30th Commodity Classic Breaks Records

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

The 30th annual Commodity Classic, held last week in San Antonio, set another record for attendance with more than 12,000 farmers, exhibitors, industry stakeholders, and media.

More than 5,100 farmers attended the event at the Henry B. González Convention Center, accounting for nearly 43% of total attendance and representing a significant concentration of farm decision-makers. Commodity Classic has now achieved new attendance highs for four consecutive years, including recent shows in Denver (2025), Houston (2024), and Orlando (2023).

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins toured the trade show floor and delivered remarks during a highly attended General Session. The event featured more than 30 educational sessions, a full trade show spanning two floors, and policy meetings hosted by the sponsoring commodity associations. Attendees heard from leading farmers, policymakers, and industry experts on the issues shaping the future of agriculture.

The 2027 Commodity Classic will be held March 3–5 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Companies interested in exhibiting may submit inquiries to tradeshow@commodityclassic.com. Registration will open in November 2026. Follow Commodity Classic on Instagram (@CommClassic) and Facebook for updates.

Established in 1996, Commodity Classic is presented annually by the American Soybean Association and National Corn Growers Association in conjunction with the National Association of Wheat Growers, National Sorghum Producers, and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

Check out our virtual newsroom from Commodity Classic with Syngenta for photos and audio from the event.

Ag Groups, Commodity Classic

Ethanol Report from 2026 NEC

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

The theme of the National Ethanol Conference this year was Ethanol Unleashed and the big topic of discussion was the continued lack of Congressional action to allow year-round, nationwide sales of E15.

This edition of the Ethanol Report podcast features a review of the conference with many of the participants, including comments from Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper; RFA Senior VP, Industry Relations & Market Development, Robert White; RFA Senior VP, Government & Public Affairs, Troy Bredenkamp; U.S. EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, Aaron Szabo; RFA General Counsel and VP, Government Affairs, Ed Hubbard; RFA Policy Counsel and Director, Government Affairs, Jared Mullendore; RFA VP, Strategy and Innovation, Tad Hepner; and 2026 RFA Industry Award winner LanzaJet CEO Jimmy Samartzis.

Ethanol Report 2-26-26 26:14

The Ethanol Report is a podcast about the latest news and information in the ethanol industry that has been sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association since 2008.

Uncategorized

The GHX Experience Makes Decision Making Easier

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

At the 2026 Commodity Classic, Syngenta Seeds’ head of agronomy Justin Welch shared how Golden Harvest is transforming farm decision-making with its AI-powered GHX experience, blending decades of agronomic expertise with cutting-edge digital technology.

In the past five years, Golden Harvest has doubled down on innovation by integrating digital products and services to help farmers turn massive amounts of field data into practical, real-time decisions. “Technology has allowed us to capture a lot of data, but then have we been really able to use that data?” Welch said in an interview. The challenge, he explained, is synthesizing information on weather, disease pressure, yield predictions, crop stress, and hybrid characteristics into clear recommendations that fit each grower’s operation.

“And we’ve done that with our GHX experience with farmers,” said Welch. Through advanced computational agronomy and AI, the platform summarizes complex data layers and delivers farmer-friendly insights. Dealer sales reps and agronomists use these tools to provide tailored advice on everything from seed selection and planting rates to nitrogen management and fungicide timing.

Welch says farmers love the results without having to become data scientists themselves. “They like the output; they’re not as much into doing it all themselves,” he said. The approach lets producers focus on what they love most—driving tractors, growing crops, and sustaining their family farms—while still making smarter, season-long decisions.

Learn more in this interview:
Classic26 - Justin Welch, Decision Agronomy Seeds (3:40)

2026 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Agronomy, AgWired Precision, AI, Audio, Commodity Classic, Precision Agriculture, Syngenta, Technology

Syngenta Invites Growers to Say Hello to Opello

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

After 12 years of research and development and more than 3,000 U.S. trials, Syngenta’s PLINAZOLIN technology at last received registration just three months ago from the Environmental Protection Agency and growers were able to learn more about Opello™, powered by PLINAZOLIN, at last week’s Commodity Classic.

Syngenta insecticides technical product lead Kevin Langdon says they are seeing a lot of interest in Opello, which is a fertilizer- compatible liquid at-plant insecticide for control of corn rootworm, wireworm and white grub. “There’s no really good option on the market that’s easy to use that you can apply through an open application system,” said Langdon. “The beauty of Opello is that it’s fertilizer compatible and you can actually pour the Opello directly in the fertilizer tank on the planter. So we’ve removed all need for injection-type equipment, and you’re going to get maximized performance relative to anything else that’s on the market today.”

