Planting operations just got more precise and easier to monitor with the new SeedStar XP monitoring system from John Deere. Sandhill Farms was honored with the 2010 Beef Improvement Federation Seedstock Producer of the Year award during the 2010 BIF Annual Meeting and Research Symposium June 30. The NAFB Foundation is committed to the future of the ag and rural …

Alltech has made its equine supplement LIFEFORCE Formula available for online purchase. CHS Inc. announced it has named David Christofore vice president, chief operating officer for the company’s European grains operations. Monsanto Company announces the launch of a new encapsulated formulation of acetochlor designed for cotton and soybean acres: Warrant Herbicide. Sodrugestvo Group, a fast-growing agro-industrial company headquartered in Kaliningrad, …

The 5th annual North Carolina Leadership Award in Industrial Biotechnology was presented to BASF Plant Science LP during the World Congress for Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. Soybean growers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin now have a new fungicide option to treat Sclerotinia stem rot: Proline fungicide from Bayer CropScience. World Ag …

Kansas City’s Mike Haverty and Steve Hunt were recently awarded with the “Jay B. Dillingham Award for Agricultural Leadership and Excellence.” The Award was presented by the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City. The Makhteshim Agan Group and Albaugh Inc.,announced that they have signed a Letter of Intent providing for the acquisition of Albaugh by Makhteshim. Filament Marketing, LLC, announces …

Syngenta Seedcare announced Ryan McGruder, a rice grower from Wynne, Ark., as the grand-prize winner of the CruiserMaxx Rice Sweepstakes, which celebrated the recent launch of CruiserMaxx Rice, the first insecticide/fungicide seed treatment combination for rice. Advanta US, Inc., announces the addition of Steve Ligon as business manager. All three DuPont biofuels collaborations received top honors in the 2010 “Transformative …

Syngenta Seeds, Inc. has received approval from Japanese regulatory authorities for the Agrisure Viptera trait and the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack. This approval clears the way for U.S. corn growers to plant corn hybrids with the Agrisure Viptera trait during the 2011 planting season. Premier Power, LLC has designed a new, mobile PTO power source for farm operations needing …

Adam Wells-Morgan, executive chef of The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Mo., won top honors in the 21st annual National Taste of Elegance contest in Baltimore, Md. The competition was sponsored by the Pork Checkoff. Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, has been named a 2010 World Food Prize laureate. As the official ice cream of …

Gene Nemechek, a swine veterinarian from Springdale, Ark., has been elected president of the National Pork Board by his fellow board members. The board also elected Everett Forkner, a pork producer from Richards, Mo., vice president. Makhteshim Agan of North America, the manufacturer of endosulfan, announced the reasons behind its voluntary participation in the plan to withdraw endosulfan over time. …

The National Milk Producers Federation has a new Vice Chairman and three new board members. John Underwood was elected the Third Vice Chairman of NMPF. The new Board members include: Mickey Childers of Somerville, Ala.; Dan Senestraro of Johnson, Kan.; and Jim Werkhoven of Monroe, Wash. Syngenta Crop Protection announced that Inspire Super fungicide received EPA approval for use on …

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal released a list of the top 100 Minnesota private companies, listed by revenue. Food and agriculture companies are a leading demographic in this list, holding nearly 40% of the spots. Further, the Agri-Growth Council is proud to have six companies included in their membership within the top ten. The U.S. Wheat Associates have developed an …