Author: Dave Alexander

Agri-Pulse has announced that USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Ranking Member John Boozman, R-Ark., are all confirmed to speak in person at the Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit.

The event, which is focused on “Revitalizing Rural Revenues,” will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on March 18, but virtual attendance is also an option. Keynote speakers and panelists will cover a wide variety of ways that people who live and work in rural America are developing innovative new products from the land and finding creative ways to start businesses.

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By James Mintert and Michael Langemeier, Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture

The February Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer reading reached 111, marking a 5-point rise from last month. The small uptick is attributed to producers expressing increased optimism about the future, with the Future Expectations Index climbing 7 points to 115. However, the Current Conditions Index remained unchanged. Despite their improved outlook for the future, farmers’ financial performance expectations did not keep pace. February’s Farm Financial Performance Index registered at 85, a slight dip from January and notably lower than its recent peak in December. The February survey was conducted from Feb. 12-16.

Weak crop prices continue to weigh heavily on financial expectations, with mid-February Eastern Corn Belt cash prices for corn and soybeans declining by 7% and 8%, respectively, compared to two months earlier. When producers were asked about their primary concerns for farm operations in the upcoming year, the top concern cited by 34% of respondents was “high input costs,” closely followed by “lower crop/livestock prices,” chosen by 28% of respondents. Worries about rising interest rates among producers seem to have diminished somewhat, with 18% of February respondents citing it as a top concern, down from 26% who did so in November.

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The Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association (PNVA) has announced up to $20,000 in scholarships. The scholarships can even be renewed an additional year, pursuant to guidelines set by the PNVA board.

Scholarships can be used in any area of study in Agriculture, with preference given to areas specifically related to vegetable production.

​Eligible applicants must be high school graduates planning to attend an institution of higher education (university, college, or technical program) or current undergraduates.
The recipient will be asked to report to the Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association for at least one year after being awarded the scholarship.

Candidates interested in the scholarship should fill out the application form and candidates may be invited to an in-person interview. The scholarship committee and board of directors of the PNVA will select the scholarship winners.

The application deadline is April 19th and announcement of the scholarship winners will be made in June.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Drexel Chemical Company, Memphis, Tennessee, has added Steve Henning as Western Regional Manager. The Centennial, Colo. resident will manage Drexel’s business in the Western U.S.

Henning received a Bachelor of Science from Shorter College. His previous experience includes Verdesian Life Sciences, Wilbur-Ellis, Bayer Crop Science and BASF.

Steve can be contacted at (901) 496-2178 or shenning@drexchem.com.

Vive Crop Protection has announced the addition of Greg Esco, Eastern US Sales Manager; Bruce Ringrose, Director of Sustainability and Stakeholder Relations; and the promotion of Jeff Lacrooy to VP of Finance to their staff.

With more than 25 years of experience in agriculture, Greg Esco brings a wide breadth of knowledge in agronomy, customer relations, and sales management to Vive’s Eastern US sales team. Esco spent the last few years working as the Director of Key Accounts for Simplot Grower Solutions and was with Nutrien Ag Solutions for 24 years before that. Esco will be responsible for overseeing Vive’s Eastern US Sales Team, supporting key channel partners, and expanding Vive’s market position sales in the East.

With his entrepreneurial background, Ringrose has more than 25 years of experience in the private and public sectors. Ringrose seeks game-changing, sustainable business models in agriculture and cleantech by securing non-dilutive innovation capital. Ringrose’s most recent skills come from experience as the Head of Sustainability and Stakeholder Relations at Farmers Edge.

A member of the Vive team since 2021, Jeff Lacrooy has been promoted to VP of Finance. With over 15 years of finance and operational experience, Lacrooy has made major strides in the development of Vive’s financial and operational systems.

For more information about Vive Crop Protection, visit www.vivecrop.com.

By Cameron Rudolph 

2023 was the warmest year on record across the globe, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Since 1850, the 10 warmest years have occurred in the past decade. Climate scientists have pointed to this trend as the root of more frequent and severe weather events.

