The Van Trump Report

Agriculture

Even Bees Are Getting Stung by Inflation… Cost of Pollination Up +38% Since 2017

After being suspended in December of 2018, the United States Department of Agriculture “Cost of Pollination” survey has now been reinstated. For producers that regularly need to rent bees, it probably comes as no surprise that pollination costs have skyrocketed over the last few years, with prices up well more than +30% in many cases. …

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How California’s Egg Shortage – and Skyrocketing Prices – Could Spread to Other States

Avian influenza, aka “bird flu,” absolutely ravaged US poultry flocks in 2022 with almost 58 million birds in commercial poultry operations lost to the disease. The losses are now greater than the last major outbreak in 2014-15 that wiped out 50.5 million US poultry birds. Interestingly, California ranked 13th among US states for total number …

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What John Deere’s “Right to Repair” Agreement Means for US Farmers

At long last, farmers and ranchers have gained the “right-to-repair” their expensive John Deere equipment thanks to an agreement with the American Farm Bureau Federation. The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that requires John Deere to provide farmers and independent repair facilities with access to the company’s tools, software, and documentation to …

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Interesting AgTech in the Spotlight at Consumer Electronics Show

It was brought to my attention that several other AgTech companies other than John Deere were showcasing some of their latest innovations at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Below are just a few more ag highlights from the show that I found interesting. Aimbe LAB: South Korean startup Aimbe LAB has designed a way to monitor the …

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Sports Stars Scoop Up First of Five Farms via Athlete Investment Group “Patricof”

A group of top athletes just bought a 104-acre Iowa farm for $5 million with their sites set on acquiring at least four more farm properties across the US. Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow and Boston Celtics veteran Blake Griffin are part of Patricof Co., an investment and education platform tailored specifically for professional athletes. …

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New Hybrid Wheat Varieties Coming to a Field Near You

In order to sufficiently feed the world’s growing population by 2050, it’s estimated that a nearly +100% increase in wheat production is needed. Unfortunately, seed companies have not been able to rely on the “GMO” technologies used to boost the yields and resilience in corn, soybean, and other row crops. Instead, scientists have spent years …

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CoBank’s 2023 Year Ahead: Forces That Will Shape the U.S. Rural Economy

Agricultural lender CoBank is forecasting a challenging year ahead for farmers and ranchers as the world economy slows to a crawl. In the US, CoBank expects additional headwinds stemming from the tighter financial conditions, as well as political gridlock in Washington. The authors of the latest forecast, “Forces That Will Shape the U.S. Rural Economy …

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