September 28, 2024

Spotlight Stories

Spotlight 1 – The United Nations writes that in this “triple COP year”, leaders must align efforts to ensure planetary health. Read about it, here.

Spotlight 2 – KOSU discusses why more farmers are planting native landscapes in their crop fields. Check out the story, here.

Spotlight 3 – The New Climate Institute offers a report on how to navigate regenerative agriculture in corporate climate strategies. Check it out, here.

Industry Updates

Lehigh University researchers are developing biodegradable mulch films that deliver nutrients to crops, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastics in agriculture. Mulch films are a common tool in agriculture, helping suppress weeds, retain soil moisture, and regulate soil temperature to boost crop yields. However, traditional plastic mulch films present environmental concerns, as they do not decompose and contribute to plastic pollution. The research team is working on incorporating biodegradable polymers with nutrients that benefit crops while breaking down naturally in the soil. [link]

Varda, an agtech data service provider, has announced that it has joined a four-year €6 million ‘DeepHorizon’ project, funded by Horizon Europe, to conduct extensive subsoil sampling across European countries. Varda, founded by Yara, a global leader for nutrient production, has developed SoilHive, an innovative platform to facilitate access to public and private soil data, on a global scale. The DeepHorizon work will involve extending existing ontologies to include subsoil domains and functions, enabling data sharing across different stakeholders, creating the first European-level subsoil dataset, and enhancing SoilHive to improve the discovery of subsoil data, including the ability to search data at the horizon level. [link]

Agrifood corporates are making some progress on reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions but lagging when it comes to scope 3, according to a new report from sustainability advocate and nonprofit Ceres. “Taking stock: the state of climate action and disclosure in the food sector” examines the climate disclosures of 50 major agrifood corporates with the aim to “provide investors with clarity around the numbers and lay out best practices companies can take to drive progress forward.” Of these companies, 60% are making progress on scope 1 and scope 2 emissions but are behind on reducing Scope 3 emissions, which can make up 65%-95% of a company's total emissions, according to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). [link]

Indianapolis-based Corteva Agriscience has announced a collaboration with Pairwise, a food and ag technology company based in Durham, North Carolina, to share gene-editing research to improve plant breeding of crops, including corn and soybeans. Anchoring the collaboration is Corteva’s $25 million equity investment in Pairwise, made under the umbrella of Corteva Catalyst, the company’s new investment and partnership platform focused on accessing agricultural innovation to drive value creation. In addition, Corteva and Pairwise have formed a joint venture to accelerate and expand the delivery of advanced gene edited technologies aimed at increasing crop yield for food, fuel and fiber production. [link]

A new UC Riverside study on California agriculture and climate proposes a plan for new water capture, storage, and distribution systems throughout California that will sustain agriculture and keep up with climate trajectories. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds that groundwater aquifers have more storage potential than surface water reservoirs. So, instead of devoting decades to build more dams and reservoirs that are subject to evaporation and overflow, water should be diverted into these depleted aquifers below the Central Valley and the coastal plains. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is an intentional method of recharging aquifers, especially those at low levels. Already commonly implemented in California, MAR infrastructure includes conveyance structures that redistribute water to dehydrated locations, and injection—spraying water on land or, the more costly option, directly infusing water in wells. [link]

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations recently added three unique agricultural systems to its Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) program, highlighting their cultural and environmental significance. These new additions include Austria’s carp pond farming system, Indonesia’s salak agroforestry system, and São Tomé and Príncipe’s cocoa agroforestry system. These newly recognized systems, the first from Indonesia and São Tomé and Príncipe, and the second from Austria, demonstrate the FAO’s ongoing efforts to spotlight agricultural practices that contribute to food security, sustainability, and cultural preservation. Now comprising 89 systems across 28 countries, the GIAHS program promotes agro-biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and sustainable farming practices that are vital to the global fight against climate change. [link]

Shifting to a plant-rich food system represents 'spectacular pay-off' as climate benefits per dollar far outstrip those on offer from renewables and EV projects, a new study claims. Investing in the development of plant-rich food systems could offer more than five-times the emissions cuts provided by the same investment in renewable energy, and four times the reduction on offer from electric vehicles (EVs). That is the striking conclusion of a new report published by the Tilt Collective and tech firm Systemiq. The joint analysis also calculated that an initial investment of between $250m and $500m in advancing a plant-rich food system could ultimately catalyze $7bn of public and private finance and create multiplier impacts and new market opportunities. [link]

