September 12, 2026
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – Euro News interviews farmers going into “survival mode” as they turn towards new crops in the face of steady droughts. Read the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – Civil Eats offers five policy changes to save agriculture from itself. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 3 – Farms.com details how to build a farm that can withstand weather conditions that are increasingly too wet or too dry. Take a read, here.
Industry Updates
The Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture has received funding for two new soil research projects. The awards aim to help advance sustainable agricultural practices in the region. [link]
Germany’s farmers are confronting what increasingly looks like a new normal rather than a bad stretch of weather. Ongoing drought and extreme heat are driving crop losses and financial strain across the country. [link]
The FAO hosted the 3rd Small-Scale Fisheries Summit in Rome this week. Participants from around the world discussed experiences and formulated priority actions to support a sector on which nearly half a billion people rely directly or indirectly for their livelihoods. [link]
Soil health is emerging as a critical factor in African food security, according to a Kigali summit. The issue could force farmers to rethink not just fertilizer application rates but the type of fertilizer best suited to their soils. [link]
Napa Green has been awarded a $3 million grant through the National Association of Conservation Districts’ Advancing Markets for Producers program. The nonprofit advances climate-smart, regenerative agriculture in Napa Valley. [link]
The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program announced its 2026 grant awards to working lands entrepreneurs. The $943,745 in awards will support business improvements and help improve water quality. [link]
Australian microalgae company Genesis has won the Agriculture & Environment category at the AFR Sustainability Leaders 2026 Awards. The award recognizes the company’s contributions to sustainable agricultural innovation. [link]
Purdue Extension-Lake County will offer an eight-session Urban Farming Signature Program this fall for current and aspiring urban growers. The in-person and hybrid series will cover local food systems, urban soil principles, soil health, pest and disease management, and produce safety. [link]
A Virginia legislative report says the state’s agricultural cost-share program could benefit from changes to prioritize the most cost-effective practices. The Virginia Agriculture Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program has contributed significantly to improving local water quality and cutting pollution that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. [link]
Agriculture-focused carbon platform Agreena has secured a seven-year agreement with one of the world’s largest commodity trading houses. The deal covers the purchase of 4.45 million tons of carbon credits from a project supporting farmers’ transition to regenerative agriculture. [link]
Deere is rolling out a conversational AI assistant in the vein of ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude. The tool aims to provide quick answers to questions about planting and harvest timing and other business decisions, backed by years of data from a farmer’s own fields. [link]
The IRS released new 45Z Clean Fuels Production tax credit guidance this week. The guidance opens the door for farmers, ethanol producers and livestock operations tracking their carbon scores to benefit from the credit. [link]
The Desert Agriculture Soil Health Initiative has officially established a physical soil health laboratory at the University of Arizona Yuma Agricultural Center. The local facility represents a major shift for regional agricultural research, which was previously concentrated more than three hours away in Tucson. [link]
California coastal officials voted to allow a plan for the United States’ largest kelp farm to move forward. The farm would sit six miles off the Southern California coast, as the Trump administration seeks to ramp up aquaculture in the Pacific Ocean. [link]
Fruit company Fyffes has launched its Regenerative Agriculture Framework. The roadmap aims to integrate regenerative practices across 13,000 hectares of banana and pineapple farms by 2030 and extend proven approaches throughout its supply chain by 2035. [link]
An agricultural researcher says the profitability gap between sustainable and traditional cropping systems is evening out. The finding comes four years into a long-term Michigan State University study. [link]
Researchers from the Sydney Institute of Agriculture have proposed the 3N Agriculture Framework. The framework offers a way to grow nutritious food sustainably without heating up the atmosphere. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In early August, Tyson Foods lowered its profit outlook for the year due to soaring cattle prices, which continue to weigh on the meatpacking company’s bottom line. See more, here.