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HomePosts Tagged "agrotech" (Page 6)
Agro Universities, Interaction

The webinar series aims to broaden the scope of training, education, and connectivity within the hemp community.

The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Cornell University have recently announced the launch of a webinar series on hemp research that aims to broaden the scope of training, education, and connectivity within the hemp community.

“ARS solves agricultural challenges that affect all Americans,” said Zachary Stansell, USDA-ARS geneticist and acting hemp curator. “Hemp is rapidly emerging as a critical multi-use and economically significant crop, so this hemp seminar series is designed to increase the diversity, equity, and inclusivity of ARS’ mission while providing hemp-specific education, training, and networking opportunities to historically undeserved communities.”

The research team believes that by broadening the scope of training, education, and connectivity within the developing hemp community, they can create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for new hemp and empower hemp research by bringing diverse voices into the larger conversation.

“Training and educating new scientists from many different backgrounds is critical in order to achieve the most cutting-edge solutions to an array of issues producers face — from climate change to economic viability,” said Cornell University Crop Specialist Daniela Vergara.

Starting January 26, the webinars will occur every other Wednesday from 2 pm – 3 pm EST and include an interactive Q&A session. 

The webinar series aims to broaden the

Inputs

AgBiome’s research is focused on developing biological pest control solutions for the following crops: maize, sorghum, banana and yam.

AgBiome, the leader in developing innovative products from the Earth’s microbial communities, announced the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has continued their granted support, funding phase 2 research aimed to develop novel, efficacious, safe and low cost of production microbial pesticides (fungal control and nematicide) for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan African countries. AgBiome’s research is focused on developing biological pest control solutions for the following crops: maize, sorghum, banana and yam.

The overarching goal of this project is to leverage AgBiome’s scientific expertise, infrastructure, and previous success developing biological fungicides to develop microbial solutions that will benefit small-holder farmers in African countries.

AgBiome has successfully achieved milestones in phase 1 of this project, including:

  • Successfully developing microbial screening assays against the target diseases
  • Identification of 100 microbial strains with confirmed activity against one or more of the target fungal diseases and 25 strains prioritised for further evaluation.
  • Identification of 20 nematicidal bacterial strains able to control the root knot nematodes (RKN) on-plant and three lead strains prioritized for further evaluation.

In phase 2 of this research, AgBiome will focus on the evaluation of the strains prioritised in the phase 1 of the project under appropriate field conditions and select microbes with the best efficacy.

“Upon completion of phase 2, AgBiome will provide production-ready lead and backup strains with proven efficacy to control a spectrum of fungal diseases and nematodes in the key sub-Saharan African crops,” said Dave Ingham, Pre-product Manager at AgBiome.

AgBiome's research is focused on developing biological

Company News, People

Mike served as Executive Vice President and CEO, Nutrien Ag Solutions.

UPL, a leader in global food systems and sustainable agriculture technologies, has announced that it is appointing Mike Frank as President and Chief Operating Officer UPL Crop Protection. Mike brings deep industry knowledge and extraordinary ‘end-to-end’ expertise, gleaned from his years at Monsanto and most recently at Nutrien, where he served as Executive Vice President and CEO, Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Jai Shroff, Group CEO of UPL, said, “Agriculture is one of the only systems on the planet that has the ability to reshape and reverse the effects of climate change. Mike’s global perspective, entrepreneurial style and hands-on approach, coupled with a deep understanding of global food security challenges and driving passion for environmental and economic sustainability, makes him an excellent cultural fit to take UPL to the next level.”

Mike Frank said, “I’m very impressed with UPL’s leadership in sustainability and the OpenAg ‘Reimagining Sustainability’ platform, which takes a unique approach at bringing together the various stakeholders in the food and agriculture ecosystem, focusing on helping farmers, advancing new and more sustainable technologies and feeding a growing planet. It’s an honour to join this dynamic team.”

