Netherlands

Hazera Experience Days goes digital in September

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:07:08 GMT

Netherlands-based Hazera Seeds is taking its annual Hazera Experience Days from an in-person event to online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program is Sept. 22-24. Registration and information about the schedule and speakers is at hazera-events.com .

“We are looking forward to welcoming you to our virtual world,” according to a news release. “You can connect with your local sales representatives, or schedule appointments with our product managers online. If you prefer, you can join one of our informal meetings and connect to our virtual coffee room!”

Information will also be available on Hazera’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/hazeracorp .

The Hazera Experience Days will feature speakers on sustainability, drip irrigation and more, and virtual field visits, according to the release.

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Apeel adds offices, executives as company goes global

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:40:08 GMT

Apeel Sciences , Santa Barbara, Calif., is opening offices in Mexico, the Netherlands and Peru.

The company is opening the offices as global demand for its shelf-life extension technology grows, according to a news release.

Apeel established an agreement with European avocado marketer Nature’s Pride this year, and has been working with U.K. retailer Asda.

The Netherlands office, which is scheduled to be the first of the three to open, will service European accounts. The company’s plant-derived technology was approved by the European Commission in June, according to the release.

The company has added five executives:

Jason De Turris, vice president of brand — He has marketed brands including Rolex, Jell-O, Xbox and Naked Juice, and will use that experience to establish Apeel’s “consumer brand and retail activation strategy,” according to the release.
Viviane Schappo, director of supplier relations-Latin America — Schappo has been with C.H. Robinson for 12 ½ years, most recently as sales manager of the Latin America region. She’ll be supporting Apeel’s partners there and in-country implementation processes, according to the release.
Megan Opp, chief people officer — Her role is to ensure the company’s culture “seamlessly scales as the company grows,” according to the release.
Bill Strong, chief financial officer — As vice president of finance, he helped the company raise $110 million; he has been with the company 3 ½ years; and
Erich Klawuhn, vice president of product — Formerly vice president at View Inc., makers of dynamic glass, Klawuhn will help bring Apeel products to market and identify new “verticals” for Apeel’s technology.

Apeel has plans to hire more than 100 additional employees as it beefs up staffing in the new offices, including product and stratefy, operations and engineering roles.

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USDA seeks comment on draft pest risk assessment for onion imports from the Netherlands

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 17:49:16 GMT

The Government of Netherlands has asked the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to authorize onion imports (Allium cepa) for consumption into the U.S. under a preclearance program.

The USDA has drafted a pest risk assessment that describes potential pests associated with the commodity, according to a news release.

The agency shares draft pest risk assessments to determine whether stakeholders have information that might lead us to revise the draft assessment before we identify pest mitigations and proceed with the commodity import approval process, according to the release.

The draft pest risk assessment for onion (Allium cepa) for consumption from Netherlands will be available for review and comment until January 28, according to the release. To view the assessment or submit comments, go to this website .

After Mexico, Peru and Canada, the Netherlands is the fourth leading international supplier of onions to the U.S.

U.S. imports of Netherland onions from November 2020 to October 2021 totaled $7.13 million, up 38% from the previous year.

Rabobank to grow its U.S. agriculture banking business

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 05:50:02 GMT

Rabobank will transfer the food and agriculture loan portfolio from its California retail banking operation, Rabobank North America, to St. Louis-based Rabo AgriFinance.

The move comes as part of an agreement to sell the retail, business banking, commercial real estate, mortgage, wealth management and other non-food and agribusiness assets of Rabobank N.A. to Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Mechanics Bank, according to a news release.

“Rabobank is committed to supporting leading food and ag producers around the world. In North America, we have seen rapid growth in our rural banking business. And by combining our California (food and agriculture) portfolio into Rabo AgriFinance, we will be positioned to continue our substantial investments in North America,” Paul Beiboer, CEO of Rabobank North America, said in the release.

Rabo AgriFinance focuses on financing leading U.S. farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses, with 115-year roots to its parent company, Netherlands-based Rabobank Group.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, Rabobank Group approval and completion of closing conditions. The expected closing date is in the third quarter of 2019.

Rabo AgriFinance has more than 40 offices nationwide and plans to open 10 offices in California. About 170 employees who support food, agriculture and renewable energy at Rabobank N.A. will become employees of Rabo AgriFinance, according to the release.

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