Beyond Chatbots: How Agentic AI Can Boost Productivity and Decision-Making in Food
Agentic AI—autonomous systems that set their own goals—is moving beyond chatbots in the food and beverage sector. Nestlé has integrated the technology across HR, sales and finance, with more than 10,000 employees regularly leveraging AI tools. Danone is piloting agentic AI to trim waste and boost energy efficiency. Early pilots suggest broader rollouts could soon become standard practice.
Partnership to Track Barley Carbon Emissions From Paddock to Beer
Asahi Beverages has teamed with Charles Sturt University’s Cool Soil Initiative to quantify carbon emissions from barley grown by nine Victorian farms. The partnership collects soil, fertilizer and field‑operation data, delivering farm‑specific emissions reports that benchmark practices across the Wimmera...
Domestic Fert, Value-Add Capacity Lead Ideas for GRDC Spend
The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has finished a broad industry consultation to shape a potential $600 million investment plan for the next decade. More than 500 growers, agribusinesses and online participants ranked ten strategic challenges, with the Nitrogen Challenge...
Evaluating the Application of Biochar on Sweet Corn Production, Soil Health, and Its Role in Regenerative Agriculture
A field trial in Hawaii applied biochar at 12.3 t ha⁻¹ to two soil types—Oxisol and Mollisol—and measured its effect on sweet corn. On the Oxisol, vegetative growth rose 18.8% and yield climbed 19.1%, while sugar content increased 1.7%. The Mollisol showed...
Fertilizer Can Be Made From Local Resources Instead of Fossil Fuels
Fraunhofer IGB has demonstrated a pilot‑scale system that extracts nitrogen and phosphorus from manure, digestate and municipal wastewater and turns them into ready‑to‑use ammonium sulfate, phosphate salts and organic soil conditioners. The technology replaces fossil‑fuel‑derived ammonia and urea, which have...
Low-Cost Method Could Standardize Microplastic Extraction From Soils Worldwide
University of New England researchers have unveiled a low‑cost, high‑recovery technique for extracting microplastics from agricultural soils. The method, developed by Ph.D. candidate Nivetha Sivarajah, combines organic‑matter digestion with density separation and achieves over 92% recovery of six common plastic...
Fertilizer Prices Have Doubled Since the Strait Closed
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 28 halted half of the world’s fertilizer feedstock shipments, causing fertilizer prices to more than double. Experts say even a cease‑fire won’t quickly restore natural‑gas supplies, so relief could take months or...
Robot OSCAR Brings Automation to Irrigation and Nutrient Application
Osiris Agriculture has launched OSCAR, a field robot that automates row‑crop irrigation and fertigation. The four‑wheel platform can deploy a 900‑metre polyethylene pipe and a 44‑metre foldable boom that delivers water at one‑metre intervals, covering about 40 hectares per week....
Armed with Govt Missive, India’s APEDA Poised to Take up GMO Rice Issue with China
India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has received an official memorandum from the Environment Ministry confirming that no genetically modified (GM) rice is approved for cultivation in India. The memo, backed by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal...
BioMar Funds Research and Development for Barramundi and Yellowtail Kingfish Aquaculture
Denmark‑based feed producer BioMar announced an expansion of its research and development portfolio to include warm‑water species, starting with barramundi and later yellowtail kingfish. The trials will be conducted at the Aquaculture Technology Centre in Hirtshals, which features 15 experimental...
Iowa House Advances Right to Repair Bill for Farmers
Iowa's House passed a Right to Repair bill for farm equipment with a 70‑18 vote, requiring manufacturers to provide parts, software, and tools at reasonable terms. The legislation aims to reduce downtime and repair costs for farmers who face software...
CamoAg Reaches Profitability with Ag Sales Intel Platform as Corbett Kull Builds LinkedIn for Farming
CamoAg, the ag‑sales intelligence platform founded by Corbett Kull, has become profitable and says it won’t need further VC funding. After shutting down its Tillable farmland‑rental marketplace, the company refocused on a data‑layer that aggregates public land, equipment, and USDA...
Red Crown Rot Another Challenge for Central Illinois Farmer
Red crown rot has emerged as a significant soybean disease for central Illinois growers, cutting yields by up to 60% in severe cases. Farmer Ken Franklin in Christian County first encountered the pathogen two seasons ago, initially mistaking it for...
