On August 11-12 the Conservation Technology Information Center’s (CTIC) eighth annual Conservation in Action Tour will visit farms in southeastern Minnesota. The tour will include a close-up exploration of conservation farming practices and will focus on innovative practices and partnerships. The trip is touted as one of the conservation agriculture world’s top idea-sharing opportunities. Executive Director, Karen Scanlon says participants will visit … Read More
Feed A Bee Initiative Exceeds Goal
The Feed the Bee campaign has received pledges to plant 50 million flowers in 2015. The initiative, sponsored by Bayer CropScience just 12 weeks ago, strives to to increase forage for honeybees by working with organizations and indificuals to provide the pollinators with their food source. Almost 200,000 people supported the campaign by visiting www.FeedABe.com and requesting seeds to plant. … Read More
California approves BASF’s Nealta Miticide
BASF‘s latest product, Nealta® miticide, has received registration for use in California. The product has been shown to control spider mites in all life stages through a unique mode of action. It is labeled for use on tree nut (including almonds and pistachios), grape, strawberry, citrus, tomato, apple and pear crops. “Mites infest California crops each year, causing growers to … Read More
Jeff Pritchard Joins SynTelus as President/COO
SynTelus, a CSE Life Science Company focusing on end-use fungicides, insecticides and herbicides, as brought on Jeffery Pritchard as President and Chief Operating Officer. Pritchard will be responsible for strategic direction, sales and marketing, and managing operational and supply chain endeavors. Pritchard has a long history of leadership roles within both post-patent and R&D based crop-protection companies, most recently as President, North … Read More
Cornell Proves Honeybee Hives May Be Unnecessary
Researchers from the Cornell Horticlutrue Section of the School of Intergrative Plant Science and the Department of Entomology have experimented with a rather surprising subject. The Cornell orchards in Ithaca are producing crisp apples– all without the aid of commercial hives of honeybees. “This is a food security issue,” said entomology professor Bryan Danforth. “We need to know if growers … Read More
Iowa Legislature Invests to Protect Soil, Water Quality
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey shared the Iowa Legislature’s continued commitment to farmers in protecting Iowa’s soil and water resources. The Legislature has approved $9.6 million to support the Iowa Water Quality Initiative. This initiative is a science and technology based approach to achieving a 45 percent reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus losses to water. The legislation is … Read More
Mahindra Boosts Urban Ag for Detroit’s Future
Detroit, MI will be the recipient of $100,000 to grow urban farming initiatives in the city. The benefactors of the gift are Mahindra USA, the world’s number one-selling tractor brand based on volume, and Mahindra North American Technical Center based in Troy, MI. The money is expanding on the current Urban Ag Scholarship Initiative and will be split between five … Read More
Ag Genotyping Center Closer to Completion
A new National Agricultural Genotyping Center is scheduled to be completed by late this summer, according to the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). The center aims to aid farmers with new technologies and is a non-profit initiative founded by NCGA and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Primary areas of study will include production agriculture, food safety, functional foods, bioenergy and national … Read More
USDA Offers Cover Crop Chart
Scientists at the USDA have released a “Cover Crop Chart” to help growers choose a crop that will meet their productions needs. Cover crops are becoming more popular as farmers recognize their potential to help reduce erosion, increase organic matter, improve weed control and provide forage. This service allows cover crops to create more resilient and efficient production system. Soil scientist … Read More
St. Louis Attracts Israeli Agtech Company- Again
Forrest Innovations has selected St. Louis, MO to be the site for its U.S. headquarters. The Israeli agtech company focuses on two main issues- reducing mosquito-carried disease and overcoming a bacteria threatening the citrus industry. This is the third Israeli company to choose St. Louis in the past seven months. St. Louis’ success in cultivating bioscience and innovation ecosystem businesses … Read More