September 6, 2025

Spotlight Stories

Spotlight 1 – The Houston Chronicle looks into regenerative farming and why it might be able to solve Houston’s flooding problems. Check it out, here.

Spotlight 2 – The Conversation analyzes how Europe’s deforestation law could change the global coffee trade. Read the story, here.

Spotlight 3 – AgFunderNews says that stacking incomes is about to get really, really important for the regenerative agriculture transition. Take a read, here.

Industry Updates

A three-year research project into regenerative agriculture has delivered promising early results for New Zealand's vegetable growers, demonstrating how compost application and cover cropping can improve soil health, increase crop resilience and boost yields when tailored to the right conditions. Led by Woolworths New Zealand in partnership with Gisborne-based grower LeaderBrand and scientists from the Bioeconomy Science Institute, Plant & Food Research group, two field trials were established to evaluate how regenerative practices could be adapted to intensive commercial vegetable production. Cover crops and compost both had a positive impact on soil health, but they need to be managed carefully and integrated into our wider crop rotation systems, according to the research. [link]

Agreena has announced the launch of AgreenaGro – a new digital platform designed to help farmers build resilience, unlock new income streams, and make data-driven decisions in the transition to regenerative agriculture. Open to farms of all sizes, AgreenaGro helps future-proof farms by enabling farmers to unlock the full financial and ecological value of their land. It guides farmers on the most impactful regenerative practices and rewards them for the tangible environmental benefits they create, including carbon emission reductions and carbon removal. Beyond financial incentives, AgreenaGro equips farmers with essential knowledge and connects them to a supportive community, making the regenerative shift more achievable. [link]

The West Des Moines-based Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation has announced $227,000 in grants to seven organizations, supporting three tree canopy enhancement and four regenerative agriculture projects. Recipients include Arboretum Detroit ($47,000) for the East Warren Filter Forest tree planting, Imagine Grinnell ($15,000) for tree restoration in Iowa, and the Student Conservation Association ($50,000) for urban forestry in Northwest Indiana. Additional grants were awarded to Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District ($30,000), Land Stewardship Project ($25,000), Nebraska Soil Health Coalition ($30,000) and Practical Farmers of Iowa ($30,000) to advance soil health, grazing management, and local grain production through educational and community initiatives. The Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation is a nonprofit organization focused on supporting sustainability projects that reduce carbon footprints and promote carbon positive practices. [link]

The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and partners throughout the state have worked with the Gulf Hypoxia Program (GHP) to develop a no-cost program with a focus on increasing the knowledge and use of soil sampling as a nutrient management practice to benefit farm operations. This program includes row crop fields, pastures, hay and specialty crops located within Indiana’s portion of the Mississippi River Basin. Eligible landowners will be prioritized by acreage enrolled (i.e., 100 acres or less), fields that have never been soil sampled and fields that haven’t been sampled regularly (i.e., within the last four years). Sign-ups begin Tuesday, September 2, 2025, and ISDA is accepting registrations until Friday, October 17, 2025, or until funds are exhausted. [link]

The Kraft Heinz Co. is planning to break up the company into two independent, publicly-traded companies. The split is intended to maximize Kraft Heinz’s capabilities and brands while reducing complexity, according to the company. One of the businesses, which will be renamed later and is now being called the Global Taste Elevation Co. will include brands like Heinz, Philadelphia and Kraft Mac & Cheese and generated approximately $15.4 billion in sales in 2024. The second business is being called the North American Grocery Co. and will include brands like Kraft Singles, Lunchables and Oscar Mayer that had approximately $10.4 billion in sales in 2024. The split is expected to be completed during the second half of 2026, according to the company. [link]

The National Geographic Society and PepsiCo announced a collaboration to harness the power of science, storytelling, and education to inspire positive change throughout the global food system, with a focus on regenerative agriculture. The Food for Tomorrow program will support National Geographic Explorer-driven stories and scientists diving into the future of food through breathtaking imagery, moving narratives, applied science-based projects and data visualization maps. The program will initially support five National Geographic Explorers, who will feature stories about real people, real farmers and real communities to spotlight sustainable and regenerative practices in food production. It will also fund “Building Resilience in Agriculture”, where up to five scientific grants will be awarded that seek innovative, nature-positive proposals that apply science in real-world contexts and aims to find solutions that scale regenerative agricultural practices around the world. [link]

Orchard Robotics, an agtech startup using artificial intelligence to deliver precise data on farm operations, has raised $22 million from investors. The startup has developed a system with cameras that are mounted on tractors and other equipment to gather images as they traverse a farm. The collected images are then analyzed by Orchard Robotics’ AI to generate data on vines, trees and crops, which is then processed to track the growth, yield and health of crops. The technology was initially deployed on apple and grape farms, and has expanded into operations growing blueberries, cherries, almonds, pistachios, citrus and strawberries. [link]

In a cross-border agreement poised to elevate sustainable forestry, Silvania, a Geneva-based natural capital investment platform backed by commodity trader Mercuria, is partnering with Alder Point Capital Management, a real assets investment firm specializing in U.S. farmland, to accelerate nature-based solutions across America’s vast timberlands. Through the collaboration, the firms will back real asset investments to create revenues from forestry, carbon sequestration, land and habitat conservation and the restoration of the ecosystem. According to the announcement, Silvania has made a “significant financial commitment” to Alder Point with a view to scale sustainable investment strategies in U.S. timberland and farmland. This partnership builds on Silvania’s strategy of aligning with regional experts to foster regenerative land management. [link]

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have developed wheat plants that stimulate production of its own fertilizer, which could bring environmental and cost-reduction benefits. The scientists used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to get wheat plants to produce more of one of their naturally occurring chemicals. When the plant releases the excess chemical into the soil, the chemical helps certain bacteria in the soil convert nitrogen from the air into a form the nearby plants use to grow, which is a process called nitrogen fixation. [link]

In Case You Missed It…

In early August, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators reintroduced the Dairy Pride Act, asking the FDA to crack down on “misleading” plant-based labels. See more, here.