Operations

  • A Deere tractor in the foreground.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Deere lowers outlook as equipment sales slow due to declining farm income

    The company is cutting production as high interest rates, weather volatility and other factors weigh on demand for tractors and lawnmowers.

    By • May 17, 2024
  • A baby pineapple grows from a plant
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    Leon Neal via Getty Images
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    Column

    Agtech seedlings: Fresh Del Monte to manufacture biofertilizer from pineapple waste

    Also in this week's farm technology news: FarmRaise introduces a platform for companies to manage agricultural sustainability programs, and FMC taps AI to accelerate product discovery.

    By • May 17, 2024
  • Guardian Agriculture's SC1 eVTOL sprays crops in California. Explore the Trendline➔
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    Courtesy of Guardian Agriculture
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Agriculture Dive

    As the sector anxiously awaits a farm bill, producers are expected to take advantage of new opportunities in renewable energy and regenerative agriculture.

    By Agriculture Dive staff
  • Silhouettes of two men standing in wide-brimmed hats next to a tower of food crates.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    OSHA heat standard clears regulatory hurdle

    As rulemaking progresses, the Department of Labor said it will prioritize heat-related inspections in agricultural industries that employ H-2A workers.

    By Zachary Phillips • May 17, 2024
  • A group of brown cows with yellow tags on their ears stand in a pasture
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Cattle rebuilding unlikely as high interest rates and costs stick around

    Despite improving pasture conditions, farmers continue to sell off their herds, pushing up prices and compressing margins for meat giants like Tyson Foods.

    By • May 16, 2024
  • A Maas Energy Works anaerobic digestion lagoon
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    Courtesy of Maas Energy Works
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    Mass Energy Works, Clean Energy Fuels to build 9 dairy digesters in $130M venture

    The agreement is set to produce an estimated 4 million gallons of renewable natural gas from cattle manure per year. 

    By • May 16, 2024
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    Andreas Rentz via Getty Images
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    Bayer details layoffs as company shake-up continues

    The reduction of 1,500 roles in the first quarter is part of CEO Bill Anderson’s plan to shrink Bayer’s bureaucracy and “radically realign” its culture.

    By Delilah Alvarado • May 16, 2024
  • Cows behind a fence graze on grass
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    How dairy farms should interpret CDC guidance on bird flu

    Farmers should not see the agency’s biosecurity recommendations as a “one-size-fits-all” solution, a veterinarian and public health expert said.

    By • May 15, 2024
  • A farm is juxtaposed against a night sky with green and purple lights
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    Michael Seamans via Getty Images
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    Geomagnetic storm scrambles tractor navigation systems

    The massive solar storm that splashed the northern lights across the sky disrupted farming operations at the peak of planting season.

    By S.L. Fuller , • May 15, 2024
  • A group of cattle stand on pastureland in a fenced-in enclosure
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    Photo illustration by https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/cattle-stand-near-temporary-fencing-while-grazing-in-news-photo/1400572958/Agriculture Dive; photograph by Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Grass-fed beef demand is on the rise. Can supply keep up?

    Although consumer appetite for the label is increasing, cost constraints and environmental questions have prevented a production expansion.

    By S.L. Fuller , • May 14, 2024
  • Rows of John Deere tractors with logo displayed
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Deere lays off 34 more workers in Illinois

    Hundreds of factory workers across the Midwest have lost their jobs in recent months as the company adjusts to declining equipment demand.

    By • May 14, 2024
  • Dairy cattle line up to feed.
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    David McNew via Getty Images
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    US to spend $200M on bird flu fight, including dairy farm compensation

    The investment comes as public health experts raise concerns that the government isn’t doing enough to track the virus and prevent it from spreading to humans.

    By • May 13, 2024
  • A bunch of Ferrero Rocher chocolate hazelnut candies in a display.
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    Lillianna Byington/Agriculture Dive
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    Ferrero unwraps first chocolate factory in North America

    The confectionery manufacturer also recently invested in Oregon’s hazelnut growers as it seeks to expand its presence in the U.S.

