Yield Lab Institute Launches H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech

Cindy Zimmerman

The Yield Lab Institute (YLI) in St. Louis today announced the launch of H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech, the next generation of a proven incubator that will further accelerate technical resources and funding for the global agtech startup community.

H.A.R.V.E.S.T. (Harnessing Agricultural Research and Venture Ecosystems for Sustainable Technology) builds on the strong foundation of the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator’s (IN2) agtech track. IN2 is funded by Wells Fargo & Company and co-administered by NREL, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory. Since 2014, IN2 has supported 77 startups working across the built environment, agtech, and infrastructure sectors. To date, the 26 agtech companies have raised nearly $290 million in follow-on funding, and five have exited via acquisition or merger. These companies worked with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to validate and de-risk their technologies.

With today’s announcement at a joint event in Denver, Colorado, YLI is joining IN2 to carry the agtech programming into its next chapter. By continuing the shared mission of empowering the global agriculture startup community through research collaborations, field testing, and direct funding opportunities, promising innovations can reach the market faster. H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech will be administered by YLI in St. Louis, Missouri.

YLI also welcomed two new technical partners for H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech: North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative (NC PSI) and University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources (UC ANR), which spans all campuses associated with the UC system.

In addition, YLI announced the launch of its inaugural Ecosystem Partner Network, which will collaborate with AgTech Nation to engage 12 regional ecosystems across the United States and expanding for the first time into leading international innovation hubs in Argentina, Brazil, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

Breakthrough Energy Discovery and NREL Foundation have joined as founding partners, providing critical support for H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech. In addition, the Missouri Technology Corporation provided early funding to ensure Missouri-based IN2 alumni can remain actively engaged in this next chapter.

More information about the H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech program will be shared in the coming weeks online at: www.harvestagtech.org.

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Precision Agriculture, Research, Technology

Animal Ag News 9/10

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association welcomed the release of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s second report. In May, the MAHA Commission’s first report highlighted the positive role beef plays in a healthy diet. The second report expanded on the benefits of high-quality protein like beef and the critical role cattle producers play in helping make America healthy again.
  • Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, issued a statement on the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s Make Our Children Healthy Again strategy report.
  • The MAHA Commission has released its “Make Our Children Healthy Again” strategy, which aims to address childhood chronic disease but also has potentially heavy impacts on farmers, sound science, and healthy food. These impacts remain a concern, but the strategy shows signs of progress from the initial “Make America Healthy Again” report released in May. The National Pork Producers Council shared recommendations to the MAHA Commission leading up to the strategy’s release.
  • Poultry industry safety professionals attending the 2025 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry were presented with solutions to an array of current and emerging issues. The three-day event included speaker presentations, discussions, and small group breakout sessions, all of which provided opportunities for attendees to get answers to their valuable questions. Suggestions for short-, medium- and long-term safety culture improvement were provided, with accessible strategies that can be implemented immediately. The conference also recognized outstanding achievements with the announcement of the 2025 Safety Award winners.
  • The 2025 USPOULTRY Women’s Leadership Conference brought together industry leaders, innovators and visionaries for two days of insight, inspiration and forward-thinking discussions. From sessions on artificial intelligence (AI) and strategic decision-making to panels on effective communication and women leading with resilience, attendees explored how to navigate today’s dynamic workplace while fostering inclusion, productivity and personal growth. The event set the stage for actionable takeaways and meaningful connections that will shape leadership and innovation in the years ahead.
  • A new name for an insect manufacturing center at Texas A&M University reflects a shift by the National Science Foundation Industry–University Cooperative Research Center, IUCRC, to focus on closer collaboration with industry and increasingly ambitious and comprehensive research.
  • Registration is now open for the 2026 Dairy Strong conference, set to take place at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay on Jan. 14-15. Don’t miss your chance to attend the leading dairy business conference and trade show.
  • Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association announced the appointment of Clay McKinney as executive director of law enforcement, brand and inspection services. McKinney has been serving in this role on an interim basis since earlier this year and assumes the permanent position effective immediately.
  • Cattle keep getting better, but that doesn’t mean producers should slow down progress. That’s what attendees took home from the 2025 Feeding Quality Forum, Aug. 14 and 15 in Rochester, Minn. It’s call to action for the entire beef industry. Better cattle, yet new and old challenges for each segment.
  • National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Executive Director of Government Affairs Kent Bacus testified at a Section 301 investigation hearing regarding Brazil’s trade practices. The hearing, convened by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and held at the U.S. International Trade Commission, examined the Brazilian government’s trade policies and actions for unreasonable, discriminatory harm to U.S. commerce. NCBA focused attention on Brazil’s restrictions on U.S. beef and our long-standing concerns with the Brazilian government’s track record of food safety and animal health.
  • The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has released “Our Industry, Our Promise,” its 2024-25 State of the U.S. Animal Food Industry Report, spotlighting the industry’s economic footprint, policy priorities, safety, sustainability efforts and international trade initiatives.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Bites, Animal Health

    Denali Makes Waste into 12 Billion Pounds of Feed and Fertilizer

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Denali continued to lead the nation as a recycler of organics in 2024, transforming organic materials into 12 billion pounds of high-quality feed and fertilizer.

