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Why U.S. Agriculture Needs More AI Investment to Stay Ahead in Global Crop Innovation Race

Tue, 20 May 2025 18:15:48 GMT

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a key tool in accelerating the discovery, development and manufacturing of new crop protection molecules to fight yield-robbing weeds, pests, and diseases in U.S. farm fields.

The technology helps researchers shorten the discovery window and find new and novel active-ingredient molecules that are much more difficult and expensive to uncover using traditional research methods.

That was among the talking points that emerged from Tuesday’s congressional hearing on AI in farming, held in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Science, Space, and Technology Committee in Washington, D.C.

Related: The New Space Race: Why America Must Focus On AI

At the hearing, key agricultural stakeholders advocated for increasing government investment in AI technology and infrastructure. The group warned Congress that America’s status as a world leader in AI has been usurped by Japan and China, while other rival countries are also gunning for top positions.

Testifying on behalf of U.S. agriculture was Corteva Vice President of Agricultural Solutions Brian Lutz, University of Florida associate professor Chris Swale and University of Illinois assistant professor Boris Camiletti.

“AI is without a doubt one of the most profound technologies ever to be invented,” Lutz said. “We believe there is tremendous opportunity for our government to support and incentivize advanced innovation — including by leveraging the benefits of AI — to benefit American farmers. If we want to win, we need to move smarter and faster than our competition. Corteva believes with the support of our government, we will do exactly that.”

Lutz said researchers at Corteva recently used AI to model how 10,000 different molecules might be used in crop protection, all within a matter of weeks. The Corteva model was able to identify dozens of new potential crop protection molecules that its overworked chemists could not have found otherwise. He said the company is currently testing a handful of these molecules and AI will also play a role in moving the testing phase along more quickly than traditional lab-based methods.

Lutz also told Congress how Corteva scientists have deployed AI technology in its fermentation processes, which the company uses to create what he called “molecules of interest” for evaluation. Over the past few years, Corteva has used AI modeling to engineer various bacterial strains that drive fermentation reactions and optimize reaction conditions, allowing the company to run a manufacturing operation that is as efficient as possible. This application of AI helps Corteva maintain a strong U.S. manufacturing base in the Midwest, Lutz said.

“This is the new face of ag innovation,” he added. “We can accelerate discovery of new classes of crop protection products, like biologicals — nature-based solutions that help farmers grow more food by working alongside traditional crop protection products. With AI, we can begin to predict the incredible diversity of biomolecules and metabolites that are produced by microbes and other organisms, with the goal of unlocking the secrets within plant biology to develop the next generation of safe, highly targeted, nature-inspired products.”

Swale testified to AI’s role in helping researchers on his team find and develop biological-based treatments to combat Asian citrus psyllid, an invasive pest that has left the Florida citrus industry — valued at almost $10 billion just five years ago — teetering on the brink of collapse. Effective synthetic chemicals to manage the Asian citrus psyllid exist, but the regulatory hurdles to get those products onto the market are too high, he said

“We have turned to using AI to help discover chemicals of the natural world because the registration requirements are significantly lower when compared to synthetic insecticides,” Swale said.

Camiletti leads a team of researchers combining plant pathology, remote sensing and AI to help U.S. soybean farmers overcome red crown rot, a soil-borne disease first detected in Illinois soybean fields in 2018.

Illinois has been hit the hardest by the yield-robbing disease, Camiletti said, and the pathogen is spreading rapidly to Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri. The disease is difficult to detect visually, he added, and once symptoms appear it’s often too late for successful remediation.

“My team uses satellite imagery and machine learning to identify red crown rot hot spots, and we train the models with high resolution multi-spectral data to near-infrared bands and use ground observations to teach the algorithm what diseased plants look like,” Camiletti said. “This technology has real on-farm impact. We are building tools that generate prescription maps so instead of applying fungicides across entire fields farmers can target only the affected areas.”