    By Joelle Anselmo • May 13, 2024
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    Courtesy of Daisy Brand
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    Daisy Brand to build $626M Iowa dairy plant

    The 750,000-square facility in Boone, Iowa, will initially employ more than 100 workers.

    By Joelle Anselmo • May 10, 2024
  • A Cargill sign is seen at the entrance of a parking lot where cars sit.
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    Spencer Tirey via Getty Images
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    Cargill sells California beef plant to Central Valley Meat

    The state's largest beef producer aims to retain as many of the Fresno facility's 880 employees as possible.

    By • May 10, 2024
  • A CDC sign on the agency's exterior building
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    Jessica McGowan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    CDC recommends face masks to protect farmworkers from bird flu

    The agency is asking states to make personal protection equipment available as more information comes to light about the transmission of the virus. 

    By • May 9, 2024
  • The back of a woman is seen as she looks at the meat section at a grocery store
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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    Tyson Foods posts mixed earnings as chicken shows momentum

    Executives issued a cautious outlook for the rest of the fiscal year due to higher commodity costs and demand uncertainty.

    By • May 7, 2024
  • A farm worker in a wide-brimmed hat bends down in a field as sprinklers in the background eject water.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Produce farms will need to test water for contamination in long-awaited food safety rule

    The update aims to better address potential pathogen contamination before fruits and vegetables are harvested.

    By • May 6, 2024
  • A farmworker empties cherries into a tray.
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    Dan Kitwood via Getty Images
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    Too much of a sweet thing: Cherry growers struggle after oversupply decimates prices

    Warmer weather is shortening harvests and putting more farmers in direct competition with each other, pushing the industry to come up with innovative solutions to extend the growing season.

    By Leah Borts-Kuperman • May 6, 2024
  • Sun shines over green pasture at a cattle farm.
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    Ian Waldie via Getty Images
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    Agtech Seedlings: Indigo Ag splits carbon credit, crop protection businesses in restructuring

    Also in this week’s farm technology news: Software investor Arcadea Group wants to create "field to wholesale" traceability with its recent acquisition, and PowerPollen generates investor buzz.

    By • May 3, 2024
  • Young dairy calves stand on a pasture
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    ‘We’re basically flying blind’: An epidemiologist’s take on the US response to bird flu

    Katelyn Jetelina, a public health expert and CDC advisor, explains why an outbreak in dairy cows is likely bigger than previously thought and what farm workers should be doing to protect themselves.

    By • May 2, 2024
  • A red tractor is seen harvesting soybeans on a field
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    ADM profits tumble 24% as global grain supplies balloon

    The agriculture giant is focusing on key priorities to weather a down cycle as the Justice Department looks into its accounting practices.

    By • May 2, 2024
  • A herbicide sprayer is seen on a soybean field
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    simazoran via Getty Images
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    Syngenta sales fall 20% in Q1 as farmers delay pesticide purchases

    The seed and agrochemical maker recently scrapped plans to go public in China due to adverse market conditions.

    By • May 1, 2024
  • Farm equipment is seen on a field
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    Courtesy of CNH Industrial
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    CNH gets in on farm space race with Intelsat collaboration

    The partnership, which aims to provide satellite internet connectivity in remote areas, comes after Deere announced a similar deal with SpaceX's Starlink network.

    By • April 30, 2024
  • A corporate headquarters building
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    Retrieved from Monogram Foods on April 25, 2024
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    Monogram Foods taps Kellogg veteran as supply chain head

    Larry Elliott will oversee company operations at the snack food company months after it was fined for illegally employing children at a meatpacking plant. 

    By Alejandra Salgado • April 30, 2024
  • Protesters with signs urging the SEC to reject JBS' planned IPO are seen
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    Permission granted by Emma Brodsky / Ban the Batistas
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    Billionaire Batista brothers reinstated to JBS board

    The shareholder vote affirms the controversial siblings' return to power at the world's largest meat producer. 

    By • April 29, 2024