March 8, 2025

Spotlight Stories

Spotlight 1 – Michigan Farm News asks, “is it time to get comfortable with lower yields?”. Read the story, here.

Spotlight 2 – NPR looks at a Colombian “hotel for cows” that could help reduce deforestation in the Amazon. Check it out, here.

Spotlight 3 – Investigate Midwest says that U.S. farmers depend on climate data, and they’re suing the USDA for deleting it. Take a read, here.

Industry Updates

Wilbur-Ellis, a leading provider of innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture, has announced the launch of NUTRIO N-TUNE, an innovative biological product that provides a steady supply of nitrogen (N) to crops throughout the growing season. This supplement to synthetic nitrogen helps overcome nitrogen deficiencies that can occur as the season progresses. NUTRIO N-TUNE is derived from naturally occurring, beneficial bacteria capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia. Along with seamless compatibility with a wide range of fertilizers and chemicals, the flexibility of the product means growers have multiple application options. [link]

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection recently announced that nearly 50 groups will be sharing roughly $1-million-dollars in producer-lead Watershed Protection Grants. Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil and Healthy Water is in line for $32,000. Including the recent round of funding, the Department of Agriculture has awarded more than $7.2 million to 52 different groups across the state since the program started in 2015. Grant projects have focused on providing conservation education to farmers, conducting on-farm demonstrations and research, issuing incentive payments for implementing conservation practices, organizing field days, and gathering data on soil health and water quality. [link]

New agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins says USDA is releasing payments from three conservation programs that were temporarily frozen in the early days of Trump’s presidency, but says others remain “under review” as the new administration reassesses priorities. Rollins said funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Security Program, and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program would be released, however she didn't reference funding from the Inflation Reduction Act or the Commodity Credit Corporation, under which scores of companies had secured the promise of funds to support everything from regenerative agriculture to agroforestry projects via the Climate Smart Commodities scheme. Meanwhile, the $30 billion economic and disaster aid package approved by Congress in December will be called the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, said Rollins, with payments to start flowing in the coming weeks. USDA is also working on rapid implementation of $20 billion in disaster assistance due to volatile weather. Rollins said that the agency will go line by line through the budget to root out wasteful programs, especially ones that focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and far left climate agendas. She also promised to get a Farm Bill done by the end of this year. [link]

A widening disparity between annual carbon dioxide peaks and dips was thought to be caused by warming temperatures and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but a new study led by Colorado State University has found that agriculture is the primary cause of seasonal carbon cycle swings. While climate and carbon dioxide concentrations do contribute to annual carbon cycle highs and lows, the research found that agricultural nitrogen fertilizer is the biggest contributor to fluctuations, highlighting the impact of human actions and land management decisions on Earth system processes. The study, published in Nature Communications, found that agricultural nitrogen is responsible for 45% of the fluctuation increase in the annual carbon cycle. More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and warmer temperatures contribute 40% and 18%, respectively. [link]

The Rainforest Alliance, a leader in sustainable agriculture, is streamlining and innovating its certification program to make it more user-friendly and data-driven. The main changes in version 1.4 of the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard cover: simplified certification requirements, more targeted inspections and audits, and increased data quality and focus. For almost 40 years, the Rainforest Alliance has worked diligently to restore the balance between people and nature. With farmers and forest communities at the center, the NGO pioneered certification as its primary tool for achieving impact. Today, more than 7.5 million farmers and farmworkers are part of the alliance, alongside 7,600 company partners. [link]

Legislation in the state of Washington (Senate Bill 5474) is moving forward to establish a first-in-the-nation Organic Action Plan to “expand opportunities for organic, regenerative, climate-smart, and sustainable producers.” Advocates hope that in developing the Plan, Washington will follow in the footsteps of California and the European Union by setting targets for total cropland under certified organic management and bridge the gap between climate, public health, and biodiversity. As federal funding cutbacks continue to impact farmers’ ability to leverage resources and grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), organic and transitional farmers are eager to see states like Washington take responsibility and improve the financial viability of farmers. [link]

Regenerative and natural products company GoodSAM Foods has raised a $9 million Series A round, bringing its total funding to date to $10.5 million. Bogotá, Colombia-based fund manager Acumen Latam Impact (ALIVE) Ventures and US VC firm Desert Bloom led the round, which will go towards team expansion, new products, and continuing to build out what GoodSAM calls its “direct trade” with smallholder farmers. This “direct trade” model removes middlemen — frequently known for price gouging — so that the company offtakes foods directly from the farmers, ensuring fairer wages for the latter. GoodSAM sources nuts, coffee, and fruit chips from growers predominantly in Latin America and Africa. [link]

A new global meta-analysis published in Nature has assessed the impacts of cover crops on soil organic carbon (SOC), crop yield, and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Results showed that legume and non-legume cover crops increased SOC by 5.9% and 4.0%, respectively. Legume cover crops enhanced yield by 16.0% but raised N2O emissions by 36.2%, which can be mitigated by integrating practices like no-tillage, deficit irrigation, and diversified crop rotations. The greatest benefits in SOC and yield from legume cover crops were observed in farming systems with low nitrogen fertilizer, low crop diversity (especially cereal-dominated systems), and low initial SOC, under humid and warm climates. [link]

Global agrifood tech funding reached $16B in 2024, a 4% decline from 2023, a new report from AgFunder shows. Investment actually increased in five countries: the U.S. (+14%), India (+215%), the Netherlands (+118%), Finland (+403%), and Japan (+76%). eGrocery was the top-funded category last year, accounting for almost 12% of total funding. The three markets receiving the most investment were the U.S. ($6.6B), China ($848M) and the U.K. ($616M). [link]

Tidal Grow AgriScience, Bellingham, Washington, a division of Tidal Vision Products Inc., is introducing four products to Canada’s agriculture industry. These regenerative solutions include the new chitosan-based seed treatment Tidal Grow GENBOOST, the new chitosan-based biostimulant Tidal Grow Chroma, and the liquid seafood hydrolysate biofertilizers, Tidal Grow Oceanic and Tidal Grow SeaPhos. These advanced crop production solutions bring the novel active ingredient, chitosan, and unique modes of action to Canadian growers, activating the crop’s natural defenses, boosting yields, and ultimately improving return on investment for Canada’s key crops. [link]

Raised, compact soil beds at a Florida farm are reducing the amount of water, fumigants and fertilizer needed to treat tomato crops, while maintaining or increasing yields. Annual savings on water amount to 25%, while also reducing crop risk associated with flooding. The raised beds also mean less bending and stretching for workers, easing the physical strain associated with farming. [link]

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, the Karnataka government in India has announced the establishment of the Karnataka Forest, Wildlife, and Climate Change Mitigation Foundation to combat the effects of climate change. The 2025 state budget places emphasis on environmental conservation, forestry, and human-wildlife conflict mitigation. It also outlines plans for carbon credit generation through agroforestry and afforestation. To support farmers financially, the government has introduced a policy on agroforestry and carbon credits, helping them to plant high-carbon retention plant species on their properties. [link]

In Case You Missed It…

In mid-February, the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec announced $35.3 million in funding to support producers who adopt more sustainable farming practices. See more, here.