agriculture

FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson told corn farmers in Texas the agency has opened a compulsory-process antitrust investigation into surging fertilizer prices.

The four-year commitment — described as the largest deal of its kind between an AI company and a global philanthropy — targets health services for 4.6 billion people in low-income countries.

Two companion Nature Biotechnology papers map over 30,000 CRISPR edits across sorghum's regulatory DNA, achieving unprecedented control over photosynthesis genes with implications for crop yields and carbon capture.

At least four bipartisan bills in the 119th Congress would create tax credits, authorize funding, and stand up USDA task forces to reduce US dependence on petroleum-derived chemicals by scaling plant-based biomanufacturing.

Canadian startup Upside Robotics closes a $7.5 million seed round to expand solar-powered autonomous robots that micro-dose fertilizer in corn fields, claiming 70 percent input reduction across 1,300 acres.

The global regenerative agriculture market is projected to grow from $9.83 billion to $37.44 billion by 2035, fueled by USDA funding, corporate commitments, and new soil carbon research.

A wave of investment is flowing into precision-fermented dairy proteins, with French startup Standing Ovation closing a $34.2 million Series B and the broader market projected to grow from $7.4 billion to $57.1 billion by 2032.

Seven U.S. states now enforce consumer electronics right-to-repair laws, the EPA has clarified that farmers can fix their own diesel equipment, and defense contractors blocked military repair provisions from the 2026 defense bill.

The 2026 Farm Bill would subsidize 90 percent of precision agriculture adoption costs and let the tech industry set standards, drawing criticism over corporate control of farming.