After key witness testimony concluded, the committee opened the floor to questions from members of Congress. Watch the full hearing via the video embedded below:

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Industry News: The State of Mosaic's Phosphate Mines Post-Hurricane, AGI Facility Celebrates a Milestone

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 15:07:28 GMT

Mosaic Shares Update On Phosphate Mines Following Hurricane Milton
The Mosaic Company says all of its Florida-based employees are safe and accounted for following Hurricanes Milton and Helene, and recovery efforts have progressed well.

All of the company’s Florida production facilities have returned to normal operations with the exception of the Riverview location, which has resumed production and is expected to return to normal rates by the end of the week. The mining sites are in the process of resuming operations.

South Fort Meade is expected to return to normal operations this week and Four Corners in the next one to two weeks. This quick return to normal operations can be attributed to the proactive and orderly storm management practices that were followed.

“Many Mosaic people came together to ensure that our Florida operations were prepared for the storms, and prepared to recover,” said president and CEO Bruce Bodine. “Their efforts are particularly noteworthy given that many of our people faced significant storm impacts at home. I am extremely grateful to all of them.”

Mosaic expects the hurricane related production impacts to be in the range of 200 thousand tons to 250 thousand tons in the fourth quarter.

Biotalys Appoints Chief Business Development Officer
Biotalys has appointed Kamal El Mernissi as its chief business development officer (CBDO).

“I’m delighted to welcome Kamal to the executive committee of Biotalys,” said Simon Moroney, chairman of Biotalys. “With more than 15 years of experience in agriculture and a broad variety of leadership positions in marketing and sales, he is an excellent addition to the leadership team. The board looks forward to working with Kamal as he builds the company’s roster of partnerships, with a focus on maximizing long-term value for Biotalys and its stakeholders.”

El Mernissi comes to Biotalys from Marrone Bio Innovations (currently Pro Farm Group) and has also worked at Syngenta. In his new role, he will lead Biotalys’ efforts to secure partnerships with major agricultural players that can benefit from the Agrobody Foundry technology platform to develop biofungicides and bio-insecticides with new modes of action.

“Biotalys is uniquely positioned to bring impactful innovation to farmers seeking performance and sustainability, and I am thrilled to start this new journey with such an incredible group of talented and mission-driven colleagues and investors,” said El Mernissi. “During my initial interactions, I was impressed by the team and sensed their excitement and motivation to develop protein-based biocontrols to positively impact the wider ag community.”

AGI Saskatoon Celebrates a 10-Year Safety Milestone in No Lost Time Incidents
Ag Growth International  (AGI) celebrated a safety milestone at its Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, manufacturing facility with a ten-year no lost time incidence record.

“I commend the AGI Saskatoon team for achieving an incredible safety milestone of ten years with no lost time incidents. Their achievement demonstrates that safety, as a guiding principle, is deeply ingrained in our work culture,” says Paul Householder, AGI president & CEO. “They embody AGI’s highest global priority that every employee – regardless of where they work or the type of environment they work in – returns home at the end of each day in the exact same working condition in which they arrived.” 

A lost time incident (LTI) refers to a non-fatal injury that results in disability or an employee missing work due to an injury. An LTI measurement is a baseline representation of a company’s safety performance and the effects of those injuries on workforce productivity. 

“This achievement entirely belongs to the team’s absolute dedication to safety leadership at all levels. Their ‘winning ticket’ includes vigilance, prevention and education. They are continuously on the lookout to identify, report and fix potentially unsafe conditions and processes. That allows them to avoid hazards and near misses before someone gets hurt,” says Kris Wingert, AGI Saskatoon operations manager.

The plant, which was commissioned by Westeel in 1989, produces engineered-to-order smooth wall grain and fertilizer bins for both farm and commercial agricultural use. The ISO 9001:2015 certified facility also specializes in custom welding services provided to other AGI facilities.

“The skillset required is not robotic, but hands on. This means that multiple machines moving, lifting and transporting can create opportunities for things to go wrong. That is why having tight processes in place and maintaining a culture of ongoing education, welding certifications, and employees looking out for each other are crucial to safety,” Wingert says.

