Iran Crisis 'Make or Break' Warning for Agriculture, Says FAIRR
FAIRR Initiative warned that the escalating Iran crisis is a make-or-break moment for global agriculture. The conflict underscores how geopolitical tensions can disrupt food supply chains and expose sustainability gaps. FAIRR called on financiers to embed sustainable practices and resilient sourcing into agricultural investments. The appeal aims to steer capital toward climate‑smart farming and reduce exposure to future shocks.
German Winemakers Rewrite The Rules Of Riesling In A Warming World
German winemakers are confronting accelerating climate change by adopting high‑tech solutions and revising centuries‑old practices. Harvests now arrive in September, frost events are occurring earlier, and extreme floods threaten vineyards. The industry is testing solar‑panel canopies that temper ripening, introducing...
Pilot Initiative to Test Transparent Solar Films in West Africa
UK‑based NextGen Nano announced a £300 million agrivoltaics pilot in West Africa using its PolyPower™ transparent organic solar film. The project will integrate climate‑controlled greenhouse cultivation of nutrient‑dense crops such as amaranth and moringa with on‑site electricity generation to power cooling,...
"We Are Now at the Point Where We Have Multiple Promising Lines and Are Narrowing Them Down"
University of Florida researchers, backed by a $500,000 USDA‑NIFA grant, are close to delivering lettuce varieties that resist bacterial leaf spot. By tapping a rare Macedonian lettuce that naturally fights the disease, the team has generated hundreds of breeding lines...
"Time to Show Us More"
Albers Alligator, a Dutch specialist in manure storage and water‑covering solutions, has joined the greenhouse technology association AVAG during its 125th anniversary. New owners Michael van der Windt and Lennard Blijdorp, who took over in 2024, aim to raise the company’s profile...
Improving Energy Efficiency for Vertical Growers
A Korean research team built a nine‑month time‑series dataset from a real‑world vertical farm and applied machine‑learning models to optimise operations. XGBoost delivered the lowest prediction error, beating rule‑based forecasts by roughly 17‑18% and moving‑average methods by 12‑13%. The model’s...
US (NV): RHS Students Enjoy ‘Trout in the Classroom’ with Aquaponics System
Robertson High School in Nevada launched a Trout in the Classroom program, introducing 30 rainbow trout into an on‑site aquaponics system. FFA students, guided by agriculture educator Mabelle Roybal, have been raising the fish since January, handling daily feeding, temperature monitoring,...
"Polyhouse Growers and First-Time Hydroponic Entrepreneurs Make up the Bulk of Our Customer Base"
India’s protected‑cultivation sector is fueling a 15‑20% annual rise in coir substrate demand, with polyhouse growers and first‑time hydroponic entrepreneurs forming the core of Biogrow Substrates’ client base. The company reports stable raw‑material costs but notes freight volatility, driven by...
Cacao Pods and ‘Ugly’ Potatoes Powering the Upcycled Foods Movement
Upcycled foods, made from food‑system byproducts, are surging as a sustainable snack category. A Precedence Research report valued the global market at $63.8 billion in 2025 and forecasts $124.39 billion by 2034, with North America accounting for 39% of sales in 2024....
Is ‘Lab-Grown’ Meat Actually Safe?
In 2023 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the first lab‑grown chicken for sale after it passed safety assessments. Cultivated meat is produced by culturing animal cells in bioreactors, yielding a product nutritionally close to conventional meat but with...
Scientists Develop Gene-Edited Wheat that Can Make Toasted Bread Less Carcinogenic
Scientists at Rothamsted Research have used CRISPR to edit wheat genes responsible for free asparagine, the precursor of the carcinogen acrylamide formed during toasting. Field trials showed up to a 93% reduction in asparagine without any yield loss, and bread...
CRISPR-Edited Wheat Leads to Reduced Acrylamide Without Yield Loss
Scientists at Rothamsted Research have used CRISPR/Cas9 to create wheat lines with dramatically lower free asparagine, achieving reductions of up to 93% while maintaining normal yield and protein levels. Field trials showed that bread and biscuits made from the edited...
