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Analyst warns insect farming may be overstating its sustainability and profitability - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · 5d

The last few years haven't been too kind to the insect #protein industry.

Speaking at a @royentsoc.bsky.social event, analyst Corentin Biteau said leaders have been overstating #sustainability and profitability all along, with a radical refocus needed

farmingfuturefood.com/analyst-warn...
#farming

Research finds insect farming’s impact depends on context, feed sources and regulation.

Oregano additive shows promise in reducing Salmonella in broilers - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · 15d

What makes a pizza pop may help poultry beat Salmonella. 🍕🐔🌿

USDA research has showcased the benefits of #oregano oil in birds' diets

farmingfuturefood.com/oregano-addi...

Researchers have found that adding oregano oil to broiler diets can cut Salmonella levels in young birds, pointing to a natural alternative to antibiotics.

Scientists demonstrate biological defence against major olive tree disease - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · 15d

Verticillium wilt plagues olive growers in #Spain, but fighting fungus with fungus could be a promising option to reduce the effects of disease-causing strains. 🫒🇪🇸

farmingfuturefood.com/scientists-d...

#farming #sustainability #scicomm

Spanish study finds inoculation with fungus strains slows disease progression and boosts olive tree survival.

Public doubts persist over automation in Australian agriculture - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · 29d

New @monashuniversity.bsky.social research suggests you can probably put Aussies down as agriculture #automation and #AI sceptics.

How can those leading the technologicial charge bring people along with them?

farmingfuturefood.com/public-doubt...
#agritech #farming #sustainablefood

Australians question automation in farming, with doubts over ethics, ecology, and corporate control.

Soil fungus could replace chemical sprays in fight against crop diseases - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Oct 6

A friendly fungus pumps out chemicals that can stop a major crop pathogen in its tracks.

The @rothamsted.bsky.social @exeter.ac.uk findings could be the first step towards a new generation of #sustainable fungicides.

farmingfuturefood.com/soil-fungus-...
#agritech #farming #food

A common soil fungus, Trichoderma hamatum, produces natural vapours that suppress major crop diseases, offering farmers a greener alternative to fungicides.

Intercropping with faba beans and decoys reduces pest pressure in oilseed rape - Farming Future Food

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Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Sep 22

Oilseed rape is a crop under pressure,but Swiss scientists have found that growing it along with a bean can effectively take on its complex of pest beetles🪲🌱🪲

farmingfuturefood.com/intercroppin...
#farming #arable #sustainability

Swiss scientists show intercropping oilseed rape with faba beans or decoys reduces damaging insect pests.

Rumen microbiome offers new route to breed low-methane sheep without cutting productivity - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Sep 10

Farmers can now make breeding decisions to cut methane #emissions from #sheep flocks using a single sample.

farmingfuturefood.com/rumen-microb...

#farming #climate #sustainability #sheepsky

Sheep farmers can now breed lower-emission animals using rumen microbiome data — a heritable, scalable tool that supports climate goals without compromising flock performance.

AI rover brings autonomous harvesting and soil testing to precision agriculture - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Sep 8

A robotic rover designed by researchers in #Bangladesh offers the possibility of simultaneous crop harvesting and #AI soil analysis.

Can it crack the mainstream?

farmingfuturefood.com/ai-rover-bri... #robotics #farming #food

A prototype rover developed in Bangladesh combines autonomous vegetable harvesting with real-time soil nutrient analysis – potentially helping farmers tackle labour shortages, cut input costs and opti...

Machine learning and laser tech could transform soil carbon stock measurement - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Aug 25

Getting agricultural soil metrics right can be tricky. Can the latest tech help?

Researchers from @embrapa.bsky.social say that their approach using #AI and #lasers could be a boost for #carbon credit schemes.

farmingfuturefood.com/machine-lear...

#sustainability #farming

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy with AI could provide fast, low-cost soil carbon measurements for large-scale use.

6 ways cannabis is disrupting agriculture — from livestock feed to pest control - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Aug 13

Cannabis and hemp have rapidly moved from fringe crops to mainstream agri-tech interest.

Find out where they're making an impact:

farmingfuturefood.com/6-ways-canna...

#farming #research #cannabis #scicomm

From boosting meat quality to reducing environmental impact, hemp by-products are showing promise in livestock feed and pest control. Here’s what the latest research says.

Biocontrol booms in Latin America as farmers seek cheaper, effective pest solutions - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Aug 12

Latin American farmers are now the world leaders in biological control use. Cost, practicality and #pesticide resistance has driven a huge shift in the last decade.

farmingfuturefood.com/biocontrol-b...
#LatAm #Brazil #sustainability #biocontol

Latin America now uses biological pest control more than any region, driven by practicality over sustainability.

UK agri-tech held back by funding gaps, fragmentation and farmer disconnect - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Aug 4

How can UK agri-tech improve its fortunes? Ending regional divides and better connections with farmers for starters, says @innovateuk.bsky.social supported report.

farmingfuturefood.com/uk-agri-tech...

