Top Stories: Edible Ants and Safeguarding Crops

This week was National Agriculture Week and it did not disappoint. From farmer safety tips to planting soybeans early, we learned quite a bit this week. Read on to learn about things such as cattle genetic action plans, U.S. exports, egg prices, and so much more.?

Anheuser-Busch is First to Adopt American Farmland Trust’s U.S. Farmed Certification

American Farmland Trust (AFT), a national nonprofit that helps to keep American farmers on their land, launched a new?U.S. Farmed?certification and packaging seal for products that derive at least 95 percent of their agricultural ingredients from farms in the United States. Anheuser-Busch, the nation’s leading brewer, announced that it is the first mover to adopt the?U.S. Farmed?certification and seal for several of its industry-leading beer brands. Read more about it in our?Anheuser-Busch is First to Adopt American Farmland Trust’s U.S. Farmed Certification ?article.?

AI Robot Spots Sick Tulips

The boxy robot — named after a retired employee at the WAM Pennings farm near the Dutch North Sea coast — is a new high-tech weapon in the battle to root out disease from the bulb fields as they erupt into a riot of springtime color. The robots trundle along rows of yellow and red “goudstuk” tulips, checking each plant and, when necessary, killing diseased bulbs to prevent the spread of the tulip-breaking virus. Read more about it in our?An AI Robot Is Spotting Sick Tulips to Slow the Spread of Disease Through Dutch Bulb Fields ?article.?

Celebrating National Agriculture Day

According to data from the recently released 2022 Census of Agriculture, family-owned and operated farms accounted for 95% of all U.S. farms.1 This National Agriculture Day, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is sharing the stories of family-owned ranches across the country and how they are making a positive impact on their land with each generation. Read more about it in our?From One Generation to the Next: Celebrating National Agriculture Day with Family-Owned Ranches ?article.?

Farmer Safety

Agricultural media editors say that real stories make safety messages more relevant, according to UMASH-funded research. Telling the Story Project content is meant to be shared. Farmers, media professionals, teachers, Extension, and safety professionals are especially encouraged to link to the stories and repurpose content. Read more about it in our?Farmers Share Stories As 'Teachable Moments' in Safety During Ag Literacy Week March 18-22 ?article.?

In other news, agricultural occupations are hazardous with one of the highest rates of workplace injuries and fatalities in the U.S. The manual and often strenuous nature of the work, combined with the use of machinery and exposure to environmental hazards create a challenging work environment. Two new papers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provide a systematic review of academic literature on agricultural injuries in the U.S. and globally. Read more about it in our?Systematic Review of Agricultural Injuries Can Help Inform Safety Measures ?article.?

Also, headlines such as, “Toddler killed in tractor accident,” or, “Boy dies in farm accident,” grab our attention and sympathy, but they also prevent us from addressing the root causes of those tragedies, says a childhood agricultural injury prevention researcher. “An ‘accident’ suggests that the situation could not have been anticipated or prevented,” said Barbara Lee. “We know better. It’s time to get serious and use the appropriate terminology.” Read more about it in our?NCCRAHS: Child Injuries on Farms Are Not ‘Accidents’ ?article.?

Sustainable Agriculture

Vanguard Renewables?, a farm-based provider of organic material solutions for the food and beverage industry, is celebrating a decade in clean energy innovation and organic materials solutions. Vanguard’s vision is to transform organic food and beverage materials into a force for good – decarbonizing the world, supporting regenerative agriculture, and powering the lives of all those who live on our planet. Read more about it in our?Vanguard Renewables Celebrates a Decade of Clean Energy Innovation? article.?

Crop and Food World

"Data has shown that planting soybeans early so they have the opportunity to maximize the growing season pays,” says AgriGold Agronomist Ron Roling. “Even the insurance companies have seen the advantage and moved up their planting windows.” Read more about it in our?Strategies for Success: Planting Soybeans Early ?article.?

In other news, to the agriculture industry collaboration, Growing Matters, our planet and people come first. That’s why it's annual BeSure! campaign is back for another year to promote the implementation of proper stewardship practices during planting season to help protect the biodiversity surrounding America’s farmland. Read more about it in our?BeSure! Campaign Promotes Best-Stewardship Practices Ahead of 2024 Planting Season ?article.?

Also, “We don’t know what weather is coming our way this growing season,” says Greg Peters, an Iowa-based agronomist with LG Seeds. Technically, that’s true for any growing season. But given mild winter weather conditions and lingering drought in his area, he says it’s especially important for farmers to keep these things in mind heading into the 2024 crop season. Find out his tips for success by reading our?Tips to Safeguard Crops Amid Weather Uncertainty ?article.?

