Latest News From Margy Eckelkamp

New Data: The Scoop 2024 Salary Survey
New Data: The Scoop 2024 Salary Survey

Uncover industry trends in key ag retail roles with the results of The Scoop’s annual salary survey.

3 Biggest Management Opportunities For Farmers With Technology
3 Biggest Management Opportunities For Farmers With Technology

“We are really in a second phase of ag tech,” says Ryan Raguse, co-founder of Bushel. “We aren’t in an overly mature state—we’re still somewhere in the middle ground."

Telus Formally Announces Acquisition of Proagrica
Telus Formally Announces Acquisition of Proagrica

The industry had been buzzing of the news since late November 2023. 

Bayer Says “Not Now” For Division Split Or Sell Off
Bayer Says “Not Now” For Division Split Or Sell Off

“We are a high-impact, mission-driven, life-science company with three strong businesses, but we have four challenges that urgently must be addressed,” said Bill Anderson.

Bolt-On At-Plant Micronutrients
Bolt-On At-Plant Micronutrients

This is a new seed lubricity agent applied at plant as a talc/graphite replacement which also provides a micronutrient package (5% phosphate, 1% iron, 3% mnagenses, 2.5% molybendum, 10.5% zinc.)

Bayer Announces 2024 Carbon Program, Expanding Opportunities
Bayer Announces 2024 Carbon Program, Expanding Opportunities

“Our mission is to improve and expand our program to create additional opportunities for even more American farmers,” said Leonardo Bastos, Senior Vice President of Ecosystem Services at Bayer Crop Science.

Simplot Grower Solutions’ New Biostimulant For Residue Breakdown: Evaness
Simplot Grower Solutions’ New Biostimulant For Residue Breakdown: Evaness

Benefits include reducing crop residue build-up on the soil surface, resulting in improved planting, seed placement, and germination.

Meristem Announces “Gold Standard” Fungicide At-Plant Treatment For Pythium and Phytophthora
Meristem Announces “Gold Standard” Fungicide At-Plant Treatment For Pythium and Phytophthora

The company sees this new formulation as a potential replacement for liquid seed treatment. 

Indigo Ag Announces Third Carbon Crop
Indigo Ag Announces Third Carbon Crop

The company says its year-over-year growth includes more farmers paid (215% increase in new growers), more fields enrolled (333% more new acres and a 297% increase in new fields) and more credits produced each year. 

Variable Rate At-Plant Inputs: Industry Update
Variable Rate At-Plant Inputs: Industry Update

To date, tens of thousands of acres have been planted with SIMPAS-Applied Solutions (SaS) through the SIMPAS application system.

The Scoop Podcast: Farming With Mother Nature’s Curveballs
The Scoop Podcast: Farming With Mother Nature’s Curveballs

Evan Fust says his team is ready to take on the challenges alongside their customers with a new go-to-market structure.

The McGregor Company Acquires Independent Ag Retailer D&M Chem
The McGregor Company Acquires Independent Ag Retailer D&M Chem

D&M Chem was founded in 1997 by brothers Dee and Mathias Gargus. Both leaders will remain with the newly formed D&M division of The McGregor Company along with their 30 employees. 

FBN Names Diego Casanello As CEO
FBN Names Diego Casanello As CEO

As previously reported, FBN’s board had launched a search for the next CEO for the company.

Top Advice For Pest Management in 2024: Spray Earlier
Top Advice For Pest Management in 2024: Spray Earlier

“We’re living in a world where it’s just a matter of time,” Harlan Asmus says referencing the development of resistance.

Bayer’s New Business Model: Magnitude of Change
Bayer’s New Business Model: Magnitude of Change

Dynamic Shared Ownership reduces the layers and brings the business management closer to the customer.

Pivot Bio’s Sustainabilty Program Pays Farmers $6 Million Over Two Years
Pivot Bio’s Sustainabilty Program Pays Farmers $6 Million Over Two Years

The program is structured so farmer users of Pivot Bio Proven 40 can participate in annual carbon insetting partnerships as a result of their change in practice.

