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Good morning.
The first-ever
‘Field of Dreams’ Major League Baseball game went down last night in Dyersville, Iowa.
And as if it could end any other way... the White Sox snagged the 'W' with a two-run, walk-off home run that soared into the iconic cornfield, topping the Yankees 9-8. Talk about a classic finish.
Headlines:
- Keeping it Trillion
- Bacteriophages: Coming to a Vet Near You
- Media Meatpacker Mania
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AG POLICY
Ag + Infrastructure: Keeping it Trillion
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One trillion dollars has twelve zeros and four commas, and we can’t really
wrap our heads around that much money. But it’s how much the Senate advanced on Tuesday in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bill that’s gotten praise from ag groups.
What’s in it for ag: Groups like the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and the Agricultural Retailers Association are here for the bill, saying it’s a step in the right direction for rural America.
The bill includes $17.3B for the nation’s ports and inland waterways. Since 60% of corn exports use those waterways, NCGA is particularly happy with those funds.
And there’s $65B in the bill for broadband internet access – $2B specifically for rural broadband. Internet access for farmers is a key action step for rural America and agriculture groups across the country since 29% of farmers don’t have access to internet service.
“Extending digital access to rural America is just as important as
paved roads and solid bridges,” Zippy Duvall, president of AFBF, said.
Bipartisan bill: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is pleased with the bipartisan support the bill has received so far, pointing out there were 19 Republicans and 50 Democrats in the Senate who supported it.
Vilsack says it’s “pretty hard to say no to a bill like this” that includes jobs, an impact on education, improved access to rural healthcare, maintained competitiveness in agriculture, and clean drinking water.
What’s next: Next to vote is the House of Representatives, where sources say the bill’s fate isn’t as certain. Ag groups like AFBF hope House leaders leave tax rates and stepped-up basis alone. If the House makes tweaks, it’ll go back to the Senate.
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Quick Hits
→ Farmland keeps flexing. Farm Credit Services of America reported that farmland values jumped 7.5% in the last six months, nearing levels not seen in eight years.
→ The U.S. is Mexico’s milkmaid. Through the first five months of the year, Mexico imported 501.8 million pounds of U.S. dairy products, a 12.8% leap over 2020, cementing its spot as the nation’s largest dairy export market.
→ A
(UV) ray of hope for berries. University of Florida researchers are successfully thwarting strawberry pathogens—like pesky, powdery mildew—with an ultraviolet light system, a big win for the state’s $300M strawberry industry.
→ Harvesting more tech. Precision Planting announced they will acquire Headsight, Inc., a leader in precision ag harvesting solutions including row guidance and height sensing tools.
→ Anthrax
alert. State ag officials in North Dakota warned cattle producers about a recent finding of anthrax in a cattle herd—not altogether a surprise this summer, since the bacterium is spread through grazing and activated by drought.
→ Sugar never tasted so sweet expensive. After gnarly bouts of frost nailed Brazil’s centre-south region, sugar prices are hitting four-year highs: July output fell 11% and sugarcane crush fell 8% from year-ago levels.
→ Another day, another SPAC. Made notable by their use of the same RNA technology used in Covid-19 vaccines, ag-biotech company GreenLight Biosciences will go public via a special purpose acquisition company at a $1.2B valuation.
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- Sales and Product Consultant | HydroGreen
- Product Director, Agriculture | Zymergen
- Global Partner Leader, Agriculture | Amazon Web Services
**Hiring? Post a job (full-time, part-time, or internships) in under 5 minutes.
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BIOTECH
Bacteriophages: Coming to a Vet Near You
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The bacteriophage might be all the rage as an alternative bacteria assassin to replace antibiotics in animal agriculture.
Polish startup Proteon Pharmaceuticals is celebrating a $24.6M fundraising co-led by animal health giant Nutreco and aquaculture-focused VC firm Aqua-Spark. The investment boost will allow the company to roll out its bacteriophage-spiked animal health products globally, support product development, and expand its microbiome platform technology.
Let’s talk tech: Proteon uses an AI-powered platform to develop novel combinations of bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—to protect livestock from diseases traditionally treated using antibiotics.
Bacteriophages are viruses (safe for humans and animals) that target specific bacteria like salmonella, infect it, and neutralize the threat. And they aren’t new kids on the block either.
Penicillin was the new phage: Phages were studied and used to combat deadly
bacterial infections in humans until the discovery of antibiotics. After that, the phage approach was left in the dust. But a few countries including Russia, Georgia, and Poland kept using the little bacteria killers.
SuperVirus vs. SuperBug: With attention on the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, Proteon aims to reduce animal ag’s reliance on antibiotics with their bacteriophage cocktails.
The hit list: They currently have products registered and available in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia designed to attack salmonella, avian pathogenic E. coli infections in poultry production, and certain infections in fish farming.
Up next are solutions for mastitis in dairy cows and acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease in shrimp production.
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Grains: The WASDE shocked the markets into action, taking corn higher
with the projected lower U.S. yield. Soybeans were less excited by the report.
Livestock: Hogs moved higher despite a sluggish cash market and bearish weekly export sales.
*As of Market Close [8/12/21]
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Since we’re on our ‘ Field of Dreams’ kick, let’s keep rolling into trivia. One notable prop from the famous 1989 film was a 1977 John Deere 2640 tractor that Kevin Costner drives through the field to plow under corn, making way for a baseball field. The tractor was recently sold at an April 2021 ‘Hollywood Legends’
auction according to Machinery Pete. Can you guess the winning bid?Answer on the scroll.
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MEAT
Big Meat Making Big Waves
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It’s been a wild few months for the world’s top protein producers, and Tyson Foods isn’t missing its moment in the spotlight.
The mega meatpacker has been making waves in the media with everything from earnings, to inflation, to… you guessed it… Covid-19.
Vaccination nation: On August 3, Tyson announced all office staff would have to be fully vaccinated by October 1, and all plant workers would have until November 1 to meet the
requirement.
Within a week post-announcement, approximately 5,400 of the company’s 120,000+ employees got a shot in the arm, bringing the company total up to around 50% vaccinated. In a briefing this week, CEO Donnie King noted that the mandate reaction was “somewhat mixed.”
Feeling bullish: Q3 sales for the company came in at $12.48B. That’s nearly $1B over what was projected, and nearly $2.5B over Q3 sales a year ago. Not exactly chump change.
And it’s clear folks have been filling their plates with meat: Tyson has seen sales increase in beef, pork, chicken, and prepared foods this past quarter.
Prices on the rise: With animal inputs skyrocketing (ahem, grain),
Tyson is getting slammed by inflation. They’ve had to increase prices across the board, including upping the cost of pork by 39.3% in the last quarter.
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Written by: Sheridan Wimmer, Savanna Barksdale, Kevin Cross, Travis Martin Editor: Ashley Scoby
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