Finally, in a fascinating dive into the past, a team of researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and USDA has uncovered intriguing details about the origins and spread of the bottle gourd, one of the oldest domesticated crops. Their research, recently published in?New Phytologist, unveils the genetic diversification and population history of this hard-shelled plant that was used to make bottles, instruments, and containers for over 10,000 years by ancient civilizations. Read more about it in our?Across Oceans and Millennia: Decoding the Origin and History of the Bottle Gourd ?article.?

Livestock World

You want a plan. You need tangible steps. You demand credible actions that can benefit your beef business and your family. Frankly, you deserve clarity and plain speech. This is the?first?of four articles to highlight a?Genetic Action Plan?to put your commercial cow-calf operation on the genetic footing necessary(as deemed by you and your family) for long-term, multigenerational success. Read more about it in our?Beef Blueprints: Step 1 to a Strategic Cattle Genetic Action Plan ?article.?

In other news, it’s National Agriculture Week, a weeklong celebration of the contributions of farmers across the country. With less than two percent of the population involved in agriculture, this week is an opportunity to reflect on the commitment of farmers in our region to provide safe, nutritious, and affordable food. As a fourth-generation dairy farmer, Maddie is proud to be part of the two percent that is committed to feeding our region and caring for our cows and our community in the process. Read more about it in our?National Agriculture Week Op-Ed: Caring for Cows and the Community ?article.?

Farming Economy/Policy

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s Board of Directors adopted a new policy supporting the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine to establish a national rule for pet food and specialty pet food labeling. The policy advocates for consistency and transparency on pet food and pet food labels to enable pet owners to make confident, informed decisions about what they feed their animals. Read more about it in our?NASDA Adopts Policy in Support of Federal Pet Food Label and Opposes PURR Act ?article.?

In other news, total U.S. agricultural exports reached $174.9 billion in 2023. American farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness owners continue to have success abroad as USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service works for U.S. agriculture. Read more about it in our?Trade and Exports Continue to Strengthen American Agriculture ?article.?

Also, in his State of the Union address last week, President Biden touched on a topic close to the hearts of U.S. consumers: food prices. In this election year, we can expect high food costs to come up repeatedly, with candidates from both parties invoking price gouging, shrinkflation, and corporate greed. But who do consumers blame? And how do political leanings shift those opinions? A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign economist explains in our?Consumers Across Political Spectrum Share Food Pricing Frustrations ?article.?

New With USDA

This week, the USDA invested $145 million to?Help Landowners Access Climate Markets ?and announced that?Applications for USDA Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants Due April 9 .?

Also, scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) developed an edible antiviral treatment that can be used to protect honey bees against Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) and other viruses, according to a recent study published in?Sustainable Agriculture. Read more about it in our?USDA Researchers Use an Edible Blue-Green Algae to Protect Honey Bees Against Viruses ?article.?

Other Top Stories

Insects are typically unwelcome visitors to a picnic, but they could be a flavorful, nutritious, and sustainable addition to the menu. Eating insects is common in some parts of the world, and some species are even considered delicacies. Ants are one example, sometimes roasted whole for a snack or ground and used to add flavor and texture to dishes. Researchers now report the unique aroma profiles of four species of edible ants, which taste markedly different from one another. Read more about it in our?The Many Flavors of Edible Ants ?article.?

In other news, gut bacteria and a diet rich in the amino acid tryptophan can play a protective role against pathogenic E. coli, which can cause severe stomach upset, cramps, fever, intestinal bleeding, and renal failure, according to a study published March 13 in Nature. Read more about it in our?Tryptophan in Diet, Gut Bacteria Protect Against E. Coli Infection ?article.?

Also, egg prices are on the rise as Easter approaches, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert, but they are lower than what consumers may have paid at the grocery store earlier in the year. Read more about it in our?Egg Prices Increase Ahead of the Easter Holiday ?article.?

Finally,?Food, Fiber, & The Female Farmer?is a documentary capturing the work of a group of extraordinary women from Maryland preserving and sustaining food sources and best agricultural practices. Read more about it in our?Food, Fiber, & The Female Farmer ?article.?

Just Me, Kate

"Every spring, I think of this poem. I go to my bookcase, pull out my book of Robert Frost poems, and turn to page 1:?The Pasture.

I go back to a simpler time, a clearer time. Clean and fresh, a bubbling spring brook."

Read more about what Kate has to say in her "Every Spring, I Think of This Poem " 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.