    According to Denali’s newly released 2024 Sustainability Report, the recycled agriculture-grade products fed nearly 50,000 cattle and enriched more than 100,000 acres of farmland, which helped build resilience for American agriculture, supporting healthy soils, nourishing livestock, and reducing dependency on synthetic fertilizers.

    Denali’s work delivered significant impact for farmers across the U.S., including:
    ● Nourishing more than 50,000 head of cattle by creating 360 million pounds of animal feed;
    ● Creating 9.6 billion pounds of natural fertilizer that supported more than 100,000 acres of farmland across the U.S. – equivalent to 75,757 football fields;
    ● Avoiding an estimated 750,000 MTCO₂ metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent through the total impact of creating 2.4 billion pounds of nutrient-rich compost, mulch, and soil amendments; and
    ● Significantly lowering fertilizer costs for farmers, which comprises 40% of a farmer’s total operating costs for growing corn, according to the National Corn Growers Association.

    Denali works with grocers, food manufacturers, municipalities, and foodservice operators to collect organics that would otherwise be sent to the landfill and uses one of the largest mechanical depackaging technology networks in the country, to recover the most clean, recyclable organic material and convert it into agriculture-grade products.

    To learn more and review Denali’s 2024 Sustainability Report, click HERE.

    AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Feed, Fertilizer, Food, Sustainability, Technology

    MAHA Report Focuses on Science and Research

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The Make America Healthy Again Commission released its Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy on Tuesday with more than 120 initiatives to “advance gold-standard science, realign incentives, increase public awareness, and strengthen private-sector collaboration.”

    “This strategy represents the most sweeping reform agenda in modern history—realigning our food and health systems, driving education, and unleashing science to protect America’s children and families,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “We are focusing narrowly on nutrition and metabolic health, food quality, cumulative exposures, gut microbiome, precision agriculture, and mental health.”

    “America’s farmers and ranchers are at the heart of the solution..to fight chronic disease and protect future generations,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “USDA’s upcoming regenerative pilot program will address on-farm resource concerns, while also providing farmers with usable, outcomes-based conservation plans. We will also leverage existing funding from research agencies to produce applied science informing farmer decision-making on regenerative agriculture.”

    Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Zeldin said they will be working with USDA to advance precision agriculture and ensure the safe use of legal crop protection chemicals. “We are accelerating innovative and vetted crop protection products to enhance an American system of agriculture that is already the best in the world,” said Zeldin.

    Listen to opening comments from Secretaries Kennedy and Rollins and Administrator Zeldin below:
    MAHA Report on Children's Health (16:44)

