Previewing the VISION Conference
Unlocking the value of innovation is the theme of the 2024 VISION Conference coming up January 23-24 in Glendale, Arizona, preceded by the co-located Women in Ag Tech (WiAT) meeting January 21-22.
Powered by Meister Media Worldwide’s Global AgTech Initiative, the VISION Conference is the premier event where forward-thinking executives of the ag tech community come together to chart the strategic roadmap for the adoption of the latest innovative technologies and systems, with a focus on the drivers that will transform the agribusiness industry within the next 3-5 years.
“There’s a lot of different conferences out there that are all very good, but because of Meister Media’s agricultural background, where a lot of them are bringing technology to agriculture, we’re really bringing agriculture to technology,” said Meister President and Chief Operating Officer Joe Monahan.
Heather Tunstall, corporate content director, says they are excited about what’s new this year, including the co-located Women in Ag Tech meeting. “Women in Ag Tech is focused on community and support,” said Tunstall. “What we’re really looking to do is look at the career paths of many of the successful women in the industry, as well as those just starting out.”
Tunstall encourages attendees to take a look at the Executive Primer, sponsored by Ever.Ag and available on the VISION Conference website now. “Our executive primer is a digital document we are putting out ahead of the conference that brings to ground some of the main themes we’ll be talking about,” she said. “It will also be available on-site at the event. We think it’s a very valuable piece as a take away and for further understanding.”
Learn more about the conference in this interview with Monahan and Tunstall, and by going to TheVISIONConference.com. Register at https://www.thevisionconference.com/register/ and save $200 with Promo Code: LASTCHANCE.
2024 VISION preview interview 12:41Precision Ag News 1/10
DPH Biologicals Poised for Growth With Ownership Transition
DPH Biologicals, a leading biological company formed in 2018, has announced a management-led buyout with a private investment group, while the company will continue to market under the DPH Biologicals brand and continue to provide the same high-quality products and service.
“With proven science, robust field data, strong industry relationships and a focus on biologicals, we are proud of DPH Bio’s robust and profitable growth the past several years. As the biologicals market grows, we believe farmers and producers around the world will increasingly demand biological products that work within existing management practices and offer multiple bottom-line benefits, beyond yield,” said Mick Messman, DPH Bio president and CEO.
The full management team brings decades of experience in agricultural sales, marketing, research, product development, supply chain management and business strategy, both domestically and internationally, and led the company’s rapid scale up and product portfolio expansion, building upon its flagship product – TerraTrove® SP-1®. The DPH Bio management team includes Mick Messman, Alex Cochran, Chris Feiden, Trey Soud, Brad Holzworth, Roberto Werneck and Cliff Watrin, and Mario Tenerelli as Latin America advisor.
“Our team has demonstrated business success in the ag industry and a commitment to deliver value to farmers. We saw the need for a company focused on developing and scaling biological technologies and began the transformation of DPH Bio in mid-2021. When ownership discussions started last year, the existing management team decided the time was right and we were ready and willing to fully invest in the company ourselves,” Messman said.
With teams based in Indianapolis, Ind. and Princeton, Ill., and territory managers located in key markets, Messman adds that DPH Bio will continue bringing its diverse and growing product line to customers around the world, including planned expansion into Brazil.
Visit www.dphbio.com for more information.
Truterra Announces 2024 Programs and Expanded Eligibility
Truterra is announcing programs for farmers to enroll in for 2024, with several new developments.
Among the program options for enrollment is Truterra’s leading carbon program, which in just two years paid farmers more than $9 million for more than 462,000 metric tons of carbon benefits created through farming practices such as planting cover crops or reducing how often fields are tilled. For the first time in 2024, Truterra is expanding eligibility of its carbon program to include qualified long-term adopters of conservation practices, specifically for qualified farmers who have adopted conservation practices like cover crops or reduced tillage before crop year 2021.
Bringing long-term adopters into the fold is a strategic step toward meeting the needs of companies seeking to reduce scope 3 emissions from within the food and ag value chain. According to McKinsey1 and Company, sales of consumer goods products made with sustainability goals are growing 36% faster than those made without them, which is why Truterra is sharpening its focus on how it can help play a role in the solution for companies to help decarbonize their supply chains and meet their emissions-based goals. These long-term adopters potentially have favorable greenhouse gas emissions and storage profiles which may benefit companies in the food and ag value chain – and the program this year will help to establish a baseline and understand the opportunity.
“The expansion of eligibility for qualified farmers is something we’re proud to offer and is another step forward in our mission to meet farmers wherever they are in their sustainability journey,” said Truterra President Jamie Leifker. “Truterra is committed to working with ag retailers to maximize their relationships with farmers, as they are often the most trusted advisor. We will continue to expand our ag retail network and together lead the way with innovative solutions to position farmers to increase their productivity and profitability while working to improve the long-term environmental sustainability of their operations.”
Enrollment for Truterra’s 2024 sustainability programs is open now. Interested farmers can visit truterraag.com/enroll to learn more and explore eligibility.
Beltwide Cotton Awards
Several awards were presented at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences last week. Here are two of them.
Each year the University Extension Cotton Specialists select a colleague to recognize as the Beltwide Extension Cotton Specialist of the Year. Camp Hand, University of Georgia assistant professor in Crop & Soil Sciences, received this annual award for his leadership, dedication and exceptional service in developing and conducting educational programs to meet the needs of cotton producers and the U.S. cotton industry.
Dr. David Fang, geneticist for USDA-ARS at the Cotton Fiber Bioscience Research Unit in New Orleans, is the 2023 Cotton Genetics Research Award recipient.
Dr. Fang has made tremendous contributions to the development of molecular markers which have been made publicly available and are utilized in practical cotton breeding and realized potential in a population derived from crosses made by USDA-ARS colleagues. Dr. Fang also has constructed numerous genomic maps of cotton and identified numerous markers for various agronomic traits.
Animal Ag News 1/8
2024 Cotton Economic Outlook
One of the drawbacks of having a conference right after the holidays is that you may have some presenters end up sick. But not usually four in the same session.
That’s what happened at the Economics and Marketing part of the National Cotton Conferences last week in Fort Worth, but Dale Cougot of Olam Agri, who serves as the National Cotton Council Southwest Region Merchant Delegate, bravely stepped forward to fill all four roles and provide the cotton market outlook, world cotton outlook, and cotton policy update.
Cougot stressed that consistent supply is crucial for the industry to maintain its market share. “The last three years when the U.S. had a fairly low crop, from a global cotton perspective, thank God Australia had a crop,” he said. “In the retail world, if you lose a product line, you never get it back. So you’ve got to have that consistent supply to our retailers.”
Listen to Cougot’s outlook presentation.
BWCC Economic Outlook - Dale Cougot, Olam Agri 40:02
broadhead Acquires Filament
broadhead has acquired Filament which makes it one of the nation’s largest agencies serving industry-leading food and agriculture clients.
broadhead, an employee-owned, data-driven, creative agency powering brands that transform how we eat, move and live, has acquired Filament, a Madison, Wisconsin-based agency specializing in production and recreational agriculture.
With a segment-leading client portfolio, Filament has a strong history in helping client brands resonate with the end-user and influencer audiences they know well. The agency was founded in 2004 and currently employs 50 people.
“At broadhead, we’ve long respected Filament’s work, their people and its role as a thought leader in the agricultural marketing space,” said Dean Broadhead, founder and CEO of broadhead. “Together, we’ll have added depth across teams that will help us build opportunities for our clients and for our people.”
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Industry Ag News 1/5