The Van Trump Report

Month: January 2025

“Digital Twins” Helping Revolutionizing Production Agriculture

As we enter 2025, the agricultural sector is witnessing a transformative shift with the widespread adoption of “digital twin” technology. This innovative approach is reshaping how farmers manage their operations, optimize resource use, and boost productivity.  For reference, a “digital twin” is defined as a virtual representation of a physical object, system, or process that …

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America’s Biggest Ranches Currently for Sale

I always like looking at farms and ranches that are for sale. As we start the new year, here’s a snapshot of the biggest ranches currently on the market throughout the US. They combine for over +2.2 million acres, and this collection of ranches and farmland represents the sprawling and monumental diversity of land for sale across the country. I’ve had …

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What You Might Not Know About Saudi Arabia’s Chicken Industry

Saudi Arabia is located smack in the middle of the Middle East and is covered mostly by arid desert, where summer temperatures average some 113 °F, and very little rainfall occurs. Needless to say, it’s not an environment where agriculture thrives so it was surprising to learn that the country is one of the world’s …

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“Rotor’s” Autonomous Helicopters Spray Fields, Fight Fires

Farmers that have integrated drones into their operations like the convenience and time-saving qualities of the technology for various tasks, such as scouting fields and checking in on livestock.  However, an oft-touted use – aerial applications – is still struggling to gain widespread adoption. Many farmers complain of small payloads and short battery life that …

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U.S. Egg Shortage May Get Worse Before Improving

America’s egg shortage is no joke. Courtesy of the ongoing bird flu outbreak, grocery stores across the country are scrambling to keep shelves stocked, while prices are as high as they’ve ever been. The situation is, unfortunately, beyond anyone’s control and likely to get worse before it gets better, according to industry experts. Bird flu …

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Interesting Read… Corn, Soybean, and Wheat Coverage Levels Increase to Near All-Time Highs, Could Impact Planted Acres

Our good friend Dr. John Newton, the Executive Head of Terrain, recently published a great article on new-crop ARC and PLC coverage. In case you are wondering, Terrain is an exclusive team of agriculture, food, risk management, and macroeconomic experts who provide insights on economic factors, trends, and agricultural markets. Terrain is an offering of …

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VERY INTERESTING –  U.S. Corn Belt Farmers Arguably “Improving Climate”

Corn Belt farmers already know that the region – the midwestern U.S. roughly covering western Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, and eastern Kansas – has some of the most fertile soils on Earth. The amount of corn harvested in this region annually has increased by +400% since 1950. But perhaps there is more to …

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Foreign Ownership of U.S. Farmland Jumps More Than +1.5 Million Acres

The amount of U.S. land owned by foreign entities climbed by +1.58 million acres between 2022 and 2023, or an increase of +3.6%, based on data collected by USDA under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978. An American Farm Bureau analysis of the latest data shows foreign investors owned 45.85 million acres of …

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Aigen, On the Cutting Edge of Weed Control

Seattle-based startup Aigen, founded in 2020, is pioneering a sustainable solution to one of farming’s most persistent problems, “weed control.” The company’s approach combines artificial intelligence, robotics, and renewable energy to offer farmers an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical herbicides. At the heart of Aigen’s offering is the Element robot, an autonomous, solar-powered machine designed …

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