Search Site   
News Stories at a Glance
Deere 4440 cab tractor racked up $18,000 at farm retirement auction
Indiana legislature passes bills for ag land purchases, broadband grants
Make spring planting safety plans early to avoid injuries
Michigan soybean grower visits Dubai to showcase U.S. products
Scientists are interested in eclipse effects on crops and livestock
U.S. retail meat demand for pork and beef both decreased in 2023
Iowa one of the few states to see farms increase in 2022 Ag Census
Trade, E15, GREET, tax credits the talk at Commodity Classic
Ohioan travels to Malta as part of US Grains Council trade mission
FFA members learn about Australian culture, agriculture during trip
Timing of Dicamba ruling may cause issues for 2024 planting
   
Archive
Search Archive  
   
Names in the news - August 31, 2017
Syngenta 2017 #RootedinAg contest finalists announced
 
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Syngenta has announced the five finalists in its #RootedinAg contest. These finalists, who will each receive a mini touch-screen tablet, will now compete for the grand prize – a $500 gift card, plus a $1,000 donation to the winner’s favorite local charity or civic organization.

The competition, which began in April, invited growers and other ag professionals to describe how someone in their lives has helped them establish their agricultural roots and thrive. Syngenta will feature the winning story in an upcoming issue of its Thrive magazine.

The 2017 finalists are: Thomas Luke Andrews from Boyle, Miss.; Lauren Grimes from Tifton, Ga.; Steve Groves from Bakersfield, Calif.; Tori Streitmatter from Sparland, Ill.; and Nicole Swinson from Kenansville, N.C.

Syngenta has posted all five winning entries to the Thrive website. Online voting, along with the judges’ scores, will determine the grand prizewinner. Voting ends Sept. 15, with Syngenta announcing the winner in October.

For more information and to vote for your favorite finalist, go to the #RootedinAg contest page at www.syngentathrive.com

Merger brings opportunities to Indiana and Michigan

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — More than 40,000 customers and almost 9,000 Indiana and Michigan farmers will begin doing business with the new Ceres Solutions Cooperative, effective Sept. 1.

At the recommendation of their board  of directors, hundreds of members votedin favor of the merger between Wabash-based North Central Cooperative, and Crawfordsville-based Ceres Solutions LLP late last fall. For local customers, who will still be served by the same local teams in the same locations, the main difference they may notice is a new logo on the North Central side, and on the Ceres Solutions side, a renewed commitment to the business philosophy of being centered on the customer.

“There was not much geographic overlap,so our employees have been reaching  out to each other to tighten the service network we have across Indiana and up into Michigan,” said new Board Chair Rob Versprille from his family farm near Cicero, Ind.

A group of 12 representative directors have been elected to support and champion key initiatives of the cooperative.

They are: David Bayne of Twin Lake, Mich.; Rick Brubaker of Warren, Ind.; Norm Gable of North Manchester; Dale Johnson of Clarks Hill; Rex Marchino of Vincennes; Howard Rippy Jr. of Ladoga; Rick Risley of Kentland; Tom Schwenk of Rochester; Del Unger of Carlisle; Randy Waling of Rensselaer; Gary Wilson of Wabash; and Versprille.

Indiana producer attends elite cattle industry conference

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Representing the Indiana Beef Cattle Assoc. (IBCA), Andrew Stewart of Greensburg recently participated in the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. (NCBA) 2017 Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC).

More than 50 cattle producers and beef industry leaders from across the United States attended the conference. Stewart was selected by his fellow Hoosier producers to participate in the 2017 class.

Also attending the YCC Conference this year from Indiana was Cody Sankey of Economy.

The second YCC for Sankey, he was there presentative of the American Angus Assoc./Angus Foundation for the 2016 class and this year, he attended as the 2017 Max Deets Leadership Award winner from the National Cattlemen’s Foundation for outstanding leadership in the cattle industry.

The Max Deets Leadership Award is presented each year to the previous year’s Young Cattlemen’s Conference chair.

Beginning at the NCBA headquarters in Denver, Colo., and ending in Washington D.C., this year’s YCC class gained an inside perspective on the many issues affecting the beef industry and the work being done on both the state and national level to address these issues on behalf of the NCBA membership. Both Sankey and Stewart serve on the IBCA/Indiana Beef Council board of directors.

