The new chairman of the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) says 2017 was a championship year for the organization and he hopes to sustain that excellence moving forward. John Oster with Morral Companies in Ohio says one area where ARA will be very active in the coming year is in development of the new farm bill. “Although we are a small … Read More
Agriculture Secretary Addresses Ag Retailers
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue topped off the ARA Conference and Expo on Thursday in Phoenix, covering a broad range of topics in his comments including tax reform, de-regulation, trade, food security, infrastructure, school lunches and the farm bill. Perdue, who noted his past experience in the fertilizer business and with ARA’s predecessor organization, the National Fertilizer Solutions Association, talked … Read More
ARA Presents Distinguished Service and Lifetime Awards
The Agricultural Retailers Association recognized the 40-year career of William “Tip” O’Neill with the Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement Award, and presented the Distinguished Service Award to long-time board member Steve Nielsen during the ARA Conference and Expo in Phoenix this week. Nielsen, most recently general counsel and corporate secretary for United Suppliers, joined the ARA board of directors in 2011. … Read More
Asmus Farm Supply Named ARA Retailer of the Year
The Agricultural Retailers Association this week presented Asmus Farm Supply of Rake, Iowa with the 2017 Retailer of the Year at the ARA conference and expo in Phoenix. The operation is lead by second-generation owners Harlan and Amy Asmus, who accepted the award along with their sons Garrett and Holden and daughter-in-law, Billie. Mark Helt, National Sales Manager for Monsanto, … Read More
Valagro Showcases Innovation at Biostimulants Congress
One of the gold sponsors at the 3rd Biostimulants World Congress in Miami this week is industry pioneer Valagro. “Valegro started in business in 1980…so for the past 30 and more years, we have been developing biostimulants,” said Mario Mastrangelo, Valagro USA country manager. The company is headquartered in Atessa, Italy with a product distribution network covering more than 80 … Read More
StollerUSA Offering New Formulations
New formulations from StollerUSA are helping growers to unleash the power of the plant with products like Fortified Stimulate Yield Enhancer Plus. The refresh of StollerUSA’s very successful Stimulate product offers an early start with a key growth hormone of the plant and an overall longer lasting effect through the growing season. We provide and develop products that allow the … Read More
Ag Retailers Celebrating Silver Anniversary
The Agricultural Retailers Association is celebrating 25 years of service to support sellers of seeds, nutrients, crop protection products, farm equipment, precision technology and agronomic services. The organization is holding its annual conference and expo this week in Phoenix to look back on the accomplishments of the past 25 years and ahead to the future of the industry. Tim McArdle … Read More
Delaro from Bayer Coming Soon
Bayer will soon be launching a new fungicide called Delaro for U.S. growers that has a dual mode-of-action and broader spectrum of disease control. “Delaro is going to be our new foliar fungicide mostly for corn and soybeans,” said Thorsten Schwindt, Bayer Senior Product Manager, during an interview at the NAFB convention earlier this month. “We really designed it for … Read More
FS System Honors Enduring Farms
The FS System is now recognizing farmers who are using sustainable practices that are good for the environment and good for the farm with the Enduring Farms designation. GROWMARK Strategic Agronomy Marketing Manager Tim Berkland said things like using nitrogen stabilizers and programs to monitor the nitrogen in the soil would give farmers points on the scorecard. “One of the … Read More
Kansas Farmer Testifies at Ag Technology Hearing
“Technology in Agriculture: Data-Driven Farming” was the topic of a hearing last week before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, & Data Security to examine the potential benefits of advancements in agricultural technology and the collection and utilization of data in farming. The only farmer to testify was Justin Knopf from Gypsum, Kansas, who talked about … Read More