A Roadmap to Better Decision Making

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 supply chain.The rule in Kennedy’s ...
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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 again calling on Congress to ...
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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, the eponymous “Leonard Brothers.”Listed by ...
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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 critical tools and opportunities. NASDA ...
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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 founders, UnReal Milk is made by ...
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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 began in 2023. Below are ...
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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, potassium, and ...
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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 low and the Trump administration ...
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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 vault,” the facility derives its ...
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Most fertilizers are typically applied to soil in liquid, powder, or granule form. In most cases, the substance either leaches into the water table or evaporates into the atmosphere before releasing its full nutrient payload. That means added expense and work for farmers who must perform multiple fertilizer applications. Scientists think one solution could be a slow-release fertilizer in the ...
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