Gen Z consumers are placing an overwhelming emphasis on both sustainability and quality in their grocery products, and many are willing to spend more to support brands that reflect these values, according to a recent YouGov survey. The study reveals that 70% of Gen Z supports climate-smart agricultural practices. Additionally, 55% are willing to pay more for environmentally sustainable products, and over half of Gen Z consumers prefer brands that prioritize lower environmental impacts or locally sourced foods. Quality is also important for this younger generation. Eighty percent of Gen-Z said they prioritize food quality in purchasing decisions, and 70% are willing to spend more on high-quality food. [link]

Bayer Crop Science is testing a short variety of corn on about 30,000 acres (12,141 hectares) in the U.S. Midwest with the promise of offering farmers a variety that can withstand powerful windstorms that could become more frequent due to climate change. The corn’s smaller stature and sturdier base enable it to withstand winds of up to 50 mph. The smaller plants also let farmers plant at greater density, so they can grow more corn on the same amount of land, increasing their profits. The smaller stalks could also lead to less water use at a time of growing drought concerns. [link]

The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and partners throughout the state are working with the Gulf Hypoxia Program (GHP) to develop a free soil sampling program to increase knowledge around nutrient management practices that benefit farm operations. ISDA promotes the importance of nutrient management and the principle of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework. The 4R framework incorporates using the “Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time, and Right Place” to achieve cropping system goals. This program includes row crop, pasture, hay and specialty crop fields located within Indiana’s portion of the Mississippi River Basin. Eligible landowners will be prioritized by acreage enrolled (i.e., 100 acres or less), fields that have never been soil sampled, and fields that haven’t been sampled regularly (i.e., within the last 4 years). Sign-ups began Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, and ISDA is accepting registrations until Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. [link]

Farmers in the United States who raise livestock in large industrial operations could get funding from President Joe Biden's signature climate law to transition to more environmentally friendly practices under bills introduced in the House and Senate this week. About 1.7 billion animals are raised on U.S. industrial livestock farms, and they produce twice as much waste as the country's human population, according to the environmental group Food & Water Watch. The facilities can produce significant air and water pollution. The bill introduced by Alma Adams in the House and Cory Booker in the Senate would use IRA funds to help industrial livestock farmers reduce their environmental impact by moving animals to pasture or converting to organic crop production. The effort could face resistance from Republicans who want the IRA funds made available for other programs in the long-delayed farm spending bill being drafted by Congress. [link]

A team of Penn State agricultural scientists conducted a new study on dairy manure management strategies for ecosystem services in no-till crop systems, resulting in a new strategy that achieves multiple conservation goals while maintaining corn yields. The findings were recently published in Agronomy Journal and note that applying manure early in the spring synchronized with a growing cover crop, when temperatures are cooler, can reduce ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions compared to later in the spring when temperatures are warmer and the cover crop has been terminated. This practice offers a potential strategy to simultaneously achieve multiple conservation and agronomic goals. The surest way to prevent nitrogen loss as ammonia gas and nitrogen-laden runoff is to inject liquid manure below the surface of the ground, as this approach is considered a best management practice to lessen agricultural pollution in the troubled Chesapeake Bay watershed, to which Pennsylvania belongs. [link]

A new study says that 75 percent of farmers are already impacted by climate change or worried about its impacts, and 71 percent of them report reduced yields as a major concern. It goes on to say that 6 out of 10 have already experienced significant revenue loss due to weather events out of the norm recently and that 75 percent are open to implementing new technologies to better cope with climate change. The 2024 Farmer Voice survey spoke with 2,000 farmers across Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Kenya, Ukraine, and the United States, and was conducted by global market research firm Kynetec on behalf of Bayer. [link]

U.S. farmers are increasing pressure on the Biden administration to allow vaccinations for chickens, turkeys and cows to protect them from bird flu infections that have devastated flocks for three years. Bird flu, which is lethal for poultry and reduces milk output in dairy cows, has eliminated more than 100 million chickens and turkeys since 2022 in the biggest U.S. outbreak ever. A USDA spokesperson said the agency has been collaborating with state and federal agencies and researchers to protect livestock, farmers and farm workers and is researching animal vaccinations. [link]

In Case You Missed It…

Earlier this month, Natural Grocers announced a new partnership with the Rodale Institute to expand awareness of regenerative agriculture and enable grocery customers to provide financial support for the organic food movement. See more, here.