2024

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9 trends affecting agriculture for 2025

Real Agriculture

Lagging productivity, the diving Canadian dollar, precarious U.S. trade, and volatile global news all make the list of the top nine trends impacting agriculture in 2025. Also on the list, saysAaron Goertzen, senior economist with BMO, are increased input costs, high crop carryover, lower interest rates, and a more loose labour market. Each of these Read More Lagging productivity, the diving Canadian dollar, precarious U.S. trade, and volatile global news all make the list of the top nine trends

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Corteva announces breakthrough in hybrid wheat technology

Real Agriculture

Corteva Agriscience has announced its intentions to take a bold step into the hybrid wheat market. After decades of tantalizing potential, many industry players have thrown in the towel on the promise of winter wheat, but Corteva says its new proprietary hybrid system marks a “crucial step-change” and is expected to deliver a “new floor… Read More Corteva Agriscience has announced its intentions to take a bold step into the hybrid wheat market.

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Feedlot manure and compost fuels crop performance

Real Agriculture

Two things are true when it comes to agriculture: where there is cattle, there is manure and where there are crops, there is a need for nutrients. Producers have found many ways to handle those two truths individually, but research is showing that some things really are better together. Feedlot operators have been spreading manure… Read More Two things are true when it comes to agriculture: where there is cattle, there is manure and where there are crops, there is a need for nutrients.

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The truth about farm expansion with Monette Farms

Real Agriculture

In Episode 15 of The Truth About Ag Podcast, Kristjan Hebert and Evan Shout dive into the complex world of land management and expansion with Darrel Monette of Monette Farms. Known for its impressive —and sometimes controversial— growth over the past 15 years, Monette Farms has become a force across multiple regions. Darrel shares hard-won. Read More In Episode 15 of The Truth About Ag Podcast, Kristjan Hebert and Evan Shout dive into the complex world of land management and expansion with Darre

Farming 279
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Identifying and managing stripe rust in winter wheat

Real Agriculture

Fast-moving, highly destructive stripe rust is popping up in winter wheat fields across Ontario. RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson says the disease is a significant threat to the crop and can cause up to 50 per cent yield loss if not managed properly. He stresses that timely fungicide applications are crucial for controlling the disease. In. Read More Fast-moving, highly destructive stripe rust is popping up in winter wheat fields across Ontario.

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Letter to Congressional Leadership supporting Further Continuing Appropriations and Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2025

NASDA

Letter Dear Speaker Johnson, Minority Leader Jeffries, Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell: The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture supported the draft of H.R. 10445, the Further Continuing Appropriations and Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2025 and sent a letter of support to the House of Representatives.

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Weekend reading: FAO’s Statistical Yearbook 2024

Food Politics

Heres the announcement: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today launched its 2024 Statistical Yearbook , offering an in-depth overview of the most significant trends shaping global agrifood systems. This years edition highlights critical challenges, including increased temperatures over land, the ongoing global struggle with food insecurity alongside increasing obesity rates, and the environmental pressures faced by agricultural production.

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More Trending

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Should We Be Farming in the Desert?

Civil Eats

Just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, California’s Imperial Valley is both a desert and an agricultural wonder. Bordered by sand dunes and barren mountains, the region receives less than three inches of rainfall per year, 27 inches less than the U.S. average. From June to September, high temperatures here often exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. By most measures, the Imperial Valley is not a great place to grow food.

Farming 141
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USDA Funding Supports Northeast Native Americans

USDA Blog

The Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust (PPLT) is a Tribally led nonprofit organization committed to reconnecting and empowering various Indigenous peoples throughout the Northeast. The Land Trust acts as a catalyst for change, addressing critical issues related to land reclamation and food insecurity for the Pocasset Wampanoag tribe and other marginalized communities.

Food 145
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Arla and the methane reducing feed additive

Sustainable Food Trust

Having effectively severed what should be an umbilical relationship between cows and the land they graze, Arla have now resorted to feed additives to maintain positive PR for their dairy farming industry. I have been asked what I think about Arla’s feed additive, Bovaer, which apparently has the potential to reduce methane emissions from dairy cows by up to 30%.

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Guest Post: Is the Future of Organic Food at Risk? Research Funding Holds the Answer

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Photo credit: Matt Ryan/Sandra Wayman Editor’s Note: This blog post is a guest post authored by Gordon Merrick, Senior Policy and Programs Manager at the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and Mark Schonbeck, Research Associate, also at OFRF, which is an NSAC member. The world is increasingly recognizing the value of sustainable food systems, and organic agriculture plays a vital role in this movement.

Food 111
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Hurricane Relief and Natural Disaster Resources for Farmers

Trimble Agriculture

From hurricanes to other factors beyond their control, there’s no question it takes resilience to be a farmer. When hurricanes and other natural disasters strike, farmers face significant challenges to rebuild and recover. Access to effective hurricane relief and natural disaster resources is essential to helping agricultural operations bounce back and continue feeding our communities.