For growers and producers of agricultural commodities, these climate challenges pose a variety of threats. From the extremes of flooding and drought to new pests and diseases, the environmental conditions farmers contend with are increasingly difficult to manage.

In Michigan, agricultural industries are dealing with both short- and long-term issues, but most funding has been provided to address urgent needs.

But a new partnership among the plant coalition (Michigan plant agriculture organizations), the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), and Michigan State University is aimed at helping Michigan plant agriculture mitigate and adapt to climate change, while promoting environmental sustainability and the protection and efficient use of the state’s water resources.

The Agricultural Climate Resiliency Program — which operates through MSU AgBioResearch and MSU Extension — was established in 2024 through the MDARD budget with $1 million in recurring funds to support faculty and Extension positions. A one-time investment of $5 million will go toward a competitive grants program, in which MSU researchers and Extension specialists can apply for three-year grants of up to $1.25 million.

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The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Commodity Procurement Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is having two, free, live, interactive webinars on becoming an approved USDA food vendor.

AMS purchases approximately $6 billion of U.S. grown and processed foods annually for domestic and international food assistance programs. USDA purchases over 300 different food products that directly support the nutritional needs of millions of school children, families and other qualified individuals.

Webinar Part 1: The first webinar will take place Feb. 15, at 2-3 p.m. ET to discuss how your company can become an approved vendor and participate in these purchases that support American agriculture.

Webinar Part 2: The second FREE webinar will be presented a week later on Feb. 22, at 2-3 p.m. ET and discuss what approved vendors need to know to submit their first bid and be successful for future bids.

Andrea Lang and Diana Dau David, New Vendor Specialists for the AMS Commodity Procurement Program, will be presenting on the following topics:

Overview of the Administrative Application
Roles and Responsibilities of Reviewing Officials
Technical Requirements
Best Practices after Approval
Frequently Asked Questions
Registration is required and space is limited. Once you register using the links below, you will be provided the opportunity to submit questions.

If you have questions about the registration process, contact Andrea Lang at Andrea.Lang@usda.gov or Diana Dau David at Diana.Dau@usda.gov.

Register for Webinar Part 1 on February 15th
Register for Webinar Part 2 on February 22nd

If you are not on the Seminis Vegetable Seeds email list, you missed this cool infographic detailing things the company did last year.

According to the graphic, Seminis invested more than $70M in vegetable R&D in the Americas. Another interesting fact is 5.7M kilos of seed were distributed across North America. That’s more than 12.5 million pounds!

Click HERE to join their email list so you don’t miss future Seminis news and notes.

The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) announced March 19, 2024, will be National Agriculture Day with the theme of “Agriculture: Growing a Climate for Tomorrow.”

Activities planned for March 19 feature a virtual Ag Day program, and in-person events in Washington DC. ACA will invite students to interact virtually with legislators and agency representatives, delivering the Ag Day message. A core leadership team of college students will participate in the DC events, along with representatives of national farm and commodity organizations, representatives of the food, fuel, and fiber communities.

In addition to the events on March 19, the ACA will offer the Ag Day Essay Contest. Interested students would create video essays on the topic of Agriculture in the Future: If I had two minutes to talk to a farmer.” The winning video essay will be presented on National Ag Day.

Visit www.agday.org for more info.

Nichino America, Inc. and Sipcam Agro have announced their second cross-licensing agreement that will enhance the crop protection offerings mutually for each company.

Under the terms of this partnership, Nichino has granted Sipcam Agro early access entry to Fenpyroximate 5SC and 5EC Miticide/Insecticide formulations, which provide fast and highly effective control of damaging mites and other pests on many key specialty crops. This agreement provides a more diverse portfolio for Sipcam and for their customers with the addition of these two miticide/insecticide formulations.

In return for this opportunity, Sipcam Agro has expanded the distribution rights to Nichino for Cymoxanil + Propamocarb fungicide (Eject®) to include the state of Arizona. This alliance allows Nichino to market and sell Eject, a highly effective downy mildew fungicide for use on a variety of vegetable crops in Arizona. Adding a new disease management product strengthens the Nichino portfolio and provides a new offering for their produce growers in Arizona.