Thomas Eckschmidt's Page

North American Agriculture Leaders Back USMCA and Long-Term Trade Stability

Agriculture leaders from across North America have renewed their commitment to maintaining predictable trade rules and strengthening cooperation on animal health, plant protection and rural development.

BASF Appoints Leta LaRush to Lead U.S. Ag Business Amid Major Restructuring

BASF Agricultural Solutions has unveiled a new organizational structure aimed at improving customer responsiveness and supporting its transition toward operating as an independent business.

Canada's Productivity Mega Deduction Could Fuel New Farm and Ag-Tech Investment

The federal government says its new Productivity Mega Deduction represents one of the most significant tax changes in decades, expanding immediate write-offs for business investments.

Agtech innovators to share validation insights at Agriculture Enlightened 2026

Testing and validating new technologies is an essential part of scaling an agtech business. This work being done at EMILI’s Innovation Farms and AIVA Network’s Validation Hubs helps innovators commercialize their products and increases the adoption of their solutions.  During Agriculture Enlightened, Canada’s Agtech Conference, hear from Marcel Kringe, founder and CEO of BranValt, and Katie Friesen, founder and CEO of FarmerTitan, about their experience validating their technologies through the AIVA Network this season. The pair will be joined by Peter Frey, CEO of Spade Technologies, and Darren Anderson, CEO of Vive Crop Protection for a discussion around what they have learned through the validation process in this panel moderated by Chelsea Platzke, board chair of BioTalent.  Marcel Kringe grew up on a family farm in Germany, where he pursued an ag engineering degree. Work and travel studies in Canada, Russia and Brazil led him to move to Canada. He learned English on the go while

Selling grain to an unlicensed buyer: Approval and sampling requirements

Before selling grain to an unlicensed buyer, producers with AFSC production insurance should understand the requirements that apply and the steps they need to take to protect their coverage. Agriculture Financial Services (AFSC) defines a licensed buyer as a grain buyer licensed by the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) as either a primary elevator or terminal elevator. AFSC only accepts receipted grades on sales from buyers holding one of these licence types. The Commission offers several classes of licences, each with different requirements. Primary and terminal elevator are the only licence classes required to sample grain upon receipt and resolve grade and dockage issues through the CGC. If grain is sold to a grain dealer, private buyer or process elevator before a post-harvest inspection is completed, AFSC may use the client’s samples. However, clients must contact their preferred branch office before moving any grain and obtain approval to collect samples for grading purposes. I