemp industry is in dire need of good genetics and a weeding out of bad actors in the seed supply business, according to two hemp farmers who helped Arcadia Biosciences announce the launch of GoodHemp in Chicago last week. Chris Adams (pictured left) of Adams Family Farm in North Dakota and Weston Walker (right) of Gold Dust Farm in …
ASTA Ends Year on High Note
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is ending 2019 on a positive note with another successful CSS and Seed Expo in Chicago and a lot of optimism going forward. “There’s a lot of innovation in our industry today,” says ASTA president and CEO Andy LaVigne. “So we see a lot of companies coming into the market, a lot on discovery, …
Arcadia Biosciences Launches GoodHemp
During the American Seed Trade Association CSS & Seed Expo in Chicago this week, Arcadia Biosciences announced the launch of a new product line – GoodHemp. As the company’s new brand for delivering genetically superior hemp seeds, transplants, flower and extracts, GoodHemp’s first commercial product is a disease resistant and ultra-low THC hemp seed. Accepting advance orders now, the first …
Lots of Interest in ASTACSS Hemp Session
The Hemp Seed Opportunities & Challenges session at the American Seed Trade Association’s 2019 CSS and Seed Expo was packed at the end of the day on Wednesday, showing the high level of interest the seed industry has in this new and growing commodity. Participating in the session were Pat Miller, ASTA’s Director of State Government Affairs; Wendy Mosher with …
ASTA Excited About USMCA
Members of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) meeting in Chicago this week are excited about news that an agreement has been reached on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that could mean a vote as early as next week. “Mexico and Canada are our two biggest agricultural trading partners so we need that clear relationship,” said ASTA Chair Wayne Gale …
ASTA Announces Student Video Contest Winner
Recent Iowa State University PhD graduate Kevin Falk was honored as the grand prize winner of the Better Seed, Better Life Student Video Contest for the second year in row during the Opening General Session of ASTA’s CSS & Seed Expo 2019 in Chicago. Falk’s PhD work focuses around harnessing technology to develop high throughput phenotyping platforms and machine learning …