January 17, 2026

Spotlight Stories

Spotlight 1 – Mongabay writes that silvopasture is gaining momentum in the Amazon, but will it shrink beef’s footprint? Ready the story, here.

Spotlight 2 – J.P. Morgan looks at the fates of farming and food in a warming world. Check it out, here.

Spotlight 3 – The Observer Research Foundation looks into the limits and opportunities of sustainable food systems. Take a read, here.

Industry Updates

The president of the American Farm Bureau Federation told members that the Trump administration’s $12 billion in ad-hoc aid is not enough, warning policymakers that more relief, expanded trade and labor reform are urgently needed to keep farm families afloat. Zippy Duvall, head of the organization, spoke at AFBF’s annual meeting in Anaheim, California and said that USDA’s $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program announced in December does not come close to offsetting the full extent of losses farmers have faced during the past two years. Duvall said agriculture faces a “critical stage” because of a combination of financial pressures. Ideally, increases in both trade and domestic demand will help curb the loss of farms. [link]

The UK Government has set out plans to raise animal welfare standards by phasing out all caged egg production in Britain by 2032 and tightening rules around painful sheep mutilation practices. Under the proposals, enriched ‘colony’ cage systems used across the laying hen sector would be gradually phased out, including for smaller producers, as part of two new consultations aimed at improving farm animal welfare while supporting sustainable and profitable food production. Alongside reforms to the egg sector, ministers are also consulting on proposals to improve welfare for lambs by reducing pain caused by castration and tail docking. These practices are often carried out without anesthetic or pain relief. [link]

The nonprofit collaboration, OpenET, is expanding its satellite-based platform that estimates how much water crops are using in a bid to better protect scarce water supplies in the U.S. Across the Mountain West, where drought and shrinking reservoirs are putting pressure on already limited water supplies, decisions about who uses how much water often hinge on imperfect data. OpenET’s technology relies on satellite imagery and climate data to calculate evapotranspiration, or ET — essentially how much water evaporates from soil and transpires through plants. That information can help farmers fine-tune irrigation and give water managers a more consistent way to track agricultural water use at a regional scale. Supporters say that kind of detail could help reduce wasted water while maintaining crop yields, a growing concern as hotter temperatures increase demand throughout the West. [link]

A multi-country initiative supporting smallholder farmers in adopting sustainable, productive and climate resilient practices has successfully concluded. Implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, the project harnessed the power of education and innovation to address interconnected challenges in agricultural production, food and nutrition security, and environmental sustainability. Funded through FAO’s Flexible Voluntary Contribution (FVC) mechanism, the two-year project has significantly strengthened the capacity of smallholder farmers to adopt sustainable, productive and climate-resilient agricultural practices. [link]

Impossible Foods has entered a partnership with EQUII to introduce higher-protein grain-based products, including select breads and pastas. The collaboration comes amid sustained consumer interest in protein-forward foods across categories. No product names, launch timelines, or distribution details have been disclosed. Impossible Foods and EQUII have not provided further information on formulation, nutritional specifications, or markets at this time. [link]

A coalition of 34 organizations filed a rulemaking petition urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS) to deem anaerobic digesters that are located at industrial livestock operations or use livestock manure ineligible for grants and loans under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Earthjustice has also filed a lawsuit on behalf of petitioner Friends of the Earth, challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s violation of the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for illegally withholding public records that detail the agency’s decisions to fund manure digesters using REAP dollars. The petition urges RBCS to disqualify manure digesters from REAP funding because these projects undermine the very goals the program was created to advance. [link]

Regenerative agriculture is witnessing rapid global adoption, with certified farmland expanding dramatically over the past four years. According to Ecovia Intelligence, land certified under third-party regenerative agriculture standards has surged from less than one million acres in 2021 to around 25 million acres by 2025. While adoption is expected to accelerate further in 2026, concerns persist around fragmented standards and consumer communication. [link]

Microsoft has agreed with Indigo Carbon to buy a record 2.85 million soil carbon credits linked to regenerative agriculture in the United States, as the tech giant aims to become “carbon negative” by 2030 despite surging emissions linked to AI. Microsoft did not disclose the cost of the 12-year tie-up but a person with knowledge of the deal said it falls within the historic range of $60 to $80 a ton for Indigo Carbon’s credits, which would value the deal at between $171 million and $228 million. Regenerative farming covers a range of actions such as reducing tilling, using cover crops and letting livestock graze to improve the ability of the soil to capture climate-damaging carbon emissions and retain water. [link]

Mission Produce announced it has agreed to acquire Calavo Growers for $430 million. Mission explained that its acquisition of Calavo’s vertically integrated platform enhances its position in the North America avocado category, expands its supply chain across Mexico and California, and represents its entry into the high-growth, high-reward prepared food segment. Mission is a fully integrated global supplier of avocados and provider of value-added services such as ripening, packaging, distribution, and logistics services supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure for customers in over 25 countries. [link]

Plant-based giant Beyond Meat has diversified past food for the first time, launching a line of clear protein drinks called Beyond Immerse to support gut and muscle health. Beyond Immerse is available in peach-mango, lemon-lime and orange-tangerine flavors, with two levels of plant protein content: either 10g or 20g per can, ranging from 60 to 100 calories, respectively. The drinks are made from a base of hydrolyzed pea protein and tapioca fiber, with a small amount of tartaric, ascorbic and citric acids, stevia leaf and monkfruit extracts, and natural flavors. They boast 7g of fiber, alongside vitamin C for immune support, antioxidants, and electrolytes. They contain no genetically modified organisms or sugar alcohols. [link]

The Rockefeller Foundation and Builders Vision launched the Food is Medicine Impact Fund — hosted by RF Catalytic Capital, Inc., the charitable off-shoot of The Rockefeller Foundation — to improve health outcomes for millions of Americans living with chronic, diet-related conditions. The new fund will promote the adoption of effective, high-quality Food is Medicine (FIM) programs nationwide, with initial investments focused on building state-level leadership and programming. Food is Medicine (FIM) programs, including produce prescriptions, medically tailored groceries and meals, are increasingly demonstrating their ability to improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs for people living with diet-related chronic conditions. Yet many promising programs struggle to move beyond pilots due to limited capacity, fragmented implementation, and low public and provider awareness. [link]

In Case You Missed It…

In late November, Bunge and ForFarmers announced a strategic agreement aimed at improving sustainability within the soybean meal supply chain in Europe. See more, here.