BZ Media, Skylogic Research Release Drone Report

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, drone

BZ Media LLC and Skylogic Research have announced the release of their report, “5 Valuable Lessons Learned About Drones in Agriculture.” This is the second white paper to be released in a series of critical examination of trends and strategies in the drone market.

“A rising number of software vendors are targeting the agriculture space with increasingly useful solutions. And a new generation of drones is delivering much needed functionality,” said Colin Snow, CEO and Founder of Skylogic Research, LLC.  “This paper offers what agronomists and crop specialists have learned about what works and what doesn’t and discusses what’s next for this industry.”

“To meet demand, we’ve added a special enterprise track for agriculture to the InterDrone 2017 program,” said Conference Chairman Ted Bahr, “and we had to add an extra exhibit hall to fit the growing number of enterprise vendors in the commercial drone space. Attendance for InterDrone 2017 is running 11 weeks ahead of last year,” said Bahr.

InterDrone is the world’s largest event dedicated to commercial drones and expects to host more than 4,000 commercial drone buyers and flyers who will learn at more than 125 sessions. More than 185 exhibitors will be showing the latest drones and related technology in the three-day exposition. InterDrone 2017 is an Emerald Expositions event being produced and managed by BZ Media.

FMC Command® 3ME is #1 for Rice Growers

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Farm & Gin Show, FMC, Rice, Weed control

Command® 3ME herbicide remains the South’s number one preemergence solution for protecting rice production from annual grasses despite recent entries into the market, according to FMC tech service rep Don Johnson in Mississippi.

“We’ve been on the marketplace for rice growers in the Delta region for 16 years now,” said Johnson during an interview at the 2017 Farm and Gin Show. The microencapsulated form of clomazone was first introduced by FMC in 1996 to address previous volatility issues.

Johnson says other clomazone products that have been introduced to the market recently have less volatility reduction compared with FMC to prevent off-target whitening effects caused by volatility from field applications. “The microencapsulated products are not all the same,” said Johnson. “We stewardship our Command 3ME in the marketplace.”

Johnson adds that FMC has another clomazone product for rice growers called Obey which provides effective weed management for Southern rice growers facing increasing pressure from threats like barnyardgrass and hemp sesbania.

Learn more in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/farm-gin-17-fmc-johnson.mp3″ text=”Interview with Don Johnson, FMC”]

Mid-South Farm & Gin Show

Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by FMC

TechAccel Invests Again in Benson Hill Bio

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Data

Benson Hill Biosystems is a St. Louis based company focusing on getting them most from the genetic potential of plants using data analytics. Technology Acceleration Partners (TechAccel) has made a recent investment in Benson Hill, making up a part of their recent drive to raise $25 million. TechAccel’s was also part of Benson Hill’s earlier fundraising efforts.

“Benson Hill brings cloud biology to agriculture, applying a revolutionary convergence of big data, plant biology and predictive analytic technology to enable crop enhancements,” said Michael Helmstetter, Ph.D., President and CEO of TechAccel. “We are supporting this unique technology with strategic science advancement in target markets that complement Benson Hill’s core focus.”

TechAccel is a venture and technology development company focused in agriculture and animal health. The company invests in or acquires new technology and funds science advancement programs with research university partners to assist in commercialization.

2017 Syngenta Crop Challenge Winner Announced

Kelly MarshallContest, Data, seed, Syngenta

Oskar Marko, Sanja Brdar, Marko Panić, Isidora Šašić, Milivoje Knežević, Danica Despotović, Vladmir Crnojević and Zorana Djindjica

A team from the BioSense Institute in Serbia has been selected as this year’s first-place winner of the Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics. Their winning entry provided a model that predicts the seed varieties growers in a specific region were likely to select. Oskar Marko, Sanja Brdar, Marko Panić, Isidora Šašić, Milivoje Knežević, Danica Despotović, Vladmir Crnojević and Zorana Djindjica have earned $5,000 for their mathematical strategy.

“The overall quality of submissions was at exactly the level of analytical and mathematical thinking we are looking to bring to the agriculture space,” said Joseph Byrum, Ph.D., MBA, PMP, senior R&D strategic marketing executive with Syngenta and Syngenta lead for the Crop Challenge committee. “Very little separated all the finalist submissions—but there was excellent clarity in the logic of the BioSense team’s submission. They put a great deal of thought and contemplation into a very complex problem, and then solved it systematically.”

Pioneer Provides Proprietary Tech to Purdue

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Dupont Pioneer, Education, Phenotyping, Research

DuPont Pioneer has announced it will grant access of their proprietary phenotyping and ear photometry technology to Purdue University as part of a collaboration to support students in agriculture-related majors and plant science research. In addition, DuPont will sponsor the Henry Wallace Chair in Plant Sciences in the Purdue University College of Agriculture.

“We could not be more excited to have DuPont as a collaborator in our plant sciences program,” said Jay Akridge, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture. “This investment will dramatically enhance our capabilities to improve plants and build on the momentum of the Purdue Moves investment in Plant Sciences.”

