Month: March 2025

New Zealand startup “BioLumic” is ready to bring its light-treated seeds to market. The company earlier this month launched its first commercial “Trait Activation System” (aka xTrait), at Gro Alliance’s seed production facility in Cuba City, Wisconsin. The BioLumic xTrait platform uses UV light to regulate genetic expression. That’s right, they just use light – …

“BioLumic” Launches World’s First Commercial Light-Activated Seed Trait Read More »

Recently appointed U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has instructed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to tighten food safety rules. The move could eliminate a key provision that allows companies to self-affirm that food additives are safe, which could have far reaching implications for the entire U.S. food …

Health Department Seeks Major Changes to Food Safety Rules Read More »

The rules around E15 continue to be more complicated than seems necessary. Some Midwestern states are permitted to sell the 15% ethanol blended fuel year-round thanks to special waivers, while others pull E15 from pumps during the summer. Farm state leaders and industry stakeholders that have long sought to allow year-round E15 nationwide are once …

Ethanol Stakeholders Make Another Push for Year-Round, Nationwide E15 Read More »

A piece of Texas agricultural history is on the market as heirs to the “Big Valley Pecan Farm” decide to write a new chapter. The 2,650 acre property, listed for $25 million, has been growing pecans for some 70 years, a venture started by Obadiah Leonard as a side-project to his main department store business, …

Pecan Farm in Texas Hill Country Hits the Market Read More »

At the Winter Policy Conference for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, members passed an action item supporting the United Nations’ resolution declaring 2026 (next year) as the ” International Year of the Woman Farmer.” NASDA says the action “acknowledges the vital contributions of women farmers and supports programs that enhance access to …

NASDA Champions 2026 as “International Year of the Woman Farmer” Read More »

Boston-based Brown Foods, a Y Combinator-backed startup company, has unveiled “UnReal Milk,” reportedly the first lab-made whole cow milk. The company says its “milk” matches the taste, texture and nutrition of conventional cow’s milk, and also can be transformed into butter, cheese, ice cream and other dairy products — without the cows. According to its …

Startup Creates First Lab-Made Cow’s Milk Read More »

Ongoing cattle herd contraction and the continued struggles of the poultry industry – particularly egg producers – against bird flu are two prominent themes set to impact the livestock industry in 2025, according to USDA’s Agricultural Outlook for Livestock and Poultry. One positive takeaway is an expected decline in feed prices, continuing the trend that …

Beef and Egg Supply Constraints Forecast to Continue in 2025 Read More »

Virtual Soil Testing (VST) continues to make inroads, providing farmers and agronomists with rapid, data-driven insights into soil nutrient levels without the need for extensive physical sampling. This innovative technology offers a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional soil testing methods. VST employs machine learning models to predict both surface and subsurface nutrient levels, including nitrogen, phosphorus, …

Is “Virtual Soil Testing” the Future? Read More »

Since 2009, the United States broiler chicken industry has been forced to dispose of some 400 million eggs every year that are not allowed to be use, according to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule. Industry groups have attempted to have the rule reversed but to no avail. Now, with U.S. egg supplies critically …

Why Some 400 Million U.S. Eggs Can’t Be Used Read More »

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault recently received a huge deposit of more than 14,000 seed samples from around the world. The samples were collected as part of decade-long effort to safeguard vital crops that are threatened by everything from war to environmental pressures, both of which are rising across the globe. Known as the “doomsday …

“Doomsday Vault” Receives Huge Deposit of Global Seed Samples Read More »