Why Hybrid Meat Products Are Gaining Traction in R&D
Hybrid meat products that blend animal and plant proteins are gaining momentum in research and development as consumers seek familiar taste with added health and sustainability benefits. ADM’s research shows 68% of shoppers are curious about hybrids and 86% view...
The Cost of Prop 12
California’s Proposition 12, which mandates larger living spaces for breeding pigs, is now showing measurable economic fallout. USDA data and a North Dakota State University analysis reveal that state consumers have spent roughly $350 million more on pork over the past two...
Senator to File Bill Ending Morocco Duties: Correction
U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R‑Kansas) will introduce the Lowering of Input Costs for American Farmers Act, which would eliminate countervailing duties on phosphate imports from Morocco. The move aims to cut phosphate fertilizer prices by more than 20%, roughly $150...
Taiwan to Resume Pork Exports to Philippines After Regaining ASF-Free Status: Premier
Taiwan will restart pork shipments to the Philippines on May 14, 2026 after the World Organisation for Animal Health confirmed the island’s African swine fever‑free status. The Philippines halted imports in December 2025 following Taiwan’s first ASF outbreak in October...
"The Malaysia Digital Status Strengthens Our Ability to Scale Our AI-Powered Farming Solutions"
Agroz Group Sdn. Bhd., the Malaysian arm of Agroz Inc., has been awarded Malaysia Digital (MD) Status by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation. The designation recognizes the company’s AI‑driven AgriTech platform and its contribution to the nation’s digital ecosystem. Agroz...
CEAg World Brings Grower-First Focus to Charlotte Event
CEAg World, a grower‑first conference, will convene greenhouse, vertical‑farm and open‑field producers on Nov. 10‑11, 2026 in Charlotte‑Concord, N.C. Hosted by Meister Media Worldwide, the two‑day event replaces a traditional trade show with curated, peer‑driven sessions that emphasize immediate, profit‑boosting solutions. Attendees...
"Using This ‘Crop Grazing’ Technique, Yield Can Be Improved up to 20% Even on a 3rd Flush"
Alan Edwards’ Game Changer mushroom machine automates stalk cutting, punnet placement and weighing, letting pickers work with both hands. The system’s “crop‑grazing” method lets larger mushrooms be harvested first, allowing smaller ones to mature, which can lift yields up to...
Premier Tech Receives 2026 CEAC Mission Award at the University of Arizona
Premier Tech was honored with the 2026 CEAC Mission Award by the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at the University of Arizona. The award recognizes the company’s sustained contributions to CEAC’s education, research and outreach programs in controlled‑environment agriculture. Dr. Jose Chen Lopez,...
NoPalm Ingredients Shortlisted for World’s Largest Environmental Food Prize
Dutch fermentation startup NoPalm Ingredients has become one of four global finalists for the 2026 Curt Bergfors Food Planet Prize, the world’s largest environmental award in food and agriculture with a $1.5 million top prize. The company produces yeast‑derived fats that...
Study: Plant-Based Mince and Meatballs a Third Cheaper than Meat Options
A Good Food Institute study finds that plant‑based mince and meatballs are, on average, 33% cheaper than comparable beef, lamb, or pork dishes such as spaghetti bolognese, lasagne and meatballs. The price gap is driven by volatile meat costs linked...
EPA Approves Soilcea’s CarriCea T1: The First CRISPR-Edited Rootstock to Offer Greening Tolerance for Florida Citrus
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved Soilcea’s CarriCea T1, the first CRISPR‑edited citrus rootstock engineered for tolerance to Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Developed by University of Florida researchers and Soilcea, the rootstock blocks the bacterium’s interaction with the tree, limiting infection....
Brazil Registers Newly Discovered Spontaneously Emerging Banana Cultivar
Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) has officially registered Clarinha (SCS455), a newly discovered banana cultivar that arose spontaneously in Luiz Alves, Santa Catarina. The variety is a natural mutation of the Caturra banana and features a lighter peel with...