According to Harsha Bhojraj, AGI vice president of manufacturing, the Saskatoon facility is the “perfect example” of AGI’s safety vision in action.

“The AGI Saskatoon team has shown that it is possible to adjust and be safe every single day for ten years straight regardless of changing conditions -- through upturns and downturns, across day and night shifts, from summer to winter, and with new and experienced associates. Their record raises the bar for what safety excellence at AGI means,” Bhojraj says.

The Saskatoon facility is the second AGI facility to achieve 10-year no lost time status, after the AGI Olds, Alberta, location marked the milestone in 2023.

Hurricane Milton's Threat To Phosphate Production

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 18:20:09 GMT

On the heels of Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton appears to be headed for Tampa–an epicenter for phosphate production. Josh Linville, vice president of fertilizer at StoneX, joined AgriTalk to share the implications this could have on the market.

“We have to worry about all the people down there–this could be the first major hurricane to directly hit in modern Tampa history. But then you start to think about all the production, all the storage, everything that’s in that area for the phosphate market. It’s three or four weeks before fall application begins. This isn’t good,” he says.

Linville says the price of phosphate has been high in comparison to grain prices, and inventories of the product are already tight.

“I’m never going to sit there and say, ‘Oh, you’re not going to be able to find it. It won’t exist.’,” he says. “You’ll find it, but you might not like the price and you might not like the timeline.”

For those who have already locked in their orders for phosphate, Linville doesn’t believe there should necessarily be concern for those contracts changing.

“This might be something folks are talking about, and something that might be feared a little bit, but you hope that doesn’t make its way down to the farm gate,” he says. “You hope the market finds a way, and it always does.”

Additional Industry Trends
As for the rest of the fertilizer marketplace, Linville says urea prices are up, but maybe not for the reason you think.

“We suddenly saw urea prices starting to spike around the world, and everybody said the Iran attack is what caused price to go higher,” he says. “Supplies are tight on urea and everything else has been following it. Iran attacking Israel was not the thing that caused it. It was just the trigger that allowed the market to come together and say we now need to move higher.”

The potash market, on the other hand, is well valued and well supplied.

“Our only real concern when it comes to potash is maybe we see some price increases in the middle of season, because folks who wait until the absolute last minute may say they need something right now, and that costs a little bit more,” Linville says.

Linville adds that spring is hard to predict this far out, but supply issues tend to be long lasting. He recommends having a conversation now with retailers and suppliers.

Florida Becomes First State to Ban the Sale of Lab-Grown Meat

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:26:14 GMT

The first bill banning lab-grown meat was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on May 1. According to SB 1084, the bill prohibits the manufacture for sale, sale, holding or offering for sale, or distribution of cultivated meat in the state.

In a press conference in Hardee County, which is one of the top five cattle-producing counties in the state, the Governor spoke about the importance of supporting rural economies and agriculture.

“We’re fighting back against an ideology that ultimately wants to eliminate meat production in the U.S. and around the globe,” DeSantis said. “In the state of Florida we’ve put down the marker very clearly; we stand with agriculture. We stand with the cattle ranchers. We stand with our farmers because we understand it’s important for the backbone of the state. It’s important for our culture. It’s important for our heritage so the bill that I’m going to sign today is going to say basically take your fake, lab-grown meat elsewhere. We’re not doing that in the state of Florida.”

Joining the Governor during the conference were Wilton Simpson, commissioner of agriculture; Dale Carlton, president-elect of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association; Pat Durden, president of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association; and Sen. Jay Collins who worked on the bill.

In his remarks, Simpson said that food security is national security.

“It doesn’t always rise to the height of national security, but think about if there were no groceries just for one week in the grocery store, you would have total chaos in this country, and if that’s not national security, I don’t know what it is,” he said. “We get up every day thinking how can we have the most safe, affordable, abundant food anywhere in the world, and Florida is going to do its share of growing that product. We work hard every day to give our farmers the tools they need to accomplish these things.”

Both cattlemen expressed appreciation for the Governor and the legislature for protecting Florida’s cattle industry by signing this bill.