    AgWired Precision, Audio, EPA, Precision Agriculture, USDA

    Industry Ag News 9/8

    Carrie Muehling

  • U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Alexander Vaden in North Carolina met with agricultural leaders and producers and announced additional U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance to help producers recover from Hurricane Helene. Deputy Secretary Vaden signed a block grant agreement with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that provides recovery assistance to eligible North Carolina farmers. In July, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced additional disaster assistance for farmers and producers for Virginia and Florida.
  • President Trump signed an Executive Order implementing the U.S.–Japan Trade Agreement. Included in the agreement are provisions for Japan to make $8 billion in annual purchases from the United States, including food and agricultural products. While U.S. soy already enjoys strong market access in Japan, this agreement helps further secure a top ten market for our crop. In Marketing Year 2023/2024, Japan imported $1.31 billion of U.S. soy products, making the country U.S. soy’s sixth largest trading partner by volume, according to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
  • Registration for the American Seed Trade Association 2025 Field Crop Seed Convention (FCSC) is officially open. The seed industry’s premier field crop meeting will be held in Orlando, FL from December 9-12. In addition, ASTA’s Forage, Turf, and Conservation Seed Conference (FTC), co-located with the Western Seed Association’s 2025 Convention, will be held October 29 in Kansas City.
  • Join Colson Steber, Co-CEO of Ag Access, as he shares groundbreaking insights into the power of emotional intelligence in food marketing. Shaping Tomorrow’s Plate: Driving Market Leadership with Emotional Intelligence Research in Food Marketing is scheduled for September 25 at 11 a.m. Central. National Agri-Marketing Association Members attend for free. Non-members are $50. Register here.
  • The University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) officially established the James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications after surpassing the $5 million university threshold on September 3 (9/3), Dr. Evans’ 93rd birthday. Dr. Evans, professor emeritus at Illinois, is celebrated as a pioneer in agricultural communications, and the Evans Center will advance excellence through outreach, professional development, research, convenings, and academic programs that connect food, agriculture, and society.
  • Columbia Grain International announces the promotion of industry veteran Kurt Haarmann to President and CEO, effective immediately. The announcement was made by CGI’s parent company, Marubeni Corporation, a major Japanese integrated trading and investment business committed to developing an efficient supply line for U.S. grains to be sent to Japan and beyond.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is pleased to announce the release of an innovative geospatial data product: the Hawaii Cropland Data Layer (HCDL). This high-resolution, crop-specific dataset—the first of its kind for the Aloha State—was made publicly available on August 25, 2025 via NASS’s geospatial portals, CroplandCROS and AgriWatch.
  • In an already stressful and trying growing season, professionals with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System at Auburn University have confirmed an invasive insect, the two-spot cotton leafhopper, in cotton fields in Alabama. The insect is also commonly known as the cotton jassid. On Aug. 12, Scott Graham, Alabama Extension cotton entomologist and assistant professor at Auburn University, was notified by a retail field advisor that the cotton jassid were present in a commercial cotton field in Henry County, Alabama.
  • The Best of NAMA Call for Entries is live on the web. NAMA members can enter their best work by October 17, 2025. The national awards ceremony will take place ​April 15-17, 2026, at the Marriott St. Louis Grand.
    • Zimfo Bytes

    Golden Harvest Offers New Corn and Soybean Varieties

    Carrie Muehling

    Golden Harvest has 19 new soybean hybrids and nine new corn hybrids in store for 2026.

    “We continue to offer trait choice so nine of those new products are going to be on the Enlist side and 10 of those products are going to be on the XtendFlex side,” said Soybean Product Manager Ryan Dunsbergen. “We’re bringing in these traits, we’re putting on our own proprietary genetics and we’re continuing to bring that to the market for the American farmer.”

    Dunsbergen said new products will bring a great deal of versatility and can handle lots of stress. He said Golden Harvest is also proud of portfolio options that offer Peking soybean cyst nematode resistance.

    FPS25 Interview with Ryan Dunsbergen, Golden Harvest (3:26)

    In addition to the nine new corn hybrids in 2026, Corn Product Manager Rex Gray says looking further ahead, new Durastak corn trait technology that will be available in 2027 has shown a 50 percent increase in root node product and double the increase in root matter, leading to a 9.7 bushel advantage in areas with moderate to severe rootworm infestations.

    “With that increased root protection, we’re really going to help growers protect that yield potential that each of those corn hybrids have,” said Gray.

    Learn more in this interview from Farm Progress Show.
    FPS25 Interview with Rex Gray, Golden Harvest (3:33)

    2025 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    AgWired Precision, Audio, Farm Progress Show, Golden Harvest, Seed, Soybean, Syngenta

    Looking for Event Photos – New or Old?

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Photo Album CollectionsLooking for photos from past events? Look no more. How about the Collections we’ve created for many events?

    I frequently get requests from people who are looking for a specific photo and wonder if I would have it. It could be a picture of someone receiving an award. It could be photos for photo books they’re working on. It could be just wanting to see what they looked like way back then. It could be you need a photo for social media or publications. And we have lots of them since we go back to May of 2005. We have 196 different photo albums (a couple of personal ones snuck in there). You can search them in Flickr or just scroll through the 10 pages of them.

    Currently the 266,149 photos have received a total of 50,609,564 views. I don’t know how many of them were downloaded but it’s quite a bit. And the price is right. You can always contact me if you need something and just can’t find it and I’ll do my best.

