Precision Ag News 11/30

Carrie Muehling

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Auburn University’s College of Agriculture, and the Auburn Research Technology Foundation hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new research facility housing the National Soil Dynamics Laboratory.
  • Bushel, an independently-owned software technology company focused on developing digital tools for the agricultural supply chain, announced AGRIServices of Brunswick LLC (ASB) has added Bushel digital payments feature to its mobile and web offering.
  • John Dodd is the new Limagrain Cereal Seeds (LCS) Pacific Northwest regional commercial manager.
  • NeuAG, a leading North American supplier of ammonium sulfate fertilizer solutions, announced its partnership with Tuf Cooper, world champion tie-down roper and all-around cowboy. Together, NeuAG and Cooper will be working toward supporting the agriculture industry and sharing sustainable, locally produced inputs with American producers.
  • The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced $1.5 million in grants to restore, improve and conserve sagebrush, mesic wet meadow and big game migratory corridor habitats in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. The grants will generate $2.5 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $4 million. The grants were awarded through the Rocky Mountain Rangelands Program, a partnership between NFWF, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Cargill and Darden Restaurants, Inc.
  • Lawns, playing fields, golf courses, parks and many other outdoor areas are part of the multi-billion-dollar turfgrass industry. Valued in the billions and planted on millions of acres in Florida, that same industry struggles with parasitic nematodes and fungal diseases that prove costly for growers, homeowners and commercial industries. A University of Florida scientist at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) based in Fort Lauderdale is the principal investigator on a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA). Over the next three years, he will lead a team of UF/IFAS and USDA scientists to develop cost-effective methods for managing these pests and diseases.
  • Indigo Agriculture announced the commercial launch of the industry’s first biological fungicide based on the microbe Kosakonia cowanii, giving farmers a leg up on the 2023 growing season. Initially registered and announced by the company in April 2022, biotrinsic X19 is the first fungicide in Indigo’s line of biological seed treatments, which offers farmers the flexibility to design effective crop protection plans based on their specific field conditions. The product establishes Indigo’s biotrinsic portfolio as one of the few in the industry capable of helping farmers address both biotic and abiotic stresses.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Almost Time for ASTA CSS & Seed Expo

Cindy Zimmerman

Highs in the low 30s but no snow in the forecast in Chicago next week for the last CSS & Seed Expo 2022 to be held in the Windy City.

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is saying a bittersweet “Farewell Chicago” after 77 years of holding this event in Chicago, and specifically, 45 years at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, 2022 will be the last year that this historic event will be held in that location before it moves to the Hyatt Regency Orlando in 2023.

ASTA President and CEO Andy LaVigne says as usual the program this year is packed with important sessions on timely topics. Dan Basse will once again provide his annual Agricultural Economy Report during the first general session on Tuesday, and the final sessions on Thursday include a look at the Global Foresight for agriculture, conservation and foreign policy with former United Nations Ambassador and Indiana farmer Kip Tom, as well as a session on the Political Lay of the Land going into a very busy 2023. “Trying to look at the farm bill as we go forward,” said LaVigne. “We’ve got a midterm election that’s going to impact who’s on the Senate and House ag committees…in the Inflation Reduction Act we’ve got significant money in conservation programs, how does that carry over to the farm bill?”

Learn more about what’s in store December 5-8 for the final CSS & Seed Expo in Chicago in this interview with LaVigne.
ASTA CEO Andy LaVigne previews CSS & Seed Expo 9:58

ASTA, Audio, Seed

Animal Ag News 11/29

Carrie Muehling

  • The International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit brings unique opportunities for U.S. dairy as the host nation for the Chicago event, to be held next Oct. 16-19. The global conference returns to the United States for the first time in three decades, at a moment when rising exports and world-leading sustainability gives the U.S. industry a great story to tell, according to three leaders in organizing next year’s events.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a 45-day extension of the comment period for the proposed rule titled, “Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act.” The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) welcomed the extension while urging USDA to proceed in a cautious, deliberative manner.
  • Kelsey Theis of Leavenworth, Kansas, recently was named Miss American Angus. Theis was crowned at the annual American Angus Association Awards Dinner and Reception Sunday, Nov. 6 and will represent the breed as an advocate and role model in the coming year.
  • The Big Easy is ready to host the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show, Feb. 1-3. New Orleans, famous for its world class cuisine, jazz music and lively nightlife, is a perfect venue to bring the cattle industry together for education, entertainment and engagement.
  • U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) will host its annual Poultry Market Intelligence Forum at the 2023 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta. The event will provide insight into the current markets for chicken, turkey and egg products around the world, in addition to addressing factors that may affect these markets in 2023. This year’s forum will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, and is free for all registered IPPE attendees.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

Verdant Robotics Raises $46.5 Million

Cindy Zimmerman

Verdant Robotics announced the close of a $46.5 million Series A funding to scale its advanced robotic technology and accelerate broad adoption of its regenerative and precision ag solutions. Lead investor Cleveland Avenue was joined by DCVC Bio, Future Ventures, SeaX Ventures and all existing investors, including Autotech Ventures, Cavallo Ventures, and AgFunder, making the series one of the largest investments in ag robotics to date.

