AgriThority® Expansion Continues With Added Expertise in North and South America

AgriThority® an agricultural company specializing in accelerating development of new technologies around the world, announces the addition of three product development specialists to the global network.
 
Vlad da Costa, Ph.D., Dan Davidson, Ph.D., and Ricardo Duarte, will join the Global Product Development Team under direction of Gloverson Moro, Ph.D.  Their technical and scientific backgrounds span from vegetables and row crops to specialty agriculture and horticultural production.
 
Experienced in R&D, Dr. da Costa brings to AgriThority over 13 years of deep knowledge and experience in applied Agronomy addressing important issues impacting a diverse set of crops.  Before joining AgriThority, da Costa worked for Wilbur-Ellis and Dow AgroSciences leading a broad range of agricultural chemical product development efforts in the U.S.  He also managed multi-national agronomic trait characterization programs with row crops.  Experienced beyond work with early discovery scientists and breeders, da Costa also was involved with commercial and business strategy along with implementation teams.

“I am excited to share my scientific knowledge and technical experience in applied Agronomy while employing passion to deliver optimal results for the diverse AgriThority clientele,” says da Costa.  “My track record includes building and supporting collaborative and diverse cross-functional teams within organizations and external partners such as universities, government agencies, and contractors.”

A dual citizen of the U.S. and Brazil, da Costa holds a bachelor’s degree from Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Brazil, a master’s degree from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, all in the field of Agronomy.

Another seasoned agronomist with CPAg and CCA certifications, Dr. Davidson provided technical research and consultation for agronomic organizations ranging from The Illinois Soybean Association to Good Earth Minerals and Valent BioSciences.  As an AgriThority product development manager, Davidson will apply his vast experience in technology adoption, communication, and training. His compelling technical writing skills will support clients’ technology transfer opportunities as well as contribute to the interpretation of field trial results. Davidson holds three degrees in agronomy:  a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska, a master’s degree from the University of Missouri, and a Ph.D. from Washington State University, followed by post-doctoral work at the University of Nebraska.  A Nebraska resident, Davidson’s early agronomy career spanned eight years in Mexico, Liberia and Uganda.
 
A native of Brazil, Ricardo Duarte joins the AgriThority LATAM team as Product Development Manager–Brazil. With over 20 years in the Brazilian agribusiness sector, Duarte’s deep expertise goes beyond experimental design, research, and development to project and pipeline management. Working for companies including Aventis, BASF, Adama and Bayer, Duarte has a deep knowledge in plant protection, agrochemicals, biostimulants, seeds and traits. He has successfully registered multiple commercial products. Duarte holds an MBA from Fundação Getulio Vargas, a specialization in crop protection from Federal University of Viçosa, and a degree in Agricultural Engineering (Agronomy) from Federal University of Lavras.  
 
AgriThority Founder and President Jerry Duff reports that these additions to the scientific product development team will expand the company’s plant and soil science expertise.  “Our AgriThority global business model delivers comprehensive  development services,” Duff says.  “We capitalize on our scientific expertise to aid in business analysis, product positioning through field trial execution and market access for commercialization. We are pleased to announce the addition of these two seasoned professionals in our headquarters and one in Brazil.” He explains, “These highly-credentialed individuals represent different disciplines to complement our strengths, while providing broad management and business development knowledge.”