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Why U.S. Agriculture Needs More AI Investment to Stay Ahead in Global Crop Innovation Race

Tue, 20 May 2025 18:15:48 GMT

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a key tool in accelerating the discovery, development and manufacturing of new crop protection molecules to fight yield-robbing weeds, pests, and diseases in U.S. farm fields.

The technology helps researchers shorten the discovery window and find new and novel active-ingredient molecules that are much more difficult and expensive to uncover using traditional research methods.

That was among the talking points that emerged from Tuesday’s congressional hearing on AI in farming, held in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Science, Space, and Technology Committee in Washington, D.C.

Related: The New Space Race: Why America Must Focus On AI

At the hearing, key agricultural stakeholders advocated for increasing government investment in AI technology and infrastructure. The group warned Congress that America’s status as a world leader in AI has been usurped by Japan and China, while other rival countries are also gunning for top positions.

Testifying on behalf of U.S. agriculture was Corteva Vice President of Agricultural Solutions Brian Lutz, University of Florida associate professor Chris Swale and University of Illinois assistant professor Boris Camiletti.

“AI is without a doubt one of the most profound technologies ever to be invented,” Lutz said. “We believe there is tremendous opportunity for our government to support and incentivize advanced innovation — including by leveraging the benefits of AI — to benefit American farmers. If we want to win, we need to move smarter and faster than our competition. Corteva believes with the support of our government, we will do exactly that.”

Lutz said researchers at Corteva recently used AI to model how 10,000 different molecules might be used in crop protection, all within a matter of weeks. The Corteva model was able to identify dozens of new potential crop protection molecules that its overworked chemists could not have found otherwise. He said the company is currently testing a handful of these molecules and AI will also play a role in moving the testing phase along more quickly than traditional lab-based methods.

Lutz also told Congress how Corteva scientists have deployed AI technology in its fermentation processes, which the company uses to create what he called “molecules of interest” for evaluation. Over the past few years, Corteva has used AI modeling to engineer various bacterial strains that drive fermentation reactions and optimize reaction conditions, allowing the company to run a manufacturing operation that is as efficient as possible. This application of AI helps Corteva maintain a strong U.S. manufacturing base in the Midwest, Lutz said.

“This is the new face of ag innovation,” he added. “We can accelerate discovery of new classes of crop protection products, like biologicals — nature-based solutions that help farmers grow more food by working alongside traditional crop protection products. With AI, we can begin to predict the incredible diversity of biomolecules and metabolites that are produced by microbes and other organisms, with the goal of unlocking the secrets within plant biology to develop the next generation of safe, highly targeted, nature-inspired products.”

Swale testified to AI’s role in helping researchers on his team find and develop biological-based treatments to combat Asian citrus psyllid, an invasive pest that has left the Florida citrus industry — valued at almost $10 billion just five years ago — teetering on the brink of collapse. Effective synthetic chemicals to manage the Asian citrus psyllid exist, but the regulatory hurdles to get those products onto the market are too high, he said

“We have turned to using AI to help discover chemicals of the natural world because the registration requirements are significantly lower when compared to synthetic insecticides,” Swale said.

Camiletti leads a team of researchers combining plant pathology, remote sensing and AI to help U.S. soybean farmers overcome red crown rot, a soil-borne disease first detected in Illinois soybean fields in 2018.

Illinois has been hit the hardest by the yield-robbing disease, Camiletti said, and the pathogen is spreading rapidly to Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri. The disease is difficult to detect visually, he added, and once symptoms appear it’s often too late for successful remediation.

“My team uses satellite imagery and machine learning to identify red crown rot hot spots, and we train the models with high resolution multi-spectral data to near-infrared bands and use ground observations to teach the algorithm what diseased plants look like,” Camiletti said. “This technology has real on-farm impact. We are building tools that generate prescription maps so instead of applying fungicides across entire fields farmers can target only the affected areas.”

After key witness testimony concluded, the committee opened the floor to questions from members of Congress. Watch the full hearing via the video embedded below:

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The Farm Babe: 3 Ways To Become A More Effective Advocate

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 20:43:36 GMT

Florida-based Michelle Miller is a farmer, social media influencer and speaker well known for her brand “ The Farm Babe. ” Through these platforms, she connects with consumers and debunks misconceptions about modern agriculture.