Fall Creek Introduces Apex, a New Blueberry Variety Coming to Disrupt the Early- to Mid-Season
Fall Creek Farm and Nursery has launched Apex (FCM14‑057), a new early‑ to mid‑season blueberry variety added to its Fall Creek Collection platform. After three years of open‑licensing trials, Apex delivers over 20 metric tons per hectare, up to 45 days of...
"Maintaining the Right Vegetative–Generative Balance While Protecting Root Health"
April is a critical period for Central European greenhouse tomato growers, as rapid canopy expansion and the 10th truss flowering demand precise crop steering. Cultilene advises a tight vegetative‑generative balance through controlled slab moisture (55‑60% early month, rising to 70‑75%...
WUR Develops Simulated Greenhouse Environment for Faster Robot Development
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is building a simulated greenhouse digital twin to test tomato‑harvesting robots. The environment combines 3D plant models with robot dynamics, reproducing growth, leaf orientation and fruit placement variations. Partnering with DENSO and Certhon, the simulation...
"Time to Show Us More"
Albers Alligator, a Dutch specialist in manure and water storage, has joined the greenhouse‑technology association AVAG during its 125th anniversary. The company, now led by Michael van der Windt and Lennard Blijdorp, aims to raise its profile and accelerate international...
UF/IFAS Breeding Disease-Resistant Lettuce
University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is close to releasing disease‑resistant lettuce varieties, backed by a $500,000 USDA‑NIFA grant. Researchers are leveraging a rare Macedonian lettuce that naturally resists bacterial leaf spot and have bred hundreds of...
"If You're Not Doing Data Collection Today, You Really Need to Start"
Bosch Rexroth is positioning its ctrlX AUTOMATION platform as a unified solution for controlled‑environment agriculture, merging motion control, environmental regulation, and data collection. The open, app‑based architecture lets growers add third‑party and custom apps, while a virtual control environment enables risk‑free testing...
From Photobiology to Dynamic Lighting Strategies in Greenhouse Production
RED Horticulture is shifting greenhouse lighting from static schedules to dynamic, plant‑response‑driven strategies based on photobiology. By integrating light intensity and spectrum management through its MyRED platform, growers can tailor light recipes to crop stages while monitoring energy use. The...
"We Can Better Align the Expected Supply From Our Growers with the Demand From Our Retail Customers"
Source.ag has launched its AI‑driven Harvest Forecast solution for bell peppers, extending the technology previously used for tomatoes. The model delivers weekly harvest predictions up to eight weeks ahead and has already cut three‑week forecast error by more than 40%...
EU to Enforce New Packaging Rules From August 2026
The European Union will enforce Regulation 2025/40 on Packaging and Packaging Waste starting 12 August 2026, with a phased rollout extending to 2040. The rule applies to all food packaging, including imports, and mandates recyclability by 2030, higher recycled‑content thresholds for plastics, and...
“Managing the Full Water Cycle Starts with Water Quality for the Crop and Continues with Reusing Water Whenever Possible"
Italian greenhouse equipment supplier Vifra has broadened its portfolio to include water‑treatment solutions that combine ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) for irrigation and nutrient recovery. The company stresses that high‑quality water is the foundation of a full‑cycle management approach,...
New Plastic-Free Fiber Pot for Retail and Landscaping Crops Introduced
Jiffy has launched Jiffy Pot R3, a plastic‑free, fiber‑based container designed for retail bedding plants, herbs, perennials and landscaping crops. The pot is fully recyclable in the paper waste stream and can be planted directly into soil or larger containers. Compared with...
“Biosolutions Are Already a Structural Change in Crop Protection”
BioWorks Europe, part of the BioFirst group, is expanding its footprint across Europe as biosolutions transition from niche alternatives to a structural component of modern crop protection. The company highlighted its biodegradable pheromone diffusion clips for Lobesia botrana in vineyards...
"The Chill Requirement for Cherries Is Met Earlier in the Greenhouse"
A trial in Turkey’s 900‑metre‑high Afyon/Sandıklı region demonstrates that greenhouse cherry production can meet the chill requirement earlier by leveraging cold winters, abundant sunshine and geothermal water for heating. The natural chill combined with controllable heat accelerates phenology, enabling an...
