April 19, 2025
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – Reuters looks at why McDonald’s is focused on regenerative agriculture. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 2 – Wicked Leeks asks if soil holds the key to better nutrition. Read the story, here.
Spotlight 3 – The Michigan Daily says that the USDA needs to modernize its farm subsidies. Take a read, here.
Industry Updates
The blocking of federal funding for R&D projects mentioning ‘climate change,’ ‘greenhouse gas emissions,’ and related terms “would directly undermine US farmers’ competitiveness and long-term output,” warns a new report from environmental think tank The Breakthrough Institute. The Breakthrough Institute estimates that up to $424 million in federal funding for climate-related food & ag projects could be at risk based on a review of 100,000+ federal grant records featuring climate-related keywords. Practices such as no-till farming and cover cropping can enhance soil fertility, improve moisture retention, and reduce erosion—outcomes that directly boost crop yields and decrease the need for costly inputs like irrigation and fertilizers. [link]
Researchers at Michigan State University have made a groundbreaking discovery in Earth's deep soil layers, uncovering a new group of active microbes known as CSP1-3. These microbes were found in soil samples as deep as 70 feet from both Iowa and China, regions chosen for their deep and similar soil structures. Professor James Tiedje, a renowned microbiologist at MSU, explained that these microbes belong to a previously unidentified phylum and trace their ancestry back to aquatic environments like hot springs. Unlike surface microbes, they thrive in nutrient-poor environments and contribute significantly to water purification by breaking down carbon and nitrogen compounds washed down from above. Next, scientists plan to grow these microbes in labs and look for ways to tackle pollution or develop helpful technologies. [link]
Teagasc and VistaMilk Research Ireland Center have launched GroundTruth, an innovative citizen science project, facilitated by Research Ireland. The project, which is co-funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and the Department of Education, aims to improve soil literacy and engage communities across Ireland in research. GroundTruth will provide a user-friendly resource pack equipping participants with tools and knowledge to collect soil health data and measure aboveground biodiversity. It will also run a dedicated soil health week featuring a series of engaging webinars, a media campaign to raise awareness and various on-farm workshops across the country, providing hands-on learning experiences and showcasing best practices in soil health management. [link]
Technology is the key to meeting growing food demands and higher yields each year while protecting the environment that provides it, according to a recent report by agriculture and AI researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The report shows how AI can reduce labor requirements, aid sustainable agriculture and enhance precision livestock and crop management for farmers. As agriculture modernizes, tools like AI, robots, sensors and plenty of data will help farmers do their work more efficiently, according to the researchers. Understanding this data and how to use it can increase the yield, health and resilience of crops. [link]
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced the cancellation of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC) program. The Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities initiative will be reformed and overhauled into the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative, with existing grant agreements reviewed according to the following: a minimum of 65% of federal funds must go to producers; grant recipients must have enrolled at least one producer as of 12/31/2024; and grant recipients must have made a payment to at least one producer as of 12/31/2024. Select projects may continue if it is demonstrated that a significant amount of the federal funds awarded will go to farmers. USDA will contact current partners individually to provide information about their future participation. USDA will honor all eligible expenses incurred prior to April 13, 2025. [link]
The U.S. Commerce Department said most tomatoes imported from Mexico to the United States will face duties of 20.91% from July 14 as it withdraws from an agreement it said had failed to protect domestic tomato growers. In 2019, Mexican tomato producers struck an agreement with President Donald Trump's first administration to avert an anti-dumping investigation and end a tariff dispute. At the time, the United States said the agreement closed loopholes and included an inspection mechanism. [link]
The U.S. Agriculture Department is fast-tracking state requests to yank soda from food-stamp programs. Arkansas is among the first in line. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is seeking clearance from the USDA to implement the changes, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said her agency would move “very, very quickly” to approve them. Arkansas proposes to make candy and all types of soda—including diet and low-sugar versions—ineligible for purchases under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, starting in July 2026. The Republican governors of West Virginia and Utah have said they plan to pursue similar restrictions in their food-aid programs. Lawmakers in other states are working on legislation that would require their governors to do the same. [link]
The University of Vermont’s (UVM) new Soil Health Research and Extension Center (SHREC) will begin accepting soil samples and offer local testing tailored to Vermont’s unique soil conditions on Earth Day, April 22. SHREC will advance soil health research and provide invaluable resources to Vermont farmers by supplying specific insights with advanced soil health tests, including biological tests, carbon and organic matter analysis, and the ACE protein test for organic nitrogen. Previously, to receive soil health reports, farmers had to send samples out of state. [link]
