July 3, 2025
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – Beyond Pesticides writes that as temperatures continue to rise, organic agriculture eliminates chemicals that contribute to the climate crisis. Read the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – The European Commission provides its in-depth analysis on how to future-proof the food and agriculture segment. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 3 – Boston Consulting Group presents a viable path to regenerative landscapes in the Amazon. Take a read, here.
Industry Updates
The Central Government in India has issued model rules for the felling of trees on agricultural land in a bid to promote agroforestry with the aim of doubling farmers' incomes, increasing tree cover outside forests and mitigating climate change. In a letter sent to all state governments, the environment ministry said the objective of 'Model Rules for Felling of Trees in Agricultural Lands' is to enhance the ease of doing business in agroforestry and incentivize farmers to integrate trees into their farming systems without facing undue procedural hurdles. The government has been promoting agroforestry as a necessary means for supporting India's climate goals under the Paris Agreement. [link]
Eni has inaugurated its first agri-hub in the Republic of the Congo, launching the very first vegetable oil extraction plant in the country. The production will be destined for Eni's biorefineries that sit within its Enilive segment, where it will be transformed into biofuel to help decarbonize transport sectors, as part of Eni’s sustainable mobility strategy. The agri-hub in Loudima will have a capacity of 30,000 tons per year of vegetable oil and will be supplied by oil crops grown on degraded and underutilized land or through intercropping systems, as part of an innovative regenerative agriculture project developed in collaboration with local stakeholders. [link]
Syngenta is accelerating the rollout of its nature-inspired, science-based biological solutions, responding to rising demand for sustainable, high-performance tools that help farmers boost productivity efficiently and responsibly. In December 2024, the company acquired Intrinsyx Bio, a California-based start-up specializing in the development of nutrient-use efficiency products. Most recently, in early 2025, Syngenta concluded the integration of Novartis’ Strains and Natural Products Collection, the repository of natural compounds and genetic strains for agricultural use. Also in 2025, Syngenta opened a 22,000 m² biologicals facility in Orangeburg, South Carolina, in the United States, which is purpose-built to produce 16,000 tons of biostimulants annually. This new manufacturing facility complements Syngenta’s existing global network of biologicals’ manufacturing facilities in Brazil, Italy, India and Norway. [link]
The Bennington County Agroforestry and Flood Resilience local fund pool has $250,000 available for Bennington County land stewards in the state of Vermont. The local fund pool for the county has been allocated $250,000 to spend on federal EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) contracts that support one of six primary practices: alley cropping, silvopasture, forest farming, hedgerow planting, windbreak/shelterbelt establishment, and riparian forest buffer. Last year, some $750,000 in total were available for applicants in Bennington and Rutland Counties through the Bennington, Rutland, and Poultney-Mettowee Conservation Districts. This year, $250,000 is meant for just Bennington County. [link]
Morocco is accelerating its agricultural transformation through a new partnership with Hong Kong-based Jungnong Group, a subsidiary of China’s Agricultural Development Group. With an initial investment of $22 million, the joint venture represents a strategic pivot toward high-tech, water-efficient farming systems in a country grappling with water scarcity and climate volatility. The project, formalized through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Morocco’s Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests, will serve as a blueprint for sustainable agriculture in North Africa. It promises to create more than 300 direct jobs, train local workers in precision agriculture, and boost export-oriented crop production in semi-arid regions. [link]
Hershey is the latest company to commit to dropping synthetic dyes from its products by the end of 2027. The move comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., health and human services secretary, has prioritized removing synthetic dyes from food and beverages sold in the U.S. At the state-level, West Virginia will ban certain food dyes and preservatives from 2028. Starting in 2027, Texas will require warning labels on products containing artificial food dyes and additives. [link]
Nearly a dozen agriculture commissioners from red states wrote to top Trump administration officials and Republican lawmakers calling for the elimination of federal funding to organizations that promote “net-zero” climate policies. The letter argues that net-zero policies adopted by certain organizations “will have devastating effects on American consumers, farmers, and ranchers, and further endanger food security for the poor in America.” The agriculture commissioners singled out the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Environment Program as organizations that promote those policies. [link]
Consumer goods companies are enlarging their range of products—by making them smaller. Diminutive snack and drink sizes are hitting store shelves as brands try to keep stretched consumers buying with lower-price options. PepsiCo now sells Lay’s potato chips in half a dozen different-sized bags, costing from around 50 cents to roughly $5. Campbell’s now markets teensy packages of Pepperidge Farm cookies and Goldfish crackers. And Mondelez International has six different Milka chocolate bar sizes with prices from under $1 to $6. Food, beverage and consumer-product companies are hoping that a wider range of shrunken size options can boost overall sales volumes, which have been pressured in recent quarters. Smaller-size offerings also tend to have higher profit margins. [link]
New research shows that UK farmer confidence has been battered by climate change in recent years. The market research of 300 farmers across the UK was commissioned by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) from Grounded Research, specialists in gathering insights into questions about food and farming. When asked what impact recent extreme weather has had on their farms, 87% cited reduced productivity, 84% have witnessed a reduction in crop yields or livestock output, whilst three quarters have seen their incomes reduced. In the past five years, 86% of farmers have been hit by extreme rainfall, 78% by drought, and over a half by the impacts of heatwaves. Only 2% have not experienced extreme weather in some form. [link]
The U.S. government is preparing to breed billions of flies and dump them out of airplanes over Mexico and southern Texas to fight a flesh-eating maggot threatening the American beef industry. The targeted pest is the flesh-eating larva of the New World Screwworm fly. The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to ramp up the breeding and distribution of adult male flies — sterilizing them with radiation before releasing them. They mate with females in the wild, and the eggs laid by the female aren’t fertilized and don’t hatch. There are fewer larvae, and over time, the fly population dies out. The USDA expects a new screwworm fly factory to be up and running in southern Mexico by July 2026. It plans to open a fly distribution center in southern Texas by the end of the year so that it can import and distribute flies from Panama if necessary. [link]
Despite funding cuts across the board for programs and agencies on the federal level, Virginia farmers are seeing a win for conservation projects. The state is showing a dedication to sustainable farming measures by allocating $223 million for agricultural practices that stop pollutants and sediment disturbances that lead to runoff into the Chesapeake Bay. It is a $16 million increase over the last fiscal year, leading to the fourth year of increasing funding from the state. The program helps farmers in the commonwealth to implement projects that conserve water, help soil health through cover crops, and other sustainability goals. Farmers can apply for up to $300,000 in fiscal year 2026 to cost-share one of over 60 projects, including stream cattle exclusion zones, cover crops, and animal waste control facilities. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In late 2024, UW-Madison Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist of Agricultural & Applied Economics, Jeff Hadachek, developed a tool to aid farmers on understanding the financial impact of conservation decisions. See more, here.