“Verdant’s commercial Robotics-As-A-Service (RaaS) is in high demand, actively servicing a wide variety of specialty crops on thousands of acres with orders pending for tens of thousands of additional acres,” said Verdant Robotics COO and Co-Founder Curtis Garner. This investment enables Verdant to rapidly scale its fleet while developing next generation products that massively increase RaaS efficiency. Verdant’s multi-action, autonomous platform is the only ag robot in the U.S. market that can simultaneously weed, fertilize, and treat plants for pests and diseases – all while collecting data on each plant allowing farmers to make key decisions in real time.

“Verdant Robotics is currently operating commercially in carrots, garlic, onions and all the leafy greens,” said Garner. “This funding round will enable us to scale and build more machines into more crops.”

Learn more in this interview with Verdant Robotics COO and Co-Founder Curtis Garner
Verdant Robotics interview 4:49

AgWired Precision, Audio, Precision Agriculture, robotics

Agri-Pulse Webinar on How Precision Pays With Crop Insurance

Cindy Zimmerman

Coming up this Thursday, December 1, Agri-Pulse is offering a free webinar on “How precision pays with crop insurance.

As farmers look ahead at rising operating costs and tightening margins, upcoming crop insurance decisions will be more important than ever before. Understanding how to leverage precision ag technology as part of crop insurance planning can make a difference in risk management and overall profitability.

“Crop insurance has long been important to farmers and ranchers, but there are opportunities to make the risk management decision-making process ever more efficient and effective when you employ precision tools,” says Agri-Pulse Editor Sara Wyant.

Webinar guests include:
Administrator Marcia Bunger, Administrator of USDA’s Risk Management Agency
Matt Olson, manager of Precision Ag Go-To Market with John Deere Agriculture & Turf Division
Jeana Harms, Agri-Risk Solutions agent and western Nebraska farmer
Zach Allsup, assistant vice president of external claims at Farmers Mutual Hail

The webinar takes place at noon central time and is sponsored by Farmers Mutual Hail. Register here.

Agri-Pulse, AgWired Precision, Crop Insurance, Precision Agriculture

Industry Ag News 11/23

Carrie Muehling

  • Owen Roberts has been named director of the Agricultural Communications program in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
  • Bert Jacobs, co-founder and Chief Executive Optimist of the $150 million lifestyle brand Life is Good®, will address attendees as general session keynote speaker during the 2023 American Farm Bureau Convention. When Jacobs and his brother John started the company in 1994, they had $78 in their pockets, lived out of their van and sold T-shirts on the streets of Boston. Jacobs will speak during the closing general session at the convention on Monday, Jan. 9, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • Farm Journal’s Tyne Morgan, host of U.S. Farm Report, was honored with the National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s 2022 Doan Award at the group’s annual convention Nov. 17 in Kansas City, Mo. The Doan recognizes excellence in reporting agriculture through skill, thoroughness and attention to audience interest. Morgan’s winning entry told the story of the Brandon Leseberg family of Rock Port, Mo., and five neighbors who saved his life while rescuing his son from drowning in a well
  • National Farmers Union (NFU) released the 2022 Farmer’s Share of the food dollar for several items typically served for the Thanksgiving holiday. Even though consumers are paying more for food this year, almost none of that increase is being passed on to America’s family farmers and ranchers.
  • MorganMyers announces the addition of two accomplished communicators who will deepen the company’s agricultural and digital capabilities to serve its growing client base. Greg Ehm joins the company as senior counselor while Alex Blake will serve as senior digital strategist.
  • It is with great sadness that Ralco announces the passing of President Emeritus, Jon Knochenmus. Jon was surrounded by his family when he passed after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 67.
  • During the upcoming Dec. 1 Agri-Pulse webinar, “How precision pays with crop insurance,” participants have a chance to hear from key leaders who will discuss how utilizing precision data for crop insurance not only provides efficiency but affects premiums and claim experiences. The webinar is free but registration is required. It takes place at noon central time and is sponsored by Farmers Mutual Hail. Sign up by clicking on this link.
  • American Farmland Trust’s Farmland Information Center recently released results from its annual survey of state Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement (PACE) programs. Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement programs use public funds to compensate property owners for keeping their land available for agriculture. The findings from the 2022 survey are summarized in “Status of State Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs.”
  • American Agri-Women (AAW) recently honored four women with the Helen Whitmore Memorial Scholarship at the annual AAW Convention held in Bozeman. The scholarship helps first-time convention attendees with their travel expenses.
Zimfo Bytes

