The Problem With Greenhouses and Corns Impact on the Economy

This week, we learned about new protections for people from pesticide spray drift, the conditions greenhouse workers face, fun facts about the history of ice cream, and so much more.

Read on to learn what else the week had to offer.

Big Boost for New Epigenetics Paradigm in Cattle

A study published in Genome Biology opens new possibilities to improve production efficiency in the cattle industry and potentially animal agriculture more broadly. A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Cornell University, and the USDA discovered that, like humans, cattle have CoRSIVs. CoRSIVs are regions of the genome carrying chemical markers on the DNA that provide information that may allow farmers to predict and select desirable cattle characteristics, such as milk production, female fertility, and resistance to disease. Read more about it in our Big Boost for New Epigenetics Paradigm in Cattle article.

New, Earlier Protections for People from Pesticide Spray Drift

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is putting protections in place sooner for farmworkers, their families, and the general public near where pesticides are applied. EPA will now assess the potential for people to be exposed to a pesticide when it drifts away from where it is applied earlier in the agency’s review process. This applies to new active ingredient pesticide registrations and new use decisions. This updated process will protect people from pesticide spray drift 15 years sooner in the review process for new pesticides than has historically occurred. Read more about it in our EPA Announces New, Earlier Protections for People from Pesticide Spray Drift article.

Most Salmonella From Chicken Caused By A Few Products

There are over 2,600 serotypes, or sub-groups, of?Salmonella bacteria and they differ in their capacity to make people sick.?Salmonella Kentucky is one of the most common serotypes in U.S. chicken, but it is less likely to cause human illnesses compared with three more virulent strains linked to multiple outbreaks of salmonellosis. The researchers wanted to assess the public health risk from?Salmonella contamination of chicken parts, comparing the impact of high- and low-virulence serotypes at different levels. Read more about it in our Most Salmonella Illnesses From Chicken Caused by Few Products With High Levels of Virulent Strains article.

5 Fun Facts About The History of Ice Cream

Ice cream has long been a beloved treat, bringing joy and comfort to people of all ages. From its early beginnings as a luxury enjoyed by the elite to becoming a staple in freezers around the world, ice cream has a fascinating history. Let’s dive into some intriguing and fun facts about the history of ice cream, exploring its evolution and the stories behind some of its most iconic forms. Read more about it in our 5 Fun Facts About The History Of Ice Cream article.

Sustainable Agriculture

To harvest tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, to clip herbs, to prune and propagate succulents, people work in oppressive heat and humidity.??Some wring out shirts soaked with sweat. Some contend with headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Some collapse. Some hover on the brink of exhaustion backs straining, breathing heavily. Many do so not out in farm fields, but indoors – under the roofs of greenhouses. In structures designed to control the growing environment of plants, some workers described humidity with temperatures sometimes soaring past 100 degrees Fahrenheit (nearly 38 degrees Celsius). Read more about it in our The "Greenhouse Effect": How an Oft-Touted Climate Solution Threatens Agricultural Workers article.

Crop and Food World

As global demands on food systems intensify, the continent stands ready to reclaim its agricultural heritage and chart a sustainable path forward that fosters human capital development, job creation, industrial growth, structural transformation, and the preservation of ecosystems. Recognizing this, the FAO and the FARA launched the?Integrating Africa’s forgotten foods for better nutrition publication together with a?Compendium of Forgotten Foods in Africa, which catalogs 100 native foods that hold the key to sustainable and resilient food practices. Read more about it in our Savouring Heritage Through Forgotten Foods article.

In other news, strawberries could be fewer and more expensive because of higher temperatures caused by climate change, according to research from the University of Waterloo. Using a new method of analysis, the researchers found that a rise in temperature of 3 degrees Fahrenheit could reduce strawberry yields by up to 40 percent. Strawberries are one of the most lucrative commodities for the economies of California and the United States. The??2022 market for strawberries alone was worth more than US$3 billion. Read more about it in our Researchers Predict Fewer, Pricier Strawberries as Temperatures Warm article.

