Better Seed, Better Life Video Contest

Kelly MarshallAg Group, ASTA, Contest, Video

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB), and the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America (Tri-Societies) are sponsoring the Better Seed, Better Life video contest. All graduate and undergraduate students in a plant-science discipline are invited to submit a video focusing on plant breeding innovations and the plant sciences that play a role.

Video submissions are due August 31, 2017. Videos will be judged by an expert panel and cash prizes will be awarded for winners. For more information, including video specifications and submission requirements, visit the contest webpage.

Weather Extremes Threaten Nitrogen Loss

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Nitrogen, Nutrient Management

It’s either too wet or too dry and any farmer can tell you there’s rarely a happy medium, which is why Verdesian Life Sciences is offering advise on getting the most out of your nitrogen investment despite weather conditions.

Often the first challenge is wet weather that prevents growers from getting into the field for pre-plant, top dress or sidedress applications, but even once you’ve gotten into the field there are still challenges. Weather that’s too wet or too dry can cause lose of nitrogen through denitrification, leaching, and volatilization. “Farmers should take steps to protect their applied N from loss to the environment,” says Darin Lickfeldt, Ph.D., senior technical development manager for Verdesian Life Sciences.

Practices that help prevent nitrogen lose include the 4Rs of Nutrient Stewardship, applying the right product at the right rate at the right time in the right place. When those steps fail growers may need to include a nitrogen fertilizer manager or stabilizer, like NutriSphere-N Nitrogen Fertilizer Manager. More than 500 trials of the product have shown a 90 precent positive yield response in corn over the control, and NutriSphere-N has been proven over the course of 10 years on 46 million acres. Learn more at http://www.vlsci.com.

Agrible, Crop Copter Donate to Future of Ag

Kelly MarshallAg Group, Agrible, FFA

Pictured from left to right: Brett Haas, Crop Copter Co-owner and Sales Manager, Cody Suddeth, Illinois FFA State Treasurer, and Paxton Morse, Illinois FFA State Vice President and Cynthia Bruno, Agrible, Inc. Chief Strategy Officer.

Agrible, Inc. and Crop Copter are proud to support the Illinois FFA and Illinois 4-H as apart of their campaign to build up future ag leaders and stress their importance to the agriculture community. They took the opportunity at a recent trade show event to make donations as they spoke to the students about what they hoped to see for the future of agriculture.

“For every person who stopped by the booth and told us about the kind of ag company they wanted to see for future generations, we made a donation to Illinois FFA or 4-H,” said Agrible’s Chief Strategy Officer, Cynthia Bruno. “If participants told others about it, we chipped in even more.”

Bruno added, “We heard what the agriculture community wants in an ag company, and we’re working hard to make sure that’s a reality for future generations.”

AgLaunch Announces 2017 Accelerator Companies

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness

There were well over 125 companies interested in the 2017 AgLaunch Accelerator program, but only three will receive $50,000 and three months of intensive business development support.

This year’s three companies are:

• Microbiometer (Englewood, NJ): Microbiometer is a rapid on-site soil testing tool that measures microbial mass. This means soil health can be assessed quickly and inexpensively, compared to traditional assay methods.
• Persistence Data Mining (San Diego, CA): Using proprietary UAV technology, Persistence Data Mining rapidly develops soil nutrient maps over large tracts of farmland. These maps dramatically improve the efficiency of automated fertilizer applications by providing more detail than traditional soil sampling methods.
• Kilimo (Cordoba, Argentina): Kilimo provides a decision support tool for irrigation management in broadacre agriculture. Using satellite, climate, and on site data, Kilimo feeds their proprietary Big Data engine to make the best possible irrigation prescription for each crop.Read More

Trade Gets A Boost

Kelly MarshallGovernment, trade, USDA

Senate approval of Ambassador Robert Lighthizer as U.S. Trade Representative gives President Trump a full cabinet.  Trade will be getting an additional boost, as Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has announced that the USDA will soon have an undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs to help with the administration’s international trade goals.

“Food is a noble thing to trade. This nation has a great story to tell and we’ve got producers here that produce more than we can consume,” said Secretary Perdue. “And that’s good, because I’m a grow-it-and-sell-it kind of guy. Our people in American agriculture have shown they can grow it, and we’re here to sell it in markets all around the world.”