Syngenta chemist Beth Williard was on-hand to talk to growers at the Syngenta exhibit and demonstrate the compatibility of Opello with fertilizer, which was very important for them to get right during development of the product. “We wanted a formulation that when diluted in fertilizer would be highly compatible, create a nice homogenous mixture, and then when you pour it through a sieve you don’t get any residue caught up so that you know all of your active ingredient is making it out onto the field,” said Williard.

While its highly tank-mix compatible formulation allows growers to leave equipment clogs and slowdowns in the past, perhaps the best benefit to growers of using Opello is that trials consistently showed it increased corn yield up to 27 bu/A more than untreated.

Learn more in these interviews from Commodity Classic:
Kevin Langdon, Ph.D., insecticides technical product lead
Classic26 - Kevin Langdon, Syngenta (3:40)

Classic26 - Beth Williard, Syngenta (4:08)

2026 Commodity Classic Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, Commodity Classic, Corn, Insecticides, Syngenta

MyLand Warranty Program Guarantees Grower ROI

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Soil health innovator MyLand has announced the launch of its new crop warranty program, in partnership with Growers Edge, designed to remove financial risk for growers adopting MyLand’s Soil Health Service, supporting apples, pistachios, and almonds across U.S. growing regions in 2026.

The program is focused on proven grower success, supported by strong ROI results from the MyLand Service. It offers a guaranteed benefit of at least $250 per acre based on yield and quality outcomes with the MyLand Service.

“Soil health is the foundation of a farm’s long-term productivity and profitability,” said Dane Hague, Co-Founder and CEO of MyLand. “The Growers Edge warranty reinforces our confidence in MyLand’s outcomes and our commitment to standing alongside growers as they invest in their soil.”

The Growers Edge program evaluates performance between MyLand-serviced acres and control blocks through side-by-side field trials conducted over a crop season. The program guarantees at least $250 in increased value per acre based on measured yield and quality outcomes. Growers Edge verifies field data (using a third-party verification process), yield results, and payouts. The crop warranty plan protects growers by guaranteeing a minimum ROI.

Enrollment for the 2026 crop season is now open for almonds and pistachios in California and apples in both California and Washington. Deadlines to enroll vary by crop and region. Growers interested in participating can contact their MyLand representative or call 877-556-3774.

Agronomy, AgWired Precision, Precision Agriculture, Soil, Technology

Cotton Trust Protocol Opens Enrollment for 2026

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Enrollment in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is now open for the 2026 crop year with a new Field Partner Program offering expanded opportunities for growers demonstrating responsible production with measurable data.

The Trust Protocol is the voluntary, field-level sustainability program and traceability platform for U.S. Cotton. Participating growers receive a unique set of data and resources to support informed decision making, meet growing demand for responsibly produced U.S. Cotton, and help them compete successfully in the global market.

The new Field Partner Program is a voluntary opportunity that helps growers evidence regenerative farming practices using the existing Trust Protocol system, while providing brands and retailers access to verified, traceable regenerative U.S. Cotton at scale. Participation in the Field Partner Program is optional, but growers must be enrolled in the Trust Protocol for the 2026 crop year to be eligible to participate.

The Trust Protocol is celebrating five years of advancing sustainability in the cotton industry. Marjory Walker, recently appointed as co-director of the program, says it has grown rapidly since it launched in July 2020. “We actually have 2,500 global members representing 25 brands in 26 countries,” said Walker. “We have 2,800 mills and manufacturers. We’ve had a 14% increase in our grower enrollment. We encompass 2.58 million acres. So that is quite an accomplishment for a little five-year-old program.”

Growers interested in participating in the Trust Protocol for the 2026 crop year are encouraged to visit TrustUSCotton.org to enroll now and begin preparing required farm and field information. Growers who are also interested in the optional Field Partner Program can explore eligibility and next steps after completing Trust Protocol enrollment.

Cotton, Sustainability

ZimmCast 757 – 2026 National Ethanol Conference

Chuck Zimmerman Leave a Comment

ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman.

In this episode of the podcast I’m going to share some audio from the National Ethanol Conference. While Laura McNamara worked with Syngenta Seeds at Commodity Classic, which overlapped with the NEC, yours truly drove to Orlando and took photos, interviews and session audio in a custom virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire.com.