Also, a research team from the University Alliance Ruhr, Germany, has found a catalyst that can be used to convert ammonia into the energy carrier hydrogen and the fertilizer precursor nitrite. The production of hydrogen and the production of fertilizer have so far been separate chemical processes. With the new approach, the team from Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Duisburg-Essen is demonstrating that the two can be combined on a laboratory scale. Read more about it in our Producing Hydrogen and Fertilizer at the Same Time article.

Finally, farmers focus on the daytime activities of their crops, but corn plants are still working hard throughout the night. AgriGold Agronomists Kris Young and Emily Prevo say the yield equation for the corn plant is simple: The sugars produced during photosynthesis during daytime minus the sugars consumed by dark respiration at night equal the sugars available to produce grain. Read more about it in our Day or Night, Corn Is Working Hard to Build Yield article.

Livestock World

Economic selection indexes have long been a cornerstone of animal breeding, offering a methodical approach to enhance multiple traits simultaneously based on their economic impact. We recently received the question: What is an economic selection index and why is using it a good idea??Join Ryan Boldt, PhD, IGS Lead Geneticist, as he dives into the ins and outs of economic selection indexes in our article Optimizing Cattle Breeding with Economic Selection Indexes.

Also, as highly pathogenic avian influenza has spread in dairy herds across the U.S., the virus is being detected in raw milk. A new study by a broad team of researchers at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine helps explain why. Sialic acid, a sugar molecule found on the surface of some animal cells, acts as a receptor for influenza. Without sialic acid providing an entry point to attach, invade, and infect a flu virus is unlikely to find a potential host hospitable. Read more about it in our What Makes Dairy Cows a Prime Target for Influenza? article.

Farming Economy/Policy

Sustainable aviation fuel and clean fuel production tax credits have the potential to benefit farmers while lowering America’s carbon emissions, but shortcomings in the provisions could put the benefits out of reach for many farmers in the U.S. Four groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, and National Farmers Union, today sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S.?Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, asking them to ensure the Clean Fuel Production Credit (45Z) works for U.S. farmers. Read more about it in our AFBF: Clean Fuel Tax Credits Out of Reach for Many Farmers article.

In other news, corn growers were responsible for a $151 billion boost to the U.S. economy in 2023, according to a new report released this week by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). The report, entitled?NCGA Economic Contribution Study for 2023, looked at a number of ways in which corn growers shaped the economy, including economic output, contributions to the gross domestic product, tax revenues, labor income, and employment statistics. Read more about it in our New Study Showcases Corn Farming’s Contribution to the Economy article.

Also, with new rules and increased consumer demand, the organic industry is growing. U.S. organic sales were up 3.4 percent compared with 2022, hitting $69.7 billion in 2023, according to the 2024 Organic Industry Survey from the Organic Trade Association. Read more about it in our Growth and Change in the Organic Industry article.

New With USDA

This week, the Administration Announced $90M in Innovative Projects that Help Conserve Natural Resources, made a Record-Breaking $14.3 Million Investment in Farm to School Grants, and invested $4.5 Million to Build Nutrition Hub Network.

Other Top Stories

Nergui now works at a camel dairy farm that was built recently with support from a European Union (EU) funded project – “SDG-Aligned Budgeting to Transform Employment in Mongolia”. The project, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is aiming to create employment opportunities in the arid region by strengthening the camel milk value chain. Read more about it in our Quenching a Thirst for Camel Milk article.

In other news, if you are passionate about farming, ready to grow your leadership skills, and connect with agricultural industry leaders committed to creating a better future for farmers, Young Leaders is the program for you! Sponsors American Soybean Association and Corteva seek farmers to apply for the 2025 ASA Corteva Agriscience Young Leaders Program. Read more about it in our Applications Now Open for 2025 ASA-Corteva Agriscience Young Leaders Program article.

Come Back Next Week!

Be sure to check in next week for our?weekly?national news roundup, and?don't?forget to follow us on all our socials! We?can't?wait to see what next week holds for agricultural news.