AgrotechPlantArcBio's drought-tolerance genes more than double cob weight in a field trial
The Israeli gene-discovery firm says corn carrying its lead genes outperformed controls under both normal irrigation and severe drought across 200 plots.
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Agrotech
CropsEurope's processing-potato heartland harvests almost a quarter less
DCA Market Intelligence puts the 2026 crop in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany at about 20.8 million tonnes after acreage cuts and a hot, dry season.
LivestockFonterra doubles operating profit and forecasts $9.50 milk price, watching El Niño
The co-operative reports NZ$3.4bn operating profit and expects collections just above 1.6 billion kg of milk solids, while its chair says the El Niño's severity is unknown.
CropsIndian seed industry targets 10% of global seed trade by 2035
The Federation of Seed Industry of India, valuing the sector at $3.6bn, asks for one national regulatory framework, faster approvals and stronger IP protection for oilseeds and pulses.
FruitsVirginia lets 169 frost-hit wineries buy more outside grapes while vineyards recover
After spring frost and freeze caused severe losses, Virginia's ABC authority granted automatic waivers so farm wineries can source more fruit from vineyards they do not own or lease.
LivestockProlonged rain squeezes feed and stock on Southland and South Otago farms
A rural co-ordination group says supplementary feed is still available but silage is very tight and transport is stretched, and urges farmers to budget feed weeks ahead and ask for help early.
AgribusinessUSDA speeds up farm loans, but only a farm bill can lift borrowing limits
USDA is making its fast-track direct-loan process permanent and cutting paperwork for guaranteed loans, while Farm Bureau says the loan caps themselves need Congress to act.
CropsUK drought cut spring barley yields 17% below average, AHDB finds
AHDB's final harvest report shows wheat down 11% and oats 14% below the five-year mean, while oilseed rape came in 19% above it at 4 t/ha.
HealthOne in three Scottish farmers and crofters report low wellbeing, Farmstrong finds
Farmstrong Scotland's 2025 survey found 33% of farmers and crofters with low wellbeing, driven by fatigue, poor sleep, stress and the difficulty of getting away from the farm, much as in 2024.
CropsUK forage maize lists drop 'favourable site' ratings for maturity-based choice
The British Society of Plant Breeders has redesigned its Forage Maize Descriptive Lists for 2027, grouping varieties by maturity and performance across all 13 trial sites and adding ten new varieties.
Environment
Saplings from the '250 million trees' drive are dying in Sunamganj for want of care
Most saplings planted in Sunamganj under the government's plan to plant 250 million trees in five years are dying from poor planting and no aftercare, and fewer were planted than recorded.
AgribusinessFive charged in Georgia over alleged exploitation of H-2A farmworkers from Mexico
US prosecutors accuse five people of charging Mexican farmworkers thousands of dollars in illegal fees and threatening them, in a case that echoes two pending H-2A cases in Washington state.
LivestockNew models and a blood test point to less antibiotic use in US beef cattle
FFAR-funded work at Kansas State and Texas Tech found group antibiotic treatment did not pay off in 72% of cattle groups studied, and that a blood test predicts liver abscesses with 80% accuracy.
LivestockWashington weighs killing a second wolf after Couse pack injures another calf
The Couse pack has attacked cattle in Asotin County at least seven times since February, and a new attack a week after one wolf was shot has the state considering another removal.
Crops'Variable' is the word Corn Belt agronomists pick for this year's harvest
Asked for one word to describe the corn and soybean harvest, agronomists across the Midwest most often chose 'variable', with yields swinging by field on how much rain the crop caught.
AgrotechIn autonomous farming the implement, not the tractor, will be king, experts say
A World Agri-Tech panel in London said driverless tractors will spread only as fast as implements from different brands can work with them, with data ownership another hurdle.
AgribusinessOttawa presses ahead with closing seven AAFC research farms despite committee report
Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald says the closures will be phased and carefully managed, rejecting a bipartisan committee's call to reconsider; opposition MPs and unions object.
LivestockDublin methane conference hears push back against Bovaer scepticism as EFSA review nears end
Speakers at an Environmental Defense Fund event said the methane-cutting feed additive is well researched and safe, and that misinformation is unsettling consumers.
EnvironmentPeru's pioneering glacial flood defences have crumbled; Nepal's disaster is a warning
Peru stabilised 35 glacial lakes in the 20th century, but budget cuts and decentralisation have left 528 lakes at risk of bursting, as glaciers shrink and water security worsens for the 60-65% of Peruvians who rely on glacier-fed rivers.
Crops
Idaho farm family sues state, saying groundwater cuts took their senior water rights
Jerry and Valerie Bingham, whose rights date to 1950, say curtailment orders since July 2025 left their 1,000-acre Blackfoot farm dry while junior users with mitigation plans kept pumping.