As part of the reorganization, Perdue also announced that the department’s Rural Development agencies would be elevated to report directly to the secretary of agriculture “in recognition of the need to help promote rural prosperity.”Additionally, a new undersecretary will be selected for a newly-named Farm Production and Conservation mission area, which is to focus on domestic agricultural issues. FSA, RMA, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service will all fall under this new undersecretary.

Listen to Perdue’s announcement here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/perdue-reorg.mp3″ text=”Secretary Perdue announces USDA reorganization plans”]

ASTA Hosts Meeting to Discuss Weed Issues

Kelly MarshallAg Group, ASTA, Weed control

Earlier this week members of grower groups, seed companies, and state officials were hosted by the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) at a meeting to find solutions for troublesome weeds like Palmer amaranth. Attendees exchanged ideas for both short- and long-term fixes and stressed the importance of following seed regulations when purchasing.

“Weeds like Palmer amaranth move through many different routes, so controlling them requires an active, unified strategy, including growers, industry and government,” said ASTA President & CEO Andrew W. LaVigne. “The meeting brought together key stakeholders to discuss lessons learned, and strategies for collaboration moving forward as we deal with Palmer amaranth and other new and emerging weed seed issues.”

Farmers who have identified Palmer amaranth in fields or conservation plantings are urged to contact their local Natural Resource Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency or Extension professional.

Sentera Launches High-Precision Sensor Product Line

Kelly MarshallAerial Imagery, Agribusiness, drone, Sensors

Sentera, a leading supplier of complete data solutions to the ag industry, is adding to their product line-up with a new, lightweight sensor. The High-Precision NDVI Single (normalized difference vegetation index) and High-Precision NDRE Single (normalized difference red edge) have improved spectral band separations for more accurate vegetation index measurements. They integrate onto any drone and come pre-installed on the DJI Phantom 4, Mavic, and Inspire.

“We are excited to introduce our High-Precision sensors, offering ag professionals more accurate and affordable crop health data collection options than ever before,” commented Eric Taipale, CEO of Sentera. “We’re committed to offering our customers the best tools to make accurate data measurements, and especially pleased to offer these capabilities within our smallest and most affordable product line.”

Taking DC Bureaucrats to the Farm

AEM, AgWired Precision, ASTA, NCGA, seed, technology, Video

The National Corn Growers Association recently joined with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the American Seed Trade Association to host officials from EPA and USDA for demonstrations on planting practices, seed treatments, and equipment innovations in an effort to help them understand modern farming. The event took place on the working farm of NCGA Chairman Chip Bowling in Newburg, Maryland, which is about an hour from the nation’s Capitol, and included demonstrations from companies such as John Deere, Case, and Bayer. Take a look at the video to see how it went.


Soil Health Institute to Unveil National Plan

Kelly MarshallAg Group, Soil, Soil Health Partnership

The Soil Health Institute (SHI), a leading resource for science-based soil health information, is unveiling a National Soil Health Action Plan they’ve been developing with the help of experts, including those in agriculture, for the past four years. The announcement will take place on May 18 at 9:00 a.m. a the First Amendment Lounge, National Press Club in Washington D.C.

Speakers will include Wayne Honeycutt, President and CEO of the Soil Health Institute; Bill Buckner, President and CEO of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation; Keith Alverson, a 6th generation farmer who serves as a member of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association; Leonard Jordan, Acting Chief of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Jerry Lynch, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of General Mills; and Michael Doane, Director of Working Lands, The Nature Conservancy.

For further information, visit www.soilhealthinstitute.org.

AgGateway Hosting eConnectivity Seminar

Kelly MarshallAg Group, AgGateway, Events

AgGateway’s Mid-Year meeting is coming up next month on June 12-15. This year’s event in Altoona, Iowa will feature an Ag Retail eConnectivity Seminar on Tuesday, June 13 from 10:00 to 3:00 pm. Ag retailers and service providers are encouraged to come and learn about the benefits of electronic connectivity in their businesses.

“This seminar is an excellent opportunity for ag retailers and business system providers who have not yet committed to electronic connectivity to find out more about the tremendous value and competitive advantages,” said AgGateway Executive Vice President and COO Brent Kemp. “The seminar will focus on the efficiencies as retailers, manufacturers and distributors move to seamless electronic data exchange.”

Topics and sessions include:Read More