Denali Offers Natural Fertilizer Alternative to Reduce Input Costs
As U.S. farmers continue to face fertilizer price volatility amid ongoing disruptions to commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Denali offers a natural alternative to reduce input costs.
As the nation’s largest food and organics recycler, Denali transforms organic materials from food businesses into agricultural nutrients, creating a stable, cost-effective alternative that does not depend on global supply chains that have contributed to recent price volatility. For farmers caught between rising input costs and tight margins, Denali offers a low-cost, natural fertilizer solution.
To quantify the value its natural fertilizer provides, Denali analyzed what farmers would pay for equivalent nutrients using synthetic fertilizers at current market prices across three key agricultural regions. Looking at nitrogen, phosphate, and potash pricing, the analysis shows Denali can save farmers:
Kansas: $244 per acre
Louisiana: $236 per acre
Georgia: $246 per acre
These figures represent what farmers would spend to purchase and apply the same nutrients using conventional fertilizers. They don’t account for the additional micronutrients or organic matter that Denali delivers – benefits that improve soil health over time and that other fertilizers simply don’t provide.
“Even though global shipping conditions have improved, farmers are still making decisions with fertilizer prices above historical norms,” said Lauren King, Denali’s vice president of Environmental. “Our goal is to help producers stretch their input dollars while improving their soil health with nutrients generated right here in the United States. This fertilizer is available at a low cost and offers a stable supply for our farmers.”
Denali also creates nutrient-rich animal feed from inedible food, in addition to compost, and biofuel. Learn more about Denali’s natural fertilizer and how it works here.
Diamond K Gypsum Launches New Water Management Tech
As drought conditions intensify across the West, Diamond K Gypsum has introduced a new suite of agricultural water saving products and an online tool that improve irrigation water use efficiency, soil performance and crop resilience in drought conditions.
“Western crop consultants and growers know there is no silver bullet when it comes to water shortages,” says Tom Tankersley, Diamond K Gypsum director of sales. “Instead, integrated programs that address both water and soil chemistry, physics and soil biology offer the best solutions. Growers who focus on improving infiltration, retention and root efficiency are in a much better position to protect yield when irrigation water is restricted.”
Aqua-Drive Elite is designed to improve water infiltration and soil moisture distribution by reducing surface tension of the water droplet and the soil. It allows irrigation water and precipitation to penetrate deeper into the root zone rather than being lost to runoff or evaporation.
Diamond K Bio Algae is a concentrated soil amendment derived from beneficial algae compounds that support root growth, microbial activity in the soil and carbon cycling.
Aqua-Drive Elite Bio combines the water management benefits of Aqua-Drive Elite with soil advantages of Diamond K Bio Algae in a single application. In recent water deficit turf research completed at University California, Bermuda grass treated with Aqua-Drive Elite Bio showed no visible negative impacts despite a 40% reduction in irrigation water during the five-month test.
The new online tool, called The Water Knowledge Hub, includes links to university research about combating drought with water testing and water quality improvements.
2026 ACN PIF Fundraiser
It’s close to 2026 Agricultural Media Summit. And that means there are a variety of activities. Here’s one for the PIF fundraiser.
Feeling lucky? Here’s your chance to win incredible prizes while supporting the Agricultural Communicators Network’s Professional Improvement Foundation (PIF)!
Every ticket purchased helps fund PIF-supported programs that strengthen and advance agricultural communications.
The drawing will be held during the 2026 Ag Media Summit (AMS).
Ticket Details:
Tickets are $25 each or 5 for $100
Only 300 tickets available
Winners will be drawn in order of: 1st Prize, 2nd Prize, 3rd Prize
You do not have to be present to win
Precision Ag News 7/13
Ten for the Next Gen: IFAJ’s Young Leaders 2026
The IFAJ ten Young Leaders will participate in a unique ‘Boot Camp’, held prior to the annual IFAJ Congress – the organization’s flagship event.
They’ll be the ones keeping information flowing to the world’s farmers well into the second half of the 21st century: the future of agricultural journalism is safe in the hands of this year’s IFAJ Young Leaders.
Ten up-and-coming agricultural journalists, drawn from ten countries across four continents, have been selected by an international jury to participate in the 21st edition of the select programme.
Sponsored by Alltech, a global leader in the agriculture industry and long-term supporter of IFAJ’s work and mission, the Young Leaders initiative seeks to identify and support the most promising new and recent entrants to the profession, to hone and encourage their potential.
