New members to the #GoldenMic Club include David Hollinrake, President of Syngenta Seeds and Quinn Showalter, Head, NK US Sales at Syngenta Seeds. I met with them during the Farm Progress Show to learn more about their announcement of increasing investment into the NK brand. Growers who purchase corn and soybean seeds from retailers will have even more choice and …
Verdesian Life Sciences Introduces FlexConnect™
Verdesian Life Sciences introduced FlexConnect™, the first closed transfer system for soybean inoculants, at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois this week. Combined with a mixing port, FlexConnect enables applicators to handle and mix inoculants of any volume straight from the packaging, without transferring to a separate tank. This saves applicators time and money by minimizing the waste normally …
Don Funk Relaunches Midwest Seed Genetics
The founder of Channel Bio Corp is leading a team of entrepreneurs to relaunch Midwest Seed Genetics across the Corn Belt for the 2017/2018 growing season. Don Funk acquired Midwest in 2001 and it was one of the regional brands under Channel Bio when it was purchased by Monsanto in 2004. He is re-acquiring the brand to provide “farmers meaningful …
ASTA Shares Story of Plant Breeding
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) has released a new animated video as the latest installment in ASTA’s Better Seed, Better Life initiative. The video, produced in conjunction with CropLife International, explores the history, and future, of plant breeding-from the ancient domestication of wild crops, to gene editing and beyond. Check out the video below, and share it using the …
House Ag Hearing on Specialty Crop Innovations
The House Agriculture Committee heard testimony Wednesday on technology and innovation in specialty crops as input toward the making of the 2018 farm bill. “As we look at the farm bill through the lens of the current farm economy, innovation and technology will remain essential for farmers and ranchers to continue producing more food and fiber with fewer resources,” said …
ZimmCast with ASTA Communications
A new week, a new ZimmCast episode, with Bethany Shively, Director of Communications, American Seed Trade Association (ASTA). Cindy spoke with Bethany at the recent ASTA annual meeting. First up in the discussion is the Better Seed, Better Life program, an educational communications effort. Another project they talk about is one involving the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival with …
ASTA Preparing Farm Bill Input
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) has an interest in several titles of the farm bill, so the organization is making preparations for the 2018 legislation. The research title is extremely important to the industry, and trade promotions are absolutely critical, Jane DeMarchi, VP of Government and Regulatory Affairs and Virginia Houston, Associate Director for Domestic and Government Affairs for …
Clariant Colors the Seed Industry Bright
If you haven’t heard of Clariant, it’s pretty remarkable to discover all the ways this manufacturer of chemicals might be involved in your daily life. With manufacturing plants around the globe, Clariant’s color division is providing pigments to industries like plastics, oil, even airline de-icing. They were at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) annual meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota last …
Seeds in Space Benefit Ag on Earth
There’s a good bet that the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) annual meeting of 30 years ago looked remarkably different than the event that took place last week in Minneapolis, MN. And it’s a good bet that the science and technology making an impact on the industry in another 30 years may not have even been thought of yet, but …
ASTA Elects New Leadership
The American Seed Trade Association has been a continuously growing family for the past 134 years, and the family of new chairman Tracy Tally has been a constant at the ASTA annual meeting for many of those years. Tally is president of Justin Seed Company in Justin, Texas, a company founded by his father in 1956. Besides running Justin Seed …