Today's Agriculture Pulse
Corn‑based biopolymer ‘plantymer’ promises sustainable plastic alternative
Scientists from China and the Netherlands have created a corn‑protein biopolymer called “plantymer” using a spider‑silk‑inspired process. The material, derived from the protein zein, offers silk‑like rigidity and strong moisture and oxygen barriers, and it degrades up to 80% within a month in simulated soil.
Also developing:
Agricultural Transformation and the Opportunities for Agritech Innovators
Southeast Asia’s three biggest agricultural economies—Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines—are confronting climate volatility, labour shortages and rising input costs. Governments and producers are turning to agritech solutions such as precision farming, supply‑chain traceability and climate‑resilient water management to boost yields and meet export standards. International agritech firms see a growing commercial window, but success hinges on navigating fragmented smallholder networks and aligning with public‑sector programmes. Partnerships with local agribusinesses, cooperatives and research institutes are emerging as the fastest route to market entry.
North America Gains Urea Cost Edge Amid Global Gas Divergence
This chart underpins my positioning in North American nitrogen fertiliser producers. Urea supply has tightened following a sharp drop in exports from the Gulf. As urea production is highly sensitive to NatGas costs, the divergence in regional gas prices is...
Taking the P…. Our Urine Can Make Low-Carbon Fertilisers
Researchers at the University of Surrey have shown that human urine, which makes up just 1% of wastewater, contains the bulk of nutrients needed for fertilisers—nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. By applying forward osmosis, a low‑energy membrane process, these nutrients can...
Strait Standoff Reshapes Fertiliser Trade and Crop Economics
Eight weeks of Middle‑East fighting have blocked roughly 24% of the world’s bulk fertiliser supply behind the Strait of Hormuz, stranding about 834,000 tonnes of urea. Shipping through the strait fell over 95%, driving nitrogen prices up nearly 40% in...
Feroz Sheikh on AI as the Final Puzzle Piece in Modern Agriculture
In this episode, Peter Hai talks with Faraz Sheikh, Syngenta’s Chief Information and Digital Officer, about how AI and machine learning are becoming the missing puzzle piece that turns massive farm data into actionable decisions for growers. Sheikh explains Syngenta’s...
From Budget to Premium: New Wave of Low-Cost Autosteer Expands Across Segments
Chinese manufacturers are reshaping the global retrofit autosteer market by offering low‑cost, high‑accuracy GNSS solutions that rival premium systems. CNH Industrial teamed with CHCNAV to launch the affordable FleetPro kit, while ComNav’s AG501 Pro and Sveaverken’s F200 bring modularity and...
Japan Wagyu Leader Outlines Fat Quality Shift and Free-Range Production Push
Shikishima Farm, Japan's largest integrated Wagyu operation, is pivoting from traditional marbling scores to a focus on lipid quality, especially monounsaturated fats. The company, which raises about 11,000 Japanese Black cattle, is trialing a next‑generation, fully free‑range production model in...
Anti-Biotechnology Activists Smear Hybrid Wheat Breakthrough that Could Surge Yields in Poorer Countries
Hybrid wheat breakthroughs from Corteva and Syngenta aim to unlock the long‑standing yield gap in self‑pollinating cereals. Leveraging the 2018 wheat genome map, Corteva claims a proprietary system that separates male and female flower functions, while Syngenta has introduced Hard...
GrubMarket Acquires Century-Old Schoenmann Produce to Boost Gulf Coast Reach and AI Supply Chain
GrubMarket announced the acquisition of Houston‑based Schoenmann Produce, a distributor with more than a century in the Gulf Coast market. The deal adds a 90,000‑square‑foot cold‑storage hub and gives Schoenmann access to GrubMarket’s AI‑driven software suite, positioning both firms for...
AI Is Making Farming More Precise; Meet Companies Building Circular Economy
YourStory’s latest newsletter spotlights two fast‑growing tech trends in India. AI‑driven precision farming is enabling year‑round strawberry cultivation in 45 °C heat and linking satellite thermal data with crop‑health platforms such as Cropin. At the same time, social enterprises like Phool,...