Weighing System Becomes Scalable for Pepper and Eggplant Growers
Wireless Value partnered with Van der Knaap Group to create a load‑cell weighing system that measures substrate moisture for pepper cultivation. Together with BBM Company, the solution was re‑engineered into a modular, greenhouse‑agnostic frame that can be installed quickly, even...
Strawberry Market Sees Higher California Supply and EU Price Pressure
The global strawberry market is diverging regionally as spring unfolds. California is set for a high‑volume season, with the Santa Maria area leading peak conventional output in April and organic supplies arriving later. Florida’s winter‑freeze damage has trimmed yields, while Mexican...
Morocco Expands Airport Cold Storage for Fresh Produce Exports
Royal Air Maroc Cargo is expanding its cold‑storage footprint at Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport, adding a 590 m² warehouse with five temperature‑controlled chambers—three for imports and two for exports. The upgrade targets the growing demand for fresh‑produce, flower and pharmaceutical shipments...
Agronometrics in Charts: Strait of Hormuz Disruption Sends Fertilizer Prices Skyrocketing 30 Percent
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has halted roughly half of global urea exports, driving fertilizer prices up about 30 percent in just weeks. The disruption also curtails sulfur shipments, tightening supplies for phosphate fertilizers and compounding the shortage....
Chinese Pigs Fed New Menu As Beijing Weans Farmers Off US Soy
Chinese pig farms are rapidly adopting fermented feed made from locally sourced brans, pumpkin vines and wine lees to cut reliance on imported soy protein, which accounts for 80% of China’s soy use. Feed costs, which represent 70% of pig‑rearing...
New Chilean Cherry Aims to Sweeten Early-Season Window
Chile’s newest cherry cultivar, Cheery Glow, is being rolled out by Nueva Vid and Bloom Fresh to extend the early‑season supply window. The bi‑color fruit matures 5‑10 days before the benchmark Santina, needs only about 450 chill hours, and delivers firm, 20‑22 Brix...
Will the Iran Crisis Lead to Another Round of Food Price Spikes?
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has driven a sharp rise in fertilizer and energy costs, with urea prices up about 40 percent, while grain markets remain largely stable, showing only modest increases in wheat, maize and soybeans. Unlike...
From Spraying to Decision Support: How Data Turns UAVs Into Climate Tools
The piece outlines how commercial agricultural UAVs are evolving from simple sprayers to data‑driven decision‑support platforms. By systematically capturing flight, nozzle, weather and outcome data, operators can apply machine‑learning models to predict optimal parameters, reducing water, chemical and energy use...
Why Regen Ag Producers Can’t Get Capital—And What Alternative Lender Steward Is Doing About It
Steward, founded by Dan Miller in 2015, offers a direct‑to‑investor lending platform that finances regenerative‑agriculture projects ignored by traditional banks. The model lets individuals invest as little as $100, underwriting loans for farmers, processors and regional food‑system infrastructure. Notable deals...
Beyond Russian Oil, China Also Increases Appetite for Ukrainian Wheat Flour
China’s ambassador to Ukraine signed a protocol establishing inspection, quarantine and sanitary standards for Ukrainian wheat‑flour imports, expanding China’s agricultural trade with Kyiv. The agreement highlights the complementary nature of the two economies and signals a shift from raw‑grain shipments...
Bakkafrost Continuing Scottish De-Risking Strategy as Overall Harvests Lag Behind Earlier Stated Goals
Bakkafrost’s 2026 harvest outlook has been revised down to 112,000 metric tons, falling short of the 150,000‑ton target set in its 2022 plan. The company’s Scottish operations, acquired in 2019, continue to underperform, with a projected 20,000‑ton harvest for 2026...
USDA Cotton Report Reflects Few U.S., World Changes
The USDA’s March cotton report shows a modest shift in global supply, with world production rising by 1.13 million bales, driven primarily by Brazil (+750,000) and China (+500,000). Imports increased 200,000 bales while exports grew 200,000 bales, all from Australia. World...