“The IFAJ Alltech Young Leaders programme is not just about recognising and nurturing individual talent, important though that is, but also to bring together those with the ability to apply that talent to lead and develop the wider profession,” says IFAJ Secretary General, Adrian Bell.
The ten 2026 IFAJ Alltech Young Leaders are:
- Juan Ignacio Alaise, Argentina
- Kaitlin Berger, Canada
- Katrin Bremer-John, Germany
- Andrew Castillo, United States of America
- Job Hiddink, The Netherlands
- Milliam Murigi, Kenya
- Breifne O’Brien, Ireland
- Josiah Pailay, Liberia
- Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe, Ghana
- Emelie Werme, Sweden
Passing of Roddy Peeples
Roddy Peeples passed away on July 7, 2026. I took this photo of Roddy at the 2016 NAFB Convention. He was one of many farm broadcasters that I learned from during my career. Roddy was always happy to chat and provide ideas. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Here is his Memorial Service info:
Restland Funeral Home and Cemetery – At the Memorial Chapel
13005 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75243
www.restlandfuneralhome.com
Friday, July 17, 2026, 2:00pm
Here is some information about Roddy’s career from Gardner Hatch, Executive Director, NAFB:
Roddy Peeples passed away on July 7, 2026. He was born on July 3, 1932, and raised on a cotton, cattle and grain farm near Tehuacana, Texas. He graduated from Mexia High School, attended Texas A&M and received a bachelor’s degree in agronomy in 1953. His agricultural radio career began at WTAW in College Station during his senior year at the university.
Roddy was a broadcaster in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri in the 1950s before joining KWFT in Wichita Falls, Texas, as associate farm director, in 1959. Five years later, he established the Voice of Southwest Agriculture (VSA) radio network, which grew to 60 stations throughout Texas. After 31 years as founder and owner of VSA, Peeples sold the network in 1995 to Clear Channel Communications of San Antonio.
The voice of Southwest agriculture was also a pilot and flew his own plane from 1974 to 2002 to attend farm and ranch events across Texas. He served in multiple leadership roles at NAFB, including president in 1982. In 1992, he was named NAFB Farm Broadcaster of the year and nine years later was inducted into the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Hall of Fame. He also received numerous other ag industry awards from soil and water conservation districts, the Texas Farm Bureau, 4-H, livestock associations, and other organizations.
ZimmCast 762 – AI Impact on R&D with Syngenta
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this episode I’m going to share some comments and a question from the latest IFAJ Webinar. The topic was “Artificial Intelligence’s Impact on R&D for Agriculture.” Moderating was Steve Werblow, IFAJ President and Martin Clough, Syngenta Crop Protection’s R&D Head of Digital Collaboration and Sustainability and Andre Piza, Syngenta’s Group’s Global Head of Digital AgTech.
My question was, are there concerns about the cost of data centers and including issues like the climate and sustainability.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept for agriculture—it is already transforming how research and development are conducted. From accelerating scientific discovery and improving data analysis to supporting the development of more targeted and sustainable solutions for growers, AI is becoming an essential tool in agricultural innovation.
During this session, the speakers will provide practical insights into how AI is being integrated across agricultural R&D, the opportunities it creates for researchers and farmers alike, and the challenges that remain as digital technologies continue to evolve.
Listen to the episode here:
ZimmCast 762 - AI Impact on R&D with Syngenta (25:23)
If you are not a member of IFAJ consider joining your local agricultural journalist guild. Find out more on the IFAJ website.
That’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoyed it and thank for listening.
Subscribe to the ZimmCast in:
Animal Ag News 7/9
Land O’Lakes Invests in High-Value Dairy Protein Production
Land O’Lakes, Inc. is making a strategic investment in its Tulare, California, dairy processing facility to expand into high-value dairy protein production.
The move will position the cooperative to meet rapidly growing global demand for protein-rich nutrition, while also creating new opportunities for its farmer-owners.
The investment will enable production of ultra-filtered milk; unlocking greater value from member milk, providing growth opportunities for farmer-owners and strengthening Land O’Lakes’ ability to compete in a changing food landscape increasingly centered on protein.
“At a time when protein is reshaping how consumers eat and how the food system operates, this investment positions Land O’Lakes, our Tulare facility and our farmer-owners to lead,” said Heather Anfang, EVP of Land O’Lakes and President of Dairy Foods. “We are continuing to build a more resilient, growth-oriented dairy business while creating new demand for member milk and laying the groundwork for long-term opportunity.”