Crop Enhancement anticipates commercialization of its non-toxic crop protection technology, CropCoat, following successful field trials with cacao growers in Indonesia. Field testing with coffee growers is also underway in Central and South America, and the program is being expanded to other high-value specialty crops including tree fruit, vegetables, and berries in the United States.- PrecisionHawk Inc. has announced the first Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS)-enabled, multi-rotor drone platform. First to market, the drone incorporates industry-leading technology to automatically identify all cooperative and non-cooperative aircraft within a 10km radius, ensuring airspace de-confliction well before potential confrontation. The platform was designed based on the findings and recommendations in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Pathfinder Report, which serves as a blueprint for enterprises to conduct BVLOS drone operations. You can read the full report or an abbreviated version.
- AgGateway will present a “Quick Connect” session featuring face-to-face meetings between trading partners at its upcoming Mid-Year Meeting in Altoona, Iowa, June 11-14. The Quick Connect Session gives ag retailers, distributors, manufacturers and their software vendors the opportunity to meet and determine next steps in establishing electronic connections. To register, contact AgGateway’s Member Services at Member.Services@AgGateway.org or 866-251-8618.
- Larson Electronics LLC has released a flood light kit that directly replaces and upgrades existing OEM lights for John Deere 9500 Combines. This LED light kit consists of six 45-watt LED flood lights to replace the existing top front cab lights.
- The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) celebrated the organization’s 63rd Annual Stewardship Week at the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) People’s Garden. USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue commemorated the opening day of the department’s farmers market and toured booths set up by local farmers, ranchers and small businesses. NACD set up a tent at the farmers market to educate people of all ages about Stewardship Week.
- The Soil Health Partnership welcomes two new field managers to the staff, supporting farmers on the ground in the growing soil health effort. Lisa Kubik, and Tricia Verville joined the SHP in April to assist with the growing number of farmers in the program in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture invited public comment on the proposed rule to establish the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard mandated by Congress in 2016. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall spoke in favor of the proposed rule, which he said is based on factual information rather than emotional scare tactics and will give consumers a valuable resource for making informed decisions about food.
- Resson announced a $14 million Series C up round of financing that welcomed Mahindra & Mahindra as a strategic partner, joining existing strategic partners McCain Foods and Monsanto Growth Ventures as well as existing investors Build Ventures, Rho Canada, BDC Capital, East Valley Ventures and the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation.
- The Rice Market & Technology Convention will be in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, June 5-7. Join the largest and most diverse gathering of rice industry professionals in the western hemisphere for the opportunity to network and learn more about the rice industry.