Month: February 2021

Listen in as KVT and Benson Hill CEO, Matt Crisp talk unfiltered about the future of agriculture, some of their favorite investments, new books they are reading, and how they are collectively working to bring premium crop opportunities to growers across the U.S. This is a great conversation with the CEO of the most talked-about …

Why I’m Betting Big on Benson Hill, Growing for Premium, and the Future of Agriculture Read More »

U.S. hog producers endured some brutal setbacks last year amid the havoc wreaked on supply chains as the Covid-19 pandemic set in. Unfortunately, some producers throughout the Midwest are also dealing with a new and more deadly strain of a common foe, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). This emerging strain, PRRS 1-4-4, began showing …

Hog Producers in Midwest on High Alert for New PRRS Strain Read More »

This week our group at iSelect is hosting a “Soil Carbon” deep-dive. There have been a ton of questions circulating as of late, so I thought this was extremely relevant and timely. You can register below to hear the panel discussing the future of soil carbon and the options available to measure and manage this …

MUST LISTEN – Better Understanding Carbon… Measurement, Management, and Marketplace Read More »

Barcelona-based start-up “Bioo” has developed a unique way of generating electricity from plants’ photosynthesis that doesn’t do any damage and is 100% renewable. This new biological battery will generate energy from the soil itself as it rains, or is irrigated, and nutrients and microorganisms leach from the ground. I’m told Bioo’s tech will direct them …

Latest Battery Innovations Coming From the Soil Read More »

Crops don’t grow themselves and in the U.S., the labor needed to support the agricultural production is increasingly hard to come by. But agriculture is also an industry that is ideally suited for automation, something Igino Cafiero and Aubrey Donnellan recognized when orchard owners in California expressed interest in their company’s autonomous technology. Pivoting from …

MUST-READ & WATCH… “Bear Flag Robotics” Wants to Solve the Farm Labor Problem Read More »

There are more than 2 million farms in the United States, about 98% of which are operated by families, individuals, family partnerships, or family corporations, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. About 87% of all agricultural products in America are produced on family ranches or farms. A single farm feeds an average of 166 people …

The United States of Agriculture Read More »

When Americans talk about how the frontier was “tamed,” most are talking about the revolver and repeating rifle that helped settlers secure their territory. Some argue, however, that it was the invention of barbed wire that influenced people to settle in the vast, open spaces. With few trees and other fence building materials, barbed wire …

How an Illinois Farmer Helped Tame the West Read More »

In its first Super Bowl ad, Chipotle goes deep into the world of agriculture. The short advertisement created by Venables Bell & Partners, begins with a young boy dining at home, burrito in hand, who poses the question, “What if this burrito could change the world?”  We all need to pay very close attention as …

MUST WATCH… Can a Burrito Change the World? Chipotle’s Super Bowl Commercial  Read More »

Soil compaction can reduce yield by up to -20% but primary tillage, the typical solution to this problem, is time-consuming and costs farmers up to $30 per acre. At the same time, excessive tillage adversely affects soil structure, harms the soil microbiome, and increases the likelihood of soil erosion that contributes to lower crop productivity …

Building a “Soil Cloud” to Increase Yields and Boost Soil Health Read More »

It’s that time of year when the nation waits for a giant rodent to tell us when spring will arrive. Famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil will emerge from his burrow this morning to deliver his highly anticipated forecast. But don’t get too excited – he’s usually wrong. February 2 of every year marks the halfway mark …

It’s Groundhog Day… Will Spring Come Early? Read More »