Technology

Robotics initiative: Reduce chemicals, advance production

Agricultural producers annually spray nearly $15 billion worth of chemicals yet still lose 37 percent of crop yield to pest damage. As the industry moves to sustainably intensify production to feed a growing population, a... more »

Biosolarization shows promise for conventional, organic growers

Farmers spend a lot of time and money controlling weeds and other pests, and often have to turn to chemical fumigants to keep the most destructive pests at bay. Farmers also wrestle with what to... more »

FarmWise unveils autonomous vegetable weeder

Agriculture technology startup FarmWise has unveiled an autonomous vegetable weeder it says can help growers reduce their herbicide use as well as reliance on labor. The FarmWise machine drives over rows, detects weeds in the... more »

French ag tech company expands US operations to Michigan

The French-based company Janny MT will base new U.S. operations for its United States subsidiary, JMT US, in Lansing, Michigan. “JMT works directly with growers to increase crop value by extending storage time,” said Benoit Janny, Janny... more »

Mecham, Strickland join Valley Irrigation in leadership roles

Valley Irrigation, a business segment of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE: VMI), has hired Trevor Mecham as vice president, global technology strategy – irrigation, and Joe Strickland as vice president and general manager, North America irrigation. “We are... more »

Seminis to host Felda Idea Exchange in Florida

Seminis Vegetable Seeds invites growers to a new experiential event with its Felda Idea Exchange (iX) on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, in Labelle, Florida. As the second iX event hosted by Seminis Vegetables Inc., the... more »

AEssenseGrows’ Indoor Grow System tested as safe

AEssenseGrows, which specializes in automated precision aeroponic platforms for consistent high-yield plant production, said recently its complete AEtrium System grow environment received coveted UL listings that validate its electrical safety. AEssenseGrows, founded in 2014, is... more »

New standard relating to LED radiation measurements

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has published the second in a three-part series of standards relating to LED radiation measurements for plant growth and development. ANSI/ASABE S642, Recommended Methods for Measurement... more »