Miller recently joined an episode of the Ag Inspo podcast with hosts Rena Striegel and Ron Rabo to share more about her platform and what others in the ag industry can do to better reach consumers.

Have a Point of View
One of the keys to reaching a large audience and gaining traction, Miller says, is to make sure your content stands out.

“Part of my driving force is I had more of a big city background. Sometimes farmers take their perspective for granted because it’s all they know and all they’ve ever done. But for somebody on the outside looking in, it’s pretty incredible,” she says. “People have no idea what a harvest looks like. They have no idea what a combine does. They don’t know how livestock are raised. They’ve never seen the birth of a calf. How cool is that? Share it.”

Find What You’re Comfortable With
Maybe you have an interesting message to share, but–like many farmers–aren’t the type who is comfortable in front of the camera. Miller says there’s a way to make that work, too.

“Some of the greatest people to follow, in my opinion, are great to follow because you feel like you know them,” she says. “What were to happen if you were to bring your dog, your kids, your spouse or that goofy grandma or somebody who makes people laugh?”

Other great storytelling tools are captions and voiceovers.

“Maybe the video is just your equipment, but through the caption you can say, ‘Here is my John Deere combine. When we started farming in the ‘80s, it was $50,000 and now this is $900,000.’ You can create a message that improves policy and raises awareness and education for the general public through the caption,” Miller says.

Shoot Your Shot
Sometimes reaching the consumer is as simple as taking a chance and contacting them directly.

Miller recalls doing this when Burger King released a commercial that painted agriculture in a negative light, promoting its new initiative of feeding cattle lemongrass to reduce methane emissions.

“I thought ‘what if we could just have a conversation?’ So I Google searched who the global chief marketing officer for Burger King was, and I just sent him a tweet politely explaining why we found the ad so offensive, and inviting him to come on out to the farm,” she explains.

Burger King took her up on that offer.

“Their C-suite executives came out to the farm, and then I put together a two day tour. We went to a methane digester, feed lots and my farm. I had Iowa State involved, Iowa Farm Bureau and some ruminant nutritionists,” Miller says. They ended up retracting that original ad, and they did a new ad. A new commercial was filmed on my farm, as well as in northeast Iowa with a bunch of other farmers.”

As far as how to get started as an agriculture advocate, Miller offers this advice:

“Just take a step back and try to think about what you do and why. What are the greatest parts of your job? Tell that story, because you might see it every day, but the average person doesn’t. That’s the content that you put out there.”

Florida Becomes First State to Ban the Sale of Lab-Grown Meat

Thu, 02 May 2024 22:13:16 GMT

The first bill banning lab-grown meat was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on May 1. According to SB 1084, the bill prohibits the manufacture for sale, sale, holding or offering for sale, or distribution of cultivated meat in the state.

In a press conference in Hardee County, which is one of the top five cattle-producing counties in the state, the Governor spoke about the importance of supporting rural economies and agriculture.

“We’re fighting back against an ideology that ultimately wants to eliminate meat production in the U.S. and around the globe,” DeSantis said. “In the state of Florida we’ve put down the marker very clearly; we stand with agriculture. We stand with the cattle ranchers. We stand with our farmers because we understand it’s important for the backbone of the state. It’s important for our culture. It’s important for our heritage so the bill that I’m going to sign today is going to say basically take your fake, lab-grown meat elsewhere. We’re not doing that in the state of Florida.”

Joining the Governor during the conference were Wilton Simpson, commissioner of agriculture; Dale Carlton, president-elect of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association; Pat Durden, president of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association; and Sen. Jay Collins who worked on the bill.

In his remarks, Simpson said that food security is national security.

“It doesn’t always rise to the height of national security, but think about if there were no groceries just for one week in the grocery store, you would have total chaos in this country, and if that’s not national security, I don’t know what it is,” he said. “We get up every day thinking how can we have the most safe, affordable, abundant food anywhere in the world, and Florida is going to do its share of growing that product. We work hard every day to give our farmers the tools they need to accomplish these things.”

Both cattlemen expressed appreciation for the Governor and the legislature for protecting Florida’s cattle industry by signing this bill.

There has been an ongoing debate across the country in regard to cultivated meat products. Currently, lab-grown meat is only approved to be sold in the U.S. and Singapore. Italy was the first country in the EU to ban lab-grown meat, a decision made in February 2024.

