March 22, 2025
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – Purdue University says that most consumers see processed foods as potentially unhealthy but buy them anyway. Read the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – The WBCSD participates in an analysis of the costs and incentives for regenerative agriculture in Europe. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 3 – Fast Company discusses Zero Foodprint’s innovative way to grow - and finance - regenerative agriculture. Take a read, here.
Industry Updates
The Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission is offering a new round of grants through the Carbon Smart Land Program to support regenerative land management across the state. Grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 will be awarded to 10 to 15 applicants to implement practices such as agroforestry, native reforestation and soil health improvements. Eligible entities include private landowners and lessees, or those with documented access and rights to land management, community organizations, hui, networks and hubs, schools and businesses. [link]
In a move to boost paddy production and improve farming techniques, the state government in Tamil Nadu, India announced that it will send 100 progressive paddy farmers to Japan, China, and Vietnam. These countries have successfully implemented advanced technologies to enhance paddy yield and productivity; this new initiative aims to equip the state’s farmers with the latest farming methodologies, which they can later implement in their fields. The Tamil Nadu Agroforestry Policy will also be rolled out to encourage farmers to cultivate high-value timber trees such as sandalwood, red sanders, mahogany, and rosewood, by simplifying the procedures related to tree registration, felling, transportation, and marketing. [link]
Egypt's Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment met to strategize on optimizing agricultural and animal waste for organic feed and fertilizer production, with a goal to enhance sustainability and reduce dependence on imported feed. Egypt's government is dedicated to agricultural waste management, with a strategic framework having already been presented to the Prime Minister. Investment opportunities in the agricultural waste sector were a focal point of the discussion. Projects include a €70 million palm frond recycling factory in the New Valley aimed at wood production, initiatives to extract oils from prickly pear seeds, and efforts to produce amorphous silica from rice straw. Additionally, developments in non-traditional animal feed derived from agricultural residues were explored. [link]
Saudi Arabia has unveiled a new environmental financing initiative worth SR1 billion ($266.6 million), supported by Riyad Bank, to encourage private sector participation in sustainable and eco-friendly projects. The launch coincided with the unveiling of a new digital platform for the Incentives and Grants Program, designed to foster innovation and boost environmental investments. This initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives, which focus on promoting environmental sustainability and enhancing the quality of life. [link]
SOIL Sangre de Cristo in Colorado is accepting applications for their Microloan Program which awards 0% interest flexible loans to farmers and food producers who might otherwise have difficulties accessing credit. These loans can be used to help defray seasonal operating expenses, improve infrastructure, extend the growing season, and much more. Since 2020, over $104,000 has been lent to small agricultural producers in the Salida-Buena Vista area and throughout the Valley. [link]
The faculty of natural and agricultural sciences at the University of Pretoria have developed new cattle feed machinery that enables researchers to oversee the amount of feed cattle consume. By monitoring and controlling cattle feed consumption, scientists can significantly reduce emissions from cattle farming. To track feed intake, the researchers place tags on the cattle that have radio frequency mechanisms on them. This new technology can stimulate the machines, causing them to release a specialized feed. Gases from cattle farming are 28 times more potent in warming the atmosphere, relative to carbon dioxide. However, by optimizing feeding and reducing cattle emissions, researchers can help decrease the environmental impact of the agriculture industry without compromising our food supply. [link]
Farmers around the world will have comprehensive access to near-daily satellite imagery of their fields thanks to a new partnership signed between Syngenta and Planet Labs PBC. The multi-year expansion of their strategic partnership enables farmers to remotely monitor crop health, detect pest infestations, and identify disease outbreaks. The high-resolution, commercially available satellite imagery from Planet Labs is delivered to farmers globally as part of Syngenta’s Cropwise digital agriculture platform. [link]
PepsiCo agreed to acquire prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.95 billion, adding a drink with claims that it is good for the gut as sales of traditional sugary drinks go flat. The deal comes as the soda industry is facing fresh scrutiny from the Make America Healthy Again movement, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has called the product “poison.” Unlike probiotic products such as kombucha and kefir—which introduce new microbes into the gut—prebiotic sodas contain dietary fibers that feed the bacteria already living in our systems. Olipop and Poppi use inulin fiber, often naturally derived from agave or chicory roots. [link]
Perennial, a prominent leader in measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV), recently launched Soil Ecosystem Maps, an interactive platform that highlights the company’s comprehensive soil health and soil organic carbon (SOC) datasets. Soil Ecosystem Maps aims to provide stakeholders worldwide with access to crucial information about SOC sequestration potential, SOC levels, and emerging microbial health indicators, such as Carbon Use Efficiency and the Microbial Soil Temperature Index. The new tool distinguishes itself from existing datasets by offering more accurate and detailed SOC measurements, integrating microbial evolution and biogeochemical processes into its SOC sequestration models, and introducing newly developed indices that deepen understanding of soil carbon storage and microbial activity. [link]
