Operations: Page 3


  • A row of king-sized Hershey chocolate bars sit on the shelf in a store.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Hershey invests $500M to improve cocoa farming struggles

    The confectionery giant is working with cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire to partner with growers as a way to standardize cocoa cultivation and lift profits.

    By Elizabeth Flood • Oct. 18, 2024
  • regenerative agriculture
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    The regenerative ag revolution starts with women: Q&A with Stephanie Anderson

    In her new book, Anderson, a former farmer turned creative writing professor, talks to women across the U.S. who are leading the movement to transform the food system.

    By David Silverberg • Oct. 18, 2024
  • Guardian Agriculture's SC1 eVTOL sprays crops in California. Explore the Trendline
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    Courtesy of Guardian Agriculture
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Agriculture Dive

    Declining farm income and other production challenges have pushed farmers to rethink their operations and adopt new technology in a bid to diversify potential revenue streams. 

    By Agriculture Dive staff
  • John Deere's logo is seen
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    David Becker via Getty Images
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    Deere lays off more workers in Iowa, Illinois as farm slump hits sales

    The tractor manufacturer said the move is due to declining demand and unrelated to plans to shift some production to Mexico.

    By Oct. 17, 2024
  • A man stands with a shopping cart in front of a grocery store meat aisle
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Chicken processor recalls nearly 12M pounds of meat over listeria concerns

    BrucePac, a producer of precooked meat and poultry, has recalled hundreds of ready-to-eat food items available in grocery stores, schools and restaurants.

    By Oct. 16, 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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    Deep Dive

    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.

    By Jesse Klein • Oct. 16, 2024
  • Bacon, or pork belly, packages on a retail display.
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    gerenme for iStock via Getty Images
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    Clemens Food Group to close Pennsylvania pork plant

    The closure affects a plant acquired from Kunzler & Co. with production set to be moved to another facility in the state.  

    By Sara Samora • Oct. 15, 2024
  • A pineapple farm near a forest is seen in an aerial view
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    Courtesy of Fresh Del Monte
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    Fresh Del Monte boosts regenerative agriculture 11% across farms

    The produce giant said it's met a number of sustainability targets ahead of a 2030 deadline and also introduced new goals to improve human rights in agriculture.

    By Oct. 15, 2024
  • A farmer stands next to an herbicide sprayer. Next to him is a truck.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Understanding EPA’s new rules protecting farmworkers from pesticide exposure

    Changes controversially expand the boundaries for “application exclusion zones” to include areas outside the farm.

    By Oct. 15, 2024
  • Close up of soybeans on a field
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    US farms on track to harvest record corn and soybean crops

    Latest production estimates from USDA contribute to expectations of sharp profit declines for growers. 

    By Oct. 14, 2024
  • Blake's
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    Permission granted by Blake's
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    From a small apple farm to a $54M cider business: Charting the rise of Blake’s Hard Cider

    A third-generation farmer has grown his family’s Michigan orchard into a multi-million dollar operation with a national footprint.

    By Jennifer Lawinski • Oct. 14, 2024
  • A farmer points to chickens on a cage-free farm
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Cal-Maine plans $40M investment to expand cage-free egg production

    The U.S.' largest egg producer also said it's working with growers to add more free-range hens as it converts a former Tyson facility in Missouri.

    By Oct. 14, 2024
  • An empty and dated motel room
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    sequential5 via Getty Images
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    Moldy motel rooms, unlicensed drivers: Farm banned from H-2A program after labor violations

    Harvest Plus LLC is paying more than $250,000 in fines after the Department of Labor said the company illegally withheld wages and transported temporary farmworkers in “dilapidated” vehicles.

    By Caroline Colvin • Oct. 11, 2024
  • Two people hug in the midst of flooding
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    Megan Varner via Getty Images
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    Helene damage to Georgia agriculture tops $6B in preliminary estimate

    "The future is uncertain for thousands of Georgia farmers," the state's agriculture commissioner said, with poultry growers and pecan farmers facing years of recovery from widespread destruction.

    By Oct. 11, 2024
  • Beef steaks are displayed in the meat section
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    USDA prepared to issue subpoenas in beef price-gouging investigation

    The department is exploring the impact of food system consolidation as it looks to "more vigorously enforce" competition rules in the meat and grocery industries.

    By Oct. 10, 2024
  • Consumers holding different flavors of Chomps meat sticks
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    Permission granted by Chomps
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    How Chomps’ grass-fed beef sticks became the fastest growing snack in the US

    The meat company is preparing to open its first dedicated manufacturing facility in collaboration with Western Smokehouse Partners.

    By Elizabeth Flood • Oct. 10, 2024
  • Corn grows in a field with a home in the background
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Mormon Church pays $289M for dozens of US farms

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' real estate arm is acquiring more than 41,000 acres of land with the intention of leasing it to farmers. 

    By Oct. 10, 2024
  • Pecans
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    Amarita via Getty Images
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    Pecan farmers suffer devastating blow from Hurricane Helene

    The recent storm shows why farmers and manufacturers need to be proactive for the next disaster, according to the CEO of pecan milk brand PKN.

    By Elizabeth Flood • Oct. 10, 2024
  • Vehicles crowd one side of the highway in Florida
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Hurricane Milton takes aim at Florida’s Citrus Belt

    The life-threatening storm could also wreak havoc on the state's phosphate industry, keeping fertilizer prices elevated.

    By Oct. 9, 2024
  • U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission exterior
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    Caroline Colvin/Agriculture Dive
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    Vegetable grower settles claim that HR staff required harassment victim to obtain restraining order

    A female employee at Pero Family Farms Food Company repeatedly attempted to report a male co-worker’s sexual harassment and physical threats, federal investigators alleged.

    By Ryan Golden • Oct. 9, 2024
  • packages of beef steak are seen in a grocery store
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s sues Tyson, JBS and other beef producers for allegedly fixing prices

    The fast food giant, which is the world's largest buyer of beef, alleges major meat companies conducted illegal acts to drive down supplies. 

    By Oct. 8, 2024
  • Cultured meat company Meatable's founders in a field with cows
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    Courtesy of Meatable
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    Meatable eyes new funding as it looks to bring cultivated beef to the meat industry

    The startup’s CEO sees working with farmers and processors who could use a percentage of cultivated meat in their products as a solution to many of the industry’s issues.

    By Elizabeth Flood • Oct. 8, 2024
  • French fries from Lamb Weston on a tray with other food.
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    Courtesy of Lamb Weston
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    French fry maker Lamb Weston to close Idaho potato processing plant

    The restructuring comes as the food producer sees a slowdown in demand at restaurants and retailers.

    By Christopher Doering • Oct. 7, 2024
  • Hundreds of turkeys stand in a barn in California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    One of California’s major agricultural regions could ban ‘factory farming’

    Residents in Sonoma County are divided on Measure J, which farmers say could yield unintended economic consequences if passed.

    By Oct. 4, 2024
  • eggs grocery store
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Cal-Maine profits soar, driven by higher egg prices and supply demands

    The largest U.S. egg producer is rebuilding its flocks and supplies following bird flu outbreaks at some of its facilities.

    By Oct. 3, 2024
  • Front sign of FDA building
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    Sarah Silbiger via Getty Images
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    What to know about the FDA’s reorganization

    The new structure could mean more thorough inspections for food giants, according to experts.

    By Elizabeth Flood • Oct. 2, 2024