Regenerative Ag Roundup: Sept 13, 2021

A weekly collection of regenerative and sustainability articles, including multiple companies announcing several sustainability commitments. 

Fertilizer prices climb sky high

 Don’t miss editor Dave Bedards video.

A perfect storm of high commodity prices, high feedstock costs, and lower supplies has sent fertilizer prices soaring. 

“If you look at where prices are now from roughly a year ago, we’re up in that 25 to 30 per cent more than where we were a year ago,” said Craig Klemmer, principal economist with Farm Credit Canada. (Alberta Farm Express)

One Way to Grow Despite Drought? It’s in the Roots

Could this rare mutation in barley be isolated and reproduced?

As parts of the world become more arid, researchers have been looking for drought-resistant plants, ways to get the most out of what little water there is. But researchers at the University of Bonn say not enough attention is paid to the roots, which may end up being the root of the solution, rather than the problem. (Modern Farmer)

Cargill begins regenerative agriculture program

Cargill announces another sustainability initiative.

Cargill is enrolling farmers in a new regenerative agriculture program that pays them for improved soil health and positive environmental outcomes, including payment per tonne of carbon sequestered.

The program, RegenConnect, connects farmers to the growing carbon marketplace and will help scale the voluntary adoption of regenerative agricultural practices. (World Grain)

Nestlé starts funding regenerative ag practices

Nestlé wants to help farmers and suppliers transition to regenerative agriculture practices. 

The world’s largest food company said its efforts primarily will focus on three initiatives. First, Nestlé will use its network of research and development personnel and agronomists to develop more environmentally friendly crops and production practices. Examples may include higher-yielding coffee and cocoa varieties with lower environmental impact and assessing solutions to reduce emissions in the dairy supply chain. Nestlé also said it will offer training and help producers exchange information and best practices that may be adapted locally. (Meat+Poultry)

PepsiCo Plans to Cut Plastic by 50%, Go Carbon-Neutral

Sustainability is central to PepsiCo’s new business vision.

PepsiCo Inc., one of the biggest producers of plastic bottles, said it would drastically cut its use of the material as part of a new round of sustainability goals.

The company also plans to implement regenerative farming practices across 7 million acres. (Bloomberg

Startups revolutionizing farming raised $5 billion in 2020. These are 15 disruptive firms European investors expect to blow up.

Congratulations to our friends, Biome Makers.

By 2050, there will be an expected 9.7 billion mouths to feed across the world. A growing population and the threat of climate change are forcing the agriculture industry to innovate. That’s led to a boom in startups in areas specializing in everything from improving soil health to detecting crop disease and reducing food waste. (Times News Express)

Is This Weed-Spotting, Yield-Predicting Rover the Future of Farming?

There is a significant opportunity to make better sense of ag data.

By the year 2050, Earth’s population is expected to reach nearly ten billion people. With this growth comes a staggering demand for food resources, particularly drought, heat, pest, and disease resistant crop varieties that give high yields in the face of climate change. 

Project Mineral, one of X’s (Google) current efforts, is focused on finding an effective way to address the global food security crisis through “computational agriculture,” a term coined by X to describe new technologies that will further increase understanding about the plant world. (Smithsonian Magazine)

Continue Reading

“Transforming Turf Breakthroughs in Golf Course Health” featuring Replenish Nutrients and BeCrop® technology

Replenish Nutrients Partners with Dark Horse Ag Ventures to Spearhead Sustainable Agriculture Innovation

Replenish Nutrients Provides Update on 2023 Agronomic Research Programs