EPA Issues Existing Stocks Order For Dicamba Products
EPA Issues Existing Stocks Order For Dicamba Products

On February 14, the EPA issued an existing stocks order for dicamba products previously registered for over-the-top use.

The Scoop Podcast: Learn To Meet Farmers Where They Are
The Scoop Podcast: Learn To Meet Farmers Where They Are

With more of a focus on digital marketing, Morgan Seger says it’s about recognizing what has changed, but also what has not.

Helena Expands Zypro For Sidedress Applications
Helena Expands Zypro For Sidedress Applications

In research trials in corn, Helena says Zypro in a sidedress application provided an 83% win rate and a 5.8 bu/acre increase. Zypro is compatible with fungicides, insecticides, and other common tank-mix partners.

3 Factors Drive Downturn: Net Farm Income Forecast to Be Down 25%
3 Factors Drive Downturn: Net Farm Income Forecast to Be Down 25%

“It’s hard to put yourself in growth mode when things are getting so expensive,” says Tanner Ehmke with CoBank.

The Scoop Podcast: What Does The Dicamba Court Decision Mean For Ag Retail?
The Scoop Podcast: What Does The Dicamba Court Decision Mean For Ag Retail?

“When the court issued the order, it vacated the registrations for those Dicamba products nationwide,” Richard Gupton says.

Salary Insights: Your Input Is Requested
Salary Insights: Your Input Is Requested

This survey will take about 7 minutes to complete, and your responses will be treated confidentially.

2024 Top Producer of the Year Finalist PJ Haynie: Advocacy And Tenacity
2024 Top Producer of the Year Finalist PJ Haynie: Advocacy And Tenacity

No step is too big for Top Producer finalist, PJ Haynie. Deep family roots are the foundation of his farming legacy. 

Product Guide: Expanding Opportunities In The Planter Box
Product Guide: Expanding Opportunities In The Planter Box

This roundup of almost two dozen product combinations gives details on dry formulations meant for use in corn or soybeans that replace or layer with the same company’s traditional seed fluency blends.

New Product of The Year 2023: AMVAC's BioWake
New Product of The Year 2023: AMVAC's BioWake

This is the first year a biological has been voted new product of the year by The Scoop's readers.

Ag Industry Mourns Death of Bill Northey
Ag Industry Mourns Death of Bill Northey

On Monday, February 5 the news of Bill Northey’s passing quickly spread through the agriculture industry, of which he dedicated his professional life to serving.

Partnerships Bring Biologicals Into Focus
Partnerships Bring Biologicals Into Focus

One of the five things the "retailer of the future" would do is “offer new inputs.” Maybe your future is now.  

New Data Builds "Model Retailer"
New Data Builds "Model Retailer"

To get a measure of what an average ag retail location looks like, the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) partnered with The Scoop to gather data to better understand retailer attributes and behaviors.

5 Ways Truterra Wants To Break The Carbon Market Adoption Plateau
5 Ways Truterra Wants To Break The Carbon Market Adoption Plateau

“We can move so much faster. By our estimates, less than 2% of farmers are participating in these programs industry wide,” Truterra president Jamie Leifker says.

GreenPoint Ag Hosts Agronomy Summit
GreenPoint Ag Hosts Agronomy Summit

The first year event was hosted in Huntsville, Ala., and attracted 800 attendees.

FBN’s Refined Focus: One-On-One With Its Interim CEO
FBN’s Refined Focus: One-On-One With Its Interim CEO

With recent turnover in company leadership, a divestment in its insurance business, and a growing list of partnerships, FBN is re-focusing its business. 

Carbon Tech Banks on Deeper Roots
Carbon Tech Banks on Deeper Roots

“Our goal is simple: use traits to help plants grow deeper roots,” says Cquesta CEO Michael Ott.

Q&A with Myron Stine: Family Roots, Global Springboard
Q&A with Myron Stine: Family Roots, Global Springboard

Myron Stine says Stine Seed is celebrating its 45-year history with a keen eye on the future.

