Monsanto Co. And Deltapine Cotton Donate Funds To Assist Texas Farmers And Ranchers
To support the recovery efforts of Texas farmers and ranchers affected by the destruction and flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, Monsanto Co. and Deltapine Cotton recently donated $200,000 to assist with ongoing disaster relief efforts in the region.
The funds will be distributed to the Texas Farm Bureau and the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund (STAR) enabling the organizations to provide assistance to farmers and ranchers in disaster areas or affected by the hurricane.
“For many farmers, this event couldn’t have come at a worse time, with many just beginning or about to begin harvest,” says Brian Naber, Monsanto’s U.S. commercial operations lead. “By supporting the Texas Farm Bureau and State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund, we hope that we’re able to help many in the Texas ag community that have been affected by this unparalleled disaster.”
Monsanto employees will also be able to support relief efforts by making donations to the organizations, with the company matching employee contributions.
Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening says, “We appreciate the generosity of Monsanto in helping farmers and ranchers on the Texas Gulf Coast rebuild after Harvey. The storm was a devastating blow, but agriculture is a national community with a determination to help in times of crisis.”
Monsanto made an initial donation of $500,000 to the American Red Cross and Feeding America/Feeding Texas to help address the critical and immediate need to feed families affected by the storm, both in the days after landfall and throughout the rebuilding process.
Calculation-Driven Irrigation App
With the launch of the new Valley Irrigation Run Time app, farmers can now easily figure their pivot irrigation cycle time and eliminate the need for hand-written computations.
This free app is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. It is a calculation-driven tool that allows growers to see pivot irrigation cycle time completion, when each machine is running, and how long it will take to complete the irrigation interval. Valley Irrigation Run Time is not limited to use with Valley brand center pivots; it can be used in conjunction with any brand of pivot.
“This app will reduce inefficiencies and eliminate miscalculations,” says Valley product manager Ashley Anderson. “Nearly every grower already carries a smartphone, so it just makes sense that they can use it to monitor and track all of their irrigation machines.”
The app does not communicate with the irrigation machines themselves; rather, the grower simply enters pertinent data, such as start time and percent timer, and the app will then complete the calculation to estimate the end time. Farmers can check on their run time at any moment, ensuring they get back to their pivots at the right time.
They can also keep a running log of pivot run time notes to refer back to. Not everyone wants complete monitoring and control of their pivots from their phones, but they do want the ability to accurately track irrigation run time.
For more information, visit www.valleyirrigation.com.
Texas AgriLife Extension State Weed Specialist Named
Almost faster than weeds can sprout, Dr. Scott Nolte is being called into service. Nolte was recently hired as the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state weed specialist and as an assistant professor in the Texas A&M University soil and crop sciences department in College Station.
He says his schedule is already filling up with questions and appointments across Texas. Nolte will be responsible for providing integrated weed management leadership for row crops, pastures, home lawns, golf courses and sports fields in Texas.
“My background is in weed science and I grew up on a farm in southern Illinois, so although the principles of weed science will be the same, I’m excited for this new opportunity to learn new crops and weeds found here in Texas,” Nolte says.
Nolte says herbicide-resistant weeds are an area where more grower education is needed to help them better understand available weed control options and to continue to promote good weed-resistance management practices.
“Palmer amaranth and common waterhemp are certainly weeds of concern, but weed resistance in general is of importance,” he says. “I don’t want growers to rely solely upon any one herbicide for weed control. If they do, it may reduce the effective life span of that technology.”
Nolte says he looks forward to helping growers understand how to use all weed control technologies and be good stewards, which will allow these technologies to remain useful and viable long term.
New Director Of Product Development Named
Tide International USA Inc. has named Charles Guo its new director of product development. He will be responsible for the company’s research and development activities. This will include identifying and developing products for agricultural, specialty and seed treatment markets.
Guo has more than 30 years of agricultural chemical experience in both international and U.S. markets. He earned a doctor’s degree in plant physiology from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Arkansas, studying cotton growth regulators and defoliants.
Dennis Pfeiffer, vice president and general manager of Tide International USA Inc., says he is excited about adding this agricultural chemical veteran. “Charles has a broad base of executive skills, including R & D management, registration, technical support and management of crop protection businesses in the U.S. and Asia,” Pfeiffer says. “He spent much of his career working for Chemtura Corp. in senior executive positions in Asia.”
Guo currently lives in Shanghai, China, but will relocate to California. Contact him at guo@tide-usa.com or 408-963-3883.