The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week announced the selection of Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence ASSURE, a consortium of universities headed by Mississippi State University (MSU), to lead the newly-designated FAA Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS COE). ASSURE is tasked with identifying issues critical to the integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) … Read More
Granular Announces Integration of As-Applied Data
Granular, a leading agriculture software and analytics company, has announced another major extension to its analytics platform. Granular has added the ability to import and integrate as-applied files to help producers analyze and manage field level profitability. The news release, in full detail, can be found here. Granular’s latest round of enhancements focuses on the analysis of as-applied files and … Read More
AgNerd Cloud – Apple Watch App from Agworld
AgNerd’s everywhere, rejoice! You will soon have an app to use when you get your new Apple Watch thanks to AgWorld. Agworld, a leading global information management and cloud collaboration software for growers and consultants, announced that it is developing an app for the Apple Watch in response to the growing demand for a new breed of field-ready, connected apps. … Read More
Agren Announces SoilCalculator App Update
Farmers looking to maximize soil conservation and economic return need only look to Agren. The company has just announced a new version of its SoilCalculator application to estimate erosion and its associated economic cost. I spoke with Agren CEO Tom Buman about his company and this new application. He says, “SoilCalculator is the first software of its kind to estimate … Read More
Precision Means Speed and Sustainability
Corn farmers made planting progress last week that was unimaginable even just a decade ago. Martin Barbre, Chairman of the National Corn Growers Association, says he is close to 75% planted on his farm in Carmi, Illinois. “We’ve got guys all the way from 50 percent to 100 percent done,” he said. “Things are really rolling good.” Barbre adds that … Read More
FAA Announces UAS Development Program
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced new partnerships with industries, including agriculture, to explore the next steps in unmanned aircraft operations beyond the type of operations the agency proposed in the draft small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) rule it published in February. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta announced the initiative today at the Association for Unmanned … Read More
Funding for New USDA Conservation Partnerships
In Colorado today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the availability of up to $235 million to improve conservation efforts through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). This will be the second round of projects funded through RCPP, the newest conservation tool of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) included in the 2014 Farm Bil. “This is a new, innovative … Read More
GROWMARK Spring Fertilizer Update
Lower crop prices and a later harvest caused farmers to cut back some on fall fertilizer application last year but supplies are expected to be adequate this spring to meet demand, according to GROWMARK Plant Food Director Joe Dillier. “Haven’t had a great test of that because of the planting delays we’ve had to date,” said Dillier. “But my guess … Read More
Senate Bill Calls for WOTUS Re-do
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced a bill Thursday that calls on EPA to develop a new “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) proposal. The senators, including John Barrasso (R-WY), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), jointly introduced the Federal Water Quality Protection Act, directing EPA and the U.S. … Read More
ARA Supports Food Labeling Act
Hundreds of organizations representing various sectors of the food and agriculture industry signed on to a letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives asking them to support the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act. The groups representing the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food urged members of Congress to consider co-sponsoring the bill introduced last month by Reps. Mike … Read More