Little mixing of crops and solar panels in agri-voltaics, so far
The infant industry of agri-voltaics most often combines a large solar farm with pollinator-friendly vegetation rather than crop production, said USDA analysts. In the near term, the land might also be used for sheep pasturage or for high-value crops such as blueberries, but most farm equipment is too big to work around the panels.
Oldest U.S. senator, Grassley of Iowa, is hospitalized with infection
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the oldest serving senator, was in a Washington hospital for treatment of an infection, said his office on Tuesday. Grassley, 90, is a bulldog advocate of corn ethanol and a longtime proponent of stricter limits on farm subsidy payments.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Deere to use Starlink: Deere and Co. said it would use the Starlink network to provide satellite internet service for precision agriculture technology on its new and existing equipment, with limited release beginning later this year in the United States and Brazil. (Deere)
Bills oppose cultivated meat: Arizona state legislators have filed bills to ban the sale of cultivated meat and to make it illegal to suggest the products, grown from meat cells, are the same as meat from livestock. (Food Safety News)
U.S. tractor sales fall: New-tractor sales fell by 8.2 percent in the United States in 2023, compared to 2022, but sales of self-propelled combines grew by 1.7 percent, said the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. (AEM)
Tussles over green energy: Local restrictions have been imposed to block utility-scale green energy projects in 35 states, prompting legislators and state officials to consider taking control of the decision whether to allow solar and wind farms to be built. (Associated Press)
Increasingly, weeds challenge herbicides: Invasive weeds are developing resistance to widely used herbicides such as glyphosate and dicamba at the same time chemical companies are spending a smaller share of their revenue on research and development. (Reuters)
