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Agrotech, North America

The newly issued patents cover two of the Company’s new feminized seed hybrid hemp varieties developed under the Company’s breeding program 

 Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Inc, the market leader in hemp CBD wellness products, has announced that Charlotte’s Web, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, has been granted US Utility Patents for its hemp genetics by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The newly issued patents cover two of the company’s new feminized seed hybrid hemp varieties developed under the company’s breeding program; ’Kirsche’ (US Patent No. 10,888,060) and ’Lindorea’ (US Patent No. 10,888,059).  ’Lindorea’ and ’Kirsche’ are the world’s first two allowed U.S. Utility Patents reading on feminized hybrid hemp plants.

 The company now has earned a total of five U.S. hemp variety patent grants: one Plant Patent and four Utility Patents as it advances the science of hemp horticulture.

“Achieving the first patented hemp hybrids demonstrates that it is possible to improve hemp through similar methods as other agronomic crops using natural breeding techniques.  We believe that ’Kirsche’ and ’Lindorea’ are some of the hardiest botanical hemp varietals under cultivation.” said Bear Reel, Charlotte’s Web vice president of cultivation and R&D and the developer of the new varietals.

’Kirsche,’ having a naturally rich phytochemical profile and good disease resistance, has an excellent plant structure and a flower-to-stem ratio that is compatible with mechanical harvesting innovations. ’Lindorea,’ developed for the Kentucky climate, exhibits broad resistance to fungal pathogens in the North and South Appalachian regions but also in the wetter autumn climate in Ore. while delivering record breaking yields.

 “The ’Kirsche’ and ’Lindorea’ U.S. patents represent more than four years of scientific research and trials, and some of the most cutting-edge work being conducted in genetics in the hemp CBD industry today,” said Deanie Elsner, Charlotte’s Web president and CEO.

The newly issued patents cover two of

Live Stock, R&D

The Ceres Tag platform uses the unique capabilities of Globalstar to produce a small and lightweight smart ear tag

Globalstar, Inc., a leading provider of customizable Satellite IoT Solutions for customers around the world based out in the US has recently announced that it has signed a commercial agreement with Ceres Tag, to supply satellite services to the livestock industry through the world’s first and only smart ear tag for traceability provenance, biosecurity, health, animal welfare, production improvement and theft reduction.

This agreement follows Ceres Tag’s recent success in winning the SVG Ventures THRIVE Challenge and their ear tag being named as the #1 Big Breakthrough Technology for Ag Change in the Next Decade by the AgJournal of Weekend Australian.

The Ceres Tag platform uses the unique capabilities of Globalstar to produce a small and lightweight (just over one ounce) smart ear tag that attaches to the animal and automatically sends the data to the cloud via the Globalstar Satellite Network.

The Ceres Tag requires no infrastructure, no maintenance and has a battery capable of lasting the lifetime of an animal making it the lowest cost, scalable, plug and play option for ranchers to produce better performing animals at a greater profit.

The unique relationship with Globalstar enables Ceres Tag to supply an automated daily recording of animals including world exclusive capabilities on pasture feed intake, which is primary to determining feed efficiency, genetic selection and managing of greenhouse gas. Traceability, biosecurity, performance, health and welfare have never been under more scrutiny than they are now.

 

The Ceres Tag platform uses the unique

E-commerce, R&D, Seeds

It provides a strong pest and disease package and wide adaptation across moisture zones.

 To help Pacific Northwest (PNW) wheat growers navigate tricky growing conditions in their highly diverse region, Syngenta is adding a new widely adapted soft white spring wheat variety to the company’s proven portfolio of AgriPro® brand wheat. AP Coachman is available to purchase as a certified seed for the 2021 spring wheat planting season.

Home to varied climates and diverse landscapes, the PNW features a mix of growing conditions and moisture zones. From planting to harvest, wheat producers must remain vigilant and monitor changes in weather and precipitation that could bring unwanted threats from pests and disease. AP Coachman offers the flexibility needed for PNW growers, offering a strong pest and disease package and wide adaptation across moisture zones.

Trial results show AP Coachman produces very good test weight, good straw strength, and good end-use quality. This medium height and late maturity variety is also resistant to Hessian fly and features good tolerance to stripe rust.

