Good morning.
They say if you can dream it, you can do it. But what if you… video game it?
Simulated reality turned actual reality for Iowa State ag business student Grant Hilbert. For six years, he’s been playing the Farming Simulator video game—and not just for fun. He drummed up 1.3M followers on his YouTube channel, where he posted daily videos of him playing.
But he didn’t just build an audience. He built an income—enough to buy 250 acres of farmland in Iowa and start planting corn and soybeans.
(Now how do we get Grant to start playing a video game about bringing down farmland prices?)
Stories:
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The U.S. to Foreign Farmland Seekers: |
The "do not fly buy" list just got a little longer.
Language approved by the House Appropriations Committee intends to stop a group of not-so-friendly foreigners from finding farmland in the U.S., including companies from Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.
ICYMI: Last summer, the committee included a provision to the annual USDA-FDA bill that would ban China from purchasing U.S. farmland or collecting farm subsidies on land they already own.
That proposal, sponsored by Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington state, turned into a USDA report request.
Round two: Rep Newhouse’s provision was amended, adding Russia, North Korea, and Iran to the China-centric provision from last year. Newhouse has new concern over authoritarian regimes’ access to ag land. House Appropriations Committee members voted to add the provision to the USDA-FDA funding bill.
Soundbite: "More needs to be done to ensure the U.S. food supply chain is secure and independent," said Rep. Newhouse.
By the numbers: Foreign investors…
- Own 37.6M acres, 29% of which is cropland
- Have increased holdings by 2.2M acres per year, on average, since 2015
- Own 2.9% of privately held U.S. agricultural land
Foreign facts: Texas, Maine, and Alabama have the most foreign-owned land, according to the USDA. Canadian investors held the biggest stake in foreign-owned land (32%). China, which Newhouse says has been the most active investor recently, held less than 1%.
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→ Costco’s costly chicken situation? An animal welfare lawsuit has been filed against Costco for treatment of its chickens, which they’ve been raising on their own for 2 years in order to maintain their own supply, roast them in-house, and sell for $4.99 each.
→ Dampened rice numbers. After a slow beginning to the monsoon season in India, planted rice hectares in the country are down 46% from last year—although the rainfall deficit is closing and creating more optimism for a rebound.
→ Drought-resistant wheat Down Under? On the heels of Ukraine-related wheat supply shortages, Argentina-based Bioceres Crop Solutions will seek planting approval for its genetically modified wheat in Australia.
→ Regen rebates. Cargill will pay cotton growers who enroll in the company’s program to implement more regenerative practices, like cover cropping and no-till.
→ Driver blockade. Truck unions in Argentina are protesting high fuel prices and diesel shortages, although authorities dismantled some roadblocks Thursday to keep traffic moving through key grain ports.
→ Where’s the weedkiller? In a year plagued with one shortage after another, farmers are struggling with "off the charts" chemical shortages, forcing them to reduce herbicide usage, search for substitutes, and change their operations.
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Smarter Scarecrows Guarding Grapes |
WSU Agricultural Automation and Robotics Lab
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Thanks to a team of researchers at Washington State University, scarecrows just got a lot smarter.
Through automated drone technology and vision systems, the team’s drone design can identify and scare away birds that seek to do damage to grapes.
Feeding frenzy: Birds are a consistent problem in the vineyards of Washington, causing millions of dollars in damage. Damage to grapes comes not only from the primary source of bird feeding, but from secondary feeding from insects on damaged, opened grapes.
Scare tactics – how they work: Through a refined computer algorithm, the system deploys a fleet of small drones that detect, locate, count, and deter birds. How? Hovering near them and making whirring noises (sounds kind of like an annoying little brother).
In the future, the WSU team plans to make the drones highly reflective or more similar in appearance to a predator to frighten fowl, scare starlings, and bother birds more effectively.
Soundbite: "Growers don’t really have a good tool they can rely on for deterring pest birds at an affordable price," said Manoj Karkee, associate professor in WSU’s Department of Biological Systems Engineering and the study’s leader. "With further refinement and industry partnerships, this system could work."
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When it comes to innovation in agriculture in Nebraska, well… let’s just say they really harvest their potential.
The Combine is a non-profit incubator program that provides resources and support to AgTech start-ups across the state. From initial goal setting and idea assessment to preparation for a capital raise, the program is designed to assist entrepreneurs on an individual basis.
Here’s just a snapshot of some of the startups in the program:
- A robot for grain bins
- An app for ag-equipment tire appraisals
- A robotic caretaker in chicken barns
- A virtual fencing technology for livestock operations
Take it from one of their own participants:
"The Combine has been really great to work with, and an awesome resource for Dawson, Treadsure, for me, and actually, for Nebraska." - CEO of Dawson Tire & Wheel, Eric MacPherson.
Discover all that The Combine has to offer today.
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U.S.-Friendly Fertilizer News |
EWG3D / Getty Images Signature
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Some potentially favorable news for U.S. fertilizer producers came this week, when the Department of Commerce ruled that imported urea ammonium nitrate fertilizers were unfairly subsidized and dumped in the U.S. at below-market prices.
It’s not all good news. While working toward an even playing field for domestic and foreign fertilizers, adding additional tariffs will only worsen the woes, to the tune of more shortages and price hikes.
We don’t need to remind you that nitrogen fertilizer is already becoming so costly and scarce that rationing usage isn’t out of the question for some American farmers.
Soundbite: "Placing tariffs on nitrogen fertilizers will land yet another blow to farmers, who are already dealing with a host of challenges," Brooke Appleton, vice president of public policy for the National Corn Growers Association. "Farmers can’t farm with one hand tied behind their backs, and these actions getting pushed by fertilizer companies will tie their hands."
What’s next? The ITC and DOC were asked by CF Industries to apply countervailing duties on Russia and Trinidad and Tobago because they were distorting the market.
The U.S. International Trade Commission will make the final ruling in mid-July on if UAN imports from Russia and Trinidad and Tobago harm U.S. producers of the fertilizer.
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Written & Edited by Kelsey, Faivre, Aaron Dunajeski, Amelia VanLandegen, Ashley Scoby, and Travis Martin
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