Huma Expands Sales Team and Updates Staff Roles
Huma is growing its employee roster in an effort to enhance its customer experience, streamline nationwide operations and strengthen the company’s ongoing growth efforts.
“These strategic moves are designed to get us closer to the customer, by putting more boots on the ground,” says Fred Nichols, chief sales & marketing officer at Huma. “Growing opportunities in nutrient use efficiency, regenerative agriculture, lowering CI (carbon intensity) scores with biofuels, biostimulants and soil health continues to drive demand for our carbon-based, humic products.”
The new hires include:
Steve Walmsley, MidSouth regional sales manager
Walmsley will support Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and the Missouri Bootheel customers. He brings 17 years experience working in humates, fertilizer, seed and irrigation.
Davin Smith, Pacific Northwest regional sales manager
Davin Smith will work with customers in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. He has been part of Huma for 13 years, previously focusing on international sales in Europe and South America.
Barrett Smith, field marketing and research specialist
Barrett Smith will provide technical product support to the sales team and customers, as well as conduct field trials. He has been with Huma for nine years and will continue to serve customers across the eastern seaboard and New England as the eastern regional sales manager.
Meristem Launches Excavator AMS
Meristem has added a new formulation of Excavator - known as Excavator AMS - to its product lineup.
AMS stands for ammonium sulfate, which has been added to make the product an all-in-one surfactant and water conditioner.
“By adding Excavator with the AMS, it eliminates a step,” says Nathan Louisa of Meristem Crop Performance. “You’re not mixing two products at the spray trailer anymore - it’s already done for you.”
Excavator AMS also uses the company’s Microbilize technology to break down residue and cover crops faster, speed up the release of nutrients, reduce labor and improve the efficacy of herbicide applications.
“We just put our Microbilize technology on steroids when we put the AMS with it,” explained Joe Gednalske, Meristem’s product development lead. “And this formulation has a duplicate of our best Aquadraft formula, so you are truly getting it all: the best surfactant, water conditioner and the nitrogen to speed decomposition.”
Gednalske says this new product has three key improvements:
- A more aggressive biological consortium to break down crop residue faster than any other similar product,
- AMS and a non-ionic surfactant to make burndown of weeds and cover crops more effective and more convenient, and
- Excavator and Aquadraft Premium in one tote or jug, reducing mixing hassles and opening more space on the spray trailer.
DPH Biologicals Introduces ChitoNox FC
DPH Biologicals has entered into a licensing agreement with KitoZyme to develop ChitoNox FC - a biological intended to protect against nematodes and soil-borne disease.
“The pressure to maximize yield per acre is mounting due to extreme weather and rising pathogen pressure, compounded by the demand for more sustainable inputs,” said Alex Cochran, chief technology officer for DPH Bio. “We’re pleased to work with KitoZyme to offer U.S. growers a sustainable biocontrol and biostimulant in one solution.”
ChitoNox FC is sourced from fungal biomass and delivers three modes of action against disease:
- An antimicrobial effect, directly attacking pathogens.
- Stimulation of plants natural defense systems, enhancing their ability to resist disease and abiotic stress.
- Formation of a protective film around seeds and roots, acting as a barrier to infection.
The product is compatible with inoculants and synethic seed treatments. It’s expected to be available commercially in time for the 2025 crop season.