“Planting certified seed varieties like AP Coachman is a great way to start off the year strong and ensure high-quality performance all season,” said Riley Hille, AgriPro key account lead in the Western region. “AP Coachman has undergone rigorous testing—both in the lab and in the field—to ensure it meets the needs of PNW growers, and we’re eager to see how it benefits producers across the region.”

 

It provides a strong pest and disease

E-commerce, R&D, Seeds

All three new varieties provide three-gene lepidopteran resistance

BASF has announced the addition of three new cottonseed varieties to its robust cotton portfolio. Based on input from on-farm testing through BASF Agronomic Performance Trials (APT) and other company trials, BASF will launch one new FiberMax® cotton seed variety – FM 1730GLTP — and two new dicamba-tolerant Stoneville® cotton seed varieties – ST 5091B3XF and ST 4993B3XF — for the 2021 season. 

 “We tested across the Cotton Belt, all soil types, management types and growing conditions. Of our seven experimental candidates, three of our varieties were found to bring significant value to our growers”,said Malin Westfall, Head of U.S. Cotton Business at BASF. 

Both of the new Stoneville varieties are tolerant to Liberty® herbicide, Engenia® herbicide and glyphosate herbicides. All three new varieties provide three-gene lepidopteran resistance, helping growers manage yield-robbing worms. 

The new 2021 BASF cotton seed varieties include:

FiberMax Cotton Seed

“FM 1730GLTP is a new GlyTol®/Liberty Link®/Twinlink® Plus variety that possesses excellent fiber quality and tolerance to root knot nematodes, which will improve its fit across a number of acres in the Southern High Plains,” said Kenny Melton, PhD, Western Region Agronomic Manager for BASF. “This variety performed well across the entire Southwest, performing even better in the shorter growing seasons of the Texas Panhandle.” 

Stoneville Cotton Seed

 It’s a potential high-yielder, resistant to bacterial blight and offers good storm tolerance. ST 5091B3XF: A new potential high-yield variety for growers in the Eastern Cotton Belt, South and East Texas is ST 5091B3XF, which offers a strong fiber package and a good plant type for all soils. 

“ST 4993B3XF was a strong performer across the entire Belt, especially in West Texas,” said Melton. “The bacterial blight resistance will be a welcome addition to the Stoneville portfolio in areas where that disease has been an issue.”

This new variety delivers high-yield potential for cotton producers in the Eastern US, along with South and East Texas and provides growers another Stoneville variety option along with the proven performance of ST 4990B3XF.

 

 

All three new varieties provide three-gene lepidopteran

North America

The fiscal year 2021 project list includes 29 projects funded through the NCPN

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating more than $70 million to support 383 projects under the Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721 program to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, threat mitigation, to safeguard the nursery production system and to respond to plant pest emergencies.  Universities, states, federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, nonprofits, and Tribal organizations will carry out selected projects in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. 

The fiscal year 2021 project list includes 29 projects funded through the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN). The NCPN helps our country maintain the infrastructure necessary to ensure that pathogen-free, disease-free, and pest-free certified planting materials for fruit trees, grapes, berries, citrus, hops, sweet potatoes, and roses are available to US specialty crop producers. 

In FY 2021, funded projects include, among others: 

  • Asian giant hornet research and eradication efforts: $944,116 in Washington and other states;
  • Exotic fruit fly survey and detection: $5,575,000 in Florida and California;
  • Agriculture detector dog teams: $4,287,097 to programs in California, Florida, and nationally to support detector dog teams;
  • Honey bee and pollinator health: $1,337,819 to protect honey bees, bumblebees, and other important pollinators from harmful pests;
  • Stone fruit and orchard commodities: $1,158,000 to support pest detection surveys in 10 states including New York and Pennsylvania;
  • Forest pests: $876,485 for various detection tools, control methods development, or outreach to protect forests from harmful pests in 16 states, including Arkansas, Indiana, South Carolina, and New Hampshire;
  • Solanaceous plants (including the tomato commodity): $434,000 to support surveys in 13 states including Texas, Mississippi, and South Carolina. 

USDA will use $14 million to rapidly respond to invasive pest emergencies should a pest of high economic consequence be found in the United States.

The fiscal year 2021 project list includes

AgroPolicy, Poultry

Banning poultry products due to Bird flu infection fear would add to the negative impact on the poultry industry 

 Cases of Avian Influenza have been confirmed in 10 states, as on 13 January, 2021. Further, cases of unnatural mortality of birds have been reported in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir and 4 districts of Jharkhand.

