The Van Trump Report

Month: August 2022

Researchers Boost Soybean Yields More Than +20% by Making Photosynthesis More Efficient

Earlier this year, a team of researchers from across the US and UK claimed to have substantially boosted yields on tobacco plants grown in a lab by improving the natural process of photosynthesis. That same team, led by Stephen Long, a professor of plant biology based at both the University of Illinois and the University …

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First Commercial Space Greenhouse Could Launch Next Year

Aerospace manufacturer “Redwire” is gearing up to launch the first-ever commercially owned and operated spaceflight-qualified plant growth platform capable of growing plants from seed to maturity in space. In other words, it is a giant space greenhouse, which Redwire plans install on the International Space Station (ISS) sometime in 2023. The project, funded by an …

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More Water Cuts for Western States… What Are We going to Do About the Water Problems?

Personally, I’m somewhat stumped on how things are going to play out in regard to “water” in the years ahead. Keep in mind, this is not just a US problem but a problem happening around the world. Over three-quarters of the earth is covered by water, but 97% is saline or salty ocean-type water, with only …

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Interesting to Think About… Is it Time to Make Contingency Plans for “Space Weather” Disruptions

Terry Griffin, a precision agriculture economist with Kansas State University Research and Extension, has a question for you – “How would your farm operate if you didn’t have access to GPS? And do you even have a Plan B?” Griffin asks because he has been investigating the potential impacts of “space weather” on the agriculture …

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Massive Jump Forecast for Brazil’s 2022-23 Soybean Exports… Time Will Tell

Brazil soybean production is expected to rebound significantly in 2022-23 after severe drought killed initial expectations for record output in 2021-22. The US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Ag Service (FAS) post in Brasilia predicts the country’s new crop production will jump to 144 million metric tons (MMT), up from the current season’s expected production of …

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Scientists May Have Discovered How to Give All Crops Nitrogen Fixing Capabilities

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have found a way to reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizer needed to grow cereal crops. Using CRISPR-based gene editing, the researchers found a new pathway for cereal crops to capture nitrogen-aka nitrogen fixation-as they grow. The discovery could save farmers in the US billions of dollars annually …

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Farm Aid 2022… Might be a Trip Worth Taking

The 2022 Farm Aid has been announced for Saturday, September 24th in Raleigh, North Carolina. The annual festival, a full day of music, family farmers, homegrown food and agrarian experiences, will be held at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek. There are some tickets still available at Ticketmaster, but I’ve been using SeatGeek and StubHub as of late …

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