"Vertical Farms Are Uniquely Positioned to Be a Trusted Local Supplier"
Mighty Harvest runs a 5,500‑square‑foot indoor vertical farm in Ajax, Ontario, delivering pesticide‑free salad greens, herbs and edible flowers to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC). Over the past year the farm has supplied more than 820 lb of greens and 1,180 trays of herbs, with deliveries coordinated twice weekly around the venue’s event calendar. Founder Derrik Stevenson says the steady institutional demand enables precise production planning, waste reduction and consistent food‑safety standards across all customers. The company is now deepening its Toronto‑area client base before pursuing larger geographic expansion.
Fertilizer Firms See Profit Windfall as War Upends Supplies
Fertilizer giants CF Industries and Nutrien posted roughly 20% sales growth in the latest quarter, driven by soaring nitrogen fertilizer prices after Iran’s war disrupted the Strait of Hormuz. Granular urea in New Orleans jumped about 36% and Egyptian prices...
Guest Article: Open-Source Education Is Key to Helping Agriculture Overcome Its Data Phobia
Rob Ward, CEO of Vitagri, argues that agriculture’s “data phobia”—the reluctance of growers to use structured data—stalls the promised AI and machine‑learning gains. He explains that most farmers have never been taught basic statistical concepts, so sophisticated tools remain underutilized....
Regen Nutrition Project Measures Real Food Nutrient Density
The Nutrient Density Initiative (NDI) and food‑testing firm Edacious have launched the Regen Nutrition Project, a 2024 effort that measures how regenerative farming practices affect the nutrient profile of foods. More than 50 member companies and farms submit product samples...
No Soil, No Problem: How Hydroponics Pose an Growing Alternative in the Face of Climate Change
In Grenada, the Benjamin family boosted lettuce yields using a solar‑powered hydroponic greenhouse funded by the FAO and the Green Climate Fund. Production rose from about 500 to 1,300 heads—a 160% increase—while water use fell up to 90% compared with...
1,600 4 Channel LED Fixtures Supplied to Van Oers Fruit
NLight announced the supply of 1,600 × 1,200 W LED fixtures to Van Oers Fruit, covering a 3‑hectare greenhouse—the largest LED lighting project in the Dutch soft‑fruit sector. The fixtures use an 88 % red, 6 % green, 6 % blue spectrum with 6 % far‑red, and can shift...
Spanish Lettuce Dominates EU Markets
Spain continues to dominate the EU lettuce market, accounting for 50.5% of total sales in 2025 with 499.39 million kg exported, generating €690.34 million (≈ $753 million). The EU’s overall lettuce trade reached 988 million kg, valued at €1,578 million (≈ $1.72 billion), showing steady growth despite Brexit‑related statistical shifts....
Silicon-Based Biostimulant Receives EU Certification for Pan-European Rollout
Labin announced that its silicon‑based biostimulant LabiSinergic has secured EU‑wide certification, clearing regulatory hurdles for a pan‑European launch. The product leverages orthosilicic acid, delivered through Labin’s Smart Tech platform, to enhance plant cell‑wall strength and improve resistance to drought and other...
Mexico Introduces New Avocado and Berry Export Certification Rules
Mexico has approved a new agro‑export certification framework that adds labor and environmental verification for high‑value crops such as avocados and berries. The system, to be issued through the Velagro digital platform, will launch a 12‑month pilot focused on avocado...
Creating More Precise Lighting Controls for Greenhouse Growers
Priva has launched Connext 916, a software upgrade that adds micromol‑based lighting control and support for the Horti Light Protocol Exact Light Control. The new version lets greenhouse growers fine‑tune LED spectra and intensity by photon flux rather than simple percentage...
Biodiversity Strips Around Glasshouses Attract More Beneficial Insects, Study Finds
A nationwide monitoring project in the Netherlands found that 250‑m² biodiversity strips planted alongside glasshouse horticulture farms attracted substantially more pollinators and natural enemies than adjacent short‑mown grass. Over six monitoring rounds in 2025, researchers recorded more than twenty times...
Middle East Crisis: FAO Sounds Warning over Fertiliser Supplies
FAO Director‑General Qu Dongyu warned that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are creating a fertilizer shortage that will depress crop yields from late 2024 through 2027. The corridor handles 20‑45% of global agri‑input exports, and delays force farmers to...
