Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced March 7 that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has awarded 28 Choose Iowa cost-share grants to Iowa farmers, small businesses and nonprofits totaling $463,000. The Choose Iowa grants were created in 2022 to increase or diversify agricultural product offerings, expand markets and shorten the supply chain, […]
More than 30 farmers, crop advisers, scientists and other agricultural stakeholders came together last week for a three-day design sprint event to design a new decision-support tool that supports nitrogen fertilizer rate decisions. According to a news release, a design sprint is a proven methodology for answering complex questions rapidly through designing, prototyping and testing ideas […]
The Cattlemen’s Heritage Beef Co. has finalized the purchase of the site for its planned 2,000-head-per-day beef-processing facility in Mills County. The company completed the agreement to buy 132 acres from a private party on Dec. 30. The sale price was not disclosed. “Land purchases for projects of this size often take quite a while […]
Ag Startup Engine, a seed capital program for agricultural startups, on Wednesday announced Farmwave as the latest company to join its portfolio. According to the news release, Farmwave offers a solution to monitoring and managing mechanical harvest loss. Using AI software, the company has developed a system of cameras that mount on the combine in […]
John Deere announced Oct. 26 that it is partnering with Iowa State University to help U.S. farmers feed the world and fuel sustainability, the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal reported. Through the strategic partnership, Moline, Ill.-based Deere & Co. and ISU will establish a demonstration site consisting of four fields and processes that will enable Deere […]
Idaho-based Valley Agronomics announced Sept. 1 that it will collaborate with Growers Edge and use its technology and data analytics to create a fully digital lending platform for Valley Ag customers. Valley Ag Platinum Financing will be hosted on Valley Ag’s Grower Portal, a customer service platform created and supported by AgVend. According to a news release, […]
America’s Cultivation Corridor has announced the launch of its first class of Innovation Interns from Iowa State University and the launch of its Next Gen Innovation Impact Study program in partnership with ISU’s Start Something College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “We’re excited to launch this program to provide Iowa State students the opportunity to connect with and […]
Valent BioSciences announced Tuesday it is making investments at three research and development facilities in addition to the recently announced expansions at the company’s manufacturing facility in Osage. Additions at the Osage plant include new production-scale fermentation and recovery equipment, a new pilot plant facility and expanded laboratory space. The biotechnology company will also restore 34 acres […]
New space to link Iowa farmers with latest innovations Tech takeaway: The “Tech takeaway” is a new feature in the innovationIOWA newsletter that will summarize the key information from our main story and offer insight into the Business Record’s reporting. Feedback and story ideas can be sent to Sarah Bogaards at sarahbogaards@bpcdm.com. Landus Cooperative’s new […]
Ag Startup Engine has announced a new initial investment in Le Clair, Iowa-based Haggle, an online marketplace where farmers can lend equipment and services they aren’t using to other farmers. “Haggle makes it easy for farmers to earn a passive income with idle equipment,” founder and CEO Nathan Greuel said. “We look to improve agriculture […]