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OCTOBER 25, 2022

TOGETHER WITH:

Good morning.

If you had a few guesses as to where the latest medical breakthrough came from... most of you probably wouldn't guess "diseased potatoes." 

But it turns out, that's where the latest antibiotic compound has been hiding. 

Solanimycin, an antifungal antibiotic, is found in a bacteria that causes diseases in potatoes. And it could potentially help treat a fungus that causes infections in humans, too. 

From French fries and chips, to mashing and roasting them, we've always known potatoes were versatile. But this discovery might just take the cake.

Stories:

• Artificial Intelligence, Genuine Solutions
• A Blend of Requests Ahead of New EPA Rule
• Nitricity Raises $20M

AI IN AG

BlackJack3D from Getty Images Signature

AI is taking over the world.

And for agriculture, that may be a good thing.

AI (no, not that AI. We’re talking about artificial intelligence. We know what our livestock friends were thinking…) uses programmed algorithms to "learn" from data, adjusts outputs, and basically… thinks like a human.

Sounds scary. 

But what’s really scary is the fact that over 800M people across the globe go hungry every day.

And thanks to a number of technology advancements (a number that just keeps growing), that’s where AI can step in and help.

Speed dating breeding: By exposing certain crops to some really intense light regimens, NASA is researching how the crop cycle can be significantly quickened… making a second crop a possibility. 

So how does AI help? By utilizing already common infrared cameras that can sense the slightest changes in a plant’s physiological response, AI can be used to collect data, make light adjustments, learn from mistakes, and then optimize the light treatment.

Feeling the vibe: By utilizing drone imagery and predicting weather conditions, Microsoft’s Project FarmVibes uses AI to help farmers know exactly what specific crops need exactly when they need it.

Along with a laundry list of other high-tech advancements, FarmVibes could revolutionize the ag industry.

And all of this is just the beginning…

Looking ahead: Change is hard, and in farming, sometimes change is really hard. When you tack that onto high initial investments, implementing new tech comes with major challenges.

But when the stakes are high, rallying around a common cause (feeding the world) is often a necessity.

→ Trouble brewin’. Bankers’ confidence in the rural economy has dropped to a 2-year low, thanks to a combo of high energy and other input costs, a slowing economy, and elevated borrowing costs.

→ A symbiotic relationship. Symbiotics, an AgTech startup, plans to finish collecting 10K microorganisms by the end of the year—a collection it’ll use to craft solutions for the biopesticide, biofertilizer, and carbon credit markets.

→ When it rains, it pours. Federal crop insurance payouts are higher these days in the Midwest after two decades of increased rain, snow, and sleet.

→ Good vibes. Microsoft is open-sourcing its "Farm of the Future" toolkit to help farms reduce their emissions, including FarmVibes technology that helps growers determine where and how they plant and spray. 

→ Feeding frenzy. Higher interest rates, higher storage costs, higher corn prices: it’s a combination that has many experts worried about feed. 

→ Replacing milk with carbon? Some experts say that dairy farmers could use the carbon credit market not just to help the environment—but also to potentially make more money than they would by selling dairy products. 

BIOFUELS

GIPHY

For the first time, the EPA is working on biofuel renewable volume obligations (RVOs) sans Congress’ statutory numbers. 

Historically, Congress created a corn (ethanol) ceiling of 15B gallons. This year is a historic opportunity for EPA to blaze a new trail—pun intended. 

Senator signoff: The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is applauding a letter penned by 13 bipartisan senators urging the EPA to expand additive volume obligations for all fuel types.

The senators see biofuels as a key part of energy security, economic opportunity, and environmental action: a triple whammy.

They asked the EPA to allow E15 to be sold year-round. They’re also pushing a USDA program to cost share-infrastructure (like pumps and storage tanks) with retailers.

Sound bite: "With the forthcoming ‘set’ rule, EPA has a golden opportunity to stimulate further growth in low-carbon fuel use and build on the successes of the Renewable Fuel Standard," said Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the RFA. 

Waiting game: The EPA is expected to announce their proposal by November 16th—and the scope could potentially include 2024 and 2025. But the RFA says the process of waiting until November to announce the new rule is too slow.

It translates to being five or six months into the new year before volumes are finalized.

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It’s National FFA Convention Week! 

The 95th National FFA Convention will kick off on Wednesday, October 26. How many U.S. presidents have given speeches at the national convention through the years?

(Bonus points if you can name the only president who was also an FFA member.)

Answer at the bottom of the email.

AGTECH

Sebastian Voortman from Pexels

Lightning struck for AgTech startup Nitricity—20M times.

That’s right, Nitricity, a U.S. startup changing nitrogen fertilizer production, announced last week it had closed its Series A funding round with a fine $20M. 

It’s electric: Maybe you’re familiar with how nitrogen is typically produced today, or maybe you aren’t. But it involves a substantial amount of fossil fuels and costly transportation. 

Enter Nitricity, which quite literally electrifies and distributes nitrogen fertilizer production. It uses a new kind of technology that harnesses low-cost solar or wind for regionalized nutrient production. 

Simply put: they make their own lightning. 

First an irrigation pump extension is installed in a container on the farm. This container takes electricity from a nearby solar array, "containerizes the lightning produced, and then uses it to produce fixed nitrogen in a solution with water." 

This produces nitric acid, which is neutralized with limestone or potassium hydroxide. 

Finally, the solution is injected into the farm’s existing irrigation system. 

It’s a win-win for the environment and farmers. Natural production, sans fossil fuels—plus lower costs for farmers who can fix their nitrogen right on their farms. 

Nitricity has performed trials on tomatoes, broccoli, and yellow bell peppers. They have completed initial trials in wheat.

Soundbite: "Nitricity’s decentralized approach to manufacturing fertilizers using just air, water and renewables-based electricity was born out of a vision to completely transform a 100-year-old industry, and we are excited to be partnering with them," Rajesh Swaminathan, a partner at Khosla, said.

This electrifyin’ technology is two years away from the market.

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Seven:

• Dwight D. Eisenhower, 25th Convention, 1953
• Harry S. Truman, 1957
• Richard Nixon, 1968
• Gerald Ford, 1974
• Jimmy Carter, 1978 (the only president who was an FFA member)
• George H.W. Bush, 1991
• Donald Trump, 2018

Other Notables Who Pre-Recorded Messages That Aired at Convention:

• Ronald Reagan, 1988
• Michelle Obama, 2015
• Mike Pence, 2017

The National FFA Organization is non-political. A convention invite is sent to the White House each year.

Written & Edited by Kevin Cross, Kelsey Faivre, Amelia VanLandegen, Ashley Scoby, and Travis Martin

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