A new GLP Booster has been created by NotCo, the AI-driven food tech company best known for its plant-based products and collaboration with Kraft Heinz. Its botanical powder uses natural ingredients and can be added to any food to help you feel satiated and eat less, replicating – to some extent – the effects of Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs. These drugs work by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone naturally found in the body, which is released in the gut after eating food, and can be boosted by fermented foods and dietary fiber. This helps regulate blood sugar, makes you feel satiated, and manages weight. NotCo says it will appeal to people apprehensive about GLP-1 drugs’ side effects – which include gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, and vomiting, and mental health problems like anxiety and irritability, among others – as well as the Ozempic rebound, a development whereby those that eventually quit GLP-1 drugs end up eating more calories than they did prior to treatment. [link]
Shares of Brazil’s JBS SA jumped the most in five years as the company moves closer to a long-awaited share listing in New York after a deal with its second-biggest shareholder. The equity holding arm of Brazil’s state-owned lender BNDES, which owns almost 21% of JBS, will refrain from voting on the plan at the company’s upcoming board meeting, removing the biggest hurdle for JBS’s listing, according to a regulatory filing. JBS has argued its valuation is currently capped compared to its peers Tyson Foods Inc., Hormel Foods Corp. and its US subsidiary Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. because the company isn’t listed in the US and can’t be part of indexes such as the Russell 2000 Index and the S&P 500. JBS plans to refile its application with the US Securities and Exchange Commission after it posts earnings next week, according to people familiar with the matter. That should pave the way for a listing by the end of the third quarter, the people said. [link]
Kiss the Ground has released the findings of its 2025 Research Study that reveals both promising growth in the Regenerative Movement and a critical disconnect within the food system. Encouragingly, 6.8% of U.S. adults are aware of regenerative agriculture as a solution for the wellness, water, and climate crisis, compared to 4% in 2023. Kiss the Ground said awareness has grown from 6.6% to 8% in the last 18 months among U.S. adults, and up from 10.4% to 15% among U.S. adults who are aware of regenerative agriculture. However, 58% of shoppers still don't read food labels. Of the cohort that does read labels, more than 50% of this group leaves a place of purchase confused. Additionally, 1 in 3 adults visited a farm or farmers market in the last year, yet only 8% of adults researched or talked to a farmer about food production. [link]
A new nationwide project called “Probing Our Country’s Soil Health” has launched, and 65 Minnesota farmers are being asked to participate. The project centers around improving a tool called the Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation (or SHAPE). SHAPE is an online tool designed to interpret soil health measurements, monitor soil health change, and offer management practice alternatives for improving soil health. The goal of the project is to collect 13,000 soil samples across the U.S. (~6,000 fields) from different soil, climate, and management conditions. The SHAPE tool will be available as a free web-based app for easy soil health scoring. [link]
A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania state legislators has introduced a sweeping package of bills intended to address the safety of food and farm chemicals. The bills would require that all new food chemicals, along with scientific support for their safety, get disclosed to state regulators; prohibit the use of synthetic food colors in school food; create a statutory definition of ultra-processed foods; require a separate label to warn consumers of the presence in food of butylated hydroxyanisole, commonly called BHA, which has been linked to cancer; require a separate label warning consumers of the presence of food colors in food; ban the use of paraquat, a pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease; and give farmers new incentives to adopt cover crops, which can improve soil health. [link]
The Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, through its Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food & Environmental Science (SAFES), announced funding awards to accelerate the advancement of its Critical Issues Initiatives. Heather Preisendanz, director of SAFES and professor of agricultural and biological engineering, announced that seven projects received inaugural funding totaling more than $100,000 through the Seed2Sustain program. The projects that received funding include Animal, Antimicrobial Resistance, Foodborne and Zoonotic Diseases; Managing Earth’s Critical Zone; Bioeconomy Solutions; Precision Biodiversity; Regenerative and Climate-Smart Landscapes; Agricultural Sustainability in Urbanized Landscapes; and Contaminants of Emerging Concern. [link]
Syngenta and PepsiCo are working in collaboration with the aim of boosting regenerative and traceable agriculture in the food industry value chain in a transparent and verifiable way. During the first year of joint work, Syngenta provided PepsiCo with 4,000 tons of sunflower oil from fields of farmers in the province of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, San Luis and Santa Fe, who applied regenerative agriculture practices. In a second stage, it is expected to increase the hectares that implement these practices by at least 25%. The overall process includes third-party validation, ensuring security throughout the entire commercial chain. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In late February, the Ohio Department of Agriculture said it would provide $10 million in state funding to help farmers recover from 2024’s historic drought. See more, here.