Author: Dave Alexander

Hannah Borg, 22, of Wakefield, Nebraska, is the 2020 Syngenta #RootedinAg Contest grand prizewinner.

Borg is the seventh #RootedinAg Contest winner. She was chosen from a hearty pool of applicants and two other strong finalists with her testimony that moved both online voters and a panel of judges.

The number of submissions this year was one of the largest – and one of the most difficult to rank, said Pam Caraway, Syngenta marketing communications lead.

“Thank you to everybody who took the time to share their story. Each submission was a delight to read or watch. Each story gives us confidence in the future of agriculture, thanks to those who take the time to teach us,” Caraway said.

This annual competition from Syngenta invites growers and other ag industry professionals across the nation to describe the person who most nourished their agricultural roots for their submission entry.

In a heartwarming video entry, Borg pays tribute to the matriarch of their sixth-generation family farm — her 86-year-old grandmother, Lois Borg. “Grandma is the perfect mix of grace and grit,” Borg said. “I’ve always admired how she lives her life and her role in our family. She always knows what’s happening on the farm and never turns down the opportunity to ride along on any kind of trip. She has passed down many stories to me and inspires me every day.”

As the grand prizewinner, she receives $500, a professional photoshoot with her mentor and a $1,000 donation to her favorite local civic organization: the Wakefield Heritage Organization, a group in her community dedicated to preserving and maintaining the local history of her hometown.

“I chose this organization because preserving our community’s heritage is important to me as the next generation to carry it on,” Borg said.

In addition to being part of her family farm, Borg has worked for the Rural Radio Network/ 880 KRVN as a part-time farm broadcaster; a communications intern for FarmHer in Des Moines, Iowa; and an intern for the National FFA Organization.

“Every year, we have the privilege of hearing the stories of people in the ag community whose peers, mentors and family members have inspired them,” Caraway said. “And every year, we learn something new about this community, which has engrained itself within all of us – and become a part of our DNA. Hannah’s video about her grandma resonates with everyone who hears her story.”

To learn more of Borg’s story and the #RootedinAg Contest or to read other ag news stories, go to www.syngentathrive.com. Join the conversation online — connect with Syngenta at Syngenta-us.com/social.

About Syngenta
Syngenta is one of the world’s leading agriculture companies. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. With 28,000 people in more than 90 countries we are working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan we are committed to improving farm productivity, rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS.

Web Resources:
Know More, Grow More
Syngenta Newsroom
Syngenta U.S.
Thrive

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Drexel Chemical Company, Memphis, TN, has announced the addition of two new sales representatives.

Judd Moore as Upper Midwest Sales Representative, will be responsible for sales in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Moore graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture. His previous experience includes Sales, Marketing and Management Roles with organizations including AgReliant Genetics, CHS and Farm Service Company.

He resides in Garretson, SD, and can be contacted at (605) 254-4440 or judd.moore@drexchem.com.

Steven Martin has been hired as Mid-South Sales Representative, responsible for sales in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri (Boot heel) and Tennessee (Western).

Martin graduated from Arkansas State University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Science and the University of Arkansas in 2017 with a Master of Science degree in Weed Science. His previous experience includes Greenpoint Ag, University of Arkansas, and Winfield Solutions. Steven is a Certified Crop Advisor licensed for Arkansas.

He resides in Portland, AR, and can be contacted at (901) 314-1951 or smartin@drexchem.com.

SOURCE: www.drexchem.com.

Verisem North America, a subsidiary of Verisem BV, the collection of leading global seed production operations and a portfolio company of Paine Schwartz Partners, today announced that it has acquired a new vegetable seed processing facility in Warden, Washington. The approximately 134,851 square foot state-of-the-art, turnkey facility, which includes 14 buildings and a rail spur over 11.6 acres, immediately enhances Verisem’s seed processing capabilities and increases production capacity.

Brotherton Seed Company (“Brotherton”), the Moses Lake, Washington subsidiary of Verisem North America, has already begun operating out of the facility, which will serve as its new primary base of operations. The facility utilizes cutting-edge seed cleaning technology and provides increased seed handling capacity that will enable Brotherton to continue meeting global market demand growth.

“We are excited to advance our global strategy and enhance our processing capabilities in the Northwest with this new facility and to continue providing customers with the highest quality seeds that they expect from Verisem,” said Ibrahim El Menschawi, Global Chief Executive Officer of Verisem. “This state-of-the-art facility provides us even more capacity and expanded service capabilities through new technology to create local jobs, better serve customers and grow our business in North America and beyond.”

“Expanding our operations into this state-of-the-art seed facility marks the next chapter in the 80-plus years of growth that Brotherton has enjoyed,” said Scott Marks, Brotherton’s General Manager. “The increased capacity of our new facility will allow us to meet the growing domestic and international demand for the highest quality pea, bean and edamame seeds that our customers expect from Brotherton.”