First Point of Entry Delay Hinders Ord Cotton Industry
Regulatory approvals for First Point of Entry (FPOE) status at Port of Wyndham have been pushed back to at least mid‑2027, delaying the export of the Ord Valley cotton crop. The delay adds an estimated US$600 per container, translating to...
Drone‑planted Alley Corn Doubles Yield without Tillage
Alley crop corn project is an epic success. This was droned on seconds before the chopping corn head collapsed that 2x corn yield on 1/2 space on top of the seed The denser stand is where the corn was last year...
Fertilizer Costs Surge 53%, Threatening Food Inflation
Fertilizer prices have moved up to their highest levels since May 2022, rising 53% YoY. About a third of global fertilizer supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz. This will drive food price inflation higher in the coming weeks/months. Video: https://t.co/XaN1isYjSt
India and Vietnam Rice FOB Prices Slip 2‑3% as Ample Stocks Cushion Market
India and Vietnam saw rice FOB prices ease 2‑3% over the past week as abundant harvests and steady government stocks left exportable supplies comfortable. The price softening, driven by weaker demand from the Philippines and Indonesia, signals a stable supply...
Pineapple Prices up Despite China Ban
Taiwan’s pineapple farm‑gate prices have risen to NT$12‑NT$15 per jin (about $0.38‑$0.48) as domestic demand peaks during the harvest season. Wholesale prices reached NT$39.1 per kilogram ($1.25), outpacing the three‑year seasonal average of NT$31.95/kg. After China’s 2021 import ban, Taiwan...
Shorter Easter Week Prompts Tighter Supply
A shorter Easter processing week has sharply reduced sheep and lamb yardings across most Australian states, tightening national supply. In New South Wales, sheep yardings fell from 71% to 38% and lamb yardings dropped from 58% to 40% between the...
Sheepmeat Export Update March 2026
Australian sheep‑meat exports slipped 24% year‑on‑year in March 2026 to 42,656 tonnes, falling below the five‑year average. The United States emerged as the strongest market, posting a 21% increase and accounting for about 18% of total shipments. Exports to China fell...
Wider Rows and Manure Sidedress Boost Corn Yields
Planting our manure sidedress plot. 60” blocks of corn consistenting of 4 20” rows Outside rows at 53,400k Inside rows at 37,400 34k /ac Will give us a wide 60” tram rows 120” on center for manure tank traffic Long term idea is getting this dialed in...
Wider Rows and Adjusted Spacing Overcome Late Sidedress Limits
For your information. How we get around the late sidedress impediment of 20” rows… we plant 40” rows 140” on center to allow the sprayer to @360yieldcenter y drop every 60’ as well as spray every 120’ We increase tram rows to...
Elaine Ingham, Who Taught That Soil Is Alive, Dies at 73
Elaine Ingham, the soil scientist who coined the “soil food web,” died at 73. Her research revealed that plants actively nurture a complex underground ecosystem of microbes, which in turn feed and protect roots. By treating soil as a living...
We Need Diverse Farms, and Genebanks Can Help
A new Nature Communications meta‑analysis of 184 prior studies covering 120 years finds that farm diversification—through intercropping, organic practices and other agrobiodiversity strategies—significantly raises financial profitability, biodiversity, pollination, soil quality and carbon sequestration over a 20‑year horizon, without any measurable...
Crop Input Giants Accelerate Biologicals Growth, Report Shows
Every major crop input company now has a biologicals strategy. The question is how are they progressing and what specifically are they doing? I just published an updated report that tracks the biologicals and specialty nutrition strategies, revenues, acquisitions, partnerships, pipelines,...
Burger Prices Surge, Imports Rise, Exports Fall.
"Burgers approach luxury territory as beef prices remain high" https://t.co/kxMtibg3NB "Imports are rising to fill the gap, while exports are falling as domestic supply tightens." https://t.co/U23joP278Z
Multinationals Double Down on China, Boosting $200M McCain Plant and 14% Foreign Investment Rise
Multinational firms are deepening their foothold in China, highlighted by McCain Foods' $200 million potato‑processing plant and a 14% year‑on‑year jump in new foreign‑invested enterprises. Executives cite China’s integrated industrial chain, market scale and policy stability as the key draw for...
