Deep Dive

Industry insights from our journalists

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    Getty via Getty Images
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    Big Ag is spending big on lobbying and the 2024 election

    Political spending from the food and agriculture sector has increased, with a record $178 million spent on lobbying alone in 2023. Experts saying rising polarization may play a role.

    Sarah Zimmerman • Oct. 24, 2024
  • A Deere tractor is seen running without a person in the driver's seat
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    Courtesy of Deere & Co.
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    Driving automation on the farm: Self-driving tractors look to fill agriculture’s labor shortage

    John Deere and startup Agtonomy are introducing new ways to bring artificial intelligence to the field, with execs saying the technology holds the potential to open new job pathways for the next generation of farmers.

    Jesse Klein • Oct. 16, 2024
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    Photo illustration: Industry Dive; Joe Readle/Getty Images; Brandon Bell/Getty Images

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    Election 2024: Where Trump and Harris stand on agriculture

    Higher food prices, trade relations with China and other farm issues are becoming more central to party platforms.

    Sarah Zimmerman • Oct. 3, 2024
  • Cranes stand over shipping containers at the Port of Newark.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    East and Gulf coast port strikes: A shipper’s guide

    A potential dockworker strike starting Oct. 1 would upend meat and grain trade and bring new supply chain slowdowns. Here’s how to prepare.

    Alejandra Carranza and Sarah Zimmerman • Sept. 24, 2024
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    Provided by Canadian National 

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    How a Canada railroad workers’ strike could affect supply chains

    Logistics managers have been making contingency plans since at least May, when the threat of disruption escalated.

    Larry Avila • July 29, 2024
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    Courtesy of Tractor Supply
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    Tractor Supply retreats on DEI after ‘anti-woke’ backlash. Now the real fallout begins.

    The retailer has ignited an online firestorm after dropping most corporate diversity and climate efforts, which could alienate some customers, employees and investors.

    Daphne Howland • July 12, 2024
  • Package of plant-based ground beef are seen in a grocery aisle
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Is plant-based meat more sustainable? Experts question the data

    Researchers have struggled to replicate life-cycle assessments commissioned from companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, and are calling for more transparency.

    Nithin Coca • April 24, 2024
  • Rows of green crops are seen against the backdrop of a drought-stricken landscape
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Drying up: Can desert farms survive a changing climate?

    As heat waves and water shortages threaten the future of agriculture in the U.S. Southwest, innovations in technology and plant breeding could help crops continue to bloom.

    Alexandra Jones • April 8, 2024
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    Permission granted by Clean Energy Fuels
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    How a new wave of clean fuels bills could spur a biogas boom

    New Mexico just became the fourth state to enact a program, which has the potential to give biogas projects from landfills and on-farm digesters a boost. Could more states soon follow?

    Jacob Wallace • April 3, 2024
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    Douglas Rissing via Getty Images
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    Agriculture policies to watch in 2024

    An election year means a race to the finish line for the farm bill and some of agriculture's biggest priorities, including a crackdown on anti-competitive practices and potential H-2A visa reform.

    Sarah Zimmerman • Jan. 31, 2024
  • Wind turbines and solar cells generate electricity as a cow lolls on the farm.
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    Perytskyy via Getty Images
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    Bio-fueling the future: How farms are shaping the renewable energy transition in 2024

    As more incentives become available, the agriculture sector is set to play a key role in expanding solar, biogas and other alternative energy sources.

    Nathan Owens • Jan. 25, 2024
  • A hand holding a tablet near a farm field is seen.
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    iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
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    Autonomous tractors, robot milkers: How AI is transforming the future of farm tech

    Artificial intelligence stands to revolutionize agriculture by opening new pathways for the industry to optimize production and address climate change.

    Tasmiha Khan, Iman Adem and Sarah Zimmerman • Jan. 24, 2024
  • A sprayer is seen in a corn field
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    Permission granted by CNH Industrial
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    Tractor makers to focus on agtech in 2024, bracing for equipment slump

    Following a year of strong demand, CNH, Deere and other manufacturing giants are shifting course as farmers clamor for precision agriculture tools.

    David Silverberg • Jan. 18, 2024
  • A cooler full of various brands of milk in half-pint containers.
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    Lindsey Shuey/The Republican-Herald via AP

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    Milk carton shortage may last through school year

    Pactiv Evergreen said it’s producing unbranded, half-pint cartons at maximum capacity as supply chain disruptions still challenge dairies and schools. 

    Katie Pyzyk • Jan. 16, 2024
  • A barn is seen on a plot of farmland. In front, a sign reads "No trespassing"
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    Dave Kaup/Reuters

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    How farms became the latest battleground in US-China relations

    As states become more brazen in their efforts to restrict China from owning U.S. farmland, some worry about the potential impact to trade.

    Nathan Owens and Julia Himmel • Dec. 5, 2023
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    Retrieved from Aigen on December 04, 2023
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    Agtech funding is rebounding. Which startups attract investors?

    Venture capital firms are moving away from vertical farming and plant-based foods, instead seeing new opportunities in artificial intelligence and alternative fertilizers.

    David Silverberg • Dec. 4, 2023
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    Permission granted by Locus AG
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    The food industry is all in on regenerative agriculture. Can farmers be convinced?

    Companies are racing to capitalize on a burgeoning industry focused on reducing emissions in agriculture. But first, they'll have to prove it's profitable to go green.

    Miranda Lipton • Nov. 15, 2023
  • An aerial view of the Colorado River is seen. Surrounding the river is farmland
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    To save the Colorado River, farmers will be paid not to farm. Some are looking to cash in.

    As states agree on a historic three-year deal to cut water use, some major agribusinesses are eyeing opportunities for new revenue streams while small producers worry about their livelihoods.

    Petruce Jean-Charles • Oct. 6, 2023
  • A table of politicians. Sen. John Fetterman sits at the head of the table with a hand on his forehead.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    How the looming government shutdown is complicating the farm bill

    Averting a budget crisis remains a top priority in Congress, likely pushing back the timeline for the most consequential law in the agriculture industry. Here’s what it means for farmers.

    Sarah Zimmerman • Sept. 12, 2023
  • Dry grasses go to seed as drought conditions worsen in California.
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    David McNew via Getty Images
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    Extreme heat waves leave farmers on edge

    Producers take preventative measures to avoid crop and livestock losses as extreme temperatures continue across the U.S.

    Nathan Owens • Aug. 3, 2023
  • A tractor is seen on a farm
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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    5 trends set to define agriculture in the second half of 2023

    With rising input costs, changing weather patterns and the upcoming farm bill, the old ways of doing business may not be working anymore.

    Nathan Owens, Sarah Zimmerman and Shaun Lucas • June 26, 2023
  • general mills regenerative agriculture
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    Permission granted by Cameron Hodgins
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    Why General Mills is embarking on a farmer-driven regenerative agriculture strategy

    The CPG giant said its projects are less about setting stringent rules and more about listening to the producers who are familiar with their land.

    Chris Casey • April 21, 2023
  • eggs cage chickens
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    David Silverman via Getty Images
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    Why cage-free eggs could be on shaky ground

    Industry leaders are still on a path to wider adoption of cage-free systems, but consumer expectations, bird flu and a Supreme Court decision could impact whether they continue to invest in the practice.

    Chris Casey • Feb. 28, 2023