Precision Ag News 11/2

Carrie Muehling

  • Three major businesses and organizations have signed on as sponsor partners for a benchmarking study into the use of agricultural biologicals by farmers and growers. The study: “Biologicals: Specialty Crop Growers’ Perceptions, Values, and Potential,” is set to provide a robust depth of understanding around grower-centric sentiments about the use, benefits and future for biological inputs when applied to specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, stone fruits and nuts. Cam Camfield, Founder and CEO of Stratovation Group, said the initial collaboration of sponsors includes Redox Bio-Nutrients, Certis Biologicals, and BPIA (the Biological Products Industry Alliance).
  • GROWERS, a leader in digital technology for agriculture, announces enhanced farmer and retailer features within two new mobile apps. The company’s flagship product, GROWERS, is a free app for farmers enabling them to work directly with their retailers to request farm input products digitally, streamlining and organizing the entire process. In addition, GROWERS Retail allows retail counterparts to respond to farmers’ requests creating new ways for retailers to drive customer loyalty and sales growth as more farmers embrace technology.
  • Helena Agri-Enterprises is expanding seed treatment opportunities for soybean growers in 2024 with the launch of Seed Shield Select and Enertia. A multi-fungicide and insecticide combination, Seed Shield Select provides protection from all major soybean seedling diseases and insects while optimizing root health and plant vigor. Enertia is an enzyme-based, biological soybean seed treatment designed to enhance soil health and improve nutrient availability as roots develop.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has announced an investment of nearly $22 million in agricultural economics research that includes agricultural markets, international trade, farm labor, consumer behavior and nutrition, food retail, agricultural production and processing and agricultural policy. Included in the investment is a grant of $649,716 to Auburn University researchers to conduct the first comprehensive study to empirically estimate equivalence scales that compare the economic wellbeing of U.S. households of different compositions over the past 50 years.
  • Yield10 Bioscience announced that it signed a LOI with BioMar Group, a prominent global aquafeed producer, to commercialize Camelina engineered to produce omega-3 oil for use as a high-quality supplement to the scarce supply of marine long-chain fatty acids used in aquafeed.
  • Groundwork BioAg announced the global launch of the Rootella Carbon program, based on mycorrhizal carbon – a frontier technology that leverages mycorrhizal fungi as a nature-based solution for carbon dioxide removal.
  • DPH Biologicals and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announced a research collaboration validating the impact biologicals make to accelerate decomposition of crop residue, thereby unlocking the adoption of more sustainable and profitable farming practices for United States high-yield, broadacre growers.
  • The National Corn Growers Association calls corn growers nationwide to submit their harvest results for the 2023 National Corn Yield Contest. The deadline for harvest results is approaching quickly, so farmers are urged to submit their entries as soon as possible to ensure that all requirements have been met.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    Biden Announces Rural Investments at Minnesota Farm

    Cindy Zimmerman

    President Joe Biden announced new rural investments during a visit to a farm in Minnesota Wednesday.

    During the visit to Dutch Creek Farms in Northfield, President Biden announced over $5 billion in his Investing in America agenda, including the Inflation Reduction Act, to “advance rural prosperity, economic development, competition, and sustainability.”

    “My plan is about investing in rural America,” said Biden. “It’s about something else as well. It’s about restoring pride to rural communities that have been left behind for far too long.”

    Listen to Biden’s remarks here:
    Biden visits MN farm 22:29

    Audio, politics

    DPH Biologicals and UIUC Partner to Manage Crop Residue

    Cindy Zimmerman

    DPH Biologicals and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) are teaming up to validate the impact biologicals make to accelerate decomposition of crop residue, with the goal of unlocking the adoption of more sustainable and profitable farming practices.

    Starting in spring of 2023, the UIUC Crop Physiology Lab run by Fred Below, Ph.D. and Connor Sible, Ph.D., began researching the impact of microbial solutions in crop residue management including the use of TerraTrove® Residuce®, technology developed by DPH Bio. Residuce is a biodigester, a biological specifically formulated to accelerate the process of plant tissue degradation.

