The Latest
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Who is Brooke Rollins? What to know about Trump’s pick to lead USDA
The conservative lawyer is CEO of right-wing think tank America First Policy Institute, which is poised to exert enormous influence in the president-elect's second term.
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US pork exports to Dominican Republic surge amid spread of African Swine Fever
The country is importing record amounts of pork as the disease impacts close to 30% of domestic supply.
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Instacart launching SNAP eligibility screener
The company says it’s the first online grocery platform to roll out this kind of tool, which lets shoppers see if they qualify for SNAP benefits and directs them to state resources.
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Deere finishes 2024 stronger than expected with help of new products
Reduced production and inventories helped shore up costs, which opened up reinvestment opportunities across the company.
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Agtech seedlings: Indigo Ag, Truterra partner to get more farmers enrolled in sustainability programs
Also in this week's farm technology news: Almanac buys assets of shuttered startup Gro Intelligence, and Bayer teams with Orbia Netafim to develop a digital platform for fruit and vegetable growers.
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Ferrero invests in hazelnut sourcing as it grows US production
The company awarded a total of $340,000 to Oregon State University and Rutgers University to increase collaboration with local farmers, producers and distributors.
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‘Dicamba cannot be fixed’: Senate Democrats push to keep controversial weedkiller banned
The EPA is facing renewed pressure to deny applications re-registering the controversial weedkiller from three of the biggest crop protection companies.
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Oishii nabs another $16M as it prepares to take its luxury strawberries worldwide
The vertical farming company is preparing to open its first international facility in Tokyo, Japan, as it works to expand its U.S. market reach.
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Trump’s tariff plan is likely to raise grocery prices, economists say
U.S. reliance on food and beverage imports has grown over the years and could be significantly exposed to new duties under the president-elect’s plan.
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USDA to give specialty crop growers $2B to expand markets, combat natural disasters
The funding will help vegetable and fruit farmers defray transportation costs and access commercial storage facilities in the wake of extreme weather events.
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Corteva unveils ‘breakthrough’ in drought-resistant wheat
A new seed hybrid has the potential to increase yields by 10% and represents one of the first major innovations for the crop in decades.
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California opts to preserve credits for dairy digesters in major regulatory update
A state regulator voted to amend the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, injecting new life into a lucrative biofuels credit market that is used by waste projects throughout the U.S.
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Senate releases long-awaited farm bill draft. Here’s what’s in it.
Democrats are proposing to strengthen the farm safety net while meeting Republicans on some spending demands. But climate and food assistance remain major sticking points.
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Climate-smart agriculture investments at COP29 nearly double
The Agriculture Innovation Missions for Climate has mobilized $29.2 billion from more than 800 government and non-government partners over the past three years.
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Eliminate pesticides in farming? Trump’s pick of RFK Jr for health secretary raises concerns in agriculture
The prominent vaccine skeptic has promised to shake up the FDA, claiming Americans are being “poisoned” by seed oils and food additives in comments that have alarmed the industry.
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Is a farm borrowing crisis on the horizon?
The demand for loans is expected to increase by its largest amount since 2013, according to a Rabobank report, "begging the question of which banks will stick with the sector."
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Berkeley passes first ‘factory farm’ ban in US
Measure DD received more than 60% of the yes vote, garnering support from residents concerned about the impact CAFOs have on livestock and the environment.
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Turkey could be upstaged by other meats this Thanksgiving: CoBank
The popular holiday item faces tightened supply and lower demand than in previous years, the cooperative bank said in a report.
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Trump taps ‘border czar’ who promised worksite immigration enforcement
The choice of Tom Homan comes after Trump conducted workplace raids during his first term, including at seven Mississippi poultry plants.
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Smithfield pays $2M to settle child labor allegations at Minnesota meat plant
Children between the ages of 14 and 17 were employed at a processing facility, with most working after 9 p.m., according to a two-year state audit.
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Agtech seedlings: Bayer gets into the AI business with Microsoft
Also in this week's farm technology news: Nutella maker Ferrero invests in hazelnut research, and digital crop monitoring platform FarmQA acquires competitor Farm Dog.
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McDonald’s and Syngenta team up to create a more sustainable hamburger
The fast-food giant and meat supplier Lopez Foods will pay farmers to use Syngenta's Enogen corn to drive feed efficiencies and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Cox Farms becomes largest indoor farming operator in North America
The agricultural subsidiary of telecom giant Cox Enterprises has been on an acquisition spree since its launch in March, doubling the acreage for brands BrightFarms and Mucci Farms.
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Bayer urges investor patience as weak agricultural market drags earnings
The chemical giant cut its financial outlook as it faces slowing crop protection sales and regulatory uncertainty around glyphosate and dicamba herbicides.
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Cargill employee’s ransomware attack and discrimination claims dismissed
The decision is also a victory for UKG, whom the employee sued separately for privacy violation allegations stemming from a 2021 ransomware attack.