AgriFutures growAG’s Post

In just five days, America's 10 billion farm animals produce enough manure to cover the entire U.S., exceeding what farmland can safely absorb. Veganic farmers have a solution to this situation: take the bull shit out of agriculture, writes Nicholas Carter. #plantbased #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #organic

Investment in farmers is crucial. Europe's farmers in particular face a dual challenge: delivering sustainable, high-yielding crops amidst a dwindling supply of healthy seeds. Currently, advancements in agricultural science offer hope. Hybrid breeding, for instance, leverages genome mapping, and creates disease-resistant, climate-resilient seeds that can enable global shipment and storage, ensuring staple crop supply. Governments and agencies must facilitate access to agricultural innovation as it's this support that can secure not only Europe's food supply but that of the world's, as well as future generations' well-being. #FoodSecurity #SustainableAgriculture #Farming

In recent years, the agriculture landscape has faced significant challenges, from corporate acquisitions of vast tracts of farmland to the declining nutritional quality of produce found in grocery stores. Notably, Bill & Melinda Gates Agricultural Innovations (Gates Ag One) has been buying up farmland across the United States, sparking debates about the future of farming and food sovereignty. This consolidation raises concerns about who controls the food supply and the quality of the food that reaches our tables. READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE #SmartFarms #BucketBuddies #agriculture #farming #foodsecurity #aeroponics #towerfarms #growyourownfood #supportlocal

What impact will cultivated meat have on livestock agricultural farmers? A new report from the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in the UK highlights that farmers in the UK may see an opportunity to collaborate with the industry despite concerns about the novel food sector. The RAU, a leading agricultural institution in the UK, conducted this study as part of a government-funded initiative to transform food systems. Their findings build on previous work examining the relationship between conventional agriculture and cellular agriculture. This research is significant as it provides one of the first in-depth looks at farmers' views on cultivated meat, moving beyond polarized debates to explore potential synergies. While farmers expressed concerns about cultivated meat's impact on rural communities and market concentration, many were open to potential opportunities. These include supplying inputs for cell culture media, utilizing agricultural waste streams, and even on-farm production of cultivated meat. The report notes that the market potential for farmer involvement in cultivated meat production remains uncertain. It suggests that on-farm production could cost about 30% more than large-scale facilities, indicating a need for further innovation to make this economically viable. Interestingly, the study emphasizes the need for more inclusive communication from the cultivated meat industry, acknowledging uncertainties and celebrating farmer innovation. It suggests moving away from polarizing rhetoric that positions conventional farming against cellular agriculture, instead framing farmers as potential partners in developing sustainable food solutions. By engaging farmers as potential partners rather than competitors, cultivated meat companies may find new paths to scaling production, reducing costs, and gaining broader social acceptance #cellag #cultivatedmeat #farmers #futureoffood

For some years now, using the words "#Sustainability" and "#FoodSecurity" almost feels tiresome. These terms appear frequently, but the discussions often veer towards grandiose ideas or specific interests that have little to do with these priorities. At ECCA - The European Crop Care Association we strive to contribute to the debate with a pragmatic and unbiased approach, focusing on what we know best: the post-patent crop protection products sector. #CropProtection #ECCA #Agriculture #PragmaticSolutions #PostPatentProducts

One of the most common questions I am asked is "what will cultivated meat mean for European farmers?" 🚜🥩 Cultivated meat is currently a pretty headline-grabbing topic. As a result, there can be a temptation to jump to black-and-white answers to what is a really complicated question. It's therefore great to see the publication of a new report led by Tom MacMillan at the Royal Agricultural University that starts to answer this question with some much-needed nuance. ⬇️ The findings are based on two years of multidisciplinary research across a team that included social scientists, farming groups, engineers, bioscientists and nutritionists. Alongside technical and qualitative research, the research team also collaborated with a handful of UK farms to understand how cultivated meat might impact their farm profiles. What did the research find? In a nutshell: it's complicated! Farmers have many concerns, but some also see (and there is evidence of) potential opportunities. Some of my key takeaways:   ➡ Farmers have a range of concerns about cultivated meat, but - contrary to what we might expect - these are not generally about the direct impact on their business, but more about the broader social implications of this new food. ➡ Some farmers see the development of cultivated meat as an opportunity to differentiate their products, giving them an added USP (and therefore a competitive edge) in an evolving market. ➡ Cultivated meat could open avenues for farmers to diversify their revenue, for example via leasing buildings, supplying cell lines, crops or sidestreams for cell culture media (oilseed rape cake/meal was identified as a promising input for the latter). On-farm production was explored, although the analysis suggests it would probably be ~30% more expensive than producing cultivated meat at larger scale. ➡ Two farm profiles anticipated that the development of cultivated meat could lead to a hit on their income or jobs, whilst four farm profiles thought it could positively impact on these metrics. ➡ The report also offers some important food for thought for cultivated meat advocates about being mindful about the language used to discuss the sector's future. There's a need to avoid exaggerated, broad-brush statements that can unnecessarily polarise and alienate. As well as using more inclusive and sensitive language, there's also a need to build more bridges, for example via future research efforts. Overall, this report is a breath of fresh air in a debate which is often presented in overly simplistic zero sum terms. The future of cultivated meat is far from certain, but this research makes clear that - when the heat is taken out of the debate - it is possible to bring everyone around the table to explore the possible synergies in a balanced and pragmatic way. Hoping this approach can inspire the broader policy discussion on this topic going forward beyond the UK! Read the report in full here: https://lnkd.in/eC5B7XfJ

