Agtech Action Friday | Week of 12.07.19 - 12.13.19
US-China Agreement Updates, Costly Cow retirement and CA Proposition 12
Happy Friday the 13th! Exciting, hour-by-hour developments in the world of agtech this week! From interesting reads about indoor ag as the silver lining to the e.coli romaine lettuce outbreaks, costly cow retirement, to CA perhaps overstepping its reach with Proposition 12, and updates on the US-China trade agreement. I hope the US and China have settled their differences and that this agreement ultimately benefits farmers and consumers. Stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy this week’s newsletter, which also has reviews on the new Cosmic apple (does it give you cosmic powers?!).
Food and the World:
Bangkok plants Asia’s biggest rooftop farm
US, China agree to limited deal to halt trade war. Trump to removed threat of tariffs as Beijing agrees to purchase farm goods, other US products.
Farm-labor reform bill heads for House vote this week
Virginia farmer butts heads with NRCS over land usage
Corn harvest is 92% complete: Last week crop progress report still shows delays
After CA blackouts, low-income families are still recovering from massive food spoilage
A recap of the US’s Wild 2019 Weather: From CA fires, to the polar vortex and Midwest floods
House authorizes a path to legal status for undocumented workers
Agriculture in the News:
Silver lining in E.coli romaine lettuce outbreaks? Greenhouse, indoor ag might be the key for safer greens.
Joint effort to announced to combat farmer stress. New program will train people who work with farmers and ranchers to recognize signs of stress and connect them with professional help.
A deal on US-Mexico-Canada agreement but final approval will wait until 2020
2019 Global Food Security Index results released. The Global Food Security Index examines the state of food systems across 113 countries.
Farm groups file legal challenge to CA’s Proposition 12. Proposition 12 imposes animal housing standards that reach outside of CA’s borders to farms across the US and beyond. (I do not see how this is enforceable without disrupting farming operations)
Painful Ag restructuring if Sino-US trade war persists. Trump may need to spend billions for additional trade-war payments to farmers and ranchers as their incomes sink.
USDA/WASDE data left mostly unchanged – markets ignore report
Water rights fight ramps up in Australia
USDA extends deadlines for Dairy Margin Coverage & Market Facilitation Program support programs The Dairy Margin Coverage program offers reasonably priced protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. The Market Facilitation Program is part of a relief strategy to support American agricultural producers while the Administration continues to work on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets to help American farmers compete globally.
Fun:
2019 Christmas gift guide for farmers (I need help with picking gifts!)
Krone announces FFA winners in its Battle of the Bales Contest
Opportunities:
Farmland for Sale! Are you in the market!?
National Cattleman’s Beef Association is accepting intern applications for 2020
Interesting Reads:
Do we care what our political candidates eat and how they eat? (I do; if they eat finger foods with utensils, immediate deal breaker!)
Are GMOs safe? Science says yes; the media say no. Unfortunately the media drowns out the scientists.
Who knew retirement was so expensive?! Milk co-ops slaughtered 500,000 cows via a ‘retirement’ program and will have to pay $200M in a price-fixing lawsuit.
Most seafood imports flagged for food safety violations never get audited. (That’s not gonna stop me from ordering shrimp and pasta!)
Want to know how the Cosmic apple tastes? Reviews are in!
Get a marketing plan farmers! Understanding USDA’s crop estimate methodology is helpful
China’s pig herd rises for 1st time in a year in November
Farm Babe: How one US immigrant started a farm from scratch
Young farmers survive on solid roots and innovation
Purina leads effort to recycle plastic feed tubs used by livestock
How ethanol plant shutdowns deepen pain for US corn farmers
Finance:
Dairy Australia calls for sector to get ‘investor ready’ to attract private capital
Gunn Agri Partners and Ben Craw launch Oxley Capital Partners
Atlantic Sapphire’s FL Venture gets Vatne Equity confidence boost
Australian water tensions increase and give investors pause for thought
Paine Schwartz creates new animal health and nutrition platform with Warburton Technology investment
In an effort to build upon the momentum of the programming for the Manure Innovation Challenge next programming event that occurred in Indianapolis on November 18th/19th, ahead of the Sustainable Agriculture Summit, I will be featuring one of the eight startups participating in the challenge. Each of these eight startups have a solution related to manure management and each with a focus on making manure a profitable byproduct for farmers.
This week’s Manure Innovation Challenge feature company is SoMax Bioenergy. SoMax Bioenergy uses hydrothermal carbonization as part of their Elemental Recycling Platform to produce hydro-char and nutrient rich liquid fertilizer from manure and other waste materials.
If you are interested in learning more about or getting involved with the Manure Innovation Challenge, please contact me at brandon@theyieldlab.com.
In the coming months, the Yield Lab Institute will be announcing some exciting new initiatives that will impact agtech. We cannot wait to announce these new initiatives to you the readers and the greater agtech community. Stay tuned for more details and how you can support and get involved.
No bad luck when you read the Agtech Action newsletter; only good luck, good news and good vibes for agriculture. Until next week, do not forget to eat your greens and support a farmer!
Brandon