On January 12, 2021, a VC was organised under the chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Animal husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) and was attended by representatives from 17 states. Through the meeting, states were advised to efficiently manage the spread of Avian Influenza in their respective states in accordance with the Action Plan 2021. To deal with the situation the states were asked to coordinate with the department of health and forest and sensitize them about the issue.

States were also asked to maintain sufficient supply of protective equipment and maintain bio-security measures in poultry farms. States were also directed to identify BSL-II labs at the state level for speeding up the identification of infection in the state and timely introduction of control mechanism. The states were also asked to ensure that the infection does not spread among poultry, as it would have a high economic cost for the poultry farmers. It was found that many states are banning supply of poultry and poultry products from other states. As this would add to the negative impact on the poultry industry, the states were requested to reconsider such decision.

Awareness generation activities through newspaper advertisements, seminar, etc. are being conducted by several states. The states were encouraged to continue such awareness generation activities with support from their state Directorate of Information and Public Relations and were assured about availability of funds for such activities. States should issue advisories on Dos and Don’ts regarding consumption of poultry and eggs, so as to avoid spreading of rumours/ misinformation thereby leading to economic loss for the poultry farmers.

 

Banning poultry products due to Bird flu

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Trade

APEDA along with IIMR and stakeholders is planning five years for the promotion of Millets and Millet products

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), in association with Andhra Pradesh Drought Mitigation Project (APDMP), an externally aided project funded by IFAD, recently organized a Virtual Buyer Seller Meet with Millet Exporters and FPOs of Millet for establishing marketing linkages.

Considering the potential of increasing exports of Millets and Millet products and the focus given by Government for development of Millet sector of Nutri Cereals, APEDA is closely interacting with the Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR) and other stakeholders like National Institute Nutrition, CFTRI, and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) for perspective planning of five years for promotion of Millets and Millet products. This platform has provided an opportunity to the exporters and FPOs to interact with each other for the supply and sourcing of products.

APEDA is making efforts to prepare a perspective Action Plan for increasing export of Millet and Millet Products for a period five years i.e., 2021-2026 to enable all concerned stakeholders for taking necessary action in a time-bound manner for achieving the target.

Further, efforts would be made on the identification of Organic Millet clusters, registration of FPOs and exporters of Millets at Farmer Connect Portal developed by APEDA for further interaction for buy and sell activity, and identification of new Potential International Markets for promotion of Indian Millets. 

Dr M Angamuthu Chairman APEDA, H. Arun Kumar, Commissioner Agriculture, Government of Andhra Pradesh, G Vinaichand, COO, APDMP, Senior Officers of APEDA and APDMP, FPOs and exporters of  Millet participated in the program.

APEDA along with IIMR and stakeholders is

Finance, Start ups

FMO and Triodos IM have committed EUR 5 million each in debt to Samunnati Financial Intermediation & Services Pvt Ltd.

Agritech start up Samunnati has announced that it has raised EUR 10 million (around Rs 90 crore) in debt to provide loans to farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and SME agri businesses.

 Chennai-based Samunnati said in a statement it has raised EUR 10 million from FMO–Entrepreneurial Bank as well as Triodos Fair Share Fund and Triodos Micorfinance Funds, the two financial inclusion funds managed by Triodos Investment Management (Triodos IM).

“FMO and Triodos IM have committed EUR 5 million each in debt to Samunnati Financial Intermediation & Services Pvt Ltd, a non-banking financial company (NBFC) in India, to help the company expand financing and technical assistance to low-income farmers and enterprises throughout the agricultural value chain in India,” the stated the company.

“The company plans to use the funds to make loans to FPOs and SME agri businesses that are currently underserved by the formal financial system,” company said in statement.

Anilkumar SG, Founder and CEO, Samunnati said, “Samunnati is working with FPOs on the supply side and agri Enterprises on the demand side across 19 states in India. We are delighted to partner with FMO and Triodos Bank as this will help us further offer customized financial solutions, using social and trade capital, to FPOs and SMEs, enabling the agri value chain to operate at a higher equilibrium.”

FMO and Triodos IM have committed EUR

Korea

The exhibition expects to narrow the distance from the Korean export companies to the overseas market

The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT, President Byung Ho Lee) has established an online exhibition to support South Korean agrifood exporters pioneering overseas markets as offline exhibitions were continuously canceled in countries around the world due to COVID-19.