Smith receives ASTA Lifetime Honorary Member award

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — During an American Seed Trade Assoc. (ASTA) banquet June 23, Chair Mark Herrmann recognized Stephen Smith of DuPont Pioneer with the ASTA Lifetime Honorary Member award, one of the association’s most prestigious honors.

Smith, who will be retiring from Du- Pont Pioneer, was recognized for his untiring service to the association, as well as the seed industry. He has served on intellectual property committees of ASTA and the Biotechnology Industry Organization, also known as BIO. He chairs the International Seed Federation‘s Intellectual Property Committee, not to mention he is a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America and received ASTA’s Distinguished Service Award in 2005.

At DuPont Pioneer, Smith secured the company’s intellectual property rights and demonstrated the important role of plant genetic resources in plant breeding. He led a grassroots campaign that resulted in one of the first contributions by the private seed sector of $1 million to the Global Crop Diversity Trust, and he and others helped persuade the Senate to ratify the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

Most recently, Smith has been serving as a visiting scientist and lecturer at Iowa State University in the departments of agronomy and seed science. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of London and, from the University of Birmingham in England, a master’s in conservation and plant genetic resources and a doctorate on the evolution of maize.

Reese, Vale join Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging NA

ACTON, Mass. — Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging announces that Suzanne Reese has joined the company’s North American customer training and support team to assist customers in the use of Hallmarq MRI systems for equine and companion animals.

Most recently, Reese was a veterinary technician at Equine Performax Veterinary and Rehabilitation Services in Thompson’s Station, Tenn.
 
In her new role, she is responsible for operator startup training for newly installed Hallmarq MRI systems for horses in North America, as well as providing the first line of support for established equine and companion animal sites.

In addition, Reese will provide training on proper horse handling and support MRI education and marketing initiatives for referring veterinarians and equine and companion animal owners. She has seven years of experience as a veterinary technician for several equine and general veterinary practices in Tennessee, and an applied associates of science degree in veterinary technology from Columbia State Community College in Columbia, Tenn.

Also, Denise Vale has joined the company’s customer training and support team to assist customers in the use ofHallmarq MRI systems for companion animals. Prior, she spent nearly five years as applications specialist for veterinary MRI at Universal Medical Systems covering the United States and Canada.
 
Vale has more than 25 years of diagnostic MRI experience for several diagnostic imaging companies in both the human and animal health sectors. She is an ASRT- certified technician in Radiology for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging field from the Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital School of Radiologic Technology in Cleveland, Ohio.

Outstanding environmental stewards are honored

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Six families were honored with regional Environmental Stewardship awards during the 2017 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting on July 13.

The Environmental Stewardship Award Program recognizes the nation’s best cattle and livestock operation and their stewardship and conservation efforts. This year’s regional winners will compete for the national award, which will be announced during the Annual Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix, in February 2018.

This year’s regional winners include: Blue Lake Farm, LLC, operated by Rusty and Jessie Thomson, Sharon, S.C.; SFI, Inc., Seth and Etta Smith, Nemaha, Iowa; Sterling Cattle Co., Jimmy and Theresa Sterling, Coahoma, Texas; Flying Diamond Ranch, Scott and Jean Johnson, Kit Carson, Colo.; Jim O’Haco Cattle Co., Jim and Jeanni O’Haco, Winslow, Ariz.; and Munson Angus Farms, LLC, Chuck and Deanna Munson, Junction City, Kan.

Established in 1991 by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. to recognize outstanding land stewards in the cattle industry, ESAP is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation.

Herr joins Indiana Pork as director of biz development

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Stacy Herr has been hired as the director of Business Development for Indiana Pork. Herr grew up on a grain and hog farm in Tippecanoe County. She is a graduate of Purdue University, with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal science. She has served Indiana agriculture in various capacities during her career.

She worked for ADM Alliance Nutrition, Purdue extension in Wayne County and Livestock Engineering Solutions. Her work has included helping farmers work through CFO compliance and permit development, assisting clients in maintaining CFO permits and recordkeeping.

She serves on various boards of directors including the Purdue Women in Ag team, Wayne County Plan Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals. At Indiana Pork, Herr will be a member of the Indiana Livestock Team, a group of employees from several different state agricultural organizations that provide resources for and help producers think through potential livestock expansion projects. 
8/31/2017