Intrinsyx Biology Appoints New Board Chairman

Cindy Zimmerman

Intrinsyx Bio, one of the nation’s leading biological companies focused on the development and commercialization of plant microbes, has appointed Greg Thompson as Chairman of the Board.

Thompson, 48, was one of the original founders of Verdesian Life Sciences, a North Carolina-based agricultural technology company specializing in nutrient use efficiency technologies. As President and Chief Operating Officer, he led the acquisition and integration of six companies to expand Verdesian’s global market presence.

Thompson also has extensive experience leading companies in the food ingredients and biofuel industries. He previously served as CEO of PureField Ingredients, the nation’s leading producer of wheat protein, and White Energy, a leading manufacturer of low-carbon biofuels. Thompson spent the first 10 years of his career with BASF.

“The growing emphasis on environmental sustainability gives Intrinsyx Bio the opportunity to make its mark in the agricultural field,” Thompson said. “It has developed natural biological fertilizers, backed by decades of research, with benefits that have broad appeal to farmers.”

Biologicals, Fertilizer, Soil

ZimmCast 681 – What’s New for 2022

Cindy Zimmerman

ZimmCastThe recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk gave us an opportunity to find out what’s new for 2022.

In this edition of the ZimmCast, we hear interviews from six companies about what they have in store for farmers and ranchers in the new year.

Our guests for this episode are:
AMVAC Technical Service Manager, Midwest Region, Joe Bruce
Bayer Channel brand agronomist Morgan Schmidt
Helena Senior Brand Manager Mike Powell
Novozymes BioAg North American Commercial Operations Lead Jason Ward
Nutrien Ag Solutions VP Innovation and Technology Adoption Rob Dunlop
Purina Animal Nutrition Senior Technical Support Consultant Dr. Katie Boesche

Listen to the ZimmCast here:
ZimmCast 681 - What's New for 2022 from NAFB Trade Talk (22:23)

2021 NAFB Convention Virtual Newsroom

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:

Audio, NAFB, Podcasts, ZimmCast

Precision Ag News 12/1

Carrie Muehling

  • Syngenta Crop Protection announces PLINAZOLIN® technology a new and innovative active ingredient with a novel Mode of Action (IRAC Group 30) for insect control that will help growers protect their crops from a wide range of pests.
  • The Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council’s efforts to grow farmers’ return on their soybean checkoff investments have taken another leap forward. In a cutting-edge partnership, Missouri Soybeans has teamed up with Sipcam Oxon to release the first commercial license of the innovative SOYLEIC trait outside of the United States.
  • Meristem Crop Performance Group, LLC and Bill Rutledge of Buckeye Ag Solutions of New Washington, Ohio announced a new dealership agreement to serve farmers in North Central Ohio.
  • Pursell Agri-Tech, LLC and Huntsman International, LLC announce the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 11,180,429 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This patent relates to the innovative PurActive® polyurethane-based coating technology used in the production of controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) for a broad range of markets including turf and ornamental, specialty agriculture, row crop agriculture, and consumer home and garden.
  • AgGateway recently announced its 2022 Board of Directors and regional Steering Committees as elected by AgGateway Members.
  • Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is a major contributor to climate change and environmental pollution. Modern day agriculture was not developed to be highly nitrogen efficient and growers apply 22 million pounds of nitrogen fertilizer to crops in the U.S. annually, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Scientists at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center have established a new Subterranean Influences on Nitrogen and Carbon (SINC) Center of Excellence to address this global challenge.
  • CNH Industrial N.V. announced that it has completed its acquisition of Raven Industries, Inc., a U.S.-based leader in precision agriculture technology. The acquisition builds upon a long partnership and is an important milestone in CNH Industrial’s digital transformation.
  • GROWERS, a North Carolina-based agriculture technology company, announced that after a year of testing, its flagship product GROWERS Rally™ is available for commercial use.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

RIP Tom Riter, WNAX

Cindy Zimmerman

So sad to hear over the weekend about the passing of Tom Riter, farm broadcaster with WNAX radio in Yankton, South Dakota. Tom was a member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) for over 25 years.

