September 09, 2025

California E15 Fate Now in Hands of Newsom, Who Opposed Bill

The California Legislature has approved a bill to authorize the immediate sale of E15, a gasoline blend with 15% ethanol, but the measure still needs the signature of Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose administration signaled strong opposition to advancing E15 ahead of a California Air Resources Board regulatory review. In testimony at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last month on Assembly Bill 30, California Department of Finance officials labeled the bill as duplicative and unnecessary. A budget official pointed to the $2.3 million and 10 positions the Legislature approved this year for CARB to implement the new E15 standards, resources that will not be available until the agency completes its review. The administration’s opposition to AB 30 centers on new costs to the California Department of Food and Agriculture for enforcing petroleum product quality standards. Increasing fuel fees would run counter to the administration’s priority to lower gas prices.

**********************************************************************************
Dry August Pushes Worsening Drought

There was widespread degradation of drought conditions across areas of the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast, according to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor. The Lower Midwest saw some of the largest rainfall deficits, ranging from 3 to 5 inches. Short-term dryness and drought impact reports from the agricultural sector led to degradations in isolated areas of the Southeast and South. For the week, most of the eastern half of the U.S. experienced unseasonably cooler temperatures, while temperatures out West were above normal, especially across the Pacific Northwest and Desert Southwest. The temperature outlook shows above normal temperatures for much of the Midwest and High Plains, while the East and West coasts are expected to be below normal.

***********************************************************************************
House Passes Grain Inspection Extension

On Monday the U.S. House passed a five-year reauthorization of USDA’s grain inspection program. The bipartisan United States Grain Standards Reauthorization Act includes some updates to the existing law, which expires Sept. 30, that are aimed in part at promoting new technology. The bill would require USDA to prioritize the adoption of improved grain grading technology to enable the efficient, accurate, and consistent grading of grain, and the legislation would exempt equipment and technology costs from a 30% cap on administrative and supervisory expenses that may be incurred under the law. The cap is intended to limit the overall cost of the program. The president and CEO of the National Grain and Feed Association, Mike Seyfert, calls the legislation “a must-pass bill for the entire grain value chain.”

***********************************************************************************
Ancient Protein Could Offer Path to Disease-Resistant Crops

Researchers led by Ken Shirasu at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science in Japan have identified an ancient protein that has the potential to help defend plants against tens of thousands of different bacteria and other pathogens. Dubbed “SCORE,” this receptor detects cold-shock protein, variations of which are found in more than 85 percent of known bacteria, as well as fungi and insects. Experiments published Sept. 4 in the journal Science revealed that simply swapping out key sections of SCORE with substitutes can predictably change the type of cold-shock protein, and thus pathogen, it recognizes. This strategy could be used to engineer synthetic SCORE and provide plants, particularly crops and trees, with a means to defend themselves against whatever pathogens is plaguing them. When flowering plants such as rice, wheat, olive trees, and bamboo become infected with pathogens, they are smaller and have less yield. Fortunately, plants have receptor proteins that recognize molecules from pathogens when the two fit together, triggering an immune response.

***********************************************************************************
Soybean Leaders See Export Window Narrowing with China

As farmers prepare to harvest what may be a record-large soybean crop, their largest export customer has yet to make a buy. Without a deal with China, North Dakota farmers may not get a bid for their soybeans. According to North Dakota Soybean Council Chair Jim Thompson, the local cash market is pushing growers to store their beans. North Dakota Soybean Growers Association President Justin Sherlock says the trade dispute with China needs to end. “Maybe it’s getting an interim trade deal with a country like China so we have somewhere to just physically move and sell those soybeans,” said Sherlock. He said farmers want the export markets restored first. “We just need to get rid of the crop right now, then we can figure out where we’re at financially as we go into the winter months and loan renewal season.”

***********************************************************************************
Robotic Technology Monitors and Harvests Produce at Phoenix Farm

Robots are planting the way for the future of farming, and it’s all being done inside a Phoenix warehouse. “The big problem that we are solving is the locality of produce. Produce is typically shipped across the country. Here we can have the product right next to distribution,” said Sam Bertram, the CEO of OnePointOne. He showed Arizona’s Family around their robot-operated farm. It’s all done inside in a giant cube-like structure instead of outside. They grow a wide variety of leafy greens, including arugula microgreens, baby mizuna, baby kale, beet greens, cilantro, and more. With this setup, they can replicate the ideal growing environment for each plant away from the harsh elements outside. Without the sun, they use various LED lighting to activate photosynthesis in the plant. Robots monitor the plants’ growth, giving them what they need when they need it, even harvesting them once they’re ready. Right now, the farm sends its harvest to Whole Foods grocery stores across Phoenix.

***********************************************************************************