Connecting IPM Records to Your MPS Certification
Horticultural supplier and consultant Royal Brinkman has teamed up with MPS (which offers global sustainability certifications) to link two of their systems together. You can now connect the MPS recordkeeping system for certifications with Royal Brinkman’s AGRO4ALL Advice Generator, which gives suggestions for chemical and biological applications. It’s a connection that aims to reduce administrative work with a single recordkeeping system, but according to a
press release from the companies, it also addresses the pressure for more transparency.
“By directly linking cultivation recordkeeping to certification, the system helps growers meet stricter environmental requirements without additional administrative work,” they stated.
Several growers have pilot-tested the system, and they say that they will begin to expand that over the coming months adding in a new inventory management function. Eventually, this will become available to all the countries MPS serves.
Syndicate's New Ceramic Line Made in America
Those looking for American-made ceramic containers have a new option. Syndicate Sales has introduced a line of premium ceramics called Tennessee Clay. Pitched as an eco-conscious, Made in America offering, they source the clay 10 miles from their McKenzie, Tennessee, factory, where they say it is sustainably and responsibly mined. In the new factory, which has energy-efficient equipment, they use metal renewable molds instead of plaster molds. Unused clay in the factory is recyclable while fired pots can be ground down and reused in local ceramic tile production.
This initial launch of Tennessee Clay includes five different collections ranging from classic silhouettes to textured options, round tumblers, wide bowls and classic cylinders.
Kristin Richards, Vice President of Marketing at Syndicate Sales, says, “We believe people care about where products come from, and Tennessee Clay offers a story retailers and consumers can appreciate. This facility is unique and reflects our commitment to U.S. innovation and supporting local communities.”
Biochar: Peppers, Carbon, and Straw
A two-year
field study dialed in the sweet spot for using biochar in red pepper field production in a way that increases yields and also achieves a positive Net Ecosystem Carbon Budget.
The magic number? 1.8 to 6.7 Mg (megagrams, or metric tons) of biochar per hectare (180 to 670 grams per sq. meter).
They were seeing fruit yields increase by up to 18%, improved soil quality, and increased soil organic carbon content. The best carbon results came when farmers left shoots and roots in the ground after harvest—a much lower rate of biochar was needed to see maximum results compared to the amount needed if the entire red pepper plant biomass was removed after harvest.
Meanwhile, another
STUDY published in the journal
Biochar stressed the importance of the source of biochar. Their study showed the benefits of using biochar derived from wheat straw. A single application of biochar made from wheat straw improved the yield of a corn crop for at least two seasons, even when they reduced irrigation to the crop. However, a different application of softwood biochar resulted in reduced yield for the first year, though the effect declined in succeeding seasons as the soil microbial community adapted.
“Our results show that one-time applications of straw-derived biochar can deliver multi-year benefits when combined with precision irrigation,” said lead author Heng Wan.
AI-Driven Weed & Pest Management
Here’s another way AI tools could change the landscape of weed and pest management—perhaps saving money and improving yields.
Two University of Florida scientists have a new startup called
EZ Ag Innovations using patented technology licensed from UF. Nathan Boyd, a hort professor, and Arnold Schumann, a professor in soil, water and ecosystem services, say they’re committed to sustainable and responsible land stewardship. Their technology allows for precision spraying—applying solutions only where they’re needed. Their AI tools can detect and predict where fungal disease pockets are, detect weeds and more.
In this UF
ARTICLE, it’s clear that the path of bringing the research and technology into a business startup model is full of challenges and learning curves. They’re working closely with growers to make sure the end products truly address their needs. As always, it will be interesting to watch how this gets adopted in the real world.
Report from the MT Outpost
I really do appreciate all the ways in which technology can improve our lives and work. However, all that scrolling and inputting also triggers some deep nostalgia for the good old analog days.
If, 25 years ago, you’d told me that I would someday pay money for a monthly “subscription” to receive what amounts to a letter and a couple of art prints, I wouldn’t have believed you. But these lines lured me in:
“In a world of scrolls and screens, The Prose & Post Society offers a moment of tactile joy. A slow dance in a fast-scrolling world. An analog nudge to pause, to take a breath.”
This week, I got my first mail from Six Penny Stamp’s
Prose & Post Society. It was delightful, a sensory experience that I keep reopening, and it is worth every
penny. I also subscribed to a newspaper that is delivered to my mailbox once every two months—and again, that once-familiar feeling of a well-chosen newsprint being opened and folded next to my coffee has felt like a slowdown and a return to something less fleeting.
These are niches, small creative endeavors that I hope survive the times. Unlike any digital subscription I own, these seem to elicit both a joy and an appreciation for the time I spend with their pages. They sit on my coffee table for weeks.
Maybe you think I’m just an aging writer pining for simpler times. Or maybe, these are the trending counterbalances to our swift digital world.
And maybe I’m not the only one.
Until next time,
Jennifer Duffield White
jwhite@ballpublishing.com
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