Stine Seed Farm Inc, an affiliate of Stine Seed Company, has invested $5 million in Smart Ag Inc., an Iowa technology firm that has revolutionized automation in agriculture with the development of a full stack software platform and aftermarket kit for driverless tractors. The Stine Seed investment In Smart Ag’s Series Seed Round comes just five short months after Smart Ag unveiled its technology with the release of AutoCart, a software application that fully automates a grain cart tractor for use during harvest.- AgBiome, LLC, has recently been awarded a multi-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the area of nematology. The project, entitled “Biological Nematicides for Root and Tuber Crops,” aims to discover and develop a microbial solution for smallholder farms in West Africa to manage yield-damaging plant-parasitic nematodes.
- Kubota Tractor Corporation announced the completion of a 200-acre land purchase within Phase II of Logistics Park Kansas City in Edgerton, making the company the first major tenant for the industrial park.
- Syngenta Seeds facilities in Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota have been recognized for outstanding safety performance in the workplace. The Jefferson, Iowa, Syngenta Seeds production and supply facility was honored by the Iowa-Illinois Safety Council(IISC). For the second year in a row, the Jefferson site earned the Presidential Award in Hazard Recognition, one of only five recipients of this honor given annually by the IISC. Employees at the Syngenta Seeds production and supply facility in Pekin, Illinois, recently celebrated 10 years without an injury in the workplace. This achievement represents more than 670,000 hours safely worked at the Pekin site, which was also recognized by the IISC for continuous improvement with the identification and control of workplace safety hazards. The Minnesota Safety Council recently recognized the Syngenta Seeds Amboy and Dassel, Minnesota, production and supply facilities with its highest level of recognition, the Governor’s Award of Honor.
- The GO In-Depth Cover Crop Event 2018 was a great success! Catch up on all the speaker presentations by visiting the Grassland Oregon YouTube channel.
- Five FS crop specialists are being recognized for their work with GROWMARK’s Endure 4R Advocate award. The 2018 winners include: Tim Berkland – GROWMARK – Iowa; Gary Brandt – Gateway FS – Illinois; Courtney Mahr – West Central FS – Illinois; Sal Pustizze – GROWMARK FS – New Jersey; and Todd Wibben – Evergreen FS – Illinois.