John Deere has refined the chassis of its popular autonomous vehicle to give the go-anywhere R-Gator an independent suspension and improved ground clearance. The updated R-Gator also boasts a faster top speed, travelling up to 35 mph in manual mode. A new Pfizer Animal Health was unveiled as Pfizer’s acquisition of Wyeth, including its subsidiary Fort Dodge Animal Health, was …

Global Animal Management announces the launch of its newly renovated Web site designed to educate consumers on the importance of animal identification. More than 150 area residents joined global animal health company Alltech to celebrate the opening of its new facility in Clovis on Thursday, Oct. 15. Farm Journal Media is proud to announce its new event, Marketing Rally 2009, …

Jim McCarthy, Iowa, has been selected as the newest winner of the Kleckner Trade and Technology Advancement Award. New Holland has further extended its range of specialized tractors with the introduction of the new TDF Series, designed for customers with specialized needs such as orchards, olive groves, wide vineyards and full-field horticulture farms. The Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program announced …

The Natural Resources Defense Council announced nominations for its 2nd annual Growing Green Awards. New this year is a “Water Steward” category. Applications are due Dec. 4, 2009, and a $10,000 prize will go to the winning green Food Producer. A group of some 50 produce industry leaders have come together to begin work on a major initiative to drive …

AgCareers.com is offering a Webinar on Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, at 11 a.m., “Coaching and Mentoring Strategies for Success.” AgVenture Frontier Hybrids has hired Charlie Maddux as the company’s sales and marketing manager. Eighty-five students from 11 universities competed for top honors in the 2009 Collegiate Weed Science Contest. Among the challenges: Identify more than two dozen weeds on sight. …

Syngenta Crop Protection announced Callisto Xtra as the brand name for a new, post-emergence corn herbicide that will be an excellent tank mix partner for glyphosate in glyphosate-tolerant corn. Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health announced that it has initiated a multi-year sponsorship project, supporting the Shire Highlands Milk Producers Association in Malawi. Alltech’s Yea-Sacc1026, a live yeast culture based on Saccharomyces cerevisiae …

Pioneer Hi-Bred announced the company’s Pioneer Premium Seed Treatment offering for the 2010 planting season. The announcement by the Center for Science in the Public Interest naming potatoes to the list of the “Top 10 Riskiest Foods Regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration” requires some important clarification so as not to raise unnecessary alarm or confusion among consumers. …

ClimateMinder, Inc. offers farmers and greenhouse growers flexible new remote monitoring and control systems. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) has presented the National FFA Organization with a contribution of $15,000 to support a new pilot contest through which students will produce videos creatively explaining the benefits and sustainability of modern agricultural methods. Less than 5 percent of farms saw an …

Syngenta was ranked among the Top 20 Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Employers according to survey results published in a special feature of today’s edition of Science magazine. MGEX (“the Exchange”) announced strong September 2009 growth in its Hard Red Spring Wheat (HRSW) futures and options volume and open interest numbers. The National Sorghum Producers announced that Gerald Simonsen will assume leadership …

Pfizer Animal Genetics has expanded its genetic defect testing capabilities to encompass three new diagnostic tests and new combined tests. Hoosier Ag Today, Indiana’s only Hoosier-owned farm radio network, began its 4th year of operation in September. A new development project in the life sciences arena was announced Wednesday (Sept. 30) as part of a new agricultural collaboration among Dow …