‘The Worst Time for Wheat’: US Farmers Face Losses to Extreme Heat and Drought
Extreme heat and drought across the Great Plains have devastated the 2025‑26 U.S. wheat crop. Kansas and Oklahoma, the nation’s top hard‑red winter wheat producers, experienced temperatures 10‑11°F above normal, leaving 44%‑49% of wheat in very poor condition and yielding...
ExportGaGroup Ramps up Shrimp Export Push at SEG, Targeting South America, Middle East, and Beyond
ExportGaGroup, an Ecuadorian white‑shrimp farmer, used Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona to showcase its vertically integrated operation—from hatchery to processing—under its own brands Star Ocean and Shrimp King. The company highlighted a broad product line that includes A2/A3 head‑on, headless, peeled‑and‑deveined...
Manolin CEO Tony Chen Bets on AI to Reduce Fish Mortality, Transform Aquaculture
Manolin, an aquaculture data‑analytics firm founded in 2018, is deploying user‑friendly AI models to lower fish mortality and improve operational decisions on oyster, salmon and tilapia farms. CEO Tony Chen emphasizes that AI should augment, not replace, farmers' instincts by...
Scottish Salmon Survival Rates Reach New Q1 High Following GBP 1 Billion Investment Push
Scotland’s salmon‑farming industry posted a record 99.03 percent average survival rate for Q1 2026, the highest ever recorded. The improvement follows more than £1 billion (≈$1.4 billion) of investment since 2018 in veterinary care, freshwater‑treatment technology, and monitoring systems. The sector’s stronger fish health...
Why Are China’s Coastal Fish Farms Disappearing While India’s Are Expanding?
A new satellite‑derived dataset reveals that China’s coastal fish‑farm area contracted by 18.1% between 2016 and 2022, driven by aggressive wetland restoration policies, while India added 676 sq km—about 19%—to its coastal aquaculture footprint in the same period. The research, published in...
Yili’s NZ Companies Back to Record Profits After Transformation
Yili Group’s New Zealand operations, now consolidated under the Yili Oceania brand, posted a record $1.29 billion in revenue for 2025, a 14% year‑on‑year increase. The integrated portfolio—including Westland Milk, Oceania Dairy, Canary, Pure Nutrition and Easi Yo—generated $48.1 million in profit, the...
Why Agroforestry Is Key to India’s Twin Goals of Carbon Reduction and Farmer Income Growth
India’s drive to cut emissions and boost farmer incomes centers on agroforestry, which blends trees with crops and livestock to raise land productivity and generate timber, fruit and fodder sales. With about 55 percent of the nation’s land and workforce in...
From Import Dependence to Self-Reliance: India’s Fertilizer Crisis as a ‘Make in India’ Turning Point
India’s fertilizer sector remains heavily import‑dependent—90‑100% of potash and up to 90% of phosphates come from abroad. Recent geopolitical tensions, especially Russia‑Ukraine and China’s export curbs, have triggered shortages and price spikes, straining the nation’s subsidy bill. The crisis is...
Meat Processing Robots Have a People Problem: This Program Is Addressing It
Australia’s red‑meat processing sector is pouring millions of dollars into robotics and artificial intelligence, yet operators worry about who will install, service, and repair the sophisticated equipment. To pre‑empt a looming skills shortage, the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) has...
Prospects for Algae Nutritional Supplementation of Beef Cattle: Your Questions Answered
A commercial trial in Central Queensland tested AlgaeFeed, a chlorella‑based liquid supplement, on 200 steers during the winter dry season. Supplemented cattle gained an average of +0.1 kg per head per day, while the control group lost –0.7 kg, creating a 0.8 kg/day...
S6 Ep13 – When Fuel Fails: Australia’s Food Security on the Line
In the latest episode of The Weekly Grill, AgSecure principal Andrew Henderson warns that diesel shortages are a "master constraint" exposing fragilities in Australia’s food system. He highlights how just‑in‑time supply chains leave farms vulnerable when fuel or fertilizer supplies...
Mozza Foods Targets Late 2028 Launch for Soybean-Grown Casein
Mozza Foods, a California molecular‑farming startup, plans to commercialize casein proteins harvested from genetically engineered soybeans by late 2028, pending USDA field‑crop approval and an FDA GRAS filing. The company has raised roughly $24 million and is targeting a technical milestone...