Hydroponic Strawberry Growers Look Below the Substrate to Reduce Root and Crown Disease Pressure
Hydroponic strawberry growers are adopting elevated metallic gutter systems with a Spacer that creates an air chamber beneath substrate bags, reducing humidity and improving drainage. The design mitigates root‑zone stress that fosters pathogens such as Phytophthora and Fusarium, leading to...
Biotalys Achieves First U.S. State Registration for Evoca in Florida
Biotalys announced that its protein‑based bio‑fungicide Evoca secured state registration in Florida, marking the first U.S. state approval for an Agrobody biocontrol. The Florida Department of Agriculture accepted the EPA‑approved label, enabling growers to combat Botrytis and powdery mildew on...
U.S. Grown Greenhouse Tomatoes Roll Into the Market
Pluck’d, a Virginia‑based greenhouse tomato grower, began shipping U.S.-grown tomatoes to New York City distributors in late March and has quickly secured placement in Weis, Walmart’s Mid‑Atlantic stores, and upcoming launches at Harris Teeter and Food Lion. The company offers three product lines—Preemos...
General Mills Faces Setback in Supply Chain Sustainability Push
General Mills reported a slowdown in its supply‑chain emissions reductions for fiscal 2025, cutting total greenhouse‑gas output by 14% versus a 19% decline the prior year. The dip stems from a 3% rise in operational emissions after adding electricity use...
California Almond Bearing Acreage Shrinks for the First Time in 30 Years
California’s bearing almond acreage slipped to an estimated 1.386 million acres for the 2026 crop year, marking the first decline since 1995. The drop of 15,227 acres follows four straight years of overall acreage contraction and 47,588 acres of orchard removals...
Food Tank Explains: Carbon Farming
Carbon farming uses regenerative agricultural practices to pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and lock it into soils and plants, turning farmlands into carbon sinks. Soils could sequester up to 1.85 gigatons of carbon per year—roughly the emissions of the global...
China Convenes Future Food Leaders at the 2026 Global Forum on Cultured Meat
China’s Nanjing Agricultural University and startup Joes Future Food hosted the 2026 Global Forum on Cultured Meat, gathering researchers, industry pioneers, and regulators. The forum tackled technology innovation, safety standards, and cost barriers while outlining a roadmap for scaling cultivated...
Icelandic Fish Farming Company First Water Finances Phase One of Six for Expansion
Icelandic salmon processor First Water announced the completion of phase one financing, raising roughly €75 million ($88 million) to double its land‑based production capacity. The funding combines a €40 million ($47 million) convertible bond from existing shareholders and a €35 million ($41 million) loan from Landsbankinn...
Satellite Connected Cattle Collars Expand Remote Ranching
Halter, a Colorado ag‑tech firm, has launched satellite‑connected cattle collars that link directly to Starlink, removing the need for cellular or on‑site radio infrastructure. The solar‑powered, GPS‑enabled devices enable virtual fencing across remote terrain, expanding the addressable U.S. beef cattle...
New Genetic Test More Accurate for Poll Selection in Brahmans
Neogen, licensed from UniQuest, launched the Guarani Poll genetic test for Bos Indicus cattle, targeting a poll variant common in Australian Brahman herds. Based on University of Queensland research, the assay detects the presence or absence of the Guarani poll allele,...
AI Could Reshape “Almost Every Aspect” Of Red Meat Processing
Dr Cameron Ralph, General Manager of Research, Development and Adoption at the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC), says artificial intelligence will soon touch almost every facet of red‑meat processing. AMPC’s pilot AI‑enabled monitoring system now captures welfare metrics for calves,...
Inquiry Hears Ag Will Not Escape Impact of Diminished CSIRO
A Senate committee’s five‑month inquiry into CSIRO’s funding revealed a wave of job cuts – 818 positions already gone and another 350 flagged for redundancy – and a looming 7‑8.5% reduction in its agriculture and food division. The cuts have...
Thailand Pilots ‘Zero Burn to Earn’ Model Turning Farm Waste Into Renewable Energy
Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation has launched the PMUC Zero Burn to Earn pilot, beginning 5 May 2026 in Chiang Mai. The program swaps crop residues for farm equipment and renewable‑energy inputs, creating a market for agricultural waste. Pilot...