UPL Group is re-imagining sustainability across the breadth of its operations, powered by its OpenAg purpose to create sustainable growth for all.

Mike served as Executive Vice President and

Bee keeping

NBHM has the aim to create a network of honey testing labs covering all parts of the country and for this 100 FPOs of beekeepers will be proved as the centre.

National Bee Board (NBB) has organised a National Conference on Beekeeping Sector in collaboration with National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED), Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) & National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) on January 24, 2022. More than 600 participants from Government as well as the private sector, State Agricultural Universities (SAUs)/Central Agricultural Universities (CAUs), Beekeepers and other stakeholders involved in beekeeping occupation, etc attended the conference.

During the conference Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India spoke on National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM), a central sector scheme launched by Government of India for overall promotion & development of scientific beekeeping in the country.

Likhi expressed that NBHM will help in filling gaps in infrastructural facilities for honey and linking marginal beekeepers in an organised way for dealing with adulteration in honey. NBHM has the aim to create a network of honey testing labs covering all parts of the country and for this 100 FPOs of beekeepers will be proved as the centre. He suggested including honey FPO beekeeping society/cooperative/firms for better sustainability in the honey sector.

NBHM has the aim to create a

Agrotech

Agriculture Intelligence has announced a multi-year partnership with NAU Country for its award-winning AI platform Agroview.

Agriculture Intelligence, a precision agriculture-science company combining automation, remote sensing and artificial intelligence to provide cloud-based, precision data for specialty crops, has announced a multi-year partnership with NAU Country for its award-winning AI platform Agroview.

NAU Country is America’s original Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) company and one of the largest federal crop insurance providers in the United States, specialising in MPCI, Crop-Hail, and Named Peril insurance products. The company is part of QBE Insurance Group Limited, a global insurance leader focused on helping solve unique customer risks worldwide.

Matthew Donovan, CEO of Agriculture Intelligence and Product Officer for Agroview said, “We believe sampling methods are a thing of the past. Drone technology must be complimented by smart technology and Agroview drives business value. The guessing game is over.”

“At NAU Country, we have high standards for our technology partners. We have heavily invested in drone technology, but knew that with the right partner we could do even more – we could use flight imagery and machine learning to help automate tree counts.” said Chief Marketing and Technology Officer Michael Deal at NAU Country.

Agriculture Intelligence has announced a multi-year partnership

Environment, Pulses

USA Dry Pea Lentil Council hopes for improved talks on India tariffs to continue the pulse trade with India.

USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council (USADPLC), the highest quality producer of lentils, dry peas, and chickpeas for national and international markets, has exuberantly laid out a vision for a healthy and viable 2022. As per the USADPLC, the year 2022 glances over sustainable development goals, including good health and well-being. In addition to the objective of a sustainable year, USA Dry Pea Lentil Council hopes for improved talks on India tariffs to continue the pulse trade with India.

Speaking about the prospects for 2022, Sachin Khurana, India Representative, USADPLC, said, “India is an extremely crucial market for our exporters. We remain hopeful that the trade barriers will be resolved in 2022, and the pulses trade relation between India and the US will return to normalcy. Also, in 2022, we will continue to strengthen our sustainability story and educate Indian importers, traders, and consumers about the benefits of sustainable commodity – Pulses.”

Khurana added, “In 2022, USADPLC is also aiming to focus on ‘Standard for Quality’ – an initiative to highlight the quality and premium standard of US Pulses. Through this campaign, we aim to engage with retailers and spread awareness amongst consumers about the superior quality of US Pulses.” 

USA Dry Pea Lentil Council hopes for

Live Stock

Discussions were held on the activities and strategies for documenting the non-descript populations under the mission

The ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, Haryana organised the Interface Meet on “AnGR of Telangana State: A Mission towards Zero Non-Descript AnGR of India” on January 10, 2021.

Dr BP Mishra, Director, ICAR-NBAGR, Karnal underlined the Bureau’s activities and strategies for documenting the non-descript populations under the mission.