Exclusive Q&A With Presidential Hopeful Ron DeSantis

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 20:03:50 GMT

Ron DeSantis, candidate for 2024 Republican presidential nomination and current Florida governor, joined AgriTalk to share his plans for the agriculture industry if successful in his run for president.

AgriTalk has extended an invitation to all presidential candidates to join Chip Flory and answer the same set of questions.

Q: What’s your motivation to be President? Why do you want the job?

A: We’re in jeopardy of being the first generation of Americans to leave our kids and grandkids in an America that is less prosperous and less free than the one we inherited. As a father of a first grader, kindergartener and preschooler, that is not acceptable to me. I am not going to sit idly by and watch the managed decline of this country. We are going to reverse the country’s decline, we are going to usher in a new birth of freedom and we are going to create a revival of the American spirit. I’m running for president to get the job done.

Q: What’s the No. 1 issue or challenge for America? How and when will you address it as President?

A: I think it’s multifactor. I think it’s the economic struggles, the lack of sovereignty at our southern border and then the poor energy policy. So, we’ll do all that on day one. We’re going to take “Bidenomics” – the rules, regulations, executive orders – we’re going to reverse that. We need to get inflation prices and interest rates down. There’s more to do than just the “Bidenomics,” but we are going to do the “Bidenomics” and get rid of that.

We also need to declare a national emergency for our southern border on day one. I’m going to end this invasion. I’m going to build a border wall and I’m going to hold the Mexican drug cartels accountable for poisoning our people and killing them by the tens of thousands.

Then we’re going to reverse Biden’s disastrous Green New Deal energy policy. We’re not going to force people to buy electric vehicles. We are going to open up our domestic energy for production. We need low price and reliable energy in this country. It’s good for individuals, it’s good for businesses and it’s good for national security.

Q: Let’s talk rural America and ag, farming, ranching, etc. What issues will you address as President?
A: We’re going get the federal bureaucracy off the back of the agriculture industry, particularly our family farmers and ranchers. EPA is not going to be able to go on your property because you have a puddle and say it’s Waters of the United States. We’re going to rein in the EPA, we’re going to rein in the USDA. Farmers know how to take care of their land better than government bureaucrats.

We’re also going to reverse Biden’s electric vehicle mandate so we can support liquid fuels. We’re going to do year-round E15 and also allow for higher blends to be sold as people want to do it. I think there’s a market for it.

We are going to go against states like California who are doing things like Proposition 12, which is impacting how people are producing pork in Iowa. California should not be telling Iowa pork producers how to do their job. We’re going to provide relief there.

We want to eliminate the death tax, particularly for family farms. We shouldn’t have to sell the farm just to be able to pass it down to the next generation. It’s very important we do that.

Then we’re going to work to make sure what our farmers are producing can be sold all over the world. We want to increase access to markets in other parts of the world.

Q: When you say “rein in USDA,” are you talking specifically about some of the climate-smart farming programs at USDA?

A: We’re going to absolutely kneecap all of the climate-related impositions on agriculture, and I think it’s more than just USDA. This whole ESG movement – they’re trying to do it through the Securities and Exchange, all these other things. Ultimately, the movement behind this views agriculture as a big problem to what they’re trying to accomplish, so they target agriculture as being a source of all these problems. If those policies go into effect, it will create a food crisis in this country. It is not going to work. It’s very dangerous. I’m going to provide relief for that not just in USDA, but across the board. ESG will be dead on arrival in my administration.

Q: The Iowa Corn Growers and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, and others, say you are the only candidate who checks all the boxes with your support for biofuels. Describe your energy and renewable energy policy plans.

A: We want American energy and yes, that means opening up federal lands. That means doing things like Keystone and Marcellus Shale, but it also means producing biofuels here in the Midwest, here in the United States. [It’s an] important part of the economy and helps with affordability, so we’re going to be a supporter of that. Yes, we’ve checked all the boxes across the board because we understand how important it is.

As these issues come up with agriculture and biofuels, I have so many great people I’m friends with here in Iowa who will provide great counsel. From Gov. Reynolds, the members of your legislature, to so many great members of your farming community. I’m excited to be able to work with the folks here in Iowa as we advance good policy for them over many years in the future.

Q: One of the policies from the Trump administration made rather liberal use of the small refinery exemptions. Where would that stand in a DeSantis administration?

