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News From the Industry Varner Joins Vive Crop Protection Vive Crop Protection announces that Mark Varner of Davison, Mich., has joined the Vive team as key account manager. Varner will be working with distributor head office and regional distributor account staff to develop and create market demand to support Vive's unique product offerings. Varner is a graduate of Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in crop and soil science. Mark Varner Around the Vine FMC's Coen Named to ARA Exec Committee Christina Coen, U.S. commercial director for FMC, has been appointed to the Agricultural Retailers Association's (ARA) executive committee and will serve a one-year term as industry representative beginning Jan. 1. Coen has been a member of the ARA board of directors, representing the crop protection and seed industry segment, and serves on the ARA member services, communications and conference committees. FMC has been a strong supporter of the ARA, including primary sponsorship of the ARA Crisis Communications Workshop, since its inception. Christina Coen Reinke Recognizes Technician with Longevity Award Reinke Manufacturing has recognized Benjamin Acevedo with Rain for Rent in Idaho Falls, Idaho, with a 10-year PLUS Program Longevity Award. Acevedo received the award in recognition of his dedication to maintaining a PLUS Program certification with Reinke for 10 years. The Reinke PLUS (Proven Leaders in Unmatched Service) Program is a service training program offered to full- service Reinke dealers. Certified Reinke PLUS and Platinum PLUS technicians are trained to deliver the most advanced technical service and support to customers. Giron Wins NPC Scholarship The National Potato Council recently named Sofia Giron, a fourth-year doctoral student in plant pathology at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, as the recipient of its 2019- 20 academic scholarship. The $10,000 award is provided annually to a graduate student with a strong interest in research that can directly benefit the potato industry. Giron's work focuses on improving aspects of silver scurf disease management. Her research is working to improve the management practices and reduce their environmental impact of the disease by focusing on four goals: 1. Development of an effective season- long fungicide program; 2. Introduction of silver scurf resistance into breeding programs; 3. Determination of tools to detect azoxystrobin resistance in the pathogen; and 4. Advancement of a quick tool for silver scurf disease diagnosis and quantification. After completing her doctoral program, Giron hopes to find a position at a university and become a professor. Sofia Giron AGCO Invests Heavily in Fendt AGCO Corporation, a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment and solutions, continues to invest significantly in Fendt North America by doubling Fendt dealer locations in the past year. North America now has a total of 189 Fendt dealership locations. Of that total, 98 are new locations that have joined the Fendt family just in the past year. Special emphasis was put on placing new Fendt dealerships in areas to best serve prospective customers and existing Fendt owners. Fendt dealerships are now in 37 of the 54 U.S. states and Canadian provinces that are considered large ag markets, or 69 percent of all large ag markets. A list of North American Fendt dealers can be found at www.fendt.com/us/#dealer. 12 POTATO GROWER | DECEMBER 2019