There has been an ongoing debate across the country in regard to cultivated meat products. Currently, lab-grown meat is only approved to be sold in the U.S. and Singapore. Italy was the first country in the EU to ban lab-grown meat, a decision made in February 2024.

Exclusive Q&A With Presidential Hopeful Ron DeSantis

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 20:03:50 GMT

Ron DeSantis, candidate for 2024 Republican presidential nomination and current Florida governor, joined AgriTalk to share his plans for the agriculture industry if successful in his run for president.

AgriTalk has extended an invitation to all presidential candidates to join Chip Flory and answer the same set of questions.

Q: What’s your motivation to be President? Why do you want the job?

A: We’re in jeopardy of being the first generation of Americans to leave our kids and grandkids in an America that is less prosperous and less free than the one we inherited. As a father of a first grader, kindergartener and preschooler, that is not acceptable to me. I am not going to sit idly by and watch the managed decline of this country. We are going to reverse the country’s decline, we are going to usher in a new birth of freedom and we are going to create a revival of the American spirit. I’m running for president to get the job done.

Q: What’s the No. 1 issue or challenge for America? How and when will you address it as President?

A: I think it’s multifactor. I think it’s the economic struggles, the lack of sovereignty at our southern border and then the poor energy policy. So, we’ll do all that on day one. We’re going to take “Bidenomics” – the rules, regulations, executive orders – we’re going to reverse that. We need to get inflation prices and interest rates down. There’s more to do than just the “Bidenomics,” but we are going to do the “Bidenomics” and get rid of that.

We also need to declare a national emergency for our southern border on day one. I’m going to end this invasion. I’m going to build a border wall and I’m going to hold the Mexican drug cartels accountable for poisoning our people and killing them by the tens of thousands.

Then we’re going to reverse Biden’s disastrous Green New Deal energy policy. We’re not going to force people to buy electric vehicles. We are going to open up our domestic energy for production. We need low price and reliable energy in this country. It’s good for individuals, it’s good for businesses and it’s good for national security.

Q: Let’s talk rural America and ag, farming, ranching, etc. What issues will you address as President?
A: We’re going get the federal bureaucracy off the back of the agriculture industry, particularly our family farmers and ranchers. EPA is not going to be able to go on your property because you have a puddle and say it’s Waters of the United States. We’re going to rein in the EPA, we’re going to rein in the USDA. Farmers know how to take care of their land better than government bureaucrats.

We’re also going to reverse Biden’s electric vehicle mandate so we can support liquid fuels. We’re going to do year-round E15 and also allow for higher blends to be sold as people want to do it. I think there’s a market for it.

We are going to go against states like California who are doing things like Proposition 12, which is impacting how people are producing pork in Iowa. California should not be telling Iowa pork producers how to do their job. We’re going to provide relief there.

We want to eliminate the death tax, particularly for family farms. We shouldn’t have to sell the farm just to be able to pass it down to the next generation. It’s very important we do that.

Then we’re going to work to make sure what our farmers are producing can be sold all over the world. We want to increase access to markets in other parts of the world.

Q: When you say “rein in USDA,” are you talking specifically about some of the climate-smart farming programs at USDA?

A: We’re going to absolutely kneecap all of the climate-related impositions on agriculture, and I think it’s more than just USDA. This whole ESG movement – they’re trying to do it through the Securities and Exchange, all these other things. Ultimately, the movement behind this views agriculture as a big problem to what they’re trying to accomplish, so they target agriculture as being a source of all these problems. If those policies go into effect, it will create a food crisis in this country. It is not going to work. It’s very dangerous. I’m going to provide relief for that not just in USDA, but across the board. ESG will be dead on arrival in my administration.

Q: The Iowa Corn Growers and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, and others, say you are the only candidate who checks all the boxes with your support for biofuels. Describe your energy and renewable energy policy plans.

A: We want American energy and yes, that means opening up federal lands. That means doing things like Keystone and Marcellus Shale, but it also means producing biofuels here in the Midwest, here in the United States. [It’s an] important part of the economy and helps with affordability, so we’re going to be a supporter of that. Yes, we’ve checked all the boxes across the board because we understand how important it is.