Precision Ag News 11/22

Carrie Muehling

  • Cooperative Ventures, a venture capital fund formed by North America’s leading agricultural cooperatives, announced its first investment in Sabanto, a hardware and software company on the forefront of developing autonomous capabilities in tractors. Sabanto, founded in 2018, is deploying fully-automous machinery performing row crop field operations throughout the United States.
  • Western Growers and S2G Ventures have announced the winner of the 2022 AgSharks Pitch Competition, with Nutjobs earning a record equity investment offer of $6 million from the event’s judges. Nutjobs transforms nutshell waste into bio-benign plastic alternative products that are bio-based, compostable and derived from secondary agricultural waste. By transforming nutshell waste into bio-benign plastics, Nutjobs creates plastic substitutes that are cost effective and environmentally sustainable.
  • Veteran agronomist and seedsman Bob Joehl has been named director of research and product development for Direct Enterprises, Inc. (DEI). In the role, Joehl will be responsible for DEI’s in-house lab as well as multi-location field research.
  • Purdue University’s Kurt Ristroph has received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop nanocarriers as an antibiotic delivery system to help plants fend off citrus greening disease.
  • Xitavo soybean seed takes home over a dozen first-place finishes as the first rounds of yield trial results start to roll in. Xitavo soybean seed is owned by M.S. Technologies and exclusively distributed by BASF.
  • John Deere has been named a CES 2023 Innovation Awards Best of Innovation honoree in the Robotics category, and an honoree in the Vehicle Tech & Advanced Mobility category for its fully autonomous tractor. This is the fourth consecutive year John Deere has received an Innovation Award from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).
  • The Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) and the Almond Board of California announce a pilot project to reward California almond growers for conservation practices that result in measurable climate impacts. The project will test and streamline the creation and sale of environmental credits from almond orchards in California under ESMC’s Eco-Harvest program. Eco-Harvest stacks multiple ecosystem services credits, including increased soil carbon, reduced greenhouse gases, improved water quality, and water use conservation as a unique and attractive option for farmers and for buyers seeking high quality carbon and environmental credits.
  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) inducted Sherman Ward “Bud” Bushnell, founder of Genie, into its Hall of Fame for a broad range of contributions in developing and advancing technologies that support the construction and agriculture industries worldwide.
  • Riceland Foods, Inc. and Nestlé Purina PetCare (Purina) announced a new partnership to incentivize Riceland farmer-members to grow rice using sustainability practices starting in 2023. Purina will invest more than $1.5 Million over four years in the Riceland-Nestlé Purina PetCare Sustainable Rice Program. This investment will help Riceland farmer-members with the adoption of environmentally friendly practices, which often take added time and resources that can make implementation difficult. Purina will receive Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas emission reductions that result from the updated farming practices by participating Riceland farmer-members.
  • Certis Biologicals announced that veteran sales leader Tim Riley has been tapped to helm the company’s U.S.-based sales team as National Sales Director for U.S. Ag Business.
  • During the upcoming Dec. 1 Agri-Pulse webinar, “How precision pays with crop insurance,” participants will have a chance to hear from key leaders who will discuss how utilizing precision data for crop insurance not only provides efficiency but affects premiums and claim experiences. The webinar is free but registration is required. It takes place at noon central time and is sponsored by Farmers Mutual Hail. Sign up by clicking on this link.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Animal Ag News 11/21