About Verisem
Verisem is a leading global producer, packer and distributor of specialty vegetable seeds for the professional, semiprofessional and hobby garden markets around the world, and a contract supplier to a diverse set of global seed companies. The company maintains production expertise across an expansive variety of more than 90 different seed types and more than 2,000 different varieties including beans, cabbage, carrots, chicory, coriander, onions, peas and radishes. Verisem today has operations in the Netherlands, France, Italy and the United States and offers production services for customers located in more than 90 countries worldwide. www.verisemseeds.com.

As farmers continue to struggle with labor shortages, technology steps in with innovative tools to help bridge the gap.

BY KAITY LLOYD / PHOTOGRAPHY FROM SYNGENTA

In the photo above, Bill Brim, co-owner of Lewis Taylor Farms in Tifton, Georgia, uses technology to reduce the labor needs of his transplant and vegetable farming operation, which includes this field of cucumbers.

The United Nations estimates the world’s population will expand to nearly 10 billion people by 2050^*, and agricultural operations must rise to the challenge of feeding this growing global population. However, as the industry gears up to meet demand with higher yields and greater efficiency, growers and resellers are grappling with a challenge that threatens to put these efforts in jeopardy: labor shortages.

“We are blessed in this country to have an abundance of resources,” says Bill Brim, co-owner of Lewis Taylor Farms, a diversified transplant and vegetable farming operation in Tifton, Georgia. “We have plenty of land, water and sunshine — all critical ingredients for growing crops. But what we do not have plenty of is labor.”

Factors contributing to the escalating agricultural labor shortage crisis include a diminishing domestic workforce and legislation that makes hiring immigrant populations difficult. Unexpected global events, including the coronavirus pandemic, add more complexity to an already inefficient work visa process. Additionally, competition between industries for the same type of worker makes it difficult for farming jobs to stand out.

The ability to compete with other companies in terms of hours of work, pay and benefits can pose a challenge for employers,” says Rob Russell, director of labor and workforce development at the University of Missouri Extension. “Within agriculture, there are times of the year when you have long hours, seven days a week, whereas other types of businesses don’t have the same demanding schedule.”

Without an influx of new workers, farmers depend on the H-2A program to help close the gap. However, they have long criticized the cumbersome program for its excessive costs, requirements, delays and bureaucracy. Legislation to address some of the program’s shortcomings is on the table, but most experts agree these reforms won’t be enough to resolve farming’s mounting labor shortage.

Exploring Efficiency

While no machine can replace the human touch needed for crops to flourish, new technologies are available to scale the existing workforce and ease the burden of labor shortages.

Brim, who grows watermelon transplants in more than 80 greenhouses, has embraced technology in certain areas of his operation. For example, he now uses updated machinery to seed his watermelons. “While our old technology required 21 people, we can now run it using six people,” he says.

As a result, he estimates his operation has saved about $700,000 per year in employee wages alone. “If we can implement a technology that requires 10 to 20 fewer employees, we’re all for it,” Brim says. “We challenge ourselves to make sure we’re evaluating powerful technologies coming down the pipeline by asking, ‘Is it possible to use for our specific operation, how can we use it, how much is it going to save us, how will we manage it, and what other problems will it alleviate?’”

Technology to the Rescue

The labor challenges that growers like Brim currently face require creative, new solutions, notes Greg Meyers, chief information and digital officer at Syngenta.

“What farmers really want are practical solutions to fit the real-world problems they face on a daily basis,” Meyers says. “Computer and data science have the potential to create the same sort of efficiencies for farmers that tractors did nearly 100 years ago. This time, however, instead of the technology just allowing farmers to plant, spray and harvest fields faster, it now allows them to vary the way they perform these operations to reflect different conditions — even within the same field — such as soil health and type, moisture, fertility, and pest pressure.

Digital imagery and scouting, for example, have the ability to give farmers high-resolution images of fields every two to three days. By using artificial intelligence, these digital technologies can accurately recognize field issues, including diseases and pests, reducing the need for manual field scouting by as much as 30%.

FarmShots^™, part of the Syngenta AgriEdge^® whole-farm management program, is a digital tool that uses satellite, aircraft and/or drone imagery to assess crop health, helping growers manage their fields more efficiently. “This imagery can locate crop damage caused by disease, pests and nutritional deficiencies before it’s too late,” says Jacky Davis, digital ag solutions marketing lead at Syngenta.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the benefits virtual technologies can bring when physical interaction isn’t feasible. “If you’re running a farm, you’ve previously relied on a network of trusted advisers who would come out to your farm and walk it with you to discuss what’s going on,” Meyers says. “If you’re unable to meet with agronomists face to face or they can’t come out as frequently as you’re used to, then the next best thing is a set of virtual eyes via remote technology. Agronomists can get reports delivered directly to their inboxes with insight on drought or climate stress, disease pressure, and more.”

Putting Data to Work

Similarly, data management software, like the technology included in the Syngenta AgriEdge whole-farm management program, enables growers to analyze data of individual fields over time. This digital recordkeeping and analysis allow farmers to fully understand what’s happening on a per-field basis, answer the tough questions and measure overall potential profitability as part of next season’s planning.

Decisions still need to be made by the human workforce, but technology is improving the productivity of farmers and may help mitigate some of the effects of labor shortages nationwide.