As these issues come up with agriculture and biofuels, I have so many great people I’m friends with here in Iowa who will provide great counsel. From Gov. Reynolds, the members of your legislature, to so many great members of your farming community. I’m excited to be able to work with the folks here in Iowa as we advance good policy for them over many years in the future.

Q: One of the policies from the Trump administration made rather liberal use of the small refinery exemptions. Where would that stand in a DeSantis administration?

A: That would be a case-by-case thing. I know Trump had done some of that stuff. I don’t know really what all went into it. But obviously we understand there are stakeholders here in Iowa on that and we want to make sure we make everybody happy.

Q: How will businesses (small and large) view your fiscal policies?
A: It would be a big improvement over what we’re seeing now. You can just look at my record in Florida. We’ve cut taxes every single year, we’ve run big budget surpluses and I’ve actually paid off 25% of our state’s total debt that we’ve accumulated since the inception of Florida as a state in the 19th century. Imagine if you could do that in Washington. We’re the No. 1-rated economy in all 50 states. We’re No. 1 for new business formation, No. 1 for entrepreneurship, No. 1 for talent development and No. 1 for education. We’re going to downsize the federal bureaucracy.

In the state of Florida, we have one of the lowest, if not the lowest, state employees per capita, anywhere in the country. Our budget, even though we have millions of more people than New York state, is half the size of New York state. Yet, when people move from New York to Florida, they tell me our services are better, our roads are better and our schools are better. So, we’re doing all this at half the cost and in a much smaller government.

The bureaucracy that small businesses have had to contend with is way out of bounds. It’s way excessive. We’re going to be taking that off the backs of our small- and medium-sized businesses. The big corporations tend to do fine with big government because of all the rules and regulations and red tape that give them a competitive advantage over smaller companies. The people who get killed by the federal bureaucracy are the small family-owned businesses. Those are going to be the businesses I want to see succeed in this country. Washington’s no longer going to be a roadblock for their success.

Q: On trade policy, former President Trump says he’s going to invoke at least a 10% tariff on all imports into the U.S. Is that something you would consider?

A: No. First of all, that would raise prices for Americans. It would hurt the inflation we’re seeing, and then it would lead to retaliation from other countries. That would end up hurting farmers because they would cut off access to some of our agricultural products. I will be willing to use, strategically, trade policy to make sure we could restore key elements of our economy visa vie China. I think that’s important, and I think Trump talked about that. I don’t think they had great success at it. But if he does a global tariff, Americans will pay more for things, and there will be reverberations in the agriculture community.

Q: Final question. Yes or no: Should former President Trump be on the primary ballot in Colorado?
A: Yes, he should. That was a mistake the Supreme Court there made.

Florida citrus crop expected to top last year’s

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 14:20:26 GMT

Florida ’s 2023-24 citrus crop should be significantly more robust than last season’s, according to the latest USDA forecast.

The 2022-23 season was marred by two hurricanes and a December freeze, said Matt Joyner, CEO of Bartow-based Florida Citrus Mutual .

This year’s citrus crop experienced some early drought conditions, but rain eventually picked up, and as of late October, the state’s citrus-growing regions had not been hit by any hurricanes, though there still were a few weeks left in hurricane season.

“We’re cautiously optimistic that we’ll get through that,” Joyner said.

USDA’s July forecast estimated that Florida growers will pack 20.5 million 90-pound boxes of oranges, 1.9 million 85-pound boxes of grapefruit and 500,000 95-pound boxes of tangerines and tangelos during the 2023-24 season.

Those are increases from the 2022-23 season, when growers produced about 15.8 million boxes of oranges, 1.8 million boxes of grapefruit and 480,000 boxes of tangerines and tangelos.

The Sunshine State’s citrus growers have a lot going on this season.

Vero Beach, Fla.-based Riverfront Packing , a partner of Dundee Citrus Growers Association , a cooperative of more than 200 growers, has added to its grower base, which will allow the association to expand its offerings, said association CEO Steven Callaham.

