2025 Tech Hub Live

Syngenta and Biotalys Announce Biologicals Partnership

Cindy Zimmerman

Syngenta Crop Protection and Biotalys have announced a collaboration to research, develop and commercialize new biocontrol solutions to manage key pests in a broad variety of crops. The new solution will be based on Biotalys’ AGROBODY™ technologyand will offer a new mode of action to broaden farmers’ access to novel technologies that counter the threat of pest resistance and advance sustainable agriculture.

“Syngenta is a leader in bringing farmers cutting edge technologies that improve the sustainability of agriculture, and we are excited to work closely with Biotalys as part of our agricultural innovation ecosystem,” said Camilla Corsi, Head of Crop Protection Research at Syngenta Crop Protection. “By combining our proven research and development capabilities with the breakthrough protein-based innovations of the Biotalys AGROBODY™ platform, we are determined to play a pivotal role in addressing critical farmer needs around the globe.”

This new partnership allows Biotalys to accelerate the development and global commercialization of innovative crop protection solutions and cement its biocontrol innovation leadership by leveraging the expansive network and capabilities of a global agriculture business.

“We are proud and excited to be working with Syngenta, a world-leading agricultural company, on one of the most pressing industry challenges – the development of innovative and effective pest control solutions – by delivering on the promise of our AGROBODY™ technology,” said Patrice Sellès, Chief Executive Officer at Biotalys. “Collaborating with Syngenta is a major milestone in our continued mission to providing growers around the globe with safe, efficient, and more sustainable agricultural solutions.”

Biologicals, Crop Protection, Syngenta

Looking Ahead to the 2023 IFAJ Congress

Chuck Zimmerman

IFAJ KnifeThe 2023 IFAJ Congress doesn’t start until the end of June but when I used this handy knife yesterday it made me want to share a picture of a very cool memento from Cindy’s and my first event in Switzerland. Thanks to LID.ch and Switzerland Cheese. I have used this Swiss Army knife since 2005! I like knives and don’t count how many I have. But I have given many of them away to family and friends. But not this one.

Here is a link to the first post I did at that Congress way back then. At that time our sponsor was Pioneer Hi-Bred. The Congress is one of the best I’ve ever attended and Cindy and I have many memories from it including making international friends that we are still in touch with today. The Congress coincided with Cindy’s and my 25th wedding anniversary. We took extra days to stay in Switzerland and do things like take a train into the mountains and just randomly stopping to take cable cars to the top. From there we walked a path in beautiful weather, stopped at a monastery and had a nice talk to one of the nuns living there and listened to cow bells.

So, I’ll be attending this year’s Congress in Canada thanks to Alltech. You can still register. I highly recommend it if you can and you won’t be disappointed. If you have any questions about the Congress I would be happy to answer them. Just let me know and I hope to see you there.

Alltech, IFAJ, International, Media

Women in Ag Tech Unite

Cindy Zimmerman

The newly-formed Women in Ag Tech will hold its first official meeting July 24 at Tech Hub LIVE in Des Moines, Iowa. This new group was formed to provide women in agriculture technology with a platform to connect, engage, and build a community, according to Lara Sowinski, Group Editor for the CropLife Media Group at Meister Media Worldwide, and Co-Chair of the VISION Conference, in this recent article.

Women are currently underrepresented in the ag tech industry, as is the case in many other technology-related fields. However, the number of women in ag tech is growing, and many organizations and initiatives have emerged to support and advance women in this industry.

Despite these efforts, there is still much work to be done to achieve gender parity in the ag tech industry. Women still face many of the same challenges as in other technology fields, including unconscious bias, lack of representation in leadership roles, and pay inequality.

Women in Ag Tech is a crucial initiative for advancing and advocating for women in ag tech. The developments related to Agriculture 4.0 and ongoing expansion of digital agriculture make the initiative particularly timely.

The priorities for Women in Ag Tech include:
Advocate for women and others whose influence is not fully recognized or are underrepresented in the ag tech industry.
Raise awareness and participate in outreach activities.
Actively mentor and encourage future women in ag tech.
Build an active community for women in ag tech.
Align and collaborate with professionals and organizations in allied industries.