Acre 105
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From Sunflowers to Squash: One Detroit Farmer’s Push for Food Sovereignty

Modern Farmer

This story is the first in “The Healing Soil: Detroit’s Urban Farms,” a three-part series being co-published with Outlier Media and Planet Detroit , and is supported by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Driving down Monterey Street on Detroit’s westside, there are more abandoned and vacant houses than occupied ones. Sidewalks are overgrown with grass, and stretches of land as long as football fields separate the homes that remain.

Food 117
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New culture project launched to support women in wheat research

Agri-tech

Empowering the UK wheat community to achieve gender parity, a progressive culture improvement initiative led by the John Innes Centre (JIC), The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) and Rothamsted Research, has secured funding from the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). This 12-month project builds on the success of the Rosalind Franklin Women in Wheat Champions programme.

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Right-to-repair and interoperability bills headed for Royal Assent

Real Agriculture

A pair of private member’s bills that are supposed to ensure farmers have more than one option for repairing their own equipment and to ensure that different brands of parts and machines can work together received their final approval in the Senate on Oct. 31. The only step left in the approval process for Bills.

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NASDA urges congressional leadership to provide economic aid and disaster assistance to farmers and ranchers

NASDA

Press Release ARLINGTON, Va. National Association of State Departments of Agriculture CEO Ted McKinney issued the following statement. Farmers and ranchers are encountering tremendous pressures under high input costs, elevated interest costs, deeply depressed commodity futures markets and poor local cash markets. Additionally, they have experienced powerful headwinds, ranging from extreme weather to uncertain global demand to supply chain disruptions.

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This Week’s Report #2: WHO/FAO

Food Politics

What are healthy diets? Joint statement by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization What this is about: Healthy diets promote health, growth and development, support active lifestyles, prevent nutrient deficiencies and excesses, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, foodborne diseases and promote wellbeing.

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Op-Ed | A Case for Food Diversification

Food Tank

Diversification is the key to the resilience of our food systems. This is true around our climate-impacted world, but especially so across Africa and in my home country of Zimbabwe. Through both my academic research and my work as a farmer, I have come to understand farmers’ challenges when it comes to resilience. I have also learned about, and advocate for, opportunities.

Food 141
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Our Best Climate Reporting of 2024

Civil Eats

Droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, hurricanes, and flooding brought on by climate change all have a massive impact on the food system. Farmers are having to adjust what they grow and how they grow it, and people all along the food chainfrom the workers who harvest the crops to the consumers who eat themfeel the effects. At the same time, agriculture is a major contributor to the climate crisis, producing one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.

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Veterans Continue to Keep Country Safe through USDA Apprenticeship

USDA Blog

To ensure that veterans have opportunities to enter high-demand career fields, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) leverages apprenticeship programs. USDA recently strengthened its Commodity Food Grader’s Apprenticeship Program by expanding its scope from regional to national. As a result, transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses from across the country can now participate.

Food 145
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Commentary: Why Doesn’t NYC Have an Agriculture Show?

Daily Yonder

A poignant and repeated question from @NYFarmer on X is to ask why New York City does not have an annual agricultural show like Paris. For the last half century the Paris International Agricultural Show draws farmers, breeders, producers, and a heady mix of industry and institutional players from across France and its territories. They put on a nine-day spectacular that draws in hundreds of thousands of visitors.

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2024 Year in Review: Key Wins, Challenges, and What’s Next for Sustainable Agriculture

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

The NSAC staff retreat in West Virginia Theres no such thing as a quiet year when it comes to federal food and farm policy, and 2024 proved to be no exception! As the year comes to a close, we are reflecting on the progress we have made toward building a more resilient and equitable farm and food system. Amidst endless delays in Congress, a noisy election cycle, and major natural disasters that affected farmers nationwide, NSAC continued to do what we do best: advocate for better federal food an

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Canadian Cattle Association withdraws from Sustainable Ag Strategy committee

Real Agriculture

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) has joined a growing list of national agriculture groups that are cutting ties with the federal governments Sustainable Agriculture Strategy. The national cattle producer organization sent a letter to Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Thursday, Dec. 19, informing the minister of the associations withdrawal from the governments SAS advisory committee.

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Think end-goals first when adding cover crops to corn production

Real Agriculture

While corn has been grown for over 9,000 years, equipment, processes and even the geography that it is grown in has changed. One of the evolving markets when it comes to growing this nutritious grass plant is in conjunction with cover crops. Cover crops and corn is not a new idea, Indigenous peoples grew it Read More While corn has been grown for over 9,000 years, equipment, processes and even the geography that it is grown in has changed.

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Agfinity declares bankruptcy, owing at least $5 million to 181 creditors

Real Agriculture

Alberta-based grain buyer Agfinity Inc. formally declared bankruptcy this week, owing more than $5.06 million to 181 creditors, according to bankruptcy filings released Nov. 26. Farmers’ concerns about not getting paid for grain that was sold and picked up by the company started surfacing on social media and elsewhere in early 2024. Agfinity’s operations, headquartered… Read More Alberta-based grain buyer Agfinity Inc. formally declared bankruptcy this week, owing more than $5.06 million to 181

Grain 276
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Hub International acquires Sask.-based Global Ag Risk Solutions

Real Agriculture

Saskatchewan-based farm insurance company Global Ag Risk Solutions has been acquired by global insurance brokerage and financial services firm Hub International. Hub announced the acquisition on November 5. Based in Moose Jaw, Global Ag Risk Solutions (or GARS) offers innovative whole-farm, private insurance products to help farmers manage production costs and protect crop profit margins.

