Good morning.
Taking down #1 seeds was the Sweet 16 theme in the latest Magnetic March Madness matchups.
John Deere was the sole survivor, as fellow #1s CNH, Syngenta, and Cargill were all kicked to the curb this week.
We’re four short days away from knowing our Final 4. See how you can vote on the scroll.
Stories:
- Bird Flu Spreads its Wings
- SupPlant Pours a Tall Glass of Water
- Magnetic March Madness: The Elite 8 Are Named!
- Black Sea Conflict Blackens Sunflowers & More
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Bird Flu Spreads its Wings |
Scott Olson | Getty Images
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Wings of a feather flock together. And unfortunately, so does the bird flu.
Beaking news: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is very contagious among birds and it’s spreading fast across the eastern and central U.S. Since February, more than 13M chickens, turkeys, and other birds have died from HPAI or have had to be culled to limit the spread. Specifically in Iowa, one in eight of the state’s laying hens has died because of this outbreak.
Taking flight: With migration happening within the next few weeks, the issue could get worse before it gets better. An avian flu outbreak happened in 2015, when more than 50M birds died, and egg prices flew higher than an eagle.
Protect your flock: Producers are encouraged by veterinarians like Dr. Shauna Voss in Minnesota to take action to protect their flocks against the virus.
"Make sure that you’ve got your biosecurity plans in place," she says. "Make sure all of your workers, family members, and anybody who visits the farm are following those procedures and not walking that virus into your barn. If we can keep the virus out, we’ll keep our birds healthy."
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→ The engine that could. Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. reached an agreement with its union and resumed operations this week, avoiding further supply chain clogs in the potash-producing country.
→ Sounds good. Shell and Sound Agriculture have teamed up to study the environmental and economic impact of lower nitrous oxide emissions in ag, with the hope of reducing fertilizer use and adopting more climate-smart practices.
→ Tariffs are corny. Brazil lifted its 18% tariff on U.S. ethanol this week, paving the way for more trade between the countries, more decarbonization in Brazil, and reduced inflationary pressure.
→ Robot help. A new field management robot is being developed to spot pests and weeds, thanks to a collaboration between Brazilian startup Solinftec and U.S. cooperative Growmark
→ Ag equipment soiree. In an event to showcase agricultural technology and innovation for National Ag Day, producers and companies showcased their most show-stopping equipment at the National Mall this week.
→ Ag e-commerce boost. Chinese company Pinduoduo stepped up its efforts in agricultural digital inclusion in 2021, to the tune of 16M farmers connected and 61B orders placed on its platform.
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SupPlant Supplies Supplemental Solutions
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Bring it on, climate change.
An irrigation tech startup is about to serve up another dose of high-quality H2Whoa.
Show me the money: SupPlant, the Israel-based irrigation-tech company, just secured $27M in a Series A funding round led by Red Dot Capital. This boost brings the startup’s total funding up to $46M to date. Cha-ching.
So… who’s SupPlant? Based in Tel Aviv, SupPlant uses "plant sensing, AI, and accumulated data [to] provide farmers with climate-adaptive practices, insights, and actions that drive better decision-making."
And they’ve got a bold vision: "Digitally inform every irrigation decision on earth."
How it works: Using sensors on the leaves, fruits, roots, and other areas of the plant, SupPlant collects plant measurement data every half-hour and sends that info to the farmer. Utilizing this information, farmers can then give plants the right amount of water at just the right time.
The goal? Optimal water usage, better yields, and insulation against climate change.
And it’s needed. With heat waves and extreme drought plaguing vital growing regions across the world, precise water usage is a must moving forward.
Where they are: Highlighting success stories with 31 different crops in 14 different countries, SupPlant is already revolutionizing irrigation and water conservation tech.
Where they’re going: Multiple plant-sensor solutions may not be feasible for Earth’s 450M smallholder farmers, but SupPlant is not leaving the little man behind.
By expanding their platform’s sensor-less version, SupPlant will use regional growing conditions data to provide small farmers with irrigation recommendations—starting with 1M of them across Africa and India… this year alone.
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Grains: Logistics continue to pound wheat prices while corn got dinged as China backed off purchases.
Livestock: Beef and pork sales were mixed this week but that didn't seem to hurt market momentum.
*As of Market Close [3/24/22]
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One Ag Agency That Does the Digital Dirty Work For You |
If you're working with farmers and agribusinesses in 2022, you’re ‘doing digital’... or you’re probably not doing much business.
Portals, apps, websites, and more must be tuned into the customer journey, creating seamless experiences that drive revenue for you and your customer.
And that’s where Anthem Ag comes in.
Their experience in custom application development can help you to meet your requirements and specific business rules, like:
- Account applications
- Futures statements and positions
- Market data including cash and futures prices
- Ag data systems integration
- Internal systems integration
Not listed here? Not a problem. Custom functionality is their calling card.
Build your dream digital experience for farm and ag customers with Anthem Ag.
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Nothing But the Elite Survive |
Four days 'til the Final 4.
It's voting time. Per usual, here's the rundown:
- Simply head to the link below and hit 'Click Here to Vote!' once in the portal.
- You will have to vote for a winner in all four Elite 8 matchups.
- Share today's newsletter with coworkers and customers to get more votes.
We'll announce all the Elite 8 winners + open Final 4 games on Tuesday!
Go Vote Here!
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Black Sea Conflict Blackens Sunflower Outlook
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Pierre Crom / Getty Images
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The war in Ukraine is causing a specialty crop and oilseed scramble.
Ukraine is the world’s top exporter of sunflower oil. Because of the escalating conflict there, the price of sunflower oil has increased by 64% last week alone, according to official data. The expected supply shortfall has consumers stocking up, with sales of all edible oils increasing by 289% compared to the same week in 2021.
The flipside: Opportunities are blooming in countries like Spain and the U.S. to fill in some of the gaps.
The Spanish government is presenting one of Spain’s major staples as an alternative to sunflower oil: olive oil. The country produces more olive oil than it needs domestically and already exports a third of what it produces. Spain also has options to increase its market and sell more to neighboring France and Germany.
Meanwhile, high-priced specialty crops will influence U.S. farmers’ planting decisions this spring. States like the Dakotas, Kansas, and Texas could see some sunny profits from sunflowers.
Farmers might also consider other short- and medium-term specialty crop and oilseed market opportunities: Crops like safflowers, peanuts, cottonseed, flaxseed, canola, and soybeans could get their time in the sun.
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Get your appraiser hat on… We’re back with the Ranch Real Estate Quiz.
This mighty fine property, Mesa Vista Ranch, is a beaut from American business icon and Oklahoma State alum Boone Pickens.
Here are just a few of the deets (with pictures below):
- 100+ square miles
- ‘World’s best quail hunting’ including hunting vehicles and bird dogs
- An 11,500 square foot lakehouse
- Farming equipment, furnishings, rolling stock, and more
So, what’s the price tag?
Answer at the bottom of the email.
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Why are you keeping us a secret? Make sure to share Magnetic with friends, family, and coworkers to snag Magnetic goodies when you hit certain referral counts.
Your link:
*Curious where you stand? You can always check your referral hub and see rewards here.
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Written & Edited by Sheridan Wimmer, Kevin Cross, Rachel Robinson, Ashley Scoby, and Travis Martin
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Magnetic Ag
P.O. Box 7292
Greenwood, IN 46142-6423
United States
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