Dr RN Chatterjee, Director, ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research, Hyderabad highlighted the role of native and backyard poultry resources in the nutritional security of the rural population.

In his address, Dr Venugopal, Assistant Director, Animal Husbandry, Government of Telangana outlined the development programmes and policies for the AnGR of the State.

Dr B Ekambaram, Director (Research), PV Narasimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University, Telangana apprised about the potential breeds in Telangana.

A total of 223 Officers of Telangana Animal Husbandry Department, Telangana State Biodiversity Board, ICAR Institutes, PV Narasimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University and NGOs participated in the Virtual Meeting.

Discussions were held on the activities

Finance, Transportation

Sonalika has sold 1,05,250 tractors in April-December 2021.

Carrying forward the strong momentum built throughout FY’21, Sonalika Tractors has breached past 1 lakh tractor sales mark in just 9 months (April-Dec’21) of FY’22, thereby charting the path to a new paradigm in 2022. Meanwhile, Sonalika has also entered the coveted club of 25,000+ export tractor sales in 9 months, a unique feat which remains a distant dream for many companies globally. Sonalika has further extended its lead in exports with 3,432 tractor sales and 31.2 per cent market share in December 2021.

Cumulatively, Sonalika has sold 1,05,250 tractors in Apr-Dec 2021. Year after year, Sonalika Tractors has been fast forwarding its sales performance of crossing 1 lakh tractors mark. The company has been manoeuvring through toughest of COVID-19 waves while addressing farmer’s critical requirements with superior technology powered tractors and implements. This also includes the recently launched Sonalika Tiger DI 75 4W CRDs tractor that delivers twin benefits in one tractor – the power of 75 HP tractor and fuel economy of 65 HP tractor. 

Sharing his viewpoint on the remarkable achievement, Raman Mittal, Executive Director, Sonalika Tractors, said, “It gives me great pleasure to announce that we have created a new record sales performance to breach the 1 lakh tractor sales mark in just 9 months of FY’22. Month after month, our strong focus on our mission and persistent approach of closely working with farmers while addressing their diverse needs, has enabled us to clock the extraordinary record 1,05,250 overall tractor sales within 9 months of FY’22 (April-Dec’21).

Sonalika has sold 1,05,250 tractors in April-December

Agrotech

This programme represents a comprehensive solution designed specifically to combat nematodes

Netafim USA, a subsidiary of Netafim Limited has announced its partnership with Bayer to create the Precise Defense programme. This programme represents a comprehensive solution designed specifically to combat nematodes, an invisible but devastating threat to the health and productivity of almond trees. Precise Defense delivers a powerful one-two punch by utilising Netafim’s precision drip irrigation technology to deliver VelumÒ One Nematicide and other crop protection products directly to the root zone. This delivery method maximises residual efficacy through uniform application rates and significantly reduces the amount of water used to irrigate almond trees.

Growers who purchase a complete Netafim Dual Line Drip Irrigation System from an authorised dealer and purchase two annual applications of Velum One from an authorised dealer are qualified to earn a $40 per acre rebate. Over a three-year trial, Velum One treated trees returned an average yield increase of 18.1 per cent, or 292 pounds per acre.

“Netafim’s cutting edge drip irrigation systems improve irrigation uniformity and have the ability to reduce the amount of water needed to grow a pound of almonds by 20 per cent. In addition, our systems provide an efficient and effective delivery solution for Velum One and other crop protection chemicals,” said Mike Hemman, President and CEO, Netafim USA.

“The Precise Defense programme is a best-of-both-worlds partnership that addresses today’s almond growers’ most pressing concerns and now incentivises them to voluntarily adopt better solutions to combat climate change. By participating in the Precise Defense rebate program and investing in a drip irrigation system, growers can feel confident they have the tools to mitigate nematode damage, maintain, and use water more efficiently.” said Chuck Bates, Vice President of Products and Agronomy, Netafim USA.

