Good morning.
Some sticky news from the USDA...
Ice cream consumption in the U.S. is apparently down from 2 decades ago: by about 5 pounds per capita.
Now that's a sad scoop.
So here's to beating the heat this summer, making some headway on that 5-pound-per-capita deficit, and reversing the trend.
The News:
-
The Pressure Is On
- Food Waste Goes Micro
- Neighbors Playing Nice
|
The Senate and Instant Pots have something in common: pressure. (#NotAnAd)
Help me tie this together: Last year, the House passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to reform the H-2A visa program to help with the lack of adequate farm labor and, well… the Senate is not quite there yet.
They’re getting pressure to hurry it up because the rate of inflation and costs at the grocery store are concerning.
What they’re leaning on: Representatives and agriculture groups held an event outside the U.S. Capitol this week to talk about a study that says inflation decreases as the number of H-2A visas increase.
Texas A&M International University researchers found several key findings in their study. More migrant and more H-2A workers are associated with:
- Lower inflation
- Higher average wages and minimum wages
- Lower unemployment
On top of that:
- More denied petitions for naturalization are associated with larger consumer prices and higher inflation
- More petitions for naturalization are associated with lower inflation
While the data was collected on a short timeframe, it relied on macro-level economic indicators like average wages, GDP, and grocery store prices for meats, eggs, dairy, and produce.
Keep it going: Farmers and farm groups, especially dairies, are encouraging the Senate to move forward with immigration reform since many of them struggle to find domestic workers.
"This labor shortage is urgent, and we need solutions now," says James O’Neill, director of outreach for American Business Immigration Coalition Action.
|
→ Getting to the end of the line. A rail worker strike could be on the way Monday, if President Joe Biden misses the Sunday deadline for establishing a Presidential Emergency Board to keep labor negotiations moving.
→ Calling all cows. Ukraine is asking partner countries to supply 50K dairy cows to replace those in the war with Russia; there are concerns over whether Ukraine can produce enough milk, cheese, and butter for its population because of the losses.
→ Berry much growth. Mexico now has to rely on imports for almost one-third of its corn needs, after berry production has overtaken corn as farmers’ favorite crop in Michoacán and Jalisco.
→ CRP breaking records. Signups for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program are up 22% from last year, with the USDA accepting offers from producers for 3.1M acres nationwide.
→ Sunny outlook for wheat. After low estimates for the winter wheat harvest, the yields in Kansas and the Southern Plains are exceeding expectations, with harvests soon starting in Nebraska, Colorado, and the Dakotas.
→ Phospholution solutions. In an effort to make farmers’ phosphorus fertilizer usage more efficient, startup Phospholutions has raised a $5.3M convertible note to commercialize its additive that helps with plant uptake of the mineral.
|
Big problems require big small solutions. When it comes to food waste, GoMicro is tackling the problem by simply scaling down.
The South Australian startup has developed a phone app called SpotCheck, which is used with a magnifier that attaches to a phone. It captures images of fresh foods and assesses their ripeness or spoilage.
Soundbite: "We can assess the ripeness or spoilage of fruits and vegetables with an 86-to-99% accuracy, measured in days," said GoMicro CEO and founder, Dr. Sivam Krish.
The best part? The microscope is a $1 solution to a $1T food waste problem.
How it works: Behind the scenes, GoMicro is working to re-invent both the microscope and the process for developing artificial intelligence (AI). Their technology puts the pedal to the metal on AI training.
Usually, thousands of images are needed to train AI apps, but they can make it happen with less than 100.
It all comes down to the company’s lab-quality imaging conditions, which make high-quality technology accessible to anyone. It’s captured some big-name awards already, including winning the Bayer Grants4Ag competition.
|
There's No Time Like N-Time |
When faced with the nitrogen dilemma in the agriculture industry, Jackson Stansell couldn’t just sit around on his hands.
So he did something about it, and that something was launching Sentinel Fertigation.
The startup, currently part of The Combine Incubator, envisions a future where growers and their trusted advisors make confident, efficient management decisions when it comes to fertigation.
Sentinel Fertigation wants to see farmers fertigate with purpose to…
- Give their crops nitrogen exactly when they need it.
- Improve their bottom line.
- Achieve environmental sustainability.
And that’s just what they can do using trusted, integrated, data-driven fertigation systems with N-Time™ FMS as a critical enabler.
So if fertigation is on your radar, learn more about how Sentinel Fertigation can help today.
|
Oh, would you be my neighbor?
President Biden met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador this week to shore up their relationship after Obrador skipped a regional summit last month. Slowing mass migration and improving economic ties were top of the agenda, but agriculture also made the docket.
Why was Obrador skipping a regional summit? Well, it’s complicated.
The Mexican president criticized the U.S. for leaving out Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua from the meeting and has challenged the U.S. energy policies, drug enforcement, and the prosecution of Julian Assange.
Soundbite: "In spite of our differences and also in spite of our grievances that are not really easy to forget with time or with good wishes," Mr. López Obrador said, many times "we’ve been able to coincide and we’ve been able to work together as good friends and true allies."
The outcomes: Mexico plans to buy up to 20K tons of milk powder and up to 1M tons of ammonium sulfate fertilizer from the U.S.
Plus, some of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) tariffs could be suspended immediately.
The U.S. and Mexico presidents released a joint statement that also outlines the cooperation and dedication to the future of North America, including security, trade, workforce, climate change, and fully implementing USMCA.
The USMCA and other relevant issues will be addressed at the tenth North American Leaders Summit in Mexico at the end of this year.
|
We’re starting today’s newsletter with ice cream… and we’re going to end it with ice cream, too. #Friyay
Can you guess how many pounds of milk it takes to produce 1 gallon of ice cream?
Answer at the bottom of the email.
|
Why are you keeping us a secret? Make sure to share Magnetic with friends, family, and coworkers to snag Magnetic goodies when you hit certain referral counts.
Your link:
*Curious where you stand? You can always check your referral hub and see rewards here.
|
|
|
Written & Edited by Sheridan Wimmer, Kelsey Faivre, Rachel Robinson, Ashley Scoby, and Travis Martin
Were you forwarded this email? Sign up here.
Best jobs in agriculture → Magnetic Ag Job Board
|
ADVERTISE
Not feeling Magnetic anymore?
Break our hearts and unsubscribe here.
Magnetic Ag
P.O. Box 7292
Greenwood, IN 46142-6423
United States
|
|
|
|
