Alltech Gets USDA Grant for Biological Fertilizer Production

Cindy Zimmerman

Alltech’s Dr. Steve Borst makes announcement with Gov. Beshear

Alltech has been awarded a $2.34 million grant from the USDA’s Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP) to expand Alltech Crop Science’s (ACS) biological fertilizer production in Kentucky. The funding will support the construction of a new $4.6 million, 15,000-square-foot manufacturing facility dedicated to producing biological fertilizers and crop inputs.

Located on the campus of Alltech’s global headquarters in Nicholasville, Kentucky, this state-of-the-art facility — ACS’s first U.S. production plant dedicated solely to crop science — will produce more than 66,000 gallons of biological fertilizers per shift per month and create six new full-time jobs. Made with beneficial microorganisms, biofertilizers improve soil fertility, stimulate root development, enhance nutrient uptake and support a healthier soil microbiome. These biological solutions offer farmers an environmentally responsible alternative to traditional chemical fertilizers, helping reduce reliance on synthetic inputs.

“This USDA grant is a major step forward for farmers seeking natural, science-based solutions,” said Dr. Steve Borst, vice president of Alltech Crop Science. “By expanding our production capabilities here in Kentucky, we are investing in our local economy, providing farmers with high-quality biological solutions that improve soil and crops and contributing to a more resilient agricultural system.”

Steve Borst, Alltech Crop Science (1:15)

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced the expansion project on Thursday.

“Kentucky’s manufacturing and agriculture sectors have been crucial in contributing to our state’s recent economic momentum,” said Gov. Beshear. “We continue to see global companies like Alltech invest and reinvest in the commonwealth and our communities, providing quality jobs for Kentuckians. I want to thank Alltech’s leaders for their years of commitment and investment in Kentucky and congratulate the company on receiving this award from the USDA. I look forward to seeing Alltech’s successful expansion in Nicholasville.”

Alltech, Audio, Fertilizer, USDA

Peanut Association Executive Directors Talk About the Crop

Chuck Zimmerman

Peanut Association Executive DirectorsPeanut growers and industry representatives from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi and now South Carolina are in Panama City Beach, FL this week for the 2025 Southern Peanut Growers Conference. You can find the conference blog here.

Leaders of the state organizations, pictured here, gave us an update on the condition of their crops this year and what they peanut farmers are expecting as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has been passed.

Listen to comments from each state director below.

Interview with Libbie Johnson, Executive Director, Alabama Peanut Producers Association
Interview with Libbie Johnson (1:53)

Interview with Brittany Greene, Executive Director, Florida Peanut Producers Association
Interview with Brittany Greene (2:40)

Interview with Don Koehler, Executive Director, Georgia Peanut Commission
Interview with Don Koehler (5:31)

Interview with Malcolm Broome, Executive Director, Mississippi Peanut Growers Association
Interview with Malcolm Broome (2:14)

Interview with Katharine Helms, Executive Director, South Carolina Peanut Board
Interview with Katherine Helms (2:43)

2025 Southern Peanut Growers Conference photo album

Ag Groups, Audio, Peanuts, SPGC

Agri-Access Supports Tech Hub LIVE and Women in Ag Tech

Cindy Zimmerman

Kelly Miller and Courtney Zimmerman of Agri-Access display one of the blankets they gave attendees at the WiAT meeting

Agri-Access, part of Compeer Financial, partners with financial institutions, agri-fintechs and agricultural retailers to expand access to capital across rural America, and this year they were a major sponsor for both the Women in Ag Tech conference and Tech Hub LIVE 2025.

Kelly Miller, Director of Agtech and Retail, says Women in Ag Tech is really important to them because women are a major part of agriculture, both on the ag tech side and on the farm. “We are both places and we want to make sure that we have a really good presence of that so Women in Ag Tech is really important to us as well as Tech Hub LIVE. We have a lot of our partners here and we want to make sure that we can show up and help sponsor this great event.”

Miller led a panel at the WiAT conference on the role of ag tech in farm credit and crop insurance, and she also gave a presentation on innovation during the Tech Hub LIVE conference. “I love talking about innovation because it’s really one of my passions alongside of agriculture,” said Miller, who outlined three keys of innovation in any organization.

“The top three are making sure that you are in a good space from a profitability standpoint to be able to innovate. The second one, make sure it aligns with your strategy and number three have fun and be creative with your innovating within your organization.”

