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Agriculture

Cultivated Meat Moves Closer to Dinner Tables & Closing Farms

Cultured Cell Poultry Gets FDA Approval Upside Foods, a startup focused on cell-cultured poultry, recently completed a pre-market evaluation of its cultivated poultry (i.e., lab-grown) by the Food and Drug Administration which indicated that the Agency was satisfied with the company’s conclusions that it was safe for human consumption. The FDA’s review marks the Agency’s first completed regulatory review of cell-cultured food. Also known as cultivated meat, it is produced from actual animal cells (often stem cells) which are grown in bioreactors with a mix of nutrients to generate cell growth. Unlike the plant-based meat alternatives, cultivated meat is made of actual animals cells and is biologically identical to poultry harvested from

joelcape December 2, 2022

Brands

Heirloom Corn’s Flavor Premium, and More | Cape Law

Craft Distillers Reviving Heirloom Corn Two Missouri distillers are taking the path less travelled in a quest to find unique corn varieties for making craft spirits. In speaking with DTN Progressive Farmer, Gary Hinegardener of Wood Hat Spirits explains that just like grape varieties influence the taste of wine, corn varieties influence the taste of distilled spirits. This led Hinegardener to begin looking at heirloom corn varieties such as Bloody Butcher, Hopi Blue, and Cateto Orange Flint. Hinegardener recently began collaborating with USDA researchers based at the University of Missouri in a project to evaluate old corn varieties, particularly varieties that were traditionally grown in Missouri, for their potential to enhance whisky flavors.

joelcape November 18, 2022

Agriculture

Ag Groups Revolt Against EVs | FTC’s Approach to Unfair Trade

Ag Interest Groups Challenge Electric Vehicle Use Various Ag Interest Groups have joined with Petroleum Groups in a court challenge to EPA’s final rule setting greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for 2023-2026 model year cars and trucks. According to a recent article in DTN Progressive Farmer, EPA’s action exceeded its authority by effectively mandating a transition to electric vehicles to achieve GHG reduction goals, while ignoring alternative technologies such as low-carbon, ethanol-based fuels. Ag and Fuel proponents have argued that the Agency’s actions are an effort to transform the U.S. transportation fleet and fuel infrastructure which would have major impacts on automobiles, oil & gas industries, and the electric grid —

joelcape November 11, 2022

Agriculture

Farming Sand, Climate Reporting Too Difficult for Ag

Turning Sand Into Farmland Desert Control, a Norwegian start-up company, has developed a product that it claims can turn desert sand into arable soil in just 7 hours. The company’s innovation is Liquid Nanoclay, a mixture of water and clay which is sprayed on sand or sandy soils and attaches to sand particles as it percolates into the soil. The product can be applied through common irrigation methods or simply by a sprinkler. Desert Control has been focusing in the arid Middle East where Liquid Nanoclay has been deployed in test plots to grow watermelon, zucchini, and pearl millet. Currently cost remains a barrier to adoption at around $2 to

joelcape November 4, 2022

Agriculture

2 of 13 Hank Williams Jr. Predicted the Future, Climate Impacts on Yield and More

Hank Jr. Was Right – the Mississippi River is Going Dry The prolonged drought that has settled in the Midwest has been taking a toll on the Mississippi River, bringing it down to historic lows and disrupting one of the U.S.’s major supply chains. The low water levels are impacting barge and commercial shipping traffic which are key transportation providers for goods, especially grain and other commodities. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, some river traffic has been halted, and other ports and docks are essentially out of reach because the water is not deep enough for commercial boats. This has causes shipping prices to increase sharply – the cost of shipping

joelcape October 28, 2022

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Who Knew Texas Pete Wasn’t From Texas? | Cape Law Firm

Congress to Investigate Foreign Ownership of U.S. Farmland Members of the House Agriculture and Oversight Committee recently sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting a study into foreign investment in U.S. farmland, citing national and food security concerns. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, foreign investors hold roughly 3% of privately held U.S. agricultural land, which amounts to about 37.6 million acres. Canadian investors hold the largest share of foreign-owned farmland, with about one third. The letter from Rep. Glenn Thompson (R. Pa.) and Rep. James Comer (R. Ky.) raised concerns about plans by a Chinese company’s plans to build wet corn milling plant near an Air Force

joelcape October 21, 2022