After nearly two decades of planning, the new, state-of-the-art National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) has finally opened in Manhattan, Kansas. The $1.25 billion facility, a level-four is the first of its kind in the United States and will allow scientists to study and diagnose critical animal diseases.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science …

Long-Awaited National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Opens in Kansas Read More »

The US beef cow herd started the year with the smallest numbers since 1962 thanks to severe drought conditions that have plagued at least 40% of the country since September 2020. Drought conditions have dramatically improved but the US beef herd is still expected to shrink even further due to a combination of ongoing drought …

Tight US Beef Supplies to Keep Prices Higher for Both Producers and Consumers Read More »

On this day in 1897, Pearle Wait, a carpenter in LeRoy, NY was developing a cough remedy and laxative tea in his home. He experimented with gelatine and came up with a mixed fruit-flavored dessert that his wife, May, named JELL-O. Wait and his wife, May, created strawberry, raspberry, orange, and lemon flavoring to mix …

JELL-O Story… From Rags to Riches! Read More »

Scientists in Israel claim to have made a “world-first breakthrough” in plant gene modification that they believe could revolutionize how crop traits are improved. The researchers say their discovery makes it possible to reveal the role of genes and traits in plants previously hidden by functional redundancy. Meaning they are able to isolate and identify …

Gene Editing “Breakthrough” Could Revolutionize How Agricultural Crops are Developed Read More »

Corteva has announced a new plant breeding innovation that uses CRISPR gene-editing to increase multi-disease resistance in corn. The company says the technology packages multiple disease-resistant native traits into a single location in the gene to better address the most devastating North American corn diseases facing farmers today. As farmers are well aware, plant diseases …

Corteva Announces CRISPR Crop Breeding Innovation to Combat Corn Disease Read More »

I really like the Simplot family and the folks they have working inside their business. They have always treated me and my family very well. I’ve also always appreciated the background story on how the business was built by the founder J.R. Simplot… Good stuff!!! J.R. Simplot, who passed away on this day in 2008 …

J.R. Simplot… Great Rags-to-Riches Story! Read More »

Researchers at Washington State University are conducting some tasty research that could bring big changes to the way we breed livestock. With permission from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), WSU researchers made sausage from gene-edited pigs and grilled them up for faculty and students at a recent barbeque. WSU says it is the first …

WSU is Serving Up Some Tasty Research Read More »

Guardian Agriculture has been working on an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft specifically geared toward large-scale agriculture since 2017. Sometimes referred to as “air taxis,” Guardian’s eVTOL doesn’t carry people but rather crop inputs, and it’s the first of its kind to gain Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for commercial use. Drone use …

Guardian Agriculture’s Autonomous eVTOL Wins FAA Approval Read More »

It’s that time of year, and time to pay our remembrance to the “Homstead Act”. About 93 million Americans living today are the direct descendants of “homesteaders” those who filed claims under the “Homestead Act” which was signed on this weekend (May 20th) in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln. Sadly, however, most of us have …

“Homestead Act”… More Than the Start of Our Family Legacy Read More »

Brazil’s luck in avoiding the spread of bird flu in South America seems to have run out. The country has confirmed cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in wild birds, marking the first-ever occurrence in the country. As the world’s leading chicken exporter, global supplies could be seriously impacted if the disease spreads to …

Bird Flu Has Reached Brazil, the World’s Top Chicken Supplier Read More »