New Tool Available to Project Soybean Cost of Production
Michigan State University Extension released a new 2026 Projected Cost of Production for Soybeans tool, available as a single Excel file with three budgeting scenarios: Base Projection, Build‑up, and Push Production. The Base Projection estimates a breakeven price of $10.90...
How Farmers Can Help Monitor Missouri Drought Conditions
Missouri’s University Extension and the Department of Natural Resources are expanding a network of soil‑moisture sensors to track drought across the state. As of March, 78% of Missouri faces dry or abnormally dry conditions, prompting the launch of the Missouri...
Lowering Groundwater Nitrate Levels Takes Technology and Time
The Central Platte Natural Resources District (NRD) in Nebraska has been tackling high groundwater nitrate concentrations for five decades, employing a phased management program across its 1,012,000 irrigated acres. Recent adoption of the university‑developed Sentinel Ag satellite sensor allows participating farmers...
Michigan and Pennsylvania Lead Corn Planting Changes
USDA’s latest Prospective Plantings report shows corn acreage holding steady nationally but slipping in key Midwestern states. Michigan’s corn planting is down 4% and Pennsylvania is set for its smallest corn planting ever, while overall corn area falls 3% to...
Southern Soybean and Cotton Acres Expected to Increase in 2026
USDA's 2026 Prospective Plantings Report shows Southern producers shifting acreage away from corn toward soybeans and cotton. National corn acreage is projected at 95.3 million acres, down 3.5%, while soybean acres rise 4.3% to 84.7 million and cotton up 3.8% to 9.64 million....
CSIRO System Aims Beyond In-Paddock Livestock Weighing
CSIRO is developing a sensor‑based system that uses 3D computer‑vision and artificial intelligence to deliver real‑time estimates of sheep liveweight, fleece production and disease status. The multimodal sensors create high‑resolution three‑dimensional images as animals move, linking each measurement to an...
Crop Progress: USDA Issues Its First 2026 Crop Progress Report
The USDA released its first 2026 crop progress report covering the week through April 5, showing early planting activity across major commodities. Corn planting is 3% complete, slightly ahead of forecasts, with Texas, Tennessee and Missouri leading the effort. Winter wheat...
When Will Grain Markets Lose the Geopolitical Premium?
The USDA Prospective Plantings report showed corn, soybean and wheat numbers essentially in line with expectations, leaving little room for surprise. Prices held firm, with December corn hovering near $4.85 and November soybeans around $11.57, reflecting continued market resilience. Fund...
China Rapidly Accelerating Offshore Aquaculture Push, Exceeding 100 Installations
China has surpassed 100 offshore aquaculture platforms and vessels, marking a rapid expansion driven by stricter near‑shore regulations and a new fisheries law emphasizing intensive, environmentally friendly practices. The government has elevated deep‑sea aquaculture to a strategic growth area, encouraging...
Bluefront Equity Purchases Majority Stake in Aquaculture Software Firm Anteo
Norwegian private equity firm Bluefront Equity has taken a 54% majority stake in Anteo, a Norwegian software provider for the aquaculture sector. Anteo reported roughly NOK 27 million (US$2.8 million) in revenue for 2025, marking about 20% year‑over‑year growth. The acquisition is aimed...
Triumph Foods to Begin $30 Million Expansion of Pork Processing Plant
Triumph Foods announced a $30 million expansion of its St. Joseph, Missouri pork processing plant, adding cold‑storage and shipping capacity along with new equipment. The upgrade is designed to support higher production volumes and modernize the facility. Triumph, the city’s second‑largest...
Onions 52 Achieves Consistency with Vertical Integration
Onions 52 has completed full vertical integration, uniting growers, packers and shippers under one organization to guarantee consistent quality from seed to shelf. The company is rolling out advanced sorting equipment at its Utah facility and has expanded its footprint with...
Hormel Modernizes Supply Chain with AI Planning Platform
Hormel Foods has rolled out the o9 artificial‑intelligence planning platform across more than 70 of its facilities, linking demand, supply and inventory in a single system. The deployment, completed between March and December 2025, aims to shift the company from...