Carrie Muehling

  • Alltech, a global leader in the agriculture industry for more than 40 years, is proud to introduce Egalis, a new range of high-quality silage inoculants that maximize nutrient quality, increase forage stability and reduce dry matter loss to help maintain optimal animal performance. Egalis drives proper fermentation and assists epiphytic bacteria to control the fermentation through the use of specific bacteria.
  • The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the largest and oldest livestock association based in Texas, announced Melissa Hamilton as executive director of government relations.
  • A tailgate event in Stillwater, Oklahoma, at the Oklahoma State University vs Iowa State University football game took on a special meaning as representatives from Zoetis presented the company’s third donation to Folds of Honor. Based in Owasso, Oklahoma, Folds of Honor provides academic scholarships to the spouses and children of men and women who have fallen or been disabled while serving in the U.S. armed forces or as first responders.
  • Congratulations to the 10th Annual National Anthem Singer winner Franki Moscato of OshKosh, Wisconsin. Moscato will sing at the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show February 1-3, 2023 in New Orleans.
  • The Beef Checkoff-funded Trailblazers program is seeking applications for its next class of beef advocates. Trailblazers, developed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, takes advocacy to the next level by giving participants the tools and training they need to promote beef to new audiences while addressing and correcting myths.
  • He’s the Academy Award-nominated writer behind the hit series Yellowstone and 1883, a Texas native, and owner and operator of the legendary 6666 Ranch in Texas. This February, Taylor Sheridan will be hitting the mainstage Wednesday, February 1st as the keynote speaker for the Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Opening General Session sponsored Boehringer Ingelheim.
  • SM Animal Nutrition and Health — a global science-based company focused on nutrition, health and sustainable living — announces the availability of FUMzyme, fumonisin esterase, for use in poultry and swine feed in the United States.
  • Over 50 industry professionals gathered in St. Petersburg, Fla., to participate in the American Feed Industry Association’s (AFIA) annual Equipment Manufacturers Conference. Hosted by AFIA’s Equipment Manufacturers Committee, this year’s conference focused on building an industry perspective on sustainability.
  • The National Milk Producers Federation called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use existing legal authority to modernize its regulations allowing for faster approval of animal-feed additives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, submitting comments to the agency that highlighted the need for urgent action to enhance dairy’s role as a climate solution.
  • Several large retailers and wholesalers (including Sysco, US Foods, Kroger, Hy-Vee, Albertson, Associated Grocers, Subway, SuperValu, and Cheney Brothers) recently filed claims similar to those brought originally in April 2019 by R-CALF USA and National Farmers Union (NFU) against the Big 4 packers. Those claims are that the packers’ efforts to jointly manage their slaughter volume and their cattle purchasing practices caused beef prices to rise while also pushing cattle prices lower. In response, the U.S. District Court held a hearing and decided to coordinate these new claims with R-CALF USA and NFU’s suit ahead of trial. This does not substantially affect the current case. While the Court may amend the existing schedule to fold these new claims in, fact discovery is already expected to continue across 2023 given that the parties have only just begun document production.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

MyLand Company Completes Funding to Scale-up

Cindy Zimmerman

Soil health company MyLand has announced the successful first closing of its Series B financing round led by The Borden Family Trust and Waterpoint Lane. The new $12M investment will enable the expansion of the MyLand footprint and the strengthening of its innovation activities.
 
The new funding will significantly expand MyLand’s approach to regenerative agriculture in California, Arizona, Florida, Texas, and the Pacific Northwest.

This closing is an important milestone for MyLand and puts the company in a strong financial position to fuel the growth and commercialization of for their Soil-as-a-ServiceTM while increasing the installed base of systems with large growers in efforts to improve soil health through their unique regenerative process. The MyLand Service delivers live, native microalgae directly into the soil on a continuous basis that improves the physical, chemical, and biological traits of the soil, generating significantly healthier soil which in turn leads to healthier food, healthier people, and a healthier planet.

AgWired Precision, land, Precision Agriculture, Soil

AgGateway Honors Members at Annual Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

AgGateway wrapped up its annual conference last week with the presentation of awards to member volunteers who have demonstrated outstanding dedication and service to the organization and its mission to enable seamless digital connectivity in agriculture.

The AgGateway in Action Award is given to volunteers for exceptional work over the past year in their respective regions. The 2022 recipients are Jim Glynn, Senior Business Operations Manager for Winfield United in the North America region, and Bruno Lucio, Director of Sales, Latin America for Topcon Agriculture in the Latin America region. Lucio received the award from AgGateway Regional Director Jose Loyola and AgGateway President and CEO Brent Kemp presented the award to Glynn.

“The professionals we honored at the Conference have consistently gone above and beyond our expectations, providing time, talent, leadership, and dedication that have measurably moved our efforts forward,” said Kemp.

The Ron Storms Leadership Award, named for a pioneer in agriculture connectivity in the early days of AgGateway and its predecessor organizations, honors long-term effort, leadership, and achievement on behalf of the organization. The 2022 award recipient is Joe Gifford, Customer Service e-Connectivity Manager at Syngenta. He was presented the award by Ann Vande Lune of ag retailer Key Cooperative who was the recipient of the same award in 2019.

“We value the work of every volunteer,” said Kemp at the ceremony’s close. “Each and every one of you make it possible to move the agriculture industry forward on digital connectivity.”

Last but not least, the President’s Award is presented to one individual who has made consistent and far-reaching positive impacts on organizational achievement over the course of several years. The 2022 recipient is Jeff Griffeth, Senior Director of Technology at Co-Alliance Cooperative.

“We truly appreciate the extraordinary efforts of this year’s award recipients, whose dedication to the mission is truly an inspiration to us all,” said Kemp. “We thank them again for their exemplary service.”

2022 AgGateway Annual Meeting Photo Album

Find more interviews posted in the AgGateway Annual Conference virtual newsroom.

ag retailers, AgGateway, Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, data