Sorghum

Better Earth Expands Farmer's Fiber Line of Compostable Foodservice Products with New SKUs and Regen Ag Materials

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

ATLANTA, Feb. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Better Earth, a pioneering force in certified compostable foodservice packaging solutions, today announced an expansion of its Farmer's Fiber Collection molded packaging collection to include compostable clamshells with various sizes and compartment options as well as plates and bowls. The line also has been reformulated to increase sustainability and company support for American farmers with new materials grown using regenerative agricultural practices.

Key Points: 
  • The line also has been reformulated to increase sustainability and company support for American farmers with new materials grown using regenerative agricultural practices.
  • In addition, Better Earth has expanded its core team for the second time in two months in response to ongoing business growth.
  • Better Earth's Farmer's Fiber Collection is now crafted from a blend of high-yield feedstock crops such as miscanthus, switchgrass, and sorghum grown by US farmers.
  • The new products have been joined by new team members to support Better Earth's expanding market penetration and help customers meet and exceed their sustainability goals.

S&W Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2024 Financial Results

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2024 was $10.9 million, a 16.0% decrease compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2023.

Key Points: 
  • Revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2024 was $10.9 million, a 16.0% decrease compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2023.
  • Double TeamTM sorghum revenue was $4.0 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2024 compared to $1.2 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2023.
  • Gross profit margin for the second quarter of fiscal 2024 was 30.3%, an improvement from 21.3% in the second quarter of fiscal 2023.
  • Total revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2024 was $10.9 million compared to total revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2023 of $12.9 million.

Digital Agriculture Market worth $36.0 billion by 2028 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets™

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 29, 2024

For instance, the Indian government is spearheading a technological revolution in agriculture, championing the widespread adoption of digital and innovative farming techniques throughout the nation.

Key Points: 
  • For instance, the Indian government is spearheading a technological revolution in agriculture, championing the widespread adoption of digital and innovative farming techniques throughout the nation.
  • As the sector continues to embrace innovation, automation and control systems stand as a key driver, propelling the digital agriculture market toward growth and efficiency.
  • The US is poised to maintain its dominant position within the North American digital agriculture market throughout the forecast period.
  • Farmers are increasingly recognizing the transformative impact of digital agriculture technologies on operational efficiency, resource optimization, and ultimately, crop yields.

Digital Agriculture Market worth $36.0 billion by 2028 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets™

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 29, 2024

For instance, the Indian government is spearheading a technological revolution in agriculture, championing the widespread adoption of digital and innovative farming techniques throughout the nation.

Key Points: 
  • For instance, the Indian government is spearheading a technological revolution in agriculture, championing the widespread adoption of digital and innovative farming techniques throughout the nation.
  • As the sector continues to embrace innovation, automation and control systems stand as a key driver, propelling the digital agriculture market toward growth and efficiency.
  • The US is poised to maintain its dominant position within the North American digital agriculture market throughout the forecast period.
  • Farmers are increasingly recognizing the transformative impact of digital agriculture technologies on operational efficiency, resource optimization, and ultimately, crop yields.

The zaï technique: how farmers in the Sahel grow crops with little to no water

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, December 30, 2023

And what is true for the universe is even truer in the Sahel, the name given to the vast, arid belt that skirts the Sahara and stretches across Africa from east to west.

Key Points: 
  • And what is true for the universe is even truer in the Sahel, the name given to the vast, arid belt that skirts the Sahara and stretches across Africa from east to west.
  • Overlooked for many years, the secrets of the Sahelian landscape are starting to pique the interest of researchers and decision-makers.

The art of catching rain

  • They are now a desolate crust where torrential rains are simply swept away as run-off before they have a chance to seep through.
  • In a barren field in the village of Gourga, Yacouba and his family are hard at work perforating the crusted soil in preparation for the first rain.
  • Each wielding a daba (which is a traditional tool similar to an adze), they dig down into the red laterite earth.
  • Into each one, they drop a handful of compost, a few grains of sorghum and a dusting of light soil.
  • But this expertise, known as zaï, has been honed by the peoples of the Yatenga for centuries.
  • By virtue of this revolutionary farming technique, they have mastered the art of catching rain.
  • And so it was that Yacouba, nicknamed “the man who stopped the desert,” restored hope to his whole village.

Ingenious, but costly

  • Well, while it may seem simple, zaï is actually based on a number of complex ecological mechanisms.
  • The technique involves concentrating water and manure at one spot, thereby favouring crop growth in a context of scarce, unpredictable rainfall.
  • Then, when the rain comes, the enriched pocket fills with water and releases nutrients that attract termites of the genus Trinervitermes.
  • With the promise both of bountiful harvests and of benefits for the ecosystem, zaï is a genuine one-stop solution.
  • When digging with a daba for four hours each day, it takes one farmer three months to sow a single hectare.
  • Not only that, three tons of manure must be accumulated or purchased in order to enrich each pocket.

The widespread, manifold forms of zaï

  • In the 1980s, there were concerted efforts from development aid to tackle desertification in Sahelian regions weakened by heavy drought.
  • What followed was a whole spectrum of projects and programmes to test, promote and improve zaï in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • The aim here is to improve sorghum yields while surmounting the major barrier of costly organic matter.
  • Agronomists are also working on ways to combine cereals inside one seed pocket, for example planting sorghum with legumes such as cowpea.
  • Lastly, they are testing out zaï on new crops, from maize to cotton, watermelons and horticultural species like aubergines.