A: That would be a case-by-case thing. I know Trump had done some of that stuff. I don’t know really what all went into it. But obviously we understand there are stakeholders here in Iowa on that and we want to make sure we make everybody happy.

Q: How will businesses (small and large) view your fiscal policies?
A: It would be a big improvement over what we’re seeing now. You can just look at my record in Florida. We’ve cut taxes every single year, we’ve run big budget surpluses and I’ve actually paid off 25% of our state’s total debt that we’ve accumulated since the inception of Florida as a state in the 19th century. Imagine if you could do that in Washington. We’re the No. 1-rated economy in all 50 states. We’re No. 1 for new business formation, No. 1 for entrepreneurship, No. 1 for talent development and No. 1 for education. We’re going to downsize the federal bureaucracy.

In the state of Florida, we have one of the lowest, if not the lowest, state employees per capita, anywhere in the country. Our budget, even though we have millions of more people than New York state, is half the size of New York state. Yet, when people move from New York to Florida, they tell me our services are better, our roads are better and our schools are better. So, we’re doing all this at half the cost and in a much smaller government.

The bureaucracy that small businesses have had to contend with is way out of bounds. It’s way excessive. We’re going to be taking that off the backs of our small- and medium-sized businesses. The big corporations tend to do fine with big government because of all the rules and regulations and red tape that give them a competitive advantage over smaller companies. The people who get killed by the federal bureaucracy are the small family-owned businesses. Those are going to be the businesses I want to see succeed in this country. Washington’s no longer going to be a roadblock for their success.

Q: On trade policy, former President Trump says he’s going to invoke at least a 10% tariff on all imports into the U.S. Is that something you would consider?

A: No. First of all, that would raise prices for Americans. It would hurt the inflation we’re seeing, and then it would lead to retaliation from other countries. That would end up hurting farmers because they would cut off access to some of our agricultural products. I will be willing to use, strategically, trade policy to make sure we could restore key elements of our economy visa vie China. I think that’s important, and I think Trump talked about that. I don’t think they had great success at it. But if he does a global tariff, Americans will pay more for things, and there will be reverberations in the agriculture community.

Q: Final question. Yes or no: Should former President Trump be on the primary ballot in Colorado?
A: Yes, he should. That was a mistake the Supreme Court there made.

FFA Instructor Suspended Over Raccoon Euthanasia

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 05:36:30 GMT

A Florida agri-science teacher and the advisor of the school’s FFA club, was placed on administrative leave after school officials were told that he had students help him drown wild raccoons during class.

Dewie Brewton, who has worked 34 years on and off for Marion County Public Schools, Ocala, Fla., was suspended with pay this week after school officials learned about the euthanasia.

One of the students captured a 14-second cell phone video of the event which was published by CBS affiliate WKMG . The video showed a group of students filling a tub of water using a hose and later keeping a trapped raccoon submerged.

According to WKMG, two raccoons and an opossum were killed at Forest High school because the animals had been killing chickens the students were raising for class.

The school district said it is investigating the incident, as are two state agencies - but a statement from the school said that “regardless of the investigative outcomes, Superintendent Dr. Heidi Maier is recommending termination.”

“Marion County Public Schools is appalled at the actions of an agri-science teacher accused of killing nuisance animals in front of students earlier this week,” the statement read. “Marion County’s education standards - in fact, Florida’s education standards - do not include activities for the destruction of live animals, nuisance or not. While law enforcement determines whether this teacher’s actions were legal or not, his actions before students are entirely unacceptable and cause us great concern.”

An alumni group for the school’s FFA club posted support for Brewton on Facebook, describing him as a teacher who worked hard for his students and who cared for the agriculture industry.

“We would like to say that we are 100% behind our advisor and everything he does for our children/students. This is a man who would give everything he had to make sure that his children/students are taken care of,” the Forest High School FFA Alumni Chapter said. “He has always gone above and beyond his call of duty to ensure that his students had everything they needed. He has spent late nights, weekends and has provided around the clock support for his club and for his school.”

The chapter also criticized coverage of the incident, saying the media will “escalate” the situation “to lengths that are unnecessary.”

“We must focus on all of the extremely positive and life changing things that this man has done for the people,” the group said. “We must show our support for him in this time of need and show that we are one.”