Listen to an interview with Miller here:
Kelly Miller, Agri Access (6:45)

2025 Tech Hub LIVE photo album

2025 Women in Ag Tech conference

AgWired Precision, Audio, Tech Hub LIVE, Technology

Precision Ag News 7/24

Carrie Muehling

  • Waypoint Analytical, North America’s largest agricultural lab network, has officially opened its newest laboratory in Grand Island, Nebraska. The new lab expands Waypoint’s capabilities in the heart of row crop country – bringing cutting-edge testing closer to the farm and accelerating the delivery of agronomic recommendations.
  • Biobest, division of the BioFirst Group specializing in biocontrol and natural pollination for horticulture, has acquired key technology and personnel of its external technology partner Ecoation Innovative Solutions Inc. The acquired technology, products and expert staff become part of Biobest’s global High-Tech Development and Customer Success Center, reinforcing its strategic leadership in IPM automation tools.
  • MyLand, a leading innovator in soil health, announced a $2.4 million expansion to bring its Soil as a Service™ to more farms across Washington State. Through this effort, MyLand aims to help growers strengthen soil health, build climate resilience, and adopt sustainable practices at scale.
  • Yara North America is pleased to announce the appointment of Sabine Schröder to President, overseeing the U.S. and Canada business, effective immediately. Schröder, who has made significant contributions over 18 years with Yara, has served as interim President of North America since January 2025. Previously, she served as Vice President of Commercial Excellence for Crop Nutrition in the Americas. She also brings extensive global leadership experience, having held the positions of Commercial Director for Europe’s NOxCare business and Global Sales Excellence Manager.
  • The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and Ag Data Transparent announced a new partnership to bring clarity to farmers interested in carbon market contracts.
  • Bonsai Robotics Inc., a leader in vision-based autonomy software for agriculture, announced its acquisition of farm-ng Inc., a pioneer in modular electric robots for farm management. This strategic combination brings together two of agtech’s most advanced and innovative companies with a shared vision to deliver powerful AI solutions that tackle the labor, cost, and efficiency challenges growers face today.
  • AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc., a leading provider of advanced drone and aerial imaging solutions, announces the sale and deployment of five advanced eBee X drones integrated with MicaSense™ S.O.D.A. 3D mapping cameras to Atvos Agroindustrial S.A., one of Brazil’s largest producers of sugarcane-based ethanol, sugar, and renewable energy.
  • Miraterra, a British Columbia-based technology company known for unlocking measurement and insight across soil, plants, and food through breakthroughs in Raman spectroscopy, has acquired the assets of Bay Area-founded Ag-tech company, Trace Genomics Inc., including the full suite of Intellectual Property (IP), in-market products, and an analytical lab in Ames, Iowa.
  • Current hot topics – from bird flu strategies to nutrient recycling, ag policy to ag law, and the ag economy to leadership and ethics training – the American Society of Agricultural Consultants Conference in Indianapolis this November will cover the gamut. Top-notch professionals will be on hand Nov. 2 through 4 to address the latest issues facing consultants.
  • A working paper recently released by the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska has made a strong case for expanding investments in promoting small-scale irrigation in Niger. The paper, “Opportunities and Research Gaps for Promoting Irrigation and Mechanization Markets in Niger,” by DWFI Global Fellow Douglas J. Merrey, Ph.D, reviews agricultural water management in Niger, addressing challenges, successes, and research needs to improve food security and economic growth in one of the world’s poorest countries.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    Bonsai Robotics Acquires farm-ng

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Bonsai Robotics Inc. (“Bonsai”), a leader in vision-based autonomy software for agriculture, today announced its acquisition of farm-ng Inc., a pioneer in modular electric robots for farm management. This brings together two of agtech’s most advanced and innovative companies to deliver powerful AI solutions that tackle the labor, cost, and efficiency challenges growers face today.

    The integration of Bonsai’s high-performance autonomous AI technology with farm-ng’s customizable robotic platform allows for a revolutionary offering of AI-first machines that will transform crop management. This powerful combination of intelligent software and advanced robotic hardware enables cost-effective, mixed-fleet solutions that boost efficiency and reduce operational costs across diverse crops, tasks, and environments.

    “To date, our vision has been to make autonomy and AI accessible, easy to use, and deployable across all farm equipment whether retrofitted onto existing tractors or built into the next generation machine,” said Tyler Niday, CEO and co-founder of Bonsai Robotics. “This acquisition allows us to now develop those next generation machines to augment and empower today’s workforce while optimizing farm productivity. We are shifting the industry from iron to intelligence.”

    Joining the Bonsai team in connection with the acquisition are Chief Operating Officer, John Teeple, former director of technology at John Deere, and Gary Bradski, a key figure in the evolution of computer vision and founder of OpenCV, as Chief Science Officer.

    Financial terms of this acquisition were not disclosed.