Accordingly, aT initiated an online exhibition website with Korean companies who initially intended to participate in the canceled offline food exhibitions to support the growth of K-food exports and its marketing. Within the website, one could conveniently and easily check a product’s information and note its excellence in terms of its high quality, ingredient, and taste.

In particular, as the online exhibition is produced to suit both PC and mobile screens, one is able to check optimized information anytime, anywhere. The exhibition is also categorized by exhibition name (country), product type, and features, which allows buyers to easily search for the desired product. Additionally, CEO interviews of select Korean agrifood companies are available to provide a deeper insight into the company.

The online exhibition expects to play a role in narrowing the distance from the Korean export companies to the overseas market

 

The exhibition expects to narrow the distance

Agro Universities, Dairy, Live Stock

Based on cow dung as its main ingredient, the paint is cost-effective and odourless, and has been certified by Bureau of Indian Standards.

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways & MSME Nitin Gadkari has launched an innovative new paint – India’s first cow dung paint – developed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission at his residence. The eco-friendly, non-toxic paint, called “Khadi Prakritik Paint” is a first-of-its-kind product, with anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties. Based on cow dung as its main ingredient, the paint is cost-effective and odourless, and has been certified by Bureau of Indian Standards.

Speaking at the launch function, the Minister said, “It is an effort to improve the rural economy to such an extent that reverse migration begins from the cities to rural areas. Stressing that the role of the government is only that of a facilitator, he said the paint will be marketed in a professional manner, and taken to all corners of the country.

Khadi Prakritik Paint is available in two forms – distemper paint and plastic emulsion paint. The project was conceptualized by Chairman KVIC in March 2020, and later developed by Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute, Jaipur (a KVIC unit).

The paint is free from heavy metals like lead, mercury, chromium, arsenic, cadmium and others. It will be a boost to local manufacturing and will create sustainable local employment through technology transfer. This technology will increase consumption of cow dung as a raw material for eco-friendly products and will generate additional revenue to farmers and gaushalas. Utilization of cow dung will also clean the environment and prevent clogging of drains.

Khadi Prakritik Distemper & Emulsion Paints have been tested at 3 reputed National Laboratories namely National Test House, Mumbai, Shri Ram Institute for Industrial Research, New Delhi and National Test House, Ghaziabad.

Based on cow dung as its main

Agrotech, Machinery - Pre-harvesting

STEYR Konzept Tractor, the New Holland BigBaler 1290 High Density and the FPT Industrial concept Cursor X engine won awards.  

 CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) agricultural brands, STEYR and New Holland Agriculture, alongside global construction equipment brand CASE and global powertrain brand FPT Industrial, have all been awarded prestigious 2020 Good Design® Awards. Conferred by the Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies, these awards recognize products and concepts from the four brands that were judged to be outstanding examples in their respective fields.

Celebrating the most innovative and cutting-edge industrial, product and graphic designs from around the world, the selection criteria are based on the highest aesthetic in terms of innovative design, new technologies, form, materials, construction, concept, function, utility, and energy efficiency, and sensitivity to the environment. The jury, composed of design professionals, industry leading specialists, design journalists and critics selected the following products from a record number of submissions from 48 countries: the STEYR Konzept Tractor, the New Holland BigBaler 1290 High Density, the CASE ‘Project Zeus’ concept electric backhoe loader and the FPT Industrial concept Cursor X engine.

STEYR’s Good Design® Award was given in recognition of the creative yet practical thinking behind the Konzept, a striking study of the future of tractor development.The award also acknowledges the Konzept’s forward-thinking technology, including an innovative hybrid power system combining a conventional engine, a generator and electric drives. The concept tractor was designed in conjunction with sister CNH Industrial powertrain brand FPT Industrial.

The New Holland BigBaler 1290 High Density was commended for its design vision and enhanced operational efficiency. The product’s flowing lines were inspired by nature, specifically the sight of crops swaying in the breeze as they grow, and its sinuous, sleek form reflects the machine’s functionality.

The FPT Industrial Cursor X engine concept, which is a symbol of how the Brand conceives innovation, is a concept engine designed for ‘Planet Earth’. Multi-application to power a wide variety of machines from agriculture to construction and from commercial vehicles to power generation applications; and Mindful – the engine is self-learning and fully connected.

