September 5, 2026
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – NBC News says that water cuts are coming for Arizona; is your salad on the chopping block? Ready the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – Think Landscape asks, what’s the real price of your food? Check it out, here.
Spotlight 3 – An article in npj Sustainable Agriculture looks at how appetite suppressing drugs will impact the sustainability field. Take a read, here.
Industry Updates
Scientists at Texas A&M University have successfully cultivated chickpeas in soil that mimics the Moon’s surface material. The demonstration adds to a growing body of research into cultivating crops in simulated lunar and Martian soils for potential future space agriculture. [link]
The Food Security Leadership Council (FSLC) is calling on the United States to launch a once-in-a-generation effort to boost agricultural innovation. In a recent report, the group outlined a proposal for $100 billion in new public research and development investments over the next ten years to strengthen domestic food systems, improve farm profitability, and restore global leadership. [link]
An independently verified field study across 1,262 farms in France from 2021 to 2024 found that farms adopting more regenerative practices consistently outperformed conventionally farmed holdings during drought conditions. The results held for both yield and profit stability, according to the study. [link]
Wendell Berry, the Kentucky-born author and agrarian whose poems, stories, novels and essays celebrated the farming communities of his native state, has died at age 92. His work also warned of the excesses and misjudgments of an industrial, commercialized society. [link]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is holding up nearly $50 million for sustainable and regenerative agriculture for the second year in a row. The delay affects funding aimed at helping farmers adopt conservation and regenerative practices. [link]
Yellow Wood Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, has agreed to acquire Nestlé’s Holistic Health platform for $1 billion. The platform manufactures vitamins, minerals and supplements, and the firm invests broadly in consumer brands and companies. [link]
A group of farmers, scientists and development specialists is pushing for what they call “conscious food systems.” The group argues that many of the problems in today’s food production stem from people being “alienated” from nature and each other. [link]
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host its Beef Sustainability Field Day on Oct. 16 at the Josey Pavilion at the Dixon Water Foundation. This year’s program will move from the conference room to a working ranch, offering a one-day, boots-on-the-ground format that brings industry leaders, ranchers and researchers together for a hands-on look at sustainable beef production. [link]
The Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions (FSSS), with support from the HEINEKEN Africa Foundation and Nigerian Breweries PLC, has planted 12,243 trees across farming communities and schools in Bauchi North. The initiative aims to restore degraded land and strengthen farmers’ resilience to climate change. [link]
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced a first-of-its-kind regenerative farming lease on state-owned land. The program aims to help farmers who lease property from the state prioritize and scale regenerative agriculture practices. [link]
Researchers from North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Emory University have demonstrated a series of biological tests that could serve as “proxies” for regenerative agriculture assessment. The tests aim to measure how different regenerative agriculture practices could improve soil carbon. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In mid-August, a report by the OECD argued that trees can become a powerful tool for making agriculture more resilient, environmentally sustainable and economically diverse. See more, here.