Hemp Seed Livestock Meal Receives Green Lights On Way to Federal Approval
Hemp Seed Livestock Meal Receives Green Lights On Way to Federal Approval

Wendy Mosher, CEO at New West Genetics and vice president of Hemp Feed Coalition, says this is something that has been in the works for at least four years

Bayer Unveils New Operating Model
Bayer Unveils New Operating Model

The goal of “Dynamic Shared Ownership” is four-fold: reduce hierarchies, eliminate bureaucracy, streamline structures and accelerate decision-making processes.

Soil Carbon Enhancing Seed Flowability Agent Enters U.S. Market
Soil Carbon Enhancing Seed Flowability Agent Enters U.S. Market

In 2024, the company, which started in Australia in crops such as barley and canola, is offering its product for use on soybean acres in six states: MN, SD, ND, WI, NE and IA. 

ADM Puts CFO On Leave With Ongoing Investigation In Cooperation with SEC
ADM Puts CFO On Leave With Ongoing Investigation In Cooperation with SEC

Vikram Luthar’s leave is pending an ongoing investigation being conducted by outside counsel for ADM and the Board’s Audit Committee.

FBN Spins Off Insurance Business
FBN Spins Off Insurance Business

What was once known as FBN Insurance will now be known as Momentum Ag and part of Patriot Growth Services.

The Scoop Podcast: Beyond Typical Ag Retail and Co-op Services
The Scoop Podcast: Beyond Typical Ag Retail and Co-op Services

The expansion of services into environmental and water management includes moisture sensors installation, water irrigation uniformity testing, and services Rebecca Schubert says are “beyond the typical retail ag co-op.”

The Scoop Podcast: Maximizing The Value of Irrigation
The Scoop Podcast: Maximizing The Value of Irrigation

With $20/hour minimum wage and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Cory Broad shares how irrigation technologies can help farmers answer these challenges.

Hold The Torch High And Set Your Business Trajectory
Hold The Torch High And Set Your Business Trajectory

A well-planned framework can give a solid foundation to even wild swings in reality.

A Partner In Shared Success: Retailer Of The Year MKC
A Partner In Shared Success: Retailer Of The Year MKC

With an enterprise mindset, MKC walks with its farmer-customers.

Growmark and CHS Seek Collaboration
Growmark and CHS Seek Collaboration

What this means or could amount to is being left as fairly ambiguous.

Q&A with Carlo Lambro, Brand President of New Holland
Q&A with Carlo Lambro, Brand President of New Holland

On the heels of launching the CR11 combine at Agritechnica 2023, Carlo Lambro gave Farm Journal a one-on-one interview to talk about the brand’s global footprint, its focus in North America and the future of New Holland

Truterra Opens 4 Programs, Highlighting Options for Long-Term Adopters
Truterra Opens 4 Programs, Highlighting Options for Long-Term Adopters

In two years, Truterra has paid farmers more than $9 million for more than 462,000 metric tons of carbon benefits.

Former Tyson CEO Becomes Indigo Ag’s Third Leader
Former Tyson CEO Becomes Indigo Ag’s Third Leader

Dean Banks will join Flagship Pioneering as CEO-Partner and CEO of Indigo Ag; most recently, Banks was the former President and CEO of Tyson Foods.

Sukup Manufacturing Acquires Automation Distributor
Sukup Manufacturing Acquires Automation Distributor

Founded in 1962, Ramco Innovations has become a leading distributor of automation products across the Midwest. It has 65 employees, which will transition to the new entity. 

Can A Scouting Technology Increase Farmer Trust?
Can A Scouting Technology Increase Farmer Trust?

From 2020 with only a few farmers participating to covering millions of acres in 2023, Taranis says it wants to help retailers and farmers understand every decision with analytics via its AcreForward technologies.

One New Way to Get More Phosphate in The Plant
One New Way to Get More Phosphate in The Plant

RhizoSorb is being marketed at MAP 2.0

Koch Ag To Acquire Iowa Fertilizer Plant
Koch Ag To Acquire Iowa Fertilizer Plant

OCI Global, the Dutch parent of Iowa Fertilizer Co., opened the plant in 2017 with the annual capacity to produce 3.5 million metric tons of nitrogen fertilizers and diesel exhaust fluid.