January 25, 2025
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – Farming Life discusses how to get younger generations interested in farming. Read about it, here.
Spotlight 2 – The FAO publishes a comprehensive report on how nitrogen use must be improved to reduce harms to human and environmental health. Check out the story, here.
Spotlight 3 – The Conversation says that “regeneratively farmed” is the new buzz label on store shelves, however, do we actually know what this means? Check it out, here.
Industry Updates
Agriculture ministers from roughly 70 countries agreed at the 17th Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference to jointly drive forward a sustainable bioeconomy. They undertake to strengthen the contribution of a sustainable bioeconomy to global food security, while conserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change. The ministers also unanimously support the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) to fund a project of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to develop a global bioeconomy partnership. [link]
Farm to Table's New Mexico Farmer Innovation Program announced that the request for applications for the Urban Agriculture Initiative Micro-Grant funding opportunity is now open. Urban farmers, ranchers or food producers with a gross cash farm income of $250,000 or less per year who produce in New Mexico may be eligible to apply for a non-matching grant. Objectives and goals of the program are to implement conservation practices that will improve resilience to climate change and on-farm sustainability practices and — among others — support farmers who may not qualify for other United States Department of Agriculture funding. The grants are competitive and will be awarded in amounts of up to $20,000 based on eligibility and merit for projects that take place in 2025. Priority will be given to proposals that give attention to historically underserved farmers in urban communities. [link]
The Co-op Group has launched an £820,000 fund to support sustainable farming efforts, which, it says, continues its long-term investment in UK agriculture. Through the fund, farmers will be directly rewarded for their efforts in reducing carbon emissions and promoting nature on their farms across beef, lamb and dairy sectors as part of two new sustainability projects. The Group was the first national UK grocer to have 100% of all its fresh and frozen chicken, pork, beef and lamb sourced from UK farms including when used as an ingredient, a commitment which began in 2014. [link]
Saskatchewan and the Canadian federal government have announced an investment of $9.4 million for crop-related research, with an additional $5.4 million co-funded by industry partners. The investment, which is part of Saskatchewan's 2024-25 agriculture budget of $37 million, will support 53 approved research projects aimed at advancing the agriculture sector. The funding will provide research organizations the dollars they need to investigate solutions to production issues and to develop new opportunities for the Canadian crops sector, which in turn will help farmers compete globally and boost their bottom lines. [link]
Swedish researchers have introduced a biochar soil treatment that could transform the management of DDT-contaminated agricultural land. A team at Chalmers University of Technology has demonstrated that biochar can significantly reduce the environmental risks associated with DDT contamination, unlocking the potential for thousands of hectares of previously unusable farmland. Field experiments revealed that biochar treatment reduced DDT absorption in earthworms by approximately 50%, significantly decreasing the risk of bioaccumulation in the food chain. This promising development could enable landowners to safely cultivate select crops, including forestry seedlings, bioenergy crops like willow trees, and animal feed, while awaiting regulatory updates on contaminated land rehabilitation. [link]
The Non-GMO Project has introduced Non-UPF verified, a certification to show products are not ultra-processed foods (UPFs). A pilot phase will launch in the spring. The new certification will complement the “butterfly,” Non-GMO Project’s verified seal that signifies products do not contain genetically modified organisms. The Non-GMO Project conducted research with Linkage in 2024 and found that 85% of shoppers said they want to avoid ultra-processed foods. [link]
Project Eaden, a German climate tech startup that creates ultra-realistic plant-based meats using proprietary fiber spinning technology, closed an oversubscribed €15 million Series A funding round led by Planet A and REWE Group. The company noted that current meat alternatives do not stack up to the taste, texture, or nutritional benefits of animal meat, creating no real shift in consumer behavior to combat livestock farming's contribution of 12% of global annual greenhouse gas emissions. The company plans to use the funding to support a pan-European retail launch, scale up its production capacity and expand its product portfolio. It is also making strategic hires in operations, engineering, marketing, and sales. [link]
Upper Midwest U.S. farmers are now able to see the environmental effects from their sustainable farming practices through a new conservation program that hopes to expand across the Midwest. Farmers for Sustainable Food recently wrapped up its inaugural year, enrolling over 100,000 acres of cropland across four states and reducing nearly 50,000 tons of CO2 equivalents into the atmosphere. Through a partnership with Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and a $50 million federal grant, participating farmers are compensated for their time and data sharing, receiving support to understand the metrics and outcomes of the conservation practices being used on their farms. [link]
A leader in the bean-free coffee space, Atomo Coffee, has secured $7.8M from investors in its latest Series B fundraising round; so far, the startup has raked in nearly $59M in investment. The company will use the capital to expand the reach of its Remix product, a 50:50 blend of conventional coffee and its beanless innovation, with an eye on international horizons beyond the United States. Its current mix includes a combination of upcycled date pits, ramon, fenugreek and sunflower seeds, millets, lemon, guava, carrots, strawberry and potato fiber, black aronia berries, green bananas, and fructose (with caffeine from green tea). [link]
University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist, Carson Roberts, says that adding diversity to pasture can make it more productive than growing tall fescue alone. Diversity can also aid in reducing or diluting the effects of fescue toxicity, improve nutritive value of forage, increase weight gain on animals, and enhance soil health. One way to add diversity is through inter-seeding legumes. Research over the years at the MU Cornett Research Farm shows that fescue pastures are more productive when legumes are in the mixture. Traditionally, legumes are sown at the beginning of the active growing season in April. However, frost seeding can be very successful, according to Roberts. Frost seeding, a method of broadcasting seeds over snow- or frost-covered pastures, improves poor pastures at a low cost. Seeds work their way into the soil and germinate as the ground freezes and thaws between winter and spring. Frost seeding is effective because freeze-thaw cycles cause soil surface movement that increases seed-to-soil contact. [link]
ADM has partnered with agri-tech company Klim to expand its re:generations program across Germany. Re:generations provides financial assistance and agronomic support to farmers implementing regenerative practices, including precise fertilizer application, conservation tillage, cover crops and biodiversity enhancement. The expansion into Germany will see farmers who adopt regenerative agriculture practices receive incentives based on land area. The program has a target of enrolling 60,000 acres (24,281 hectares) by 2025, initially focusing on wheat, oil seed rape and soy crops. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
Early this month, researchers at Michigan State University discovered a groundbreaking way to re-engineer plants to withstand extreme heat, offering a glimmer of hope for agriculture in the face of a warming planet. See more, here.