#farming #tech #agritech

Report reveals that UK agri-tech innovation is held back by regional funding disparities, poor commercialisation support, and weak ties with farmers.

Cow urine and neem oil trial cuts citrus pests by 50% in India - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Aug 1

Citrus pest problems? Why not try a cow pee and neem oil blend?

farmingfuturefood.com/cow-urine-an...

#sustainablefarming #pesticides #research

A field trial in India found that a mixture of cow urine and neem oil reduced key citrus pests by nearly 50%, offering a cost-effective, organic alternative to chemical sprays for acid lime growers.

Tackling mycotoxin contamination: Biotech solutions for safer food and feed - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Jul 31

Mycotoxin-contaminated grain threatens world food supplies.

Scientists are making progress in biological solutions, but roadblocks remain.

farmingfuturefood.com/from-crops-t...

#agtech #farming #foodsecurity

Biotech tools to fight mycotoxins in food and feed show promise, but barriers like cost, co-contamination and scalability hinder progress, researchers say.

AI set to disrupt agriculture more than any other sector - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Jun 9

Is artificial intelligence better suited to solving agriculture's big challenges than in other sectors? A study by @ufresearch.bsky.social reckons so.

farmingfuturefood.com/ai-set-to-di...
#AI #MachineLearning #Agritech #farming

Experts say AI is not only essential to meet global food demand by 2050, but uniquely suited to tackle farming’s most pressing challenges.

Scorpion venom protein shows promise as a new bioinsecticide for resistant crop pests - Farming Future Food

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Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Jun 2

A neurotoxin found in venom from one of the world’s most venomous #scorpions has potential as a powerful, environmentally friendly bioinsecticide.

farmingfuturefood.com/scorpion-ven...

#farmsky #bugsky #research

Neurotoxin from one of the world's most venomous scorpions may be a powerful, sustainable bioinsecticide that works against resistant pests.

Picking up bad vibrations: Smart seat system can help farmers avoid health risks on tractors - Farming Future Food

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Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · May 27

Persistent exposure to vibrations on farm machinery can cause health problems for farmers.

Will an Italian invention help them out?

farmingfuturefood.com/picking-up-b...

#agsky #farmsky #tractors #agtech

Many advances in digital agriculture focus on improving farm productivity — but there’s scope to use them to help improve farmers’ health and wellbeing, too. Researchers from Italy sought to do just t...

Cannabis waste boosts chicken meat quality without impacting growth - Farming Future Food

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Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · May 19

Feeding the residues from growing #cannabis to broiler chickens makes their meat taste better, according to Thai scientists.

farmingfuturefood.com/cannabis-was...

#poultry #hemp #farming

Incorporating Cannabis sativa residues into broiler diets can enhance meat quality and flavour without affecting bird performance. Researchers in Thailand tested the impact of leftover hemp materials,...

Numbing aphids’ sweet sensations shows potential to turn them off valuable crops - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · May 19

Could an additive used in jam block aphids' 'sweet tooth' and save crops?

A group of researchers reckon so - but there are some side-effects to smooth out.

farmingfuturefood.com/numbing-aphi...

#scicomm #scisky #sustainability #farming

Sustainable aphid control is one of the major priorities for pest scientists — and researchers from China may have found a novel solution in the form of a widely-used food additive.

Africa starting to feel the benefit of farm robot roll-out - Farming Future Food

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Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · May 1

Robots are on the rise in Africa, says David Vernon from @cmu.edu - and they'll play a key role in farm practices such as automated #harvesting and crop #monitoring.

farmingfuturefood.com/africa-start...
#farming #robotics

Robots have a bright future in African agriculture, according to an expert on the sector.

Ladybirds can deliver killer fungus packages to enhance pest control - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Apr 30

Ladybirds are impressive natural pest controllers, but scientists reckon they could also carry fungus 'backpacks' for even greater effect against crop-feeding aphids.

farmingfuturefood.com/ladybirds-ca...
#pestmanagement #IPM #crops #bugsky

There are few bigger enemies for an aphid than ladybirds — but the threat from the predatory beetles could be about to get even greater.

Measurement methods may be overlooking farm topsoil carbon benefits - Farming Future Food

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Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Apr 29

Current calculations may be failing to account for 25% of soil organic #carbon, according to Chinese researchers.

Their revised approach could have a major impact on carbon credit schemes.

farmingfuturefood.com/measurement-...
#climate #soil #farming

The impact on soil carbon sequestration of best practices in land management such conservation tillage and incorporating straw into soil may be significantly underestimated under current measurement a...

Cameras reveal natural solutions for dealing with oilseed rape pests - Farming Future Food

Farming Future Food @farmingfuturefood.bsky.social · Apr 28

Cameras in oil seed rape fields have revealed that ground #beetle larvae are a bigger ally in the fight against damaging pests than previously thought.

Read more about the @rothamsted.bsky.social research: farmingfuturefood.com/cameras-reve...

#farming #farmsky #bugsky #agritech

Research using camera traps in UK oilseed rape (OSR) fields has uncovered surprising allies in the battle against two of the crop’s most damaging spring pests.