“Through this public-private effort, we’re shaping the future of agriculture by seeking to advance research and develop a rich talent pipeline of future employees,” said John Arbuckle, vice president, DuPont Pioneer. “DuPont, Purdue, and, most importantly, growers will benefit from outcomes that could include broader and deeper research insights and better products with consistently higher yields.”

Applications Open for Iowa AgriTech Accelerator Class

Kelly MarshallAgribusiness, Agtech

Iowa AgriTech Accelerator is accepting applications for startups wishing to participate in their 2017 class. Six, early-stage companies will be selected for the program, which offers mentor-led, in-residence opportunities for those with agriculture innovation ideas.

“An accelerator’s core purpose is to find innovative companies that are just starting out and to find a way to accelerate their business far beyond what they could do themselves,” notes Tej Dhawan, interim director of Iowa AgriTech Accelerator. “The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator brings together mentors and investors from a diverse group of companies and backgrounds who are willing to help a startup’s AgTech idea take shape, grow and become commercially viable.”

The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator has support from some of the largest and well-known AgTech companies, including DuPont Pioneer, Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company, Grinnell Mutual, Kent Corporation, John Deere, Peoples Company and Sukup Manufacturing. From this group of investors, this year’s startup companies will receive intensive mentoring and $40,000 in seed funding. Participants also receive planned visits to investor and mentor companies that will complement office time for holistic education, outreach, networking and presentation opportunities, as well as a graduation ceremony held during the World Food Prize.

Seed Industry Takes Capitol Hill

Kelly MarshallASTA, Government

Members of the American Seed Trade Association are coming together to tell the story of the seed industry to members of Congress. Participants hope to highlight the 2017 ASTA priorities, including the need for a strong trade agenda, funding for key research and science programs through the USDA, the need to review the Food Safety Modernization Act, and policies that align with science-based research, among other topics.

“From international trade, to plant breeding innovation, Farm Bill and funding for critical research and conservation programs, Congress is debating serious issues that will affect the seed industry’s ability to continue meeting the evolving needs of farmers, consumers, and the environment in the years ahead,” said ASTA President & CEO Andrew LaVigne. “So many issues impact the seed industry, and the seed industry impacts virtually every aspect of our daily life. We’re excited to bring our diverse industry to Capitol Hill to share our unified priorities for ensuring better seed for a better quality of life.”

Charlie O’Brien to Retire from AEM

Kelly MarshallAEM, Company Announcement

Charlie O’Brien will be retiring from his position of senior vice president at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) later this year. O’Brien has been with AEM since 2007. He will be working with President Dennis Slater to begin phasing out of his position in order to spend more time with his family and a family business.

“I care a great deal about the continued success of AEM and AEM’s Ag Services, both domestically and internationally, so I want to make sure we have a very smooth transition,” O’Brien said. “As I work through the details of the transition with Dennis, and as a successor is named, we will finalize the actual date of my retirement.”

“Charlie has played a critical, strategic role in elevating Ag sector programs and services during his tenure with AEM,” Slater said. “Obviously he will be missed. During the next few months, we will put together a plan to ensure that we cover the many leadership roles Charlie held with industry organizations.”

O’Brien and Slater will be working together to determine his official last day.

Robotics Aid in the Study of Corn

Kelly MarshallCorn, Research, Robot

Two years ago the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $20 million grant to the University of Missouri to study corn root growth during drought. Thanks to that funding, engineers at Mizzou led by associate professor Gui DeSouze have created a robotic system to aid in the study of crops and plant composition.

“I’ve been working with CAFNR (College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources) assisting them in experiments where we helped to create 3-D images of root growth in the laboratory,” DeSouza said. “Now, we’re creating robotics to assist in creating those images out in the field.”

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Outstanding Young Farmers at Ag Day

Cindy ZimmermanAg Day, Audio, Award, John Deere

Some of the outstanding farmers at Ag Day: Kevin and Jennifer Wolsky, Ida and Joseph DeFrancesco III, Brooke Loisel, Nathan Youngquist, Jessica Niederer

As part of National Ag Day, John Deere welcomed four new inductees to the Outstanding Farmers of America (OFA) Fraternity as National Outstanding Young Farmers at the OYF Awards Congress. This year Jessica Niederer spoke on behalf of the inductees. Niederer is an organic grower who sells all of her 57 varieties at farmer’s markets in New Jersey. Selling at farmer’s markets offers her a chance to interact with customers every day– to talk with them and share her own individual story each day.

“We can personally hope that agriculture holds the key to at least a shelter belt of common ground within the divisiveness within our country today,” Niederer says of her experiences. “For 10,000 years agriculture and the business of raising and growing food has been at the base of the way human societies have interacted with their environment and with each other. It’s how our culture really started.”

Growers are in the unique position to make the decisions that shape the way customers view agriculture, Niederer says. We’re under fire all the time, but we can conduct our businesses in a way that gives people a reason to be proud of our work.

The four national winners from the OYF Class of 2016 are: Jessica Niederer, Nathan Youngquist, Joseph DeFrancesco III and Kevin Wolsky.

Listen to Jessica’s acceptance speech here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/agday-nederer.mp3″ text=”Jessica Niederer, Outstanding Young Farmer”]

National Ag Day Photo Album