This programme represents a comprehensive solution designed

Environment, Finance

This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

The US Department of Agriculture has announced a $9 million investment in new Cooperative Extension and USDA Climate Hubs partnerships to bolster climate research and connect and share climate-smart solutions directly with the agricultural community.
 
“The Cooperative Extension system and the USDA Climate Hubs have unmatched capacity to reach agricultural, Tribal and undeserved communities, as well as educators and students, and our nation’s farmers directly,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
 
This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the nation’s leading competitive grants programme for agricultural sciences. This new AFRI program area provides effective, translatable and scalable approaches to address climate change through regional partnerships, including the USDA Climate Hubs, and further extends outreach through organisations such as the Cooperative Extension Service.
 
“These new NIFA-funded projects will work toward net-zero emissions in agriculture, working lands and communities adapted to climate change, training a diverse workforce that can communicate and incorporate climate considerations into management and climate justice that is appropriate for unique US agronomic conditions,” said NIFA Director Dr Carrie Castille.

The initial six funded projects include:

  • University of California (Davis) 
  • Pennsylvania State University 
  • Montana State University 
  • Ohio State University 
  • The Desert Research Institute Native Climate 
  • The USDA Caribbean Climate Hub 

This investment is part of the National

Agrotech, Poultry

Galleon and Birdoo are the latest innovative solutions to help maximise animal health and flock performance

Cargill is assembling a portfolio of AI-driven innovations through proprietary development and strategic partnerships to go beyond nutrition and help customers optimise their operations with actionable insights. Cargill has added two new products to its portfolio of AI-driven innovations- Galleon and Birdoo which offers poultry producers actionable insights.

Cargill’s patent-pending Galleon tool enables broiler producers to decide how changes such as in raw materials, diet, additives, vaccine programs, and farm management practices influence the microbiome of their flock.

Galleon can help producers improve the flock’s performance for economic benefit by means including but not limited to switching feed and additives or improving management practices. It further, pinpoint reasons why different farms with the same inputs, like feed management and antibiotic regimens, have different performance results.

“An animal’s gut microbiome influences its health in so many ways,” said Cargill’s principal microbiome researcher, Dr Briana Kozlowicz. “We’ve accumulated an industry-leading volume of microbiome data that we can now tap into to provide actionable insights to our customers to improve the performance of their flocks.”

To help producers better track broiler performance, Cargill has teamed up with digital technology enablement firm, Knex, to develop ‘Birdoo’, a first-of-its-kind technology that leverages proprietary computer visioning and artificial intelligence that combines hands-free, real-time flock insights with predictive modelling data. This helps producers make informed decisions quicker while supporting their bottom lines through better animal health and well-being, increased uniformity and improved performance of their flocks.

Birdoo will help Cargill producers:

  • Replace manual weighing with precision through 3D imaging
  • Track broiler performance and weight variability in real-time
  • Reduce processing variability and save on costs through better harvest planning

Galleon and Birdoo are the latest innovative

Agrotech, E-commerce

StoreHippo’s agritech solutions are powered by MACH architecture which gives the agro-based brands freedom to experiment and implement hybrid business models.

Agritech is a booming sector and India alone is home to 1000+ Agro-based startups. However, the sector has its own challenges. StoreHippo, the next-generation e-commerce platform is offering agritech brands build next-gen solutions for their unique business requirements and move ahead of their competition.

StoreHippo’s agritech solutions are powered by MACH (Micro services, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless) architecture which gives the agro-based brands complete freedom to experiment and implement hybrid business models.

Some of StoreHippo’s exclusive offerings that facilitate agritech brands are:

  • Hyperlocal marketplace model to enable businesses to run hyperlocal marketplace powered by dealers who can streamline local deliveries more efficiently.
  • A complete solution to build and manage multiple storefronts from a centralised admin.
  • Multilingual website and admin panel to facilitate farmers and other stakeholders in doing business in their local languages.
  • Mobile apps and mobile-first solutions to reach sellers, dealers and customers on their mobile apps.
  • Complete B2B and D2C e-Commerce solutions to enable wholesale and retail business channels from a single agritech portal.
  • Seamless integrations with chosen payment channels, delivery partners, marketing tools, ERP, CRM, accounting software etc.
  • Inbuilt delivery boy solution so farmers and dealers can manage their own fleet of delivery boys.

