February 24, 2024
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – The Seattle Times writes that the world is quietly losing the land it needs to feed itself. Check out the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – AgFunderNews releases its 2024 list of agrifood corporates making regenerative agriculture commitments. Check out the story, here.
Industry Updates
A little-heard-of pesticide linked to infertility in animals is showing up in the overwhelming majority of oat-based foods sold in the United States, including popular cereal brands Quaker Oats and Cheerios. The chemical, chlormequat, was detected in 77 of 96 urine samples taken from 2017 and 2023, with levels increasing in the most recent years, a new study by the Environmental Working Group finds. Further, chlormequat was found in 92% of oat-based foods sold in May 2023, including Quaker Oats and Cheerios, according to recently published research in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. Some studies have shown chlormequat can damage the reproductive system and disrupt fetal growth in animals, a cause for concern as to "whether it could also harm humans," EWG stated. Environmental Protection Agency regulations allow chlormequat to be used on ornamental plants only, not food crops, grown the U.S. [link]
An agritech startup in Thailand aims to give agriculture a new lease of life at a time when abandonment of agricultural land in the country has been a major problem due to beliefs that crop cultivation is difficult amid the impacts of climate change and lack of knowledge. Ricult Thailand recently launched its farming-as-a-service to enable people who have no idea how to cultivate to benefit from their lands. The company will generate income for the landowners by using its expertise to grow crops. Powered with cutting-edge technology developed over many years, the company can make effective decisions — which crops should be grown and when the cultivation should begin to ensure maximum crop yield. [link]
North Carolina State University and three partner institutions are leading a new four-year USDA NIFA-funded project to investigate whether living mulches can equally benefit soil health and the farmer’s bottom line as producers evaluate the transition from conventional to organic agriculture. A four-state group plans to compare multiple cover crop species and whether animals grazing cover crops and living mulches can provide a low-cost means of jumpstarting organic soil health and fertility without significant off-farm inputs. NC State’s research site will be hosted at the Center For Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) in Goldsboro, NC. Other partner institutions are Washington State University, Oregon State University and the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania. [link]
Around 6.18% and 4.91% of India’s land is highly and moderately suitable for agroforestry, respectively, the Indian Space Research Organization’s (Isro’s) geographical data has revealed. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana have emerged as the top large-sized states suitable for agroforestry while Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, and Nagaland ranked highest among the medium-sized states according to the satellite data published on the Bhuvan website. The data is important because it aligns with global and national commitments such as the Paris Agreement, Bonn Challenge, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Green India Mission. [link]
The Noble Research Institute is on a mission to reshape the future of U.S. pecan farming with a focus on regenerative agriculture. Charles Rohla discussed the institute's upcoming projects at the American Pecan Council meetings, which include creating regenerative pecan courses and engaging in cutting-edge research. The emphasis is on soil health management and leveraging regenerative practices to lower input costs while boosting profitability. For pecan farmers, adopting regenerative practices means prioritizing soil health through reduced tillage, diverse cover cropping, and the integration of livestock, which introduces beneficial microbes to the soil. This approach not only aims at enhancing soil fertility and tree vitality but also promotes diversification and additional income through methods like silvopasture. [link]
Increasing farm profitability through regenerative agriculture is the focus of two free workshops scheduled for Feb. 20 and 22, in Missouri. The two one-day workshops are designed to help Missouri farmers understand and then successfully transition from conventional agricultural practices to more profitable, low-input regenerative practices that improve soil health and water quality. The workshops are conducted by Understanding Ag LLC’s regenerative farmer-consultants through the nonprofit Soil Health Academy. They are partially funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources under the Clean Water Act’s Section 319. [link]
Trace Genomics, an industry leader in DNA-based soil intelligence, has announced its successful Series B funding round at $10.5 million led by existing investors S2G Ventures and Ajax Strategies, as well as new investor Rabo Ventures. With this additional funding, Trace plans to expand its commercial growth, making its offerings available to more farmers and agronomists. [link]
Catona Climate, a global climate finance company, announced that Microsoft has signed a six-year offtake agreement to purchase 350,000 tonnes of carbon removal credits from an agroforestry project in Kenya. Funded, designed and managed by Catona in collaboration with long-standing nonprofit partner, Trees for the Future, this project supports Microsoft's goal to become carbon negative by 2030. The Lake Victoria Watershed Agroforestry Project located in Homa Bay, Kenya, partners with 15,000 local smallholder farmers to develop forest gardens — multi-tiered mixtures of trees, shrubs, and crops — on their land. [link]
A U.S. soil scientist based in the Upper Midwest sees mostly positive outcomes for crop farmers as an abnormally mild winter continues. Jeff Strock with the University of Minnesota says warmer than normal temperatures have kept frost depths shallow, allowing precipitation to infiltrate the ground and replenish soil moisture. This could lead to early-season planting in 2024. [link]
Produce Now has introduced its revolutionary approach to fresh produce with the launch of "Better than Organic" crops cultivated inside specially developed GrowPods. The company grows its food in GrowPods – repurposed shipping containers, transformed into portable, scalable automated climate-controlled indoor farms. With a commitment to sustainability and food purity, GrowPods are designed to operate without the use of pesticides, harmful chemicals, animal runoff, contaminants, or pathogens, ensuring that all produce is of unparalleled quality that surpasses organic standards. [link]
Inside a nondescript University of Buffalo computer lab, a new tech-savvy style of indoor farming is blossoming. Lettuce and basil are growing inside a phonebooth-sized greenhouse, all under the unflinching eyes of an artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to identify the faintest signs of sickness and distress among the plants. The early detection of nutrient deficiencies, pests and other problems — as well as the opportunity to optimize LED lighting programs that indoor farming operations rely upon — are the crux of a new research project at UB’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. [link]
Walmart said its suppliers have removed 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions from their value chains, six years ahead of the target date. In 2017, the retail giant started an initiative to encourage its suppliers to reduce their carbon footprint, aiming to avoid, reduce or sequester the 1 billion tons of emissions by 2030. This week, the company said that its suppliers have achieved that goal, working on measures such as energy efficiency, packaging redesign, food-waste reduction and trucking-load optimization. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In mid-January, the World Economic Forum released a report proposing a model for achieving sustainable agriculture worldwide. Read more, here.