NRCS Chief to Keynote Agri-Pulse West Summit
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt will be the luncheon keynote speaker at the annual Agri-Pulse West Food & Ag Issues Summit in Sacramento on June 10.
Prior to being named NRCS Chief, Bettencourt served as the Global Director of Government Relations and External Affairs for Netafim, an Orbia Company, and as President and Chief Executive Officer for the Almond Alliance. Just prior to taking the role of NRCS Chief earlier this year, Bettencourt appeared on a panel at the Agri-Pulse DC Food & Ag Issues Summit in March.
During the first Trump Administration, Bettencourt worked with both the U.S. Department of the Interior and USDA and prior to that she was the State Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in California where she directed the administration of farm commodity programs providing support, security, and emergency relief for producers throughout the state.
The Summit will offer a full day of speeches and panel discussions on topics such as land, water and labor challenges in California, perspectives from state Senators, and presentation of the second Great Tomato Challenge winner. Registration includes both in-person and virtual attendance options at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento.
Industry Ag News 5/30
BIO Dedicates Focus to Human Health and Biopharmaceuticals
Pretty big decision for BIO. I guess other ag organizations will be ready to carry the load.
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) today announced plans to dedicate its focus entirely to human health and to transition the work of its Agriculture and Environment (A&E) section to other organizations. This change is intended to enable an enhanced strategic focus on each of these respective areas of biotechnology and will be effective July 1, 2025. In support of this transition, BIO announced the hiring of two new senior executives to lead Regulatory Affairs and a new “Center of Excellence” focused on Emerging Companies & Economic Growth.
“The field of biotechnology is increasingly diverse, with great threats and significant opportunities,” said John F. Crowley, President and CEO, BIO. “In consultation with the BIO Executive Committee and the Agriculture and Environment Governing Board, BIO has determined that these organizational changes will enable greater focus and impact on behalf of our healthcare members, and will sharpen our advocacy work on critical policy priorities for the improvement of human health – modernizing the FDA’s regulatory processes; building back a robust biopharmaceutical manufacturing base across the US and our allies; preserving strong IP protections; fostering capital formation; protecting our national security; and enabling 21st Century access to medicines. At the same time, this change will enable A&E member companies to enhance their focus on agricultural and environmental biotech at expert third-party organizations.”
Precision Ag News 5/29
Preview of 2025 AgGateway Mid-Year Mtg.
It’s time for the Mid-Year Meeting of AgGateway. To get a preview I talked with Brent Kemp, President/CEO, AgGateway.
In 2025, AgGateway is celebrating 20 years of active engagement with leading agriculture companies in the pursuit of seamless digital connectivity and interoperability across the value chain. We welcome all industry stakeholders to join us for three days of learning and networking this summer.
The North America Mid-Year Meeting is where member volunteers gather to discuss the work of AgGateway connectivity initiatives and working groups through the first half of the year, and set plans for remainder of the year leading up to our Annual Meeting and Conference in November.
In addition to task-focused working sessions, segment-based committees share ideas for new projects to initiate. Business presentations and keynote speakers provide additional context for the work of the organization, and fuel high-value networking opportunities throughout the event.
You can listen to our conversation here: Preview of 2025 AgGateway Mid-Year Mtg. (12:26)
Give Your News Release a Voice
Once upon a time in 2004, a brand new company called ZimmComm New Media started a service called “Talking News Releases,” which was simply adding sound bites or an audio interview to a press release.
We started that service because, being broadcasters, we liked to have audio to go with news stories and we hated getting a release and trying to get an interview to go with it and finding out that person is out of the country for the next two weeks! It would be so much nicer if we had the audio right there with the release, right?
Anyway, that was over 20 years ago and we still have that service, although we stopped calling them talking news releases and will generally be happy to include links to audio with your AgNewsWire release just like we include links to images, at the standard rate of $525. If you would like us to do an interview for you, we do charge an extra $150.
AgNewsWire releases are sent to nearly 1550 contacts in the agribusiness/agrimarketing industry, including farm broadcasters, ag editors, social media influencers, podcasters, communications specialists, industry leaders, and others. Our open rates average about 35% and audio downloads average about 200.
Here is a link to an example:
PowerPollen Receives Foundational Patent for Groundbreaking Pollen Storage Methodology
When we send out a news release for you we also post it on AgNewsWire and do a story post on AgWired, as well as share on social media. We even have a handy on-line form for you to order a release and send materials and instructions. We try to make it easy.
Animal Ag News 5/27
Custom Agronomics Names New CEO
Florida-based plant nutrition company Custom Agronomics announces Scott Addy as new chief executive officer.
“Retailers are looking for solutions that deliver real value, and the private label products developed by Custom Agronomics are second to none,” Addy said. “The science is incredibly strong, and the company’s advanced technology and manufacturing capabilities set it apart. I’m excited about the opportunity to help drive continued growth at Custom Ag.”
Addy brings more than 30 years of experience in the agriculture industry. He most recently served as Vice President of Brand Technology at Wilbur-Ellis, a leader in crop protection, seed and nutritional products. He previously held national leadership roles involving crop protection chemicals and seed.
Addy was raised on a Georgia farm and earned a degree in agricultural economics from the University of Georgia. He previously worked in sales and marketing roles at DuPont Crop Protection, Griffin, and American Cyanamid.
Perennial and rTek Partner to Regenerate Degraded Grasslands
Kazakhstan-based nature-based solutions (NbS) carbon credits project developer rTek has selected Colorado measurement, reporting, and verification company Perennial as its exclusive soil carbon MMRV provider for the next 10 years to deliver high-integrity carbon credits globally.
The goal of the partnership is to regenerate Kazakhstan’s soils through sustainable agricultural land management by leveraging Perennial’s expertise in digital soil mapping (DSM) and advanced soil organic carbon (SOC) modeling with rTek’s local proficiency in land management, design, and implementation of carbon projects.
Supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), this initiative falls under the Kazakhstan Resilient Agroforestry and Rangeland Project, which promotes sustainable pasture management. The activity “Support for Access to International Carbon Markets,” aims to demonstrate how carbon trade can serve as a catalyst for attracting private investments. By doing so, it seeks to enhance sustainable pastureland management, develop critical infrastructure, and facilitate access to international carbon markets for long-term financial sustainability. Set to begin baseline modeling in 2025, this initiative will implement advanced MMRV methodologies compliant with Verra’s VM0032 standards, enabling accurate soil carbon credit generation and enhancing rTek’s capacity to manage and expand grassland restoration.
The partnership is seeking investors and carbon credit buyers to join them in transforming 500,000+ hectares of Kazakhstan’s long-degraded grasslands into a global example for sustainable agriculture and carbon sequestration.