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MARCH 30, 2021
Magnetic Ag News
TOGETHER WITH
TopYield Ag
Good morning. Congrats to Magnetic readers Darby & Mira for winning the AdTec boots giveaway last week. You’re goin’ to be walking into planting season in style.

For those of you who missed out,
don’t worry -  there will be more boots for all in the future. Plus TopYield Ag has a surprise today on the scroll.


Tuesday's news:
  • Cash Crop's Genetic Protein Pivot
  • Prickly Pears Eye Main Stage
  • Soundbites: Tom Vilsack Edition
AGTECH

Amfora Plans to Pump Up Protein
Soybeans
BG Walker | Getty Images Signature
With a cool $6 million injection from Spruce Capital Partners and Leaps by Bayer, Amfora is inching closer to its goal of producing plants that pack a protein punch.

The San Francisco-based food tech startup uses gene editing to make precise genome modifications to regulate the genetic switch that controls the balance between carbohydrates and protein.

The gist: it’s an inside job to make crops produce and store additional protein instead of starch and fiber.

"Amfora is using cutting-edge technologies to address the important challenges of food security, climate change, and growing consumer demands for protein-rich foods," said Ganesh Kishore, Managing Partner of Spruce Capital Partners and a founder of Amfora.

Amfora also announced an agreement with Plastomics, a development stage plant biotech company that uses the crop’s chloroplast - aka solar engine - to introduce traits, putting innovation in the fast lane.

Kinda like a gene wingman, Plastomics’ tech will be used to introduce Amfora’s gene-editing constructs.

Where this goes: Amfora is first focusing on soybeans with the recent financing allowing them to move forward with additional crops.

Next on the docket? They’ve got their sights set on wheat and rice to address food security, human nutritional needs, obesity, and diabetes.

COMMODITY CORNER
Commodity Prices
Grains: Prices ticked down as folks anticipate Wednesday's USDA reports, and soybean harvest continues to pace itself in Brazil.


Livestock: Hog prices might have slipped, but they're still at levels not seen since 2014.

*as of market close 3/29/21*
QUICK HITS
Pork lets off the gas. For the first time in seven years, March hog inventory numbers fell year over year, dropping 2% from 2020.

Bill Gates explains. Asked on Reddit about his family’s status as the largest private U.S. farmland owner, Gates noted sustainable farming solutions as a motivator.

DFA cleans hands of Dean Foods' plants. Dairy Farmers of America finalized the sale of two legacy Dean Foods processing sites in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Soil health gets spacey. NASA Harvest and CropX have partnered to combine soil data monitoring with satellite-sourced insights to focus on conservation efforts that also increase yields.

Goodyear does good. With some help from the United Soybean Board, the U.S.-based tire and rubber leader has made plans to source sustainably-produced U.S. soy oil and phase out petroleum equivalents by 2040.

Energy-blocking debate. A proposed Ohio bill would allow small groups of opponents to block solar and wind farms after they’ve already been permitted.

Aussie wine gets corked. China slapped a 175.6% anti-dumping and countervailing duty rate on Australian wine imports due to alleged market-crushing damage to its domestic wine producers.

CROPS

Prickly Pear Delight
Cactus Pears
GIPHY
Cash crops might be getting a new family member in the coming years, and they might want to prep for the big, warm hug from cousin cacti.

According to researchers at the University of Nevada, there’s a notion the low-maintenance cactus pear crop could provide fuel and food in places previously inhospitable to sustainable crops.

Prickly potential: The five-year-long research has shown the prickly pear cactus uses up to 80% less water than other crops to produce fruit. While crops like soybeans, corn, and wheat are a little pricklier about moisture, cactus plants are better equipped to withstand drought. With 42% of land area around the world classified as semi-arid or arid, the cactus’ potential could be sharp.

Carbon catchers: The cactus pear also works to succ(ulent) carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in a sustainable way.

Growing the cactus in areas that aren’t suitable for other crops can also help expand bioenergy production. And it can be used for human and livestock consumption. Craving prickly pear cactus jelly yet?

Sticking to it: Further research is in the works to learn about a stunting disease and look at which genetic traits provide the greatest production.

MAGNETIC'S MUST-SEE STUFF

Spruce up that farmhouse front door. Or get an early start on Mother's Day gift-giving. Altogether Beautiful Home Decor has all the goods for florals, wreaths, and much more. Use code MAGNETIC today and get 15% off through Friday.*

Payin’ it forward. JBS USA and Pilgrims launched Better Future, a free-of-charge, two-year college tuition program for their collective 66,000 employees and their families.

Know a top-notch farm manager? The Scoop and Syngenta want to hear about them. The 2021 Professional Farm Manager of the Year nominations are open and accepting applications.

Get your tickets. The 2021 World Pork Expo opened registration for the June 9-11 event on the Iowa State Fairground that will showcase innovation in the industry.

*Sponsored

JUST FOR FUN
Drones have overtaken agriculture across a variety of crop types and regions. But who would have guessed their next venture: volcano farming.
Volcano Farming
Iceland-based photographer Garðar Ólafs flew his airborne camera so close to the piping hot flames that it partially melted. Follow along at @gardarolafsphotography for more of his nature-filled adventures.
SPONSORED BY TOPYIELD AG

The Referral Roundup for All Things Ag
TopYield & Magnetic
Magnetic Ag & TopYield Ag are joining forces to bring our ag readers some sweet giveaways for everything from the farm to the tailgate party.

The rules are simple:
  • Refer at least 1 friend to Magnetic Ag + Sign-Up for TopYield = a chance to win a backpack cooler.

  • Refer at least 1 friend to Magnetic Ag + Sign-Up for TopYield + Use 5 TopYield invites = a chance to win a Bluetooth speaker.

Sign up for TopYield here and use your unique referral link below to share Magnetic with friends.

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So many rewards, so little time.

It’s your favorite ag news and your favorite ag answers. Start sharing today!
AG POLICY

Heard Around Ag - Vilsack Edition
The Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, made the rounds recently with farm broadcasters and spoke at several ag conferences. Here are some snippets from those appearances:

Vilsack gauging China’s current African Swine Fever status after a conversation with the Chinese Ag Minister:

"I suspect that what we have is a situation where there are probably some hotspots that are taking place in China. Having said that, the reality is he advised me that the Chinese pork prices are coming down which would suggest that they are at least seeing an increase in supply. I think the truth is probably somewhere in between. They don’t have it totally under control, but I don’t think it’s anywhere near as devastating as it was perhaps six or nine months ago."

Vilsack grading China’s execution on their commitment to Phase One trade agreements:

"They could be doing more on the biofuels side, they could be doing more with dried distillers grain and they could be doing more with dairy. Certainly corn and soybeans and some other commodities- they are purchasing fairly significant amounts to the point where we’re probably back to where we were pre-tariff and pre-pandemic for sure."

Vilsack speaking to demographic data based on the distribution of CFAP and pandemic-related relief in the United States:

"So, 99% of $38 billion went to one group. And surely those folks are the big producers, and no question that they're entitled to help. But my guess is if we had better outreach, those percentages would be different. I don't know how much different they'd be. But I'm pretty sure that black farmers would get more than one-tenth of 1% of the resource."
Written by: Travis Martin, Kelsey Faivre & Sheridan Wimmer

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