    “Supporting Dr. Below’s lab is an opportunity to ground-truth the benefits of biodigesters, understand how technologies like Residuce can enable more sustainable and profitable cropping practices and to develop best practice use recommendations supporting our retail and channel partners with high-value, science-verified cropping solutions,” said Alex Cochran, Ph.D., DPH Bio’s Chief Technology Officer.

    A cereal cover crop planted into corn residue for research into the benefits of biodigesters in crop residue management. Photo courtesy of UIUC Crop Physiology Lab.

    First-year results were unveiled this week by UIUC graduate student Darby Danzl at the 2023 ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, held jointly by the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America. Using Residuce on an unmanaged cereal rye cover crop partially eliminated the nearly nine-bushel yield penalty average experienced when a cover crop is planted between no-till corn and soybean rotations and the yield penalty was nearly fully eliminated when a fertilizer source was combined with Residuce.

    DPH Bio recently published “Rethinking Crop Residue Management with Biodigesters,” an analysis of research into crop residue management, includes work already completed by the UIUC crop physiology lab as well as DPH Bio’s field trial results. The UIUC-DPH partnership will expand upon the research and benefits of biodigesters presented in the white paper.

    Learn more in this interview:
    Audio interview with DPH Bio Chief Technology Officer Alex Cochran 29:30

    AgWired Precision, Audio, Biologicals, Nutrient Management, Precision Agriculture, Soil

    Biden Team Hitting the Rural Road

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Secretary Vilsack and President Biden at the White House, July 2023

    President Joe Biden and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will visit a family farm in Minnesota today to highlight the administration’s investments in rural America and efforts to support local farmers and communities.

    Biden will travel to Northfield, Minnesota to visit Dutch Creek Farms to lead his Administration’s Investing in Rural America Event Series and highlight investments from the Biden Administration in Rural America. During the visit, President Biden will announce over $5 billion in new investments from his Investing in America agenda – including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act – to advance rural prosperity, economic development, competition, and sustainability. President Biden will also discuss how Bidenomics and his Investing in America agenda are ensuring rural Americans do not have to leave their hometowns to find opportunity.

    Over the course of two weeks, President Biden, Cabinet members, and Senior Administration Officials are barnstorming across the country as part of the Investing in Rural America Event Series to highlight how the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments are bringing new revenue to farms, increased economic development in rural towns and communities, and more opportunity throughout the country.

    During a press call Tuesday to announce the president’s visit to Minnesota, Vilsack said the family farm President Biden is visiting today has used several climate-smart agriculture techniques to make their farm more sustainable, including growing crops that naturally sequester carbon and improve soil quality, farming in a way that limits soil disturbance, and creating riparian buffers to protect nearby waterways from pollutants.

    Also on the call with Vilsack were Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator; Neera Tanden, Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor; and Stephen Benjamin, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement.

    Vilsack Rural America Investment event 29:30

    Audio, USDA

    GROWERS Debuts Apps for Farmers and Retailers

    Cindy Zimmerman

    GROWERS, a leader in digital technology for agriculture, announces enhanced farmer and retailer features within two new mobile apps, GROWERS and GROWERS Retail, available now for iOS on the App Store, with the Android version scheduled to be released in two weeks.

    The company’s flagship product, GROWERS, is a FREE app for farmers enabling them to work directly with their retailers to request farm input products digitally, streamlining and organizing the entire process. In addition, GROWERS Retail allows retail counterparts to respond to farmers’ requests creating new ways for retailers to drive customer loyalty and sales growth as more farmers embrace technology.

    Joe Procopio, Chief Product Officer at GROWERS, says the new GROWERS and GROWERS Retail apps are the results of feedback received over the past year from farmer, retailer, and manufacturer customers. “We created a single location where farmers can learn about new agriculture products, browse across multiple brands and manufacturers, and make the purchase either in-person with their retailer or within the app. This transition aligns perfectly with our goal to provide a simple, easy-to-use, technology solution that makes it easier for farmers and retailers to do business.”

    GROWERS Retail equips retailers with a comprehensive toolkit to foster strong relationships with farmers and build customer loyalty through meeting farmers’ ever-growing adoption of technology. This innovative app streamlines communication and collaboration between farmers and retailers, promoting informed decision-making and a deeper level of trust.

    ag retailers, AgWired Precision, Apps, Precision Agriculture

    Groundwork BioAg Launches Rootella Carbon™ Program

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Groundwork BioAg® has just announced the global launch of the Rootella Carbon™ program, based on mycorrhizal carbon which leverages mycorrhizal fungi for carbon dioxide removal.