    Photography

    Precision Ag News 9/5

    Carrie Muehling

  • Machinery Pete, LLC, a leading online marketplace for used farm and construction equipment, announced its partnership with AgDirect, one of the nation’s leading ag equipment financing providers, to deliver financing solutions directly within eligible equipment listings.
  • Outdated or underperforming concaves are a major source of profit loss during harvest. When concaves can’t keep up with today’s high-capacity combines, farmers risk unthreshed grain, cracked kernels, and restricted machine performance caused by plugging or reduced rotor efficiency. Marcel Kringe, Founder and CEO of Bushel Plus and expert in harvest optimization, says many farmers underestimate the impact of outdated concaves. “The concave is the heart of the threshing system,” says Kringe. “Yet too many machines still run with concave designs that haven’t changed in decades. Every field with old components like this risks losing grain.” A standout in advanced concave innovation is the Bushel Plus O-Grate MAD Concave™, which replaces traditional round-bar concaves with a precision-engineered design for corn, soybeans, milo, sunflowers, and other pulse crops.
  • Women in Ag Tech present Future-Ready Farming: Upskilling for Success in Ag Technology. Join the conversation on Thursday, October 9 at 2:00 p.m. EST. Register here.
  • Loveland Products, Inc. announced the launch of Extract® XC, a next-generation product of its trusted Extract Powered by Accomplish®. In a new concentrated formulation, Extract XC helps farmers release more nitrogen and sulfur from crop residue, using half the product per acre compared to previous versions. Easier handling and proven results make it simple to integrate residue management into fall and spring fertility programs.
  • The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and CropLife America (CLA) announce the release of the updated Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship. The guide, launched in partnership with the Agricultural Retailers Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Soybean Association, the National Corn Growers Association, and the National Cotton Council, is an educational tool for farmers, retailers, applicators, and other stakeholders in the handling of treated seed.
  • John Deere announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognized leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy, headquartered in Kingsburg, California. The acquisition builds on an existing joint venture established in 2022 and advances John Deere’s commitment to helping high-value crop growers address their biggest challenges around labor availability, input costs and crop protection.
  • Vermeer Corporation continues to push boundaries in hay and forage innovation
    with the launch of eight new hay tools for 2026 — led by the all-new ZR-2200 self-propelled baler, a next-generation solution built for speed, precision and operator comfort. With a focus on productivity, operator comfort and bale quality, Vermeer is releasing these products to reflect their ongoing commitment to listening to customers and delivering solutions that make a difference in the field.
  • The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) and the Fertilizer Institute (TFI) praised the Trump Administration for the forward-thinking and decisive action of including potash on the official draft Critical Minerals list.
  • Land O’Lakes, Inc. unveiled its participation in AgRogue Growth Partners, a bold initiative aimed at harnessing the strength of the cooperative model to fast-track the discovery, investment and adoption of breakthrough technologies to support farmers, their businesses, and their communities.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    CruiserMaxx Vibrance Elite Seed Treatment

    Carrie Muehling

    Syngenta is offering a new cereal seedcare package that should be available for the 2026 growing season. The new CruiserMaxx Vibrance Elite Seed Treatment premix includes five fungicides and an insecticide, bringing two modes of action to combat early season cereal diseases.

    “What’s really neat about this is that this will be our first introduction of Vayantis® into the cereal seedcare market, which is an elite pythium product for high pressure pythium areas,” said Bryn Hightower with Syngenta Seedcare.

    Hightower said it’s a complete offering for early season insect and disease control, and farmers are excited about the ease of use as it takes away the need for custom mixes and offers one solution in one jug.

    Syngenta displayed the product at the 2025 Farm Progress Show.

    Syngenta Seedcare product lead Bryn Hightower – Cruiser Maxx Vibrance Elite
    FPS25 Interview with Bryn Hightower, Syngenta Seedcare (3:15)

    Audio, Crop Protection, Farm Progress Show, Seed, Syngenta

    Syngenta Victrato® Seed Treatment Coming Soon

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Syngenta is expecting registration of Victrato®, its long-awaited seed treatment for nematode and Sudden Death Syndrome control any day now.

    “We should receive registration in September and we intend to launch Victrado in 2026 after we receive registration,” said Syngenta Seedcare Technical Product Lead Dale Ireland at last week’s Farm Progress Show. “Victrato is powered by TYMIRIUM® technology and this is the 11th season that I’ve had this out in the field on soybeans and what Victrato is going to do is deliver the highest level of nematode, Sudden death syndrome, red crown rot, and early season soy foliar disease protection that’s ever been offered from a seed treatment.”

    Ireland says Victrato is setting a new level of protection. “The leading competitor in the soybean SDS space, we beat it 91% of the time by nearly 5 bushels under moderate to heavy SDS. And Victrato also beats Saltoro, which is one of our products, 87% of the time by about half that amount. So about 2 1/2 bushels different.”

    Victrato® seed treatment will be approved for both soybeans and cotton against nematodes and key yield-robbing diseases, like Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) and Cotton Root Rot (CRR) respectively, as well as provide early-season suppression of foliar soybean diseases.

    Learn more in this interview with Ireland.
    FPS25 Interview with Dale Ireland, Syngenta Seedcare (3:36)

    2025 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    AgWired Precision, Audio, Cotton, Farm Progress Show, Seed, Soybean, Syngenta