Protein Powder Shortage Threatens America’s Biggest Food Craze
The U.S. protein market is facing a severe whey powder shortage as demand for protein‑fortified foods surges. Prices for standard whey have risen more than 50% since January, with 80% concentrate topping $11 per pound and isolates holding firm in...
Mariculture Systems Approved to Begin the Construction of Offshore Aquaculture Facility in Portugal
Mariculture Systems, an Israeli mariculture firm, secured Portugal’s Aquaculture Activity Title, clearing the final licensing hurdle for its offshore farm. The company will deploy its CORALIS semi‑submersible platform off the Algarve coast, a 50 × 50 meter structure powered by solar and wind....
We Developed a Biodegradable Wash that Can Remove Pesticides and Keep Fruit Fresh Longer
Researchers at the University of British Columbia created a biodegradable wash made from starch nanoparticles, tannic acid and iron that both strips surface pesticide residues and forms a thin protective film to keep produce fresher longer. Lab tests showed the...
Tom Parker Creamery Partners with First Milk to Champion Regenerative British Dairy
Tom Parker Creamery has teamed up with First Milk, a B‑Corp‑certified British farmer‑owned co‑operative, to build a regenerative milk supply chain within a 90‑mile radius of its London‑area creamery. The partnership emphasizes grazing‑based dairy, detailed field‑level data collection, and nature‑positive...
Nationwide Ban Soon on Herbicide Paraquat Dichloride over Toxicity Concerns, Health Risks
India’s central government is poised to impose a nationwide ban on the herbicide Paraquat Dichloride after an expert panel linked the chemical to fatal poisoning, kidney failure, lung fibrosis and Parkinson’s disease. The recommendation follows temporary restrictions already enacted by...
‘Mideast War, El Niño May Weigh on Coconut Industry’
The Philippines’ coconut sector faces a perfect storm as the Middle East war forces the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, inflating ocean freight and war‑risk surcharges. At the same time, a strong El Niño is expected to depress export volumes...
Q&A: How Global Trade Tensions Are Reshaping Ag Markets
Geopolitical flashpoints—from the Iran‑linked Strait of Hormuz closure to lingering U.S.-China tariff disputes—are reshaping agricultural markets. Fertilizer prices have spiked as the Hormuz bottleneck persists, while U.S. soybean shipments to China plunged 75% year‑over‑year. Export dynamics are shifting, with corn...
Opinion: The Case for the UP-NS Merger Runs Through America's Heartland
Economists argue that the proposed $85 billion Union Pacific‑Norfolk Southern merger would create the first single‑line transcontinental freight railroad in the United States, linking the West and East coasts. By eliminating the current hand‑off at interchange points such as Chicago, the...
China’s Weekly Soybean Crush Volume Stable at 1.62 Million Tonnes Ahead of Labor Day Holiday: NFSRDC
China's soybean crushing activity held steady at 1.62 million tonnes in the week to May 1, matching the previous week and remaining above last year’s level. Imported soybean inventories at major crush plants rose to 4.93 million tonnes, while soybean meal and oil...
“The Hands-On Experience Has Been Transformative for All of Us”
Rutgers University’s new Student Basic Needs Center houses Agoraponic Farms, a student‑run hydroponic operation that grows leafy greens on LED‑lit shelves. In its first month the system yields about 10 pounds of produce for roughly 100 students and has donated $4,000...
Rethinking “Sustainable Growing Media” In Greenhouse Production
A forthcoming paper in Frontiers in Horticulture critiques the vague use of “sustainable growing media” in greenhouse production and calls for a rigorous, evidence‑based definition. The authors, led by Dr. Alexander Sentinella, argue that labels such as “peat‑free” are misleading...
Day 1 Agenda Released for the Leafy Hydroponics Summit 2026
The Leafy Hydroponics Summit 2026 released its Day 1 agenda, centering on the complete lifecycle of hydroponic leafy‑greens production. The program targets commercial growers, investors and partners, covering project planning, greenhouse design, LED lighting, automation and value‑chain integration. It also unveils...
VGreens Raises Two Million Euros for AI-Controlled Plant Cultivation
German ag‑tech startup vGreens announced a €2 million (approximately $2.2 million) financing round to expand its AI‑driven, sensor‑based plant cultivation platform. The round features strategic investors such as fruit wholesaler Frutania, equipment maker Dürr, Christ Capital and venture fund Vornvc, alongside existing...