The first official meeting will be held at Tech Hub LIVE on July 24th from 2 – 5 p.m. at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown and interested women in the industry are encouraged to complete the online interest form, which will help further shape the initiative. The signature sponsor for Women in Ag Tech is Faegre Drinker.

AgWired Precision, Precision Agriculture, Technology

Animal Ag News 4/24/23

Cindy Zimmerman

  • Join the next NCBA Producer Education Webinar “Cutting Through the Carbon Clutter,” April 27 at 7:00 PM Central to learn more about the Wild West of Carbon Markets. Hear multiple perspectives and takeaways for ranchers on the current status of the carbon landscape, and what opportunities are available. Watch the entire Cattlemen’s Webinar Series on YouTube.
  • The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) announced the signing of a set of principles and a new partnership with the National Agricultural Organizations (FARM) from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia and Colombia to constructively engage governments and international organizations around the world on the issues of livestock, agriculture, climate and trade.
  • The Animal Agriculture Alliance released its updated Sustainability Impact Report ahead of Earth Day on April 22. The U.S. farm and food community continues to be a global leader in sustainability efforts. The updated report highlights these advancements and includes a new section on the animal feed community’s role in environmental stewardship.
  • The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) recognized more than 200 meat and poultry plants at the 2023 Environmental, Labor and Safety+ Conference in Carlsbad, California for their positive environmental impact achievements. Fifteen additional establishments that went above and beyond were granted Environmental Achievement Awards for their progress with emissions reduction, energy conservation, packaging/food waste reduction, technological innovation, and water conservation.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) filed comments on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed rule “Use of Electronic Identification Eartags as Official Identification in Cattle and Bison” to emphasize the importance of electronic animal identification to protect the cattle industry from the threat of a foreign animal disease. USDA’s proposed rule would apply to cattle 18-months or older only when moving interstate.
  • FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative is pleased to welcome Sarah Sarbacker as Director of Communications and Marketing. Raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm, Sarbacker comes to FarmFirst from Boviteq, a bovine IVF company and division of Semex, where she served as the Client Service Supervisor for North America. Prior to her role with Boviteq, she worked in various areas of agriculture throughout her career including positions with US Livestock Genetics Export, Compeer Financial, Minitube, and Agri-View Newspaper.
  • Banana Graham Ice Cream. Smooth Blended Cottage Cheese with Strawberry. Costa Rican Pineapple & Guava Greek Yogurt. These and other sensational, fruit-forward flavors and inclusions shined this week, taking home two-thirds of the awards at the International Dairy Foods Association’s (IDFA) annual Innovative Ice Cream Flavor and Innovative Cultured Dairy Product competitions, co-sponsored by Dairy Foods magazine. The ice cream and cultured dairy product competitions took place during IDFA’s annual, co-located Ice Cream Technology Conference and Yogurt & Cultured Innovation Conference, which attracted a record crowd of more than 270 industry professionals to Austin, Texas.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture

    Industry Ag News 4/21/23

    Cindy Zimmerman

    • House Agriculture Committee chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) recently welcomed cattle producer, ag journalist, speaker and author Amanda Radke to his National Agriculture Campaign Advisory Council, a diverse group of ag-centric experts from across the nation.
    • Amy Bradford, GROWMARK Corporate Communications Manager and past president of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), has announced her retirement effective May 1.
    • Early entry deadline for the 2023 Livestock Publication Council awards contest has been extended to Monday April 24. Any LPC publication, service, or freelance/contractor member whose dues are paid for the calendar years of 2022 and 2023 is eligible. New members who join LPC in 2023 may compete if 2023 dues are paid.
    • The Bockorny Group, a 30-year established bipartisan government affairs consulting firm, announced today that Eric Bohl has joined as a principal and will lead the company’s agriculture practice. Scott Shearer, who currently heads the firm’s efforts on behalf of its many agriculture clients, will remain on as a Senior Adviser.
    • The Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC) board of directors has approved $706,139 in research project funding for the 2023-24 research budget year. The research projects approved include 35 project proposals submitted from the University of Georgia, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
    • Potatoes USA announces nominations are now open for new Board Members for the 2024-2027 term. The board is seeking nominees to fill a total of 60 open seats for producers from potato producing states around the country. If you are interested in being considered by your state grower leadership to fill an open spot representing your state, please contact your state program manager.
    • Land O’Lakes, Inc. President and CEO Beth Ford is the featured speaker at the Heuermann Lecture on May 8 in Lincoln, Neb. U.S.A. as part of the 2023 Water for Food Global Conference. The free lecture, sponsored by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, will be held 4:30-6 p.m. at the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center and livestreamed online.
    Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Zimfo Bytes