“Riverfront’s grower base includes some of the most well-known and respected Indian River growers,” Callaham said.

The co-op is expanding its Citrus Under Protective Screen, or CUPS, acreage with a new, 500-acre planting that will boost its CUPS acreage to 1,000 by spring of 2025.

And starting this fall, the co-op’s CUPS-grown fruit will be marketed under new brands.

“Our Rubies-branded grapefruit will be marketed under our Eco-Grown Citrus family of products,” he said. “Our CUPS-grown mandarins will be marketed under our Sunnies brand.”

Dundee Citrus Growers Association will offer red grapefruit, dark red grapefruit, juice oranges, navel oranges and seedless tangerines this fall with year-over-year volume up on all varieties.

The early drought conditions have resulted in smaller fruit sizes this season, Callaham said, but the fruit quality is excellent.

“It’s better than we have seen in quite a few years,” he said.

Fort Pierce, Fla.-based DLF International has a new marketing name — Feek Family Citrus — and has broken ground on a 35,000-square-foot cold facility and modern de-greening system that should be up and running by March, said Jordan Feek, director of marketing and data analytics.

The new facility means oranges won’t have to be transported more than 150 miles to a storage unit in Tampa, Fla.

“Having control over the process will be a huge plus for us,” Feek said.

The company also has installed five bag machines that can pack almost any bag available as well as automated grading and auto packers, she said.

The company also is installing a chlorine dioxide sanitation system to help keep its packinghouse clean and free of unwanted fungus and decay spores that may come in from the field.

Feek Family Citrus now is shipping hamlin oranges, navels, early golds and star ruby grapefruit.

Quality should be good this year.

“We’ve already noticed an improvement in quality over last season,” Feek said.

Florida’s citrus industry seems to be making progress against citrus greening disease — or Huanglongbing, also known as HLB.

“Research has given us some tools that can help move the needle in terms of growing citrus in a greening-endemic environment,” said Joyner of Florida Citrus Mutual.

Nearly 1,000 acres have been planted or are scheduled to be planted under protective screening, including 10-acre greenhouses, he said.

Some individual trees are covered with net bags to keep disease-bearing psyllids away.

The industry also has made tremendous strides in breeding, Joyner said.

“That’s really going to be the ultimate answer — a tree that is resistant to greening,” he said.

Florida farmers brace for worst as Hurricane Ian strengthens

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 13:42:23 GMT

Florida farmers, who have dealt with more than their fair of hurricanes since 2000, are actively monitoring the developing Hurricane Ian situation, according to the Florida Department of Citrus.

The National and Central Pacific Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane Ian is growing stronger in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. On Sept. 27, the center issued a hurricane watch for the West Coast of Florida from South of Bonita Beach to Chokoloskee.

Read related: Challenges breed toughness for Florida citrus leaders

Total crop loss from hurricanes Irma and Michael in in 2017 and 2018, respectively, was estimated at about $1.5 billion, according to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.

“In 2017, Hurricane Irma hit the Florida peninsula with winds up to 112 mph and accumulated rainfall of up to 14 inches. Both Irma and Michael caused significant property damage across the state, including damage to agricultural crops,” according to UF/IFAS Extension. “For Irma alone, over 5.0 million acres of cropland were affected, including 3.4 million under hurricane-force winds.”

Alan Hodges, director of the University of Florida’s Economic Impact Assessment Program, said in a news release that about 1 million acres of field crops and 3.6 million acres of upland forest in Florida were potentially affected by Hurricane Michael.

Read related: Florida citrus growers battle through challenges

“Florida Citrus growers are committed to providing high-quality, great-tasting Florida citrus and Florida orange juice to consumers.,” said Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus. “Centuries of history keep hurricanes front and center in the mind of any Florida citrus grower. We are closely monitoring developments related to Hurricane Ian and engaged with state and federal officials.

“Flooding, fruit loss due to wind and even uprooted trees are a very real concern for growers during hurricane season,” continued Shepp. “The key point is that Florida citrus growers are resilient in the face of extreme weather, greening and high-input costs. The commitment to deliver remains strong.”

