Good morning.
On Friday, we covered the (for now) stalled railroad strike, after a deal between U.S. railroads and unions was *tentatively* agreed upon.
America breathed a sigh of relief that another supply chain disaster had been avoided. But a strike isn’t off the tracks just yet.
Workers are set to vote this week on whether to approve the deal—which, according to some, is not as sure of a thing as we'd like, considering a "no" vote (and pending strike) could put a halt to the transport of ag commodities, fuel, and more.
We'll keep a close eye on this in the coming weeks (vote-counting could continue into October)—and hope that progress continues to chug along.
Stories:
- Climate-Smart's Ready to Start
- Purple GM-omatoes
- ADM and PepsiCo Partner on Regenerative Ag Projects
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Climate-Smart's Ready to Start |
The USDA is handing out dolla dolla bills to 70 lucky applicants to the Partnerships of Climate-Smart Commodities program. Those winners will now go on to increase U.S. ag’s competitive advantage and build wealth in rural America.
ICYMI: The USDA originally dedicated $1B toward the Partnerships of Climate-Smart Commodities. Due to the overwhelming quality and quantity of applications, that’s ballooned to a whopping total of $3B.
Funding will come from the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation.
Proof is in the pudding projects: The USDA estimates the potential to sequester more than 50M metric tons of CO2 equivalent through the funded projects.
They foresee more than 50K farms and up to 25M acres of farmland adopting climate-smart practices. Proposals included plans to match federal funds with non-federal funds.
Government entities, farmer co-ops, conservation and environmental groups, universities, small businesses, and large corporations (it takes a village, right?) all tossed their hats into the ring. A few examples:
- Beef and bison are on the horizon thanks to South Dakota State University’s project to create market opportunities for producers.
- The Farmers for Soil Health initiative was granted $95M to increase the number of acres using cover crops.
- Farm Journal’s Trust in Food sustainability division was awarded up to $40M to evaluate climate-smart data and help farmers be competitive in a climate-smart marketplace.
- Oregon Climate Trust is working on traceable reforestation for carbon and timber in the Western and Southern U.S.
- Dairy Farmers of America is one of many dairy-loving applicants. They'll pilot programs to connect on-farm greenhouse gas reduction with low-carbon dairy markets.
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→ Hot combine sales. August numbers show a 26% bump in combine sales nationwide, while tractors saw a 12% decline from year-ago levels.
→ Container bottleneck contained? The backlog of shipping containers sitting at U.S. West Coast ports has declined, leading to a 63% drop in rates—but the supply chain snarl isn’t over just yet.
→ Inflation frustration. High interest rates, inflation, continued supply chain snags, and more are causing trouble in rural economies, according to Creighton University’s Rural Mainstreet Index.
→ Orange State not so orange. USDA released new numbers showing a decline in citrus acreage in Florida, with planted acres dropping 8% from 2021.
→ Corteva cuts. About 5% of seed and pesticide company Corteva’s workforce will be laid off, as the organization also plans to pull out of 35 countries, citing continued inflation and tighter profit margins.
→ Hold the rice. After uneven monsoon rains put a strain on domestic rice production, and with concern over the global food supply continuing, India has started restricting exports of certain kinds of rice.
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cgshoots from Getty Images
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GM-omato: It’s a plum! It’s a grape! It’s neither! Plant scientists at the John Innes Centre in the UK have developed a purple tomato. That’s right, purple (remember the Heinz purple ketchup of the early 2000s?).
The goal of the project was to create a tomato high in anthocyanins, the antioxidant-rich pigment found in blueberries.
With recent USDA approval, the purple produce is expected to hit American shelves in 2023. The question remains—will consumers bite?
Oh snap(dragon)! The tomato gets its purple hue and anthocyanins from the addition of genes from the snapdragon flower. There is some scientific evidence that anthocyanins bring health benefits, including:
- Protection against some cancers and cardiovascular disease
- Lowering risk of age-related degenerative disorders
- Managing obesity and related conditions (diabetes, etc.)
This is due, at least in part, to anthocyanins' antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. There is still the question of how much anthocyanin one would need to consume in order to see these benefits.
Where this goes: Time will tell on the success of the purple tomato. This is not the first GMO tomato to hit the market.
That award goes to the Flavr Savr in 1994. Designed for long shelf life, the Flavr Savr was eventually pulled from shelves due to high production and distribution costs.
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ICYMI, last week Nintendo Direct announced upcoming Nintendo Switch games to be released in the next few months. Four (yes, four!) new farming games were promised.
Which title does not belong in this group?
- FaeFarm
- Harvestella
- Rune Factory 3 Special
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Stardew Valley
- Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life
Answer at the bottom of the email.
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ADM and PepsiCo Partner on Regenerative Ag Projects |
ADM decided that working on regenerative agriculture projects across North American supply chains would be #betterwithpepsi.
A new 7.5-year strategic partnership between ADM and PepsiCo hopes to touch nearly 2M acres by 2030 in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Initially, the collaboration will reach out to 60K corn, soybean, and wheat growers.
Two big companies, one big goal: The pair wants to eliminate 1.4M metric tons of greenhouse gasses. In case you were wondering, that’s enough electricity to power 275K houses per year at the farm level. That hits close to home for rural households.
What is regenerative ag? With mentions back to the 1980s, definitions of regenerative agriculture can vary. At a very basic level, it refers to practices that put carbon back into the ground and enrich the soil.
That’s what I like. ADM and PepsiCo will support several regenerative agriculture initiatives including cover crops, reduced tillage, nutrient management, diverse rotations, and responsible pesticide use.
Participating farmers will receive technical and financial resources, support through peer regenerative farming networks, educational field days, and the ability to track progress and results through third-party measurement systems.
Not alone: "Carbon" is all the buzz for large companies saddled with hefty carbon targets to improve the environment and their reputations. Corporations like Cargill, General Mills, Molson Coors, and Walmart have all incorporated regenerative agriculture in some capacity over the last few years.
Soundbite: "By enabling greater collaboration through strategic partnerships like this one, we can strengthen the livelihoods and resilience of the farmers we work with, while building a more sustainable future together," said Jim Andrew, PepsiCo’s chief sustainability officer.
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Stardew Valley, a farm sim, was actually released in 2016—and paved the way for the newest wave of farming games. One thing that’s most apparent after last week’s Nintendo Direct: farm sims are here to stay.
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Written & Edited by Kelsey Faivre, Aaron Dunajeski, Amelia VanLandegen, Ashley Scoby, and Travis Martin
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