Good morning.
Customers at a pub in Germany are giving a whole new meaning to greasing someone's palms.
If you want to pay for a liter of beer at the Giesinger Brewery in Munich, no cash needed... just bring a liter of sunflower oil.
The pub, like so many others across Europe, has been dealing with extreme supply shortages of cooking oil, especially rapeseed and sunflower. Bottles are rationed at grocery stores, and the kitchen at Giesinger just ran out one day—which meant no fried schnitzels (a tragedy).
So cheers to a little ingenuity—and to Germans' beer-drinking turning the fryers back on.
News:
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Not the Same Ol’ Farm Bill Drill |
Dmitry Vindogradov | Getty Images
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After four years—which seemingly went by at warp speed—it’s that time again. Stakeholders are spooling up for the 2018 Farm Bill’s expiration in September of 2023.
Coalition creation: Veteran farm policymakers advised National Corn Growers’ Association members that nutrition and farm programs make a pair that lends the bill to both urban and rural support. They encouraged the strengthening of relationships with nutrition advocates, environmental groups, and minority farmers.
Soundbite: "It’s time to kind of step back and say, I may not agree with that as a matter of policy, but these are constituency groups that can be enormously valuable to build a broader coalition," said former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp.
Meanwhile, in Iowa: Corn country representatives are starting to build their wish list for next year’s bill. So far, that list includes a few key things:
- Keeping crop insurance programs in place
- Agriculture research
- Regional livestock processing options
- Conservation and climate action
Or, slash spending: The Republican Study Committee proposed a budget package that would separate public nutrition programs from the Farm Bill and cut off federal crop insurance support. The proposal says it’s "pro-farmer" by cutting farm spending to support "pro-growth tax reforms and deregulatory measures."
Where this goes: House Agriculture Committee members are looking for feedback from producers, stakeholders, and consumers (aka, anyone). That feedback will be combined with hearings and listening sessions to build the 2023 Farm Bill.
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→ Legislation oasis in the desert. In the "most significant water legislation … since 1980," Arizona will invest $1.2B over 3 years to bolster its water infrastructure, conservation, and resource allocations
→ More moolah. To continue improving the dairy supply chain, decreasing food waste, and maximizing profits for dairy farmers through its software, startup Milk Moovement raised a $20M Series A funding round.
→ Hogging the market. In the continued rebound from its 2019 battle with African swine fever, the Chinese pork output rose to its highest level (13.78M tonnes) since 2015.
→ Cooking corn. A "heat dome" that’s been hanging out over the Southwest is headed for the Western Corn Belt—and according to Accuweather, could destroy 30-45M bushels of planted corn.
→ Help for the next generation. The House Ag Committee is looking for ways to provide assistance for young farmers, as more than 50% of U.S. farmers will reach retirement age over the next decade.
→ Cotton outlook not so fluffy. Drought and high temperatures, especially in the top cotton-producing state, Texas, will lead to an estimated 3 out of every 10 planted acres of cotton to be abandoned.
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La Niña is here to stay. Like a guest that has overstayed their welcome, this (theoretically) annual meteorological pattern just can’t take a hint. For the first time since 1999-2001, La Niña is in its third straight year.
How La Niña works: La Niña is characterized by abnormally cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, whereas El Niño is the opposite, bringing unusually warm ocean temperatures to the same region.
Concern for corn: What does this mean for U.S. corn producers? Likely dry, hot conditions. With the corn crop in or headed towards pollination, yields are at risk.
By the numbers: According to the University of Illinois, in the last two La Niña years, corn harvests were down 2% from the trendline (in 2020) and 0.2% above it in 2021. The last time La Niña stuck around for three straight years (1999-2000-2001), yields hovered around average levels.
Brazilian bumper crop? Safrinha is a term for the Brazilian second crop harvested from June to September. Around 70% of the nation’s corn comes from the safrinha.
The bulk of this crop is planted in the Midwest and Northeast of Brazil, where La Niña has the opposite effect it has in the U.S.—bringing increased rain. This, paired with increased corn acreage, has Brazil poised to break records this season.
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Designing With Biology in Mind |
Bluestem Biosciences, another startup in The Combine Incubator, is taking digital biology to a whole new level.
The synthetic biology-focused team is building the latest computational tools for discovery of sustainable biomanufacturing in agriculture.
And when they talk about biomanufacturing, it’s not just a buzzword.
They’re focused on the practical, sustainable production of chemicals and materials to help agriculture, the environment, infrastructure, and more.
Oh, and did we mention they are hiring?
Learn all about Bluestem Biosciences today!
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Magnetic's Must-See Stuff |
Who is the Airbnb of ag? What about the Apple or Disney? See Rhishi Pethe’s take in his recent Software is Feeding the World newsletter edition.
Ever wonder why John Deere is so good at social media marketing? Our founder, Travis, does a quick take on what makes their approach unique. See it on Twitter here or LinkedIn here.
‘Every company is a media company.’ Or at least that’s our take on how you take a ho-hum content strategy and turn it into a lead-generating, traffic-building, audience-growing machine. Let us help you get there.
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Let’s test your Farm Bill history knowledge.
In what year did the U.S. begin passing and implementing farm bills?
- 1878
- 1933
- 1962
Answer at the bottom of the email.
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belterz | Getty Images Signature
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There’s a pipeline predicament in Iowa, and people aren’t happy about three proposed liquid carbon pipelines that would span more than 1,500 miles across the Hawkeye state.
A week ago, those against the pipelines attended the three-member Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) meeting to voice their concerns. Members have declined to comment on how they will side on eminent domain requests. And everyone knows you don’t build something like this *without eminent domain.*
Pipeline permits. Summit Carbon Solutions has secured agreements with landowners for 40% of its 680-mile Iowa route. The IUB will not hold hearings for the Summit permit until they’re also provided with a list of properties that will need to be acquired via eminent domain. The only way to approve eminent domain is by providing a solid list of public benefits from the pipeline.
Pro-pipeliners argue the pipelines would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ethanol plants, making ethanol more viable long-term. But opponents aren’t buying this, citing the Benjamins that pipeline companies will earn via federal tax incentives for carbon dioxide sequestered.
Meetings set. The IUB set meetings for landowners in Cedar, Clinton, Johnson, Linn, and Scott Counties for late August. These counties would be impacted by the pipeline Wolf Carbon Solutions plans to lay from Cedar Rapids to Clinton.
Soundbite: "It's not safe. Nobody can guarantee that this won't explode. It's not like if it's going to happen but where it's going to happen and how are they going to handle it?" said farmer Sherri Webb of Shelby County.
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Written & Edited by Kelsey Faivre, Aaron Dunajeski, Amelia VanLandegen, Ashley Scoby, and Travis Martin
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