Syngenta Acquires Satellite Imagery Innovator

Syngenta has acquired FarmShots, Inc., a North Carolina-based innovator of high-resolution satellite imagery that detects plant health by analyzing absorbed light from field images. In a company news release (see below), Syngenta says FarmShots was developed to help farmers, agronomists and retailers quickly and accurately spot field issues caused by planter skips, emergence, insect feeding, poor plant nutrition, crop diseases, …

Southern Plains Drought Becoming “Rapidly Dire”

The latest Drought Monitor released Thursday suggests the situation in the Southern Plains is becoming “rapidly dire.” February 14th marked the 124th consecutive day without rain in Amarillo, Texas, and the 98th consecutive day without measurable precipitation for Lubbock, Texas. The western half of Oklahoma and northern Texas are classified in an extreme drought, with nearly all of both states …

NAFTA Exit Would Trigger 15 cent Mexican Sugar Tariff

Withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would revert the U.S. tariff on sugar imports from Mexico to 15 cents per-pound, the level in place before NAFTA went into effect. A trade adviser to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told a meeting of the sweetener industry this week that NAFTA eliminated the U.S. tariff on sugar, but Mexican sugar …

Growth Energy: More Biofuels Vital to Improving U.S. Energy Outlook

Federal forecasts in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) newly released Annual Energy Outlook 2018 (AEO2018) demonstrate a clear and growing need for U.S. biofuels says Chris Bliley, vice president of regulatory affairs at Growth Energy. The EIA “reference” case, which contains projections through 2050 based on current trends and regulations, predicts an 18 percent increase in miles traveled by …

Study Of U.S. Grains Council ROI

$20 In Tax Revenue For Every $1 In Farm Bill Spending On Export Market Development Spending on overseas market development for U.S. feed grains and related products increased the value of those exports by an average of $1.71 billion per year from 2010 to 2014 and increased U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by an average of $5 billion per year, …

Farm Thefts Could Draw Heftier Penalties

Getting caught stealing a registered beehive would have a deeper sting under a measure advancing in the Senate. The Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday unanimously approved a proposal (SB 776) that would boost the criminal fine for theft of a commercially farmed animal or a bee colony from $5,000 to $10,000. Committee Chairwoman Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring, said increased fines are …

Seed Cotton Program Good for Georgia Agriculture

In the wee hours of February 9, 2018, both houses of congress passed the Bi-Partisan Budget Agreement of 2018, which the President signed later that morning.  Within this legislation, a safety net program for seed cotton, the unginned cotton that producers harvest, was established.  This makes cotton a covered commodity under Title 1 of the Farm Bill, of which cotton …

FFA Members Celebrate National FFA Week

Agriculture is part of our daily lives—from the food we eat to the clothes we wear. Next week, more than 653,000 FFA members will celebrate the role agriculture plays in our lives while sharing the message of agricultural education as part of National FFA Week.  National FFA Week is a time for FFA members to host activities that raise awareness …