Sustainability in Agriculture: the Science and Evidence The Teagasc Sustainability in Agriculture: the Science and Evidence conference took place yesterday Tuesday, 5th November, at the Teagasc Research Centre at Ashtown, Dublin. At the conference the science and evidence behind the sustainability credentials of agriculture, specifically focussing on livestock systems, were put forward. Speaking at the opening of the conference, Teagasc Director, Professor Frank OMara said: “Sustainability is often just viewed through the lens of the environment. Today we also look into indicators of social sustainability on Irish farms, and the economic viability of Irish farming production systems. Different systems have different strengths and challenges, and for any system, we must seek to strengthen the positives and minimise the challenges. In this conference, we are assessing the current sustainability of our milk and beef systems and looking at the pathways that can be followed to improve many of the important metrics.” Invited international speaker, Dr Badi Besbes from the FAO Animal Production and Health Division, opened the scientific papers at the conference with a keynote talk on the challenges and opportunities of sustainable food systems from a global perspective. He provided some of his insights and reflections on the important role animals play in global food production systems. Dr Karen Daly, Acting Head of the Teagasc Environment and Land Use Research Centre in Johnstown Castle said: “Leading national experts are presenting the science and evidence behind sustainability in an Irish context. We will hear about the carbon footprint of Irish livestock systems and the nutritional adequacy of healthy sustainable diets.” You can read more about the event and access the full proceedings at the link below https://lnkd.in/dv56ssjX

I was invited by Joel D. Johnson to share my story on how I fell in love with farming. Well, I was born in a small village in the north of Portugal. My parents and my grandparents were farmers. We raised cattle for milk production. We cultivated corn and grapes for wine production, as well as some vegetables and fruits for our family consumption. As I grew up, helping my parents with agriculture-related activities was part of my daily tasks: milking the cows, going to the fields to collect them food, planting potatoes, harvesting corn for silage, etc. As a teenager I thought many times, I'd rather be doing something else, but today I realized how important this experience was to define my Love for Farming. I have the deepest respect for every farmer that works hard every day to produce their crops and, ultimately, provide food for their own families, as well as many others. Either it's raining or the sun is too hot, there’s always something that needs to be done or fixed! There are no free weekends, no free holidays. Farming is truly the Biggest Job on Earth! When it was time to decide my university studies, agriculture was a natural choice so I became an agronomist and started working in crop protection. 22 years later, having worked in different countries and having met many different farmers, I continue to admire every farmer I meet, small or big, old or young, that continues to invest and innovate in agriculture, proud to see their plants growing, flowering and producing fruits, and sometimes also very frustrated because a storm has destroyed their hard work. Here is when farmers show their resilience and skilled minds, not giving up, moving their farms forward and finding solutions with the right partnerships. Every time it's possible, I take the opportunity to be close to farmers, as it happened last week in a rice fair, where BASF presented new rice varieties as part of our rice systems Clearfield and Provisia. Now, I would like to ask my two dear colleagues Imane Tamine and Victoria Reigosa, how did you fall in love with farming? #ForTheLoveOfFarming #TheBiggestJobOnEarth #BASFinAg

Educating Farmers on Soil Health and Aflatoxin Management: A Step Towards Sustainable Agriculture in Dodoma

𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐏𝐏𝐒 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠    In this pilot project, the cooperating parties are researching how the use of urine as a fertiliser substitute can be deployed and to what extent this contributes to circularity on the participating farms. Within this pilot, the dairy farms, which have a Lely Sphere barn system, a CowToilet or a VrijlevenStal from Hanskamp, can apply mineral flows in a different way. Thus, data is collected on the impact of these the systems, which can contribute to the optimisation of the use of mineral flows.   In the longer term, the results of this pilot can play an important role in the European discussion on artificial fertiliser substitutes. Fertiliser substitutes can contribute to European food security, strategic autonomy and the sustainability and profitability of dairy farms, so it is important that the scientific knowledge on this is expanded and included in European laws and regulations.    For this pilot, the participating parties are looking for dairy farmers who are open to innovation on their farms and willing to participate in this research. Registration for the pilot has yet to be opened. Interested parties can already register at Sphere@lely.com and info@hanskamp.nl.   To learn all about the pilot, read the press release: https://lnkd.in/ekpF8PRJ   This PPS is a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, Wageningen Livestock Research, Slootsmid, NCM: Nederlands Centrum voor Mestverwaarding, Hanskamp and Lely. #lely