March 15, 2025
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – Teagasc discusses how to put hill farms on a sustainable path to the future. Read the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – Reccessary says that agroforestry stores less carbon than reforestation but has more in the way of other benefits. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 3 – Reuters does a deep dive into how U.S. farmers are putting plans and investments on hold under Trump’s USDA spending freeze. Take a read, here.
Industry Updates
Booming cocoa prices are stirring interest in turning Nigeria into a bigger player in the sector, with hopes of challenging top producers Ivory Coast and Ghana, where crops have been ravaged by climate change and disease. Nigeria has struggled to diversify its oil-dependent economy but investors have taken another look at cocoa beans after global prices soared to a record $12,000 per ton in December. More than a dozen local firms have expressed interest in investing in or expanding their production this year, while the British government's development finance arm recently poured $40.5 million into Nigerian agribusiness company Johnvents. [link]
A new study published in Ecological Processes reveals that no-tillage farming — a technique that avoids plowing — can significantly improve soil health while reducing carbon pollution. Researchers found that NT farming increases soil carbon storage, enhances microbial activity, and prevents degradation, making it a promising tool for sustainable agriculture. In the study, scientists tested NT farming in Horqin Sandy Land, a region in China vulnerable to desertification. They focused on a drought-resistant plant called tiger nut sedge and found that NT farming significantly increased soil carbon storage and encouraged beneficial microbial activity — two key factors in long-term soil sustainability. [link]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it plans to spend up to $1 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation funds to try to reduce the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry. The virus, also known as bird flu or H5N1, has disrupted the work of poultry farmers for years and began infecting dairy herds last year. But a recent spike in egg prices has led to renewed public attention to the disease. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the new five-point plan would implement increased biosecurity measures for poultry farms to help reduce interactions between domestic flocks and wild birds, provide funding for farmers to quickly repopulate after having to cull infected flocks, remove some regulations, import eggs from other countries, and research a vaccine. [link]
An incubator supporting impact-driven enterprises has partnered with the Southeast Asian center for research in agriculture to run the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Enhancement (SAFE) Accelerator. Villgro Philippines and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) partnered to manage SAFE Accelerator, a virtual accelerator program designed to support high-potential enterprises developing regenerative, climate-resilient solutions that address food security and sustainable agriculture challenges in Southeast Asia. The SAFE Accelerator aims to cultivate market-driven, climate-resilient solutions that protect biodiversity, sustain farming communities, and improve food security. [link]
UK-based olive oil company Citizens of Soil has received £1.8 million (US$2.3 million) in seed funding to advance its extra virgin olive oils business. The company, which sources its products from farmers practicing regenerative farming, plans to use the funds to launch new products, expand its leadership team, and boost brand awareness. The company collaborates with artisan producers to prioritize flavor, nutrition, and small-batch groves that “farm in harmony with nature” while supporting the supply chain’s female workforce. The London-based firm will use the cash injection to scale its impact with small-scale producers, innovate the category, grow its team, and expand internationally. [link]
University of Alberta researchers are working with an Alberta startup to get an edible coal-derived protein into the marketplace, replacing less eco-friendly ingredients in animal feed. Working with Cvictus, a company that brought the project to the U of A for modernization, the Biorefining Conversions and Fermentation Laboratory has improved the technology needed to make single cell protein (SCP). SCP is a nutrient-rich, low-cost substitute for fish meal and soybean meal, the standard protein sources used in animal feed. Using a patented process, Cvictus is focused on extracting hydrogen from deep coal seams without mining, converting it to produce clean methanol and then from there, making SCP for use in livestock feed. [link]
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a nearly $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Division of Research, Innovation, Synergies, and Education (RISE) to study how farmers’ risk preferences impact water use during droughts. The $745,594 three-year project will integrate economic, hydrological, and social science models to examine how farmers make irrigation decisions, particularly in groundwater-dependent agricultural systems like the Lower Mississippi River Basin. The research findings will help policymakers and water resource managers develop strategies for sustainable water use amid increasing climate challenges. [link]
A new four-month project which is being funded by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) in the UK and three water firms is set to predict nutrient release from cover crops. It will include assessments of decision support tools that estimate the quantity of nitrogen and nutrient release patterns associated with a wide range of cover crop species. An online questionnaire and a stakeholder workshop will canvass opinions and identify the resources needed to improve nutrient management planning across rotations. Some benefits of cover crops are clear, such as reducing soil erosion and nitrate leaching risks, however this project will fill additional knowledge gaps by providing evidence on the amount and timing of nutrient release from cover crop residues available to the next cash crop. [link]