The Cornell Maple Program is leading a multi-year study on growing high-value fruit and nut species within a 350-acre maple sugarbush in Cornell’s Arnot Forest. The agroforestry system aims to showcase increased farming efficiency and profitability, diversified crop offerings, and strengthened business resilience. To support producers, the maple program is also developing and testing distinctive products like maple-elderberry wine, maple-pawpaw ice cream and maple hazelnut spreads. [link]
A new article in Nature Food says that soil health is responsible for approximately 12% and 22% of global variations in crop production and nitrogen use efficiency, respectively. The paper says that while the influence of climate on crop yields is comparable to that of soil health, it is substantially overshadowed by the role of agricultural management, which accounts for roughly 70% of the global yield variation. In regions such as China, India, and the central United States, the influence of soil health on crop yields and nitrogen use efficiency is less pronounced due to the dominant effects of farming practices, including the intensive use of fertilizers. Enhancing global soil health could increase crop yields by 7.8 Mt while reducing nitrogen surplus by 8.1 Mt worldwide by 2050. [link]
Agrifoodtech investment in developing markets reached $3.7 billion in 2024, surging a remarkable 63% year-over-year (YoY) and bucking the 4% decline observed in the agrifoodtech sector at the global level. Total funding in developing markets accounted for 23% of global agrifoodtech investment, according to AgFunder’s 2025 Developing Markets AgriFoodTech Investment Report. The funding increase was achieved across 523 deals, showing an 8.4% YoY decline in deal activity, indicating the industry closed fewer and larger deals, according to the new report, which was released in partnership with Indian VC Omnivore, Dutch development bank FMO, and sugar reduction company Blue Tree Technologies. [link]
Prime Video will release the film, Common Ground, a documentary about regenerative agriculture, April 22 on Earth Day. The film originally premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023 and features appearances from celebrities including Rosario Dawson, Laura Dern, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Jason Momoa, Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed. Common Ground explores how a conversion to regenerative agriculture could revitalize the soil and save farmers millions of dollars. [link]
In a bid to support economic growth and lower costs for consumers, the UK government has suspended import tariffs on dozens of food and beverage items until 2027. The temporary suspension, which will apply to 89 products including pasta, fruit juices, spices and agave syrup, will run until July 2027 and is expected to save UK businesses at least £17 million per year. The move aims to lower costs for companies and reduce prices for consumers as part of the government’s wider 'Plan for Change' initiative, which focuses on boosting economic growth for UK industries. [link]
The Spanish government, alongside the regional governments of Navarra and La Rioja, has introduced Europe’s first AgriFoodtech Sandbox, designed to accelerate technological advancements in the agrifood industry. Managed by the National Center for Food Technology and Safety (CNTA), the initiative will offer a controlled environment where innovative products, processes, and technologies can be tested under regulatory oversight. The sandbox will allow startups, companies, and industry groups to experiment with novel approaches in the agrifood value chain. These include new ingredients, food preservation methods, packaging strategies, and ways to enhance resource use and waste recovery. [link]
Fair Trade USA is partnering with Acorn, an initiative of Rabobank, to expand fair access to the carbon economy for smallholder coffee and cocoa farmers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. According to Fair Trade USA, Acorn’s farmer-first model guarantees that 80% of carbon credit proceeds go directly to farmers and that farmers retain full ownership of their data. Acorn’s unique Carbon Removal Units (CRUs) focus on agroforestry, so farmers are planting trees to support soil quality and crop yield. By linking agroforestry expansion with equitable carbon credit systems, coffee and cocoa farmers not only keep forests standing but are actively regenerating landscapes, improving soil health, and creating opportunities for diversified income. [link]
Nearly 17% of the world’s croplands are contaminated with “heavy metals”, according to a new study in Science. These contaminants – arsenic, cadmium, lead, and others – may be invisible to the eye, but they threaten food safety and human health. Heavy metals and metalloids are elements that originate from either natural or human-made sources. They’re called “heavy” because they’re physically dense and their weight is high at an atomic scale. Heavy metals do not break down. They remain in soils for decades, where crops can absorb them and enter the food chain. Over time, they accumulate in the body, causing chronic diseases that may take years to appear. [link]
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed into law the Arizona Healthy Schools Act, which bans food and beverages containing 11 ingredients in school meals. Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, any public school that participates in a federally funded or assisted meal program shall not serve, sell or allow a third party to sell ultra-processed food on the school campus during the normal school day. Arizona joins California, West Virginia, Virginia and Utah in enacting laws to restrict food served at school. Like the other four state laws, the Arizona law targets synthetic dyes: Yellow No. 5 and No. 6, Blue No. 1 and No. 2, Red No. 3 and No. 40, and Green No. 3. Other ingredients banned in the Arizona law are potassium bromate, propylparaben, titanium dioxide and brominated vegetable oil. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In mid-March, a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania state legislators introduced a sweeping package of bills intended to address the safety of food and farm chemicals. See more, here.