“In order to grow, the industry must adapt and move forward under pressure,” Meyers says. “Fortunately, farmers are resilient. With the help of innovative new technology, the industry is primed to not only move forward in the face of labor shortages, but also blaze a trail for future generations.”

^*According the United Nations’ World Population Prospects report, 2017 Revision.

SOURCE: Syngenta Thrive Summer 2020

As trade shows around the country shut down in response to the global pandemic, expo organizers have been scrambling to set up virtual events.

The PMA Fresh Summit opened online Oct. 13 and runs through Oct. 15. This event provides the first look at what virtual trade show “booths” may look like this fall and winter.

We checked out the Fox Packaging and Fox Solutions booth and found it pretty intriguing. There is a slick opening video, product features, sell sheets and even Q&As with Craig and Aaron Fox.

If you are considering a virtual booth at a trade show, check out the Fox booth for some great ideas:

Fox Packaging and Fox Solutions PMA Booth

Being able to identify crop problems early can make the difference between saving a crop and losing it, but high-tech solutions can be costly. An interdisciplinary team of researchers are launching an inexpensive camera system that can monitor crop stress remotely – and it costs less than the average smartwatch.

Developed by NC State computer vision and machine learning expert Paula Ramos-Giraldo, the StressCam system is based around a Raspberry Pi, a tiny, inexpensive and easily-programed computer. Solar powered and WiFi-enabled, it has a camera that  takes pictures of a field and records signs of droughts such as wilting or curling leaves. The tiny computer runs a machine learning algorithm on the photos to analyze them for indications of drought stress. Then it sends this information to a web platform for resilience researchers, plant breeders and eventually farmers.

Undergraduate and graduate students were involved in designing the system’s machine learning algorithm as well as building the web-based interface for different groups of users.

The eventual goal is to roll out the StressCams to the Precision Sustainable Agriculture research network, a network of farms and research stations in 22 states supported in part by a USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant for the development of resilient agricultural systems.

This project is one of many coming out of the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative, which aims to redefine team science and activate data-driven solutions that solve the world’s grand agricultural challenges.

Inn Foods, Inc. of Watsonville, Calif. has been awarded a contract to deliver frozen diced carrots from the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The contract totals $212,361.60 in carrots.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PURCHASE AWARD HERE

The National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program awarded a five year, $20 million grant to explore foundational AI goals and innovative uses of AI to develop a prototype autonomous “farm of the future,” anticipating a world in which low-cost AI-driven systems enable breeders and farmers to achieve large improvements in yields and profitability with minimal or even positive environmental impacts.

The project, AI Institute for Future Agricultural Resilience, Management and Sustainability (AIFARMS) is sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) AND THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF).  The Institute will be centered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and its 40-member team will work to advance fundamental AI research in computer vision, machine learning, soft object manipulation and intuitive human-robot interaction to solve major agricultural challenges including labor shortages, to enhance efficiency and welfare in animal agriculture, to improve environmental resilience of crops, and to address the need to safeguard soil health.

Todd Mockler, PhD, member and Geraldine and Robert Virgil Distinguished Investigator at the Danforth Center will co-lead a research team applying AI approaches to extract plant phenotypes, from sensor data sets in order to accelerate crop improvement, with a focus on enhancing nitrogen and water use efficiency in major row crops such as corn and soy.

“Crop and livestock production are extremely complex systems that feed billions of people despite tight cost constraints and chronic risks from weather and other external challenges. I’m excited to be part of a fantastic team of colleagues in diverse disciplines ranging from artificial intelligence to robotics to plant biology. said Mockler. “The AIFARMS institute is poised to address fundamental challenges facing world agriculture while improving the resilience of crops and the sustainability of crop and livestock production systems.”

About the National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program

The NAIRI is a joint effort between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture was created in response to the White House’s 2019 update to the National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan, which aims to provide support for AI research that focuses on impacting and improving society.

KEY RESEARCH THRUSTS

• Autonomous Farming
• Labor Optimization for Livestock
• Environmental Resilience
• Soil Health

For additional information, contact: Karla Roeber, (314) 406-4287, kroeber@danforthcenter.org

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is inviting offers to sell frozen vegetables pursuant to the AMS Master Solicitation for use in the National School Lunch Program and other Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs.

The offer includes 15,840 cases of frozen diced carrots.

Acceptances will be announced by midnight, September 25, 2020.
Deliveries are to be made between January 31, 2021-June 15, 2021.

To view the entire solicitation, click HERE.

The Agricultural Marketing Service has issued a solicitation for the procurement of canned and frozen seasonal vegetables that includes 31,680 cases of frozen carrots and 1,620 cases of frozen diced carrots.

Bids are due August 28.

The specialist for this solicitation is Luma Kale, Luma.Kale@usda.gov.

The contracting officer for this solicitation is Kelli Dawkins, Kelli.Dawkins@usda.gov.

Contact the specialist first, with questions regarding the requirements of this solicitation. Do not discuss your bid prices with the specialist or contracting officer before award.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FULL SOLICITATION