    Rootella Carbon harnesses the power of Rootella® – highly effective mycorrhizal inoculants that are proven to sequester significant amounts of carbon in cropland (1-4 tCO2eq/acre annually). This innovative, Verra-certified program represents a transformative approach to carbon sequestration for conventional and regenerative farmers alike.

    “Since our inception, we have known that mycorrhiza – the Queen of Biologicals™ – offers a compelling agricultural solution to mitigate climate change,” said Dr. Yossi Koffman, co-founder and CEO of Groundwork BioAg. “Rootella Carbon delivers on that vision by paving the way to a gigaton of CO2 sequestration in the next decade.”

    Rootella has been applied on over 4.5 million acres in 17 countries.

    Andrew Duff, Groundwork BioAg North America General manager, explains more about the Rootella Carbon™ program in this interview.
    Groundwork BioAg North America General manager Andrew Duff 11:35

    AgWired Precision, Audio, carbon, Precision Agriculture, Soil

    Animal Ag News 10/30

    Carrie Muehling

  • The Meat Institute announced Dr. KatieRose McCullough was appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) bringing her scientific expertise and industry knowledge to federal food safety agencies.
  • FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative General Manager Jeff Lyon provided written testimony to the Wisconsin Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government in support of Senate Bill 431, a bill that would grant the state Department of Transportation the authority to issue annual or consecutive month permits, allowing the transport of fluid milk and other milk byproducts in vehicle combinations exceeding highway weight limits, up to a maximum of 98,000 pounds.
  • The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) praised the announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that it plans to devote $2.3 billion from the Commodity Credit Corporation to promoting better market opportunities for U.S. agricultural producers and expanding food aid to support communities in need around the world.
  • Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative announced that Emma Jorgensen has joined the organization as an assistant project manager to support farmers in the implementation of climate-smart production practices.
  • USPOULTRY’s 2023 Environmental Management Seminar focused on regulatory updates and highlighted new innovations in sustainability. Ranging from biological treatment applications, water reuse, emissions, rendering and more, the seminar provided areas of emphasis environmental managers need to have top of mind while managing their environmental programs.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    Industry Ag News 10/27

    Carrie Muehling

  • Fresh on the heels of being named to the Inc. Magazine 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies for the second straight year, CLUTCH, a hybrid consultancy-agency based in Minneapolis, announced that Kelsey Gunderson and Greta Bierbaum have joined the firm as client success directors.
  • As IFAJ’s Global Manager, Hugh Maynard, prepares his well-deserved retirement, IFAJ is looking for a new Global Manager or Global Office Team. The extended deadline for applicants is Nov. 5.
  • Alltech is enhancing its marketing capabilities and establishing new teams to deliver greater strategic partnership across the business for Alltech’s customers. Within marketing, the company is establishing a new Data & Insights function, positioning its creative team to take a global creative agency approach and building new pathways for market and customer engagement.
  • Agri-food leaders around the world believe the industry can work together to create a better, more sustainable food system, according to the Alltech Sustainability Insights report.
  • Filling essential roles in the agriculture and food workforce is a top focus for employers. AgCareers.com is pleased to continue Feed Your Future virtual career fairs to connect agriculture and food employers and job seekers across the United States. The upcoming online career fair on November 29, 2023, is open to anyone looking for a job or hiring in the U.S.
  • The National Corn Growers Association announced the launch of its annual scholarship program for the 2024 academic year. This program is designed to support students who are passionate about agriculture and making a positive impact in their community.
  • Association of Equipment Manufacturers Senior Vice President of Government and Industry Relations Kip Eideberg issued a statement congratulating Representative Mike Johnson (R-La.) on election as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
  • The 47th annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, from 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia. The one-day show is free and open to all farmers and industry representatives to attend.
  • The American Soybean Association announced an addition to its Washington, D.C.-based advocacy staff. Joe Prosser joins ASA Oct. 25 in a newly created policy manager role, one of two that will be filled this fall.
  • Marion Ag Service announced a number of team member appointments and new hires.
  • Curious Plot, a marketing, communications and consulting agency for the food, agriculture and companion animal care markets, will host the 2024 Agricultural Relations Council (ARC)/Gardner & Gardner Communications intern. The Minneapolis-based internship starts May 20 and ends Aug. 9.
  • The National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) has elected its new officers for the 2023-2024 academic year. The new National ACT Executive Adviser is Taylor Kennedy, an instructor of agricultural communications from Tarleton State University.
    • Zimfo Bytes

    DWFI Podcast 29 – Nicole Lefore, DWFI

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has selected the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska to lead its new Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Irrigation and Mechanization Systems (ILIMS).

