Syngenta announced it has acquired FarmShots, Inc., a North Carolina-based innovator of high-resolution satellite imagery that detects plant health by analyzing absorbed light from field images. The service was developed to help farmers, agronomists and retailers quickly and accurately spot field issues caused by planter skips, emergence, insect feeding, poor plant nutrition, crop diseases, weeds, other pests and environmental damage. With this capability, FarmShots enables growers and their trusted advisers to reduce field scouting by as much as 90 percent and help them focus on areas of need. Cloud-based, proprietary software and interfaces developed by FarmShots create high-resolution images, which can be displayed in multiple formats for rapid and accurate indication of field conditions. The system provides flexibility with growers’ secure data and is optimized for use on multiple devices including tablets, laptops and smart phones. FarmShots offers access anytime, anywhere, in an easy-to-use web-based app, and data are exportable into most agricultural software. The service can notify farmers and their trusted advisers, and provide a prescription map for input application or other actions.

A former Obama administration trade official says there is too much left to do before the deadline for the North American Free Trade Agreement talks. Former Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative, Darci Vetter, told Agriculture.com the negotiations “have a long way to go.” Noting that some issues don’t have an assigned approach yet by the administration, she says: “There are some technical issues, like the rules of origin, that are really complicated to advance.” Vetter warns the talks could harm trade with Mexico, the top buyer of U.S. corn. Vetter noted that before NAFTA there was little competition for the U.S. as an ag supplier to Mexico. However, she noted that competitors such as Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Brazil, could take part of U.S. exports of corn to Mexico. Adding to the possible delays in getting the trade talks wrapped up on time, Vetter highlighted the fact that Mexico will face elections this year followed by the coming elections of the United States.

Bipartisan legislation in the Senate would exempt farmers from reporting requirements for animal waste emissions. The bill seeks an exemption for farmers and ranchers from the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. The bill was introduced by Nebraska Republican Deb Fischer and Indiana Democrat Joe Donnelly earlier this week. In a statement, Fischer noted that in 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency published a final rule exempting most livestock operations from the laws’ reporting requirements, but that last April, a federal appeals court ruled EPA did not have the authority to create the exemption for agriculture. Known as the Fair Agriculture Reporting Method, or FARM Act, the legislation will maintain the exemption for certain federally registered pesticides, exempt air emissions from animal waste on a farm from reporting requirements, and provide agriculture producers with greater certainty by reinstating the status quo producers have been operating under since EPA’s 2008 final rule.

Feeding Minds Press is a new chidren’s book venture from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. The goal is to bring children accurate knowledge about how their food is grown. The new publisher’s first book will be titled “Right This Very Minute,” and is scheduled for release in January of 2019, just in time for the American Farm Bureau’s annual convention. The foundation’s announcement says “Right This Very Minute” is the perfect book to launch this exciting new project. They call it a great story and it tells kids that every minute of every day, someone, somewhere, is working to bring the food to their table. Julia Recko, director of education outreach with the Farm Bureau Foundation, says they’ve been working every year to find books that support their mission, but it’s really no longer an option. “It’s become more and more difficult to discover books that meet our specific needs,” she says. “We feel this is the next logical step in educational outreach.” Feeding Minds Press intends to regularly publish new books that show how farmers are using technology to better grow crops and livestock. They plan to also accept submissions for new books that bring modern agriculture to life.

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump’s budget for conservation programs in the 2019 fiscal year. “Once again, this administration is calling on American producers to do more with less,” NACD President Brent Van Dyke said. “The President’s budget proposes cuts to almost every area of USDA’s discretionary and mandatory budgets, including nearly $15 billion in cuts to farm bill conservation programs and over a 20 percent reduction to Conservation Operations.” Within the conservation portfolio, the President’s FY19 budget proposes a funding level of $669 million for Conservation Operations, a $200 million cut to the account that funds conservation planning and technical assistance. The budget also requests significant cuts to the Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program within Conservation Operations. The budget includes a legislative proposal to eliminate the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and funding for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). In addition to eliminating these USDA programs, the budget also requests to completely eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Section 319 nonpoint source grant program, which helps address nonpoint pollution from agricultural as well as non-agricultural sources. NACD applauds Congress’ past efforts to support the conservation programs most vital to our nation’s natural resources and calls on Congress to oppose President Trump’s FY19 budget.

Canada’s dairy subsidies have been a controversial topic during the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations. For many years, the U.S. dairy industry has claimed that their Canadian counterparts are heavily subsidized through their dairy supply management program. The U.S. says that supply management program, and the Class and pricing systems in place, creates an unfair playing field. The website Dairy Herd Dot Com says Canada has issued a report that says the U.S. should examine its own dairy subsidies before pointing the finger at Canada. Dairy Farmers of Canada commissioned the 588-page report that looks into the role that subsidies play in the U.S. dairy market. The report says that 73 percent of returns that American dairy farmers received in 2015 were the result of subsidies, including the Margin Protection Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Canadian report says those subsidies returned $12.06 per hundredweight. Sean Haney is the founder of the Canadian ag website Real Agriculture Dot Com, who says the report is tilted in favor of Canada. However, he also says it’s important to remember that there is probably some truth to the report as well.

The National Sorghum Producers are looking at how to respond to China’s announcement of anti-dumping and countervailing duties investigations into imports of U.S. sorghum. China’s Ministry of Commerce made the investigation announcement on Sunday. National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust said his organization plans to fully participate in the investigations. They also intend to work closely with industry stakeholders and partners to demonstrate U.S. sorghum producers do not dump their product into the Chinese market and that U.S. sorghum isn’t unfairly subsidized. NSP says it’s had a long-standing relationship with customers in China. U.S. Grains Council CEO Tom Sleight says the Chinese market isn’t closed to American imports right now. As far as the industry knows, sales contracts are still being fulfilled. Roughly 100 sorghum producers happened to be in Washington, D.C., as the investigation announcement was made. Those producers were able to talk with elected officials about the situation and ask for their support. The investigation is expected to take up to a year.