Tom Riter was born and raised in Rock Rapids, Iowa, where he spent many summers walking beans and detasseling corn. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa and attending Brown Institute, Tom filled a variety of roles on the air as a morning-show personality, sportscaster, overnight announcer, and then news director for KORN radio in Mitchell, South Dakota, and KGRN in Mitchell, Iowa. His first introduction to farm broadcasting came in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where he was part of a pilot project at KKAA and KQAA radio, serving as both news and ag director.

In 1991, he moved to Colorado, where he served as farm director until 1998 before taking a position with WNAX radio in Yankton, South Dakota, where he contributed to both the farm and news departments.

A celebration of life service with family fellowship is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021 at Calvary Baptist Church, 2407 Broadway Ave., Yankton, SD. Goglin Funeral Home in Yankton is handling arrangements.

NAFB

Douglas Plant Health Rebrands as DPH Biologicals

Cindy Zimmerman

As of today, Douglas Plant Health will now be known as DPH Biologicals. The new name was officially announced this morning at the Biostimulants World Congress in Hollywood, Florida and recognizes the century-long commitment of its parent company, Douglas Products, to deliver effective and high-quality products to its customers while more clearly focusing on expanding its biologicals product platform to deliver value to customers by sustainably increasing productivity, yield and profitability.

In 2018, the assets of AgriEnergy Resources and Growth Products were acquired to form Douglas Plant Health. Over the next three years, complementary technologies were brought together and further developed to meet the needs of customers. Today, DPH Biologicals was created to further scale the business and expand access to one of the most complete biofertility solutions available – SP-1 Classic.

“As we look to the future, we are excited to build upon the proven track record of this innovation. We value the trust our customers put in us to deliver quality products that consistently improve overall soil and plant health,” said Mick Messman, President and CEO. “As supply chain challenges escalate and fertilizer shortages loom, uncertainty remains as to how growers will fertilize their crops. In addition to our name change, today we are also announcing plans to scale production of our flagship biofertilizer to help meet the immediate market demand for expanded fertility options and ensure growers access to a leading biological product to sustainably manage yield and margin per acre.”

DPH Biologicals will celebrate the new brand name at leading industry events and customer meetings over the next several months.

Listen to Messman talk about the history of the company and the new focus moving forward in this interview.
DPH Biologicals CEO Mick Messman (9:54)

Read more

Audio, Biologicals, Fertilizer, Soil

CSS & Seed Expo 2021 Coming up Fast

Cindy Zimmerman

ASTA’s CSS & Seed Expo 2021 is less than a week away but there is still time to register to attend, in-person or virtually, the nation’s largest seed industry conference, Dec. 6-9 in Chicago.

Recent additions to the program include a panel discussion on Monday exploring the rapidly growing topic of plant-based proteins. “It’s a growing business and somebody’s going to have to provide the seed for those beans, peas and lentils, and it’s going to come from the seed industry,” said American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CEO Andy LaVigne during an interview at the recent NAFB Trade Talk.

LaVigne talks about some of the current issues facing the seed industry and how many of them will be topics at the CSS & Seed Expo. This year’s conference offers an all-new “Villages” concept, showcasing interactive programming in the following key areas: ag tech innovation, operations and logistics, career skills and research/lab facilities, and treated seed. The Seed Expo’s “Field Village” offers a first-hand look at the latest in large field equipment, seed sorting and processing and seed logistics and packaging.

Interview with Andy LaVigne, ASTA (4:04)

Agribusiness, ASTA, Audio, Seed

Golden Harvest Thrilled with Gold Series Soybeans

Cindy Zimmerman

Golden Harvest is reporting outstanding performance with its Gold Series line of soybeans.