    In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, we hear from Nicole Lefore, the director of the new lab and the associate director of sustainable agriculture water management at DWFI, who shares the purpose of USAID’s overall Feed the Future initiative – how ILIMS will support smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries and how the lab can ultimately reduce global hunger, poverty and undernutrition and help increase food and water security.

    Listen here or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform:
    DWFI Podcast 29 - Nicole Lefore, DWFI 26:55

    The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska was founded with the mission to have a lasting and significant impact on achieving more food security with less pressure on scarce water resources by conducting scientific and policy research, using the research results to inform policy makers, and sharing knowledge through education and communication.

    How to subscribe:

    Audio, Food, International, Irrigation, Podcasts, Water, Water for Food

    Precision Ag News 10/26

    Carrie Muehling

  • The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) released A General Assessment of the Role of Agriculture and Forestry in the U.S. Carbon Markets, a comprehensive look at current market activity, barriers to participation, and opportunities to improve access to carbon markets for farmers and forest landowners. The report is the first of USDA’s deliverables under the Growing Climate Solutions Act, which was signed into law on December 29, 2022, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
  • Bushel announced it is the recipient of a $3.5 million grant to develop first-of-its-kind features into its digital platform for improved reporting on carbon intensity scores for renewable fuels processors. The funding is part of an effort by the North Dakota Industrial Commission through the Clean Sustainable Energy program.
  • Introducing the Modern Agriculture show by Harpe Bioherbicide where we will be unveiling the future of sustainable farming! Gain valuable insights from the trailblazers who are redefining the agricultural landscape, and paving the way for a greener and more sustainable tomorrow.
  • Adding crushed volcanic rock to cropland could play a key role in removing carbon from the air. In a field study, scientists at the University of California, Davis, and Cornell University found the technology stored carbon in the soil even during an extreme drought in California. The study was published in the journal Environmental Research Communications.
  • Join the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and more than 2,000 seed industry professionals from over 30 countries, Dec. 5-8, for the new Field Crop Seed Convention, now bigger and better than ever in its new home city of Orlando.
  • CropX Technologies announced the release of its first-ever Sustainability Report: People, Planet and Prosperity. This report highlights CropX’s dedication to sustainability and showcases the company’s global impact from both its products and its internal business operations.
  • Alveo Technologies, Inc. announced a collaboration with Corteva Agriscience to expand the offering of its novel eco-friendly molecular sensing and disease diagnostics technology to include a first-in-field agricultural disease diagnostic.
  • The National Wheat Yield Contest announced the achievements of its 24 national winners, hailing from 12 different states, who have achieved an average yield of 144 bushels per acre across all categories. Additionally, we proudly recognize the 83 state winners representing 28 states, with their remarkable yields averaging 127 bushels per acre across the various categories, including Winter Wheat-dryland, Winter Wheat-irrigated, Spring Wheat-dryland, and Spring Wheat-irrigated. It is worth noting that some dryland category winners are determined by high yield, while others are evaluated based on their percentage over the county average.
  • RiceTec announced its new SQUAD seed treatment line with its 2024 rice seed offerings. With SQUAD, growers will have multiple seed treatment options for a customized fit within their production systems.
  • Renovo Seed debuts with an elite lineup of more than 80 proven, prebuilt seed mixes that simplify forage, cover crop and conservation seed choices. Access to a robust caliber of seed mixes and an established supply chain have paved the way for Renovo Seed to launch its commercial seed brand, a first for the forage, cover crop, and conservation space. You can find Renovo Seed at a growing network of seed dealerships and ag cooperatives nationwide, as well as online.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture