April 5, 2025
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – AP News says that plastics are seeping into farm fields, food, and human bodies. Can they be stopped? Read the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – Yahoo News writes about how Canadian farmers are sidelining sustainable farming efforts to focus on responding to U.S. tariffs. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 3 – Mongabay reports on how the federal funding freeze is leaving agroforestry farmers in the lurch. Take a read, here.
Industry Updates
Ghana has struck a landmark $25bn agreement with the private sector to combat climate change and drive sustainable development, marking one of the largest nature-based initiatives globally. The Ghana Green Guard Initiative, a collaboration between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), developer CarbonPura, and Private Sector Participation in Health (PSPH), aims to restore degraded ecosystems, enhance water security, and generate revenue through carbon financing and biodiversity monetization. Under the initiative, more than 12mn hectares of land will be restored through reforestation, regenerative agriculture, coastal restoration, and efforts to curb illegal mining. [link]
Generative agriculture firm, Todd, is pleased to introduce the world's first regeneratively grown vegetable and flower seed products, developed to reverse the damage caused by over-farming and synthetic fertilizers, by exhibiting tolerance to regenerative farming practices that heal the earth. The company seeks to partner with high-growth, market-leading branded organic and biodynamic farms. Todd produces its seed products on its own research farms located throughout the US, and in close partnership with several family-owned regenerative farms to trial varieties and produce seed. Every one of the over 2,000 vegetable and flower varieties are produced and tested each year, allowing complete quality control and traceability. [link]
American Farmland Trust (AFT) is raising money to support farmers and ranchers affected by recent federal funding losses or delays. The goal is to provide 200 farmers a grant each up to $10,000. The AFT Brighter Future Fund aims to raise $2 million through donations, which will be distributed via the organization’s Emergency Resilience Grant. Now in its fifth year, the Brighter Future Fund has helped more than 400 farmers across the United States and over 50,000 acres of farmland. The fund has distributed over $4.5 million to support agriculturalists facing hardships. [link]
Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker, has proposed a 31% funding cut to a popular cover crop subsidy program for next year's state budget, despite an overall increase in the budget itself. Six years ago, Illinois became the second state in the nation to offer subsidies to farmers for planting cover crops in the fall, an effort to reverse its status as one of the worst states for agriculture runoff. Demand for the Fall Cover for Spring Savings program — which offers a $5 per acre discount on the following year’s crop insurance premiums — has outpaced state funding every year since. Two state lawmakers introduced bills to increase the program's annual funding but they did not clear a recent committee deadline. Lawmakers can still negotiate funding for the program as they continue to work to pass a budget by the end of May. [link]
A new study published in the journal PNAS has debunked the idea that grass-fed beef is an environmentally friendly option. The research finds that even under the most optimistic scenarios, grass-fed beef is not less carbon-intensive than industrial beef and is three to 40 times as carbon-intensive as most plant-based and animal-based alternatives. It is sometimes claimed that cattle grazing enhances soil carbon sequestration. However, the study authors find that the evidence for this is not conclusive, and that even if it were true, the effect would not be impactful enough to reverse beef’s carbon intensity. [link]
Regenerative agriculture pioneer Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) today launched “Groundwork: AEA Agronomic Consulting,” customized packages for farmers of all backgrounds who want to transition to regenerative farming. AEA’s Groundwork offers strategic, customized plans and hands-on support for creating resilient farm systems. The new service seeks to address significant knowledge and mentorship gaps that often exist among current and aspiring regenerative growers. Previously, AEA’s agronomic consulting services were only available to customers of its products. [link]
Recent farmland sales in Iowa are showcasing strong values for high quality farmland. A pair of farms in northwest Iowa sold at an average price of $21,750/acre. Prime locations near grain elevators and feedlots, exceptional soil quality, and attractive supply/demand dynamics for farms in the area were factors contributing to the strong sale prices. [link]
A bipartisan group of U.S. House and Senate Representatives have introduced the New Producer Economic Security Act to support young farmers and ranchers in accessing farmland. The legislation would authorize a new pilot program to address the interrelated challenges of land, capital, and market access for new producers through innovative, locally-led solutions. The bill helps secure the American food system by establishing a pilot program within the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). [link]
Mountain Hazelnuts (MH), a sustainable agroforestry social enterprise operating in Bhutan, has secured a $7.9m (€7.3m) equity investment from investors led by Mirova and Finnfund, which will be used to finance climate-resilient farming initiatives. MH was established in 2009 as a public-private-community partnership with Bhutan’s government to create a business generating income for vulnerable communities in Bhutan by planting 10 million hazelnut trees to restore degraded mountain slopes. The company has been an important driver for Bhutan’s rural economy, providing hazelnut trees, agricultural inputs, and technical support to smallholder families and community groups to create further income-generating opportunities that also help to restore land. [link]
Sweeping new tariffs announced by the White House on April 2 have the potential to dramatically increase the cost of ingredients and finished food products in the United States. Among the measures, President Donald Trump announced a new universal minimum tariff of 10% on all goods imported to the United States, including food and agricultural products, effective April 5. The White House also unveiled “retaliatory tariffs” targeting more than 50 countries, with individual rates from 10% up to 49%. The new tariffs targeted several of the world’s top coffee-producing nations. The world’s biggest cocoa producers also face steep new import levies. Olive oil, cheese and alcoholic beverages including wine and beer from European nations also will get more expensive under the new tariffs. Imports of semaglutide, a key ingredient used in the formulation of GLP-1 weight loss drugs including Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, accounted for $15.6 billion in imports from the EU, ranking ahead of all food, beverage and agricultural products. Those imports now face a tariff of 20% or more, potentially increasing costs and disincentivizing their popularity among US patients. [link]
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has awarded a total of $431,637 to 10 new projects under the Developing Markets for Continuous Living Cover Grant. These grants help develop enterprises, supply chains, and markets for continuous living cover crops and cropping systems in the early stage of commercial development. Funding was provided to the MDA by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and state’s General Fund. Continuous living cover (CLC) refers to agricultural systems in which there are living plants and roots in the ground throughout the entire year. This can take many forms, from winter cover crops sown between summer annuals to agroforestry practices, perennial forage crops, perennial biomass crops, and perennial grain production. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In early March, it was reported that 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. See more, here.