    Learn more in this interview with CEO Tyler Niday.
    Tyler Niday, Bonsai Robotics (8:38)

    AgWired Precision, AI, Audio, Precision Agriculture, robotics

    Yara North America Appoints Sabine Schröder as President

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Yara Knowledge GrowsYara North America is pleased to announce the appointment of Sabine Schröder to President, overseeing the U.S. and Canada business, effective immediately. Schröder, who has made significant contributions over 18 years with Yara, has served as interim President of North America since January 2025. Previously, she served as Vice President of Commercial Excellence for Crop Nutrition in the Americas. She also brings extensive global leadership experience, having held the positions of Commercial Director for Europe’s NOxCare business and Global Sales Excellence Manager.

    In tandem with this appointment, two strategic commercial leadership roles have been formed to strengthen customer support and regional focus across the U.S.:

    • George Simpson has been selected as Director of East U.S. Sales & Marketing. With over 23 years at Yara, Simpson has most recently led the Mid-Atlantic team and will continue supporting the region during the transition.

    • Dan Clarke has been selected as Director of West U.S. Sales & Marketing. With 19 years at Yara, Clarke began as a Technical Sales Representative in Canada and most recently led the Central U.S. team, which he will continue supporting during the transition.

    Additionally, Jeff Hartz joins Yara North America’s leadership team as Vice President of Strategic Marketing. Most recently serving as Director of Go to Market Strategy & Enablement for Yara Americas, Hartz brings over two decades of expertise spanning seeds, crop protection, ag finance, and food production.

    Agribusiness, Crop Protection, Nutrition

    GreenPoint CEO Keynotes Tech Hub LIVE

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Jeff Blair has been President and Chief Executive Officer of GreenPoint Ag Holdings, a joint venture in the wholesale and retail operations of proven agronomy leaders in the southern United States. His keynote at Tech Hub LIVE Tuesday focused on how the ag tech industry can adapt and advance beyond the headwinds of today’s current tough conditions.

    One of his points was to utilize data better. “What I hope you take away from this is that when we talk about technology and I think this really relates to agriculture, you have to understand we talk about data all the time,” said Blair. “And the good news in today’s world, we’re getting more and more things that can take data and turn it into information. But you then have to take information and put it in context to drive intelligence, and it is that intelligence which drives decisions.”

    Listen to Blair’s remarks here:
    2025 THL Keynote Jeff Blair, GreenPoint Ag (46:45)

    2025 Tech Hub LIVE photo album

    Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Precision Agriculture, Tech Hub LIVE, Technology

    Animal Ag News 7/23

    Carrie Muehling

  • The House Natural Resources Committee held a full committee markup of several bills, including the Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) commends the House Natural Resources Committee for reporting this legislation out of committee favorably. This legislation addresses an issue that NCBA members have faced for years, as they have dealt with the devastating attacks on their livestock without the ability to protect their cattle from these predators.
  • CattleCon 2026, to be held in Nashville, Tennessee, Feb. 3-5, will feature keynote speakers two-time Daytona 500 and NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and bestselling author Jon Acuff. These two speakers will inspire and spark innovation. Sharing their unique stories and a bit of humor, they are sure to compel attendees and drum up excitement for the future of the cattle industry.
  • Thanks to a new partnership, dairy producers will soon have additional options for achieving and marketing verified greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions from on-farm sustainability practices. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), California Dairies, Inc., and Athian announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a “carbon intensity” protocol supported by the FARM Environmental Stewardship (ES) Program, which seeks to define, quantify and verify how production efficiencies and new practice adoption contribute to positive environmental outcomes.
  • Industry professionals gathered in Nashville, Tenn., for the 2025 USPOULTRY Hatchery-Breeder Clinic, where leading experts shared targeted strategies to optimize hatchery and breeder performance. The two-day event featured sessions on breeder nutrition, holding and transportation challenges, incubation management, chick quality, fertility challenges and the growing importance of automation and technology in streamlining operations.
  • As policymakers seek to define ultra-processed foods, review ingredients used in food processing and determine a strategy to improve the health of children, the Meat Institute and the Meat Foundation released an updated “Guide to Meat Processing” to increase understanding of meat production and the unique nature of the ingredients and processes used to make nutrient dense meat and poultry.
  • National Institute for Animal Agriculture hosted animal agriculture leaders to address challenges stemming from lameness across all food animal species and have now released a White Paper compiling the findings. The white paper can be accessed at the NIAA website and is complementary to roundtable attendees and NIAA members.
  • Farmers have until July 25 to submit nominations for the 2026 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year contest, which comes with cash prizes and bragging rights. This is the eighth year of the contest, supported by Nestlé Purina PetCare, which celebrates farm dogs and the many ways they support farmers and ranchers. Eligibility guidelines and submission requirements are available here.
  • Creekstone Farms has promoted Andrew Baltz, current Senior Vice President and General Manager, to the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO). In his new role, Baltz will drive productivity and automation across plant operations, expanding the production of value-added products and future industry offerings.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    Ag Tech Excellence Awards Presented

    Cindy Zimmerman

    L-R: Grace Pan, Awards sponsor Carlton Fields; award winners Dr. Jon Bokmeyer, April Hemmes, Dr. John Fulton, Craig Rupp, Aman Anand, and Lara Sowinski, CropLife Group

    The fifth annual Tech Hub LIVE celebration Tuesday included the 2025 CropLife Ag Tech Awards of Excellence, sponsored by Carlton Fields for the first time this year.