We Can Create Food Systems That Enhance Human & Planetary Health
The article argues that global food systems, responsible for roughly 30% of greenhouse‑gas emissions, must undergo a low‑carbon transformation. It highlights energy‑intensive practices—from farm machinery to fertilizer production—and points to solutions such as agrivoltaics, renewable‑based fertilizers, and circular nutrient management....
Innovation Insights Quarterly: Q2 2026
Innovation Insights Quarterly Q2 2026 spotlights breakthroughs in agri‑robotics, biotech, medical devices, water treatment and public‑safety AI. A new AI model enables laser‑weeding robots to identify crops and weeds in real time, cutting retraining from weeks to minutes. Engineered cell therapy...
Make Your First Pass Count in Pulses
Bayer’s Delaro® Complete fungicide is positioned as the optimal first‑pass treatment for pulse crops, offering broad‑spectrum disease control when applied early in the season. The product blends fluopyram (Group 7), prothioconazole (Group 3) and trifloxystrobin (Group 11) at full label rates, delivering high...
Get More Heifers In-Calf, Earlier with Synchronisation and Fixed Time AI
The Hession brothers in County Galway have adopted a synchronized, fixed‑time artificial insemination (AI) program on their 260‑cow, spring‑calving dairy farm. By using a three‑hormone protocol (GnRH, progesterone, prostaglandin) and coordinating with their AI technician, they achieved up to 80%...
Could Australia Make Enough Biofuel to Keep Us Flying?
Rising jet‑fuel prices—up 150% since the Middle East conflict—have forced Qantas and Virgin to slash domestic routes, spotlighting Australia’s reliance on imported fuel. The government’s $1.1 bn Cleaner Fuels Program aims to jump‑start sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production from canola, sugar‑cane...
Hawaii Senate Bill 2102 Opens Door for Hemp‑Derived Livestock Feed
Hawaii lawmakers are advancing Senate Bill 2102, which would allow hempseed, hempseed oil and hempseed meal in commercial livestock feed. Proponents say the measure could revive a dwindling hemp farming sector, while state agencies warn of federal safety gaps.
Fewer Plants, Less Nitrogen, Same or Better Yields
Wheat or corn doesn’t matter the less plants you have to “feed” the less Nitrogen it takes because the ☀️ does more of the work. The biohack is going well below the “optimal” plants per acre for a monocrop to be...
AI Counts Potatoes Instantly with Minimal Training
#AI on the Assembly Line: Instant Potato Counting with Minimal Training by @IlirAliu_ #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #ML #MI https://t.co/Z0HPxgGqY6
Gulf Food Security Needs Execution, Not Just Ambition
Supply chain shocks in the Gulf have reignited concerns over the region’s heavy reliance on food imports, a vulnerability first highlighted during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Giovanni Angiolini of Dutch Greenhouse Delta stresses that food security must shift from short‑term profit...
Solar FarmBot Automates Gardening with Zero Effort
Effortless Gardening: Solar-Powered FarmBot Handles It All by @BusinessInsider #AgriTech #Robotics #Innovation #Technology #TechForGood https://t.co/IApH3GsWmj
Laser Robotics and NVIDIA Enable Chemical-Free Farming
Laser Weeding Revolution: Carbon #Robotics and NVIDIA Redefine Chemical-Free Farming by @kimmonismus #AgriTech #TechForGood #Innovation #Tech #Technology https://t.co/sASQ68ypFS
From Farm to Fashion: Why India’s Textile Future Begins in the Fields
India’s textile sector, a historic global powerhouse, now leverages Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 5F vision—Farm to Fibre, Fibre to Factory, Factory to Fashion, Fashion to Foreign—to create a fully integrated value chain. The government’s PM MITRA mega‑textile parks and a Production...
How Biomass Processing Is Becoming a Scalable Platform
RenX Enterprises Corp. is repositioning biomass processing as a repeatable, deployable platform rather than a single, capacity‑driven operation. By pairing a proven German milling system with low‑cost green‑waste feedstock, the company creates engineered growing media that rivals traditional inputs. Recent...