High Costs, Weak Markets: Middle East Conflict Will Have Long-Term Impact on Asia’s Food Supply
Shipping disruptions in the Middle East have sharply curtailed energy and fertiliser flows through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing Asian input costs up 50‑80% while export prices stay flat. Gulf nations have slashed imports of Asian rice, meat and dairy,...
Wingbeat Radar Signatures Let AI Sort Bees, Wasps and Other Insects
Researchers at Trinity College Dublin demonstrated that millimeter‑wave radar combined with machine‑learning can identify flying insects by their wing‑beat signatures. By extracting over 70 harmonic, spectral and temporal features from micro‑Doppler reflections, the AI model achieved 96% accuracy distinguishing bees...
Egg-Scanning AI May Let Hatcheries Sort Life, Death and Sex Before Chicks Emerge
University of Illinois researchers have demonstrated that hyperspectral imaging combined with machine‑learning can predict chicken‑egg outcomes before chicks hatch. Their model identified dead embryos with 97% accuracy by day 4 and classified sex at day 0 with 75% accuracy. The approach is...
What Works to Strengthen Productivity and Climate Resilience Among Small-Scale Agricultural Producers?
The Inter‑American Development Bank’s IDB Invest backed a pilot with a Mexican food company that supplied small‑scale beekeepers with basic inputs, training, and queen bees. The intervention lifted hive counts by 24%, honey production by 33%, and overall farm yields...
Italy’s Ripening Market Enters a New Phase as Catalytic Generators Targets Expansion
Catalytic Generators used its first appearance at the Macfrut trade show to launch an expansion push in Italy, a market that handles over 600,000 tonnes of bananas annually and a €3.5 billion (≈$3.85 billion) avocado import sector. The company’s Ethy‑Gen II system produces ethylene...
Climate Change Is Increasing Northern Ontario Cattle Herds—And Beef Prices
Canadian cattle herds showed a modest 2.5% rise in early 2026 after eight years of decline, but beef prices remain 23% above the five‑year average. Climate‑driven pasture stress and frequent droughts in the Prairies keep feed scarce, limiting herd expansion....
Levi’s New Program Promotes Regenerative Agriculture in Pakistan
Levi Strauss & Co. launched the Levi’s Regenerative and Resilient Landscape Initiative (LRI) in Pakistan to promote regenerative agriculture across one million hectares. The program, funded through a partnership with WWF‑Pakistan and the Laudes Foundation, targets water productivity, reduced synthetic...
Insecticidal Metabolites From Serratia Marcescens Associated with the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda): Metabolomic Profiling and Molecular Docking Insights
Researchers isolated Serratia marcescens strain INS420 from fall armyworm and identified a range of secondary metabolites using LC‑MS and GC‑MS. Laboratory and field tests showed these compounds have strong insecticidal activity against Spodoptera frugiperda. Molecular docking indicated that squalene and...
Climate Change Reshapes Potential Distributions and Seasonal Mismatch in a Host–Parasitoid System: Cotesia Ruficrus and Fall Armyworm
Researchers used thermal development experiments and the CLIMEX platform to forecast how the parasitoid Cotesia ruficrus will track the invasive fall armyworm under current climate and future A1B scenarios for 2050 and 2090. The parasitoid tolerates a broader temperature range...
India’s Fertilizer Production Drops as Iran War Disrupts Supplies
Fertilizer production in India for March‑April 2026 is projected at about 64 lt, roughly 12 lt (≈ 15 %) lower than a year earlier. The decline is driven by a 24 % fall in urea output to 35.42 lt, as LNG feedstock supplies were disrupted after...
EU Introduces Regulations for Crops Bred Through New Genomic Techniques
The European Commission has approved a new regulatory framework for crops bred with new genomic techniques (NGTs), pending European Parliament ratification and slated to take effect in mid‑2028. The rules create two categories: Category 1 plants, which are treated like conventional...
Pivot Bio Expands St. Louis Footprint with New Centers of Excellence for Crop Nutrition Innovation and Manufacturing
Pivot Bio announced a $7 million expansion of its Greater St. Louis footprint, adding two Centers of Excellence in Hazelwood and Creve Coeur. The Hazelwood site will scale manufacturing, packaging and distribution, while the Creve Coeur hub focuses on research, development...