515-223-5119 info@ineda.com
Iowa Has No Drought for First Time in Four Years

Iowa Has No Drought for First Time in Four Years

Heavy rainfall last week eliminated the remaining pocket of drought in Iowa, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report. It’s the first time in nearly four years that none of the state is experiencing drought and marks a significant turnaround from September, when Iowa was drier than it had been in a decade. 83% of the state had drought at the start of the year, and more than a third of Iowa had “extreme” drought — the second-to-worst classification of the Drought Monitor. Since then, the state has had its sixth-wettest start to a year on record, according to… Read More »

John Deere Launches $6.6 Million Scholarship Program for College Students

John Deere Launches $6.6 Million Scholarship Program for College Students

A groundbreaking partnership between the John Deere Foundation, the University of Iowa (UI), and the Davenport Community School District (DCSD) will soon increase access to higher education for Iowa high school students. The John Deere Foundation will give $6.6 million over six years to create the John Deere Scholars Program, a program based on financial need that will help Davenport Community High School students get ready for college at Iowa. “We believe education is the foundation for success,” said Mara Downing, president of the John Deere Foundation. “By investing in our community, John Deere is also investing in opportunities for… Read More »

Court Denies Discrimination Claim for Worker Who Requested “Lifelong” Accomodation of Working From Home

Court Denies Discrimination Claim for Worker Who Requested “Lifelong” Accomodation of Working From Home

JERRY L. PIGSLEY | Woods Aitken LLP A federal court in Pennsylvania on January 23, 2024, gave INEDA members guidance in a case concerning claims brought by an employee who worked remotely for almost two years against her employer who determined she could not perform all of the essential functions of her job from home. She contended that her employer’s refusal to grant her request for a permanent work from home accommodation was discriminatory under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Galette v. Avenue 365 Lending Services LLC, U.S. Dist. Ct. E.D.Pa. Jan. 23, 2024). When she began working for the… Read More »

Autonomous Robots: Answering Three Basic Questions

Autonomous Robots: Answering Three Basic Questions

Naio robot with LiDAR, camera and GNSS antenna in the top center front. (Photo: Mark Pasveer) Autonomous robots are one of, if not the hottest trends in precision agriculture at this moment. These robots are equipped with a wide range of technologies and sensors. Because farming is about achieving the best results with minimal effort, I advise farmers to consider the capabilities and the level of autonomy the robots have before purchasing one. This is more important than focusing on fancy lights, colors, and options that don’t add any value to their basic operations. For a robot to be truly… Read More »

Guardian Agriculture Develops  Autonomous Evtol Systems with Spraying  Capabilities for Commercial-Scale Farming

Guardian Agriculture Develops Autonomous Evtol Systems with Spraying Capabilities for Commercial-Scale Farming

Guardian Agriculture Nets $20m Series A Guardian Agriculture has raised a $20 million Series A round led by Fall Line Capital to expand its autonomous drone technology to farms across the US and ramp-up manufacturing of its SC1 aircraft. The raise brings Guardian’s cumulative funding to $35 million. Founded in 2017 with a focus on large-scale agriculture, the Woburn, Massachusetts-based company has more than $100 million in pre-orders and will begin commercial operations to support customer (and investor) Wilbur-Ellis in Salinas Valley, California, this summer. The first Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) company with Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) approval… Read More »

5 Ways Drones Are  Making AI More  Accessible to Farmers

5 Ways Drones Are Making AI More Accessible to Farmers

(Photo: Andres reto Molina / unsplash) Many small- and medium-scale family farms aren’t adopting artificial intelligence because it’s out of their price range and area of expertise. Can drones make it more accessible? Why Is AI Out of Reach to Smallholder Farmers? Many smallholder farmers can’t afford — or don’t know how — to integrate algorithms into their processes. In the U.S., small family farms making less than $350,000 before expenses accounted for 88.1% of all farms in 2022. Needless to say, they don’t have enough for AI. Most smallholder and medium-scale farmers will need a mid-sized AI because crop,… Read More »