    Precision Ag News 4/19/23

    Cindy Zimmerman

    • John Deere and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have joined forces to support the new documentary film “Odd Hours, No Pay, Cool Hat.” The film highlights diverse stories of rural volunteer firefighters from across the country and paints a portrait of these brave individuals who serve their communities. The film will soon be released nationally, and producers hope those who watch it will be inspired to sign up to be volunteer firefighters through the NVFC’s “Make Me a Firefighter” campaign.
    • Several cotton farmers and their families gathered in Lubbock, Texas, last month to celebrate high-yield achievements as part of BASF’s FiberMax® One Ton Club™, a long-standing tradition now in its 18th year. The club recognizes cotton farmers who produce FiberMax yields of one ton or more. In total, 104 members representing 51 farms made this year’s club following the 2022 growing season. Walker and Erica McAnear of Mustard Seed Farms in Clarendon, Texas, achieved the highest yield with 2,670 pounds of cotton per acre.
    • Combine harvester sales in the U.S. and Canada continue to grow while tractor unit sales stay close to their 5-year average according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). U.S. self-propelled combine sales, grew 45 percent for the month, leading to the year-to-date gain to stay above 100 percent. Total farm tractor sales in the U.S. for the month fell 12.1 percent versus March 2022 and are down 15.1 percent year-to-date, a slight improvement from the previous month.
    • The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is launching its fourth Consider Corn Challenge inviting participants to submit proposals for new uses of field corn as a primary feedstock for producing novel sustainable chemicals and products with quantifiable market demand. One to six winners will be selected for the Consider Corn Challenge IV, with a total prize pool of U.S. $250,000, split equally between winners. The submission deadline is June 30, 2023
    • The non-profit Soil Health Academy has published detailed case studies examining the operational, production and profitability details of five regenerative farming and ranching operations across the country. The project is funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and is designed to provide strategic and tactical insights to help guide farming and ranching enterprises as they transition from high-input, chemically dependent conventional agriculture to lower-input, more profitable regenerative operations.
    • The American Farm Bureau Federation, in partnership with Farm Credit, is seeking entrepreneurs to apply online for the 2024 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. Now in its 10th year, this national business competition showcases U.S. startup companies developing innovative solutions to challenges faced by America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Farm Bureau is offering $165,000 in startup funds throughout the course of the competition, which will culminate in the top 10 semi-finalists competing in a live pitch competition in front of Farm Bureau members, investors and industry representatives at the AFBF Convention in January 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
    AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    Animal Ag News 4/17/23

    Cindy Zimmerman

    • Alltech is pleased to announce new leadership roles within the Alltech feed division. Scot Harold will assume commercial leadership as executive vice president, Feed & Premix, and Brian Gier joins the company as vice president of sales for Hubbard Feeds.
    • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) praised the decision by a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota to grant a preliminary injunction stopping the Biden administration’s “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule from taking effect in 24 states. Combined with a previous ruling in the Southern District of Texas, 26 states across the country are protected from the Biden WOTUS rule.
    • USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at Purdue University in which researchers evaluated a unique lighting system to assess welfare and skeletal quality of laying hens. The research was made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from MPS Egg Farms and proceeds from the International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE).
    • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final order to modify the yogurt standard of identity final rule, published on June 9, 2021, in line with International Dairy Foods Association requested changes and objections. The rule comes after more than four decades of advocacy from IDFA which remains generally pleased with FDA’s decisions and considers the final rule a win for consumers and yogurt makers. The final rule is effective on April 14, 2023, and the compliance date is January 1, 2024.
    AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture

