Some of the timely session topics for this year’s Tech Hub LIVE in Des Moines include The Most Promising Technologies for 2025, Navigating Today’s Autonomous Farming, Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Growth and Grower Profitability. And Maximizing ROI with Effective Grower-Retailer Communication in the Age of AI. Check out the full schedule and register for the third Tech Hub LIVE July 29-31. Two scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have been named 2023 Fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Martin Wil ..read more

Grand Champion: John Deere and Signal Theory John Deere was the big winner at the National Agri-Marketing Association “Best of NAMA” awards ceremony at the annual conference this week in Kansas City. The Best of NAMA awards program honors the best of the best work in agricultural communications with national winners chosen from regional competitions. There are 63 categories ranging from print to broadcast to social and winners are judged by a panel of agri-marketing professionals. Here are the Best of NAMA national winners: Grand Champion John Deere Agency – Signal Theory Entry title: Women ..read more

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) presented its three highest honors Thursday for Agribusiness Leader of the Year, Marketer of the Year, and Ag Association Leader of the Year. Laura Svec and John Rozem present award to Todd Frazier Todd Frazier, Vice President of U.S. Marketing for Corteva Agriscience, is the 2024 Agribusiness Leader of the Year. Frazier credits his success to a listening first approach, using each day as an opportunity to strive for newer, better solutions. His career is highlighted by unique experiences with industry-leading companies, including American Cyana ..read more

AEM’s Curt Blades and John Rozem In honor of ZimmComm’s 20th anniversary, we decided to recognize some of the people who have spent the most time talking into the Golden Microphone. Since we have somewhere in the neighborhood of 12,000 interviews from over the years, we narrowed it down to just NAMA members and we still had lots of candidates. Our judging criteria was based on both number of interviews and being among our earliest interviews. We will be giving out more Golden Mic awards later this year because there are lots of people we have interviewed even more than the individuals on thi ..read more

The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) welcomed members and guests to Kansas City for the 2024 Annual Conference, The Next Generation of Animal Agriculture. More than 120 guests joined the conference to connect with fellow animal agriculture leaders to explore and discuss gaps in animal agriculture technology and innovation and solutions to encourage continuous improvement in today’s food system. Additionally, industry leaders were honored and new directors were elected. The Meat Institute recognized more than 200 meat and poultry plants at the 2024 Environmental, Labor and Saf ..read more

ZimmComm is celebrating 20 years of serving the agricultural business, marketing, and media industries in 2024. The company was founded in 2004 by former farm broadcasters Chuck and Cindy Zimmerman with the idea of helping agribusinesses and organizations reach media outlets with their message in a new way. “What is now social media was called ‘new media’ at the time,” said Chuck Zimmerman. “The idea of using the internet for communications was just starting with blogs and podcasts.” First, ZimmComm created AgWired as an on-line publication for news and information from the world of agribusine ..read more

The Environmental Protection Agency Friday issued a waiver to allow E15 (15 percent ethanol fuel) to continue to be sold this summer. The temporary waiver under the Clean Air Act was issued “to address extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances caused by a confluence of events, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, that are affecting all regions of the Nation.” Ethanol organizations and stakeholders welcomed the action, which the Renewable Fuels Association says will help American consumers save money at the pump this summer, while also cutting greenhouse gas ..read more

TIME named Land O’Lakes President and CEO Beth Ford to the 2024 TIME100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Land O’Lakes operates in all 50 states and more than 60 countries and Ford has served as President and CEO since 2018. Ford, who has held senior positions in seven companies in six industries, leads not only by delivering financial performance, but also by addressing the important global issues and structural changes that can improve areas directly impacted by food and agriculture. During her tenure, Land O’Lakes has focused on its members, the technology th ..read more

Nestlé Purina is investing in farmer adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across the company’s corn and soy supply chains through a new partnership with Cargill, one of the largest ingredient and agricultural solutions companies in the U.S. This work will support soil health and reduce the carbon footprint for Purina dry pet food products across North America, contributing to a more sustainable future for people and their pets. Get ready for an extraordinary journey through Arkansas’s vibrant agricultural landscape at the 17th Annual Conservation in Action Tour, taking place on Jun ..read more

Florida-based specialty products company Custom Agronomics has acquired North Carolina-based BioTek Ag to expand its focus on nutrient use efficiency products. Custom Agronomics is a formulator and manufacturer of private-label liquid plant nutrition, nutrient use efficiency, and other specialty products for the agriculture, turf, and ornamental markets. BioTek Ag has more than three decades of experience helping farmers improve and protect crop yields with specialized nutrients, nitrogen stabilizers, and other specialty products that improve soil biology and enhance the effectiveness of crop ..read more