To start out with, Patrice Banks, Founder of Girls Auto Clinic, who spoke at the NEC Women’s Leadership Breakfast, also spoke at one of the sessions. Hers was titled, Cultivating a New Crop of Ethanol Advocates.

Renewable Fuels Association staff member, Kendra Coulson, Marketing and Membership Manager, helps with educating new audiences and she has worked with Patrice and her audience.

On a different topic RFA has scholarships given out at the NEC. I thought you might like to hear how one winner of the Young Professionals Network scholarship is Verena Hopkins.

If you would like to hear more about what is going on in the renewable fuels world and specifically, ethanol, check out our virtual newsroom. We’ve got plenty more and besides the newsroom you can see stories from it on Energy.AgWired.com and the latest episode of The Ethanol Report. You can find pictures of the NEC that I took in this online album.

Listen to the episode here:
ZimmCast 757 - 2026 NEC (25:21)

That’s the ZimmCast for now. If you have some exciting news in the agrimarketing world, feel free to contact me for the next episode. Just email Chuck at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.

We hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.

Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:

Ag Groups, Audio, Biofuels, Ethanol, RFA, ZimmCast

Syngenta Making AI Part of Farmer Solutions

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

When the first Commodity Classic was held 30 years ago, Artificial Intelligence was science fiction, but today it is a growing part of agricultural technology and Syngenta is on the front lines of developing ways to make it useful for farmers.

Syngenta Crop Protection and Taranis formalized a strategic partnership last October to equip agricultural retailers across the Midwest with AI-powered crop management solutions, delivering innovative digital technologies that create significant value for both retailers and their grower customers.

“Taranis is the intelligence piece, and Syngenta is the hammer that comes down and helps nail those insights with the customers,” said Jennifer Stutz, Taranis customer experience lead, at Commodity Classic last week. “We’re enabling customers to see things earlier, and with the Syngenta chemistry, then they’re able to go out and fight that, and it’s really a good partnership.”

Learn more in this interview from Classic:
Classic26 - Jennifer Stutz, Taranis (6:45)

Kirt Durand, digital ag solutions R&D manager for Syngenta, says AI technology is changing rapidly and expanding in agriculture.

“This is the ability to take a large set of data and get meaningful insights out of it in real time,” said Durand. “AI is not new. I like to tell people AI is just new to agriculture. AI has been around. If you call a bank or Amazon or anybody else right now, you’re going to talk to an AI. But AI is also just another tool in the tool belt. It’s not going to solve all your problems, but I do believe it is the next big thing in agriculture.”

Syngenta’s Cropwise™ AI helps growers and retailers transform data into actionable insights to boost efficiency across the operation. The platform offers tools and services that help with season planning, track field observations and agronomic response, track and store data and manage financials, so the information is available to all stakeholders.

Interview with Kirt Durand, Ph.D., digital ag solutions R&D manager:
Classic26 - Kirt Durand, Syngenta (5:31)

2026 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, AI, Audio, Commodity Classic, Precision Agriculture, Syngenta, Technology