    A new award was added this year – the Emerging Leader Award – and it was presented to Aman Anand, Senior Leader, Nutrien Ag Solutions. With over 20 years of experience spanning Fortune 100 companies, agrochemicals, land-grant universities, and global sustainability initiatives like the World Bank, Anand has a proven track record in scaling ag innovation and has integrated 60+ startups into Nutrien’s Echelon platform. Anand’s beautiful wife and young children were on-hand to see him honored.

    Listen to an interview with Anand:
    2025 Ag Tech Award winner Aman Anand (6:16)

    The 2025 Innovator Award was presented to Craig Rupp, founder and CEO of Sabanto. Rupp was raised on an Iowa farm and has over 30 years of experience in engineering, product development, and agriculture. Among his accomplishments are founding six startups, receiving 14 Patents, and being a Monsanto Senior Fellow, focusing on advanced research and development in areas like agriculture and biotechnology.

    Ohio State University professor Dr. John Fulton, Professor, was the recipient of this year’s Legacy Award for his more than 30 years pioneering precision ag leadership, including serving as President of the International Society of Precision Agriculture (ISPA). Dr. Fulton has guided 33 MS, 12 PhD students, 6 international scholars, and 43 undergraduates. He also provides guidance to the leadership of six retailers and independent consultants annually.

    The Visionary Farmer Award this year goes to fourth-generation Iowa farmer and rancher Iowa farmer April Hemmes who has operated her family’s 1,000-acre century farm for nearly 40 years. A champion for women in agriculture, Hemmes helped develop and served as the first president of Iowa Women in Agriculture and creator of multiple grant-funded initiatives. She is a global agricultural ambassador, an award-winning advocate and communicator and an ag policy and leadership voice for many commodity organizations on the national and state level.

    The final award presented Tuesday was the Educator/Researcher Award presented to Dr. Jon Bokmeyer, now Beck’s Hybrids research manager and just recently concluding five years with Advanced Agrilytics. Bokmeyer is the inventor of two granted patents – Variety Profile Index (VPI) and a corn growth efficiency system and his tools and methodologies are used across thousands of acres, shaping seed, chemical, and equipment decisions in real-world environments. He also leads high-quality field trials that integrate seed, chemistry, and equipment with spatial variability.

    Learn more about Dr. Bokmeyer in this interview.
    2025 Ag Tech Award winner Jon Bokmeyer (1:49)

    2025 Tech Hub LIVE photo album

    Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Precision Agriculture, Tech Hub LIVE, Technology

    MyLand Expands Washington Soil Health Initiative with $2.4M in New Funding

    Chuck Zimmerman

    MyLand ReleaseMyLand, a leading innovator in soil health, today announced a $2.4 million expansion to bring its Soil as a Service™ to more farms across Washington State. Through this effort, MyLand aims to help growers strengthen soil health, build climate resilience, and adopt sustainable practices at scale.

    The expansion builds on a $4.8 million program launched earlier this year in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Agriculture and Department of Commerce. Funded through the state’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA), the investment is expected to bring MyLand’s Service to 9,000 acres across the state, offering farmers access to transformative soil health technology.

    With the additional funding, MyLand will increase the program’s acreage to bring the benefits of live, native microalgae to more farms across Washington. MyLand’s Service delivers measurable improvements like stronger yields, higher quality crops, more resilient farms, and improved water efficiency.

    “This additional investment allows us to deepen our impact and bring sustainable tools to more growers across Washington,” said Dane Hague, Co-Founder and CEO of MyLand. “Washington is demonstrating what it means to lead in sustainable agriculture. This is evident not just in policy, but in real, boots-on-the-ground solutions that benefit farmers and the environment alike.”

    Eligible growers will receive the MyLand Service at no cost for the first year. MyLand is actively accepting new growers across Washington and welcomes inquiries from interested farms.

    “Healthy soil is one of the most powerful tools we have for improving farm performance and addressing climate shifts,” said Dave Booher, Senior Vice President of Sales at MyLand. “With this expansion, we’re bringing the benefits of better soil to more Washington farms, especially those most vulnerable to climate extremes.”

    Agribusiness, climate, Soil