“The performance that we’re seeing is just frankly out of this world,” said Dave Young, Golden Harvest Marketing Head, during the recent NAFB Trade Talk. The new lineup includes Enlist E3® soybeans and XtendFlex® soybeans is are available for the 2022 season.

Young says overall performance of Golden Harvest hybrids was “absolutely fantastic” in the field around the country this season despite many different weather challenges.

Interview with Dave Young, Syngenta (2:52)

Audio, NAFB, Soybean, Syngenta

Animal Ag News 11/29

Carrie Muehling

  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the investment of $32 million in grants awarded to 167 meat and poultry slaughter and processing facilities to support expanded capacity and efficiency through the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant (MPIRG) program.
  • Barbara O’Brien, President and CEO of Dairy Management Inc. and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, said agriculture has an “open door of opportunity” amid growing pressures and expectations to feed a growing population sustainably and responsibly during her opening comments at the Sustainable Agriculture Summit, Nov. 17-18.
  • WATT Global Media has announced agenda and speaker details for the 2022 Feed Strategy Conference, co-located with 2022 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) on January 25, in Atlanta, Ga. Registration is now open with early savings available for this premier animal feed conference.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

The VISION Conference 2022 Preview

Cindy Zimmerman

The way we produce and supply food around the world is changing fast and the voices driving this change are gathering at The 2022 VISION Conference, January 18 -19, at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa in Arizona. The conference is now in its fifth year and the world of data and technology has grown rapidly since VISION last convened in 2020.

“The development and adoption of regenerative agriculture practices, responsive to consumer and societal demand, are accelerating. New capabilities to aggregate and curate data to create a ‘proof of practice’ for cropping systems to document stewardship, regenerative practices, carbon capture and more offer great promise. Autonomous equipment, along with expansion of rural broadband and power of handheld devices, will accelerate real progress,” says Eric Davis, Managing Director. “The 2022 VISION Conference provides an in-person forum to connect and engage with the innovators leading these industry advancements.

Consumers are driving food trends, and manufacturers are responding with new best practices, technologies, and production systems. “A couple years ago, the industry was focused on technologies that could be deployed to boost efficiencies within ag production. Today, the landscape has expanded significantly as agribusiness has moved into the mainstream media and new voices now have a direct impact. The entire food value chain needs to be responsive, integrating new systems and capabilities, to meet heightened consumer expectations,” says Richard Jones, Meister Media Worldwide Corporate Content Director and VISION Conference Chair.

Consumers want to know how their food was grown, tracking it from farm to fork. Major food retailers implementing technologies to meet these demands on quality assurance and traceability now require agribusiness to have the new capabilities to meet and prove they are compliant with these new, high standards. “Eyes are on the agribusiness industry now more than ever, and the 2022 VISION Conference will address this whole new world with an expanded perspective, from crop production to the consumer,” Jones says.

Learn more about the conference from Davis and Jones in the preview interview below, and register at TheVisionConference.com/Register.

2022 VISION Conference preview 13:28

Agribusiness, Audio, Events, Media

Agri-Pulse and Apex-Brasil Hosting Free Webinar

Cindy Zimmerman

Agri-Pulse is hosting a webinar Wednesday, December 1, entitiled “AgriTalks Brazil/USA – Green technologies in agribusiness for a sustainable future.” The free program is part of a series created by Apex-Brasil and includes the participation of high-level Brazilian and U.S. spokespersons, including ministers, CEOs and others.

“AgriTalks Brazil/USA” will consist of two panel discussions. The first will cover green agriculture policies and investments in Brazil and U.S. The second will discuss Agritech: startups and the innovation bridge. You can sign up for this free webinar by clicking on this link. Agri-Pulse Senior Trade Editor Bill Tomson will serve as moderator for the event which begins at 11 a.m. EST.

The webinar is organized by Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc. and Apex-Brasil. The event is also supported by Brazil-U.S. Business Council, Embassy of Brazil Washington D.C., EMBRAPA and the Brazilian Government: Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTI) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE).

Registration for the webinar is free.

Agri-Pulse, International, webinar