Carlsberg Group has partnered with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B) to launch Sowing Change, a report outlining six actionable recommendations to transform European agriculture and secure a more sustainable future. The recommendations are as follows: 1) Create an EU-wide, outcome-based definition of regenerative agriculture. 2) Develop an EU-wide measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) program to standardize outcome measurement methodologies. 3) Incorporate outcome-based criteria into farmer payments. 4) Create an Agri-Transition Fund through the European Investment Bank (EIB) to finance the transition. 5) Improve knowledge-sharing programs to accelerate adoption of Regen Ag. 6) Develop a public-private market to link payments to the provision of ecosystem services. [link]
Indigo Ag and Google have joined forces to scale up adoption of regenerative agriculture practices to replenish nearly one and a half billion gallons of water over the next seven years. Google's $1.5 million contribution supports regenerative agriculture on enrolled farms in Oklahoma, expected to result in increased soil moisture and water retention. Through Indigo Ag's regenerative agriculture program, supported by Google, farmers receive incentives to implement regenerative practices, such as cover cropping and no-till farming. The resulting water savings supports Google's 2030 goal to replenish 120% of its freshwater consumption across its offices and data centers, while also working to improve watershed health in the communities where it operates. [link]
Four new research and outreach projects have been funded with $5.1 million through the Agricultural Climate Resiliency Program, a partnership among Michigan State University, the Michigan Plant Coalition, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). Each project is funded for three years at $1.275 million. Broadly, research explores efficient use of water, protection of water resources, plant and soil health, and carbon sequestration. The four funded projects for 2025 include a modeling platform to increase resiliency of farming; AI use in the production of corn, potatoes, soybeans, and wheat; tools to address nutrient runoff; and the impact of regenerative agriculture on soil health and hydrological function. [link]
U.S. HHS Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), has directed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to explore rulemaking to eliminate the “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) process, which is widely considered by critics to be a “loophole” that allows food companies to introduce ingredients to the food supply without oversight or a formal safety review. Currently, the FDA strongly encourages manufacturers to submit GRAS notices through the agency’s GRAS Notification Program, but industry can self-affirm that the use of a substance is GRAS without notifying FDA. GRAS has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years by lawmakers and the public, and a recent wave of state legislative actions aiming to ban certain food ingredients or directly targeting the GRAS process has been inspired by increasing awareness and scrutiny about the “loophole.” [link]
A recent study published in Science has revealed a concerning decline in butterfly populations across the United States, with numbers falling by 22% over the past two decades. Based on data from more than 76,000 surveys, the research underscores the urgent need for conservation efforts, particularly from industries and policymakers invested in sustainable agricultural and environmental practices. Scientists from Michigan State University and partner institutions conducted the most extensive analysis of U.S. butterfly populations to date. Their findings indicate an average annual decline of 1.3% between 2000 and 2020, with 107 species losing more than half their populations during this period. Declining species now outnumber increasing ones by a ratio of 13 to 1. [link]
When it launches this year, the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite will provide a powerful data stream that could help farmers in the U.S. and around the world. This new Earth mission by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization will help monitor the growth of crops from planting to harvest, generating crucial insights on how to time plantings, adjust irrigation schedules, and, ultimately, make the most of another precious resource: time. Using synthetic aperture radar, NISAR will discern the physical characteristics of crops, as well as the moisture content of the plants and the soil they grow in. The NISAR satellite will be the first radar satellite to employ two frequencies, L- and S-band, which will enable it to observe a broader range of surface features than a single instrument working at one frequency. [link]
The University of Guelph is taking a bold step forward in advancing soil health and combating climate change, thanks to a new $4-million investment. This significant support, comprised of a $2 million gift from the Jarislowsky Foundation and matching gift from U of G, will establish the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair in Climate-Smart Soils at the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC). This new endowed chair will focus on conducting research to improve soil care, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and enhance food security. [link]
A recent study from the University of Illinois shows that gene-edited bacteria can supply the equivalent of 35 pounds of nitrogen from the air during early corn growth, which may reduce the crop’s reliance on nitrogen fertilizer. Researchers tested products from Pivot Bio called PROVEN and PROVEN 40, which includes one or two species of soil bacteria, respectively, that can turn atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available forms. The analysis showed that, across all nitrogen fertilizer rates, the inoculant increased corn vegetative growth, nitrogen accumulation, kernel number and yield by 2 bushels per acre on average. [link]
A new study estimates the public sector investment that will be required to reverse course on U.S. agriculture's productivity slowdown in the face of climate change and sinking research and development activity. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers find that a 5% to 8% per year growth in research investment is needed – an investment comparable to those made following the two world wars. Alternatively, they find that a fixed $2.2 billion to $3.8 billion per year in additional investment would also offset the climate-induced productivity slowdown. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In mid-January, agriculture ministers from roughly 70 countries agreed at the 17th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference to jointly drive forward a sustainable bioeconomy. See more, here.