Animal Ag News 3/2

Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • The dairy checkoff has unveiled Dairy Does More, a national marketing communications platform to help grow demand by reshaping how consumers think about dairy foods. Developed by Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), the initiative brings to life the Undeniably Dairy brand in a contemporary way and reflects a long-term strategy to strengthen dairy’s role in modern lifestyles.
  • As part of the USPOULTRY Foundation’s ongoing commitment to supporting the recruitment and training of top students while promoting careers in the poultry and egg industry, National FFA Officer Candidates were invited to attend an all-expense-paid trip to the 2026 International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE).
  • The Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) announced the release of four species reports, detailing the nutrition and production impacts of vitamin and amino acid supply chain disruptions on four food animals (broiler chickens, laying hens, turkeys and swine). These reports stem from the larger report, “The Strategic Assessment on the Impact of Vitamin and Amino Acid Supply Chain Disruptions on U.S. Food Security,” released in November 2025.
  • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) finalized removal of the Northern and Southern Distinct Population Segments (DPS) of lesser prairie-chicken from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) list. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) filed litigation to remove this listing when the lesser prairie-chicken was first listed in 2022 due to the protections being both legally and scientifically flawed.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) welcomed the announcement that U.S. beef exports will now have duty-free access to Indonesia. Gaining access to the Indonesian market, where U.S. beef has faced significant barriers, has been a priority for NCBA for years. As part of the trade deal, Indonesia will purchase at least 50,000 metric tons of U.S. beef annually and now recognizes USDA authority on food safety and animal health, opening more opportunities for exports.
  • The American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) recognized six award winners during its 2026 Annual Convention, held Jan. 28-31 in Reno, NV. Convention week brought together approximately 425 attendees for 60+ meetings and working sessions, convening producers, partners, researchers, and industry leaders from across the country.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “I Protect Pigs” photo contest closes at midnight on Friday, March 6, at the tail end of African Swine Fever (ASF) Action Week (March 1 – 7). Brought to you by USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), this contest promotes the importance of good biosecurity behaviors by encouraging the public to submit a photo of owner/pig safety practices in action. Budding photographers can submit photos of biosecurity best practices at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/iprotectpigs. Winners will be announced the week of March 23 and featured on the Protect Our Pigs website and social media.
  • Returning for its eighteenth consecutive year, Zoetis encourages veterinary clinics, and animal health distributors and retailers to support their local FFA students through its Industry Support Program. The annual rebate program helps support local chapter educational and leadership opportunities for students by providing funding through the sales of select Zoetis Cattle products.
  • Auburn University, Clemson University and University of Florida are working together to analyze the effects of livestock feeding and greenhouse gas emissions. By pooling expertise and resources, the team is accelerating progress that no single institution could achieve alone. Associate professor and Extension Specialist Leanne Dillard and assistant professor Brandon Smith of the Department of Animal Sciences co-lead the project and participated in the Greenhouse Gas & Animal Agriculture Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.
  • Danone was recognized with the third annual International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) Workplace of the Year Award at IDFA’s Dairy Forum in Palm Desert, California. The award, co-sponsored by IDFA and Dairy Processing magazine, is given each year to an outstanding IDFA member company that has created policies to promote a positive workplace experience for employees. Award recipients demonstrate efforts, create cultures of inclusiveness and respect, support professional development, and establish paid parental leave, flexible work hours and gender pay equality, among other criteria.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture

    USDA Update at Commodity Classic

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    U.S. Department of Agriculture leaders delivered an upbeat update to a crowd at the Commodity Classic trade show last week, emphasizing technology upgrades, streamlined programs, and a renewed “farmer-first” focus under the second Trump administration.

    Undersecretary of Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Richard Fordyce opened the session by noting FPAC’s creation during the first Trump term to unite the three most farmer-facing agencies: Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Risk Management Agency (RMA). “We are all farmers,” Fordyce said, stressing the push for “one farmer, one file” to eliminate redundant paperwork. He highlighted the new Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, which launched Monday via login.gov and quickly reached 150,000 applications—35,000 through the secure portal—distributing over $2 billion in days while saving mailing costs.

    FSA Administrator Bill Beam called FBA “fantastic” and already ahead of expectations. He detailed a three-phase acreage reporting modernization: Phase 1 creates a geospatial map with common land units for easy field drawing; Phase 2 adds a home or tractor-based portal; Phase 3 will integrate precision-ag coverage maps. Beam also reported rapid work on the new farm bill, including 30 million additional base acres and updates to ARC/PLC sign-up for the 2026 crop year.

    NRCS Chief Aubrey Bettencourt described a “recommitment tour” to core programs EQIP and CSP, pruning outdated practice codes to save 85,000 staff hours annually and delegating decisions to local staff. She announced the Integrated Field Tool for real-time whole-farm planning in the field, set for trials soon. NRCS will update 91 of 168 outdated practice standards this year with farmer roundtable input. The new regenerative agriculture pilot offers $700 million through EQIP/CSP, plus soil testing, outcomes reports, and private-sector matching under the Sustains Act.

    Lastly, RMA Administrator Pat Swanson, a former crop insurance agent and Iowa farmer, called crop insurance “the backbone” of the safety net. She noted quick implementation of the farm bill’s premium support (saving farmers ~$400 million) and extension of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher program to 10 years. Swanson echoed the modernization theme, praising private-sector precision technology already in use and urging producers to talk with agents before the March 15 deadline.

    All four leaders—each with multi-generational farm roots—pledged continued progress on technology, reduced bureaucracy, and keeping farmers on the land. Fordyce teased “fun stories” by next year’s Classic in New Orleans as modernization accelerates.

    Listen to their updates here:
    Classic26 - USDA Policy Outlook (52:47)

    2026 Commodity Classic Photo Album

    Audio, Commodity Classic, USDA