108‑Arm Robot Harvests Cotton 120× Faster Than Humans
108-Armed Cotton Picking #Robot Harvests 120× Faster Than Humans via @ZappyZappy7 #AgriTech #Robotics #Innovation #Technology #TechForGood https://t.co/dtBjyXkefI
Urea Prices Jump 87% as Middle East Supplies Halt
Fertilizer flows from the Middle East remain blocked. Urea fertilizer prices have SURGED 87% YTD to $720 per ton, the highest level in nearly 3 years. FARMERS SHOULD SEND A BILL FOR DAMAGES TO TRUMP AND NETANYAHU. https://t.co/8GGpcsbTMb
Fertilizer Prices Fall After Iran Says Strait Is Open
Urea prices in the U.S. Gulf fell about 18% to $640 per ton after Iran announced the Strait of Hormuz was open to commercial traffic. The drop follows a peak of $780 per ton earlier in the week and offers...
Mars and Ofi Unveil 5‑year Net‑zero Cocoa Program in Ecuador
Mars, Incorporated and Olam Food Ingredients (ofi) have launched a five‑year program in Ecuador to transition 960 cocoa farmers across 9,000 hectares to regenerative agroforestry. The effort, aligned with Science‑Based Targets, aims to cut Scope 3 emissions, boost yields and strengthen...
Rollins to Visit Arizona as USDA Mulls Port Reopenings
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins will travel to Douglas, Arizona, to evaluate whether to reopen southern cattle‑import ports that have been closed for over a year. Local officials argue the suspension has crippleed border‑town economies and that existing quarantine and traceability...
Tops Markets Adds Compost Drop-Off Initiative In Hamburg, NY
Tops Friendly Markets has launched a pilot compost drop-off called “From Scraps to Soil” at its Hamburg, New York store, partnering with worker‑owned Farmer Pirates Compost. The initiative lets households deposit organic waste for a $10 monthly fee (first month...
Temperature-Regulated Defective MIL-100(Fe) for Clove Essential Oil Loading as an Effective Natural Preservative for Peaches
Researchers synthesized a series of trifluoroacetic‑acid‑modulated defective MIL‑100(Fe) materials and loaded them with clove essential oil (CEO) to create a natural fruit preservative. The D‑MIL‑100(Fe)‑1 variant achieved the highest loading capacity at 610.6 mg CEO per gram, a 1.45‑fold increase over...
Shrink, Remove and Modify: Team Successfully 'Trims' Wheat Chromosomes
Researchers at Germany's Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research have used CRISPR‑Cas9 to cut satellite DNA, successfully shrinking or completely removing wheat chromosomes. The virus‑based delivery system bypassed traditional transformation, enabling rapid, large‑scale chromosomal edits. In some...
Chef Robotics Escaped the Robot Cooking Graveyard and Says It’s Thriving — Here’s Why
Chef Robotics announced it has processed 100 million robot‑deposited servings, marking a key milestone in its pivot from fast‑casual restaurant automation to large‑scale food manufacturing. The company now serves enterprise clients such as Amy’s Kitchen, Chef Bombay, and a major school‑lunch...
Aquabench Launches Digital Platform for Sorting Chilean Salmon Data
Chile‑based aquaculture consultancy Aquabench has unveiled Salmobench Digital, a web‑based platform that transforms its traditional PDF and Excel reports into interactive dashboards. The tool offers filtering, visualization, and direct data export, covering production cycles from the saltwater grow‑out phase for...
India’s Wheat Procurement Plummets 40% Due to Delayed Start in Madhya Pradesh
India’s wheat procurement for the 2026‑27 Rabi season is down 40% year‑on‑year, with total purchases at 5.134 million tonnes versus 8.357 million tonnes last year. Quality‑norm relaxations in Punjab and Haryana have already boosted purchases in those states, while Madhya Pradesh’s procurement...
Global Fertilizer Shortages Will Worsen Before Easing.
Energy & fertilizer shortages will likely still become greater before they ease, with prices needing to bring down demand to the new supply levels after damage assessments. We'll likely see lower fertilizer levels globally over the coming year, although it...
Exclusive: David Protein Scales Alt-Fat EPG Capacity, Eyes CPG Deals as CEO Targets $300m Revenues in 2026
David Protein, founded by RXBAR creator Peter Rahal, has quintupled production of its low‑calorie fat replacer EPG after acquiring Epogee. The company aims to generate more than $300 million in revenue by 2026 and is courting major CPG partners while expanding...