Huckleberry Signals Is Helping the Fresh Produce Supply Chain Turn Scattered Data Into Answers
Huckleberry Signals, founded by industry veterans Joe Vargas and Amanda Kuelker, has launched an AI‑powered conversational analyst called Huck that sits atop existing ERP, warehouse, BI and spreadsheet systems in the fresh‑produce supply chain. The platform creates a governed data...
PepsiCo to Deploy Green Hydrogen-Based Fertilizer to Decarbonize European Food Supply Chain
PepsiCo and Spanish chemicals firm Fertiberia have signed a multi‑year deal to supply up to 150,000 tons of green‑hydrogen‑based fertilizer each year for PepsiCo’s European farms. The partnership will initially cover about 400,000 acres in France, Romania, Serbia, Greece, Turkey and...
Strategies to Decarbonize the Supply Chain
Decarbonizing the food supply chain, especially rice production, is emerging as a top priority because methane from flooded paddies drives a large share of the sector’s greenhouse‑gas footprint. Industry pilots such as alternate wetting‑and‑drying, yield‑boosting agronomy and biochar soil amendments...
BCI Growers Cut Cotton Emissions 54%
A consortium of U.S. cotton growers licensed under the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) achieved a 54% reduction in greenhouse‑gas emissions during the 2024‑25 season, compared with regional averages. When carbon removal benefits are accounted for, the net reduction rises to...
USMEF: Pork Exports Near Record in March
US pork exports surged in March, reaching 285,567 tonnes—a 6% year‑over‑year increase and the third‑largest monthly total on record. Export value climbed 4% to $803.2 million, the second‑highest ever, while per‑head value hit $456.56. Beef exports fell 11% in volume and...
Agronometrics in Charts: Peru's Dominant Blueberry Exports Surge 21.5 Percent
Peru’s fresh blueberry exports surged to roughly 419,000 tons in the 2025/26 campaign, a 21.5% rise from the prior year’s 344,000 tons. Export volumes peaked in October with about 200.2 million pounds, underscoring a concentrated fourth‑quarter surge. La Libertad remained the backbone, delivering nearly...
Hose Nail Helps Solve Horticulturists' Problems
SR Innovative has launched a patented dripline nail that replaces traditional wooden stakes and knotting in drip‑irrigation systems. The lightweight, ergonomic nail can be reused season after season, cutting about 15 seconds per furrow and translating into days of labor...
Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Fertilizer Scarcity Will Affect Next Harvests and Food Supplies, FAO Warns
The FAO warned that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are creating a global fertilizer shortage that will depress crop yields and tighten food supplies in the latter half of 2026 and into 2027. Director‑General QU Dongyu told the MED9++...
Common Tomato Plant Problems and How to Fix Them
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension specialist Joe Masabni outlines the most common tomato plant problems—nutrient deficiencies, heat stress, herbicide drift, pests and diseases—and practical remedies. He stresses regular fertilization, consistent watering, mulching, and early scouting to prevent yield loss. The guide...
Dairy Leaders Align on Sustainability Progress
More than 260 dairy value‑chain leaders, including 26 farmers, gathered at the 2026 Dairy Sustainability Alliance Spring Meeting to turn shared priorities into concrete action. Speakers highlighted that modern cows now deliver five times more nutrition than mid‑century herds while...
Fertiliser Shortages to Have Dramatic Effect on Food Prices, Says Duke of Westminster’s Firm
Grosvenor Group, the Duke of Westminster’s property and farming conglomerate, warns that fertilizer shortages triggered by the Iran‑related closure of the Strait of Hormuz have pushed UK fertilizer costs up 50‑70% and could spark a dramatic rise in global food...
Fuel Reserve Must Reach Regional Australia, Livestock Transporters
The Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) welcomed the federal government’s $6.6 billion USD fuel‑security package, but warned that its value hinges on diesel reaching regional operators when shortages hit. The package allocates roughly $2.1 billion USD for a government‑owned fuel...
India's IPL Issues Ammonia Tender
India's leading fertilizer importer IPL issued a tender on May 6 for 521,000 t of ammonia to be delivered to the country’s east and west coasts. The request, made on behalf of six major Indian fertilizer firms, splits into 151,000 t for the...