    Industry Ag News 4/14/23

    Cindy Zimmerman

    • A judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Biden administration’s “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule from taking effect in 24 states. Combined with a previous ruling in the Southern District of Texas, 26 states across the country are protected from the Biden WOTUS rule.
    • The Propane Education & Research Council is offering double incentives of up to $10,000 toward eligible propane-powered equipment for agricultural operations directly impacted by the Midwest tornado outbreak. From now through December 31, 2023, affected producers who apply for the Propane Farm Incentive Program can earn double the incentive amount for qualifying propane-powered equipment — including irrigation engines, building/water heating systems, power generators, and flame weeding systems.
    • To support the next generation of American agriculture, National Farmers Union (NFU) announced the eleven participants selected for its eleventh Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) cohort. Over the course of nine months, attendees will participate in four sessions focused on technical training, mentorship, and leadership development.
    • In 2022, U.S. potato exports reached a record $2.1 billion in sales. Compared to 2021, volume sales declined -4.2% but were higher than 2018 and 2020, according to Potatoes USA. The value of U.S. potato exports rose across all potato types (frozen, fresh, dehydrated, seed, and chips), resulting in an 11% increase from the previous year.
    • The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) has named Christopher Pudenz as its economics and research manager. Pudenz begins his Farm Bureau career on April 17, leading the coordination and management of economic research and analysis for Iowa’s largest general farm organization
    • Farmers are invited to submit nominations for the 2024 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year contest, which comes with cash prizes and bragging rights. This is the sixth year of the contest, supported by Purina, which celebrates farm dogs and the many ways they support farmers and ranchers in producing nutritious food for families and their pets across America.
    Zimfo Bytes

    ZimmCast 710 – Agri-Marketing Conference Preview

    Chuck Zimmerman

    ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

    The 2023 Agri-Marketing Conference is approaching fast. You can still register right here. And in this episode you can hear a comprehensive preview of the conference from Vice Chair, Lori Kruger, Signal Theory.

    In 2004 Cindy and I announced the start of ZimmComm at the conference which means we’re starting our 20th year!! It was one of the best decisions we have made and we will be exhibiting once again in the Connection Point. I’ll be easy to find and hope you will stop by. I’ll have the Golden ZimmComm Microphone ready to conduct interviews. I’d like you to tell me a little about your what you do, your company and your products/services. Simple. No wrong answers.

    You can also enter our booth drawing which is a Supernote A6 X bundle that includes pen and folio. It is a dedicated digital note taking device!

    I want to thank Lori and all the committee members and staff for putting together a fantastic looking conference agenda. I hope to see you there. BTW. The official hashtag for the conference is #NAMA23.

    Listen to the ZimmCast here:
    ZimmCast 710 - Preview of the 2023 Agri-Marketing Conference (16:29)

    That’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

    Want to sponsor the ZimmCast? Just let me know and we can talk through ideas for your company. I’m AgriBlogger on Twitter or just email me at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.

    Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

    Advertising, Ag Groups, Agencies, Agribusiness, Audio, Marketing, NAMA, ZimmCast

    Farm Journal Appoints New CEO

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Prescott ShiblesFarm Journal has announced that Prescott Shibles has joined the company as CEO. He takes over from Andy Weber who retires after 23 years as CEO and becomes vice chairman of Farm Journal’s board of directors.

    Shibles is a highly regarded digital media and business information leader with more than 20 years of history delivering data- and technology-driven transformations. He has held leadership roles at five of the nation’s most progressive B2B data and media companies, driving innovation using digital engagement, market intelligence, machine learning and artificial intelligence to create new standards for how clients accelerate growth.

    According to Shibles, it was Farm Journal’s tradition of service to its industry and forward-looking vision that attracted him to the opportunity. “What gets me passionate is using data and technology to drive change and improve outcomes,” Shibles said. “Farm Journal, with its position of trust and service, can be a beacon for change in agriculture’s tech transformation. The company is making a real difference in transforming agriculture to a more sustainable and tech-centric future. A prime example is its commanding position with the Trust In Food division at the crossroads of regenerative agriculture.”

    “Prescott has the vision, drive, talent and innovative spirit to continue Farm Journal’s leadership position in agriculture,” Weber said. “He is an uncommon leader, listener and strategist that will bring enormous value to Farm Journal, its clients and its audiences. We are confident he will drive the company to further innovations in data-driven insights and digital engagement.”

    You can find the full release here.

    Farm Journal, Media