An “alternative” way of adapting

  • From dams to mega-basins to irrigated perimeters, the over-riding policy across the board is to expand watered surfaces by any means necessary.
  • But although this option fulfils a certain short-term need, it carries with it a serious risk of maladaptation.
  • Indeed, the hidden trade-off of these large-scale farm water projects is depleting water resources, social injustice and geopolitical tensions.


The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

S&W Seed Company Appoints Jeffrey Rona to Its Board of Directors

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, December 19, 2023

LONGMONT, Colo., Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- S&W Seed Company (Nasdaq: SANW), a global agricultural technology company, today announced the nomination of senior biotechnology executive Jeffrey Rona to its Board of Directors.

Key Points: 
  • LONGMONT, Colo., Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- S&W Seed Company (Nasdaq: SANW), a global agricultural technology company, today announced the nomination of senior biotechnology executive Jeffrey Rona to its Board of Directors.
  • Mr. Rona has more than 30 years of experience as a Chief Business Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and investment banker.
  • He is currently the Chief Business and Financial Officer of Ovid Therapeutics, a Nasdaq listed biopharmaceutical company.
  • As a seasoned executive, he brings to S&W broad experience in corporate finance, M&A, business development, corporate strategy, accounting, tax and financial operations," said Alan Willits, Chairman of the Board for S&W Seed Company.

ButcherBox Reveals Inaugural Home Cooking Trends Report

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, December 12, 2023

WATERTOWN, Mass., Dec. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- While TikTok and Instagram may have a handle on the trendy cooking hacks to get consumers into the kitchen, ButcherBox, the leading direct-to-consumer meat and seafood brand, is taking trends for 2024 one step further. In its inaugural Home Cooking Trends Report, the brand is serving up everything that is expected on kitchen tables across the country in 2024.   

Key Points: 
  • In its inaugural Home Cooking Trends Report, the brand is serving up everything that is expected on kitchen tables across the country in 2024.
  • ButcherBox's head chef, Ashley Lonsdale, has her finger on the pulse of several industry-driven trends that will make their way into kitchens in the year ahead.
  • When it comes to techniques and prep-time, Lonsdale believes basic and fast will be the key trends in 2024.
  • Lonsdale is eager and excited to see these trends trickle down in realistic, attainable ways for consumers to create more restaurant-quality moments at home.

The Rockefeller Foundation: The World Can Limit Global Warming to 1.9 °C by 2090

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 29, 2023

NEW YORK, Nov. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), The Rockefeller Foundation's new report identifies the core components of global action needed to prevent global warming from breaking 2 degrees Celsius (°C) by 2090. Analyzing data from 190 countries, the best-case scenario in Vulnerable Populations in a Warming World: Four Futures Explored requires developed and emerging economies to rapidly decarbonize while also supporting widespread access to renewable energy in the world's most energy-poor countries. With input from The Climate Impact Lab at Rhodium Group and Catalyst Partners, The Rockefeller Foundation's analysis also demonstrates the tangible effects of increased heat on health and mortality, agriculture and nutrition, and energy consumption across four global temperature scenarios ranging from 1.9 °C to 4.5 °C.

Key Points: 
  • While only responsible for 8% of the emissions currently accumulated in the atmosphere, energy-poor countries are often the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
  • In the "Business as Usual" scenario, the world warms by 2.8 °C by 2090 because previous emissions trends for developed, emerging, and energy-poor countries continue along their current trajectory.
  • This report follows The Rockefeller Foundation's commitment to invest over $1 billion in advancing the global climate transition and achieving a science-based Net Zero standard for its operations globally.
  • Then, The Rockefeller Foundation committed $500 million, which remains its largest single investment.

S&W Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2024 Financial Results

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, November 9, 2023

Revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 was $16.4 million, a 17.3% decrease compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2023.

Key Points: 
  • Revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 was $16.4 million, a 17.3% decrease compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2023.
  • Double TeamTM sorghum revenue was $0.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 compared to $0.0 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2023.
  • GAAP gross profit margin for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 was 30.5%, an improvement from 22.7% in the first quarter of fiscal 2023.
  • Operating expenses were $7.9 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2024, which is consistent with operating expenses for the first quarter of fiscal 2023.

Global Clean Energy Reports Largest Camelina Acreage Worldwide

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 4, 2023

(North America) and Camelina Company (Europe and South America) worked with growers to contract a record 65,000 acres of camelina crop during the 2023 growing season.

Key Points: 
  • (North America) and Camelina Company (Europe and South America) worked with growers to contract a record 65,000 acres of camelina crop during the 2023 growing season.
  • Global Clean Energy’s camelina variety portfolio - the largest globally - includes both spring and winter varieties, allowing camelina’s introduction as an intermediate crop in different crop rotations and geographies.
  • “This record-breaking year for camelina has been over a decade in the making,” Mike Karst, Senior Vice President of Global Clean Energy and President of Sustainable Oils, said.
  • As Global Clean Energy’s new higher yielding varieties become commercially available in 2024, the Company believes that camelina planted next year may surpass 2023’s results.