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Kubota’s RTV-X cab designed to make life easier on the farm

Real Agriculture

There is no denying that access to a rough terrain vehicle (RTV) is a huge advantage when getting things done on the farm. Whether a producer is repairing fences, transporting mineral, or moving equipment between outbuildings, these workhorses have the potential to make life just that much easier. Farm work is exactly where the design… Read More There is no denying that access to a rough terrain vehicle (RTV) is a huge advantage when getting things done on the farm.

Farming 294
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U.S. confirms first case of H5N1 avian influenza in pigs

Real Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed its first detection of H5N1 avian influenza in pigs. The virus that has devastated poultry flocks over the past several years and been found in dairy herds across the U.S. was identified in five pigs on a backyard farm in central Oregon that has a mix of poultry.

Poultry 276
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Soybean School: Does 30-inch row spacing beat 7.5 on the farm?

Real Agriculture

Every field has a test plot. Thats the modus operandi at McBlain Farms. Tyler McBlains grandfather started no-tilling back in the 1980s and was a huge proponent of on-farm testing to determine what agronomic practices work best on the farm and its unique mix of heavy clay and lighter soils. Over the years, the farm, Read More Every field has a test plot.

Farming 295
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Prince Edward Island — the land of cover crops

Real Agriculture

Cover crops are everywhere on Prince Edward Island. In recent years, growers looking to help manage the Island’s light-textured soils have rapidly ramped up cover crop planting to improve soil health and fight erosion. Syngenta Canada agronomist Eric Richter says he noticed a big change since he moved to PEI five years ago. In this. Read More Cover crops are everywhere on Prince Edward Island.

Crop 278
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The Agronomists, Ep 172: Managing crop loss at the combine with Lorne Grieger and Marcel Kringe

Real Agriculture

You can’t manage what you don’t measure, and if you’re not measuring grain loss out the back of the combine, you could be losing two, four and even 10 bushels an acre on the harvest pass. Recognizing that both header loss and combine loss contribute to lower yield and volunteer issues for the next season, Read More You can’t manage what you don’t measure, and if you’re not measuring grain loss out the back of the combine, you could be losing two, four and even

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Corn School: Tackling tar spot with disease tracking technology

Real Agriculture

Genetics and fungicides are the two pillars of disease defence when it comes to yield robbers like tar spot. But weather and technology also play a key role in helping growers defend their crops against the foliar disease. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Agribusiness pathologist Albert… Read More Genetics and fungicides are the two pillars of disease defence when it comes to yield robbers like tar spot.

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Soybean School: Feeding a hidden hunger for nitrogen

Real Agriculture

Those healthy looking soybeans may be hiding a hunger for nitrogen that could deliver higher yields. The oilseed’s nitrogen needs have been much studied over the years with researchers generally agreeing higher rates of nitrogen don’t pay, but that may not be the case when growers push for higher yields. On this episode of the. Read More Those healthy looking soybeans may be hiding a hunger for nitrogen that could deliver higher yields.

Yield 293
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Syngenta Canada launches new biostimulant to drive higher yields in field crops

Real Agriculture

There will be a new biostimulant in the crop production toolbox for row crops in 2025. Syngenta Canada has launched YieldON, liquid foliar biostimulant to help improve productivity in corn, wheat, and other row crops. The company says the product is a unique selection of naturally derived ingredients to improve uptake and transportation of sugars.

Crop 292
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Bourgault targets capacity without complexity in new product roll-out

Real Agriculture

It’s no secret that farmers are looking for more productivity for their farm machinery dollar. A key part of that farming formula is capacity, specifically larger equipment that can get more done in a day and help cover the big acres that many farmers are working across vast tracks of land. Saskatchewan-based Bourgault Industries has… Read More It’s no secret that farmers are looking for more productivity for their farm machinery dollar.

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C-282 is tearing relationships in the agriculture industry apart

Real Agriculture

In life, there are several topics traditionally avoided in conversation when gathering with friends, such as politics, religion, and money. Some ideas are best left parked in your head instead of being debated in the open as they can fray long-time friendships or even family. For the bond of Canadian agriculture going forward, the idea.

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Ruminating with RealAg, Ep 12: The value of out-wintering and the nutrition behind it

Real Agriculture

With many cattle producers trying to cut costs, increase the productivity of their land, and have a tiny bit of a personal life, the idea of “out-wintering” has become a little more attractive in comparison to chilly daily feedings of corralled animals. While ranchers have looked at options such as bale grazing, swath grazing, or. Read More With many cattle producers trying to cut costs, increase the productivity of their land, and have a tiny bit of a personal life, the idea of R

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