 

STEYR Konzept Tractor, the New Holland BigBaler

Dairy, R&D

Reveal Q+ for Aflatoxin M1 can detect as little as 150 parts per trillion of the toxins in milk samples in just minutes

US-based Neogen Corporation has recently announced that it has launched a quicker, easier test to detect aflatoxin M1, a known cancer-causing toxin of concern to the global dairy industry.

Neogen’s new Reveal Q+ for Aflatoxin M1 can detect as little as 150 parts per trillion (ppt) of the toxins in milk samples in just minutes. The new test is designed for use with Neogen’s Raptor Integrated Analysis Platform, which controls the timing, temperature, and reading of the test strips — allowing testers to simply add samples and walk away.

Aflatoxin M1 is a carcinogenic metabolite of aflatoxin B1 that is produced in the rumen of dairy cattle. The new test can detect aflatoxin M1 in milk within a range of 150 to 600 ppt. 

Reveal Q+ for Aflatoxin M1 utilizes the same incubation temperature and time as Neogen’s BetaStar antibiotic tests, including tests for beta-lactams (e.g., amoxicillin, ampicillin, and penicillin) and tetracyclines. The Raptor platform automatically incubates and analyzes up to three milk samples independently and simultaneously. The system also protects the integrity and consistency of testing data by processing and analyzing results without additional operator input.

Neogen Corporation develops and markets products dedicated to food and animal safety. The company’s Food Safety Division markets dehydrated culture media and diagnostic test kits to detect foodborne bacteria, natural toxins, food allergens, drug residues, plant diseases, and sanitation concerns.

Reveal Q+ for Aflatoxin M1 can detect

Agrotech

Taoglas is providing critical IoT infrastructure and technologies to enable the LvLogics monitoring solution

US-based Taoglas and LvLogics announced recently that they have been selected as winner of the ’Smart Agriculture Solution of the Year’ award in the 5th annual IoT Breakthrough Awards program conducted by IoT Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies and products in the global Internet-of-Things (IoT) market today.

Taoglas partnered with LvLogics to provide an industry-first, self-cleaning silo monitoring IoT solution for farmers, wood-pellet, and biomass users. Taoglas is providing critical IoT infrastructure and technologies to enable the LvLogics monitoring solution, which provides accurate and reliable silo levels as-a-service to farmers, distributors and manufacturers of animal feeds, wood-pellets or any solids or semi-solids. The patented solution enables low-cost sensors to be used in dusty environments and solves the issue of work-force safety, constant maintenance, manual workflows and unreliability due to dust in an aggressive environment.

Using the Taoglas EDGE IoT hardware enables a cost-effective short- and long-range wireless platform for IoT. Combined with Taoglas EDGE Insights, this provides a scalable end-to-end solution for easy control, maintenance and secure management of many different connected devices, systems, instruments and appliances.

The mission of the IoT Breakthrough Awards program is to recognize the innovators, leaders, and visionaries from around the globe in a range of IoT categories, including Industrial and Enterprise IoT, Smart City technology, Connected Home and Home Automation, Connected Car, and many more.

 

Taoglas is providing critical IoT infrastructure and

AgroPolicy

The scheme benefits farmers who face crop losses due to various reasons

The Government of India took a historic step 5 years ago, on 13th January 2016, towards strengthening risk coverage of crops for farmers of India and approved the flagship crop insurance scheme – the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). The scheme was conceived as a milestone initiative to provide a comprehensive risk solution at the lowest uniform premium across the country for farmers. The Government of India is committed to protecting the interests of the farmers.

Premium cost over and above the farmer share is equally subsidized by States and GoI. However, GoI shares 90% of the premium subsidy for the North Eastern States to promote the uptake in the region.

The average sum insured per hectare has increased from Rs 15,100 during the pre-PMFBY Schemes to Rs 40,700 under PMFBY.

As an end to end risk mitigation mechanism for farmers, the scheme extends coverage for the entire cropping cycle from pre-sowing to post-harvest including coverage for losses arising out of prevented sowing and mid-season adversities. Individual farm-level losses arising out of localized calamities and post-harvest losses are also covered due to perils such as inundation, cloudburst, and natural fire.

The scheme makes it easier for the farmer to report crop loss within 72 hours of the occurrence of any event through the Crop Insurance App, CSC Centre or the nearest agriculture officer. The Scheme covers over 5.5 crore farmer applications year on year. To date, claims worth Rs 90,000 crores have already been paid out under the Scheme.

The scheme benefits farmers who face crop