Good morning.
What happens when you mix Luke Bryan & Fendt tractors?
Some might say a poppin’ new hit.
In a bit of a twist, the partners are launching a limited-edition popcorn brand named Boldly Grown Popcorn that celebrates the passon and fun involved in all things farming.
And the best part: It’s all for a good cause. Once sold out, Fendt and Bryan will donate $25K to the National FFA Organization.
Order here today!
Stories:
- Biden Boosts Biofuels. Again.
- Good Vibes Vives Only
- A Colorado River Crisis for Ag?
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Biden Boosts Biofuels. Again. |
Uncle Sam is forking over some cold hard cash to pump up biofuels.
Again.
Here’s what’s new: On Tuesday, the USDA announced they would start accepting applications for $100M in new grants to support infrastructure and conversion projects that will increase the use and distribution of higher blend biofuels.
Here’s what’s not: The Biden Administration is all about biofuels. These new funds are in addition to:
- $5.6M in Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentives Program (HBIIP) funds awarded to specific states in April.
- $700M in pandemic relief funding for over 100 biofuel producers announced in June.
- $500M from the recent Inflation Reduction Act that will be directed toward increasing biofuel usage.
Through this new HBIIP round, grantees will enter a cost-share partnership with the USDA as they use grant and company funds to install and retrofit biofuel pumps, dispensers, storage tanks, and blending infrastructure.
So, what’s considered a "higher" blend? We’re glad you asked:
- >10% Ethanol
- >5% Biodiesel
When making the program announcement, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack touted the program’s climate-smart goals and its benefits to rural communities.
Secretary soundbite: "Biofuels are homegrown fuels. Expanding the availability of higher-blend fuels is a win for American farmers, the rural economy, and hardworking Americans who pay the price here at home when we depend on volatile fuel sources overseas."
Sign me up: The grants have a $5M maximum and will cover up to 50% of project costs. Companies can apply through November 21, so get ‘em in.
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→ No sheepish solar project here. A western Colorado county approved an $80M solar farm on 383 acres that will be the state’s largest agrivoltaic installation as it will continue to also serve as pasture for ~1K sheep.
→ Nix the harvest headache. A new app named Farmmee is gearing to help farmers stay connected during the busy fall so they can maximize equipment usage, share farmhand help, and more.
→ Cheers to that. Five new grape varieties were highlighted last month that are resistant to Pierce’s disease, a bacterial infection spread by glassy-winged sharpshooters that kills plants by clogging their water-conducting system.
→ Picking up the (pork) pace. Two more pork processing plants were given the green light to trial increased line speeds after a 2021 regulation that slowed lines as much as 25-30%.
→ Bayer’s bean-sprayin’ baby. While still very early in the pipeline, the crop science giant has developed a new herbicide mode of action for use in soybeans—the first of its kind in over 30 years.
→ One meaty dashboard. Purdue University launched a public ‘meat sentiment’ dashboard that will show the sentiment and volume of meat and meal alternative mentions in social media and online news.
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Oh, Vive, eh? They’re oot and aboot.
Excuse our Canadian stereotyping. We’re just excited for Vive Crop Protection, a Canadian company that just closed on $26M in a Series C investment round.
ReVIVEing crop protection: Not to brag, but Vive has developed crop protection products that are more targeted than typical delivery mechanisms. That’s because they use nanoscale, polymer-based technology to increase crop yields and reduce environmental impact.
Since 2018, they’ve saved farmers:
- 34M gallons of water
- 189,000 gallons of fuel
- 15,000 hours of farm labor (labour for our Canadian friends)
Actually, Shania, this does impress me much…
Vive has a lot to be proud of, like:
- Their seven crop protection products have been used on more than 2M acres.
- In 2021, they released AZterknot – a fungicide in the U.S. – and it’s been used on 500,000 acres already this year.
- In the last 18 months, they’ve had new product registrations, increases in customer base and revenue (like, doubling its sales of the seven products they have).
Where's the money headed: Vive will leverage the dollars to accelerate commercial deployment into North American markets while advancing its research and development pipeline.
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Entrepreneurial Alert: The Final FoodBytes! Program of 2022 Has Arrived |
For their final scouting sprint of the year, FoodBytes! is actively seeking entrepreneurs that are reimagining the future of food and agriculture.
The focus of this final sprint is on the role of the worker and conditions of the workplace by introducing new technologies that create more from less, specifically working in the areas of:
- New Food Distribution: Developing new channels or methods that better match where consumers are and how they eat
- Novel Food Processing: Creating more nutritious, longer-lasting and/or more accessible food through novel processing methods
- Robotics & Manufacturing Automation: Utilizing technology to automate labor-intensive processes, reducing risk and loss in manufacturing and delivery
- Upcycling: Creating value-added materials or ingredients from waste streams or food byproducts
And you can't beat the benefits of joining a FoodBytes! cohort.
You can validate and grow your businesses through global industry exposure, tailored mentorship sessions, individualized strategic connections with corporates and investors, pitch refinement, and media visibility.
Supported by the vast global Rabobank network of investors and alumni, you'll be positioned to win from the startup starting line.
Amplify your impact through the FoodBytes! network today.
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Football season is so close you can nearly smell the chili in the crisp late summer breeze.
But if you are already dreaming of those gridiron goodies, you should also know that inflation isn’t sparing your tailgate plans. A recent Wells Fargo report revealed the price increases versus a year ago on some of America’s favorite foods when it comes to tailgating.
Can you place in order – from largest percentage price increase to smallest – the below food items?
Answer at the bottom of the email.
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A Colorado River Crisis for Ag? |
Things have gone from bad to worse for the Colorado River, plagued by a 22-year megadrought. It’s the driest period in more than 1,200 years thanks to crazy heat waves and clearly, a giant lack of precipitation.
So bad they can’t ignore it: The Biden Administration allocated $4B through the Inflation Reduction Act for drought mitigation for "federally designated reclamation states." The Colorado River basin is at the top of that list.
Deep cuts are being made just to get by. Arizona is looking at a 21% cut in their water supply from the Colorado River, while Nevada’s decreases by 8%, and Mexico’s by 7%.
Folks won’t face any immediate new restrictions…yet. You can still wash your car and water your grass, but unpopular rules on water usage are just down the road – especially when it comes to deciding between booming cities or agricultural acres.
What does all this mean for agriculture? Agriculture accounts for 70% of Colorado River consumption for irrigation.
Yuma County Agriculture Water Coalition is peddling a water-conservation plan that will pay them to not use some of the water they’re allotted.
The Deets: Arizona and California farmers would *voluntarily* conserve 925K acre-feet of water each year for four years and receive about $1,500 for each acre-foot. But it’s a double-edged sword because less water usage for ag means less food produced.
With deeper water cuts, Phoenix-area cotton farmer Paco Ollerton is concerned. He only grew half his normal crop this year.
Soundbite: "It kind of changes my thinking about how much longer I'm going to continue to farm," Ollerton said.
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Written & Edited by Kevin Cross, Sheridan Wimmer, Amelia VanLandegen, and Travis Martin.
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