According to Rajiv Kumar Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, StoreHippo, “The next agricultural revolution is happening in the digital space. Agriculture which contributes 20 per cent to Indian GDP needs a major facelift to align with the changing market and customer demands. Innovative agritech solutions are bringing data-driven insights to farmers for better yield, crop protection, sustainability and growth. The agriculture sector also needs easy and quick access to the market to help agri-producers and sellers get better ROI for their hard work. To connect the various tools and technologies for better agro-production, distribution and sale the agriculture sector needs uniquely designed cutting edge agritech solutions. StoreHippo offers broad-spectrum agritech solutions that can modernise and streamline agriculture as a profitable business for all stakeholders. The agile and flexible StoreHippo platform can be easily modified at the front-end and the back-end to accommodate the unique requirements of agriculture.”

StoreHippo’s agritech solutions are powered by MACH

Agrotech, R&D, Singapore

The new facility will help Shiok Meats scale-up production of cell-based crustacean meat products

Black & Veatch has recently collaborated with Shiok Meats for the conceptual design and layout of their first-of-a-kind advanced R&D facility for cultivated seafood, officially opened by Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Grace Fu in November 2021.

The new facility will help Shiok Meats, the world’s first cultivated crustacean company, scale-up production of cell-based crustacean meat products, targeting commercialisation by 2023.

“Building the Mini Plant is a big milestone for us. Our production facility, which is due in the next 18 months, will be an extension of this Mini Plant in terms of engineering design and foundation. This new facility allows us to scale the cultivated seafood production gradually and strategically to ensure a comprehensive manufacturing model and top-notch products,” said Dr Sandhya Sriram, Group CEO & Co-founder, Shiok Meats.

David Ziskind, Director of Engineering at Black & Veatch NextGen Ag, commented, “Innovation and sustainability are core to our engineering and construction solutions as we help companies bridge the gap between science, research and development, engineering, and commercialisation to bring new food products to market, at scale. We’re excited to support Shiok Meats in their scale-up efforts to create better and more sustainable food by leveraging biotechnology to enhance global food security.” 

The new facility will help Shiok Meats

Company News, Inputs, Machinery - Pre-harvesting, Machinery – Post-harvesting

The autonomous tractor will be available to farmers later this year.

John Deere, an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, has revealed a fully autonomous tractor at CES 2022, that’s ready for large-scale production. The machine combines Deere’s 8R tractor, TruSet-enabled chisel plow, GPS guidance system, and new advanced technologies. The autonomous tractor will be available to farmers later this year.

The autonomous tractor serves a specific purpose: feeding the world. The global population is expected to grow from about 8 billion to nearly 10 billion people by 2050, increasing the global food demand by 50 per cent. All of these factors impact a farmer’s ability to farm during the most critical times of the year.

  • The autonomous tractor has six pairs of stereo cameras, which enables 360-degree obstacle detection and the calculation of distance.
  • The autonomous tractor is also continuously checking its position relative to a geofence, ensuring it is operating where it is supposed to, and is within less than an inch of accuracy.

To use the autonomous tractor, farmers only need to transport the machine to a field and configure it for autonomous operation. Using John Deere Operations Centre Mobile, they can swipe from left to right to start the machine.

John Deere Operations Centre Mobile provides access to live video, images, data and metrics, and allows a farmer to adjust speed, depth and more.

The fully autonomous tractor will be on display from January 5-8, 2022 at John Deere’s CES booth, located in Central Plaza at the Las Vegas Convention Centre.

The autonomous tractor will be available to