Read related: Florida citrus acreage contracts by 8% in 2022

Certis Biologicals Adds Florida Citrus Expert

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 12:58:30 GMT

Certis Biologicals is investing additional expertise and resources to bring biologicals to aid in fighting Florida’s growing citrus concerns. Lee Shekels has joined the biologicals leader in a newly created role, Florida Citrus Sales Specialist, working alongside the company’s existing Florida sales and field development teams.

“The Florida citrus industry contributes $6.76 billion to the state’s economy and consumers around the world rely upon our growers to produce the best produce possible,” says Chuck Goodowns, Certis Biologicals Florida Regional Manager. “Lee’s expertise and knowledge of the citrus industry will be key in bringing biologicals as proven crop protection tools to growers with sustainable product solutions to support growth in the industry.”

Shekels, a University of Florida graduate with a degree in Agriculture, has held past positions with Nutrien Ag Services, KeyPlex and Bayer Crop Science.

“Right now, Florida citrus growers are facing some major issues, including resistance and invasive diseases like citrus greening, which are threatening their ability to produce a citrus crop that consumers expect from our state,” Shekels says. “I will be working diligently with the Certis team, local researchers and industry groups to support extended adoption and more education resources for existing users so that biologicals can add to the solutions that these growers need to continue the success of the Florida citrus industry.”

The addition of Shekels is the latest in the company’s bolstering of key personnel in growth segments. In August, the company added Claudia Oceguera as Chief Administrative Officer, Tarang Srivastava as Head of International Business, Moto Mitani in the international business team and Amanda Eade as Global Portfolio Manager.

Nutrien Ag Solutions Partners with Elemental Enzymes to Combat Citrus Greening

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 18:25:53 GMT

Nutrien Ag Solutions announces a partnership with Elemental Enzymes, a leading agricultural biotechnology company, for a peptide-based biochemical pesticide to combat fungal and bacterial diseases including Huanglongbing, otherwise known as citrus greening. Currently, 100% of the acres in Florida are being impacted by citrus greening.

The biochemical peptide-based product, delivered as a foliar spray or trunk injection, is currently under review by the EPA. The specific peptide, containing Vismax technology, increases yield and accelerates the recovery of trees infected with the pathogen that causes citrus greening.

“Since 2005, citrus growers have been plagued by citrus greening — a yield- and quality-robbing disease complex that has devastated the industry — causing farm gate losses of more than $8 billion,” says Ryan Bond, Ph.D., senior director of innovation, research and development at Nutrien Ag Solutions. “Growers are calling for new alternative biological technologies, and today, we’re taking the first step toward mitigating future losses with a science-based solution.”

Elemental Enzymes and Nutrien Ag Solutions will launch this product on other specialty crops across North America. In addition to its effect on citrus greening, the biochemical peptide is active on a wide variety of diseases, such as blossom blight in almonds and powdery mildew in various fruiting vegetables and leafy greens. Elemental Enzymes and Nutrien Ag Solutions are working to bring this powerful alternative biochemical to the market with no negative environmental or crop safety impact.

“We’re excited to partner with industry leader Nutrien Ag Solutions to provide agronomic solutions to growers across the citrus and specialty markets,” says Brian Thompson, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Elemental Enzymes. “And given this year’s record for fruit drop in Florida, it is clear that growers need this additional tool against citrus greening now more than ever.”

Since 2016, Elemental Enzymes has actively engaged in the discovery and development of Vismax for use in citrus to mitigate the effects of citrus greening, with more than 65 field trials in Florida. In replicated field trials on multiple citrus varieties, foliar-applied Vismax improved fruit retention 95% of the time, increasing field boxes harvested by 17% on average. Additionally, CLas bacterial titers decreased by up to 96% when Vismax was applied as a foliar spray or trunk injection.

Together, Elemental Enzymes and Nutrien Ag Solutions have worked together to create an effective and economical alternative to conventional chemistries and are dedicated to bringing this novel solution to growers in 2022.