May 10, 2025
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – The Union of Concerned Scientists says that the next Farm Bill can make the agriculture sector more resilient…if it follows the Agriculture Resilience Act. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 2 – Farm Progress details how farmers can do their part on preventing dangerous and consequential dust storms. Read the story, here.
Spotlight 3 – Fortune writes that after an early boom, organic farming is falling. Take a read, here.
Industry Updates
Community leaders and neighbors from Watsonville and across Santa Cruz County in California gathered to protest the use of pesticides near Pajaro Valley homes and schools. They said chemicals are harming the health of farmworkers and children. Farmworker organizer and activist Dolores Huerta spoke at the rally organized by the Campaign for Organic and Regenerative Agriculture. Huerta is calling on Driscoll's and other ag companies to transition to organic practices near homes and schools and encouraging the community to oppose pesticide use. [link]
As part of Maryland’s 5 Million Trees Program, the Maryland Department of Agriculture is reminding farmers that financial assistance is available for a range of tree-planting programs that can boost farm income, improve soil and herd health, and protect local streams and natural resources. The department’s tree-planting incentives support soil health and agroforestry practices that combine farming and forestry to create healthier conditions for people, animals, and crops by allowing farmers to improve natural resources and generate income by planting nut and berry trees. Eligible participants may qualify for up to 100% cost-share for selected practices and a one-time bonus payment of $1,000 per acre for establishing riparian forest buffers. [link]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued the final version of its “Insecticide Strategy,” part of an ongoing initiative to bring the agency in compliance with the Endangered Species Act and avoid litigation. The EPA has already completed a strategy on herbicides. These strategies, with others to follow, are intended to protect listed species under the law, while communicating clearly with farmers and other users of these chemicals on how and where they can be applied. The new strategy includes guidance on buffer distances for insecticide applications, a process for crediting growers who use conservation programs, and an interactive map that allows people to look up specific chemicals and their restrictions in specific areas. It also includes a three-step framework for reviewing insecticides and developing prohibitions for their use to protect endangered and threatened species. [link]
A new startup is helping farmers grow plant-based feed and fertilizer using wastewater for a more sustainable, profitable food system. Founded by former MIT Tata Center translational research director Jason Prapas, Fyto has built an automated system for harvesting the aquatic plant Lemna on dairy farms. Lemna, or duckweed, is rich in protein and capable of doubling in biomass every two days. Fyto has built an automated cropping system that uses nitrogen-rich wastewater from dairy farms to grow Lemna in shallow pools on otherwise less productive farmland. The Lemna can then be used on farms as a high-protein cattle feed or fertilizer supplement. [link]
Regenagri, a global regenerative agriculture initiative, is set to introduce a suite of updated standards aimed at boosting both the sustainability and traceability of regeneratively produced food and textiles. The enhanced framework will also add measurable criteria to support regenerative claims across supply chains. Although the official release of the new standards is scheduled for June 6, 2025, Regenagri will host two online briefing sessions on June 4 to present a comprehensive overview of the updates and respond to participant questions. [link]
Connecticut is rolling out a new pilot program to research soil contamination levels in farms across the state, aiming to better understand the presence of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as “forever chemicals.” Exposure to these substances has been linked to a wide range of health issues, including high cholesterol, immune system suppression, hormone disruptions, thyroid disorders, pregnancy complications and neurodevelopmental effects. PFAS contamination in soil can leach into groundwater, affecting drinking water supplies and can be absorbed by crops, leading to consumption by humans and animals. [link]
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for a grant to develop enterprises, supply chains, and markets for continuous living cover crops and cropping systems in the early stages of commercial development. CLC crops have been shown to enhance water and soil quality, sequester carbon, build soil health, and provide greater biodiversity and pollinator habitat. Significant environmental benefits from these crops will result from widespread production, which requires robust value chains and markets. Grant proposals must aim to develop and accelerate enterprises, supply chains, and markets for CLC crops and cropping systems in the early stages of commercial development in Minnesota. This could include customized equipment to harvest the crop, clean and store seeds, and process crops for food products, as well as market and business development. [link]
A new report from the Sustainable Food Trust challenges the current orthodoxy that meat and dairy products from cattle and sheep are always part of the problem for climate and health. Instead, it argues that grass-fed cows and sheep can be a vital part of the solution – if we change the way we farm and shift away from intensively farmed animal products. "Grazing Livestock" sets out a vivid comparison between industrial livestock systems and regenerative, grass-based systems rooted in nature. While these can be lower-yielding, cattle and sheep raised on pasture deliver multiple benefits from the same area of land – for the environment, public health and animal welfare. [link]
The Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund, part of American Heart Association Ventures’ Social Impact Funds, is distributing $900,000 to four organizations to combat food insecurity. The funding is made possible by a grant from the Walmart Foundation to support companies and organizations that combat food insecurity. Recipients of funding from the Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund include both nonprofit and for-profit organizations working to positively impact factors that affect cardiovascular health in historically under-resourced communities. [link]
The Agricultural Cooperatives Union tabled a proposal to the Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food, calling for the establishment of a national standard for regenerative agriculture in Greece. The plan was prompted by the keen interest demonstrated during the “Agrothessaly 2025” event, which focused on the topic of regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture is the process of restoring degraded soils using management practices (e.g., adaptive grazing, no-till planting, no or limited use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizer, etc.) based on ecological principles. [link]
In a landmark decision, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of gene-edited pigs developed by PIC (Pig Improvement Company) for human consumption. This approval marks a significant advancement in biotechnology, particularly in the livestock sector, as these pigs are engineered to resist porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a viral infection that has long plagued the global pork industry. PRRS is responsible for substantial economic losses in the pork industry, with estimates suggesting a cost of approximately $560 million annually in the US alone. [link]
Beyond Meat raised $100 million from a plant-based nonprofit, providing the alternative meat company with much-needed cash as it struggles with declining sales, distribution hiccups and a dimmed consumer outlook. Unprocessed Foods will provide the debt financing loan in exchange for the right to purchase up to 12.5% of Beyond’s shares. Unprocessed is an affiliate of Ahimsa Foundation, which focuses “on advocating for plant-based diets.” The loan comes as Beyond reported a “disappointing” first quarter, according to founder and CEO Ethan Brown, with U.S. retail sales falling 15.4% to $31.4 million and product volume slumping 23.3%. [link]
Mondelez International’s impact investing arm, Sustainable Futures, has made a strategic investment in eAgronom, an Estonia-based agritech startup focused on scaling regenerative agriculture across Europe. The funding, part of eAgronom’s ongoing Series A2 round, aims to support the company’s expansion into new markets and increase its footprint to over 4 million hectares of farmland by 2026. Founded in 2016, eAgronom currently works with more than 3,000 farms managing 2.5 million hectares across 10 countries, including Poland, Romania, and Sweden. The company provides farmers with digital tools to improve soil health, measure carbon impact, and participate in carbon credit markets, offering both environmental and financial incentives for sustainable farming. [link]
More than 60% of the EU’s agricultural soils are degraded due to intensive agriculture, with similar damage to about 40% of British soils, a report has found. Experts from the Save Soil initiative said nourishing and restoring agricultural soils could reduce the impact of the climate crisis and provide protection against the worsening extremes of weather, as well as the food shortages and price rises likely to accompany them. This degradation of soil is changing the land’s water cycle and exacerbating the impact of the climate crisis in a vicious circle. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In mid-April, the UK government announced that it would cut import tariffs on dozens of food items to keep costs low for consumers. See more, here.